Li Zhi, Your Tail Is on Fire

But the world was a strange place: whatever you feared was bound to happen.

"Right engine power decreasing!"

The base's runway was already in sight when the flight control system reported an abnormality in the right engine. At the same time, the RPM reduction warning light on the fighter's console began flashing nonstop.

Li Zhi immediately slowed the fighter, keeping the engine RPM at the most appropriate level. If he tried to maintain his speed while the engine RPM was dropping, the engine could very well flame out in midair.

This time, he did not dare restart or shut down the right engine. If it caught fire too, he would probably have no choice but to eject!

At that moment, Li Zhi's fighter was only four kilometers from the base runway!

"Three-Yellow Chicken, eject immediately!"

Ever since the fighter had developed problems, the tower had been keeping a close watch on its condition. Everyone in the tower had heard the flight control system's alarms as well.

The main reason Xu Feng had not ordered Li Zhi to eject earlier was that one of the fighter's engines was still functioning normally. For a qualified pilot, landing under those circumstances was difficult, but not especially dangerous.

Now the right engine was showing the same abnormality as the left, which meant it could catch fire at any moment too. Xu Feng could not let Li Zhi take that risk!

Without the slightest exaggeration, Li Zhi was worth far more than an Eighth Master!

"The plane is still under my control!"

Li Zhi did not want to eject just like that. If he did, the fighter was certain to crash.

The surrounding area was uninhabited, so the crash would not cause any other losses. But if that happened, they would very likely be unable to determine the cause of the malfunction.

And without ruling out the cause, all the Eighth Masters still in service could have the same problem, putting the pilots who flew them in danger at any moment.

Li Zhi's convictions and sense of responsibility would not allow him to put so many comrades in danger just to save his own life.

Hearing Li Zhi's answer, Xu Feng did not try to persuade him again. He knew what Li Zhi was thinking. Any pilot, Xu Feng included, would have made the same choice.

At the same time, the most important thing was that the right engine had not completely lost power. That was the main reason Xu Feng did not continue trying to persuade him.

"If the right engine fails and catches fire, eject immediately. That's an order!"

Dragon Country did have ace pilots who had brought fighters back after both engines failed, but Xu Feng did not believe Li Zhi could compare with those aces.

"Yes, sir!"

Li Zhi himself was not confident he could bring the fighter back safely if both engines failed.

For now, the right engine had not completely failed; it was just short on power. As long as it still had power, landing would not be a problem.

Now he could only hope his luck would not be too bad!

Perhaps it was a chain reaction. The warning lights on the instrument panel began flashing one after another, but the plane could still fly normally.

The flight control system had probably developed some faults too. Fortunately, the four basic mechanical instruments were still functioning normally.

"Navigation system failure!"

"Yaw!"

"Fuel warning!"

"..."

All kinds of alarms and alerts began sounding. Some were accurate, while others were false alarms. Li Zhi had no time to determine which were correct, so he could only switch them off.

Li Zhi lowered the landing gear, but because of the flight control system malfunction, he could not be sure it had extended fully.

"Chicken Coop, I need you to check my landing gear!"

If a fighter's landing gear was not fully extended, the landing would fail without question. No one dared gamble on it.

So even though the right engine could fail at any moment, Li Zhi had no choice but to ask the tower to check the landing gear.

"Altitude 300, fly past the tower!"

In the tower, Xu Feng responded calmly, doing everything he could to assist Li Zhi.

A controller beside him took out a pair of binoculars, walked to the tower window, and began watching Li Zhi's fighter.

"Fly past at altitude 300, understood!"

By then, Li Zhi had flown the fighter to the near end of the runway, at an altitude of around 300. His speed was a little high, but he no longer dared make too many adjustments to the engine, so he could only use the flaps to control his speed.

The runway was only a little over 2,000 meters long, and the tower stood midway along it.

Although Li Zhi was moving a little fast, the controller in the tower still got a clear view of the landing gear as he flew over the runway.

"Captain Xu, the landing gear is in the correct position!"

The controller sounded a little excited. This was the only piece of good news amid all the misfortune.

"Li Zhi, the landing gear is fully down. You can land! Be careful!"

In his tension, Xu Feng called Li Zhi by name instead of using his call sign, but no one noticed that now.

"Understood!"

Having reached the far end of the runway, Li Zhi began turning and started the three-turn procedure.

Normally, whether it was a fighter or a civilian airliner, a plane did not land directly. Before landing, it needed to use a three-turn maneuver to adjust its altitude, speed, and flight attitude.

Chicken Coop Base, however, had always operated under combat-readiness takeoff and landing procedures, with no three-turn maneuver before landing. This placed great demands on a pilot's skill.

This time, though, Li Zhi had no choice but to perform it. The engine malfunction and the apparent trouble with the flight control system had left the plane's flight attitude less than ideal.

He needed to use the three-turn procedure, with assistance from the ground tower, to correct the fighter's flight parameters.

Since the fighter had not completed its patrol, it had a great deal of fuel left, making it nearly 800 kilograms heavier than on a normal landing.

Li Zhi could not dump the fuel either. He was already flying low near the ground, and the surrounding area was full of trees and forest.

Most importantly, the left engine had already caught fire once and could reignite at any moment. If it reignited while he was dumping fuel, the fighter could very well turn into a fireball in midair!

"Li Zhi, your tail is on fire!"

After Li Zhi completed the three-turn maneuver, he was making his fourth turn when Xu Feng's shout suddenly rang out. The nose was now pointed at the runway, ready to land.

Li Zhi glanced back. Sure enough, what he had feared had come to pass. One moment he had been considering the possibility, and the next, the left engine had reignited.

Li Zhi did not panic. He calmly activated the left engine's fire suppression system once again.

The visible flames were extinguished quickly, but this time the result was not as good as before. Thick smoke was already pouring from the tail, and the temperature inside was still very high.

Fortunately, the fire had not affected the right engine, so there was still a chance to save the plane.

After the corrections from the three-turn maneuver, Li Zhi's fighter was in an excellent landing attitude. Heaven was cooperating too: although a gentle breeze was still blowing across the runway, it had no effect on the landing.