86: Ah, the mouse has come out of its hole.

"Behar, what did you guarantee me before? You said our air defense network was impenetrable!"

"And now? They're practically flying right over our heads!" Celes suddenly turned around, his eyes fierce enough to devour someone.

Behar's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The greater the pleasure of boasting, the greater the pain in his face now.

He hadn't expected the enemy air force to be so arrogant as to head straight for the capital.

High in the sky, the cockpit of the JF-17 Thunder Block 3 fighter jet was bathed in an eerie blue light.

"Thor Squadron, this is Rainbow. To your front left, altitude six thousand, a little fly has taken off."

The calm voice of the Rainbow-7 Drone operator came through the headset.

"Thor Three, copy."

The pilot of the escort squadron's lead plane chuckled softly.

"Let's use you to whet our appetite."

He pushed the control stick, the fighter tilted slightly, and the air-to-air missile under the wing instantly ignited.

Trailing a long plume of fire, it accurately streaked toward the Government Army reconnaissance plane that had just begun its ascent.

In the night sky, a fireball suddenly exploded, briefly illuminating the horizon.

Without even managing to utter a final word, the poor reconnaissance plane turned into a pile of burning debris and fell from the sky.

"Done. Piece of cake."

"Well done." The lead plane of the squadron calmly issued the command, "Attack Group, proceed with your performance according to the planned schedule."

"Copy that!"

Five JF-17 Thunder Block 3 fighter jets loaded with air-to-ground weapons.

Like reapers in the dark night, they sharply lowered their altitude and dove toward their respective targets.

"Gemstone-2 ready!"

"Target, enemy air defense position, laser guidance activated!"

"Bombs away!"

Slender laser-guided bombs detached from the pylons, tracing silent trajectories through the night.

On the ground, the Rainbow-7 Drone was firmly illuminating the heavily camouflaged air defense positions with laser beams invisible to the naked eye.

A Government Army soldier had just shouldered an anti-aircraft missile and, before he could even aim, felt the sky above him brighten slightly.

The next second.

Boom!

A violent explosion hurled him and the entire position skyward.

Flames and thick smoke shot high into the air, the precision akin to surgical strikes.

Outside La Paz, the air defense fire network painstakingly constructed by the Government Army was torn to shreds in mere dozens of seconds.

"My position! My missiles!" The Air Defense Commander wailed in despair, watching the signals on the screen extinguish one after another.

The bombing continued.

The air base's ammunition depot, the military barracks outside the city, important fuel depots... a series of explosions followed one after another, the flames practically staining half the night sky red. The entirety of La Paz trembled violently.

In the Presidential Palace's underground command center, everyone was stunned by this sudden, storm-like barrage.

"They're crazy! They're insane!" President Celes roared incoherently.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lorenzo, however, stared intently at the battlefield situation map, having keenly noticed a problem.

"Mr. President! Look!" He pointed at the screen.

"Their bombing... is incredibly precise! They only attacked military targets, but the airport! The runway and apron are completely untouched!"

Commander-in-Chief Behar shuddered, and a terrifying thought instantly struck him.

He rushed to the map, his eyes wide, staring intensely at the location of La Paz International Airport.

Precise bombing, paralyzing air defenses and garrisons, yet intentionally leaving the airport intact... the enemy's goal was obvious!

"This is bad!" Behar's face instantly turned pale, "Their target is the airport! They want to capture the airport by air drop!"

A single phrase woke everyone from their daze!

President Celes's roaring stopped abruptly, replaced by boundless terror.

If the airport fell, the enemy's transport planes could fly straight in, continuously ferrying troops into La Paz!

That would be the end!

"Quick! Behar!" Celes grabbed the Commander-in-Chief's arm, his fingernails nearly digging into the flesh.

"At all costs! Hold the airport! Send every unit that can move over there immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

Behar finally snapped out of his shock, pushed the President aside, and roared hoarsely into the communicator.

"Order! The Quick Reaction Brigade and Special Operations Brigade within the city, immediately! Now! Reinforce the airport at full speed!"

"Order the returning 5th Division to detach two brigades, turn around! Get to the airport as fast as possible!"

Command after command was frantically relayed.

The entirety of La Paz descended into chaos.

However, their reaction was still one step too slow.

Just as the Xiaolong fighter jets were raging across the sky, another, larger and more lethal aerial force.

Had already quietly arrived over La Paz International Airport.

A massive fleet composed of dozens of helicopters, like locusts descending from hell, blanketed the night sky in black.

The roar of the engines and the tremendous noise of the rotors slicing through the air merged, creating a dull and terrifying thunder.

Leading the formation were several menacing WZ-10 and apache attack helicopters.

Inside the airport control tower and the few remaining guard posts, Government Army soldiers watched the unexpected visitors in terror.

"Open fire! Fire now!"

Scattered machine gun bullets shot toward the sky, but appeared utterly pale and weak.

"Trash, feel the pain."

The WZ-10 pilot curled his lips into a cold smile and pressed the launch button.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dense rockets, like fiery snakes, poured out from the launch pods beneath the wings.

They instantly blasted the few ground fire points into fragments.

Immediately afterward, the chain gun beneath the nose began to roar.

The scorching stream of rounds formed a destructive metal storm, sweeping across every target on the ground that dared to resist.

Under the bloody cleanup by the attack helicopters, the airport defenders' resistance was instantly suppressed.

Just then, the larger Black Hawk and CH-53 'Super Stallion' transport helicopters swooped down.

They didn't even land completely, opening their doors while hovering several meters above the ground.

Dark figures slid down the fast ropes like lightning, reaching the ground.

Free Army Special Operations Regiment!

These elites, selected from the entire military, demonstrated astonishing tactical proficiency the moment they landed.

"Team A, occupy the control tower!"

"Team B, control the terminal building!"

"Team C, follow me, take the hangar!"

They moved in groups of three, covering each other with seamless coordination.

Penetrating the various key positions of the airport at an astonishing speed.

Inside the Free Army commander-in-chief headquarters, everyone was orderly.

Oliver's eyes were fixed on the massive screen in front of him, which was divided into dozens of smaller windows.

Real-time battlefield images transmitted by the UAVs from high altitude were clearly displayed before him.

The Special Operations Regiment's raid was swift and clean, and control of the airport was being quickly seized.

But Oliver's focus had already shifted to the edge of the screen.

Those two streaks of light moving frantically on the highway, resembling two long snakes.

They were the Government Army reinforcement troops urgently dispatched from within La Paz.

"Heh, the rats are out."

Oliver lightly tapped the screen with his finger, zooming in on one of the displays.

A torrent of steel, composed of dozens of armored vehicles and military trucks, was tearing through the night with their headlights on.

"Elijah." Oliver called out without turning his head.

"Here!" Elijah, the Army Commander, immediately responded, his gaze equally sharp.

"Send a message to the guys in the sky."

A hint of coldness played on Oliver's lips, "There are two delivery orders; tell them to sign for them. Don't mess it up."