Chapter 587

Chapter 587: "Mustang" Assassin

“Get down!”

The Special Forces operatives, who were desperately fleeing with eight girls, immediately reacted and shouted hoarsely.

Air support had arrived. Looking up from the ground, the barrage of rockets raining down almost seemed aimed directly at them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fifty meters away, the pursuing members of the armed organization, including four jeeps, were engulfed in explosive fireballs and smoke. Even the ones closest to the blasts were hurled through the air by the shockwaves, crashing to the ground, their fates uncertain.

Bits of grass and soil fell like rain around them.

The shrapnel landed just beside the girls’ feet, causing them to scream in terror as they were showered with dust, and their already slowing escape speed suddenly picked up.

The two Special Forces operatives were just as frightened; the power of their air support was alarmingly strong.

Although they had known that the best pilots had been dispatched, they hadn’t anticipated such daring attack methods. The concentrated barrage of rockets flew dangerously close, nearly enveloping them.

Was it arrogance or simply boldness that drove the pilots?

With a tremendous roar, a propeller fighter burst forth from the rising sun.

Fire belched fiercely from its wings, and two high columns of dust shot towards the camp, as the 12.7 millimeter caliber high-explosive and armor-piercing rounds formed the most effective opener against ground armor.

Even though the convoy had been modified for bulletproofing, it was only relative protection. Light weapons could only leave varying sizes of dents, yet they could not prevent the vicious lethality of the aircraft’s large-caliber bullets.

The bulletproof glass shattered instantly into countless pieces, and the armored panels were violently torn apart, revealing enormous gaping wounds.

The personnel, however, were not so lucky. Even a single shot from an armor-piercing round could blow a person to pieces, and a high-explosive shell would turn them into mere flesh fragments.

This was the absolute advantage of aerial knights over infantry.

With a squeeze of the launch button, tiny black dots, about the size of fingers and slightly smoking, swarmed out and ravaged the ground below.

Every time Lin Mo used the cannon, he was filled with an exhilarating sense of clarity; it was a supreme enjoyment.

While the original six machine guns had been reduced to two, resulting in lesser firepower, they did not expect it to act like a dogfighter. For ground assaults, the ample ammunition supply was something any air superiority jet fighter would envy.

The unlaunched rockets from the rocket pod continued to send several more rockets into enemy territory, causing numerous vehicles to be engulfed in fireballs, with ammunition detonating in a series of cataclysmic explosions.

The appearance of the fighter plane immediately attracted the fire from the ground armed personnel, with dozens of automatic rifles aimed skyward in retaliation.

The “Mustang” transformed into a nimble seabird, elegantly swaying and dodging the rain of bullets as it danced through the aerial battle, unharmed amidst the chaotic fire, and returned fire with even fiercer, deadly flames.

Two French SA342 “Gazelle” armed helicopters took off, one circling to engage the ground troops of the Special Forces while the other aggressively targeted the propeller fighter.

Armed with air-to-air missiles, the modern “Gazelle” faced off against the classic World War II fighter, putting them on nearly equal footing. The “Gazelle,” flying at a lower altitude, had a slightly slower speed than the “Mustang,” with a short-range cruising speed of up to 310 kilometers and a lightweight structure that made it highly maneuverable.

However, the “Gazelle” pilot was unaware that he was up against a new “Mustang” equipped with modern technology; it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Suddenly, a white smoke rose from the ground, tracing twisted curves in the sky and directly hitting one “Gazelle,” transforming it into a massive fireball in the heavens.

“Leave the rest to you, ‘Mustang’!”

“No problem! I’ll take it down in ten seconds.”

Lin Mo’s fierce attack at the optimal moment earned the ground troops’ recognition.

As planned, the first round of strikes wiped out all the enemies pursuing the rescue team and the girls, with none escaping. The precision of the strikes truly lived up to the description—sharp as a scalpel.

As the smoke cleared, the four bulletproof jeeps lay askew, all battered by the rockets. One had its upper half torn off, revealing a gruesome scene inside.

The ground troops faced over a hundred battle-hardened thugs, who fought with absolute recklessness. They needed to catch the enemy off guard and swiftly ambush the armed helicopter targeting Lin Mo.

As gunfire erupted, both sides rushed to gain the upper hand; the attacker would prevail while the defender would suffer.

The armed organization had set up at least ten mortars continuously bombarding the area, forcing the soldiers carrying surface-to-air missiles to retreat beyond the mortar range, which also limited their effective firing distance. They could no longer lock onto the remaining armed helicopter, rendering them only a distraction.

After one “Gazelle” was shot down mid-air, the other quickly learned its lesson, changing flight paths to avoid getting locked on while firing down at the ground.

Making a half loop in the sky, the “Mustang” fighter executed a series of barrel rolls, its flight path unpredictable, dazzling the ground troops and making accurate aiming nearly impossible.

With improvements adopting the same titanium alloy structure as the most advanced modern fighters, the "Mustang" had superior G-forces tolerance. Especially during low-speed, tight turns, it was incredibly responsive; in evading ground attacks, even jet fighters couldn’t keep up.

The nose of the “Mustang” was aimed at the “Gazelle” armed helicopter, which had begun retaliating against the ground troops. Lin Mo suddenly squeezed the trigger, shooting two streams of fire.

Almost simultaneously, a white smoke trail shot out from below the wings.

That was a special gift intended for the “Gazelle.”

An optically guided short-range air-to-air missile locked onto the external features of the “Gazelle” armed helicopter, rendering the infrared flares it released ineffective.

Inside the remaining “Gazelle,” alarms blared as the fire control radar was triggered. The pilot instantly hovered in place, turning to confront the oncoming “Mustang,” planning to evade while returning fire.

The “Gazelle” pilot was also a daring fighter. Even as bullets from a machine gun struck the airframe, sending debris flying, he continued firing with full force.

In the duel of aerial knights, there was no retreat once they closed in; it was either you die or I do, retreating meant certain death.

Although pilots enjoyed better rewards than soldiers on the ground, they faced higher risks as well.

Realizing he was in a deadly predicament, the pilot still refused to back down, intent on fighting to the last second.

Boom!

A fireball erupted mid-air.

Caught in the crossfire of two 12.7 millimeter caliber machine guns, the “Gazelle,” riddled with holes, resembled a torn doll, blown to fragments by the final close-range combat missile.

However, before Lin Mo could feel excitement for even a second, two white smoke trails shot from the fireball towards the “Mustang.”

What was this?

A desperate last struggle?

Surprisingly, the “Gazelle” successfully fired off all its air-to-air missiles just before being destroyed, managing to evade the explosion.

It truly wouldn’t give up even in death.

For modern surface-to-air missiles, the Mustang’s escape speed seemed insufficient.

If unable to dodge, he would have to immediately peel back the canopy of the “Mustang” and parachute out; despite all the upgrades, it hadn’t been equipped with an ejection seat.

The only advantage the “Mustang” had against infrared-guided missiles was that it didn’t have a jet exhaust plume, keeping the thermal reaction relatively low. With a small turning radius, it could effectively dodge by turning its body to cover the infrared response of the nose.

If a missile approached head-on, however, the “Mustang” would have no chance of escape, as Lin Mo found himself now.

But that referred to an unmodified original “Mustang.”

“Damn it!”

Lin Mo couldn’t help but curse, suddenly jerking the control stick sharply, pushing the rudder pedal to the floor. The “Mustang” executed a rapid turn with a small radius, making the cockpit’s view blur at high speed, resembling flowing lines.

Please, not a “Pioneer-4”!

He prayed internally, realizing he had no time to let the onboard computer system identify the type of incoming missile.

With improved power, reduced aircraft weight, and a adjusted center of gravity, the newly designed “Mustang” showcased its enhanced agility. The vast computational resources and wind tunnel model from the Night Special Forces’ computer center provided the best design parameters for this “Mustang.”

Lin Mo maneuvered the “Mustang” into a sharp turn, scattering infrared flares from its tail like a peacock fanning its feathers.

He could only hope that the incoming missiles were infrared guided rather than optical like the “Pioneer-4.”

Two fast-approaching missiles narrowly changed direction just before they could hit the tail of the “Mustang.”

Fireballs exploded, consuming the infrared flares, and Lin Mo felt a massive shockwave hit the aircraft’s body, causing the canopy to rattle violently.

“Phew! That was close!” Lin Mo sighed with relief, reaching up to wipe his sweat but only brushing against his “Dragon General” tactical helmet, unable to do so.

The air inside the helmet began to dry out, automatically enhancing air circulation to eliminate the sweat inside.

“Are you okay? ‘Mustang’!”

The tense voice of the ground combat command came over the radio.