Tang Xiaoman wasn’t particularly interested in crocodile meat. Besides, she had more important things to do, so she didn’t ask Zhou Yichen to stop the assault boat.

They sped along the water. Whenever a crocodile approached, she took out the chainsaw and ambushed it.

Gradually, the crocodiles stopped daring to come near them.

Before long, they found a flat rooftop suitable for a helicopter takeoff.

The two climbed onto the roof, and Tang Xiaoman took the small helicopter out of her spatial storage.

Zhou Yichen piloted it northwest at low altitude.

Tang Xiaoman took out binoculars and carefully surveyed the terrain below.

Lincheng was hilly, with rolling slopes appearing every few dozen kilometers.

There shouldn’t have been any game on those hills. And with the heavy rain triggering frequent landslides, almost no one dared climb them to search for supplies.

But Tang Xiaoman remembered that northwest of the city, there was an officially designated livestock farming zone, where cattle, sheep, and pigs were raised.

When the floods broke out, the farms had been submerged.

But animals had stronger survival instincts than humans, and most could swim far better. She suspected many of them had swum to the nearby hills.

In her previous life, when the flash floods hit, several hills had collapsed outright, and disaster victims had found the carcasses of cattle, sheep, and pigs floating in the water.

In this life, however, even the official granaries and supply warehouses in Lincheng—which should not have been destroyed—had vanished. That meant the main direction of the flood impact might have shifted.

So the hills that should have collapsed might still be standing.

Going there was extremely dangerous. If not for the protection of her spatial storage, Tang Xiaoman wouldn’t have dared take the risk.

After twenty minutes of flight, the helicopter reached a range of rolling hills northwest of the city.

Floodwaters battered the slopes. Loose sections of earth kept breaking away, crashing into the torrent and vanishing in an instant.

Each hill looked like a man-eating swamp, the kind of place no one would set foot on without courage and skill.

Tang Xiaoman said frankly, “You know better than I do how to choose a safe landing spot. I won’t pretend to be an expert and tell you what to do.”

Zhou Yichen took in the severe erosion along the hillsides, yet his expression did not change. He offered no questions, no hesitation.

Once Tang Xiaoman spoke, he adjusted the helicopter and began searching for a suitable place to land.

“Wait!”

Through the binoculars, Tang Xiaoman spotted something.

“That hill up ahead—I think there’s a flock of sheep!”

—

Sheep were among the animals best suited to surviving on mountains.

Their hooves had a strange, rubbery texture that gripped the ground easily, keeping them from slipping even on steep slopes.

At the sound of the helicopter, the flock panicked and immediately bolted.

That sudden movement exposed them perfectly, allowing Tang Xiaoman to spot them.

Her guess had been right. The livestock from the flooded farms nearby had all fled to these hills.

Tang Xiaoman pulled a sniper rifle from her spatial storage and swiftly chambered a round.

Zhou Yichen coordinated with perfect understanding, keeping the helicopter close behind the fleeing flock while continuously lowering altitude.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tang Xiaoman fired three shots through the open window.

Three sheep dropped.

The rest scattered like arrows from a bowstring.

The helicopter banked sharply and changed direction.

Tang Xiaoman seized the chance and fired twice more, bringing down another two sheep.

Unfortunately, the flock moved too fast. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished into the valley, escaping her range.

Zhou Yichen kept trying to lower the helicopter, but he couldn’t find a suitable landing spot nearby. In the end, he could only hover two meters above the ground.

That was not a skill an ordinary pilot could pull off.

“You stay in the helicopter,” Tang Xiaoman said, stopping him from getting out. “If anything feels wrong, take off immediately. Don’t worry about me. I can enter my space.”

Zhou Yichen looked at her silently for a moment, then suggested, “We can enter your space together.”

“No.” Tang Xiaoman rejected him without hesitation. “We absolutely cannot lose the helicopter. If we do, I’ll twist your head off. Try me.”

Zhou Yichen: “…”

Forget he said anything.

—

Tang Xiaoman rappelled down with practiced speed.

It was only two meters high; she could have landed easily without the rope.

But for safety, she still chose to rappel.

If the ground collapsed or something unexpected happened, she could grab the rope and climb back into the helicopter at once.

After testing the ground and confirming it was solid beneath her feet, Tang Xiaoman went to collect the game.

She had shot five sheep in total, and their bodies were scattered across different spots.

From the helicopter, Zhou Yichen had the advantage of looking down and accurately guided her to each one.

Whenever she moved to a new location, he flew after her.

Tang Xiaoman had just finished collecting the five sheep when, before she could turn around, Zhou Yichen’s slightly urgent voice came through the radio.

“A herd of cattle is charging this way!”

Her ears pricked.

Sure enough, dull hoofbeats were growing closer and closer.

Seven or eight yellow cattle were charging straight toward the helicopter with terrifying momentum.

Tang Xiaoman reacted instantly, grabbed the rope, and climbed back up in a few swift movements.

Zhou Yichen pulled the control stick. As the helicopter rose, Tang Xiaoman pulled in the rope.

Their coordination was seamless, completed in one fluid motion.

The helicopter had barely lifted when the cattle crashed into the spot below.

Cattle were highly territorial animals. They were massive, horned, and their aggression and danger far surpassed sheep by a hundredfold.

The helicopter’s engine had disturbed and angered them, so relying on their size, they had charged straight at it.

Even after the aircraft lifted, they continued pawing furiously at the ground.

Tang Xiaoman’s eyes lit up with excitement. “So many cattle. If we could get them all, that would be perfect!”

From hunting the sheep earlier, she knew she couldn’t simply open fire. One shot would send most of them running.

The helicopter circled low. Every time it approached the herd, the cattle chased angrily, assuming attack postures.

Then Tang Xiaoman spotted a cliff ahead, roughly fifty or sixty meters high. The space around it was wide and open, suitable for landing the helicopter.

An idea suddenly came to her.

Since the herd was so easily provoked, why not make them even angrier?

She exchanged a glance with Zhou Yichen.

They understood each other instantly and both nodded.

Zhou Yichen pressed down on the control stick, sending the helicopter into a low dive toward the cattle. Before they could scatter, he feinted and suddenly turned as though fleeing.

Sure enough, the herd instinctively accelerated in pursuit, determined to ram that arrogant iron thing skimming over the ground and trample it flat.

Zhou Yichen controlled the speed precisely, allowing the herd to gradually catch up as he led them straight toward the cliff.

The horns of the lead cow nearly touched the tail of the helicopter. One more step, and it could have knocked the aircraft down—

Tang Xiaoman reacted in a flash, taking both herself and the helicopter into her spatial storage.

The lead cow charged into empty air.

Its massive body had no way to stop.

Ahead lay the sheer cliff, and it plunged straight over without hesitation.

The rest of the herd rushed after it. By the time they realized there was a cliff ahead, it was already too late to stop.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The entire herd of yellow cattle went over the edge.

Wiped out in an instant.