Sky-cracking Rider

"Canglong" advanced fighter jet enveloped in the massive sound of wind and thunder roared into the sky, seamlessly integrating with the L-22 advanced trainer jet that had also entered supersonic mode, making the rapid supersonic ascent seem all too logical. Laymen watch the excitement, experts observe the techniques, and most of the audience at the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" are experts who could discern nuances from the takeoff posture. "Did it just break the sound barrier? It hasn't even been 30 seconds!" "That speed... it's a bit fast!" "Is this the latest model of a support fighter jet? The design standards are a bit high! Could it be made to match the next generation of main battle models? Sss... as expected of Northern Weapons Industry Group, making a big move right from the start." "I heard the 'Canglong' project team is pulling in partners to share the development costs. We should get in touch; there might be benefits." Many in the audience were abuzz, with quite a few dazzled by the domineering and powerful ascent of "Canglong." - "Reiterating once again, the attacking distance between the two sides must not exceed 30 kilometers. Please check the missile firing range!" The organizers of the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" didn't care about the type of tactical weapons used by the parties; they simply set the rules of engagement. Long-range modern missile exchanges, nonexistent! The duel, which determined both winners and losers as well as life and death, needed a certain degree of spectacle, and it definitely varied from unlimited real warfare. Otherwise, the audience who painstakingly came here to watch the battle would have watched it in vain. "'Genuine Fragrance' squadron received!" Chekhov Big Bear responded on their behalf. More than ten specially modified drones with a faint glow of magic arrays closely followed the four combat aircraft of the "Genuine Fragrance" squadron at different altitudes making swift maneuvers. High-performance cameras primarily in optical mode captured the real-time footage and transmitted it back to the ground. Almost all the audience was in the indoor seating area, and it was hard for those in the outdoor seats to catch a glimpse of the combatants. "Follow the original plan, dive!" Chekhov Big Bear pushed the control stick, leading the dive. The three L-22s and the "Canglong" advanced fighter jet descended from an altitude of 5,000 meters to 50 meters; when they ascended again, the flying formation had changed as they regained altitude. It was precisely five minutes after takeoff. Four "Horned Eagle" aircraft (including X) from the Hanuman Airborne Group took off in pairs, rising neatly. "Captured the enemy target signal, count one, hmm? Why only one?" At the moment of takeoff, "Flying Disk" Rumteyn activated the onboard radar, quickly capturing the feedback signal. However, there was only one signal displayed on the radar screen. Seconds later, the radar system, which automatically narrowed the beam and enhanced the resolution, updated the detection results, showing four superimposed cursors. "Wrong, there are four! They're playing tricks like this!" "Flying Disk" Rumteyn scoffed and immediately issued combat orders. "Split the formation, squadron 1 feint, squadron 2 flank." No wonder there was only one feedback source at the beginning! Deceiving an old radar system with a three-dimensional flight formation might work, but to think about fooling the F-40 series radar system was out of the question. "Squadron 2 received." Positioned at the flanks of two F-40 "Horned Eagles," two F-40X fighters formed a flight pair, heading in a different direction, with "Divine Eye" Li Lin as the lead and his fire control operator "Big Stick" Bonatowa responsible for the wingman. In the air service group, the roles of main pilot and fire control weren't strictly divided; they could pilot a two-seater together or swap roles, able to fly independently if necessary, while still maintaining their tacit understanding. The combatants did not possess electromagnetic stealth fighters invisible to radar; thus, whatever the flight trajectory, it was all overt. "Hanuman has split their forces, one for distraction, the other aiming to envelop." The radar screen on the high trainer aircraft clearly showed the separation of the two twin-aircraft squadrons, and Chekhov Big Bear wasn't wrong in his assessment. Undodging and coming straight forward, the F-40 squadron was surely tasked with attracting fire, while the other F-40 squadron would likely seize an opportunity to launch a half-crossing strike. "Which team is X? You can't tell from the radar at all!" "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios, looking at the cursors on the radar screen, frowned, finding it a bit challenging to guess. The radar system on the L-22 couldn't distinguish between the F-40 and the F-40X; after all, the latter had never been publicly exposed and had no radar features externally communicated. As the F-40 series was being retired in large numbers, this experimental aircraft was halted in development, packed up, and stored in the strategic arsenal until it was unsealed for this occasion. The untimely F-40X experimental aircraft had significantly improved overall combat capabilities, which the L-22 couldn't accurately recognize, leading to misjudgments in enemy combat capabilities and putting the "Genuine Fragrance" squadron in a somewhat passive situation. "The ones maneuvering are the F-40X; those coming straight on are the F-40." Having activated the "Basic Optical Observer (Level 8) - Macroscopic Perspective," Chen Fei, from a higher vantage point, noticed the differences between the two squads of aircraft. Four aircraft, shaped like flat equilateral triangles, showed slightly bulging dual engines with pale blue tail flames at the center turning aqua. Lacking a vertical stabilizer, they left behind clearly visible condensation trails in the sky. The two aircraft leaving far behind had a wing-body blended design at the tips of the main wings, intermittently flipping out auxiliary aerodynamic control surfaces, making their flight posture even more agile. Thankfully, the aerodynamic design changes of the F-40X experimental aircraft were distinctive; otherwise, it would have been really difficult to discern. If it were just internal modifications, Chen Fei's visual skills would have been completely useless. "Fragrant Orchid" Carlos Silva Lane, squadron leader Chekhov's partner, curiously asked, "'Rookie,' how did you figure it out? Is it the latest intel?" "Is it Xiao Jiu? Did you bring it with you?" "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios immediately thought of Pure Light Sparrow's "Light Mirror Spell," which, although not very convenient to deploy, was still more effective than radar. Her guess was not exactly right, but it was not far off! Chen Fei responded, "Xiao Jiu is with Teacher Shen, I have special skills!" Explaining "Macroscopic Perspective" could be a bit tricky, so he simply chose not to explain. All thanks to the Dog System, the "Skill Shop" was filled daily with all kinds of bizarre junk skills, scheming to cheat energy points, making people too lazy to even look. However careful, Chen Fei inevitably couldn't avoid falling for it. This also led to Chen Fei's skill list inevitably including some weird skills, and that was after careful selection. Sometimes, if you don't pay up, you can't get past certain hurdles. Thus, the battle with the Dog System was a war of attrition. Chen Fei was extremely cautious with every energy point he spent. The organizers of the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" would never allow a magical beast like Xiao Jiu, who cheats, to compete. Jokingly, if it was about mobility, no current main battle aircraft could outmatch the naturally flying species, Pure Light Sparrow. With a 30 kilometer attack range, no one could stand up to Little Bird's BiuBiuBiu barrage. Even Chen Fei himself had no confidence in defeating this little critter in the sky. "Damn, having special abilities really is convenient!" Chekhov Big Bear, envious and jealous, dared not offend Chen Fei. He was still scheming to trick a few original AKs from him. The old guns replicated with Metal Elemental Psychic Power were seamless. The day he went to other collectors and replicated all the old guns, it would be truly beautiful. "Don't fool yourself with wishful thinking, the enemy is about to enter shooting range!" "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios abruptly snapped the big bear out of his daydreams, focused purely on illusions of profit. The engagement distance for "Abyssal Gladiatorial" was within 30 kilometers, a distance at which the AIM-290D long-range missiles, sponsored to the "Genuine Fragrance" squad by Chen Fei's uncle, were almost unescapable. "Plan B, action!" Chekhov gave a mischievous smile and pushed the control stick. The four combat aircraft of the "Genuine Fragrance" squad immediately scattered like birds and beasts—screw tactical formations! From the beginning, Chekhov and his team had anticipated the opponent's tactics. The tactical ability of private military units was just that, nothing more. Predicting using their own standards, if deception by tactics was possible, they'd use it; if not, they'd force their way through, damn all the foreplay, just do it! In a situation where the number of forces on both sides was equal, the most primitive one-on-one combat could negate all tactical assumptions. Personal combat strength would become the decisive factor in the outcome. That's why ancient generals favored duels, the biggest reason was exactly this: act, don't just talk. All schemes and tricks were a joke in the face of personal bravery. The more advanced the fighter jet, the better it performed in formation, and even integrating data links from multiple aircraft became a crucial element of combat power. The "Horned Eagles" from the Hanuman Airborne Group couldn't escape this tactical rule. But for the "Genuine Fragrance" squad, what nonsense was formation flying for a trainer aircraft? There was no such tactical design; at most, a twin formation was the limit. Asking for more was not the job of a trainer aircraft, but rather the domain of professional fighters; advanced trainers were just a transitional tool before mastering professional fighters, and dueling at this moment was just right. Chen Fei's "Canglong" advanced fighter had only one unit, merely in the startup phase of experimental machines, and tactical thinking hadn't yet formed—how could a trio support one? Of course, it was about being a free agent on the battlefield, dealing with adversaries one by one before regrouping. This was the most supreme tactic. "Flying Disk" Rumteyn, the leader of Hanuman, saw the dispersed indicators on the radar screen and said angrily, "They, they've split their forces!" Being a veteran pilot, he finally realized that the "Genuine Fragrance" squad didn't want to play games with them—every man for himself, showing off their divine skills. "What do we do? Go two against one?" asked "Divine Eye" Li Lin, piloting the F-40X. He immediately realized his idea might be inappropriate. Going two against one was ideal, but with equal numbers on both sides, wouldn't it flip the tactic, allowing the opponent to play a strategy of one distracting while the other attacked? "Flying Disk" Rumteyn said irritably, "What else can we do? Pick your own opponent and hope you hit a soft target!" He had not expected his opponent's tactic to be so shameless.