Special Circumstances

One day later.

Altitude 6000.

Altitude 7000.

Altitude 8000.

Once the altitude was sufficient, Liu Jun pulled back on the stick and leveled off. The air density was high at low altitudes, creating more drag and resistance. At high altitudes, the air was thin, resulting in less drag and better fuel efficiency. Adjusting the throttle, the J-15 carrier-based aircraft beneath him entered cruise mode.

His gaze swept across the instruments. After confirming his altitude, speed, and heading were correct, he relaxed his body slightly and flew towards the sea area where the number one ship was located.

Flying, especially this kind of high-altitude cruise, was no different from driving on a highway. Except this car was flying in the sky. Combat missions often involved flying for hours, dropping bombs for five minutes, or even ending the combat phase in less than five minutes.

Liu Jun thought about the upcoming Daytime Carrier Qualification Certification he was about to participate in. He felt confident he would pass.

He glanced at his "Skills." Of course, these weren't the materialized attributes found in games, but rather vaguely defined levels. He called them "Skills."

"Skills" were divided into "Combat Skills" and "Logistics Support." Because he was in the Eastern Great Nation and not India, Liu Jun hadn't temporarily allocated his precious "Flight Experience" to "Logistics Support." If he were in India, he would have immediately maxed out his "Logistics Support" skill. He certainly didn't want his aircraft to crash due to a malfunction after a flight.

He recalled that by 2024, India had over 1,600 military aircraft crash non-combat incidents, equivalent to losing a whole air force.

Flying Indian aircraft was a nightmare for every pilot. You never knew if your beloved aircraft might be missing a few screws after ground maintenance, and it was highly likely the ground crew themselves wouldn't know where those screws were supposed to go.

Visual Acuity Training LV: 1

Situational Awareness LV: 0.5

G-Force Tolerance LV: 2

Physique Enhancement LV: 1

Life Augmentation LV: 1

Although the levels were low, these were the flight experiences Liu Jun had accumulated through strenuous training, seizing every opportunity to fly. This was also why he was so keen on earning the "stick pull fee."

Even with these low levels, his training results were far ahead of others. However, he felt he was gradually becoming an "Antarean."

He refocused, Liu Jun looked at the instruments again, confirming that his heading, altitude, and speed had not deviated. He looked through the sunglasses on his helmet at the sea surface below. The weather was good today, clear skies everywhere. For the Daytime Carrier Qualification Certification, this was a good omen.

With his exceptional eyesight, he could discern various "pixelated dots" of different sizes on the sea surface. He could vaguely identify what these black dots were. A small portion were fishing boats, but the majority were groups of cargo ships and cruise liners, like ants moving house, transporting materials from thousands of miles away back to the Eastern Great Nation for production and processing, and then selling the finished products worldwide.

Meanwhile, in space, a surveillance satellite quietly observed this busy sea area.

Time: 2024.

Location: 117.7° E, 15.12° N, nearby sea area.

Screech. As the high-precision optical lens zoomed in, the image continuously magnified, magnified, and magnified again, until it could clearly see the drilling platform at sea. In the distance, some small black dots were being discreetly deployed from a foreign cargo ship.

In a dimly lit room, a middle-aged man asked softly, "Is everything going according to plan?"

"Yes, sir."

"Don't leave any loose ends."

"Understood!"

The middle-aged man silently watched the small black dots, his eyes filled with gravity.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The motors drove the propellers, propelling the speedboats rapidly across the sea surface. On several speedboats, figures wearing tattered clothes with dark skin, like monkeys, stared intently at the drilling platform in the distance.

Click. After loading an old AK-47, the leader pulled the bolt, looked at the approaching drilling platform, licked his lips, and picked up the walkie-talkie to issue an order: "Go!"

Receiving their leader's command, several speedboats charged towards the drilling platform from different directions. Some of the figures were taking out ropes, appearing to intend to climb onto the platform.

As they approached the drilling platform, they were immediately detected. The duty personnel quickly picked up the landline phone to report, "Manager! We have a situation! Several speedboats are approaching!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing the news, the drilling platform manager quickly put down his work and hurried to the monitoring room.

Panting heavily, the manager calmed his breathing and asked with slight gravity, "Where are the speedboats?"

"They're coming from the east, still 3 nautical miles away!"

The manager picked up his binoculars and aimed them at the distant sea surface. He could clearly see the speedboats approaching from different directions. The experienced manager immediately realized what they had encountered – Pirates!

"Report immediately, call the Coast Guard for help!"

"Yes!"

In modern society, information transmission is measured in milliseconds. Soon, the special situation of the drilling platform being attacked by pirates was reported to the Coast Guard and the command center.

On a massive virtual sand table, the location of the incident was marked. The duty commander frowned instantly. Not long ago, Coast Guard ships had patrolled the nearby sea area and found no signs of pirate activity. These pirates seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"What's going on?"

"According to analysis, they must have been disguised or deployed by a legitimate foreign vessel to deceive the patrolling Coast Guard."

The commander frowned. This was a bit dirty and didn't follow the rules, but it was logical given the timing. However, the priority now wasn't to investigate which ship deployed the pirates, but to rescue the drilling platform and drive off the pirates.

On the sand table, the Coast Guard ship almost immediately adjusted its course, turning 180 degrees, and headed towards the drilling platform at its fastest speed. But on the sand table, its speed seemed to be crawling.

It would take at least half an hour for the Coast Guard ship to reach the sea area where the drilling platform was located. This was a bit too long. The commander's gaze swept across other units on the sand table; all of them required time to arrive. It was clear that the perpetrators had meticulously planned this and were definitely not just simple pirates, or at least, not just pirates behind it.

"Hmm?"

Just as the commander was about to dispatch other units for support, he suddenly spotted a new unit on the sand table. It was the aerial unit closest to the drilling platform at that moment: J-15 carrier-based aircraft, designated 189.

"What's the situation with 189?"

Upon the commander's inquiry, the technician quickly retrieved information about the unit.

"Reporting, Commander! This aircraft is piloted by naval aviation cadet Liu Jun, currently undertaking the [Daytime Carrier Qualification Certification] mission. The aircraft is not armed."

After all, Liu Jun was scheduled for carrier qualification certification. Carrying weapons would increase the aircraft's drag, affecting its performance, and landing with ordnance would be extremely dangerous.

Cadet? Hearing this, the commander's expression tightened. After pulling up the cadet's file and carefully reviewing his performance, he thought for a moment before saying, "Contact this aircraft immediately and inquire about its status. Confirm if it can complete the task of driving off the pirates."

"Yes, Commander!"