Legendary Captain

Chapter 322 Issuing a Challenge (Part 2)

The doctor who was acquainted with Ye Qing had told Xu Xian that if he felt that two laps per second was not fast enough, he could ask to increase the speed. If he could still maintain that speed, his rating would be improved.

However, for most people, a speed of two laps per second is already very fast. Let alone faster, many people can't even maintain two laps per second. As for the doctor's talk about increasing speed, it's probably just a routine explanation.

Xu Xian had just gotten off the swivel chair when he realized that at this speed of rotation, an ordinary person would be lucky to even withstand it, let alone increase the speed.

However, Xu Xiancai's thought lasted for less than a few seconds before it was shattered by a voice.

"Please go faster!" Chen Zhan's voice sounded so calm, as if the swivel chair that caused Xu Xian so much pain was just like playing house for Chen Zhan, without him feeling any discomfort.

Xu Xian had only caught a glimpse of Chen Zhan out of the corner of his eye, but the next moment, Chen Zhan took the initiative to suggest speeding up, as if it were a declaration.

This attracted the attention of Ye Qing and Huo Shaozhong, and even the students waiting behind them observed this young man who seemed immune to the swivel chair with curiosity.

"Are you sure you want to speed up? It's two laps per second now, and if you go any faster it'll be three laps per second. You need to think this through. You're in a good enough state to pass this test, so don't push yourself to improve your rating. If you fail, the losses will be huge." Wang Lianfeng observed that Chen Zhan's physical indicators didn't change significantly after the swivel chair rotated, indicating that Chen Zhan's vestibular function was extremely strong and his resistance to dizziness was exceptionally high.

Actually, there's no need to look at the instruments. Just looking at Chen Zhan's calm and composed expression, and then at Xu Xian's previous appearance of straining as if he was about to lose half his life, it's like night and day.

Although Wang Lianfeng wasn't a professional vestibular function tester, he knew that many people who sat on the Air Force's swivel chair for more than ten rotations would vomit their heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys afterwards. Even those who passed the preliminary selection, many trainees in the second round and most of the final selection physical examinations would fail on this swivel chair. Even those who passed were mostly at their last gasp. People as carefree as Chen Zhan were quite rare.

Of course, there is also a special rotating chair made for selecting astronauts. That thing is stronger than the rotating chair used by the Air Force for selection. People who can pass the test of that rotating chair are truly the cream of the crop.

Previously, Wang Lianfeng had considered disqualifying Xu Xian from the test because he noticed Xu Xian's line drawing was slightly off-center. This was partly due to Xu Xian's slight confusion regarding the vestibular function test standards, and partly because the higher-ups had specifically instructed them to be extremely strict this time. This batch of trainees would be selected from the best of the best to directly train pilots for the newest C-42 fighter jets soon to be deployed to the armed forces. Therefore, Wang Lianfeng's first thought upon seeing Xu Xian's slight deviation from the standard was to fail him.

In Chen Zhan's case, judging solely from his physical attributes, he is undoubtedly a promising talent. We cannot let him ruin his future by being impulsive.

In Wang Lianfeng's memory, he recalls that there were only one or two times when trainees specifically requested to accelerate, and both of those trainees later became outstanding pilots.

If you want to increase speed, you need to go from two revolutions per second to three revolutions per second, which is a significant improvement. Moreover, this speed increase isn't limited to the first stage; it applies to all three stages. This means that the rates of left-right and forward/backward swaying will also increase considerably afterward. This kind of speed increase can easily lead to a rollover.

Wang Lianfeng only gave Chen Zhan a special reminder because he saw Chen Zhan as a truly rare and promising talent and felt a sense of appreciation for his abilities. Previously, many trainees had been overconfident in their vestibular function, and countless cases involved them failing to even pass, let alone achieve a higher rating.

"It's alright, I know, let's speed things up." Chen Zhan was clearly strolling leisurely, even able to converse calmly with Wang Lianfeng, his speech clear and his tone steady—not at all like someone sitting in a high-speed swivel chair. In contrast, Xu Xian was completely disoriented earlier, unable to even register a single sentence from the doctor, let alone converse with anyone. At that point, Xu Xian was utterly dazed and confused, far from being lucid.

Chen Zhan's performance at this moment did not elicit a strong reaction from Huo Shaozhong. After all, Huo Shaozhong knew Chen Zhan's background, and such a performance was within expectations.

"How about it?" Huo Shaozhong said proudly, "I didn't lie to you, did I? He's a true genius born for flying. He'll be the face of the Western Air Force in the future!"

It's clear that Huo Shaozhong cares a lot about Chen Zhan, or rather, not only Huo Shaozhong, but everyone in the Xikong unit is paying attention to him.

"His father, Chen Guofu, was a member of the Beijing Air Force his whole life. If nothing unexpected happened, Chen Zhan was supposed to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Beijing Air Force. But Chen Guofu suddenly wanted to go back to his hometown, so he took his son back to Lianghe. This is a good thing for us in the Western Air Force," Huo Shaozhong laughed heartily, appearing extremely pleased.

Lianghe County is a remote small county in the northwest of Yunnan Province. It is the hometown of Chen Zhan and his father Chen Guofu.

"It's just a bargain, why are you so happy?" Ye Qing clicked his tongue. "His vestibular function is strong, but what does that mean? Flying talent, combat talent, these are still uncertain things, and he's already bragging. Be careful not to exaggerate and break his own horn."

Ye Qing scoffed at Huo Shaozhong's eagerness to elevate Chen Zhan to the heavens. While Chen Zhan's performance in the vestibular function test was indeed outstanding so far, vestibular function is only a small aspect of evaluating a fighter pilot. One can't simply elevate someone to the status of an unparalleled genius just because of strong vestibular function, can one?

Chen Zhan's father, Chen Guofu, was indeed one of the top test pilots in China. Logically speaking, with the added advantage of genes and family tradition, Chen Zhan could indeed be a good prospect. However, there are many examples of fathers who are like tigers but sons who are like dogs. Is it necessary to have such high expectations for him?

It's as if the future of the Western Air Force depends on this Chen Zhan.

"Although you're from Xikong, your heart is with Luohang. You don't usually care about what's going on in the industry. I bet you only know that his father is Chen Guofu, and as for anything else, you probably don't know anything at all, right?" Huo Shaozhong said with a smile, "Just you wait and see, this kid is sure to shine in the future."

Xu Xian, who was standing to the side, had already heard Huo Shaozhong's words. He roughly understood that the young man in front of him, who was almost immune to the swivel chair, seemed to be an extraordinary genius!

Xu Xian never underestimated himself. He believed he had some talent in flying and was curious about how far Chen Zhan, who was being touted as a genius by the director of the Southwest Regional Selection Center, would go.

Just as Huo Shaozhong and Ye Qing were praising Chen Zhan, Wang Lianfeng, at Chen Zhan's insistence, began adjusting the speed of the swivel chair. Xu Xian, who was not far away, could clearly see the speed of the swivel chair begin to increase noticeably after Wang Lianfeng pressed a few buttons on a certain instrument.

"This is too fast!" Xu Xian was greatly surprised. The swivel chair was now rotating three times per second, which was an incredibly terrifying speed. Not to mention the person sitting on it, even Xu Xian, who was watching from the side, felt dizzy. Chen Zhan could only be seen as a blur.

In fact, even Ye Qing, who was next to Xu Xian, was watching with his eyelids twitching. If he were sitting in the swivel chair, it's uncertain whether he could even endure it.

After the speed was increased, Wang Lianfeng kept a close eye on Chen Zhan's physical indicators. If any problems arose with his physical indicators, he would turn off the swivel chair and stop the test.

However, Wang Lianfeng was surprised to find that Chen Zhan's various indicators only increased slightly after the acceleration, and were still far from the so-called warning standards.

Wang Lianfeng's heart tightened: "Does he still have the strength left?"

Since the thought crossed his mind, Wang Lianfeng had been completely out of control. Because Chen Zhan was spinning so fast, he couldn't see Chen Zhan's expression or determine his current condition. However, judging from his physical indicators alone, Chen Zhan was clearly not at his limit yet, far from it.

While Wang Lianfeng was still reeling from Chen Zhan's impressive performance, Chen Zhan's voice rang out again: "Can you go any faster?"

"What did you say?" Wang Lianfeng could hardly believe his ears. "You mean we need to speed things up even more?"

After speaking, Wang Lianfeng subconsciously glanced at Huo Shaozhong in the corner. If the speed were increased further, it would be four rotations per second, a rotational speed that would likely cause harm to the human body.

Two laps per second is already difficult for the average person to handle, and many probably couldn't even manage one lap per second. Four laps per second, due to the enormous angular velocity, would subject the body's organs to immense centrifugal force, much like the G-force experienced by fighter pilots during high-speed maneuvers.

A G-force of four revolutions per second is quite high, high enough to compress the lungs and affect normal breathing.

Wang Lianfeng had never heard of anyone conducting a test of four rotations per second, and he recalled that the operating instructions for this swivel chair did not recommend using a rotation speed exceeding three rotations per second on a human body. In other words, even the designer of this swivel chair considered a rotation speed exceeding three rotations per second to be unsafe.

For this reason, Wang Lianfeng's first thought was not to answer Chen Zhan, but to look at Huo Shaozhong. He didn't know what to do in this situation.

I reckon none of the doctors at the entire selection and testing center knew what to do in this situation.

Huo Shaozhong opened his mouth, clearly having never encountered this situation before. Judging from Chen Zhan's tone, he seemed to have not yet reached his limit, and it was understandable that he wanted to increase the rotation speed. However, according to the rules, they could not increase it any further; if something went wrong, no one could bear the responsibility.

Just as Huo Shaozhong was struggling with his decision, the swivel chair suddenly began to slow down. Wang Lianfeng's eyelids twitched, and he instantly realized what was happening. While they were hesitating, the chair had already completed one hundred rotations, and it was about to enter the second stage of rocking left and right.

Huo Shaozhong and Wang Lianfeng both breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they had completed the hundred laps; otherwise, they would have encountered a real problem.

Chen Zhan looked slightly disappointed when he realized that he had already completed one hundred laps, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he continued to test left and right and front and back at the same speed.

Compared to the first stage of one hundred laps, the left-right and front-back tests were much shorter. Soon after, the swivel chair test was completed.

After completing a set of swivel chair tests, Chen Zhan acted as if nothing had happened, untying the straps himself and removing the electrodes attached to his body one by one.

Xu Xian was terrified by Chen Zhan's completely unperturbed demeanor. Was he even human? What exactly was the structure of his vestibular nerve? To be honest, Xu Xian really wanted to crack open his skull and study it thoroughly.

The vestibular organs, including the utricle, saccule, and three semicircular canals, are located in the inner ear. The semicircular canals can detect rotational acceleration, while the utricle and saccule can sense linear acceleration, including gravitational acceleration.

Some people with extremely sensitive vestibular responses are prone to dizziness, making them unsuitable to be pilots. But even if the vestibular system is sluggish, there should be a limit, right? It seems like Chen Zhan is almost immune to dizziness.

"After you get up, walk along this yellow line to the blackboard in front, and then draw a straight line," Wang Lianfeng instructed.

At this moment, Chen Zhan had already gotten off the swivel chair and looked as if nothing had happened. Wang Lianfeng even doubted whether the person who had just been sitting in the swivel chair was actually Chen Zhan.

Chen Zhan set up the detection electrodes, walked up to Wang Lianfeng, and nodded slightly: "I understand."

After speaking, Chen Zhan turned to face the blackboard, with the three-meter-long yellow line right beneath his feet.

"Completely unfazed, breathing evenly, is he really alright?" Ye Qing was almost facing Chen Zhan at this moment, and judging from his words and actions, he didn't seem like someone who had just gotten off a swivel chair. Not long ago, Ye Qing clearly remembered the scene where Xu Xian almost lost his balance when he took his first step off the swivel chair, and the difference was too great.

Chen Zhan turned his head, his gaze falling on Xu Xian. His eyes narrowed slightly before finally settling on Xu Xian. Then, he flashed a bright white smile at Xu Xian.

"I've heard of you!" Chen Zhan chuckled. "Xu Xian from Star Travel Airlines!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhan took his first step, a very steady step that landed precisely on the yellow line.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian's pupils contracted sharply, but he did not respond. In contrast, Huo Shaozhong beside Xu Xian showed a hint of surprise, muttering to himself, "So it was him!"

People like Huo Shaozhong rarely pay attention to civil aviation anymore, but Xu Xian's reputation in civil aviation is so great that it's boundless, that you can know a little about him even without actively asking.

At first, he felt that the name Xu Xian sounded familiar, but he never thought of as Xu Xian, who was causing trouble in the civil aviation industry. But Chen Zhan's words broke the ice, and Huo Shaozhong suddenly understood.

He glanced at Xu Xian, then at Chen Zhan, and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. It was truly a battle of dragons and tigers!

but

"However, Xu Xian's physique is too weak. Compared to Chen Zhan, he is really not worth mentioning," Huo Shaozhong sighed.

Although Xu Xian could pass the physical examination according to the rules, he only passed the minimum standard. How could he compare to Chen Zhan's outstanding performance in all subjects?

The straight-line distance of three meters took Xu Xian almost ten seconds to walk, but for Chen Zhan it was just a few steps, which he walked with ease.

Stepping to the blackboard, Chen Zhan picked up the chalk with a smile. He paused for a moment, then instead of drawing a straight line on the blackboard, he wrote his name with bold, powerful strokes.

After writing it down, Chen Zhan lightly tapped his finger on the blackboard, then smiled at Xu Xian and said, "This is my name. You'd better remember it!"

Xu Xian chuckled and said, "I have a bad memory, I might forget something someday, so please don't mind!"

"It's alright, it's alright!" Chen Zhan waved his hand. "It doesn't matter if you don't remember. Anyway, soon, whether it's the Western Air Force, the Northern Air Force, the Guangdong Air Force, or even the entire Air Force, they will all know my name. They'll naturally remember it after hearing it so often!"

"I'll be assigned to the Third Division of the Western Air Force. We'll have plenty of opportunities to meet again in the sky then." With that, Chen Zhan glanced at Ye Qing subtly before looking away and walking away.

There's a problem with the chapter release; this is only the second chapter.

(End of this chapter)