Chapter 716: Joy Leads to Sorrow

The series of dogfights from start to finish lasted no more than ten seconds, as the three fighter jets engaged in dazzling air combat skills left all the spectators dumbfounded.

From “Eagle King” daringly cutting into the formation, to Yuri sacrificing himself for a collision and cannon assault, and finally Lin Mo’s instantaneous clash with “Eagle King.”

Many people were overwhelmed, their brains unable to keep up, leaving them staring wide-eyed at the screen, as if they were lost in the recent fierce exchange of fire.

Only those trained as astronauts could adapt to such a high-frequency offensive and defensive battle; if it were anyone else, they would likely have perished long ago.

Lin Mo’s command for Yuri to eject proved crucial at the critical moment.

As the Gauss electromagnetic shell hit the fighter jet resembling an F-22 Raptor piloted by the Australian pilot, it was as if he had foreseen the outcome.

The bubble-shaped cockpit cover suddenly flew off the upper half of the aircraft, and the aviation seat, almost simultaneously, shot out with the pilot, climbing to about a hundred meters before losing its inertia. In that instant, the pilot was left far behind by the fighter jet.

One or two seconds later, the fighter jet’s self-protection mechanism finally could not endure the severe damage; the intake damage was fatal and it exploded in a fireball mid-air as the Gauss electromagnetic shell detonated.

Yuri’s vehicle even fell from the sky a moment before the X-31 did.

Damn it!

The Australian sponsors of the Damascus Air Force Base erupted in fury. They wished they could drag down the two fighters above and give them a good beating to relieve their pent-up anger.

In a team battle, you “Number 13” took out everyone, not sparing even your own side?! Is this how you achieve your legendary status?

Or does it represent the Chinese taking a stand to show the world the strength of the Chinese Air Force? Invincible?

That damned Yuri knew he could stop while he was ahead; didn’t he understand the need to protect himself? He had to go crazy along with that “Number 13.”

If that “Number 13” wanted to fight to the death, he should just let him go. That guy was a special-tier character; why would a mere intermediate-tier player want to join the fray? He could have flown far away in his fighter jet, holding on until the organizers declared the Death Team Battle over, bringing the aircraft back safe and sound.

Now look, obliterated, and it was shot down by their own.

Yuri’s reckless actions destroyed the valuable technology verification aircraft they had painstakingly developed; billions of dollars worth of research were gone. Although they emerged victorious and gained many precious points, the Australian sponsors were close to tears.

“…”

The heads of several factions from the “Abyss Nirvana” organizers exchanged glances. Was this a coincidence or a deliberate act by that Chinese pilot? With only one fighter jet remaining in the sky, this was rarer than a total annihilation of one side or the final rule of having only three fighter jets left, and the glory was simply incomparable.

If it was intentional, such cunning and air combat skills were terrifying to the point of shaking.

Could this be a demonstration of China’s military strength following recent international events?

How many pilots of this caliber does China truly have?

If a full squad of pilots of this level were to come, would other countries’ air forces have any chance left?

Various questions sprang up like bamboo shoots after a rain as the Death Team Battle came to an end.

…

Us common folk, we’re happy today

Our folks, we’re happy today

Our common folk, hey hey, we’re happy today

Yo me yo me yo he yo hey

In the hangar, as he saw the last opponent, “Eagle King’s” fighter jet plummet helplessly, the adorable member of the Chinese team, “Demon Hunter” squad leader “Yasha,” couldn’t help but grin widely.

“‘Number 13,’ we did it! Haha, we did it! ‘Eagle King,’ you deserved to die; victory is ours, long live!”

Just as Yuri ejected from the cockpit, he couldn’t contain his excitement and shouted loudly in the sky. While still falling, he boldly raised his middle finger at the X-31 fighter jet rushing to grab a boxed meal.

Before he could finish his words, a parachute appeared in that direction. It seemed “Eagle King” had no choice but to abandon his aircraft, which exploded in a striking fireball upon hitting the ground. Thick smoke billowed up. Although the ammunition was exhausted, the remaining fuel was enough to transform the fighter jet into a massive fuel charge.

The collaboration between Boeing and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, known as the king of dogfights, witnessed the X-31 escape severe injuries and not get blown up by the Made In China Gauss electromagnetic shells, which was incredibly fortunate.

“Damn it!”

Yuri’s voice echoed carelessly over the public channel, his face as if someone had repeatedly slapped him with a shoe.

Eagle King David de Hitt bit his lip tightly in silence, enduring this humiliation.

Being outmatched, relying solely on trash talk could not restore lost glory; strength, luck, and technique—all were unambiguously in favor of "Eagle King." Even if he fought again, the outcome would not change much.

He accepted his failure in this challenge, bringing shame to the 1st Flight Wing of the United States.

But this was not the end; he would come back.

Yes, the 1st Flight Wing would find a way to reclaim this honor, this score was settled.

Where there are clouds, there is the world.

Where there are people, there is the rivers and lakes.

In the rivers and lakes, one is not entirely in control of their fate.

The Americans, accustomed to hegemony, are not as broad-minded as the legends say.

At that moment, “Zorro’s” parachute was also swaying in the air. Those pilots who ejected and survived the Death Team Battle were all incredibly lucky.

As fellow ejectors without their fighter jets, Yuri and “Zorro” represented two entirely different identities—one as a victor and the other as a loser.

Before Yuri could revel in his victory, he suddenly saw fragments scattering from his exploded fighter jet, some even flying particularly far and high, seemingly following a parabolic path, headed straight toward the direction where he had ejected.

“Uh-oh! No, no, no! ‘Number 13’! Brother, I’m in trouble!”

Yuri’s face turned pale as the joy of victory vanished in an instant. Was the inevitable finally here?

His luck had plummeted; was the goddess of misfortune targeting him? Even after ejecting, she wouldn’t let him go.

His body jolted as the seat detached, and a white parachute quickly opened, but Yuri couldn’t feel happy; the parachute came out at the worst time.

It was as if his bad luck was destined to follow him. Just as the parachute opened, he watched helplessly as several fragments flew directly and accurately into the parachute he had just opened, even igniting flames.

These dozens of fragments were nothing to the fighter jet with countless parts.

Even a single screw could pierce through the fragile parachute; the large parachute instantly had over ten gaping holes, rapidly tearing wider under the force of the wind.

The parachute became useless, seemingly unable to support Yuri, and his descent speed suddenly increased.

“‘Number 13,’ go check on ‘Monkey’ and my family for me. We all did great.”

Yuri yelled in despair, flailing in the air as his speed quickly accelerated.

He was done for; now even God couldn’t save him.

Just as he was about to crash into the ground, a massive shadow suddenly covered him.

“Don’t panic, stay steady! Cut the parachute lines!” Number 13’s voice suddenly reached Yuri’s ears, but it wasn’t a reassuring response.

“What?!” Yuri momentarily forgot his fear, his eyes going wide as he saw Number 13’s forward-swept wing fighter jet approaching him nose down, descending at an almost identical speed. The previously damaged cockpit cover had miraculously disappeared, fully exposing the cockpit and Number 13 in his pressure suit, looking up at him.

Just moments ago, the damaged cockpit cover had seemingly lost its fixings, blown away by explosive bolts, discarded entirely.

“No, no, what are you doing? Get away!”

Yuri knew full well that if his parachute accidentally tangled with the fighter jet, the results would be catastrophic—far worse than a bird colliding with a fighter jet. He didn’t want his misfortune to drag anyone else down.

Damn it, wasn’t he pushing himself just to repay Number 13’s trust?

If he caused Number 13 to go down because of himself, he could never forgive himself, even in death.

“Stay steady, cut the parachute lines!”

Lin Mo seemed to ignore Yuri’s shouts, unfastening his seatbelt and leaning out of the cockpit against the airflow.

This guy had lost his mind!

This guy was risking his life!

This guy was doomed!

The images transmitted back from the reconnaissance aircraft stunned everyone, revealing an unforeseen turn of events.

Spectators at both air force bases gasped in shock as they saw the X-1 forward-swept wing fighter jet deploying four air brakes, skillfully controlling the speed as it approached the already free-falling Australian pilot, Yuri.

One person and one fighter jet seemed to be reaching some form of relative synchronization in the vast sky.

Were they performing acrobatics?

That Chinese pilot must really be insane. Below, the southern Syrian desert was rapidly approaching; it seemed that “Number 13” would collide with that unfortunate Australian pilot before fulfilling his intentions, crashing both man and aircraft into the earth below.

“Number 13” abandoned the victory he had grasped and instead placed himself in a perilous situation.

In this Death Team Battle, there would be no winners.