Inquiry

"Professor, this is aircraft 140. The one beside it is 139."

The squadron commander introduced the two special aircraft to Song Xizhu. She nodded and looked at the technicians beside her, signaling for them to get ready.

Earlier, Naval Aviation's Flying Sharks had fought an unknown enemy at close range. Now it was time for them to enter another battlefield.

Carrying ladders and various pieces of equipment, several technicians climbed onto aircraft 140's fuselage. Using the cameras they had brought, they photographed the damaged skin and internal structure, repeatedly documenting the edges of the torn skin in particular.

This was another kind of wound. Just as a person could determine what weapon had cut them from a wound, so could a machine.

After photographing the damaged "wound," they climbed into the cockpit and extracted data from the avionics system.

Once they had finished extracting the data from aircraft 140, the technicians climbed onto aircraft 139 and continued gathering data.

After the extraction was complete, they placed the storage media into a safe and snapped it onto a wrist with a click.

"Thank you for your hard work, Commander," the lieutenant colonel said as she chatted with Wei Jianguo nearby.

"Not at all. You're the ones who deserve thanks."

This was not empty politeness. The 815A vessel had truly come down from the line of fire. Its preliminary losses did not seem too serious, but its specific damage was still unknown. They would know once they rendezvoused.

"Not too bad. We didn't suffer any personnel losses. The main issue is severe equipment damage."

The lieutenant colonel briefly described the damage. Seeing that the technicians had finished collecting the data, she shook hands with the squadron commander, then asked after a moment's thought, "Could we meet the pilots of aircraft 139? There's some intelligence we'd like to ask them about."

As the pilots who had come into close contact with the unidentified aircraft and successfully shot down the "alien," their recollections of the battle were highly valuable. But under these combat conditions, their superiors were not all-powerful society ladies who could make a phone call to the frontline Command Headquarters and summon people back. They could only take the recordings with them.

"Of course. They aren't on duty. I'll arrange a room."

The squadron commander nodded. Being questioned about the battle's details was perfectly normal. Not only would they be asked, but later he would also have Zhang Peng and Liu Jun share their combat experience with the pilots aboard the Liaoning. It could effectively reduce Naval Aviation's losses.

Great East had a weak foundation in Naval Aviation. Losing even one pilot was painful enough. If they lost as many pilots as the Carl Vinson had, their superiors would probably throw their caps to the ground!

"Thank you!"

There were two pilots from aircraft 139. Out of courtesy and respect for heroes, the lieutenant colonel brought a major with her. The two entered the arranged room first and waited for Zhang Peng and Liu Jun to arrive.

"Professor, they may take a while. Think about what questions you should ask."

"Understood."

Song Xizhu took out a notebook and picked up a pen, writing down the questions she needed to ask. From time to time, she crossed out a few words before adding other questions she wanted to include, making sure everything was clarified at once instead of repeatedly troubling the pilots and forcing them to accommodate her. That would be a mistake in her work.

As the door was opened from the outside, Zhang Peng led Liu Jun into the room. The lieutenant colonel and major immediately rose and stepped forward. After saluting, they extended their right hands.

"Sorry to trouble you at a time like this," the lieutenant colonel said apologetically.

The two pilots had just come down from the line of fire after an intense dogfight. They might not have been so afraid during the battle itself, but once the adrenaline faded, they would certainly feel the lingering fear. No one was unafraid of death! They needed time to adjust mentally, and it was best not to disturb their rest at such a time.

"It's all right. This is what we should do."

The two returned the salute. Zhang Peng reached out and shook the lieutenant colonel's hand, then looked toward the major beside her. Her refined appearance made it obvious that she was a technician, and a highly capable one at that. The military did not keep idlers.

"Hello."

"Hello."

Seeing his mentor shake hands with the lieutenant colonel, Liu Jun, as the apprentice, lightly shook the female officer's hand halfway before withdrawing his right hand.

The four sat on opposite sides. After Song Xizhu poured Zhang Peng and Liu Jun each a cup of hot water, she sat across from them. The lieutenant colonel turned on a recorder and placed it on the table. "Can you recall the battle from earlier?"

"Of course. After receiving the order, Liu Jun and I set out to rescue the attacked 815A vessel."

Zhang Peng recalled the entire battle. When he reached the part about launching the PL12, the 815A vessel had been suffering severe electromagnetic interference at the time, and the missile launch had not fallen within the reconnaissance vessel's electro-optical observation range. Song Xizhu interrupted his recollection apologetically.

"Sorry to interrupt. The PL12's seeker suffered extremely severe interference and was unable to lock onto the target, correct?"

"Yes. The missile entered inertial flight and plunged straight into the sea."

"Please continue."

"After confirming that radar-guided missiles could not effectively shoot down the target, higher command ordered us to approach the battlefield and engage the unidentified aircraft at close range."

Zhang Peng calmly described the battle, while the lieutenant colonel observed their expressions. She found that both mentor and apprentice were remarkably calm, and inwardly nodded. Their psychological resilience was strong, which also meant the details of their recollections were less affected by emotion and had greater reference value.

"After launching infrared missiles, their seekers were deceived by the enemy through some unknown method and failed to achieve effective kills. I chose to enter close-range combat with the unknown aircraft."

"The moment we engaged, aircraft 140 was damaged. My apprentice evaded the attack in advance and immediately entered dogfighting range."

Hearing this, even though the lieutenant colonel and Song Xizhu had not participated in the battle, their emotions could not help being drawn in. They worried for the two men. Close-range combat against an unknown enemy carried enormous risks! One small mistake could mean the aircraft destroyed and the pilot dead, with not even a body left to find!

The two stared intently at Zhang Peng, waiting for him to describe the battle's details. Yet after more than ten seconds, Zhang Peng still said nothing.

"Is something wrong?" Song Xizhu realized something might be amiss. Perhaps the pilot was reliving that brush with death and experiencing some psychological stress response. She softened her voice. "If you're feeling pressured, we can stop here."

"No, that's not it." An embarrassed smile appeared on Zhang Peng's round face. "When I pulled a vertical loop, the high G-force knocked me out. After that, Liu Jun was the one fighting the enemy."

"Hm?"

"Uh?"

The lieutenant colonel and Song Xizhu turned to look at Liu Jun beside him, their faces filled with astonishment. The lieutenant colonel had assumed Zhang Peng, the veteran pilot, had been the main force in the battle. She had not expected it to be this trainee who had just completed his Carrier Daytime Qualification Certification.

"When we pulled the vertical loop, I pulled the stick all the way back to seize an angle advantage. My mentor wasn't prepared."

Liu Jun quickly added that. This was being recorded, and who knew who would listen to it later? He had to preserve some face for his mentor.

"After seizing the angle advantage and shooting down the enemy aircraft, we entered dogfighting range."