Chapter 291

Chapter 291: Silencing Witnesses: AK Attack on the "Dark Sabre"

On the nearby sea, rescuers pulled up several Chinese fishermen onto two lifeboats, which struggled to get closer to the stranded Fishing Enforcement No. 303. A few "Filipino fishing boats" menacingly approached them, disregarding the guns on board, prepared to use force.

“Calling Dragon Knight, we have our lifeboats on the sea, please provide cover for us.”

“Dragon Knight received! Executing cover mission now.”

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

A towering column of water erupted as it surged towards the "Filipino fishing boats” closing in on the two pure white lifeboats.

The 30mm cannon shells were much more powerful than the 23mm bullets, almost equivalent to small shells, bursting and igniting, armor-piercing, and firing in a pre-set sequence.

Even the solid rounds could instantly turn a human body into a mass of flesh, and if it hit a boat, it would tear the "Filipino fishing boats" into countless fragments at sea as if they were made of dry grass.

It was as if a line between life and death had been drawn; a curved water column swept past the Chinese lifeboats, immediately sending the "Filipino fishing boats" into a panic, turning their bows away.

This was no joke; people could die here.

The J-15 "Dark Sabre" carrier-based aircraft flew at an extremely low altitude over the sea like a tiger rampaging through a flock of sheep, maneuvering between the "Filipino fishing boats." This was no longer just an aerial weapon; it was a real sea tank.

The Philippine patrol vessel "Del Pilar," the "Rajah Humabon" frigate, and four patrol boats began to lose their composure.

The two striking anti-ship missiles under the Chinese fighter’s wings sent chills of fear through them; this was not land, and they were not advanced vessels. One hit, and they would undoubtedly meet their doom, with nowhere to flee.

The main warships of the Philippine Navy were antiques, lacking missiles and armed only with cannons and anti-aircraft machine guns. The firepower was limited, and although only one fighter jet had come, its weaponry was enough to suppress all the Philippine vessels.

“Fools, do not aim, do not aim! I command you to disarm! If you want to die, don’t drag me with you!”

As he saw the crew of the "Del Pilar" moving the cannon and machine guns to aim at the "Dark Sabre," the Captain paled in fear. If they fired carelessly, regardless of accuracy, it would give China a complete excuse to retaliate.

This was completely different from accidentally aiming at a non-military Chinese vessel; this was an armed provocation. The Philippine warship lost its neutral position and put itself at risk.

The situation had changed. Although China maintained restraint, if a conflict broke out now, it would be deadly.

Three Chinese enforcement and monitoring ships could easily send those "fishing boats" straight to the seabed. This was a clear case of losing more than one gains; they would be left worse off than before.

The three Chinese maritime vessels clearly looked like modified warships, and who knew if weapons like missiles and artillery were hidden onboard, suddenly transforming them into deadly warships.

Proactive provocations had their limits and needed to stay within certain rules. The Filipinos wanted to provoke China into making a move that would justify their actions, but compared to their own lives, that mission seemed less significant.

As the Captain of the "Del Pilar" fumed at the foolish sailors, an unexpected situation arose. Someone on one of the "Filipino fishing boats" pulled out an AK-47 assault rifle and fired it into the sky, sending 7.62mm bullets chasing after the J-15 "Dark Sabre."

This sudden change caught the Philippine warships off guard. The fishing boat was posing as fishermen, not soldiers, and certainly not pirates.

Some dim-witted individuals would recklessly do foolish things without considering the consequences of their so-called smart actions.

The moment the gun fired, all eyes were on the "Dark Sabre," which seemed to have taken a performance-enhancing drug, suddenly climbing in altitude and evasively darting left and right; not a single bullet was able to hit its target, all shots wasted.

As if becoming weightless, the "Dark Sabre" quickly ascended to over five hundred meters, executing an agile turn, and as its nose pointed toward the sea, a line of fire shot down from the sky.

“Quick, stop those idiots! Get them to retreat! If they don’t, they’ll be dead! Those idiots brought guns!”

Seeing the sudden change of events, the Captain of the "Del Pilar" shouted frantically, his face devoid of color. In his view, he saw the fishing boat that had foolishly attacked the Chinese fighter jet being engulfed by the cannon barrage, its hull blown apart into countless fragments. A massive geyser of water obscured the surrounding view, and pieces of crimson mist continuously erupted—human blood, with bodies torn apart by bullets, never to be pieced together again.

“Retreat! We need to leave, now!”

Not only was the Captain of the "Del Pilar" screaming hysterically over the ship’s communication channel, but the Captain of the "Rajah Humabon" also realized the situation at that very moment and urgently ordered the engine room to increase power output.

Once the gun fired, everything changed.

Those "fishing boats" armed with AK-47s were definitely not fishermen; only a fool would believe that those weapons were meant for fishing.

If the Chinese capture these fishing boats and search them one by one, as long as they find firearms, they can immediately slap a piracy charge on them and then escalate the situation with the Philippine government. A large number of warships could then be sent to flatten the reefs that the Philippines had secretly occupied.

Even though this was a premeditated action, most of the people on board were not legitimate fishermen. Many were fools motivated by government instigation and money, while some were military personnel in disguise, gathered to deliver a lesson to the Chinese law enforcement vessels. After a few attempts, they hoped to scare the Chinese away, allowing them to claim the waters without any legitimate justification.

The two Captains of the Filipino warships wished they could first unleash their anti-aircraft machine guns on these intruders armed with firearms, before the Chinese launched any anti-ship missiles, and quickly leave the area.

Who knows if a war would break out because of this? Regardless, anyone who stayed would be the first to suffer.

For now, they could only push all the chaotic consequences onto the "fishing boats," which were destined to be sacrificed as pawns; they would have to pay the price for their foolishness and impulsiveness.

Impulsiveness is a devil!

Under the dense barrage of bullets, an entire fishing boat vanished into the sea, taking everyone on board with it—both on the Chinese and Philippine sides. There was no need for evidence; the video footage from the scene could prove everything.

In the panic, the Filipino fishing boats paid no heed to the three Chinese law enforcement ships, quickly scattering and turning to flee.

“These Filipino monkeys!” Lin Mo’s Light Mirror Technique continued to scan and found several military firearms still hidden on a few Filipino fishing boats. To say that those who besieged the Chinese enforcement ships and capsized a Chinese fishing vessel were ordinary Filipino fishermen was a lie only a fool would believe.

“Calling Dragon Knight! Cease fire!”

Suddenly, the audio signal from the training ship Shilang came through the radio channel, with Captain Bai Yaoping’s voice crackling in the headset.

“Dragon Knight is inbound!”

“Maintain armed deterrence and drive them away!”

“Orders confirmed! What if they continue to fire?”

“Then eliminate them! We will not initiate the attack!”

“Understood.”

Once Lin Mo received the defensive counterattack order from the bridge, he speculated that the impulsive actions of the Filipinos would be used by their superiors, allowing the government to gain the moral high ground, leaving the initiative in the hands of the Chinese side.

The “Dark Sabre,” in a diving attack posture, shook its wings and flew past the Filipino boats; in that fleeting moment, the Filipinos seemed to see the grim smile of death.

This had escalated, and a provocation had claimed lives, but the fault did not lie with the Chinese. Firing an AK at jet fighters was akin to courting death. Even a fool would know not to act so recklessly.

That plane in the sky was a weapon of destruction, not a toy for children.

If it were the Americans, they would have already bombarded the area with rocket pods, turning the sea into a fiery inferno; no fishing boat would escape.

In fact, such foolish acts were common in South Asia. Recently, Malaysian patrol boat KD Pari had chased down a Chinese enforcement vessel, even daring to lock missiles onto it. In the end, it ended in disaster with an explosion that nearly sank the ship.

In the Pacific Islands, Palau shot at Chinese fishermen and, due to navigation errors, lost a plane, trading three lives for one Chinese fisherman.

There were certainly many unexpected events; who could know?

With a sonic boom, waves crashing, and fiery trails, a J-15 "Dark Sabre" churned the sea into chaos. It was hard to imagine that this fast jet was not only responsive but also maneuvered with such agility. It could crash into the sea in an instant, yet this "Dark Sabre" made no mistakes, effortlessly gliding above the water like a nimble seagull.

The Filipino fishing boats scattered in panic; no one could focus on the original plan. Above them, a fighter jet roared overhead, and just the noise was unbearable, interrupted occasionally by sonic booms that made life impossible.

If someone displeased the pilot, they could just drop a string of bombs, sending everything to the depths, leaving no room for protest.

The audacity of the Filipinos had met a force that would not tolerate recklessness; in an instant, they sank into despair.