Chapter 533

Chapter 533: The Americans’ Scheme

The convoy quickly entered the core area of Area 51. However, apart from a few gray buildings, there were no signs of the advanced technology one might expect, making the site resemble an abandoned farm, quite unremarkable.

Perhaps the most eye-catching feature was the nearby dry salt flat of Groom Lake, appearing like a snowy expanse marked with cracks, utterly barren year-round. Its perfectly flat surface served as a natural foundation for an airport runway.

The Americans likely chose this location as a secret air force base because the dry Groom Lake was highly suitable for mass takeoffs and landings of fighter jets.

Where the bus finally stopped, Lin Mo and the experts saw quite a few heavily armed American soldiers outside. Some were even wearing tactical armor, and in the shadows of the tall buildings, they spotted the silhouettes of large powered armor.

There were also combat mechanical soldiers.

Seeing these, everyone sensed a different side of Area 51.

Buses gathered together, entering a dedicated parking lot in Area 51. It wasn’t only aviation experts from Asian countries and Australia; teams from Europe and South America arrived almost simultaneously.

The watch, evolved from the gold giant dragon, trembled slightly, as if feeling excitement. Through the psychic connection of the dragon deity contract, it conveyed to Lin Mo that beneath the surface, 25 meters down, lay remarkable secrets. Several layers of artificial spaces existed below, incredibly vast, with even the seemingly insignificant ground concealing several large mechanical doors and elevators.

Some locations housed fully armed combat mechanical soldiers, always on standby and capable of being lethal both in air and ground combat. Even the main battle tanks used by the U.S. military would have to retreat.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

The military dogs brought by the American soldiers immediately stood up, preparing to intimidate the unexpected visitors with lunging actions.

The sound of their ferocious barking caused the experts’ faces to change. Those dogs seemed fierce; would they rush out and bite?

The drivers, who were military officers from the embassy and couldn’t disembark, wore expressions of anger. The passengers stepping off the bus were valuable Chinese scientists. Would the Americans take responsibility if they scared them?

Austrian, Japanese, and Korean aviation experts, stepping off other buses, showed clear signs of fear. Those dogs barked aggressively; what if one lunged and bit them? They carefully avoided getting too close in line.

The Americans were establishing their authority and warning all visitors to behave in this sensitive area, avoiding any rash actions.

“Hmph!” A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Dragon Knight, a chilling killing intent spreading out.

Humans might not sense the change, but the sensitive animals immediately recognized something was amiss. Several military dogs whined and desperately retreated, as if seeing something terrifying.

The American soldiers, unaware of what had happened with the dogs, sensed something unusual. They raised their weapons and became alert, especially towards the bus, frequently scanning the visiting teams of experts from various countries.

The dogs’ panic worsened, disregarding their handlers’ reprimands as they wildly tried to back away, seemingly fearing for their lives, continually whimpering and dragging their responsible soldiers backward by dozens of meters.

They acted far from like well-trained military dogs, resembling frightened Dirt Dogs instead. All their previous training seemed forgotten.

The other American soldiers exchanged glances, confused about what was troubling the dogs.

“Hmph, a bunch of cowardly cowards! Keep barking, and I’ll take you all away for dog stew!”

An expert from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation expressed everyone’s unspoken thoughts, looking at the dogs with hungry eyes, tinged with a hint of green.

The nearly one thousand experts arriving at Area 51 were from major aviation companies worldwide.

This gathering represented the most luxurious assembly in the global aviation industry at that time. If some daredevil were to drop a cloud explosive bomb here, humanity’s aviation technology would regress by at least a decade.

However, each nation refrained from sending all their top aircraft designers. Apart from Japan and South Korea, other countries only sent a part of their aviation experts to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket should something unexpected happen.

Close to a thousand people packed the area, creating a dense crowd.

For management purposes, they were divided into ten groups, and visitor badges were distributed to facilitate the flow of visitors.

After disembarking, everyone underwent another security check. The military’s security management in Area 51 was extremely strict, and even personnel from Boeing and other domestic aviation companies were not exempt. They had to line up for detailed and thorough security checks, with scanners meticulously examining from top to bottom, not even overlooking their hair.

All large luggage had to remain on the bus, and personal items like electronic products, keys, wallets, and coins had to be completely removed. No metallic items were allowed; everything had to be placed in designated storage boxes.

The Americans provided corresponding outfits for replacements, like metal buttons and metal belt heads, demonstrating exceptional attention to detail.

It must have been quite a burden for Boeing and the American government to temporarily open the infamous military strategic zone, Area 51, to the world’s aviation companies, leading them to make thorough preparations just in case.

Even when experts arrived here, they could only see what Boeing and the American government allowed them to see, while the things they shouldn’t see were completely hidden, despite the secrets below this land.

Once set up, everything was sealed and stored carefully on-site, with the storage personnel as skilled as the best postal workers. It seemed this wasn’t the first time Area 51 had operated in such a manner. Boeing had chosen an excellent location, with necessary manpower and resources readily available.

The surface of the cardboard boxes was wrapped with packing tape, featuring the owner’s photo and badge number, then stacked onto temporary shelves.

The gold coins were not spared either; a massive electromagnetic reaction dragged this giant dragon out, with not even a single metal wire hidden, tossed into a dark cardboard box labeled with an easily searchable barcode.

The American soldiers exchanged knowing smiles with Lin Mo. Lin Mo shrugged, expressing helplessness. It wasn’t that he did not want to show this giant dragon to the world, but the world was simply too dangerous.

Despite the fragile cardboard boxes being inadequate against sharp individuals, the immensely powerful gold giant dragon found it impossible to make an escape. If it were a metal box, it could sneak out without leaving a trace. However, it couldn’t revert to a cardboard box’s sturdiness. If it broke even one hole, it would immediately cause immense trouble for itself and Lin Mo; even a fool would know something was escaping from within.

Moreover, every time a box was packaged, a complete recording video was made. The Americans didn’t leave even a single loophole.

Lin Mo could clearly feel the overwhelming resentment from the gold giant dragon stuffed inside the cardboard box.

The ten teams of experts entered the two interconnected hangars specifically vacated in Area 51, where four F/A-XX prototypes were parked.

Boeing poured significant effort into the F/A-XX fighter aircraft to secure the sixth-generation main battle aircraft order, seeking revenge against Lockheed Martin for snatching the fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft and fourth-generation main battle aircraft orders.

Inside the hangar, the expert teams from various countries marveled at the F/A-XX, the culmination of Boeing’s decades of hard work.

The one-meter safety isolation line allowed the experts to observe closely the approximately 21-meter-long twin-engine aircraft, showcasing a concave triangular shape.

True to the legends, it lacked vertical tailfins, making the body appear flat, featuring a blended wing-body structure.

Although the vertical tailfins didn’t play a major role in turn and maneuvering, they were significant during barrel roll evasion tactics commonly employed by pilots, helping prevent excessive loss of control during sharp turns while benefiting the aircraft’s stability.

The replacement for the vertical tailfins, though, matched the experts’ expectations.

Boeing utilized all-axis vector thrust, and while the engine model remained unknown, it seemed that the output power wouldn’t be weaker than the F136 afterburning turbofan engine, with single-engine thrust exceeding 210 kilonewtons.

It appeared that the vector thrust system was no longer just favored by Russia and Asian countries, as Americans increasingly recognized this technology that maximized engine performance. Since it was employed in the F-22, its use had become widespread, even enabling the F-35’s vertical takeoff and landing, and now it directly replaced the vertical tailfins.

One must admit that if Boeing compensated for the absence of vertical tailfins with vector technology in the F/A-XX’s structure, the maneuverability of the aircraft would noticeably improve.

As industry specialists, even without testing equipment and technical manuals, they could still glean many important insights through visual inspection.

The aircraft was slightly longer than the F-22, featuring a dual cockpit design integrated into the body, providing a more spacious interior than conventional fighter jets. Taller Western pilots could comfortably sit inside it without feeling cramped, unlike in most fighter cockpits.

A longer body not only implied greater fuel capacity and longer flight duration—perhaps Boeing’s claimed 50-hour endurance stemmed from its size—but it also meant that the internal weapon bay could hold more munitions.

While munitions could be hung under the wings, missiles lacked stealth capability. Regardless of what munitions were attached, they would compromise the overall stealth capacity of the F/A-XX.

Paper and pens were provided for free at Area 51 to assist the experts in taking notes and sketches, but these materials could not be taken out.

Lin Mo and Professor Yan exchanged glances upon receiving the seemingly disingenuous offer of paper and pens from Boeing, recognizing that the Americans indeed played a clever game.