Chapter 30 Section VI

Off the Florida Peninsula, at an altitude of 11,000 meters.As dawn breaks, the sky takes on an eerie hue, changing from deep navy blue to orange, while the sea below remains pitch black. But Jaeger in the passenger seat was not in the mood to enjoy the scenery.The warning light on the fuel gauge has been blinking for a long time, and there is less than 10% of the fuel on board. A computer-synthesized voice came from behind the driver's seat: "Adjust heading to 093, altitude 1500 feet." Akili tapped the keyboard clumsily, giving instructions. "Emergency descent again?" Miles asked.

Pierce replied: "Quick! As I said, the key to success or failure is timing." Jaeger entered the value Nous said into the autopilot.The joystick automatically swung, and the Boeing turned right and began to descend.The nose of the aircraft was almost aimed at the east, and the sun could be seen above the sea level. Looking at the red light spot, Jaeger thought of a way to defend against fighter jets.Could it be that "Emma", the commander-in-chief in Japan, intends to use sunlight to disrupt the infrared-guided missiles fired by the targeting engines? "The target point has not been determined yet?" Miles asked.

"Not yet," Pierce replied. "We're down to less than three thousand pounds of fuel. We'll be falling in twenty minutes." "No problem. Everything is going according to plan. Going into the Sargasso Sea soon." "Did the radar detect anything? Are the fighters catching up?" "There was no sign of fighter jets scrambling." "How come..." Miles said, trying to maintain his balance in the descending plane, leaving the pilot's seat, "It is impossible for the Air Force not to detect the unknown aircraft entering the ADIZ."

"How's it going?" Jaeger asked Miles, who was bending over the radar screen. "Caught nothing." Seeing Miles' expression becoming more and more rigid, Jaeger asked calmly, "What's wrong with you?" "This is not good news. It seems that the US is not sending the F15, but the 'Raptor'." Jaeger had heard the nickname "Bird of Prey." "F22?" "That's right." F22 is the latest stealth aircraft that cannot be captured by radar. Its combat effectiveness can be called the strongest in history. It once set an astonishing 144:0 shootdown rate in simulated battles.And now, F22 is stalking from behind, intending to shoot down the Boeing business jet.

"Only when they fire missiles will they be picked up by radar," Myers said. "By the time we know where they are, it will be too late. Air-to-air missiles will come at Mach 4." A formation of four F22 fighter jets scrambled from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, was headed for the Sargasso Sea, cruising at Mach 1.8.The sky over the North Atlantic is cloudless, the sun has risen, and the field of vision is blue. The formation leader, Captain Grimes, was very proud of the sortie.The anti-terrorist war intensified. The Colombian drug traffickers invaded the airspace and the vice president was assassinated one after another. The US military’s alert status was raised to the third level. The latest stealth fighter that was still in the testing stage was secretly equipped with the 33rd Tactical Combat Aviation Regiment.And this emergency takeoff is the first time that the F22 fighter jet has been put into actual combat.

The target was a hijacked Boeing 731-700ER aircraft.On the radar screen sent back through the data transmitter, the figure of an enemy plane appeared.It is at an altitude of 120 kilometers ahead, repeatedly adjusting its course slightly. To Grimes' surprise, the enemy plane was emitting strong radar waves, which are military radars that are not carried on ordinary airliners.The reason why the "Raptor" with complete stealth performance was ordered is probably based on this reason.Although the enemy plane has reconnaissance capabilities, it is only a business jet after all. Sending "Raptor" is a bit too much, right?

The Boeing plane, following a bizarre flight path, suddenly began an emergency descent.Starting from Grimes' landline, the "Raptor" formation lined up descended one by one, following closely. The action of the F22 formation is not the usual scramble to meet the enemy, they have already flown out of the air defense identification circle for a long distance. Grimes started noticing how much fuel was left.How long is it going to be tracked on the high seas?If this continues, he will have to return before catching up with the enemy plane.Thinking of this, he seemed to have guessed the order he was about to receive.

Three minutes later, the enemy aircraft would be within range of medium-range air-to-air missiles. Is it possible to directly attack the target beyond the visual range without performing radio communication and warning shots? "The four states of Nevada, California, Colorado, and New York have also been attacked." In the video conference screen, Holland read out the briefing, "In addition, the control system of the Hoover Dam is abnormal, and the oil pipeline in Texas It stopped working, and the network systems of all financial institutions also had problems." Cyber ​​attacks against the United States are becoming more and more violent.Electricity has been cut off in thirty states, and the northern United States has been forced to return to the era of powerlessness.

Rubens calculated in his mind that if this situation continues, industrial production and the financial system will come to a standstill, and the United States will suffer at least hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses.In addition to those who died of freezing, the chaos of the transportation system and social riots will inevitably cause many deaths. The battle between humans and superhumans has evolved into a "game of chickens."The two sides are like two cars heading toward each other at extremely high speeds, and the one that gets out of the way first is the loser.If you want to win, you must go straight to the end with the consciousness of death.But if the other party also adopts the same strategy, then both parties will die together.

Emma will definitely not avoid it first, Rubens thought.In order to ensure the continuation of the species, she will definitely hold the steering wheel tightly, step on the gas pedal, and strive to win the game. "China! It must have been done by China!" In the Situation Research Room, Minister of Defense Latimer yelled, "We will take retaliatory measures immediately!" "Currently, the National Security Agency is analyzing the cause. Before the country that launched the attack has not been identified, it is not right to make a hasty judgment..." Before Watkins, the director of national intelligence, could finish speaking, the picture on the screen disappeared, and the power of the operation command was cut off.Although the situation research room quickly returned to normal with the help of the auxiliary power system, both the White House cabinet staff and the staff of the Nemesis Project Command fell silent because they knew that the capital Washington D.C. The power supply was interrupted.

President Vance said: "I want to hear the opinion of the director of the CIA. Do you still stick to what you said last time?" Holland, who was named by the president, replied without flinching: "What do you mean?" "Did that kid do it too?" "There is only one way to confirm." Holland said, "Stop the Nemesis project immediately. No tricks. Please order all operations to stop and convey the order to the relevant agencies. If the enemy is Nus, then He must be eavesdropping on our conversations. When he learns that we stop attacking, he will stop attacking too." Seeing that Vance was silent, Holland continued: "We don't have to pay any cost, and there will be no loss." "What should we do?" the air force general interjected, "If you don't make a decision, the F22 will have to turn back. If you want to shoot down the enemy plane, you must give the order now. As long as the enemy plane enters the range of the missile, it can be shot down." "The enemy plane is heading due east, the direction of the sun," said Latimer. "What missile will the F22 use?" "AIM120, radar-guided missile, will not be disturbed by sunlight, and can shoot down enemy aircraft 100%." "But that's on the high seas..." Latimer interrupted Holland: "No civilian planes flying around, and the CIA's own plane was shot down, and who's going to be upset?" Holland insisted: "Wait. There's no need to fire the missiles. The hijacked plane is running out of fuel and will crash into the Sargasso Sea before reaching Bermuda." "What should we do, Your Excellency the President?" The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff asked the Supreme Commander to make a decision, "Do you want to shoot down the hijacked plane?" Rubens watched quietly, expecting Vance to make a rational decision. The optimal solution to the "game of chickens" is that one party continues to go straight, while the other party avoids collision.It is not the cowards who lose, but the more rational side.Now, Gregory S. Vance will be put to the final test.Superhumans are forcing the highest authority in human society to make correct decisions. "I'll ask again." Vance broke the silence and turned to Holland. "That cyberattack was done by that pygmy kid, right?" "Yes." Holland replied firmly. "Well, let him regret attacking America," Vance said, ordering the Air Force general, "Shoot it! Shoot down the hijacked CIA plane now." "Yes, sir," replied the Air Force Admiral. Rubens felt that he was standing at a turning point in history.The dangers of human society seem to be compressed into this short moment.The momentary madness of political leaders is enough to put the lives of hundreds of millions of people in danger.If a nuclear war breaks out in the future, it will be a decision made by a crazy person in power and implemented. Nus was helpless now.Suddenly a strong impulse came to the worried Rubens. Let's kill, Rubens said in his mind to the creatures beyond human intelligence. Emma, ​​kill as much as you want. Become Nemesis, the goddess of divine punishment, and take revenge on the arrogant and inferior creatures! On the multi-function display in the glass cockpit, the command "shoot down the target" appeared.Captain Grimes temporarily lifted the radio blockade to relay orders to his wingmen who were flying in formation. On the radar screen sent back by the data transmitter, the low-flying enemy plane was climbing and adjusting its direction to fly north.However, no matter how hard a business jet struggles, it cannot dodge air-to-air missiles. Grimes pressed the "Primary Weapon" button.The weapons bay at the bottom of the fuselage opens and the AIM120 missiles are ready.This cutting-edge missile is the crystallization of human's great wisdom and killing intent.Flight speed Mach 4.The missile has a built-in radar, which can accurately hit any target within 40 kilometers within one minute.Since humans killed their compatriots with rocks and sticks, for 200,000 years, humans have continuously improved weapons, and finally obtained this lightning-fast killing tool. Grimes turned on the radar and locked on to the target.After the radar wave is launched, the enemy aircraft will be aware of the existence of the "Raptor", but by then everything has been useless.There is absolutely no reason for a Boeing plane to escape a missile attack. On the head-up display, two words appeared: launch.Grimes gripped the trigger. "Fox—Three." He read out the signal to launch the medium-range missile, and then squeezed the trigger hard. Air-to-air missiles roared out, spraying flames, and shot straight across the ocean, like birds of prey pouncing on their prey.As soon as he thought of this, Grimes saw a strange phenomenon.The missile that flew two kilometers away was enveloped in a sudden red light, and then disappeared. Grimes didn't understand what happened, but confirmed the missile's disappearance from radar footage.Could it be that the guidance device failed?He was about to give the order to his wingman to launch the second missile by radio, but he couldn't help screaming.The plane suddenly lost control and fell from a high altitude.Grimes instinctively grabbed the ejection handle between his feet, but his seat didn't eject.An explosion in the rear of the fuselage rips Grimes and the Raptor apart in the air. Seeing the figure of a fighter jet appearing on the radar screen, Jaeger couldn't help but stand on end.The enemy is closer than he expected.The Boeing plane was within range of the air-to-air missile.The Boeing scrambled, but was not maneuverable enough to get away from the jet fighter. "The enemy plane was found after forty kilometers!" Hearing Jaeger's voice, Miles, who was holding the joystick tightly, turned his head and asked, "Is the radar responding?" "yes." "We're locked on." Miles looked around blankly, "The missile is about to fly over." "Don't panic!" Pierce said to the two, but his voice also rose with fear. "Don't change course! Go as planned!" Miles, who continued to climb by pulling the joystick, asked Jaeger, "Only one plane?" Jaeger looked back at the radar, and a second blip appeared on the screen, coming toward them much faster than the fighter. "Spotted another one, flying towards us at incredible speed!" "That's a missile! How do we avoid it?" "Infrared guided missiles can use sunlight..." Miles interrupted Jaeger and said, "No! At this range, it should be a radar-guided missile. We are dead now!" "Wait!" Jaeger yelled.The blip on the radar suddenly disappeared. "The enemy is gone." "Missing? Impossible. At least you can see the missile!" At this point Pierce interjected loudly: "Forget about the 'Raptor'! How tall are we now?" Miles looked at the dashboard and replied, "17,000 feet." "Okay. Switching to autopilot now. We're entering the final phase of the operation." "Is it finally the critical moment?" "yes!" Even if an air-to-air missile strikes, they have no defense.Everyone handed over the plane to the autopilot, resisted the fear of being shot down, and transferred to the cabin.Minutes passed, and the business jet was still safe and sound.Jaeger couldn't figure out why the plane hadn't been shot down yet. After everyone put on their gear, Pierce glanced at his watch and said, "Twenty seconds late. There is no longer any delay. Every next step must be done exactly." The two mercenaries returned to the cockpit with their parachute packs on their backs.Myers looked at the altimeter and confirmed to Pierce: "The plane starts to decompress after climbing to 34,000 feet, right?" The computer Akili was holding answered: "The correction is 33,000 feet. The heading is set to 019." Jaeger entered these values ​​into the autopilot and asked, "Akili, you drove the missile away, right?" Akili didn't say a word, only a devilish and sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Operating number two was Lieutenant Maddock.At the moment when the captain's plane on the right front exploded, he made an emergency evasion, climbed rapidly and turned sharply to the left, and then resumed level flight.The other two fighters also dispersed and landed in front of him on the left and right, forming a new formation. Has the formation leader Grimes successfully escaped from the cabin?Maddock searches the sea and sees an unbelievable scene. 1,000 feet below, the vast expanse of the sea is turning white. Maddock instinctively sensed the danger, lifted the radio blockade, and was about to inform his wingmen to change the route, but the No. 3 and No. 4 aircraft exploded one after another.The pilot crashed before he could eject. Madoc scrambled again, dodging flying debris.Because of the excessive acceleration, he felt that the blood supply to the brain was insufficient, and his eyes turned black.And the plane appears to have been damaged as well. The "Birds of Prey" started to spin out of control. The wreckage of the wingman was swallowed by the pure white sea.Maddock was alone in the air above the Sargasso Sea.why?he asked himself in horror.Why do "Birds of Prey" fall one after another?Was it a mechanical failure, or was it under attack? "This is Alpha 1, Igor 2, did you hear that?" the command asked. Maddock replied, "This is Igor 2." "Report status." "The other three planes went down. I don't know what happened." "Report again." "Igor 1, 3, and 4 have fallen!" Maddock felt a burst of fear that it might be his turn next. "Shot down?" "It's unclear why it fell. The exhaust port glowed red, and then it exploded. The pilot survived." "What's the status of the target?" "No shot down." "Attack again." Madoc trembled with fear.In order to lock the target with the missile, it is necessary to point the nose at the discolored sea area.So he temporarily pulled the joystick to the left, made a big turn, and flew along the edge of the white-stained sea. "clear." Activate the onboard radar, and the target Boeing aircraft appears on the screen.Maddock immediately locked on the target, hoping to escape from this weird sea area as soon as possible. "Fox—Three!" Maddock pulled the trigger after reading the code name.At this moment, the surface of the sea below him, which should have been calm, began to turn turbid and white.Maddock's eyes widened, unable to believe the scene in front of him.The surface of the water is covered with countless bubbles, and the sea is bubbling like boiling.The scene was incomparably spectacular, as if there was a submarine as large as a city, urgently surfacing.Just one kilometer away, the launched missile swayed up and down and fell into the water bubble.In an instant, the surrounding seas were all on fire. Madoc tries to avoid the sea of ​​flames, but the joystick won't work.The out-of-control "Raptor" fell rapidly.Maddock is soberly aware that a mysterious force is grabbing the plane and dragging it into the sea. "The sea is burning! I'm going to abandon the plane and escape!" These are the last words left by the scrambled fighter formation. The banked Boeing gradually returned to its normal flying attitude, flying level at an altitude of 33,000 feet. Miles, behind the driver's seat, pulled back on the throttle, slowing the flight, when the stall alarm sounded and the controls began to vibrate. Jaeger checked whether the helmet was worn properly, pulled off the windshield glasses, and gave instructions to everyone: "Put on the oxygen mask and check your breathing!" Jaeger put Akili in a backpack and hung it in front of his body.Miles put the oxygen mask on Akili's head, and rotated the oxygen flow adjustment valve to ensure that Akili could breathe freely.The lifeline of skydiving-the oxygen supply system is normal. After confirming that everyone nodded, Miles leaned out and turned off the supercharger.The oxygen mask immediately dropped from the cabin roof, and the alarm light flashed on the instrument panel again.But the red light was not noticeable at all, because all the warning lights in the entire cockpit were on. The compressed air from the engine was cut off, and the air pressure in the cabin dropped sharply.If you don't wear an oxygen mask, you will suffocate within minutes.Miles waited for the pressure difference between inside and outside to equalize, and pointed to the fuel gauge to indicate that the fuel tank was almost empty. "Skydive in thirty seconds!" Pierce yelled, the voice coming from the oxygen mask was a little muffled. Everyone got out of the cockpit, entered the cabin, and ran to the emergency exit in the center of the fuselage.It was a hatch above the main wing.Miles and Pierce attach the parachute straps and prepare for the tandem skydive.As soon as Jaeger opened the hatch, a strong wind poured into the cabin.The oxygen masks hanging down in the cabin danced wildly.Because the cabin had been depressurized, the four were not sucked out of the cabin. Pierce stretched out his hand, spread his fingers, and shouted, "Ten seconds left!" The four exchanged glances in a hurry.After fighting for so long, it is finally coming to an end.Their eyes all showed gratitude for a friend in need. "Five seconds!" Pierce said.Jaeger grabbed the hatch with both hands.Akili poked his head out of the pouch on his stomach like a wallaby. "Four! Three! Two..." Pierce continued to count the seconds, and when he said "zero," Jaeger jumped out of the plane.He thought he would land on the main wing directly below, but the strong wind knocked him down and pushed him to an altitude of 10,000 meters.The horizontal tail swept over his head, and he felt as if his internal organs were being sucked out of his body.Under the action of the airflow and gravity, he flipped violently for a while, and finally stretched out his arms and legs in the clear blue sky, and fell vertically towards the ground in a steady posture. Looking back, Miles and Pierce are not far away.Behind them, the unmanned Boeing continued to fly.But in the next moment, the nose of the aircraft suddenly lifted, the body tilted, and lost lift.The plane that took everyone out of the African continent finally ran out of fuel, the engine stalled, and fell into the Sargasso Sea like a huge leaf. Jaeger turned around.Far below is the blue planet that contains a huge amount of water.Looking at this beautiful sphere, Jaeger couldn't help feeling that he was going back to Earth soon. Immediately return to the earth that gave birth to all life.Return to that gray planet full of love-hate entanglements, good and evil disputes. Immediately after losing contact with Lieutenant Maddock, the Air Force chief ordered the dispatch of a combat search and rescue force. What happened to the "Raptor" formation?Faced with this incredible incident, all those present at the National Security Council fell silent. After a while, even Boeing planes disappeared from radar screens.It was two hundred kilometers from Bermuda. "What's going on?" Vance broke the silence. "Why did it disappear from the radar?" The air force general replied: "The target has fallen." "Shot down?" "No, the radar wave from the missile was not detected. The hijacked plane must have run out of fuel and crashed." "Is it possible to make a forced landing at sea?" "Impossible. The plane fell vertically. It certainly crashed." The president turned to the CIA director: "So, was the Nemesis plan successful?" "Yes." Holland said doubtfully, "Nus is dead." However, Rubens, who listened in on the conversation via a videoconferencing system, was convinced that Nous was still alive. He remembered the selection criteria for the Guardian Program executors.These guys are all airborne qualified, including Nigel Pierce. At this time, a report came that the power supply in ten southern states had stopped.Holland glanced at the briefing and said to the president: "Next, should we abandon the actions related to the Nemesis plan and concentrate on dealing with the immediate crisis?" Vance turned his gaze to the front screen, and there was nothing on the radar screen projected on it. "Okay, let's do it." "Not only the government, but all intelligence agencies stop operations, is it okay?" Vance nodded and said, "That plan no longer exists." "Did you hear that, Eldridge?" Holland said to Eldridge from the screen, "Although there were sacrifices to some extent, the Nemesis plan succeeded in the end. Stop all agents and immediately disarm them." Wanted persons, stop all procedures related to 'special transfer'." "Yes, sir," Eldridge replied, ordering various subordinates of the Operations Command to contact the relevant agencies.The CIA, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI and other intelligence agencies began to finish the plan and issued orders to the agents scattered in Japan and the African continent to stop their activities. The end of the Nemesis project is reminiscent of the death of a gigantic monster.After the monster died, power stations across the United States began to resume operation.Alaska, Michigan, Maine, Wisconsin... Good news came from all states, but the situation research room was not full of joy, but was once again surrounded by an atmosphere of anxiety. "Who ordered the power station to come back into operation?" asked Secretary Latimer. No one answered.Vance went on to ask: "It's 'Nus'?" After a while, Holland asked a third question: "Resume operations?" The president thought for a while, shook his head slightly and said, "No need." Jaeger fell freely from a high altitude, pulled the parachute's opening cord at an altitude of 8,000 meters, and opened the parachute.The rectangular parachute opened overhead, and the speed of the descent dropped sharply.He operated the handles on the left and right sides, controlled the parachute, and landed towards the target point.Because the parachute was opened at high altitude, the horizontal distance between the landing point and the target point may be thirty kilometers.Square parachutes are too small to worry about being caught by radar. After landing in the air for about an hour, I finally saw the target point in the middle of the sea.The large cargo ships of the Pierce Shipping Company are like islands in the open sea. The adventure is finally coming to an end, Jaeger thought as he descended toward the top of the densely packed containers on the deck.It was a miracle that he survived.He marveled at how carefully the escape route from Cape Town had been planned.The Japanese reinforcements code-named "Emma" must be people with extremely developed brains. In Jaeger's mind, the man Aximo, who was like a forest elf, came to mind.When telling the story of his farewell to his pregnant wife, Aximo pointed to the Japanese Mick and said "Muzunge".The pregnant wife who was taken away by the "white doctor" never returned to the Ituri forest. Judging from the name, "Emma" should be female.Akili should have a half-sister. The cargo ship is getting closer.Jaeger saw the timing, pulled the handle in his hand to his waist, stopped the landing, landed his feet on the container, and felt the gravity of the earth again all over his body. Achilles was also unharmed.Miles and Pierce followed, landing on other containers forward of the deck, the parachute slowly falling behind them. Jaeger and Miles congratulated each other with a thumbs up.The two mercenaries completed the feat of "escape from Africa" ​​together with the new humans.