Chapter Summaries

After Jiang Yan Hai helped defeat the attackers at the air force base, his comrades praised his impossible fighter-jet feat, while he explained how luck and surprise had made it possible. The group later discussed Brain Modeling, and Song Kai Fei tried to prove he could learn it.

• Song Kai Fei praised Jiang Yan Hai for defeating three enemy fighter jets, and Jiang Yan Hai warned him not to reveal that he had no real flight experience.
• Waters thanked Jiang Yan Hai, who credited the ground crew’s attack and the element of surprise for the success.
• Arthur confronted Jiang Yan Hai because his absence had prevented Arthur from dying in battle as planned.
• Song Kai Fei asked Jiang Yan Hai to explain Brain Modeling, and Xu Tian Long teased him that he was too dumb to learn it.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Song Kai Fei a mental cube-cutting exercise, and Gong Jian suggested he try it with a potato.

Fan Tian Lei learned that Jiang Yan Hai had flown a fighter jet and shot down three Ying Long fighters, while the operation ended and Jiang Yan Hai’s team prepared to return home. Argentina rewarded the participants, and Jiang Yan Hai received one million dollars despite destroying three costly aircraft.

• Fan Tian Lei received news that Jiang Yan Hai had flown a fighter jet and shot down three Ying Long fighters, leaving him stunned and considering giving Jiang Yan Hai another identity.
• The operation ended, and Jiang Yan Hai and his team waited to return home while other countries handled the pursuit, investigation, and negotiations.
• Chachai and Arthur departed, while the SEALs stayed in Argentina to continue pursuing Tukana.
• The embassy arranged the team’s civilian flight home, and Argentina paid most participants two hundred thousand dollars each while Jiang Yan Hai received one million.
• Argentina accepted the loss of three Ying Long fighters because Jiang Yan Hai’s actions had prevented greater damage, and officials were impressed by his performance in the dogfight.

Jiang Yan Hai and his team returned to base after their mission, where He Zhi Jun praised their performance and granted them three days of leave. Fan Tian Lei then told Jiang Yan Hai that Ma Yun Fei had escaped and that Director Qiao had been transferred to National Security, leaving Ma Yun Fei listed as missing but no longer considered a threat.

• On the ride back, Gong Jian reminded Wang Yan Bing and the others that soldiers had to fulfill their duty to protect the people without letting personal grievances guide them.
• He Zhi Jun welcomed the team, praised their work, and gave them three days of leave while asking Jiang Yan Hai to meet with Fan Tian Lei.
• After Jiang Yan Hai left with Fan Tian Lei, the team speculated that Jiang Yan Hai would receive an individual First Class Merit.
• Fan Tian Lei told Jiang Yan Hai that Ma Yun Fei had jumped into a river during his escape and remained missing despite a search.
• Fan Tian Lei explained that the authorities had frozen Ma Yun Fei's assets and transferred Director Qiao to National Security after consulting him.

Fan Tian Lei explained the sacrifices made by undercover officers, then He Zhi Jun told Jiang Yan Hai that his achievements had earned him another First Class Merit and left the military leadership unsure how to handle his rapid rise. Jiang Yan Hai misunderstood the concern and asked whether he should stop earning merits.

• Fan Tian Lei told Jiang Yan Hai how Old Qiao and Wang Qing Shan had endured public disgrace and family hardship for undercover work.
• Fan Tian Lei took Jiang Yan Hai to He Zhi Jun's office, where He Zhi Jun showed him a commendation order for helping capture criminal organizations and solve major cases.
• Jiang Yan Hai said he did not need honors, but Fan Tian Lei insisted they represented the sacrifices of soldiers and martyrs.
• He Zhi Jun said Jiang Yan Hai had earned another First Class Merit for his actions in Argentina, bringing his total to four First Class Merits and one First Class Hero Model Medal.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked whether he should hold back and stop earning merits, and Fan Tian Lei warned him not to.

Jiang Yan Hai received two confidential First Class Merit awards for the Argentina Incident, then explained how he had learned to fly a fighter jet. Fan Tian Lei offered him formal fighter training and a Flight License, but He Zhi Jun warned that accepting might mean leaving Wolf Fang.

• He Zhi Jun formally awarded Jiang Yan Hai a First Class Merit for his achievements and completed the commendation ceremony with Fan Tian Lei.
• Jiang Yan Hai received a second First Class Merit for the Argentina Incident, and He Zhi Jun praised him for protecting the country and its people.
• Fan Tian Lei asked Jiang Yan Hai how he had learned to fly a fighter jet, and Jiang Yan Hai said he had studied with pilots and practiced simulated flights in his mind.
• Fan Tian Lei offered Jiang Yan Hai systematic fighter training and a Flight License, and Jiang Yan Hai eagerly agreed and asked whether he could fly a J20.
• He Zhi Jun warned Jiang Yan Hai that accepting the opportunity might require him to leave Wolf Fang.

He Zhi Jun ordered Jiang Yan Hai to leave Wolf Fang and become the Chief Instructor of the Special Forces 1st Battalion under the 8th Airborne Army. Jiang Yan Hai accepted the assignment, despite learning that the troops there might target him, and was told to prepare to report for duty after two days.

• He Zhi Jun explained that Jiang Yan Hai would remain part of the military region but transfer from Wolf Fang to the 8th Airborne Army.
• He Zhi Jun appointed Jiang Yan Hai Chief Instructor of the Special Forces 1st Battalion, with authority equivalent to a deputy battalion commander.
• Jiang Yan Hai questioned why he was being sent to an airborne unit when he was supposed to learn to fly fighter jets, and Fan Tian Lei explained that the Air Force wanted to combine the roles.
• He Zhi Jun warned Jiang Yan Hai that Ma Dang Xian and the incoming fighter-pilot deputy battalion commander might both face hostility from the battalion.
• Jiang Yan Hai accepted the transfer and was told to rest, write a report on Argentina, handle his personal matters, and then report for duty.

Fan Tian Lei explained the military’s cooperation with Li Ruo Bai’s family on special makeup equipment and urged Jiang Yan Hai not to let personal feelings interfere. He then challenged Jiang Yan Hai’s belief that he should avoid relationships because he might die, leaving Jiang Yan Hai reflecting on whether family could become a home for him.

• Fan Tian Lei told Jiang Yan Hai that the military was working with Li Ruo Bai’s family to develop special makeup equipment and said Jiang Yan Hai’s materials would be important to the project.
• Jiang Yan Hai agreed to take the work seriously after Fan Tian Lei explained the military’s reasons for cooperating with private enterprises.
• Fan Tian Lei asked about Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai, and Jiang Yan Hai admitted he liked her but did not intend to date her because he feared his death would hurt her.
• Fan Tian Lei argued that Jiang Yan Hai’s orphanhood did not make him exempt from building a family and told him that home could provide emotional support and connection.
• Jiang Yan Hai said the military could be his home, then sank into thought about his distance from family and his fear of love.

After learning he would leave Wolf Fang, Jiang Yan Hai reflected on feeling abandoned and began considering the comfort of having a home and someone to care about. He asked Li Ruo Bai to dinner, and her mother intervened before she could accept.

• Jiang Yan Hai considered Fan Tian Lei's advice that a home and loved ones could give him something to hold dear when he left Wolf Fang.
• Jiang Yan Hai looked at Li Ruo Bai's photograph, asked Fan Tian Lei whether he could give his merit medals to someone else, and confirmed Ma Yun Fei's message held no hidden information.
• Jiang Yan Hai headed back to write his report and invited Li Ruo Bai to dinner, feeling his heart race after sending the message.
• Li Ruo Bai rushed to read Jiang Yan Hai's message and began typing an acceptance, but her mother blocked her view and told her not to accommodate him so readily.

Jiang Yan Hai worried over Li Ruo Bai, then arranged to mail her his First Class Hero Model Medal with a note after she postponed their meeting. As he prepared to leave the camp, Fan Tian Lei took the gift and personally delivered it to Li Ruo Bai’s villa complex.

• Jiang Yan Hai received Li Ruo Bai’s message that she was away from the provincial capital and agreed to meet another time.
• Jiang Yan Hai called Fan Tian Lei, who offered to arrange shipment of the gift, and Jiang Yan Hai packed his medal with a note.
• Jiang Yan Hai handed the package to Fan Tian Lei, who told him to prepare to leave the camp in two days.
• Jiang Yan Hai went to Red Cell, while Fan Tian Lei later drove to Li Ruo Bai’s villa complex with Zhao Gang and Little Wu.
• Fan Tian Lei entered the villa complex and walked toward Li Ruo Bai’s home to deliver the package himself.

Fan Tian Lei delivered Li Ruo Bai a gift from Jiang Yan Hai, and she discovered it was his First Class Hero Model Medal. Jiang Yan Hai’s note asked for a chance to pursue her after he treated her to nine meals, and Li Ruo Bai ran to her room in tears.

• Fan Tian Lei delivered Jiang Yan Hai’s wrapped gift to Li Ruo Bai, who thanked him and gave him a stack of cash.
• Li Yun Feng and Li Ruo Bai’s mother joined Li Ruo Bai to see what Jiang Yan Hai had sent.
• Li Ruo Bai opened the box and found Jiang Yan Hai’s First Class Hero Model Medal, which left her parents stunned.
• Li Ruo Bai read Jiang Yan Hai’s note asking her to let him pursue her after nine meals, then ran to her room with the note and medal.

Li Ruo Bai struggled with the weight of Jiang Yan Hai’s medal and the promise he had made, while her parents worried about her relationship with a soldier whose missions put him in danger. Jiang Yan Hai left his old base for a new post with the Airborne Special Forces Regiment, where his arrival was already causing tension over changes to the command staff.

• Li Ruo Bai’s parents discussed Jiang Yan Hai’s medal and worried that his dangerous duties could leave their daughter heartbroken.
• Jiang Yan Hai saluted the base, said goodbye to Fan Tian Lei, and departed while Red Cell remained behind.
• On the way to the airport, Jiang Yan Hai counted Fan Tian Lei’s 6,100 yuan and searched for a hidden meaning, but found none.
• Jiang Yan Hai arrived at the Airborne Special Forces Regiment as a major and was driven to its base.
• Pan Ye questioned Regiment Commander Shi Jian about bringing in two new people and replacing Ma Dang Xian as acting deputy battalion commander.

Jiang Yan Hai and Zhang Qi arrived at the Special Operations Regiment and were assigned to Pan Ye’s battalion, where Pan Ye’s resentment over Zhang Qi’s appointment surfaced. The regiment’s leaders expected the new arrivals to challenge the battalion and test whether it could adapt to military reforms.

• Wang Xue Bing and Shi Jian told Pan Ye that Jiang Yan Hai was a Major and had been personally requested by the army commander.
• Zhang Qi and Jiang Yan Hai arrived, submitted their credentials, and were welcomed by Wang Xue Bing and Shi Jian.
• Pan Ye formally welcomed Zhang Qi and Jiang Yan Hai to Special Forces 1st Battalion, then exchanged a tense, forceful handshake with Zhang Qi.
• Wang Xue Bing pulled Pan Ye and Zhang Qi apart and ordered Pan Ye to show both newcomers around and arrange their lodging and meals.
• After Pan Ye left with the newcomers, Wang Xue Bing explained that Zhang Qi’s assignment would test Ma Dang Xian’s broad-mindedness and push the battalion to improve.

Jiang Yan Hai and Zhang Qi arrived at the Special Operations Regiment, where Pan Ye assigned them to their new roles and Qiao Dong showed them their quarters and the battalion grounds. Jiang Yan Hai prepared to take charge of Special Forces 1st Battalion’s training before beginning his fighter pilot coursework.

• Pan Ye introduced Zhang Qi as the new deputy battalion commander and Jiang Yan Hai as the battalion’s new Chief Instructor, then sent Qiao Dong to show them around.
• Qiao Dong took Zhang Qi and Jiang Yan Hai to their officers’ quarters and gave them a tour of the area.
• Jiang Yan Hai unpacked, changed into his Training Uniform, and ran around battalion headquarters while using his Scanning System to survey the grounds.
• Jiang Yan Hai observed that Pan Ye and Zhang Qi seemed likely to clash, but focused on his own duties and upcoming training.
• Jiang Yan Hai planned to stabilize the training duties and plans for Special Forces 1st Battalion before completing his fighter pilot training.

Jiang Yan Hai studied aerial combat theory before joining Special Forces 1st Battalion as its new Chief Instructor. At the battalion assembly, Pan Ye used a speech about airborne troops and an introduction to the unit’s key members to test Jiang Yan Hai and Zhang Qi.

• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed aerial combat and considered whether his Electronic Warfare Support System could connect to a fighter’s systems and help target enemy aircraft.
• Jiang Yan Hai arrived at the battalion assembly in Wolf Fang training camouflage, while Zhang Qi wore the airborne troops’ uniform.
• Pan Ye welcomed sixteen recruits, Deputy Battalion Commander Zhang Qi, and Chief Instructor Jiang Yan Hai, then called on Ma Dang Xian to explain the airborne troops’ history.
• The battalion shouted that they were airborne troops, but Jiang Yan Hai recognized the ceremony as a second show of force and remained unmoved.
• Pan Ye ordered seventeen key members to step forward and report their specialties and awards to Zhang Qi and Jiang Yan Hai.

Jiang Yan Hai challenged the battalion’s pride in its honors and criticized its training, provoking Ma Dang Xian to speak up. The confrontation ended with Ma calling out, unconvinced by Jiang’s remarks.

• Ma Dang Xian and the other core personnel reported their military achievements to Zhang Qi and Jiang Yan Hai.
• Zhang Qi asked to learn the battalion members’ names, memorized them, and correctly called out more than twenty soldiers before praising the 369-person unit.
• Jiang Yan Hai declined to offer conventional praise, then accused the soldiers of boasting and questioned whether they could live up to the honors earned by fallen heroes.
• Jiang Yan Hai criticized the battalion’s training and challenged the usefulness of its awards, prompting Ma Dang Xian to call out in protest.

Jiang Yan Hai answered Ma Dang Xian’s challenge by describing his combat record and the sacrifices of classified-service heroes, then proved his fighting ability by knocking Ma unconscious in one strike. The battalion fell silent and no one challenged Jiang Yan Hai’s warning about the battlefield.

• Ma Dang Xian demanded that Jiang Yan Hai explain his own honors, and Jiang Yan Hai recounted his military exercise kills, capture of an enemy sniper, and classified operations.
• Jiang Yan Hai said his accomplishments were nothing beside those of fallen and unrevealed heroes, leaving Ma Dang Xian, Pan Ye, and the other soldiers speechless.
• Jiang Yan Hai cited Ma Dang Xian’s awards and combat record, then challenged him to prove his honors by knocking Jiang down.
• Ma Dang Xian charged, but Jiang Yan Hai struck him with a rapid blow to the neck and knocked him unconscious in a single move.
• Jiang Yan Hai assured the soldiers that Ma Dang Xian was unharmed and asked whether anyone still objected to his battlefield warning.

Jiang Yan Hai began transforming the Special Forces 1st Battalion with a punishing training regimen after demonstrating the gap between their boasts and their battlefield readiness. The battalion started a 50-kilometer forced march, while those he caught talking in formation had to complete two hundred push-ups first.

• Jiang Yan Hai told the battalion that they needed hard training to protect the regiment's honor, and Pan Ye left the training decisions to him.
• Jiang Yan Hai called out more than forty soldiers who had talked during his demonstration with Ma Dang Xian and ordered them to do two hundred push-ups.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered the companies to begin a 50-kilometer forced march, sent Ma Dang Xian to the infirmary, and sprinted ahead of the battalion.
• Jiang Yan Hai lapped the runners by the third circuit while Li Baogen supervised the punished soldiers and did push-ups alongside them.
• Li Baogen finished his push-ups and ran toward the track, leaving Zhang Qi and Pan Ye exchanging a silent glance.

After Jiang Yan Hai took charge of training, Pan Ye went to regimental headquarters to learn more about him and agreed to follow his plans. Shi Jian and Wang Xue Bing discussed the regiment’s special forces reforms and resolved to make sure Jiang Yan Hai stayed.

• Zhang Qi joined the battalion’s training, while Pan Ye left the field and went to regimental headquarters.
• Pan Ye asked Shi Jian and Wang Xue Bing to see Jiang Yan Hai’s file after the instructor had rebuked the battalion and started training its soldiers.
• Pan Ye was shocked to learn Jiang Yan Hai was nineteen, had earned three degrees from Peking University, and had received four First Class Merits and a First Class Hero Model Medal.
• Shi Jian explained that Jiang Yan Hai had been transferred to build a genuine special forces regiment as part of theater command reforms, and Pan Ye pledged the battalion would follow his orders.
• After Pan Ye returned to training, Shi Jian and Wang Xue Bing agreed to strengthen ties with military leadership so Jiang Yan Hai would not leave the regiment.

Jiang Yan Hai led the regiment through a fifty-kilometer run, monitored the soldiers’ health, and analyzed their fitness and medical risks. By dinner, the soldiers had dubbed him the Devil Instructor, though he had spent the afternoon planning how to protect them and had left regular training to their commanders.

• Jiang Yan Hai sprinted ahead during the fifty-kilometer run while Er Dan tracked everyone’s laps and the medical scanning system monitored their condition.
• The regiment completed the run by lunchtime, with nineteen people failing to finish, and doctors from the medical department assisted on site.
• Jiang Yan Hai analyzed the soldiers’ stamina and health, finding that most could improve and identifying nine with risks that could become dangerous under intense training.
• Jiang Yan Hai saved the analysis for planned reforms after Chief of Staff Ling’s inspection, while deciding to watch the soldiers with medical risks for symptoms.
• At dinner, Jiang Yan Hai heard that the soldiers had called him the Devil Instructor and was surprised that they had expected him to lead the afternoon training instead of their company commanders.

After Chief of Staff Ling’s inspection, Pan Ye led a battalion meeting about reforming training, where Zhang Qi argued that the current program lacked practical technical subjects. The debate ended with Jiang Yan Hai revealing he held an Army Aviation helicopter Flight License and had come to learn to fly fighter jets.

• Chief of Staff Ling inspected the unit, met Jiang Yan Hai, and relayed matters concerning restructuring and training.
• Pan Ye asked the officers and squad leaders to discuss reforming training while he handled both military and political affairs.
• Zhang Qi criticized the eighteen basic training subjects for focusing too much on physical fitness and precision shooting, and argued for more practical, combat-oriented training.
• Ma Dang Xian defended physical fitness, while Pan Ye challenged Zhang Qi to compete in the basic subjects and Zhang Qi considered choosing Jiang Yan Hai.
• Jiang Yan Hai declined to join the contest and revealed that he had an Army Aviation helicopter Flight License and had come to learn to fly fighter jets.