Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 555 - 498 Bombing

Chapter 555: Chapter 498 Bombing
"Isn’t Pei Jing supposed to be at the frontline helping with the dispatch and transport of grain and grass? How come he’s back at the Academic Palace so soon?" Li Ang casually inquired.
"It’s not really that soon; it’s been almost two months," Yang Yu explained. "Moreover, the train tracks have now been laid all the way to the frontline, transporting large amounts of grain and grass, personnel, equipment, armor, and horses every day. And there’s no need to worry about losses on the road. The logistics work for transport is much easier than before. That’s why Pei Jing came back first. As for Li Wei, he still needs to stay at the frontline with Xue Siye."
Li Wei is a Body Refining Student; he follows Xue Che to protect the leaders and officials of the State Mansion from potential enemy assassins. He won’t be able to return for a while.
Speaking of this, both of them felt somewhat disheartened. The war was imminent but not yet upon them, and even the normally most tranquil and harmonious Academic Palace had seen far more personnel changes than in the past.
This gloom lasted until the next Natural Science class.
Dr. Su Feng, brimming with excitement, led the students to the Forging Workshop. He opened the new large warehouse at the workshop and pulled out a huge... single-person aircraft.
This was a single-seat biplane, almost entirely made of metal, with fabric covering only the trailing edges of the wings and control surfaces.
According to Su Feng’s introduction, it was equipped with a miniaturized Spiritual Energy Machine, which drove the propellers to provide lift for flight. Even an ordinary person with no cultivation could operate it by pressing buttons.
Su Feng stood on the stage, proudly displaying his latest invention. He was getting ready to pilot it himself but was pulled down by his disciples, who were worried about his safety. In the end, Su Feng’s disciple Ou Zhiyuan took the helm to pilot it.
The aircraft glided down the runway and, after a period of acceleration, successfully soared straight up into the sky, tracing a circular path overhead.
The loud noise from the Spiritual Energy Machine engine attracted the attention of many Doctors and students. Even the students in class couldn’t help but stick their heads out the windows to gaze at the aircraft.
The aircraft circled in the air for two quarters of an hour, performing maneuvers such as diving, climbing, and circling, before gliding back to the runway and landing smoothly.
All the students were rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a test flight segment, but Su Feng did not give the students a chance to try it out. After assigning homework, amidst the students’ disappointed sighs, he had his disciples park the plane, tentatively named the "Wude," back in the hangar.
After class, Li Ang was stopped by Su Feng, who rubbed his palms together and asked with a beaming smile, "Risheng, what do you think of the Wude?"
"Very impressive," Li Ang replied truthfully.
This aircraft was clearly developed by Su Feng and his disciples while Li Ang was in Taiyuan Prefecture dealing with the plague; they hadn’t used the B-2 plane blueprint that Li Ang had originally provided but instead designed a new model plan themselves.
Li Ang asked, "Brother Ou’s demonstration just now didn’t reach the aircraft’s maximum speed, did it?"
Su Feng nodded. "Hmm, through testing, the speed for an hour is about eight hundred miles."
"Eight hundred miles..." Li Ang raised his eyebrows lightly. "That’s already comparable to a Cloud Patrol Realm cultivator."
"But it’s not as fast as the quickest Sword Cultivators," Su Feng shook his head. "If the two were to encounter each other, it would still be caught."
Most Cloud Patrol Realm Sword Cultivators possessed the ability to transform into a Body Sword Light, their agility far surpassing that of the less maneuverable aircraft. In close combat domains, they were simply not at the same level.
"But airplanes can be mass-produced, while Cloud Patrol Realm Sword Cultivators, once killed, reduce in number." Li Ang shook his head. "Besides, the Wude has certain countermeasures, doesn’t it?" He pointed to the devices resembling Crossbow Cannons mounted on both sides of the aircraft’s wings.
"Heh, I really can’t hide anything from you." Su Feng smiled as he used a screwdriver to open the cover plate of the device, revealing the complex mechanical structure inside. "This thing is both a Crossbow Cannon and a talisman plate."
"A talisman plate?" Li Ang noticed a stack of talisman paper hidden in the wing’s talisman plate; they were all models and not real talismans.
"Mhm," Su Feng nodded, explaining, "When the pilot pulls the trigger, the Crossbow Cannons in the wings will fire the talismans loaded onto the heavy Crossbow Arrows. The projectiles from the Crossbow Cannon are slow and can’t catch up with Sword Cultivators of an equivalent level, but its strength lies in sheer numbers. Vortex Talismans, Sharp Talismans, explosive charms—if one isn’t enough, use ten; if ten aren’t enough, use twenty. There will always be a chance of hitting the target."
Li Ang asked, "Similar to a fighter-bomber?"
"Fighter-bomber? Good name." Su Feng’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Exactly. This type of aircraft has a huge advantage in attack range over Rain Listening Realm Cultivators who cannot fly. Even when facing Rain Listening Realm Cultivators, it has a certain ability to survive and counterattack. Of course, its best application is still on the chaotic battlefield. The airplane dives from high altitude. It launches talisman arrows from an altitude of one kilometer. This height is beyond the reach of ground-based crossbows and talismans and also helps avoid the higher Gang Wind. These arrows bombard the enemy formation, tearing through their ranks.
"In past wars where Cultivators coordinated with regular soldiers, it was often Cultivators fighting Cultivators, each side mutually obstructing the other’s use of talismans and magic to change the tide of battle. The army would often wait until the opposing Cultivators’ Spiritual Power was exhausted, or at least significantly depleted to the point they could no longer change the situation. Only then would the army emerge in full force to secure victory in one fell swoop. But now, with these aircraft, we can bypass enemy Cultivators and directly inflict casualties on the enemy’s regular soldiers. Without soldiers as cover, enemy Cultivators become extremely conspicuous and can only retreat along with the army. To say that this invention has directly changed the future pattern of battlefields is not an exaggeration."
Su Feng looked proud, and disciples like Ou Zhiyuan clenched their fists tightly, feeling immensely proud, and said in unison, "This is the victory of Natural Science."
"And it’s a victory for Natural Science publications. I estimate in the next few months, the articles in the publications will all be analyzing this aircraft." Li Ang shook his head with a smile. "But this invention is being announced in class today; has the Sacrificial Officer agreed?"
A secret cannot be kept forever. If the Academic Palace knew, it meant Chang’an knew. If Chang’an knew, it meant the other countries and Taihao Mountain knew.
"Of course." Su Feng shrugged his shoulders. "The war is approaching but not yet upon us. Showing our latest invention now can also serve as a display of force. Hopefully, it can even avert the war. No one wants to wage war, especially not against Taihao Mountain and so many countries at the same time. As for whether this type of aircraft will cause Taihao Mountain to become suspicious and anxious, or even start the war prematurely... Heh. Although I’ve mentioned many advantages, it still has many more shortcomings. I believe the people at Taihao Mountain will be able to analyze them. For example, it is expensive to build, its manufacturing efficiency is low, and its flight speed is relatively slow. It can be easily destroyed by a single strike from a Cloud Patrol Realm Sword Cultivator. Moreover, it’s completely ineffective in battles between cultivators of the Candle Cloud Realm."
Su Feng paused and said somberly, "It can change the battlefield, but it cannot change the war. The true deciders of the course of a war are still the Cultivators. The strongest Cultivators. At least for now, the creations of Natural Science cannot replace this."