CHAPTER 98: DARK NIGHT, STRONG WINDS

At an altitude of ten thousand meters, above the cumulus clouds and below the ozone layer, it felt like being in a vast dimensional space. Everything around was pitch black, and the high-altitude winds howled incessantly.

One transport aircraft had been severely damaged, its body engulfed in roaring flames, resembling a small sun falling towards the ground. Not far from the wreckage, another single-seat fighter jet had lost control, spinning head-first, accelerating towards the clouds and the ground below, unnoticed.

“We’ve successfully destroyed the target transport aircraft!”

“Hover down and search for any enemy survivors.”

“Report, this is Murasaki Den-02… Ah!”

An abrupt scream resounded through the communication channel of the fighter jet squadron, but the next moment, it fell into complete silence.

“02’s pilot? What’s happening over there?” The Captain of the elite fighter jet squad furrowed his brow, inquiring over the intercom. “Respond if you hear me! 02, please reply!”

“Rustling…”

The ejected pilot from 02 couldn’t respond, and faint wind noise came through the connected channel.

“Captain, the instruments are no longer showing any signal from 02’s fighter jet. I’m afraid…” One of the pilots spoke, casting a shadow over the minds of the other five pilots, including Captain, who was a top ace pilot.

The Captain paused for a moment before raising his voice, “Stay vigilant! Confirm the surrounding airspace. Besides the destroyed transport aircraft, are there any other enemy fighter jets?”

His voice had just resonated on the channel when a sudden explosion roared through the high-altitude sky nearby. Another fighter jet, a companion of Captain, was unexpectedly hit, trailing thick smoke and intense flames from its tail as it plummeted to its demise.

“06’s fighter jet?!” The Captain exclaimed as the damaged fighter jet happened to be right beside him in mid-air. It nearly collided with the jet he was piloting, but as an ace pilot of the Japanese Air Force, he skillfully maneuvered his aircraft to evade the disaster.

“Captain! The rear wing of my aircraft seems to have been attacked. At this altitude, I fear I won’t survive!” The voice of 06’s pilot sounded fearful on the communication channel, becoming weaker and weaker. “Wait, I think I see something…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the connection on the communication channel was cut off.

“Have you found any enemy fighter jets? What’s going on here?” Captain growled angrily, using this outburst to vent his inner fear. Two aircraft were lost in succession, yet they had no clue about the enemy or their whereabouts.

As a pilot for over a decade, this was the first time he had encountered something so bizarre at an altitude of ten thousand meters.

“We… We haven’t detected any traces of enemy fighter jets.”

“Same here, this is just too strange.”

“What should we do, Captain?”

Listening to the responses from the remaining pilots, Captain said sternly, “Regroup. Let’s gather together slightly and lower our flight altitude.”

“Understood!”

The five fighter jets responded swiftly, forming a square formation in the sky, with one jet positioned in the center. They began descending to a lower altitude.

“Boom, boom—”

As the fighter jets descended a few thousand meters, they entered the lower cloud layer with frequent lightning arcs illuminating the night sky.

“Thunderclouds, what bad luck. Something feels off tonight. Since we’ve successfully destroyed the target transport aircraft, how about we head back to base?” One member nervously suggested.

The other pilots remained silent, and Captain’s mind wavered as he was about to agree to the proposal.

At that moment, another member cried out in horror, “Captain! There’s something on your aircraft!”

This eerie statement caused everyone to subconsciously look toward the fighter jet positioned at the center of the formation.

At that moment, a huge thunder roared through the thunderclouds below, illuminating the fighter jet with a brilliant flash of light.

On the tail of the single-seat fighter jet, a black-clad youth arched his body, his two claws firmly embedded in the Iron Man material of the aircraft’s exterior, clinging to the jet.

The gusting winds lifted his golden hair, and under the tight-fitting black battle suit, his physique seemed as if it was made of Iron Man. He looked like a humanoid demon.

“How is this possible?!”

“Captain, there’s someone on your aircraft!”

“It can’t be a person; it must be a monster!”

The other pilots were stunned beyond words, while Captain’s heart was filled with fear as he reluctantly turned his head. At this moment, Kyle had endured the strong wind pressure and crawled to the cockpit, where there was only enough space for a single person.

With an emotionless expression, Kyle’s left hand with sharp claws held onto the aircraft’s shell, while his right fist, covered with a Vibranium Bracer, accumulated power and struck the reinforced glass with a powerful punch.

In front of Captain’s wide-eyed gaze, the thick glass cracked like a spider’s web, spreading from the center of the fist.

“Please, no!” Captain’s face turned pale as he begged, but Kyle ignored his pleas and punched the already damaged glass again.

The horrifying force of the punch, equivalent to a ton of impact, shattered the glass even further, and a piece of broken glass flew into Captain’s wide-open eyes, causing him to die instantly.

“Third one.” Kyle silently counted, standing proudly on the fighter jet, carefully scanning the remaining four jets nearby.

Courtesy demands reciprocity!

Since they had come to him, none of them should think about escaping!

Without a pilot’s control, the fighter jet he was on tilted slightly and fell like the previously destroyed ones.

Kyle crouched slightly, and with a powerful leap, he jumped towards another single-seat fighter jet flying at a parallel altitude.

With astonishing jumping power, he easily leaped ten meters away, striking another fighter jet coming towards him with his right elbow.

This recklessly relentless attack, like that of a non-human creature, was effective with just one blow. The protective windshield shattered, and the pilot, along with the fighter jet, flew uncontrollably into the thunderclouds below.

Kyle grunted in pain as he was thrown away, his Venom Battlesuit oozing out red blood. He managed to open the gliding wings to stabilize himself in mid-air.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his Healing Factor quickly took effect. The Healing Factor healed not only the wounds on the surface but also the injuries inside his body.

In just a few seconds, the relatively minor injuries on his body were completely healed!

Three more to go!

Kyle’s expression remained cold as he used his dark wings, stained with fresh blood, to close the distance to the nearest remaining fighter jet.

The pilots inside those jets saw Captain and two other companions’ aircraft being destroyed in an instant by a humanoid monster. None of them dared to linger and immediately pulled the aircraft’s nose up to ascend.

Kyle looked up, gazing at a fighter jet that had already ascended more than twenty meters and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Venom’s gliding mode allowed him to reach supersonic speeds during a dive, but its only drawback was the inability to actively gain altitude. This was the main difference between flying and gliding.

However, this didn’t mean he couldn’t ascend while in mid-air.

Maintaining the gliding state, Kyle tucked the rear wings close to his back and bent his legs to generate power. Then, he forcefully pushed against the air below—

A surge of dark red energy erupted beneath his feet, leaving a series of white air bubbles where he stood. He shot up into the sky, crossing nearly thirty meters in a single sprint.

Aerial Dash!