Chapter 146 As long as people are alive, there is hope for reconstruction
A massive fireball exploded in mid-air! The enemy plane was blown apart in mid-air, its shattered debris and sparks flying everywhere like a rain of iron!
The enormous explosion even briefly drowned out the sounds of other bombings.
At that moment, the people fleeing on the ground instinctively stopped and looked up at the sky in disbelief.
The other enemy planes in the air also became visibly panicked, pulling up in order to find the source of the ground fire.
"Hit! Hit!"
On the ground, someone shouted out first, their voice filled with sobs and overwhelming excitement.
"They are our people, and we have anti-aircraft guns."
Xu Zhili had no time to rejoice; she quickly adjusted the gun barrel and aimed at another enemy plane that was trying to escape.
The cannon barrel was slightly hot from continuous firing. Each shot consumed the energy converted from the space crops, as well as her mental energy.
"Again!" She gritted her teeth and pressed the firing pedal again!
The anti-aircraft guns roared once more, their shells whistling past the enemy aircraft...
Finally, after successfully shooting down one enemy aircraft, damaging another, and forcing other enemy planes to stop their indiscriminate low-altitude bombing, the magically appearing twin-barreled anti-aircraft gun, along with the remaining ammunition, slowly became transparent before Xu Zhili's eyes, eventually disappearing into the air like a phantom, as if it had never existed.
Xu Zhili collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Her shoulders were numb, and her ears were still ringing.
But as she watched the enemy planes finally begin to move away in the sky, and the villagers on the ground who had survived the ordeal and were all looking in her direction, she was filled with indescribable excitement and pride.
Although the weapon was obtained through exchange, it was Xu Zhili who operated it and protected her home!
Ya Ya's voice rang out, filled with excitement and lingering fear: "Master! You're amazing! You shot down the enemy's plane!"
Xu Zhili slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, her gaze resolute.
The system's mechanical voice sounded again: "Emergency energy depleted, temporary permissions closed. Please remember, host, true power comes from your own learning and creation."
Xu Zhili clenched her fists.
She knew this was just the beginning.
Today's experience made her realize more deeply that although individual strength is small, if it can be guided in the right direction, it can unleash the light and heat to protect our homeland.
The future strength of a nation requires tangible industrial and technological power of its own.
Under the sunlight, the village, where the smoke of battle had not yet completely dissipated, was immersed in the joy of surviving the catastrophe.
Xu Zhili leaned against the edge of the half-collapsed earthen mound, sweat mixed with dust on her forehead, sticking to a few strands of her loose hair.
His arms were still trembling slightly from the effort he had just put into lifting and hitting the object.
"...It's captured! It's really captured!"
A boy, barely out of his teens, emerged first from the cellar where he was hiding. His voice was hoarse with excitement as he pointed at the still-burning fire in the distant wilderness and jumped up and down, shouting.
As if suddenly ignited by this shout, more people poured out from under the ruins, from the cellars, and from the ravines.
What began as a cautious, tentative exploration quickly turned into unbelievable ecstasy.
"Which hero shot down that man-eating iron bird?"
An old man with a wrinkled face leaned on a cane, looking shakily toward the direction of the crashed plane's flames, tears glistening in his cloudy eyes.
The crowd erupted in a flurry of speculation, each person offering their own guesses.
"Could it be comrades from the army?"
"It doesn't seem like it, we haven't seen the group coming..."
"Those red lights were really powerful. They threw the enemy planes into a panic and completely threw them into disarray. The remaining planes had to flee for their lives."
"That's right! You didn't see it! I really don't know who did it, but there was a 'whoosh' and then a 'boom'—it sounded like a firecracker going off!"
Xu Zhili stood behind the crowd and quietly released Xu Zhian from her spatial dimension. As she looked at the excited expressions of the crowd, the tension in her heart gradually eased, and she couldn't help but smile slightly.
Fortunately, no one was paying attention to her. The little guy was still confused, his big, dark eyes wide open, when he realized it was his sister.
He immediately grabbed her clothes tightly, his young face filled with a dependence born from shock that belied his age.
In her haste, she could only hide him in her spatial storage for refuge.
Xu Zhian looked up, her eyes full of admiration: "Sister, you did it, didn't you? I saw you setting up an anti-aircraft gun just now, it was so amazing, it was like a flower exploding in the sky!"
She quickly squatted down, covered her younger brother's mouth, gently shook her head, and whispered, "An'an, you can't tell anyone about this, understand?"
The little one seemed to understand but didn't quite, yet he obediently nodded, burying his face in her arms, but still couldn't help but mutter softly, "But my sister is a great hero..."
He had just been to that magical place, with mountains and water, and a talking tree. He had also witnessed his sister bravely setting up an anti-aircraft gun, shooting down those hateful planes. His sister was indeed a great hero.
At this moment, the Party Secretary of Xiangyang Brigade walked over, leaning on a broken piece of wood. His gaze swept across the crowd and finally landed on Xu Zhili.
This team secretary is the old comrade-in-arms mentioned by Director Wang of the Hunan Provincial Educated Youth Office; he is Secretary Liu.
In the chaos just now, he vaguely saw the young educated youth, Xu, run towards an open area and throw something out.
That's how the enemy plane crashed.
“Young Xu, the educated youth,” the village secretary’s voice was hoarse, yet carried a solemn tone, “was that you just now…?”
Xu Zhili's heart tightened, and she was about to deny it when she saw Secretary Liu wave his hand, his eyes filled with understanding and gratitude. His emotions were complex, including shock, lingering fear, and a heavy sense of understanding and protectiveness.
“Whoever it is,” he raised his voice a few decibels as he turned to the crowd.
“They are all our saviors in Xiangyang Brigade. We will remember this grudge; we will also remember this kindness.”
He turned around and shouted to the cheering villagers, "Don't just be happy, quickly check if anyone is injured, and gather up anything that can be salvaged."
"Also, send two young men to check out the crash site. Erniu and Tieniu, you two are nimble on your feet, go over there and keep an eye on it from a distance. Be careful, don't touch anything you shouldn't!"
The crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone began to get busy in an orderly manner, which eased the sadness.
Some people went to help the injured villagers, some went to clean up the collapsed houses, and two young men carried hoes and ran towards the fire.
Xu Zhili, holding Xu Zhian's hand, also joined the cleanup team.
Sunlight filtered through the smoke of battle, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Although their homes were devastated, everyone's face radiated resilience—as long as people were still alive, there was hope for reconstruction.
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