Chapter Summaries

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.

Jiang Yan Hai challenged the entire Special Forces 1st Battalion to compete against him so the soldiers and officers would accept his training, while Zhang Qi agreed to face Pan Ye. The competitions were set for one month later, and regiment leaders Shi Jian and Wang Xue Bing discussed how the results could stir up the regiment and strengthen its training.

• Zhang Qi challenged Pan Ye to a competition, and Pan Ye accepted with a month for Zhang Qi to prepare.
• Jiang Yan Hai proposed competing against the battalion in areas such as shooting, hand-to-hand combat, and physical fitness, asking them to cooperate with his training afterward.
• Pan Ye agreed that the battalion would accept Jiang Yan Hai’s training if he and Zhang Qi won, and they scheduled Jiang Yan Hai’s competition for after Zhang Qi’s match with Pan Ye.
• News of the competitions spread through the regiment, reaching Shi Jian and Wang Xue Bing.
• Wang Xue Bing argued that the contests could reveal Jiang Yan Hai’s abilities and motivate the regiment, while Shi Jian questioned Zhang Qi’s chances against Pan Ye.
• Wang Xue Bing suggested Jiang Yan Hai might have anticipated the effect of the competitions and pointed Shi Jian toward the files in the safe.

Jiang Yan Hai spent the month studying and training privately while Special Forces 1st Battalion prepared for the competition, assuming he had been idle. After Zhang Qi lost to Pan Ye, Jiang Yan Hai began his own events against the battalion’s strongest contestants.

• Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan to analyze soldiers’ training data while studying subjects including engine manufacturing and materials science.
• Zhang Qi trained hard and sought instructors for the foundational disciplines he found difficult, while Jiang Yan Hai continued studying and exercising privately.
• A month passed, and soldiers bet spicy strips on the competition, with most deciding Jiang Yan Hai would lose because they thought he had not trained.
• Pan Ye defeated Zhang Qi sixteen to two, though Zhang Qi won some events, including military topography using equipment.
• On the third day, Jiang Yan Hai faced the battalion’s fourteen selected contestants, beginning with Ma Dang Xian in a log carry and ammunition run.

Jiang Yan Hai dominated the endurance, rappelling, and sniping events against the Special Forces 1st Battalion, leaving the soldiers stunned by his abilities. He finished the chapter with a perfect score at 2,700 meters, while Qiao Liang conceded the shooting contest.

• Jiang Yan Hai carried a log and ammunition crate to the finish line ahead of Ma Dang Xian, breaking the regiment's event record.
• Jiang Yan Hai won the rappelling event by dropping rapidly down the rope and stopping himself just before hitting the wall.
• Jiang Yan Hai chose a target 2,700 meters away and hit it with all five shots, earning fifty points.
• Qiao Liang conceded the sniping contest, and the Special Forces 1st Battalion was shaken by Jiang Yan Hai's performance.

Jiang Yan Hai defeated the soldiers in all eighteen remaining basic events, winning the rifle contest and hand-to-hand combat against Ma Dang Xian to complete an eighteen-to-zero sweep. The chapter ended with Qiao Dong announcing the final victory and the gymnasium erupting in applause.

• Jiang Yan Hai fired thirty perfect shots while Qiao Liang fired ten, and Qiao Liang conceded the rifle contest.
• Jiang Yan Hai won all eighteen remaining basic events, including military topography, completing an eighteen-to-zero lead.
• Ma Dang Xian stepped onto the platform to fight Jiang Yan Hai despite having been defeated by him a month earlier.
• Jiang Yan Hai blocked Ma Dang Xian's attacks for about thirty minutes without tiring, then knocked him unconscious with an elbow strike and hand chop.
• Qiao Dong declared Jiang Yan Hai the winner of the final round, and the crowd applauded.

Jiang Yan Hai assessed the Airborne Special Forces Regiment’s slow training pace and began considering how to improve its physical fitness. After spotting recruit Qi Xiao Tian sneaking out after lights-out, he waited for Li Baogen to discover his absence and then ordered Li Baogen, Ma Dang Xian, and the squad vice-leader to return to bed instead of searching for him.

• Jiang Yan Hai judged the regiment’s conventional training too slow and decided physical fitness should be the first step in his plans.
• Zhang Qi intensified his fitness training after losing the competition by two points, while Jiang Yan Hai chose Li Baogen as someone he wanted to approach.
• Jiang Yan Hai followed Qi Xiao Tian from First Company’s barracks and found him hiding in an obstacle-course pit after being punished by his squad leader.
• Jiang Yan Hai waited until Li Baogen and the squad vice-leader discovered Qi Xiao Tian was missing and went to report it to Ma Dang Xian.
• Jiang Yan Hai stopped Ma Dang Xian, Li Baogen, and the squad vice-leader as they set out to search, then ordered them to return to bed.

Jiang Yan Hai prepared a covered obstacle pit and arranged a special meal as he began dealing with Qi Xiao Tian’s plan to set up Li Baogen. He left Li Baogen with orders to have his squad fill sandbags, while Qi Xiao Tian remained missing.

• Jiang Yan Hai borrowed boards and tools from the logistics department and built a sturdy cover for the obstacle pit.
• At dawn, Jiang Yan Hai found Li Baogen and Zhang Fugui waiting outside his barracks and told Zhang Fugui to assure Ma Dang Xian that he knew where Qi Xiao Tian was.
• Jiang Yan Hai took Li Baogen to the Kitchen Squad and arranged grilled meat and vegetables for fifteen people before dinner.
• Jiang Yan Hai met Ma Dang Xian and Zhang Fugui, then ordered Li Baogen to have his squad fill two twenty-kilogram sandbags per person.

Jiang Yan Hai trapped Qi Xiao Tian beneath a wooden lid weighted with sandbags after the recruit fell asleep in the obstacle pit. Qi Xiao Tian remained imprisoned and miserable, though Zhang Fugui secretly brought him water at Jiang Yan Hai’s direction.

• Jiang Yan Hai covered the obstacle pit while Qi Xiao Tian slept, then ordered Ma Dang Xian and the squad to ring the lid with sandbags.
• Jiang Yan Hai closed the obstacle course and sent Ma Dang Xian to inform the battalion, while Li Baogen led the others in training.
• Qi Xiao Tian shouted for help as the soldiers left him trapped, and the battalion learned what had happened without challenging Jiang Yan Hai.
• By noon, Jiang Yan Hai sent Zhang Fugui to slip Qi Xiao Tian a bottle of water so that thirst would not endanger him.
• Zhang Fugui secretly gave Qi Xiao Tian the water and told him to endure the confinement, then hurried away.

Jiang Yan Hai gathered First Squad at the obstacle course and made them listen to detailed descriptions of hometown delicacies before treating them to a barbecue. He left Qi Xiao Tian trapped in the pit, tormented by the food smells and the sight of the skewers.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Zhang Fugui that Qi Xiao Tian should remain confined because his quick admission of fault did not prove he had learned his lesson.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Li Baogen to gather First Squad at the obstacle course, while Pan Ye and Shi Jian watched from Commander Pan’s barracks.
• Jiang Yan Hai had the squad sit in a circle and spent over an hour describing local dishes, leaving the hungry soldiers eager for dinner.
• Jiang Yan Hai sent Zhang Fugui to fetch barbecue supplies, and the Kitchen Squad brought a grill, charcoal, and meat to the training ground.
• Jiang Yan Hai grilled skewers for the squad while Squad Leader Zhang described the meat, and Qi Xiao Tian grew increasingly hungry inside the pit.
• Jiang Yan Hai stood beside the pit with Li Baogen, praising him and showing off the skewers where Qi Xiao Tian could see them.

Jiang Yan Hai used his wartime experiences to explain the costs and responsibilities of military service to Li Baogen and the recruits. After the soldiers left, Qi Xiao Tian apologized to Li Baogen from the obstacle pit, leaving his response unstated.

• Pan Ye and Shi Jian watched in disbelief as Jiang Yan Hai and Class One barbecued beside the pit where Qi Xiao Tian was enduring hunger.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Li Baogen whether he could shoot a child enemy, then explained how hesitation could cost soldiers their lives.
• Jiang Yan Hai recounted fighting in Argentina and said soldiers had to protect civilians even when those civilians insulted them.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Li Baogen that his training would become more painful and that he could apply for discharge if he could not endure it.
• Li Baogen ordered the soldiers to pack up and leave, then told Qi Xiao Tian he could retire rather than suffer.
• Qi Xiao Tian called after Li Baogen and apologized, and Li Baogen smiled silently before walking away.

Jiang Yan Hai forced Qi Xiao Tian to choose between joining a ten-kilometer armed run and resting, then laid out a demanding physical-training program for the battalion. Zhang Qi planned to train a tactical squad and challenge Pan Ye, while Jiang Yan Hai proceeded with his own plan.

• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Qi Xiao Tian to join First Company’s ten-kilometer armed run or return to rest, and Qi Xiao Tian chose to run despite having gone without food for a day and two nights.
• Qi Xiao Tian passed out around five kilometers into the run, and Zhang Qi also passed out after running back and forth to assist the soldiers.
• Zhang Qi proposed training a tactical squad and bet Pan Ye that he could defeat him within two months to win support for his training method.
• Jiang Yan Hai declined to take sides in the contest and said he would follow his training plan during the two months.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Pan Ye detailed individual and phased physical-training plans for the battalion, explaining that the men needed to prepare for even harder training.
• Pan Ye agreed in principle to Jiang Yan Hai’s plan after learning that the regiment commander and political commissar had already approved it.

Jiang Yan Hai took charge of Special Forces 1st Battalion’s training for two months, dividing the soldiers into six groups with different training plans. The battalion began the punishing program, while Jiang Yan Hai led by example with an even heavier workload.

• Zhang Qi explained that the army needed more real combat experience and that conventional training methods were insufficient for an airborne special operations force.
• Jiang Yan Hai announced that the battalion would follow his training plan for two months and divided the soldiers into S, A, B, C, D, and E groups.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered everyone to camp outdoors in tents and gave the group officers their training plans.
• Ma Dang Xian objected that the training was excessive, but Jiang Yan Hai challenged the soldiers to compete with him or accept increased workloads.
• The group officers began the training, and the soldiers struggled through tasks such as two hundred push-ups while Jiang Yan Hai completed an even heavier regimen.

After Jiang Yan Hai’s grueling training program transformed the Special Forces 1st Battalion’s performance, he left to pursue his fighter pilot license at a nearby Air Force airport. He met his instructor, Wu Di, who was surprised to learn Jiang Yan Hai would skip the simulator and move quickly toward flying a trainer aircraft.

• Over fifteen days, the Special Forces 1st Battalion increased its training workload by nearly a third, and Pan Ye admired Jiang Yan Hai’s results.
• Jiang Yan Hai completed plans for the battalion’s remaining two months of training and handed them to Pan Ye before leaving to obtain his Flight License.
• At the Air Force airport, Senior Colonel Zhang Mingwu welcomed Jiang Yan Hai and called Captain Wu Di to instruct him.
• Zhang Mingwu told Wu Di to assess Jiang Yan Hai, then move him through Overload Training and into a trainer aircraft.
• Wu Di questioned the unusual plan to skip the simulator, especially since Jiang Yan Hai was an Army officer.

Jiang Yan Hai settled in at the Air Force Base and completed the pilot academic assessment with a perfect score. He asked to proceed directly to Overload Training so he could get into a trainer aircraft sooner.

• Zhang Mingwu told Wu Di to take Jiang Yan Hai to the dormitory and assigned him a room next door to Wu Di.
• Wu Di showed Jiang Yan Hai around the base and took him to the cafeteria for lunch.
• Jiang Yan Hai completed all the academic tests by dinnertime and earned a perfect score.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked to move straight on to Overload Training, and Zhang Mingwu and Wu Di agreed.
• Jiang Yan Hai changed into a flight suit and went with Zhang Mingwu and Wu Di to the Overload Training room.

Jiang Yan Hai tested his tolerance for overload training, enduring 10G with remarkable control before attempting 11G. He recovered quickly and concluded that he still needed to train regularly.

• Wu Di and Zhang Mingwu questioned Jiang Yan Hai’s request to begin at 10G, but agreed to test him in the Overload Training machine.
• Jiang Yan Hai remained conscious and signaled at 10G, then emerged able to walk despite feeling dizzy.
• Jiang Yan Hai said he wanted to try 11G, and Zhang Mingwu agreed to the test with strict conditions.
• After resting for fifteen minutes, Jiang Yan Hai endured 11G long enough to give a thumbs-up before Zhang Mingwu stopped the machine.
• Wu Di and Zhang Mingwu helped Jiang Yan Hai out, and he quickly recovered and said he needed to train regularly.

Jiang Yan Hai began preparing for flight training and wrestled with his growing feelings for Li Ruo Bai. Their first video call ended in embarrassment after she accidentally showed more than she intended, leaving Jiang Yan Hai to reassure her by message.

• Jiang Yan Hai recovered from Overload Training and went to the cafeteria, knowing he could begin training in a JL-10 trainer aircraft the next day.
• Unable to sleep, Jiang Yan Hai opened his chat with Li Ruo Bai and received a message she quickly withdrew.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Li Ruo Bai she could message him whenever she wanted, and she asked if they could video call.
• Jiang Yan Hai accepted Li Ruo Bai's video call, but she immediately hung up after he caught an embarrassing glimpse of her pajamas and cleavage.
• Li Ruo Bai panicked that Jiang Yan Hai thought she had shown herself on purpose, while Jiang Yan Hai messaged that he had not seen anything.

Li Ruo Bai and Jiang Yan Hai shared a shy video call, made plans to meet, and renewed their promise about the note and the meals he owed her. The next morning, Jiang Yan Hai maintained his exercise routine, checked on his battalion’s demanding training, and began Overload Training on his own.

• Li Ruo Bai reopened Jiang Yan Hai’s WeChat, then called him again after making sure her appearance was in order.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai discussed his delayed dinner invitation, agreed he owed her ten meals separately from the promise on his note, and promised to meet when they could.
• Li Ruo Bai told Jiang Yan Hai she attended Pearl City University, while he said he was near Fuzhou and promised to let her know if she could visit.
• Jiang Yan Hai woke early, exercised, and called Qiao Dong to check that the battalion’s near-limit training was proceeding without problems.
• Jiang Yan Hai confirmed the training schedule with Qiao Dong, then started his own Overload Training after Zhang Mingwu arranged for him to train alone.

Jiang Yan Hai pushed himself through repeated 10G overload training and exercises to improve his reactions, until Zhang Mingwu ordered him to stop and rest before his afternoon trainer-aircraft flight.

• Jiang Yan Hai entered Overload Training at 10G and practiced aircraft-control movements to train his reactions.
• Jiang Yan Hai emerged from the machine, did burpees for ten minutes, and then returned to 10G training.
• Jiang Yan Hai repeated the training for more than two hours, while the staff member monitored his physical data.
• Jiang Yan Hai's Neural Reaction rose by six points and his physical fitness increased by two points.
• Zhang Mingwu ordered Jiang Yan Hai to stop training and rest so he could prepare for the trainer aircraft that afternoon.

Jiang Yan Hai continued training and joined Wu Di for a flight in a JL-10 trainer, where the Red Star Engine activated a mission requiring him to take control during his first trainer flight. The aircraft took off successfully, leaving Jiang Yan Hai poised to begin piloting it himself.

• Jiang Yan Hai asked Zhang Mingwu for permission to continue Physical Training and trained through the morning.
• Wu Di and Jiang Yan Hai discussed fighter aircraft upgrades before heading to the hangar.
• Jiang Yan Hai inspected the JL-10 with Wu Di and received a Red Star Engine mission to take control of a trainer aircraft during his first flight.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Wu Di to let him fly the aircraft, and Wu Di agreed after completing the assessment.
• Wu Di and Jiang Yan Hai completed their preflight checks, received clearance from the Control Tower, and took off toward their training airspace.

Jiang Yan Hai experienced Wu Di’s high-speed flying maneuvers, met two pilots who joined them in formation, and passed an emergency-situation assessment. With Control Tower’s authorization, he began taking preliminary control of the aircraft.

• Wu Di put Jiang Yan Hai through a series of intense high-speed maneuvers, but Jiang Yan Hai remained calm and said he looked forward to flying them himself.
• Zhao Hai, callsign Flamingo, and Liu Hao Chen, callsign Red Shore, flew alongside them, greeted Jiang Yan Hai, and then returned to base.
• Wu Di tested Jiang Yan Hai on emergency situations, and Jiang Yan Hai answered well enough for Wu Di to praise his knowledge.
• Wu Di requested permission from Control Tower for Jiang Yan Hai to try controlling the aircraft, and Control Tower approved.
• Wu Di gave Jiang Yan Hai a countdown, and Jiang Yan Hai took the control stick and began controlling the aircraft.