Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Mengsheng arrives to help Yue Xiaofei and learns that Yue Changlong has been imprisoned in the Black Prison for five years. Xiaofei says he never learned why, and earlier inquiries by two generals were blocked by lack of clearance.
• Zhao orders a search of Yue Changlong’s military record using his highest clearance. The record reveals that Yue was a Senior Colonel and commander of the elite Ironblood Division at age twenty-seven—far above the company-commanding rank people had assumed.
• Yue later resigned voluntarily in his third year as division commander and surrendered all his rank-related benefits. The record gives only “personal reasons,” leaving Zhao and the crowd baffled.
• Jin Dapao rushes forward, convinced he knows the reason, and asks whether Yue resigned in the same year as the Great Flood. The chapter ends on this revelation’s suspenseful question.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Mengsheng moves from surprise at the imprisonment to determined investigation. Yue’s extraordinary record humbles him: Zhao had considered himself a rare military prodigy, yet Yue’s rise was even more exceptional.
• Yue Xiaofei is stunned to discover that the father he understood as a company commander once led a major elite division.
• Gao Zisheng, previously smug about Yue’s imprisonment and Xiaofei’s lack of protection, is shaken by the discovery of Yue’s status.
• Jin Dapao appears deeply affected by the timing of Yue’s resignation and takes charge of the moment, suggesting the Great Flood is tied to Yue’s departure.
• The crowd and livestream viewers shift from speculation about Yue’s imprisonment to awe at his career, while Zhao’s deputy confirms the record is authentic.

Significant themes

• Hidden identity and reputation: Yue’s apparent past as a company commander conceals a remarkable career.
• Duty, sacrifice, and unexplained choices: Yue gave up a prestigious command and its benefits, suggesting a personal cost not yet revealed.
• Truth versus secrecy: Even powerful figures lack access to the reasons behind Yue’s imprisonment and resignation.
• A looming past tragedy: The Great Flood is introduced as a possible turning point in Yue’s life.

Plot points and events

• Jin Dapao explains that his former soldier Liang Sanjiang served in the Ironblood Division and was a bodyguard to its commander. Jin calls him to identify Yue Changlong and explain why he resigned.
• Liang arrives, recognizes Yue Changlong as the division commander he deeply admired, and realizes Yue Xiaofei is his son.
• Learning that Gao Zisheng attacked Xiaofei, Liang slaps Gao and angrily defends the commander’s legacy. Guards restrain him as the incident unfolds on a livestream.
• Gao Tianxiong, previously dismissive of Yue Changlong, realizes he was the Ironblood Division’s youngest commander, appointed at just twenty-seven. He fears Yue may hold even greater rank and influence.

Character developments

• Liang Sanjiang reveals his fierce loyalty and admiration for Yue Changlong, reacting emotionally to seeing his former commander’s image and furiously defending his son.
• Yue Xiaofei becomes proud and excited to learn more about his father’s military achievements.
• Gao Tianxiong shifts from arrogance to dread as he understands the scale of the person he has antagonized.
• Gao Zisheng is publicly humiliated and injured, while the crowd and livestream viewers cheer his punishment.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and comradeship: Yue’s former soldiers remain devoted to him years later.
• Honor and reputation: A commander’s service and sacrifices command lasting respect.
• Consequences of arrogance: The Gao family’s contempt for Yue’s son exposes their ignorance and puts them in danger.
• Unrevealed identity and power: Yue Changlong’s past appears increasingly extraordinary, leaving others to wonder how high his position once reached.

Character interactions

• Jin connects the group with Liang, using their shared military history to uncover Yue’s past.
• Liang recognizes Xiaofei’s resemblance to Yue and immediately treats the attack on him as an insult to his former commander.
• Liang confronts Gao Zisheng physically and verbally, while Guards restrain him.
• Gao Tianxiong watches events unfold and privately reassesses Yue Changlong with growing fear.

Key plot points and events

• Liang Sanjiang explains why Yue Changlong resigned, recalling the catastrophic flood in Xun City more than a decade earlier. The Ironblood Division was sent to protect a dangerously threatened embankment and the hundreds of thousands of civilians nearby.
• Yue led from the front: he worked alongside his soldiers, went without sleep, and once plugged a dangerous underwater leak with his own body while his men piled sandbags over him.
• Meanwhile, influential families repeatedly pressured him to move their sons and relatives away from danger. On the seventh day, Yue denounced the demands in front of the division, declaring that no one would receive special treatment and that every soldier had to share the risk.
• His speech rallied the division, and the well-connected soldiers stopped asking for transfers. Liang hints that Yue then made another pledge—one that would change his fate permanently—but does not yet reveal it.

Character developments and interactions

• Liang Sanjiang shifts from anger at Gao Zisheng to respectfully recounting Yue’s sacrifice. His memories convey deep loyalty and admiration.
• Zhao Mengsheng calms Liang and invites him to explain what happened, identifying himself as a former subordinate of Yue and emphasizing the need to clear Yue’s name.
• Yue Changlong emerges as a selfless, uncompromising commander who shares his soldiers’ hardships and rejects privilege, even under pressure from powerful figures.
• Yue Xiaofei is moved by the story, imagining his father carrying sandbags and gaining a vivid sense of the heroic man behind his indistinct memories.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: Yue risks his life to protect civilians and refuses to ask his soldiers to endure hardships he would not share.
• Equality and accountability: Rank and connections must not excuse anyone from danger or responsibility.
• Leadership by example: Yue earns his soldiers’ loyalty through his actions as much as his words.
• Heroism in ordinary hardship: The chapter presents a mud-covered commander on a flood embankment—not a decorated image—as a true hero.

Key plot points and events

• Liang Sanjiang recounts how Yue Changlong pledged that all 12,000 soldiers of the Ironblood Division would return home, promising not to let the flood take a single man.
• Inspired by his words, the soldiers work relentlessly for over half a month, hauling sandbags and checking for leaks despite injury, exhaustion, and dangerous conditions.
• When local residents bring food and water, Yue asks the soldiers to show their damaged hands, turning their shame into pride and moving the people of Xun City to tears.
• A foreign reporter challenges Yue over the disaster response and the danger to his troops. He rejects her framing, insisting that soldiers would never be sent to die needlessly—but might choose to risk themselves to protect the people.
• Yue concludes that Dragon Kingdom has no superheroes, but its ordinary soldiers become heroes when their people need them.

Character developments

• Yue Changlong emerges as a protective, resolute commander who values his soldiers’ lives while trusting their courage and sense of duty.
• Liang Sanjiang, recalling the events years later, remains deeply moved by the soldiers’ sacrifice and his commander’s leadership.
• The soldiers are shown as vulnerable people who endure pain and fear, yet take pride in their service and commitment to civilians.
• The people of Xun City shift from grateful observers to emotionally engaged supporters, recognizing the human cost of the soldiers’ work.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: Soldiers accept hardship for the safety of civilians, but their sacrifice is presented as voluntary and meaningful—not something commanders should waste.
• Human dignity: Yue’s gesture of showing the soldiers’ hands transforms their injuries from something to hide into evidence of courage.
• Community and gratitude: The residents’ food, gifts, and words create a bond between soldiers and the people they protect.
• Heroism in ordinary people: The chapter contrasts fictional superheroes with ordinary soldiers who act bravely despite fear and pain.

Character interactions

• Yue’s pledge gives the soldiers a shared purpose; his public display of his own injured hands helps them face the locals without shame.
• Residents respond with care and admiration, offering food, water, notes, and wine.
• Yue confronts the foreign reporter’s provocative questions calmly but forcefully, defending both his soldiers’ humanity and their commitment to the public.
• Liang’s emotional retelling draws the square and livestream audience into the memory, building suspense around Yue’s answer and reverence for the soldiers’ service.

Chapter Summary

• After Liang Sanjiang recounts Division Commander Yue’s sharp response to a foreign reporter, the crowd and livestream audience erupt in praise for the soldiers. Yue Xiaofei feels deeply moved and begins to understand why his father never bragged about his achievements: true heroes do not need to prove themselves with words.
• Liang explains that the flood crisis was far from over. A fifth, even more dangerous flood peak was expected, threatening Xun City and the cities downstream. The authorities faced a terrible choice: deliberately divert the flood and sacrifice Xun City, or try to hold the embankment and risk catastrophic flooding across the region.
• When asked whether his division could hold the frontline, Division Commander Yue studied the map and firmly answered, “I can hold it, the Ironblood Division can hold it!”
• Soldiers and townspeople worked together to defend the embankment. Elderly residents, parents with children, and schoolchildren all contributed. Director Tang of the reservoir plant risked his life inspecting a floodgate high above the raging water; he returned exhausted but confirmed it was intact.
• During the night, the flood peak overwhelmed the embankment. A small breach rapidly widened, sweeping away soldiers, including Little Wang. Water rushed into Xun City and downstream. Soldiers, residents, and experts feared that all was lost.
• At the crisis’s height, Yue appeared in waist-deep water and shouted, “Don’t panic, I have a way!” Everyone turned toward him, and the chapter ends just as he makes an unexpected move.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Yue Xiaofei shifts from admiration to a deeper understanding of his father’s humility and the sacrifices behind the soldiers’ reputation.
• Liang Sanjiang recounts the disaster with pride and grief, particularly when remembering the soldiers swept away.
• Division Commander Yue is portrayed as resolute and responsible: he chooses to defend the embankment, then inspires hope when it appears doomed.
• The townspeople are shown not as passive victims but as active partners in the defense. Their cooperation with the soldiers—and Director Tang’s courage—underscores the community’s shared resolve.

Significant Themes

• Courage and sacrifice: Soldiers and civilians risk their lives to protect others.
• Collective strength: The defense is a joint effort between the military and the people.
• Heroism without boastfulness: True service is remembered through actions and sacrifice, not self-promotion.
• Hope in despair: Yue’s final declaration offers a possible turning point, left unresolved at the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Key plot points and events

• During a catastrophic flood, Division Commander Yue drives a sand-loaded military truck directly into a levee breach to slow its expansion.
• He survives with a severe arm wound and calls for others to send more trucks into the gap. Dozens of vehicles form a makeshift barrier, but water continues rushing through.
• When the barrier appears likely to fail, Yue orders the soldiers to form a human wall. Soldiers link arms in the flood, while ropes tied to a tree offer little protection against the current. Men are swept away, and others take their places.
• Local residents beg the soldiers to stop, saying they will abandon their homes rather than see more young men die. Yue insists that protecting the people and their homes is the soldiers’ duty.
• Liang Sanjiang recounts the episode to guests in a square, explaining that the experience taught him what the Ironblood Division truly stood for.

Character developments

• Yue is portrayed as a courageous, self-sacrificing commander who leads from the front, first risking his life with the truck and then entering the flood himself.
• Liang Sanjiang relives the event with visible emotion and deepens his understanding of the division’s purpose: its strength comes from devotion to the people, not simply combat skill.
• The soldiers show collective resolve, repeatedly filling gaps left by comrades swept away. Even an injured eighteen-year-old recruit insists he can continue.
• The local residents move from watching the rescue effort to pleading with the soldiers to preserve their lives, revealing their compassion and gratitude.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: The soldiers accept extreme danger to protect those downstream.
• Solidarity and courage: The men act together, supporting one another and refusing to retreat.
• Home and belonging: Yue declares that the people’s homes are also the soldiers’ homes, making protection a shared responsibility.
• The human cost of heroism: The residents’ pleas and the young recruit’s injury emphasize the suffering behind the soldiers’ bravery.

Character interactions

• Liang addresses an increasingly anxious crowd, whose questions frame his emotional account.
• Yue inspires the soldiers through decisive action and direct commands, while they respond by following him into the flood.
• The residents plead with the soldiers to stop, but Yue’s response reaffirms his commitment to protect Xun City.
• Liang’s reflections connect the soldiers’ actions with the residents’ concern, presenting their relationship as one of mutual care.

Key plot points

• Liang Sanjiang recounts how 300,000 soldiers, led by Division Commander Yue, formed a human barrier against a catastrophic flood threatening Xun City. They endured freezing water and violent waves through the night until the flood receded, saving hundreds of thousands of residents.
• Afterward, the soldiers helped clear mud, disinfect homes, and repair damage. Yue gave his tent to displaced elderly people and children. When residents gathered to thank the departing troops with food, Yue ultimately accepted their gifts but arranged for the soldiers to donate more than 100,000 yuan to flood victims, insisting they take nothing from the people.
• Just as the troops were leaving, Battalion Commander Wei Zhenhua was reported missing. Searchers found him dead, lying over a newly opened levee hole and plugging it with his body. Though his wealthy father had tried to shield him from danger, Wei had sacrificed himself to protect the city.
• Wei’s wife and three-year-old daughter, Niannian, come to the station. When Niannian asks where her father is and how to reach him when she misses him, her mother tells her to call toward the river mouth, where he will hear her.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue emerges as a courageous, selfless commander: he shares what little he has with civilians, refuses personal reward, and honors Wei’s sacrifice.
• Liang Sanjiang recounts the events with pride and grief, visibly overcome by the soldiers’ endurance, the people’s gratitude, and Wei’s death.
• Wei Zhenhua is revealed to be far braver than his privileged reputation suggested. He sets aside his prized watch and uses his body to stop the breach.
• The people of Xun City and the soldiers show reciprocal devotion: residents offer scarce food in gratitude, while the troops donate money and refuse to profit from their service.
• Wei’s wife and Niannian bring the cost of the sacrifice into intimate focus. The mother’s tender explanation gives the child a way to imagine a continuing bond with her father.

Significant themes

• Duty, courage, and sacrifice in service to others.
• The mutual bond between soldiers and civilians.
• Humility and integrity: service is presented as an obligation, not a source of personal gain.
• Grief, memory, and the enduring connection between a child and a lost parent.

Key plot points and events

• Liang Sanjiang recounts Battalion Commander Wei Zhenhua’s funeral. Thousands attended, and Division Commander Yue Changlong carried the coffin. Wei’s young daughter, Niannian, could not understand why her father would not wake up, leaving the mourners devastated.
• After the funeral, Yue offered to resign, blaming himself for Wei’s death. Chief Wei stopped him, arguing that resigning would dishonor Wei’s sacrifice and abandon the surviving soldiers. He urged Yue to lead them and “live for Zhenhua too.”
• Although Yue’s division was due for a major commendation and he was expected to be promoted, he resigned shortly after returning to Longdu, citing personal reasons.
• Liang later overheard Yue on the phone warning someone that leaving the Army would not make the Ironblood Division easy to intimidate. He realized Yue had been pressured to resign to protect his men.
• Asked who was responsible, Liang recalls Yue addressing the caller as “Young Master Zhong.” Zhao Mengsheng and the crowd react with anger and call for an investigation.

Character developments

• Yue Changlong emerges as a devoted commander: he is crushed by Wei’s death but accepts Chief Wei’s counsel, then sacrifices his own career to shield his soldiers.
• Chief Wei reveals both his grief as a father and his strength as a leader, insisting that his son’s death must have purpose.
• Wei Zhenhua is remembered as a brave officer who died saving others; his young daughter’s grief makes the cost of his sacrifice especially vivid.
• Liang Sanjiang moves from recounting a tragedy to exposing the hidden pressure behind Yue’s resignation.
• Zhao Mengsheng becomes determined to uncover who forced Yue out.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice, duty, and the human cost of service.
• Leadership as responsibility for one’s surviving people.
• Grief endured with dignity, and the importance of honoring the dead through continued service.
• Abuse of influence and the possibility that powerful people can punish honorable service members.

Character interactions

• Chief Wei catches Yue when he tries to kneel and challenges him to honor Wei Zhenhua by continuing to lead.
• Yue’s phone call shows him confronting “Young Master Zhong” while concealing the real reason for his resignation.
• Zhao presses Liang for details, and Liang’s revelation turns the crowd’s mourning into outrage and a demand for justice.

Key plot points

• Zhao Mengsheng reacts with alarm when Yue Xiaofei mentions “Young Master Zhong.” Though he claims not to know who it is, his hesitation convinces Xiaofei that he is hiding something. Zhao agrees to investigate discreetly, while Xiaofei vows to uncover the truth.
• Gao Zisheng slanders Yue Changlong, suggesting he may have committed a crime after leaving the army. Liang Sanjiang knocks him down and defends Yue’s honor.
• Pressed by Xiaofei, Liang reveals that Yue Changlong did not leave the military: he transferred from the Army to the Air Force. More shockingly, he intended to give up his rank and honors and begin again as an ordinary soldier.
• Zhao’s records search finds no Air Force commander named Yue Changlong. Liang then recalls that Yue used his mother’s surname and the alias Lu Chengfeng.
• Xiaofei connects the Lu name to his late grandmother, Lu Lanxin, and to a Dzi Phoenix Crown and a key to the Modu Vault he found in the family home.
• A search confirms that an Air Force officer named Lu Chengfeng exists—but his file is classified at the SSS+ secret level.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei grows more determined to learn what happened to his father and who forced him away. The alias gives him renewed hope and a possible link to his grandmother’s family.
• Zhao Mengsheng shifts from anger to caution when Young Master Zhong is mentioned, revealing that the name carries serious weight. He takes charge of the investigation but is stunned by the discovery of Lu Chengfeng’s classified file.
• Liang Sanjiang defends Yue Changlong against the Gao family’s accusations and eventually supplies the crucial details about the Air Force transfer and alias.
• Gao Tianxiong and Gao Zisheng see Yue’s disappearance as an opportunity to undermine him; Gao Zisheng openly attacks his reputation, provoking Liang’s forceful response.
• The livestream audience mirrors the crowd’s disbelief, questioning the transfer and speculating about Young Master Zhong’s identity.

Significant themes

• Hidden identity and secrets: Yue Changlong’s apparent disappearance masks a new identity and a highly classified military record.
• Honor versus slander: The chapter contrasts Yue’s sacrifice and service with the Gao family’s malicious claims.
• Power and intimidation: Zhao’s reaction suggests that even influential figures fear whoever “Young Master Zhong” may be.
• Starting over and sacrifice: Yue’s decision to become an ordinary Air Force recruit suggests he was willing to abandon status and expertise for an unknown purpose.

Key plot points and events

• The crowd learns that Lu Chengfeng—Yue Changlong’s Air Force identity—held the Dragon Kingdom’s highest level of classified access. Zhao Mengsheng explains that such clearance is exceptionally rare and reserved for figures who have shaped the nation’s fate.
• Gao Tianxiong and Gao Zisheng, already humiliated, are stunned by how much more important Yue’s identity proves to be. Gao Zisheng wonders whether Yue might also have served under another identity in the Navy.
• Yue Xiaofei struggles to reconcile the different pieces of his father’s past. Zhao’s group cannot access the classified files, so Liang Sanjiang suggests seeking information from Air Force contacts.
• Xiaofei reveals that his uncle, Yue Zhangkong, was a celebrated test pilot who sacrificed himself to steer a failing fighter away from a residential area. Through his uncle, Xiaofei knows Lei Zhen, the current Azure Sword commander.
• Zhao Mengsheng agrees to contact Lei Zhen using his satellite phone.
• The scene shifts to Longdu, where Jiang Bichij is exercising when her secretary rushes in with news: Gao Zisheng has been caught by God of War Shanhe during his livestream.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei moves from confusion to action, offering his family connection as a possible way to uncover his father’s past.
• Zhao Mengsheng is awed by Yue’s concealed status but remains determined to investigate. He urges the Air Force to help, then accepts that formal clearance is required and turns to Lei Zhen instead.
• Gao Zisheng and Gao Tianxiong are reduced to fear and disbelief as Yue’s reputation grows more formidable.
• Jiang Bichij is introduced as vain and status-conscious, taking pride in her appearance and comparing herself favorably with Gao Tianxiong. Her secretary’s urgent arrival interrupts her routine.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and secrets: Yue’s multiple roles make his true history increasingly mysterious.
• Military hierarchy and restricted knowledge: Even powerful generals cannot access the nation’s most sensitive files without special authorization.
• Sacrifice and service: Yue Zhangkong’s death highlights the personal cost of military duty.
• Public reputation and humiliation: Gao Zisheng’s downfall unfolds before a livestream audience, while those around him react to Yue’s growing stature.

Key plot points

• Jiang Bichij watches the livestream exposing her son Gao Zisheng’s connection to the Ironblood Division scandal. Fearing for him, she orders her daughters to use their husbands’ influence to suppress the story and heads to the Jun Family for help.
• In Longdu, Young Master Zhong learns that veterans have publicly linked him to the forced resignation of Division Commander Yue Changlong. He panics at the prospect of Zhao Mengsheng investigating, but his sister points out that her husband’s new post at State Security Bureau 7 could be used to target Yue Xiaofei.
• A secretive council in the West identifies Yue Xiaofei as Yue Changlong’s son—and potentially the Black Emperor’s offspring. Believing his genes could revive the failed Adam Project, they order Nightingale to recruit him or, if necessary, eliminate him.
• In Jiangcheng, Yue Xiaofei calls General Lei Zhen and asks about Lu Chengfeng. When Yue reveals Lu is his father, Lei reacts with explosive shock and identifies him as “Sky God Lu.”

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Bichij shifts from anger to urgent damage control, revealing how far she will go to protect Gao Zisheng and how much she relies on the Jun Family’s influence.
• Young Master Zhong is exposed as powerful but frightened when his past is made public. His sister steadies him by proposing a plan that exploits her husband’s authority.
• The Western council treats Yue Xiaofei as a valuable asset rather than a person, escalating the danger around him.
• Yue Xiaofei remains focused and controlled, seeking answers about his father despite the turmoil around him. His revelation jolts Lei Zhen, suggesting Lu Chengfeng’s identity carries immense significance.

Significant themes

• Power and influence: Families, military connections, and state agencies are treated as tools for shielding allies or silencing threats.
• Legacy and hidden identity: Yue Xiaofei’s parentage links him to both the Black Emperor and the mysterious Sky God Lu.
• Public exposure and political risk: The livestream turns buried wrongdoing into an immediate crisis.
• Human beings as instruments: The council’s interest in Yue is driven by his inherited genes and their ambition to restart the Adam Project.

Plot points and events

• General Lei Zhen explains that Lu Chengfeng’s Air Force record is classified at the highest level, but offers to summon a longtime comrade who served and flew with him.
• Lei promises the man will reach Yue Xiaofei in five minutes. Exactly five minutes later, a White Emperor Extreme—a top-secret experimental fighter described as a near seventh-generation aircraft—arrives over the square.
• Zhao Mengsheng explains the jet’s extraordinary speed and technology to the astonished crowd and livestream audience.
• The pilot performs a daring, apparently theoretical aerobatic maneuver before landing safely near the square.
• The pilot emerges from the cockpit and is identified by Zhao as Lin Yuanzheng, leaving everyone shocked.

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei grows more eager to learn about his father, Lu Chengfeng, and imagines him defending the country as a pilot.
• Lei Zhen shows respect for secrecy while still finding a way to help Yue meet someone who knew Lu personally.
• Zhao Mengsheng, normally authoritative, is openly amazed by the aircraft and its pilot.
• Liang Sanjiang’s understanding of Commander Yue’s cryptic remark about “building a wall in the sky” deepens: he believes Yue went on to defend the country in the air.

Significant themes

• Duty and legacy: Lu Chengfeng’s reputation inspires those who served with him and his son.
• Secrecy and sacrifice: Lu’s classified record underscores the hidden costs and responsibilities of military service.
• National pride and technological power: The advanced fighter and the crowd’s reaction emphasize the country’s military achievements.
• Awe and heroism: The spectacular arrival turns a reunion with an old comrade into a public display of extraordinary skill.

Character interactions

• Yue presses Lei for information about his father; Lei refuses to disclose classified material but arranges a meeting with Lu’s comrade.
• Zhao explains the fighter to the guests, while Liang connects its arrival to Yue’s past words and military legacy.
• The crowd and livestream viewers share in the suspense and excitement as the jet lands and Lin Yuanzheng is revealed.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Yuanzheng arrives at the gathering in the advanced White Emperor-Ultimate fighter, immediately drawing attention as a celebrated air force hero and test pilot.
• Yue Xiaofei recognizes Lin and recalls his legendary record, including testing the White Emperor, intercepting foreign aircraft, and completing dangerous missions.
• Lin salutes Zhao Mengsheng, who greets him warmly and teases him about making a dramatic entrance.
• Lin asks whether Lu Chengfeng’s son is present. When Yue identifies himself, Lin notices his injuries and demands to know what happened.
• Yue explains that the Gao father and son kidnapped him. Lin reacts angrily and fixes them with a threatening stare.
• Yue asks Lin about his father’s history in the air force. After reflecting, Lin reveals: “Your father, Lu Chengfeng, is my greatest rival!”

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei is awed by Lin’s arrival but gathers the courage to ask about his father, showing how deeply he wants to understand Lu Chengfeng’s past.
• Lin Yuanzheng is introduced as both a decorated, charismatic pilot and a protective figure. His concern for Yue quickly turns to anger at the people who hurt him.
• Zhao Mengsheng and Lin display familiarity and mutual respect through their salute and playful exchange.

Significant themes

• Heroism and public admiration: Lin’s reputation inspires both the crowd and the livestream audience.
• Family legacy and identity: Yue’s curiosity about his father’s military past becomes central to the scene.
• Protection and justice: Lin’s response to Yue’s injuries signals that the Gao family will face consequences.
• Rivalry: Lin’s final revelation reframes Lu Chengfeng as a major figure in his life and sets up a deeper account of their shared history.

Character interactions

• The crowd and viewers react to Lin with excitement, admiration, and fascination.
• Lin and Zhao greet one another as fellow servicemen, mixing respect with friendly teasing.
• Lin shows immediate concern for Yue, who shares what the Gao father and son did to him.
• Yue appeals to Lin for insight into Lu Chengfeng, prompting the chapter’s dramatic revelation.

Key plot points and events

• At a public gathering, Lin Yuanzheng calls Lu Chengfeng both his “greatest enemy” and, moments later, his best brother, most respected rival, and personal ideal. His praise confuses Yue Xiaofei and surprises the crowd.
• Yue asks Lin to explain what his father was like in the Air Force, since the details of Lu’s service are classified.
• Lin recounts meeting Lu eighteen years earlier at flight school. Becoming a qualified fighter pilot required years of demanding study and training, and most cadets washed out.
• Lu, then about thirty and transferred from the Army, joined the flight-school class only three months before its final assessment. The young cadets assumed he had used connections to get in and doubted he could catch up.
• Lin ends on a cliffhanger: the cadets were completely wrong, and Lu gave them an unforgettable lesson at the assessment.

Character developments

• Lin Yuanzheng shifts from a composed public figure to an emotionally stirred eyewitness, revealing deep admiration for Lu and a long-standing rivalry built on respect.
• Yue Xiaofei seeks a fuller understanding of his father’s past. Hearing how Lu was underestimated gives him a more vivid, painful picture of what his father endured.
• Lu Chengfeng is presented through Lin’s memories as an older Army transfer who faced widespread skepticism but possessed exceptional potential.

Significant themes

• Prejudice and perseverance: Lu is judged by his age, background, and lack of flight experience before he has a chance to prove himself.
• Respect through rivalry: Lin’s description shows that an adversary can also be a cherished friend and an inspiring example.
• Hidden history and reputation: Lu’s classified Air Force service holds a crucial part of his story, which Yue is trying to uncover.
• Merit versus assumptions: The cadets’ confidence in their own experience makes them underestimate Lu.

Character interactions

• Yue asks Lin directly about his father, and Lin responds with a personal account rather than classified details.
• Lin’s recollection reveals his relationship with Lu as a close, competitive bond.
• The cadets’ initial hostility and mockery contrast with Lin’s later admiration.
• Gao Tianxiong and Gao Zisheng briefly interpret Lin’s words as proof that Lu was a traitor, but Lin’s full statement undercuts their hopes.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Yuanzheng recounts Lu Chengfeng’s three months at flight school: he trains relentlessly, studies theory late into the night, and pushes through demanding physical tests.
• After Lu faints during a 9G centrifuge test, his fellow trainees discover his extensive battle scars. They realize he has endured severe combat, and stop mocking him for being older and inexperienced in aviation.
• The students and instructors begin helping him. Lu repays their support with his calm competence, notably handling a simulated dual-engine failure and explaining the recovery to his classmates.
• Lu reveals that he left the Army to honor his late elder brother, a pilot who died in service and hoped Dragon Kingdom’s fighters would fly higher and farther.
• Lu excels in the practical final assessment, earning enthusiastic praise. The theory exam proves much harder: its advanced design questions stump most students, while Lu continues working through them after others give up.
• The next morning, senior flight-school leaders assemble to receive a delegation of prominent aviation experts. Elder Song, a leading fighter designer, urgently demands to know which student is Lu Chengfeng.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Chengfeng emerges as disciplined, resilient, modest, and deeply motivated by family duty. He conceals his military past and scars, but his experience and composure earn his classmates’ respect.
• Lin Yuanzheng, initially impressed by his practical flying and inclined to reassure him about theory, comes to understand the weight of Lu’s sacrifices and purpose.
• The trainees and instructors move from doubt and ridicule to guilt, admiration, and active support, offering Lu notes and extra lessons.
• Elder Song and the visiting academicians arrive with an evident interest in Lu, setting up a new conflict or revelation.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and starting over despite age or disadvantage.
• Sacrifice, family legacy, and honoring the dead through service.
• Respect earned through character and ability rather than status or appearances.
• The contrast between practical skill and theoretical knowledge—and the possibility that Lu’s unusual exam performance has attracted the attention of the aviation establishment.

Key plot points

• Lin Yuanzheng reveals that Lu Chengfeng—now known as Division Commander Yue—once stunned military experts by answering advanced aviation questions. His proposals could have helped bring the Dragon Kingdom’s fifth-generation fighter into service two years early.
• Academicians competed to recruit him, but Lu chose to remain a pilot, driven by his late brother’s sacrifice and a desire to serve at the front.
• Elder Song arranged a compromise: Lu would train as a pilot while holding a concurrent research position. He became a highly classified pilot-researcher, working at the academy after flight training.
• Lu later served as Lin’s wingman and never sought the lead position, saying that defending the country mattered more than rank or recognition.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin recounts how his early assumptions about Lu’s theoretical ability were disproved, and admits Lu’s talent could have made Lin the lead pilot.
• Lu’s exchanges with Elder Song and the academicians reveal both his exceptional intellect and his firm commitment to frontline service.
• Zhao Mengsheng, Liang Sanjiang, and Jin Dapao respond with admiration, connecting Lu’s humility and courage to earlier acts of self-sacrifice.
• Yue Xiaofei proudly defends his father, saying a soldier’s duty is to carry responsibility, not pursue rank.

Significant themes

• Service over personal glory: Lu believes success need not be his own, but he must contribute to it.
• Different forms of patriotism: Research and frontline combat are equally valuable ways to protect the country.
• Humility and shared responsibility: Lu accepts being a wingman and credits others rather than seeking status.
• Heroism and legacy: Yue Xiaofei sees his father’s choices as the enduring example of a true soldier.

Summary

• Lu’s rise as an ace: Lin Yuanzheng recalls the Blue Sky Air Combat Tournament, the Air Force’s highest-level competition. Though Lu was an inexperienced “Army transfer student,” he defeated the three-time champion with a daring low-altitude maneuver and won the Golden Helmet. In the final, he also outmaneuvered Lin, who became a lasting admirer of his skill. Lu dedicated the trophy to all pilots who rely on their comrades.
• The threat from Eagle Country: Lin explains that Dragon Kingdom’s older fourth-generation Skyhawks were badly outmatched by Eagle Country’s stealthy fifth-generation Lightning fighters. The imbalance left Dragon Kingdom’s pilots vulnerable, but they continued intercepting the intruders to protect the people and territory behind them.
• The border confrontation: When three Lightning fighters cross into Dragon Kingdom airspace, Lu and Lin scramble to meet them. Lin is caught in an enemy missile lock and faces the choice of ejecting or risking his life. Lu tells him to watch for a signal, then attempts a dangerous attack from above—an almost impossible maneuver that could kill him.
• The cliffhanger: Lu’s close pass startles the Lightning pilot, giving him a brief opening to get behind the enemy and secure a radar lock. He urgently requests permission to fire, leaving the outcome unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu is established as daring, exceptionally skilled, and willing to take extraordinary risks for his comrades and country. His actions show that his courage goes beyond tournament glory.
• Lin Yuanzheng moves from recounting Lu’s past with admiration to reliving a moment when Lu saved him. His story reveals both his own fear and his respect for Lu’s resolve.
• Yue Xiaofei, listening in the present, begins to understand the weight behind his grandfather’s warning that falling behind means being beaten.
• Lu and Lin’s close partnership is central: Lin trusts Lu’s warning, while Lu puts himself in danger to protect him.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes skill and courage under pressure, loyalty between comrades, and patriotism as a willingness to defend others despite overwhelming odds. It also stresses that bravery alone cannot compensate for technological inferiority, framing the fight as both a personal test and a national struggle.

Key plot points

• Lin Yuanzheng recounts an earlier confrontation in which his and Lu Chengfeng’s older fighter forced a superior enemy aircraft to retreat. Command ordered them not to fire once the enemy left Dragon Kingdom airspace, and Lu obeyed despite Lin’s frustration.
• Back at base, Lu explained that soldiers may fear death but must defend what lies behind them. Soon afterward, he was transferred to a classified assignment and disappeared from Lin’s life.
• Three years later, Lin—now an ace pilot—was assigned as a test pilot for the secret sixth-generation White Emperor fighter. At the desert base, he was reunited with Lu, now a senior colonel and the project’s instructor.
• Lin described the danger and purpose of test flying, then recalled a catastrophic test flight: after a post-stall maneuver, the aircraft struck migrating geese. Both engines failed, the cockpit was damaged, and Lin was knocked unconscious.
• As the White Emperor plunged toward the cliffs of Qilian Mountain, ground command repeatedly urged Lu to eject. Lu finally contacted them and said he was trying to restart the engines—but refused to abandon either Lin or the aircraft.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Chengfeng emerges as disciplined, courageous, and deeply responsible. He follows orders during the earlier encounter, later becomes a senior officer and test-program leader, and risks his life to save Lin and the White Emperor.
• Lin Yuanzheng moves from a frustrated combat pilot to an ace and test pilot. His admiration for Lu grows as he witnesses Lu’s resolve and leadership firsthand.
• Their relationship shifts from mentor and comrade to instructor and trainee, then is tested by the life-threatening flight, where Lu’s refusal to leave Lin reveals the depth of his loyalty.
• Ground-command personnel are initially hopeful about the project but become distraught as the aircraft falls; the commander’s demand that Lu eject highlights the conflict between saving lives and preserving the aircraft.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: Soldiers accept danger because others and their homeland are behind them.
• Courage and perseverance: Test pilots push past fear to expand what aircraft can do.
• Loyalty and solidarity: Lu insists that he will not abandon a comrade.
• Unrecognized service: Test pilots may lack combat honors, yet their risks enable future victories.
• Technology and national defense: The White Emperor represents the country’s ambition to develop stronger aircraft, while the accident shows the cost and danger of that work.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Yuanzheng recounts how Lu Chengfeng saved their damaged White Emperor prototype after a catastrophic engine failure during a test flight. Though injured and flying close to a mountain, Lu restarted the engine and brought the fighter—and Yuanzheng—back safely.
• Lu later explained that he refused to eject because he would not abandon his fellow pilot or the aircraft and its valuable development data. A computer simulation subsequently judged the maneuver impossible to survive.
• As White Emperor development continued, Eagle Country announced the “Sky Sovereign Championship,” expecting its new sixth-generation Thunder God fighter to dominate.
• Dragon Kingdom entered the competition with the White Emperor prototype, flown by Lu and Yuanzheng. At the air base, Eagle Country pilot William insulted them and their aircraft. Lu answered with dry humor, provoking William into a threat of revenge.

Character developments

• Lu Chengfeng is shown as exceptionally skilled, courageous, and devoted to his comrade and team’s work. His calm confidence also appears in his verbal sparring with William.
• Lin Yuanzheng expresses deep gratitude and admiration for Lu, recalling his rescue with visible emotion. He also recognizes the responsibility of representing Dragon Kingdom and its researchers.
• William is introduced as arrogant and contemptuous, quickly losing his composure when Lu mocks him.

Significant themes

• Courage and perseverance: Lu’s motto—“courage is a test pilot’s second heart”—captures the chapter’s belief that determination can overcome seemingly impossible odds.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Lu risks himself rather than abandon Yuanzheng or the aircraft and the collective effort behind it.
• National pride and rivalry: The competition becomes a test of both aircraft and national prestige, amid Eagle Country’s confidence and Dragon Kingdom’s determination.

Character interactions

• Lu’s rescue creates a lasting bond of gratitude between him and Yuanzheng; Lu reassures his injured comrade and frames his decision as a shared responsibility.
• At the championship air base, William attempts to intimidate Lu and Yuanzheng. Lu calmly counters his insults with jokes, escalating their rivalry and setting up a confrontation in the competition.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Chengfeng dominates the international Sky Sovereign Championship in the White Emperor: he wins the long-range combat and maneuverability rounds, then defeats William’s Thunder God in the final simulated dogfight.
• William’s stealth mode briefly hides him from radar, but Lu anticipates his attack, uses the White Emperor’s radar angle to find him, and shoots him down. William ejects; Lu lands safely and is hailed as “Sky God Lu.”
• After the livestream audience celebrates Lu’s victory, Yue Xiaofei asks what happened to her father afterward. Lin Yuanzheng reveals that Lu vanished in Eagle Country the day before the team was due to return home.
• A week later, Lu was found injured in a grove, with no memory of what had happened. Because he knew classified aircraft and project information, he was investigated for two weeks after returning. Investigators found no evidence of a leak, but could not explain his disappearance.
• The chapter ends on a cliffhanger: the chief designer of the Nantianmen Project announces a decision that will affect the Air Force.

Character developments

• Lu is established as an exceptionally skilled, composed, and perceptive pilot whose victory earns international respect. His unexplained disappearance and claimed amnesia introduce a troubling mystery around him.
• William’s arrogance gives way to defeat and humiliation; he becomes a laughingstock in air-force circles.
• Lin’s pride in Lu turns somber as he recounts the disappearance and the suspicion that followed.
• Yue Xiaofei moves from pride in her father’s achievement to shock and concern about his fate.

Significant themes

• National pride and the prestige of military technology are central to Lu’s victory.
• Skill, preparation, and calm judgment triumph over boasting and apparent technological advantage.
• The story contrasts public acclaim with the suspicion and secrecy surrounding classified work.
• Lu’s unexplained disappearance raises questions about memory, trust, and what may have happened behind the scenes.

Character interactions

• William taunts Lu over the public channel, but Lu stays focused and answers his boasts with calm confidence.
• After the match, international pilots gather around Lu in respect, while the livestream audience celebrates his achievement.
• Yue asks Lin about her father’s career; Lin’s grave response shifts the mood and reveals the mystery of Lu’s disappearance.