Chapter 768: Cleaning the Dust

Before escorting the transport helicopter into Armenian airspace, Lin Mo detected several unidentified signals on the radar screen, trailing from over 300 kilometers away, at an altitude of 20,000 meters, following in the same direction for more than 200 kilometers.

If it weren’t for the concern of being tricked by someone else with a strategy to “lure the tiger from the mountain,” Lin Mo would have already flown the variable wings fighter jet over to deal with them.

However, he was certain these were not Turkish aircraft. Using the optical reconnaissance system from military satellites in outer space, Lin Mo identified their silhouettes.

They appeared to be three aircraft with an integrated triangular wing design, moving at high speed, not resembling civilian aircraft at all. The military satellites issued a warning, determining that these three unidentified aircraft posed a certain threat to his formation based on their specific mathematical trajectory.

Cruising at a speed of 3 Mach, and boasting similar electromagnetic invisibility, the technology of these aircraft seemed quite advanced.

Could they have flown over from the neighboring "Abyss Nirvana" competition? After all, they were only a short distance from Syria.

Lin Mo had never seen these three types of aircraft during the competition; they might be newcomers. However, he heard that the competition was about to conclude. What were these guys sneaking around for?

Just as the “monstrous” aircraft made a menacing display, the three triangular flying machines suddenly seemed to sense something and immediately turned south at high speed, leaving no chance for Lin Mo, quickly employing the terrain to vanish from satellite view.

It appeared they also had a special reconnaissance system capable of detecting Lin Mo’s variable wings fighter jet.

Maybe it was a laser radar system or something else; there were indeed technologies similar to the Light Mirror Technique in the world, but applying them to fighter jets had many challenges.

Electromagnetic invisibility was not completely foolproof; scientists had always been deeply troubled by the confrontation between spear and shield.

Seeing those three aircraft decisively retreat allowed Lin Mo to breathe a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t know their origins, they were definitely not friends. The only regret was that the aerodynamic properties of the X-8 “monstrous” had been largely exposed.

If only he could change forms more often! Let them see; today he’d be an F-22, tomorrow a Su-37, and the day after an EF-2000, letting those paparazzi cry their hearts out.

As the fighter jet represented by light spots crossed the border line, the X-8 “monstrous” variable wings fighter jet changed its swept-back wings back to forward-swept wings upon passing through a cloud.

If the Turks really wanted to engage in a war of words, the Chinese would only have the forward-swept wing fighter jet. They could search all over the world for that swept-back wing fighter jet.

…

After being on duty for half a month, the variable wings fighter jet proudly landed in a vertical manner on the parking area in front of the Aircrew Group’s hangar.

“Old Pan! Help me wash the plane properly! Damn it, I should wash myself too; I’m almost starting to stink.”

Having gone half a month without a shower, Lin Mo’s first thought after jumping off the plane was to rush into the shower and scrub himself thoroughly from head to toe.

“Go on, go on! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you just came out of an archaeological site!”

Aircrew Group leader Old Pan chuckled as he watched Lin Mo hastily run toward the shower room in the hangar. The other aircrew members couldn’t help but smile too.

After staying in the wilderness for half a month, Lin Mo, wearing "Dragon General," had become like a Turkish smelly can. At first glance, "Dragon General" looked quite disheveled.

The X-8 “monstrous” and the place he had been in were definitely not picturesque spots; it was even an exaggeration to say it was a place without resources.

The fourth squad and the Kurdish armed organization had chosen this temporary base to remain hidden, which helped avoid any spies or traitors within the Kurdish armed organization from causing problems again.

While it was indeed discreet, the environment was excessively harsh and barren; it could even be described as deserted.

Without constant supplies, this base could hardly be sustained, and without a local guide familiar with the terrain, finding a way out of the maze-like wild mountains would be nearly impossible.

The water in the mountain base was barely enough for all to drink, just those few drops seeping from the rock faces. When the fourth squad arrived, they quickly depleted nearly half of the water reserves.

Let alone taking a shower, each person could only receive a bit of washing water every two days, just enough to dampen a towel and rub it on themselves.

As Lin Mo’s little captive, the blond tech girl was suffering greatly.

Although she was a captive, due to her young age and relative obedience, her water ration was distributed according to officer standards. In reality, it wasn’t much; she received slightly more than the rank-and-file soldiers, just a little more than a tea cup.

The difference between the Kurdish armed personnel and the outsider’s imaginations was not nearly as large; they didn’t even receive military pay. Their survival conditions were so harsh, relying solely on passion and perseverance to fight against the Turkish government.

Maisha Wright had never experienced such harsh conditions before.

In less than two days, the sweet-smelling girl had turned into a stinky mess, sporting dark circles under her eyes, looking utterly miserable. This was despite having been given the freedom to move around; the wilderness had become the best prison.

When she saw the transport helicopter from China arrive, she joined the crowd, waving her hands in joy, completely forgetting her status as a captive. Seeing a chance to leave this place filled her with hope.

So much so that when the transport helicopter was preparing to return to the homeland, she didn’t wait for Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu’s order and was the first to jump onto the helicopter, not caring at all where it would take her—even to the North Pole, she would go.

She just wanted to leave this hellhole behind; Maisha Wright couldn’t bear to stay another day. If she stayed another week, she didn’t know if she’d turn into a caveman.

Damn it, she was into high-tech, not the Stone Age.

The warm water cascading over her felt heavenly, making her skin sigh with relief as the shower gel quickly washed away two weeks’ worth of grime.

Feeling refreshed, Lin Mo walked out of the shower room in the Aircrew Group’s hangar, changed into a comfortable set of flight combat gear.

Although he felt at ease in "Dragon General," wearing it for half a month meant it was bound to feel sticky, even with the special nano-materials filtering and catalyzing odors.

The moment he stripped it off, he removed the battery module and took it into the shower room, rinsing it thoroughly inside and out.

The multiple protection standards of bulletproof, waterproof, radiation-proof, and leak-proof were all necessities. Compared to civilian, commercial, and industrial tech standards, "Dragon General" should be considered quasi-aerospace level technology, durable and requiring much less maintenance.

“Lin Mo, look at your plane! It looks like it just came out of a sandstorm. You definitely didn’t pick a good spot to land.”

While Lin Mo was tidying himself, Old Pan and the others began preparing to maintain Lin Mo’s variable wings fighter jet. A high-pressure water gun quickly created a pool of yellow mud beneath the landing gear and wings.

Lin Mo was still using a dry cloth to clean his face when he smiled and replied, “Where could I find a good place to land? It’s all rocks! Finding a slightly flat spot in the mountains is already pretty good.”

Having been in the Middle East for so long, he hardly noticed anything unusual until he entered the hangar, and the fighter jet appeared exceptionally dusty.

People were desperate for water to shower, and the fighter jet didn’t stand a chance either, gathering dust while parked. Just then, Old Pan pulled out an air filter from the cockpit—when he shook it, fine powder dusted the ground as he threw it away.

Seeing this, Lin Mo was startled and couldn’t help but stick out his tongue. It was clear he would need to pull an all-nighter for thorough maintenance; it was so dirty.

“Gold Coin! Gold Coin! Help me out!”

Lin Mo snapped his fingers, calling the Aircrew Group’s robot to help, the kind that was “voice-controlled.” This gadget had remained hidden; it was a significant gain from Dragon General’s efforts to act small.

In the corner of the hangar, the sound of light, rhythmic mechanical friction immediately filled the air. This was the best labor available, and Lin Mo didn’t treat it like a person; he put it to work.

The robot’s movement mode differed somewhat from the structure evolved from the gold giant dragon’s main body. Perhaps the gold giant dragon had upgraded the driving system of this auxiliary robot; it quickly appeared before Lin Mo, more agile than before.

“Go, help out!”

Lin Mo waved his hand, literally recruiting.

“Lin Mo, what are you doing? Are you trying to sneak away? This is not public property! You can’t just slip out like this?!”

Old Pan saw Lin Mo trying to pin the blame on the robot and quickly stopped this escaping bastard.

Looking at the Bastard Card given by Squadron Leader Zhang Zhenyu, it was indeed quite fitting.

“Old Pan, next time I promise to help! I really have something to do this time!”

Lin Mo pulled out a laptop from the cockpit, waving it in his hand.

This was also a trophy, Maisha Wright’s tool of crime, and there might be some good stuff inside.

In Turkey, lacking the necessary tools and cover, Lin Mo had only obtained it just before leaving from a fourth squad soldier who was taking the blame for him.

Being able to easily seize a piece of "Ya Zi-2" combat-powered armor and successfully hack and remotely modify it on-site showed Lin Mo’s technological expertise was no small feat. So, perhaps everything the little blond girl had was in Lin Mo’s hands.

Under the heavy encryption and security measures protecting this laptop, it could surprise both Lin Mo and the gold giant dragon greatly.

Lin Mo hurried back to his room with the laptop, locked the door, and the gold giant dragon wrapped around his watch eagerly began to evolve rapidly on the table.