Chapter 329

Chapter 329: A Captivating Silhouette

Boom! The deafening roar of the engines disrupted the Vietnamese command.

The officers opened their mouths, but all they could hear was the life-threatening thunder, drowning out the shouts of the soldiers, who could only be seen moving their lips in a cacophony caused by the jet engines’ massive noise.

Seizing a fleeting opportunity, the "Dark Sabre" darted into the blind spot of the anti-aircraft machine guns under the watchful eyes of the Vietnamese soldiers. They struggled to adjust their twin-mounted anti-aircraft machine guns for a direct shot, and the anti-aircraft artillery positions on the island were even more out of reach.

The J-15 "Dark Sabre" rushed onto the runway, somehow executing a 180-degree ultra-low altitude tail slide, as if it were drifting on land, sending powerful exhaust flames sweeping past the anti-aircraft machine gun positions.

The Vietnamese twin-mounted anti-aircraft machine guns held up under their own weight, but the soldiers operating the guns couldn’t withstand the over 100 kilonewtons of thrust casually spewed out by the "Dark Sabre"’s twin engines.

Converted to standard units, that was over ten tons of force. While it diffused into gas, it was still unbearable.

Could the weight of a human body withstand the thrust of a jet engine? The answer was no; it was simply impossible.

Anyone foolish enough to stand behind the exhaust nozzle would either be instantly turned into Roast Chicken or blown away hundreds of miles like a character from a fairy tale.

In reality, it wasn’t as exaggerated as hundreds of miles, but it was still several meters, and the unluckiest Vietnamese soldiers were directly propelled several dozen meters away, wailing in the process.

The entire anti-aircraft machine gun position was thrown into chaos by Lin Mo’s "Dark Sabre." Even the nearby anti-aircraft artillery positions were disrupted in the same manner; their anti-aircraft fire was orderly, but it couldn’t withstand the assault from the carrier-based aircraft that cleared the field.

A "Graal" missile, just fired, had not yet had time to accelerate due to its target’s altitude, and was blown off course by the strong airflow from the "Dark Sabre"’s exhaust nozzle. It streaked through the air, leaving a trail of white smoke, and crashed awkwardly into the soldiers’ dormitory on the island, exploding in a flash of fire and a loud bang, collapsing half the building.

In an instant, the Old Hen turned into a duck, and the Surface-to-Air Missile transformed into a Surface-to-Ground Missile.

At this rate, they would be dismantling their own island with their own hands. Looking around, trees lay fallen, buildings tilted, smoke billowed from the island, and hopeless Vietnamese soldiers tossed aside their SAM-7 launchers; they couldn’t fight back any longer. It was too much to bear.

No one had ever seen a carrier-based aircraft engage in such close combat; it was arrogantly unreasonable.

The Vietnamese had previously used the so-called "China Threat Theory" to create excuses, refusing to take direct military action. But they never expected the situation to escalate like this.

This was not a matter of threat; the "Dark Sabre" had yet to fire a single shot throughout this ordeal.

If a fighter jet could be labeled a "threat," then it would be better for China to abandon its defense and military altogether. If a single soldier with a single gun posed a threat to the entire world, then anyone insisting on the so-called "China Threat Theory" was either foolish or hopelessly weak; an old lady with a sewing needle could wipe out humanity under such logic.

“Hmph! Next time, I’ll get Gold Coin to replace the Vietnamese flag on the rooftop with the Chinese flag!” Lin Mo skillfully maneuvered the "Dark Sabre" at ultra-low altitude, playfully teasing the Vietnamese soldiers. The ground erupted in chaos; even the soldiers couldn’t raise their AK-47s, collapsing instead.

Perhaps seeing that the Chinese fighter jet had yet to fire a shot, the last shred of morale among the Vietnamese vanished as the "Dark Sabre" wreaked havoc near the runway.

Frantic, a Vietnamese officer wanted to cry.

600-meter runway, just about right.

Lin Mo circled once more, lowered the landing gear under the belly of the aircraft, and, before the Vietnamese could react, landed the J-15 "Dark Sabre" on Nanning Island’s runway.

Turning around, Lin Mo quickly unfastened his seatbelt, pushed open the canopy, and jumped out, sprinting toward the front of the aircraft to strike a pose.

“Yes, yes, let’s get another shot here, perfect.”

Lin Mo glanced back, showing off the iconic landmarks of Nanning Island behind him, and struck another pose.

The surveillance camera under the belly, meant for flight recording, could now be used as a camera; he planned to retrieve the footage from the maintenance crew or the command center later.

This was a unique opportunity—a "Chinese Fighter Pilot’s Day Tour of Nanning Island"—that would surely explode across the media in Southeast Asia.

Behind him, the Vietnamese soldiers were wide-eyed, charging forward in a frenzy, trying to capture the Chinese pilot.

Bang! One!

Bang! Bang! Two!

Facing the Dragon Knight, even special forces would simply be offering their services.

Lin Mo was very satisfied with the Vietnamese soldiers’ service attitude; they were incredibly helpful and completely genuine. He believed he could capture many heroic moments on film.

He thought mischievously, and before long, a "pile" of soldiers had already stacked up beside him.

That was brave enough. When this footage reached the command center, anyone who saw it would be overwhelmed.

What a good aviator, why did he have to steal the Marines’ job?

The only regret was forgetting to bring a national flag.

The struggling Marine Corps soldiers had no idea and were still busy on the deck implementing a lockdown, with J-15 carrier-based aircraft taking off one after another.

Thanks to the "Longyan" aviation tactical helmet, Lin Mo maintained control over the "Dark Sabre," even able to operate some functions. As Lin Mo casually jumped back into the cockpit, the "Dark Sabre" automatically ignited, restarting the fighter jet.

He closed the canopy and pushed the engines forward. Although there were no wheel stoppers or a catapult deck, the 600-meter runway was sufficient for the short takeoff and landing capabilities of the J-15 "Dark Sabre."

The "Dark Sabre" surged ahead at incredible speed, racing down the runway and lifting off from the end, perhaps skimming the waves as the wheels brushed the sea’s surface, but nothing could stop the powerful thrust from its twin engines propelling the carrier-based aircraft into the sky, leaving the unfortunate Vietnamese soldiers with a captivating view from behind.

In his dreams, he searched for her a thousand times, and at a sudden glance, he found her amidst the flickering lights.

The Vietnamese soldiers blown away by the reverse thrust were left in despair.

Just five kilometers off the coast of Nanning Island, the cockpit suddenly blared with a piercing alarm.

"What’s happening?"

Lin Mo was startled; was it a counterattack from the Vietnamese? Just now they had been beaten to a pulp, and only now did they think about it.

Instinctively, the Light Mirror Technique array activated in the cockpit, scanning the surroundings. To Lin Mo’s surprise, there was nothing detected. Looking down, the radar screen was empty—not completely empty, but it showed an odd clustering of symbols above his aircraft’s position.

What did that mean?

Above! This was bad!

Lin Mo quickly yanked the control stick, and the "Dark Sabre" immediately unleashed maximum thrust, tearing through the sound barrier and steadily increasing speed to escape.

In that moment, just as Lin Mo veered off his original flight path, a gigantic explosion drowned out the roar of the "Dark Sabre’s" twin engines, and he felt a jarring shockwave that made the aircraft feel like it was losing control.

The cockpit’s overload protection system slightly mitigated the shockwave’s impact, but he could still feel the aircraft shake from the force.

Turning to look back, he saw an area of ocean nearly the size of four football fields erupt into towering water columns. What kind of weapon was that?! The power seemed far too great; what kind of explosives were used?

The scale of the explosion appeared to exceed that of conventional cluster munitions.

Moreover, the dispersal effect resembled that of submunition warheads, clear evidence of a devastating weapon; even an aircraft carrier would not fare well under it.

If he hadn’t accelerated away from the strike zone, he probably wouldn’t have been able to evade such a concentrated attack.

Just moments ago, the symbols piled up above his aircraft finally clarified; they represented speed and altitude parameters.

The enemy had exploited the limitations of his aircraft’s on-board radar 2D imaging, launching an attack from a vertical height.

Given the power, it was likely an air-to-ground weapon. How creative!

What impressive targeting capability!

To consider even this detail, what kind of weapon was it?

Lin Mo’s Light Mirror Technique quickly scanned upward and spotted a small black dot. Almost immediately, the alarm in the cockpit sounded again. Damn, he couldn’t climb. If he ascended in a conventional manner, it would be his end.

He needed speed, as much speed as possible. Lin Mo pushed the throttle to the limit for the "Dark Sabre." At this moment, he couldn’t afford to jettison the fuel tanks; otherwise, he wouldn’t have enough fuel for emergencies.

The combat assistance display indicated it was an AIM-120 "Slammer." The Light Mirror Technique synchronously captured the feed; the missile trail was faint, suggesting it had been improved for beyond-visual-range combat, and the enemy was employing similar tactics.

Lin Mo raced straight over the ocean without turning, evading narrow escape routes. With an endless expanse of sea, there was no way to avoid it; he had to depend on speed to escape.

At this point, he could no longer risk leading the missile back to Nanning Island; otherwise, caught between the AIM-120 "Slammer" and the ground anti-aircraft fire, it would surely be his doom.

Moreover, he absolutely could not hesitate; he had to maintain high speed to escape the missile’s absolute capture zone. The farther he flew, the more fuel the missile would consume, possibly even losing propulsion and crashing into the sea.

Lin Mo also dared not to climb but instead used the ground effect of the sea to provide lift for the fighter jet, ensuring all power was directed toward maximum thrust.