Legendary Captain

Chapter 399 The Legendary Battle! The Final Battle!

The temporary command center at Bisu Airport was now bustling with activity, with a large number of personnel moving about in the small command room. Originally, an operation to raid the rebel missile positions would not have caused such a large impact, but according to frontline intelligence, there was a strong suspicion that the combat aircraft had encountered fourth-generation stealth fighters.

In a small cubicle in the command center, Wang Zhaoxin's face was ashen, and in front of him was the staff officer who had come along.

"Report this to your superiors immediately and communicate with the Kampong government to inquire whether they possess fourth-generation stealth fighter jets!" Wang Zhaoxin ordered grimly.

The staff officer winked at one of his subordinates, signaling him to carry out Wang Zhaoxin's instructions. After the subordinate left, the staff officer said, "Commander, we've already communicated with the Konbang government about this. However, given the size of the Konbang government, fourth-generation fighter jets are definitely top secret there. How could they possibly leak that to us?"

"They gave us information about the S300, not to mention the rebels also have a fourth-generation fighter jet. What does this mean?" Wang Zhaoxin's eyes flickered, and anger surged.

The staff officer sighed, "Isn't it because they're afraid we'll assess the mission as too dangerous and refuse to support it?"

Fourth-generation stealth fighters are undoubtedly a formidable weapon in any country in the world. Even a single aircraft can demonstrate extraordinary combat effectiveness in small-scale battles. Since the country had no intention of engaging in a full-scale war with the Konbaung rebels, the scale of the conflict would be limited to a very small area. This provided the fourth-generation fighters with the perfect opportunity to turn the tide of battle.

The combination of the S-300 missile and a fourth-generation stealth fighter jet would significantly increase the risk of attacking it.

"S-300 missiles, fourth-generation stealth fighters... I never imagined that tiny Konbaung would possess such things. Their intentions are despicable!" Wang Zhaoxin's eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the persistent rumors that Konbaung possessed an A22 stealth fighter. However, those rumors were so outrageous that the military probably hadn't taken them seriously. But now, this utterly absurd thing seems to have actually happened.

The A-22 stealth fighter jet and the S-300 air defense missile system come from the world's first and second-ranked military powers, respectively. It's surprising that such a small country as Kampong Speu possesses advanced weaponry from both the world's leading and second-ranked military powers; this is quite intriguing.

The reason why the Konbaung government forces did not disclose that the rebels possessed fourth-generation stealth fighters is actually quite simple. If they revealed the existence of stealth fighters, the entire operation would be far too dangerous.

Even if the Konbaung government forces might have guessed that the country hoped to use this operation as a whetstone, no country would use both the S-300 air defense missiles and the A-22 stealth fighter as a whetstone at the same time; that would not be a whetstone but rather a tool for self-inflicted wounds.

However, the Konbaung government forces were completely incapable of eliminating the threat posed by the air defense missile sites, and could only conceal the fact that the rebels possessed fourth-generation stealth fighters. In fact, just as Xu Xian had predicted, the Konbaung government forces also believed that the rebels wouldn't deploy fourth-generation stealth fighters, as they were intended as a last resort, meant only for use against their own government forces. Therefore, even if they could conceal the information about the fourth-generation stealth fighters, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Xu Xian thought so, and the government army thought so too, but when the actual situation occurred, the Konbang rebels directly deployed the A22, which can be called a trump card, which was really unbelievable.

"Where are they now?" Wang Zhaoxin asked.

The staff officer turned on the display screen on the table, and in an instant, a map of the southwestern border, including the surrounding countries, was displayed. At the same time, there were seven bright spots on the map, which were the radar signals of the seven fighter jets that had launched this attack.

"The other six fighter jets besides Xu Xian have already returned rapidly to the border, only Xu Xian is heading south." The staff officer tapped the display screen: "So far, our radar has not detected the enemy aircraft's position. However, Xu Xian's RWR is constantly alerting, indicating that the enemy is still in hot pursuit."

"You mean the enemy's fire control radar has been unlocked?" Wang Zhaoxin keenly grasped the information revealed in the staff officer's words.

The staff officer nodded: "That's right. The moment Xu Xian was locked onto by the fire control radar, he simultaneously deployed chaff and decoy flares, while also performing high-intensity maneuvers, ultimately causing the fire control radar to break free. However, the enemy's search radar has been tracking Xu Xian's location, seemingly searching for a suitable launch position."

Being locked onto by fire control radar is not the same as an incoming missile. It only means that being locked onto by fire control radar most likely indicates that the enemy has already launched a missile. However, sometimes enemy pilots will try to get closer to the target after locking on to increase the hit probability. However, after Xu Xian detected that he was locked onto by enemy fire control radar, he simultaneously deployed chaff and decoys because he was unsure of the type of missile the enemy was about to launch or had already launched, and could only release them at the same time.

At the same time as releasing the flares, Xu Xian began to descend in order to use the terrain to interfere with the fire control radar and accelerate the unlocking process.

This behavior, similar to pre-emptively deploying flares, is quite common, especially when crossing an area where it is known that there is likely to be anti-aircraft fire.

For example, if the flight path passes over a small town with some air defense capabilities, the pilot will release flares in advance as a safety precaution, even without any warning from search radar.

Once the fire control radar locks on, it doesn't mean it won't break lock. Especially at the edge of the maximum range, it's relatively easy for the fire control radar to break lock if the enemy pilot takes evasive action. Therefore, not only should anti-aircraft missiles be engaged at close range, but air-to-air missiles should also be engaged at close range to ensure a high hit rate.

However, if you try to engage in close-quarters combat, there's a risk the enemy might also be able to detect your aircraft on radar. This could easily lead to a two-on-one missile exchange, which would be quite awkward. This is where stealth fighters gain an advantage. Even when they get close enough to enemy aircraft, the enemy still won't be able to detect a sufficiently strong radar signal. At such close range, air-to-air missiles become extremely threatening.

"Still haven't seen them?" Wang Zhaoxin gritted his teeth. "Then those must be fourth-generation stealth fighters! Damn it! When will those six fighters cross the border?"

"Fifteen minutes to go!" the staff officer said. "However, it's clear that the fourth-generation fighter's target seems to be only Xu Xian. The other six fighters didn't receive any RWR warnings at all."

"So that's why Xu Xian had to separate from the main force, right? Because Xu Xian is the main attacker!" Wang Zhaoxin's eyes flickered, his teeth clenched. As the one who launched the attack, Xu Xian was clearly being targeted by the enemy, while the other six fighters used as decoys were not even in the eyes of that fourth-generation fighter pilot.

Frankly speaking, third-generation fighters are essentially meaningless against fourth-generation fighters unless they have an overwhelming numerical advantage. At the very least, seven third-generation fighters have virtually no chance of winning against one fourth-generation fighter.

The enemy is clearly targeting Xu Xian. If Xu Xian doesn't separate from the main force, it wouldn't be difficult for that fourth-generation fighter to take out the other six third-generation fighters as well.

In the country that developed the A22, a simulated combat exercise was conducted between third-generation and fourth-generation fighter jets, with a final kill ratio of 30 to 1. This means that it would take the loss of 30 third-generation fighters to shoot down one fourth-generation fighter, a kill ratio that clearly demonstrates the enormous gap between third-generation and fourth-generation fighters.

"Xu Xian's decision was right," Wang Zhaoxin sighed. "In the face of fourth-generation fighters, those six fighters are just easy prey."

"Xu Xian is currently maintaining supersonic cruise. As long as he maintains this speed, there is no immediate danger of him being locked on again. However, as you know, Division Commander, he cannot maintain this speed for long," the staff officer said worriedly.

In fact, there is no significant difference in maximum speed between third-generation and fourth-generation fighter jets. Therefore, as long as Xu Xian maintains high-speed flight, even a fourth-generation fighter jet cannot catch up with him and can only maintain the distance between them.

However, another major characteristic of fourth-generation fighters is their ability to maintain supersonic cruise. Third-generation fighters, on the other hand, cannot maintain supersonic cruise for extended periods; otherwise, the engine and airframe structure would be unable to withstand the strain. After Xu Xian maintained supersonic cruise for a period, he would have to slow down. At that point, the pursuing enemy aircraft would be able to close the distance again, and Xu Xian would once again face the danger of being locked on.

"I know!" Wang Zhaoxin stared at the screen. Xu Xian's radar signal was heading south, very close to the southeast coast of Konbang. After crossing this coastline and flying for a short distance, they would cross Konbang's territorial waters and reach Lijiang Bay, which is the South China Sea.

"Commander, is there really no way to deal with fourth-generation fighters?" the staff officer asked. "Once Xu Xian's engine can't take it anymore and he starts to slow down, he'll be in danger."

Wang Zhaoxin narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke about the "fourth-generation fighter." Fourth-generation stealth fighters represent the pinnacle of air force capabilities; if they were so easily dealt with, they wouldn't be worthy of being called top-tier. Among the many countries in the world, no more than three can independently develop fourth-generation stealth fighters, demonstrating their extremely high technological content.

"The best course of action now is to tap a spot in the South China Sea. We can only ask the South China Sea ship for help. Help me connect to the Gengdu carrier strike group command center."

"Xu Xian, we expect to reach the border in fifteen minutes. When are you turning back?" In the platoon chat, Wang Qi was so anxious he didn't even call Xu Xian's call sign anymore, calling him by name directly. Even now, they still couldn't see any enemy aircraft radar signals. However, while talking to Xu Xian, they could faintly hear the RWR alarm background noise coming from Xu Xian's earpiece. This meant that the enemy aircraft was relentlessly pursuing Xu Xian, and their radar just couldn't detect that so-called "fourth-generation fighter jet"!

"No! We're not far enough yet. If we turn back now, you'll be in danger too!" Xu Xian gritted his teeth. "I'll keep heading straight out of the southeastern border of Konbaung."

"But your boost won't last much longer. If you slow down any longer, you'll be in danger," Wang Qi said anxiously. "Besides, you're flying south, which means you're getting further and further away from our border. Where will we get support?"

"Yes!" Xu Xian said in a low voice, "Once you cross the southeast coast of Konbang, you'll reach the South China Sea, where our aircraft carrier is located."

"Aircraft carrier!" Wang Qi was taken aback, then roared, "I know where the Gengdu carrier strike group is. They've already reached the vicinity of Baxian Reef. You won't be able to hold out there! Turn around and come this way with us now. Once we rendezvous, seven against one, I refuse to believe we're afraid of them!"

Wang Qi simply could not accept exchanging Xu Xian for their safety. He would rather face that fourth-generation fighter jet with Xu Xian than return to China on his own.

"Bullshit!" Xu Xian shouted, "What was the result of the simulated battle between the C42 and the C16? Don't you know what a fourth-generation fighter jet means? If you want to help me, then get back to China right now and let me have no worries!"

Regarding the performance of fourth-generation fighter jets, although there are reports of simulated combat abroad, it is not something that has been witnessed firsthand, so some people may have doubts about whether fourth-generation fighter jets are really as amazing as rumored.

However, compared to the C-42, which is also a fourth-generation fighter, the C-42 achieved a kill ratio of 26 against the C-16 in actual combat performance tests, which is very close to the simulated combat reports from abroad. The simulated combat tests between the C-42 and C-16 were conducted by the Luoyang Aircraft Corporation's fleet. As a member of the Luoyang Aircraft Corporation's fleet, how could Wang Qi not know about it?

This shows that there is indeed an insurmountable gap between third-generation and fourth-generation fighter jets. Even if one fighter were to fight seven opponents, a fourth-generation fighter jet could still take them all down.

Previously, during the trilateral exercise, when the Guangdong Air Force squadron attacked the headquarters of the 3rd Division, they even suspected they were facing a C-20. The lead pilot at the time was extremely nervous and felt immense pressure. If facing a near-fourth-generation fighter jet, ten against one, they already felt this much pressure. What would it feel like facing a real fourth-generation fighter jet?

With seven against one, it seems like a huge advantage, but it's still just a matter of feeding the enemy.

"But..." Wang Qi still found it hard to accept this result. How could he not know what a fourth-generation fighter jet meant? But he was even more unable to accept the fact that Xu Xian would have to face a fourth-generation fighter jet alone.

"But what? I am the main attacker and commander of this operation. My words are orders." Xu Xian said coldly, "Are you going to disobey orders on the battlefield?"

Wang Qi was taken aback, then gripped the control stick even tighter, but still replied earnestly, "053, received!"

At this moment, the ghostly A22 fighter jet was following Xu Xian's plane at a leisurely pace, also maintaining supersonic cruise. For third-generation fighters, supersonic cruise is unsustainable, but for fourth-generation fighters, it seems effortless and effortless. He was like a patient hunter, quietly observing his prey fleeing in panic. In his view, enjoying the prey's desperate and hapless escape was a kind of pleasure.

The hunter in the cockpit of this stealth fourth-generation fighter was none other than Wu Wen, hailed as the top air combat ace of Konbaung. Initially, he completely disregarded Xu Xian, casually locking onto him. However, to his surprise, Xu Xian decisively evaded the fire control radar's lock, his swift action piquing Wu Wen's interest. Therefore, Wu Wen abandoned his relaxed attitude this time; he wouldn't give Xu Xian any more chances.

His radar display clearly showed a total of seven radar signal points. Indeed, Wu Wen could clearly see the real-time positions of Xu Xian and his seven fighter jets, while Xu Xian and his men couldn't see Wu Wen's location. In this era of advanced missiles, the key to victory in air combat lies in who can detect the opponent earlier and who can be detected later. The superior radar stealth capabilities of fourth-generation stealth fighters maximize this advantage. This alone gives fourth-generation fighters the priority of striking and retreating at will.

Wu Wen could see the other six fighter jets heading towards the eastern border, but as the main attacking force in this operation, the fighter jet in front of him was definitely the lead aircraft, which meant that he was the strongest in the squadron.

Wu Wen disdained using the weak to enhance his achievements; only hunting down the strong deserved to be a badge of honor. Of course, if they were to meet up, Wu Wen wouldn't mind taking care of them all at once.

"Haven't we reached our limit yet?" Wu Wen muttered to himself in the Gongbang language, "Why aren't we flying north?"

Based on the change in relative position, Wu Wen could roughly deduce that the speed of the fighter jet in front of him must be almost the same as his own airspeed, that is, supersonic. While supersonic cruise was not a difficult task for his own aircraft, it was not for a third-generation fighter.

Wu Wen did some mental calculations and figured the fighter jet in front of him was nearing its limit. Continuing to cruise at supersonic speeds would be unsustainable, not to mention fuel issues; the engine and airframe wouldn't be able to keep up. Once the aircraft in front exited supersonic cruise, he could gradually close the distance and, within a safe enough range, relock onto it. This time, it wouldn't give the jet any chance to escape.

However, Wu Wen was still slightly surprised when Xu Xian deliberately separated from the other six fighter jets. He believed that any pilot with even a little experience should have known what they were facing when he locked onto the enemy. But Xu Xian, under such circumstances, still chose to separate from the main force and draw away the pursuit of the fourth-generation fighters alone. It has to be said that this spirit alone is truly admirable.

But the more this happened, the more Wu Wen felt the thrill of shooting it down.

After sensing that the lead aircraft had reached its limit, Wu Wen waited for it to rejoin the main force. However, the lead aircraft continued its southward course, showing no sign of heading north to join the main force.

Facing danger alone requires immense courage. Human instinct is to seek out others of the same kind to share the danger when faced with it, even though doing so doesn't actually help one's survival.

However, even when it was almost impossible to maintain supersonic cruise, the leading aircraft still did not rejoin the main force, which was a decision that violated human instinct for safety.

"Want to be a hero?" Wu Wen chuckled. "Then I'll have to grant your wish."

In the cockpit, Xu Xian, watching the engine temperature about to exceed the limit, felt his hair stand on end – a sign of extreme tension. Under these circumstances, if the engine continued to operate at full throttle, it wouldn't be able to withstand the strain.

But thinking of the lingering nightmare that would follow, Xu Xian found it hard to accept disengaging from afterburner. Just as Xu Xian hesitated, the engine temperature reached its critical point, and the warning lights illuminated.

"Damn it!" Xu Xian pressed the reset button, hesitated for a moment, then immediately released the accelerator and exited the boost mode.

In the instant the power decreased, due to the lack of power, the aircraft could not maintain supersonic speed and began to exit supersonic mode.

At that moment, Xu Xian's heart began to race. The deceleration of his aircraft meant that he would gradually enter the effective attack range of his opponent.

The last time he managed to break free of the lock-on, it was likely due to his opponent's carelessness. But this time, having learned from the previous mistake, will his opponent give Xu Xian another chance?

He thought maybe not!

Behind Xu Xian, Wu Wen saw that the distance between himself and the plane in front of him was beginning to shorten, and raised an eyebrow: "As expected, it can't hold on any longer."

The prey was exhausted, and it was almost time to reap the rewards. Before long, the aircraft would once again enter the range of his air-to-air missiles, but he was not prepared to repeat the mistake of last time. This time, he would wait until the missile was in its inescapable zone before launching it, aiming for a single, decisive hit.

However, after a few minutes, the safe distance Xu Xian had maintained with Wu Wen was broken. Seeing that the plane in front of him was close enough, Wu Wen smiled and said, "Goodbye!"

Immediately, it locked onto Xu Xian and then launched an air-to-air missile!

Command room on the island of the Gengdu aircraft carrier.

At this moment, Chen Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the carrier strike group, was leisurely enjoying the sea view in front of him. Although he was the commander-in-chief of the carrier strike group and was constantly on the sea, he rarely had the opportunity to enjoy the sea view without any burden.

Due to the towering position of the island superstructure, the entire view is unobstructed, making it a truly refreshing sight.

Once they reach international waters, they must be on high alert at all times. Today is Chen Cheng's last chance to relax a little, to take this opportunity to properly look at the place he has dedicated his life to.

Suddenly, a messenger came to Chen Cheng's side: "A call from the commander of the Third Division of the Sixi Air Force."

"Huh? Xikong?" Chen Cheng was taken aback. He didn't seem to have any dealings with anyone from Xikong. No, he had to exclude Xu Xian. However, since it was important business, Chen Cheng reluctantly turned his gaze away and said to the communications officer, "Transfer the call over here."

"Okay!" the messenger replied and went to get to work.

After a short wait, the call was transferred, and Chen Cheng picked up the phone not far in front of him: "This is Chen Cheng!"

"I am Wang Zhaoxin, commander of the 3rd Air Division of the Western Air Force. I have a very important matter to ask for your help with." Chen Cheng was of a higher rank than Wang Zhaoxin, so Wang Zhaoxin spoke quite politely during the call. However, the anxiety in his tone was impossible to hide.

Chen Cheng, of course, sensed the anxiety in Wang Zhaoxin's words and roughly guessed that something might have happened: "Commander Wang, don't worry, tell me slowly."

"It's like this." Wang Zhaoxin recounted the raid on the Konbaung rebels' missile positions to Chen Cheng in one breath. But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that Xu Xian was currently being pursued by a fourth-generation fighter jet!

"You're saying Xu Xian is being chased by a fourth-generation fighter jet, heading this way?" Although Chen Cheng was also surprised that a country like Konbang possessed a fourth-generation fighter jet, now was not the time to worry about that; Xu Xian's crisis was the one that urgently needed to be addressed: "What's his location?"

"I'll give you his identification code later!" Wang Zhaoxin said.

Currently, data sharing among various branches of the armed forces within the country is not yet fully realized. The Western Air Force cannot directly transmit Xu Xian's location data to the Gengdu aircraft carrier. However, each aircraft has its own identification code. By providing Xu Xian's identification code to the Gengdu carrier strike group, their radar can quickly locate Xu Xian's position.

"Xu Xian is a third-generation fighter; he can't maintain supersonic cruise for long. The moment he starts to slow down, enemy aircraft will catch up, and that will be dangerous." Wang Zhaoxin said urgently, "I checked his radar location; it's far too far from you. It's almost impossible for him to reach you. Only you can go and rescue him!"

"Support him!" Chen Cheng was taken aback. "But our carrier-based aircraft are all third-generation fighters; we don't have any means to counter fourth-generation fighters!"

To deal with fourth-generation fighters, only fourth-generation fighters can do it.

"Carrier-based fighter jets are definitely out of the question!" Wang Zhaoxin said in a low voice. "No matter how advanced a fourth-generation fighter jet is, it's still an airplane. And since it's still an airplane, it can't avoid having electronic systems."

Chen Cheng quickly understood: "You mean using electronic compression?"

"That's right!" Wang Zhaoxin immediately said coldly, "Where is your EA16G 'Screamer'?"

The EA-16G Screamer electronic warfare aircraft is the cutting-edge force of the electronic warfare squadron in the entire carrier strike group, possessing extremely strong electronic warfare capabilities.

"I understand what you mean!" Chen Cheng gradually clenched his right fist. "Send me Xu Xian's identification code. I'll handle the rest!"

Wang Zhaoxin waited a moment, then said in an extremely solemn voice, "I'm entrusting Xu Xian to you!"

"Don't worry!" A cold glint flashed in Chen Cheng's eyes. "With me here, he'll be fine."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Cheng's face showed an unprecedented seriousness. He shouted outside, "Communications officer!"

Immediately, the messenger arrived in a hurry.

"Bring Xiao Nian over here!" Chen Cheng said coldly. "Also, notify Jin Dongcheng to turn on the air defense radar and prepare to receive identification code information."

At the same time, shortly after his speed dropped to subsonic, Xu Xian remained on edge. He knew he would soon be caught up, and once they were close enough, he would be met with a barrage of missiles.

Sure enough, after a brief respite, the sound of the fire control radar locking on rang out again. The short alarm filled the entire cockpit, and Xu Xian's heart tightened. He knew that this alarm was likely not just an alarm, but a signal of an incoming enemy missile attack.

At that moment, without a doubt, the missile was coming from directly behind. Xu Xian suddenly turned the steering wheel to the left, maintaining a slope with the stick, and began to search behind him on the original course.

Sure enough, with a little observation, one could see a missile hurtling towards them, leaving a long trail of smoke.

"Damn it!" Xu Xian cursed. Sure enough, a missile had been launched. However, judging from the continuous locking alarm, this missile was likely an active or semi-active radar-guided air-to-air missile, similar to the Eagle Sparrow missile, rather than an infrared-guided missile.

Xu Xian didn't immediately take evasive action. Instead, he followed the trail of the missile's smoke, trying to locate the enemy aircraft with his naked eye. However, the visible distance of the naked eye is ultimately limited. Even without any obstruction, one can only see things a dozen kilometers away at most. This is under relatively perfect conditions; in real-world situations, one can sometimes only see within ten kilometers. Moreover, although the weather today was decent, it was certainly not completely unobstructed, which greatly limited Xu Xian's visual range.

Unable to locate the enemy aircraft, Xu Xian could no longer wait; any longer and he would miss his last chance to evade.

Although he could roughly guess that the incoming missile was radar-guided, Xu Xian still released chaff and decoys at the same time for safety reasons, and began a descent into the air.

The "three-nine high" maneuver is the most classic way to evade missiles, and Xu Xian still chose this method at this critical moment.

However, during the maneuver to evade, Xu Xian discovered that the incoming missile was extremely fast, like a leech, constantly changing its direction to keep up with Xu Xian's trajectory.

This is clearly a sign of extremely abundant missile energy, and its maneuverability seems to significantly surpass that of air-to-air missiles like the Eagle and Sparrow.

"I can't shake them off!" Xu Xian was extremely anxious. No matter how he maneuvered, the missiles could correct themselves in the first instance. He simply had no ability to shake off the incoming missiles.

The missile launched by this enemy aircraft was too maneuverable; it didn't resemble a medium-to-long-range air-to-air missile at all, but rather a short-range dogfight missile.

Seeing the missile getting closer and closer, and neither maneuvering nor flares could affect it in the slightest, Xu Xian gritted his teeth, pushed the stick, and the plane sped towards the sea.

Meanwhile, the missiles that had been following closely behind suddenly surged forward and chased after Xu Xian.

Xu Xian plunged almost vertically downwards, his speed increasing rapidly. Only after reaching his maximum speed did he slightly reduce the throttle to keep the aircraft below the critical speed. Otherwise, if the aircraft exceeded its speed limit, structural damage could occur.

At a very close distance to the sea, Xu Xian could even clearly see the waves rising on the surface, while behind him, missiles relentlessly pursued him.

The speed of the missile is greater than the maximum speed of most fighter jets, so even though Xu Xian maintained the maximum speed, the distance between the two was still constantly decreasing.

Sensing the approaching danger behind him, Xu Xian gripped the control stick tightly with his right hand, his eyes fixed on the radio altimeter. At this moment, he was almost directly facing the sea, and this near-vertical sense of distance was highly prone to error. He couldn't judge his exact distance from the sea by feeling alone; that was prone to error. He needed to rely on the radio altimeter.

When he was close enough to the sea, just as Xu Xian felt he was about to plunge into the water, he suddenly increased the throttle to maximum and simultaneously switched from pushing the stick to pulling it back. With this maneuver, the plane barely skimmed the sea surface in an extremely strange arc, eventually turning from a dive to soaring straight into the sky.

The missiles following behind Xu Xian, lacking Xu Xian's adjustable propulsion, could not perfectly replicate his trajectory despite their superior maneuverability and plunged headlong into the sea.

If this were in the air, the missile would probably only be flung out a tiny bit more than the plane, and wouldn't have much of an impact. But on the sea, that tiny margin of error caused the missile to crash directly into the ocean.

The large amount of seawater directly submerged the missile's thrust system, giving it no chance to break through the water's surface.

The moment Xu Xian pulled the plane up, the immense G-force almost crushed him; at that instant, the G-force exceeded ten Gs. Even for a pilot trained in G-force resistance, wearing an anti-G suit and high-pressure mask, this would be unbearable.

The moment Xu Xian was pulled up, the blood in his upper limbs rushed involuntarily to his lower limbs due to inertia. For a brief moment, Xu Xian even experienced blackouts.

Xu Xian is no longer the same Xu Xian. Even during the violent pull-up that destroyed the Chenyan Kingdom's missile destroyer last time, Xu Xian did not experience a blackout. But this time, Xu Xian actually experienced a brief blackout.

Fortunately, the blackout was short-lived and quickly returned to normal. However, this crazy maneuver was enough to terrify Xu Xian.

"No, this absolutely cannot continue, or I'll be shot down." Xu Xian knew the enemy planes would catch up, but he hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly. This meant that the distance between him and the enemy planes wasn't actually that far.

He's not a god; dodging one of these missiles is already incredibly lucky. How could he withstand several more? Moreover, the enemy's air-to-air missiles are clearly superior in performance, making them far too difficult to evade.

If this continues, he won't be able to hold out until the Gengdu carrier strike group's defensive range is reached.

On the radar screen of the Gengdu aircraft carrier's command center, after receiving the military aircraft identification code provided by Wang Zhaoxin, the cruiser's air defense radar quickly identified Xu Xian's signal and transmitted the data to the radar screen of the aircraft carrier's command center.

"This is too far!" Chen Cheng frowned upon seeing Xu Xian's location signal. Wang Zhaoxin had previously said that Xu Xian would soon make his way here, but now it seemed that Wang Zhaoxin had been too tactful.

Pursued by a fourth-generation fighter jet, at such a distance, it's not just difficult, it's simply impossible to reach one's own defensive perimeter. No wonder Wang Zhaoxin said he would send a plane to pick him up.

"Is that Xu Xian?" Xiao Nian stared incredulously at the aircraft signal flying towards them. "The Third Air Division of the Western Regions just said that a fourth-generation fighter jet was chasing him?"

"That's right!" Chen Cheng took a deep breath. Wang Zhaoxin had just said a fourth-generation fighter was chasing Xu Xian, and now Xu Xian's location was confirmed, but no other aircraft were detected on the radar. Wang Zhaoxin hadn't lied; it really was a fourth-generation stealth fighter. Chen Cheng pondered, "Xu Xian alone definitely won't be enough. Are the EA-16s ready?"

As the commander-in-chief of the carrier-based aircraft unit, Xiao Nian immediately replied, "We are ready and can take off at any time!"

"Take off immediately, proceed to the designated location, and deploy the electronic jamming zone," Chen Cheng ordered.

Xiao Nian glanced at the radar screen, then loudly replied, "Yes, sir!"

At this moment, the once tranquil deck of the aircraft carrier quickly became bustling with activity. Qin Qing, who had no missions today, asked the person next to him curiously, "What's going on? Weren't there no missions today? Why is everything suddenly so busy?"

Today was the last day before heading to international waters, and it was clear that the higher-ups wanted to give the officers and soldiers a little break before the intense work ahead, so the tasks weren't heavy. But for some reason, things suddenly got busy.

Someone nearby said, "I heard it's to support friendly forces."

"Support friendly forces? Which friendly forces? I didn't see the fighter squadrons move, so why are all the electronic warfare squadrons moving?" Qin Qing asked curiously.

The person next to him shrugged and said, "I don't know about that."

Looking at the increasingly bustling deck, Qin Qing had a very bad feeling.

In mid-air, Xu Xian, whose heart was already pounding with fear, suddenly heard a familiar voice in his earphones.

"Xu Xian, can you hear me? This is the Gengdu aircraft carrier command center! This is Chen Cheng!" Chen Cheng not only received Xu Xian's vehicle identification code, but also obtained his platoon channel frequency. He wanted to communicate directly with Xu Xian. At this moment, he stopped calling Xu Xian's call sign and spoke as if it were a normal conversation.

Upon hearing Chen Cheng's voice, Xu Xian, even though he didn't know why Chen Cheng would contact him, didn't bother to dwell on it. He directly asked, "I'm currently being pursued by a fourth-generation fighter jet and need your electronic warfare squadron's help for electronic suppression. Please tell me your exact location."

Although Xu Xian roughly knew that the Gengdu aircraft carrier was near Baxian Reef, he did not know its exact location. Moreover, Xu Xian's plan was the same as Wang Zhaoxin's, which was to use the electronic warfare squadron of the Gengdu aircraft carrier to electronically suppress the fourth-generation aircraft behind it.

"Xu Xian, listen to me, you're too far away from us right now. You can't fly here by yourself." Chen Cheng immediately said, "I've already sent an EA-16G to pick you up. Just hold on a little longer!"

"Great!" Xu Xian almost jumped up excitedly. Chen Cheng's foresight was likely because Wang Zhaoxin, who was in the temporary command center of Bisu, guessed Xu Xian's thoughts and contacted Chen Cheng of the Gengdu carrier strike group in advance.

Before Xu Xian could even celebrate, the ultraviolet sensor in the cockpit suddenly sounded an alarm. This ultraviolet sensor was specifically designed to detect the thermal energy of the thrust system when a missile was approaching. Because infrared-guided missiles rely on the radiated thermal energy of the target aircraft for guidance and do not emit electromagnetic waves themselves, conventional RWR systems cannot provide early warning of incoming missiles. Therefore, some aircraft are equipped with ultraviolet sensors to detect the thermal energy emitted by incoming infrared-guided missiles.

As soon as the alarm sounded from the ultraviolet sensor, Xu Xian knew that an infrared-guided short-range air-to-air missile was likely heading his way.

Having no time to talk to Chen Cheng anymore, Xu Xian immediately released a heat decoy and made a turn, preparing to enter an evasive maneuver.

However, as soon as Xu Xian turned the corner, he discovered that a missile was right next to him on his right. Xu Xian was shocked; he hadn't expected the missile to be so close, and its speed was incredible.

He then fully banked to the left, halting the rightward turn and avoiding a direct collision with the missile. The missile narrowly missed Xu Xian, passing just above and to his left, so close that Xu Xian could even see the details on its surface.

"fine!"

The moment Xu Xian saw the air-to-air missile pass by, a feeling of relief flashed through his mind. However, just as this thought crossed his mind, the missile's proximity fuse was activated the instant it passed over Xu Xian's aircraft, causing it to explode in mid-air not far from his plane.

Even though the explosion occurred a short distance from Xu Xian's plane, the aftershocks of the explosion shook the plane away, almost causing it to lose control.

After a fierce effort to maintain stability, Xu Xiancai regained control of the aircraft.

"Xu Xian, what was that sound? What was that sound just now?" Chen Cheng asked anxiously over the radio. The noise from the close-range missile that had exploded due to its proximity fuse was so loud that Chen Cheng could hear it even through the radio.

"No!" A violent light flashed in Xu Xian's eyes. A stream of blood flowed down Xu Xian's forehead, soaking half of his face, making him look like a demon crawling out of hell.

Although the explosion did not directly destroy Xu Xian's plane, the cockpit canopy was damaged, and even with a helmet on, Xu Xian still suffered head injuries.

Because the cockpit canopy was damaged, the airtightness of the cockpit was compromised. However, Xu Xian had an oxygen mask attached, so there was no risk of oxygen deprivation. The only problem was the extreme cold at high altitude. Fortunately, Xu Xian's flight suit had a life support system to ensure that the pilot's body temperature didn't drop too low.

Actually, the flight suit wasn't even necessary. At this moment, Xu Xian was like a bloodthirsty beast; the explosion had nearly killed him. Although he escaped death, it had completely unleashed the savage nature hidden within him!

"I can't fly over there anymore!" Xu Xian grinned, "I'm going to take him down right now!"

Chen Cheng, on the other end of the radio, was startled. Recalling the explosion from earlier, he roughly understood what was happening: "Xu Xian, don't be impulsive! You have no chance of winning against him!"

Xu Xian was now blinded by rage: "I'm already within the effective range of his short-range air-to-air missiles, there's no escape! Today, it's either him or me!"

Even though they were only connected by radio, Chen Cheng could feel Xu Xian's overwhelming murderous aura.

This was the first time Xu Xian had ever wanted to kill someone so badly, because no one had ever driven him to such a desperate situation before. At this moment, Xu Xian was teetering on the brink of death; the imminent danger was suffocating him, yet it also ignited his instinct to fight and survive!

If he wants to live, then he'll kill the other person.

Not far behind Xu Xian, Wu Wen watched his radar screen with great interest. After confirming that the short-range air-to-air missile had hit the target, he found that Xu Xian's radar signal was still on.

"Still alive!" Wu Wen raised an eyebrow, licking his slightly dry lips. At this moment, his hunter's instincts surged: "What an interesting prey!"

The previous medium-range air-to-air missile and the short-range dogfight missile were both launched from the no-escape zone, yet the aircraft in front managed to evade them both—it was practically a miracle. However, he didn't know that the short-range dogfight missile had nearly cost Xu Xian his life.

Encountering such a master made Wu Wen, the top air combat ace on the tribute list, extremely excited. Only by hunting down such a master could he demonstrate his strength.

In Xu Xian's cockpit, he selected the high-power microwave bomb, abandoning the delayed fuse. At this moment, blood was gushing from the wound on his head, blurring his vision. Feeling the cold blood flowing into his mouth, Xu Xian suddenly smiled slightly, a feeling bordering on madness.

"Want to kill me? Then come on!" Xu Xian grinned, his teeth stained with bright red blood. At this moment, Xu Xian was no longer filled with the desire to fight. His only thought was to kill his opponent, even if it meant dying together!

Instead of launching the high-power microwave bomb, Xu Xian chose to jettison the bomb. After pressing the button, the high-power microwave bomb fell from the rack. However, moments later, as the preset delay time expired, the fuse was triggered, and the high-power microwave bomb exploded.

"Huh?" Looking from behind, Wu Wen noticed a flash of light ahead, as if something had exploded. Before he could react, Wu Wen suddenly saw numerous fault indicators appear on his various DDI displays, and his radar screen had completely lost all data.

"Electronic jamming?" Wu Wen's heart skipped a beat. His only fear was the electronic suppression capabilities of electronic warfare aircraft. However, he hadn't detected any other aircraft on his radar. Logically speaking, his search radar was extremely advanced, with a very wide search range. If an electronic warfare aircraft approached, it wouldn't necessarily lock onto him, but it should at least be able to detect him. However, he had been monitoring the radar and, apart from the aircraft in front of him, hadn't seen a single other plane.

That couldn't be a fourth-generation fighter jet either. Currently, fourth-generation fighter jets in the world lack electronic warfare capabilities unless equipped with electronic pods. However, once equipped with electronic pods, their stealth performance would be greatly compromised, making it impossible for them to approach silently.

Suddenly, Wu Wen recalled the flash point he had just seen ahead, and a thought arose in his mind: "So it was a high-powered microwave bomb. Close combat? Good tactic!"

That's right. The high-power microwave bomb that Xu Xian just discarded exploded in the air triggered by a delayed fuse. The high-intensity electromagnetic radiation released directly destroyed most of Wu Wen's electronic equipment, including the radar system, which was completely destroyed.

Now, even if it's a fourth-generation fighter, without a radar system, it's essentially blind, relying solely on its naked eye to observe enemy aircraft. However, fourth-generation fighters are radar-stealthy, not optically stealthy. If it can see the enemy, the enemy can also see it. This transforms beyond-visual-range combat into a primitive close-quarters dogfight!

Wu Wen tried launching the missile, but there was no response. The missile's launch system also seemed to be malfunctioning. However, Wu Wen discovered that the machine gun was still usable; the high-energy microwave radiation hadn't destroyed all the electronic systems, at least the primitive and simple machine gun system had survived.

"That's truly a brilliant tactic!" Even as an opponent, Wu Wen couldn't help but marvel at his opponent's outstanding operation. Xu Xian couldn't detect his location, the radar couldn't lock on him at all, let alone launch a high-power microwave missile.

However, Xu Xian knew that Wu Wen was right behind him. So, instead of launching a missile, he would use a delayed-action fuse and discard the high-power microwave bomb on the spot. After it exploded, Wu Wen would definitely try to penetrate the high-energy radiation zone created by the high-power microwave bomb. Once he did, the electronic systems of Wu Wen's aircraft would be severely damaged.

If Wu Wenfei's plane is blinded, it will be easier for Xu Xian to escape, even though Wu Wenfei is faster than him. However, tracking another plane with the naked eye will still be quite difficult.

Knowing he couldn't keep up, Wu Wen was preparing to turn back. Suddenly, he saw a plane hurtling straight towards him.

"I'll give you a way out, why won't you take it?" Wu Wen grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. The high-energy radiation zone created by the high-power microwave bomb was extremely large, and the radiation traveled at the speed of light, so the plane couldn't escape. That meant Xu Xian's plane was definitely affected as well, and he couldn't use his missiles. Under these circumstances, returning to fight would offer absolutely no advantage.

Taking this opportunity to escape is the best course of action.

However, Xu Xian, who was determined to fight to the death, had no intention of running away. Even after his electronic system was also devastated, he turned around and charged towards Wu Wen, who was in pursuit.

Because the two planes were flying head-on, the already short distance between them quickly decreased, and Xu Xian soon spotted the oncoming vehicle.

"Finally caught you!"

Xu Xian smiled coldly, pulled back the stick, and soared into the sky. What followed was the most brutal part: aerial combat. The only key to aerial combat was gaining a favorable position—that is, occupying a high position behind the enemy aircraft!

"Trying to bite my tail?" Wu Wen was also a battle maniac. Seeing Xu Xian rush out, he charged at him head-on, and the two immediately began to fight.

At this moment, due to extensive damage to the electronic systems, Xu Xian and Wu Wen's heads-up displays were no longer usable. They could no longer refer to the cannon's sights on the funnel and had to rely solely on their eyes and senses to fire. However, for a weapon like a machine gun, which has no guidance or self-power, it was extremely difficult to hit its target using only sight and senses.

Because each aircraft's cannon is only used in emergencies under extreme conditions and the ammunition is actually insufficient, both engines must find a position that they are absolutely certain of before they can fire the cannon.

In terms of maneuverability, or rather, air combat capability, there is no generational gap between third-generation and fourth-generation fighters as significant as that in beyond-visual-range combat. However, the presence of thrust vectoring engines in fourth-generation fighters allows them to perform more exaggerated aerial maneuvers.

However, Xu Xian was at the peak of his life, his combat prowess at an unprecedented level. Even though Wu Wen's aircraft had some advantages in maneuverability, they were unable to find a suitable attack position.

The two planes were locked in a stalemate for a time.

In the aircraft carrier's command center, Chen Cheng frowned as he stared at Xu Xian's constantly shifting signal on the radar screen.

Xiao Nian, who had already arranged for the electronic warfare aircraft to take off, returned to the command center. Seeing Xu Xian's signal on the radar screen, he instinctively asked, "What is he doing? Is he evading a missile? But the maneuverability is too high!"

Dodging missiles does require a great deal of maneuverability, but the frequency is definitely not as high as it appears on the radar screen at this moment.

"He's not evading missiles, he's dogfighting!" Chen Cheng said in a deep voice, "He's dogfighting a fourth-generation fighter!"

"Dogfighting with a fourth-generation fighter?" Xiao Nian couldn't believe such a thing existed. Fourth-generation fighters were always designed to kill from afar; to give you a chance for close-quarters combat was simply unbelievable. He was about to say something when he suddenly noticed something unusual on the radar screen: "Why is another plane coming?"

At this moment, Xu Xian, caught in a tense standoff, fought with increasing ferocity. He felt as if his life had reached its peak at this moment, and he had never experienced such a thrilling battle.

Wu Wen, who was fighting against him, was filled with excitement. He had never seen such a formidable opponent before.

Just then, the blood on Xu Xian's head suddenly got into his eyes during the maneuver. Almost reflexively, Xu Xian closed his eyes. This was a biological instinct, one that Xu Xian couldn't control.

Originally, Xu Xian's brief loss of control during the intense battle wouldn't have had any significant impact. However, in the heat of battle, Wu Wen, whose nerves were on edge, seized the opportunity. With a sudden maneuver, he positioned himself directly behind and above Xu Xian—the perfect attack position.

The moment Xu Xian reopened his eyes, he could only see the afterimage of Wu Wen's fighter jet rolling behind him.

Realizing his predicament, Xu Xian immediately understood that he was at a significant disadvantage. In this battle, he had also discerned that his opponent was an extremely skilled pilot. Having secured such a superior position above and behind, he had absolutely no chance of shaking off his adversary.

Wu Wen, sitting above and behind Xu Xian, revealed a relieved smile: "It's finally over!"

The two were very close at this moment. Even without the machine gun sights, he was confident that he could hit Xu Xian's vehicle. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, just when Wu Wen thought victory was assured, Xu Xian made an incredible move: he pulled the stick all the way back and simultaneously braced himself against the rudder to correct the aircraft's yaw.

Xu Xian's plane shot up its nose wildly, like a cobra.

"Cobra maneuver!?" Wu Wen was stunned for a moment upon seeing this.

However, Xu Xian did not perform the Cobra maneuver. Instead, at the moment the nose of the aircraft reached its maximum upward angle, it continued to flip backward. Under Xu Xian's control, the C-16 actually completed an unimaginable backflip in the air.

Such an astonishing maneuver shocked Wu Wen. It was precisely because of Xu Xian’s backflip that Wu Wen’s fighter jet flew over Xu Xian from above. In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions were reversed, and Xu Xian became the best position to attack!

"Goodbye!" Without any hesitation, Xu Xian pressed the machine gun button. With a flash of fire, Wu Wen's A22 fighter jet burst into flames and then crashed into the sea!

"We won!"

Xu Xian laughed wildly. Today, he had actually accomplished the legendary feat of a third-generation fighter shooting down a fourth-generation fighter!

Suddenly, Xu Xian sensed something was amiss, but his attention was quickly drawn to the somewhat indistinct radio sound.

"Xu Xian. Also, due to the impact of the high-power microwave bomb just now, his communication system was also damaged to some extent, and he was unable to hear what the other party was saying at all."

"What else?" Xu Xian asked loudly.

"There are more enemy planes!" This time, the voice was finally clear! It was Chen Cheng's almost roaring voice.

Xu Xian's muscles, which had just relaxed, tensed up abruptly. He turned his head and saw a missile streaking towards him.

Xu Xian wanted to release flares, but the aircraft's electronic systems were severely damaged, making it impossible to deploy them.

"Damn it!" Almost instinctively, Xu Xian tried to maneuver the missile to avoid it, but as soon as he pulled the stick, with a crisp snapping sound, nearly half of the left wing of the plane broke off.

While the backflip maneuver didn't put as much stress on the fuselage as the Cobra maneuver, the C-16's fuselage wasn't particularly strong to begin with. After completing that breathtaking backflip, the aircraft's left wing still couldn't withstand the maneuvering load and broke off.

In fact, for fighter jets, as long as not too many wings break, a small number of broken wings are enough to allow the aircraft to barely return to its original position. However, there are precedents for this.

However, with the wing broken off and the aircraft's maneuverability drastically reduced, Xu Xian is now facing an incoming missile attack and is completely unable to perform any evasive maneuvers. Furthermore, he cannot deploy flares, leaving him with no chance of avoiding the missile.

With this in mind, Xu Xian knew he had lost his only chance to evade the missile. He had no choice but to abandon the plane and parachute out, even though he was extremely reluctant to do so.

Having already made up his mind to parachute, Xu Xian instantly pulled the ejection pin, but surprisingly, he didn't eject. For a moment, Xu Xian's mind went blank. It was very likely that the air-to-air missiles that had exploded nearby had not only damaged the canopy glass but also the ejection system.

Xu Xian tried several more times, but still couldn't launch himself.

At that moment, Xu Xian was filled with despair. He turned his head and saw the whistling missile right in front of him, its image a deathly shadow reflected in his eyes.

In the aircraft carrier's command center, Chen Cheng, who had been constantly alerting Xu Xian to the approaching enemy aircraft, suddenly noticed that Xu Xian's signal point on the radar screen had abruptly disappeared. He paused for a moment, then frantically shouted into the radio, "Xu Xian! Xu Xian! Respond if you hear me! Respond if you hear me!"

Xiao Nian, who was standing to the side, slumped into the chair next to him as if his bones had been removed.

The only sound echoing in the command room was Chen Cheng's frantic roar!

This is the final plot of the book, and I wrote it all at once to give everyone an explanation!

(End of this chapter)