Chapter 476

Chapter 476: The Duel

“Just because you’ve pierced the sky doesn’t mean you can dominate this blue expanse.”

Lin Mo scoffed as he activated the Light Mirror Technique inside the cockpit.

Several interconnected irregular mirrors added a touch of futuristic sci-fi to the cockpit. The faint light screen enveloping the cockpit was concealed by the golden-coated tempered glass canopy, making it impossible for anyone outside to see any hint of what was happening inside. The subtle glow of the Light Mirror Technique also went unnoticed by the cockpit’s recording system.

During close combat, even without radar assistance, as long as there was light, Lin Mo had zero blind spots. This surely made other pilots extremely envious.

He pulled back on the control stick and quickly began to maneuver.

The canards, flaps, and various aerodynamic control surfaces shifted simultaneously. The J-14 transformed into an air-to-ground missile, suddenly lifting its nose at a steep angle aimed directly at the sky, its tail almost grazing the ground as the red-blue ring of flames scorched the runway, sending up a cloud of smoke.

The J-14 took off with an unexpected angle and short distance, roaring into the sky. With only about sixty percent of its metal content, the J-14 was like unwanted half-cooked rice to the gold giant dragon, who grumbled a few complaints as the gold coins integrated into the aircraft’s structure.

Without an ejection seat, a head-on collision against the enemy would almost seem like a nightmare for them.

In the F-22 cockpit, Yamashiro Soichiro broke into a cold sweat as he watched the Chinese fighter jet’s vertical tail come dangerously close—just 5 centimeters—from scraping his cockpit cover. The entire body of the Raptor then shook violently.

Failed to imitate a tiger, Yamashiro couldn’t care less about intimidating his opponent. He frantically pulled at the control stick, struggling to ascend higher.

He barely escaped being split in half by the cockpit, as the F-22 on the next second would lose control and crash into a fiery explosion on the ground, becoming the world’s laughingstock.

Even if the opponent’s tail was damaged, it wasn’t a big issue. With ailerons and the vector thrust engine under control, it would only slightly affect the precision of rolling actions without much impact on the aircraft’s aerodynamics.

The steep angle and short-distance takeoff not only demonstrated superb aircraft performance but also promised extremely efficient climb rates. In actual combat, sometimes victory only requires a split-second opportunity, or even less.

The ability to take off quickly allows for immediate counterattacks against enemy surprise assaults, and during regional defenses, it can easily intercept enemies beyond the threat radius.

As the audience erupted in gasps, the J-14 “Eagle Falcon” soared like a true eagle. Just as enemy attacks were approaching, it sharply flipped upwards, seizing the high ground.

While Yamashiro scrambled to control his aircraft, he missed his chance. Lin Mo’s J-14 not only gained altitude but also attained the initiative.

With both aircraft empty of munitions, their maneuverability was further released.

Fire control radar locked on!

Lin Mo didn’t press the missile launch button since there were no live rounds onboard, and this was merely an exercise. Instead, he delivered a powerful warning to his opponent, reminding him not to resort to such lowly tricks; he was no rookie trying to handle a plane for the first time.

In the aviation industry’s aerial knight exercises, there’s an unwritten rule: using fire control radar to lock on means that as long as you maintain a specific exposure time, it counts as a successful hit.

After a moment of chaos, the F-22 “Raptor” quickly adjusted its posture, executing a barrel roll to evade Lin Mo’s fire control radar targeting.

The twin engines ensured the aircraft’s agility, and Yamashiro didn’t stay in a predicament for long, swiftly launching a counterattack. Luckily, this was just an exercise; in real combat, given China’s air-to-air missile capabilities, he would have already been shot down.

“No ejection for the loser? What a joke!”

Yamashiro was infuriated by Lin Mo’s arrogance and disdain. Every time he thought back to Lin Mo’s cold words, his anger boiled over, wanting nothing more than to blast his rival into fireworks.

However, as a pilot, one must stay calm during tactical maneuvers. Following the guidance of American instructors on combat techniques, Yamashiro immediately implemented a wide-cut scissors tactic, continuously flying in crossed patterns while attacking, all the while avoiding the sight of the J-14 “Eagle Falcon.”

In close-air proximity, the X-band phased array radar of the J-14 and the F-22’s AN/APG-77 active phased array radar had similar performance, especially in close-range dogfights where radar was almost ineffective. However, with the advantage of the Light Mirror Technique, Lin Mo had the upper hand.

No matter how Yamashiro dodged or performed strange maneuvers, he couldn’t escape Lin Mo’s line of sight, constantly restricting his flight envelope.

“Damn it, this guy’s visibility is terrifying!” Yamashiro slammed his fist against the cockpit cover. A few times, he rarely seized the opportunity to hide under the opponent’s belly, where he should have been unseen, yet every move he made fell right into Lin Mo’s view without fail.

“Aiden, do you think that J-14 can beat the F-22? It looks so strange to me! Are they dancing a duet?” Kler Danzel, stroking his bearded chin, a proud feature he had beautifully groomed that morning for fifteen euros, questioned from the audience.

Aiden Badger and Kler Danzel instantly understood the organizers’ intention of confrontation as the J-14 took off. Although there were no munitions loaded, the situation resembled real aerial combat, and they immediately erupted into hoarse cheers.

The underground betting syndicates reacted instantly, opening new bets on whether the Raptor or the Eagle Falcon would triumph in this impromptu duel.

“Why do I feel like we are watching a cat-and-mouse game?” Aiden tilted his head, unable to decipher the sky’s situation; he could only see the F-22 pushing its limits, launching various complex attacks on the J-14, while the J-14 effortlessly dodged as if strolling leisurely.

One was exerting every ounce of effort to launch lethal strikes, while the other was sipping tea, exhibiting a nonchalant attitude as if completely unhurried, utterly disregarding this high-end fighter collision exercise.

Though spectacular, it lacked any real passion.

This rare and bizarre scene left many viewers bewildered.

Even military representatives from various countries preparing for large-scale fighter jet procurements or upgrades felt anxious; the advanced capabilities of the F-22 “Raptor” turned out to be well-deserved, but it seemed the Chinese J-14 “Eagle Falcon” was a bit too relaxed.

“Oh, Aiden, now that you mention it, it does seem like a cat and mouse game! Oh my gosh! They’re just toying with each other. This is terrifying! I need to capture this on video!”

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Kler Danzel, ignited by Aiden Badger’s unintentional comment. After a moment of contemplation, he cried out with discovery, lifting his DV camera high as he continued to track the aerial duel.

He wanted to save it, replay it countless times for later enjoyment, just like the miraculous footage he captured a few days earlier of a Su-27 Guardian performing a barrel roll.

As if others began realizing the unusual situation, Yamashiro was already drenched in sweat, having soaked his clothes in such a short time. To perform high-difficulty tactical maneuvers required him to endure significant G-forces, and he had to grit his teeth to endure, exhausting a great deal of stamina.

However, he could never manage to lock onto the J-14; on the radar screen, the aircraft appeared as slippery as an oil-soaked loach, eluding all attempts to fit into the locking ring.

And more terrifying was that the warning indicators for being locked on in his cockpit blinked unhurriedly, sounding an alarm every fifteen seconds, precisely like an electronic clock. He even thought this lousy F-22 had a quality issue, but every time the beeping sounded, he noticed the J-14’s nose was firmly pointed at him—the cockpit of the F-22.

If a burst from the cannon came then, it would take very few rounds to turn the pilot into a smear of flesh. With an onboard cannon exceeding 23mm in caliber, even a tank might struggle to withstand it, let alone a fighter.

The timing of the locked-on warnings rang in a cacophony like a death knell. Yamashiro had completely lost the initial thrill of provoking the rival. He wished he could turn back time, but it was too late. Even if he survived this day, the shadow of fear would forever haunt him.

The opponent’s maneuvers lacked any technical complexity—just normal tactical movements—but such seemingly inconspicuous maneuvers left him unable to catch the opponent.

“Damn it! Come on! Stop dodging like a woman! Fight me like a man!”

Yamashiro shouted through the radio channel, and his voice was intercepted by the organizers, who exchanged glances, wondering what had gone wrong.

“As you wish!”

A voice that sounded like it came from the depths of hell echoed through the radio channel.

Boom! Suddenly, a sharp explosion rang out in the sky.