Sky-cracking Rider

Twin-seater, twin-engine, twin-vertical stabilizers, internal weapons bay, trapezoidal wings...

From left to right, four aircraft numbered L-22, L-22, L-22, F-22.

Hmm, it seemed like something odd had been mixed in; looking at the four combat aircraft lined up for battle, Chen Fei always felt an indescribable discomfort.

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Everyone was a 22, but there was one that was not part of the same series.

His perfectionism was almost triggering.

When Boss Hana and Laimen Hoffman, the leader of the Hanuman Airborne Group, were officially signing the duel agreement, Chen Fei was having trouble due to the lack of supplies.

Even though Northern Weapons Industry had temporarily opened its designated spare parts stocks to Jiu Defense Company, it was impossible to have prepared all the spare parts for four advanced trainer jets in advance.

In order to assemble the advanced trainer jets, Chen Fei had secretly used his special ability under the blind-eye supervision of Northern Weapons Industry personnel; he surreptitiously "sacrificed" some parts to replicate and evolve them while borrowing a large industrial specialty printer, barely managing to piece together three complete units.

If he hadn't used his special ability, he might not even have been able to assemble two aircraft, only ensuring the integrity of one.

When it came to the fourth advanced trainer, the few remaining spare parts were insufficient from the samples previously "sacrificed." Not only was the main propulsion engine missing, but there were also no avionics among other modules; the shortfall of parts was over fifty percent, making it impossible to proceed any further.

Chen Fei was out of options; Northern Weapons Industry couldn't possibly allow him to "sacrifice" these core active-duty sovereign components. Borrowing is okay, using is okay, copy? Not okay!

As a central enterprise, Northern Weapons Industry's backer was the Sovereignty. Stepping out of bounds had only one consequence, cleaning your butt and sitting out your sentence in jail.

He could, of course, rely on his imagination to completely redesign this advanced trainer by borrowing its aerodynamic form, but replacing the innards with something else, such as MiG or "Raptor."

This idea was certainly good and had some feasibility, but there was not enough time for Chen Fei to attempt this aspect; the overall workload was virtually no different from redesigning a jet from scratch.

If everything inside was changed, would it stop short of just the outer shell?

The most feasible solution was to activate the original Plan A, now Plan B, a replicated version of the F-22 "Raptor."

Many non-metal pieces of the F-22 "Raptor" molded together with non-metal parts of the L-22 advanced trainer in the large industrial specialty printer, Emmmm... Does this count as taking another free ride?

However, the overall combat performance of Generation Four's little prince "Raptor" was just a tad below Northern Weapons Industry's advanced trainer.

One should not underestimate the L-22; after all, it was the current active advanced trainer of the First Sovereignty of the Blue Star Civilization, not something a nearly half-a-century-old relic could compare to.

At least in terms of executing modern tactics, the "Raptor's" designed performance was clearly outdated, even inferior to the non-combat L-22.

-

The week-long air show had finally come to an end.

Even though a severe collision had occurred on the first day, the air show teams that subsequently performed merely held back for two days before becoming reckless again.

On the fourth and fifth days, two more flight accidents occurred consecutively, one of which involved a pilot who couldn't eject in time, smashing the aircraft and himself nearly vertically into the ground, causing a massive explosion that threw up a giant fireball, countless fragments, soil, and grassroots flew everywhere, the farthest reaching four kilometers away.

If it weren't for the protection of the magic barrier and ability users, the outdoor spectator seating near the main runway would probably have been a high-risk area.

Even so, every edition of the Abyss Coliseum had outdoor spectator seats that were full due to spectators seeking thrills and authenticity.

"Genuine Fragrance" Squadron, facing the challenge of meeting the Hanuman Airborne Group in battle, was not focused on watching the air show; they were preparing with all their strength.

Among the four about to battle, only "Fragrant Orchid," Carlos, lacked jet flying experience, but he was a pilot with abundant flying experience and hours, and his foundation was solid. By utilizing the newly assembled advanced trainer jet, coached alternately by Chekhov Big Bear and "Devil Pepper" Irinei Rusios, he could get familiar with the jet's tactical characteristics in just four to five hours, making the transition effortless.

Compared to turboprop aircraft, jets had a faster attack rhythm, and a longer combat radius and striking distance.

As the opponent of "Genuine Fragrance" Squadron in this battle, the Hanuman Airborne Group's four F-40 "Horned Eagle" jets were already completely prepared.

As the intelligence had outlined, this challenge was fully premeditated, everything already prepared on the opposing side, waiting for Jiu Defense to act.

If someone wanted trouble, they could always find a plethora of ways: even without Hanuman, there would be some other man or animal, eagerly jumping out to cause trouble, and the people at Jiu Defense, even if willing to shrink back like a tortoise and sneak around, would find it no use.

Abyssal Gladiatorial's first round: Genuine Fragrance vs. Hanuman.

The organizers greatly welcomed these daredevil individuals, avenging grudges or seeking retaliation, taking this rare opportunity to settle matters legally and justifiably.

An open, life-and-death duel was always better than reckless assassinations from the shadows, indifferent to the collateral damage to the innocent; if one had to die anyway, it was better to make one's death more meaningful.

All sovereignties of Blue Star had acquiesced to this distinctive feature of the Abyss Coliseum.

Even supposed human rights organizations and peace organizations would not speak out but would act as if they hadn't seen anything, keeping silent as if by agreement.

Teacher Shen Fei hurriedly rushed into the hangar provided by the organizers of "Abyss Coliseum."

"Chen Fei, Chen Fei..."

"What is it, Teacher Shen!"

Chen Fei, who was fine-tuning the L-22 advanced trainer aircraft, turned around.

"I just received news that the F-40s Hanuman Air Service Group brought into battle this time are different, two of them are F-40X, improved models!"

Shen Fei had also just received this intelligence, and hurriedly used her father, Vice President Shen's authority to gather information about the F-40X through the Northern Weapons Industry Group's intelligence channels before rushing over.

"Improved model?"

Still discussing tactical plans with Squadron Leader Chekhov and "Fragrant Orchid" Carlos, "Devil Pepper" Irinei immediately looked over upon hearing the news.

The improved model of the F-40 "Horned Eagle" was certainly an important piece of intelligence that could not be ignored.

Shen Fei calmed her somewhat hurried breathing and said, "It's the last improved version developed for the F-40 by Lockheed before being acquired, it hadn't been mass-produced yet when the whole F-40 series was retired by the air force."

Chekhov Big Bear asked, "Is there anything different?"

"Aerodynamic design, human-machine interaction mode, main engine efficiency, and collaborative data link have been further optimized, overall combat power has increased by 14%, and super maneuverability has significantly improved. If it wasn't for the F-46 'Peregrine Falcon' being finalized and beginning to join the Federal Air Force, the F-40 could have been extended for another decade."

On the way here, Shen Fei had memorized all these materials, almost able to recite them by heart.

As it was not finalized, the last model of the F-40 was designated F-40X, if it had been finalized, it would have been called F-40D. (Improvement extent is based on the comparison between Jian-10A and Jian-10C)

"Hiss, this is more than an improved version, it's clearly an upgraded version."

"Fragrant Orchid" Carlos Silva Lane took a sharp intake of breath.

Even a 1% increase in overall combat effectiveness is a significant performance gap, let alone 14%, it's entirely conceivable as a brand-new model.

The current main combat aircraft of smaller sovereign entities might just be of such quality.

Damn it! Hanuman Air Service Group has clearly crossed the line.

Realizing the gravity, Vice Squadron Leader of "Genuine Fragrance" "Devil Pepper" Irinei said seriously, "We can't let this happen, we must protest to the organizers, Hanuman Air Service Group can't act as they please!"

They had barely managed to procure trainer aircraft and hastily entered the battle, but their opponents had quietly upgraded their combat aircraft.

If it weren't for Teacher Shen's timely notification, "Genuine Fragrance" squadron would have definitely suffered a substantial covert loss this time."

"It's useless, the F-40X are indeed part of the F-40 series, the organizers won't support our claims." Shen Fei shook her head and said, "This time, the provision of the F-40X's for Hanuman Air Service Group came from an executive at Louis Industries, the two F-40Xs are prototypes."

To deal with the formidable "Genuine Fragrance" squadron, they even pulled out the last two prototypes of the F-40 series from their sealed storage.

"An executive from Louis Industries? Seriously!"

Chekhov Big Bear and Irinei both had extremely grave expressions, clearly more concerned about the supplier of those two F-40Xs.

The threat was so substantial that it could lead Jiu Defense to completely overlook Hanuman Air Service Group.

Louis Industrial Company is Blue Star's top military industrial manufacturer, with no close rival, definitely considered an exceptional massive entity, even Dragoon Magic Dynamics, ranked first in combat aircraft manufacturing, is slightly inferior.

Boeing Aerospace, Rolls Aerospace Group, and Concord Sky Group, these three top-ten combat aircraft manufacturers and regular sponsors of the Abyss Coliseum, are all heavily influenced by Louis Industries.

Commonly used by air service bases as a secret weapon, known as the "Dragon Slayer Missile," the KDK-1 air-breathing hypersonic smart missile is one of the many products of Louis Industries.

If such a formidable entity is targeting Jiu Defense, then there's no point continuing the duel; Boss Hana might as well just disband Jiu Defense.

There's no way to win, and even if we did win this battle, what then?

What's next? Everything has only just begun.

The power of the opponent is utterly despairing, with no chance of survival, let alone winning.