Chapter 386

Chapter 386: Right on Target

The massive explosion collapsed the rock wall, creating a huge cavity that resembled a giant mouth, gaping wide open with its teeth blown out.

The few armed militants still trapped inside the tent, unable to escape the blast radius, were obliterated along with the tent itself, turning to dust.

Forget about severed limbs; finding even a few bone fragments within such a powerful aerial bomb’s kill zone was a true blessing.

Nuka, the small armed leader of the World Uyghur Congress, shook his head, which ached from the shock. Fighting back nausea and dizziness, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Run, scatter! Don’t stay in one place. Go get the anti-aircraft weapons!”

Amidst the billowing smoke, he gasped for breath, feeling a heavy pressure in his chest, but he pushed himself to move.

How many of his men would survive to hear him and respond in time was beyond his control. He could only hope that some of them were still alive.

Fortunately, about ten quick-thinking individuals sprinted toward the cave entrance where weapons and ammunition were stored. Nuka also struggled to his feet and staggered toward the cave, knowing that even if no weapons were retrieved, it had become a decent shelter after years of operation.

Having survived many battles, Nuka understood well what it meant to be targeted by fighter jets. He hesitated not a moment; he couldn’t afford to hesitate. He immediately took action.

While he didn’t expect to shoot down the two fighter jets, all he needed was to survive this ordeal and keep his life.

Survival had become the only hope for all the militants.

The supplies station contained an abundance of various weapons, including anti-aircraft weaponry. Nuka urged his men to hurry and gather them. If he hesitated any longer, he might lose his life.

Just as the fighter jets zoomed past, still turning around for their next assault, the militants bolted into the cave, smashed open an ammo crate, and pulled out anti-aircraft machine guns and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, ready to counterattack.

Before Nuka could celebrate, another plume of white smoke shot in from a distance, striking the mouth of the cave. It not only blew away the camouflage but also engulfed two of his men who were carrying anti-aircraft weapons in a fireball.

“What the—?” Nuka was stunned by the precise strike. Luck seemed to be on his side that day; he had just managed to grab a set of Stinger missiles, and as he stepped out, the cave behind him exploded.

After being attacked continuously, Nuka felt a chilling dread. Without reinforcements, the only reliance in this desolate place was himself.

“Bingo! Nice shot, right on target!”

Lin Mo couldn’t contain his excitement as the Tabby Cat fired an air-to-ground missile, which struck the cave entrance perfectly, completely exposing it by blowing away the camouflage.

While the missile’s advanced capability was a significant factor, the accuracy was almost comparable to his cannon targeting a missile.

“Ha! I told you, my accuracy is ninety percent, and I hit both targets today! Let’s go again! Dragon Knight, cover me!” The J-8 pilot, the Tabby Cat, beamed with joy, pumping his fist in the air. The uncontrolled throttle caused the nose of the aircraft to bob up and down.

“Steady now, Tabby Cat, I’ll cover you, and we’ll come around again.” Lin Mo signaled to the Tabby Cat from the cockpit.

The J-18 didn’t have to worry about throttle control; the onboard computer system and balancing devices would handle it automatically.

“Fire!”

Yelling wildly against the recoil, Nuka shouted desperate commands. For a glimmer of hope, he launched the Stinger missile from his shoulder and the nearby 12.7 millimeter caliber anti-aircraft machine gun spat out a long jet of fire.

“Whoa! They’re counterattacking! They’re counterattacking!”

Although it was daytime, the tracer rounds shooting skyward were clearly visible as they furiously pursued the two fighter jets. The Tabby Cat momentarily panicked and quickly pulled the nose of the aircraft up.

Ah, he’s just a rookie. His bombing skills were decent, but his ability to adapt under pressure still needed improvement. He executed textbook S-turns and an Immelmann maneuver. Lin Mo remained calm, controlling his aircraft to dive instead while shouting into the radio channel, “Don’t panic! Don’t rush! Just barrel rolls! Keep rolling! The bullets can’t hit you.”

As Lin Mo finished his instruction, a white smoke missile shot up from the ground toward the sky. The computer system automatically identified it as a Stinger anti-aircraft missile.

Alright then, let’s do this! Lin Mo pressed forward, lowering the nose to dive as two 23mm cannons unleashed a barrage of fire, engulfing the area where the missile and anti-aircraft machine gun were located.

Boom!

A fireball erupted in the sky, quickly vanishing and turning into a cloud of white smoke slowly dispersing.

“Damn it! Bastard!” Nuka swung his fists at the sky, shocked that his fired anti-aircraft missile was shot down by the enemy’s cannon fire. How lucky could they be?

“Anti-aircraft machine guns, keep firing…” Nuka turned to order the nearby anti-aircraft machine gun to continue its barrage, but he froze in astonishment.

Where two armed militants should have been operating a 12.7 mm caliber anti-aircraft machine gun, he only saw a mangled gun barrel and shattered gun parts. Countless blood and flesh particles scattered across a large area, and the two living men had completely vanished without a trace.

“Ugh!” Nuka felt a wave of nausea as the gruesome scene burned into his mind. The result of cannon fire striking human bodies meant that one hit to the torso could tear a person apart, and facing a barrage, the largest body parts left would be no bigger than a brick.

War, damn war!

Nuka considered himself a seasoned veteran, having survived many battles, yet he couldn’t accept such a bloody sight. Even when he followed the World Uyghur Congress as a small warlord, he had never experienced such a brutal fight.

Life felt fragile and insignificant here; a fighter jet’s minimal firepower could reduce a person to nothing.

The remaining three anti-aircraft machine guns weakly pursued targets in the sky, and everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Perhaps Nuka forgot to encourage his men to counterattack, but it no longer mattered; in order to survive, everyone exerted every ounce of their strength, and no one dared to flee.

All the armed militants had witnessed bloodshed and understood that the situation was a fight to the death. If they showed signs of retreat, they would be picked off one by one by bombardment. Even hiding in rock crevices might not save them; the enemy had aerial bombs and could easily turn their position into a grave.

“Dragon Knights, keep providing cover! I’m going to take them down!” The Tabby Cat was furious after being forced to face ground anti-aircraft fire, losing the chance for a second attack. He felt embarrassed for wasting an opportunity while the Dragon Knight calmly began to fight back.

“Be careful! They’re about to go wild! Destroy the target first; don’t worry about those little fish.” Lin Mo fired another series of cannon rounds, and in the cloud of dust, an armed militant carrying an anti-aircraft missile was blasted into oblivion.

The anti-aircraft machine guns were insignificant; the Stinger missiles were much more concerning. Just a near miss could lead to them being shot down.

With incredible maneuverability, the J-18 “Red Eagle” toyed with the ground anti-aircraft fire like it was in Lin Mo’s hands.

“Alright, I’m coming in! Cover me!” The Tabby Cat on the J-8 felt envy towards Lin Mo. This Dragon Knight’s piloting skills with the fighter jet left him green with jealousy.

“Make sure to hit! Go for it!” Lin Mo cheered on the rookie.

While he appeared to be a beginner, his tactical maneuvers and attacks were quite skilled, showing a solid foundation that only needed some sharpening to turn him into a future fighter ace.

Compared to his first attack, the Tabby Cat’s third maneuver, though still textbook, had a bit more fluidity to it.

Lin Mo understood now why the higher-ups had sent such a pilot to pair with him. Only through actual combat could the Tabby Cat’s potential be fully tapped, and Lin Mo, both an ace and experienced instructor, was the best choice for a mentor. It was no wonder the aviation teams were willing to help Night.

“I’m coming in!”

The Tabby Cat again brought the J-8 into attack position. Almost simultaneously, a beam of green laser shot straight out from the belly of the J-18. In the bright sunlight, one could barely see the weak Tyndall effect. The cup-sized green light spot at the blown cave entrance made Nuka lose his composure entirely.

This time wasn’t enough; he’d have to strike again!

A white smoke trail shot towards the ground, exploding into a fireball at the cave entrance.

“Missed! Off by five meters! Hurry, drop the bomb now!”

Lin Mo’s Light Mirror Technique quickly captured the image of the cave entrance after the hit, and the second air-to-ground missile slammed near the entrance. Hitting the mountain meant the missile would be destroyed along with the rock, but the mountain itself remained unscathed.

“Got it!”

In a state of excitement, the Tabby Cat skillfully evaded the incoming fire from below, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Mo eliminated another firing point.

Although he missed his first target, compared to the miraculous direct hit of the first missile to the cave entrance, the second miss was within expected limits. The Tabby Cat was well-prepared and showed no signs of frustration.