Chapter 48

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Chapter 48: Arrows Pointing to the Sky

After the explosion, the large truck filled with supplies was gone, leaving only a fifteen or sixteen-meter-wide crater, from which thick smoke still billowed. Nearby vehicles lay overturned, some completely shattered. Just this one bomb had destroyed nearly half the vehicles in the camp. As for casualties? Where the shockwave passed, people and horses lay scattered about, some thrown dozens of meters away.

The remaining armed militants still stubbornly resisted, firing their AKs and M16s like a diverse arms bazaar. The special forces outside the camp didn’t seem eager to rush in; two light machine guns sprayed gunfire across the entire camp, while others relaxed, methodically suppressing fire and tightening the perimeter, with snipers occasionally taking distant shots.

The high-speed J-10 swooped above like a predator, mercilessly targeting the miserable armed men below with its cannons sweeping across ground positions.

A thick plume of smoke erupted, obscuring some gunfire. Lin Mo sensed danger, and suddenly the defense radar of the J-10 began to emit urgent alarms. A small dot rapidly approached Lin Mo’s J-10, and the onboard combat computer immediately identified the incoming weapon type.

It was an Arrow-2M portable surface-to-air missile, known as the SA-7B, traveling at 500 meters per second with a range of 4200 meters and an operational altitude of 1500 meters, equipped with an infrared tracker and friend-or-foe identification capability—courtesy of the old Soviet Union. Who knew how many weapons had leaked out after its collapse?

Lin Mo didn’t hesitate, pushing the J-10 to maximum thrust, tearing through the sound barrier as he fled far away. The powerful vector engine quickly adjusted the aircraft’s flight path. Lin Mo recalled a few famous sayings: "Losing a small fort can lead to losing a large territory," or "Running fast can prevent injuries." If he were to be hit, he would miss his mission and face consequences upon returning home.

Lin Mo wouldn’t allow any mishaps with his new mount. He accelerated, performing a roll maneuver as he evaded the incoming missile. It wasn’t good news if the air defense missile locked onto him.

Fortunately, the Arrow-2M technology couldn’t keep up with the so-called "third-and-a-half-generation" fighter. After a few seconds, Lin Mo’s J-10 successfully evaded the Arrow-2M missile, which exploded uselessly in the air, releasing a confused puff of smoke.

Feeling slightly angered, Lin Mo maneuvered the J-10 back and, taking advantage of his speed, unleashed pinpoint attacks against the enemy camp. The 23mm cannon had no resistance against ground targets, its destructive power ravaging through the enemy camp like a hot knife through butter.

At that moment, another striking green laser illuminated the militants’ area in the darkness, indicating the direction for Lin Mo’s attack. Locking on, he confirmed the last remaining laser-guided bomb. As a multipurpose fighter jet, dropping bombs was a fundamental skill; who said the J-10 couldn’t act as a bomber? A fireball erupted with a massive explosion in the encampment as the bomb hit.

This time, the entire world seemed to quiet down. Aside from the J-10’s deafening roar as it searched for targets, there wasn’t a sound of gunfire.

Outside the armed militants’ camp, special forces, clad in black tactical gear, cautiously entered, providing cover for each other while occasionally finishing off the militants on the ground. Lin Mo figured these armed men had undoubtedly committed terrible deeds and that the special forces were determined to eliminate them all.

Muhammad Magee, who had narrowly escaped in the darkness by playing dead, finally managed to break free from the encirclement of ground troops outside the camp. Despite his exhaustion and covered in dirt, he tightly held onto his metal box as he gasped for air. He looked up at the fighter jet in the sky, trailing red and blue flames, cursing as he limped toward the desolate desert, far from civilization.

He vowed revenge, to find those “agents,” to extort them heavily, and to seek opportunities to return once more.

Lin Mo circled a thousand meters high above the camp, staying alert, when he suddenly heard a voice in his headset: "Calling Gold Coin, mission accomplished, permission to return!"

"Gold Coin received!" Lin Mo adjusted the joystick, lowering the altitude to 100 meters, and circled once above the camp, shaking his wings in a gesture of farewell. The ground special forces also saw the J-10 that had provided them with heavy fire support and waved at it.

If it hadn’t been for the fierce firepower attack and evasive maneuvers of the J-10, this operation might have resulted in casualties. Judging by the results on the battlefield, the accuracy of the cannon’s impact points rivaled that of a sniper—a truly unprecedented feat.

Who was this remarkable pilot? The ground attack team’s personnel were filled with curiosity after clearing the site.

Not long after returning to the base, Lin Mo saw on the news that the Northwestern Military District of China partnered with the Kazakh military for joint military exercises.

"Another exercise!?" Lin Mo thought back to how that day’s mission seemed to have been overshadowed by the so-called exercise. The timing and location were surely not coincidental. He deduced that previous so-called exercises were likely military operations cloaked as drills, executed meticulously without leaving a trace.

Due to Lin Mo’s confidentiality level, he couldn’t access some satisfying information, but in a corner of the internet, he still found some clues.

Recently, an upscale hotel in Xinjiang was stormed by unidentified armed militants, who gunned down dozens in individual rooms, leaving many injured. Although the report was locked down by the government, combined with Lin Mo’s special operation, it indicated that the government was not oblivious. When they acted, they were ruthless. They only restrained themselves thinking about social stability.

Knock, knock, knock…

"Lin Ge! Lin Ge!" Just as Lin Mo was deeply engrossed in an aircraft mechanic’s manual, he heard a knock at the door.

Lin Mo set the book down and stood up, quickly opening the door to reveal a small, dark-skinned soldier with a shaved head. The shoulder insignia of his uniform identified him as a squad leader.

"Hao Dali! It’s you! What’s up? Come in!" Lin Mo stepped aside, pulling the shorter soldier into the room. This soldier from rural Henan, Hao Dali, got along well with Lin Mo, having endured tough training together at the base.

Having just been promoted to a regular volunteer soldier last year, he had become a professional military man with slightly better pay, allowing him to send more honor money back home.

"Lin Ge! Are you still doing research?” Hao Dali exclaimed, eyes wide as he noticed the large, two-meter-long table cluttered with various gadgets. The custom-made table had a surface with four legs, no drawers, and was covered completely with a rubber mat. A military notebook computer and several books sat in a heap alongside a pile of bizarre objects.

Pilots can’t fly all day long, and to ensure good physical and mental states, they often had free time. Lin Mo’s unique hobby wasn’t a secret at the base.

"Yeah! Just playing around to pass the time!" Lin Mo glanced at the table, abruptly losing his train of thought, unable to suppress his exclamation, “Uh! Just messing around!"

A mini-Giant Dragon-shaped Gold Coin was unreservedly studying electronic components right on the table, completely unaware of the newcomer.

Now, in addition to occasionally picking up metal scraps for the Gold Coin as snacks, Lin Mo had taken on the task of rummaging for useless electronic components for the creature to inspect. The Gold Coin showed an immense interest, dismantling various electronic parts every day with excitement, filling several boxes with resistors, capacitors, and integrated circuits it had taken apart.

The mini-metallic Giant Dragon, standing over a foot tall, was completely absorbed in its research and didn’t notice that a stranger had entered the room.

Just when Lin Mo was worried that things might go wrong, he quickly turned to block the Gold Coin, quietly pinching its tail. However, no matter how fast he was, he couldn’t react quicker than Hao Dali’s keen eyes. This volunteer soldier from a rural area in Shanxi noticed the gold giant dragon and gasped, "Wait, Lin Ge, what is this? What a beautifully crafted piece!"

The shiny, all-metallic giant dragon instantly captured Hao Dali’s attention like a magnet.

As for Lin Mo, his clumsy move to pinch the tail earned him a swift and playful smack from the Gold Coin, leaving a red mark on his hand. He couldn’t help but gasp and silently curse, doubting this thoughtless creature for not recognizing good intentions.

“Ah! Just a toy, an electronic toy!” Lin Mo stammered, forcing a smile as he stepped back to allow Hao Dali a better view.

What Lin Mo didn’t expect was that the Gold Coin, dubbed a natural weapon master, had shown an exceptional talent in the electronics of this world. In just less than a week, it was already learning to make simple circuits. Plus, with its innate sensitivity to metals, it quickly became attuned to conducting electricity. The creature was so absorbed in its studies that it nearly forgot it was called the "Dragon of Slaughter."

“Oh!” Hao Dali marveled at something new. Perhaps it was the lighting that confused him; he never imagined that this western-mythology-like giant dragon was a living being. He thought it was merely a battery-operated toy.

Such toys did indeed exist in this world, and so Hao Dali, having regained composure, quickly remembered the real reason he sought Lin Mo. He said, "The base has ordered you to report to Commander Ma’s office at seven after dinner for new instructions."

This was a command—not just a casual message, but a military order that Lin Mo could not refuse.

Used to the appearance of the elusive Commander Ma, who held a strictly hierarchical position within the base, Lin Mo felt his heart race and casually replied, "Okay, I understand. I’ll be there on time." Then, lowering his voice slightly, he asked, "Dali, give me a hint—good news or bad news?! I just got out of the detention room and I’m a bit scared; who likes to be shoved into a dark cell for no reason?"

Lin Mo was just an ordinary fighter pilot, and the thought of being summoned by a superior meant he could have made a major mistake.