Frontline Combat Units

After that encounter, Liu Jin's attitude toward Li Zhi was noticeably different from his attitude toward the others in the days that followed.

It wasn't that he gave Li Zhi special instruction. Liu Jin taught everyone equally; the difference lay in what he demanded of them.

For the same maneuver, the others only had to learn it to pass, while Li Zhi had to apply what he learned to other situations and come up with innovations.

It often made Li Zhi miserable, but he knew it was for his own good, so he found some enjoyment in it.

Ordinary flight cadets only had to master basic maneuvers during their time at the academy to pass the graduation assessment.

But while the others were still learning basic maneuvers, Li Zhi was already studying difficult ones like the Cobra Maneuver and the Immelmann Turn.

None of these would be tested in the graduation assessment, but Liu Jin had chosen to teach them anyway, because they would allow Li Zhi to quickly obtain solo flight authorization after he joined a unit!

A pilot's flying career was finite. Getting one step ahead could mean staying ahead every step of the way!

The other seven cadets in Li Zhi's group benefited greatly as well, because Liu Jin taught them all equally.

Of course, the further they went, the more pressure they felt. They simply couldn't keep up with Li Zhi's progress!

"Old Director, you have to save Li Zhi for me!"

In the director's office, a major general was serving Director Wang tea.

As a major general-and one in the flight forces, which gave his rank even more weight-he had no need to bow and scrape before an academy director.

But he had come to Director Wang to ask for a favor, and when you needed something from someone, you were naturally in a weaker position!

"There's still more than a month until graduation, and you're already fighting over recruits?"

Director Wang saw this sort of thing almost every year, so he was long used to it. Whenever the flight cadets graduated, the major flight units would start fighting over them.

But this year seemed to have started a little early. And where had Lei the Tiger heard about Li Zhi?

Lei the Tiger was the major general. His name was Lei Hu, and he had been called Lei the Tiger back when he was still a pilot. Gradually, more people came to know his nickname than his real name.

"I'm afraid you'll give Li Zhi to someone else! We can discuss the others, but you have to give me Li Zhi!"

Lei the Tiger had learned Li Zhi's name four years ago, when he had sent people to "escort" him. Ever since then, he had paid close attention to Li Zhi.

He also knew that Li Zhi was Madman Liu's student. Though he didn't know exactly how Li Zhi had performed, any student Madman Liu personally took the trouble to train had to have some real ability.

"Aren't those bases under your command all frontline combat units? Is it really a good idea to send a student over there?"

Director Wang actually intended to send Li Zhi there himself. Frontline combat units were the best place to train an ace pilot.

"The conditions are a little tough, but the pilots under my command are all the best. Once he comes to my unit, he'll definitely improve very quickly!"

That was really the only selling point Lei Hu had. When it came to how quickly equipment was upgraded, he couldn't match the eldest son in the north, and when it came to pilots' benefits, he couldn't match his well-funded counterparts in the east.

Only the pilots under his command, tempered on the front lines, could do him proud.

"You said it yourself: the conditions will be extremely harsh. Li Zhi is the best cadet in this class, perhaps even in the last few classes. We can't just push him into a fire pit!"

Director Wang was an old fox too. Although his thinking happened to align somewhat with Lei Hu's, he still wore a reluctant expression.

"How can you call it a fire pit? The soldiers under my command get promoted faster than anyone!"

Frontline units had plenty of combat missions, and naturally plenty of opportunities to earn merit, so promotions came much faster than in other units.

"Besides, Old Director, you just accepted that fine liquor I swiped from the old chief. You can't take the gift and not do me the favor!"

"You little rascal! I knew you were up to something when you came buttering me up! Those two bottles of liquor-I don't even know when you'll be able to drink them yourself-and I walked right into your trap!"

Pilots certainly couldn't drink, but Lei Hu, who had moved to an office post, could actually have a little during his time off.

However, to set an example, and because an air situation could arise at a frontline combat unit at any time, he never drank.

"Old Director, about this year's quota, do you think you could..."

Lei Hu knew the director had agreed to give him Li Zhi, so he pushed his luck, setting his sights on the other cadets.

"Get out, get out, get out!"

Director Wang promptly chased him out of the office.

The two had been friends for many years, and Director Wang could help him with matters that didn't violate any principles. But the quotas had long been set; nobody could simply ask for a couple more places and get them.

Lei Hu didn't mind being chased out. He had only taken a couple of swings at the jujube tree for the heck of it anyway. What if he had knocked down the whole grove?

Whoosh!

Just then, a trainer aircraft roared overhead, drawing Lei Hu's attention.

Watching the cadets' still somewhat unpracticed handling, Lei Hu felt inexplicably cheerful.

It was thanks to this steady stream of fresh blood that the dreams of old fellows like them could live on. Of course, getting Li Zhi was part of the reason too.

Lei Hu didn't go to see Li Zhi. He had decided Li Zhi's future in private without even asking whether he agreed, and that made him a little embarrassed to face him.

Li Zhi, of course, had no idea that his assignment had already been decided before he had even graduated.

With graduation approaching, Liu Jin had recently stopped teaching him complicated maneuvers and instead had him practice basic maneuvers over and over every day. It would be a joke if he failed the graduation assessment when the time came.

Of course, Liu Jin would never tell him that he had him repeat those basic maneuvers every day because he had almost nothing left to teach him.

But mastering basic maneuvers wasn't useless. In a fight, the winner wasn't simply whoever had the flashier maneuvers.

Sometimes, a truly lethal move was hidden behind the most basic action!

And many complex maneuvers were made up of countless basic ones.

Take the first maneuver Liu Jin had let Li Zhi experience: a basic roll. But when more than a dozen were strung together, it was no longer a basic maneuver.

Liu Jin had taught Li Zhi everything he could. From here on, it was up to Li Zhi's own fortune!