166: Chapter 166: Fighter Jet Escort! A Glorious Moment That Has the Whole Nation Erecting a Sensation

The roar rolled over Su Family Village like thunder, and everyone looked up instinctively—

Two black dots darted rapidly through the clouds. Their silver-gray fuselages sliced through the air currents, and the sunlight reflecting off their wings was so blinding that people couldn't keep their eyes open.

As they drew closer, the bright red "August 1" military emblem on the wings became increasingly clear, and the tail number "073" trembled slightly in the airflow.

"It's a J-10!" Zhou Haitao clenched his fists so hard that the collar of his Captain's service uniform was pulled out of shape. "It's the main fighter jet of our Military Region's Air Assault Brigade!"

Beside him, Su Lingxue didn't understand what was happening, but she was startled by the tremor in her husband's voice: "Haitao, isn't it just a plane? Why are you so excited?"

"This isn't an ordinary plane!" Zhou Haitao stared fixedly at the sky, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. "This is an active-duty J-10 fighter! In non-wartime situations, they would never fly at such an ultra-low altitude over a residential area! Let alone in a two-plane formation!"

Before he finished speaking, the fighter jets suddenly performed a thrilling barrel roll. The silver-gray fuselages drew perfect arcs in the sky, and the airflow stirred up by the wings caused the red flag in front of the ancestral hall to snap and flutter.

"Holy crap!" The phone in Monkey's hand fell to the ground with a "clack," and he didn't even notice the screen had shattered. "Is this... a damn aerial salute?!"

The members of the War Eagle Squad instantly erupted—

Big Bear stood up straight, his camouflage trousers trembling: "That's a limit-load maneuver for a J-10! The pilot is risking his life!"

Lynx's face was even paler than when he had met the commanding officer earlier: "Air traffic control regulations explicitly prohibit stunt flying over urban areas! But it's happening right now!"

Zhou Mo's Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly turned to look at Wang Yuanchao, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Captain, is this... is this the escort formation from the Military Region's Air Assault Brigade?"

Wang Yuanchao had a smile on his lips, but he deliberately put on a stern face: "What are you looking at? Stand straight! Look at the state of you!"

However, his slightly trembling fingertips betrayed his inner excitement—as the highest commander of the Falcon Special Forces Brigade, he knew better than anyone what this meant.

A fighter jet escort—this was treatment reserved for great heroes or international dignitaries!

To pull such a stunt for a young officer who had just been promoted to major?

Let alone the entire military, such a thing had likely never happened since the founding of the New China!

The female soldiers of the Womens Special Operations Team were so shocked they covered their mouths—

Zhang Meng had undergone training at an airbase, and her voice drifted: "Holy hell! It really is a fighter jet! Are you kidding me?!"

Su Qingcheng's eyes suddenly turned red: "Great-grandfather... you've brought out the full prestige of the entire military for this!"

In the distant sky, the two J-10s suddenly climbed, forming a "person" shaped formation over Su Family Village. The smoke devices under the wings activated instantly, and two trails of pure white vapor spread across the clear blue sky, lingering for a long time.

"It's the 'Eagle Strikes the Long Sky' formation!" Zhou Haitao's voice was choked with emotion. "This is our Air Force's highest honor! It is only used when welcoming heroes returning in triumph!"

On the ancestral hall square, the villagers and reporters who didn't understand fighter jet models were also breathless at the shocking scene.

The live broadcast camera focused on the sky, and the bullet comments went completely wild:

"What kind of god-tier prestige is this?! Fighter jets are here to join the fun?"

"That barrel roll just now was so cool! Is the pilot trying to get himself killed?"

"I checked, and for this kind of low-altitude urban stunt flying, the approval process alone takes three months! This is definitely a special case handled with special priority!"

"Am I the only one who noticed the fighter jet number? 073 is a meritorious fighter jet of the Yuezhou Military Region! It participated in the South China Sea patrols!"

Su Han stood by the military flag, watching the two white vapor trails in the sky, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the First-Class Merit Medal on his chest.

In his past life, when he executed multinational missions, he had also been escorted by friendly fighter jets, but that was a life-and-death courtesy won amidst a hail of bullets.

But right now, in the sky above the land that gave birth to him and raised him, watching the fighter jets symbolizing peace and glory form a formation for him... the emotions churning in his chest were far more complex than on the battlefield.

"How does it feel?" Wang Yuanchao leaned over, his voice filled with irrepressible pride. "Commander Zhao's gesture, pretty impressive, right?"

Su Han raised an eyebrow: "Unauthorized flight. Your Air Assault Brigade's brigade commander is probably going to have to write a self-criticism report later."

"What are you thinking?!" Wang Yuanchao laughed. "You think Commander Zhao made them fly over here in violation of regulations?"

"Without approval from headquarters, who would dare use fighter jets like this?"

"Besides, even if he has to write a self-criticism, he's happy to escort a hero of our Military Region!"

Su Han was startled: "Headquarters actually agreed?"

At this moment, Li Wanjiang walked up to Su Han, patted his shoulder, and smiled: "You think this is just a celebration because you won two First-Class Merits?"

Su Han: "...It's not? Then what is it?"

Li Wanjiang pointed to the tens of thousands of spectators at the scene, then pointed to the media. "With so many people watching, you are now the representative of the image of the entire Chinese military!"

"You are now a national hero!"

"This is a celebration for you, sure, but it's also for the people of the whole country to see!"

"To let them know, the respect the Chinese military has for its heroes!"

"Of course, there is another reason."

"What reason?"

Li Wanjiang looked at Su Han with envy: "The Ten Most Touching Figures of China, do you know about it?"

Su Han was stunned and nodded blankly. "I know about that!"

Li Wanjiang said: "The higher-ups have decided to nominate you to participate in the selection. To represent our Chinese soldiers in the competition!"

"Generally speaking, in the Ten Most Touching Figures of China, the Chinese military gets a spot every two or three sessions. Before, it was a Special Forces Soldier from the Southeast Military Region who got it."

Su Han's eyes widened suddenly: "Damn! Sir, you're not joking with me, are you?"

Li Wanjiang hummed with a smile: "Would I dare to joke about this? For specific details, Commander Zhao will talk to you after this is over."

"In short, be mentally prepared. Later, they might film a documentary about you, and then do some other operations."

Su Han: "..."

Damn! This is getting too big, isn't it?!

The roaring sound rolled like thunder. Two J-10 fighter jets broke through the clouds, their silver-gray fuselages reflecting a cold metallic luster in the sunlight. The "August 1" military emblem under the wings looked like a leaping flame, diving toward the ancestral hall square.

The shriek of the wings slicing through the air grew closer, as if to tear the air apart, and even the bluestone slabs underfoot were trembling slightly.

Xiao Budian was riding on Su Wu's shoulders. The little hands that were originally covering her ears suddenly let go, pointing at the sky and screaming, her voice crisp and bright: "Daddy! The big bird is flying toward us! It has stars on its wings!"

She shook Su Wu's neck, her little short legs kicking against his chest, the red silk knot on her braids flying with the movement. "Great-grandfather, look quickly! It's saying hello to us!"

Black Panther crouched at Su Wu's feet, suddenly stood up, its tail tense and straight, and a low whine sounded in its throat.

It looked up at the diving fighter jets, its front paws scratching the ground uneasily—that was the awe of the steel behemoth in the sky engraved in its bones, but it was also infected by the cheers at the scene, and the whine gradually turned into an excited low growl.

Finally, it let out a "woof" at the sky, as if responding to the roar of the fighter jets.

The elders of the Su Clan leaned on their canes, trying to straighten their hunched backs.

"This display... the sons of the Su Family have brought honor to their ancestors!"