061. Ace Combat
Whoosh—Boom!
While Li Aozi was mapping out his attack route, a long-range air-to-air missile cut through 12 kilometers of sky and struck his transport plane, shattering it into pieces amid smoke and fire. Without hesitation, Li Aozi smashed through the cockpit glass, reversed gravity, and soared into the sky with his loot.
Boom, boom, boom—
The missile was loaded with a large amount of Octogen explosive, and the shockwave nearly flipped Li Aozi mid-air. Luckily, he accelerated just in time, bursting through the smoke and jet streams from the explosion.
"With power like this, it's still an air-to-air missile. If it had been a ground-to-air bomb—Gamma-tiers are really nothing more than moving mountains to a true superpower."
Li Aozi didn't dare take a direct hit. No matter how confident he was, he remained cautious of Frost-Plated's military arsenal.
"Speaking of which, why didn't my [Aura of Goodwill] trigger just now? Someone actually fired directly at me—those pilots must not be ordinary."
[You have triggered an emergency event—"Sword of the Heavens"]
[Type]: Event
[Duration]: 18 minutes (Countdown begins upon engaging in combat)
[Mission Difficulty]: Brave
(Note: Brave! This difficulty is less mechanically complex than a B-level mission but tests your resolve and courage. You need to have a just heart—or at least pretend to have one—to maximize your rewards.)
[Description]:
Knights of the sky, knowing the danger, still boldly charge at you. Impressed by their bravery, you decide to engage them with all your might.
Though their nation may be detestable, the spirit with which they fight for it is admirable.
[Completion Conditions]:
A. "Chivalry"—Shoot down two fighter jets that have attacked you, and rescue the pilots.
Reward: 500,000 XP, +5 to main attribute, +100 reputation with Frost-Plated Air Force.
B. "Unmanned Skies"—Destroy all Frost-Plated aircraft.
Reward: 800,000 XP, -400 reputation with Law IV.
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"To ignore the effects of [Aura of Goodwill] and fire on me directly, those two pilots must be Betas at the very least, and possibly even story characters."
Li Aozi's [Charm] stat reached an impressive 100.1, combined with the effects of [Aura of Goodwill]. If the opponents weren't narrative characters, they must have had specialized skills or traits that allowed them to bypass his abilities.
Biological organisms had far superior maneuverability compared to aircraft. Jets required massive turns to change direction, enduring immense overloads—one wrong move, and the airframe could disintegrate due to structural instability.
Air combat between jets was like two dogs trying to bite each other's tails. Whoever had more energy and speed would end up behind the other, ready to unload machine gun fire or missiles—by then, the result was almost a foregone conclusion.
But Li Aozi didn't have to worry about that. All he needed to do was pivot his body, and with gravity wrapped around him, he could effortlessly reorient himself toward his attackers. His golden eyes lit up with runes.
[True Eye] scanned the aerial space. Thanks to his bio-modified enhancements, Li Aozi's visual range in clear air conditions reached up to 140 kilometers, easily spotting his targets.
"Z-11 'Vulture,' one of the most advanced heavy fighters of this era, with triple variable wings. Its maneuverability and firepower are top-notch, and I remember it also has powerful electronic warfare capabilities."
What caught his attention, however, were the names of the two pilots.
Magic Stone One: Yelivov
Magic Stone Two: Magath Kubo
"So it's them... But judging by their skills, that makes sense."
They couldn't die yet. To Li Aozi, and perhaps even to Blue Star, these two were significant.
Calculating his next move, Li Aozi accelerated and launched himself toward the enemy.
Compared to the 400-kilometer radar range of the Z-11, his reliance on visual engagement seemed primitive. But Li Aozi had an advantage—once the fighter jets entered his range, he had superior mobility and lethality.
"These two jets are incredibly expensive. If I can shoot them down, Frost-Plated will stop at nothing to recover the wreckage. Whether for immediate or long-term gains, fighting is the best option."
Blue Star's hypersonic jets, especially those fully loaded with air-to-air missiles, had a maximum operational range of 3,000 kilometers.
Factoring in the interference of the Eerie Storms in the outlands, that operational radius could shrink to less than 2,000 kilometers. Achieving speeds of Mach 5 was highly unlikely.
Attack!
Without hesitation, Li Aozi darted toward the enemy.
"He's coming straight for us!"
Magic Stone Two immediately tensed up:
"Yelivov, should we open fire? The last missile didn't even hit him. At this range, neither LAAM (Long-Range Air-to-Air Missiles) nor HVAA (High-Velocity Air-to-Air Missiles) can catch him."
"Magic Stone Two, release the loyal drones," Magic Stone One, Lieutenant Colonel Yelivov, spoke calmly. "Wait for my command, Magath. We're flying the best fighter jets in the world. Once we find our chance, we'll take him down with one shot from the TLS (Tactical Laser System)."
"But the protocol permits—" Captain Magath hesitated.
"I'll take responsibility. We're fighting for our country. As Z-11 pilots, the higher-ups won't abandon elites like us over something trivial."
Yelivov's judgment was sharp. For the nation, jets could be replaced with money, but trained pilots weren't so easily found.
Especially with a fighter like the Vulture, there was no way the nation would entrust it to artificial intelligence. For a powerful [Mechanic], drones' weak defense systems were like open-source websites—easily hacked.
"No choice—let's do it!"
Magath locked his breathing mask in place, blue energy swirling around his eyes. As a [Ranger], he channeled destructive ki through the links along his neck and spine into the entire jet.
[Ki Pathways Connected]
[Loyal Drones Released]
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
The heavy underbelly opened up, releasing bat-like mini-drones that surrounded the two Vultures like royal guards protecting a queen.
Hummm—
A deep gong-like sound reverberated through the sky. Magath's jet was quickly enveloped in a blue, crackling pattern of energy. Veins bulged around his eyes as his flight suit compressed, allowing him to withstand the immense load. He jettisoned the auxiliary fuel tanks and slammed the throttle to the floor.
[Hypersonic Mode]
In an instant, the forward-swept wings of Magath's Vulture snapped back to merge with the vertical tail wings, forming a more stable diamond configuration. Three engines blasted purple exhaust, accelerating the jet toward Li Aozi with its loyal drone swarm.
On the other side, Yelivov, as the primary combatant, remained calm. He knew that for hypersonic targets, semi-active missiles were essentially useless. Pouring purple energy into his jet, he activated optical stealth, vanishing into the night.