Lingyun!

At the airfield north of Dawn City. Luo Yu, who had respawned less than half a month ago, was holding an aviator cap he had just picked up from Tengteng Cottage while Mosquito pushed him forward from behind. "What's with all the secrecy... Where on earth are you taking me?" Pushing from behind, Mosquito gave a sly chuckle and urged him along. "Stop asking. I'm taking you to see something amazing!" If not for that sentence, Luo Yu might have felt fine, but hearing Mosquito's unmistakably wicked tone immediately put him on high alert. What kind of "amazing thing" could this stingy bastard possibly show him? Nine times out of ten, he was trying to use him as a guinea pig again! And sure enough, that was exactly the case. The direction he was being shoved toward was straight toward the Alliance's hangar. Seeing the two approaching from afar, the guards on duty at the airfield entrance snapped to attention and rendered crisp military salutes before letting them pass. Whether it was Mosquito or Luo Yu, the guards couldn't be more familiar with either face. Especially the latter. They often saw him take off, but rarely saw him fly a plane back. Yet a few days later, he would inevitably show up at the airfield again, alive and kicking. Surviving a plane crash and coming back was far more impressive than landing one in one piece! Paying no mind to the admiring gazes of the NPCs, Luo Yu followed an excited Mosquito into the tightly shut hangar, his heart fraught with dread. The hangar lights flicked on. When Luo Yu clearly saw the aircraft parked in the hangar, his expression froze in momentary stupor before he blurted out an incredulous gasp. "Holy shit! Holy fucking shit!" A streamlined, silver-white fuselage! Twin-engine jet propulsion! The exterior design was intensely sci-fi, looking like a concept craft straight out of an aerospace expo—and most of all, those dreamy forward-swept wings— Yet the moment he noticed that forward-swept design, Luo Yu snapped wide awake. "Can this damn thing actually fly?!" As everyone knew, forward-swept wings were a cutting-edge design concept in the real world and one of the widely considered configurations for sixth-generation fighters. Forward-swept wings generated greater lift, provided a higher lift-to-drag ratio, had a lower stall speed, and offered superb low-speed handling. Crucially, they didn't suffer from the wingtip stall issues common to swept-back wings, which meant a massive boost in maneuverability! Taking the Su-47 as an example, with its coupled canard and forward-swept wing layout, it could perform a "Cobra maneuver" at an angle of attack up to 120 degrees even when nearing Mach 1! Of course, aside from extreme agility and looking cool, forward-swept designs had glaring drawbacks. The most prominent was the extraordinarily high demand on structural materials. If the materials weren't up to par, performing high-speed maneuvers risked not only snapping the wings, but in severe cases, tearing the entire airframe apart. There was a reason swept-back wings remained the mainstream. For a weapon of war, "cutting-edge" was not the top priority. Reliability was. Never mind forward-swept versus swept-back wings for a second—this thing was a jet, wasn't it?! Luo Yu wouldn't believe in a million years that Mosquito had installed a matching flight control system in it. No— Whether this contraption even had a flight control system at all was a big question! For all he knew, its only electronic flight instrument was the pitot tube mounted on the nose. Savoring the stunned expression on his guinea pig's face, Mosquito grinned cheekily and gave a wholly expected reply. "No idea." Luo Yu: "..." Seeing his utterly speechless look, Mosquito cleared his throat and began introducing his company's latest groundbreaking product. "Relax, I've already considered everything you're worried about. The entire airframe is built with Type A3 aerospace-grade aluminum. That stuff is used for spacecraft, so you don't need to worry about material strength or reliability!" "What's more, the exterior is coated with an anti-radar paint developed with the help of Camp 101. On the enemy's radar, you probably won't look much bigger than a sparrow. And I won't even get started on the aviation fuel... Anyway, this thing is packed with black technology from nose to tail. It cost me a fortune to build!" Up to this point, it was the single most technologically advanced product Goblin Technology had ever developed! Watching the still-speechless Luo Yu, Mosquito flashed a wicked grin and egged him on. "Wanna take it for a spin?" Luo Yu swallowed hard. To say he didn't want to would be a lie. Yet the price of a test flight was steep. "One flight... eight hundred." "Damn, you're ripping me off... Deal!" Mosquito put on a pained grimace, though he was secretly laughing inside. That pocket change wasn't even enough to fill the jet's fuel tank. Eight hundred silver coins to hire a fearless Awakened as a test pilot. What a steal! ... After accepting Mosquito's terms, Luo Yu followed his instructions and accepted the [Equipment Test] quest issued by Goblin Technology on his VM. [Quest: Jet Aircraft Maiden Flight!] [Requirement: Fly through the Heart of Iron's anti-aircraft fire net.] Once players registered a company, they could post quests that met regulatory criteria based on their business scope and nature. This was one of Wasteland OL's unique features compared to other MMORPGs. Watching Luo Yu don his newly bought aviator cap and climb into the cockpit with a tragic, resolute expression, Mosquito patted the canopy and offered words of comfort. "Don't worry. This big boy isn't just my handiwork—it's the culmination of wisdom from everyone at Goblin Technology! I guarantee nothing will go wrong!" With that, he glanced at Sha Shen, who was itching to jump in from the side. "Introduce our new product to our brave warrior!" Sha Shen grinned and stepped forward. "You got it!" Taking a deep breath, Luo Yu strapped his VM to his thigh. As he listened to Sha Shen's briefing, he familiarized himself with the instruments and controls in the cockpit. Out of habit, he instinctively looked for the ejection seat switch, only to find there wasn't one at all. The entire seat was welded solid to the airframe. Good grief. This wasn't a fighter jet. It was a kamikaze craft... It was a pity the game didn't have a military tribunal, or whoever designed this death trap would definitely be put on trial. Unaware of Luo Yu's bizarre expression, Sha Shen finished going over the dials and moved right on to the weapon systems. "...The armament mainly consists of twin-mounted autocannons in the nose, capable of firing 20mm armor-piercing incendiary or high-explosive rounds. They're effective against both air and ground targets, but we only have three hundred rounds loaded right now. I recommend leaving the safety on until you're ready to shoot, and don't hold down the trigger." Luo Yu couldn't resist barking, "What about missiles? It's a jet aircraft, and you don't even have guided weapons?!" Sha Shen said, "Uh, no guided weapons, but we can mount Switchblades or unguided rockets! Though those were designed for the W-2 ground-attack aircraft. Of course, if you really want them, we can strap them on for you—" Before he could finish, Luo Yu cut him off flatly. "Thanks, but no thanks!" The Switchblade was too slow, relying mainly on dives to gain speed, and it required a ground operator's coordination. Using that to attack an aerial target was pure fantasy. After explaining the functions of every dial on the panel, Sha Shen pointed to a push-pull handle beside Luo Yu's right thigh. "...That lever by your right leg is the afterburner valve—the very soul of this plane. Pushing it all the way forward ramps the engine output to maximum!" "We don't have exact data on how fast it accelerates yet, but it's fast! So fast we had to design a dedicated control valve for it! That said, during our tests, pushing the afterburner to max showed signs of the engine turbine blades melting... The feature isn't fully calibrated yet, so unless you have to, try not to touch it." No supersonic wind tunnel tests. No flight computer... What kind of 'with enough thrust even a brick can fly' madness was this?! Luo Yu said, "Could you guys at least fix the bugs before rolling it out?!" "We're out of time." Sha Shen looked at him with utmost gravity and continued, "We wanted to refine the design before deploying it too, but the enemy airship has already brought its guns to our front door... We have no choice but to ask you to test its performance on the battlefield." "Please. Do your best to bring it back!" That solemn look made it impossible to refuse... Oh well, who else knew how to fly it? Worst-case scenario, dying only meant waiting three days to respawn. Taking a deep breath, Luo Yu switched on the avionics. "I'll do my best." ... High in the clear sky. The Heart of Iron floated quietly. The towering fortress of steel was as stable as a floating mountain. Yet inside the observation pod hidden at the airship's bow, chaos reigned. "...Unidentified flying object spotted approaching at bearing 116! Visual estimate ten to fifteen kilometers out! A vapor trail over ten meters long observed!" "Speed approaching Mach 1! It's heading straight for us!" "Targeting optics severely out of focus! I can't make out what it is—suspected missile!" "No radar return! Anti-radar stealth confirmed!" For an object moving at Mach speeds, ten or fifteen kilometers took less than a minute to cross. The firing window left to them was even shorter—under twenty seconds! The crew in the observation pod had no time to be astonished. They immediately relayed the situation to the weapons operators and raised the alert status to Level 2. Though they weren't sure what it was, since it dared to challenge the authority of the Heart of Iron, it had clearly prepared for death. Twelve 100mm secondary guns and one hundred forty-four medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns swung in unison toward the 90- to 180-degree sector. They weren't aiming at a single point. They were targeting an entire swath of airspace— "Fire!" With a roar over the comm channel, every anti-aircraft weapon with a clear firing angle discharged almost simultaneously. Streams of orange-yellow tracer fire erupted from the airship, weaving an airtight net across the sky that converged on the unidentified flying object. The moment it approached the target airspace... The dense, web-like barrage detonated violently. Plumes of black smoke, flame, and shrapnel expanded into a sky-blotting dark cloud in an instant! The Heart of Iron possessed no guided weapons. Not because they lacked the technology. But because they didn't need it! A sufficient volume of shells more than made up for any lack of precision. Their proud flak barrage was capable of tearing apart anything that came close! Even a fly. It would be utterly impossible to slip through those overlapping layers of fire! And yet— Something completely unexpected occurred. The silver streak that should have plummeted from the sky burst through the wall-like dark cloud like a dolphin leaping from the sea! "What on earth is that?!" The gunner in the forward turret widened his eyes in disbelief. He watched helplessly as the silver vapor trail roared over their heads, leaving behind only an afterimage flickering with sparks. A burst of autocannon rounds sprayed across the airship like a stream of piss. Though every round was deflected cleanly by the deflector shield, the insult was stinging. Watching the speeding blur through the display, General Macklen, standing on the bridge, flashed a look of fury. "Is that an Enterprise aircraft?" The adjutant beside him swallowed nervously. "P-probably..." "Flying all the way here from the East Coast?!" "Sir, I don't know..." the adjutant stammered, trembling. He only knew the Enterprise had formidable technology. Just how formidable, he had no idea. The Mid-Continent stretched over ten thousand kilometers from the east coast to the west. A rumor traveling ten li could spawn two completely different versions. Let alone across an entire continent. The staff officer standing nearby looked grim. "An aircraft with a three-thousand-kilometer range... If it really belongs to the Enterprise, their strength is nothing to take lightly." "Still, their weapons are weaker than expected. They didn't even scratch our exterior paint," the adjutant swallowed, stubbornly adding, "Doesn't seem like much..." ... "Holy shit..." "That was fucking intense!" Steadying his ragged breathing, Luo Yu glanced back at the dense cloud of explosions and the receding airship, then slowly released his grip on the afterburner valve with his right hand. The airspeed needle was pegged hard against the right edge of the gauge, trembling violently. The pitot tube had lost accuracy half a minute ago. He had no idea how fast he had been going just then, but based on experience, it had to be at least Mach 3! Having died once at the hands of that airship, the overwhelming premonition of death had driven his instinct to accelerate—and facts proved his judgment right. If he hadn't shoved the afterburner down at the final second, he would have been riddled with shrapnel, blown to absolute smithereens... Black and red gradually faded from his vision, and the clear sky returned to focus. Fading alongside the smoke was the blackout caused by extreme G-forces. Luo Yu tilted the control stick and began his return flight. He could tell that it hadn't just been tunnel vision; for a fleeting moment, he had felt as if his eyeballs were about to be ripped right out of their sockets. Fortunately— An Awakened possessed an extraordinary constitution. Even for an Agility-type, his Constitution attribute was still two points above the baseline of 5. In the real world, that maneuver would have ended his life on the spot... Either way, he had pulled it off. Heart pounding, Luo Yu took another deep breath to calm his racing excitement. Next came flying the plane back... ... Compared to surviving that dense curtain of anti-aircraft fire, Luo Yu felt that landing a jet with zero flight-control software smoothly on the runway north of Dawn City was an even greater miracle. Especially during the final approach, the fuselage had shuddered like it was having a seizure. Once he rolled to a complete stop and climbed down the ladder, he discovered the rear turbine blades of the port engine had melted and warped out of shape. Still, minor details. The final speed assessment revealed that when he pushed the afterburner to maximum, his peak velocity had neared Mach 3.7! Looking at the ride he had owned for less than an hour with mixed emotions, Luo Yu found it genuinely hard to fathom that the contraption had reached Mach 3.7 without disintegrating in midair... At the same time, beside the airfield. Two Goblin Technology players were murmuring to each other. One was an Intelligence-type and the other an Agility-type, both newcomers recruited by Mosquito during the closed beta. Though rather than saying Mosquito had swindled them in, it was more accurate to say they had volunteered to join Goblin Technology. "Who would've thought forward-swept wings would shine in a game first?" "Yeah." "Given how realistically this game models physics, I feel like this could genuinely serve as reference data for real-world research." "Yeah." "Too bad we have nothing here. Conditions are rougher than the back of beyond... If only we could set up a supersonic wind tunnel." "Makes sense." The Agility-type player rolled his eyes. "...Can you stop just saying 'yeah' and give some actual input?" The Intelligence-type player sighed. "No input, I completely agree. I was just wondering... The 20mm cannons were completely useless. What if we flew over that airship and dropped low-speed aerial bombs? Could that breach its anti-Newtonian shield?" "Anti-Newtonian shield" was the name the players had given it, since its effects defied scientific explanation. If it only blocked metal shells, that could still be chalked up to the Meissner effect. But deflecting non-metallic projectiles, irregular munitions, and even blast shockwaves was simply ridiculous. It could only be explained as fictional game lore. The Agility-type player replied, "If the ordnance is too big, the flak cannons will intercept it. If it's too small... even if it bypasses the deflector shield, the curved armor will blunt the blast wave. It won't harm the interior at all." The Intelligence-type player said helplessly, "So we still have to rely on ground forces in the end... I still feel like that contraption Brother Mosquito designed is reckless. Can human bodies really handle that kind of strain?" "That's where you're wrong. This is a game after all, it can't be one-to-one with reality..." The Agility-type player chuckled. "Normal humans might not survive it, but the monsters in the Strength and Constitution branches definitely can." Could someone carrying a ton on their back still be called human? Forget a ton—lifting over five hundred kilos was already enough to break world records... ... Although it still couldn't bring down that airship, the new jet developed by Goblin Technology had secured a tangible advantage for the Alliance. As the Alliance's first "independently developed" next-generation aircraft, its battlefield role was air superiority, reconnaissance, and rapid medium-range strikes. Against low-value targets like common mutants and marauders, the W-2 Mosquito ground-attack aircraft and Dragonfly gunships, with their far longer loiter times, remained the superior options. The players of Goblin Technology pinned high hopes on it. Mosquito had even uncharacteristically refrained from giving it a bizarre name. Instead, he opened a poll on the forum and adopted the top-voted entry, christening it the "Lingyun"! While a single Lingyun couldn't bring down the heavily armored, high-health Heart of Iron, the airship was equally powerless against the absurdly fast Lingyun. A top speed exceeding Mach 3 was simply terrifying. More importantly, whatever had been installed on the aircraft rendered it invisible to the airship's radar arrays, forcing the crew to rely on visual spotters. By the time observers spotted the approaching Lingyun, they usually had less than half a minute to prepare their firing solutions. They would manage a single salvo of flak, and the jet would already have blasted far into the distance. It was like a fly buzzing around a giant—impossible to hit, yet impossible to ignore—driving the gunners aboard the airship half-mad with frustration. Meanwhile, the Storm Corps was rejoicing. Coordinating with intelligence provided by the Pangolin Century, the lightning-fast Lingyun frequently delivered unexpected strikes against the Legion's ground forces and critical installations. Previously, the Storm Corps had been on the receiving end of one-sided bombardments. Now that both sides were trading blows, it was a major step forward. As the front-line situation cleared up, player discussions on the forum grew livelier by the day, full of wild ideas and creative exploits. Yet as the Administrator, Chu Guang felt little cause for optimism. Before reinforcements from the East Coast could arrive, urgent distress calls from the west had reached him first... If there was one known faction across this land that gave him the greatest headache, it was undeniably the Legion of the West Coast. Not only were they fiercely ambitious, but they also regarded everyone around them as barbarians. Resolving differences with them through negotiation or bartering was practically impossible. Now the crew of the Pioneer remained missing, Shelter 0 seemed to have become the eye of the storm, the Legion had invaded the Sunset Province, and preparations for a second expedition appeared to be underway. And the south of the River Valley Province... Had no "Sacred Shield" to protect it.