Chapter 456 - 302: Ghost Squad Unsheathed! A Hacked Air Combat

"Quit screwing around, Tianlan."

Li Tiecheng deliberately put on a stern face. "How’s that bunch of rookies of yours coming along?

Don’t tell me you’re just playing around with those multi-billion-dollar jets like they’re some high-end simulators."

"Reporting, General!"

Zhao Tianlan immediately straightened his back, his voice booming.

"All twenty-four members of the Ghost Squad have completed the second stage: Blood Refining Nurturing!

The entire squad’s average coordination rate with their jets has reached seventy-eight point three percent!"

He paused, his tone filled with intense pride.

"Among them, Wang Rui and I have both broken ninety percent coordination!"

"Ninety percent?!"

Even though Li Tiecheng was mentally prepared, he couldn’t help but gasp at the number.

"That kid, Han Feng... he really is an absolute monster..."

Li Tiecheng muttered a curse, but a huge smile blossomed on his face.

He cleared his throat, his tone turning dead serious.

"Are they ready for combat?"

"Reporting, General! The Ghost Squad is ready for deployment at a moment’s notice!"

Zhao Tianlan’s voice was firm and decisive, full of yearning.

For the past month, they had been enduring hellish training every single day.

They had long been bottling up a fire in their bellies, desperate for a real battle to test their skills.

"Good!"

Li Tiecheng shot to his feet, his voice thundering.

"Listen to my order! You will immediately lead two flights, a total of twelve Ghost jets, to Underground Hangar Seven and rearm with top-specification live ammunition!"

"Your mission objective: Dragon’s Fang Port!"

"I want you there at top speed to find out what the hell is going on!

I don’t care who they are. If anyone dares to obstruct you, you have permission to open fire at will!"

A vicious glint flashed in Li Tiecheng’s eyes.

"If anything happens, I, Li Tiecheng, will take full responsibility!

Now go! Show those cowardly bastards hiding in the shadows what a goddamn Ghost really is!"

"Yes, sir! We guarantee mission accomplishment!"

Zhao Tianlan’s response was practically a roar.

Hanging up, he whipped around to face the twenty-three teammates behind him, their eyes all burning with the same fire.

"Alright, men, you heard him!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Training is over! The general has given us weapons free!"

BZZZ—

The pilots in the training room erupted instantly. A month of suppressed battle lust detonated in that single moment.

"We finally get to fight!"

"My missiles are thirsty for action!"

Wang Rui, even more excited, slammed his fist on the simulator’s canopy, making a loud BANG.

"Captain, enough talk! Give the order!"

Zhao Tianlan flashed a bold grin and waved his arm sharply.

"All units! To Hangar Seven! Let’s load up the big guns!"

"Move out!"

"Let’s go fucking hunting!"

Twelve figures shot out of the training room like a dozen arrows released from a bow, kicking up a howling gust of wind.

After a frustrating month, the sky aces of East Sea City were finally about to bare their sharpest fangs.

...

Ten minutes later, in Underground Hangar Seven of the East Sea Fortress City.

Twelve sleek, all-black Ghost X-02 fighters rested silently on the launch catapults, like dormant beasts of prey.

Ground crews worked at top speed, mounting Red Falcon·Modified missiles—each one inscribed with complex Spirit Patterns—under the wings.

"Hurry the hell up! My greatsword is getting thirsty!"

Wang Rui stood by his ride, rubbing his hands in excitement like a schoolboy about to go on a field trip.

Zhao Tianlan, wearing his special-issue Blood Refining Helmet, walked over and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Wipe that pathetic look off your face. Don’t forget what Instructor Han taught us: stay calm at all times."

"Captain, this isn’t a lack of calm, this is high morale!"

Wang Rui chuckled and vaulted into the cockpit. "It’s been a month of dogfighting our own guys in the sims every day. My bones are getting rusty.

How can I not be excited that we finally get to go out and draw some blood?"

Ignoring him, Zhao Tianlan switched to the team channel.

"First Flight, report in!"

"Ghost Two, ready!"

"Ghost Three, ready!"

...

"Second Flight, report in!"

"Second Flight, all pilots ready!"

Hearing the spirited responses in his headset, Zhao Tianlan smiled faintly.

His gaze swept over the group of aces he had personally trained, and he took a deep breath.

"Brothers, this is our first battle."

"Don’t bring shame to Instructor Han, and don’t bring shame to our East Sea City!"

"Objective: Dragon’s Fang Port. Let’s move out!"

He wasted no more words. The moment the canopy sealed shut, he activated the connection with a thought.

VMMMM—

The engines of all twelve Ghost jets activated simultaneously. There was no roar, only a low, resonant hum of energy.

The next second, twelve jets of ethereal blue flame erupted from their tails.

There was no runway taxi, no pre-flight warmup. The twelve fighters shot straight up in a vertical ascent as if lifted by a giant, invisible hand, vanishing into the clouds in an instant.

From the ground, they looked like twelve black meteors shooting backward into the heavens.

...

Off the coast of Dragon’s Fang Port, three hundred meters deep.

On the command bridge of the Titan·Jingluo, Zhao Heihu was resting with his eyes closed, Nourishing his Spirit.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm shattered the tranquility of the bridge.

"Warning! Warning! Twelve high-speed, high-Spiritual-Power-signature targets detected, approaching at extreme velocity from the direction of East Sea City!

Speed... Speed is in excess of Mach 7!"

The officer monitoring the airspace yelled, his voice cracking in shock.

Zhao Heihu’s eyes snapped open, a cold light flashing in his single eye.