0p0 Chapter 475 Cloud Hunting: Intelligent Drone Aerial Combat
Chapter 475 Cloud Hunting: Intelligent Drone Aerial Combat
The night, like thick ink, stained the sky with a deep, mysterious darkness. Lei Tao's finger tapped the center console three times with precision, as if knocking on fate's door. The F-35B's ventral bomb bay, like the slowly baring fangs of a giant beast, spun out a dozen intelligent, micro-attack drones. Coated with an adaptive color-shifting coating, they blended like ghosts into the night, their two rows of faint blue taillights barely visible among the clouds, like the mysterious phosphorescence of the deep sea.
"Activate swarm combat protocol." Lei Tao's voice was cold and steady, like frost on a cold night. As soon as he finished speaking, the drone formation on the holographic screen instantly transformed into twelve streams of light, streaking towards the enemy aircraft in an impeccable diamond formation. The AI combat system on each drone whirred at full speed, like a sophisticated war machine, analyzing the thrust vectors of the enemy aircraft's vector engines in real time and calculating the optimal intercept angle in a split second, as if it had already predicted the enemy's every move.
Meanwhile, the remaining twelve Japanese Zero fighters were frantically trying to regroup. From the cockpits, warnings echoed like the whispers of death. "Radar detected an unidentified flying object!" Lieutenant Miyamoto, leader of the Third Squadron, said in a panicked voice. He was about to issue an evasive maneuver when he saw, with horror, three dark figures approaching at breakneck speed outside his wingman's cockpit. By the time he could make out the sleek metal hull through his night vision goggles, it was too late—the drone's miniature air-to-air missiles had already roared out, piercing the night sky.
A sneer curled up Lei Tao's lips, his eyes revealing the confidence of a sure victory. Through the data link, like a puppeteer controlling a marionette, he monitored every operational parameter of the drones in real time. When the first wave of missiles accurately hit four enemy aircraft, the explosions illuminated the night sky and his stern face. Then, he quickly switched to swarm tactics, manipulating the remaining eight drones like a finger, forming four two-plane formations and launching a three-dimensional encirclement attack on the enemy aircraft from different angles, completely shrouding the enemy in the shadow of death.
In the clouds, a Zero fighter attempted to escape pursuit with a high-G maneuver, but its every movement was anticipated by the drones. Three drones simultaneously locked onto the target, their optical sensors like hawks' eyes, keenly capturing the infrared signature of the enemy aircraft's afterburners. Immediately, micro-missiles adjusted their trajectory and spun toward the enemy aircraft like an arrow from a bow. As the missiles detonated with a bang at the enemy's wing root, the drones' adaptive wings instantly deployed, executing a flawless evasive maneuver at an 8G overload, demonstrating the perfect fusion of technology and the art of warfare.
"Swarm suppression mode, activated." Lei Tao's command was concise and powerful. The remaining drones instantly formed an impenetrable web of death, their onboard laser designators interweaving beneath the clouds into a dazzling curtain of light, like a divine judgment sent down from heaven. Guided by this curtain of light, the final wave of missiles rained down with unwavering precision. Twelve massive fireballs erupted in the night sky, utterly shredding the Japanese aircraft in this silent electronic warfare, turning them into the dust of history.
When the last flicker of fire died, only wisps of smoke filled the night sky, a dirge of war. Lei Tao methodically retrieved the drone formation, neatly returning them to the recovery slots on the back of the F-35B like well-trained soldiers returning to camp. The battle damage assessment report popped up on the holographic screen in bright red: all twelve enemy aircraft destroyed, with no friendly losses. Gazing at the tragic yet glorious battlefield, Lei Tao murmured softly, "A true aerial scalpel is always the perfect fusion of wisdom and technology." With that, he gently pushed the throttle, and the fighter jet, like an arrow from a bow, swept through the clouds and disappeared into the darkness before dawn in the east, leaving behind only endless imagination and anticipation for the next battle.
"Eight Trigrams Spacetime Anchoring System activated, coordinates locked—Central African Safehouse." Lei Tao's pupils reflected the pulsing longitude and latitude numbers on the holographic screen, as if he were gazing at the coordinates of fate. His left index finger decisively pressed the confirm button. In an instant, the fighter jet jolted violently, and the nano-coating on its surface shimmered with silver light, like a flowing galaxy. Then, the fighter jet transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the ripples of time and space, leaving only a faint trace of its past.
Deep in a dense forest in Central Africa, the dim emergency lights in a safe house suddenly flickered three times, as if welcoming a mysterious visitor. A low rumble, like thunder from the horizon, drifted closer. On the tarmac, snow, whipped up by the powerful air currents, swirled and danced through the air. The F-35B fighter jet landed steadily in its reinforced hangar, the warped lines on its fuselage, borne from its time-travelling journey, gradually dissipating, returning to its former calm.
Lei Tao unbuckled his seatbelt, and the hatch slowly rose, like a veil of mystery. He descended the stairs, the metal floor beneath his feet still lingering with the warmth of the returning fighter jets, as if conveying the passion of battle. Inside the safe house, intelligent ground support robots were already on full alert. Their optical sensors picked up the signal of the returning fighter jets, and their red operating lights began to flash rhythmically, like a beating heart.
"System, execute logistics support procedure Delta-7." Lei Tao's voice echoed through the empty hangar, carrying an undeniable authority. The leading ground support robot responded crisply, its robotic arms deftly extracting the air-to-air missile rack from the fighter's bomb bay, their movements precise to the millimeter, like a skilled craftsman. They loaded the new AGM-173 and AIM-120D air-to-air missiles one by one. Meanwhile, another group of robots expertly connected the fuel filler pipe. Everything proceeded smoothly and methodically.
At the same time, the safe house's smart kitchen system activated. A stainless steel grill pan hummed softly on the induction cooktop, a prelude to a delicious meal. A steak of even thickness was delivered to Lei Tao by an intelligent robot. This ingeniously designed robot, its mechanical arms moving with the fluidity and precision of an experienced chef, not only precisely controlled the thickness of the steak but also adjusted the cooking time and heat to Lei Tao's taste preferences. The steak's surface shone an alluring golden color, and the fat sizzled under the heat, emitting a rich and alluring aroma that was truly mouth-watering.
Lei Tao glanced up from the screen on the tactical terminal, and watched as the robot steadily placed the steak on the table. He slowly set down his cutlery, a satisfied smile playing across his face as he gazed upon the meticulously prepared meal before him. He gently cut a small piece of steak and placed it in his mouth, savoring it carefully. The meat was tender and juicy, with a rich flavor. Every bite revealed the exquisite craftsmanship of the intelligent kitchen system, a feast unfolding on his tongue. As he savored his meal, Lei Tao's thoughts drifted far away, contemplating the challenges and uncertainties of the next battle.
As the steak fat melted between his teeth, Lei Tao's tactical terminal suddenly flashed red, like an alarm. A holographic projection instantly revealed a map of North China. The coordinates of Tianjin Dongjuzi Airport were marked with a scarlet skull, making them stand out. This was the core hub of the Japanese North China Air Command. Hidden within its underground fortifications was the prototype of the newly developed "Shinden" interceptor, a deadly weapon hidden in the darkness.
"System, syncing the latest intelligence." Lei Tao gently placed his knife and fork on the bone china plate, his tone calm and composed. An intelligent ground-staff robot immediately stepped forward to remove the plate, like a well-trained waiter. A secret report popped up on the tactical screen, detailing the deployment of the German-imported "Würzburg" radar array on the third underground floor of the airport. Like a sharp eye, it constantly monitored the skies. Twelve 105mm anti-aircraft guns were concealed on the surface, their muzzles disguised as abandoned water towers. This formed a 360-degree, all-encompassing firepower network, like a massive trap, waiting for its prey.
"Activate Bagua Spacetime Anchoring Version 2.0." Lei Tao's fingers traced a complex and mysterious pattern across the Tai Chi diagram, as if charting a blueprint of fate. The sensor cluster on the fighter's belly began to emit arcs of faint blue electricity, like lightning flashing through the clouds. The moment he pressed the confirm button, the metal walls of the safe house suddenly twisted and distorted, as if time and space had warped. Like a ghost, the F-35B fighter jet vanished into the folds of spacetime, leaving only the tableware suspended in the air, still trembling slightly, as if telling of the incredible scene that had just occurred.
It was three in the morning in Tianjin airspace, and darkness was thick. Lei Tao's pupils constricted under the blue light of his night vision goggles, like the gaze of a falcon locking onto its prey. The outline of Dongjuzi Airport loomed in the darkness, like a dormant steel behemoth, emitting a menacing aura. Searchlights on either side of the runway sliced the clouds into pale fragments, like the Grim Reaper's scythe slashing across the sky. He summoned the drone bay and released not a conventional model but three "Tiangang" heavy-lift electronic warfare drones. Their fuselages were covered in honeycomb antenna arrays, like three mechanical venomous bees, poised for action.
"Jamming frequency band covers all radar frequencies, focusing on suppressing the Würzburg Array." As soon as Lei Tao gave the order, the drone swarm transformed into a stream of light and swooped down, like an arrow from a bow, towards the target. Technicians at the ground radar station suddenly noticed the screen was covered in snow, and the needle of the backup mechanical radar began to spin wildly, as if caught in a frenzied dance. The "Tian Gang" was releasing deceptive jamming that could simulate millions of target sorties, as if a virtual war was being played out on the radar screen.
Lei Tao seized the opportunity to activate the AN/APG-81 radar's penetrating mode, seemingly possessing the power of clairvoyance. The distribution of heat sources within the underground fortifications became clear on the holographic screen, as if unveiling the enemy's mysteries. As he locked onto the coordinates marked "Seismic Research and Development Center," the bomb bay slowly opened, releasing four GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs). These 13.6-ton bombs, their tails blazing with orange flames, pierced the earth like meteorites, like divine punishment, carrying the power of destruction.
In the underground command center, Terauchi Juichi had just raised his teacup, ready to enjoy a moment of peace. Suddenly, the steel beneath his feet trembled violently, as if the earth itself were roaring. The first bunker buster pierced through three layers of reinforced concrete and exploded in the prototype hangar. Fragments of the "Shockwave" wing scythed across the workshop like a whirlwind of metal, destroying everything. When the second bomb struck the ammunition depot, the violent overpressure shockwave, like a ferocious beast, crushed the officers in an emergency meeting into a bloody mist. The portrait of the Emperor hanging on the wall was also swept away by the blast, turning into a cloud of confetti, a mockery of war.
Lei Tao, surveying the scene from 6000 meters above, a sneer curled his lips, his eyes revealing the joy of victory. He launched the drone swarm again, this time targeting the surface air defense positions. Twelve "Disha" attack drones pierced the night sky like black lightning, their micro-missiles precisely hitting the camouflaged water towers. The barrels of the 105mm anti-aircraft guns twisted into a knot in the explosion, and debris rained down on the Zero fighters on the runway, as if a final judgment on the enemy.
"Time to wrap up." Lei Tao yanked the control stick sharply to the right, and the F-35B, with a 9G overload, turned sharply like an agile eagle. AIM-120D missiles from its wings shot down the Japanese fighters that attempted to intercept, one by one, leaving a trail of brilliant fire in the sky. As the last Zero plummeted to the ground in flames, Lei Tao maneuvered the fighter with a magnificent turn, performing a Cobra maneuver and rapidly climbing toward the Nanyuan Airport in Beijing.
The moment the fighter plane vanished in a streak of light, Dongjuzi Airport was reduced to a blazing ruin, with billowing smoke and flames rising into the sky. Terauchi Juichi crawled out of his bunker amidst the rubble, gazed at the night sky, and screamed in terror, "This isn't an air raid! This is... this is divine punishment!" Little did he know, however, that this "divine punishment," unleashed by modern technology, had only just begun...