Special Mission

"Don't worry. You definitely won't be able to come back conveniently once you're in the military. I'm still waiting to help you raise your children."

"Mom, when you have time, buy a bigger refrigerator too. Stock up on more food and vegetables." Liu Jun ultimately couldn't help revealing a little information. After all, he was only human.

"Got it."

"Let's go."

Old Liu put on his coat and took his son downstairs. Mom stood on the balcony, watching her son get into the car. She wiped at the corner of her eye. This time, she had no idea how long it would be before Liu Jun came back.

After getting in, Liu Jun sat in the passenger seat while Old Liu took the driver's seat, started the electric car, and turned to ask, "Where to?"

"The airport."

"Sit tight."

Old Liu started the car, drove out of the residential complex, merged onto the main road, and headed for the airport.

"You drive pretty well. I thought you'd drive like a taxi driver," Liu Jun said beside him.

"Haha, just look at that. I was known for being steady at work, so naturally I have to drive steadily too."

The father and son chatted idly. Before long, they arrived at the airport. After parking in the lot, Old Liu walked his son inside. But as they walked, Old Liu realized something was wrong. Why were they heading toward the military restricted area?

Before the Sentinel, Liu Jun turned to look at his father, carefully taking in the ever-increasing white hair at his temples. At that moment, he truly felt that his father had grown old. "Dad, I'm leaving."

"Mm. Go on."

Old Liu waved, signaling his son to go. Just like when he had sent him off to college, he said nothing unnecessary and merely gave his son's shoulder a heavy pat.

A father knew his son best. Old Liu could tell that his son had been preoccupied lately, but military matters weren't something he could ask about. Even if he did, Liu Jun wouldn't say anything. The confidentiality regulations were there, so it was better not to bring it up.

Liu Jun showed his officer's ID to the Sentinel and entered the restricted area. He waved to Old Liu and walked inside. Though he couldn't see him anymore, something told him that Old Liu was still watching his son.

Liu Jun had just finished changing in the locker room when hurried footsteps sounded outside. A major then rushed in. The moment he saw Liu Jun, he quickly stepped forward and extended his right hand. "Hello! Hello, Comrade Liu Jun!"

The major clasped Liu Jun's right hand with both hands and shook it vigorously several times. His enthusiasm was almost more than Liu Jun could handle. Liu Jun asked, "Hello, may I ask who you are?"

"Could you share some of your experience with our pilots? You know what our situation is like here!"

Though the major didn't want to admit it, there was indeed a gap in their technical capabilities. They were located in a small third-tier inland city, completely free of national defense pressure. Their training intensity was inferior to that of units stationed at the front lines and borders.

Liu Jun knew very well how long Great East's borders and coastline were. The pressure along the borders was immense. Every day, unidentified aircraft, drones, reconnaissance planes, and electronic warfare aircraft intruded into their airspace. Nearly all advanced fighters had been deployed to the borders. There were only a few J-11Bs and J-10s here, while the rest were outdated fighter models.

Don't expose someone's awkward situation. Liu Jun glanced at the clock in the locker room. It would only take an hour to fly from here to the Liaoning, so there was still some time.

The current peace was only superficial. The storm was about to arrive! Even though he wasn't particularly proficient in politics or geopolitics, Great East's distinctive political education had taught him that the world order had changed! The enemy had changed as well. They were no longer fellow humans using the same technology, but an unknown civilization from beyond Earth.

If many pilots fought aliens the same way they fought human aircraft, they would absolutely suffer badly. It was only right to share some experience in fighting aliens with his comrades, though he didn't have much experience himself.

"May I ask how I should address you?"

"Li Jian."

"Major Li—"

Liu Jun had just begun to continue when Li Jian interrupted him. In front of a pilot with confirmed shoot-down honors, rank was not important. "Ah, forget the major stuff. Just call me Li Jian."

Li Jian asked meaningfully, "Recently, something hasn't felt right."

Li Jian didn't say the rest, but the meaning was simple: Was a war about to break out?

He had also discreetly asked his old squad leader through his connections. After all, as combat personnel, they would be heading to the front-line battlefield. Wanting to prepare in advance was only natural.

"Comrade Li Jian, has your superior issued you any special documents?"

"Not yet." Li Jian shook his head. "But they've already been increasing our training intensity. It's different from every other time before!"

Hearing that, Liu Jun roughly understood the situation. Colonel Li knew his name was Liu Jun, but didn't know that he had received First-Class Merit. The army-wide notice had not yet been issued. The higher-ups were still holding it back.

They would have to wait a while longer before revealing the existence of the alien civilization. As for how long, they were probably waiting to obtain more intelligence. Intelligence reduced uncertainty. The more they understood the alien civilization, the fewer losses they would suffer.

"Comrade Li Jian, if the higher-ups haven't issued any documents, then due to confidentiality regulations, I can't say much."

Li Jian, standing opposite him, froze as he realized something. His smile immediately stiffened, but Liu Jun's next words made him look thoughtful.

"However, if one day you face them, don't trust your eyes. Especially once you get within one kilometer, you must be careful—extremely careful!"

After saying that, Liu Jun quickly left the locker room, took the shuttle to the aircraft shelter, and completed the handover with the ground crew. He had already said everything he could say.

After he climbed into the cockpit, a tow vehicle pulled the J-15 to the end of the runway. It released the landing gear, then drove away. The ground crew worked with Liu Jun to conduct the aircraft's final preflight inspection, checking the control surfaces, instruments, outer skin, and more.

After confirming that there were no abnormalities, the ground crew signaled that he could take off. Liu Jun indicated that he had received it.

"Changkong calling Control Tower, requesting takeoff."

"Changkong, you are cleared for takeoff."

"Understood."

The muscle memory from naval aviation training made Liu Jun instinctively increase the throttle while holding the landing gear brakes. The increasingly deafening roar of the engines and the landing gear's uncontrollable urge to slide forward made the nearby ground crew inwardly cry out at the sheer brutality!

He released the brakes, and the J-15, charged with stored energy, launched forward. It rapidly took off from the runway in a ski-jump ascent. Only after reaching the sky did Liu Jun realize he hadn't even used one-eighth of the runway.

What were they? Major Li pondered Liu Jun's words as he watched the J-15 fly away. He hadn't managed to ask what exactly they were, but he felt that the information Liu Jun had revealed was likely extraordinary intelligence.

Pulling back on the stick, Liu Jun watched the altimeter and airspeed indicator. After reaching the designated altitude, the fighter leveled out into cruise and flew toward the port where the Liaoning was resting.

After flying for over an hour, just as the vast ocean appeared in the distance and he prepared to descend, a transmission suddenly connected to Liu Jun's fighter. Once he accepted it, an unfamiliar male voice came through his headset.

"This is the Command Center calling Changkong. There is a special mission that requires you to carry out. You may refuse."

Wishing everyone a happy New Year. May everything go your way, may you stay healthy, and may wealth pour in.