The heavy doors of the materials laboratory were tightly closed, isolating it from the noise of the outside world.
Mingzhao was immersed in the microscopic world of special damping materials, with formulas, catalyst ratios, and material synthesis records colliding and recombining rapidly in her mind.
However, the sky outside the base was suddenly shrouded in ominous dark clouds.
The piercing air raid siren shattered the brief silence of the base like a steel needle, tearing at everyone's eardrums with a mournful sound.
The control tower instantly went into maximum combat readiness, and the red indicator lights flashed wildly.
At the edge of the radar screen, a fast-moving point of light, with an aggressive trajectory, is brazenly cutting into China's airspace.
"Northwest direction, altitude! Speed...speed exceeds Mach 2.8!"
The radar operator's voice trembled with horror, "It's it again! The Vulture! The SR-71 Blackbird!"
Zhang Meng rushed into the control tower, her face ashen.
The high-speed dot of light on the screen, representing death, was the culprit behind our repeated provocations and the heavy losses we had suffered.
Wang Tiezhu followed closely behind, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked as he looked at the vulture's speed and altitude data.
Su Xuan also ran back from the direction of the laboratory, his face full of anxiety.
"The vulture...he's here again!"
Zhang Meng's voice was low and suppressed, filled with deep-seated hatred, "It's that same airspace again! Another provocation!!!"
"Where are our new aircraft? Where are the J-8s?" Wang Tiezhu asked urgently.
"The interceptor has been scrambled!"
The operations staff officer immediately reported, "It's Squadron Leader Li Jian! A two-aircraft formation, J-8II!"
The atmosphere in the control tower froze instantly.
Everyone knew that, faced with the SR-71's almost abnormal high-altitude and high-speed performance, even our most advanced J-8II was like trying to catch an F1 race car on a bicycle, at a complete disadvantage.
Every interception means the pilot's life is hanging by a thread.
On the public radio channel, "The Vulture's" arrogant and mocking English broadcast, processed with a voice changer, echoed clearly across the control tower and all monitoring frequencies:
"Good morning, bunnies! The sky is so nice today, perfect for a drive. Thanks for sending my lovely 'little dragonflies' to greet me again. Don't worry, I'm just taking some landscape photos this time, as long as you don't do anything silly... haha!"
The harsh mockery struck everyone's heart like a whip.
Zhang Meng slammed his fist on the control panel, making the teacup lid rattle. Wang Tiezhu trembled with rage.
Su Xuan stared intently at the radar screen, his nails digging deep into his palms.
"Li Jian reports! Target spotted! Climbing and pursuing!"
Li Jian's calm and firm voice came through the radio.
On the radar screen, two dots representing the J-8II were struggling to climb upwards, trying to get closer to the "black bird" flying high above, almost touching the edge of the atmosphere.
However, the difference in altitude and speed is like an insurmountable barrier.
The SR-71 easily maintained its cruising altitude and speed, while the J-8II struggled like it was climbing a rock under a heavy load, its engines roaring under the strain, and its airframe trembling slightly under extreme conditions.
"Vulture, activate electronic jamming! High-intensity targeted jamming!" the electronic warfare officer reported urgently.
The signal on the screen representing Li Jian's formation became blurry, jerky, and intermittent.
Ground radar was also severely interfered with, its screen filled with static, making target signals difficult to detect.
"Li Jian! Be careful! Keep your distance! Don't engage in a direct confrontation!"
Zhang Meng shouted into the microphone, her voice hoarse from nervousness.
"Understood! The interference is very strong! Radar lock-on is difficult!"
Li Jian's voice was distorted by obvious electronic noise: "The target is playing a cat-and-mouse game... It's lowering its altitude, trying to lure us into its flank radar scanning area!"
High in the sky, the SR-71's slender, black silhouette resembled the scythe of death.
It did not fly in a straight line, but rather with the ease of a cat playing with a mouse, slightly adjusting its course, using its powerful side-looking radar to scan the airspace below, while continuously releasing strong electronic interference waves.
Li Jian and his wingman were like being stuck in an invisible quagmire. The onboard radar screen was a blur, and they could only rely on visual observation and weak ground guidance to struggle on the edge of the death trap deliberately created by the other side.
"The vulture is maneuvering in a serpentine pattern! It's trying to get behind us!"
The wingman's voice was filled with shock and anger.
"Spread out! Take evasive maneuvers at wide angles!" Li Jian decisively ordered.
Two silver-gray J-8II fighter jets suddenly rolled to the sides, making a violent evasive maneuver.
The immense G-force pressed the pilot firmly into his seat, causing his vision to blur.
The nose of the SR-71 flashed a cold glint in the sunlight. Like a slippery venomous snake, it used its speed advantage to instantly take the offensive rear hemisphere position. Although it did not fire, its posture was full of naked threat and humiliation.
"Damn it!" someone in the control tower couldn't help but curse.
After making a near-miss, Li Jian's aircraft emitted a sickening metallic groan.
He pulled the lever desperately, trying to break free from the invisible lock, his sweat soaking through the lining of his flight helmet.
The wingman was also forced to make the same dangerous maneuver. Under the SR-71's teasing, the two fighter jets appeared as vulnerable as petrels in a storm.
"Tower! Aircraft overload is nearing its limit! Engine warning!" Li Jian's voice was panting.
"Disengage immediately! Return to base! That's an order!"
Zhang Meng's heart was in his throat; he couldn't bear another pointless sacrifice.
"Understood! Disconnect... Ugh!"
Li Jian's voice was suddenly drowned out by a violent cough and the noise of airflow!
Immediately afterward, a terrified scream came over the radio from the wingman: "Leader! Leader! Your tail is smoking!"
On the tower radar screen, the dot representing Li Jian's aircraft suddenly shook violently, and its altitude dropped by hundreds of meters in an instant!
"Li Jian! Li Jian! Report the situation!"
Zhang Meng screamed into the microphone, her voice distorted.
All that could be heard on the radio was the piercing noise and the wingman's rapid breathing.
A few seconds later, Li Jian's voice, strained to suppress pain and weakness, came through: "...Tower...right engine...shuttering...possibly...blade damage...attempt...maintain..."
"Abandon the aircraft! Jump immediately!" Zhang Meng practically roared the order.
"No!...I can still...control it..."
Li Jian's voice was broken and hesitant, carrying the stubbornness characteristic of a pilot, "The altitude... is too low... below is... a village..."
The control room was deathly silent.
Everyone understood what Li Jian's choice meant; he was using his life and the last bit of control of his fighter jet to try to avoid the residential area below!
The "Vulture" seemed to have noticed the anomaly of the fighter jet below. Instead of giving chase, it climbed again with a cruel elegance that appreciated the bloodshed of its prey, accelerated, and continued to penetrate deeper into the territory, leaving only a radio silence filled with contempt.
Inside the control tower, only Zhang Meng's heavy, iron-like breathing, the wingman's tearful report, and the faint dot on the radar screen representing Li Jian's fighter jet struggling desperately toward the alternate landing site.
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