First Day on the Carrier

After chatting with his apprentice for a while and gaining a preliminary understanding of Liu Jun's situation, Zhang Peng turned his gaze to the soot-blackened skin of the aircraft. He recalled Liu Jun's record. To have experienced actual combat as a cadet—even if he had only sunk a few speedboats—was still a pretty good start.

If Liu Jun wanted, he could indeed paint his kills on his aircraft. But Liu Jun probably would not want several speedboats painted on his plane, or the other pilots would laugh themselves to death.

Zhang Peng took Liu Jun around the hangar, familiarizing him with the environment and the ground crew's work procedures. Pilots also had to cooperate with the ground crew in inspecting their fighters. Once his apprentice had taken off his anti-G suit in the changing room, he led Liu Jun out of the hangar.

"Our quarters are over there."

After passing through the passageway and descending the stairs into the quarters beside the hangar, they reached the pilots' accommodations. Everyone living here was a carrier-based aircraft pilot.

"The quarters are empty right now. You'll stay here with me."

After Liu Jun memorized his room number, Zhang Peng continued, "You just came aboard today, so get some proper rest. I'll come get you at noon and take you to the cafeteria. Then we'll head to the infirmary for a physical."

"Understood, Master."

"They don't interfere with our personal lives, but be mindful of confidentiality."

Zhang Peng patted Liu Jun on the shoulder, turned, and left. Liu Jun pushed open the dormitory door and went inside. After setting down his personal belongings, he finally took a look around his new quarters.

Pilots received better treatment, and their quarters were noticeably more spacious. Of course, that was only relative; they were merely a little larger than ordinary sailors' quarters.

The quarters were very close to the flight deck and hangar, making it convenient to scramble in an emergency when they were not on combat readiness duty.

With a zip, he opened his backpack and took out his belongings one by one. They were all books and notebooks. He quickly arranged his things, then sat down on the hard bunk.

He was aboard now. His life as a carrier-based aircraft pilot had begun. Since his master would not be back for a while, Liu Jun thought for a moment and pulled out a book to read.

As a pilot, he had to protect his eyesight well, but people needed entertainment too. His preferred pastime was reading, with the occasional bit of music. He rarely used computers or phones; even his phone was a black-and-white Ink Bottle.

Second by second, time passed. Near mealtime, the door to the quarters opened, and Zhang Peng's round face appeared behind it. Smiling, he said, "Hungry, huh? Come on! I'll take you to eat!"

Liu Jun picked up a bookmark and tucked it into the book, closed it, and put it in the cabinet. Then he got up, left the quarters, and followed Zhang Peng toward the ship's cafeteria.

There were many crew members aboard the carrier, and more than one cafeteria. Everyone ate at staggered times. When Liu Jun entered the cafeteria, the rich aroma of food filled the air. Mess personnel in white chef uniforms bustled about behind the serving counter.

"This is no different from ashore. It's all buffet-style. Take whatever you want."

Zhang Peng led Liu Jun to get food. Watching him continuously pile different dishes onto his tray, Liu Jun considered it and chose foods that were easier to digest. He had no intention of touching beans; eating too many could easily cause bloating.

After getting their food, he sat down with his master and began eating bite by bite. The chef's cooking tasted excellent. Liu Jun quickly finished everything on his tray, while Zhang Peng was still battling the chicken leg on his.

"Huh? You finished that fast? Not getting more?" Zhang Peng asked with the chicken leg between his teeth.

"No, I'm full."

Hearing Liu Jun say that, Zhang Peng stuffed the chicken leg into his mouth in one go, then yanked the bone out with a pull. After chewing a few times and swallowing, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and placed his tray in the designated spot. "Come on. The infirmary staff haven't eaten yet, so let's go get you checked out."

The physical was just a check of his height, weight, blood pressure, and similar things. They recorded those aboard the ship, while blood sugar and the like would have to wait until tomorrow morning, when he could have blood drawn on an empty stomach.

Following the signs through the ship's corridors, they arrived at the infirmary. Zhang Peng led his apprentice inside and said to the military doctor who was making notes, "Hehehe, busy, Second Lieutenant Li? This is my apprentice."

Hearing this, the military doctor making notes looked up. A medical mask covered most of her face, but her beautiful eyes left a deep impression. She looked at Liu Jun and nodded at him.

"Not busy. Over here." The female military doctor stood and gestured for Liu Jun to sit opposite her.

He put his arm into the blood pressure monitor, and she began measuring his blood pressure. Then came his height and weight, followed by recording Liu Jun's information.

Beside them, Zhang Peng chatted idly with another older military doctor. Yet judging from his expression, nearly every word he said was tinged with pride. After all, taking in such an outstanding apprentice was certainly something worth bragging about.

"All done."

After recording the information, the military doctor said softly.

"Thank you."

"Hehe, no need to be so polite."

The female military doctor spoke gently. She stood and removed her mask, revealing a lovely face. After changing shifts with the other doctor, she quickly left the infirmary and headed toward the cafeteria.

Liu Jun watched the military doctor leave. Then he suddenly sensed someone beside him. Turning his head, he found Zhang Peng watching her leave just like he was.

"What do you think? Not bad, right?" Zhang Peng said with narrowed eyes and an expression that was both greasy and serious.

"Hm?" Liu Jun looked at his master in confusion.

"That girl's named Li Lingwei. If you've got your eye on her, you'd better move fast. There are quite a few competitors aboard this ship."

"..."

Liu Jun listened helplessly to Zhang Peng's nagging, though the corners of his lips lifted slightly. His master really did care about him. After all, pilots had almost no time to find girlfriends, so matchmaking events were usually organized for them internally.

But! A sigma man would not fall into a woman's trap. Liu Jun had no intention of finding a girlfriend right now.

What was a girlfriend? Could she compare to Flight Experience?!

After the physical, Liu Jun spent the afternoon wandering around the Liaoning with Zhang Peng, becoming familiar with the quarters and layout. This was extremely important. Lighting inside the fully enclosed carrier relied entirely on electric lights, and if the carrier came under attack and lost power throughout the ship, the interior compartments would be pitch-black.

In that situation, anyone unfamiliar with the ship's layout could easily become trapped inside in the darkness and die.

After dinner, Liu Jun returned to their quarters with his master. After washing up simply, he lay on the hard bunk and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, constantly recalling the carrier's interior layout.

Then Zhang Peng snapped off the lights in the quarters and flopped onto his bunk. "How was your first day on the carrier?"

"It was pretty good," Liu Jun answered honestly.

"Hahaha, that's good. I was worried you wouldn't adapt. Get some rest early. Don't be so excited that you can't sleep. Normal training starts tomorrow."

"Got it, Master."

Liu Jun closed his eyes and soon fell soundly asleep. His first day aboard the carrier passed in such an ordinary, peaceful way.