Chapter 60

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Chapter 60: Reconnaissance Before Sunset

The "Night" Special Operations Team is certainly different from regular special forces.

Though the Aircrew Group is small, each member is a top expert. The "Night" base is part of the national ultimate defense system, always ready to face unexpected wars and ensure normal operations. They can cope with isolation and resource shortages, as the base is fully equipped with all the necessary facilities and has a highly integrated assembly and maintenance center, more advanced than conventional air force bases. This comprehensive support is what allows the Aircrew Group to assemble and maintain the J-10 fighter planes.

Airplanes aren’t just things you can have; in most general bases, they may not support the maintenance and repair of a jet fighter. Only a resource-rich team like the "Night" Special Operations Team can afford to maintain such capabilities.

Many key industrial zones in the country have similar closed-off readiness factories that aren’t used for regular production. These facilities are constantly updated to ensure the domestic industrial system can prepare for war. Relying solely on bombing and sabotage cannot fully destroy China’s industrial foundation. This is true not only for China, but many countries have such reserve bases.

System self-check passed!

Lin Mo poked his head out, giving a hand signal to the outside. A member of the Aircrew Group inserted a fuel pump into the aircraft’s fuel tank while a long hose connected to a manual fuel pump attached to a barrel.

“Everyone, step back! Be careful watching the fireworks!” said Captain Pan, jokingly urging the others to keep a safe distance, as Lin Mo’s first test flight was still quite dangerous.

Seeing Lin Mo give an “OK” sign from the cockpit, the person next to the fuel barrel quickly pumped the manual fuel pump, inputting hundreds of liters of fuel into the aircraft in no time, which was enough for now.

Just as Lin Mo finished attaching the last component, Captain Pan led the others in quickly counting all the tools and parts to ensure nothing was left inside the aircraft; a newly assembled plane could blow up spectacularly the first time the engine was started if anything was forgotten.

A stout ground crew member with a red face volunteered to replace Lin Mo for the test flight, but Lin Mo turned him down. If a professional racer doesn’t fully understand and trust their own car, how can they claim to be a driver? The same applies to fighter pilots; only a pilot who has personally maintained their weapon can unleash its full power.

With hands busy and feet scrambling, nearly worn-out technical manuals scattered everywhere. To understand these details, Lin Mo didn’t spare efforts, calling the technicians from his old unit, Team 7759. After this assembly project, even if Lin Mo couldn’t continue as a pilot, at least he could work as a maintenance technician.

Everyone failed to notice a golden coin mysteriously popping out of Lin Mo’s pocket, darting into the plane only to vanish, or slipping back into Lin Mo’s pocket without anyone realizing.

This little guy, who often explores within the internal structure of airplanes, quietly checked many things for Lin Mo while assembling the J-10 and finally did Lin Mo a good deed.

“I’m going to start the engine!” Lin Mo spoke into his intercom.

In the distance, Captain Pan gave him a thumbs up. Lin Mo heard Captain Pan’s voice through the intercom: “Everything is fine! You can start!”

Without hesitation, Lin Mo followed the starting procedure. Under everyone’s tense gazes, the J-10 trembled slightly, releasing a puff of light smoke from its tail. Soon after, bright red flames erupted, the hot air distorting and sending a cloud of dust up from the maintenance pad behind the aircraft.

With one hand on the ejection handle beside his seat, Lin Mo watched all the signal lights, while a tactical tablet linked to the aircraft’s monitoring system displayed a waterfall of the latest diagnostic data. If anything appeared off, Lin Mo would quickly pull the ejection handle to escape.

The force of the engine was powerful, causing the aircraft to vibrate at a steady frequency. All indicators and data appeared normal, and Lin Mo released a breath of relief, starting simple tests of the mechanical components and error warning systems.

Moments later, the fuel gauge warning light activated and emitted a sound, signaling that testing was nearing completion.

Lin Mo shut down the engine, stood up from the cockpit, and raised his hands in a “V” gesture. Amid the expectant gazes of everyone around, he shouted loudly, “Test successful! We did it!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Aircrew Group members, who had been tense, erupted in cheers. They had successfully assembled a J-10 from scratch and tested it in one go, marking a victory for them.

“Hahaha, I’ve been studying this thing for a while but never got to touch the real thing. Thanks to your help, I’ve finally had my fill!” Captain Pan, two days without sleep, opened his bloodshot eyes but showed no signs of fatigue. He rushed over and helped Lin Mo jump down from the aircraft.

Captain Pan waved to all the members of the Aircrew Group who assisted, joyfully announcing, “Let’s celebrate the assembly of our first J-10! I ordered supper from the canteen! Everyone, eat well first, then go take a shower and sleep. Tomorrow we have a day off!”

Captain Pan’s words caused another wave of cheers.

Everyone began to pack up their tools, and after nearly a week of hard work, they finally wrapped things up.

However, the tuning of the J-10 was just the first step; there were still weapon tests and engine break-in periods ahead. The aircraft also had many consumables, but fortunately, the Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group’s shipping department had provided everything in one go, leading to the mountain-like stacks of boxes—most of which contained tools and maintenance parts.

Many boxes remained unopened, containing conformal fuel tanks, various specialized weapons, reconnaissance equipment, and other items suitable for different mission needs.

“Comrade Lin Mo! This is Feng Chenye!”

At that moment, Lin Mo, maneuvering the fighter jet in blue skies during maneuver training, received a radio call from the base.

Although he was no longer stationed at Team 7759, he continued to receive training assignments, aimed at cultivating him as an ace fighter pilot. Various knowledge and tactical skills were essential. Though Lin Mo was the only J-10 pilot at this base, he could not afford to slack off.

“Gold Coin received! Please advise!” Lin Mo reduced engine output and exited supersonic mode, the dazzling sunlight shining brightly in the cockpit.

“How is the aircraft test going? When can it be combat-ready?!” Captain Feng’s steady voice carried a unique charm.

“In a week, the engine will be broken in and can be used in actual combat!” Lin Mo estimated the aircraft’s condition, particularly the Russian-made engine, which still required additional run time to avoid high-load operations that could affect future fuel consumption and service life.

Every engine must undergo a break-in period to smooth out microscopic burrs, ensuring all components mesh perfectly during operation.

“Very good. For now, you won’t be needed for combat. I have a reconnaissance mission for you. Report the target location daily without being detected. You may load live ammunition, but unless ordered, you cannot launch an attack. Mission details have been sent to your tactical tablet.” Although Lin Mo belonged to the Aircrew Group, he was directly under Captain Feng of the "Night" unit.

“Received!” Lin Mo began to lower the altitude of his fighter jet.

After a thousand days of training, it’s time to use it. Lin Mo, after joining the "Night," received a mission that wasn’t too difficult.

Upon returning to base, a towing vehicle pulled the J-10 into the hangar. Lin Mo immediately opened his locker and took out the issued tactical tablet, checking the latest mission instructions.

Observing the mission flight route, estimated to take about half an hour, he noted the target area was located in a rugged mountainous region with no suitable roads. Getting rid of any tracking by air in a day or two would be quite challenging.

What Lin Mo needed to consider most was repainting the aircraft with a more concealed dark gray finish and installing special high-focal-length stable cameras and side-looking radar to meet the mission requirements.

Although he could use the Light Mirror Technique, Lin Mo couldn’t allow anyone to know he could spot targets beyond human visual ranges; everyone realized that would be too extraordinary.

It’s likely Captain Feng assigned this task to Lin Mo due to his past experience with rescue missions for research teams, wanting him to count the ground personnel and their status from above. How sharp do your eyes need to be?! This similar reconnaissance task would be equally suitable for Lin Mo to execute.

The painting of the J-10 proceeded quickly, as the Aircrew Group members were seasoned experts, able to spray even patterns. The freshly mixed lightly matte black-gray paint covered the original silver-gray body of the J-10, amplifying its mystery and weightiness. Only Lin Mo, treating it as his personal vehicle, dared to do such a thing. Had he tried this during his time at Base 7719, he likely would have been reprimanded for being undisciplined.

“Great skills!” Lin Mo gave a thumbs up, boarding the aircraft again. During the painting, both wings, aside from the conformal fuel tanks, were equipped with specially designed side-looking radar mounts; the bottom of the plane had also been fitted with a long-focal-length stable camera pod. The J-10 served as a reconnaissance aircraft with a full set of equipment, and thanks to multiple Dongfeng trucks working overnight, everything was ready.

As the sunset approached, Lin Mo planned to make a flight first to confirm the target location. As a high-altitude, high-speed fighter, equipped with side-looking radar and a long-focal-length camera, he could pass by as if just taking a casual trip, making it extraordinarily deceptive. At most, one could hear a faint rumble from above, probably not even able to catch a glimpse of the aircraft.

Lin Mo didn’t want to mess up his first mission and embarrass his old unit, Team 7759 Aviation Squad.

“Report! Captain Lin has departed!” The communications officer reported to Colonel Feng Chenye, the highest commander of the "Night" Special Operations Team, who was busy reviewing files in the integrated command hall.

Colonel Feng glanced up at the operational map screen, where a shiny little triangle marked Lin Mo’s identity code and speed, slowly moving in a particular direction.

“I see!” Colonel Feng noted, lowering his head again. He was somewhat surprised by Lin Mo’s actions; initially, he thought Lin Mo would depart tomorrow for this mission. He hadn’t expected him to set out as dusk approached.

Though nightfall benefitted stealth operations, it made finding a target more difficult. Colonel Feng did not expect Lin Mo to track a target immediately, believing this flight would merely help him familiarize himself with the terrain.

“Gold Coin, you have one hour until sunset!” Captain Pan’s voice came through Lin Mo’s headset. He thought Lin Mo was being a bit too rash but did not oppose.

To avoid being monitored, Lin Mo took on the code name Pan used for him once he ascended.

“Don’t worry, Team Leader! I’ll be overhead near the target in one hour and back in two! Save me some dinner!” Lin Mo replied confidently. When he was in another realm, flying reconnaissance missions day or night with his Giant Dragon mount didn’t stop for any harsh conditions. After all, how else could a Dragon Knight enjoy such privileges? A Dragon Knight’s value shines in the most dangerous and complex situations.