Chapter 21: Who on Earth Trained These Soldiers?

"Good heavens—"

Zhang Mingrui broke into a cold sweat. If an F-35 flies into the Air Defense Identification Zone, it could be explained away as a mistake. At worst, a few people would be demoted. But if this F-35 had entered the Capital Defense Zone, everyone from the Chief of Staff downwards would be in serious trouble. Zhang Mingrui dared not think further and looked back at the map. Although the three circles were not perfectly aligned, the gap between them was no more than ten kilometers. It was impossible for the F-35 to be so precise as to slip through the edge.

He tried to comfort himself, "The F-35 must still be in this area; perhaps we just haven't detected it yet."

"That's hard to say!" Huang Han had already prepared for the worst and reached a decision. He pointed to the gap between the three circles. "Army!"

[Present!]

"How many anti-missile units do you have left that can reach the vicinity of National Highway 401 immediately?"

[Reporting, the nearest air defense battalion is approximately 20 minutes away from National Highway 401!]

Boom!

"Too slow!" Huang Han slammed his fist onto the table, his temper rising. In 20 minutes, the F-35 could have flown clear out of the country. By the time the air defense battalion arrived, he might as well have handed in his resignation. Huang Han was increasingly inclined to believe that the F-35 had slipped through the gap along National Highway 401 and moved eastward. Yet, no matter how he checked, there were no mobile forces nearby.

Just then, the Army representative stood up again.

[Reporting, Commander!]

[Tracking shows that one HQ-series vehicle unit has fallen behind and is currently near National Highway 401!]

"Fallen behind? What’s going on?!" Huang Han grasped at this straw. He strode over to the Army station.

[The unit's designation is 013.]

[Its current location is the Yuzhang intersection on National Highway 401, which is on the edge of Zone 4.]

"013?" Hearing the number, Zhang Mingrui immediately reacted. "Commander, that’s the vehicle I told you was due for a major overhaul!"

Huang Han’s blood, which had just begun to warm, turned cold again. He had finally found an available unit, and it was broken. His luck was truly cursed. However, he didn't give up.

"What did you say was wrong with it?"

"The chassis is faulty, but the command vehicle and the radar are perfectly functional." Zhang Mingrui had a sudden flash of insight. It was true that unit 013 was undergoing an overhaul, but it was only for the chassis; everything else was fine. At this critical juncture, as long as the radar and the missile carrier worked, it was a lifeline.

"If the F-35 is flying through this area, it might be at a low altitude." Huang Han traced a line along National Highway 401. "As long as it’s flying low, there’s a chance the radar can spot it. It doesn't matter if unit 013 has ammunition or not; as long as they can perform a scan, there’s a high probability they’ll catch it!"

Snap!

Huang Han threw his pen onto the table and walked toward the communications station himself. "Patch me through to unit 013!"

...

"Hello? Who is this?"

After a long seven-second wait, an unfamiliar voice came through. The communication protocol was highly unprofessional, using plain, colloquial speech. But Huang Han couldn't care less at this moment.

"This is Huang Han. Listen to me. Regardless of what you are doing right now, cease all operations immediately. Open the..."

Before Huang Han could finish, the other party interrupted: "Busy."

One word. The entire command hall was stunned. This was a military channel. Communication protocols were strictly enforced; no one was permitted to reply until the other party had finished speaking. Interruptions were absolutely forbidden. Yet, the person on the other end had not only rudely interrupted but had also directly refused a direct order.

Are they kidding? He was talking to the Chief of Staff, the third-in-command! In this hall, only the ceiling was higher than him. What do you mean "busy"? Do you think the Chief of Staff is playing games with you?

Huang Han was on the verge of exploding, but the bigger picture took precedence. He suppressed his anger and explained his identity. "I am Huang Han! Stop what you are doing immediately—"

"I don't care if you're the King of Heaven, I'm busy. Hanging up!"

Beep— beep— beep—

The buzzing tone echoed throughout the hall. Everyone’s face was filled with shock and disbelief. Who am I? Where am I? What just happened? Unit 013 not only disobeyed the Chief of Staff but hung up on him. Do they have a death wish?

"Whose men are these, for God's sake?" Huang Han was questioning his entire life. "Keep calling! And find out who is in charge of this unit! Relieve them of duty on the spot. This is pure lawlessness."

Life is like that. Good luck doesn't come in streaks, but bad luck always seems to pile up. First, the enemy aircraft went off the radar. Then, when he finally found an available unit, he got a weirdo on the phone. It was maddening. Huang Han felt his career as Chief of Staff had reached its end.

[Chief of Staff!]

Suddenly, the radar operator stood up.

[Zone 7, altitude 8,000 meters!]

[An abnormal infrared signal detected, covering a very large range!]

[Preliminary assessment: it must have been an explosion!]

"The F-35!"

Huang Han's blood pressure spiked instantly as he rushed to the radar station. Detecting an explosion at that altitude—there was no doubt! The plane must have blown up! And at this critical moment, the probability of a civilian aircraft incident was low. It had to be the F-35!

The next second, the intelligence officer also stood up.

[Reporting!]

[The emergency response center is reporting back to our theater command!]

[Officers near Linyang Town witnessed a plane crash and are asking if it was one of ours!]

Upon hearing this, Huang Han was overjoyed. "Tell them to seal off the scene immediately and maintain order! No one is allowed to approach or take pictures until we arrive! All section heads, follow me to the site."

With that, a rustling sound filled the operations room. Over a dozen officers stood up and grabbed their caps. Huang Han led the charge out the door. Every day was like a roller coaster. It was way too exciting. One moment the enemy plane was lost, the next, his subordinates were disobeying orders. Thank goodness, the outcome was good—at least the plane had exploded.

However... why did it explode at an altitude of 8,000 meters?

Once inside the helicopter, Huang Han finally realized this and turned to the adjutant. "Are there any units near Linyang Town?"

The adjutant blurted out, "Reporting, Commander, there are no air defense units or air forces of ours in that vicinity."

"Are you sure?" Huang Han narrowed his eyes.

"Certain! There is only an infantry battalion, and they absolutely cannot reach an altitude of 8,000 meters."

Huang Han asked, "What about the nearest unit?"

"Reporting, it's the 013 unit that just disobeyed orders."

Hearing that designation made Huang Han furious. "Impossible. Linyang Town is over 300 kilometers away from National Highway 401. It's out of range."

Huang Han was filled with suspicion. Strange things happened every day, but today was particularly bizarre. The plane exploded at 8,000 meters; it was unlikely to be a mechanical failure. Even if it had lost power, it should have plummeted before exploding. Exploding in mid-air meant it must have been hit by something. The key was—what was it hit by?!

"This is damn strange. If this were on 'Science of the Bizarre,' it would take three episodes to cover!"

"Regardless, have the military police detain the personnel of unit 013 first! Disobeying orders on the battlefield—they’ve lost their minds!"