Chapter 161
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Chapter 161: The Whole World Has Gone Crazy
He furrowed his brows and said, “Don’t tell me I didn’t file a record? Whenever I order something, even from the manufacturers, they always report it in advance. How could the base not know?”
The manufacturer shipped the items to a different secret address in another province, using constant transfers to send them to the "Night" base, keeping the base’s location as confidential as possible. This kind of channel and transport method was something Lin Mo couldn’t imagine.
“You don’t know? It’s a standard military packing box, the kind that requires high-level confidentiality. Other than you, no one else in the base has permission to open the box. Isn’t it strange? Did you order something peculiar again?” Old Pan’s eyes widened, seemingly guessing whether Lin Mo had ordered an atomic bomb. Even if that were true, Old Pan wouldn’t show much surprise at the miracles created by Lin Mo; he had become numb from the constant shock.
The high-ranking officials of the Night Special Forces were aware that a certain spendthrift lieutenant had spent over 40 million yuan on goods within a month—a sum that would be a lifetime’s salary for a pilot. Yet this guy blinked not an eye as his bank card rapidly cleared out, returning him to proletarian status. If the base didn’t provide meals and accommodation, it was hard to know how he would have saved enough to start a family.
Not long after Lin Mo departed, two large boxes were sent through the exclusive secret channel. It was common knowledge that Lin Mo’s recent orders were second only to those of the logistics department at the base. Yet these two boxes boldly bore the label "genuine military top secret items" on both the box itself and the shipping invoice.
Due to the high confidentiality level, the internal security personnel tasked with the inspection were at a loss; they could not open and check the package according to regulations. Given the sealed nature of these containers, anyone who dared to break the seal would face severe penalties. They quickly notified Old Pan to receive the items and bring them to the hangar, sending a squad of internal security soldiers to guard the boxes. No one dared to come close.
Watching the ground crew lock the front wheels of the J-10, the towing vehicle began to head toward the hangar entrance.
Lin Mo scratched his head, still unable to recall what strange items he had recently ordered that warranted such fanfare. He patted Old Pan on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go take a look!”
Captain Pan drove the electric cart capable of carrying twelve people into the hangar with Lin Mo. In a corner of the hangar, Lin Mo saw a space surrounded by curtains, where several armed soldiers formed a protective circle.
“Captain Lin Mo, here’s your confidential special item.”
The leading squad leader saluted upon noticing Lin Mo and Captain Pan’s electric cart in front of them and handed a folder to Lin Mo.
“Thank you!” Lin Mo returned the salute. Everyone at this military base had at least reached the rank of sergeant; even a squad leader deserved respect and could not be compared to ordinary troops outside.
Lin Mo focused on the folder in his hand, immediately alarmed, “Wow! Level 31 security clearance, strategic military materials! No wonder the base personnel are treating this with such seriousness.”
He signed the folder and pressed his fingerprint, indicating he had received the items, while two stainless steel keys remained in the folder for him.
“What is it? Do you know?” Captain Pan asked curiously, but didn’t dare to look.
Lin Mo shook his head, “No idea! We’ll find out once we open it!”
Lin Mo took one of the keys, checked the number against one of the boxes, and inserted it into the keyhole. The LED lights on the corners of the box turned green simultaneously, and a hissing sound was heard as the single-use lock core self-destructed.
With a twist, he heard a clicking sound, officially opening the box.
Lin Mo had only heard of such boxes but had never seen one. A box an inch thick could withstand attacks from 12.7 mm armor-piercing sniper rounds and grenades. It was airtight and water-resistant, capable of low-temperature insulation or vacuum transport, and could be equipped with hydraulic suspension damping systems.
Most importantly, the box had four keyholes, any of which could unlock it. Additionally, it could be set up for simultaneous opening with more than two keys or include a self-destruction mechanism for wrong key insertion. The interior could also be fitted with a self-destruct system, with standard plug-in modules for strong acids, poison gas, or explosives.
The key contained a special coded chip; forcing the lock without the key would likely damage the contents inside.
According to the requirements, after opening these two high-security boxes, the keys must be returned as well, as their manufacturing costs were astronomical. Otherwise, they could be used on a tank.
The sound of clicking continued as the complex mechanisms within the box operated, and suddenly, a small gap appeared at the box’s seam. Lin Mo reached to pull a hidden handle, and with a tug, he revealed the true nature of the contents inside.
It was a thick, uniquely-shaped frame, cushioned by thick shock-absorbing bubble wrap, supporting a massive conical object akin to a bed.
Lin Mo ripped away the bubble wrap, revealing a large printed document on brown paper. The bold letters made Lin Mo’s eyes widen in shock.
Old Pan, peeking to catch a glimpse, inadvertently saw the large bold title indicating the contents of the box. He froze for a moment, as if remembering something, then gasped in disbelief, “Lin Mo, did you get yourself into trouble? Or are they insane enough to send this stuff here?”
On a light green, waterproof brown paper, the bolded text clearly read: F119-PW-100
Below was a smaller line: Turbo fan jet vector thrust engine.
Upon inspecting the quantity, there were two!
It was unmistakably accurate!
The whole world had gone mad.
Lin Mo blinked a few times, his expression innocent; he had merely jokingly voiced his ideas, thinking it would remain a thought, and yet they had taken it seriously!
“Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo!” Old Pan waved his hand in front of Lin Mo’s eyes, calling him back. “Are you in trouble?”
Old Pan trembled! This was the first time he felt old, unable to keep up with these youngsters’ antics.
His first instinct was that Lin Mo had definitely stirred up a massive problem. Did he not know what the F119-PW-100 engine was? Being an old aviation guy, how could he not understand? Such items could spark large-scale conflicts, with casualties in the thousands; they were major strategic assets, and yet they casually showed up domestically, right in front of him. Was it true that Americans had lost their minds and were giving away such items like gifts?
Old Pan wouldn’t dare accept such a gift. Even if it wouldn’t explode, just seeing it would require him to turn and run as fast as possible, as far away as he could. The proximity alone posed a life-threatening risk.
“Trouble?! No, no trouble!” Lin Mo said, somewhat insincerely; he had just stirred up a mess recently. China’s intelligence agencies abroad had just cleared up after him, and the two nations had fought quietly over this matter.
Hiss! Hiss!
Old Pan felt his teeth ache and sucked in cold air, growing increasingly confused about this strange creature named Lin Mo. What kind of background did he have? He was a master in aerial combat yet somehow had gotten into designing aircraft, and now, with a stroke of luck, he brought back over 40 million yuan, all while looking at these F-22 vector thrust engines before him. It was utterly speechless.
Old Pan felt an impulse to slap himself just to confirm he wasn’t dreaming.
More than 40 million? Oh my, just thinking about it made his teeth ache. With that money, why bother being a soldier or risking his life? This little brat was obviously trying to start something; otherwise, why go out of his way to dabble in aircraft design?
Even Old Pan couldn’t be sure whether Lin Mo’s absurd actions were genuinely as wild as they seemed. Just these two engines alone were worth enough to trade for a third-generation fighter jet.
He still hesitated to slap himself; that behavior would seriously undermine his authority as a captain, so he squeezed the muscle on his thigh hard.
Ouch, that hurt! It was definitely not a dream!
What a disastrous situation!
This little rascal!
“Shh! Confidential! Confidential!” Lin Mo saw Old Pan’s unkind expression and quickly raised his finger.
“Mm mm!” Old Pan, like a child, quickly covered his mouth and nodded vigorously.
He was aware that trouble often came from careless words, and he feared that if he let slip even a half-word, it would spell disaster.
Lin Mo dug out a thick booklet from the corner of the box, clearly a brand-new handcrafted bound volume. It comprehensively analyzed the structure and maintenance manual of the F119-PW-100, detailing the center of gravity, installation instructions, and naming the frequently used maintenance and consumable parts. It seemed that once the engines Lin Mo had acquired were shipped back to China, the best engine designers and manufacturers had disassembled them quickly and compiled this information based on previously acquired intelligence.
The enthusiasm and efficiency of Chinese researchers were genuinely surprising; they had successfully completed the disassembly of the F119-PW-100 vector thrust engine in such a short time. Yet, for domestic aircraft engine manufacturing plants, many of the alloy formulas and production processes still remained insurmountable challenges. To complete the entire reverse engineering process would likely take another ten to twenty years, serving only as technical reference.
The significance of copying production was minimal unless China also aimed to create an exact replica of the F-22. The engine’s influence on the aircraft’s aerodynamic layout, air intake, and center of gravity was immense; the cost of directly copying it would be unwise.
How much would a new F-22 "Raptor" retail for? Just the quoted price for Japan was over 230 million dollars per aircraft, not including the costs of parts and training personnel.
Now, with six brand-new engines and important accessories laid out before them, the domestic research staff was ecstatic, as if they had obtained a complete F-22 "Raptor" fighter jet. The technological significance went beyond that.
