Su Kong the Sniper

He pressed the left bank, observed the target distribution, and Liu Jun had already planned his attack path.

His index finger rested on the trigger, eyes fixed through the HUD on the pirate speedboats below, waiting for them to enter effective forward-firing range.

Target close! Closer!

The aircraft leveled out, pulled negative G, and his left hand reduced the throttle. The roar of the engines pressed down on the pirates with an indescribable weight, scattering them in all directions. Yet compared to the fighter in the sky, these speedboats crawled like oxcarts.

Entering the attack angle, the ballistic computer displayed the lead angle on the HUD. But Liu Jun's gaze didn't linger on the ballistic indicator; instead, he fine-tuned the control stick to adjust the cannon's trajectory.

The enemy was weaving in an S-shaped evasive maneuver. He aimed the nose slightly left of the speedboat—the target would be there in the next second!

His index finger squeezed the trigger.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With the distinctive sound of the GSH30-1 cannon, a stream of shells fired from behind the right side of the cockpit.

The cannon rounds from the fighter weren't just moving at their own muzzle velocity—they carried the aircraft's speed as well. With that double boost, the 30mm shells shot toward the sea like lightning.

AP-T, HEFI, APHE—three 30mm rounds from the universal belt. Guided by the tracer's trajectory, he could clearly see the shells racing straight for the turning speedboat, then instantly converging.

The AP-T's airflow tore the pirate at the helm into a mist of blood, splattering his comrades. It punched a massive hole in the speedboat's hull. Before the boat could even take on water, the following high-explosive round, packed with about 75 grams of TNT, detonated inside the cabin. Shrapnel sprayed outward, piercing the pirates before they could react—blood mist and shredded flesh flying everywhere.

Finally, the APHE's delayed fuse activated, blasting the entire bottom of the speedboat to pieces. Seawater flooded in, and the boat gurgled down into the depths.

Liu Jun didn't spare a glance at the stricken speedboat. He adjusted the nose and lead angle slightly, then opened fire on another.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Boom!

The targeted speedboat's fuel tank was hit by a high-explosive incendiary round, erupting into a fireball. The pirates aboard were swallowed by the blast.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Crack!

Another speedboat's hull shattered, its pirates tumbling into the water with the wreckage.

Like shooting at stationary targets, he mechanically locked and fired along the planned attack route—lock, fire! Lock, fire!

As the J-15 soared over the last speedboat, Liu Jun pulled back on the stick to climb, banked right, and circled the battlefield once. He visually scanned the sea below, conducting a damage assessment on his attack to decide if a second pass was needed to finish off any remaining boats.

His eyes swept over the speedboats—some burning, some broken apart, others already sinking—when he suddenly noticed his Flight Experience had increased in his mind.

Huh? Destroying ground or sea targets gives experience too? There's a perk like that?

Liu Jun narrowed his eyes at the two fleeing speedboats. Well, now I've got no choice but to go all out.

By now, the pirate leader had forgotten his earlier ambitions. He'd cranked the speedboat's engine to maximum!

Only one thought filled his mind: Escape! Flee as fast as possible! If he could just reach that place!

But to the aircraft in the sky, the speedboats on the sea were snails, desperately crawling across the surface.

The J-15 easily caught up, then dipped its nose into a dive attack path, fingers resting on the trigger.

The engine's roar echoed over the sea. The pirate leader felt death's approach. His earlier smug expression vanished, replaced on his monkey-like face by sheer terror, contortion, and endless regret.

Of course, he wasn't sorry—he just knew he was about to die!

Just as Liu Jun was about to fire, a ship's silhouette appeared on the distant horizon, rapidly closing in—the Coast Guard had arrived.

He lifted his index finger from the trigger and pushed it forward with a click, engaging the mechanical safety.

He wanted the Flight Experience, but with the Coast Guard here, the situation was under control. Handing the pirates over to them was protocol. Faced with a choice between discipline and experience, Liu Jun chose discipline.

Whoosh!

The J-15 screamed over the sea, the engine's roar rattling the pirates on the speedboat into a daze.

"Ah! A ship! A ship!"

One of the monkeys spotted the patrol vessel in the distance and babbled in monkey-speak. At this point, he didn't care which country the ship belonged to—as long as it could save them!

"Quick! Head over there!"

"Yes!"

He spun the wheel, steering the speedboat toward the Coast Guard ship. The pirates thought about fleeing, but every time they veered off course, the engine roar from above immediately killed that idea. A King of Hell was watching them from the sky!

Like wolves herding sheep, the two surviving speedboats were driven toward the Coast Guard vessel. With no hope of escape, the pirates pragmatically dropped their weapons and raised a white flag.

As the Coast Guard ship slowly approached, its weapons trained on the pirates. Several small boats from the ship were lowered to the sea. Coast Guard soldiers, holding the national flag aloft, rode the wind and waves. Rifles aimed at the speedboats waving the white flag, they boarded without hesitation, cuffing the pirates. Justice would await them.

Seeing the pirates secured and receiving a "Thanks for the assist" message from the Coast Guard, Liu Jun glanced at the ship's bridge, wiggled his wings in acknowledgment, and prepared to leave.

He pushed the throttle forward. The engine spewed hot exhaust, propelling the J-15 upward.

For a fighter, altitude and speed were everything. Entering low altitude was a risky move.

After regaining his planned altitude, he flew toward the waters where Carrier One was stationed. He checked the fuel—after all that maneuvering, he'd burned a lot. He needed to land soon.

Liu Jun left, but the Coast Guard ship had a headache brewing.

The captain stood on the bridge, binoculars trained on the distant sea. Dozens of pirate corpses and their scattered parts floated on the surface, along with burning speedboat wreckage, debris, and fuel. The entire area was stained a faint red by monkey blood, already attracting carnivorous fish.

"Prepare to clean this up. Then send a message to the Navy—hope they commend the pilot," the captain said, lowering the binoculars. Without the Navy's help, if the pirates had boarded the Drilling Platform and caused property or even personnel losses, he'd be stuck writing reports and facing punishment!

That was the least of it. The real headache would be the online fallout.

"Understood."