Chapter 217: Ace Pilot

“You don’t think I can actually beat those warplanes, do you?” Yang Bo looked at everyone’s expressions and asked playfully.

The three warplanes had this one locked down from all angles. If this one tried to resist, the other three would most likely attack.

Moreover, the enemy had used the main cannon from the underside of their warplane, where the defense was strongest, while the top of Yang Bo’s warplane was a weak point.

The other three planes were cunning—two approached from the sides of the canyon, while the third came in overhead, giving no chance for this warplane to react.

“We are from the Bounty Hunter Guild. Who are you?” The captain heard the voice on the public channel and immediately asked loudly.

“So what if you’re from the Bounty Hunter Guild? You’re all going to die here anyway. Who’s going to know we did it? Be smart and don’t move, or we’ll turn you into fireworks.” The enemy’s voice came over the public channel, filled with disdain.

Hearing this, the captain sneered. “Don’t think we don’t know who you are. We from the Bounty Hunter Guild never attack others first.”

“The Bounty Hunter Guild isn’t any better. The only reason you don’t attack others is that no one’s put up a bounty. If someone did, wouldn’t you rush to do whatever nasty deed was asked?” The enemy snapped back without any courtesy.

“If you dare move, we’ll blow you up. Also, hand over our people.” The enemy shouted again over the public channel.

“Do you take us for fools? If we hand them over, won’t you just attack us?” The captain asked coldly.

The enemy on the public channel laughed coldly. “We’ll settle scores once your people come out of the mine.”

Of course, Yang Bo’s side wasn’t stupid. There was no way they would let the hostages go just because the enemy said so. Holding them provided some guarantee of safety.

However, this wasn’t absolute. If they encountered a ruthless enemy, they might just kill the hostages immediately.

That possibility wasn’t out of the question. But if they didn’t release them, they could still take the gamble. Once they did, the enemy would just unleash full firepower.

“Why hasn’t the Bounty Hunter Guild sent more warplane support?” Yang Bo had a big question on his mind. He’d figured the Guild might have backup.

At that moment, one enemy warplane lowered its altitude, and four mechas jumped out from it.

These were fourth-generation mechas, around eight meters tall. They looked slightly sleeker than the third-generation ones.

“All those so-called regulations from the Alliance only apply to ordinary people.” The Alliance’s laws stated that only the military or military-authorized organizations could own warplanes and mechas.

Yet here were several warplanes. Though not the latest models, they were still warplanes.

“Since you’re not handing them over, we’ll dismantle your warplane.” The enemy said arrogantly over the public channel.

The four mechas wielded energy weapons. Everyone on Yang Bo’s warplane stayed quiet.

The situation was now highly unfavorable. If the enemy had only warplanes, they could still hold their own, but the presence of mechas tipped the scales.

“Is there any chance of escape?” The Fat Boss was starting to panic. After all, his team had taken down two of the enemy’s warplanes.

The value of two warplanes didn’t need to be said. Even older models bought on the Black Market were priceless. If their mechas dismantled the warplane, the whole team would be in deep trouble.

It would be better if the enemy only wanted money. But what if they had personal grudges against his family?

A family with such a long history was bound to have made some enemies over the years.

The captain shook his head. “There’s no way for us to escape.”

“Where’s your mothership? Why hasn’t it come to help?” The Fat Boss asked urgently.

“The mothership went elsewhere. It won’t be here for another ten days. Who would’ve thought such a powerful enemy would show up at the mine?” The captain sighed bitterly.

“I can also pilot the warplane. If you trust me, give me the manual and let me operate it alone. But you have to turn off the data recording system!” Yang Bo saw the situation was dire and decided to take matters into his own hands.

“Of course!” The captain immediately pulled up the manual system and turned off the data recording system, then stood up.

The captain also patted the co-pilot and pushed the bewildered man out of the cockpit.

Yang Bo sat down and carefully studied the manual. The captain didn’t seem surprised.

There were many models of warplanes, and even customized ones had vastly different controls for each variant.

The Bounty Hunter Guild’s warplanes were also modified and operated differently from the military’s standard ones.

Even in the military, every pilot would make their own modifications, just like how different gamers set their keyboards and mice to their unique preferences.

Seeing Yang Bo close the cockpit door, the Fat Boss and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

To them, someone like Yang Bo, who had lived long and seen much, probably knew how to do just about everything.

The enemy’s four mechas had gotten close to the warplane and were using their energy weapons to tear it apart.

Inside the warplane, alarms blared. Yang Bo’s memory was now also incredibly sharp.

The captain had already granted him full permissions. After Yang Bo got the controls, he immediately familiarized himself with it. He found it much simpler than piloting a mecha—it only had two control sticks. One for the flying, and one for the weapon systems.

Two of the mechas had jumped to the front of the warplane.

Yang Bo quickly mapped out in his mind the status of the current mechas and their positions on the warplane.

He moved the two control sticks slightly.

The warplane shuddered and the laser cannons twitched.

“Stop moving, or we’ll blow up your warplane.” The enemy shouted loudly over the public channel when they saw the warplane’s movements.

If it weren’t for the hostages onboard, they would’ve already destroyed the engines.

Though the alarms were nerve-racking, the Fat Boss and the others still felt a bit relieved.

“It seems like your company got bad intel too.” The captain said, turning to the Fat Boss.

“You’re no better off.”

“Whoever’s responsible back home will get an earful. This mine must be worth a fortune.”

“Do you want the data from the mine? We’re the ones who came up from it.” The Fat Boss decided to make some profit.

“Of course. Name your price.”

As they talked in the cockpit, Yang Bo couldn’t help but feel speechless. His boss was truly something else.

“Everyone, sit tight.” Yang Bo moved the two control sticks again and immediately understood the mechanics behind them.

Yang Bo then double-checked the data recording system and the black box. They were indeed shut off.

“Modified warplanes have their perks!” A military warplane wouldn’t have allowed these systems to be disabled because the military was subject to other departments’ oversight.

In contrast, the Bounty Hunter Guild’s warplane could disable such systems. If they didn’t, the recorded data could easily be used against them in court.

After Yang Bo announced this over the broadcast, everyone in the cockpit hurried to strap into their seats. As for the hostages, they were tossed into the storage area.

Outside, the four mechas continued tearing through the warplane’s armor, leaving deep scars.

In the next second, the warplane’s engines suddenly roared to life. The public channel lit up with voices yelling, “Stop moving, damn it!”

At the same time, the laser cannons began to move. These warplanes were modified versions, completely different from the ones used by the military.

The next second, Yang Bo’s warplane drifted right as the enemy’s three warplanes opened fire with their laser cannons.

But just as quickly, Yang Bo’s warplane lurched left, darting upwards like a leaf in the wind. Though it was rising through the air.

Meanwhile, the enemy’s warplanes weren’t doing so badly either. Two of their mechas, clinging to Yang Bo’s warplane, were thrown off and hit by their own side’s laser fire.

Now the warplane moved like a dustpan, tossing the remaining two mechas up into the line of fire from the three other warplanes.

The mechas onboard Yang Bo’s warplane hadn’t even realized what had happened before they were thrown into the crossfire.

“Damn it! Auto-fire!” The captains of the three enemy warplanes were dumbfounded. How had they hit their own allies?

And just then, Yang Bo’s warplane opened fire. With a sudden drift to the right and a roll, the main cannon under the fuselage fired. The enemy warplane at the top tried to evade by rolling away.

But its roll had it facing directly into Yang Bo’s cannon. The pilot’s cabin was pierced, and the warplane crashed, exploding in a fiery blaze.

The other two enemy warplanes retaliated with laser fire, but their cannons were on a controlled output. Yang Bo’s main cannon attack had been charged much longer.

The main cannon was under the warplane’s belly, while two auxiliary cannons were mounted on top.

After another roll, Yang Bo’s warplane pushed its engines to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Enemy laser fire quickly followed.

The planet’s thin atmosphere caused the dust kicked-up by the engines to fall quickly.

Laser weapons struggled in these ditions. The dust reduced their effectiveness.

So, while Yang Bo’s warplane was hit, the damage was less than expected. And since he exposed only the plane’s belly to the enemy, its strongest defensive point absorbed the brunt of the attack.

A warplane’s belly was its most fortified area since they typically faced ground targets.

Yang Bo’s warplane flew upside-down through the canyon, kicking up more dust, which shielded them from the incoming laser fire.

In the rear cabin, the Fat Boss and others felt like their world was spinning. They could also hear the screams of the hostages, who were tumbling in the storage area, having not been secured.

“I don’t even need to use my Optical Ability.” Yang Bo sighed in relief. His theory had been proven correct. Piloting the warplane didn’t require speed; it required foresight.

He built a mental map of the battlefield and used it to predict the enemy’s movements and his own next steps.

After which, Yang Bo made his plane dive back into the cloud of dust he had kicked up.

These thin-atmosphere planets, lacking protective layers, left surface dust exposed to long-term radiation, giving it interference properties.

The dust acted as something of a shield.

The two chasing warplanes continued firing, but the dust cloud made their radar readings inaccurate.

By the time they realized where Yang Bo’s plane was, it was too late.

The two enemy warplanes split to avoid a collision, but Yang Bo immediately accelerated, ramming straight into one.

Seeing Yang Bo coming straight for him, the enemy pilot jerked his control stick to the right and rolled, trying to escape downward.

But Yang Bo’s warplane spun as well.

The two warplanes barely grazed each other. Yang Bo ascended, while the enemy descended in a spin.

But the enemy pilot lost control, crashing headlong into the canyon floor.

The remaining enemy captain was utterly stunned.

“Damn it!” He cursed, hearing his comrade’s voice in the comms.

Only then did the captain realize that when their warplanes crossed paths, Yang Bo had swiped the top of his ally’s cockpit with his aircraft’s wing, slicing it open.

The other pilot scrambled to put on his protective suit as the cockpit was now exposed to the vacuum.

Then, his warplane shook violently before spiraling out of control and crashing straight into the canyon.

“Report! We’ve encountered an ace pilot!” the last enemy captain shouted, hitting the emergency button as his plane plummeted.

In dogfights, everything hinged on the pilot’s skill. This captain had been confident in his evasive maneuvers, sure that Yang Bo couldn’t hit him.

Automated targeting systems were mostly useless in close dogfights.

This is because they rely on radar to track the enemy’s movements before firing.

Though AI can predict movements to some extent, every pilot’s reactions are different. Some dodge left, some right, and some pull up.

Unless they gather big data from a specific pilot’s maneuvers, the AI predictions will always have a low success rate.

But human logic and prediction are entirely individual, making dogfights all about personal skill.

Like goalkeepers in soccer, it all depends on how accurately they predict the play. Guess right, and they win. Guess wrong, and it’s all over.

Pilots constantly predict each other’s actions—one maneuvering to evade as the other attacks. If the evading pilot predicts correctly, the tables turn for a counterattack.

Each warplane has its vulnerabilities, and it’s all about who exposes the other’s weak points first.

That’s why nobody bothers using auto-targeting in dogfights—it can’t guarantee a hit on critical points.

Dogfights are battles of constant positioning, predicting the enemy’s next move, and aiming for a kill when the moment is right.

Yang Bo’s maneuvering had just taken out two enemy warplanes in one go. When he rammed one of them, he used the strongest part of his warplane’s wing to strike its pilot’s cabin.

Not only that, but he also predicted the enemy’s movements and exploited their warplane’s weaknesses.

Such mastery was beyond the abilities of ordinary pilots.

Anyone like him on the battlefield was the most dangerous, as they could predict the movements of multiple warplanes at once.

Clearly, Yang Bo had performed at that kind of elite level just now!

“Hurry and go retrieve the hostages.” Yang Bo’s voice suddenly echoed in the cockpit.

The Fat Boss and others exchanged glances. How long had it been? They immediately sprang into action, rushing to the hatch. As it opened, they moved into the transition chamber. Once the inner door closed, the outer one opened.

When they got outside, they were stunned by what they saw. Three enemy warplanes were down—two had crashed into the ground, while one was burning in the distance. The two mechas stood frozen, not daring to move. After all, Yang Bo’s warplane had its main cannon locked onto them.

“That guy’s a monster!” Several people spoke at the same time—the Fat Boss, Yang Bo’s warplane captain, the Bounty Hunter Guild president on March Planet, and the mothership captain, still in orbit aboard a heavily-modified small transport ship.

The Fat Boss and his group rushed out, quickly capturing nine people.

The nine captives looked pale, and some were seriously injured. Fortunately, the warplane’s medkit had proper treatments available.

“You don’t have any more warplanes left?” The Fat Boss threatened the enemy captain with his energy weapon.

“We have five warplanes.” The enemy captain, hearing the Fat Boss’s tone, answered irritably.

Only now did the Fat Boss realize that fighting a force with five warplanes wasn’t a small matter. After all, these were warplanes.

“Serves you right! We’re here on a job, not to steal your mine. You attacked us first!” The Fat Boss slapped the man.

“We didn’t know who you were! And anyway, do you think you’ll be allowed to leave with the mine’s data?” The man didn’t dare retaliate after being hit, but he still explained.

“Sir, their mothership captain wants to talk with us.” The warplane captain received a message from the enemy and reported to Yang Bo for instructions.

Thank you for the concern. Back to full health now. I tried writing 200 words yesterday but felt terrible. Took some medicine and was practically out cold. Slept until midnight, woke up full of energy, and wrote this chapter. The second one will come by noon.

Thanks for everyone’s concern, truly appreciate it.