Chapter 464

Chapter 464: Trouble for Sukhoi

Many buried memories suddenly surfaced in people’s minds.

Perhaps a fighter jet darting through a narrow canyon at high speed is all one could expect, a scene usually seen only in blockbuster movies filled with special effects. Yet what everyone witnessed was a stark, unembellished reality, effortlessly treating towering columns as nothing and gliding right through them.

Countless people became excited, and this video, once uploaded online, could put immense pressure on servers, comparable to the destructive power of a DDOS attack.

Aside from a few DV cameras that stayed on, hardly any lucky camera managed to capture that moment.

Some already foresaw that the television station capturing this footage would likely become the biggest media winner of this exhibition.

…

“‘Mayflower,’ well done!”

“‘Gregory’ Squadron, you all did fantastic.”

Staff from Sukhoi and Russian government and military who arrived by bus at the exhibition site congratulated the pilots of Sukhoi’s "Gregory" Flight Squadron, who were seated in an open electric shuttle.

Next to the Sukhoi booth, the MiG and Ilyushin staff wore faces filled with jealousy.

These showy folks had just stolen the spotlight from everyone.

It nearly set off an explosion at the entire Bourget Airport.

It was unlikely that the opening ceremony a few days later would attract such a thrilling scene.

“Thank you, everyone played a part in this.”

Squad leader “Mayflower” Kameni Ivanov hadn’t expected his sudden idea to lead to such an astonishing effect, grinning from ear to ear.

As he heard the collective shout of “Scalpel! Scalpel! Scalpel!” rising in a uniform wave, it sounded like a tide. Although it mixed words from various languages, including French, German, English, and Italian, it was clear they all meant the same thing.

All the visitors at the over 2,000 booths in the exhibition area were moved by this.

High-ranking aerospace personnel from both America and China glanced in the direction of Sukhoi’s booth.

Looks like the Russians are going to get a lot of attention this time.

“Oh! The visitors at this exhibition are quite enthusiastic, which takes me by surprise,” said squad leader “Mayflower” Kameni Ivanov as he took a bottle of Evian water from a staff member, twisted off the cap, and took a refreshing sip, feeling a cool sensation.

What was merely tasteless water somehow tasted slightly sweet at this moment, perhaps because his mood had transformed his senses.

Looking out over the depth of sixty meters, roughly the effective killing range of a standard handgun, about two layers of barbed wire established an isolation line outside the exhibition area. Kameni Ivanov felt certain that if he and his crew stepped beyond the line, they would undoubtedly be showered with kisses from beautiful women from France and around the world.

“Oh, there’s another pilot?”

A staff member counted the six pilots stepping down from the shuttle, yet they spotted seven Su-27s transitioning over.

“Oh, oh, the 07 jet is behind. After it drains its fuel, it will be towed over for static display. Maybe that guy is too lazy to get down and is still sitting up there. Come on, let’s show the video you just shot; let’s see the bravery of our Russian pilots!”

Squad leader “Mayflower” Kameni Ivanov, feeling quite proud, planned to pull up the ground video to boast a little.

At Sukhoi’s booth, someone was fiddling with a large flat-screen TV, presumably preparing to replay the footage of the seven Su-27s landing captured with their own cameras.

Not only Russian military leaders and a few domestic media personnel, but most exhibiting companies had high-end cameras.

At the international aerospace exhibition, along with tourists, aerospace manufacturers from various countries, military and political dignitaries, and customers, one important group was always missing: spies!

Whether they were official spies from various countries or agents selling intelligence for a living, these people would seize any opportunity, and they could be more capable than the best spy teams.

Small scanning devices and various filming equipment appeared in greater numbers than the hair on a cow.

Although manufacturers wouldn’t reveal their true cards, intelligence experts could deduce the performance of aerospace products and the technological advancements of manufacturers from the photos and scanned data.

In particular, the data gathered on-site was highly beneficial for neighboring countries to develop targeted defenses and strikes against certain fighter jet importing nations.

Tools like cameras were essential; using a DV camera was too embarrassing. High-end professional cameras were standard for exhibiting units, making it quite easy to replay the previously shot video.

After some tuning, they transferred the video collected by the camera to the flat-screen TV. People from Sukhoi, senior Russian military officials, and even staff from MiG gathered around, laughing and pushing in together to watch that thrilling moment.

On the TV screen, seven small black dots appeared in the sky.

“Look! Here they come, the first one is squad leader ‘Mayflower’! Look, they’re changing formation.”

“I’m the second one, ‘Snowflake’ is me, landing after completing a maneuver.”

The pilots from the "Gregory" Flight Squadron watched their Su-27s on the television, and being in the cockpit felt entirely different, leaving them feeling quite pleased.

After six Su-27s completed their maneuvers, the camera unexpectedly shifted to the last Su-27.

“That’s seven… oh no, oh God, what’s he doing?” One of the “Gregory” pilots, “Snowflake,” who was providing commentary, seemed to have seen something terrible, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, his narration abruptly cut off.

Splash!

Squad leader “Mayflower” Kameni Ivanov sprayed Evian water he was about to swallow all over himself, his breath caught in his throat.

Eight tall columns and a silver-gray Su-27.

The camera tightly followed that Su-27, zooming in to lock onto the fighter jet as it resolutely flew towards the line of eight columns.

“Ah!”

The “Gregory” Squadron pilots finally spotted something they hadn’t noticed before and gasped in unison.

Not only the Russian officers whose backs were now wet from the water spray but also others shot disapproving looks at all the members of the "Gregory" Flight Squadron.

What’s wrong with these guys? Why are they making such a fuss?

“Cough, cough!” Finally feeling breathless, squad leader “Mayflower” Kameni Ivanov coughed hard, clearing the water from his throat, his face flushed bright red. Yet, his first words were, “What a nightmare!”

“‘Mayflower,’ what’s going on? Hurry and apologize to Colonel Moghri! You are incredibly rude! Being this age, you can’t even drink water properly! You fool, apologize now!”

An enraged executive from Sukhoi roared at Kameni Ivanov.

Just moments ago, they had gained face for Sukhoi, but now they had lost it in seconds. It wasn’t like he was a child; did he not know how to drink water properly? If he offended the senior Russian military officials, it would be disastrous.

“Y-yes, yes! I’m sorry, Colonel Moghri! I truly apologize! I lost my composure; it wasn’t intentional.” Realizing his mistake, Kameni Ivanov quickly offered a sincere apology.

However, his expression and tone were completely absent-minded.

Just as he finished speaking, before there was time for a response, Kameni Ivanov quickly squeezed out of the crowd, heading towards the towing vehicle bringing the 07 Su-27 that was being pulled towards the Sukhoi exhibition area, as if to meet a long-lost lover, propelling himself to move forward with all his strength.

The five other pilots from the "Gregory" Squadron exchanged glances and instinctively ran after their leader, racing towards the 07 jet, eager to find out how that Chinese pilot had performed such a maneuver.

Oh God! How could anyone master such maneuvers? The world was utterly insane.

“Captain!”

“Captain!”

“Hey? Captain, what are you looking at?”

The teammates caught up with squad leader “Mayflower” Kameni Ivanov, only to find he had stopped next to the Su-27 being towed, staring blankly at the cockpit.

The airport driver operating the towing vehicle halted the vehicle, looking at the Russian pilots with confusion. Did these guys collectively lose their minds?

The cockpit of the 07 Su-27 was completely empty; the Chinese pilot was nowhere to be seen.

Ah! Kameni Ivanov let out an indescribable howl, howling like a werewolf for a few seconds before turning away, looking gloomy as he walked back.

He hadn’t even noticed the Chinese pilot performing such a crazy maneuver moments ago.

Was this a simple maneuver?!

He felt he had failed his duty.

Sukhoi was in trouble, Russia was in trouble.

Seeing the unusual behavior of the "Gregory" Squadron, the executive who had just berated Kameni Ivanov suddenly felt an ominous premonition. He quickly approached Kameni Ivanov and, lowering his voice, said, “‘Mayflower,’ what just happened? What’s going on? I need a reasonable explanation from you.”

Kameni Ivanov glanced at the executive with a blank expression, forcing a bitter smile.

“That Chinese guy…”