Chapter 35
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Chapter 35: Departure! J-10A!
Ignoring the fierce metal beast charging at him, Lin Mo maintained a calm expression. Suddenly, a sharp wind swept by him as Gold Coin, completely devoid of any murderous intent, overlooked Lin Mo and dove toward the tool table behind him.
Crack, crack, crack!
A ferocious beast, glimmering with metallic hues, leaped onto the tool table and opened its toothy maw wide, voraciously devouring chunks of metal in a frenzy. It exclaimed, “Delicious! This flavor is incredible! It can enhance my body strength! And this piece—oh my god—my strength can improve again! It feels like eating tens of thousands of pounds of iron to barely recover before, but ugh, what was I eating back then, pig slop? I’ll never eat that again!”
Having lived in this world for several months and practically becoming a local expert, Lin Mo, armed with recently acquired modern knowledge, was no longer afraid of this greedy newcomer from another realm.
In this place, even a strong dragon couldn’t suppress a local snake. Lin Mo skillfully kept Gold Coin spinning in circles!
He found a chair, seated himself leisurely, and watched as Gold Coin devoured the pile of metals cleanly, then scurried about, scooping up every ounce of metal it could find, including the lifting electromagnet, even casting an eye on the entire steel storage structure.
Gold Coin clearly had forgotten about Lin Mo, completely blind to him. It was ironic how it had wished for so many years to eliminate Lin Mo.
The level of metal smelting in this world astonished Lin Mo, with a complete periodic table of elements and a variety of metals that he was confident could easily feed this gluttonous giant dragon.
However, unlike its counterpart in another realm, this world lacked many unique metals. Lin Mo’s original world had real magic, while here it was only a tale; scientifically, this civilization leaned more towards material-based technology. It was, perhaps, a case of each world having its strengths and weaknesses.
Fortunately, the tool tables and boxes were made of wood or plastic steel, making them difficult to consume. There was not a single screw left on the storeroom floor. If this creature were to clean up the base’s runway, it would certainly be the best garbage collector, Lin Mo thought maliciously.
“Cough! Cough!” Lin Mo pretended to cough a few times, interrupting Gold Coin’s first frenzy since its revival. This creature resembled a starving ghost in its search; if it managed to consume everything in the storeroom, it would surely create chaos. The high-powered lifting electromagnet Lin Mo had assembled was powerful but lacked technical refinement; it was a makeshift, short-lived piece of equipment. Losing it would cause a considerable stir at the base.
“This is too exhilarating! I never imagined I could taste so many unfamiliar metals in my life! The old folks back home must be so jealous!” Gold Coin, oblivious to how much it resembled a wild dog scavenging for food, approached Lin Mo. It bore no murderous intent at that moment, tilting its head and raising its chin, speaking in a previously unheard soft tone, “Morin, the dragon deity contract has failed. You said you have a new mount. In light of this feast you’ve treated me to, let’s forget about the Absolute Spatial Prison; you are no longer a Dragon Knight, and I am no longer your contracted dragon. I will now return to Sky City. Do not think of me, I will not return.”
Gold Coin felt utterly satisfied; it had tasted an unprecedented array of metals today. The purity of these metals exceeded its imagination. The black iron ingots it used to eat in the Su Lan Empire were like gritty sand—almost impossible to swallow! After experiencing the injuries from crashing through the Absolute Spatial Prison and being eroded by spatial turbulence, it had now recovered significantly.
Gold Coin had grown almost twice its size since emerging from the metal coin; its sharp jaws and long fangs nearly reached Lin Mo’s head.
“Okay, Gold Coin, since you’re willing to be free, I will not force you to stay with me any longer. I wish you good luck. But I must remind you again, you are no longer in that world; this is another realm—perhaps a different dimension. Nonetheless, there is no Dragon God, no dragon kin, and no Sky City here. Fly low to the ground, make your escape quietly. There are radar systems nearby, and don’t fly too high; this area is the base for aerial knights. Stay away from the cities—it can be dangerous. Just take care of yourself and be cautious.”
Lin Mo spread out his hands. He was no longer the elite Dragon Knight of the Su Lan Empire; he was learning a new type of “aerial knight” combat. If a true Dragon Knight were to appear in this world before people, they would likely not receive flowers and admiration but bullets and missiles. Lin Mo naturally did not want to keep Gold Coin as a mount like before; being a Dragon Knight in this realm was not a commendable profession.
Lin Mo turned off the hangar lights and opened the hangar’s large doors. Gold Coin’s anti-gravity talent activated, and it flapped its wings, stirring up a fierce gale as it gracefully ascended into the dark sky.
“Morin, goodbye!” Gold Coin felt an unprecedented sense of relief. The long-lost void magnetic field suddenly unleashed, lifting it rapidly into the dark sky.
As Gold Coin vanished from sight, Lin Mo stared blankly for a moment, feeling a wave of melancholy. He sighed softly and returned to the storeroom, taking out the already non-functional dragon flute, and pulled the hangar door shut.
Lin Mo settled onto the dry, yellow grass near the runway and casually sat down, putting the dragon flute to his lips and playing a soft tune. The dragon flute was not just a symbol of the contract between knight and dragon; it also summoned the spatial coordinates of dragon partners and offered eternal space. More than that, it was a tool for Dragon Knights to alleviate loneliness and fatigue after battles. Almost every Dragon Knight was a master of the instrument, able to play at any moment, even compose some classic pieces. In Lin Mo’s former world, many renowned flute pieces were penned by Dragon Knights.
The dragon flute retained its basic functions as an instrument. Its peculiar seven-inch design produced a piercing melody that drifted into the distance. The Dragon Knight Corps’ special tune, “Blood-Dyed Reverse Scale,” resonated in Lin Mo’s hands, filled with overtones and vibrant rhythms, celebrating memories of fallen comrades.
Images of Akka, the fire giant dragon Misael, elite assault captain Geldael with his mount shadow dragon Sky, and Akka’s sister Luna with her light element dragon Mo’er flickered through Lin Mo’s mind. He longed to tear apart the space again and reclaim his original world from countless dimensions, but given that he had no spatial attributes, such a feat would be next to impossible.
His life in another realm only left Lin Mo with beautiful memories.
The melody from the flute caught the attention of the base’s patrol team. The patrol dog, Kunming Dog Cat, catching wind of Lin Mo’s scent from a distance, merely glanced over and continued trotting along obediently. The patrolling soldiers shone their bright LED flashlights at Lin Mo before heading in another direction. It was not unusual for pilots to wander about during the night, engaging in small hobbies, and the typically sensitive patrol dog showed no reaction, indicating everything was normal.
Suddenly, the lights in Hangar One blazed to life over two hundred meters away from Lin Mo, bustling with activity. Fuel trucks, inspection vehicles filled with mechanics, and various other vehicles raced along the asphalt path nearby, some occupants waving at Lin Mo.
“Hey, Little Mo! Can’t sleep yet?”
“Don’t catch a chill; hurry back!”
The voices belonged to mechanic Old Chen and Old Wang. Lin Mo ceased playing his flute and waved in response, “Can’t sleep; just taking a stroll!”
“What time is it?” Lin Mo glanced at his luminous watch. The hands pointed to one in the morning. Such an unexpected night mission was unusual. He noticed two towing vehicles pulling out two J-10A jets from Hangar One, one followed closely behind the other. The base’s limited number of improved J-10s had their ground crew unloading several missiles from a newly arrived armament truck, working together to attach them under the wings of the J-10A.
“What is this?” Lin Mo could not help but rise to his feet; he recognized the task. They were loading the “Panglong” series PL-8 close-range combat missiles and PL-12 medium-range interceptors, along with loading chains for the cannon—this was a full-on arming operation!
This was not a usual drill but a significant operation. Lin Mo’s eyes widened, sharpening with the keen gaze of a Dragon Knight as he spotted the pilot preparing to board one of the J-10A jets—none other than Major Shen Ying.
“They really are going to do it!” Although he was unsure of the sudden late-night operation, Lin Mo had an inkling that the base’s unexpected movement was connected to the recently departed Gold Coin.
Boom… Two J-10As took off one after the other, thirty seconds apart. The roaring engines startled the nearby residential areas, flipping on many lights as the unusual ascent alarmed countless individuals.
