Chapter 165
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Chapter 165: "Kua Fu" Individual Combat Armor
Lin Mo is certainly a treasure for the Night Special Forces, and Captain Feng confidently knows his judgment is spot on. Upon hearing General He’s words earlier, Captain Feng almost jumped up; this was a blatant attempt to poach talent. Thankfully, Lin Mo did not agree; otherwise, the high-end combat strength of the Night would have immediately flown away. It would have taken them months to build it up, only to lose it overnight, back to where they started a year ago.
The visit from the aircrew group was the final stop for General He and his team at the Night Special Forces. Without further delay, General He and Colonel Huang took a secret passage to a nearby military airport to transfer to their next Special Forces inspection. The pilot of the Night aircrew group, codename "Gold Coin," left a deep impression on General He and Colonel Huang.
Lin Mo remained focused on his "Genius" fighter jet, the J-10A, which silently waited beside him, filled with resentful energy as it faced its impending fate of elimination. There was nothing to be done; he had exhausted its performance to the limit. The inherent aerodynamics and structural design now restricted any further enhancement of the J-10’s capabilities.
With a maximum overload of 9.1G, Lin Mo could handle up to 15G with ease due to his physique. The J-10 could no longer satisfy Lin Mo’s air combat needs, much like an adult wielding only a plastic toy knife—no matter how skillfully he wielded it, the outcome would still be disappointing. Only a sharp, refined steel blade could truly unleash an adult’s combat potential.
War is always left to those who are prepared. Unprepared individuals in war are destined to be invaded. Across various air force bases nationwide, a highly confidential invitation letter arrived simultaneously. Each pilot who saw this letter had previously undergone strict political and psychological tests in secret.
Meanwhile, after finishing a day’s work, Lin Mo discovered that a new notification appeared on his tactical tablet, which rested on the partially exposed wing of the "Genius."
"What?!" Lin Mo tilted his head to grab the tactical tablet, brushing his finger across the screen to reveal the details.
"Hmm! It’s a call for volunteers! Time to pull some strings!" Lin Mo shook his head in disbelief, "I wonder how the compensation is?"
Since the last time he benefitted greatly during his trip to Zambia, Lin Mo started looking forward to missions with additional perks. Extra cash, coupled with the chance to do something impactful, was the best kind of opportunity. After all, how much could one earn through a lifetime of laboring in civilian society?
As a career soldier, fighting in battles was the true job. Retirement?! Not until a bullet or shell takes him out—only then could he rest, but until he can no longer hold a weapon, he would keep going.
"Isn’t the permission quite high?" Lin Mo noticed that this confidential document required significant clearance to read. But since he was the only pilot in the Night Special Forces, it was naturally intended for him.
After a moment’s scrutiny, Lin Mo confirmed it came from the Special Forces headquarters, signed by General He. The chief indeed remembered what he had said; now the opportunity had presented itself. The Kashmir region between Pakistan and India was once again showing signs of trouble after a long calm. As Pakistan’s usual supporter, China could not send people to assist, as they prepared a volunteer military assistance group since both countries were gearing up for conflict.
Such assistance was not without conditions; behind it lay practical training, more arms orders, and military leverage.
"I’ll go, coordinate with the nearby air force bases, and let them cover my duties while I earn some extra cash!" Lin Mo calculated. He had poured over 40 million into his project, and his wallet was nearing empty. But the “Genius” still needed more funding to take shape.
Relying solely on the Special Forces for a meager salary could provide a comfortable life for an average person upon retirement, but it was clearly insufficient for creating a formidable battle weapon. He wondered how many lifetimes it would take to accumulate that kind of capital. That didn’t even account for the costs of special technology licensing. Even if there was no profit, the security deposits for single unit licensing would be heavy.
Occurrences of military volunteer invitation letters since the establishment of the country were rare, but each time they surfaced, they represented bloody battles filled with fearsome war. The largest of these was the famous Korean War assistance.
In a national context, this represented purely personal military volunteers, unrelated to the government, falling under international war game rules; thus, they would not trigger a full-blown war between the volunteer sending country and the warring nations. The casualties would be as fate decreed, with the sending country bearing the responsibility.
Such situations were more common in chaotic regions, as countries dispatched military volunteers to assist in conflicts for their interests.
"Lin Mo, are you going on a mission again?!" Old Pan saw Lin Mo’s forwarded request. Though he could only see the title and brief description on the tactical tablet, he furrowed his brow. Ever since Lin Mo arrived at the Night Special Forces, he spent only half of his time tinkering with aircraft at the base; the rest was spent out on missions. While the unit performed excellently, Old Pan felt uneasy about Lin Mo frequently being away, wishing he would just focus on his big toy in the hangar.
After all, he had accumulated enough merits, and upon retirement, he would have a good job with a decent pension. Old Pan couldn’t understand why this kid couldn’t settle down.
“Training a bit, earning some extra cash!” Lin Mo nodded, leaving Old Pan feeling helpless. This volunteer recruitment was clearly the headquarters’ request sent to the Night Special Forces. Last time, General He surely noted Lin Mo’s words, providing this opportunity to go to the battlefield; otherwise, why would it be specifically sent to the Night’s only pilot?
“Don’t worry, Old Pan. I’ve arranged the handover for the aircrew duties. There will be real aces taking over. The brothers from the nearby 223rd and 815th units have promised to temporarily cover for me. Rest assured, I’ll be fine.”
Lin Mo noticed Old Pan’s worried expression and patted his shoulder. Despite an intimidating face with scars, Old Pan was a soft-hearted good guy. It was no wonder that Lin Mo and the other aircrew members respected him, as his protective nature garnered loyalty from his subordinates.
Through repeated collaborations with various fighter jets, Lin Mo had built certain networks and gradually familiarized himself with the call signs of the formation pilots who often flew alongside him. They had established a mutually supportive relationship through communication during missions, enabling smooth collaboration for tasks like this transitional duty.
"You better come back in one piece, or I, Old Pan, won’t let you off the hook." Old Pan’s remark was insincere; every time Lin Mo left, he felt anxious. It felt similar to receiving a box of ashes from a combat squadron, which only heightened his fears that one day it could be Lin Mo’s.
"Relax! I’m the strongest Air Knight under the stars!" Lin Mo confidently patted his chest and gave a thumbs-up.
In the Su Lan Empire, Lin Mo aspired to be the strongest Air Knight under the stars, and even in this world, that aspiration wouldn’t change.
"Keep dreaming!" Old Pan rolled his eyes and suddenly grabbed his own tactical tablet. After a few taps, he pushed it towards Lin Mo. "Look! Don’t say I don’t care about my team members! I used my clearance to help you get this."
"What?!" Lin Mo looked at the screen on Old Pan’s tactical tablet.
"What’s this?! ‘Kua Fu’ Individual Combat Armor? What is this? I’ve never heard of it!" Lin Mo questioned, glancing toward Old Pan, seemingly similar to the "Future Warrior" individual exoskeleton mechs he had recently acquired.
"Hmph! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t bother with this set of individual defense armor meant for team leaders or squad captains only. It’s still an experimental model not yet deployed. Although it lacks active drive, it uses point augmentation assist devices and offers top-notch protection, capable of defending against 12.7mm caliber bullets at a distance of 200 meters. It even includes a compatible data link module. Now that we’re heading to a real battlefield, I, Old Pan, can finally spare some investment. Either way, this will help you withstand a couple of bullets."
Old Pan said huffily, "Don’t underestimate our Chinese technology; in some areas, we are no worse than the Americans, even if most of it is confidential."
Lin Mo’s jaw dropped in surprise. The base had this kind of amazing equipment hidden away? He had never seen anything like it before. If each fighter squadron had one, wouldn’t their combat capability soar?
Seeing Lin Mo’s surprised expression, Old Pan smiled. "Do you think our base is known as the national ultimate defense system for nothing? In preparation for potential war, the country reserves a considerable amount of equipment and supplies, updating them every five years. So many state-owned enterprises that seem profitable have stagnant stock prices due to this; otherwise, where would the money for strategic reserves come from? Don’t underestimate this armor; it’s expensive. If it could be deployed, we would have done so long ago."
"Let’s go, I’ll take you to collect it! You really keep me on my toes!" Old Pan put away his tactical tablet, shaking his head.
The “Kua Fu” individual combat armor didn’t have the futuristic appeal of the “Future Warrior” but looked quite plain, resembling a fully covered bulletproof vest in camouflage green. From head to toe, it was equipped for a pilot, including an aviation helmet. The bulletproof visor could function as an LCD screen and connect to firearms with corresponding electronic sights for calibration and targeting.
Although it lacked a power source for assistance, it was extremely lightweight, weighing only 22 pounds, while providing defense capabilities that rivaled the "Future Warrior." It adopted biochemical non-metallic materials, could accommodate various devices and weapons, and was suitable for close combat and special operations. After all, close-quarters combat had always been a traditional strength of Chinese soldiers, and this “Kua Fu” armor inherited that traditional design.
