Chapter 352

Chapter 352: The Roadblock Dogs

The Shilang aircraft carrier, along with the Haijiao, Yuhua, and Pocha frigates, the Lushan and Tianshan cruisers, three supply ships, the Jing Ke Yuan-class submarine, and several other vessels, formed a large fleet departing from the Sino-Thai joint base in Songkhla, heading east.

Near the junction of the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, the carrier fleet encountered four patrol boats from the naval base in Cambodia.

With only about 5,000 personnel, the Cambodian navy could barely maintain coastal security and combat smuggling; their ships were scarce and hardly worth mentioning. Aware that the Chinese carrier fleet was passing through nearby waters, they boldly approached to observe.

The number of Chinese Navy officers aboard a single aircraft carrier equaled the total number of the Cambodian navy, and many Cambodian sailors harbored curiosity.

Whether intentionally or not, the return route of the carrier fleet followed along the coast of the Indochinese Peninsula, but the level of welcome they received varied distinctly.

Approaching Vietnamese waters, the Vietnamese greeted them as if facing a formidable enemy. Their concerns were valid; the Shilang aircraft carrier, which had been openly domineering in the South China Sea while proclaiming to "not seek hegemony," had replenished a large amount of supplies, including ammunition, at the Sino-Thai joint base in Songkhla, even accumulating the striking power to potentially decimate the Vietnamese navy.

In the coming period, the Shilang would likely maintain extensive live-fire training.

“Training group 1 to 5, prepare for takeoff!”

On the flight deck of the Shilang, J-15 "Dark Sabre" carrier-based aircraft were arranged, and dozens of pilots began boarding, launching one aircraft every two minutes into the sky.

Lin Mo, however, was clad in “Dragon General” tactical armor, enjoying the comfortable temperature regulation while adapting to the suit’s various functions.

With a loud crack, Lin Mo swiftly split a coconut in half, quickly positioning the cut side upright to hand over one half, complete with milk and meat, to Colonel Wu Nanjie standing nearby.

The intelligence department had sent a report that restricted Lin Mo’s flight missions to prevent exposure during flight, a result neither Lin Mo nor the Night headquarters had anticipated. What was initially intended as a relocation for protective measures turned out to require even more concealment; perhaps ensuring he wouldn’t fly at all might be the most effective way to protect him.

“Wow! You’ve got quite the grip! Faster than a knife, indeed. No wonder you can knock out a cow with one punch," Colonel Wu said without restraint as he accepted the coconut half, which still had a pool of coconut water. He brought it to his lips, took a light sip, and nodded, “Yes, you’re right!”

Amidst the aircraft taking off, Wu Daqiao’s voice reached Lin Mo’s ears.

Before leaving, the Thai side had loaded the vessel with a large amount of fruits, many of which were long-lasting varieties. Cocounts, common in tropical regions, filled every living cabin, making fruit desserts a daily staple in the cafeteria.

“Report! This is training group 1, Conch 1. We have spotted Vietnamese fighter jets. Confirmed, there are 22 aircraft: 14 MiG-29s and 8 Su-30s, heading our way at a speed of 960 kilometers and an altitude of 3,000 meters.”

“This is training group 2, Cat Paw 3. I see 6 Su-27s and 32 MiG-21s. Wow, that’s a lot!”

“This is the operations command center. The electronic attack operation will commence in 30 seconds, implementing full-band jamming interference. The interference radius will center around ship 83 (Shilang) with a radius of 100 kilometers. Do not initiate any attacks.”

“Confirmed! The ‘Sunbird’ electronic warning aircraft has completed preparations for warning and electronic attack.”

“The first anti-submarine helicopter squadron is moving to deploy towed sonar, while the third tier of the anti-submarine defense net is now open and begins searching for targets.”

“Training group 1 is ready for attack!”

“Training group 2 is ready for attack!”

“Training group 3 is ready for attack!”

“Training group 4 is ready for attack!”

“Training group 5 is ready for attack!”

“The Haijiao has locked onto aerial missiles. The second tier of the anti-submarine defense net is open, completing preparations for the anti-submarine missile attack.”

“Now commencing anti-submarine operations. The first tier of the anti-submarine defense plan for ship 83 is activated.”

Lin Mo wore a slender black ear receiver in his left ear, and Colonel Wu had a similar one to listen to the operations command public channel. The encrypted antenna signals covered a radius of 300 meters around the deck, fully encompassing the entire flight deck.

“Attention all training groups, this is ‘Landmine’; please report your status in a timely manner,” Colonel Wu pressed his ear, speaking loudly.

Even on the flight deck, he and Lin Mo could communicate with the pilots across five training groups, conducting remote command and control.

On a nearby table, an aluminum alloy stand supported a 12-inch ultra-thin tablet, displaying radar scanning images fed back from the warning aircraft ‘Sunbird.’ The screen showed several bright spots representing the J-15 "Dark Sabre" carrier-based aircraft departing from the Shilang aircraft carrier and the fighter jet formations of the Vietnamese Air Force taking off from Vietnam.

The training fleet of the Shilang aircraft carrier passed by, adhering strictly to international maritime sovereignty, waving flags of peace and non-dominance while deliberately keeping a distance from Vietnamese waters.

However, the Vietnamese did not share this perspective. As long as the Chinese were willing, the striking radius of the Shilang could easily cover the entire Indochinese Peninsula, even extending to mainland China.

The Vietnamese military was genuinely alarmed by the course of the Chinese aircraft carrier fleet.

Naval vessels do not navigate along fixed paths like civilian ships guided by satellites. As long as they steer clear of dangerous reefs and shallow waters, they can take indirect routes. In wartime, military vessels are particularly elusive.

Facing what felt like a formidable enemy, the Vietnamese military quickly dispatched their naval ships. Without hesitation, they sent their air force fighters out of their airspace, maintaining the highest alert against the Chinese carrier fleet. Who knows if this second-hand equipment purchased from Ukraine might suddenly transform into a soul-grabber for Vietnam.

Despite this, the Vietnamese Air Force could only silently pray, hoping there would be no confrontation.

Due to its border with China, almost the entire territory of Vietnam fell within the striking radius of Chinese ballistic missiles. Once the carrier formation entered the South China Sea, Vietnam found itself in a sandwich position, under dire pressure.

“This is Captain ‘Coffee Bean.’ I haven’t spotted anything yet. The position is just above the clouds and is expected to exit the cloud coverage in 10 minutes. All formations, stay alert,” said Zheng Yuanchun, the leader of the Vietnamese Air Force’s MiG-29 formation, codenamed “Coffee Bean.” He scanned the formation of 14 MiG-29s with his aircraft leading a loose V-formation.

At four o’clock, at an altitude of 5,000 meters, 8 Su-30s formed a diagonal line in proximity to the MiG formation, primarily designed for bombing with air combat as a secondary role. Each carried Indian-exported BrahMos air-launched anti-ship missiles under their wings.

The Vietnamese used the supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles as one of their trump cards against the Shilang.

However, the Vietnamese seemed a bit overconfident; the maximum range of the BrahMos is only 300 kilometers, and in actual combat, they would have to factor in the operational capabilities of the Vietnamese Air Force. Achieving 150 kilometers would already be a reason to celebrate.

For an aircraft carrier with a combat radius of 1,000 kilometers, the BrahMos’ 150 kilometers was hardly a concern. Not to mention the presence of the J-15 "Dark Sabre" carrier-based aircraft, even the few frigates and cruisers accompanying the Shilang were equipped with interception weapon systems capable of delivering severe consequences to any enemy that dared approach the carrier.

“Everyone, be careful! The Chinese carrier-based pilots are extremely skilled. Do not let them get close! A warning has already been issued; even if they don’t fire, they could still take us down.”

“‘Spirit Oil 3!’ Don’t scare me. If they don’t fire, how could they shoot us down? Are they going to do a suicide crash?”

“What’s there to be scared of? The warning was issued since recently, two Su-27s were taken down by the Chinese carrier-based aircraft, and only one of the ejected pilots survived. The survivor even said they never had a chance to engage before going down in a spin. It’s as if the Chinese are using magic. ‘Horn 1,’ just be cautious.”

“…So frightening!”

“‘Spirit Oil 3,’ this is your captain ‘Coffee Bean.’ You shut your mouth! If you shake the morale of the troops any further, I’ll knock you out of the sky!”

“Uh! Fine… zzz…”

“Hey! Hey!” In the cockpit, Zheng Yuanchun, known as “Coffee Bean,” puzzled, tapped the communication switch, but there was still no response, just electromagnetic noise. He muttered to himself, “What’s going on? What a piece of junk equipment! These damn repairmen are just useless leeches taking money without doing any work; it’s all about connections.”

He turned to look at the other MiG-29s in formation but was astonished to see they were all the same, looking down at their instrument panels and signaling urgently.

A flash of realization struck Zheng Yuanchun, the squadron leader of the Vietnamese flying group “Coffee Bean.”

It was radio interference!

The Chinese had already spotted them and initiated electronic jamming.

Oh no! This was terrible news.

“Coffee Bean” Zheng Yuanchun quickly switched channels on the instrument panel, but found that no matter what channel he tuned into, there was only the harsh sound of electromagnetic noise. Even communication with headquarters was blocked.