Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan Hai let Hou Li, Gan Yu, and Wei Zhao believe they had negotiated their freedom, while monitoring their plans and arranging their escape to Hong Kong. After they fled by fishing boat into international waters, Jiang Yan Hai revealed himself and had soldiers seize them.

• Hou Li told Gan Yu and Wei Zhao that Yang Lifei would soon travel to Hong Kong, and the three planned to escape by hacking surveillance and airport systems and disguising themselves.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Er Dan monitored the trio through their phones as they discussed and prepared their escape.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Hou Li that their terms had been accepted, then arranged for them to carry their monitored phone and board the same first-class flight as Yang Lifei.
• The three reached Hong Kong and escaped onto a fishing boat, believing they had successfully fled into international waters.
• Jiang Yan Hai appeared in the boat's cabin with armed soldiers, and he ordered them to search the three and take their belongings.

Jiang Yan Hai accused Hou Li, Gan Yu, and Wei Zhao of treason and other crimes after a phone revealed classified information, then offered them a way to avoid prison by serving the government. The three signed voluntary agreements and were released from prison to serve as soldiers under Black Hawk.

• Hound reported that the phone contained top-secret state secrets, and Jiang Yan Hai accused the three hackers of conspiring with foreign spies and attempting to escape.
• Hou Li, Gan Yu, and Wei Zhao pleaded their innocence and offered their hacking skills in exchange for avoiding life sentences.
• Jiang Yan Hai presented prepared voluntary agreements, and the three signed them and gave their fingerprints.
• Jiang Yan Hai told the three they would not return to prison and would serve as soldiers under Black Hawk.

Jiang Yan Hai warned Gan Yu and the other two that their military service was their last chance and that any further crimes could lead to a death sentence. The three accepted their new status as soldiers and left for Jinling City, where their criminal past would remain known only to a few people.

• Jiang Yan Hai told the three men that their future crimes would be handled by a military court-martial and could earn them the death penalty.
• Hound and the others took the men to a Military Airport, where Jiang Yan Hai gave them corporal uniforms and identification cards.
• Wei Zhao urged the other two to change, and the men put on their uniforms and accepted their new path as soldiers.
• Jiang Yan Hai led the group onto a military transport plane bound for Jinling City, where the three saw fighter jets escorting them.
• The three settled into the flight as Jiang Yan Hai explained that the information unit would not know about their criminal pasts.

Jiang Yan Hai formally established Dark Blade’s information unit and explained the highly classified unit’s organization and mission to its 110 members. They accepted that their families would remain under surveillance and were tasked with finding suitable recruits across the military and Armed Police.

• Jiang Yan Hai and his companions arrived at the theater command headquarters, where the 110 soldiers assigned to the information unit had gathered.
• Jiang Yan Hai warned the soldiers that joining Dark Blade meant lifelong security surveillance for them and their families, then gave them a final chance to withdraw; no one left.
• Jiang Yan Hai announced Dark Blade’s external designation as the Logistics 9th Rapid Reaction Brigade and described its combat forces, specialized logistics forces, bases, ships, and aircraft.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the information unit would use two supercomputers to identify the best candidates among more than two million career soldiers and Armed Police members.
• The assembled soldiers answered Jiang Yan Hai’s demand for confidence in their mission with a unified affirmation.

Jiang Yan Hai introduced the Dark Blade Unit’s leadership and information specialists, then assigned them work establishing the Information Warfare Unit and accessing surveillance systems nationwide. He took Qiu Xiao Fei with him to resolve the matter involving Qiu Xiao Fei’s son.

• Jiang Yan Hai introduced Fan Tian Lei, Kang Lei, Ling Weifeng, and Tang Jian as members of Dark Blade’s leadership and staff.
• Jiang Yan Hai introduced Chen Chen, Shao Xiao Jia, Hou Li, Wei Zhao, Gan Yu, and Qiu Xiao Fei by their online IDs, and the Information Warfare Unit was established.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that Er Dan would analyze data while the team built search and logistics systems, then assigned the specialists to document vulnerabilities in surveillance systems nationwide and arrange authorized remote access.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Black Hawk to coordinate the team’s responsibilities and said the surveillance network could support future missions.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Qiu Xiao Fei to come with him so he could settle the matter of Qiu Xiao Fei’s son, whom his mother had taken to another city.

Jiang Yan Hai accompanied Qiu Xiao Fei to his son Qiu Wen Ze’s school, where the boy was being mocked for having no parents. Qiu Xiao Fei reunited with his son, and Jiang Yan Hai explained the family’s situation to the class, leaving Hu Tian’s mother apologizing.

• Jiang Yan Hai encouraged Qiu Xiao Fei before they went to Qiu Wen Ze’s school during a parent-teacher conference.
• Qiu Wen Ze’s grandmother apologized to Hu Tian’s mother after Hu Tian complained about being hit and demanded an apology from Qiu Wen Ze.
• Jiang Yan Hai stopped Qiu Xiao Fei from rushing into the classroom and reminded him he was wearing his military uniform.
• Jiang Yan Hai spoke up for Qiu Xiao Fei, and Qiu Wen Ze ran to his father and embraced him.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that Qiu Wen Ze’s mother had died and his father was a soldier in a confidential unit, then asked the class not to bully him.
• Hu Tian’s mother apologized to Jiang Yan Hai, who urged her to guide her son appropriately.

Jiang Yan Hai helped Qiu Xiao Fei reconcile with his mother and son before returning to the National Defense University. There, he learned that Phantom’s engine had shown extraordinary durability in testing, while its development continued.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Qiu Wen Ze and his grandmother that Qiu Xiao Fei had joined the People's Liberation Army and would send home his salary and photographs.
• Qiu Xiao Fei promised his mother he would serve the country, and Jiang Yan Hai arranged for Hound to send him back.
• After the information troops began running smoothly, Jiang Yan Hai returned to classes at the National Defense University.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that Phantom’s wind tunnel tests had produced promising results and that eight of its ten engines were undergoing tests at three research institutes.
• During destructive testing, Phantom’s engine sustained maximum afterburner for three hours, astonishing Professor Qian and the other professors.

Professors pushed the Phantom Fighter Jet’s engine through months of intense testing while researchers finalized its materials and design. By the end of September, Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai stood before the completed jet, which had been built in time for the nation’s seventieth-anniversary military parade preparations.

• Professors inspected the engine after three hours at full afterburner and found no major structural problems, then ran destructive tests on a high-altitude test stand.
• Researchers tested the composite materials, optimized the Phantom Fighter Jet’s design with Jiang Yan Hai, and continued testing its components and electronics.
• Ten engines underwent continuous testing over three months, with eight destroyed and nearly 3 billion RMB spent on the research and tests.
• Jiang Yan Hai reached the end of September without celebrating his twenty-first birthday while Li Ruo Bai worked with electronics research institutes on the final stage of development.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai saw the Phantom Fighter Jet, assembled in the natural color of its materials, at the base.

Jiang Yan Hai argued with Old Liu over whether he should pilot Phantom on its maiden test flight, believing his knowledge and Intermediate Scanning Program could keep the aircraft and pilot safe. Old Liu refused and left the test flight assigned to Colonel Huang Yao as Phantom approached final assembly and its planned appearance at the Pearl Airshow.

• Phantom completed its final assembly, and the team planned to take it to the Pearl Airshow if testing revealed no major problems.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that Phantom’s existence would be difficult to conceal and that the airshow aircraft would use a Titanium Alloy airframe to disguise its Composite Materials construction.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked to conduct Phantom’s maiden test flight so he could use his Intermediate Scanning Program to find and address any problems.
• Old Liu refused, saying Jiang Yan Hai’s life was too important and that Colonel Huang Yao had been chosen for the test flight.
• Old Liu pointed out that Huang Yao had extensive test-flight experience and had trained in Phantom’s simulator, while Jiang Yan Hai had not trained or mastered every design detail.

Jiang Yan Hai agreed to wait until the Phantom’s test flight was confirmed safe before flying it himself, while Old Liu reported that Jiang’s decoy material had passed initial tests and might have wider applications. The Phantom’s final assembly was completed, leaving its test flight as the next step.

• Jiang Yan Hai agreed not to take part in the Phantom’s test flight but insisted he would fly it once it was confirmed safe.
• Old Liu told Jiang Yan Hai that the institute had confirmed the decoy material’s function and was investigating its other uses and performance.
• Jiang Yan Hai watched Li Ruo Bai and the others finish assembling the Phantom, whose weapons bays could carry a wide range of missiles.
• The team cheered as the Phantom’s final screw was installed and prepared for its test flight in the next few days.

As Li Ruo Bai and Jiang Yan Hai prepared for the Phantom Fighter Jet’s test flight, they watched the elderly professors reminisce about their youth. The couple imagined growing old together, still in love.

• Li Ruo Bai and Jiang Yan Hai stood together near the Phantom Fighter Jet as crews conducted final inspections before its test flight.
• Old Liu, Professor Qian, and other professors traded stories about their romances and difficult early lives, making the group laugh.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained to Li Ruo Bai that the professors were recalling the hardships and joys of their youth.
• Li Ruo Bai asked whether she and Jiang Yan Hai would grow old like the professors, and Jiang Yan Hai promised they would stay young at heart and show off their love to their descendants.

Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai admired the completed Phantom before the professors called Jiang Yan Hai to the control tower for its first test flight. The chapter ended with the preparations ready and the professors monitoring the aircraft, while details of the secret production facility and the Phantom’s costs and production capacity were explained.

• Jiang Yan Hai kissed Li Ruo Bai’s forehead, and they compared the Phantom to their child as they admired its completion.
• Old Liu and the other professors surprised the couple and told Jiang Yan Hai that the test flight was ready to begin.
• Jiang Yan Hai agreed to go to the control tower while Old Liu and the professors stayed to monitor the ground sensors.
• The chapter explained that the Phantom was being tested at a secret backup airport before production moved to a renovated facility in Inner Mongolia.
• The chapter outlined the Phantom’s estimated manufacturing cost, factory price, and potential output from three production lines.

Jiang Yan Hai oversaw the Phantom Fighter Jet’s first test flight, piloted by Huang Yao, after the aircraft passed its ground checks and took off successfully. Huang Yao landed it safely after twenty minutes, and Jiang Yan Hai felt relieved as the Red Star Engine’s voice returned.

• Jiang Yan Hai met Colonel Huang Yao at the hangar and entrusted him with piloting the Phantom Fighter Jet.
• Jiang Yan Hai cleared the airspace and authorized Huang Yao to start the jet, whose engine ignited successfully.
• Huang Yao tested the jet’s controls on the ground, completed a taxi run, and then took off on the second run.
• Huang Yao reported that the jet was stable, responsive, and powerful as he began the test procedures.
• After about twenty minutes, Huang Yao landed the Phantom Fighter Jet safely for a comprehensive inspection.
• Jiang Yan Hai felt relieved, and the Red Star Engine’s voice suddenly returned in his mind.

Jiang Yan Hai received Phantom blueprints and Intermediate Commander permissions after creating the Phantom, then joined the team’s testing of the fighter. He discovered that his upgraded scanning and electronic warfare capabilities were more practical than he had expected.

• The Red Star Engine awarded Jiang Yan Hai 200 permission points, Phantom blueprints, and Intermediate Commander permissions, raising his rank to Major.
• Jiang Yan Hai hurried to the Phantom inspection and learned that the team had found no problems with the fighter.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the other researchers agreed to begin more difficult tests, and Huang Yao started flying the Phantom through various maneuvers.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Er Dan about his upgrade and learned that his scanning, medical assistance, and electronic warfare functions had improved.
• Jiang Yan Hai tested Advanced Scan and found that it could inspect individual components and detect damage and structural problems.
• Er Dan explained that electronic warfare subprograms could provide intelligent functions to devices and connect them remotely through a network.

After Huang Yao completed the Phantom Fighter Jet’s second test flight, Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan to scan the aircraft and compare it with the complete blueprints. He found numerous minor design and assembly issues, then led Professor Liu and the others through the Phantom to explain them.

• Huang Yao landed after the Phantom’s second test flight, and Jiang Yan Hai began inspecting the aircraft.
• Jiang Yan Hai used the Advanced Scanning Program to identify abnormal component data across the Phantom.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Er Dan to compare the scan results with the complete blueprints, revealing hundreds of differences.
• Jiang Yan Hai filtered out technical and electronic upgrades, leaving several dozen minor issues to address.
• Jiang Yan Hai showed Professor Liu and the other researchers the problems, while doctoral students recorded them.

After the third test flight exposed no further problems, Jiang Yan Hai persuaded the professors to let him pilot the fighter himself on its next flight. He prepared to take off while Li Ruo Bai worriedly adjusted his flight suit.

• The researchers fixed the issues Jiang Yan Hai had identified, and Huang Yao completed the fighter’s third test flight, including maneuvering tests.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Old Liu to let him fly the fighter next, and Old Liu referred the decision to Professor Qian and the other professors.
• Jiang Yan Hai cited Professor Wang’s past test flight in the Yun-10, and Professor Li approved his request while the safety colonel warned of the risks.
• The team thoroughly inspected the fighter after its third flight, then Jiang Yan Hai changed into his flight gear.
• Li Ruo Bai straightened Jiang Yan Hai’s Anti-G Suit, and he reassured her that he was the country’s best pilot.

Jiang Yan Hai and Huang Yao tested the Phantom, pushing it through increasingly demanding maneuvers as it performed reliably. After two prototypes completed most of their tests, Jiang Yan Hai flew the aircraft to the Pearl Airshow, where it received a new paint scheme.

• Jiang Yan Hai took the Phantom on its first flight and tested its maneuvers, reaching Mach 2.5 before landing safely.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Huang Yao alternated test flights, with Jiang Yan Hai handling extreme maneuvers and reaching 15G.
• A second Phantom, built mostly with a Titanium Alloy Fuselage, was completed and began test flights alongside the first.
• The Phantom passed most of its type-certification tests smoothly, making it ready to appear at the airshow.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others flew the Phantom to the airshow hangar at night, and the aircraft received a new paint scheme en route.

Reporters and spectators at the Pearl Airshow speculated that its mysterious opening performance would feature a J20 with new engines. The chapter ended with Jiang Yan Hai preparing to take off in a black-painted Phantom alongside two WS-15-equipped J20s.

• Reporters and livestreamers gathered at the fourteenth Pearl Airshow and guessed that its surprise performance would feature a J20 fitted with a WS-15 engine.
• Jiang Yan Hai put on his helmet beside two J20 fighter jets equipped with the latest WS-15 engines.
• Jiang Yan Hai prepared to fly the black-painted Phantom as the three aircraft were set to take off side by side.

Jiang Yan Hai and two veteran pilots flew Phantom and two J20s in an aerial display, while spectators mistook the unfamiliar stealth fighter for an export model. Phantom outpaced the J20s during a simultaneous supersonic demonstration, and the chapter ended as the two J20s returned alone after the fighters had disappeared from view.

• Reporters and spectators saw Phantom and guessed that the unfamiliar heavy stealth fighter was an export version.
• Jiang Yan Hai, Magpie, and Peregrine Falcon took off together and passed low over the grandstand.
• The three fighters returned in formation and broke the sound barrier at the same time.
• Spectators watched Phantom pull ahead of the two J20s and argued about its speed and performance.
• Seven or eight minutes later, the two J20s returned at low speed without Phantom in sight.

Jiang Yan Hai flew the Mirage at Mach 3, stunning the crowds and experts with its blazing thermal glow and apparent combination of extreme speed and stealth. After the brief demonstration ended, the country erupted in speculation about the fighter and the breakthrough its engines represented.

• The Mirage appeared on camera as a glowing streak, and viewers watched it produce a thunderous sonic boom while flying at Mach 3.
• Professional spectators compared the Mirage with the few aircraft known to reach Mach 3 and concluded that its size and stealth suggested a major Chinese engine breakthrough.
• The Mirage disappeared after its brief performance, and the venue announced that the three fighters would not return.
• The new stealth fighter, Mach 3 stealth fighter, and domestic engine surged to the top of Weibo’s trending searches.
• The retired Bureau Chief posted an explanatory article on Weibo as news of the fighter spread across the country.