“The man is dead,” Franklin said, kicking the pirate. “Don’t think too much about it; let’s focus on the task at hand.”
Sylvia nodded, and everyone resumed their search for books, hoping to find useful clues among the boxes.
Jasper and the twin brothers worked until nightfall to get the plane ready. They loaded all the treasure onto the aircraft, and by the time they finished, it was already dawn.
Everyone was exhausted, but fortunately, the helicopter had ample space.
“It’s not easy to leave smoothly,” Casey remarked as he watched the helicopter ascend higher.
Sylvia’s beautiful eyes fell on him. “We’ll take you back first.”
“Alright, Miss Andrews,” Casey nodded vigorously. “Thank you all for this journey.”
Now completely safe, Casey charged his phone for a while before messaging Tony about what had happened in the cave.
“You’ve returned safely. We must properly thank Miss Andrews and Mr. Maskelyne. I’ll host a banquet at home for you,” Tony quickly replied.
Casey, looking eager, immediately told Franklin and Sylvia, “Mr. Maskelyne, Miss Andrews, my father is very moved and has arranged a family banquet to thank you. Please do us the honor of attending.”
Sylvia glanced at Franklin, who nodded at her. She then said, “Since Tony is so hospitable, we should accept his invitation.”
They needed a rest at the Gentry family estate after these exhausting days. Jaden especially needed to heal, and the snake gallbladder would be useful for his treatment once they arrived.
“Great!” Casey exclaimed excitedly. “It’s been a while since you visited us, Miss Andrews. We’ve developed new medicines this year; I’ll give you some-they’re very beneficial.”
The plane flew steadily at thirty thousand feet.
Everyone was drowsy; some were already asleep from exhaustion.
Franklin stayed awake, with Sylvia sleeping on his shoulder.
He and Jasper took turns piloting the plane to avoid fatigue.
Suddenly, the plane experienced severe turbulence.
Everyone was jolted awake. The twin brothers rubbed their eyes, looking confusedly at the dark sky outside. “What’s happening?”
“Encountered turbulence?” Antwan coughed several times.
Casey stood up, looking out the window. “Is it windy or rainy? Or lightning?”
Sylvia squinted her eyes and quickly woke up. “Don’t panic. Mr. Howlett, what’s going on?”
Jasper’s eyes were bloodshot. “Several planes appeared in front of us, trying to block our flight path. I was dodging them.”
He feared a sudden collision.
Franklin walked briskly to the cockpit. “Let me take over.”
Meanwhile, Sylvia and the twin brothers prepared their weapons. “Be cautious; if they have weapons…”
Before she could finish, machine gun fire rained down on their helicopter!
“Get down!” Sylvia shouted. Everyone immediately dropped to the floor in chaos.
“Open the hatch!” Sylvia ordered the twins.
Vaild and Mark crawled to the hatch while Franklin activated the opening mechanism.
Once open, Sylvia set up an anti-aircraft gun and fired at the opposing helicopter.
The recoil was immense, but she endured it.
The shot hit its mark with a loud explosion; the enemy helicopter spiraled down in smoke.
Panicked screams came from the other plane as parachutes deployed for escape; those who couldn’t jump in time perished.
Sylvia aimed at another helicopter. The enemy pilot fired madly at Franklin’s aircraft.
Vaild and Mark weren’t easy targets; they shot the enemy pilot dead.
As soon as he fell, another took his place.
Sylvia smirked coldly and fired again.
Franklin glanced back and saw Sylvia standing at the hatch like a guardian goddess from ancient mythology, her hair flowing in the wind-stunningly beautiful!
Casey and others were equally astonished; who would have thought such a slender woman could handle an anti-aircraft gun so effortlessly?
The enemy tried to dodge but failed.
“Sylvia, take a break; let us handle it!” Vaild and Mark joined her. The recoil wasn’t something an average person could withstand easily.
Especially since Sylvia had already fired twice; any more could cripple her arm.
Her arm indeed felt numb. She stepped back and glanced at Casey and others trembling on the floor.
Franklin maneuvered the helicopter skillfully to avoid enemy fire; a direct hit would mean a crash and lost treasure-a total loss.
Using his superior piloting skills, he dodged continuously, determined not to let everyone’s efforts go to waste.
Just as an enemy anti-aircraft gun aimed at them, Vaild and Mark fired back simultaneously-the shots collided mid-air with a massive explosion!
“Perfect!” The brothers high-fived excitedly.
“Let’s finish off that last plane!”
Sylvia exhaled deeply. Why were these people chasing them? Were they from the St. James Clan?
She couldn’t figure it out despite her quick thinking.
After eliminating all attackers, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Casey stared at the anti-aircraft gun in shock; Miss Andrews was indeed formidable to possess such a weapon.
Thankfully, Blood Medical Sect wasn’t their enemy; otherwise, they’d be doomed.
The sky returned to calm as the plane continued its steady flight.
Everyone began searching for food in the fridge.
“After such a fight, I’m starving,” Vaild said, taking out instant noodles and vacuum-packed roast chicken to share. “Let’s eat.”
“We’ll have a feast at home,” Casey said uneasily. “Thanks to Mr. Maskelyne’s flying skills and your expertise with guns, we survived again.”
“Why be so formal?” Mark patted Casey’s shoulder and tore into a chicken leg. “We’ve seen it all with Sylvia.”
“That’s right,” Jaden agreed, grabbing a chicken wing. “Sylvia is amazing!”
“Stop boasting and eat,” Sylvia scolded them with a glare. They quickly changed the subject with grins.
Sylvia’s strong presence kept them in line.
As dawn approached, they finally arrived at the Gentry family castle.
The castle was brightly lit in anticipation of Franklin and Sylvia’s arrival.
Tony rushed over excitedly upon hearing about their landing on the villa’s rooftop. He shook Franklin’s hand gratefully. “Mr. Maskelyne, thank you so much for saving my son’s life again. I’m willing to do anything for you.”
“No need for such words,” Franklin replied coolly, withdrawing his hand. He turned to Casey. “Young Master Fan, unload your belongings.”
Casey nodded eagerly. “Dad, get people to unload our stuff-there’s a lot.”
“Stuff?” Tony was shocked! He thought with Franklin and Sylvia around, their family wouldn’t get anything… but they were sharing?
He quickly directed Gentry family members to unload boxes of gold coins, tears streaming down his face.
“Oh my… Mr. Maskelyne, Miss Andrews… you’re like our family’s saviors…”
“So much…”
The Gentry family wasn’t wealthy due to their medical research needs. These gold coins converted to dollars would fund many projects-solving immediate problems and helping them thrive further.
“This is nothing,” Sylvia smiled faintly. “Tony, we’re tired; can we rest?”
“Of course! Guest rooms are ready,” Tony instructed the butler. “Take them to rest; we’ll wake them for lunch.”
“Mr. Maskelyne, Miss Andrews, please follow me,” the butler led them downstairs from the rooftop.
They reached a villa where everyone went to their assigned rooms to rest.
Franklin and Sylvia quickly washed up after days without proper sleep and collapsed onto the soft bed.
Others did the same; their exhausted bodies needed rest.
Tony looked at the gold and jewels placed in Tianbao Tower with deep emotion. “Unbelievable…”