Chapter 167

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Chapter 167: Volunteer Squadron: Azrael

Captain Feng smiled at Lin Mo. "Just wait; you’ll have your battles. The disputes between Pakistan and India are actually the result of several major powers manipulating things behind the scenes. These small countries only recognize interests, not friendships, and they can only serve as pawns and cannon fodder for larger nations. There is no morality between countries, only interests."

Seeing Lin Mo’s confusion, Captain Feng clarified, explaining how it worked. Major powers need a couple of rivaling small countries to act like allies; if the major powers are dissatisfied, these allied nations must fight each other fiercely. The best examples are North and South Korea, Kuwait and Iraq, and East and West Germany—clearly siblings from the same lineage, yet manipulated by East and West powers.

Lin Mo nodded in agreement. Wasn’t that true? In another world, the war between the Texi Empire and the Su Lan Empire was said to be about half a Gold Coin, but that was just an excuse, a trigger. In reality, it represented vast interests behind the scenes. If the monarchs of the two countries genuinely wanted peace, even a loss of a million or ten million Gold Coins wouldn’t lead to war.

"I understand; I will complete the tasks assigned by superiors!" Lin Mo saluted Captain Feng, thanking him for the detailed explanation.

"It’s time to leave. Be careful once you arrive in Pakistan," Captain Feng nodded and returned the salute.

Throughout their conversation, they adhered strictly to confidentiality regulations, keeping their identities secret and mentioning nothing.

Two days later, fifteen buses, escorted by armed vehicles, quietly crossed the Karakoram Mountains, entering the Pakistan-controlled region of Kashmir. After passing Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, the convoy was followed by over ten large trucks loaded with supplies.

The massive convoy reached the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Northern Command’s base – Peshawar Air Force Base – smoothly, assisted by the Pakistani police clearing the way.

The Peshawar Air Force Base’s 36th Squadron consists of two A-5III (Q-5III) ground attack squadrons and a flight school for PAF training helicopter pilots.

This also became the stationed area for the Chinese military volunteer team, where a portion of the base was allocated for their barracks. Nearly fifty Chinese special forces members had arrived early to establish a perimeter and set up defensive posts.

The existing inventory of fighter jets at Peshawar Air Force Base was quite suitable for the Chinese air force volunteers. The hangars housed about twelve of the thirty-six FC-20s purchased for $1.3 billion, while the other twenty-four were parked at the Shamshi Air Force Base recently returned from America.

To counter India’s newly acquired 126 advanced multi-role fighter jets, Pakistan opted to expand its military forces as well. They directly purchased thirty-six brand new J-10s (FC-20s) from China and placed an order with the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex for two hundred and fifty JF-17 Thunder aircraft (known as FC-1 in China). The first Pak-made JF-17 "Thunder" would roll off the production line by year-end, while the country used some FC-1 Thunder jets purchased from China to form the "Thunder" squadron beforehand.

The sturdy barracks exceeded those of the temporary domestic camp constructed a few days ago; it included air conditioning and solar power devices to withstand the dry climate’s winds and temperature fluctuations between day and night.

Pakistan has a tropical climate with generally high temperatures and low rainfall; areas receiving less than 250 millimeters of annual rainfall cover over three-quarters of the country’s total area.

All the necessary equipment for the Chinese volunteers began to arrive, including a small communication command center, a ZDK-03 airborne early warning aircraft, primarily assisting Pakistani military operations, while only a small team was assigned for ground tasks such as planning and observation.

The nine accompanying pilots formed a flight squadron, and the Pakistani side named it the "Azrael" squadron, named after the most feared angel recorded in the Quran, who serves to warn people not to be too attached to this life and to remember death constantly.

In charge of taking lives, the angel of death will bring you to your end, after which you will return to your Lord; Azrael is indeed the taker of every person’s soul.

This intimidating Islamic-style squadron name somewhat concealed the identity of the Chinese military volunteers.

The "Azrael" squadron consisted of four FC-20s (J-10s), three A-5s (Q-5s), and two Z-9Gs (the export version of the WZ-9). "Gate Keeper" and "Earth" operated two of the Z-9Gs, working alongside the PAF’s 81st Squadron at Peshawar Air Force Base for ground fire support and combat search and rescue missions (CSAR).

The only Russian military volunteer, a restless old compatriot named "Caviar," was included in the A-5 team, having no qualms about joining forces with the Chinese. The A-5 was derived from the MiG-19 and was easy to handle, and this outdated model posed no issues with technological secrecy. The idea of a Russian joining a Chinese volunteer team was truly incredible.

The pilots of the FC-20 (J-10) and A-5 (Q-5) were allocated based on their skills with no leader needed; even if their formations scattered in wartime, they could swiftly regroup, forming a complete combat team—a military-style self-positioning that had become second nature to everyone.

This aerial force, composed of military volunteers, became the main attack force of the Chinese volunteer team, while other volunteers took on roles in command, intelligence analysis, electronic warfare, technical maintenance, and medical support.

Pakistan provided the location, maintenance personnel, and various supplies, covering losses and salaries during the missions. The Chinese side only had to provide manpower and specialized equipment.

Pakistan is the only country that has written "China is Pakistan’s steadfast ally" in its elementary school textbooks.

In return, China spared no effort in providing substantial equipment and technical support, assisting Pakistan in building and enhancing its air force capabilities and aviation industry, jointly developing suitable fighter jets and early warning systems.

In contrast, India arrogantly claimed that the Chinese Air Force could no longer compete with the Indian Air Force. Both China and Pakistan held a unified attitude toward India, quickly aligning their positions. As India reopened its airbases targeting China, China responded in kind, sending military volunteers and ample equipment to support Pakistan against India.

Every FC-20 exported from China, without exception, was a slightly downgraded version. Even the same type of equipment used inferior base components. From the moment Lin Mo boarded the engine, he realized this point.

The J-10A stored in the "Night" hangar had superior materials and performance compared to this FC-20. After flying for a while, he became acutely aware of small vibrations in the engine and airframe.

"Knight Squadron ‘Dragon Knight’ ready!"

"Knight Squadron ‘Meat Sauce’ ready!"

One of the two FC-20 squads in the "Azrael" squadron, Lin Mo and his co-pilot “Meat Sauce” began conducting familiarization training on their aircraft, aiming to reach optimal performance.

All were experienced aerial knights, possessing combat experience and trained under standardized domestic training models. Sometimes, just a glance sufficed for mutual understanding.

"What are you wearing? A pressure suit?" Meat Sauce couldn’t help but ask as he looked at Lin Mo in the left seat of the cockpit.

"Yeah! I prefer to bring my own flight gear! Don’t you like to bring your own snacks?" Lin Mo turned his head, even though his expression under the helmet was obscured, he gave a V-sign to Meat Sauce.

"Without it, I couldn’t eat a thing!" Meat Sauce replied similarly, bringing dozens of cans of Taiwanese Uni-President "Meat Sauce," just like the Russian Caviar, packed with personal favorites.

"Same here! Without my gear, I might fall from the sky!" Lin Mo laughed heartily.

Those who fly often have various peculiar hobbies to relieve stress accumulated from flying, and for the others, it was something they barely noticed anymore.

"Weather team reports: The meteorological center forecasts cloudy weather until three this afternoon, with a southeast wind at level three; no high-altitude turbulence, we can take off."

"Ground reporting: Runway one is cleared; takeoff is allowed!"

"Radar system operating normally!"

"The ‘Persian Cat’ command center approves Knight Squadron to take off! Aerial patrol area confirmed again from longitude xx to xx, latitude xx to xx."

To differentiate from Pakistan’s control tower, the Chinese volunteer command center was codenamed "Persian Cat," communicating entirely in English to avoid monitoring. As a volunteer team, every member was a high-quality technical talent, making English communication easy.

Hearing reports from various departments over the earpiece, Lin Mo increased engine output, causing a sharper scream from the FC-20’s afterburner, visible rippling wave patterns disturbing visibility.

The two FC-20s slowly moved toward the runway, maintaining a fifty-meter gap, and began to accelerate, roaring as they jumped off the ground and soared into the sky.

"Runway clear, aircraft normal!" The aircraft lifted off, and Lin Mo firmly controlled the last violent tremor before takeoff.

Leaving the ground and returning to the sky felt like a fish returning to the sea, a bird diving into the open sky. Lin Mo’s mood shifted to a peculiar state, as if his senses heightened, allowing him to feel the pulse of the world around him.

"Target dead east, cruising status!" As the lead pilot, Lin Mo began to turn east with his wingman, Meat Sauce, rapidly climbing in altitude.