70: Chapter 70 Outrageous Code Word Matching!

"This is the Chinese Air Force. You have entered the operational range of our aircraft carrier fleet. Identify yourself or leave immediately. Otherwise, the next missile's target will be you."

Li Li looked at the "Enemy" designation on the HUD, cold sweat seeping out.

He rested his left hand on the throttle and gripped the control stick tightly with his right, forcing the aircraft to remain steady.

Outside the porthole, the clouds were sliced open.

Two heavy carrier-based aircraft dove from high altitude, one on the left and one on the right, precisely sandwiching the stolen F/A-18F. The August 1st military emblem on the side of the fuselage was clearly visible, and the PL-15 air-to-air missiles mounted under the wings gleamed with a cold light.

J-15 "Flying Sharks," one on each side.

Double blockade; there was no escape.

Li Li pressed the red communication button.

"Don't fire. We're on the same side."

Pure Chinese, enunciated clearly.

The other end of the radio went silent.

For a full five seconds.

From inside an F/A-18F fighter jet bearing a Star of David livery, having just broken out of a US military base, came standard Mandarin.

The pilot on the other end was clearly stunned.

"Repeat. This is callsign, two people on board, both citizens of the Great East." Li Li leveled the control stick to keep the plane in a steady cruise, afraid that any sudden movement would cause a misjudgment.

"callsign..." The voice on the other end carried obvious hesitation. "Which theater of operations is your callsign from? Why does it sound like a variety show?"

"It is a variety show." Li Li slapped his forehead. "I am Li Li. In the backseat is Jiang Rumu. We were filming a Dating Reality Show and ran into a small accident."

The radio fell into dead silence again.

In the cockpit of the J-15, the pilot, codenamed "Gyrfalcon," was twenty-six years old. He had been at sea with the aircraft carrier battle group for over half a year and was in a state of semi-disconnection from the internet.

He hadn't heard of Li Li, but he knew Jiang Rumu.

She was a top celebrity in the Great East's entertainment industry; Gyrfalcon's cousin even had her poster on her bedside.

Now, someone was telling him that the aloof beauty who could sing and dance well and was constantly on the trending topics was sitting in the backseat of a stolen enemy fighter jet?

Gyrfalcon pressed the transmitter.

"callsign, that's a cold joke. I will give you one last chance to prove your identity. Otherwise, I will take measures to escort you for a forced landing."

Li Li sighed.

"Li Li, ID number: 510105. Jiang Rumu, ID number: 310104. Do you want our home addresses? I can even recite her agent's phone number for you."

Fluent. Smooth. Without a single pause.

Gyrfalcon's finger, pressing the communication button, froze.

"It doesn't matter how well you can recite them." Gyrfalcon spat out the words. "I am in a fighter cockpit over the Indian Ocean. What do you expect me to use to verify your ID? Connect to the Ministry of Public Security's firewall?"

Li Li got stuck.

That was careless.

He was used to pulling out his ID card for business back home, forgetting that these navy brothers had been drifting at sea for months and couldn't even open a food delivery app.

In the backseat, Jiang Rumu was tightly strapped in by the seatbelt, her head resting against the seat. She had heard the whole process.

"Li Li." "Speak." "How do I press this communication button?"

Li Li tilted his head to look at the rearview mirror. "On your left, the red one. Hold it down to speak."

Jiang Rumu reached out her finger and poked the red button. "Hello?"

A female voice came through the public channel. It carried a hint of weakness from just experiencing high-G flight, but the timbre was highly recognizable. Cool and clean.

"I am Jiang Rumu."

Gyrfalcon responded immediately: "Ma'am, I cannot confirm your identity based on voice alone. AI voice-changing technology is very mature now."

Jiang Rumu bit her lower lip. Her red dress was torn, her high heels were broken, and her ankle was sprained. Now, she had to prove her identity to two J-15 fighter jets at an altitude of ten thousand meters.

She steeled herself. "You are my little sweetheart, sweet to my heart, bling~ bling~"

No accompaniment. A cappella. "Sweetheart Bubbles." Jiang Rumu's signature song.

The singing followed the radio waves, passed through the clouds, entered the cockpits of the two J-15s, and was simultaneously transmitted back to the command center of the 001 Aircraft Carrier, three hundred nautical miles away.

On the carrier bridge, the Major General commander held a thermos cup and stood in front of the tactical display screen. The screen showed three light points. The loudspeaker played the female celebrity's a cappella singing.

The dozens of staff officers, radar operators, and communications personnel in the entire command center all stopped what they were doing. The Major General tightened the lid of his thermos.

"Call up the audio track for comparison." The communications staff officer typed on the keyboard and pulled up the database.

"Sir, the audio track match is 98 percent. There are no signs of synthesis. The breathing and vibrato are all real."

The Major General stared at the screen; he knew something about the incident involving Great East citizens in Ala Country. The "Bloody Banquet" had already gone viral online, and the high-level command of the naval formation had paid timely attention to it.

"Did he really save a celebrity? And just swiped an F-18 while he was at it?"

The Senior Colonel chief of staff beside him shook his head. "What is this kid's background? Even the special forces aren't as troublesome as him."

In the air, Jiang Rumu finished a short segment. Her face was red down to the roots of her neck. "Is that enough?"

Gyrfalcon cleared his throat over the radio. "That was sung very well. But I cannot let you pass based on a song alone. If the enemy had captured Ms. Jiang and forced her to sing, that is also a possibility."

Jiang Rumu was numb. She released the communication button. "Li Li, I can't do it. You take over."

Li Li took over the microphone. Since conventional methods wouldn't work, he had to use something engraved in the DNA of the people of the Great East.

"Brother," Li Li began, "The Heavenly King covers the earth with tigers."

Gyrfalcon paused for a second. Muscle memory reacted faster than his brain. He blurted out, "The pagoda suppresses the river demon."

Li Li: "Palace jade liquid wine." Gyrfalcon: "One hundred and eighty a cup."

Li Li: "Odd changes, even stays the same." Gyrfalcon: "Check the quadrant for the sign."

Li Li: "Which school is best for excavator technology?" Gyrfalcon: "Look for Lanxiang in Shandong, China!"

Li Li: "We don't accept gifts for the holidays this year." Gyrfalcon: "If we do, we only accept Naobaijin!"

Li Li sped up: "The great river flows to the east!" Gyrfalcon replied instantly: "The stars in the sky join the Big Dipper!"

The answers flowed, perfectly matched. Without any thought, it was entirely a conditioned reflex.

On the carrier command center, the Major General commander's cheek twitched, and the Senior Colonel chief of staff covered his face. This wasn't an anti-espionage test at all; it was essentially the final exam for the history of internet surfing in the Great East!

Li Li didn't stop, continuing to increase the stakes. "Love you walking alone in the dark alley." Gyrfalcon: "Love your stance of never kneeling!"

Li Li: "Swallow, how can I live without you, Swallow!" Gyrfalcon got stuck.

"I didn't catch that one." Gyrfalcon was very honest. "I've been at sea for too long. What new meme is this?"

"It's a movie line from Xiao Yueyue, and it wasn't meant to be answered anyway," Li Li explained. "Proof complete?"

Gyrfalcon didn't answer directly. In the carrier command center, the Major General pressed the direct talk button.

"callsign. I am the commander of the 001 Aircraft Carrier battle group."

Li Li sat up straight. The big boss had arrived. "Hello, Sir."

"Your identity verification has passed. Well done, bringing back a big toy." The Major General's enunciation was steady, carrying a soldier's crispness. "Now, the 001 and 004 Aircraft Carrier battle groups will provide you with full-scale escort."

"Received. Thank you, Organization." Li Li breathed a sigh of relief. This pirate ship had finally sailed to the doorstep.

The Major General hadn't finished speaking yet. "However, callsign." "Present."

"You are currently piloting a US-made F/A-18F Super Hornet. The tailhook design and landing gear strength of this aircraft are completely different from our J-15s. Our aircraft carrier deck arresting wires have not been adapted for this model."

There was only the rustling sound of airflow on the radio.

"Simply put," the Major General paused, "you may not be able to land on the aircraft carrier."

Inside the cockpit. "Beep— beep— beep—" A rapid electronic buzzing sound rang out abruptly.

Li Li looked down at the dashboard. In the bottom right corner, the fuel indicator light turned from yellow to red, flashing crazily.

Just now, in order to shake off the US military pursuit, he had kept the afterburners on the whole time, and the fuel consumption was astronomical. Moreover, it seemed that the fuel tank pipeline had been grazed by machine gun fire; it was a miracle it hadn't exploded.

The fuel gauge needle rested steadily at ten percent.

"Sir." Li Li tapped the edge of the dashboard. "I have even worse news." "Go ahead."

"The fuel tank of this big toy seems to be leaking; it only has enough fuel for about ten more minutes."