Chapter 645

Chapter 645: The Trap

The Flowing Wave Heavenly Transformation Magic Circle is a very practical magic circle. It was specially designed by the battle mage of the Dragon Knight Corps for Lin Mo and the gold giant dragon to compensate for the gold dragon kin’s lack of magical abilities and to enhance their magical defense.

However, due to Gold Coin’s non-violent resistance, or rather violent defiance, these magic circles had not been utilized. But because food is plentiful in this world and for other reasons, Gold Coin no longer resists Lin Mo, thus allowing the long-hidden magic circle to resurface.

With the help of the Flowing Wave Heavenly Transformation Magic Circle, the fighter jet in the sky transformed from a mismatched object into something that quickly blended into the atmosphere like air. The air in front instinctively parted around the aircraft’s surface, forming an invisible shield.

The friction of air coming head-on decreased significantly, but it did not affect the aircraft’s aerodynamic layout. In fact, the lift became even smoother. Even without the Void Magnetism of the gold giant dragon, the X-1’s speed surged to a new level, and the roar of jets diminished.

This magic circle had already been applied to the “monstrous” fighter jet; it was not externally embedded but rather integrated, and there were many magic circles. Only Lin Mo could fully unleash its potential, making it impossible to see any trace of the magic circle on the surface.

Due to insufficient modification time, laser engraving and embedding techniques were employed to apply the magic circle to the X-1 fighter jet.

Under the clear sky, a continuous stream of light gathered on the surface of the X-1, converging towards the Flowing Wave Heavenly Transformation Magic Circle. The magic circle acted like a lever; all Lin Mo needed to do was input a small amount of Battle Energy to activate it and maintain a resonant frequency to harness the infinite light in the world for the magic circle.

Although setting up the magic circle was time-consuming, the assistance of modern high-tech tools made it no longer a difficult task. It allowed for precise engraving compared to the abilities of the best magician.

The Light Mirror Technique array activated!

The lever effect of the Flowing Wave Heavenly Transformation Magic Circle consumed very little from Lin Mo, leaving him enough energy to initiate the Light Mirror Technique.

With this constant consumption of Battle Energy, Lin Mo could sustain it for an hour.

Target detected!

The X-1’s on-board radar quickly identified the target. Its active phased array radar, equipped with over 1,600 gallium arsenide transmitting and receiving modules, offered efficiency that even rivaled the Light Mirror Technique in searching for specific targets.

A thin layer of light mirrors subsequently locked onto the target.

A single-engine, sharply swept-back wing fighter jet appeared in Lin Mo’s sight, flying at an altitude of 500 meters and a speed of 0.9 Mach.

A perfect and charming little target, ready for any engagement.

This was Lin Mo’s opponent today: the "Young Fox" from the Anti-Government Forces—a very cunning character.

Lin Mo unexpectedly assessed the opponent in this manner. If he weren’t involved in aviation and hadn’t studied aerodynamic layout design, he might have fallen into the opponent’s trap.

The sharply angled wings not only excel in high-altitude, high-speed performance, but also imply strong climbing capability.

Anyone who naively launched a diving attack using textbook tactics would undoubtedly fall prey before they could even strike; the “Young Fox” fighter would suddenly unleash full power for a steep climb, then execute a large-radius backflip to take the high ground, lurking behind the enemy for a lethal strike.

The enemy might not be able to digest all that dive potential and fail to level out, even struggling to climb.

If all went as expected, being obliterated mid-air would be inevitable, either torn apart by cannon fire or blown to pieces by close-range missiles.

Even if the enemy could react in time and had special air combat techniques to shift from an unfavorable position, the intense g-forces would put immense pressure on the pilot. Be it redout or blackout, any would throw the enemy into a very dangerous position, merely prolonging the time before their demise by a few seconds.

If one fell into such a trap, surviving would be a slim chance, but if one had advanced precautions, it would become meaningless—especially for Dragon Knights who ignored redout and blackout effects.

The "Young Fox" fighter’s performance was merely that of a larger high-speed trickster compared to the X-1, which has the bloodline of the "monstrous" model.

Having confirmed the target, Lin Mo turned off the active phased array radar; he no longer needed its guidance.

The Light Mirror Technique would suffice.

The X-1 continued to climb without slowing, pushing its speed to over 2 Mach.

"Oh! I’m George, hello everyone! Today’s aircraft is truly surprising, model X-1, piloted by ‘Number 13’. While the codename seems a bit unlucky, maybe it holds true for his opponent. ‘Number 13’ is a pure novice at only 25 years old, hailing from the East, specifically China. According to reports, he’s a legendary ace—so young! Could he have achieved this on the battlefield?"

In the center of the task command center, a host began to broadcast details on the morning’s battle, showcasing the contestants to all viewers.

Seated alongside was two individuals dressed in camouflage, sporting unfamiliar insignias—likely retired air force officers from some nation hired by Abyss Nirvana.

"As far as I know, China isn’t currently at war, so is this ace something gained during exercises? Regardless of its authenticity, looking at him, he’s quite a handsome young lad. If I were a girl, I would definitely be eager to pursue him! I hope this young charmer can survive longer and deliver more thrilling battles. Ladies need a charming heartthrob who’s both an idol and capable, and his opponent today is the ‘Young Fox’ from the Anti-Government Forces, ranking 129 overall and 71 within the faction. At 32, he has scored 1 kill and 1 injury, with a military background. Now, the odds are announced: ‘Number 13’ versus ‘Young Fox’, with odds at 1 to 1.02. Betting will close one minute before the two fighter jets are within 20 kilometers of each other. Gentlemen and ladies, please rush to place your bets! We accept cash, checks, bank valuations, and credit cards. Good luck to you all!"

The host continued to chatter on, introducing simple details about both contenders. This extremely professional host managed to keep the two guests from interjecting. Just when he was finally about to shift the topic to the guests, he suddenly paused, pressing his wireless earpiece as if he had overheard some buzz from outside the studio.

"Additionally, there’s an unexpected scoop: in this competition, there’s a specialized opponent waiting for him, the high-tier pilot ‘Eagle King’. Let’s see if ‘Number 13’ can successfully enter the high tier and engage ‘Eagle King’ in an intense deathmatch. Oh my! It’s truly filled with knightly romance—if only a princess would join, it would be perfect… But back to the main topic: now we enter the fighter commentary phase: a head-on showdown!"

"Now, we invite Colonel Chekhov and Colonel Lorenzo to share their insights on the performance and advantages/disadvantages of the fighter jets piloted by ‘Number 13’ and ‘Young Fox’, as well as which fighter jet they support."

The two guests clearly had worked together for a long time or were purposely set up as rivals, exchanging glances. One started to speak, "Hello everyone, I’m Chekhov. Among the two jets, I favor the one piloted by ‘Number 13’, the X-1."

At that moment, the screen shifted to an exterior scan of the X-1. Within just a few days, the professional team provided by Abyss Nirvana had completed 3D modeling of the X-1—a level of efficiency that had to be commended.

"Good! Let’s discuss the advantages. Examining the X-1’s aerodynamic layout, it’s a typical forward-swept wing model, equipped with duck wings for added maneuverability, excelling in super-maneuverability. It’s very similar to the Su-47 ‘Golden Eagle’, but with clear differences. Its aerodynamic design seems superior overall. Now, looking at the air intake, the design employs an adjustable DSI three-dimensional wave inlet, balancing the fighter’s speed needs across various ranges, avoiding the extreme fixed designs that struggle at high speeds, making it more agile. Moreover, DSI technology has high manufacturing and precision requirements, so there aren’t many countries capable of mastering it. Just this intake design already puts it at a world-class level, with no impact on the fighter’s performance at any speed, compensating for the forward-swept wing design’s weak stealth capabilities.

Now let’s discuss the disadvantages. Although we don’t know what specific materials were used on the X-1 or its internal structure, considering previous forward-swept wing models, the requirements for materials and internal structures grow more stringent. Currently, there are fewer than 20 operational forward-swept wing fighters in the world, indicating that despite their excellent aerodynamic layout, they still face numerous unresolved issues, especially with the structural divergence of the wings, posing a significant threat to flight safety, potentially even leading to mid-air structural failure. Perhaps the X-1 has resolved these issues; even if not, its strengths certainly outshine any flaws."

When both guests were present, it was nearly impossible for any one-sided opinions to prevail; there would always be some dissent.

Colonel Chekhov expressed confidence that ‘Number 13’ would emerge victorious, while Lorenzo immediately voiced opposition.

"Colonel Chekhov’s conclusion runs contrary to my own; while the X-1 is indeed a model with both pronounced advantages and disadvantages, I do not believe it has resolved the inherent flaws of the forward-swept wing. I’m more optimistic about the single-engine, sharply swept-back wing fighter piloted by ‘Young Fox’…"

While the two guests engaged in verbal sparring, Lin Mo had already begun his attack from a distance of 50 kilometers.

The first rule of the Air Knight: the early bird gets the worm; the late bird pays the price.