Pirates

During a boring patrol, Liu Jun was admiring the scenery when the alert tone in his headset caught his attention, informing him of an incoming communication. He connected it.

"Cadet 189, this is the Command Center. Report your fuel status."

Glancing at the aircraft's fuel gauge, Liu Jun reported loudly, "I have 2hrs15min of fuel remaining."

This was a relatively long sortie, and he also needed to complete Daytime Carrier Qualification Certification. The fighter had taken off with full fuel to ensure sufficient reserves for a go-around in case of unexpected circumstances or a failed landing.

The communications channel fell silent for a moment. "There is an emergency situation now. This is not a mandatory order. You—"

"I'll go." Liu Jun replied before the other party could finish.

Only after hearing Liu Jun's reply did the Command Center explain the situation in detail: drive away Pirates approaching a Drilling Platform.

As for why they were being driven away rather than arrested, an aircraft could not exactly go out onto the sea to capture Pirates. Arresting people was the Coast Guard's job.

"Understood! Driving away Pirates approaching the Drilling Platform."

Liu Jun repeated the order. After confirming there was no mistake with the mission, he began carrying it out. He banked left, adjusted his heading, and flew toward the mission area.

Meanwhile, at a Drilling Platform out at sea.

"Manager, the Coast Guard has replied. Support is already on the way, and they told us to stay safe."

The manager looked at the Pirates steadily approaching. They were less than two nautical miles from the platform. Fortunately, the platform stood some distance above the sea, so it would not be easy for them to climb aboard. Still, they could not afford to be optimistic. If the Pirates got up there, none of them had weapons.

"Stop work. Take shelter first!"

"Old Zhang, there are Pirates?" The control room door slammed open, and a burly man standing over six feet tall, his face covered in flesh, strode in with a yellow safety helmet tucked under his arm. "Where are the monkeys? I'll kick their asses!"

"Old Jin!" The manager glared at him. He was somewhat helpless when it came to this former soldier. "Kick whose ass? Organize everyone to take shelter."

"What's there to be afraid of? It's not like I never beat up these monkeys before! We can go inside and take shelter, but if those monkeys climb up here and damage the meters and equipment, the losses will be huge!"

Nothing on the Drilling Platform was cheap, and transporting it was a major hassle. Just thinking about those monkeys climbing aboard and damaging state-owned property made Old Jin's heart ache.

"Old Jin, the Pirates have guns. Our people are worth more than the equipment!" The platform manager understood how he felt. He stepped forward and patted Old Jin's shoulder, then turned and shouted at the staff, "Sound the alarm! Organize everyone to take shelter!"

Woooo!

The piercing alarm rang out across the Drilling Platform. The workers who had been operating equipment froze for a moment, then shut it down and hurried toward the safe room through the evacuation routes.

At that moment, the speedboats on the sea were less than four hundred meters from the Drilling Platform. The pirate leader could already see figures running across the platform, and the corner of his mouth curled upward. In their shallow understanding, they had no fear of great powers—only fear of another great power. Besides, the other side had offered a generous price. Desperadoes like them did not care about their own lives; they only feared not having money.

Rat! Rat! Rat!

The assault rifles fired toward the platform from afar. At this distance, it was impossible to hit anyone, but it could still create panic.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Bullets struck metal and rang out. Several workers immediately dropped to the ground in fright, their faces full of resentment. "Damn it! Once our people get here, we'll kill you!"

"Kill them? At most, they'll just drive them away." Another worker said unhappily.

Seeing the workers' reactions, the pirate leader revealed a smug smile. Several speedboats that had circled around the side had already drawn near the platform, preparing to find a suitable spot to climb aboard. It would be best if they could seize people and extort money; if not, they could still grab some valuable items.

Just as one speedboat approached the platform, a white high-pressure jet of water suddenly burst from above, instantly soaking the boat from bow to stern. The monkeys aboard were blasted into the sea by the powerful water pressure, while the speedboat itself was overturned by the torrent.

"Quick! Get up here!"

Old Jin, operating the high-pressure water cannon, shouted at several workers lying below. A high-pressure water cannon was not exactly a proper weapon; it could not hold them back for long.

"Old Jin? Holy shit, he's that badass?"

Several young workers stared at Old Jin, the safety officer, in disbelief. This burly man usually gave them plenty of lectures. Who would have thought he would be so reliable in a crisis?!

"What are you standing around for? Get inside!" Old Jin shouted again.

"Coming! We're coming!"

The young workers hurriedly scrambled up from the ground and rushed down the stairs into the Drilling Platform.

The Pirates who had fallen into the sea were pulled back aboard. Furious and humiliated, they grabbed their weapons and opened fire on Old Jin's position. Having seen combat, Old Jin immediately sensed the danger. He rolled and crawled aside, and several bullets struck the spot where he had just been.

Feeling an itch on his forehead, Old Jin touched it. His hand came away with a sticky, warm sensation. His ears twitched as he looked up at the sky. "What was that sound?"

Boom! A thunderous roar came from the sky. The Pirates who were firing froze and looked up, only to see a fighter with low-visibility camouflage streaking overhead. The August 1st insignia was faintly visible on its wings.

The fighter circled overhead, its engines howling continuously at low altitude, placing psychological pressure on the Pirates while sending them a clear message: get lost!

"It's a fighter! It's our fighter!"

The young workers cheered, while the manager inside the control room finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching the fighter circle overhead, the workers on the platform were immediately filled with a powerful sense of security. The Pirates, however, were dissatisfied. They raised their AK-47s and fired at the J-15 in the sky. Of course, against a high-speed fighter, 7.62mm bullets had no chance of hitting it.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

The bullets did not hit the aircraft, but the Pirates' attack made Liu Jun frown slightly. "This is 189. Pirates are firing on my aircraft. Request permission to return fire, repeat."

Return fire? The communications officer froze. The J-15 was not carrying missiles, so how could it return fire—wait, the GSH30-1 cannon had sufficient ammunition. He turned to look at the commander and waited for an order.

"Permission granted!"

The commander spoke in a low voice. They could fire the first shot, but they would never get a chance to fire a second!

"Understood!"

Having received authorization to attack, Liu Jun abandoned his previous circling pattern. He reduced power, pulled back on the stick, and rolled into a bank. The fly-by-wire system controlled the J-15 through a tight turn in the air, bringing its nose toward the speedboats on the sea. After making minute adjustments to his heading, he entered the dive attack envelope.

The J-15's maneuver in the sky caught the Pirates' attention. Even if they did not know what the fighter intended to do, it was definitely nothing good. They hurriedly drove their speedboats in S-shaped evasive patterns across the water while continuing to fire into the sky, constantly provoking it.

Ding!

With a crisp sound, he pressed the raised cannon trigger and disengaged the weapon safety.