“Commander-in-Chief, report! Enemies in Area A2 are showing signs of collapse and a clear intention to retreat. Should we pursue them?”
“Report! Enemies in Area B1 are disengaging from combat. Requesting instructions!”
“Report! The main force of ‘Poisonous Snake’ in Area C3 is retreating frantically. Requesting instructions for the next course of action!”
In Zhou Pingcang’s command center, reports from various special operations teams came in one after another.
Zhou Pingcang looked at the map.
Those arrows that were originally aggressive had all turned their direction, fleeing in panic.
He immediately connected to Lu Mingyu’s communication.
“Mingyu, what’s the situation on your side?”
Lu Mingyu’s relaxed voice came through the earpiece, accompanied by sporadic gunshots and explosions in the background.
“Commander-in-Chief, report! We have successfully taken down ‘Poisonous Snake’s’ lair.”
“We are currently in the final stages of cleanup and estimate it will take another forty minutes to completely resolve the issue.”
Zhou Pingcang nodded, everything was under control.
“The enemy has retreated across the board. It looks like they want to reinforce their base.”
“I order the ‘Wolf Fang’, ‘Meng Hu’, and ‘Black Bear’ teams to immediately launch a pursuit!”
“Don’t go for the kill; just hold them back and buy me time!”
“Understood!”
Lu Mingyu responded, then changed the subject.
“Commander-in-Chief, I think it’s time to let our Myanmar military friends intervene ‘justifiably’.”
“We need a perfect reason to keep ‘Poisonous Snake’, this big fish, in Yunnan Province forever.”
Zhou Pingcang understood Lu Mingyu’s meaning, and a smile appeared on his lips.
“You clever boy, your calculations are so precise that even I am impressed.”
“Don’t worry, I have already made arrangements. They are ‘standing by’ at the border.”
The call ended.
About twenty minutes later, Zhou Chenguang rushed out of a building and reported to Lu Mingyu.
“Captain! It’s done!”
“The base’s core database and command system have been completely physically destroyed.”
“Not a single byte can be recovered!”
“Their ammunition depot has also been detonated.”
“The noise just now was like the biggest firecracker during the New Year, so exciting!”
He paused, then added in a low voice.
“Also, as per your instructions.”
“All of ‘Poisonous Snake’s’ family members have been ‘invited’ to the safe house, politely, without scaring the children.”
Lu Mingyu nodded with satisfaction.
He understood the principle of nipping evil in the bud better than anyone.
But he had his bottom line: harm should not extend to family, especially women and children.
Control, not harm—this was both a deterrent and a bargaining chip for subsequent negotiations.
“Well done.”
Lu Mingyu patted his shoulder, then issued a new order.
“Have the brothers double-check to see if we’ve left anything behind.”
“After the check, plant a few ‘ground bombs’ along their possible retreat routes as a farewell gift.”
Lu Mingyu glanced at his watch.
“We must withdraw according to the agreed time. We cannot cause trouble for our Myanmar military friends or make things difficult for them.”
“After all, we are civilized people and must be considerate.”
“Understood!”
Everyone responded in unison, immediately taking the order and executing it.
…………
Fighter Jet Research Institute, Remote Monitoring and Command Center.
Dozens of technical personnel were intently staring at the screens in front of them, where massive data streams scrolled.
This was a critical test flight for the latest generation of fighter jets, and there was no room for error.
“Report, Aircraft One’s flight attitude is normal, and all data is stable.”
“Report, Aircraft Two has reached the designated airspace and is preparing for maneuverability tests.”
“Report, Aircraft Four…”
Just then, a young technical staff member suddenly frowned, staring at the screen he was responsible for.
“Hmm? What’s going on?”
He noticed that the data stream representing Fighter Jet Three showed an inconsistent fluctuation.
On the simulated trajectory map on the screen.
The arrow for Aircraft Three was noticeably slower than the others, and its flight angle was continuously deviating towards the southeast by an almost imperceptible margin.
He immediately pulled up detailed data for comparison.
He didn’t know until he looked, and when he did, he was startled.
“Speed is 31% slower than the preset value!”
“Heading is deviating 1.7 degrees to the southeast, and it’s still increasing!”
He didn’t dare to delay, immediately stood up, and reported loudly.
“Tang! Tang! Come and see!”
“Aircraft Three’s data is abnormal!”
Chief Technical Supervisor Tang Hongjun heard the call and quickly walked over.
Beneath his graying hair was a face full of wrinkles but with sharp eyes.
“What’s the situation? Speak slowly.”
“Tang, look, Aircraft Three’s speed and heading are both problematic.”
“I suspect there’s a malfunction in the flight control system or the power system.”
Tang Hongjun adjusted his glasses, his gaze quickly scanning the dense parameters on the screen.
He only took one look before refuting the young technician’s guess.
“It’s not the flight control system.”
His finger tapped on the screen.
“The problem might be with the ducted fan and power module.”
His tone was steady, exuding professionalism.
“Immediately pull up the internal operating values of Aircraft Three’s power unit. I want to see the core data!”
“Yes!”
The technician operated his fingers, and soon, a more fundamental set of core data was retrieved.
On the screen, the value bar representing output power showed an unsettling red, and the value was far below the standard line.
On the other side, the rotation speed curve of the ducted fan was wildly fluctuating up and down, extremely unstable.
“Sure enough, that’s where the problem is!” Tang Hongjun’s face darkened.
“Output power is severely insufficient, and the ducted fan speed is unstable. If it keeps flying, it will stall!”
He made a decisive decision and issued an order.
“Initiate emergency return procedure! Immediately! Now!”
“Understood!”
The technician immediately began operating, attempting to guide the out-of-control fighter jet back.
However, after the command was issued on the screen, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no response.
“It’s not working, Tang!”
Cold sweat seeped from the technician’s forehead.
“Command transmission failed! We… we seem to have lost direct control over Aircraft Three!”
No sooner had he spoken than a line of red text that no one understood suddenly popped up in Aircraft Three’s status bar.
Emergency cruise mode activated
The entire command center fell into a dead silence.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Their eyes were fixed on that red text, their faces filled with confusion and unease.
Tang Hongjun’s face turned pale at that moment.
He stared at the words as if he had seen the most terrifying thing.
“Emergency cruise mode…”
A technician cautiously asked:
“Tang, what… what program is this?”
“It’s not in our operating manual.”
Tang Hongjun closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with regret and fear.
“This is a backup system that our institute privately installed to deal with extreme electronic interference.”
“It has not received approval or recognition from the military.”
At these words, the room was filled with shock.
Privately modifying the underlying programs of core military equipment—if this were to be investigated, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Just then, another technician pointed at the large electronic map.
“Tang! Everyone, look at the map!”
“Today’s wind direction is a southeast wind… Aircraft Three is being pushed by the wind, flying towards Myanmar!”
Everyone’s hearts sank to the bottom.