Chapter 755: Kua Fu Chases the Sun

The execution area of this highly confidential mission left Lin Mo feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation; it was precisely in Turkey, where he had once been. No wonder they approached this situation with such caution.

Had Lin Mo stayed in Syria for just one more month, he might have received this order locally, eliminating the need to rush back to the Middle East now.

He never expected that on the very day he prepared to depart, his superiors would grant the Night Special Forces a temporary authorization, allowing the Aircrew Group’s mission pilot to use the X-8 “monstrous” fighter jet to execute this task outside the country.

What was going on? Lin Mo was left speechless. Wasn’t it said that due to technical secrecy regulations, crossing borders was prohibited, and they could only operate in domestic airspace? How could they just suddenly allow them to venture out?

However, from this authorization, it was clear that the situation for the fourth squad of the Night Special Forces was quite dire, perhaps even extremely dangerous, requiring a high-performance fighter jet to save the day.

The X-8 “monstrous” not only had intercontinental stealth strike capabilities but, with its 5 Mach speed and stamina, could even cover the entire Asian continent with its attack radius.

With the temporary authorization in hand, it was not just Lin Mo who couldn’t understand the situation; even Aircrew Group leader Old Pan was perplexed.

If the higher-ups allowed a switch to the “monstrous,” then they should just switch to the “monstrous!” The Aircrew Group understood the underlying message from the top.

The J-18 “Red Eagle” depleted its fuel and was being pushed back to the standing position, while Lin Mo gently patted the belly of the “Red Eagle,” saying, “Old buddy, you’ll have to stay lonely for a little while longer.”

Meanwhile, the X-8 “monstrous” shone in its black matte coating, exuding a fierce killing intent and eager for action.

One hour before takeoff, the weapons on the X-8 “monstrous” fighter jet were temporarily modified, with the two 500-kilogram bomb mounts under the wings replaced with two enormous conformal payload bays, also coated with stealth paint.

Was the fourth squad running low on ammunition? This was not a good signal, or perhaps Captain Feng and the Staff Group had said nothing about it.

"Report to base, the ‘Dragon Knight’ has taken off, and we expect to arrive in half an hour."

The X-8 “monstrous” variable wings fighter jet, fully loaded with ammunition, sprinted down the runway, lifted its nose, and plunged into the night sky with a roar.

Taking off vertically was not impossible, but it consumed too much fuel. Given the long distance they had to fly, Lin Mo would not waste fuel on unnecessary maneuvers.

This was a highly confidential flight; the nations they passed through would remain unaware that such an advanced fighter jet flew through their airspace as if they were inconsequential.

At this moment, around four in the morning, the sky remained shrouded in darkness. Lin Mo piloted the jet, reaching an altitude of 28,000 meters, where he could faintly see the enormous black sphere of Earth outside the cockpit, along with the massive curved white edge reflecting sunlight on the horizon.

Thanks to the time difference, when the X-8 “monstrous” reached Turkish airspace, the sky there was still filled with stars, as it was still early night.

This meant that since takeoff, the X-8 “monstrous” had been racing against the Earth’s rotation, even outpacing it.

The Earth’s equatorial rotation speed is 465 meters per second, which is not too fast for any supersonic fighter capable of reaching 1.4 Mach.

As long as Lin Mo desired it and had enough fuel, he could fly the fighter jet day and night, following the sun and enjoying everlasting light or darkness—a privilege that even Kua Fu from ancient mythology did not experience. With today’s human technology, chasing the sun was no longer a myth.

The twin-engine engines sponsored by the Americans provided powerful thrust for the X-8 “monstrous.” Coupled with the void magnetism from the gold giant dragon, the thin air at 28,000 meters allowed the fighter jet’s speed to increase rapidly, soon reaching 5 Mach, tearing through the night like a black lightning bolt.

At this altitude, the roar of the engines did not reach the ground; as long as the signal lights were turned off, no one could spot the “monstrous” with the naked eye.

"Hey! Fourth squad, this is the ‘Dragon Knight’! Please respond!"

As Lin Mo established communication with the fourth squad, he immediately began the conversation.

"This is the fourth squad; I’m ‘Avanti.’ Thank goodness, ‘Dragon Knight,’ it’s great to hear your voice."

Responding over the radio channel was Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu, code-named “Avanti.” His voice sounded weary, but upon hearing Lin Mo’s voice, he visibly perked up; Lin Mo’s arrival was like an adrenaline injection for the fourth squad.

"What’s your situation? I will arrive at your coordinates in twenty-two minutes."

Lin Mo did not pay much attention to the current situation of the fourth squad; he only needed to execute the detailed plan provided by the Staff Group.

"Twenty-two minutes? That’s quick! Didn’t you return to your country? How can you be here so fast?"

Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu, known as “Avanti,” was taken aback, clearly not believing that Lin Mo could arrive so quickly. He hurriedly replied, “Twenty-two minutes is no problem, but my squad can only hold out for another twelve hours. You need to… uh… boom!”

A strange shriek followed by a loud explosion echoed across the radio. Lin Mo’s heart sank immediately.

“Cough, cough! Damn it, things aren’t looking good here! Luckily, we’re all in Dragon Guard; with that last hit, we might have two more casualties.”

Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu struggled to maintain his call with Lin Mo, appearing quite distressed.

If the fourth squad had been pushed to this point, their opponents had to be exceptionally formidable. Lin Mo wondered who in the Middle East possessed such power; even the government armies of various countries could not pull it off.

Israel? Saudi Arabia? Names of certain countries raced through Lin Mo’s mind, but none fit the bill.

“Uh, it’s not good. I need the actual coordinates for the attack in twenty minutes.”

Lin Mo realized his superiors’ intent—to use the X-8 “monstrous” for a swift long-range raid, utilizing its advanced stealth capabilities to secretly enter Turkey and carry out operations. This task could only be handled by the “monstrous.”

The J-18 “Red Eagle” could barely meet the required standards, but it still lacked the assurance of the “monstrous.”

“Okay, I’ll mark it immediately and send it to you!”

Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu worked quickly, swiftly marking the enemy’s attacking forces on the electronic map and transmitting the data through military satellites.

Lin Mo opened the holographic projection screen on the cockpit wall, where luminous points floated in the air, highlighting various targets like a Light Mirror Technique.

“Whoa? What’s going on? There’s even a Ya Zi-2?” Lin Mo’s eyes widened suddenly, and he quickly asked Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu, “Are our combat-powered armors attacking you? What’s going on? Has someone defected?”

Incredibly, the powerful firepower point attacking the fourth squad turned out to be a Chinese-made light combat-powered armor.

“This is a conspiracy!” Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu shouted furiously, “It’s a trap! Some informants buried here have defected and dared to betray us! A bunch of damned scoundrels! I’ll make them pay!”

Zhang Zhenyu, the honest man, could no longer contain his rage. This was a great humiliation for the fourth squad.

While carrying out their mission, they had unwittingly fallen into the carefully designed trap of their opponents, losing a light combat-powered armor and a Flying Wolf rotorcraft in the process.

“I’ll adjust the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) signal. They can actually control our powered armors; it seems it’s not simple.”

Lin Mo began manually pre-marking the attack points. Nearly three hundred attackers, along with six armed helicopters, three armored vehicles, four eighty-millimeter mortars, and one captured powered armor, were all active in the attack sequence. It looked remarkably like a regular Turkish armed force; otherwise, how could the Turkish military allow such a group to operate within their territory?

“Of course, it’s not simple. They have some very skilled technical experts among them. I don’t know what methods they used, but they managed to crack the operating system of our powered armor and gained driving permissions.”

Zhang Zhenyu’s angry tone revealed his frustration; after all, getting assaulted by their own powerful weapons would irritate anyone.

“Marking complete! Now I’ll send it to the satellite for verification. Don’t worry; as soon as I arrive, I’ll launch the attack. Do you still want to recover that Ya Zi-2? Otherwise, let it blow up together.”

Lin Mo recalled that there were important equipment notes on the task list but ultimately prioritized the decision at the fourth squad’s site.

“Uh…” Zhang Zhenyu hesitated, seemingly making a difficult decision. After a second or two of silence, his voice came through the communication channel again: “If we can’t retrieve it, then destroy it on-site. Help me strategize; if we’re going to destroy it, make sure it’s completely wrecked.”

Lin Mo sensed the underlying message from the other side; the fourth squad still wanted to recover the powered armor that had fallen into enemy hands.

From the current situation, it seemed the opponents were wary of the fourth squad and didn’t immediately relocate this trophy. They had to kill witnesses to cover their tracks.

Interestingly, the lost light combat-powered armor had some connection to Lin Mo.

After Lin Mo exited the Abyss Nirvana, the military began organizing the evacuation of personnel and combat equipment, but they did not fully withdraw back home.

One Flying Wolf rotorcraft, one transport helicopter, and one Ya Zi-2 combat-powered armor were quietly air-dropped into Turkish territory during the transport process by a large transport aircraft for secret missions, unnoticed by anyone.

However, no one expected that this would lead to the current situation.