Chapter 327

Chapter 327: Want to Strike Again?

Of course, it’s just bullying those small countries with weak military power. If it were the Americans, they’d definitely get upset. Even if they don’t stir things up openly, they might secretly take a jab at you. That’s how big countries interact—on the surface, they appear to be like doves of peace, each holding olive branches, while under the unseen shadows, it’s a different story entirely.

As the saying goes, there are no eternal friendships between nations, only eternal interests. While one side feasts on the other’s flesh, they bandage each other’s wounds. Sometimes, it’s just that outrageous.

“Uh, report to the command center! Are we getting ready to engage?” Lin Mo heard the notification from the operational command center aboard the Shilang aircraft carrier and spoke over the radio.

“Dragon Knight, take a southern route, avoiding the Vietnamese flight paths. Go around the Yiqing Reef and return without making contact with their aircraft.”

The operational command center of the Shilang was genuinely afraid. They didn’t know what would happen if the Vietnamese encountered Instructor Lin Mo. It would likely be a combustible situation—dry kindling meeting fire, a comet striking the earth—resulting in a small-scale conflict in the South China Sea.

What happened with the Vietnamese planes was of no concern to the Shilang’s command. If Major Lin Mo faced a small mishap, it would mean losing all the advantages gained from the Vietnamese.

The command center truly wished that the so-called strongest fighter ace aboard the Shilang would not meet with any tragedy, so they directed Lin Mo to steer clear.

“Okay!” Lin Mo accepted the order. Even if he shot down those six planes, the Vietnamese would have more aircraft coming. This was turning into a war of attrition. Without any Gold Coins on hand, Lin Mo had no intention of taking that risk, as missiles and cannon rounds don’t care who the ace is.

The display on the cockpit dashboard began receiving navigation data, marking the six Vietnamese planes while also recognizing their own aircraft through IFF (Identification Friend or Foe). All planes delivering supplies were en route back to the Shilang.

The position of the Shilang aircraft carrier training group was 200 nautical miles northwest of Xiangyao Ansha, heading towards the Sino-Thai joint base in Songkhla, Thailand. Thanks to the speed of the supply planes, there was no worry of leaving helicopters and carrier-based aircraft behind in the South China Sea.

The soldiers stationed on various reefs controlled by China were already preparing for battle, readying their air defense weapons and activating their radars, integrating them into the Shilang’s information and combat data network.

On the reefs, it was not just about the stationed troops asserting sovereignty; they were also tasked with observation.

“Did you find anything? Teams Conical Hat Two and Conical Hat Three?”

“No, there are no Chinese aircraft within a 300-kilometer radius. Nothing at all. Red Scarf One, your equipment is more advanced. Have you found anything? The targets could be stealth fighters.”

To escalate the situation, the Vietnamese Air Force had even deployed two of their trump card Su-35s. It seemed they felt that they had suffered too great a loss this time. But so far, their fighter jets had been brought down by the Chinese carrier-based aircraft.

“No, no reaction on the radar. This is damned frustrating! Don’t let us find him; otherwise, I will tear him apart.”

“Red Scarf One, Conical Hat Two, Conical Hat Three, this is the Fujian Air Force Base. If you spot any Chinese fighters, you can only engage in soft countermeasures to drive them away. Absolutely do not open fire. Secondly, locate the pilot of Conical Hat One immediately and report back to me.”

“Red Scarf One received!”

“Conical Hat Two received!”

“Conical Hat Three received!”

The four Su-27s from the 940th Squadron and the two Su-35s from the 935th Squadron sped towards the South China Sea, flying at supersonic speeds. At the crash site of the two Su-27s, all six Vietnamese fighters powered up their on-board radars, scanning the area thoroughly but yielding no results.

After circling back and forth in search, they only saw two floating white parachutes on the ocean’s surface, with one pilot responding from the water, while the other had fatally adjusted his position poorly during ejection, suffering a fatal neck injury from the explosive force. He had already long since perished.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese stationed on Hongxiu Island had dispatched rubber boats to the crash site for rescue, expected to reach the target area in about half an hour. Fortunately, it was still tropical; had it been temperate, the seawater alone could lead to hypothermia for anyone in the water too long.

Right now, the Vietnamese could only describe the loss of the two Su-27s in the South China Sea as an “accident.” They experienced no collision or gunfire, making it impossible to explain to their domestic and international audiences that a Chinese fighter had attacked their planes.

Throughout the incident, the Vietnamese pilots’ dialogue made no mention of the Chinese opening fire, and they were unlikely to be foolish enough to alter records or modify the audio of their conversations. They believed that Chinese electronics also monitored the Vietnamese pilots’ discussions at the time.

If the Vietnamese were stupid enough to use trickery to incite hatred against the Chinese, it was no different from inviting a slap in the face.

Did you say the Chinese opened fire? With cannon or missiles?

Both sides have black boxes; who are they trying to fool?

If the Chinese didn’t open fire, the Vietnamese were literally falling from the sky into the sea, which was just embarrassing. The Vietnamese Air Force was like a mute eating bitter lotus; they had frustrations they couldn’t express.

Six Vietnamese fighter jets, frustrated, flew low over the Chinese military base at Nanking Reef and Taiping Island, executing aggressive maneuvers and making various threatening displays.

Regardless of which island they were stationed on, the troops wasted no time. They simply set up their anti-aircraft machine guns, ignoring these Vietnamese "flies." Just shoot, and cut the chatter.

The opinions of both sides in this situation were surprisingly consistent.

“Emergency call! Chinese fighter jets have been spotted over Nanning Island! Immediate support needed!”

Just when the Vietnamese jets were showing off their power over Zheng He Reef, an urgent notice from Fujian Air Force Base was like a bucket of cold water splashed over the two Su-35s and four Su-27s.

“What? Chinese fighter jets over Nanning Island? How is that possible? How can they fly so far?”

The six Vietnamese pilots were dumbfounded, caught off guard by the news.

“It’s carrier-based aircraft! The Chinese have their carrier-based aircraft nearby!”

“An aircraft carrier?! No way!”

A wave of shocked exclamations erupted over the radio!

“Calling Fujian Air Force Base, are the Chinese capturing Nanning Island?”

A chill ran through the Vietnamese pilots as their hearts felt like a heavy stone tossed into the depths of the South China Sea, sinking lower and lower!

With Chinese carrier-based aircraft appearing in the skies over Nanning Island, how long could that little island hold out with just one battalion of Vietnamese soldiers? It wouldn’t be enough to withstand even a single round of bombing.

“No, no, no! The Chinese aircraft carrier isn’t attacking Nanning Island; there’s only one carrier-based aircraft! You need to hurry and provide support!”

Thank goodness! It wasn’t the Chinese carrier fleet attacking Nanning Island. Perhaps that damned carrier-based aircraft was merely doing the same thing they were doing.

One carrier-based aircraft? Hmph! We can take it down in no time.

The three squads of Vietnamese pilots scoffed, turning their jets northwest toward the target.

According to the flight path provided by the command center on the Shilang, Lin Mo’s J-15 "Dark Sabre" still had plenty of fuel, so he didn’t have to worry about running out and crashing into the sea.

Inside the cockpit, Lin Mo’s Light Mirror Technique continuously scanned the surrounding environment. Compared to the on-board radar, he seemed more comfortable and trusted his combat technique from another world more.

Perhaps in another world, due to different combat styles, the Light Mirror Technique had limited applications. However, in this world, it had become an essential standard onboard sequence spell.

This world primarily focused on radar evasion methods, where optical stealth technology was not only very primitive but also highly restricted.

As Lin Mo followed the flight path, a small island suddenly appeared in the Light Mirror Technique’s view, causing his eyes to widen. The island identified as Nanning not only had an airport but also various buildings. What truly caught his attention was that the top of one building displayed a national flag.

The Light Mirror Technique magnified the image.

That flag was definitely not the Chinese flag. Lin Mo confirmed the island’s ownership; it was indeed Chinese territory, yet the Vietnamese dared to brazenly mark their flag on it.

This was infuriating!

So, let’s take the opportunity to bully you a bit more.

Lin Mo did not intend to pass by without taking action as a passive observer. After all, he was still on a flight path, and doing something did not violate any rules.

It was unknown whether it was intentional or accidental, but the command center on the Shilang had conveniently included Nanning Island in the flight path of this troublemaker.

Did they really want another round?

Regardless of whether the command center truly implied that, Lin Mo certainly wouldn’t let this slide.

Even in the Su Lan Empire, if the Texi Empire dared to plant their flag on Su Lan territory—unless representing a diplomatic mission—every inch gained would mean declaring war.

There are limits to what one can endure.

Although the superiors hadn’t given a specific order, Lin Mo had his own way.

He pushed the control stick, and the J-15 "Dark Sabre" revealed its sharp fangs, heading directly towards the two o’clock position of Nanning Island.

Nanning Island, located at a latitude of 8 degrees 38 minutes 30 seconds North and a longitude of 111 degrees 55 minutes 55 seconds East.

The name "Nanning" commemorates the introduction of sovereignty over the Spratly Islands by the Nationalist government in 1946 under Guangdong Province Chairman Luo Zhuoying (known as Ciwei), also signifying deterrence in the southern territories. It is the most important island in the southwestern part of the Spratly Islands.