Chapter 142

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Chapter 142: The Su-30’s Forced Landing?

The social and material conditions in some African countries are extremely poor, resulting in a corresponding decline in the quality of the population. One can’t expect much from the military discipline and training of a few small African nations. Incidents like running out of fuel mid-air, firing cannons at wild animals, flying over towns at dangerously low altitudes, or even secretly trafficking drugs are all too common. Innocent bystanders are often unintentionally harmed during wartime.

"Hey! Kid, come play with us!" A strange laugh rang out over the public channel of the fighter jets, accompanied by whistling and mocking sounds—blatant provocation that could easily be used as an excuse to bully them if they lost their cool.

"Do you want me to teach you how to fly? How about we go get a cup of coffee? It’s on me!"

"Damn bastards! Filthy scum! Go to hell, you’ll be punished, repent, you sinners!" Kauala shot back defiantly, although his MiG-21 had no bullets, let alone missiles. He was in a vulnerable position; if they opened fire, it would be disastrous.

"You’re asking for death! I don’t believe in Christ; I only worship the one true God!" The pilot of the Su-30 clearly saw the MiG-21 as inferior and wanted to take advantage of the situation to strike down a target that was already down.

Lin Mo remained silent, letting the Congolese Su-30 pilots boast on the channel.

During the training period for pilots in China, it was understood that maintaining silence in the air was crucial unless necessary. Reducing communication opportunities was key, as several electronic reconnaissance aircraft can decrypt communication channels and identify pilots based on past recordings. This method of electronic reconnaissance profoundly threatens the enemy in wartime.

When a Chinese J-8II pilot, Wang Wei, was shot down over the South China Sea, he was recognized and directly confronted by the US forces, leading to his disappearance after a provocative collision.

As long as no one opened fire, both sides could avoid war. Incidents like sea vessels colliding or aircraft intercepting and forcing down opponents were tolerable behaviors that floated on the brink of war.

On October 23, 2011, Pakistan successfully intercepted and forced down an Indian military helicopter over Skardu, in the Pakistan-controlled region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Su-30s were fast and daring, circling from the east to catch up with the returning MiG-21s. Kauala finally got wise, closely trailing Lin Mo as they flew in a staggered formation for mutual support.

A few dark red projectiles zipped past Lin Mo’s right front. His pupils contracted; the audacity of the Su-30s was shocking, daring to fire warning shots. Kauala screamed in horror over the channel, "Do you bastards even know who we are? I am Major Kauala, son of Commander Xin Gaoyuan of the Republic of Zambia! My lead is Captain Lin Mo of the Chinese Air Force! Are you Congolese planning to declare war on us? You ought to be hanged!"

In his eyes, the Congolese pilots had gone too far. If his MiG had air-to-air missiles, he would have aimed and fired them at those Congolese right away.

"Hahahaha… Major Kauala, Captain Lin Mo, great! We’ve caught big fish today!" A gruff voice from one of the Su-30s mocked loudly, "You two were just doing a drill, right? Hahaha, you definitely don’t have live ammo! Come visit us! If you refuse, I’d love to add two more kill records to my aircraft! I promise to give you a nicer wingspan—hahaha!"

The intentions of the two Su-30s were clear—they aimed to intercept and force the MiG-21s down. Even though both planes and pilots would eventually be unharmed and returned, this blatant humiliation amounted to tarnishing the reputation of the Zambian military and severely damaging morale. Politicians, who can turn right and wrong on a whim, would surely take advantage of the situation.

"Fool!" Lin Mo seethed at Kauala for carelessly revealing his identity; he had never seen such a loose mouth. Lin Mo’s expression darkened; the person on the public channel was evidently emboldened by some special permission. What did it mean to hijack him and Kauala? They were no different from Somali pirates. Such small Congolese were trying to extort from two nations—one a global power—were they not afraid of the consequences?

Perhaps they aimed to spread rumors, to turn the tables. After all, they had both the men and their aircraft, free to say whatever they wanted. Perhaps they wanted to leverage some advantage.

"Abandon the aircraft, abandon the aircraft! Captain Lin Mo, Kauala, eject now!" Major Mora of Lusaka Air Force Base noticed the Congolese pilots’ intentions and realized he couldn’t afford to let the aircraft and pilots fall into enemy hands. Not only would it mean a huge loss of face, but they might also be extorted. He gritted his teeth and ordered Lin Mo and Kauala to eject, knowing that only this decisive reaction could prevent them from being captured. Zambia could turn the tables, using this as an excuse to demand compensation from the Congo, despite the inevitable arguments. However, it was preferable to the greater trouble that would arise from being taken captive.

At that moment, Mora chose the lesser of two evils. The loss of two MiG-21s was far better than being extorted by the Congo and the negative fallout that would follow. They should not think of themselves as friendly neighbors; if given the chance, these Congolese would easily become wolves and take a bite out of anyone within reach.

Both MiG-21s were single-seat aircraft, while the Congolese Su-30s were all dual-seat Su-30MK2 models, enhanced with electronic warfare capabilities. Although they hadn’t activated electronic jamming, they posed a significant threat to the MiG fighters.

Realizing he was being pushed by the two Su-30s, Kauala had no choice but to turn his aircraft away; otherwise, he might collide with them or be hit by incoming fire. The Su-30 was known as the “Air Surgical Knife,” an upgraded version of the Su-27, capable of slicing through heavy fighter jets like the P-3B anti-submarine patrol plane.

The MiG-21, nicknamed “Fish Nest,” weighed only seven to eight tons, while the Su-30, “Flanker,” weighed a hefty 17 tons. Clearly, they weren’t operating on the same level, not to mention the difference in technology and equipment.

Comparing the MiG-21 to the Su-30 was like comparing a sparrow to an eagle, despite their shared Russian heritage.

"Okay, okay! I’m jumping first!" Following orders, Kauala eagerly activated his ejection seat. The cockpit canopy of the MiG-21 explosively blasted off, launching his seat with the pilot backward. The ejection rocket propelled him over sixty meters into the air, and a white parachute blossomed a few thousand meters above.

Startled by this, the two Su-30s quickly dodged. Kauala’s MiG-21 spiraled out of control, crashing into the uninhabited highlands and erupting into a fireball on impact.

The decisiveness of the Zambian Air Force shocked the Su-30 pilots. Though international laws of warfare do not prohibit shooting at parachuting pilots, the unwritten rules of aerial combat typically discourage this. Combat pilots often refrain from firing at those trying to escape; everyone could find themselves in a similar situation one day. Leaving a way out for others was tantamount to preserving one’s own path.

"Captain Lin Mo, jump now!" Major Mora shouted urgently as Kauala’s MiG-21 disappeared from radar.

Jump? Escape? Lin Mo sneered; this was an insult to the dignity of a Dragon Knight.

There was no doubt the MiG-21 was outclassed by the Su-30, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a chance. Mora and the others were taken aback by Lin Mo’s voice on the channel: "Sorry, Major Mora. The Chinese Air Force has never had a pilot captured. There were none in the past, none now, and there will be none in the future! Of course, we won’t allow cowards to exist. In the name of the Five-Star Red Flag, I refuse your command."

Hearing Lin Mo’s words, Major Huang De and the others exchanged worried glances. It was true that no Chinese pilot had ever been captured, but what was Lin Mo planning? Everyone from the Chinese side anxiously awaited his next move.

"You want to play? Let’s play then!"

Now that Kauala was out of the way, Lin Mo piloted the MiG-21 aggressively toward the Su-30s. If they wanted to play, let’s do it.

“Do you require laser weapons and Gauss weaponry?”

At that moment, the Gold Coin within him stirred. The watch on Lin Mo’s wrist trembled. Having absorbed much of the technological civilization of this world, the gold element giant dragon finally evolved its own weapon systems, no longer merely transforming Lin Mo into a super-robust shell.

According to the five basic principles of peaceful coexistence between former Dragon Knights and dragons, the Gold Coin asked Lin Mo if he required installation and weaponry support. Normally quiet and engrossed in mysterious research, the Gold Coin only acted when Lin Mo needed assistance.

"No, no need. I can handle it myself!" Lin Mo shook his head internally. Yes, even with Gold Coin’s protection, he could act recklessly, but as an aerial knight in this world, he needed to hone and mature his new combat techniques instead of relying on the gold giant dragon.

A saying circulated among the Dragon Knight Corps: when external support is lost, true strength lies within oneself.