Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1018 Death Ascends
At the same moment, on the inky black sea below.

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier "Seagull," disguised as a rusty vessel, gently bobs on the waves.

The superstructure on the deck was deathly silent, except for a faint and eerie fluorescent glow coming from a porthole on the top floor of the bridge.

Iron Wolf's calloused fingers flew across the control panel, which was covered with buttons and screens.

On the central main screen, the breathtaking real-time footage generated by the "multi-satellite collaborative staring technology" is displayed—the viewpoint is as if suspended tens of thousands of meters in the air, taking in the entire refueling airspace.

The images are crystal clear: four F-15Is are like sharks circling the mothership, one of which is closely attached to the huge KC-707; the other three are patrolling and circling around it; the swaying of the tanker's tail cone, the hot exhaust from the fighter jet's tail nozzle, and even the reflection of the pilot's cockpit canopy are all faintly visible!
At the edge of the screen, a waterfall-like stream of data provides coordinates, height, and velocity vectors accurate to the meter.

"Target locked. Four F-15Is and one KC-707. Relative position parameters stable."

Iron Wolf's voice was hoarse and cold, like rusty gears turning.

Beside him, Vasily and several missile operators held their breath, fine beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

Behind them, in the center of the aft deck, which had previously appeared to be piled with miscellaneous items, the thick waterproof tarpaulin had been lifted, revealing menacing fangs—two quadruple SA-6 (2K12 Kub/SA-6 Gainful) anti-aircraft missile launchers.

The robust missile body gleamed with a cold, dark green luster under the dim light of the deck work lights.

The fire control radar antenna next to it was lying low and not yet turned on.

"Brother, are we really not going to turn on the radar now? Just relying on those eyes in the sky?"

Vasily's voice carried an barely suppressed tension and a hint of doubt.

Using decades-old missiles, guided by satellites, to attack one of the world's most advanced fighter jets sounds like a fantasy.

"The satellite provides initial coordinates and continuous mid-course corrections. At the terminal stage, radar illumination is required to provide precise continuous wave guidance."

Iron Wolf didn't turn his head, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"But you only get one chance. They're the slowest, the least mobile, and crammed together!"

他猛地按下控制台一个红色的按钮：“后甲板！准备发射！目标：锤子1号、锤子2号、锤子3号、锤子4号！顺序锁定！发射架仰角70度，方位角033！火控雷达——开机预热，听我指令准备照射！”

A muffled hydraulic hum could be heard from below deck.

The quadruple launcher slowly rose, its robust missile launch tubes pointing towards the dark night sky to the northeast.

Inside the fire control radar control cabin, the operator's finger hovered above the launch button, his heart pounding.

"Hammer 1, oil transfer complete. Disengage."

Ilan calmly issued the command and gently pulled back the control lever. The oil probe slid precisely out of the cone sleeve.

The fighter jet deftly detached from the refueling position, making room for the "Hammer 2".

His fuel gauge showed 98%.

"Hammer 2, begin docking."

The second F-15I began to smoothly approach the swaying cone.

Just as the pilots of "Hammer 2" were fully focused on the docking operation, and Ilan relaxed his tense nerves to prepare for formation reorganization—

Beep beep beep beep -! ! !
The piercing, sharp, metallic alarm instantly shattered the tranquility of the cockpits of all four F-15Is!
Inside the cabin, red lights flashed wildly! On the display screen of the AN/ALR-56M radar warning receiver (RWR), eight high-priority red fan-shaped indicators representing missile lock sources suddenly lit up, pointing directly at the sea surface below!

Next to the identifier flashed the cold letters—SA-6!

"Missile lock-on! Missile lock-on! Looking down! SA-6! Sea surface direction!"

Ilan's roar, filled with disbelief and horror, instantly exploded in the formation channel!
The hearts of all the pilots clenched suddenly!
"Impossible! This place is dozens of nautical miles from the coastline! They couldn't possibly launch an SA-6 from the sea!"

The pilot of "Hammer 3" sounded slightly flustered.

"ECM at full power! Release the decoys! Maximum density! Escape immediately! 'Cutlass', release the jamming! Maneuver to evade!"

Ilan practically roared the order, slamming the throttle to the floor as the fighter jet's engine roared deafeningly!

The AN/ALE-55 fiber-optic towed decoy (FOTD) under the wing was activated instantly, releasing a massive amount of infrared decoy flares and chaff!
In an instant, the tranquil night sky was completely ignited! Dozens and hundreds of incredibly hot infrared decoy flares, as bright as small suns, poured out from under the fuselages of four fighter jets and tanker aircraft, exploding into brief but dazzling orange-red orbs of light against the dark sky like the most frenzied fireworks of a festival!
At the same time, countless strips of metal foil, like a silver blizzard, spread out in the moonlight and firelight, forming huge interference clouds that could strongly reflect radar waves!

The entire refueling airspace has become a bizarre and deadly stage filled with deadly traps!

"Hammer formation! 'Cutlass'! This is Hammer 1! Multiple missiles launched! Repeat, multiple missiles launched! Directly below! Extremely fast! They...they are not affected by the decoys! God! They are still tracking us!"

The pilot of "Hammer 4" spoke with a tremor of extreme shock and fear. On his radar warning screen, the pointed indicators representing missiles were piercing through the chaff and decoy barrage, relentlessly pursuing their respective target signals without the slightest decrease in speed!

"This is impossible! How could the SA-6 possibly have such anti-jamming capabilities?!"

Ilan's pupils dilated in horror as he stared intently down below.

Through the cockpit glass, he could clearly see four slender beams of light trailing bright orange-red flames, tearing through the darkness at an astonishing speed and piercing the sky from the sea.

As if they were alive, they ignored the chaff and scorching decoys flying everywhere and charged resolutely toward the formation!

One of them was aimed directly at the massive KC-707 tanker aircraft, which was clumsily dropping bait and trying to speed away!
"'Cutlass'! Take evasive action! A missile is heading your way! Dive! Dive! Release all decoys!"

Ilan roared into the channel, her voice hoarse.

The tanker pilot clearly saw the deadly spear of death as well. The massive aircraft began to tilt and dive violently, spewing out a final, dense stream of decoy flares from its belly, like a swarm of desperate fireflies.

But it was too late.

The SAM-6 missile, like a precise scalpel, drew a cold, straight line across the night sky, instantly piercing through the brief brilliance created by the decoy flares—

boom! ! ! !

A massive, bright, and terrifying orange-red fireball, larger than all the previous decoy flares combined, exploded in the center of the KC-707's enormous fuselage!

The explosion instantly engulfed the massive silhouette of the refueling tanker, illuminating the surrounding sea and sky as if it were daytime! Shattered metal fragments and burning aviation fuel shot out in all directions like fireworks from hell, accompanied by a piercing whistle!
The massive shockwave even caused a formation of F-15Is several kilometers away to feel a violent tremor!
"Do not--!!!"

The desperate screams of F-15I pilots could be heard over the channel.

However, the disaster had only just begun.

The remaining beams of death did not cease in the slightest despite the destruction of the refueling aircraft.

They drew sharp arcs in the air, piercing through the turbulent airflow caused by the explosion and the still-lingering interference clouds, locking onto their respective targets—the three F-15Is that were desperately performing extreme maneuvers in an attempt to break free of the lock!

"Hammer 2! It's got you! Dive! Dive! Deploy flares!"

"I'm doing it! Damn it! I can't shake it off! It's still chasing me!"

"Hammer 3! Rise! Rise! Sharp turn!"

"G-force overload! My vision is about to go black!"

"Hammer 4! Missile approaching! 5 seconds! 4 seconds...!"

The pilots' cries echoed across the channel, creating a symphony of despair. They were pulling out all the stops, pushing the F-15I's formidable maneuverability to its limits.

The fighter jets performed violent barrel rolls, cobra maneuvers, extreme dives, and climbs in the air, with the roar of their engines tearing at the heart.

But no matter how they struggled, the three deadly beams from the sea, like maggots clinging to a bone, constantly corrected their trajectories under the precise guidance of satellites and terminal radar, closing the distance between them at a breathtaking speed!

Ilan watched helplessly as the missile's pointed designation rapidly enlarged on his RWR screen, and the alarm beeps became a series of piercing shrieks!

He yanked the control stick back all the way and slammed the rudder down. The fighter jet shuddered violently as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, and its nose pulled up instantly, climbing wildly at a near-vertical angle!
The immense G-force pressed his body firmly against the ejection seat, and his field of vision rapidly darkened and contracted at the edges, indicating the onset of G-force-induced loss of consciousness.

"Ugh—!"

He gritted his teeth and fought against the blackout, his adrenaline surging to its limit.

But just as his fighter jet was almost at its peak and its speed was decreasing sharply—

boom--! ! !
boom--! ! !
boom--! ! !
Three enormous fireballs, almost indistinguishable in number, burst forth in the frigid sky seven thousand meters above the ground, like three most alluring flowers of death offered to the Grim Reaper, under the dawn sky!

　This is the third update! We've surpassed 10,000 words today, so it's time for you all to cast your votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)