The Malfunctioning Missile

[Lower altitude, close engagement]

Upon receiving this order, Zhang Peng accelerated without hesitation, seizing the angle for contact with the enemy to launch the missile from the optimal position.

"Xiao Jun, the upcoming fight is dangerous." Zhang Peng adjusted the J-15S's altitude, eyes fixed on the sea surface below, searching for the right angle of approach.

"Master, I am a soldier."

Liu Jun replied, adjusting the IRST field of view in front of the cockpit to scan for heat sources. He quickly captured one large heat source and three smaller ones.

The three smaller heat sources were circling the larger one, occasionally flaring with a bigger heat reaction, though it vanished almost instantly.

These three small heat sources were the enemies attacking the 815A. Glancing at the missile's engagement envelope, the PL10 hadn't entered range yet. Compared to medium-range missiles, short-range dogfight missiles had shorter reach but higher overload, designed specifically for high-maneuverability targets.

"Understood, Master."

When the order came through, Liu Jun grasped the commander's intent: close to the infrared dogfight missile's range and engage the targets with infrared missiles.

The enemy could jam radar-guided missiles, but not necessarily infrared ones—their guidance methods differed. At this moment, Liu Jun wished he was carrying a dual-guidance missile.

A missile with both a radar seeker and an infrared seeker.

Unfortunately, they hadn't loaded that advanced gear this time; they'd have to wait for the Flying Sharks arriving later as reinforcements.

Glancing at the altimeter, their altitude had dropped to 6,000 meters. They'd spent time gaining an angle advantage, but it also meant entering the zone of strongest electromagnetic interference.

"Master, radar's dead." Liu Jun looked at the radar and spoke to Zhang Peng in the front seat.

"Then don't use the radar."

With that, Zhang Peng rocked his wings. The wingman trailing at the rear flank immediately understood his intent—this was the unspoken understanding forged through long training.

Throttle back! Roll the airframe! Pull the stick!

The J-15S circling at high altitude dove like a falcon toward the three unidentified aircraft below, with wingman [140] following close behind. The PL10 seekers preheated, while the other two J-15S didn't dive but circled above the battlefield, waiting to ambush or provide cover.

[Altitude 5,000]

The helmet-mounted sight locked onto the three vitreous-colored aircraft in view, and the PL10 seekers tracked them as well.

A long beep indicated the seeker had powered up, and with a dì sound, the HMD confirmed the PL10 had locked onto the target.

"Launch 2 (infrared missiles)!"

Even without communication, Zhang Peng shouted the launch command as if by muscle memory.

The two PL10s mounted on the wingtips ignited, each flying toward its locked target. The remaining target, untouched by missiles, was engaged by wingman [140] with a follow-up shot, keeping one dogfight missile in reserve.

Potential energy and speed could convert into each other. The nearly vertical dive of the infrared missiles allowed them to fully leverage Earth's gravity for acceleration. After leaving the powered phase, they streaked like lightning toward the unidentified aircraft below.

After launching the missiles, they pulled out of the current flight envelope. The stick pull was a bit sharp, and Liu Jun heard the onboard AI's voice in his ear.

[Maximum overload]

[Maximum overload]

After pulling out, Liu Jun felt fine, but Zhang Peng in the front seat began breathing heavily. Countering G-forces was no joke; it took the veteran pilot a while to recover from the positive G overload.

Seeing his master recover, Liu Jun gave up the idea of taking control. The J-15S regained altitude (securing an energy advantage), banked to visually observe the battlefield below, and prepared to assess missile damage.

Three PL10s, after leaving the powered phase and entering the inertial phase, tracked the vitreous-colored unidentified aircraft at their peak maneuverability and energy.

With Liu Jun's exceptional eyesight, he could clearly see the PL10s, out of power, biting onto the tails of these aircraft. This was why Zhang Peng had fought for the angle advantage earlier—regardless of whether the enemy was a conventional Earth aircraft, if it could fly, it had a power source, and tail-chase launches were the easiest way to score a hit.

The PL10s closed in on the unidentified targets. Zhang Peng squinted, scanning the missile impact countdown on the LCD screen.

But for some reason, Liu Jun felt a strange unease looking at those unidentified aircraft. Below them, the 815A electronic reconnaissance ship was billowing black smoke, and he could faintly see naval crew on deck dragging hoses to spray water—likely a fire had broken out not long ago, though it was now extinguished.

[3... 2... 1]

A piercing sound tore through the sky. The unidentified aircraft seemed to detect the incoming missiles, adjusting their flight paths to evade. The next second, three PL10s detonated about twenty meters away from them, sending shrapnel flying in all directions.

The three unidentified aircraft appeared completely unscathed. After a tight-radius turn at low altitude, they reversed course and charged straight at the J-15S.

"No hit! Repeat! Missiles did not hit!" Zhang Peng shouted over the comm channel. As the enemy closed in, the electromagnetic interference intensity surged by several orders of magnitude.

No words were needed. The enemy had just dodged the missiles and was now climbing from below, their speed temporarily unrecoverable. Meanwhile, the J-15S held the high ground with an absolute energy advantage. Were they supposed to tuck tail and run? Great East pilots were no cowards.

Two J-15s charged toward the three unidentified aircraft. During the dive, they quickly swapped wingman and lead roles: the [140] aircraft, still carrying missiles, took the front, while the [139] aircraft, having expended its missiles, fell behind.

Simultaneously, the two J-15s circling at high altitude adjusted their launch angles, ready to fire PL10s at low-energy targets while their teammates pinned the enemy down and drained their energy. The enemy's earlier evasion was likely possible because they'd maintained high speed.

Dì! Dì! Dì!

Shua!

The two sides closed to 2 km head-on. The [140] aircraft launched its last wingtip PL10 head-on. The engine ignited, and the missile flew straight at the lead unidentified aircraft. But as it neared the target, Liu Jun's strange feeling returned. The PL10 passed eerily through the unidentified airframe without triggering the proximity fuse.

"What's going on?"

"Seeker malfunction?"

Watching the missile's trajectory, not only the [140] pilot but also the others in the J-15S were stunned. This was something they'd never encountered—both radar and infrared missiles had failed.

In that moment of hesitation, the distance had shrunk to 1.5 km. For high-speed aircraft, that was practically point-blank range.

At this distance, whoever broke off first would fall into a disadvantage. They'd lose the hard-won advantage, and the energy edge would be neutralized.

When two warriors meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins! Great East aviators didn't retreat—they'd ram the enemy down if they had to!

"Xiao Jun! Prepare for dogfight!"