With a motion that was unthinking and second nature after years of service as a fighter pilot, Shilin activated his plane’s on-board radar, which functioned as a sight for his weaponry. Lights came on right away to indicate that his missiles were now guided. The intruder had nowhere to run; it was flying right in Shilin’s electronic sights and its life hung by a thread. Shilin only had to press a button, and in the blink of an eye his missiles would hit their target.
Nevertheless, the pilot had never stopped feeling troubled. His doubts remained; he was not fully convinced, and he hesitated. After all, civil aviation planes had sometimes strayed off course for one reason or another. Shilin had only to admit the thought that this might be a passenger plane for his heart to freeze. He did n
