Chapter 6: Arriving at Xiajing Air Base, Who's the One Sitting in that Su-35?
In the sky, like a dream, amidst the blue and white hues, the Su-35, with its side exposed, flew close to 7,000 meters in the air.
Su Yuan held the control stick, adjusting the course and attitude of the aircraft following the IL, his gaze constantly fixed on the beautiful scenery below.
"Almost to the Greater Khingan Mountains, right?"
Su Yuan wasn't completely sure. He hadn't been to the Northeast Province, but aside from the Greater Khingan Mountains, he couldn't think of any other mountain range that could be so vast in the Northeast Province.
The murmuring sound had barely settled when the Su-35, bathed in endless light, flew over the Greater Khingan Mountains under the watchful eyes of two J-20 fighter jets and the surveillance of Xia's reconnaissance satellites, heading straight for Huanggangliang, the highest peak of the Khingan Mountains.
Tourism, an incredibly enjoyable activity that brings genuine joy from the heart, is something most people are passionate about.
Strolling through scenic spots, witnessing the long history and culture, enjoying the unique cuisine of different regions – these are all part of it.
Or perhaps, driving to a remote wilderness, enjoying the natural beauty of the wild.
There are two types of tourism.
Public expense and self-funded.
Public expense tourism is naturally enviable, while self-funded travel might be more free, but amidst these two forms of tourism, there's a particularly special kind.
A public expense, self-funded road trip in the most advanced Su-35 fighter jet – not only do you not have to pay a dime, but you also get extremely high flight subsidies.
The Su-35 fighter jet, a fully-fledged fourth-generation fighter, has a flight cost of 300,000 yuan per hour, with a flight subsidy of 2,500 yuan per hour.
After such a journey, you not only witness the beauty of mountains and rivers but also receive a subsidy of at least 10,000 yuan.
No cost, making money, no traffic jams – what could be more pleasing than this kind of tourism?
...
While Su Yuan was still appreciating the beauty of the Greater Khingan Mountains, a reminder came through the encrypted channel in his ear: "Falcon, you are about to enter the Xiajing airspace. After escorting the IL to land at the Xiajing International Airport, you are to follow me to the Xiajing Air Base, where ground personnel are already in place."
"Falcon received!"
Su Yuan's heart remained unmoved upon hearing the voice in the top-secret channel.
Half an hour later, the IL began to land at the Xiajing International Airport.
In August, Xiajing was much hotter than the Bear Country. The scorching sun hung high in the sky, releasing endless heat like a furnace.
Boom!!!
The distinctive turbofan engine sound of the Su-35 resonated through the sky, steady and powerful, cutting through the airflow at high altitudes under the guidance of two J-20s, rapidly heading towards the Xiajing Air Base.
"Fighter jets!"
"Xia's J-20 fighter jets!"
"No, the one in the middle is... a Russian Su-35 fighter jet?"
"My goodness, what's going on? How come a Russian Su-35 fighter jet is over Xiajing?"
"Holy crap! Su-35?"
"Over there, it looks like our Xiajing Air Base, right?"
The three fighter jets began to descend in an orderly manner. Upon reaching a certain altitude, they quickly caught the attention of the residents nearby.
Especially the men.
Boys will be boys until they die. No one can resist the temptation of the J-20 fighter jet.
Many people knew there was an air base nearby and would choose to come close to witness the pride of Xia's air force, the J-20 fighter jet, with their own eyes.
However, when everyone saw a Su-35 sandwiched between two J-20s, they gasped in surprise and wonder.
A Su-35 fighter jet appearing over Xiajing? This was the first time in history.
If not for the two J-20s, everyone might have thought Xiajing was under attack by a Su-35.
But it was clearly not the case now.
As for the reason behind a Su-35 appearing over Xiajing, no one knew.
However, there were also scholars among the crowd who loved to pay attention to international affairs.
Soon, someone thought of the state visit.
"I heard the Emperor is coming to Xia for a state visit today. This Su-35 should be here for escort duty, right?"
This speculative voice immediately garnered agreement from many.
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense."
"I knew it. A Su-35 shouldn't be in Xia's airspace! If this is the case, then everything is clear."
...
The Su-35 quickly descended to an altitude of 1,000 meters.
"Calling tower, 01 and 02 have descended with the Russian Su-35 fighter jet. Current altitude is 1000. Estimated arrival time is 10 seconds. Relevant data has been transmitted."
Superman swiftly reported the situation to the tower.
The Xiajing Air Base had long prepared for the arrival.
"Tower received!"
"Landing permission granted! "
"01 and 02 land on the third and fifth runways. Su-35 lands on the first runway."
"Superman received! "
"Mamba received! "
"Falcon received! "
Hearing this arrangement, Su Yuan remained calm, receiving the information transmitted from the Xiajing Air Base. He pointed the aircraft nose toward the first runway below and quickly descended.
Landing, although more difficult than taking off, was not a challenge for Su Yuan, an ace pilot. As for any problems, they were highly unlikely.
The aircraft decelerated, the nose slightly raised, the landing gear lowered.
Bang!
The tires made a loud grinding noise as they touched the ground. Then the parachute opened, and the Su-35 fighter jet decelerated in the shortest time possible, until it came to a stop at zero speed on the designated runway.
Superman and Mamba, who landed shortly after, fell silent upon seeing this.
The Su-35 landing was simply textbook.
A textbook-level landing process, without any flaws.
"Ace pilot, indeed. Your control over the aircraft below is truly humbling!"
Superman sighed in admiration.
Truly humbling!
He could only acknowledge it!
Landing, he could do it.
In fact, any third-class pilot could manage it.
But to achieve it as perfectly as in the textbooks, that was not something everyone could do.
At least, Superman had to admit that he couldn't do it perfectly yet.
Sighing, Superman didn't hesitate. He quickly got off the plane with the help of ground personnel.
He and Mamba needed to prepare for the reception before the connecting personnel arrived.
Mamba quickly came over.
Seeing Mamba, Superman took a deep breath and said quickly, "Let's go together."
"Honestly, a 22-year-old Major General, I feel a little pressure," Mamba said with a wry smile.
Although they were both first-class Air Force pilots and could even fly the advanced fourth-generation J-20, their highest rank was still only Lieutenant Colonel. They were still a long way from Colonel, let alone Major General.
Not to mention anything else. Even if they reached Colonel, the difficulty in crossing the rank of General was still like climbing Mount Everest.
Both of them knew that for a 22-year-old to become a Major General was incredibly difficult.
Knowing this also gave them immense pressure.
Even though they hadn't met the person yet, it felt like they were already carrying a mountain on their shoulders, suffocating them.
Mamba straightened his clothes, nervously saying, "I'm suddenly feeling a little nervous."
"We're about to meet a general! "
"A 22-year-old general! "
"Me too."
Both of them were a little nervous, even Superman.
However, Superman still took a breath and calmed himself: "Don't be nervous. Even if he's a general, he's a Russian general, it has nothing to do with us. We're just here to receive him before the main person arrives. We're equal."
Mamba nodded, but he was secretly wry.
Equal?
He wished, but when he thought of the person's rank of Major General, his inner nervousness arose.
Seeing that Mamba was still a little nervous, Superman didn't say anything else. He took a breath to calm himself: "Let's go."
Although Mamba was a little awkward, he still had the necessary qualities. He wasn't so nervous that he couldn't even go. He immediately followed Superman and walked towards the Su-35.
As the two walked to the Su-35 fighter jet, Su Yuan also got off the plane. Seeing the two pilots approaching, Su Yuan knew instantly that they must be the J-20 pilots.
Maybe they weren't ace pilots, but Su Yuan didn't underestimate them in the slightest.
To be able to pilot Xia's most advanced fourth-generation fighter jet in itself was a testament to their excellence.
Moreover, these two were soldiers of Xia, war eagles defending the skies of their country. He felt deep respect for them.
As the two drew near, Su Yuan raised his hand in salute, introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Su Yuan, the Chief Instructor of the Russian Air Force."
The two who had just walked over were instantly stunned.
A Xia citizen?
Mamba's head felt dizzy. The person who got off the Su-35 was a Xia citizen, not a Russian?
Superman's jaw dropped. His face showed disbelief.
Earlier, when he heard Su Yuan respond in standard Mandarin, he felt a little strange.
But he thought that since the person was an Air Force pilot, maybe he had learned standard Mandarin. However, now it seemed like he was not just learning standard Mandarin, he was clearly a Xia citizen!
This face, even if he were to die, was a Xia citizen, impossible to be a Russian!
Mamba, beside him, reacted. His face was full of astonishment: "You are a Xia citizen?"
"Yes." Su Yuan smiled and responded, their reaction was within his expectations.
Both of them opened their mouths almost simultaneously, with looks of disbelief.
The ground crew at the Xiajing Air Base were as if frozen in time.
Everyone looked at each other, faces filled with shock.
He really was a Xia citizen!
This...
"Can't believe it?"
Su Yuan asked, looking at the two.
The two didn't speak but nodded repeatedly.
For them, it was truly a shocking event. Their own countrymen went to the Bear Country, became ace pilots, not to mention holding high positions. This was incredibly shocking to anyone.
Even if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, heard it with their own ears, they wouldn't have believed it.
However, the facts were there. They couldn't question it.
Fortunately, Superman and Mamba weren't ordinary people. They quickly regained their composure and quickly said, "Major General Su, the person who came to pick you up was supposed to be here long ago. However, after they found out about your identity, they changed people at the last minute, so... "
Superman was a little embarrassed.
For this kind of state visit, to be honest, things should have been arranged in advance.
Changing reception personnel at the last minute was almost unheard of.
But Su Yuan's identity was not just an Air Force pilot. He was a high-ranking Russian officer, and an important figure who was part of the meeting.
If they still used the usual reception standards, it would be inappropriate.
"It's fine."
Su Yuan shook his head, not minding it at all.
"However, the reception team should be here soon. Major General Su, would you like to rest here at the base for a while? When they arrive, I'll have someone pick you up?"
Superman said calmly.
Su Yuan shook his head: "No need, I'll just wait here."
"You don't need to be so stiff. I'm a Xia citizen after all."
Although Superman and the others nodded repeatedly, their attitude didn't change at all.
The young man standing in front of them was not just a general, but an important guest accompanying the Emperor on his state visit to Xia. They dared not be too casual.
...
On the other side.
Wu Cheng was rushing towards the Xiajing Air Base.
"Hurry, hurry! "
"Faster, faster!"
He kept urging the driver on the way.
"Leader, this is already fast. Any faster and it'll be dangerous."
The driver was also helpless. It wasn't that he didn't want to go faster, but the Xiajing Air Base was built in the suburbs. Although the road wasn't bad, there were many turns. He had to slow down at the turns, so he couldn't speed up.
"Try to be faster!"
Wu Cheng sighed and took out his phone to contact the top leader of the Xiajing Air Base.
The phone connected quickly.
"Old Wu, you're a busy man today. Why are you calling me?"
"Something big has happened!"
Wu Cheng's tone was serious: "Something big happened with the reception today."
"What happened?"
Chen Yu was curious. He knew Wu Cheng very well. He was always calm and collected. Today, the tense tone, to be honest, if not for the familiarity with Wu Cheng's voice, he would have doubted if he had heard wrong.
Wu Cheng briefly told him the situation: "This time, the pilot escorting the Russian, we initially thought he was just a regular pilot. Who would have thought that he was a Russian ace pilot, with a rank as high as Major General? This time for the state visit, he was also on the list of attendees. You see, initially, we just had someone casually receive him. We didn't expect this to happen."
"Ace pilot?"
"Major General?"
"On the list of attendees?"
Chen Yu wasn't an idiot. He certainly knew the meaning behind these words. His breathing became quick.
"Old Chen, I'm probably still twenty minutes away..."
Wu Cheng hadn't finished speaking when Chen Yu interrupted him.
"Old Wu, you don't need to say anything. I understand. I'm going right now to take over the reception. Other matters, wait until you get here."
Keeping a foreign Major General, who was also on the list of attendees of the meeting, waiting for half an hour, if the person had even a little bit of a small stomach, this would be a huge event.
Moreover, the fact that he could escort the entire trip and was even requested by the Emperor to attend the meeting, showed how important he was in the Emperor's eyes. He could even be considered a red man in front of the Emperor.
They dared not be careless with this kind of position.
Upon hearing this, Wu Cheng quickly thanked him: "Old Chen, I won't say anything else. After this, I'll treat you to dinner."
"Dinner can wait. I'll go there now."
"Okay!"
The two quickly hung up.
After hanging up, Chen Yu didn't hesitate. He grabbed his hat and called a guard. He quickly rushed towards the tarmac.