Chapter 348

Chapter 348: The Unspoken Rules of the Intelligence Community

"This, this, but he’s a pilot! And a formal pilot at that! How could he be an aircraft design expert?"

"The scary part is here. A pilot is a pilot, and an aircraft design expert is an aircraft design expert. When both roles appear in the same person, it creates a catalyst effect, turning them into an elite born for combat—an expert who understands warfare and a pilot deeply familiar with fighter planes. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

Designed for use and used for design, these concepts drive each other forward.

If Lin Mo were standing here, he would be astonished. The intelligence organizations around the world seem to be everywhere, with no gaps in their reach.

Elite intelligence personnel, equipped with advanced technology, appear like ghosts—present everywhere and knowing everything.

Although Lin Mo has always been careful, it is inevitable that he would leave behind some traces, and some gaps may not appear in him but elsewhere.

Lin Mo’s "monstrous" design plans only exist in high-level classified archives within several major aircraft design institutes. Some manufacturing plants have even created experimental machine models, but due to limitations in materials and engines, their performance falls far short of the parameters in the design plans. However, the components Lin Mo purchased from various aerospace equipment production plants across the country attracted considerable external attention.

China’s equipment departments invest in Air Force research and development, but they don’t procure materials as clearly and expensively as Lin Mo does, which drew the attention of foreign forces.

Unexpectedly, Lin Mo’s enormous expenditure on arming the unique pair of F-22 fighter engines he had personally acquired attracted the attention of foreign intelligence organizations.

After careful calculation and analysis, well-informed senior intelligence experts concluded that the cost of assembling this fighter jet is no less than that of a fully equipped F-22 Raptor, and this is only the cost price.

What kind of fighter jet is this? The interest extends beyond the Chinese Air Force that travels alongside Lin Mo; it has also attracted various foreign intelligence departments.

Lin Mo knows that he has already attracted external scrutiny, and this isn’t a good thing. The bird that sticks out gets shot; as a fighter pilot, it’s best to remain low-key. Being shot down in the sky is one thing, but being taken out secretly on the ground would be quite embarrassing.

The appearance of Russian intelligence personnel not only brought the remnants of "Caviar" to him as a goodwill gesture but also served as a warning; if the Russians can find him, it means other organizations can too.

He cannot continue to swagger around Songkhla; otherwise, it is little different from seeking death.

Lin Mo immediately decided to return to the base. If he can’t provoke, he can at least avoid trouble. If it weren’t for the crowds around, he wouldn’t worry about going on a rampage here.

Carrying his metal box, Lin Mo quickened his pace.

Just as he crossed two streets, with only two thousand meters until he reached the entrance of the Sino-Thai joint base—a distance of twenty to thirty minutes walking—he suddenly heard the loud roar of a motorcycle engine behind him. The engine’s explosive sound was jarring, heading straight for Lin Mo, who walked by the roadside.

The exit road from the joint base is not a bustling area, with few residences nearby. The sides of the road are filled with dense shrubs and vines, resembling a semi-wild environment.

A Honda 400cc motorcycle sped down the asphalt road, revving wildly, looking reckless.

There were no sidewalks on this road, and Lin Mo walked obediently at the edge.

When there were seemingly no vehicles on the road, the motorcycle directly charged toward Lin Mo, making the intention clear. Today does not seem to be a good day; trouble is coming, Lin Mo sighed internally.

With experience from numerous battles, the Dragon Knight fearfully regards no one.

As Lin Mo felt the ill wind approaching from behind, he charged his Battle Energy, preparing to teach the intruder a sharp lesson. Suddenly, he heard several muffled sounds followed by a horrifying series of metal crashes and scraping noises.

Lin Mo spun around and saw a bright yellow off-road motorcycle with rugged tires and a high fender, with its rider twisting in a bizarre, almost dancing manner, zooming past him less than a meter away. Sparks flew as it crashed into the bushes.

The rider still gripped a two-foot-long glinting straight-edge steel knife in his right hand, but given the speed he came in at, which seemed no less than 140 kilometers per hour, the off-road motorcycle rider’s chances of surviving looked extremely slim.

It was akin to being thrown from a train or smashed head-on by a speeding van; the outcomes are much the same.

Lin Mo squinted; this unfortunate rider seemed to be looking to surprise him with a "decapitation," but before he could succeed, fate had other plans—like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware that the yellowbird lurks behind.

He hadn’t expected that while in Thailand, he would quickly fall into a shadow war, utterly beyond Lin Mo’s anticipation. The Night Intelligence Group hadn’t warned him beforehand; it appeared they were equally powerless to assist.

From the underbrush stepped a tall figure adorned in a pure yellow Thai dress embroidered with golden threads and floral patterns, her wooden clogs accentuating delicate feet painted with bright red nail polish. The fitted dress highlighted her astonishingly curvy backside, with her waist tightly cinched and generous curves threatening to burst from the fabric. Her long, glossy black hair was styled in a traditional Thai bun, and she boasted a nose like jade, snow-white skin, bright eyes, radiant teeth, and cherry lips—she exuded the irresistible allure of a stunning Thai beauty, holding a small black silenced pistol and smiling as she approached Lin Mo.

There was no hint of killing intent after having lifted the gun earlier; her natural composure seemed effortless, even moving Lin Mo.

It seems he needs to expand his watch’s weapon scanning radius; otherwise, he might truly be caught off-guard. The Gold Coin system had set the weapon detection distance at only a 30-meter radius—perfect for the maximum power of a handgun—but he couldn’t adjust it too broadly since Lin Mo himself was military personnel, and with so many arms nearby at his workplace, it wouldn’t take much to trigger an alarm.

Lin Mo pondered quietly in his heart, his face showing not a single hint of emotion.

A sudden explosion of flames erupted from the bushes by the roadside. Almost instantly, a fierce fire surged forth, enveloping the heavily damaged off-road motorcycle and its injured rider. The 16-liter fuel tank was clearly full, and as the flames spread uncontrollably, the severely wounded rider could only let out a few faint whimpers before falling silent.

“Hello!” The Thai beauty put away her pistol into her small handbag and clasped her hands together in front of Lin Mo, flashing a slight smile. “May I ask if you have time to join me for lunch, sir?”

She spoke not in Thai or English, but in perfectly enunciated Mandarin.

What the heck! What kind of agent is this?!

Lin Mo couldn’t help but feel angry. Why was he suddenly such a hot commodity? He felt like a rare delicacy. With a blank expression, he remained silent and turned back around, starting to walk away! One-two, one-two!

In Thailand, besides beautiful women, there are also ladyboys!

Although her voice was a genuine female tone, unlike the characteristic hoarse sounds of ladyboys, this place seemed oddly enchanting, and Lin Mo had no interest in flirting with anyone.

He needed to hurry back to the base, where a whole cow was waiting to be prepared. If he delayed, he might not even get a piece of meat.

A hefty water buffalo weighing nearly a ton wouldn’t be enough for every crew member of the aircraft carrier to have a bite.

He ignored her, blatantly disregarding her presence.

Huh?! What’s happening here?

The bright red hibiscus flower in her hair trembled slightly, and a peculiar look of disbelief spread across the Thai woman’s face. She was stunned that he showed no interest in even speaking, simply turning to walk away. Her carefully prepared remarks hung in the air, feeling utterly weightless, bringing her an indescribable sense of frustration.

What kind of man is this? After all, she is a woman too! And she wasn’t so unattractive that he would want to avoid her. Was she really that terrifying?

She bit her silver teeth and silently chanted to herself, “Lady, lady, must be a lady!”

Forcing herself to calm down, the Thai woman refused to give up and followed closely behind.

“Sir, don’t you think it’s rude?”

Hearing a sweet voice behind him, sounding like a bird chirping, Lin Mo had no interest at all.

This Thai woman was not the first victim. There had already been an Afghan heiress who had already learned of Lin Mo’s ruthless nature, left to toil alone in an Afghan valley while breaking stones and digging for gems.

As for saving anyone’s life, that was out of the question. Even without interference from others, Lin Mo didn’t need to lift a finger. With a slight shift of his left wrist, the gold giant dragon’s separate entity could use its magnetic field ability to nudge aside the motorcycle rider’s fate; after all, both the motorcycle and the knife were made of metal. It would be tough to harm Lin Mo.

“…”

Lin Mo responded with his back to her, indicating he neither saw nor heard her, quickening his pace even more.

With a whiff of fragrance, the Thai woman’s dress swayed as she stepped in front of Lin Mo, appearing to be only slightly shorter than him—already considered quite tall among South Asian women.

“Why are you behaving like this?”

The beautiful Thai woman glared at him sulkily, completely discarding her earlier resolve to remain composed.