Three days later, the first batch of supplies and personnel had all been assembled. Jiang Yan Hai had to go. Although the higher-ups were reluctant to send him in the first group, there had to be someone in charge over there. With the satellite system still incomplete, long-distance intercontinental communications could not yet be maintained around the clock.
So, even though it was dangerous, the higher-ups could only agree.
Since the decision had been made, no one hesitated any longer. The first group consisted of only twenty-four people. To ensure a long range, the payload was limited: twenty-four fully armed soldiers, including Jiang Yan Hai, two Lynx assault vehicles, and some supplies.
The flight would take more than ten hours, and this time, they had naturally loaded up with fuel.
Everything had been calculated in advance, leaving only the absolute minimum fuel for roughly another five hundred kilometers of flight. If they used too much fuel along the way, they might not make it there.
But there was nothing to be done about that. Some dangers had to be faced; they could not be avoided.
The more than ten hours of flight went fairly smoothly. Large transport aircraft flew at roughly the same altitude as civilian airliners, so there would not be much trouble while they were in the air.
Jiang Yan Hai, however, was considering whether he should take over during the landing. With the Advanced Scanning System, he could identify more suitable emergency landing routes ahead of time. At the very least, he was far more confident than the other pilots.
Here, his orders were the highest orders. After thinking it over, Jiang Yan Hai simply headed for the cockpit.
"Da Peng, give me your seat. You'll be the copilot. Nightingale, stand by," Jiang Yan Hai said as