Chapter 505

Chapter 505: Climbing the Mountain to Hunt the Tiger

Knowing there’s a tiger on the mountain, yet heading towards it, the pride of the Air Knights left no room for Lin Mo to refuse. Lockheed was confident in this.

A contest of wealth!

A contest of high technology!

The realization of self-worth!

But there was no honor.

Unless a true World War II occurred, the title of the victor would forever be a hollow name.

Despite the bare blood and fire, for any pilot who truly loves a challenge, this temptation was nearly lethal.

Only through real combat could one truly become an ace pilot.

A pilot who cannot shoot down opponents would forever be like a white dove flapping its wings in the sky, never becoming a true eagle.

“Tell Lockheed that ten million dollars won’t buy me off! What a beautiful dream! Bring me a full set of AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar and a full electro-optical distributed aperture system (EODAS) without any shortcuts, or else, heh! Don’t blame me for being rude. As for whether I will participate, let’s see how I feel. Don’t think I don’t know your true intentions—trying to use someone else’s hand to deal with me. Stop treating others as fools.”

Lin Mo did not easily give in. He had already made over ten million dollars from this aerospace exhibition, so he was not short on cash.

However, money did not hold much value for him; his personal expenses were already carefree for a lifetime, but some things were irreplaceable, regardless of the cost.

The two pieces of equipment Lin Mo referred to were avionics modules designed for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, produced by Northrop Grumman specifically for Lockheed Martin. Their value was comparable to the F-136 afterburning turbofan engine equipped on the F-35.

Aside from the American military and related manufacturers, no one else could acquire the AESA and EODAS systems, even for a billion dollars. They were strictly restricted and banned military components by the U.S. Congress and military, not even allowing a glance.

Lockheed had designs on Lin Mo, but Lin Mo was also harboring designs on Lockheed. For both sides, this was indeed a “great opportunity.”

With a keen eye, Lin Mo focused on the two systems. Among them, the electro-optical distributed aperture system (EODAS) could work with the aircraft’s six electro-optical detection devices to achieve a 360-degree view with no blind spots, directly projecting onto the helmet visor display. It could “see through” various obstacles to capture wide-area images and, combined with other systems, like Lockheed Martin’s own electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), it could conduct precise detection and identification of targets from a distance beyond engagement range.

Wasn’t this the very essence of “Light Mirror Technique” in this world?

When technology reaches a certain level, it can even rival the magic of spells. The technology mastered by the gold giant dragon couldn’t compare to imitation, and China’s production capability simply did not meet the standards. Lin Mo had long been lusting after the American merchandise.

The Americans might have something better, but Lin Mo opted for the more stable operational product.

“Ah! This, this!”

Townsend Williams was sweating profusely, shaking all over, clearly frightened by such a high demand.

As an industry insider, he knew how unimaginable Lin Mo’s demands were. Would the American government allow Lockheed to give such critical equipment to someone else?

Did they want Lockheed Martin to cease operations? That would be treason.

In an instant, his back was completely soaked.

“Report my demands, huh? Your bait is weak, and you want to catch a big fish? Are all of you at Lockheed filled with grass? What nonsense!”

Lin Mo took a piece of paper from the table, quickly scribbled a secret email address on it, and handed it to Lockheed Martin’s exhibition supervisor, Townsend Williams, saying, “This is my contact information. Send me the document when you have news, but don’t bother me otherwise. I’m very busy. One last request: leave! I don’t want to see you again.”

Like a pardon had been issued, Townsend Williams clutched the paper Lin Mo had given him and hurriedly left without looking back.

Lockheed staged a self-inflicted setback; not only had they failed to eliminate Lin Mo, but their repeated blunders also dragged them into a pit of hatred. They weren’t Blackwater nor the military, and their series of failures had started to impact their annual performance reports, even drawing the attention of the national tax authorities to the irregularities.

If this continued, China might soon pressure the American government to take action against Lockheed.

At the national level, even the strongest business enterprises could become cannon fodder. Companies like Mike’s Donal Douglas (F-15 manufacturer, now acquired by Boeing) and General Dynamics (F-16 manufacturer) would be more than willing to act as executioners and join in splitting up Lockheed’s business.

No matter how powerful Lockheed was, they could not cover the sky with one hand. Their ongoing actions had already brought considerable trouble to America.

The arena is located in Syria!

It seems I’ve heard of it somewhere before.

Holding the documents in his hands, Lin Mo lost his focus as his gaze wandered toward the Sukhoi exhibition area, where he unwittingly caught a glimmer of inspiration.

The volunteer pilot “Caviar”, Leonid Ivanov, an old Russian he had once collaborated with in the “Azrael” volunteer squadron on operations in Pakistan, seemed to have perished in Syria.

The war between the Syrian government forces and the opposition armed groups attracted many forces, turning it into a chessboard for vying for petroleum and natural gas resources, fueling major profits, while the real victims remained the ordinary people of Syria.

The international pilot death match staged its arena here, not only catering to the needs of various forces fighting over Syria but also exacerbating the situation, draining the last bit of energy from the Syrian government while using the war as cover to carve out more profits.

This war between the government forces and the anti-government armed groups concealed many terrifying truths that remained in the shadows.

Perhaps “Caviar” Leonid Ivanov, who might leave Lin Mo a considerable legacy, lost his life by participating in the death match.

Initially, this guy had invited Lin Mo and his team to Syria to earn some extra cash, not realizing how deep the waters were.

If it weren’t for Lockheed Martin revealing it to Lin Mo, he might never have known about such a dark event in the world.

The true battlefield couldn’t compare to a publicly disclosed duel without outside interference. The intensity of the war in Syria far surpassed the restrained conflict between India and Pakistan; only the true elites could survive here.

Those who hoped to rely on luck to gain something in the fray would likely find themselves instantly blasted to bits like a fireball, becoming someone else’s points.

“Sir, here is your super-sized lasagna!”

A man’s voice interrupted Lin Mo’s thoughts.

“What? Lasagna? Did I order lasagna?”

Lin Mo looked up in confusion, glancing at a box on the table that was comparable to a birthday cake. It certainly was a gigantic portion, but wasn’t it past afternoon tea time?

“This is a thank you for your long-standing orders at our restaurant; it’s complimentary.” A well-uniformed server slightly bowed.

“Little Liu!”

Nearby staff member Liu Yunqing called out, pointing at the delivering server and asking, “Is this the restaurant that specifically delivers to me?”

“Ah! Yes, yes! That’s correct. Rococo Roll Restaurant has been delivering your orders recently; he is the designated delivery person for us.” Liu Yunqing examined him carefully and then said, “Hey, why are you here again? I didn’t order anything, and you didn’t notify me in advance.”

Assigned by Young Master Chen, this internal staff member at the National Defense Star was responsible for Lin Mo’s meals.

“This is a free gift from our restaurant. We wanted to surprise you, so we didn’t notify you beforehand. You’ve ordered a lot of food from us these past few days, and this is to thank you for your support.”

“Oh! That should be correct then; your restaurant is quite thoughtful. You must have made quite a bit of money these days. Well, if there’s a chance next time, I’ll continue to order from you.”

Liu Yunqing skillfully opened the box. Inside was a 14-inch round warming container, a super-sized portion containing a whole, nearly twenty-person lasagna.

Layer upon layer of pasta, beef sauce, tomato sauce, and cream sauce topped with crushed basil and drizzled cream lines.

The mixed aroma of cream, cardamom, and black truffle wafted up, making one’s fingers itch with desire.

Perhaps the restaurant deduced from the strange situation of receiving many orders from the National Defense Star but only one set of utensils that there was a big eater among them, prompting them to specially prepare a super lasagna.

“All clear! The food is safe for you to consume.”

Liu Yunqing used a small food inspection device to scan the lasagna. Spectral analysis, scent analysis, and sample analysis confirmed there were no issues with the food.

This brick-sized, highly integrated inspection device stored a database of toxins and deadly bacteria viruses, capable of eliminating the vast majority of poisoning methods, even including ancient Chinese reactive poison techniques (where harmless food could produce lethal reactions when combined).

“This is a thank you card from our restaurant! Thank you for your patronage.” The server, unfazed by Liu Yunqing’s response, finally handed Lin Mo a piece of paper, bowed again, and left with the warming container.

A thank you card?

Lin Mo looked at the server’s retreating figure with confusion, yet he did not attack the enticing super-sized food as he usually would.

“Dragon Knight, please go ahead. I have to get back to work.” Liu Yunqing organized the equipment and took a step back.

“Mm, you go ahead!”

Lin Mo nodded but continued to gaze in the direction the Rococo Roll restaurant server had gone.