It was late at night. Four Jing Ke drones and one Phantom drone had been assembled. Three modified air missiles and one Eagle Claw anti-ship missile was also mounted on the Phantom.

The completely assembled Phantom was a giant. It had a wingspan of twenty meters and was fifteen meters in length. It used vortex generators created by the Thunder Horse Group, with a force of a hundred thousand Newtons which was seventy thousand Newtons less than the F35’s generator but only a third of its weight. This lighter weight meant faster flight speed, agility and larger cargo space!

Additionally, the Phantom Drone carried enough fuel to fly eleven thousand kilometres. Even when carrying cargo at its maximum capacity, it can still reach up to eight thousand kilometres. All the hardware and software on the plane were designed by Xia Lei and the rest of the team. They had basically improved upon the most advanced technology available in the world!

How advanced was the Phantom?

Its completely invisible Alloy X body put aside, the fact that it could carry land-based anti-missile weaponry on its aircraft was already one-of-its-kind.

The Phantom carried three split-force air-to-air missiles hence could be considered a fighter plane. Its modified Eagle Claw anti-ship missile also meant it was one that carried explosives. It was a manless drone yet it was the most functionally complete fighter jet in the world. Its ability to traverse over eight thousand kilometres with maximum capacity meant it could engage in war after liftoff from any Chinese air base across the South China sea. All the countries within the area were within its range of combat!

However, the core of its technology was still the Alloy X.

Since the aircraft was made of Alloy X, it had the ability to be completely invisible. No radar in this world could detect its presence. At the same time, it gave the Phantom the ability to defend itself against electronic interference, graphite bombs, electronic pulses and so on. All these electronic attacks were useless to the Phantom. Its vortex generator made of Alloy X had powerful detection capabilities. Although it was not the fastest aircraft mankind had ever created, it was still the fastest in the fighter plane industry. Air missiles could fly up to four times the speed of sound but this was a giant!

The sight of a silver manta ray flashing across the sky like lightning will be a terrifying one!

After all the assembly was complete, Xia Lei looked at the giant in the hangar and four other smaller Jing Ke drones. He couldn’t help but smile with pride.

Manufacturing these five drones didn’t require too much time but the preparation for all of this dated back to the time he infiltrated Lockheed Martin. With his abilities, research that took this much time was considered a very long one.

“Boss, do you think this can beat the American Hornet?” asked E’er Demutu.

Xia Lei smiled. “You’re talking about the American mothership’s carrier-based plane, the Hornet? I’m afraid only the F22 and F35 are worthy opponents for this one. The Hornet is nothing.”

“Are you sure it’s that impressive? It’s just a drone,” said Tsukino Kyoko, shocked.

Xia Lei said, “Manless wars are going to be the norm soon. I am merely at the forefront of the wave. And yet, a manless war is actually most terrifying because both sides do not need to take into account casualties or consequences.”

“Boss, the Phantom is impressive. If we manufacture them on a larger scale, can’t we beat America with just a few hundred of them?”

Xia Lei smiled. “Manufacture a few hundred of them? Do you know how much Alloy X we’ve manufactured since the beginning?”

Tsukino Kyoko shook her head. “I’m not interested in that, you know this.”

Xia Lei said, “All the Alloy X that Thunder Horse has produced are here. Plus we’ve used up all the raw material we had in store. It is very difficult to get our hands on the raw material and the rare metal used inside was provided by the country. It’s not available in the market at all. That is why it’s impossible to build a few hundred Phantoms. At least not with the current situation.”

Tsukino Kyoko furrowed her brows. “Then doesn’t that mean we can’t improve the disadvantage China’s air force holds?”

“You’re wrong. We only need twenty drones. My next step is to research and invent the first fighter plane belonging to Thunder Horse Group. It will use more Alloy X but it will be much more powerful. Twenty of them will be all we need. The last step is bombers made of Alloy X. They’ll use even more Alloy X than the plane but I estimate that only two will be required,” said Xia Lei. He already had the blueprint in his mind.

“I understand now. You want to build a super-fleet using tens of drones, fighter jets and two bombers and once it is complete, the Americans would not dare act recklessly,” said Tsukino Kyoko.

E’er Demutu smiled. “At that point, this fleet would be unrivalled. If they carried atomic bombs, then it would be even more terrifying than the current powerful American navy. At that point, they would have to be drunk to ever try to oppress China like they’re doing now.”

Tsukino saw the scene in her mind’s eye. Among the blue skies and white clouds, tens of silver drones and fighter jets, as well as two bombers, flew across. It was a powerful sight.

However, Xia Lei secretly heaved a sigh. Manufacturing just these five drones required three months and used up all his current supply of materials. Creating a fleet like that would require at least ten years! But he did not have that much time. He was left with only two years. How could he complete such a large project in two years?

“Boss, what you’re talking about is probably only going to happen a long time from now. What about the present? We only have five drones but we’re up against the United States Seventh Fleet and the Filipino military base.” Tsukino Kyoko quickly changed her focus to the present.

Xia Lei said, “They are, but we are not going on a full war now, it is just a conflict. Not even an officially-recognised conflict.”

Without the participation of the Chinese military, it was considered just a conflict. The Americans would not want to provoke the Chinese military into a full war now anyway.

China was a large country with a billion people. It was not one that America could just step on. Although America had an advantage in a more powerful military force and caused more casualties, it was still a war they had to cross half the planet for. Supply chains would be a problem. That was why no matter what the result of the war was, America’s economy would still be ruined. The European Union and Russia would overtake America, and this was not a price they were willing to pay.

“Since a full-scale war isn’t going to happen, this is where the Thunder Horse Group’s Jing Ke drones and Phantom come into use. The American’s aren’t as powerful as they think. Their confidence is derived from their advanced technology. Without that advantage, they wouldn’t dare act recklessly. I intend to shatter their confidence! That is why I do not aim to beat the Seventh Fleet but I just need to defeat the fighter jet they think is the most advanced.” Xia Lei’s eyes glittered with excitement.

His target was the F35 fighter plane, the one that America called the most advanced fighter jet in the world!

Doot doot doot... Doot doot doot...

The satellite phone suddenly rang.

Xia Lei picked up. “It’s me.”

Yelena’s voice could be heard on the phone. “We’ve caught them, boss.”

“Where are you all now?” asked Xia Lei.

Yelena said, “We’re in a fishing village. Don’t worry, we’re safe here.”

How far is it from Dagua island?”

“Just over a hundred kilometres. Takes about two hours on a speedboat,” said Yelena.

Xia Lei looked at the smartwatch on his wrist. He magnified the satellite image on his watch and quickly found Yelena’s current position. “I see you. Prepare a fishing boat and set off in the direction of Dagua island at six. There’s a small island about a hundred and thirty kilometres from where you are now. We’ll meet there.”

“Wait, you’re asking me to prepare a fishing boat, do you...” Yelena said in surprise. “You intend to come to the Philippines?”

Xia Lei said, “Yes. After dealing with the two guys, I’ll go to the Philippines.

“That won’t do. It’s very dangerous!” said Yelena.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“I have my plans. Don’t worry about it, just follow my instructions.”

“Alright, we’ll talk when we meet. I’ll go prepare now. See you then.” Yelena hung up.

Xia Lei kept his satellite phone. “I need to talk to Brother Yu, get him to send a boat to bring us to this small island.” He left the hangar.

E’er Demutu said, “Why does he want to go to the Philippines? Isn’t it safer here?”

Tsukino Kyoko shrugged. “That’s his style.”

E’er Demutu said, “You probably know him better than me, you even know the shape of his...”

Tsukino Kyoko slid a dagger out of her sleeve, her eyes terrifyingly cold.

E’er Demutu smiled, not worried at all. “Kyoko, don’t think I don’t know what you did on the boat. I just acted as if I didn’t. If you touch me, I will ensure that everyone catches wind of this.”

As the hunter of the Zodiac team, the movement of every blade of grass would never escape his eyes nor ears. How could Tsukino Kyoko hide something like that when he was so close by?”

Tsukino Kyoko fell silent. “Uh, sell the sex supplies you mentioned to me. I’ll pay you ten thousand RMB.”

E’er Demutu and Tsukino Kyoko shook hands. “Deal.”