Chapter 408

Chapter 408: The Terrifying Attack Intelligence

The PL-12 has a maximum range of 70 kilometers, but Lin Mo closed the distance between the two fighter jets to 50 kilometers in an instant. An air-to-air missile striking at 4 Mach would leave an unforgettable lesson for the opponent.

The projection screen outside displayed the entire map, showing the positions and maneuvers of both fighter jets. On the left side of the screen, small images clearly showed the scenes inside the two simulators, along with aircraft data for the audience to understand the states of the fighter jets.

“Locked on! Impressive! Number one is truly formidable! No mercy at all—he really believes in striking first to gain the upper hand.”

“Number two, move quickly! Dive and accelerate, deploy infrared flares, escape number one’s attack zone!”

Lin Mo’s sudden attack amazed the audience; it was fierce and decisive. Faced with an unexpected opportunity, he seized it without hesitation. The sharpness of his tactics made Team A realize their group leader might be in serious trouble this time.

But in the end, who would prevail remained uncertain.

“Not bad!”

Wang Xuejun, initially surprised, responded with a relaxed tone on the communication channel.

He showed no signs of panic; instead, he began to quickly manipulate the control stick, executing a Hoover oscillation maneuver in the sky while deploying bright red infrared flares.

The sky filled with a dense barrage of decoys, intercepting the incoming PL-12 medium-range air-to-air missile.

However, this did not complete all evasion actions. Knowing the performance of domestically produced missiles, Wang Xuejun did not forget to activate the electronic jamming simulation. The PL-12 can be guided by radar; as long as Lin Mo’s aircraft nose still aimed at him, the missile still had a chance of hitting, making appropriate jamming necessary.

Just like two skilled players facing off in a chess match, Wang Xuejun’s actions and responses were flawless.

“You can’t hit me! You can’t hit me!”

Inside the shaky cockpit, Wang Xuejun chanted continuously, resisting the high overload. The radar indicated the PL-12 missile was closing in rapidly; he could even see a long white trail of smoke approaching on the canopy display.

Outside, the spectators could hear the voices of the pilots inside the simulator, but no one laughed at Wang Xuejun’s repeated self-talk of “You can’t hit me.”

This was not a laughing matter.

While the laymen were entertained, the experts recognized Wang Xuejun’s behavior as a way to calm himself—a self-psychological suggestion. Staying calm was the first rule for survival; if one lost composure, they would only meet a quicker demise.

Wang Xuejun’s J-10 was also incredibly fast, reaching supersonic speeds and even exceeding the designed maximum speed of 2.4 Mach during the dive acceleration.

Every second of delay meant a lower probability of the long-range missile hitting its target.

Moreover, while evading, Wang Xuejun did not intend merely to defend; he silently shifted his direction toward Lin Mo’s aircraft.

Boom!

A fireball suddenly appeared in the sky, quickly expanding, and detonated 5 kilometers away from the J-10. Wang Xuejun cheered, ending the exhausting high-overload evasive maneuver.

The shockwave from the missile explosion rattled his aircraft, causing a slight shake.

The dense infrared flares ultimately played their part.

He decisively turned the nose of the aircraft toward Lin Mo and locked his speed on the target, counterattacking with a PL-12.

"One shouldn’t attack without a return,” he thought. Although he lost the initiative, Wang Xuejun successfully escaped the incoming missile’s threat, retaliating in kind.

“Truly impressive tactics!”

Lin Mo did not dodge, meeting the oncoming missile head-on, causing alarms to sound loudly in his cockpit due to the incredible speed at which the two fighter jets were closing the distance.

“Aren’t you going to evade? You’re about to enter the no-escape zone,” Wang Xuejun coldly reminded his seemingly sluggish opponent, and then he couldn’t help but laugh: “Ha! You walked right into it! You’re finished!”

The danger of facing a missile head-on is widely understood; particularly with the no-escape distance, once trapped, the missile’s hit probability exceeds ninety percent, even reaching a hundred percent.

“Well, that may not be the case!”

Lin Mo saw the approaching missile and took a deep breath before rapidly pressing the cannon fire button.

A series of flashing rounds shot out, but due to the aircraft’s inability to stay absolutely stable, the trajectory appeared irregular, resembling a swarm of flies buzzing away.

Without the assistance of the Light Mirror Technique to lock on, Lin Mo’s cannon fire was effectively weakened by thirty percent, placing him and Wang Xuejun almost on equal footing, each relying on their unique skills to increase their chances of victory.

Boom!

Whether inside the simulator or outside, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

It was pure luck, sheer luck! This guy must have the goddess of luck on his side; otherwise, hitting such a small target directly with a missile was a probability that only existed in legends.

Everyone thought they witnessed a miracle.

Lin Mo’s feeling, without the Light Mirror Technique, seemed hardly diminished; this was the first time he successfully hit a missile with the cannon without it—whether due to luck or skill, only he knew.

“I knew it! I knew it! Our leader is the best! Last time on the mission, the leader did just this; it’s no coincidence, it’s the leader’s specialty! Amazing, long live the leader!”

The Tabby Cat, Meng Yi, cheered and danced joyfully for Lin Mo’s outstanding performance, as if it was his own achievement, nearly losing control in his excitement.

“Wow! Incredible! Number one really has hidden depths, truly unexpected; the outcome is hard to predict now.”

Originally thinking number one would likely end in a draw with number two, it now seemed that number one was not to be underestimated.

With such amazing cannon skills, regardless of whether placed in any domestic aviation unit or any air force around the world, they would treasure it and ensure it received the best treatment, used only as a secret weapon in critical moments.

But it wasn’t over yet. As the two J-10 fighter jets flew head-on, Wang Xuejun exposed himself to Lin Mo’s trajectory while maintaining guidance lock on Lin Mo’s aircraft for a couple of seconds to ensure the PL-12 missile’s hit rate. In that brief moment, the cannon bullets that failed to hit the missile surged like a downpour toward Wang Xuejun’s fighter jet.

In high-level encounters, a second of error could determine the outcome, especially for elite fighter pilots. Under such tension, missing any opportunity was simply not an option.

At this moment, turning in any direction would increase the aircraft’s profile, and even maintaining a minimal defensive profile might not help; after all, if a missile could hit such a small target, how much easier would it be to hit a fighter jet?

Luck had no place in a pilot’s dictionary, yet Wang Xuejun could only bravely push on, yanking the control stick to continue his dive.

His decision proved correct, with a series of sharp sounds—like raindrops hitting window glass—and abnormal vibrations, Wang Xuejun’s heart sank at that moment.

The aircraft had been hit!

The simulator not only perfectly mimicked an overwhelming maneuvering overload but also simulated the damage response perfectly. Looking outside, he saw most bullet holes puffing smoke.

A corner of the projection screen outside displayed the damage to Wang Xuejun’s aircraft, with prominent red dots marking the bullet impact points on a 3D structural diagram. Two rounds struck the aircraft, and four hit the wings. Almost half of those were temporarily sealed off by a gel that stopped the smoke. However, some areas were still smoking.

Quickly assessing the damage, although Wang Xuejun’s face looked grim, he remained incredibly calm. Since he made it to the astronaut selection, his mental resilience had to be top-notch. Only some non-essential and rarely used functions were damaged, and thanks to the gel’s temporary repairs, the aircraft still retained some combat capability.

With his pride shattered, Wang Xuejun clenched his teeth and turned the nose of the aircraft into a sharp scissor maneuver, bringing Lin Mo’s J-10 into his flight path.

For Wang Xuejun, the scissor maneuver seemed determined to cut off his maneuvering route, creating an opportunity for a surprise attack. Lin Mo, bold in skill, initiated the close-quarters battle with a Mongoose maneuver, completely putting both himself and Wang Xuejun in a precarious position.

This was a duel, not a game.

Perhaps a clever Mongoose maneuver could completely counter the scissor tactics, but Lin Mo was up against a young veteran who had been around fighter jets since he was three, completed his first flight at seventeen, and had over 500 hours of flying experience annually.

A young veteran? That sounded awkward.

Yet, with parents who were the best flight instructors and personal mentors, Wang Xuejun was born to excel in air combat. He didn’t disappoint his parents’ expectations and smoothly became a talented top fighter pilot, as everyone knew.

Facing Lin Mo’s extraordinary maneuvering tactics, Wang Xuejun recognized him as a formidable opponent worthy of respect. He realized that Major General Sun’s explanation that the codename ranking had nothing to do with actual strength was merely an excuse.

It was now clear that Lin Mo possessed extensive on-the-spot experience, outstanding air combat imagination, and exceptional spatial awareness. He seemed like a battle-hardened veteran, with every move filled with terrifying attacking intelligence.