Chapter 347

Chapter 347: The Truth Behind the “Truth”

Twenty years ago, New Zealand was part of the British and American satellite intelligence collection system, known as “Echelon.” It helped intercept intelligence from the United Nations and several countries, including gathering information from mainland China using listening stations established in Hong Kong. This operation was codenamed “Shadow Operations.”

The so-called “Shadow Operations” involved New Zealand utilizing satellites from the UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the US National Security Agency (NSA) to set up listening bases on the South Island at Waihopai and the North Island at Tangimoana to intercept and decode various electronic signals, phone calls, and faxes from neighboring countries.

This operation led to the interception of intelligence from Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, and even activities in Antarctica involving India and Poland, all being monitored by British and American satellites.

Moreover, the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau responsible for the operation disclosed in its annual report from 1985 to 1986 that countries like the UK and the US did not spare even authoritative international organizations like the UN, as "United Nations External Communications" was one of New Zealand’s primary interception targets.

To counter the pervasive global surveillance network led by the United States, China, whether through the army or the air force, has used codenames to represent troop designations or special warriors. It has also extensively employed local dialects as a natural form of language encryption, with particular focus on regional dialects.

In addition, during operations, they maintain radio silence whenever possible, avoiding detection, because sometimes even without reporting names, the enemy can identify them based on voice prints. A name is merely a code.

For example, when Lin Mo was flying his P-51 Mustang to report to the Shilang aircraft carrier training ship and encountered an American strategic reconnaissance aircraft, he turned off his radio communication. Yet, the other side still tricked Lin Mo into opening communication channels using various means and silently invaded his computer system.

China’s foundational electronic computing industry lags behind that of America, so caution is always necessary.

Despite being weakened since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia still holds some power. Hansen Netskov provided Lin Mo with some shocking news.

Seeing Lin Mo’s reaction, Hansen Netskov understood his words had left a significant impression, which added considerable persuasion to what he said next, “That drone isn’t American.”

“…” Lin Mo blinked. He often found himself at odds with the Americans, and assumed that drone was yet another American threat.

“Which country is it then?”

“Britain!”

This wasn’t the first time Lin Mo had encountered such trouble, but he was surprised to learn that the drone wasn’t American but British, the supposed lackey of the Americans, who claimed it would strike anyone the Americans targeted.

Well then, the intelligence departments back in China would surely have their hands full.

“What model is it?”

“Not sure for now, but I know its code name is ‘Falcon’. It’s a five times supersonic experimental machine. Though I don’t know why it was armed and seeking trouble with you, it must have been premeditated. If our satellite hadn’t just so happened to track it, we wouldn’t even have known you had a skirmish with it. Who would’ve thought the Su-33 series fighter jets had such combat capabilities?”

A smile crossed Hansen Netskov’s face. Clearly, the encounter between China’s J-15 “Dark Sabre” and the “Falcon” had provided Russia with valuable insights. The battle against the unmanned combat aircraft was nothing short of breathtaking.

The Russians initially thought the combat power of the J-15 derived from modifications of the Su-33 would be comparable, but the intercepted battle data had many experts wide-eyed, leading them to believe it wasn’t simply a variant but a newly developed carrier-based aircraft.

With such advanced unmanned combat aircraft, the real battle records meant that the Russian military, which had long closely collaborated with Chinese military technology, was now overjoyed. The Soviet fighters they held, combined with these virtually free battle records, gave them a fabulous guide on how to combat British unmanned aircraft.

Though the final result was a mutual defeat, the J-15 wasn’t even carrying a full load of munitions. If it had been armed with high-performance advanced missiles, the unmanned combat aircraft wouldn’t have stood a chance.

By sharing such crucial intelligence, Hansen Netskov was also extending a gesture of goodwill towards China, exchanging vital information.

The keywords “UK,” “Falcon,” and “unmanned combat aircraft” were already significant enough for China’s intelligence personnel.

“I think you should know something about this?”

The Russians speculated, believing it was unusual for such an advanced experimental machine to be put into action without a clear reason.

“No, I don’t know anything!” Lin Mo shook his head, leaving Hansen and the other Russian intelligence agents at a loss.

Dragon Knights are combat professionals, excellent at charging into the front lines, but analyzing and reasoning wasn’t their forte. Such matters should be left for the experts.

Hansen Netskov and the other four Russians exchanged uncertain looks, unsure whether Lin Mo was speaking the truth or not.

However, their objective was almost achieved. They were roughly seventy percent confident that the J-15 “Dark Sabre” pilot, who barely managed to hold his own against Britain’s unmanned combat aircraft “Falcon,” was indeed this Chinese Air Force pilot codenamed “Dragon Knight”.

Moreover, he was an ace.

"Alright, we won’t disturb you any longer. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate in the future," Hansen Netskov extended his hand with a slight smile. Lin Mo kept his other identity hidden until now, without revealing a hint.

"Hehe!" Lin Mo said nothing, only shaking hands in farewell.

The carefully prepared conversation by the Russians came to an end.

Although the high-ranking officials in Russia were eager to gain an ace pilot and aircraft design expert like him, it wasn’t as simple as one plus one.

It turned out that such a dual-role ace pilot was extremely rare, and not easily swayed.

It requires exceptional physical strength and exceptional willpower. Pilots are known for having outstanding mental resilience, and the probability of defection is very low. Compared to other military branches, it’s incredibly difficult to sway a pilot—especially an outstanding one—just with words or material rewards. Offering a few million or luxuries wouldn’t work; such scenarios only exist in novels or movies.

The probability of a pilot being turned is among the lowest in the world.

The Russians had studied the combat style of this "Dragon Knight." He was bold yet meticulous, fierce and decisive, hard to influence, and resistant to both soft and strong tactics. If angered, it was uncertain how much trouble could arise. They could only let the intelligence personnel handling the mission adapt as the situation required, doing things gradually.

In fact, this effort to win someone over wasn’t just aimed at Lin Mo, but also at others.

This was merely a customary practice in military intelligence—never letting a single opportunity slip by. Although there was a 99% chance of failure, a 1% success could yield a 100% reward, sometimes even a hundredfold or thousandfold return.

Describing the Russians’ approach as broad coverage with thin harvests wasn’t an exaggeration. The former Soviet KGB’s “Swallows” (female spies) and “Crows” (male spies) specialized in such work; they merely used different methods to deal with resolute pilots.

If relying solely on beauty to lure someone, could a foreign model compete with a local beauty?

Lin Mo watched as the four Russian intelligence personnel disguised as tourists disappeared from view. Thoughtfully, he turned and headed toward the Thailand-China joint military base.

Not far away, several voices of frustration were heard.

“Damn it, how could those Russians get ahead of us?”

“They must have shared some important information with the target. They used a jamming device; they came prepared.”

“Chief, do you think the Russians will succeed?”

“No, they won’t gain much. If it were that simple, it would surely be a trap. We are not in a fairy-tale world.”

“Is it really necessary to spend so much time and attention on just one pilot?”

This question wasn’t just from one corner; even young intelligence personnel from the recently departed Russian team, Okinets Ivan, raised similar doubts to his captain.

Such an elaborate effort merely to hand over “Caviar” Leonid Ivanov’s belongings, followed by a few casual greetings, was too quick to comprehend.

The only valuable information gained was to confirm if they had clashed with the British unmanned combat aircraft. But was that really meaningful? The other party wouldn’t divulge the actual combat details and operational secrets, let alone abandon their country and flee with the Russians.

Okinets Ivan struggled to understand, as did others.

“It’s not just about a fighter pilot. He is also an aircraft design expert,” Hansen Netskov said meaningfully to his equally puzzled subordinates.

“An aircraft design expert?”

“That’s right. He has participated in the testing of several of China’s most advanced experimental aircraft. Rumor has it he led the design of a highly classified fighter, with leaked parameters indicating exceptional performance, even meeting the peak standards of fifth-generation fighters.”

The expressions of the three Russian intelligence personnel suddenly became remarkably vivid.