Fang Senyan examined it closely, then turned back to General Mongo. "Can this guarantee arrival on Planet Epros?"

General Mongo shook his head. "No, but I know you Contractors possess some truly remarkable abilities, such as teleporting objects you touch into a private space—what you call your Personal Storage, correct?"

Fang Senyan smiled and nodded.

General Mongo continued, "If I recall correctly, your private spaces aren't designed for arbitrary item teleportation. Everything stored there must be assimilated to the same plane as you. Items not of your plane, due to planar law, cannot be stored—like the Wasp Aircraft, equipment, machinery, and androids you previously collected."

Hearing this, Fang Senyan felt a growing excitement. "You mean...?"

"This Wasp Aircraft before us has a small amount of the Qian element added to its surface coating. This can deceive the planar laws. You can place it in your storage space—provided, of course, you can actually fit it."

Fang Senyan was already smiling. "Of course, my space is large enough to hold Planet Epros! This gift is truly superb!"

Superb was an understatement! Without this item, Fang Senyan would have had to haul his Wasp Aircraft the entire way. Otherwise, he would have had to trek through the incredibly complex and hazardous magnetic storm zone, conducting geological surveys the entire time, and after persisting for hundreds of kilometers, even completing the mission would necessitate retracing his steps for the return journey! This meant double the danger.

With this portable aircraft, he could simply take off and fly back immediately after finishing the task! The difference this made was self-evident.

Fang Senyan leaned close to the Wasp Aircraft and noticed, upon closer inspection, that its surface distinctly displayed the cross-section of tree rings in a brownish hue, glistening as if wet, possessing an ancient mystery. The overall structure appeared more compact.

"This aircraft," General Mongo suddenly added, "is actually an escape vessel allocated to high-ranking officers in the war zone, precisely because it cannot be tracked by radar or locked onto by missiles."

Fang Senyan then noticed the initials 'FJ' (Fei Ji) on the wing, and immediately burst into uproarious laughter, doubling over and clutching his stomach.

"Then I wish you good luck and hope you return alive," General Mongo concluded. "Now I'm beginning to understand how you scoundrels manage to climb to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel."

In front of General Mongo, Fang Senyan didn't mention the young Second Lieutenant; it wasn't because he forgot, but because bringing him up now would harm him rather than help him.

When Fang Senyan returned to the flight line, he was surprised to find another crowd gathered, observing something. Several other Wasp Aircraft lay nearby, dismantled and scattered across the ground as if dismembered.

Aldaris spotted him from a distance and waved, tossing away his cigarette butt. "How did it go?"

"So-so," Fang Senyan replied with a smile. "What are they doing over there?"

Aldaris sat down gloomily on the wing of a Wasp Aircraft and pouted. "That fellow Paul, who inherited Magneto's abilities, isn't just capable of controlling metal! With that power, he's a first-class mechanic. He can retrofit aircraft to be stronger and more durable, and they won't even be detected by the technological barriers set up by the Predators."

Fang Senyan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Oh? Is that so? Then why are you still hanging around here?"

Aldaris casually replied, "Because his asking price exceeds what I can afford."

"Initial modification: 300,000. Can increase volume by 100% and enhance defense by 50%."

"Mid-level modification: 400,000. Can increase volume by 200% and enhance defense by 100%. Can grant the aircraft offensive capabilities."

"Ultimate modification: 800,000. Can increase volume by 200% and enhance defense by 100%. Can grant the aircraft offensive capabilities. Can allow the aircraft to transform into a bipedal mech for escort and fire support."

Fang Senyan was utterly astonished by this list of services—not just because of the high price, but because of the bizarre extra functions added! The most incredible feature was the aircraft's transformation capability.

The Empire's current technology supported combat transformation, but applying it to nimble, maneuverable aircraft like the Wasp was still beyond their grasp. It was similar to how slimming a cell phone below six millimeters required an exponentially greater cost for each subsequent millimeter reduction. Transformation and attitude switching were equally complex for an aircraft.

However, the method Paul employed was unfortunate—a highly unconventional processing technique. He used his psionic energy to warp and weld the metal, even needing to embed Magic Cores to sustain power output. Magic Cores were something the entire Empire could only describe as baffling.

Fang Senyan looked at Aldaris, patted his shoulder, and smiled. "It's fine. We'll borrow his services then, or perhaps we can forge a deep friendship with Mr. Paul during the adventure and ask him for a severely discounted, squeezed-dry cost price."

Aldaris flicked his finger, and a spark of electric fire flashed. "You’re right about that."

It was still pitch-black space, dotted with scattered stars, but Fang Senyan felt no tedium, for this time, his life and fate depended entirely on the controller in his hands and the thin, transparent windshield before him.

"Maximum acceleration limited to 3 KM/second, front windshield stress limit 3887 kilograms per square centimeter, maximum torque is..."

Fang Senyan murmured these critical data points before slowly pushing the controller forward. Coupled with the brainwave receiver in his helmet, two fifteen-meter-long orange-red plumes of flame instantly erupted from the Wasp Aircraft’s exhaust ports, rapidly accelerating along the pre-set trajectory towards the destination.

The Wasp Aircraft’s shape didn't actually resemble a wasp much; it only shared the insect's distinctive narrow waist and streamlined tail section. Structurally, it looked more like two batteries welded together, positive poles facing each other.

The narrow waist ensured that the front and rear sections could be quickly severed if necessary, providing a complete self-preservation escape option. The two-section design allowed the aircraft to become more agile.

As previously mentioned, the physics of movement in space differ greatly from movement in air or water; in the void of space, it resembles a massive truck sliding across an icy surface.

The X-wings of the Wasp Aircraft were the most classic element of its design. The wingtips of the four wings were equipped with auxiliary ion thrusters. Those four long wings primarily acted as "leverage," allowing the thrust from the tip-mounted engines to generate greater torque.

In his visible range, Fang Senyan saw no one else, and neither did the radar. Since entering the Predator-cursed asteroid belt in a swarm wasn't advisable, everyone had to launch sequentially, with fifteen minutes separating each departure.

As they hadn't yet entered the strong magnetic field interference zone, the Wasp Aircraft's optical probes were still functional. The mothership could still monitor the status of all Contractors. Exclamations of astonishment began to arise intermittently from the observation personnel: "Heavens! This savage has pushed his instant speed boost to 10 KM/second! The limit for an ace pilot is only 3 KM/second before losing consciousness—how high is the titanium content in his body?"

"That modified Wasp is bull-rushing the asteroid belt! It only needs to dodge 40% of the meteors; the rest are either directly destroyed or sent flying by its armor! That modified guy is a genius!"

"..."

Hearing these comments, coupled with witnessing the Wasp Aircrafts controlled as if they were alive, weaving through the asteroid field, General Mongo’s expression finally eased.

Although these Contractors were unruly, their capabilities were undeniably terrifying, perhaps even comparable to some extraterrestrial natives he had encountered. Seeing their performance, Mongo gained a sliver more confidence in successfully completing the mission.

It was worth noting that modern aircraft piloting wasn't inherently difficult; it relied on brainwave sensing plus manual assistance. As long as the pilot could conceive it and the aircraft could handle it, various maneuvers were possible. The greatest difficulty limiting piloting skill was, paradoxically, the pilot's physical constitution.

Otherwise, with the old methods of control, simply learning takeoff and landing without crashing within a few days would be considered quite an achievement.

"Here I come, Planet Epros!" Fang Senyan forcefully stabilized the flight controls, bracing against the intense heat and violent shaking as he pierced the atmosphere. From the ground far below, the ship he piloted looked exactly like a burning meteor, angled sharply toward the surface.

Although his inexperience caused him to make many errors entering the atmosphere, his sheer strength proved crucial at the critical moment, allowing him to pull the nearly uncontrollable Wasp Aircraft up and manage a rough landing amidst violent jolting.