The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Lei Tao's fingertips had just touched the navigation coordinates for Harbin when the starry sky outside the cockpit was suddenly swallowed by lead-gray clouds. The AN/APG-81 radar's weather mode automatically activated. On the holographic screen, a 200-kilometer-wide snowstorm was moving toward Changbai Mountain at a speed of 20 meters per second. The snowflakes appeared as dense silver noise in the radar wave, like a weaving spider web of death.

"Warning: Temperature in the area ahead has plummeted to -40°C. Severe convective turbulence has been detected." The electronic voice suddenly became sharp. "Engine compressor has ingested ice crystals, resulting in a 37% power reduction."

Lei Tao's pupils constricted. He knew that even though the F-35B's F135 engine was equipped with an anti-icing system, ice could still form on the compressor blades in such extreme cold and snowy conditions, causing surge. He quickly switched to manual mode and pulled the throttle lever to increase thrust, only to hear an unusual metallic grinding sound from the engine, like gravel rolling in the throat of a giant.

"Activate the emergency power system, shut down non-essential electronics!" As soon as he gave the order, the holographic screen in the cockpit suddenly went dark, leaving only the faint green glow of the backup instrument panel. The roar of a blizzard rippled through the fuselage, like the whispers of some giant beast. Lei Tao caught a glimpse of the thermometer needle plummeting. The -50°C temperature was turning the fighter into an airborne ice coffin.

"Altitude 8000 meters, descent rate 15 meters per second!" Lei Tao's breath condensed into white mist in his mask. He desperately pulled on the control stick, trying to break out of the spin. But the icy control surfaces were slow to react. Like a steel bird with broken wings, the F-35B carved an increasingly steep spiral path through the blizzard. Below, the outline of Changbai Mountain loomed in the snow, its sharp ridges like the fangs of an ice giant.

"System, calculate the optimal forced landing area." He bit the oxygen mask's heater, tasting rust on his tongue. The holographic screen reactivated, highlighting a flat, snowy valley in the heart of Changbai Mountain. But the radar also warned: there was dense underground metal reaction in the area—most likely a secret Japanese facility.

"There is no choice." Lei Tao restarted the combat system and launched all AGM-158C missiles towards the area marked by the radar.

At the moment when the AGM-158C missile penetrated the snow curtain with its tail flame, Lei Tao saw the snow valley in the heart of Changbai Mountain suddenly "exploded" - the top cover of the anti-aircraft gun platform disguised as a snow pile was blown away by the hydraulic device, and the twelve Type 96 anti-aircraft guns rotated at the same time, and the flames ejected from the muzzles weaved a scarlet barrage network in the blizzard.

"Electromagnetic interference is ineffective! The enemy has reinforced concrete fortifications!" The electronic alarm was drowned out by the roar of anti-aircraft fire. Lei Tao pushed the joystick hard, and the F-35B performed an incredible Cobra maneuver amidst the dense barrage of bullets. Its wing brushed past the fragments of a near miss, and a dazzling flash of metal suddenly erupted outside the cockpit.

The first AGM-158C missile struck a disguised Japanese ammunition depot, and the blast blew away half a mountain. Through the snow and fog, Lei Tao spotted the entrance to the underground facility, emblazoned with the cherry blossom emblem of the "Kwantung Army's 100th Unit" and a prominent warning sign: "Top Secret Biological Weapon." As the second missile penetrated the ventilation duct, he caught a glimpse of the underground laboratory: green liquid in petri dishes sloshed violently, and countless iron cages containing rodents tumbled in the blast.

"System, analyze the underground structure!" His voice was mixed with the white mist inside the mask. "Find their central nervous system for me!"

"The third underground floor is a biochemical laboratory, and the fourth floor stores plague bombs. It's recommended—" The electronic voice suddenly stopped. "Warning! The engine compressor is completely frozen, and the power loss is 92%!"

The F-35B plummeted like a kite. Watching the altimeter's needle spin wildly, Lei Tao decisively pressed the emergency release button for the bomb bay. The remaining four missiles shot out like arrows at the Japanese air defense positions. One accurately hit the anti-aircraft artillery ammunition depot. Amidst the chain reaction of explosions, he saw Japanese soldiers fleeing, clutching burning plague canisters. The green liquid hissed on the snow, instantly melting deep, steaming holes.