Chapter 630

Chapter 630: Itinerary

“Alright!”

Lin Mo looked in surprise at the rebellious elite soldier. This “Yasha” gave him a completely different feeling compared to typical special forces operatives. His eyes, movements, tone, and expressions all exuded extreme confidence.

Behind that confidence lay an abundance of experience. Standing there, he seemed like the natural enemy of any creature, brimming with a faintly aggressive aura and an overwhelming presence like a mountain.

Lin Mo had only occasionally seen such a feeling in Feng Chenye, the captain of the Night Special Forces.

He had witnessed it when Feng, as the commander of the Chinese volunteer military support team, responded to an Indian special forces night attack at Peshawar Air Force Base. At that time, Captain Feng held his pistol, shooting accurately and calmly, controlling the situation masterfully.

“Thank you!”

“Yasha” didn’t know why he was saying this to a young major pilot he was meeting for the first time, but subconsciously, he no longer viewed Lin Mo as a member of the special forces; instead, he regarded him as a seasoned veteran on the same level as himself.

The “Demon Hunter” team was forged through battle, not by training.

“Yasha” retracted the tablet and said, “Please introduce me to the mechanics team so I can get to know them.”

“Sure!” Lin Mo shouted to the technical team surrounding the X-1, “Yan! Zhou! Do you have a moment?”

Yan Yongping and Zhou Jun, who were verifying the modification plan with their colleagues, looked up at Lin Mo’s call and waved back loudly, “Dragon Knight, we’ll be right there.”

Only a few people in the company knew Lin Mo’s true identity as a director, while many others only recognized him as the “Dragon Knight.” This secrecy had much to do with the confidentiality shared between the company and Chen Haiqing. Although the flight code was not his real name, it was still a form of confidentiality that needed to be maintained meticulously.

Yan Yongping and Zhou Jun were young mechanical engineers under forty at the National Defense Star Aerospace Company. Their selection for the mission to the Arab Syrian Republic was careful; they needed to be young, strong, bold, attentive, and experienced to adapt to a battlefield environment.

Some older mechanics had wanted to seize the opportunity but hesitated due to the dangers of foreign war zones, so the selection process for National Defense Star was very strict. No one could join Lin Mo in the “Abyss Nirvana” project solely based on willingness.

Soon, after finishing their work, Yan Yongping and Zhou Jun approached Lin Mo with their work tablets, looking a bit puzzled at the group of soldiers suddenly appearing in the hangar.

Neither their equipment nor the soldiers themselves seemed familiar to the two engineers. However, after verifying their credentials, they were allowed in, evidently knowing they were the technical personnel responsible for the X-1 modification project.

Perhaps the safety department was unsatisfied with the current personnel and had dispatched specialists from elsewhere.

“Dragon Knight! The aircraft has been modified and is ready for a test flight at any time!”

Yan Yongping and Zhou Jun stepped in front of Lin Mo to report.

The two engineers subconsciously maintained a safe distance from “Yasha,” who emanated a dangerous aura that made them cautious.

Engineer Zhou then added, “The transport pallet has been customized and will be delivered this afternoon along with the transport packaging.”

The X-1, as an experimental machine, differed from production versions not only in terms of high costs but also in some unique internal design structures.

As an experimental machine used to test technology and improve equipment, it featured greater flexibility in parts assembly, ensuring strength while allowing for easy disassembly and reassembly, suitable for flight and upgrade work during the technological verification phase; its platform offered vast freedom until finalization.

However, Lin Mo’s “monstrous” machine did not possess such design features. This was also why he was willing to use it as collateral to borrow the X-1 from National Defense Star for the mission in Syria.

Though the ownership did not solely belong to National Defense Star, related manufacturers also signed agreements, forming a minor benefit alliance.

If Lin Mo could return alive from the “Abyss Nirvana,” the tactical experiences and technologies he brought back would become shared spoils among this alliance.

“Let me introduce some partners you will be working with in the future, or perhaps I should say comrades!” Lin Mo pointed at “Yasha” in front of Yan and Zhou, saying, “This is our safety advisor ‘Yasha.’ He leads the ‘Demon Hunter’ team responsible for protecting you and the fighter jet’s safety. Don’t ask for their names or numbers; treat them as mutes. Keep it confidential!”

He did not mention that “Demon Hunter” was there to protect his safety because the Dragon Knight did not need anyone else’s protection.

The term “comrades” suggested they were heading to Syria to stir up trouble, engaging in activities that were by no means legal.

The two experienced engineers were more than capable of maintaining the X-1. They had also undergone adequate psychological preparation and military training for self-protection before departure. National Defense Star had invested heavily in insurance for them, and if anything happened, the company promised generous compensation and care for their families.

Even before their departure, the two men made the worst preparations, handing their written wills to the company’s human resources department to leave for their families.

“Hello! I am Yan Yongping!”

“Hello, I am Zhou Jun!”

“I am ‘Yasha’!”

The leader of the “Demon Hunter” team shook hands with the two engineers, showing no intention of introducing his team members.

However, the engineers had no time to complain about the lack of courtesy; their minds were entirely focused on their painfully throbbing hands. During the handshake, they couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not, but the grip felt too strong.

Seeing the twitches on the engineers’ faces, “Yasha” coldly remarked, “I’m sorry!”

The “Demon Hunter” team was an offensive bodyguard team, operating on the principle that the best defense is an offense. Accustomed to battling enemies, he momentarily lost awareness and unintentionally caused discomfort to the two unsuspecting engineers.

“I hope everyone can cooperate well!”

As the main participant in the “Abyss Nirvana,” Lin Mo tacitly accepted the role of team leader.

A company like National Defense Star, which was half military and half enterprise, did not have unnecessary complications. All processes worked seamlessly under the coordination of multiple superior departments, moving quickly around Lin Mo like precise gears in a mechanism. The pilots only needed to focus on fighting; all other matters would be handled by professionals.

As the representative liaison for National Defense Star, Chen Haiqing had prepared supplies for Lin Mo’s departure to Syria, including a batch of specialized electromagnetic shells, food, water, medicine, bulletproof vests, extra weapons, ammunition, and concealed spy equipment.

Moreover, the X-1 was loaded with ammunition chains for the cannon. Most importantly, it carried a battlefield recorder to capture tactics used during engagements, which senior experts could analyze to derive their technical features and practical methods.

Scientific research thrives on flashes of inspiration. With just a hint or direction, it can rapidly ignite existing technical accumulation, transforming quantitative changes into qualitative ones, and the battlefield is the place where these sparks of brilliance are most abundant.

Lin Mo and the “Demon Hunter” team split into two groups. The “Demon Hunter” team was responsible for escorting the fighter jet and protecting the accompanying engineers and supplies. Syria was a vast battleground where all supplies would become extremely scarce, so it was best to carry enough supplies.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo traveled alone with his backpack, flying to Turkey. From Ankara, he transferred to a ferry on the Euphrates River, taking the waterways to the war-torn Syria.

If coming from the direction of China, the closest route to Syria could go through Iraq, but Iraq was too chaotic, and a single Chinese person passing through there might attract a host of annoying kidnappers.

Those desperate criminals did not care about China’s power. Not to mention that the Chinese Government and military were not keen on intervening in the Arab world, even Americans would not escape the clutches of these kidnappers.

Compared to war-torn Iraq, Sally’s Afghanistan felt like paradise.

Traveling from Turkey to Syria was much safer, and the border management between the two countries was quite lax. A bit of cash could easily allow one to cross the border. In fact, international volunteers and arms supplies for the Syrian anti-government armed groups entered through the Turkish border.

Although Lin Mo, as a pilot for the Bashar government army, was protected by the organizers of “Abyss Nirvana," it did not prevent him from entering government-controlled areas from the regions held by the anti-government Free Army. This merely indicated that no individuals or organizations were deliberately obstructing him, which did not guarantee absolute safety.

After all, various Asian countries were divided into camps supporting the warring parties in Syria. As long as an unidentified Asian man appeared with weapons, he could find himself in life-threatening situations at any moment.

The ferry, named “White Wine,” could hold 200 people and was a cargo ship converted into a passenger vessel. The cramped cabin, filled with nearly two hundred people, made the air stuffy. The hull was reaching critical waterline levels.

Unpleasant odors saturated all spaces; rats, spiders, lizards, flies, cockroaches, and various unknown insects created a disgustingly vibrant ecosystem.

No one could imagine such a small, broken-down boat would harbor such a revolting ecosystem, nor anyone anticipate that lying in a dirty, cold, cramped bunk could lead to swallowing numerous unknown tiny creatures in one’s sleep.

One might suddenly hear loud scratching sounds, and congratulations, some mysterious creature might have crawled into your ear canal.

Lin Mo sat onboard this ferry, and across from his bunk was another Chinese man.