Chapter 119

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Chapter 119: Codename "Three Yellow Chick"!

Lin Mo initially thought that his J-10A, after modifications, was already quite powerful. However, upon seeing other foreign main battle aircraft, he felt a slight chill. Their performance would definitely not be inferior to the J-10. Now in peacetime, the chances of engaging with these fourth-generation or upgraded third-generation fighters were slim, but if he were to meet one in the air, Lin Mo did not have complete confidence in his ability to shoot it down. The performance of the aircraft often played a significant role in dogfights.

Lin Mo felt fortunate—as if by luck—sitting next to such an expert, and he was naturally willing to serve him respectfully.

Suddenly, Lin Mo felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to take a look.

"Three Yellow Chick! What are you doing here?"

"Can you not mention that code name?"

Lin Mo and Chen Haiqing exchanged glances and burst into laughter. "Three Yellow Chick" was indeed the flying code that Chen Haiqing had chosen for him at the "Chicken Coop" control tower in Team 7759, and it was becoming almost like a nickname.

"It’s surprising to see you here! It’s been half a year!" Chen Haiqing, wearing a pressure suit, held an aviation helmet and sized up Lin Mo.

"And what about me? I’m here to have fun! How did you end up here? How did you find me?" Lin Mo paused his DV camera and assessed his classmate from flight school, who had also joined Team 7759.

"I think I saw your back this morning. Then I heard someone picked up two boxed meals at noon. When I was on the plane, I happened to catch sight of you sitting here. After I landed, I came to check it out, and sure enough, it was you!"

Chen Haiqing teased Lin Mo, reminding him of a time back in flight school when they ate dog meat and ran into some thugs. Lin Mo ended up flipping over all the troublemakers, claiming he hadn’t eaten enough, and that memory was still clear for Chen Haiqing.

"You were in the air? Were you in the flying display team just now?" Lin Mo pointed at the other international flying display teams soaring across the sky.

"Yes, I was temporarily assigned to the August First display team as a backup, in the rear seat of the fourth aircraft. I’m just sitting in the back to assist and pick up some experience. Other classmates, like Lei Dong and Fan Dazhi, are also here." Chen Haiqing’s participation in the flying demonstration surprised Lin Mo.

"You seem to have made huge progress; you’re already part of the acrobatic flight reserve team!" Lin Mo gave Chen Haiqing’s shoulder a friendly pat.

"What are you doing?" Chen Haiqing looked at the DV camera next to Lin Mo.

"Let me introduce you—this is Yan Guoqiang, an aircraft design expert from the former 611 Institute, Uncle Yan." Lin Mo introduced Uncle Yan to Chen Haiqing.

"This is my former classmate, codename ‘Three Yellow Chick’!"

"You’re a fine young man! No need to tell me your name; keep it confidential! I understand that the J-10 is developed by our 611 Institute—what do you think?" Uncle Yan looked at the young man in the blue-gray pressure suit with a smile.

"It’s amazing! You designed the J-10? What a coincidence!" Chen Haiqing didn’t expect to meet a member of the J-10 design team there, and he was pleasantly surprised. He quickly gave a thumbs up, saying, "This aircraft is simply fantastic! It’s far more agile than the J-8 and boasts great power—definitely a good aircraft."

To someone like Chen Haiqing, the J-10 seemed like a child infused with countless efforts, and his praise made Uncle Yan beam with joy.

"Lin Mo, I need to tell you something," Chen Haiqing suddenly lowered his voice, pulling Lin Mo aside as if something serious was at hand.

"Hold on!"

Lin Mo nodded and turned to Uncle Yan, saying, "Uncle Yan, I need to discuss something with him. You can continue filming; I’ll be right back."

"Sure, go ahead! I can handle it!" Uncle Yan took the DV camera and aimed it at the aircraft in the sky. Though it wasn’t as steady as in Lin Mo’s hands, he could still get a few decent shots.

Lin Mo and Chen Haiqing moved to a quieter corner where there weren’t many people. Chen Haiqing suddenly turned serious and said, "Lin Mo, can you do us a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"I heard from higher-ups that Egypt will be purchasing 20 fighter jets with a budget of $600 to $900 million. Their representatives are already here, but Russia, France, and the United States also plan to secure this order. The leadership wants us to find a way to grab this big order, so we’re preparing to spice things up in the afternoon flight demonstration to promote our fighter jets."

Chen Haiqing revealed startling news: a $600 million military purchase order was undeniably lucrative. Arms deals always yield huge profits.

The flying display teams of various countries are not only established to entertain the audience; the ticket sales hardly cover the costs of maintaining a fleet of aircraft. The true aim is to showcase capabilities to nations without aerospace manufacturing capability, which can only establish air defense forces by purchasing finished fighter jets—essentially, it’s high-standard product demonstrations.

As the host nation for the "International Aerospace Exhibition," China must leverage its home-field advantage to showcase the benefits of the J-10 and other export models. Otherwise, how could they attract the attention of those purchasing representatives? The various difficult acrobatic maneuvers performed were all based on this reasoning.

"What do you mean by ‘spicing things up’?" Lin Mo only knew how to take down enemies but had no idea how to attract the attention of others; he felt out of his depth.

"Live-fire exercises! It seems you’re the only trainee from Team 7759 who’s participated in actual combat, right?" Chen Haiqing recalled a time six months ago when Lin Mo had to leave mid-mission because of a secret directive, only to learn later that he had been reassigned for fire support in ground attack operations.

"I think so; I don’t know about the others." Lin Mo scratched his head.

Chen Haiqing’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he placed his hands on Lin Mo’s shoulder and said, "Haha, that’s it! I heard your cannon shots are exceptionally accurate!"

Lin Mo nodded; he had practiced for many years. His skills were honed long before he joined the J-10. He discreetly shook off Chen Haiqing’s hand; it wasn’t appropriate for him to touch.

"That’s good, then I know what to do! Ha ha ha, just when I wanted to take a nap, someone delivered a pillow! We can’t let this big order slip away!" Chen Haiqing grinned and said, “Lin Mo, you must agree to help me; it’s a small task for you.”

"What? You want me to take out all the other countries trying to sell planes? Should I do it with air-dropped bombs or with targeted cannon fire?" Lin Mo genuinely couldn’t see how his combat experience related to the airshow’s commercial promotion; ever since joining the "Night" Special Forces, he had only handled killing assignments.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you talking about?" Chen Haiqing quickly explained, "Listen, tomorrow afternoon, we’ll arrange a live-fire ground attack demonstration. Just a little showcase of the J-10’s attack capabilities to wow the Egyptian procurement team representatives. You know, those August First team pilots may excel in acrobatic maneuvers, but when it comes to shooting practice, they fall short. Originally, the higher-ups were planning to let the pilots from our 7759 team take care of this, and luckily I found you—you’re the best candidate!"

Chen Haiqing rubbed his hands in excitement, as if Lin Mo’s presence had made the assignment feel set in stone.

"Oh, I see!" Lin Mo stroked his chin, already sporting a bit of stubble, "Can I really do this? Can we secure the time for the task since our units are not in the same category?"

"As long as you agree, I’ll handle the rest! It’s all up to whether you’re willing to help out, brother!" Chen Haiqing patted his chest, looking at Lin Mo with anticipation.

Famous for his wild ways and extensive network, Chen Haiqing was confident that he could pull off this challenging task.

"Alright! As long as the leadership approves, my codename is ‘Night’! My flying code is still ‘Gold Coin,’ so it should be in the system!" Lin Mo shared his unit’s codename with Chen Haiqing. Such cross-unit calls were not simple. This aspect is typically tightly controlled; any unauthorized movement or reassignment without orders is deemed insurrection and is severely suppressed—this principle has been a strict one throughout history and is a pressure line retained by military forces in most countries.

"If you don’t have anything going on in the afternoon, do you want to get some practice in my aircraft?"

"No need; I have my own plane—it’s parked at the 9th Fighter Division base in Foshan."

"No way, are you sure you’re on vacation and not on a mission?"

"Of course, I’m on vacation!"

"Wow, you’re going on a road trip, aren’t you?!"

"Of course! Plane tickets are so expensive! I’m even saving on gas!"

"…”

With Lin Mo’s willingness to help, Chen Haiqing noted down Lin Mo’s phone number and happily called someone to arrange things.

The flying demonstration reached a climax, challenging the pilots’ control of their aircraft; even ten-centimeter errors were not allowed. Many acrobatic maneuvers are incredibly risky, and pilots constantly teetered on the edge of disaster—one mistake could lead to destruction and loss of life.

The audience attending the show also faced significant risk; tragic accidents resulting in fatalities during flight demonstrations at airshows worldwide are not uncommon. Once high-speed flight goes out of control, not even a deity could save it.

Uncle Yan, the retired expert from the former 611 Institute, watched with great interest. He never missed an airshow in the country and even organized a group for older enthusiasts to spend their idle retirement time while also attracting more people to focus on aviation.