Chapter 166
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 166: The Horn of War Volunteers
Old Pan personally piloted the armed helicopter WZ-12, chattering away about battlefield precautions as he drove Lin Mo to a nearby airport to catch a military transport plane.
After the transport plane shook and swiftly ascended, they headed towards a rally point in Tibet.
"Code name ‘Gold Coin’ reporting for duty!" Lin Mo carried an alloy box containing his mech and personal items as he found a rickety Jeep at the designated temporary rally point after landing.
"Security password!"
“Lonely Cold Plum Blossom!”
Each volunteer had a unique reporting password; Chinese character codes were perhaps the hardest to decode in this world.
"Correct! Let’s check your fingerprint. Here’s your room number. We’ll be departing the day after tomorrow, so you’ll spend the next two days getting acclimated," said an army lieutenant receiving him, meticulously pulling out a fingerprint recognition pad for Lin Mo’s identity verification.
Lin Mo placed his palm on the recognition pad; with a beep, the screen displayed his photo, age, rank, and unique number.
"Don’t forget, everything you carry needs to be registered. If you have any weapons, please hand them over for safekeeping," the lieutenant reminded him.
"Okay!" Lin Mo pulled out a personal item list he had prepared in advance. The "Kua Fu" individual combat armor was classified equipment, so it had a confidentiality serial number for verification by the relevant department.
However, once inside the camp, this important classified equipment was sealed and stored for safekeeping since the camp dormitories could not guarantee security.
This temporary camp on frozen tundra utilized modular quickly constructed buildings, capable of accommodating around 200 people. The meals were relatively hearty; although they lacked fresh food, the stored supplies were abundant, greatly surpassing the expectations of canned goods.
After entering the camp, all devices with GPS modules were confiscated, and for a radius of five kilometers around the camp, there was a radio jamming zone, meaning regular civilian phones could not connect to any mobile communication stations.
Once Lin Mo settled into the barracks for the next few days, more volunteers arrived in cars and even by helicopter, quickly filling the once empty quarters. The new arrivals included air force pilots, army special forces, and even Russians; everyone shared a unified identity as military volunteers.
Lin Mo met a few friendly pilots, some flying J-8s, others flying JH-7s (Flying Leopards), with many operating J-10s, providing ample topics of conversation.
In keeping with confidentiality protocols, they all referred to one another by code names.
One pilot, code-named "Wild Chicken," also came from Team 7759’s "Chicken Coop," later transferring to a special aviation squadron. A seasoned ace, he had participated in external volunteer teams multiple times and even piloted a MiG-29 during military exchanges in Russia. Now, he flew a J-10.
There was a handsome guy whose good looks might make one mistake him for a movie star. His code name was "Meat Sauce," named for his love of a condiment called meat sauce that he needed with every meal; he couldn’t eat without it. Nevertheless, he was an exceptional air combat pilot, having famously teamed up with another J-10 to shoot down an unidentified aircraft that intruded into China’s Fujian airspace. This incident led to fierce competition among several special forces teams to recover the wreckage and the escaped pilot.
A shorter man named "Night Hawk," a pilot of the JH-7 Flying Leopard, also flew J-8s, J-11s, and Q-5s. He possessed unique aerial combat techniques and was highly skilled in nighttime bombing.
"Snow Fox," a young man nearing thirty from Northeast China, specialized in combating smuggling teams. He piloted a Q-5M and frequently engaged in radar-lock dogfights with North Korean and Russian pilots. The national defense border area was rarely quiet, with cross-border intrusions almost monthly. "Snow Fox" was an old-school pilot guarding the northern gateway.
Two helicopter pilots operating the "Gate Keeper" and "Earth" from army aviation units in Shanghai and Hainan were among the few helicopter pilots in the group. After checking in, they squeezed into bunk beds, chatting endlessly.
"Caviar," the only Russian military volunteer, whose name was too common and didn’t require concealment, was formally named Leonid Ivanov. An all-around pilot for the MiG series, he was a quirky character who liked to gift others small cans of Caucasian caviar and also brought a lot of red sausage and foie gras, making him an unusual presence among pilots.
Russian foods were generally banned for Chinese pilots, so the unexpected gifts were only sampled occasionally.
However, when Lin Mo, the rising star called "Gold Coin," introduced himself, it caused some surprise and suspicion. Recently, the code name "Gold Coin" had been widespread, and no one knew who was genuine or who was fake.
Indeed, another pilot reporting in also bore the code name "Gold Coin."
With two "Gold Coins" present, this could get lively.
"Hello, I’m ‘Gold Coin’ from Hangzhou!"
"Ha, what a coincidence! I’m ‘Gold Coin’ from Sichuan!"
The code name collision caused the round-faced young pilot to shake hands with Lin Mo.
Both laughed heartily, neither revealing who was the real one.
To distinguish between the two "Gold Coins," Lin Mo decided to take a new code name with commemorative significance: "Dragon Knight," generously granting the name "Gold Coin" to the round-faced pilot.
The code name for the J-10 was "Mighty Dragon," making the new name "Dragon Knight" hold unique meaning.
At this moment, the gold giant dragon Gold Coin was numbly unresponsive, having its name taken while thinking little of Lin Mo’s new title; after all, it was not riding its back, so it didn’t bother to argue.
In the gold giant dragon’s mind, Dragon Knight was a thing of the past. Its primary task now was to learn how to adapt to this world and keep encouraging Lin Mo to feed it. As for soaring freely like in another world, missiles and radar had already shown it that surviving meant being low-key, best evolving into a form that existed in this world, or else it would be blasted to pieces.
While Lin Mo didn’t know what specific responsibilities awaited them in Pakistan, the opportunity to gather far and wide was a rare fate, and the pilots all lived in the same dorm area, chatting happily.
Early on the third day, a dozen luxury buses arrived at the camp, their white bodies marked with “Southwest Tourism” logos. The soldiers in the camp began notifying each simple barrack one by one that it was time to depart.
The highland camp served as the first filtering point; anyone lacking the proper physical condition couldn’t stay here. Those sent as military volunteers were all rigorously selected. Right before departure, there would be eliminations due to human factors or natural circumstances for unsuitable individuals.
With his personal backpack loaded into the bus’s undercarriage, Lin Mo spotted a familiar figure preparing to board another bus.
“Squad Leader? What are you doing here?!” Lin Mo called out loudly.
He widened his eyes in disbelief upon seeing a familiar face, Colonel Feng Chenye, the commander of the Night Special Forces, who he thought was supposed to be stationed at the Night base!
"There you are! I hadn’t seen you these past few days!" Captain Feng turned around, spotted Lin Mo, smiled, and walked over. "The volunteer organization needed a commander, so I came here. Colonel Ji is leading the squad; I’m at ease."
So Captain Feng had also received the invitation and was specifically chosen by the higher-ups.
“Are Pakistan and India about to go to war again?” As for who was fighting whom, Lin Mo was less concerned; he was more interested in how intense the fighting would be, as the more fierce it became, the more he could earn extra money.
Lin Mo had been looking forward to external tasks, eagerly anticipating the arrival of combat opportunities; after all, in these peaceful times, the Dragon Knight was feeling pent-up.
"According to reports, India has reopened the aerial base in Leh-Ladakh in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region, which is just 8 kilometers from the Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan. We’ve missed many chances to take this base in the past, so the Indian Air Force is reopening this base, closed since the 1960s, clearly targeting our country."
As the Special Forces commander, Captain Feng had rich intel resources and a strategic outlook. He explained to Lin Mo in detail, "As the highest airport in the world, if India successfully reestablishes operations, their ambitions wouldn’t stop there—India would further claim two other airbases in eastern Ladakh, close to the Chinese border. From a strategic or political perspective, Indians are showcasing their strength against us, which isn’t favorable for social peace and stability in Tibet. Hence, the higher-ups view the renewed tensions between Pakistan and India regarding Kashmir as an opportunity to send a warning message to India."
Being a direct subordinate and part of the same military volunteer team, it was crucial for the combat personnel to understand these developments.
"Kashmir? What has it got to do with us?!" Lin Mo had always seen historical records of bitter conflicts between India and Pakistan over that territory.
Captain Feng shook his head; he had spent time understanding the volatile situation among China, Pakistan, and India. "Kashmir is a region controlled by China, Pakistan, and India, and the dividing line is called the ‘Line of Control,’ which reflects who can hold which territory. It’s an unstable ceasefire line that can shift at any moment. While the Chinese-controlled areas have sparse populations, our military adheres to the principle of competing for every inch of land. Despite three wars between Pakistan and India, neither country has dared to draw China into the fray."
