“How is that possible? What did he do to strike down our jets? Did he carry a bazooka? Even if that is the case, he shouldn’t be able to strike down three F-15s. We haven’t received any intel on weapons coming into Japan from China. Those missiles were not that easy to conceal, if he had brought it over the border, our border security must be able to pick that up.”
An air force general asked incredulously with a gloomy face
There were only three hundred f-15s in Japan and three of them were gone beyond salvageable. Those three jets and nearly half of the Fourteenth Brigade’s forces were a cost for achieving practically nothing. The handouts to the deceased family alone would have reached billions, much less the following lawsuits.
“Chen Beixuan is a General Major in China, do you think the Chinese government is also behind this?” An army general asked curiously.
No one replied to his question since the answer was too obvious.
Most Man-Portable Air-Defence System could at the most strike down one or two helicopters, they were not intended to be used against fighter jets. In order to strike fighter jets down from the ground, one would need the most advanced anti-air weapons, which required guided missile vehicles, or missile platforms. It was impossible to smuggle those huge apparatus into Japan from China.
Minister of National Defence’s face was taut with anger and disbelief. He fixed his gaze on the messenger.
Sweat streaked across the messenger’s forehead, he managed to squeeze out a smile and said:
“The front line soldiers said that the jets were struck down by a ray of golden light. It was some kind of guided hypersonic missile. Some soldiers were convinced that that ray of light was the so-called… flying sword in Chinese myth… so I have heard.”
“Flying sword?”
The Japanese generals were taken aback.
This name was not unfamiliar to most Japanese people. The Japanese culture was nurtured by its much older Chinese counterpart. They were heavily influenced by the culture of the Chinese Tang dynasty and the Tang Dynasty legends such as the sages and their flying swords were well known to all Japanese.
However, those were high tales, and not even the Chinese believed in those, much less Japanese.
Even Grandmasters could project their Internal Force out over thirty meters at the most. A Perfected one has the unimaginable power of controlling thunder and fire, but even they would not believe in legends such as flying swords.
In order to use a flying sword, one would first need a powerful Divine Soul. Chen Fan wouldn’t be able to control the flying sword to strike down the jets and helicopters until he had overcharged the Soul Refining Art to boost his Divine Will. Once those helicopters fled to beyond the range of his Divine Will, Chen Fan wouldn’t be able to harm them.
Even though Chen Fan was able to pull it off, he did it with great difficulty. Only when he had reached the Divine Sea level, could he use the powerful flying sword with ease. Chen Fan would never think of using the flying sword if the Japanese didn’t send in hypersonic jets.
“Bakayaro! What kind of nonsense is that? We are not reading a Qidian Novel, aren’t we?”
A general cursed, holding back the urge to slap the face of the messenger.
Suddenly, someone shouted: “Minister, we have a video recording of what happened there.”
“Nani? Turn it on.” Minister of National Defence was pleasantly surprised. He came close to the screen with many other generals. Even that angry army general hurried to get a good viewing spot among his peers.
The video was pixelated. It was shot by a pilot of one of the helicopters that had gotten away. In the distance, a smear of golden lights flashed in fits and starts, then three F-15 jets exploded in the air, turning into three balls of fire. The golden light then lanced across the helicopter formation, destroying fourteen helicopters in one fell swoop.
“What?!”
The meeting room became pin-drop quiet after they saw the scene on the screen.
Although no one could tell what that golden light was made out of, it had displayed more maneuverability and deadliness than even the most powerful guided anti-air missiles. It was able to cruise, turn, lock onto a target and accelerate all by itself. Worse, it could be used repeatedly, unlike any missile.
It was evident that this weapon was not from the arsenal of the present time.
Did China invent a revolutionary weapon? It was just a fleeting thought in the mind of Minister of National Defence. He quickly dismissed it.
“Minister, what should we do next?” A general from the air force hazarded
If the Japan Self-Defense Forces failed to bring Chen Fan to heel with an entire brigade and three fighter jets, there is nothing they could really do. After all, they were not even a fully-fledged military force and were only responsible for safeguarding the Japanese islands. If they were the American military, they would have already sent in a squadron of jets to subjugate Chen Fan.
“I will report to prime-minister right away. Don’t make any move without my order.”
Minister of National Defence weighed his options for a long while and then concluded with a long helpless sigh.
Despite the gloomy expression on their faces, the other generals cherished the fact that they didn’t have to deal with Chen Beixuan for a while. None of the generals wanted to deal with dead soldiers and wast expensive equipment under their jurisdiction. The fourteenth brigade had lost twenty-one planes and thousands of soldiers in a matter of half-day, a price no one wanted to pay.
“Sigh”
Seeing the lack of mettle and backbone in the generals, Minister of National Defence sighed in his mind. However, his disappointment was overshadowed by the threat from the Chinese teenager.
Neither he nor the prime minister had expected such an outcome. They had been convinced that once the military got involved, they would be able to do away with Chen Fan with ease.
“What kind of enemy have we made?”
Minister of National Defence grew quieter as a hint of remorse flashed across his face.
He knew that once Chen Beixuan got a chance, he would seek revenge.
Meanwhile, the news of the battle had reached all the governments in East Asia. Korean leaders even held an emergency meeting to brief their president on the matter. Although the incident didn’t stir up the same reaction in China as it did in Korea, the Chinese military leaders had a meeting to discuss the implications of the battle.
No one had never thought that an individual could be so powerful that he could take on an entire brigade with powerful air support. Not even those Immortal State cultivators, whose information were top state secrets could have pulled that off, much less ordinary martial artists.
After the battle, Chen Fan had finally become the focus of all leaders around the world.
Meanwhile, inside the secret base under the Kunlun mountain, Director Xiao had been waiting for more details from dusk to midnight. He drew on the cigarette to soothe his thinning patience. On the table next to him, cigarette butts piled in the ashtray.
The deputy directors all held gloomy expressions, scarcely daring to speak a word, fearing the Director’s ire.
“Still no news from Shikoku?” Director Xiao lit up another cigarette and asked with furrowed brows.
“Japan Self-Defense Forces have locked that area down and blocked all cell signals. Our agent can’t reach us at this moment. We need to wait a bit longer” The deputy director who was in charge of intelligence gathering put in hesitantly.
Director Xiao knew he wouldn’t get anything. He asked the question just for the sake of his sanity, lulling himself to think that he was doing something.
He took another drag of the cigarette and knotted his brows even tighter.
Director Xiao was not only worried about Chen Fan, but also Red Sparrow. He had watched as Red Sparrow grew up and had treated her as his own daughter. She followed Chen Fan into the midst of a deadly battle and since then, he hadn’t heard from her. Director Xiao didn’t think that the Japan Self-Defense Forces would show mercy and spare her life if she was captured. Worse, if the Japanese discovered that she was a secret agent, she would almost certainly be kept as prisoner even without a trail.
That was the standard treatment for secret agents that everyone followed.
When the cigarette had only half left, someone barged into the meeting room and a young man shouted at them with much elation and glee.
“Minister, breaking news from Japan. You won’t believe it!”
“What’s going on? Mind your manners, solider.” Before Director Xiao could reply, a senior Deputy Director chided.
Director Xiao didn’t mind the young soldier’s manners, he asked hurriedly: “You bring news from Japan? Did Chen Beixuan and Red Sparrow getaway? Are they safe?”
White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and all the other deputy ministers listened attentively.
They would consider Chen Fan and Red Sparrow lucky if they could escape from a four thousand strong army with air support.
“No… I mean. Yes, they are safe. But Chen Beixuan didn’t run away. He turned the tables on the Japanese. He killed thousands of soldiers and routed the entire brigade.” The young man cheered, waving a piece of telegram message in his hand.
“What?”
The announcement had shocked everyone in the meeting room.
White Tiger had been sitting with his legs crossed, but the shock nearly pitched him out of his chair. Black Tortoise also wrenched his eyes open with disbelief. The deputy directors were all stunned by the news, finding it difficult to come to terms with reality.
Director Xiao was rendered speechless for a long moment. He then murmured to himself: “He did it? Chen Beixuan won the battle? How is that possible? Chen Beixuan had just reached Immortal State, he shouldn’t be so powerful as to destroy an entire brigade.”
“Xiao Gao, is your source reliable?”
The senior deputy director who had chided the young man was at it again: “We have considered the plausibility of one man taking on an entire army and we know it is impossible. Not even Azure dragon could stand against the hail of bullets. Heavy machine guns can easily rip through his Four Righteousness Protection Aura, so Azure dragon had to resort to a kiting tactic. But that wasn’t enough to cause any real damage to the army’s formation. That test was done on an army of a thousand soldiers, but Chen Beixuan had to deal with four times that number.”
Everyone nodded and looked at Xiao Gao questioningly.
Xiao Gao the messenger flung back at them indignantly: “What I said is real! It got it from my source working at the chief command’s office in Japan. Chen Beixuan had charged at the army formation by himself and routed the brigade. No guns, let it be rifles or heavy machines guns could harm him. It was as if his body was made out of steel.”
“And…” Xiao Gao paused, letting the suspense hang in the air for a moment
“And what?” The others urged him.
“And Chen Beixuan had struck down eighteen AH-1 Cobras and three F-15 fighter jets.” Xiao Gao finally said. A pin-drop silence fell over the meeting room. Everyone looked at each other with fear and shock in their eyes.
The outcome of the battle had astounded all nations in East Asia.
However, the implication of the battle had just started to be felt by the world
