Changkong Fighter

Chapter 268 Retrieving the Wreckage
Buzz!

On the large flatbed of the 076 helicopter, a Z-18 transport helicopter was ready for takeoff. Several ground crew members were crouching on one side of the helicopter, and the airflow generated by the rotating rotor made them a little unsteady.

The cabin door opened, and one by one, members of the Jiaolong Commando Team, dressed in diving suits and carrying underwater rifles, crawled into the cabin. After a squad of personnel was ready, the helicopter took off from the large flat panel and flew towards the distant sea.

Inside the cabin, the team members checked each other's equipment and, after confirming that the equipment was in good working order, waited to arrive over the target area.

On the distant sea, the Type 2 ship that had fallen into the water was leaking inside and ran aground in the shallow water. The 054A frigate launched a small boat and headed towards the location of the shipwreck.

Upon approaching the area where Type 2 sank, the divers on board made a gesture, and several divers, sitting on the side of the small boat, leaned back and plunged into the water with a splash, then moved closer to the sunken Type 2.

Sunlight pierced the sea surface, illuminating the shallow waters and revealing coral reefs on the seabed, where various fish swam. However, a man-made object disturbed the underwater creatures. After the initial ripples subsided, all sorts of fish curiously approached the object, wanting to know if the contents were edible, how to eat them, and if they tasted good.
However, just as these underwater creatures were about to enter through the holes drilled into the Type 2 surface to taste what the alien squid tasted like, some uninvited guests suddenly approached, driving away the surrounding marine life, and the divers carefully examined the alien spacecraft that had fallen into the water.

Under the sunlight, the surface of the crashed spacecraft glowed with a seven-colored halo. The light was refracted by the material. When the divers carefully examined the alien spacecraft, they found that the impact points were almost all in the "cockpit". The surface armor was smashed by machine guns, and the semi-armor-piercing grenades exploded inside, forming dense holes on the surface, just like holes in cheese.

It seems the alien pilots inside have turned into aliens, since based on current contact, it's impossible for an alien's body to withstand a 30mm machine gun.

Seawater poured into the cockpit through the hole. The divers communicated with hand gestures, and then a severed tentacle slowly floated out of the hole. They quickly used a net to scoop it up and shooed away any fish that tried to approach.

After placing the tentacles into a container to prove that the alien had indeed been destroyed, some divers checked the condition of the Type 2 creature that had fallen into the water in preparation for the subsequent salvage operation, while others collected the squid's limbs and tissues.

On the sea, a Z-18 helicopter that took off from the 076 flew to the area around the sunken ship, opened the hatch, and the Jiaolong Commando team that arrived later entered the water one by one.

Pfft!
Pfft!
Several people entered the water one by one and joined the salvage team. Not far away, the 054A frigate observed the surrounding sea. A large ship appeared in his field of vision. It was the Dongda Comprehensive Supply Ship.

"Has a salvage plan been finalized?"

"We are preparing to use the buoy salvage method."

After being inflated underwater, the sunken ship floats on the water surface due to buoyancy. Its buoyancy is high, underwater salvage is reliable, and construction is relatively convenient. Moreover, this type 2 ship is very small in size, making it very suitable for being brought up directly in this way.

"Get ready."

Soon, with the addition of more personnel, the buoys were inflated, and the buoyancy provided lifted the Type 2 buoys from the seabed, eventually breaking through the surface and rising and falling with the waves.

Several members of the Jiaolong Commando Unit stood guard around the perimeter. A technician used a pinhole camera to probe the interior of the Type 2 aircraft's escape capsule. As the light on the camera turned on, the bright light illuminated the dim interior, revealing murky seawater with floating tissue fragments of varying sizes. A squid eyeball swept across the lens, staring intently at the camera.

The command center is located far away at the University of Tokyo.

"How do we transport this?"

Unlike the escape pod that contained Rupa last time, this time it's a relatively complete Type 2, which can't be placed on the deck of the 054A. As for the barge, it would probably be submerged in the sea the whole way, and who knows if it would have irreversible damage to the spacecraft's internal mechanisms? Moreover, if the aliens "dissolve in water," it would be even more troublesome. "Which large ship is closest to the crash site?" the commander asked in a deep voice.

"Reporting to the commander, it's 076."

"076"

Listening to the adjutant's report, the commander pondered. Although the Type 2 had been shot down, if it were salvaged and placed on the through deck of the 076, no one knew if there would be any problems. He looked down at the think tank seats below.

When it comes to risk, these people are the experts.

"Would there be any risks in placing it on 076?"

Upon hearing the commander's question, the think tank members below began to exchange ideas and, after a thorough discussion, reached a conclusion.

"Report to the commander: The satellite was hoisted onto the 076 deck in a short time and will not have any impact on it. After underwater exploration by divers, it can be confirmed that the individual inside and outside the cockpit was killed by an armor-piercing shell, and the inside of the escape capsule was damaged."

The last crisis in the Ryukyu Islands was caused by researchers from other countries who were too eager for quick results and rashly activated the escape pods. They didn't know whether they were actually escape pods or deliberately prepared traps.

However, as things stand, this Type 2 aircraft is no longer in any danger.

"First transfer them to 076, then transport them to the Guam military base!"

"Yes! Commander!"

After receiving instructions, Dongda University went to great lengths, with the cooperation of multiple Z-18 helicopters, to finally hoist the Type 2 vessel onto the through-deck of the 076 and place it in a maintenance area that would not interfere with the catapult launch of fighter jets.

Liu Jun stood on the bridge, watching the ground crew untie the ropes, and several Z-18 helicopters quickly spread out. His gaze fell on the Type 2 helicopter, which looked more flamboyant.

Several nets were placed over the holes fired by the GSH30-2 machine gun. As seawater poured out, some "scattered" items were caught in the nets. These seawater-contaminated tissues were then placed in a box, while the seawater was collected in a large bucket, ready to be taken back to search for more details.

Suddenly, with a snap, several long, thin objects were also caught by the net. Although they were some distance away, Liu Jun could still see clearly what they were—the kind of emergency food that Rupa injects into the body.

Then, as more and more seawater poured out from inside, another thing that Liu Jun was somewhat familiar with appeared—a "key" that was somewhat similar to the symbol Rupa had given him, except that the key was more complex than Rupa's.

If we follow the promotion ceremony Rupa described, wouldn't that mean Liu Jun has been promoted again?
Meanwhile, this scene was also observed by the camera next to him. After seeing the "energy bar" and the "key", the old leader leaned back slightly in his chair, seemingly deep in thought.

(End of this chapter)