Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan Hai arranged testing for the Phantom Engine and began designing the Phantom’s internal systems while the engine underwent endurance trials. He left the research institute before the 150-hour test was complete, with security tightened and wind tunnel testing planned as the next step.

• Jiang Yan Hai and Professor Zhao agreed to begin comprehensive testing of the Phantom Engine, including a 150-hour endurance run.
• The researchers began testing the engine, examining its components, thrust levels, and thrust vectoring during continuous operation.
• Jiang Yan Hai notified Hound before leaving the institute, and security around the facility was raised while the engine test continued.
• Jiang Yan Hai started planning the Phantom’s wind tunnel tests and designing its internal circuitry, electronic systems, instruments, and fuel tanks.
• Jiang Yan Hai intended to complete the Phantom’s design while waiting for engine test results and progress on the composite materials.

Jiang Yan Hai considered collaborating with Li Ruo Bai on improved fighter electronics while awaiting the Phantom Engine’s endurance-test results. Fan Tian Lei brought him a box and updated him on the imminent formation of the information forces, but left without explaining what the gift was about.

• Jiang Yan Hai noted that Li Ruo Bai's institute was developing stable, interference-resistant military chips and other electronic systems.
• After returning to school, Jiang Yan Hai resumed studying and waited for the results of the Phantom Engine's 150-hour endurance test.
• Fan Tian Lei visited Jiang Yan Hai, handed him a large box, and reminded him that the information forces would be ready in about half a month.
• Fan Tian Lei said 110 outstanding graduates had been gathered and that the theater command had provided an old command center with dedicated high-speed defense fiber-optic lines.
• Jiang Yan Hai agreed to handle the remaining personnel, then called after Fan Tian Lei to ask what was in the box, but Fan Tian Lei drove away without answering.

Jiang Yan Hai realized Fan Tian Lei had given him a model to remind him of Li Ruo Bai’s upcoming birthday, then received excellent results from the engine’s 150-hour endurance test. He agreed to arrange further testing, including a high-altitude test at the Taihang facility.

• Jiang Yan Hai opened Fan Tian Lei’s box and found an intricately made J20 model, then used Er Dan to learn that Li Ruo Bai’s birthday was only a few days away.
• Jiang Yan Hai realized Fan Tian Lei had intended the model as a reminder to prepare a birthday present for Li Ruo Bai.
• Jiang Yan Hai waited for the engine’s 150-hour test to finish and received no calls during the test.
• Professor Zhao told Jiang Yan Hai that the engine passed the test with excellent results and could potentially last 6,000 to 8,000 hours.
• Jiang Yan Hai agreed to coordinate long-term, destructive, and high-altitude testing, including contacting the Taihang side about its test facility.

Jiang Yan Hai told Old Liu that his newly developed engine had completed its test run, with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 27. Principal Zheng summoned him to a secure conference room, where aviation experts began reviewing the engine’s preliminary test results.

• Jiang Yan Hai celebrated the engine’s successful test run and contacted Old Liu to report it.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Old Liu the engine’s preliminary figures: 21.7 tons of military thrust, 27 tons of maximum thrust, and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 27.
• Old Liu hung up and contacted Principal Zheng, who ordered Jiang Yan Hai to come to his office immediately.
• Principal Zheng brought Jiang Yan Hai into a secure room and started a video conference with several professors.
• Old Liu introduced Professor Qian Hongming, who questioned the reported thrust-to-weight ratio, and Jiang Yan Hai confirmed that testing had verified the figures.

Jiang Yan Hai presented his engine design and test results to a group of senior aviation-engine professors, who were stunned to learn it had passed a 150-hour endurance test. After Professor Li recalled the country’s long struggle to improve engine lifespans, Professor Qian invited Jiang Yan Hai to bring the engine to Taihang for high-altitude testing.

• Jiang Yan Hai sent the professors the engine’s design materials and detailed test results, including its 150-hour endurance test.
• Professor Li and the other professors reacted with excitement, while Jiang Yan Hai asked Principal Zheng to ensure their health and safety.
• Professor Li recalled that the country’s engines had once lasted only 300 hours, then reached 800 hours, and said she was relieved to witness the nation finally catching up.
• Professor Qian asked Jiang Yan Hai where he had tested the engine and offered Taihang’s research institute for the high-altitude test he lacked.
• Professor Qian told Jiang Yan Hai to send the finished engine to Taihang and promised to make room for it among the other engines.

Jiang Yan Hai explained that his new engine required specially formulated aviation fuel and had been designed for a Mach 4 stealth fighter. After revealing his lightweight stealth composite materials, he gained the professors’ support and was named chief designer of the Phantom Fighter Jet.

• Jiang Yan Hai said the engine reached its strongest performance with new aviation fuel that cost about the same as conventional fuel but required a separate refueling system.
• Jiang Yan Hai revealed that he had designed the engine and fuel for a stealth fighter with a maximum speed of Mach 4 and sustained cruise speed of Mach 3.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the Phantom would use stealth coating and structural composite materials to reduce its empty weight and withstand the heat of high-speed flight.
• Old Liu offered to work under Jiang Yan Hai, and Professor Li said the professors would help him design the fighter.
• Jiang Yan Hai named the aircraft Phantom, and Professor Li declared him its chief designer.

After Jiang Yan Hai’s engine passed its test run, senior professors told him to organize his fighter design files and take a short break while they reviewed the plans. He learned that national support could accelerate Phantom’s development and asked Li Yun Feng to contact Chengfei, who offered to mobilize up to forty-two billion in cash.

• Jiang Yan Hai told the professors he would organize and send the design files, and Old Liu instructed him to begin engine testing arrangements and rest while they reviewed the plans.
• Old Liu suggested that Li Yun Feng contact Chengfei and said production could go to his company, with competing manufacturers involved if the design passed verification.
• Principal Zheng granted Jiang Yan Hai a week of leave and told him to remain in contact.
• Jiang Yan Hai reflected on how the professors’ decision had brought Phantom’s development forward far sooner than he expected.
• Jiang Yan Hai called Li Yun Feng, who agreed to contact Chengfei and said he could raise twelve billion in cash immediately and roughly thirty billion more within a week.

Jiang Yan Hai completed and submitted the Phantom’s blueprints, setting off a nationwide effort to develop the aircraft and its Composite Materials. With work temporarily out of his hands, he traveled to Jiangcheng to visit Li Ruo Bai and prepare a birthday present for her.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Professor Zhao that the engine had received official approval, and Professor Zhao arranged for an engine to be tested at a high-altitude test bench.
• Jiang Yan Hai finished the Phantom’s blueprints and transmitted them to a secure server, then informed Old Liu.
• Old Liu organized researchers across the country to review the blueprints, especially the Composite Materials designs.
• Jiang Yan Hai considered visiting Pishkov and realized he needed to make up for missing Li Ruo Bai’s birthday the previous year.
• Jiang Yan Hai confirmed that Li Ruo Bai was in Jiangcheng and traveled there with the things Fan Tian Lei had given him.
• Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan to find a jade jewelry company and bought an uncarved piece as a possible birthday gift for Li Ruo Bai.

Jiang Yan Hai secretly prepared a carved jade gift and roses for Li Ruo Bai’s birthday, then surprised her at her home just before midnight. They reunited passionately, and Li Ruo Bai told him that he was the only gift she wanted.

• Jiang Yan Hai spent his leave carving two tiny jade figurines for Li Ruo Bai and bought her roses.
• Jiang Yan Hai waited near Li Ruo Bai’s home and messaged her until he called shortly before midnight.
• Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan to open Li Ruo Bai’s villa door and quietly entered while talking to her.
• Jiang Yan Hai surprised Li Ruo Bai in her bedroom, and she ran to him and kissed him passionately.
• Jiang Yan Hai wished Li Ruo Bai a happy birthday, but she said he was the best gift and nothing else mattered.

After celebrating Li Ruo Bai’s birthday, Jiang Yan Hai visited Ivan, who had settled with Natasha in China and wanted to see him. Jiang Yan Hai joined them at home after seeing how well they were doing.

• Li Ruo Bai sent Jiang Yan Hai away so she could focus on a critical project at the electronics research institute.
• Jiang Yan Hai decided to visit Ivan, who was working at a research institute near Rongcheng.
• Jiang Yan Hai waited outside Natasha’s school and greeted Ivan and Natasha when they came out.
• Natasha told Jiang Yan Hai that her leg had recovered, and Ivan thanked him and invited him home.
• Jiang Yan Hai accepted Ivan’s invitation and chatted with Natasha as she practiced speaking Chinese.

Jiang Yan Hai visited Ivan and learned that Ivan had chosen Chinese citizenship and wanted to contribute his expertise to their homeland. Ivan gave Jiang Yan Hai a USB drive containing a next-generation fighter aircraft decoy design, leaving Jiang Yan Hai speechless.

• Jiang Yan Hai chatted with Natasha while Ivan welcomed him into the villa and offered to cook.
• Jiang Yan Hai helped Ivan in the kitchen, where Ivan said he felt safe in China and valued the life he and Natasha had found there.
• Ivan told Jiang Yan Hai that he had chosen Chinese citizenship and intended to contribute his expertise to the country.
• Ivan gave Jiang Yan Hai a USB drive containing a next-generation fighter aircraft decoy design, saying Jiang Yan Hai could hand it in and earn merit.

Ivan gave Jiang Yan Hai research materials for a compact electronic decoy that could disable nearby radar and electronic systems, explaining its capabilities and limitations. Jiang Yan Hai accepted the device and considered how it might protect against missiles.

• Ivan told Jiang Yan Hai that the decoy was his late partner’s research and offered it without asking for anything in return.
• Ivan explained that the small device released powerful microwave and electromagnetic waves that could permanently damage nearby radar and electronic components.
• Ivan said the decoy’s range could not be increased proportionally and that it could not stop inertially guided missiles or mechanically triggered explosives.
• Ivan warned Jiang Yan Hai that the waves could also cause irreversible damage to the human body.
• Jiang Yan Hai accepted the research materials and considered using the decoy to blind tracking missiles and gain an advantage in combat.

Jiang Yan Hai examined Ivan’s new radar-disrupting decoy material and sent its designs to Old Liu for testing. He then set out to recruit four imprisoned hackers, whose backgrounds and criminal skills were outlined as the chapter ended.

• Jiang Yan Hai asked Er Dan to analyze the USB’s material, and Er Dan confirmed that it could damage radar systems while exposing people to dangerous microwaves.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained the new decoy to Old Liu and sent him its designs so the team could begin testing it safely.
• Jiang Yan Hai decided to abandon his vacation and proceed with recruiting the four hackers.
• Hound reported that the four men had been placed in the same prison and that three had made contact, while Qiu Xiao Fei had not.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Hound to prepare Black Hawk and the others for a visit to the prison, and the chapter described the four men’s online identities and criminal histories.

Jiang Yan Hai reviewed why Hou Li, Gan Yu, Wei Zhao, and Qiu Xiao Fei had been imprisoned and decided how to handle them. He had arranged a trap in prison, leaving them to choose whether to fall into it while he kept them under control.

• Hou Li had been arrested after scamming a woman and falling for her trap at a hotel.
• Gan Yu had received a sentence for crippling his girlfriend’s lover, while Wei Zhao had been arrested after stealing and uploading a television drama’s master copy.
• Qiu Xiao Fei had been sentenced to fifteen years after stabbing his wife and her lover to death, then calmly telling investigators he did not regret it.
• Jiang Yan Hai judged Hou Li and Wei Zhao to be the main targets for punishment, while viewing Gan Yu and Qiu Xiao Fei as different cases.
• Jiang Yan Hai left a pit for the four prisoners and planned to keep them under his control.

Hou Li, Gan Yu, and Wei Zhao debated using a hidden cellphone and a wealthy inmate’s escape plan to get out of prison, while Jiang Yan Hai arrived in Su Province. Jiang Yan Hai went to meet Qiu Xiao Fei, who was surprised that someone had finally come to see him.

• Hou Li found a smuggled cellphone and discovered that an inmate planned to escape overseas with help from a hacker and more than a hundred million dollars in an anonymous account.
• Hou Li recruited Gan Yu and Wei Zhao to discuss using the phone to alter medical records and seek medical parole, but Wei Zhao and Gan Yu doubted the plan.
• Jiang Yan Hai arrived at the prison, where the three men still had not decided whether to take part in the escape scheme.
• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed Qiu Xiao Fei’s prison surveillance footage and sent Officer Zhang to tell him that someone wanted to meet him.
• Qiu Xiao Fei asked Officer Zhang who had come, then relaxed when he learned the visitors were from above.

Jiang Yan Hai confronted Qiu Xiao Fei about his painful past and offered him the possibility of making different choices. He then revealed that he knew Qiu Xiao Fei was the hacker Blue Mist, and Qiu Xiao Fei admitted to running online gambling operations and telecom scams in America.

• Jiang Yan Hai dismissed the police officer, removed Qiu Xiao Fei's handcuffs, and described how childhood mistreatment could shape a person's life.
• Qiu Xiao Fei broke down as he worried that his son would suffer the same hardships he had endured.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked whether Qiu Xiao Fei would make different choices if he had another chance, and Qiu Xiao Fei insisted that his life was ruined.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered Qiu Xiao Fei a cigarette and revealed that he knew him as Blue Mist.
• Qiu Xiao Fei admitted that he was Blue Mist and had run online gambling operations and telecom scams in America.

Jiang Yan Hai offered Qiu Xiao Fei a legitimate job using his hacking skills and gave him one day to decide. He then offered Hou Li a chance to help with a national security mission in exchange for a reduced sentence, leaving both prisoners to consider their offers.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Qiu Xiao Fei that the country could give him a legitimate job using his skills and gave him one day to decide.
• After Qiu Xiao Fei was taken away, Jiang Yan Hai summoned Hou Li to a conference room.
• Jiang Yan Hai revealed that he knew Hou Li's online ID, Little Red Riding Hood, and that Black Hawk had recommended him for a mission.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered to reduce Hou Li's sentence to less than three years if he helped the country, and gave him one day to decide.

Jiang Yan Hai pressured Hou Li to choose between cooperating with the country and facing consequences, but Hou Li planned to use the offer to escape and reach his overseas fortune. He recruited Gan Yu and Wei Zhao, who were tempted by his escape plan and promise of thirty million dollars each.

• Jiang Yan Hai explained to Hound that Hou Li would contact his accomplices because they could report him and take his place.
• Hou Li returned to his cell and decided to escape rather than cooperate, hoping to reach his hundred-million-dollar overseas account.
• Hou Li told Gan Yu and Wei Zhao that Jiang Yan Hai had offered him a chance to work for the country and claimed it could be used to escape.
• Gan Yu and Wei Zhao questioned Hou Li’s plan, but he described using his phone, botnets, and surveillance hacks to get out.
• Hou Li showed them information linking the phone to Bai San and said he had contacted smugglers who would take them abroad for payment.
• Gan Yu and Wei Zhao were tempted when Hou Li promised each of them thirty million dollars if they escaped.

Gan Yu proposed using a meeting with a celebrity on a flight to Hong Kong as a way for the three prisoners to improve their chances of escape, and Hou Li presented the idea to Jiang Yan Hai as a condition for their cooperation. Hound angrily rejected the request, leaving Hou Li to wonder whether the officers were trying to pressure him with a good-cop, bad-cop routine.

• Gan Yu suggested asking for a plane encounter with a celebrity whose schedule included Hong Kong, hoping the flight would help them escape.
• Hou Li contacted the snakehead, learned that crossing illegally from Hong Kong would cost half as much as crossing from the mainland, and decided to approach Jiang Yan Hai.
• Hou Li gave his phone to Wei Zhao and Gan Yu so they could search for targets and gain access to surveillance through their external Botnet.
• Hou Li told Jiang Yan Hai that he and Wei Zhao wanted to recruit the hacker see and Brocade Mouse, then said see would cooperate in exchange for meeting Yang Lifei on a plane.
• Hound slammed the table and rebuked Hou Li for making the request, while Hou Li denied that it was his own demand.

Jiang Yan Hai offered Hou Li and Qiu Xiao Fei a chance to work for the country in exchange for their cooperation. Qiu Xiao Fei accepted and left prison as a confidential PLA soldier, while Hou Li was sent back to persuade the other two men.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Hou Li to return with information about the two men and help persuade them, promising an answer the next day.
• Qiu Xiao Fei asked to visit his son openly and tell him that he had an honest job, then agreed to Jiang Yan Hai's offer.
• Jiang Yan Hai signed the paperwork allowing Qiu Xiao Fei to leave prison and serve the remainder of his sentence at a secret base.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Qiu Xiao Fei genuine military identification and a special pardon order recruiting him as a confidential PLA soldier.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Qiu Xiao Fei information about his son and mother, then had Hound take him to a guesthouse.