"Yo," Jing Mingqiu raised an eyebrow, "threatening me? With this pile of scrap metal, you're not qualified!"
To demonstrate his strength, Tess Rence prepared to unleash missiles, intending to intimidate first. But as he instinctively reached out, he found nothing. Only then did he realize his fighter jet had been smashed by Jing Mingqiu, forcing him to eject.
"Jing Mingqiu, don't celebrate too soon! We still have twenty-five fighter jets, each equipped with four Stinger tsl missiles. While your fighter jet is indeed tough, a hundred missiles fired simultaneously are enough to tear anything to shreds."
"Oh, then launch them," Jing Mingqiu said dismissively. "To avoid sparking a world war, I won't fire the first shot. But that doesn't mean I'll just take hits without fighting back."
"I'm getting tired of bumper cars; let's switch to something real men enjoy!"
The pilots of the US First Flying Group, who had long been annoyed by Jing Mingqiu's arrogant demeanor, immediately sent a firing request to Tess Rence over the comms channel.
"Fire... wait!" Tess Rence, having uttered just one word, was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat.
While the two sides were engaged in fierce combat, it was all based on accidental collisions. After he ejected, Jing Mingqiu could no longer attack him.
But firing missiles would mean an official declaration of war. Jing Mingqiu's fate was still uncertain. He was now floating alone in the air; without missiles, a few shots from Jing Mingqiu would end his life!
As a US soldier, Tess Rence wasn't particularly afraid of a world war. After all, war was how one earned military achievements, got promoted, and became rich!
As two more US fighter jets were smashed by Jing Mingqiu, a US fighter pilot couldn't take it anymore and repeatedly urged, "Captain, if we don't fire soon, it'll be too late! Jing Mingqiu is about to crush us all."
"Moreover, he's ruthless, smashing the cockpit to pieces, leaving no chance for escape! Captain, I'm still young, I don't want to die!"
"Idiot!" Tess Rence quickly found a perfect excuse. "If you don't want to die, then you definitely shouldn't fire. Do you think a fighter jet that's so strong in close combat would lack firepower?"
"Especially a fighter jet made in Long Country. As everyone knows, Long Country has a severe fear of insufficient firepower! If we really use conventional weapons, you'll only die faster!"
The surviving US pilots were bewildered. "Captain, then what should we do? I really don't want to die!"
"At this point, we can only abandon our planes and save ourselves!" Tess Rence slammed his thigh forcefully.
The US pilots were stunned.
"Captain, that's not right! If we abandon our planes, we'll completely lose our weapons to fight Jing Mingqiu. If he decides to pursue and kill us, we'll have no power to resist and will be at his mercy."
"Heh!" Tess Rence sneered. "As if we have the ability to resist now. Hurry up and eject. While we're flying, Jing Mingqiu can use the excuse of 'accidental collision.'
"But once we eject, if he collides with us again, it will be premeditated murder, an act of war against the US. Long Country has the upper hand; he has no reason to hunt us down and take on the mantle of a war instigator."
"I see. Captain, you are too brilliant!"
Convinced by Tess Rence, the others abandoned their fighter jets and ejected to safety.
Jing Mingqiu watched the white parachutes blossoming below and the more than ten US SLT fighter jets that had lost control and were naturally falling. He shrugged, not bothering to waste time on these defeated remnants.
With a graceful barrel roll, slicing all the US SLT fighter jets in half, Jing Mingqiu piloted his Long Country fighter jet away, under the gaze of the trembling, pale-faced US pilots.
The White House, USA.
A silence fell upon the room as they witnessed the tragic fate of the US First Flying Group.
After a long moment, US Joint Chief of Staff Smith Lumen suddenly slammed the table, glaring at US six-star general Saloyan Primo.
"Saloyan! Kindly explain why our fighter jets are so defenseless against Long Country's fighter jets. How much military funding have you embezzled! If you have a clear conscience, I'll immediately request a joint audit by the IRS and the Anti-Corruption Bureau."
Saloyan Primo, having wracked his brain while Jing Mingqiu was reaping his victories, finally thought of a way out. "Smith! Don't spread baseless accusations. There's no problem with our fighter jets."
"The reason we lost is the fault of the previous US Joint Chief of Staff, Joseph Biden! After he sold state secrets to Long Country, not only did he help their technology advance by leaps and bounds, but he also exposed the weaknesses of our fighter jets. This is the primary reason for our warriors' utter defeat."
"So," Smith Lumen said menacingly, "General, you're saying that my glorious America, the world's policeman, is now completely inferior to Long Country militarily?"
Saloyan Primo immediately and sternly denied this question, which was laden with hidden motives. "How is that possible! My great America is strong and powerful, with all sorts of high-tech weapons emerging continuously. Long Country has only gained a slight advantage through underhanded tactics!"
"Oh?" Smith Lumen continued sarcastically, "In that case, shouldn't we continue to reinforce Afghanistan, drive out the Afghan government supported by Long Country, foster a proxy, and bring the entire Middle East under our control?"
Saloyan Primo knew very well that Smith Lumen was trying to push the difficult task of attacking Afghanistan onto him, but he had no other choice.
A withdrawal was out of the question.
Setting aside Afghanistan's geographical location and rich oil resources, the significant investment of resources and the vested interests of so many people from the beginning meant there was never an option to retreat.
However, in the initial stages, if there were problems with the offensive, Smith Lumen, who they had forcefully installed as president, would bear the responsibility.
Now, having been caught in a bind, Saloyan Primo had no choice but to reluctantly accept this burden.
There was no other way; his own record was too dirty to withstand a joint audit by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the IRS.
Saloyan Primo took a deep breath. "That's right, Afghanistan is very important. Not only can we not withdraw, but we must also increase our troops and intensify our offensive."
"Long Country's strength is not as great as it appears. If they could truly defeat the US head-on, they wouldn't resort to tunneling and surprise attacks. Mr. President, give me command, and I guarantee to bring America a great victory, completely conquer Afghanistan, and control the Middle East!"
Seeing that he had finally succeeded in offloading this hot potato, Smith Lumen quickly put on a show of magnanimity.
"Good! Since Your Excellency the General has such courage and is willing to sign a letter of commitment, I have no reason to refuse. From today onwards, the Afghan War will be personally overseen by Your Excellency the General."
"The relevant documents will be delivered to you tonight by a special courier. America's future rests on you!"
"Rest assured, Mr. President," Saloyan Primo gritted his teeth, wishing he could bite Smith Lumen, "I will definitely work hard to conquer Afghanistan and will not fail your expectations!"
With that, Saloyan Primo left the White House directly and boarded a helicopter coated with special paint.
He intended to go to the mysterious Area 51 to search for secret weapons that could counter Long Country.