Chapter 44

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Chapter 44: Airborne Light Mirror Technique

“Three Yellow Chick calling the control tower and Gold Coin, completed search in sector forty-seven, now moving to sector forty-eight.” Lin Mo heard Chen Haiqing’s voice in his headset. He was piloting J-10 number 9, searching in another area of the Junggar. With a hint of sadness, Chen Haiqing had chosen "Three Yellow Chick" as his codename, proudly claiming that having a whimsical name increased survival chances.

This was not like raising children in the countryside; upon hearing that codename, Lin Mo felt a wave of helplessness.

Both aircraft were cautious about lowering their altitude. The air currents in the Gobi changed unpredictably, causing not only severe turbulence but also the risk of suddenly losing lift and crashing. Such up-and-down jolts could easily make those with weaker constitutions feel nauseous, which was one reason why physical fitness was a top requirement for pilots.

Lin Mo and Chen Haiqing drove carefully, particularly Lin Mo, who would not easily rely on the Void Magnetism provided by Gold Coin. Doing so would make it harder for him to fully master aircraft control.

At that moment, a golden metal sphere appeared on the cockpit wall, shimmering like dew. It quivered and jumped onto Lin Mo’s glass fiber helmet, quickly fusing into the thin rotation axis of the visor. In a familiar voice only Lin Mo could hear, Gold Coin whispered, “Humans detected at three o’clock!”

There was a "black box" in the cockpit, and since Gold Coin couldn’t yet understand electronic component structures or controls, it could only communicate in this primitive way. Lin Mo began to consider whether to scavenge some broken phones or parts for Gold Coin to analyze.

The wisdom of the dragon kin rivaled that of humans. The gold giant dragon could understand the overall structure and metal composition of the J-10 within a few hours, aside from precise electronic components. After all, Gold Coin learned a lot from Lin Mo’s notebook computer, taking extra care during its explorations, fearing it might accidentally damage Lin Mo’s precious mount. Remember, Lin Mo was now its long-term source of sustenance. Gold Coin didn’t even realize that it resembled a curious elementary student, completely detached from its former identity as a bloodthirsty slaughtering dragon in another world.

Lin Mo pulled the control stick to change direction, swiftly gliding towards the direction indicated by Gold Coin. The keen eyes of the Dragon Knight scanned the ground four thousand meters below, shaking his head, “No, keep looking!”

On the ground, a group of men and women held a barbecue party, setting out drums, saxophones, and various instruments, having an enjoyable time. Some were snapping photos with long-lens cameras, waving at the fighter jets in the sky. Those in dire need of water would certainly not be doing such a thing.

After all, Lin Mo had been in this world for a few months, and its basic knowledge was vastly superior to that of the gold giant dragon, which had just awakened a few days earlier.

Light Mirror Technique! Lin Mo silently recited the incantation, and a circular, disc-like, translucent mirror materialized in the cockpit, with strange runes forming its outline. This was one of the few low-cost spells Lin Mo could barely use in this world. Although simple, it was highly practical, allowing many aerial knights to spot enemies ahead of time and act first.

Though the magical elements in this world were extremely thin, and Lin Mo’s battle energy recovered slowly, the altitude during high-altitude flight significantly increased the energy concentration compared to the ground. Consequently, the speed of Lin Mo’s light element battle energy was much higher, which was one reason he maintained his air force qualifications. After all, not everyone could easily reach the skies, whether in this world or another.

The Light Mirror Technique slowly spun around Lin Mo in the cockpit, enlarging distant scenes according to his needs. It even had radar-like clarity and could respond to infrared signals.

“Suspected target detected!” Lin Mo’s pupils contracted slightly as a scene transmitted from the light mirror made his heart leap with joy.

Several battered SUV vehicles stood near a small hill, with a few scattered tents around where people sat or lounged. The Light Mirror Technique magnified the focus again, allowing Lin Mo to almost see their faces, revealing their yellowed, exhausted expressions, with cracked lips indicating they were not in good health.

Lin Mo pulled the control stick to change direction, and the J-10 arced towards the northwest, leaving a long trail behind.

At this moment, Lin Hui was sinking into despair. The Lao Luo sent out to seek help had still not returned, and the remaining drinking water was accidentally knocked over by an American teammate, vanishing on the parched Gobi, leaving no trace. Lin Hui had never felt such hatred for the Americans, nor had she ever appreciated the value of water as much as she did now. Poor Wu Peng had already lost consciousness, his skin resembling a burn from dehydration.

Hark and Mike, who enjoyed playing with the entrenching tool and frying eggs, had entirely lost interest and were huddled in the tent, their entrenching tool skewed as it stuck into the sand. The temperature was so extreme that they didn’t even need to cook the carried eggs; each had turned into a boiled one.

Everyone huddled in the tent or leaned against the shade outside. None dared to crawl back into the SUV, which ran out of fuel long ago. Without air conditioning, the inside was akin to a steamer, and they didn’t even need to worry about food spoiling. Under such intense heat and dryness, the research team could almost imagine how the Loulan woman’s mummified body formed, as they slowly roasted like human jerky.

A distant rumble of thunder echoed across the horizon. At this moment, the research team lay motionless, numb. Earlier calls for help and waving colorful items at the sky had failed to summon any rescue team; their distress flares were all used up. They had no strength left to repeat those energy-consuming motions, and right now, the only thing they could do was lie still, conserving their strength and breath.

The flexible Light Mirror Technique moved in accordance with Lin Mo’s thoughts, magnifying and shrinking the transmitted images. The scenes it relayed adjusted their focus seamlessly, capturing the light refracted from the atmosphere without any blind spots. Even the tiniest crevice revealed minute details. It must be said that in this intensely sunny Gobi, deploying the Light Mirror Technique saved Lin Mo a significant amount of light element magic energy.

“Gold Coin has spotted the target! Coordinates are east longitude XX degrees, north latitude XX degrees! Prepare to drop the positioning beacon!” Lin Mo reported to the rescue center and the control tower with his usual calm voice, but on the other end of the radio, excitement erupted into cheers.

“How are their conditions? How are their conditions?” Mike, seemingly unsure of whom he was addressing, disregarded any calling protocols.

After all, a jet fighter was not a helicopter. Given the unpredictable air currents over the Gobi, they couldn’t afford to lower their altitude too much. The caller was evidently unaware that the J-10 fighter was not equipped with life-detection devices, and the pilot’s eyes certainly weren’t telescopes.

Yet Lin Mo provided the perfect answer.

Lin Mo’s pupils slightly dilated, and the Light Mirror Technique rapidly amplified to peak efficiency, swiftly surveying the research team’s situation on the Gobi floor. Without any delay, he answered, “Seventeen people identified; one appears to be in a poisoned state, while the others show signs of weakness.”

Just as Lin Mo finished speaking, the maximized Light Mirror Technique wobbled slightly, silently dispersing in the cockpit as the spell declared that it had surpassed its load limit and collapsed.

Under Lin Mo’s command, the J-10 fighter jet performed near-ground side maneuvers around the research team. Taking advantage of an opening, a flash of fire erupted under the wing, and a long metallic object ejected, unfurling into a white parachute that landed steadily in the sand near the research team.

The airport tower and rescue center clearly did not anticipate that Lin Mo could provide such clear and precise feedback, as if he were standing right next to them. Several air force professionals exchanged bewildered glances, muttering about where this pilot had come from, marvelling at how he could see so clearly from a high-speed fighter. Could he really not be speaking nonsense?

However, as long as they could confirm the target, they would deal with the rest later. The beacon that had been launched was already operational, and a small green dot on the rescue center’s location screen blinked on the Gobi’s surface.

“We’re saved!” Lin Hui snapped back to reality, jolted awake by the deafening roar. She stumbled out of the tent to see a massive silver-gray fighter soaring upward, as well as a metallic object with streamers flapping chaotically in the air, landing on the ground. At that moment, Dr. Qiao and Professor Blin supported each other, mustering their remaining strength to wave at the aircraft in the sky, their hoarse shouts drowned out by the sound of roaring engines.

It was nearly certain that a helicopter carrying rescue personnel would arrive soon, and hope reignited in the eyes of the research team.

Both J-10s landed one after the other at a makeshift airport north of the Junggar Gobi, just as the sun began to dip in the west.