Special Mission

"Don't worry, it'll be inconvenient for you to come back to the military later. I'm still waiting to help you take care of the kids."

"Mom, when you have time, buy a bigger refrigerator and stock up on more food and vegetables." Liu Jun couldn't help but reveal some information in the end, after all, he was only human.

"Got it."

"Let's go."

Old Liu put on his jacket and went downstairs with his son, while his mom watched her son get into the car from the balcony, wiping her eyes. She didn't know how long Liu Jun would be gone this time.

After getting into the car, Liu Jun sat in the passenger seat, while Old Liu drove the electric car. He turned his head and asked, "Where are we going?"

"The airport."

"Hold on tight."

Old Liu started the car and drove out of the residential area, merging onto the main road, heading towards the airport.

"You drive well. I thought you'd end up driving a taxi," Liu Jun said from the side.

"Haha, well, you see, I'm known for being steady at work, so I have to drive steadily too."

The father and son chatted casually and soon arrived at the airport. After parking the car, Old Liu walked his son into the airport. As they walked, Old Liu realized something was wrong. Why were they heading towards the military restricted area?

In front of the sentinel, Liu Jun looked back at his father, carefully observing the increasing white hairs at his temples. At that moment, he felt that his father had truly aged. "Dad, I'm leaving."

"Mm, go ahead."

Old Liu waved his hand, signaling his son to go, just like when he sent him off to college. He didn't say anything extra, just patted his son's shoulder heavily.

A father knows his son best. Old Liu could tell that his son had something on his mind lately, but he couldn't ask about military matters, and Liu Jun wouldn't tell him anyway due to the secrecy regulations. 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 as he walked in. Although he couldn't see him, his intuition told him that Old Liu was still watching his son.

Upon entering the locker room, Liu Jun had just finished changing when hurried footsteps were heard from outside. Then, a Major rushed over. The moment he saw Liu Jun, he quickly stepped forward and extended his right hand, "Hello! Hello! Comrade Liu Jun!"

The Major shook Liu Jun's right hand firmly, his enthusiasm almost overwhelming Liu Jun. He asked, "Hello, may I ask?"

"It's like this, can you impart some experience to our pilots? You know our situation!"

Although the Major didn't want to admit it, there was indeed a gap in technology. After all, they were located in a small inland city with no defense pressure, and their training intensity was not as high as that of the front lines and borders.

Liu Jun knew very well how long East University's border and coastline were, and the border pressure was immense. Every day, unknown aircraft, drones, reconnaissance aircraft, and electronic warfare aircraft intruded into their airspace. Almost all advanced fighter jets were deployed to the border. Here, there were only a few J-11Bs and J-10s, and the rest were some older models of fighter jets.

"Don't kick someone when they're down." Glancing at the clock in the locker room, it would only take an hour to fly to the Liaoning, so there was still some time.

The current peace was just an illusion; the storm was about to break! Even though he wasn't very proficient in politics and geopolitics, the unique political classes at East University had taught him that the world order had changed! The enemy had also changed, no longer fellow humans using the same technology, but unknown civilizations from beyond Earth.

Many pilots would suffer greatly if they fought aliens using the same methods they used against human aircraft. It was only right to impart some experience in fighting aliens to his comrades, even though his own experience was limited.

"I don't know, what should I call you?"

"Li Jian."

"Major Li."

Just as Liu Jun was about to say more, Li Jian interrupted him. In front of a pilot with aerial victory honors, military rank was not important: "Hey! What Major? Just call me Li Jian."

Li Jian asked with a hidden meaning, "Lately, things haven't been right."

Li Jian didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear: was war about to break out?

He had also discreetly asked his old squad leader through his connections. After all, as combatants, they would be on the front lines, and it was natural to want to prepare in advance.

"Comrade Li Jian, have the higher authorities issued any special documents to you?"

"Not yet," Li Jian shook his head. "But they are already increasing the training intensity, and it's different from every previous time!"

Hearing him say that, Liu Jun roughly understood the situation. Li Jian knew he was Liu Jun but didn't know he had received a First-Class Merit. The commendation had not yet been distributed to the entire army, and the superiors were still suppressing it.

It would take some more time before the existence of alien civilizations could be announced. The specific waiting period likely depended on obtaining more intelligence. Intelligence served to reduce uncertainty. The more they understood about alien civilizations, the smaller the losses would be.

"Comrade Li Jian, since the higher authorities haven't issued any documents, and it involves secrecy regulations, I can't say much."

Li Jian, standing opposite him, was taken aback. Realizing something, his smile froze on his face. However, Liu Jun's next sentence made him look thoughtful:

"But, one day, when you face them, don't trust your eyes, especially when you enter the one-kilometer range. Be extremely careful!"

After saying this, Liu Jun quickly walked out of the locker room, took a shuttle bus to the hangar, and handed over to the mechanics. He had said what he could.

After getting into the cockpit, a tow truck pulled the J-15 to the end of the runway. The tow truck detached and drove away. The ground crew cooperated with Liu Jun for the final checks of the aircraft for takeoff (aerodynamic surfaces, instruments, external skin, etc.).

After confirming there were no anomalies, the ground crew made the signal for takeoff, and Liu Jun acknowledged it.

"Chang Kong, calling Control Tower, requesting takeoff."

[Chang Kong, cleared for takeoff.]

"Understood."

The muscle memory from naval aviation training made Liu Jun instinctively increase the throttle, pull the landing gear, and brake. The increasing roar of the engines and the uncontrolled forward slide of the landing gear made the ground crew nearby exclaim at the sheer power!

Releasing the brakes, the J-15, having accumulated energy, launched with a catapult and quickly accelerated down the runway. It wasn't until Liu Jun was in the air that he realized he hadn't even used 1/8 of the runway.

What is it? Major Li pondered Liu Jun's words, watching the J-15 fly away. He didn't get a specific answer, but he felt that the information Liu Jun had shared was likely crucial intelligence.

Pulling back on the stick, Liu Jun looked at the altimeter and airspeed indicator. After reaching the designated altitude, the fighter jet leveled off for cruise, heading towards the port where the Liaoning was docked for rest.

After flying for over an hour, as the vast ocean appeared in the distance, he prepared to descend. Suddenly, a communication signal was received by Liu Jun's fighter jet. Upon connecting, an unfamiliar male voice entered his ear.

[This is Command Center, calling Chang Kong. You have a special mission. You may refuse.]

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true, good health, and prosperity.