Family Visit

Amid words of congratulations, the carrier air wing commander personally pinned First-Class Merit Medals on several of them. Liu Jun was the first. Zhang Jun joked, "You shot down three of them. Two more and you'll be an ace."

Liu Jun replied, "Commander, we brought down the enemy together. What about the others?"

"They've already received their medals and left early. Keep this confidential until the whole military has been informed!" the political commissar said from the side.

"Understood!"

"Have you finished your report?"

"Yeah, I already submitted it."

The carrier air wing commander nodded. With Liu Jun's completed report and the previous recordings, higher command was compiling the "Principles and Regulations for Contact with Extraterrestrial Civilizations." Once the time was right, they would be issued immediately.

Only the captain, the carrier air wing commander, and the political commissar were present for the medal ceremony, which struck Liu Jun as odd. A First-Class Merit Medal ceremony couldn't possibly have so few people—not even the squadron commander had come. So it was for secrecy. After the ceremony, he saw his master stroking the medal on his chest, his eyes brimming with excitement. This was the nation's recognition of an individual, a soldier's highest honor!

"Master, if you keep wiping it, you'll rub the paint off," Liu Jun teased, a rare occurrence.

"It's pure gold. How could the paint rub off? Do you think it's some foreign medal?" Zhang Peng stopped rubbing it, then asked loudly, "Xiaojun, are you going home during your leave?"

"Yes, I'm planning to go back and see my parents."

"We get fifteen days of leave. The high-speed rail station is pretty far from our naval port, isn't it?" Zhang Peng spoke louder and louder, though his gaze was aimed at the carrier air wing commander nearby. His real intention was obvious.

"Yeah, it takes about an hour by taxi," Liu Jun continued.

At that point, how could the carrier air wing commander fail to see what this old pilot was up to? He was really protective of his apprentice! So, in an even more protective tone, he said, "Comrade Liu Jun, pack your luggage. Aircraft 189 has been transferred to the airport."

The carrier air wing commander's meaning was simple: fly home!

"Commander, that doesn't comply with regulations, does it?" Liu Jun was still a trainee, not one of those veteran pilots qualified to fly home for family visits.

"Go on, it's fine. Your leave may be fifteen days, but special situations could arise at any time. It'll be more convenient to recall you if you fly a fighter home," the political commissar said from the side. There was nothing wrong with a First-Class Merit recipient flying home to visit family, and he really could be recalled at any moment. After all, the Liaoning was already transferring out its ordinary J-15s and beginning to refit with J-15Ss and J-15Ts.

"Yes! Understood!"

Liu Jun saluted and looked toward his master, Zhang Peng.

"Go on, go on. The kid misses home too." Zhang Peng waved him off like an old father.

After watching Liu Jun leave, Zhang Peng smiled at the commander. The commander snorted and prepared to return to writing reports. Sailors and pilots could rest, but he had no such luxury. All kinds of meetings and reports were waiting for him.

"You should go home too. You haven't been back in two years. I heard your father's in the hospital. Tell me if you have any difficulties," the political commissar said from the side. He cared deeply about the personal lives of his soldiers.

"My dad's fine. It's nothing serious. He just needs a couple of days to recover. No need to trouble the organization."

Back in his quarters, Liu Jun packed his things. After packing and repacking, he ended up with only a small backpack. Just as he was about to take it to the changing room, his phone vibrated. Looking down, he saw the caller ID read: Mom.

The moment he answered, an anxious voice came from the other end. "Jun, you earned a First-Class Merit?!"

"How did you know?" Liu Jun asked in confusion.

"They already delivered the plaque to our house!"

"That fast?"

Wasn't this supposed to be confidential? Why had they sent the plaque to his home already?

"What merit did you earn?" Mom continued.

"I can't say."

Liu Jun suddenly understood. They hadn't said what merit he had earned. Anyone who asked would only get vague answers. Once the official announcement was made, part of it would probably be declassified.

"Okay, okay, I won't ask." Mom knew the military regulations too, but as she continued speaking, her voice gradually took on a sobbing tone. "Tell me the truth! You haven't... you haven't lost any parts, have you? I saw it—First-Class Merit is something the family receives!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. All four limbs are intact, and I'm healthy both mentally and physically. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be home in a few days."

"Good! I'll let your dad know!"

Beep. The call ended. Liu Jun smiled and shook his head, then picked up his luggage and walked out of his quarters.

"Master, I'm leaving."

Zhang Peng drove a base shuttle and took his apprentice to the airport.

"Spend more time with your parents when you get back. You usually don't have the chance. Oh, right—your callsign has been approved. Congratulations."

"Got it, Master."

"See you later."

After giving his instructions, Zhang Peng drove away.

Watching his master's vehicle disappear into the distance, Liu Jun, now changed into his flight gear, walked step by step toward his beloved aircraft. From far away, he saw several ground crew members working beside the J-15. When he got closer, he found that they were spraying three solid little stars beneath his cockpit.

★★★

On a fighter jet, stars represented the number of kills. Solid stars meant confirmed shootdowns, while hollow stars represented damaged aircraft. Only pilots who had genuinely shot down or damaged enemy aircraft were allowed to have five-pointed stars painted on their jets. It was another display of honor and military merit.

"There, all done."

The ground crewman looked with satisfaction at the spot he had painted, then gave Liu Jun a thumbs-up. For now, he still did not know exactly what Liu Jun had shot down.

"Give me your luggage. I'll secure it for you."

Taking Liu Jun's bag, the ground crewman firmly secured it in place. Liu Jun climbed into the cockpit using the boarding ladder and looked down at his old partner. A warm sense of familiarity rose within him. After all, this fighter was the first aircraft in his flying career that truly belonged to him.

After securing the luggage, the ground crewman climbed up the ladder and helped Liu Jun inspect the instruments. Once everything was confirmed normal, he climbed down again and removed the boarding ladder. A tow vehicle drove into the revetment, hooked onto the front landing gear, and pulled the J-15 toward the runway.

Sitting in the cockpit, Liu Jun performed one final check of the aircraft's condition. After the ground crew again confirmed that the J-15's exterior skin was normal, the engines started one after another. The J-15 sped down the runway, reached takeoff speed, and as he pulled back on the stick, the familiar sensation of weightlessness returned.

He climbed to altitude, adjusted his heading, and entered cruising speed. The J-15 was much faster than a civilian airliner; he could be home in an hour.

During the flight, Liu Jun occasionally checked the altimeter to ensure he remained at his assigned altitude.

Altitude was an aircraft's "road." Every plane had to fly along its own road. Changing lanes without Control Tower coordination could easily result in a collision with another aircraft, causing a devastating man-made air disaster.

Nothing unusual happened during the flight, nor were there any emergencies. Still, Liu Jun keenly sensed that combat readiness along the coast had been heightened. The surface appeared relaxed, but beneath it, tensions ran high. It made sense—the eastern coast was among the regions that would directly face the extraterrestrial threat.

After once again reporting his heading, speed, and altitude to Control Tower, Liu Jun had entered the territory of a third-tier city and headed toward a local military-civilian airport.