I ask you to build tractors, but you build rockets?.

Chapter 746 Thunderstorm
Although it is already past 22 p.m. Beijing time and the entire Eastern Hemisphere has been shrouded in darkness, this crisis that broke out suddenly and was forcibly suppressed still caused fluctuations.

Especially in cities with military airports nearby, the sound of large numbers of aircraft taking off in an emergency could be heard constantly. Some pilots even turned on the afterburner directly, and the roar of the jet engines could be heard in half of the city.

Many people who were awakened could just lie by the window and see advanced fighter jets rising from the darkness like fireflies, then rushing towards the coastline without looking back.

A total of 34 minutes passed from the first alarm being sounded to the joint announcement by the two space agencies and officials, but its impact will obviously not end so quickly.

Again, peace built on the balance of nuclear deterrence is extremely fragile. Once started, it is a chain that is difficult to stop, and whether it can be stopped does not entirely depend on the thoughts of the controller.

As more and more fighter planes and warships gathered on both sides of the border, no one dared to retreat rashly. Instead, they became more vigilant to prepare for sudden attacks, and the scope of mobilization continued to expand.

At first it was the Air Force and the Navy, and now even the Army has begun to mobilize. On the way to the airport, Lin Ju saw a flatbed trailer towing a main battle tank speeding past.

The base-registered C810 took off quickly, and after accelerating to supersonic speed, it suddenly slowed down again. The accompanying assistant hurriedly asked the captain and received a surprising answer.

"General Lin, there are more than 40 planes transiting ahead. We must descend and slow down to avoid them."

Lin Ju and Shen Zuozhou were both shocked. Obviously this could only be a military secret, but hadn’t the misunderstanding been resolved?

Shen Zuozhou: "Do you know what kind of plane it is?"

The assistant hesitated for a moment, but still answered:

"The radar signature looks like a large aircraft, but not a transport plane. It's a jet, and feels like an H6."

Shen Zuozhou was not surprised that Xinyuan's assistant could analyze these things. He was also a military enthusiast and of course knew what the transfer of more than 6 Hs meant.

Two fully staffed bomber regiments. I don’t know where they came from, but such a large scale...

Fighter jets can be used to perform air defense interception missions, but bombers are different. They are offensive weapons, and they are assembled on such a large scale not just to show off their muscles.

Even if an H6 carries 4 to 6 cruise missiles, that would be almost 200 missiles. What is it for?
From this direction we are definitely heading towards the coast,...hiss.

Lin Ju was not a fool either, and they both gasped at the same time.

In order to show that it was harmless, the pilot of the C810 reduced its speed to subsonic in one breath, which also allowed its passengers to see the real scene outside.

There was no city below them now, so the flashing lights in the night sky were very eye-catching.

The navigation lights of more than 6 Hs were turned on to maintain formation. The flashing lights breathed one after another, like a group of stars traveling in the night sky.

More than eighty jet engines were running at full speed in the sky, and even Lin Ju could feel the slight vibration of the C810's cabin. If it were on the ground, what he would probably hear would be thunder of terrifying scale.

He opened the mobile browser and easily saw the expected news at the top of the trending search list:
"Beijing and Washington issued an emergency joint statement: We will work together to maintain world peace."

The following are:
"There were continuous roaring sounds in Qiantang. Netizens said: Hundreds of fighter jets have taken off one after another."

"Lucia declares a state of emergency: resolutely defend your safety."

"The artificial sun launched by NACA is suspected to be out of control, causing the local TV broadcast signal to be temporarily paralyzed."

"The Space Force used two S2100 solid rockets to launch unmanned spacecraft into space in succession, saying it was part of a normal exercise plan."

"Air raid sirens have been heard in many places. Is your city among them?"

"..."

Since it was impossible to determine at the beginning whether it was an alien crisis, the domestic reaction can be said to be a bit overly sensitive and the scale of the action was very large, which has caused quite a stir.

However, the understanding of domestic netizens seems to be somewhat biased...

Lin Ju opened the military forum and saw the latest pinned post on the front page. It was posted 20 minutes ago, but the number of replies exceeded 5000. The title only had a few words:

"Is the big one coming?"

……

"Is there one here too?"

After avoiding the H6 fleet, the C810 quickly landed at the base. However, as soon as they walked down the gangway, Lin Ju and Shen Zuozhou heard another deafening roar.

Lin Ju, who has lived in Chengdu for many years, immediately recognized the source of the sound. It was not only a J20, but also a Type B interceptor equipped with the Xinyuan XW-9.

This is also a newly formed formation. Judging from the navigation lights, there should be 8 aircraft, exactly two squadrons.

However, a faint roar could be heard in the distance, and it was obviously far more than that.

It is understandable that the coastal areas have a high level of combat readiness and quick response, but why are they still taking off continuously now?

Ye Changsi, who hurried over, was a little out of breath and ran over and said:
"Huh... just now the military asked to temporarily rent our two An-1250s, and I agreed, including the crews. They needed it urgently, so I've already given it to them.

Also, I just checked the backend and the one sold to SF Express also changed its route. They should have rented it out. Now all six planes are in their hands.”

The production volume of An-1250 can actually be described as "large". As an unprecedented super transport aircraft, a total of 6 aircraft were produced, half of which are in the hands of the Air Force.

Not to mention, although countless experts believe that this giant transport aircraft has great limitations, when it comes to real transportation, it is definitely not comparable to having a few more ordinary transport aircraft. The Air Force directly called out the truth and constantly urged the progress of the Y35.

Now they have all six aircraft in their hands, which is equivalent to transferring 6 tons of supplies at a time. Considering its extra-large space, it can almost directly transport half of a combined battalion by air.

Is this also part of the defense?!
The direction of events was far beyond the expectations of Lin Ju and others. He simply stopped thinking about it and asked about Artemis's situation first:
"What the hell is NACA doing, and what's the current situation with Artemis?"

Ye Changsi took them to the control room of the base and called up the photos that Qianjunbang No. 1 had taken not long ago.

The picture taken by the Thousand-Point Rod No. 1 is in black and white, and it is on the dark side, so after high exposure and artificial processing, only the outline of Artemis can be barely seen:
It looks like an elliptical leaf. Of course, this is because of the angle. The size is very large and the edges are a little blurry. This is obviously because it was still rotating when the photo was taken and the distance was too far.

Ye Changsi: "According to our observations, it should have been fully deployed, but for some reason it flipped out of control. Now it has moved to the South Pacific and no longer affects the mainstream communication area.

We just communicated with NACA, but they still haven't been able to restore contact. There are only two options now: wait, or shoot it down, otherwise the impact will be too serious."

Shen Zuozhou: "Shoot it down? This damn thing is more valuable than its weight in gold. Are you willing to do that, Amei?"

"So NACA is trying desperately to save it, and even asked us for help, opening up the control signal of Artemis. But there's nothing we can do. The huge reflective surface will block Artemis' own antenna if it rotates slightly. There is no gap at all, and it is impossible to send complete commands."

There was a hint of regret in Ye Changsi's tone. No matter what, Artemis was indeed a very cutting-edge attempt. Xinyuan really wanted to see how much effect it could have. It would be a pity if it was destroyed like this.

He had no desire to shoot down Artemis if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

In fact, Shen Zuozhou and Lin Ju had similar ideas. Losing Artemis would not only hurt NACA, but would also be a loss to them to a certain extent.

Lin Ju: "Does Lao Zhong have any orders?"

"I can't get in touch with him, but there's no news from the bureau right now, so I won't act rashly for now."

Shen Zuozhou replied that Zhong Cheng was probably in the core of the capital.

The situation became opaque again, and Lin Ju sighed slightly, not knowing what to say.

……

"Yes... We are handling it. A general has already flown to the Far East... NACA promises that it will be handled quickly... Yes, that's right..."

McMaster hung up the phone, his face so dark that no one dared to look him in the eye.

The misunderstanding was resolved and a joint statement was issued, but the situation did not get better. Thanks to the mess they had created recently, the external situation was now somewhat out of control.

The East China Sea is currently in a mess. Near the airspace where the EP3E was shot down, the Chinese have assembled hundreds of aircraft, and a main fleet of more than 16 warships is on the way.

The Far East Air Force has mobilized almost all of its available air forces and has dispatched more than 80 aircraft. The USS John C. Stennis carrier fleet is also rushing here at full speed. According to reports from frontline soldiers obtained by the Pentagon, the atmosphere has become extremely tense.

There was more than one EP3E that crashed, there was also an unlucky J16. The four AIM15Cs of the two F120s locked onto it. It is unknown whether the pilot parachuted.

The reason why both sides are gathering now is to search for and salvage the pilot who fell into the water. After all, it is dark after 10 o'clock in the evening, and it is understandable that more ships should be sent if the salvage is difficult.

What a fool to understand!
The frontline said that although the film has not officially started yet, both sides have been firing flares from time to time to test each other's positions, and fighter jets are entangled in the air. This kind of close-range feinting behavior is even more stressful!

Therefore, the top management of both sides resolved the misunderstanding, but they could only try their best to ensure that S3 would not be activated (which is not absolute).

Lucia also noticed the sudden change in the situation in the Far East. According to intelligence sent back from Europe, there was also a large-scale mobilization, and no one knew what they were going to do.

Under the instigation of the top three, the rest of the parties were forced to be involved in this frightening misunderstanding, and constantly created new conflicts and frictions. After all, there are always people who are willing to fish in troubled waters and expand the situation without regard for the consequences!

John, who had originally planned to return to the Presidential Palace, canceled the plan and continued to sit in the 747 and command remotely, with McMaster handling all the specific affairs.

But he didn't want the situation to worsen and be hit by a hydrogen bomb, so he could only desperately order his men to attack everywhere. The NACA issue was now secondary.

He closed his eyes and asked his assistant tremblingly:

“What are our allies doing now?”

"We have a high-level visiting delegation here right now. They asked us if we really intend to start a war. The royal family is already preparing to move to Canada."

"...

others!"

“Other allies had mixed reactions, but all urged us to exercise restraint while asking what was really going on.

The Far Eastern allies were quite active, but they did not act rashly. "

McMaster keenly sensed something from his assistant's words and asked:
"What is the attitude of the European allies? The hairy people and the Hans!"

"Hmm..." The assistant replied awkwardly:
"They, they said they prefer to remain neutral no matter what happens, and most of the other allies have similar opinions."

"Including Italy?"

"Including, they also emphasized that they are a member of the Huayin Organization, so..."

"F**K!"

McMaster slammed the table angrily and instantly realized the situation. They had been betrayed!

Shameful betrayal!

At the most critical moment, the allies chose to stand aside and wait for the right price!

As for the Far East? There is nothing to say there, after all, there is the Pacific Fleet...

McMaster suddenly thought of something, frowned and thought for a while, then his eyes widened, and he couldn't help but swear again.

"Damn it, contact the president quickly, there is a conspiracy!"

……

A regular training ground near the desert base.

At 23:46 late in the night, the sharp roar of a jet engine was heard again at the end of the runway. The An-1250 approached with its terrifying wingspan and landed steadily on the runway under the pilot's superb operation. The hurricane-force wind made it even difficult for the soldiers waiting to board the plane on both sides to stand steadily.

This was the last An-1250. The other five had arrived earlier and were running to the open space outside and lined up in a row to receive fuel supplies and temporary maintenance. At the same time, the nose door was opened, and soldiers in long lines followed the tanks and entered in an orderly manner.

The last one was Xinyuan's B4143, which had just completed an order to help transport a distillation tower for a chemical plant before being called up. It just added a little fuel and flew here.

The ground crew guided it directly to the taxiway runway takeoff point, and while refueling, a number of tanker trucks rushed over at high speed, ready to fill up the fuel.

The people waiting to board the plane also began to line up in front of the plane and count their number of people.

The captain of this flight mission got off the plane and talked with the officers. He was so excited when he saw the brightly lit airport and the endless crowds of people that his body kept shaking.

The officer near him took the initiative to hand him a cigarette. The captain took it with trembling hands and almost dropped it several times. It took him a long time to light it successfully with the help of the other party, and then he took a deep puff.

After exhaling the smoke, he finally calmed down.

"This is an emergency mission. We can't find that many pilots who can fly the An-1250 for the time being. But if you want to withdraw, we will never stop you."

"of course not!"

The captain became a little excited again and even blew out his cigarette.

"I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of anything. I'm on the night shift, and the crew is in very good condition now. We can definitely do what you want."

The officer nodded and was about to say something when he was interrupted by a hoarse roar from the side.

The instructor stood in front of the open hatch, instructing the soldiers who were about to board the plane:

"Don't ask where to go, don't ask why, don't... understand!"

"understand!"

The loud voice even overwhelmed the noise of the jet engine, making people excited.

The captain's eyes became brighter and brighter, and the officer felt that there was no need to explain anything. He paused and said:

"Your radio has been connected to a dedicated channel. The route will be issued after takeoff. I don't know where to go either."

"I know, I know...Haha, I don't know either."

The captain grinned, revealing his brilliant teeth.

The officer said no more, hesitated for a few seconds, pulled out his pistol and handed it over:
"I heard that you people from Xinyuan often go to the shooting range, right?"

"Of course! Is it 92?"

"Yes, I'll lend it to you temporarily, but I hope you can return it to me later."

"Yes, I will hand it over to you."

Just as the two were communicating, a loud thunder suddenly exploded in the sky, followed by a sharp roar that was hoarse and deafening.

Everyone looked up and saw a white meteor streaking across the sky.

It was a snow swan. It had exceeded several times the speed of sound and shone brightly in the dark night.

And there was more than one. Soon the second, the third, and finally a total of six Snow Swan took off one after another, turning into meteors and disappearing into the boundless dark sky.

(End of this chapter)