Chapter 427

Chapter 427: That Dragon Has Returned

When the Americans bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, it was because the official channels couldn’t openly demand the parts of the F117 stealth fighter. In the end, both sides simply characterized the attack as a lighthearted “misfire.”

The Chinese people paid with innocent lives, but they gained a significant leap in fighter jet stealth technology.

It is hard to determine what was gained and what was lost, and the true judgment remains elusive even today.

Some might say that a few journalists and the embassy shielded their spoils, thinking that the Americans wouldn’t dare or wouldn’t do so. Yet, reality was not as those people envisioned.

The Americans dared to act, and they did, with the grand explanation that the “map was too old” and it was a misfire.

Why not use a map from three hundred years ago? China couldn’t retaliate; they simply could not.

This situation left both sides in a tight spot.

The American military wanted to keep the peace. They didn’t dare escalate, and China couldn’t completely go to war with America over this incident. They had to find a way to quietly drag things out, using time to dull the impact of the event.

Otherwise, if they tore the face off each other at that moment, both countries would only meet in armed conflict. Such a war would not be controllable by either government; America was not prepared, and neither was China.

The rules between nations may seem complex, yet they can be simple at the same time, intertwining various unimaginable interests.

This attack on the aerospace training center, while touching China’s limits, did not mean they would loudly proclaim to the world, “I was attacked! I was bullied!”

As allied countries, they would nod at most and move on, with no personal stake in the matter.

As for enemy nations, they would revel in the chaos, celebrating the victory. The opportunity for armed organizations to showcase their prowess and attract various “agents” was ripe for the taking.

Al-Qaeda had done this numerous times but eventually went too far, believing in a philosophy of “the heavens are supreme, and I follow,” making it difficult to control, which led to their downfall. Once upon a time, Al-Qaeda was actually supported by America, and since 1987, members had obtained visas to train in the U.S. from the American embassy in Saudi Arabia.

The rise of the Taliban followed a similar path. Many outsiders believed that Americans were shooting themselves in the foot, but who ended up laughing last? It was neither George H.W. Bush nor George W. Bush; the Bush family profited immensely.

As expected, when the attack on the Fifth Aerospace Training Center happened, the Chinese officials remained silent. However, several terrorist organizations stepped forward, taking full responsibility, unafraid of retribution from China. After all, they already harbored a long-standing enmity, and with many grudges, they felt they had nothing to lose. It was better to gain recognition, appearing formidable.

In local Chinese terms, these guys were born to face bullets.

“Today, many soldiers have arrived at the training center, and they have started a full lockdown. Starting tonight at six, a curfew will be in effect. Dinner will be delivered to your rooms by designated staff. For the next few days, aside from training, do not go out, understand? It’s not just for your safety,” Major General Sun announced, finishing the notification task with a final warning.

“Yes!” everyone replied in unison.

With Major General Sun’s departure, the others felt a wave of relief wash over them. Their expressions improved significantly as they found excuses to return to their dormitories.

Indeed, just as Major General Sun had said, the astronaut candidates’ accommodation area was under lockdown, not only protected by machine gun fortifications but also patrolled by military dogs, tongues hanging out in readiness.

Most candidates returned to their rooms to rest, waiting for meals to be brought to them, preparing for training next week. Even experienced pilots faced uncertainty every time they took off, unsure if they would land safely.

A good landing is one from which you can walk away. A great landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

There were seasoned pilots and brave pilots. However, there were no brave seasoned pilots.

Pilots who enjoyed more favorable treatment than those in other military branches faced high risks, so no one would joke with their lives. Whether or not they had flying tasks, they would always choose to nurture their energy during free time, accumulating the best mental state in preparation for flight.

Yet, a few candidates did not return to their rooms. Instead, they gathered in a lounge area made up of several sofas in the middle of the dormitory corridor, discussing their topics.

Before long, the nutritionist and cafeteria staff arrived, pushing a food cart. Due to the chaos at the training center, they did not allow candidates to go to the cafeteria as usual to eat.

Everyone received a beautifully packaged meal box.

"Food should be exquisite, and meat should be finely sliced." Sometimes, perhaps due to humanity’s inherent destructive instincts, artistic food can stir up people’s appetites even more.

The task of these nutritionists, besides providing a complete dietary plan, is to ensure that those receiving their service enjoy their meals fully.

“Number one, here is your dinner!”

Lin Mo’s nutritionist took down a meal box that nearly filled a quarter of the meal cart.

Alright, this is like feeding a pig. For such a foodie, the nutritionist abandoned all principles and stuffed him with big portions of meat and fish.

With five or six meal boxes combined, it was almost enough for twenty people.

Although they provided plenty of concentrated energy bars, regular food was still essential. If the normal appetite and taste of humanity were disrupted, it would be completely unsuitable for astronauts, who have nearly perfect physical fitness.

“Oh, thank you!”

Lin Mo took the meal box and placed it on the small dining table in the living room, nearly filling the entire surface.

The tableware consisted of silver-plated titanium alloy chopsticks and spoons, which were not only lightweight and durable but also easy to clean and disinfect.

As Lin Mo picked up the titanium chopsticks and lifted the lid of the meal box to see what surprise the nutritionist had prepared for him today, he suddenly heard a clink. The chopsticks in his hand felt momentarily heavy.

“What was that sound?”

The nutritionist paused his note-taking, looking somewhat puzzled.

“Oh, it’s nothing?”

Lin Mo quickly covered up, as he had just seen a metal bead the size of a soybean drop from one of the chopsticks, landing on the soup spoon.

He hurriedly scooped it up and tapped it against the watch on his left wrist, feeling the watch tremble, and the bead disappeared.

The Gold Coin finally returned! Lin Mo sighed heavily in relief.

“Oh, finish eating quickly. Someone will come to collect in an hour. After you’re done, don’t wander around at night. If anything comes up, you can call the main line at 6001.”

After synchronously collecting Lin Mo’s physiological data, the nutritionist moved on with the meal cart.

Once the nutritionist left, Lin Mo immediately closed and locked the door.

He quickly removed his watch and tossed it on the dining table, demanding from the Gold Coin that had merged into his watch, “Quickly tell me where you went and what you were doing!”

“Hehe!” The watch began to disassemble and reconfigure into a cube, taking the appearance of the "Fire Seed" unit module, which it loved to use to scare others, and it also concealed Lin Mo’s figure well.

Everyone knew Lin Mo had a fondness for collecting such little trinkets.

The Gold Coin didn’t respond immediately to Lin Mo’s inquiry. Instead, it laughed mischievously, looking as smug as a weasel that had stolen an Old Hen, unable to hide its pride.

“Enough with the laughter! The outside world is in chaos! Quickly tell me, does the attack on the training center concern you?” Lin Mo urgently wanted to confirm the real situation. The national apparatus was incredibly powerful; even if someone gained an advantage temporarily, once they swung into action, they could likely trace everything back to him. That would be disastrous.

Lin Mo feared that if the government took it seriously, they could find out he was from another world.

A fire cannot be hidden, and who could withstand a long-term deep investigation? Some high-level intelligence analysts could even reason out the closest truth without needing actual evidence.

“Alright, alright, the attack outside has nothing to do with me. I don’t know where a bunch of robots showed up from, but it’s quite lively out there. However, I found some good stuff here, hehe, I’ve hit the jackpot! Lord Dragon has never had such a big harvest.”

The surface of the Fire Seed cube module shook as the Gold Coin reveled in delight.

“Harvest? What mischief are you up to?” Lin Mo sensed something was off. The space industry had plenty of special metals, and there were even applications for artificially synthesized metal elements, which were fatal temptations for the gold giant dragon.

Lin Mo didn’t believe that the Gold Coin would behave like a cat not stealing fish.

“You didn’t expect this, did you? There’s a big secret beneath this training center that’s almost as large in scale as ‘Night’. Guess what I saw in there?”

“What? I warn you, don’t do anything stupid. The security here is no less tight than ‘Night’.”

Lin Mo wasn’t interested in knowing what earth-shattering things lay beneath; he only knew that if this gold giant dragon were exposed, he would also be in danger. This place was not like the main road, where people could easily assume it was a cosplay or a model.

The Gold Coin paid no attention to Lin Mo’s attitude, continuing to do as it pleased, “Deep down, there is a huge assembly workshop with unfinished space shuttles and space engine experimental machines. If I hadn’t done a good deed like Lei Feng, those robots outside would have long opened the door to this workshop. Ugh, ugh, why would I learn from Lei Feng?!”