Chapter 756: Never Abandon! Never Give Up!

The X-8 “monstrous” variable wings fighter jet frequently exchanged high-speed data with satellites in space. The rules of civil network bandwidth clearly did not apply to military purposes, allowing Lin Mo to enjoy sufficient network speed.

The amount of data the fighter jet could handle matched the satellite’s capacity, and if necessary, one satellite could even service a single combat personnel.

Over the location of the fourth squad, thick clouds obscured the optical mode, so China’s military satellites had to rely on synthetic aperture radar for remote sensing mapping.

When the Americans claimed to use outdated maps during their bombing of the Chinese embassy, it was full of holes; everyone knew that the pace of urban construction in human-inhabited areas accelerated, causing the terrain to change daily. Even civilian maps are updated yearly.

“Ten minutes until arrival!”

The X-8 “monstrous” sped along, and once it reached speeds above 3 Mach, ground-based weapons became ineffective.

Every five minutes, Lin Mo contacted the fourth squad, who were mired in fierce battles. This not only boosted their morale but also kept him informed of battlefield changes since some information was undetectable by military satellites.

Alongside the fourth squad were over fifty Kurdish armed personnel, using terrain advantages to hold off the enemy’s attack with a one-to-three power ratio, but they could not break free.

The fourth squad was not acting independently; local reinforcements were expected. It had been a foolproof plan, but unexpected traitors turned a hunting operation into a trap. It was quite a feat that they had managed to endure this long under such unfavorable conditions.

“The situation here is good. Hold off on deploying the supply pod for now, and watch out for the Ya Zi-2; its anti-aircraft fire is strong.”

Alongside Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu’s voice, the sounds of intense gunfire and occasional explosions filled the air.

This “good” situation was nearly synonymous with “bad.”

The Ya Zi-2 light individual combat-powered armor was a main battle weapon even more fearsome than a tank. It not only had excellent maneuverability and terrain adaptability but also formidable firepower and diverse attack methods, unlike tanks, which had natural disadvantages against aerial attacks.

Humanoid combat weapons were true weapons of mass destruction, and Lin Mo had significant understanding of this powered armor’s performance from his time in Syria.

“No problem, I’ll be careful! Remember to refresh the friendly and enemy distribution; my missiles don’t discriminate!”

Lin Mo checked the electronic map again, noting that the fighter jet’s onboard weapon bay was filled with various offensive weapons for engaging individual combatants or anti-armor strikes. Coupled with the Rocket Pod mounted under the wings, he had plenty of attack options.

However, he could distinguish the fourth squad, who wore Dragon Guard, using the IFF identification system. In contrast, the Kurdish personnel had no means to do so, necessitating the assistance of ground observers to refresh their coordinates and avoid friendly fire during aerial strikes.

Beep, beep!

Two light signals appeared on the radar screen, and the onboard computer automatically increased output power to cross-reference the database. A blinking dashed rectangle marked the identification of the aircraft type.

Two F-16 “Falcons” emerged; Turkey was a significant provider of F-16 fighter jets, second only to America.

Lin Mo glanced at the situation; it was as if the rain had come with a wind— the fourth squad truly had terrible luck.

With the X-8 “monstrous” equipped with the advanced active phased array radar AN/APG-81, it easily scanned targets over 300 kilometers away.

The two fighter jets were approaching the location of the fourth squad.

Given the chaos here, it was nearly impossible not to alert the Turkish military.

Now they were in big trouble.

Whether it was onlookers or those ready to take advantage of the situation, none could be up to any good.

“Calling ‘Avanti’! Calling ‘Avanti’! I’ve spotted two F-16s closing in on you.”

Lin Mo called out to the fourth squad immediately.

“What? Two F-16s?” Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu’s voice trembled; this was just another wave of trouble on top of the last. This certainly could end badly; even with Dragon Guard, they might not stand up to fighter jets. He hurriedly asked, “How far away are they?”

The X-8 “monstrous” onboard computer provided a number immediately. Lin Mo’s expression darkened as he said, “They might reach your position a minute earlier than I do.”

After all, the X-8 “monstrous” was an outsider rushing to the scene, and maintaining a consistent speed of 5 Mach with only a minute’s delay was already quite an achievement.

If it were the J-18 “Red Eagle” or another fighter jet, it might not even have a chance to recover bodies upon arrival. Fortunately, military high-ups paid attention and granted an emergency exit authorization for the “monstrous” fighter jet, while the aircrew group didn’t mind expending manpower and energy to re-equip this variable wings fighter jet.

One minute was more than enough for a fighter jet to launch two full rounds of attacks. But could the fourth squad hold out for two rounds?

Lin Mo couldn’t guarantee it, and Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu wouldn’t dare either. The Night Special Forces back home were in no position to place any bets either.

Although the newly upgraded Dragon Guard equipment from the Night Special Forces could withstand most light weapons, they would still fall to the 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon mounted on the left side of the F-16 “Falcon” with just one round of fire, likely leaving all forty members of the fourth squad with dire consequences.

Unless the X-8 “monstrous” could reach 7 Mach, but for a single pilot and his dragon, the risk was simply too great. This risk was not about execution, but rather about the aftermath.

The U.S. Air Force’s most advanced strategic reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-91 “Aurora,” costs around 1 billion dollars and employs pulse detonation engines with special materials and designs to achieve a cruising speed of 7 Mach.

Even if a variable wings fighter jet utilized the U.S.’s F119-PW-100 engine, it could not simply leap over technological gaps and compete with the U.S. “Aurora,” putting the American Air Force in a precarious position.

As a Dragon Knight and someone well-versed in the aviation industry, Lin Mo understood which tricks could fool the seasoned pros and which forgeries would never pass muster.

Could they launch air-to-air missiles to draw attention? However, Lin Mo’s mission was to provide ground support, and if he poked the hornet’s nest of the Turkish Air Force, no one from the fourth squad would survive.

Turkey serves as NATO’s third-largest aerial power, its strength only surpassed by America and the United Kingdom. It is also one of the world’s more formidable air forces, absolutely not as easy to bully as the air forces of smaller nations like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

If this mission were easy to accomplish, the main force of J-10 fighter jets would have been deployed long ago, and they wouldn’t need someone like Lin Mo, skilled in overseas combat.

Was it better to wait for death or seek it out? This dilemma made Lin Mo flip through several thoughts in his mind as he anxiously compared assessments.

Letting the fourth squad get wiped out was simply out of the question. Lin Mo had made foolish decisions like falling into the Absolute Spatial Prison Forbidden Spell to save fellow Dragon Knight Akka in another world, destined to be someone who would never abandon his comrades.

“This is the base, calling ‘Dragon Knight’!”

Just when Lin Mo and Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu were tangled in confusion and despair, a call from the Night base came through.

Previously, all communications within the fourth squad and messages to Lin Mo had been transmitted via satellite to the Night Special Forces base, where Captain Feng and key members of the Staff and Intelligence Groups were coordinating and directing on-site. They were also quite anxious.

Others were thinking just as Lin Mo was, looking for solutions.

“‘Dragon Knight’ received!”

Lin Mo quickly responded, gripping the control stick. On the radar screen, two light signals representing the F-16s were steadily closing in on their target, with a countdown and a shrinking distance displayed in one corner of the screen.

“This is the base. Do you have a way to maintain your heading without revealing your position while attracting the attention of the F-16 flight?”

The technical personnel at the base passed along the latest instructions.

“This?!“

Lin Mo pondered for a moment and then recalled something, nodding vigorously as he said, “I can give it a try. The fighter jet can release simulated signals to mimic any type of radar signal from another fighter jet on their radar screen.”

This radar signal simulation feature wasn’t standard military equipment; it was Lin Mo’s own innovation, inspired by a mission where he piloted the J-18 “Red Eagle” disguised as the F-22 “Raptor” to infiltrate Afghanistan.

Since the aerodynamic shape and the tail flame’s infrared response could be mimicked, they could certainly fool the enemy’s radar and onboard computer identification databases.

Lin Mo had built this capability into the X-8 “monstrous” variable wings fighter jet, and now was the perfect time to test it.

The “monstrous” was a highly stealthy fighter jet, capable of achieving temporary optical stealth in the cover of night. To activate this disguise module, however, he first needed to expose himself.

The variable wings fighter jet began to slow down and descend.

If they were going to imitate, they needed to do it professionally.

As the “monstrous” fighter jet reached a height of 5,200 meters and a speed of 270 kilometers per hour, a special signal was released.