Chapter 269

Chapter 269: The Future of Gem Valley

After all, he was still an active Air Knight in this world. Neither duty nor a sense of honor allowed him to linger in this gentle haven. This world was not like when he was in the Su Lan Empire, where he could leisurely finish a meal and leave without a care.

Even though the other party was fully willing, Lin Mo felt no obligation.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Lin Mo’s mind.

He gently pushed the weeping Pashtun girl away from his embrace.

Looking into her beautiful eyes, he said, “Sally, stop crying. I am a soldier and cannot stay here forever. We have only known each other for a little over half a month and do not fully understand each other. Even if you have strong feelings, it doesn’t necessarily reflect true love.”

“I rarely have time to come back here to mine, so let’s do this instead: I will hand over my Lapis Lazuli mine to you to manage. We can split the profits evenly. If you find your true love in the future, I will bless you, and your share can serve as a dowry, ensuring your future is worry-free.”

Lin Mo thought of a compromise; it both calmed Sally’s emotions and offered her a glimmer of hope. He had not spoken everything yet, and if she remained one-sided in her feelings, it could pose problems. But he would deal with future challenges later; who could predict what might happen?

The heart of a woman is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; perhaps she would eventually realize her naivety and discover true emotional fulfillment.

The Pashtun girl, with her heart completely devoted to someone, thought simply and didn’t think deeply about the vast differences between their worlds.

At least it was a promise, wasn’t it?

Her heart, which had been so tense, finally began to relax a little.

At least she understood that his “return to the sky” meant he was not the deity she had imagined but a real person, albeit an Air Knight.

The distance between them was not as unattainable as she thought. No matter how high and far an eagle flies, it will eventually land. The hardships she faced in life had granted her enough patience.

Wiping her tears, she smiled through her sobs, saying, “Mr. Knight, don’t worry; when men fly, they should soar like eagles. I won’t hold you back. I promise to prepare a generous dowry for myself.”

Lin Mo’s words acted like a calming pill, immediately stabilizing Sally’s emotions.

“Mr. Knight, I still don’t know your name. Oh no, I shouldn’t ask that. I’m sorry!”

Sally wanted to know Lin Mo’s real name, thinking that if she were to entrust him with everything in the future, it was impossible not to know his name. However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth.

The Knight had warned her that the more she knew, the more dangerous it would be.

“Shh! Silly girl, when the time is right, you will naturally find out. You will be in danger,” Lin Mo replied ambiguously, causing a hint of sweetness to rise in the heart of the Pashtun girl, showing that he still cared for her.

Since the plane crash, he had been caught in a major conspiracy. From the information he received from Ma Jun, the intelligence chief of the Red Scorpion, there was a large organization plotting against his life. Although he had a vague idea about the identity of this threat, Lin Mo did not want to involve others in his troubles.

With his country and army as his backing, he knew that even the fiercest storms would have stronger people to shield him. But others might not be so fortunate; innocents shouldn’t be dragged into danger, which conflicted with the principles of an Air Knight.

Sally, who had focused entirely on another path, resolved to make the most of this high-quality Lapis Lazuli mine, to earn more money, and provide solid support for the man she loved, allowing him to fly freely in the sky.

“I should be leaving too!”

Lin Mo removed the fuel pump, patted Sally’s little head, the soft, silky hair shining with a lovely sheen.

Playfully, he brushed his fingers against her jade-like nose. Seeing the mist return to the Pashtun girl’s eyes, Lin Mo smiled and said, “Please help me deliver my belongings to my friends. If anything comes up, feel free to discuss it with them; they will relay messages to me. I need to assess the Lapis Lazuli mine; I need a lot of money—lots!”

Without looking back, he climbed into the plane as the engine roared to life once again.

The powerful winds from the propeller whipped around the Pashtun girl’s delicate hair, glinting like gold in the twilight glow.

“I will do my best!”

With her lips pressed together, the Pashtun girl clenched her fists and stepped back, waving her fists at the cockpit of the P-51 Mustang, showing that Mica Village’s strongest and most beautiful girl was back.

The P-51 Mustang slowly turned, and from the cockpit, a hand emerged, fist clenched and thumb raised high, encouraging the Pashtun girl who had endured so many hardships yet still refused to give up.

The wind grew stronger as the P-51 Mustang began to accelerate. The smooth grassland might not be suitable for jet fighters, but it was the best takeoff and landing space for propeller planes.

After charging for hundreds of meters, the P-51 Mustang gained enough speed to lift off, raising its nose and soaring into the sky.

The fierce wind blew away the sparkling tears on Pashtun’s cheeks. She shouted loudly, waving her hands energetically, signaling to the aircraft above.

In apparent response to the girl’s cries, the P-51 Mustang executed a 360-degree barrel roll, shaking its wings as it performed a textbook-worthy Immelmann maneuver, climbing sharply again to join three jet fighters, gradually disappearing into the horizon in the direction of the rising sun.

Unlike Lin Mo, who could fly away in an advanced transport vehicle, the fourth squad could only wait for the transport helicopter to pick them up.

Squad leader Zhang Zhenyu shook his head, watching the formation of planes vanish into the sky.

After all, he was an ace pilot; in just a little over half a month, Lin Mo had managed to acquire a plane again. Zhang Zhenyu believed that Captain Lin Mo’s experiences were becoming legendary.

Well! The target they came to rescue had elegantly patted his backside and run off, turning the tables on them; they found themselves in the role of those needing rescue.

Traveling a long distance only to arrive in the midst of a puzzling battle, they watched Lin Mo swagger away in an aircraft he had gotten who-knows-where. Had they known, they would not have come to join this chaos.

But to be honest, this valley, fiercely fought over by both sides, was quite rare; a single mountain pass separated two entirely different worlds.

After the Pashtun people and mercenaries entered the pass, the members of the fourth squad were astonished by the beautiful scenery inside the valley: the lush green grasslands, abundant forests, and the cheerful flowing streams—it was practically a paradise on earth.

Turning back, they looked at the desolate mountains they had trekked through for half a month, where even the color green was rarely seen. One was a paradise, and the other a zone of death—it was hard to believe that people would fight desperately over such stark contrasts.

“This place really is wonderful!”

The squad leader couldn’t help but exclaim. This valley could be described as a small basin. The mouth of the pass was not small at all; from a distance, they could barely see a dark gray line that represented a mountain range.

The fleeing armed militants were hardly a concern; as long as they protected the mountain pass, those deserters would never survive to leave these desolate hills.

The strong young men from the Pashtun tribe began to assess the battlefield, collecting useful supplies: firearms, ammunition, water bottles, meal boxes, and various necessities. The mercenaries quickly organized vehicles, sweeping through the coalition’s camp, finding plenty of valuable items, including a damaged armed helicopter that could no longer fly, which was considered a great haul.

The Gem Valley was in dire need of development; having natural resources alone would not be enough. They needed more supplies to build their new home.

Seeing the silver armor left behind by Lin Mo, the squad leader of Night recognized the signs of it being made from aircraft debris.

“This guy always surprises me!”

Remembering Lin Mo’s title as the cosplay champion, he realized how skilled Lin Mo must be in craftsmanship. Zhang Zhenyu could no longer simply express admiration. This piece of battlefield art—it deserved at least to be called “artwork.” If sold, it could fetch a considerable sum in RMB.

After all, it was made from materials of a combat aircraft, and the genuine battlefield experience gave it a special significance.

Because of Lin Mo, the Pashtun people, who revered martial prowess and poetry, viewed him as an epic hero. The fourth squad basked in the glow of Lin Mo’s fame and received an incredibly warm welcome in the Gem Valley.

The squad leader, known as “Avanti,” spoke multiple languages, particularly those of countries surrounding China. There were warriors in the squad proficient in Afghan Pashto and Dari, so communicating with the Afghans posed no issues.

Instead of tending to the bodies of their fallen comrades, the Pashtun people prepared a welcoming feast to celebrate their arrival, slaughtering sheep and cattle, bringing out their best food and wine. Initially, the members of the fourth squad felt taken aback, unable to understand the level of enthusiasm the Pashtun people displayed, which far exceeded their expectations.

During discussions with the elder Pashtuns, Squad Leader Zhang Zhenyu and his team ultimately understood the reason for such a warm welcome stemmed from Lin Mo. Had it not been for this “Knight,” as the Pashtun people referred to him, those civilians escaping the war would likely have struggled to reach this beautiful land and possibly could not have preserved their new home.

An elder named Mude Zariyev presented a set of recently drafted agreements to the squad leader of Night. At this moment, Zhang Zhenyu could no longer contain his composure.