Chapter 655

Chapter 655: Even More Unscientific

Bullets shot from a high position naturally got a boost from gravity to increase their range. The spinning projectile could still maintain accuracy even beyond the original horizontal range.

Fortunately, it was a solid projectile, not a high-explosive or incendiary one; otherwise, it could have blown off half of the Typhoon’s wing and left Tom with no chance to survive.

The Typhoon, facing the risk of disintegration, desperately performed roll maneuvers and escaped a disaster.

Tom’s cold sweat poured down as he glanced at his aircraft body. Fortune smiled upon him; only one bullet had struck. Even so, the sharp explosion that filled the cockpit nearly left him in shock.

If that had grazed the cockpit, even a hole or crack the size of a soybean would be enough for the freezing, oxygen-deficient, and depressurized conditions above 15,000 meters to claim his life instantly, not allowing him to return to a safe altitude below 4,000 meters. The red-out effect during a dive could cause his blood to rush to his head, leading to even worse consequences.

Every pilot who flies into the blue sky becomes an outlaw!

At 17,000 and 18,000 meters, a bright red fireball erupted.

The EF2000 Typhoon narrowly escaped with injuries, but the medium-range air-to-air missile it launched could not evade. Such a small target getting hit by cannon fire, igniting midair, must have been truly unbelievable "luck"!

As Tom stared at the fireball blooming in the sky, he was momentarily speechless, and even the onlookers on the ground were frozen in shock.

Inside the mission center, at the betting points, and in every hangar, there was a prolonged, eerie silence.

Witnessing a cannon destroy a missile—a theoretical, ultra-low-probability event—had become a reality before their eyes.

This "luck" truly defied nature.

Many felt a chill run down their spine for Number 13’s boldness; putting themselves in his shoes, they realized that even with such a good fighter, they might not perform as excellently.

In the end, it still depended on the people.

How ruthless!

Truly ruthless!

In the skies, facing Lin Mo, Tom felt a bone-chilling fear, unable to help but tremble uncontrollably, completely losing his earlier bravado.

What a terrifying trap! This was a blatant conspiracy; he had foolishly walked right into the enemy’s snare.

Forming a straight line, the enemy aimed to achieve a double kill!

If they succeeded, they would be forever remembered in air combat history, while he would become the most pitiful footnote, condemned to infamy for eternity, even dragging the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom down with him, unable to hold their head high before the Chinese again.

The forward-swept wing fighter suddenly shifted to a climbing position, clearly not stalling, but executing the classic Herbst turn tactical maneuver.

Climb higher!

Execute a tight turn!

Fall back!

This maneuver aligned Tom and the missile on the same trajectory at an angle.

However, under these circumstances, no one anticipated that this Herbst turn would not simply be a change of direction, but would evolve into a lethal move. No one had ever pulled it off like this; Tom did not foresee it would become such a deadly trap.

It was laughable that his secondary attack tactic turned into a foolish strategy leading him directly into the enemy’s crosshairs.

In trying to coordinate with the medium-range air-to-air missile, he had inadvertently presented himself at the enemy’s gunpoint.

What a ruthless conspiracy!

Having narrowly escaped death, Tom quickly revised his strategy, turning the aircraft downwards to dive; he needed to break free from this devilish situation.

At heights above 15,000 meters, the EF2000 Typhoon held no advantage over the forward-swept wing fighter, especially since the medium-range missile he had prematurely launched had become completely ineffective, forcing him to search for a new opportunity.

The front canard triangular aerodynamic layout was designed for use within the atmosphere, and it could only maintain its advantages at a certain altitude.

However, at higher altitudes, the thin air would disrupt the aircraft’s aerodynamic balance, preventing it from fully utilizing its high lift advantages.

Tom did not want to experience that previous dangerous situation again; he no longer had a trump card.

Now it was Tom fleeing while Lin Mo pursued.

This turn of events left those who had bet on Tom shouting in frustration; weren’t they just boasting before? How could he deflate so quickly? Who was really the coward?

Sally smiled sweetly, her lips pressed together; everything was going as expected, and she remained completely calm!

Both sides’ weapons and ammunition returned to the same starting line, but it was clear to everyone that Number 13 held the upper hand now.

The EF2000 Typhoon was fleeing like a dead dog, while the X-1 Forward-Swept Wing Fighter Jet behind it followed closely, executing snake maneuvers with ease.

Making such a tight turn was something the Typhoon could not do, not even the F-22 Raptor.

15,000 meters

14,000 meters

12,000 meters

An expanse of red appeared before Tom’s eyes.

Red-out!

When the load reached 2G of acceleration, Tom experienced red-out; he was not a Dragon Knight, just a pilot in the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.

Though he couldn’t see anything clearly, his helmet switched to voice reporting flight parameters.

He was gambling!

Altitude 10,000 meters, 9,000 meters, 8,000 meters…

The pressure on Tom made him feel dazed. He clenched his teeth, even biting through the tip of his tongue, using the pain to keep his mind alert.

"Altitude 6,500 meters, vertical negative 37 degrees, speed 2.5 Mach, level negative 5 degrees, negative overload 3.1G, clouds below, coordinates…"

The onboard system of the EF2000 Typhoon faithfully continued its duties.

From 16,000 meters down to 6,500 meters, the speed gained from altitude allowed the Typhoon to easily exceed its theoretical maximum speed of 2.5 times the speed of sound, far surpassing the 25% of the design’s nominal speed.

The parameters on the fighter jet’s display indicated theoretical values for level flight, but in actual combat, the displayed data could sometimes exceed those theoretical numbers.

Hearing the voice announcement in his ear, Tom breathed a sigh of relief; he did not dare to keep the jet in a high-speed dive for too long—only about 20 seconds. He slowly pulled back on the control stick, careful not to pull too hard, fearing that the airframe might not withstand the energy transition and could disintegrate mid-air.

From 2,000 to 7,000 meters is the main height of aerial combat, where pilots engage in the most intense battles.

Angle of attack 60 degrees!

A strong jolt shook the cockpit as if the aircraft might break apart at any moment; Tom could even hear some components creaking.

He blinked several times, and the red haze began to fade as the negative overload diminished.

He unconsciously looked to the sides, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, and his mouth unconsciously fell wide open.

The Forward-Swept Wing Fighter Jet was right next to his wing, performing the same maneuvers; the two aircraft were no more than two meters apart, with their wingtips nearly touching.

No, this couldn’t be real; he almost thought he was hallucinating. But shaking his head vigorously and blinking again, he focused his gaze once more.

It was no illusion—the enemy in the cockpit raised a middle finger at him, and beneath that dark helmet was an expression of contemptuous mockery.

The opponent had surprisingly come so close to him, which meant that they were not affected by the red-out at all. If the opponent had launched a missile or cannon at him just now, it would have been… Tom didn’t dare to keep imagining.

Tom suddenly and decisively pressed the stick to the side and pushed on the rudder; the aircraft immediately rolled sideways, clearly frightened.

"Do you think you can escape so quickly?"

Lin Mo was ready to "welcome" him.

Daring to provoke a Dragon Knight meant being prepared to pay the corresponding price.

Barrel roll!

The X-1 did not chase after him but instead executed an evasive barrel roll maneuver. Many people on the ground opened their eyes wide; this pilot called Number 13 was completely acting outside the norm—this was not scientific!

Indeed, it was not scientific! Even Tom lost his voice in the battle.

But before they could ponder for a few seconds, a crimson projectile whizzed past the original flight path of the X-1 Forward-Swept Wing Fighter Jet.

Did he miss?!

He really missed?!

That was even more unscientific.

What on earth was happening?

The screen displayed a picture-in-picture replaying another angle from a few seconds ago.

While evading the opponent, Tom quickly adjusted the nose of the aircraft and opened fire with all his strength, relying on his memory of the opponent’s position. However, Tom was shocked to discover that his barrage had completely missed, not even hitting a single bird.

In just two or three seconds, the opponent had already flown away to some unknown location, and he had foolishly fired at the sky.

MY GOD!

Once again, he had been fooled!

The confidence Tom had finally mustered was shattered again.

A nightmare of an opponent.

To the spectators, Number 13’s strange behavior no longer seemed odd; the Forward-Swept Wing Fighter Jet appeared to predict the future, dodging in advance, and the Typhoon then launched an attack, completely falling within the opponent’s expectations.

Fighting against such an opponent was truly a nightmare!

A series of soft knocks suddenly echoed in the cockpit. Tom didn’t notice that his upper and lower teeth were clashing. In the pressurized, temperature-controlled cockpit, it felt like winter, and he was sitting naked in the snow, ice-cold to the bone.

Suddenly, darkness filled his view as a larger forward-swept wing aircraft appeared, accompanied by a rain of bullets.

Tom hurriedly maneuvered the EF2000 Typhoon into a swaying motion.

With a cracking sound, Tom quickly turned to glance back and his expression soured as he saw that the tail had been sliced off nearly half.

The overall aerodynamic layout of the EF2000 Typhoon was under serious threat.