Chapter 36: The Damaged Metal Coin

None of this mattered to Lin Mo. Since there was a genuine combat mission, the experienced veteran pilots would take charge first, while novice pilots like Lin Mo still needed to focus on learning flying and combat techniques—it was his top priority.

The clash of aerial forces from two worlds was unimaginable. Lin Mo felt a cold sweat on his back, his heart racing like a rabbit, especially since Gold Coin had once come from the same world as him. Despite Gold Coin having seen him as a mortal enemy who wanted to take his life, they still shared a bond of kinship—after all, they were from the same hometown, and that bond was unchangeable.

Lin Mo had no idea what had happened between Major Shen and his J-10A and Gold Coin. His mind was in turmoil as he headed back to his dormitory, filled with anxiety.

Once inside, he turned on all the lights and randomly flipped through channels on the TV, unable to focus on what he was watching. With the remote in hand, his eyes lacked focus. Though it was close to two in the morning, Lin Mo felt no sleepiness; his mind was a chaotic mess. He tried to calm down and gather his battle energy, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate at all.

Frustrated, he lost the composure he usually maintained and paced back and forth in his room, finally collapsing onto his bed and sitting there in silence.

He didn’t know how long he had been like this when the sky beyond the balcony door began to brighten, a rumbling sound like distant thunder approaching. Lin Mo’s heart sank; he recognized that two J-10A jets were returning, nearly intact.

He rushed to the balcony and strained his eyes toward the runway. With the first light of dawn, he could see that the missiles under the wings of the two J-10As were empty, clearly indicating they had been fired.

Despite his countless warnings for Gold Coin to be careful, it seemed like misfortune awaited. Lin Mo’s heart plummeted into an abyss of despair, an overwhelming sense of loss enveloping him. The bond he shared with his home world felt more fragile than ever. He glanced at the dragon flute lying quietly on his bed and leaped forward to grasp it tightly in his hands. This, this could not be lost.

Almost an entire day passed, and Lin Mo remained in a daze, completely unfocused. Meanwhile, the base buzzed with excitement; real combat flight missions were a rare occurrence. The flight crew and ground staff from that night were given strict orders of confidentiality. Even Lin Mo was summoned for a talk and told not to ask too many questions. Whatever he had seen that night needed to stay buried within his mind unless the base announced a release of the information.

But there was no such thing as a wall without cracks, and gossip didn’t stop. News about the incident circulated, including vague comments reaching Lin Mo’s ears—reports of unidentified flying objects appearing in the night sky, fighter jets in pursuit and interception, and even ground-to-air missiles being fired.

A few days later, while browsing the Tianya forum online, Lin Mo came across some rumors. They claimed there had been signs of missile launches in central China, with a large military presence conducting mountain searches. Adventurers in the mountains had even published footage from their DV cameras capturing aerial combat. Those adventurers were nearly scared to death, thinking war had broken out. They fled the mountains in a panic, and the video circulating online showed a dusky sky filled with the roar of jets, flashing lights, tracer rounds trailing through the air, and the blasts of fireballs high above, clearly indicating something had been hit. Although it was hard to discern what exactly was happening in the skies, the aerial battle looked exceptionally thrilling! Some believed the video was real, while others claimed it was fake. Regardless, the views skyrocketed.

Missiles and fighter jets?! Gold Coin’s demise felt monumental; Lin Mo had lost all hope. This creature was too stubborn, refusing to heed his warnings.

About half a month after the base instructor aircraft crash and the late-night combat mission, confusion at the base gradually began to settle. The pilots anticipated when they would be able to take to the skies again while enjoying a brief respite. Mechanics and manufacturers shared meals, and although it was inevitable, the meticulously implemented logistics system allowed every aircraft at the base to undergo thorough inspections of each component.

Fortunately, the checks conducted by the mechanics and factory engineers, who had strained their eyes through the process, relieved the base leadership and manufacturers. Aside from a few aircraft showing minor issues, no parts related to the crash were discovered to be severely degraded. For safety’s sake, all equipment would be replaced. This turmoil led to significant costs and expenses for both the Air Force and manufacturers.

In the end, the unfortunate victim was the parts manufacturing factory. After having their deposit deducted and paying millions in losses, they were cut off from supplying parts and replaced with another supplier using a new alloy formula. The fighter jet manufacturers typically had two to three suppliers for the same components, preventing a situation where one supplier’s mishap left them without necessary parts.

Rumors swirled that Chen Haiqing’s family, worried about the flying profession after the base incident, was actively seeking opportunities to invest in aircraft manufacturing. They aimed to ensure Chen Haiqing’s safety, believing it was better to create their own aircraft than rely on others. This hinted at the possibility that Chen Haiqing was not just another rich heir; his family supposedly had the means to venture into aircraft manufacturing.

“Little Chicken calling Gold Coin, in thirty seconds, climb to twelve thousand meters and perform an inverted flight maneuver at three o’clock for fifteen seconds!” The lead pilot sent new orders to Lin Mo, who was acting as a wingman.

Since the two-aircraft formation replaced the previous three-aircraft setup, the fierce attack power of the high-speed jet fighters was unleashed without restraint.

“Gold Coin” was a code name Lin Mo chose himself. Every formal fighter jet pilot had their own aerial call sign for confidentiality and ease of memory. It resembled the practice of giving a child a nickname in old society to make it easier to survive. Pilots with unique call signs were less likely to miscommunicate during combat.

In fact, when Lin Mo originally prepared the name “Gold Coin” as a memento of his former identity as a Dragon Knight, one night, a tattered, shapeless, metallic-glimmering mass crash-landed through his balcony’s double-cushioned glass doors, rolling into Lin Mo’s bedroom. It just managed to cry out Lin Mo’s previous otherworldly name, “Morin,” before collapsing into an irregular shapeless mass. Lin Mo recognized it as what he had thought was a gold giant dragon, nearly reduced to pieces from missile and cannon fire, along with its name “Gold Coin.”

The creature now lay lonely at the foot of Lin Mo’s bed, stripped of its former resplendent golden hue and intricate symbols. It looked like an ordinary piece of rock pulled from a mine—dirty, disheveled, and irregular in shape.

Lin Mo couldn’t fathom how the once proud and noble gold giant dragon had fallen to such a miserable state in just a few days.

Even the simplest radar could pick up a large chunk of metallic debris flying in the sky. The gold giant dragon was not like a stealth bomber that absorbed radar waves; even though it could merge with metals, a solid projectile would be equivalent to just delivering groceries. It was inevitable that the aerial forces in this world would take it down.

What a unfortunate child!

Lin Mo almost believed this creature was beyond rescue until he threw all the coins he had left onto the shapeless mass, only to discover it still had a faint trace of devouring power—though it was a hundred times slower than before, there was still a glimmer of hope.

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Lin Mo risked being discovered, gathering over a hundred pounds of metal to toss into the still-shapeless “Gold Coin.” Metals that previously could be absorbed within ten seconds took over twenty hours to consume. The form had only slightly returned, with hints of missing symbols emerging on its surface.

Restoring the once-great gold giant dragon was not a simple task.

Lin Mo spent countless efforts and gathered several tons of scrap metal. After a month of hard work, “Gold Coin” transformed back into the original egg shape, and its surface revealed layers of mysterious symbols again. However, the metallic sheen still appeared dull and lifeless, resembling something abandoned for hundreds of years. Gold Coin remained in slumber, unresponsive.

All of Lin Mo’s previous efforts seemed to be in vain as everything returned to square one once again.