Sky-cracking Rider-Chapter 1243 - 1212: Scoring

Boom!~

The tactical jet shot up vertically from the ground, climbing higher and higher while slowly accelerating forward.

All-terrain, all-weather takeoff is the most basic requirement for crystal jets. After all, once war breaks out, no one can guarantee maintaining a good combat environment all the time, so the higher the design redundancy, the better.

Despite feeling frustrated with this obnoxious elder brother Chen Xiao'er, Chen Shan had to admit that this tactical jet felt like an extension of himself, incredibly smooth in handling, with every maneuver executed seamlessly—this is the advantage of high compatibility.

The crystal jet specifically tailored for Sky Knights took this advantage to the extreme.

With a gentle pull of the throttle, the sensation of thrust intensified sharply; the power feedback from the tactical jet was exceptionally smooth, worthy of a combat aircraft benchmarked against crystal jets.

Although the National Defense Star also had similar experimental models, Chen Shan was not satisfied with their compatibility.

"First item, Section 1, 'Falling Leaves Drifting', if a stall occurs, release the control stick!"

The ground communication was with the Nangong Team, and the voice was that of team leader Nangong Ruiyang. Being familiar with the aircraft allowed him to assist in guiding the completion of trial subjects, and the team's evaluation results were almost identical to the judgments of AI "Adam." The tactical jet was fully capable of performing routine maneuvers and aerial combat skills.

"Received!"

Chen Shan responded, one hand on the control stick, the other on the throttle, while vector nozzles and rudder surfaces automatically coordinated with the subtle feedback from the control stick—this is the benefit of computation-assisted flight control, simplifying operations while allowing more complex maneuvers.

Letting go means handing control over to AI "Adam," and as a pure-blooded combat flight AI, the database accumulated over years is no less competent than seasoned veteran pilots.

At a higher altitude, twenty-six drones closely followed the tactical jet piloted by Chen Shan, while in the ground hangar, a three-dimensional holographic projection displayed its flight posture and trajectory marks.

The tactical jet slightly increased thrust, then performed a Tiger Jump at an altitude of 14,000 meters—one turn, two turns, three turns. The cockpit's posture anomaly alert kept sounding, and Chen Shan dared not continue, manually correcting the flight. Prolonged maneuvers might indeed stall the aircraft, thus failing the "Falling Leaves Drifting" maneuver.

A poor start clearly casts a shadow over the entire training trial.

"First item, Section 2, 'Double Shadow Tail Slide'."

"First item, Section 3, ...

The difficulty of maneuver rehearsals increased progressively, and starting from the second item, it directly entered an aerial combat techniques demonstration. Some of these techniques even originated from the Cangqiong Star Civilization's Assembled Combat Aircraft "Sky Falcon."

The "Sky Falcon's" flight performance is distinctly different from the Blue Star Civilization's aircraft. Although its acceleration is lesser, it is more agile, and the corresponding aerial combat techniques are more complex. Executing the "Sky Falcon's" aerial combat techniques with a tactical jet was not an easy task for Chen Shan.

To withstand the intense overloads sweeping back and forth in the cockpit like a storm, Chen Shan had to invoke Battle Qi multiple times to temporarily enhance his endurance limit, or he would indeed get hurt. Being a Sky Knight was not a profession for ordinary people.

Just over a month ago, his Battle Qi Seed finally began to autonomously generate an endless supply of Battle Qi, and it was Wind Attribute—though the total Battle Qi amount was thin, it was genuinely at the Human Rank First Stage.

Yesterday, the SPA Fruit given by Chen Fei did not show an immediate effect, but this morning, upon awakening, Chen Shan was shocked to find that his Battle Qi Order had risen by a rank, becoming a Human Rank Second Order War Professional. Asking for a second SPA Fruit was not entirely just to eliminate dark circles.

"Third item, Section 4, aerial combat technique 'Bloodthirsty Strangulation'!"

The Nangong Team's multiple members were monitoring the data link feedback from the tactical jet.

Northern Weapons Industry Group and National Defense Star Aerospace Company are among the top-notch manufacturers in the Blue Star Aerospace Industry; both have design and production experience with crystal jets. Although these young people lacked the relevant experience of crystal jets compared to the veterans from Northern Weapons Industry Group who were directly involved in crystal jet design, they were not unfamiliar with the necessary procedures.

Lightning from ten thousand meters high streaked across the sky and quickly disappeared, leaving the skies over the National Defense Star Air Base completely silent.

The tactical jet's speed is sufficient to break through the Kármán line in a short amount of time, and it's nearly impossible to visually capture its form from the ground.

Even the drone swarm following closely throughout the process found it challenging to keep up with the full-throttle afterburner of the tactical jet, at which point higher-altitude drones and alternating satellite tracking were required.

Chen Fei glanced at the four Sky Knights who were intently focused on the three-dimensional holographic projection. They each scored on site, but their scores were not immediately disclosed to Chen Shan.

If the morning trial subjects were not passed, the opponent subjects in the afternoon would be unnecessary.

Such trials only happen once a year, and failing three times would mean there would be no more chances to become a true Sky Knight. The standards and strictness are beyond imagination.

"Xiao Fei, help me ask 'Adam,' what are Little Shan's chances of passing?"

Being his own son, although Chen Haiqing did not provide Chen Shan with any substantial extra help and did not wish for the four Sky Knights responsible for supervision and assessment to go easy, the familial concern was inevitable.

"Hold on, but AI scores are just for reference and may not be as strict as the four examiners."

Chen Fei took out a tablet, connected to "Adam's" data link, and displayed the AI scores on his AR Visual Assistance interface for his uncle, allowing everyone else to see as well. Neither he nor the four Sky Knights could see each other's scores, avoiding subjective interference with an objective evaluation.

"I understand, but I just want some peace of mind!"

Chen Haiqing sighed, as the matter concerned the first Sky Knight of the Chen Family, and he couldn't calm his restless heart.

Although he counted the "Lord of the Sky," Lin Mo, as a close friend, the next generations of the Lin and Chen families operated on entirely different levels. The Lin Family was brimming with talent, most of whom were Ability Users, and they had more than one Sky Knight. On the Chen Family's side, there were only his eldest daughter and the fourth brother's Xiao'er. Now, his youngest son had finally succeeded in awakening his Battle Qi, making a total of just three, with not a single Sky Knight among them.

The asymmetry in family hard strength would mean that in the long run, the friendship with the "Lord of the Sky" might at best benefit just two generations; the Chen Family would eventually fail to keep up with the Lin Family and be left far behind.

Without a Sky Knight to support its aerospace manufacturing, the family would gradually lose competitiveness and eventually be eliminated by the era.

"Uncle, be optimistic. Even if we fail this time, we still have two more chances. I have plenty of Sky Knight simulation data here, and we can completely trade time for proficiency. Eight hours of flight a day, 365 days a year with no breaks, close to three thousand hours; if one year is not enough, then two years will do. No matter what, we can train a Sky Knight."

Even Chen Fei himself didn't have three thousand flight hours. It was as if Little Shanzi wasn't considered human.

"Will Little Shan be able to handle it?"

Not only his uncle but the four elder sisters also looked at Chen Fei with a knowing expression. Such a training standard was extreme.

Poor Chen Shan, this unlucky little brother might just end up dying in the cockpit!

"Our Chen Family's only potential Sky Knight, if we don't go all-in, Uncle, would you be content?"

After all, the hardship wasn't on him, Chen Fei spoke with relative ease.

Chen Haiqing hesitated for a moment, and eventually shook his head.

"Not content, indeed not content!"

He himself did not have the qualifications to be a Sky Knight, regrettably unable to become one and losing the opportunity to fight alongside the "Lord of the Sky" in the sky, which was already a step behind.

Now that his youngest son finally had the qualifications, it certainly could not be missed; to be precise, it was impossible to let go.

Like many parents, though he himself could not fly, he hoped the next generation would take off from where they stand, working the children to exhaustion, even though Chen Haiqing, a leading figure in the Chen Family, could not escape this fate.