Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan Hai prepared snacks and an intricately carved fruit platter for Li Ruo Bai and Su Ya Xuan, delighting both sisters. Su Ya Xuan cut off contact with someone who had been pursuing Li Ruo Bai, then joined the others downstairs and questioned Jiang Yan Hai about his carving skills.

• Jiang Yan Hai made chicken strips, fries, sugared tomatoes, juice, and a fruit platter while Li Ruo Bai came downstairs to keep him company.
• Su Ya Xuan messaged someone that Li Ruo Bai already had a loving partner, told them not to contact her again, and deleted them as a friend.
• Li Ruo Bai delighted in Jiang Yan Hai's snacks and kissed him after he revealed the fruit platter as a gift.
• Su Ya Xuan came downstairs, admired the fruit animals, and asked how Jiang Yan Hai had learned to carve so skillfully.
• Jiang Yan Hai seriously explained that carving practiced the dexterity, eyesight, patience, and concentration needed to fly a plane.

Su Ya Xuan admired Jiang Yan Hai’s fruit carvings while Li Ruo Bai teased her and made clear she planned to marry him. The next morning, Li Ruo Bai startled Jiang Yan Hai during his workout, and he collapsed after looking up at her revealing outfit.

• Su Ya Xuan praised Jiang Yan Hai’s intricate fruit carvings and asked him to make her keepsakes, but Li Ruo Bai refused on his behalf.
• Li Ruo Bai warned Su Ya Xuan to tell anyone who contacted her that her earlier involvement with him had only been a joke, then quarreled with her over the carved fruit.
• That night, Li Ruo Bai chose to sleep beside Jiang Yan Hai rather than with Su Ya Xuan and listened to his heartbeat as they fell asleep.
• The next morning, Jiang Yan Hai prepared breakfast for Li Ruo Bai and exercised while the two sisters were still asleep.
• Li Ruo Bai came downstairs and joked about sitting on Jiang Yan Hai during his push-ups, but he looked up, lost his strength, and fell.

Jiang Yan Hai took Li Ruo Bai and Su Ya Xuan on a road trip south from the capital, giving Li Ruo Bai a rare chance to travel with him. Five days into the trip, an important call reached Jiang Yan Hai as they headed toward Zhumadian.

• Li Ruo Bai told Jiang Yan Hai she had wanted a road trip with him, and he agreed to spend the rest of his vacation traveling with her.
• Li Ruo Bai invited Su Ya Xuan along, and the three set off in a G65 with Jiang Yan Hai driving and Er Dan planning their sightseeing.
• Over five days, they traveled south at an easy pace, and Su Ya Xuan came to believe Jiang Yan Hai genuinely loved Li Ruo Bai rather than pursuing her family’s money.
• Li Ruo Bai suggested staying in Zhumadian that night, but Jiang Yan Hai received an important call and reported that they had just passed Luohe Service Area on the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway.

Jiang Yan Hai received an urgent military summons while driving Li Ruo Bai and Su Ya Xuan, then reached an expressway where a J10 had landed. After the pilot handed over the aircraft, Jiang Yan Hai took off down the expressway in the fighter jet.

• Jiang Yan Hai received orders to reach a point past the Zhumadian expressway exit within an hour and left Li Ruo Bai and Su Ya Xuan in the car.
• Jiang Yan Hai drove along the emergency lane through a traffic jam until police officers let him approach the roadblock.
• A J10 fighter jet landed on the expressway, leaving Su Ya Xuan stunned as Jiang Yan Hai drove toward it.
• Jiang Yan Hai said goodbye to Li Ruo Bai, then exchanged clothes with the pilot and put on an Anti-G Suit.
• Jiang Yan Hai climbed into the J10C, started it with Er Dan's help, and accelerated down the expressway.

Jiang Yan Hai left Li Ruo Bai and Su Ya Xuan under Sparrow’s protection and flew to Overlord Wolf Base for an emergency mission briefing. He was assigned to lead a squadron escorting a civilian airliner carrying special cargo from Africa, with orders to ensure it returned safely to their country.

• Jiang Yan Hai took off in a J10C and flew at supersonic speed toward Overlord Wolf Base, while Li Ruo Bai and Su Ya Xuan departed with their security escort, Sparrow.
• Sparrow told Li Ruo Bai that she would be responsible for her personal security and warned both women to keep the day’s events confidential.
• Jiang Yan Hai reached Overlord Wolf Base and learned that the mission was to escort a civilian airliner carrying special cargo from Africa through Mabu Country, where hostile forces might attack it.
• Jiang Yan Hai changed into his flight equipment and was named flight lead of the Ghost squadron, with Peregrine Falcon and Magpie as his wingmen.

Jiang Yan Hai led Peregrine Falcon and Magpie in three J20s to escort a civilian airliner returning from Africa, preparing to enter the other side's airspace. After spotting the target formation, Ghost Squad jettisoned its external fuel tanks and turned toward the assigned route.

• Jiang Yan Hai saw six stars painted beneath his J20's cockpit and recognized that the escort mission demanded a flawless performance.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the two pilots took off as Ghost Squad, rendezvoused with Eagle Eye and Blaze Squad, and descended into Area B3.
• Magpie asked Jiang Yan Hai about combat, and Jiang Yan Hai told him to trust their aircraft and their training.
• Jiang Yan Hai detected a KJ-2000, its two fighter escorts, and six more fighters in the target airspace.
• Eagle Eye ordered Ghost Squad to jettison its external fuel tanks and enter the other side's airspace, and Jiang Yan Hai led the turn toward the assigned route.

Jiang Yan Hai’s Ghost Squad carried out an ultra-low-altitude approach as eight F16s moved to intercept the civilian airliner. The opposing force prepared to attack Eagle Eye and ordered its fighters into close-range combat, leaving the confrontation on the verge of open hostilities.

• Eagle Eye detected eight approaching F16s while the primary target remained 100 kilometers away.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Peregrine Falcon and Magpie to descend to altitude 50 and approach the enemy at ultra-low altitude.
• Eagle Eye warned the F16s to leave the exercise airspace, and the opposing fighters claimed they were patrolling to stop a suspected terrorist hijacking.
• The secret-base commander ordered Hyena Squad to continue toward close-range combat and directed Hurricane 1 and Hurricane 2 to shoot down Eagle Eye.
• Hyena Squad acknowledged the order as both sides prepared for an imminent clash.

Jiang Yan Hai tailed two enemy stealth fighters as they approached the Eagle Eye Early Warning Aircraft, then shot them down after they launched missiles. The engagement continued as Peregrine Falcon and Magpie joined the main battlefield and fired missiles.

• Jiang Yan Hai detected two stealth fighters on radar and led Peregrine Falcon and Magpie through a valley to get behind them.
• Jiang Yan Hai warned Eagle Eye that the enemy fighters were approaching and sent Peregrine Falcon and Magpie to assist the nearby formation.
• The secret-base commander authorized Hurricane Squad to attack Eagle Eye, and the two fighters launched four air-to-air missiles.
• Jiang Yan Hai fired two short-range missiles at Hurricane 1 and Hurricane 2, destroying both fighters before their pilots could eject.
• Peregrine Falcon and Magpie appeared over the main battlefield and launched two medium-range missiles each.

Jiang Yan Hai, Ghost Squad, and the pilots guided by Eagle Eye destroyed the enemy fighters and protected the civilian airliner, while the opposing commander prepared a cover story about the battle. The airliner crossed the border safely and was diverted to Overlord Wolf Air Force Base as passengers learned they had been in danger.

• Peregrine Falcon, Magpie, and Jiang Yan Hai launched missiles that destroyed the enemy fighters, while Eagle Eye jammed missiles aimed at its aircraft.
• Eagle Eye ordered the surviving fighters to escort the airliner and told them to describe the battle as an aerial training exercise.
• At a secret base, the enemy commander ordered rescue helicopters to recover pilots and drafted a false report blaming terrorists in Mabu Country.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the other fighters returned home as the airliner crossed the border and was directed to land at Overlord Wolf Air Force Base.
• The captain told passengers that unrest in Mabu Country had put the plane in danger and that it would land at a secret Air Force Base.

Jiang Yan Hai and the pilots covered up the air battle as a heroic sacrifice by two American F22 pilots and a Mabu Country Air Force victory. The United States agreed to pay for the losses, and Jiang Yan Hai arranged for two hundred million dollars to be transferred to his side.

• After the airliner refueled at a Gobi Desert base and departed, Jiang Yan Hai and the other pilots landed and went to the combat analysis room.
• The briefing described the battle as terrorists using stolen F16s attacking a civilian airliner, with two American F22 pilots sacrificing themselves to protect its passengers.
• Jiang Yan Hai proposed that Mabu Country demand four hundred million dollars from the United States for two lost fighters, while offering to donate half toward rebuilding the base.
• The American commander obtained authorization and agreed to transfer the money, asking Mabu Country to keep the matter from escalating.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the communications soldier to provide an account for two hundred million dollars and thank the United States in the name of the Mabu Country Air Force.

Jiang Yan Hai arranged compensation for the dead pilots’ families while the opposing commander accepted the outcome and ordered the recovery of the surviving pilots and bodies. The incident’s aftermath remained tightly classified, and the next day reports of the aerial battle spread across domestic social media.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Mabu Country that the money had arrived and proposed paying one million dollars to each dead pilot’s family.
• The opposing commander angrily received the compensation message, acknowledged it, and ordered helicopters to bring home their pilots and bodies.
• Jiang Yan Hai and his team stayed at Overlord Wolf’s base as the border lockdown and security protocols continued, while a special department escorted the passenger plane’s cargo to a secret research base.
• Domestic media reports made the incident a trending topic on Weibo, highlighting the loss of two F22s and eight F16s.

Jiang Yan Hai watched the United States and his own country publicly frame the fighter jet incident as a fight against terrorism, while the truth remained secret. He then met Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan at the Overlord Wolf base, where he confronted Ling over the base’s new place under his command.

• Jiang Yan Hai observed that the United States’ response signaled the incident was over, while the countries involved would keep what happened secret.
• Jiang Yan Hai met Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan, who saluted him as their commander because Overlord Wolf had been placed under his command.
• Ling Weifeng expressed discomfort at Overlord Wolf’s demotion to a subordinate base, and Jiang Yan Hai offered to submit a transfer request if Ling did not want to stay.
• Jiang Yan Hai warned Ling Weifeng to stop making barbed remarks, then corrected him that he was now a nine-star Ace Pilot.

Jiang Yan Hai rebuked Ling Weifeng for challenging his authority, listing his accomplishments and explaining why he had been assigned the base. Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan accepted him as their commander, and Jiang Yan Hai asked them to brief him on the base before making adjustments.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Ling Weifeng that the higher-ups had assigned him the base because of his abilities and Ling Weifeng’s unsatisfactory previous mission.
• Jiang Yan Hai listed his military, technical, and research achievements, then challenged Ling Weifeng to take on his responsibilities or request a transfer.
• After Jiang Yan Hai left, Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan acknowledged his authority and decided to report to him.
• Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan saluted Jiang Yan Hai and formally reported to him as the base’s commanders.
• Jiang Yan Hai welcomed them to Dark Blade, dismissed their earlier dispute as classified, and asked them to explain the base’s situation.

Jiang Yan Hai outlined plans to reorganize Overlord Wolf Base into a combat brigade and a centralized logistics brigade, supported by information systems and a future strategic transport force. Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan considered the base’s expansion needs as Jiang Yan Hai asked for a personnel list and ordered preparations for additional facilities.

• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the base would become two brigades: the combat-focused Dark Blade Special Mixed Brigade and the logistical 9th Rapid Reaction Brigade.
• Jiang Yan Hai described an information system to track equipment and supplies so the logistics brigade could coordinate maintenance and deliveries.
• Jiang Yan Hai proposed creating a strategic transport force that could eventually operate dozens of large transport planes and support other units.
• Ling Weifeng pointed out that the base would need more hangars and fuel storage as its aircraft capacity grew.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered preparations for a separate fuel reserve depot and asked Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan to provide a detailed list of base personnel for reassignment.

Jiang Yan Hai discussed the new base’s needs with Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan, then urged them to recruit experienced combat pilots for the unit. After spending nearly two weeks training at the base, he and the other participants received honors for their mission.

• Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan saluted Jiang Yan Hai after he called for a disciplined, powerful force and invited them to offer suggestions.
• Jiang Yan Hai urged Ling Weifeng and Qiao Fangyuan to recruit the combat pilots temporarily stationed at the base and provided files of pilots he wanted transferred.
• Jiang Yan Hai stayed at the base for nearly two weeks, studying and training in the J20.
• Ling Weifeng informed Jiang Yan Hai that the orders had arrived, and more than a hundred people gathered for the commendation ceremony.
• Jiang Yan Hai received First Class Merit, while Peregrine Falcon, Magpie, other pilots, and the Eagle Eye Early Warning Aircraft crew also received awards.

After the award ceremony, Jiang Yan Hai returned to the capital base with his own J20 and resumed his studies, planning to develop an engine. While reviewing Phantom's stealth technology, he discovered its structural radar-absorbent material could make the aircraft nearly undetectable by every kind of radar.

• Er Dan told Jiang Yan Hai that his authority had reached 800 points, leaving him 200 points short of field-grade commander authority.
• Jiang Yan Hai received permission to return to the capital base in his own J20, while Lu Xiaoran transferred to the Overlord Wolf base to train with Wu Di and the others.
• Jiang Yan Hai returned to school in May and began intensive study of engine construction plans.
• Jiang Yan Hai remembered the Stealth Coating he had yet to submit and studied Phantom's technical documents in detail.
• Jiang Yan Hai discovered that more than seventy percent of Phantom's structure used a new structural radar-absorbent composite that could leave the aircraft nearly invisible to radar.

Jiang Yan Hai realized Phantom’s advanced composite could not be manufactured outside specialized national laboratories, so he set aside its full-speed design and focused on research that could be scaled. He then visited Li Yun Feng’s newly acquired aero-engine institute and presented his own engine blueprints, asking the researchers to build the design before judging it.

• Jiang Yan Hai assessed Phantom’s radar-absorbing composite and concluded that its demanding production requirements made the aircraft too costly and difficult to manufacture at scale.
• Jiang Yan Hai decided to rely on Stealth Coating for now and invest in research into full-body composite materials.
• Jiang Yan Hai went to the aero-engine research institute that Li Yun Feng had acquired and found that its researchers had been taken on as well.
• Jiang Yan Hai presented his engine blueprints and said he had already developed the necessary materials.
• Zhao Jianguo questioned whether Jiang Yan Hai was confident in the unconventional design, and Jiang Yan Hai asked the researchers to manufacture it according to his requirements.

Jiang Yan Hai handed Old Zhao and the research team complete blueprints for his unconventional vector engine, and they built a Phantom Engine in a little over a week. The chapter ended as Professor Zhao Jianguo’s team prepared to conduct its first startup test.

• Jiang Yan Hai gave Old Zhao the engine blueprints after stressing that they must remain confidential.
• Old Zhao and the research team reviewed the design, agreed to begin manufacturing, and learned that the necessary materials were already available.
• After a little over a week, the team completed a Phantom Engine, and Jiang Yan Hai considered how the design could be adapted for other aircraft.
• Jiang Yan Hai brought ordinary and specially formulated aviation fuel to the test facility while Professor Zhao Jianguo supervised preparations.
• The staff connected the fuel, equipment, measurement tubes, and sensors, then hoisted the engine into the test chamber and secured it to the stand.

Jiang Yan Hai and Professor Zhao oversaw the new engine’s first test run, which succeeded, then tested its maximum and dry thrust. The readings exceeded 177 kilonewtons at maximum thrust and 152 kilonewtons dry, while further endurance and destructive tests remained ahead.

• Professor Zhao ordered everyone to evacuate the test chamber before starting the engine.
• Jiang Yan Hai let Professor Zhao initiate the test, and the engine ignited with stable readings.
• Professor Zhao declared the test run successful, and Jiang Yan Hai ordered long-duration testing and production of additional engines.
• Professor Zhao began the maximum-thrust test, and the engine produced 177 kilonewtons while remaining stable.
• The operators measured 152 kilonewtons of dry thrust, then noted that the figure appeared below the projected target.

Jiang Yan Hai replaced the engine’s fuel with his specialized formula, and the test produced far greater thrust than the earlier run. Professor Zhao and the researchers celebrated the results as Jiang Yan Hai urged them to develop a whole engine series.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Professor Zhao that he had designed a specialized fuel formula to increase the engine’s thrust.
• Professor Zhao agreed to replace the fuel, and the team prepared and restarted the engine.
• The operator reported an intermediate thrust of 213 kilonewtons, stunning Professor Zhao and the researchers.
• Jiang Yan Hai took over Professor Zhao’s position as the team prepared to test maximum thrust.
• The operator reported a maximum thrust of 265.7 kilonewtons, and Professor Zhao praised Jiang Yan Hai for his achievement.
• Jiang Yan Hai said the team should develop the engine into a series for use in many aircraft.