Chapter 600

Chapter 600: The Great Showdown

Due to the limited number of pilots in the Aircrew Group, there were only nine permanent helicopter pilots. Two remained on standby at the base, while the seven had to manage five helicopters, which was quite challenging. Captain Pan brought Lin Mo along as a reserve helicopter pilot, allowing Lin Mo to operate the newly arrived WZ-12 alone.

The result of flying this advanced helicopter solo was the emergence of a wild ghost helicopter in the sky. Three Special Operations Teams provided landing points and supplies, making the helicopter’s movements even more mysterious.

As other teams lost their aerial forces, the Night Special Forces gained detailed battlefield statuses from Lin Mo. They marked the positions, numbers, and movements of every Special Operations Team on their map.

Lin Mo proved to be the kind of pilot who could locate targets on vast desolate plains. A former candidate in the Astronaut Selection, who had received exceptionally high marks for his tests in equipment distribution and action judgment, quickly analyzed terrain advantages and launched deadly strikes against Special Operations Teams in the battlefield.

It wasn’t just helicopters that suffered; many personnel from various Special Operations Teams also faced significant losses. Lin Mo maneuvered the WZ-12 as if it had a life of its own, showcasing incredible agility.

The unprecedented tactical movements he displayed delivered a harsh lesson to all helicopter pilots and ground personnel. The ground’s anti-aircraft weapons struggled to lock onto Lin Mo’s WZ-12, allowing this seemingly living armed helicopter to defeat its enemies with eerie movements.

In fact, Dragon Knights naturally excelled at the tactic of moving, attacking, and moving again, a secret technique used by aces during World War II. While the Special Operations Teams had sharpshooters, even a 12.7 millimeter caliber sniper rifle could barely cause a scratch on the WZ-12. Its combat effectiveness ranked just below the RAH-66 Comanche reconnaissance-attack helicopter, and its exterior armor could withstand attacks from 23 millimeter machine guns and shells. Without specialized anti-aircraft missiles or large-caliber machine guns, there was no way to stop this highly advanced armed helicopter.

Perhaps laser weapons and electromagnetic weapons could be of some use, but their efficacy depended on the environment. Even starting the engine could alert the WZ-12’s reconnaissance devices due to high-energy reactions.

Despite many Special Operations Teams shouting, "Bring it down!" they ultimately realized how crucial it was to have an aggressive pilot, yet they had nearly lost half of their aerial strength.

From another perspective, the Night had already seized air superiority over the entire exercise battlefield, laying the foundation for victory in the next chaotic phase.

With control of the air, the Night Special Forces swiftly initiated operations against the Red Parachute Knife. Their reconnaissance personnel and snipers could not evade the views from the sky.

Lin Mo piloted the WZ-12 to nearly 3,000 meters, where ground forces had very few effective weapons capable of bringing him down. He specifically targeted the Special Operations Teams below, rather than the main battle forces equipped with anti-aircraft guns.

This conflict became nearly indistinguishable from a game, allowing Captain Feng, under heavy pressure, to finally dedicate enough energy to analyze battlefield conditions and collaborate with key members of the Staff and Intelligence Groups to devise the most comprehensive battle plan.

Both sides’ electronic warfare soldiers clashed fiercely, causing widespread electromagnetic interference across the battlefield that affected each team’s communication channels. Nevertheless, Lin Mo managed to transmit reconnaissance information using the onboard laser communication system.

The WZ-12 was designed to match the caliber of helicopters like the Comanche, featuring an array of electronics for attack and reconnaissance purposes, letting Lin Mo operate effectively in combat without external components.

"This guy is unexpectedly impressive. Is he an ace helicopter pilot or an interceptor ace?"

Colonel David de Hitt of the U.S. Air Force gaped at the screen displaying the performance data. The additional data was surprising and caught the attention of many foreign military personnel.

No one could have anticipated that a single person and a single armed helicopter could be so vicious; was it a ploy by the Chinese, deploying smoke screens for disruption? It hardly seemed necessary.

The WZ-12, codenamed "Number Two," ranked first on the battlefield kill list. Nearly two-thirds of the aerial vehicles in the competition field had been shot down by it, and ground personnel suffered heavy losses. The once reigning favorite, the Red Parachute Knife, had lost more than half its fighting force to the "Number Two"-led strikes over the past few days.

Anyone bitten by "Number Two" would find no ambush or hiding place effective. Even fishing strategies seemed helpless against these lightning-fast attacks, leaving no escape.

Colonel David de Hitt speculated that "Number Two" was likely Lin Mo and probably a versatile operator, fitting the profile of a Chinese Special Forces operative.

Initially, he had agreed to participate in the "Abyss Nirvana" international pilot death match with Lin Mo. Although Lin Mo claimed to currently lack suitable combat aircraft, David de Hitt promised to be patient and even offered to help delay the Syrian war, extending the international pilot death match.

War sometimes felt like a game to some powers, while countless refugees faced displacement. Those war enthusiasts never regarded innocent civilians.

Delaying a war was a seemingly casual statement that dictated the fate of many innocents. As long as the war continued for a day, Syria’s suffering and nightmares would last another day.

Seeing the single line victory record on the screen, Colonel David de Hitt felt relieved he hadn’t impulsively challenged Lin Mo in a direct fight with armed helicopters. Otherwise, he would have likely faced complete annihilation.

After all, comparing helicopters to fighter jets was somewhat unfair.

The Night Special Forces faced the Red Parachute Knife Special Operations Team, which had nearly three times its strength. Instead of being at a disadvantage, they found themselves in a superior position.

The armed helicopters of the Red Parachute Knife were barely effective before being swiftly taken down. The exterior of the aircraft and even the cockpit glass was left a patchwork of colors from the damage sustained.

Without the protection of armed helicopters, the transport helicopters were defenseless against Lin Mo’s attack squadron, led by Old Pan’s armed helicopters. Under Captain Feng’s careful planning, five Mi-26 heavy transport helicopters carrying four hundred Special Forces operatives were obliterated.

Trapped in the air, even the strongest kings of soldiers would face defeat in transport helicopters. After just two simultaneous fire rounds, the Red Parachute Knife lost its numerical advantage and fell to the same level as the Night.

If this had been a real battle, the significant losses would have devastated the Red Parachute Knife’s superiors in the Nanjing Military Region, as these Mi-26s were not easily replaceable.

As the heaviest helicopter in the world, with a capacity of 20 tons, even Old Russians had very few. These five Mi-26s were custom models developed through cooperation between China and Russia, and only the wealthy Nanjing Military Region could afford to equip the Red Parachute Knife with such resources.

The Night’s underground base also stored four new Mi-26s that remained sealed for potential doomsday scenarios. The Special Operations Team had no authority to use them, along with many other valuable and advanced combat equipments, which they could only gaze at without utilization.

The ongoing battles turned into a showcase for the Night. Although the Red Parachute Knife Special Operations Team fought bravely until the last man, they could not turn the tables on the tactical equipment disadvantage they faced, ultimately leading to their encirclement and defeat.

This conflict resembled a race where the Red Parachute Knife’s elite forces never even made it out of the starting gate before being knocked out of contention.

Facing annihilation was no different than facing a death elimination. All Special Operations Teams, without exception, chose to fight to the last man.

After each battle, victors were randomly paired by headquarters to face new opponents. Headquarters did not object to even bringing in third or fourth parties, and people like Lin Mo, who roamed the battlefield in a WZ-12, were deemed anomalies, not suitable for classic battle cases. Unique tactics were not taken seriously or meticulously recorded; even a brief note sufficed.

The smoke filled the more than three hundred square kilometers of the competition terrain. Although they used exercise-specific ammunition, injuries still occurred daily, and heavy casualties were evacuated.

Such intense battles were avoided by everyone, yet injuries remained unavoidable, resulting in a brutal situation.

After half a month of chaotic fighting, the Night Special Forces triumphed over fierce competitors like the Teng She, Bai Pi, and Huo Xiao squads, with all sides exhausting their full capabilities and struggling fiercely against one another.

In the end, the seemingly defeated Bai Pi and Huo Xiao Special Operations Teams unexpectedly allied against the Night’s power, using a tactic to draw the tiger from the mountain. Captain Feng was caught off guard, leading to a near-total collapse of the Aircrew Group, leaving only Lin Mo’s WZ-12 and a lightly damaged Mi-17 transport helicopter.

Though the Night Special Forces ended with just a few dozen men, they ultimately secured victory.

As long as they maintained absolute air superiority with ample ammunition, and without enemy anti-air capabilities, the outcome of this conflict was already set, even if the ground troops remained at a stalemate.

Volume Thirteen