Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 169 - 168 Ascension

Chapter 169: Chapter 168 Ascension

Occasionally, a plane would fly overhead, but it was only a small fixed-wing aircraft, not a helicopter, and certainly not a police helicopter equipped with thermal imaging.

New Moon City was a very small town, and its public security had always been fairly good, so it was impossible for New Moon City to have a police helicopter equipped with thermal imaging. There was no need for it. Big cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco certainly had them, but San Francisco was far from New Moon City. Even if San Francisco police were to urgently support New Moon City, it would take a long time to arrive.

It was useless to deploy planes from the Air National Guard, because what could those planes do?

Whether it’s the Air Force or the National Guard, the demands for military aircraft are completely different from those for police aircraft. So even if planes from the Air National Guard were deployed, relying on visual searches, how could they possibly find scattered prisoners in the vast forest?

Just like Yang Yi said to the warden, no matter what, the California government and New Moon City, as well as any forces that could be mobilized quickly, would inevitably have to ensure the return of most prisoners heading to New Moon City first and foremost. This was not a conspiracy, nor a plot; it was simply a fact.

And Yang Yi saw this fact. He knew how things would develop, so he was not afraid.

It was just a bit annoying to wait.

Pelican Bay Prison was to the north of New Moon City, surrounded by forests. Not far to the north was a small town called Dick Fort, which meant that not far out of the prison was a residential area. If a large number of prisoners flooded into it, the consequences were unimaginable.

But Yang Yi wasn’t worried about prisoners entering Dick Fort. The reason was simple. Most of the residents of Dick Fort were prison guards and their families. The prisoners might think about retaliating against the guards, but a town where almost every household had guns and most residents were guards, which would be immediately warned after the prison lost control, would make no difference to the prisoners than being inside the prison itself - it was suicide.

So, the north was not an option. The prisoners could only head south, following the highway all the way to New Moon City, or enter the forest and head west. Past the forest was a road with no residents, where they could then head south or north. Or they could cross the road and keep going west, to a vast range of mountains and forests.

To the east was also forest, but the forest to the east wasn’t very large. Beyond the forest were farmlands, and past those were the coastline.

Yang Yi and his group took the route west.

After the large-scale prison break, residents within dozens of miles around the prison were warned and notified. They soon evacuated, or some chose to stay at home to protect their property, and such households were to be avoided even more because a family that made such a decision must be armed and ready to take action.

Moreover, the prisoners wouldn’t be in a hurry to break into homes to loot. What they were desperate for was to escape, not to stay put and wait to be captured by someone nearby.

So, Yang Yi and his group did pass by houses, but the houses were either empty and deserted, or the doors were closed, and armed homeowners were inside guarding. In such cases, of course, the best thing to do was to leave quickly.

Yang Yi and the others didn’t go deep into the forest, but hid in a forest not far from the road, about seven or eight kilometers from the prison. Patrol police cars would slowly drive by on the road, and currently, the police did not have enough manpower for a mountain search, but they had already controlled the road and monitored all key junctions.

"We have to go. It’s been a long time now, and whether it’s the military or the police, they’re definitely going to start a large-scale search operation. We can’t stay here for more than three hours, it’s too dangerous," said Chris, unable to hold back and beginning to urge Yang Yi. Brian didn’t look at Chris, still focussing intently on the road cutting through the forest, but Yang Yi had to calm Chris’s nerves.

"Don’t rush, we must wait for someone to come and meet us. If we leave, where can we go? Even if we escape deeper into the forest, in the end, the police will still find us, or worse, we might get shot."

After explaining with patience, Yang Yi whispered, "Don’t rush, someone will definitely come for us."

Yang Yi sounded certain, but in truth, he wasn’t as confident as he seemed because he had already paid the money, and Raymond had said he would come to meet him. But having waited for several hours with no sign, how could he not be anxious?

While talking, Yang Yi made another call, but just like before, it wouldn’t go through.

Hank couldn’t help asking, "Could we have gotten the place wrong?"

"Impossible, there are clear landmarks and road signs here. He won’t get the location wrong."

Just then, the phone Yang Yi had just hung up rang suddenly. He answered immediately and heard Raymond say urgently, "I’m almost at the rendezvous point. Get out here fast! Quick! Quick!"

Yang Yi stood up, his face lighting up with joy, "They’ve come, let’s go outside, but I don’t see any car."

Brian looked up at the sky and said, "That’s a helicopter."

Yang Yi immediately asked on the phone, "Is it a helicopter?"

Raymond’s urgent voice came through, "Yes! A helicopter. The roads are blocked, no car can get in. There are no police cars below, and the military is about to arrive. You must hurry."

While talking, Yang Yi had already started moving, and they weren’t far from the highway, only about a hundred meters at most. Without Raymond’s urging, Yang Yi and the others had already emerged from the hiding bushes and, carrying the immobile Rodriguez, began running towards the highway.

Walking and running, they reached the highway, and the helicopter began its descent. Yang Yi didn’t even need to wave before a blue helicopter touched down on the road.

The cabin door opened from the inside, and Raymond, wearing a headset and appearing desperate, could only wave, as the rotor blades continued spinning and the noise made it impossible to hear anything.

The wind was so strong that they could hardly open their eyes. Bending over, Yang Yi and his group threw the seriously wounded Rodriguez onto the helicopter, and then, one by one, quickly boarded. The helicopter didn’t wait for the doors to fully close before it swiftly ascended and headed toward the depths of the forest.

As the cabin door shut, Yang Yi let out a sigh of relief and shouted to Raymond, "Where are we going now?"

Raymond shook his head and said, "Nowhere, just circling around in the sky. We are volunteers, this helicopter is for volunteers searching for criminals, so we either wait for the command to return, develop mechanical faults, spot the criminals, or run out of fuel. Otherwise, we must stay in this airspace."