Chapter 597

Chapter 597: In Search

“Got it!”

Major Mo put down his phone and flashed a victorious smile at his colleagues.

The entire team responsible for extorting Lockheed erupted in cheers.

“Awesome, we did it! I can’t believe it’s true!”

“Haha, this was much easier than sending someone to steal it.”

“Lockheed really delivered the goods to us! Oh my gosh! Am I dreaming?”

“Let’s throw a party tonight! We should celebrate! I’ll order food—anyone who wants something, come write it down.”

“Don’t just be happy; find a few people to keep an eye on Lockheed and the CIA. We can’t let them catch on; this agreement is a secret.”

“‘Octopus,’ you’re in charge of receiving the goods. Let me know when it’s done.”

“Got it, boss.”

Their sleepless efforts for over half a month finally paid off as they caught hold of Lockheed’s weakness. If it weren’t for the opportunity provided by Lin Mo, Lockheed might not have been so compliant.

Among them, Lin Mo played a crucial role, connecting all the evidence and tying together various unrelated matters. As long as he was willing to testify, even if it meant framing someone intentionally, Lockheed would have no way to escape as Boeing’s fierce rival.

Lockheed’s suspicion loomed large, enough to make even Boeing feel a twinge of doubt. At this critical moment, if the Chinese pushed further, Old Lockheed truly could not imagine what fate awaited the Lockheed family. Even the California Consortium could not save them.

All their cards were on the table, and now they had to focus on the capture. The intelligence department in America didn’t completely relax; as long as the goods weren’t in hand, possibilities still existed.

Although they unexpectedly lost the “Fenrir” alloy, recovering something useful from Lockheed served as a form of compensation for China’s intelligence department. Such opportunities were rare; not everyone could be targeted by Lockheed and come out unscathed, let alone seize the opponent’s weak points.

The CIA, China’s Foreign Affairs Department, Lockheed, Boeing, Mitsubishi from Japan, and several other parties would likely struggle to sleep for a long while. The chaotic and uncontrolled fighting in the shadows had spiraled out of control.

The mysterious “Fenrir” alloy became even more enigmatic, like a fleeting flower, and with the declassified documents obtained through CIA pressure on Lockheed, more forces fell into madness, igniting chaos around the “Fenrir” alloy.

As long as its swallowing and proliferating properties remained, any force wouldn’t care about the alloy formulas or smelting processes. They could continuously invest metal without the need for industrial production, and they would gain more “Fenrir” alloy.

Although the cost would be a bit high, as long as it sold for a good price, the metal expended would be negligible. The demand for core processing devices was much greater than the current complex high-purity large-diameter silicon crystals; the cost-effectiveness of 100% pure “Fenrir” was far more advantageous.

On the other hand, even the creator of “Fenrir,” Lockheed, did not know the synthesis process, and the “Adam” intelligent core was entirely an accident.

If someone discovered that these two “accidents” had come together, they would likely go to great lengths to prevent them from being united or to seize both.

…

In Gansu, where the Special Forces held their training exercises.

Participants from various Special Forces teams continued to arrive at the competition area.

In this nearly three-hundred-square-kilometer expanse, almost four divisions of troops were deployed, laying down the tightest defense to eliminate unqualified Special Forces soldiers; only the best warriors could participate in such a high-level competition.

Barbed wire, military dogs, sentries, mobile guards, helicopters, fake landmines that emitted thick smoke upon contact, and various equipment laid an extensive trap.

All soldiers had to use every trick they could think of to break through layer upon layer of defenses and reach the designated assembly point within the time limit. There were no maps, no supplies, no weapons—only their hands to obtain whatever they could.

All weapons used special exercise rounds, and to prevent accidents, everyone was issued protective goggles and neck guards made of acrylic material. Though these were exercise rounds, they still had some lethality.

Outside the headquarters of the military competition, which catered specifically to foreign military personnel, a few large screens displayed the locations and troop assembly numbers of each Special Forces team. Only two hosts occasionally reported the current situation and the immediate action plans of each team to military personnel from various countries.

Competition events included fixed and random items, fully reflecting the suddenness of war and the need for unexpected responses. Although it was a competition, it also assessed the adaptability and command abilities of each unit.

In the heavily guarded inner hall, several walls were fitted with large screens, each displaying the status of every Special Forces team. These screens were all touch-operated, allowing for instant access to the condition and locations of each competing soldier, and even a terrain map displayed the direction of each team’s movements.

All the participating soldiers’ actions, including their physical conditions, were recorded and sent back, just like a real combat scenario, showing the military high command an overview of the battlefield and the engaged Special Operations Team. The display screens created an illusion, making it feel almost like a computer game.

“‘Number 12,’ you’re flying too fast. This is a helicopter, not a jet fighter.”

Old Pan watched as the WZ-12 soared at the front of the formation, the latest addition recently assigned to Lin Mo, now code-named “Number 12.” This was the 12th aircraft in the “Night” aircrew group, which included the P-51 Mustang that Lin Mo had brought back from Afghanistan among the previous eleven aircraft.

As soon as he received the departure order, Lin Mo eagerly took the lead, deftly maneuvering the agile WZ-12 through the sky, as if the helicopter had come to life, skillfully performing various aerial maneuvers.

Since the fuel costs were covered by the government, Lin Mo felt no need to save money for it.

In the military’s eyes, driving without a license and speeding would attract no police attention and no tickets.

“Received! ‘Number one,’ but I see something really interesting.”

Lin Mo lowered the altitude a notch, and the mask of the Dragon General tactical helmet displayed illusions from the Light Mirror Technique.

“What interesting thing? Share it.”

Old Pan was curious and looked downward. Below, there was a dense forest, with only the occasional trace of wild animals—nothing alarming.

However, he believed Lin Mo was not merely speculating; high-speed jet fighters required exceptional vision from pilots, and Lin Mo must have seen something to make such a claim.

“I spotted some people. They shouldn’t be one of ours—there are six in total.”

Lin Mo glanced at the map displayed on the Dragon General tactical helmet’s visor. They were still over twenty kilometers away from the “Night” assembly point.

“Where?”

Old Pan became excited. If there were people down below, they would certainly have noticed their helicopter formation.

Yet, the helicopter threat warning system didn’t trigger an alarm for weapon lock, indicating that the other side was likely still gathering, without weapons and without a care for their own safety.

If luck was on their side and they had just stumbled upon an enemy team’s assembly point, this helicopter squad could take them out all at once.

Having one less competitor would greatly benefit “Night” in securing a higher ranking.

This was the chaos within the rules; the competition was rife with surprises. If their bad luck had them collide with an opponent while still gathering, they could not blame fate or others.

The kings of soldiers in the Special Operations Team were all like Rambo, skilled not only in solo missions and deep infiltrations but also proficient in teamwork and mutual support.

Only the units that adeptly adjusted to such environments could handle various unexpected situations and accomplish the tasks assigned by their superiors.

“Seven o’clock direction—we just flew over them.”

Lin Mo began to hover the helicopter in mid-air, and the three trailing WZ-12s, along with two Mi-17 transport helicopters, followed suit.

The aircrew group had not completely gathered; one WZ-12 remained at the base for emergencies.

“Aircraft number five and number six, continue to the assembly point. Numbers two and three, follow me. Number twelve, lead the way.”

Old Pan decisively altered the plan.

No side had satellite support in the competition, so the best reconnaissance power in the air relied solely on the pilots of the armed helicopters using their eyes and reconnaissance equipment.

Lin Mo had the best vision in the entire team, envied even by the best sniper in the squad, who claimed that if he had vision like Lin Mo’s, he wouldn’t need a sniper scope at all. Any rifle with a caliber over five millimeters could instantly become a sniper weapon in his hands.

“Down below, they are wearing anti-infrared field combat suits. With electro-magnetic detectors, they must have metal objects on them. Increase the distance—you can ignore the noise, open the data link, and I’ll share it with you!”

Although the WZ-12 from Jiangxi Changhe was brand new, it didn’t come equipped with much special gear. Lin Mo was currently relying on the Dragon General, which had limitations in range and combat capabilities compared to larger equipment.

“Lucky us! I see one hiding quite cleverly. Number 12, if it weren’t for you, we might have missed it. Everyone, don’t engage with these small fish just yet. Number 12, take them out. The rest of you spread out and find their assembly point, then take them down with exercise rounds.”

Old Pan’s voice rose over the communication channel, reveling in the moment. As long as they could disrupt the assembly point below, even if there were any stragglers left, they could continue with the remaining competition events!