Chapter 326

Chapter 326: Surrender Is Useless

I have to say, what the Vietnamese said was truly difficult to understand. They jabbered on, and Lin Mo heard them repeat their message several times in both Vietnamese and awkward English without comprehending it. However, the Su-27 had already reached a critical point.

Even if Lin Mo did nothing, the enemy aircraft would still enter a tailspin, just the same as his own.

A spin is more terrifying than a stall and can sometimes be irreversible. When one wing stalls before the other, the plane rotates toward the wing that lost lift first, called a spiral or spin. Spirals are extremely dangerous, and some aircraft are specifically designed to prevent entry into a spin; once in that position, recovery is quite difficult.

Although the Su-27 has excellent post-stall performance, the Vietnamese pilots could barely guarantee 200 hours of flight training a year due to logistical support and maintenance issues. Not to mention that performing spin recovery is a closely guarded secret even the Chinese Air Force keeps.

Spin recovery and stall recovery have always been key training programs for air forces worldwide.

Especially in a spin, no matter how much the pilot pulls on the stick, the aircraft shows no response, continuing to rotate and descend. Before spin recovery techniques were discovered, the only solution was to eject from the aircraft.

In 1960, Chinese Air Force pilot Huang Zhaolian completed the “reverse rudder push” standard method, which became part of the spin recovery procedures in the initial pilot manual for the trainer aircraft, the Y-6.

Since then, Chinese pilots have widely learned this secret technique to avoid losing control during flight, whereas very few countries in the world can master aircraft spin recovery techniques solely through operational skills.

While discussing whether the Russians would fully transfer their knowledge when selling Su-27s to Vietnam, it is clear that the flight training curriculum in Vietnam cannot guarantee the same depth and detail as that in China, the United States, or Russia. It is nearly impossible for them to gather the rich flying experience like their Chinese counterparts.

Moreover, the last remaining Su-27 in the sky had already spun more than six times, which is an extremely alarming number. The onboard automatic system of the Su-27 could no longer utilize its post-stall performance to recover.

The Dark Sabre set off on its own.

Then, another white parachute opened up in the sky.

Boom! With a loud crash, the sea surface echoed with the final wail of the Su-27, spectacularly similar to the first aircraft.

Sinking an aircraft into the ocean was as thrilling as a mischievous child skipping stones across water and creating cascades.

In Lin Mo’s experience with opponents from another world, whether they crashed into sands, forests, walls, houses, or amidst crowds of soldiers, every fallen opponent became nothing but a pulp or shattered beyond recognition, dying in a horrific manner.

“Red Conical Hat! Red Conical Hat! Respond quickly!”

Now having landed on the sea, the Vietnamese pilot known as White Conical Hat urgently called for his comrade.

Zzzz! Zzzz!

Only static filled the radio.

White Conical Hat shouted several more times, tearing off his aviation helmet and spitting out seawater. Looking up at the sky with exceptional vision, he saw a figure beneath the parachute, head drooping and motionless, gently swaying with the soft sea breeze.

Something seemed terribly wrong.

A chill gripped his heart, and he desperately swam toward the direction of the parachute.

Due to the curvature of the Earth’s surface, communication with the base was affected after the pilot landed in the sea.

Although Vietnam was discussing military satellite procurement with Japan, it did not change the fact that they had no satellites in space, which was a tragedy for small countries.

This presented great difficulties for search and rescue operations.

At the Vietnamese 372nd Division’s 940th Regiment position in Binh Dinh Province at the Phu Cat Air Force Base, the control tower beside the runway fell into a profound silence, like death itself, with only the distant sound of cattle mooing from the nearby fields carried by the wind.

“Reporting to the command center, this is the Dragon Knight. Operation Harmony Two is complete!”

Lin Mo glanced at the clock in his aircraft; it had not even been three minutes since he confirmed the order to respond to the command center aboard Shilang. The communication staff seemed astonished, having thought Lin Mo just finished speaking when he already reported mission completion, completely failing to process the information.

"…" The communication personnel at the command center appeared stunned for three to four seconds before asking, “Did you fire?”

Their tone was tense; firing and not firing made a world of difference.

In the Harmony Plan, there were only various non-offensive confrontations, with no authorization to engage in combat. Yet, just three minutes after the command center approved the order, Lin Mo astonishingly replied with "GAME OVER."

Even more frightening was the data returning from the warning aircraft’s radar, which showed that two Vietnamese Su-27 Guardian jets had inexplicably vanished within those three minutes. With the powerful electronics aboard the Shilang aircraft carrier, they could even monitor the conversations of the Vietnamese pilots.

Although it seemed hard to believe, this confrontation felt more like a game. From start to finish, it was unbelievable that this was a battle of one Dark Sabre against two Guardians.

The Dragon Knights appeared to wield a kind of mysterious magic, causing the enemy aircraft to suddenly drop out of the sky without explanation. Although the dialogue of the Vietnamese pilots required professional translation, their tones screamed extreme fear and confusion as they plummeted unexpectedly.

The aviation crew transformed entirely in battle; even though the command center’s technical officers could not see what was happening on-site, they deeply felt the terror the Vietnamese pilots were experiencing, as if they too were caught under Lin Mo’s assault.

At that moment, the officers in the command center struggled to connect the young instructor, who usually wore a friendly smile, with the ace killer in the sky. This amiable, talented young man’s aerial combat skills were astonishing; he managed to take down two Su-27s from the sky without firing a single shot.

"I did not fire; I confirm that. I will share the ammunition status data with you for verification."

Lin Mo selected several menus on the screen and clicked a few times, sharing some system parameters that would serve as evidence in a diplomatic sparring match with Vietnam. They might even help humiliate the Vietnamese Air Force.

Meanwhile, in the Shilang aircraft carrier’s operational command center, the aircraft status observation team’s technical officer was left dumbfounded. There were 150 rounds of 30mm cannon ammunition and full Rocket Pods, two close-range air-to-air combat missiles, and not a single infrared distraction round was missing. The auxiliary fuel tank was there too, with fuel still at half capacity, indicating consumption similar to that of a short engagement.

“What do we even say about this?” the female soldier responsible for communication with Lin Mo rubbed her temples, feeling waves of headache and helplessness. She frowned like a little model resembling Xishi, drawing the attention of a nearby male officer, who couldn’t help but steal glances at her beauty.

Noticing the strange gaze upon her, the female soldier shot him an angry look and instantly transformed into a fierce tiger, roaring, “What are you staring at? Never seen a plane engage before?”

The male officer, enjoying the view, immediately broke into a cold sweat and quickly “retreated” in embarrassment.

The naval female soldier truly could not bear it!

Like the unpredictable weather in the South China Sea, it could be clear skies one moment and fierce storms the next, causing terrifying waves that could swallow one whole.

At this moment, the technical officer responsible for satellite connections noticed anomalies on several screens. A few small light points detached from the map of the Indochinese Peninsula. Along the eastern line of the peninsula, several red dots representing the Vietnamese Air Force bases separated into small aircraft-shaped icons, flickering as they moved southeast, leaving behind faint trails of dashed lines.

The technical officer used a trackball to zoom in on the screen for a closer look and quickly organized the information to send out.

“Attention, satellites have detected four Su-30s and two Su-35s leaving Vietnamese territory and heading towards the Zheng He Reef. All units are advised to deliver supplies and return immediately.”

“Training Groups 1 and 2 enter combat readiness! Weapon crews prepare to load air-to-air munitions.”

The command center of the Shilang aircraft carrier continuously issued orders, and alarms immediately sounded on the flight deck.

J-15 carrier-based aircraft began rumbling up the deck, heading to the waiting area, and ammunition vehicles were brought up as well, with the deck crew quickly entering into an orderly frenzy of activity.

The fall of the two Vietnamese Su-27s would surely send shockwaves through the Vietnamese military. Yet, Lin Mo did not fire a single shot—a strange phenomenon that both governments would likely struggle to explain to their citizens. The response from the Vietnamese military remained to be seen. Would they feign an investigation and report it as a weather accident, providing themselves an easy way out, or would they confront the Chinese directly?

Regardless of whether the Vietnamese choose the first or the latter option, the Chinese would not show weakness. They had sent the aircraft carrier; if they backed down now, it would be better to stay home and eat old rice.

Almost half the carrier-based aircraft below the flight deck had been pushed out, arrayed for battle. Either way, the Chinese would not come to harm.

Only a handful of high-ranking officials knew that the Dragon Knight truly possessed the extraordinary skill to take down enemy aircraft without firing a shot. Moreover, this was not the first time such a feat had occurred. Across all of China, there could scarcely be more than two such ace pilots.