Chapter 188
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 188: The Village Slaughter, the Backfire Falls
Like ancient infantry formations charging forward to the sound of war drums, waves of fighters launched into battle.
The four fastest FC-20s flew in perfect unison, creating a thunderous roar as they engaged the Indian Su-30MKI.
No reason needed—just one-on-one combat!
Air Knights are named so because their combat mode often involves head-to-head duels.
As a high-tech powerhouse, the chance of mass formations like cavalry battles is almost nonexistent; the sky isn’t flat, and maneuvering in three-dimensional space is like fish swimming in water.
Hmph! Su-30, my old rival!
Lin Mo scoffed inwardly, locking onto a Su-30MKI and entering the attack envelope. He struck first, launching a close-range Cobra missile while the 23mm cannon beneath the fuselage unleashed a torrent of bullets.
In the Indian Air Force, only the elite pilots can fly the Su-30MKI.
Just like in Pakistan, if a pilot can fly the FC-20, they surely have experience with the F-16 Falcon and FC-1 Fighter Jet.
But elite pilots are still different from aces. Not only do they lack the same aggressive instincts and evasive experience, but they also can’t compare.
Boom!
A fireball erupted in the air as the FC-20 sped through it, whistling past like a shooting star. The ring-shaped sonic boom cloud acted like a real-life magic shield, instantly diffusing the advancing flames and fragments.
Instant kill!
A blatant instant kill!
The pilot chosen by Lin Mo didn’t even have time to react; in the brief moment of shifting into an attack position, Lin Mo blew him up in mid-air, turning him into a blazing fireball.
In terms of agility, the FC-20 outclassed the Su-30, and Lin Mo’s tactics allowed him to dominate, leaving the opponent powerless to fight back.
The FC-20 surged through the sky like a wild stallion under Lin Mo’s command, ferociously darting into the duel between his comrade “Gold Coin” and another Su-30, directly targeting the cockpit from behind.
Air combat knights have no rules against launching surprise attacks; in the face of death, all ethics are forgotten.
Before the opponent could react, a burst of fierce cannon fire tore the aircraft into two pieces, which then exploded into a fireball. Almost simultaneously, two fire dragons shot out from beneath the wings, as two Cobra air-to-air missiles raced toward a nearby formation of Tu-22M3 bombers.
The intensity of the dogfight exceeded human reaction capabilities, and the seasoned Lin Mo showcased the strength of the Dragon Knights during the chaos, not missing any target that entered his sight. He could almost lock onto and track multiple targets simultaneously, like a radar system.
In ongoing maneuvers, any target within the optimal range would not escape Lin Mo’s notice; he unleashed cannon fire and missiles like they were free.
During the melee, he traded altitude for speed, dropping the combat altitude to around 5,000 meters.
After a continuous offensive barrel roll maneuver, Lin Mo noticed that two escorting Tejas near a Backfire were shot down in succession. He didn’t hesitate to engage the fire control radar.
The cockpit of the Backfire immediately filled with urgent alarms from being locked on, and the pilot pushed forward without hesitation. The Backfire exploded through the sonic boom cloud, entering supersonic mode. Being targeted by the FC-20 was definitely no laughing matter, while a seam slowly opened in its belly.
This wasn’t a bombing run; it was to jettison bombs and reduce weight to escape from Lin Mo.
But it wasn’t that easy; the FC-20 quickly entered the supersonic corridor, performing a sharp break turn to flank the Backfire.
The Tu-22M3 Backfire had a 23mm cannon at its tail, making conventional tail-chase attacks ineffective, but the FC-20’s speed was evidently superior to the Backfire’s.
“Lock on!” Lin Mo pressed the cannon’s fire button, unleashing a burst of ten shots that all struck the slender body of the Backfire. Countless metal fragments flew away, and the glowing explosions painted the sky, trailing thick black smoke from the hit.
Within two seconds, the Backfire completely lost its supersonic status. Two dark figures ejected from below the cockpit, abandoning the aircraft.
Unlike most fighters that eject upward, the Backfire’s escape was downward.
However, with over ten tons of bombs onboard, when the Tu-22M3 Backfire exploded, the force was earth-shattering. The instantaneous detonation of munitions generated a pale shockwave that ripped the aircraft apart mid-air, leaving no chance for the two ejected parachutes either. The white canopies were shredded into ribbons by the shockwave, and the bodies appeared nearly unrecognizable.
In Team "Knights" and "Ghoul Squadron," every pilot capable of handling the FC-20 is among the Chinese Air Force’s most skilled, possessing proficient aerial combat techniques and missile-throwing skills. The situation quickly turned in their favor.
Clearly, the Indians underestimated Pakistan’s air interception capabilities once again, and they were destined to pay a heavy price for this error.
In the chaos, two more "Tejas" fighters fell, and the difference in fighting strength between the two sides became apparent. The remaining two Backfire bombers finally dropped their bombs from the belly, scattering them over an unknown village below. A massive fireball and explosions obliterated the entire village nestled in the hills, including its charmingly arranged houses and terraced fields; everything was flattened by the powerful shockwave.
After unloading their bombs, the trouble-making Backfires turned to flee; their bombing mission was a failure, and they had to escape or face death.
As their fellow countrymen were slaughtered, the pilots of the "Black Spider" Squadron went wild, desperately attacking the two Backfire bombers that had committed unforgivable sins, vowing to bury the enemies within their border.
The cost for this determination was steep: two FC-1 Fighter Jets were shot down, while the remaining two Su-30s sensed danger and, not caring for others, turned to escape with erratic, serpentine maneuvers to evade missiles. The three pursuing FC-20s and two FC-1s relentlessly chased after them.
The mission to bomb the Meanwari air force base was dashed, but the Indians succeeded in provoking the fury of the Pakistanis. The pilots of the "Black Spider" Squadron had red eyes filled with wrath.
Innocent villagers were hit by nearly thirty tons of aerial bombs; how could anyone survive?
No wonder the pilots of the "Black Spider" Squadron were going mad, wishing they could crash into those bastard Indians. If you can’t fight, wouldn’t you at least jump out? Why go so far to annihilate us?
The FC-1s and Tejas, while both relatively balanced in performance, were suitable for each country as cost-effective quasi-third-generation fighters. However, the Tejas was clearly at a disadvantage.
The five remaining shaken Tejas could not protect the two fleeing Backfire bombers. Seven FC-1s clung tightly to the "murderers," disregarding the ensuing battles, with missiles launching one after another from beneath their wings, locking onto the escaping Backfires.
With nearly a dozen missiles fired, even an F-22 Raptor wouldn’t claim to be safe. The two Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers, flying at full supersonic speed, had tail cannons that couldn’t possibly match Lin Mo’s missile capabilities, and they quickly turned into fireballs in the sky.
Amid the explosions engulfing the bombers, only one tiny parachute managed to escape, but it landed on Pakistani soil, where its occupant faced a fate worse than death.
The brutal intercept battle had both sides enraged, with missiles launching almost simultaneously from beneath their wings. Several fighters ran out of ammunition, reluctantly withdrawing from the battlefield. In the end, only one Su-30 and three damaged Tejas wobbled back into the Indian airspace, retreating into the clouds.
Radar displays showed a MiG-29 squadron sent to assist, only a hundred kilometers away from the combat area.
"Black Spider Squadron, Black Spider Squadron, return!" the Persian Cat command center ordered, as the Pakistani pilots were about to cross into enemy territory.
At this moment, another F-16 squadron from Pakistan rushed in, about to confront the Indian MiG-29 squadron. Such standoffs were common.
If fighting continued, they would either descend into an endless war of attrition or become limited to ramming attacks after depleting ammunition. Although fighters possess fierce firepower, their sustainability is limited. Unless the scale of war escalates, neither side could afford such a grueling fight, which would not only devastate their aircraft but also cost more pilots’ lives.
For both nations, whose air forces were not particularly strong, this meant a heavy blow.
Without any meaning left, both sides withdrew after maintaining a cautious distance, ending the battle.
The Persian Cat command center called repeatedly, barely managing to pull back the "Black Spider" Squadron. Meanwhile, Teams "Knights" and "Ghoul" had nearly exhausted their ammunition, having only one or two air-to-air missiles and insufficient cannon ammo for a worthy attack.
The arriving F-16 fighter group, Team "Lion Heron," replaced Lin Mo and his team, facing the MiG squadron along the India-Pakistan border for forty minutes, engaging in numerous provocative maneuvers, but both eventually withdrew due to fuel shortages.
An Indian bomber squadron was obliterated within Pakistan, akin to dozens of tons of explosives raining down on innocent villages, igniting outrage among the Pakistani people, and injuring innocents generated a shockwave through Indian domestic opinion.
Protests and demonstrations erupted, and the opposition came up with various tactics, placing immense pressure on India’s higher-ups and military.
Bombs show no mercy, recognizing neither wealth nor poverty, honest officials nor corrupt ones. This meant India provided Pakistan with a pretext for retaliatory strikes when Indian civilians were accidentally harmed, a serious matter that threatened their own safety.
