Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 74: The Helicopter Heist

"And in the end, Ms. Townsend came back and didn't even talk to him. Instead, she went to Captain Zimmer's room. And now she's gone out with him..."

Number Two stopped there, saying just enough.

Everyone understood immediately. Some exchanged knowing looks, and others sighed in disappointment.

"I still think the deputy captain suits Ms. Townsend better," Number Ten declared, clearly shipping that pairing. "Tall and strong with someone petite—it's that perfect height gap."

But the boss seemed to favor Chandler more. After all, he wasn't just the strongest, but also the most handsome among them.

Someone muttered quietly, "Number One even went diving tonight to get Ms. Townsend a bunch of jewelry... Looks like it's going to waste."

The group shook their heads, chatting in low voices as they dispersed.

It was already past midnight. It was time to sleep, as they still had training early tomorrow.

...

By the time the motorboat reached the exhibition center, the torrential rain had finally stopped.

Stepping out of the cockpit, Mariella looked up in disbelief. Not a single raindrop fell on her face.

However, the air was still damp like a lingering mist.

With the typhoon and rain subsiding, countless residents would come out tomorrow to search for supplies.

But Mariella's mood grew heavy. She knew all too well that after the storm came the real disaster, flash floods.

In her previous life, the floods had struck ten days after the storm ended, catching people off guard just as they were letting their guard down. The result had been catastrophic and it caused countless casualties.

This time, the heatwave had come early and ended early. The storm had also come early and ended early.

Which meant the floods might arrive early too. To Mariella, the end of the storm was anything but good news.

The two of them changed into black tactical uniforms, covered their faces with black masks, and put on four-lens night-vision goggles before breaking a window and entering the exhibition center.

Mariella turned back and stored the motorboat, then followed Chandler toward the emergency stairwell.

The building had ten floors, but six were already flooded. They quickly made their way up to the rooftop.

There, a massive machine loomed—taking up nearly half the rooftop.

"Wow, that's a beast," Mariella said in awe.

Compared to this, the small helicopter she had seized from Kingston looked like a toy.

"This is a heavy transport helicopter," Chandler said as he walked forward and efficiently opened the cabin door. "It's not even in the same class as civilian models."

Mariella blinked in surprise. "How did you open that? Doesn't it need a key?"

"No." Chandler waved her over. "Get in."

Mariella climbed in from the other side and found that the door opened easily.

There wasn't even a lock or anything resembling a keyhole.

She knew nothing about machines like this, but Chandler clearly did.

He sealed the cabin and methodically powered up the system. The electrical systems and dashboard lit up.

Next, he activated the air system, supplying compressed air to drive the turbine.

Then, he switched on the ignition, igniting the fuel mixture inside the engine. The helicopter roared to life, generating powerful thrust as the rotors began to spin.

He adjusted the throttle to increase power. The rotors pushed backward, and the helicopter surged forward briefly before lifting cleanly into the air.

The takeoff didn't look complicated, but Mariella watched in a daze, palms sweating.

After a long moment, she finally found her voice. "Why doesn't it need a key?"

"This kind of helicopter relies on tracking and anti-theft systems," Chandler said as he circled once in the air before smoothly landing back on the rooftop. "And most people couldn't operate it anyway."

He gestured for her to store it and continued, "Once it's inside your storage space, no system can detect it."

Mariella felt the pressure immediately. "Something this big must burn a ton of fuel. I'll need to stock up on aviation fuel. And it takes up way too much space—this thing alone just wiped out all my remaining capacity. You're going to have to help me reorganize everything so I can keep collecting supplies."

...

The two of them spent over half an hour inside the storage space, moving the bulkiest and heaviest items into the villa's living room and dining area.

Fortunately, the villa had no furniture or appliances, making it perfect for storing large items.

When the first floor was completely packed, they started moving things into the garden.

"Watch the crops and vegetables I planted," Mariella reminded him.

"Got it." Chandler was efficient, hardworking, and didn't talk much.

At last, they cleared enough space. Mariella grabbed Chandler, stepped out of the storage space, and in one swift motion, stored the massive transport helicopter inside.