The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

The Final Odyssey: The Fantastic Adventures of a Cat Boy: Explosive word-of-mouth and rave reviews!

Although Ange claimed that airlifting a small number of elite armored warriors was the fastest way to provide assistance under the current circumstances, this "fast" was only relative: although Ange initially requested that flight preparations be completed within two hours, the commander of the Independent 1st Air Squadron immediately refused.

Of course, the reason for their refusal was quite valid—due to the increased wear and tear and failure rate of the aircraft caused by the recent frequent sorties, in order to avoid these important passengers suffering an unexpected "mishap," the technical officers of the air squadron spent most of the day conducting a complete disassembly and overhaul of all the aircraft. A large number of parts were replaced, the engines were cleaned, and the wing skin was inspected and repaired.

After maintenance was completed, the aircraft underwent another round of testing before being allowed to take off. Fortunately, although Fish's group consisted of eight people, Mint and her two maids all had "Flying Fish" seaplane pilot licenses, so they didn't have to worry about not having enough seats.

"Phew... So this is what flying feels like?" Fish muttered to himself as he sat in the back seat of the number 01 seaplane and took off from the river amidst the deafening roar of the piston engine.

"Interesting," Huang Yan whispered in his ear. "I thought you'd be more excited. After all, this should be your first time on a plane... and a small one at that, which is more 'exciting' for passengers."

"That's what I thought too," Fish shrugged, beginning to inspect the small radio mounted in the back seat, and the 7.7mm aircraft machine gun, his only weapon for self-defense. The seat was even cramped and uncomfortable than the economy class of a budget airline from the old civilization era, thanks to the batteries, transceiver, and spare magazines for the machine gun taking up so much space. "But... I have a feeling..."

"How does it feel?"

"I don't know why, but I feel like I've flown like this before, or even had more exciting experiences... although I can't remember exactly what those experiences were like," Fish said. "After all, my memories before Oasis City are all jumbled up, and I can't remember many things clearly."

"This just proves that you, sir, possess great courage and magnanimity, enough to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the future Grand Duke of Fayun and the head of the Fayun-Lindenhild family," said Mint, who was in charge of piloting Fish in the cockpit of the plane. "Of course, the premise is that you have to switch back from this despicable body as soon as possible."

"Um, I think it's best not to use the word 'vulgar' to describe Moon Butterfly's body, is it?" After the inspection, Fish watched the five seaplanes behind him take off one by one, like a flock of waterbirds preparing for migration. "Isn't that a bit...?"

"Your Excellency is right. Yue Die is, after all, a concubine born into a marquis's family, and is qualified to be a member of your future harem. Of course, I sincerely suggest that you don't give her too high a status; at most, make her the lowest-ranking concubine. Moreover, she should only be allowed three days a month to serve you in bed, and when entertaining guests, she should dance at banquets like the lowest-ranking geisha. Any children she bears should not have any inheritance rights..."

"Stop, stop, stop right there! What are you all thinking about?" After Mint said that, Fish's mind automatically conjured up some steamy scenes that were neither suitable for children nor adults, and his cheeks turned the color of a stewed shrimp. "Focus on flying your plane, and stop talking nonsense."

"Yes, sir."

After calming Mint down, the rest of the flight was relatively uneventful. The flight formation first landed at a small lake 140 kilometers from the R-2 refugee camp, refueled using oil drums floating on the lake, and then took off again. They encountered neither aerial attacks nor ground fire during the journey.

Of course, there were also several occasions when Fish and his team caught glimpses of the battle unfolding in the distance: in more than one place in the forest, flames and thick smoke polluted the azure sky, and they could even see groups of flying autonomous weapons firing projectiles and energy beams at the ground. Something seemed to be moving and darting among the burning trees. Explosions rang out continuously, but it was unclear who was firing or what they were targeting.

However, with only static and silence on the aircraft's radio, Fish and his men did not risk approaching these combat zones, nor did they know the cause or purpose of the fighting—after all, given the range of these "Flying Fish" seaplanes, simply reaching the location of the trapped ragtag army would be a victory.

Finally, after two and a half hours of intermittent flight, the small seaplanes arrived one after another over their destination: the temporary position of this group of trapped ragtag troops was a small hill in the middle of the forest. Although it was not very high, it at least avoided the common problem of water accumulation in the area and ensured a commanding view advantage.

Along the edge of the hill, trees that might have blocked the line of fire had been cleared away and replaced with abatis, palisades, or other makeshift defensive works. A series of geometrically shaped trenches stretched along the hillside, interspersed with various bumps and depressions, likely foxholes or small firing positions.

Near the hill, conspicuous scorch marks and craters were scattered everywhere, and some broken and charred trees were still emitting wisps of smoke. Clearly, after being blocked by a mysterious enemy and forced to take a defensive position, this ragtag army seemed to have fought several tough battles on the spot and inflicted considerable losses on the enemy.

The only problem is that at this moment, there is not a single person moving around on the mountaintop.

"Angie, I'm almost at my destination. The ground is very... quiet," Fish said through the internal communication channel provided by Phoenix Flame.

"I know, and I haven't found any signs of anyone's activity either," Ange replied, who was aboard Unit 02. "Theoretically speaking, it's possible that people on the position have hidden in tunnels or bunkers to avoid enemy artillery fire, bombing, sniping, or other attacks, but it's still a bit strange."

"Indeed. At least there's no fighting down there right now," Fish muttered. "And it's really unusual that no one's come out to say anything when they see their own planes approaching."

"Your Highness Fish, there's an open area at the edge of the mountain where we can land," Mint reported. "Shall we land now?"

"Okay." Fish nodded, and turned on the radio in the back seat. "Stay alert, be careful. I'll try to make contact."

Just like before, the radio channel was still filled with white noise and static, with no calls or inquiries. Fish swallowed hard and spoke first.

"Friendly forces on the ground, this is reinforcement. We are about to land. Please report your situation and prepare for rendezvous. Repeat, we are about to land. Please report your situation and prepare for rendezvous."

There was no response, but a few figures briefly appeared on the position. However, these people did not seem to be there to meet them. After staggering a few steps, they disappeared again into the remaining woods on the mountaintop, or burrowed back into the shacks that served as their makeshift camp, like termites attracted to light.

"Excuse my bluntness, Your Highness Fish, but the current situation... is rather strange," Mint said. "Are you really going to land?"

"This..." Fish instinctively clutched the two large, bouncy mounds of fat on his chest with both hands, lost in thought—this gesture was actually a little habit Yuedie had developed when she was alone. Although her consciousness had changed, these muscle memories had miraculously been inherited. "Angie, what do you think?"

"I am willing to follow my husband. It is up to you to decide," Ange replied on the internal communication channel.

"I... uh... still suggest we go back. It's always good to be cautious..." Yue Die muttered.

"In my opinion, the situation is changing rapidly, and we should act swiftly. Rather than holding back, we should go down and investigate first, and then adapt to the situation." Perhaps to oppose his nemesis, Shuangye immediately gave the opposite answer.

"Wherever you go, Mr. Fish, I will go," Xiaoxing said in Fish's voice.

"Uh... okay." Fish considered for a few more seconds, until his arms were pressing against his chest and it hurt a little, before he quickly let go. "Land while maintaining the highest level of alert. Everyone, prepare for battle."

"Yes, ma'am," Mint said. Then, the engine of the small biplane stopped spinning, and the whole plane, like an oversized kite, silently "drifted" towards the mountaintop.

This approach serves two purposes. First, it is naturally to slow down in advance so that a safe landing can be made on that open area less than 100 meters long; second, it is to minimize the sound before landing in order to reduce the possibility of attracting attention and causing danger.

Under normal circumstances, landing on friendly positions should enable communication and coordination. However, since Fish had not responded to several of his calls, the team had to prepare for the worst: in addition to shutting down their engines as they approached the airport, aircraft 05 and 06 did not land but remained in the air, circling and ready to provide air support at any time.

Of the six biplanes in the squadron, No. 01 was piloted by Mint, No. 02 by Ange, and Nos. 03 and 04 were piloted by Mint's subordinates, Xiao Luo and Peanut. Fish, Xiao Xing, Yue Die, and Shuang Ye sat in the back seats.

Logically, smaller targets are safer in such operations. Therefore, at the outset, the commanders of the Independent 1st Air Squadron suggested that if Ange and her team intended to fly themselves, four aircraft would suffice. They would then use two additional aircraft to transport the pilots in batches after the battle and bring the planes back.

However, Ange rejected this suggestion: after all, even armored warriors have limited visibility and the ability to observe their surroundings on the ground. Therefore, considering the possibility of surprise attacks or ambushes after landing, Ange insisted on having all available aircraft participate in the operation—the remaining two aircraft were not only loaded with bombs, but their observers were also the most visually sharp and skilled marksmen in the entire squadron. After Fish and the others landed, they could still provide support in the air for about an hour.

Although the flat area on the mountaintop was far from being a proper airport, it had at least undergone preliminary leveling work, indicating that it was specifically prepared for the take-off and landing of small aircraft. Upon touching the ground, Fish could feel a strong vibration coming from the wheels on both sides of the small floating boats attached to the wings of the seaplane.

Fortunately, after a very uncomfortable shaking, the small plane finally came to a safe stop. No one came to greet it, or even to say hello, but no autonomous weapons, monsters, or humans appeared to launch an attack. The entire makeshift airfield was very empty and very quiet.

In fact, it's been too quiet here.

As a new human, although he is currently using the body of a moon butterfly, Fish's hearing is still far superior to that of people from the old civilization era. Even with his round, weasel-like ears perked up, he could only hear the rumbling of the 02, 03, and 04 aircraft landing behind him, as well as the sound of wind and sporadic gunfire from further away.

In fact, in this area, not only is there no human activity, but even the sounds of birds and beasts that should be heard in the forest have completely disappeared.

"It seems the situation is indeed not so simple," said Ange, who jumped off Unit 02. Xiaoxing, who got off the back seat, also nodded.

Although she was forced to switch bodies with Fish, the smart combat armor she was currently using was still the "Grape" suit. As soon as she left the plane, she activated the armor's unique optical camouflage system and disappeared like a Predator ready to hunt—Fish knew very well that Xiaoxing did this to avoid the sight of enemies who might be hiding nearby and to provide support for her companions.

"I also sensed danger... but it's alright, I'm already excited." Frostleaf, who had just disembarked from Unit 03, placed one hand on the hilt of her sword, while behind her, Moon Butterfly—who was now using the small, thin body of Sachi—looked uneasy, her hand holding the longsword trembling slightly.

Mint's two maids were quick and efficient. As soon as the plane came to a stop, they quickly took off their flight caps, put on commando camouflage helmets, and stood in a guard position next to their master.

"Hey, is anyone there?!" After activating Phoenix Flame's weapon system, Fish, as usual, turned the sensor sensitivity to the maximum, greeting the user while slowly scanning his surroundings.

When forced to ascend the mountain to establish defenses, the ragtag army also set up a camp to house the civilians who had fled with them, including dozens of makeshift semi-subterranean shacks and many more tents. After activating the infrared sensors, Fish was surprised to find that almost half of the shacks and tents were emitting signals of varying strengths.

"There are people inside," Huang Yan, who had remained silent the entire way, finally said. "We identified at least 60 living human individuals, and the actual number may be more. None of them are moving."

"This is so strange," Ange said. "We made such a commotion when we landed, didn't these people come out to take a look? It doesn't make any sense at all."

"Perhaps they are unconscious, or perhaps they are unable to move for some reason. In short, there are many possibilities," Huang Yan explained. "Hmm... wait, these people aren't completely inactive. The people inside the eighth tent from the left have started to move."