Chapter 475

Chapter 475: Raptor! Raptor!

“‘Raptor’! ‘Raptor’! Kler, quick look, it’s the ‘Raptor’! Wow! So beautiful! So cool!”

As a seasoned aviation enthusiast, Aiden Badger is one of many aviation fans in Paris. He even has experience in assembling his own model airplanes and initially intended to compete with the veterans at Bourget Airport.

Unfortunately, a week ago, his beloved model—a 1:10 scaled “Typhoon”—nicknamed “Big John” crashed during a practice flight due to a three-axis gyroscope failure, damaging its tail. The financial loss is minor, but the countless days and nights he invested makes this hurt more than if his youngest son had been humiliated by local bullies.

“See, Badger, that’s just a downgraded version. Didn’t you see the big red circle on it? It’s the Japanese ‘Raptor’. Its performance is far inferior to what Lockheed Martin provides the U.S. military. As a professional enthusiast, is your taste really that low?”

Sitting in the audience, the Bearded Squad Leader to Aiden Badger’s right, holding a bottle of water, seemed to not recognize him as he looked him over thoughtfully.

As a nation with a rich aviation history, France has many clubs that attract enthusiasts to tinker with models and even fly real planes freely. Some deeper connections can even arrange for a visit to an air force base to experience fighter jets up close.

“I’m just excited! I’ve dreamed of collecting a model of the F-22 for a long time. Hi, these things are almost as good as the real deal, but they are expensive. If my wife finds out I wasted money on this, she’ll kick me out of bed! She’d rather I waste money on a mistress than on this money-burning hobby.”

Aiden Badger rested his chin on his hand, looking helpless.

Kler Danzel, another aviation enthusiast, looked at him incredulously. “God, how did you and your wife end up together? The sky is where men find their dreams! You should drag her down with you and make her an aviation fan too! Haha, that way you won’t fight over your differences! A well-crafted F-22—only 120,000 euros! Sell your Mercedes and switch to a Ducati, and you’ll have enough money to buy it!”

“Really creative thinking! Why not just sell the house and buy whatever you want? I still have to live and support my wife and kids. No wonder you can’t find a wife! I don’t know what your future holds, planning to grow old alone with your models?”

Aiden Badger shook his head, unable to comprehend his friend’s comment. Each person has their own life. With such large differences in lifestyle, they probably wouldn’t even talk face to face if it weren’t for their shared interests.

“There’s a Chinese saying: ‘You’re not a fish, how do you know the joy of a fish?’ Your perspective isn’t deep enough! Wait, what’s that?”

Kler suddenly fell silent, his eyes widening as he pointed toward the runway, lost in thought. “What’s that plane? I’ve never seen it before! Is it Japanese? American? What are the organizers doing?”

“Ah?! Kler, you can’t be serious! That’s a Chinese fighter jet!”

“Aiden, don’t joke! A Chinese one? No way! I know they have the J-10, J-11, and the J-20, and now there’s also the J-15 causing quite a stir in the South China Sea. But I can’t believe this one! Is it a variant of the J-20?”

“It does resemble the J-20, but it’s not the J-20; it’s the J-14! Kler, you’re out of the loop!”

“Ah! The J-14? I’ve never seen that before!”

“They haven’t publicly tested it. Today might be its first public appearance! We’ve caught a big fish! Quick, grab the camera! Please tell me you brought it!”

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss such an important day!”

Not only were the two of them hastily grabbing their cameras, but the audience also raised various filming devices. Although many instantly recognized that this unseen fighter was extraordinary, few thought it was of Chinese design, given the cutting-edge aerodynamic design of the J-14, which offered a refreshing look entirely different from China’s previous main fighter jets.

Single-seat, twin-engine, with twin V-tail structures, it features a diamond-shaped intake and a streamlined aerodynamic layout with stealth capabilities, using an internal weapon bay and vector thrust control favored by many Asian countries, along with a canard wing that the Chinese Air Force loves, providing excellent maneuverability.

Moreover, equipped with 14 aerodynamic control surfaces, piloting this fighter requires greater skill. However, for Lin Mo, who is already equipped with the “Dragon General” dual-use tactical armor, it poses no challenge. He finds it even easier to control than his initial test flight of the “Eagle Falcon” at the National Defense Star. The onboard control system seamlessly integrates with the aviation control core of the “Dragon General,” sharing the same standards, meaning Lin Mo does not need to undergo any extra development.

In fact, Lin Mo only needs to glance away to voice commands or tilt his head to perform some actions that typically require hand movement.

Onlookers in the ordinary civilian and key client areas of Bourget Airport were confused about what the organizers were up to. There were no other planes in the sky, just the freshly launched Japanese F-22 “Raptor” in vibrant paint with a red sun and an unknown model of fighter jet taxiing on the runway.

Yamashiro Soichiro, a new member of the “Blue Impulse” flying display team, is not a rookie pilot but a carefully selected participant from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces for government training on acquiring the F-22 “Raptor.”

He understood precisely how much Japan paid to obtain America’s most advanced fighter jet, often being labeled a fool for it. As one of the first pilots to receive the F-22, he emerged from a rigorous selection process. He felt lucky, but he never let pride or arrogance wash over him; instead, he constantly felt the weight of his responsibilities. Thus, like his fellow pilots, he studied hard to master the F-22.

Japan needs the “Raptor”; only possessing this advanced high-performance fighter can Japan hold a voice in Asia.

Yesterday afternoon, a supervisor from Lockheed Martin approached him, suggesting he incite trouble for the Chinese. It looked like some unfortunate Chinese aerospace company had crossed Lockheed’s path, prompting such measures to suppress the competitor.

To please such an important supplier for Japan, Yamashiro remained attentive and diligent, willing to do whatever was necessary, even offering up his girlfriend, as long as the performance of the fighter jets supplied to Japan wouldn’t falter.

Taunting others and stirring anger was unnecessary to teach him; he successfully provoked the Chinese just by existing.

Perhaps as professionals in aerospace, they set a high standard for rationality and composure, which is why the Chinese didn’t physically attack him right away but coldly accepted his challenge without much hesitation. That certainly caught him off guard.

Seeing the new Chinese fighter jet accelerating, then glancing back at the F-22 he was piloting, Yamashiro felt a surge of excitement. He gently pushed the control stick down, angling the nose toward the runway as if to intimidate the opponent before takeoff.

Let’s have a fair knightly duel, shall we?

Yamashiro secretly smirked, his mind fixated on one thought: to defeat this rival, humiliate him, and trample him into the mud, to stomp repeatedly on his face, shattering his spirit.

F-22 “Raptor”?

J-14 “Eagle Falcon”?

Who truly rules the skies? Even if this event was abruptly inserted into the exhibition’s agenda, they failed to expand on the publicity in time.

But at that moment, even the foolish could see the organizers’ intentions for the aerospace exhibition clearly.

Aerial confrontation!

Countless hearts raced with exhilaration, transcending nationality, ethnicity, or gender. Anyone witnessing this scene felt their adrenaline surge uncontrollably.

Yes, in modern society, witnessing a knightly duel feels like being in a dream, astonishing and surreal.

When the F-22 “Raptor” lowered its altitude to prepare for takeoff next to the J-14 on the runway, many spectators couldn’t help but shout in amazement.

This included the live broadcast team from French television channel 4. Host Gilles Lebray, microphone in hand, was already speechless, watching the J-14 preparing for takeoff on the runway. His devoted cameraman captured every single second without missing a beat.

Meanwhile, Mardan de Polignac, who had previously appeared disheveled just days ago, awkwardly followed host Gilles Lebray with wide eyes, completely unaware that his mutterings were being broadcast live.

“Just because you’ve shot into the sky doesn’t mean you can dominate this blue expanse.”

In fact, this comment, laden with “synonyms,” would later become a laughingstock for Mardan de Polignac, an infamous moniker, “Sky Stallion,” symbolizing those who only pierced the skies but repeatedly missed.