Chapter 455

Chapter 455: Hitching a Ride

Lin Mo saw several officers by the landing marker waving at him, signaling him to land there. Near the landing point, he could still see soldiers carrying AK-74 rifles.

Controlling the parachute, Lin Mo aimed for the marker and landed successfully and steadily. Before the parachute could drag him down, he drew his tactical dagger and swung it behind him. The dagger might not have been exceptionally sharp, but after being slightly empowered with Battle Energy, its sharpness increased dramatically, easily cutting through the parachute cords.

As a disposable item, it wasn’t something to be regretted.

A jeep drove Lin Mo toward the Il-76 transport plane. At the boarding gate, he received special treatment: a security check!

The results were obvious; alarms blared continuously, and the inspection revealed numerous prohibited items on him.

The most significant threat was the dagger, followed closely by the "Dragon General" tactical armor designed for both ground and air use. Although primarily for combat coordination and defense, it was still a formidable weapon that could not raise any alarms.

Considering the crew of Russian fighter jet exhibitors present, including engineering experts, it felt like letting a weasel into a Chicken Coop.

However, orders had to be followed.

Russian soldiers dared not openly confiscate the "Dragon General" armor; the aircraft was about to take off, and there was no time for delay or hesitation.

The officers exchanged glances, their eyes darting, whispering to each other while also reporting to their superiors via walkie-talkie.

Lin Mo was surrounded by incomprehensible Russian chatter, his face blank, unsure of what the Russians were saying.

Were they thinking of breaking their necks?

Regardless, for Lin Mo, it was like speaking different languages. The Russians excluded him from discussions and eventually came up with a compromise proposal.

It wasn’t a particularly clever idea, resembling methods used by Chinese civil aviation: take it off and pack it up. In short, he couldn’t wear it, effectively disarming him temporarily.

While it was impossible to strip Lin Mo of his combat capability entirely, it still represented a gesture of goodwill. The Russians were also taking a considerable risk, even though the Chinese side merely stated he was a pilot going to the exhibition, concealing that he had single-handedly taken down nearly a dozen soldiers in Future Warrior exoskeleton armor in Afghanistan.

Otherwise, the Old Russians would never have allowed Lin Mo to board and would have sent him back home under guard.

Although the Russian intelligence department might have suspected something, their information was limited, even less than what the Americans knew. The Chinese intelligence department deliberately concealed and confused eyes, and not many people in China knew Lin Mo’s real identity and organizational affiliation.

The officers at this base had to execute their superiors’ orders, and unusual circumstances required special treatment since it was rare for a foreign soldier to hitch a ride with them.

At the air force base, they tossed a brand-new Russian military uniform at Lin Mo, signaling him to change. Their intention was clear: such dangerous combat equipment could not be worn and needed to be removed and placed in a military backpack.

The dagger had to be treated in the same way; it needed to be packed away too, but no one cared about it. Those who knew how to use such special operation daggers could kill without hesitation, even unarmed.

Lin Mo’s military backpack was quite spacious, fitting everything inside perfectly, appearing full and bulging.

He might need to find a store to buy a suitcase since he had left hurriedly without preparing extra clothes and daily necessities. Lin Mo checked his wallet; it was still there, a good habit.

Wearing the Russian military uniform fit Lin Mo well, transforming the Dragon Knight into a Russian soldier, looking quite impressive.

Even without ranks or changing into a foreign military outfit, his military aura remained intact; the ingrained presence in him couldn’t be concealed by any clothing.

Compared to the Il-76 transport plane from which Lin Mo parachuted, this transport’s cabin featured a semi-passenger and semi-cargo setup. The front half was filled with seats, while the back half was a cargo bay with steel baskets for storing luggage. A steel wall separated the front and back cabins, which could not compete with the comfort of commercial airlines.

Most of the baskets in the cargo bay were filled with personal suitcases of Sukhoi company exhibitors, promotional printed materials, and souvenirs like T-shirts and sun hats. Sukhoi had prepared thoroughly, with around forty participants seated ahead.

Even though Sukhoi was a competitor to Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, they had no petty animosities and didn’t refuse flights for competitor pilots.

After all, National Defense Star had only been established for about a year, just beginning to make its mark in the industry, and without a solid flagship product, they were hardly regarded by these veterans.

Beyond competition, aircraft manufacturers from China and Russia had cooperative relationships in certain fields. Otherwise, how would Chinese fighter jet development have progressed? The Old Russians had secretly sold prototype planes to the Chinese, offering technological support while also imposing technological restrictions.

Such matters were up for interpretation.

If the Chinese became reliant on foreign technology and halted local fighter jet development, it would play into the Old Russians’ hands, turning them into a significant market awaiting to be exploited.

Much like the time when the Y-10 was abruptly discontinued, now they regretted it. It was too late; restarting from scratch would be tragic—let alone the Y-10, even the Y-8 faced delays and would require at least thirty more years to barely catch up with the international mainstream level.

Not one large aircraft has come into shape without two or three decades of development. In another thirty years, perhaps even jet engines will be outdated.

Lin Mo, like others, stuffed his military backpack into the cargo basket, and a silver bead the size of a thumb rolled from his watch into the backpack pocket.

This kind of tacit understanding between man and dragon required no words from Lin Mo.

If anyone foolishly dared to reach into the backpack where the "Dragon General" was stored, the hidden Gold Coins would surely give them an unforgettable lesson. This wasn’t the first time someone had received such special treatment.

The Sukhoi personnel had already found their seats and sat down, waiting for takeoff. Lin Mo was the last to board, and after settling his luggage, he scanned the passenger area in the front cabin, looking for an empty seat.

In the very front, an elderly Russian man with a head full of white hair waved at Lin Mo, gesturing and pointing to the seat beside him, indicating there were empty spots.

As a black-haired, black-eyed, yellow-skinned Asian, Lin Mo stood out on this plane, drawing attention.

Uninformed people would assume he was also a Russian soldier since there were many ethnicities in Russia—more than a hundred, including black-haired, black-eyed yellow-skinned individuals.

Moreover, the growing global presence of Chinese people was considerable, with one-fifth of the world’s population being Chinese, many of whom have obtained Russian citizenship.

However, wearing a full Russian military uniform cleverly concealed Lin Mo’s identity, something the officers from the Russian air force base who issued the uniform likely hadn’t anticipated.

The language barrier was no issue, as it didn’t stop the enthusiasm of the Sukhoi exhibitors.

Lin Mo hadn’t even opened his mouth this entire time, getting a free ride on the plane, a free lunch, and now a complimentary Russian military uniform—he also snagged a seat. He initially planned that if there were no seats available, he would simply tie himself to the cabin wall with a seatbelt. The Il-76 was versatile, with various standard components readily available.

“Hi! Tatar?”

The elderly Russian man shouted at Lin Mo as he sat down in the nearby empty seat. He was curious as to why this plane, clearly booked by Sukhoi, still had other passengers without identification badges and why Lin Mo looked like a Russian soldier without ranks.

Could it be that they dispatched a soldier to protect them?

Lin Mo’s identity was known only to the senior officials in the Russian military; the subordinates merely followed orders without considering how a Chinese soldier appeared.

Lin Mo blinked and shook his head, replying, “English?” indicating he didn’t understand, but attempting to communicate in another language. Many Europeans speak multiple languages, especially educated individuals; not knowing English would be embarrassing.

English, as an international language, witnessed the madness of Britain’s Victorian era during the rise of the empire.

This language barrier felt extremely frustrating, as communication with special forces at least had a set of universal sign languages to facilitate some understanding. However, interactions with others left only smiles and silence, which was quite the predicament.

The Sukhoi exhibitor team had translators, but those were for French and English. The Chinese wouldn’t be there to buy their planes, so there was no possibility of assigning a Chinese translator.

Fortunately, Lin Mo’s inquiry received a response. “English? OK! Why don’t you speak Russian? Which state are you from?” The elderly Russian man was taken aback; he didn’t expect Lin Mo wouldn’t know Russian, which raised some curiosity about Lin Mo’s identity. How could anyone not understand orders and still serve?

The elderly Russian man was filled with questions, frowning as he pondered.