ebookland Chapter 470: The Lone Eagle Defeats the Enemy on the 9th Level
Chapter 470: The Lone Eagle Defeats the Enemy on the 9th Level
The F-35B's turbofan engines roared deeply from beneath the cumulonimbus clouds. Lei Tao stared intently at the constantly fluctuating radiation level alarm on the instrument panel. The electromagnetic pulse from the explosion at Shijiazhuang Air Force Base was still disrupting some of the fighter's sensors. He fine-tuned his course by 15 degrees. As the fighter jet penetrated a gap in the clouds, a sudden flash of metal flashed across the snowy plains below.
Lei Tao's pupils suddenly constricted. Infrared imaging revealed seven armored vehicles covered in white camouflage, positioned on the side of Fenglong Mountain. A modified version of the Freya radar antenna array mounted on their roofs slowly rotated. Even more alarming was the half-track vehicle in the center of the convoy, loaded with a mysterious, unprecedented device. Its metal hull was covered in vents, emitting a faint blue fluorescence.
The fighter plane suddenly shuddered violently, and tracer rounds from the anti-aircraft guns grazed its wings. Lei Tao urgently pulled up, and a dense web of fire suddenly erupted from the clouds—three Type 96 anti-aircraft guns hidden in the forest were firing frantically, their muzzle flashes like demonic eyes in the twilight. He quickly activated the electronic warfare system, and jamming rounds spurted out like silver snakes, while simultaneously maneuvering the fighter plane through a rolling maneuver.
"We must destroy the radar first!" Lei Tao's knuckles turned white from the exertion. The moment the AGM-86C cruise missile detached from its pylon, its wings unfolded with a crisp mechanical click. The missile's tail flame ripped through the clouds, its infrared seeker locking onto the electromagnetic signals continuously emitted by the ground radar vehicle. The onboard computer rapidly calculated the optimal attack path. Beneath the warhead fairing, a 454 kg high-explosive penetrating warhead poised for launch. As the missile passed over the side peak of Fenglong Mountain, its wings unfolded, plunging downward at a nearly vertical angle.
Colonel Fujita, the commander on the scene, waved his sword wildly, "Concentrate all firepower..." His voice suddenly stopped as the AGM-86C accurately hit the radar armored vehicle behind him.
It detonated in the core compartment of the radar array. The overpressure shockwave, like an invisible hammer, instantly crushed the delicate electronic tube equipment into dust; prefabricated fragments rained down like a torrential rain through the steel cabinets, and the cable bundles turned into burning snakes.
Japanese radar operator Sato's pupils suddenly constricted. The screen, which had clearly displayed the enemy aircraft's trajectory three seconds earlier, now frantically flickered with a cacophony of noise, then went completely black. He lunged for the backup power switch, only to hear a series of popping sounds behind him—the cooling fan's copper coil melted into molten iron, and relay contacts were reduced to ash in the arcing arc.
The entire air defense position fell into an eerie silence, the only sounds being the hum of overloaded transformers and the sizzling of burning cables. The once-proud radar antennas now drooped crookedly towards the ground like giant pythons with their spines removed.
The entire anti-aircraft position fell into an eerie silence, the only sounds being the hum of overloaded transformers and the sizzling of burning cables. Farther away, the armored vehicles that hadn't been directly hit also met their fate. The electromagnetic pulses generated by the nitrogen energy explosion acted like an invisible electrical grid, instantly frying all electronic equipment. A strange blue glow emanated from the metal surfaces of the vehicles, as if consumed by some mysterious force. Ultimately, eroded by the quantum radiation, they were reduced to a pile of smoking scrap metal.
However, just as Lei Tao was about to leave the battlefield, six modified Zero fighters suddenly swooped in from the other side of the clouds. While these Zeros lacked unusual underwing weapons, they did feature metal spoilers on the leading edges of their wings, and their fuselages were coated in a matte finish. Lei Tao had just completed a roll maneuver when he noticed the enemy aircraft's turning rate was nearly 30% faster than conventional models—the Japanese had clearly optimized the F-35's aerodynamic shape specifically to suit its maneuverability. Using their low-visibility paint scheme as cover, the Japanese pilots descended with a tactical approach resembling a formation charge.
Lei Tao quickly adjusted his tactics, accelerating the F-35B sharply, leveraging its supersonic cruise capability to instantly distance himself from the enemy. The Zero fighters, their piston engines roaring, gave chase, but were far behind. Seizing the opportunity, Lei Tao spun his fuselage, his GAU-12 cannon roaring, its armor-piercing incendiary rounds ripping through the wing of a Zero. The remaining Zeros attempted to maneuver and siege, but the F-35Bs, with their vectoring nozzles, instantly executed a 180-degree turn, exploding the fuel tank of another enemy fighter.
Just as Lei Tao was about to expand his victory, the dashboard suddenly flashed red—the critical fuel alarm blared. Gritting his teeth, Lei Tao plunged into the clouds, activating his Bagua gyro system amid the clatter of the Zero fighter's pursuit. The moment his fighter's engine abruptly stopped, he was sucked into the space device, and the next second, he fell to the alloy floor of the Central African safe house.
"Intelligent ground crew, full system inspection!" As Lei Tao finished his words, dozens of blue lights poured down from the ceiling. A 360-degree scanning holographic detector instantly projected a three-dimensional image of the fighter jet. Intelligent robotic arms disassembled the F-35B's key components with the precision of a surgeon: high-temperature alloy clamps removed the still-scorching turbofan engine, liquid nitrogen spray nozzles instantly cooled the overheated vector nozzle, and nanoscale probes penetrated the circuit board to inspect chips damaged by the electromagnetic pulse.
The refueling system automatically activated, pumping liquid methane into the tank via a magnetically levitated pipeline while simultaneously undergoing purity testing and pressure calibration. A custom-designed capsule ejected from the ammunition depot rails, where a robotic claw inspected the AGM missile's fuze system and flight attitude control module, performing 3D-printed repairs on damaged wings. A holographic screen displayed the repair progress in real time, while fault codes floated through the air as data streams. Intelligent ground operations, using quantum computing, instantly matched the optimal solution.
The medical bay door slid open, and a cell-repair fluid, emitting a pale green fluorescence, flowed over Lei Tao's exhausted body, relieving the muscle tearing caused by the overload. With half-open eyes, he watched the robotic arm replace the damaged avionics module on the fighter plane, but his heart remained tense. The Japanese army's research on the bomb wreckage might be progressing faster than he imagined.
Suddenly, a shadowy girl popped up from the system, and a pale blue holographic projection rippled across the cabin. "Warning! The anti-traitor mission has entered the final countdown—5 days, 15:00."
Lei Tao suddenly lifted himself up from the repair fluid, which dripped down his muscles. "Locate the coordinates!" He wiped the liquid from his face, and a holographic map immediately unfolded above his head. The red dot marked the core area of Xinjing. The shadowy girl pushed an encrypted file to his retina: "The target has the latest deployment intelligence of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. The secret meeting may involve a large-scale encirclement and suppression plan against the anti-Japanese forces in North China."
Lei Tao's pupils constricted instantly. He quickly rose from the repair fluid, water droplets sliding down the nanofiber lines of his combat uniform. The intelligent ground support system immediately attached the tactical eyepiece to his face, and a holographic map on his retina began to mark every anti-aircraft firepower point in the New Capital area.
"Who is the target?" his voice mingled with the vapor of repair fluid. Data rippled through the holographic projection of the shadowy girl. "The system only has the codename 'Snowy Owl,' and the exact time and location of the secret meeting are unknown." The screen switched to a yellowed photo of a Kwantung Army pass. "This individual holds special access to the Kwantung Army Headquarters in Xinjing. All conventional reconnaissance methods have been rendered ineffective."
Outside the medical bay, the clang of robotic arms assembling the aircraft cannons resonated like the throes of war drums, each blow vibrating the cabin walls. Lei Tao peeled off the sweat-soaked bio-monitoring patch on his chest. His nanofiber combat suit clung to his muscles, outlining his tense frame. Repair fluid formed a meandering stream on the ground, reflecting the cold blue light from within.
He strode toward the ammunition depot. The intelligent ground control system had already upgraded the AGM-158 missile to a penetrating warhead. A faint blue energy pattern pulsated across the missile's surface, like a living being, as the new quantum armor-piercing material gathered its strength. Lei Tao precisely fitted his tactical gloves onto the fighter's control panel. A holographic tactical map instantly illuminated his retinas, revealing the North China Plain and the Japanese defense lines in Northeast China.
Looking up at the F-35B being sprayed with a nano-stealth coating, its surface shimmered with a fine silver hue, like a layer of flowing starlight. "Equip the low-altitude penetration module and load ten thermobaric bombs under the fuselage," he said in a deep, resolute voice. "From Hebei to Xinjing, we will tear open the Japanese air defenses and make every airport their burial ground!"
A holographic projection unfolded before him like a galaxy in reverse. The North China Plain transformed into a three-dimensional sand table, shimmering with a cold glow. The coordinates of the Japanese airfields were as red as blood. Lei Tao's fingertips slid across the virtual model, and the assault route instantly lit up with a dazzling golden trajectory. "When their skies are ablaze with war, only then can we sever the venomous snake with a single blow."
The sneer on the corner of his mouth carried a sharp edge accumulated for thousands of years, and his eyes were filled with a fighting spirit that was hotter than the nitrogen energy core: "The Japanese devils claim to be proficient in strategy, but they forget that this land is buried with the wisdom of dozens of dynasties." Before he finished speaking, the quantum focusing light on the top of the cabin suddenly lit up, projecting his figure on the F-35B fuselage that was ready to go, like the silhouette of an ancient god of war.
The metallic hum of the intelligent ground support system suddenly accelerated. A robotic arm danced like a silver snake, inserting the low-altitude penetration module into the wing groove. The hydraulic hiss of the thermobaric bomb bay door closing was like the grinding of a giant beast's teeth. When the last nano-stealth scale attached to the fuselage, the entire fighter plane turned into a flowing shadow. Only the countdown on Lei Tao's retina danced, indicating the completion of the repair.