Pirates

During a boring patrol, Liu Jun, who was enjoying the scenery, was drawn by a tone in his headset, which indicated an incoming communication. He connected the call:

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

Glancing at the aircraft's fuel gauge, Liu Jun reported loudly, "I have 2 hours and 15 minutes of fuel remaining."

This leg of the journey was quite long, and it also required daytime carrier qualification certification. The fighter jet had taken off with a full tank to prevent any unforeseen circumstances or landing failures, ensuring sufficient fuel for a go-around.

There was a moment of silence on the communication channel: "There's an emergency situation. This is not a mandatory order. You..."

"I'll go," Liu Jun responded before the other person could finish.

After hearing Liu Jun's reply, the Command Center explained the specifics of the emergency: to drive away pirates approaching the drilling platform.

As for why it was to drive them away rather than arrest them, it was because aircraft couldn't chase pirates on the sea. Apprehending people was the job of the Coast Guard.

"Understood! Drive away the pirates approaching the drilling platform."

Liu Jun repeated the order, and after confirming the mission details, he began to execute it. He initiated a left bank, adjusted his heading, and flew towards the mission area.

Meanwhile, at a drilling platform at sea.

"Manager, the Coast Guard has replied. Reinforcements are on their way. They told us to be careful."

The manager looked at the approaching pirates. They were less than two nautical miles from the platform. Fortunately, the platform was some distance above the sea, making it not so easy for them to climb up. However, they couldn't be too optimistic. If they did manage to climb up, the people here had no weapons.

"Stop work, seek shelter first!"

"Old Zhang, are there pirates?" The door to the control room burst open, and a burly man, one meter eighty tall with a rough face, holding a yellow safety helmet, strode in quickly. "Where's Monkey? Let's go get him!"

"Old Jin!" The manager glared at him, feeling a bit helpless with this retired veteran. "Get what? Get him! Organize personnel to seek shelter."

"What are you afraid of! I've dealt with these monkeys before! We can go seek shelter inside, but if Monkey climbs up and damages the gauges and instruments, the losses will be huge!"

The equipment on the drilling platform was not cheap, and transportation was also troublesome. Thinking about these monkeys climbing up and damaging state property made Old Jin feel distressed.

"Old Jin, the pirates have guns. Our people are worth more than the instruments!" The platform manager understood his feelings. He stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and then turned to shout at the management: "Sound the alarm! Organize personnel to seek shelter!"

BWOOM!

A piercing alarm blared across the drilling platform. The workers who were operating were stunned. They shut down their equipment and hurried along the escape routes towards the safe room.

At this moment, the speedboats on the sea were less than 400 meters from the drilling platform. The pirate leader could already see figures moving on the platform. The corners of his mouth curled up. In their limited understanding, there was no fear of a great power, only fear of another great power. Moreover, the other party had paid them handsomely. These desperate outlaws didn't care about their own lives, only about not having money.

Tchk! Tchk! Tchk!

Assault rifles fired at the platform from a distance. At this range, it was impossible to hit anyone, but it could cause panic.

Clang! Clang!

The bullets struck the metal, making noise. Several workers were startled and cowered on the ground, their faces filled with indignation. "Damn it! When our guys get here, we'll kill you!"

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

Seeing the workers' reactions, the pirate leader smiled triumphantly. At this time, several speedboats that had circled around were approaching the platform, preparing to find a suitable spot to climb up. If they could capture people and extort money, that would be best. If not, they could also steal some valuable items.

Just as one of the speedboats approached the platform, a high-pressure water jet suddenly shot out from the platform, drenching the speedboat from bow to stern. The monkeys on board were thrown into the sea by the powerful water pressure, and the speedboat was capsized by the current.

"Quick! Get up here!"

Old Jin, who was operating the high-pressure water gun, shouted loudly to the workers lying on the ground below. The high-pressure water gun was not a proper weapon and couldn't suppress them for long.

"Old Jin? Holy crap, he's that fierce?"

Several young workers looked at the safety officer, Old Jin, in disbelief. This burly man often lectured them, but they never expected him to be so reliable in a dangerous situation!

"What are you waiting for! Get inside!" Old Jin shouted again.

"Coming! Coming!"

Several young workers quickly got up from the ground and climbed into the drilling platform's interior via the stairs.

The pirates who fell into the sea were picked up. Enraged, they grabbed their weapons and opened fire towards Old Jin's position. Old Jin, having been on the battlefield, immediately sensed the danger. He scrambled and dodged to the side. Just as he dodged a few bullets, they hit the spot where he had been.

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

BOOM! A thunderous sound came from the sky. The pirates who were firing were stunned. They looked up and saw a fighter jet with low-visibility camouflage flying rapidly overhead. The insignia of the "August 1st" was faintly visible on its wings.

The fighter jet circled overhead, the roar of its engines constantly echoing at low altitude, creating psychological pressure on the pirates and also telling them: Get lost!

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

The young workers cheered, and the manager in the control room also breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the fighter jet circling overhead, the workers on the platform felt a strong sense of security. However, the pirates were not satisfied. They raised their AK-47s and opened fire at the J-15 in the sky. Of course, for a high-speed fighter jet, 7.62mm bullets could not hit it.

Tchk-tchk-tchk!

The bullets missed the aircraft, but the pirates' aggressive actions made Liu Jun frown slightly. "This is 189. Pirates are firing at my aircraft. Requesting permission to return fire, repeat..."

Return fire? The communicator was taken aback. The J-15 wasn't armed, so how could it return fire? No, the GSH-30-1 cannon had sufficient ammunition. He looked back at the commander, awaiting orders.

"Approved!"

The commander said in a deep voice. You can fire the first shot, but you will absolutely not get a second chance!

"Understood!"

Upon receiving the commander's authorization to engage, Liu Jun changed his previous circling pattern. He reduced throttle, pulled back the stick, and banked into a dive. The fly-by-wire system controlled the J-15 to execute a small-radius turn in the air, pointing its nose towards the speedboats on the sea. After making slight adjustments to his flight path, he entered the dive attack envelope.

The J-15's maneuver in the sky caught the pirates' attention. Even though they didn't know what the fighter jet in the sky was planning, it was definitely not good. They quickly maneuvered their speedboats in S-shaped evasive patterns on the sea, while continuing to fire at the sky, constantly provoking.

Click!

With a crisp sound, he pressed the trigger of the raised cannon, disengaging the weapon's safety.