It was not until Stone had finished breakfast in the battalion mess hall, then driven Zhang Tie to regimental headquarters, that the eastern sky slowly began to show a faint glimmer of light.
Although dawn had not yet fully broken and the glowstone lamps lining the camp roads were still lit, the entire 46th Air Cavalry Regiment was already bustling. People streamed in and out of headquarters, and not a single person was idle.
The moment the car stopped, Zhang Tie opened the door and jumped out. The guards standing watch outside headquarters hurriedly saluted him when they saw him arrive. Zhang Tie returned the military salute and calmly walked into the headquarters building. Over the past month, the "divine flying skill" Zhang Tie had displayed upon first arriving at the 46th Air Cavalry Regiment had long since spread throughout the regiment. In any army, those with genuine ability would be valued and respected. Thus, Zhang Tie had already become something of a celebrity in the 46th Air Cavalry Regiment. Of course, no one would mistake this Zhang Tie for that Zhang Tie—they merely treated it as a topic of conversation.
When Zhang Tie arrived at the meeting room in headquarters, two of the air cavalry regiment's four battalion commanders had already arrived. They greeted Zhang Tie, and he took his own seat.
The 46th Air Cavalry Regiment had five air cavalry battalions. Each battalion had 1,000 air cavalrymen and 500 combat aircraft. The regiment commander, Xing Xiangtian, also served as the commander of the 46th Air Cavalry Regiment's directly subordinate combat battalion. Therefore, counting Zhang Tie, there were only four other battalion commanders altogether.
"Zhang Tie, do you know why the regiment commander called us here for a meeting?" Xiang Yusheng, commander of the Third Battalion and seated beside