"If there are no issues, let's depart."
Lu Yuan said finally.
At midnight, Chang Kong was responsible for piloting, and the hummingbird reconnaissance plane took off carrying Ye Xing and Caoyuan.
They quickly climbed to an altitude of 15,000 meters, using the cover of the dark night to fly directly towards Oasis City.
Half an hour later, the plane was less than 50 kilometers from Oasis City.
"The ground radar is starting to illuminate us," Chang Kong said, pointing at the instrument screen.
"But looking at this waveform, the radar power and resolution are very weak. It should be Oasis City's own old early warning radar. Apollo truly underestimates air defense. They don't even bother to deploy more advanced radars. No wonder your drone reconnaissance wasn't shot down before."
"That's good."
Caoyuan in the back seat let out a sigh of relief.
"What about you? Can you return safely?"
"No problem, the identification friend or foe system is working. The people on the ground must have recognized us as friendly forces performing a normal mission."
"Won't they be suspicious?" Ye Xing was still uneasy. "What if all the planes in the city are currently grounded? Wouldn't we be instantly exposed?"
"At least we haven't been exposed yet," Chang Kong said. "Otherwise, the ground control tower would verify my identity via radio, or just fire a missile."
"The person on duty on the ground should be Oasis City's radar operator. He has no right to know Apollo's flight plan, so as long as the instruments don't sound an alarm, he won't notify Apollo," Caoyuan said.
"We'll stay at high altitude. Just don't let Apollo's people see or hear us directly. As long as the two sides don't compare notes, the operation can remain secret. Luck is on our side for now."
The air at high altitude was too thin, and the turbofan engine output was insufficient, preventing the hummingbird reconnaissance plane from hovering. Chang Kong therefore directly opened the cabin door.
Whoosh!
If they weren't wearing power armor at this moment, they would immediately feel the severe cold of over minus 40 degrees Celsius and the gale-force winds exceeding 700 kilometers per hour.
At the same time, the ultra-low pressure, less than one-eighth of that at the surface, would make it impossible to breathe, causing rapid oxygen deprivation in the brain, leading to unconsciousness.
Fortunately, the power armor provided all the necessary protection. Its interior quickly pressurized and heated, and the wearers felt none of the harsh external environment.
"Good luck!"
Chang Kong turned his head and shouted through an oxygen mask amidst the howling wind.
"And may you have a smooth return!"
Caoyuan and Ye Xing, one after the other, jumped down gracefully, their speed of descent increasing.
They maintained a head-down posture, arms pressed tightly against their bodies, legs together and straight, to minimize their radar cross-section as much as possible.
At this moment, inside the Oasis City radar station, two extremely blurry light spots appeared on the screen.
The operator on duty was very attentive but still didn't become alert, because these two light spots were simply too inconspicuous, even dimmer than the clutter signals that usually appeared for various reasons, and were not worth mentioning.
The two men's descent speed quickly exceeded 120 meters per second, then began to slow down as air density increased.
Ye Xing saw the outline of Oasis City traced by lights. Because this city had oil fields, it had no shortage of electricity. Streetlights were on all night, especially in the rich district.
The vast Oasis City reservoir was pitch black. From this angle, the shimmering moonlight reflected by it was completely invisible. One could only see a large expanse of nothingness slowly pressing down towards them, which felt very uncomfortable.
Altitude: 5000 meters...
Altitude: 3000 meters...
1000 meters...
500 meters...
In military terms, High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) generally refers to parachuting from an altitude of over 6000 meters and opening the parachute below 1000 meters. This maximizes evasion of radar and anti-aircraft fire, allowing for covert infiltration.
A few special forces teams are trained to open parachutes at 200 meters or even 100 meters.
But tonight, Caoyuan and Ye Xing decided to challenge the human record.
Their planned parachute opening altitude was zero.
No parachute opening at all!
They didn't bring parachutes at all!
The power armor's protection and cushioning ability were sufficient for the two of them to enter the water at a speed of nearly 50 meters per second without getting injured!
Altitude: 200 meters, Warning! Ground hazard!
Splash!
The city guard patrolling by the reservoir heard a splash from a distance.
What the heck? Is someone fishing with explosives?!
Are they crazy? These fish in the reservoir belong to the City Lord. Don't they value their lives?
He turned his head and shone his flashlight, only vaguely seeing ripples spreading out. There was no boat on the water.
"Maybe it's a large animal underwater. Who knows what kind of water monsters the City Lord is raising in his 'exclusive pond'..."
The guard didn't investigate further and turned to walk towards the city.
With a monthly salary of a few hundred yuan, he had no obligation to delve into scientific mysteries.
At the same time, Ye Xing, who had jumped into the reservoir, was continuously sinking to the bottom due to the enormous initial velocity, unable to stop.
Because he was wearing power armor weighing hundreds of pounds, his current density was much greater than water. There was no sign of buoyancy. Everything before his eyes was pitch black, and the sound of gurgling water kept coming from his ears.
There was nothing beneath his feet, and a sense of unease, stemming from instinct, washed over him, as if something was waiting in the deepest part to devour him.
At this moment, Ye Xing knew that "thalassophobia" wasn't being overly sensitive; only those who misused the word were.
"We're about 150 meters from the shore here, and the depth is estimated to be sixty or seventy meters," Caoyuan's communication came through. He was not far behind Ye Xing. "It's normal, don't panic."
Thump!
Finally, his feet touched the bottom.
However, the bottom of the reservoir was ankle-deep mud. Ye Xing lost his balance, fell backward, and slid towards a deeper area.
The sense of fear instantly doubled.
Fortunately, Caoyuan extended a helping hand in time and pulled him.
"Damn..." Ye Xing climbed up somewhat awkwardly. "My balance seems off."
Caoyuan helped him up.
"No, it's not that. The bottom of the water looks calm, but there are undercurrents. Feel the direction of the water flow, adjust your center of gravity, and you'll be able to stand steadily."
"Hmm... it seems you're right." Ye Xing quickly grasped the knack. "This game is really something. It's always particularly realistic in places where it's not really necessary!"
The two moved step by step along the bottom and finally successfully came ashore in the rich district.
As one of the city's top industrialists, Cheng Yun's three-story mansion enjoyed the best scenic view, located right by the water's edge.
Outside the mansion's courtyard was a wall over three meters high, but this height was less than a fence in front of the power armor, easily climbed over.
The mansion was not lit. The heartbeat detector showed over a dozen people inside. Judging from their stillness and low heart rates, they should all be sleeping, and most were concentrated in the area on the mansion's side wing, presumed to be servants.
From the outside, the third floor looked like a grand suite. Only one person was sleeping inside, presumably Cheng Yun himself.
Caoyuan made a "forward" gesture.
Ye Xing was about to move forward when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps from the street outside, and the heartbeat detector sounded an alarm at the same time.