168: Chapter 168: Colorful Smoke Paints the Sky, Stunt Show Ignites the Entire Venue

"Wait! What is that?" A military enthusiast holding binoculars suddenly screamed, his eyes wide behind the lenses. "They're back!"

Everyone looked up abruptly, only to see the two black dots that had just disappeared into the clouds returning at an astonishing speed. Their silver-grey fuselages pierced through the airflow, and the colored smoke devices under their wings shimmered in the sunlight.

"No way?!" Monkey grabbed the Zhou Mo beside him, his knuckles turning white from the grip. "They're actually back?!"

Zhou Mo didn't speak, just stared fixedly at the sky, his Adam's apple bobbing faster and faster. As the Captain of the War Eagle Squad, he knew better than anyone that the formation's return was no accident; it meant an even more breathtaking performance was about to begin.

Wang Yuanchao couldn't keep a straight face anymore. He raised a hand to rub his brow and whispered to Su Han with a smile, "Commander Zhao, that old fox, really did keep an ace up his sleeve."

Before the words had even faded, two J-10s suddenly pulled up, carving a vertical arc over Su Family Village.

The colored smoke devices under their wings activated simultaneously, and two plumes of red and blue smoke exploded in the azure sky, like twin flowers suddenly blooming.

"It's an aerobatic performance!" Zhou Haitao jumped up on the spot, grabbing Su Lingxue's arm, two buttons on his Captain's service uniform popping off. "It's the Air Assault Brigade's ace performance team! I've seen their training during exercises!"

The crowd instantly erupted, and the cheers, which had just been tinged with disappointment, suddenly rose an octave.

The audience in the front row simply sat on the ground, holding their phones up like a forest. Those in the back stood on stools or climbed onto walls, and even the roof of the ancestral hall was packed with daring young people.

Xiao Budian laughed and clapped her hands on Su Wu's shoulders, the red silk ribbons on her braids fluttering like little flags. "The big birds are spitting rainbows! Look, Great-grandfather! They're colorful!"

Black Panther squatted on the ground, its tail wagging like an electric motor, barking "woof woof" at the sky.

A shallow trench had been swept into the ground at its feet by its tail, and its excited whimpers blended into the crowd's cheers, making it exceptionally lively.

The fighter jet performance had only just begun.

The two J-10s suddenly flew in a crossover, the red and blue smoke trails weaving into a cross in the sky, before each rolled away, churning the cross into a brilliant vortex.

Before the vortex had dissipated, the fighter jets suddenly dove vertically. The smoke trails cast a rotating shadow on the ground, frightening the front-row audience into screaming and covering their heads, yet they couldn't help but peek through their fingers.

"It's a 'scissor cross'!" Zhou Mo's voice trembled. "This maneuver requires the two jets to maintain a distance of less than five meters; the slightest mistake and they would collide!"

The comments in the live stream went completely wild, the server crashing for the fourth time. After it recovered, the screen was so flooded with exclamation marks they were practically overflowing:

"I counted! That roll just now was a full five turns! Is the pilot a possessed spinning top?!"

"The moment the red and blue light beams crossed! I took a screenshot! I'll be able to brag about this picture until my grandson is born!"

"To the brother earlier who said they'd trade three months of bubble tea for a screen recording! I'm raising the price to a year! Please, give me a copy!"

"As an aerospace engineer, I'll say this: this kind of low-altitude aerobatics puts immense strain on the engines! They need a full overhaul after every flight! This is definitely going all out!"

"Reporting from the aviation school! Our instructor just smashed the projector! He said this is what real flying is and told us to watch on our knees!"

"Look at the jets' contrails! Doesn't the shape of the red and blue weaving look like the characters for 'Hero'?!"

"+10086! This was definitely intentional! They are so good at this!"

In the ancestral hall square, the fighter jet performance reached its climax.

The two J-10s suddenly flew side-by-side, drawing two parallel lines with their red and blue smoke trails.

Just when everyone thought they were going to perform a steady flyby, the jets suddenly executed a "head-on" maneuver—noses facing each other, they pulled up simultaneously at a distance of one hundred meters, their smoke trails carving two symmetrical arcs in the sky that finally formed a giant heart.

"Ahhh!" The female soldiers of the Womens Special Operations Team screamed in unison. "So romantic! This is a love letter to a hero!"

Zhang Meng suddenly punched Lin Yu. "If anyone says soldiers don't understand romance again, I'll shove this picture in their face!"

Su Han gazed at the heart-shaped smoke trail in the sky, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the First Class Merit Medal on his chest.

In his past life on foreign battlefields, he had been chased and bombarded by enemy fighter jets, fleeing in a sorry state. He had never imagined that one day, his own motherland would use its top-tier fighter jets to draw such a romantic trajectory for him.

"How does it feel?" Wang Yuanchao leaned in, his voice filled with unconcealable pride. "This is treatment that even the Falcon Special Forces Brigade hasn't enjoyed."

Su Han suddenly smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Later, have the War Eagle Squad add a fifty-kilometer weighted cross-country run to their training."

Monkey happened to overhear and wailed instantly, "Chief Instructor! You can't do that! We didn't say anything!"

The fighter jet performance continued.

The red and blue smoke trails formed a soaring eagle, then transformed into crossed steel spears, and finally froze into a giant five-pointed star above the ancestral hall.

When the last wisp of smoke dissipated, the two J-10s suddenly pulled up, their noses pointing vertically toward the heavens, the August 1st military emblem shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

"It's a 'Skyward Salute'!" Zhou Haitao suddenly stood at attention and saluted the sky. "This is the highest level of respect from a pilot!"

The members of the War Eagle Squad saluted in unison, the female soldiers of the Womens Special Operations Team followed suit, and even the villagers on-site mimicked the soldiers, clumsily raising their right hands.

Xiao Budian, on Su Wu's shoulder, mimicked the adults by raising her little hand to her ear, shouting in her milky voice, "Goodbye, big birds! Thank you for the rainbow candy!"

Black Panther also tilted its head and let out a long bark, its voice clear and bright, as if seeing off the departing fighter jets.

The roar of the fighter jets gradually faded into the distance, but the red and blue smoke trails lingered in the sky for a long time, as if adorning Su Family Village with a magnificent silk scarf.

After a long while, Monkey suddenly slumped to the ground, muttering, "It's over... nothing else will ever feel exciting again..."

Da Xiong patted his shoulder, his voice still floating. "It was worth it for this lifetime."

In the live stream, the rhythm of the comments slowed down, but there were many heartfelt remarks:

"I suddenly understand why we should revere heroes."

"This isn't just showing off skills; it's a nation's attitude toward its heroes."

"My son just pointed at the sky and said when he grows up he wants to be a pilot, so he can perform for the hero uncle."

"As a taxpayer, this is the first time I've felt my taxes were worth it. I won't say any more; I'm going to go smoke two more packs."

"This is the star we should be chasing!"

Su Bowen walked over to Su Han's side, pointing at the smoke trails still lingering in the sky, his voice choked with emotion. "Third Uncle, the ancestors of the Su Family have all seen this."

Su Han gazed at the azure sky and suddenly smiled.