Darkstone Code-Chapter 849 - 847: This Is Mr. Lynch
"Are you certain that there are two identical aircraft?"
The lieutenant colonel sitting in the vehicle repeated the question several times, and the second lieutenant sitting in the front seat nodded cautiously, "Yes, sir!"
The lieutenant colonel frowned and said nothing more.
Actually, the development of private aircraft has never stopped. Previously, the military also sponsored some civilian scientists to research these things, but there has never been any effective result.
The aircraft they produced can indeed fly, there is no question about that; otherwise, the military, already limited in budget, would not waste money everywhere.
But the problem is these aircraft can’t land once they’re airborne, and that’s the biggest issue.
In ten attempts to land, often more than half end up crashing; even seven or eight out of ten aircraft end up with landing issues.
The military cannot devote more energy and funds to such dangerous disposable toys. Instead, they are more inclined towards various balloons and airships.
Airships are just a concept and haven’t been applied in practice, whereas the technology of various rapid ascent balloons has matured.
The most common observation balloon can take a soldier up to at least fifteen meters from the ground in merely twenty seconds. If the rope is longer and more time is given, it can ascend to nearly sixty meters in about a minute!
Equipped with a walkie-talkie and binoculars, one can effectively observe areas beyond the ground personnel’s line of sight, and this thing is very cheap.
Combining some chemical products, at most, a few hundred bucks can send someone skyward.
But aircraft are a hassle, requiring engines, which aren’t cheap. Together with the overall structure, they can crash just like that, costing tens of thousands of dollars, endangering the warrior’s life.
Although balloons look dangerous, they aren’t particularly risky; they have an emergency system to prevent the scout’s life from being jeopardized by a rapid fall after the main balloon ruptures.
One may end up breaking a leg in the end, but the difference between having a leg and not having one doesn’t matter much to balloon scouts—this is speaking of being in the sky.
It might be inconvenient on the ground, but it’s definitely better than losing one’s life.
For various reasons, aircraft have never received recognition and attention from the military, even though they are developing rapidly, and the entire industry is quite flourishing.
The lieutenant colonel was reporting work. The highest commanding officer on duty in Bupen War Zone is a Federation Army major general, and every day, the officers must report the day’s work plan to the major general.
This is routine work. It might feel annoying, but it can’t be ignored, especially in armies with particularly strict rules.
The subordinates suddenly reported that two aircraft flew one after the other over the warning zone and then returned, immediately catching the commander of the warning zone’s attention.
While he arranged for people to chase the aircraft, he also reported the situation to the Ministry of Defense and the Security Committee.
The warning zone’s role is to defend Bupen’s safety. If unidentified aircraft fly over the warning zone, no matter how one looks at it, it’s not a normal occurrence.
More crucially, the reporting soldiers said that their appearances looked identical, which is even more thought-provoking.
Many believe that master craftsmanship is valuable because even the same design cannot produce two completely identical works; they perceive those minor differences as an embodiment of one’s soul in craftsmanship.
If every item were entirely the same, then these things could only be soulless products of assembly lines, even though people once crazily pursued complete uniformity centuries ago.
Assembly line products imply the potential for mass industrial production.
Ordinary people might associate "assembly line" only with places where damn capitalists exploit workers, but for officers who have attended university and received modern education, this represents mature designs!
No one will introduce immature items to assembly lines unless they feel too rich and want to aid people needing work.
Mature designs indicate that they have at least solved most of the similar product issues currently, making mass production possible.
The lieutenant colonel even believes that this test flight might be preparing for the assembly line or could be the first batch of products from the assembly line.
Even if there are two or more aircraft, as long as they are not identical, the military district wouldn’t have such a big reaction!
"It seems they have landed!" the second lieutenant sitting at the front with a weapon exclaimed, and the lieutenant colonel immediately stood up and looked towards the distant sky.
After flying two circles in the sky, the two aircraft began to descend. He felt slightly anxious inside, "Speed up and hurry over."
When the lieutenant colonel flew out of the dense forest, the two aircraft were stably parked at the end of a runway.
"Who are you?"
The lieutenant colonel asked loudly, while the soldiers also got off the vehicles. Although their weapons were not raised, they were ready at all times.
Not far from him, a group of people stood together. Some lab coat-wearing "doctors" surrounded a young person, with some folks who clearly carried a military aura around them.
Their sudden appearance made those who seemed dangerous even more dangerous.
This phenomenon made the lieutenant colonel somewhat nervous. He whispered to the second lieutenant beside him, "Request support..."
A bit cowardly, but there was no choice; he sensed a kind of elite aura from those people opposite him. It’s a kind of... hard to describe feeling.
Just by seeing those people, a voice in his brain said, "These people are not to be messed with."
In the center of the crowd, a young man took out a small piece of paper and handed it to a lady beside him.
The lady walked straight towards them, and from about twenty meters away, she gave a military salute.
This military salute slightly eased the lieutenant colonel, "I am a lieutenant colonel of the Warning Zone..."
He reported his name.
Austin spoke in almost the same tone, "Former Federation soldier Austin. This is what my boss asked me to give you. He knows your purpose of coming here..."
After Austin demonstrated that he had no intention of harming anyone and did nothing to cause misunderstanding, he was allowed to approach the lieutenant colonel.
Finally, the lieutenant colonel took a business card from her hand, and there was a moment of disorientation.
It only had Lynch’s name and several phone numbers, nothing else, not even a typed name—Lynch had signed it himself.
Compared to other people’s business cards loaded with various titles—either a manager or a company president—this card was overly simple.
Yet, no one could truly treat it as a simple business card because it bore a name that couldn’t be ignored.
"Is he... Mr. Lynch?"
Austin smiled faintly and nodded, "Yes."
The lieutenant colonel didn’t know Lynch, which sounded unbelievable, but this was exactly the current state of the Federation Army.
To confront an enemy that has never appeared, the Army’s training is almost as rigorous as the Navy’s, and to prevent the corruption of military conduct, the army has become an independent small society outside of the general society.
They have their own newspaper—The Federal Army Newspaper.
They have their own TV programs—Military Observation, Defense News, etc.
They have their own series, some drama series about war.
They don’t interact much with the outside world; some high-ranking military officers believe that overly lax camp environments would turn soldiers into layabouts like Gafura’s army.
Gafura’s soldiers don’t wake up until nine in the morning; they have afternoon tea, and weekends off to attend clubs and salons.
They have shown the Federation people with facts that to have a fighting army, it must remain independent.
This is one reason why many veterans have to go through the Veterans’ Club to reintegrate into society after retiring①.
So, in a relatively closed environment, people don’t have the spontaneous desire to follow social external information closely, nor do they have channels.
They may know that there is a remarkable young man called Lynch, but they can never connect this name with a face in their minds.
Until this moment...
"Mr. Lynch asked me to tell you that if anyone wants to discuss flying apparatus matters with him, they can contact him via the phone numbers here."
"Well then... goodbye, Lieutenant Colonel!" After saluting again, Austin left the area, followed by Lynch’s entourage immediately leaving here.
"Should we stop them, sir?" The lieutenant looked at the departing group with some indignation, upset that they dared to leave directly despite military intervention.
Having found out the "truth," the lieutenant colonel found it quite normal instead; Mr. Lynch not only had a strong network of connections, social status, wealth and such, but also close ties with the senior military officers.
As a lieutenant colonel with potential future promotion to an officer, he knew some inside information; he had good relations with Colonel Truman, and was on good terms with several Army major generals and Admirals.
Stopping him?
By tomorrow, the military police might be here to take them through the motions, and there would be no place to reason; the army is a closed autocratic society, and they would have to endure it.
"That is Mr. Lynch..."
The lieutenant’s puzzled gaze seemed to ask, "Can Mr. Lynch really do whatever he wants?"
But quickly, "Mr. Lynch" and the "Mr. Lynch" in the lieutenant’s mind gradually overlapped, his gaze also changed.
If it were anyone else, they might not have the right to do so.
But if he is "Mr. Lynch," then doing whatever he wants is his most basic right!
The group waited for a while until the Warning Zone’s reinforcements arrived, this time led by a colonel, bringing a whole unit!
However, evidently, they were being quite paranoid.
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①: Previously mentioned, Ferral’s father-in-law is the administrator of the Veterans’ Club, and he has always worked to help veterans reconnect with and integrate into society.
