You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"There's no 'what if'. Since I dared to go, I'm confident I can escape. Don't forget, I chose the fastest armor and the 'Swiftness' potion. If I can't beat them, can't I outrun them? My goal is to draw fire, create chaos, and create opportunities for Luanhuang and the others, not to fight them to the death."

If I sense something is wrong, or if Luanhuang and the others successfully infiltrate, I will immediately disengage.

He then looked at the river.

"Minister Jiang, your decoy team should also be careful. If you discover that the enemy is moving a large number of elite troops in our direction, your pressure may decrease, but you should also be wary of them setting a trap for you. Our communications must be kept open and we must keep you updated on the situation at all times."

Jiang He took a deep breath, suppressing the shock and worry in his heart.

He had to admit that although Chen Yang's plan was risky, the chances of success were indeed much higher than the original plan.

He nodded heavily.

"Alright! We'll do as Sect Leader Chen says! Sect Leader Chen, you must be careful! Remember, your safety is the top priority! Luanhuang, True Man Huang, Night Owl, your tasks are equally arduous. You must seize the opportunity created by Sect Leader Chen and the feint team to find out as much as possible about the situation inside the stronghold!"

"Yes!"

Luanhuang and Huang Zhenren solemnly obeyed the order.

"So."

Jiang He glanced at his watch and said in a deep voice.

"Time is right. 7:40 PM. The feint team will depart promptly at 7:50 PM! The reconnaissance and infiltration team, Chief Chen, you will depart at 8:20 PM, crossing the Gobi Desert!"

The Phoenix Team departs at 8:30 AM, traversing the ancient riverbed! Operation codename—'Falcon'! Wishing everyone a successful mission and a safe return!

"Operation Falcon, commence!"

"It's done!"

Su Meng handed the modified detector back to Chen Yang.

"Sect Leader Chen, the highest command authority for these twenty 'Shadow Hunter-III' tactical androids has been bound to your personal channel. They now only obey your commands. You can command them through thought commands, preset tactical commands, or direct voice commands."

Chen Yang took the detector and put it back on. He immediately felt twenty faint but clearly perceptible "connection points" appear in his sea of ​​consciousness.

With a slight thought, he looked at the row of androids standing solemnly and tried to give them instructions in his mind.

"Everyone, take three steps forward."

"Click, click, click..."

The twenty androids moved in perfect unison, taking three steps forward with the precision of a single person, their metal feet striking the ground with a dull, rhythmic sound.

"interesting."

Chen Yang smiled slightly; this feeling of being able to control his own arm was indeed convenient.

He then tested several simple tactical commands, such as dispersing, assembling, and forming guard formations, which the androids executed perfectly with almost zero delay.

"I also loaded their firepower configuration and tactical modules with a standard package, including precision firing, fire suppression, area control, and breaching cover. You can access the specific details through the detectors or give verbal commands during operations; their built-in AI has a very strong understanding capability."

Su Meng added, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes as she watched Chen Yang skillfully operate the system. An ordinary person would need at least half a day of intensive training to become familiar with this command system, yet Chen Yang grasped its essence in just a few minutes.

"That's enough. The decoy doesn't need complicated tactics. As long as it makes a big enough noise and looks real, that's fine."

Chen Yang nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze to the aircraft area.

"Where is the 'vehicle' I chose?"

"It's already been moved to the takeoff platform."

Su Meng led Chen Yang to a more open area next door.

A streamlined, matte black aircraft, its shape somewhere between a jet plane and a futuristic shuttle, was quietly parked there.

It has no obvious wings, and its fuselage has smooth and powerful lines, with several vectoring nozzles below.

"This is the 'Peregrine Falcon-Speed' individual assault vehicle."

It can reach a top speed of Mach 4.5, boasts excellent low-altitude penetration capabilities, and its stealth coating effectively evades most radar and psionic detection. The control system combines neural links and manual control; the detector you wear serves as the primary interface.

Su Meng patted the cold fuselage.

"However, Sect Leader Chen, I must remind you again that its overload at its maximum speed is extremely terrifying. Even enhanced special forces soldiers must use anti-G suits and enhancement drugs to withstand it. You really... don't need to do some more acclimatization training?"

Chen Yang didn't answer, but walked directly to the "Peregrine" and placed his hand on the hatch sensor area. The hatch slid open silently like mercury, revealing a small cockpit that could only accommodate one person.

He got in, and the hatch closed. Inside, there was no complicated instrument panel, only a curved transparent display screen and two simple joysticks.

The moment Chen Yang put on the helmet connected to the seat, the display screen lit up, and information such as the surrounding environment, flight parameters, and weapon status flooded into his senses like a flowing stream, complementing the connection between his consciousness and the detector he was wearing.

He tried to imagine "ascending," and the nozzles beneath the aircraft immediately lit up with a ghostly blue light, levitating lightly and steadily. He imagined "moving forward," and the aircraft silently glided forward, turning, rolling, and stopping abruptly... all the maneuvers were incredibly responsive, as if they had become an extension of his own body.

"Indeed, the connection of consciousness is much more intuitive than pure manual control."

Chen Yang's voice came through the communication channel, tinged with excitement.

The aircraft's reaction speed was much faster than his sword flight, especially in close-range maneuvers.

"Adapt? I think it's very obedient."

Su Meng watched from the ground as the "Peregrine Falcon" performed various maneuvers that almost defied the laws of physics. Her eyelids twitched, but in the end, she could only sigh in admiration.

"...Sect Leader Chen, you're amazing. It seems my worries were unnecessary. The aircraft's weapon system mainly consists of a lightweight 'Breaking Qi' rapid-fire cannon located below the nose, which is quite effective against energy shields and physical targets."

Alternatively, you can mount small air-to-ground missiles or bombs, but since the objective of this mission is to lure the enemy and create chaos, I suggest you mount 'swarm' decoy flares and high-explosive incendiary bombs. They have a wide coverage area and are highly visible.

"We'll go with the configuration you suggested."

Chen Yang maneuvered the "Peregrine Falcon" to a smooth landing and opened the hatch.

"It's almost time. Equip me. Do those androids have the ability to fly?"

"They have the ability to jump and glide short distances, but they can't fly long distances at high speeds like you. However, they can activate their back thrusters."

They can maneuver at high speeds on the ground, no slower than off-road vehicles, and are even more agile. I will arrange transport planes to drop them to your pre-set assembly coordinates on the edge of the Gobi Desert, where they will await your signal.

Su Meng answered while directing the ground crew to load ammunition onto the "Peregrine Falcon".

"it is good."

Chen Yang checked the synchronization time on the probe; there were less than twenty minutes left before his planned departure time. "Tell Minister Jianghe and Luanhuang that I'm ready and will proceed as planned."

"Understood. Sect Leader Chen, be careful. Your safety is the top priority."

Su Meng said solemnly.

Chen Yang smiled and sat back in the "Peregrine" cockpit. The canopy closed, and his eyes beneath the helmet sharpened.

"If you're going to use bait, you have to be prepared to be bait. Don't worry, it won't be that easy to keep me here."

A few minutes later, the fully loaded Peregrine Falcon trembled slightly on the takeoff platform, its dark blue tail flames erupting out before transforming into a black lightning bolt that silently pierced the thick night and sped off toward the Gobi Desert in the northwest.

Almost simultaneously, within the base, a medium-sized transport plane carrying twenty "Shadow Hunter" androids that had entered a silent standby state took off in another direction to carry out an airdrop mission.

Su Meng watched Chen Yang disappear into the horizon, then immediately turned and returned to the underground command center.

The area is already bustling with activity. The huge curved main screen is divided into several areas, each displaying the real-time location of one of the three teams.

Satellite surveillance footage and dynamic energy scans of the target area were displayed. Dozens of uniformed operators sat at their respective control consoles, monitoring the data in a tense but orderly manner.

"Reporting to Director Su, the feint team has arrived at the pre-established position outside 'Vulture Rock' and is deploying. They are in good condition."

"Report: The infiltration team has entered the ancient riverbed area. The signal is weak but stable, as expected."

"Master Chen's signal... has entered the edge of the Gobi Desert. The signal has entered low-detectability mode as planned and is tracking the beacon."

"No abnormal energy movement was detected outside the target stronghold; the alert level remains normal."

The information was compiled and sent to Su Meng.

She sat down at the central command post and pulled up Chen Yang's planned route map and high-altitude satellite images. On the images, the beacon representing Chen Yang was moving rapidly across a vast, almost completely unobstructed, gray-yellow Gobi Desert, like a lonely shooting star.

"Truly, skill and daring go together..."

Su Meng muttered to herself. Sending a precious ally and sect leader on such a dangerous decoy mission kept her on edge.

But she also knew that this was the option with the highest chance of success.

She picked up the dedicated communicator and connected to Jianghe's channel.

"Minister Jiang, Chief Chen has departed and is moving deep into the Gobi Desert as planned. The infiltration team is also in position. How are things on your end?"

Jiang He's deliberately lowered voice came through the communicator, mixed with the slight sound of wind.

“We’ve already gotten right under the nose of the ‘Vulture Rock’ outpost.”

Those bastards are quite vigilant; they've deployed vibration sensors and low-altitude detection drones around the perimeter. However, our 'Shadow Stalker' nodes are performing well and haven't been detected yet.

"Just wait until exactly eight o'clock, then set off a big firecracker for them to hear. As for Chen Yang... you must keep a close eye on him. If anything seems amiss, don't ask for permission, immediately activate the emergency response plan!"

"understand!"

Su Meng answered decisively, then switched channels and contacted Luanhuang.

"Luanhuang, what's the situation on your end?"

The phoenix's voice carried a unique calmness mixed with the crackling of electrical current, clearly indicating a complex environment.

"The ancient riverbed was more rugged than expected, with some sections having quicksand and collapses, which slightly affected the travel speed, but it was still within a controllable range."

We have shut down most of our active detection systems and are advancing using visual and passive sonar. We expect to arrive at the final observation point 15 to 20 minutes later than originally planned. Has there been any movement from Master Chen's side?

"He has entered the Gobi Desert and everything is normal at the moment. Please remain silent and prioritize safety. Await the signal."

Su Meng gave instructions.

"Received. We will be in place as soon as possible."

Luanhuang ended the call.

Su Meng put down the communicator, her gaze fixed intently on the main screen. Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the command center grew increasingly tense. Only a few minutes remained until 8:00 AM, when the feint team would launch its first harassment attack.

Above the Gobi Desert, Chen Yang piloted the "Peregrine Falcon" at a low altitude of less than 100 meters above the ground. The powerful airflow was smoothly parted by the aircraft's force field, and the cockpit felt almost no turbulence. Below, the desolate landscape rushed past.

The exposed rock strata, huge weathered gravel, and dried-up riverbed, under the dim starlight and the peregrine falcon's own weak night vision illumination, presented a deathly gray tone.

The detector clearly projected the terrain within a radius of tens of kilometers into his perception. At the same time, the state of the twenty androids was like twenty small dots of light, indicating that they had been successfully airdropped into the designated assembly area and were approaching him at extremely high ground speed.

"The speed is about right."

Chen Yang checked the coordinates; he was already deep in the Gobi Desert, less than twenty kilometers from the outer warning zone of the target outpost. According to the plan, he needed to be detected by the enemy's detection system "just in time" here.

He deliberately increased the altitude of the aircraft slightly, while slightly reducing the shielding strength of the "Shadowman" node on his own energy fluctuations—like a cautious but not invincible infiltrator.

He knew that a force like the Men in Black would never rely solely on conventional surveillance outside their own stronghold.

Sure enough, less than a minute after his altitude change, the detector suddenly issued a slight warning—a subtle energy fluctuation with a scanning nature spread out from somewhere underground in front of him, like an invisible tentacle, sweeping across the airspace where he was!

"coming."

Chen Yang's spirits lifted. He neither dodged nor avoided the attack. Instead, he manipulated the "Peregrine Falcon" to make a slightly hasty evasive maneuver, as if he had just realized he was being scanned and was trying to lower his altitude to avoid it.

Almost simultaneously, the twenty android dots he sensed also entered the edge of a certain range.

He immediately issued the command through his mind.

"All units, activate active detection, standard tactical formation, and rapidly converge on my coordinates! Create a disturbance!"

The moment the command was issued, somewhere in the Gobi Desert more than ten kilometers away, the red lights in the eyes of twenty androids lit up simultaneously, and the small thrusters on their backs spewed flames, and they began to rush forward wildly across the ground, raising a large cloud of dust.

Following their programmed sequence, they began intermittently emitting low-power probe beams into the air, the roar of their engines and the sound of their metallic feet treading on gravel carrying far into the silent Gobi night.

Chen Yang himself controlled the "Peregrine Falcon," performing irregular and slightly panicked zigzag maneuvers in the air, as if trying to break free of the lock-on while simultaneously not wanting to get away immediately, displaying superb acting skills.

“Beep beep beep—!”

Inside the command center, several red flashing icons suddenly lit up on the screens monitoring the energy response in the target area, and a piercing alarm sounded.

"Report! High-energy reactions detected in the Gobi Desert region northwest of the target base! Multiple high-speed moving signals! One of the signals has a very high energy level, suspected to be from a high-level cultivator or a high-energy vehicle!" (End of Chapter)