The RPG really lived up to its name as the tank killer, eardrum destroyer, and single-soldier powerhouse. That rocket launcher was downright badass. You shoulder it, aim, and fire—biu! Whether you hit a tank or an armored vehicle, it's goodbye for sure. That's how fierce and armor-piercing its power is.
But it's got plenty of flaws too. The firing speed's slow, and while you can't even see a bullet fly, a rocket's so damn big you can trace its whole path. That means fast-moving gunships can easily dodge it, so the hit rate's honestly pathetic.
And if you ever see someone fire an RPG and still hear perfectly fine afterward, you can bet they're a rookie. Every veteran's half-deaf by now. The recoil alone could break a shoulder, and the blast noise's enough to shake your soul.
Even so, the RPG's still the UN's favorite single-soldier weapon—cheap, effective, and absolutely brutal. Its best feature? If one rocket doesn't hit, no big deal. Fire ten of them. One's bound to land.
So, under her teammates' bewildered stares, Jing Shu calmly pulled out one, two… eight RPGs in total. All of them were Peggy's private stash.
Now, about that gunship—it's a monster in its own right. Equipped with a chain gun that holds thousands of rounds, plus multiple weapon hardpoints carrying TOW missiles and rockets. In theory, it could wipe out sixteen tanks in a single run. Basically a flying armory, the real deal tank terminator.
Tank: Emmm, why's every damn weapon these days a "tank terminator"?
That thing could obliterate a whole battalion on its own. If Jing Shu wanted to survive, she had to go all in. They say once a gunship locks onto you, you're already dead. And they're not exaggerating.
Everything happened in a flash. The helicopter swooped in, opened fire from a distance, and planned to finish with a bomb once closer. If that didn't work, missiles were next. The only reason it hadn't fired yet was probably because they wanted to keep the cargo intact.
The sound of bullets ripping through the cargo ship made Xiao Dou tremble uncontrollably, and Jing Shu braced herself, terrified she'd be turned into minced meat. Luckily, the distance was still far, so accuracy was low, and the ship was big enough to take a few hits.
The enemy probably hadn't expected that the "hundred-man pirate crew" they'd heard about was actually just six people, a hen, a bird, and a dog.
Ling Ling was the first to react, shouldering an RPG and firing.
The helicopter swerved nimbly in the dark, dodging at the last second. It seemed pissed now. It hadn't expected these people to carry something that could actually threaten its life.
"Boss, the enemy's carrying RPGs! Requesting permission to use Hellfire AGM-114 missiles to eliminate them!"
"Permission granted! Ensure the Apache's safety at all costs. Sink Cargo Ship No. 25 if necessary!"
Before the apocalypse, a jet like that cost hundreds of millions. Now, in a world where might makes right, it was one of the most precious assets left. You could always salvage a sunken cargo ship or steal new supplies, but if that aircraft went down, it was over.
Meanwhile, Jing Shu didn't even need to shoulder the RPG properly. She might've been the first woman in history to fire one single-handed. She gripped it tight, aimed, and pulled the trigger. Each blast left her arm numb from the recoil. Some shots missed wide, others grazed the helicopter.
Still, her wild firing managed to throw the gunship into a brief panic.
Piu!
Ling Ling switched launchers and fired again, but the chopper shot upward just in time to dodge.
Tank, piloting the cargo ship, pushed the speed to its max to dodge the relentless barrage. Flames and smoke filled the air, and then came the real nightmare—A Hellfire missile.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the air, deafeningly loud. The missile slammed straight into the ship, and the blast tore the massive vessel apart. The deck split open, flames roared, and everyone was thrown off balance.
Cargo Ship No. 25 was done for.
That missile was designed for tank-busting, a top-tier air-to-ground weapon. Long range, massive power, deadly accuracy.
Tank: Oh come on! Enough already!
The blast completely crippled the ship. Tank, wearing his exoskeleton suit, crawled out of the fire, badly injured.
"Prepare to jump!"
Ling Ling fired again. "Last shot! If we don't take down that chopper, we're dead meat!"
But honestly, against a gunship like this, their efforts were about as effective as throwing pebbles. That's why the enemy commander was so damn confident—because humans were just too fragile against superweapons like that.
"If only we had one of those helicopters…" Jing Shu muttered, her eyes shining with pure envy. She'd gotten so ambitious she wanted an Apache now.
BOOM!
The second and third Hellfires hit, turning the cargo ship into a flaming inferno. Water rushed in fast, and the 10,000-ton vessel began to sink.
Ten thousand tons. Over 200 meters long. Two football fields in length. And it just went under, just like that. The ship had been packed with refined ores, essential for crafting and production. What a waste.
If only her Cube Space had been a few thousand cubic meters bigger. All that ore could've been hers. Jing Shu's heart ached like hell—what good were a few dozen cubic meters now?
Ling Ling held her breath, fired the last shot. Jing Shu covered her, firing wildly. Rockets streaked toward the sky, one after another, but the helicopter danced through them all. Its altitude shifted constantly, its trajectory impossible to follow.
"We're out," Ling Ling said regretfully. "If I had a bit more time, I could've nailed it."
And then—just as the last RPG was spent—the helicopter suddenly accelerated to dodge the predicted strike… and slammed straight into one of Jing Shu's stray rockets.
No one could've seen that coming. Even the veteran pilot didn't know where he'd be in the next second, so how could the enemy have predicted it?
A brilliant burst lit up the night sky as the gunship exploded midair. Flames rained down, and the wreck plummeted into the canal, sinking alongside the massive ship.
"Seriously? You really did that to yourself," Jing Shu said, half in disbelief. It was pure dumb luck, but she'd done it—a perfect accidental hit.
Even the most advanced gunship couldn't survive against a fool with an RPG.
The group stood on the riverbank, helpless as the cargo ship sank completely. The enemy hadn't just wanted to kill them, they wanted to destroy the evidence too. At least the ore could still be salvaged from the river later.
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I've also got a little "toy" to share, basically a YouTube song downloader. It's a simple .bat file, so you just copy and paste the link and it'll automatically download and convert the video you want. I'll include the installation steps too, since the .bat file needs another program to run properly.
Remember to read all the instructions before running any .bat or .sh files. There are seven tabs in total. Two of them cover installation for Windows and Mac, along with how to set up the script. The first tab is the final checklist of things you need to change before using it. Tabs four and five are the Windows scripts, and tabs six and seven are the Mac scripts.
You can find it in my Google Drive or Terabox under the "My – Mine" folder, inside "Youtube Audio." Both cloud links are on my Carrd: https://rikhi.carrd.co