Chapter 753: Lies

The meeting arranged by the Intelligence Group proceeded as scheduled, taking place in a corner of the Night Special Forces’ leisure center.

Special Forces operatives are humans too; they need to relax. Thus, a large area adjacent to the gym is designated for everyone in the squad to unwind.

With activities including music, chess, painting, mahjong, poker, and gaming consoles, they also have dedicated religious activity rooms for Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity. Not all soldiers in the Special Forces are Han Chinese; among the fourth squad engaged in overseas operations, there are even ethnic minorities and individuals of European descent. Treating all Special Forces soldiers of the Night team as inflexible is a big mistake.

As a national-level strategic underground system, the leisure area has ample space, accommodating about five thousand people. Hence, the Intelligence Group chose this quiet corner in the midst of chaos for their meeting.

Captain Feng led a casual interview, focusing on filling in gaps rather than conducting the meeting in a sealed interrogation room. The relaxed environment made it easier for people to recall memories.

To Lin Mo’s surprise, the individuals sent by the Intelligence Group for the meeting were the "Twin Stars" duo, Li Muxin and Li Muling.

The Aircrew Group’s station is not far from the base headquarters, and considering Lin Mo often goes on missions, he rarely sees the impressive sister pair.

Even if they had past disagreements, time naturally dissolved their animosities, especially since no one has managed to outsmart the Dragon Knight.

Even the world’s top arms dealer, the Lockheed family, who had been at odds with Lin Mo, ended up with quite a few bumps and bruises from their encounters. They suffered so many defeats that they were forced to accept Lin Mo’s extortion, hastily concluding their revenge plans.

Just annoying a Lockheed allowed Lin Mo to successfully piece together the "monstrous." He would likely continue to welcome those seeking an opportunity to challenge him.

Sister Li Muxin maintained her innate calmness and composure, radiating the charm of an intellectual scholar. Yet, one should not be deceived by her exterior. Her battle skills, executed with grace, turned combat into an art form.

Meanwhile, her sister, Li Muling, sat calmly like her sister. Yet, for some reason, she resembled a monkey under a tight spell; despite her perfect military posture, she exuded a restless energy. In missions, her talent lay in indiscriminate brawling, mastering firearms, explosives, reconnaissance, interrogation, eavesdropping, and assassination, making her a seasoned headache for enemies.

Perhaps time and experience had matured her character, or perhaps she recognized Lin Mo’s accomplishments since entering the Night, as the challenging gaze she once held towards him was now absent.

The military values strength. The achievements of a pilot from a well-performing combat squadron sitting before them naturally inspired respect in the sisters of the Intelligence Group. Misunderstandings born from ignorance had dissipated with time.

Moreover, Lin Mo was not someone easy to deal with. His knack for stirring trouble and his fighter ace qualifications were particularly notorious within the military. Few dared to approach him, especially since he had almost dropped a sonobuoy on an American submarine. If they knew he had flown the P-51 “Mustang” fighter to type letters on an American RC-135 reconnaissance plane, it would be even more outrageous. Even now, the U.S. military hesitated to publicize it; it would be too humiliating.

The Night Special Forces were indeed a gathering of elite warriors, skilled marksmen, and experts in close combat. However, a pilot from the Aircrew Group, who excelled in dogfights and could become a battlefield demon on the ground, stood out as an exception in the Special Forces.

His ability to participate alone in the International Pilot Death Match, “Abyss Nirvana,” and return unscathed marked him as a heroic figure.

“Alright, Major Lin, what drink would you like? If you want snacks, I can get those for you!”

The first to speak was the elder sister, Li Muxin. Her voice was soft and inviting, creating an inexplicable sense of closeness. Whether this was natural or a result of her training, it provided a distinct advantage in reducing hostility during intelligence work and interrogations.

Although the appearance of the twin sisters was hard to differentiate due to their identical looks, one could discern their ranks: the elder sister was higher, and the younger one was lower. Li Muxin’s tone was devoid of any trace of hostility, while her sister carried a bit of fiery temperament, serving as a small trick to help distinguish them.

Despite their similar appearances, the stark differences in their personalities made them a unique sight among the members of the Night Intelligence Group.

“Hmm, green tea sounds good! Snacks, anything will do!”

Lin Mo had no reservations; he felt neither fondness nor aversion towards the sisters from the Intelligence Group.

Li Muxin shot a glance at her sister, but Li Muling pouted, silently rising to get the tea and snacks.

To err on the side of caution, Li Muxin preferred to seat her sister away from the conversation, remembering the earlier conflict between them. Avoiding any potential issues seemed like a prudent approach.

“Alright! Let’s get started. Let’s talk about ‘Abyss Nirvana.’ You shot down fifteen aircraft, right?” Li Muxin switched on a recorder and placed it on the table to keep a record of their conversation. Lin Mo’s report was already in her hands.

“Correct, the report contains a detailed list and aerodynamic sketches.”

Lin Mo nodded. Every aircraft he downed was recorded in the black box on the X-1“monstrous,” though amidst a chaotic battle, the black box might not have captured every detail.

This unprecedented and brutal Death Team Battle pushed Lin Mo up to the high-tier pilot level, an international acknowledgment of his true capabilities.

Within the domestic air force, he was likely already recognized as a strategic-level pilot, capable even of flying a nuclear warhead.

However, to think that Lin Mo, with national strategic pilot qualifications, could be pulled from the frontline elite Night Special Forces and kept hidden or used merely to pass on air combat techniques was simply naive.

A pilot’s qualifications are built upon flight hours and kill records; withdrawing him from combat would risk regression in his air combat skills. Treating him like a precious resource and barring him from the frontlines to mentor other excellent pilots would only disrupt the progression of modern air combat techniques. At Lin Mo’s age, it would be the greatest waste of resources.

Only Colonel Jiang, with age and experience, might retire to an elite aviation squad to pass on combat techniques, but even he would not hesitate to engage in combat when tasks arose.

The Death Team Battle in “Abyss Nirvana” proved that no number of intermediate and novice tier pilots could overwhelm a special tier pilot.

Conversely, in the future, the country would offer Lin Mo even more opportunities for practice.

The interview unfolded in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Lin Mo’s firsthand narratives about the events from “Abyss Nirvana” painted a far more colorful and thrilling picture than any written report.

After Li Muxin finished her inquiries about “Abyss Nirvana,” she suddenly shifted the topic directly to Lin Mo’s time in Iran.

“May I ask if the disappearance of the meteorite collection team from Boulogne Mining in Isfahan is related to you?”

Li Muxin’s question surprised Lin Mo slightly. He wasn’t na?ve; the Boulogne incident wasn’t detailed in his report, which indicated that the Intelligence Group must have investigated this through another channel. Their efficiency was impressive.

While searching for the Iranian pilot “Monkey” Abul Hasan Zargalar’s family, Lin Mo had used the “Dragon General” satellite positioning module to help navigate.

Realizing this, Lin Mo felt at ease. From the coordinates, it was clear observers would notice his interaction with Boulogne Mining staff, at least in terms of location. However, to uncover the existence of the gold giant dragon, those clues alone were far from sufficient.

“Hmm, yes, I did it. A total of seventy-nine people.”

Lin Mo didn’t think much of it. They weren’t Chinese civilians; it happened abroad, and the military seemingly had no obligation to chase after their soldiers for a few foreigners who didn’t pay taxes to the Chinese government. Did Lin Mo not have enough bad luck to contend with?

“Uh! Alright then, noted!”

Li Muxin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. There were indeed expected omissions – such matters were unlikely to be included in a report, which revealed the significance of the meeting.

Seventy-nine! Li Muxin couldn’t help but cast another glance at Lin Mo, sitting unscathed before her; his ruthlessness exceeded her imagination.

The furious Boulogne Mining Company was currently in close contact with the Iranian government, eager to identify the culprit. Retribution was also a foregone conclusion.

She hoped Lin Mo had left no trace behind. To ensure absolute certainty, she continued pressing the topic: “So, Major Lin, could you describe your entire operation for me? The more detail, the better.”

It was impossible for the military to stick their necks out for a few dead foreigners; they weren’t bureaucratic fools. However, higher-ups wished to avoid encumbering themselves. Although they could probably suppress it with their official power, doing so would mean losing a couple of cards from their hand in international disputes unnecessarily.

Acting on incomplete operational plans could undoubtedly cause trouble, and Lin Mo couldn’t help but frown.

For him, it was impossible to leave any trace at the scene, but the absence of flaws could itself become a significant flaw; a single lie often requires more lies to cover it up.