Chapter 676

Chapter 676: God-like Opponents

The intermediate tier, also known as the Ace Tier, includes pilots who have each shot down at least five enemy aircraft, making their strength formidable and not to be underestimated.

When experts clash, it may only take a few seconds, even the blink of an eye, to determine life or death. Unlike in the novice tier, where battles relied purely on individual abilities and tactics were simple or even nonexistent, this time it was different.

From the open combat data obtained from the organizers of the "Abyss Nirvana" competition, Lin Mo and "Raccoon" discovered that their opponent was not just another nameless rookie like those in the novice tier. The most concerning was the unconventional UFO-shaped fighter aircraft.

Despite being a common disc-shaped design, its maneuverability and stealth capabilities were exceptional.

This pilot, known as "Belong," had accumulated 11 kills, achieving dual ace status and was just one kill away from advancing to a senior pilot in the death group.

This indicated a very strong opponent. After analyzing the historical battle videos, many of "Belong’s" victims were clearly unaccustomed to fighting against this type of disc-shaped fighter, often getting caught off guard and quickly shot down before they could adjust their combat strategies.

Compared to conventional fighters, the disc-shaped aircraft maintains balanced structural integrity in all directions, allowing it to turn in any direction. Even the highly maneuverable forward-swept wings would struggle against it.

This design permits the symmetrical distribution of multiple engines, enabling mid-air hovering and offering increased power, while its small side profile area results in near-zero radar reflection when at the same altitude as enemy fighters. This makes it difficult for onboard radars, regardless of their power, to effectively detect it.

Thus, radar-guided mid-range missiles posed little threat to the UFO.

Despite its unconventional aerodynamic design, the UFO actually exhibited greater flexibility and differed significantly in flying principles and air combat techniques compared to jet fighters.

In addition to "Belong’s" UFO, another pilot from the Anti-Government Forces, "Jala," flew a more conventional MiG-1.44 experimental fighter jet.

This aircraft delivered by the Russian aviation industry to the battlefield matched the combat capabilities of America’s fourth-generation fighters.

Visually, it resembled a dual-engine double-tail version of the J-10 fighter jet, with a larger and bulkier frame.

The MiG-1.44 was longer than the MiG-29 and similar in size to the Su-27 and MiG-31, with slightly larger wings and lower unit wing loading. Its maximum cruising speed at high altitude reached 2.6 Mach. Recently, the manufacturer, Mikoyan-Gurevich, secured a large investment and decided to build an experimental machine for real combat testing to secure military orders based on its performance during the "Abyss Nirvana".

This strategy was common worldwide, as long as the military wasn’t blind or outright bribed, they would not overlook a fighter jet with such powerful combat capabilities and would consider it seriously.

If they could secure significant military orders, it would mean a revival for Mikoyan, a long-established giant of the aviation industry, which, like a centipede, though fallen, would not easily perish.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich company recently paid a hefty price to retrieve the MiG-35 that Lin Mo and "Yasha" had detained in the hangar.

As for "Joan of Arc’s" previous employer, it goes without saying that their fate wasn’t good. After facing significant embarrassment during the "Abyss Nirvana," hearing that her family’s debt had been entirely cleared by the Dragoon Consortium and that they had been relocated to Afghanistan, "Joan of Arc" had no options left. She chose to retire from the Ukrainian Air Force and committed to becoming the commanding officer of the Dragoon Consortium’s Gem Valley Air Base.

With ties to Sukhoi, Mikoyan’s associates left Lin Mo with a contact number but said nothing further, simply dragging their fighter jets away.

During the Paris International Airshow, Lin Mo’s unexpected actions caused the Sukhoi company considerable embarrassment.

They endured pain and frustration, becoming a laughingstock in the Russian aviation industry.

Mikoyan-Gurevich wisely chose to distance themselves from the instigator. Offending someone like Lin Mo clearly wasn’t worth the risk; they exchanged business cards but never attempted to recruit him.

After all, they didn’t want to end up like Sukhoi, foolishly dragged down by Lin Mo.

If another misfortune befell the Russian aviation industry, life wouldn’t be worth living anymore.

All four fighter jets undoubtedly maximized stealth technology, featuring stealthy aerodynamic designs, special composite materials, and radar-absorbing coatings. Each had an internal weapons bay, making their stealth performance rank among the best internationally.

Even the MiG-1.44, which had the poorest stealth capabilities, reflected only 0.5 square meters of radar cross-section.

This was destined to become a showdown involving stealth fighter jets and stealth technology.

Shortly after the twin aircraft took off, Lin Mo unexpectedly announced, “I’ve found them!”

The Light Mirror Technique, a wide-ranging optical control spell, was Lin Mo’s greatest trump card. It allowed him a 360-degree, unobstructed view, whether for reconnaissance or aerial combat.

This once-unremarkable light spell from another world enabled Lin Mo to rely less on the onboard active phased array radar. Instead, he could locate the enemy’s position using the Light Mirror Technique. Typically, he would pass this information to the radar for locking and tracking, confirming the enemy’s flight parameters through the onboard computer system.

Even if the enemy’s stealth technology could evade radar detection, Lin Mo could continue using the Light Mirror Technique to effortlessly confirm their location until the battle ended.

The "Abyss Nirvana" organizers permitted only one pilot per aircraft, and despite the UFO’s engineered attack capabilities, it couldn’t compete with Lin Mo’s true 360-degree vision. This allowed Lin Mo to confidently face all his opponents.

“You found them? How could that happen so quickly?” “Raccoon” was astonished by Lin Mo’s statement.

Their twin formation had barely taken off, not even completely leaving Damascus, and had yet to reach the designated combat zone. It puzzled them how the enemy could approach so quickly. “Did they cheat and take off early, or are they exploiting a speed difference? I still can’t quite believe it. Where are they? Can we check their speed?”

While it was also a self-designed variant, “Raccoon” believed their "Little Cutie" radar had less performance compared to the X-1.

No one realized that even the most powerful radar equipment in such conditions couldn’t compare to a simple spell from another world.

“They’re at our three o’clock position, directly northwest, traveling at 2.6 Mach, and 195 kilometers away. They will engage us in about four minutes.”

Lin Mo accurately estimated the enemy’s speed. Even though the UFO and MiG-1.44 had entered the search radius of the X-1’s active phased array radar, it still showed no response. After all, the X-1 was equipped with an enhanced version of domestically produced radar, which simply couldn’t match the imported Northrop Grumman-produced AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar mounted on the “monstrous” aircraft.

“That’s fast!”

“Raccoon” frowned. Fortunately, Lin Mo had detected the enemy in advance; otherwise, they could have been at a serious disadvantage.

The enemy’s initial tactical plan was straightforward: they likely already had intelligence confirming that both the X-1 and "Little Cutie" were excellent stealth fighters. In the battle of attack versus defense, they intelligently opted for a different strategy—targeting the takeoff location of Lin Mo and "Raccoon" and rapidly closing in on them.

While stealth fighters could hide, their takeoff base could not. Accelerating toward Damascus vastly increased the likelihood of catching the unprepared opponents off guard.

The battle would occur near the Damascus Air Force Base, along the edge of the combat zone, a cleverly calculated tactic that left even the organizers in awe.

If Lin Mo hadn’t spotted the enemy, he and "Raccoon" could easily have been taken by surprise.

“Great job, ‘Number 13’!” “Raccoon” freely offered his praise, then pondered briefly, swiftly organizing two counter-tactics based on his extensive experience. “I have two ideas: A, confront them head-on and use speed against speed to close the distance rapidly, taking them off guard. B, flank them and go behind to launch a surprise attack, turning their trap into ours. ‘Number 13,’ what do you choose? Our time is running out.”

It must be said that both of “Raccoon’s” improvised tactics were very clever. Either option could easily disrupt the enemy’s plot, but just like playing chess, every move could lead to different possible outcomes.

Four minutes passed in the blink of an eye. With their original tactics in disarray, Lin Mo and "Raccoon" had little time left to hesitate.

The precise, calculated probability-based tactics employed by the enemy sidestepped the performance comparisons between the two sides’ fighters.

This was a battle of wits.