Legendary Captain

Chapter 325 Two-Aircraft Formation Flight

Mei Tingting, who had just received a huge bombshell from Wen Jingshu's office, still didn't see Wen Jingshu return. Somewhat worried, Yang Ning abandoned Mei Tingting and went to the bathroom to look for Wen Jingshu himself.

After waiting a few more minutes and seeing that Wen Jingshu had not returned, Mei Tingting thought for a moment and then left alone.

After leaving Wen Jingshu's office, Mei Tingting immediately called Xu Qing. The news that Wen Jingshu was pregnant with Xu Xian's child was too shocking. Even Mei Tingting could not keep this secret by herself. She had to discuss it with Xu Qing.

"You said that little girl from the Wen family has a child with Xu Xian? Really? I haven't heard anything about them being together." Not only Mei Tingting, but even Xu Qing was quite surprised when she heard the news. At least from the information Xu Qing had, Wen Jingshu didn't seem to be officially dating Xu Xian. How come they've had a child without saying a word?

Mei Tingting was also in a state of utter confusion: "Nonsense, of course it's true! How can you say something like that? What are we going to do about this?"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, what do you mean?' Weren't they supposed to be together in the first place? They just broke up because of some mishaps, and now they're back together. What's so surprising? They're just kids, so it's understandable that they didn't take proper precautions," Xu Qing laughed, clearly not considering it a big deal. "I was worried before that I might have given the wrong amount of money as a wedding gift, but now that everything's settled, I can finally relax."

Previously, Xu Qing had helped Wen Jingshu secure an investment in Kunyang Airport, which was intended as a wedding gift for Wen Jingshu and Xu Xian. Xu Qing had always known about the relationship between Xu Xian and Wen Jingshu, and at the time, he believed that Xu Xian and Wen Jingshu would eventually get together. However, the appearance of Lian Shanxue later made Xu Qing a little flustered, fearing that he had given the wrong gift.

However, there's no need to worry now, since we already have a child, it's a done deal.

"What do you know? It seems like that young lady from the Wen family is keeping her pregnancy a secret. What do you think she's thinking?"

Xu Qing was taken aback: "You mean Xu Xian doesn't even know he's a father? What's going on?"

"We need to get this straight. Could you find some time to go to the Luohang flight base and sound out Xu Xian? We need to confirm this before I tell Huang Ying and the others. Otherwise, if something goes wrong and we startle them, Huang Ying and her husband might not be able to handle it." Mei Tingting was speaking enthusiastically when she suddenly looked up and saw a young woman walking towards her. She frowned. Why did this woman's face seem somewhat familiar?

The two brushed past each other, and Mei Tingting immediately stopped in her tracks. She turned around and glanced at the back of the young woman from before. A thought flashed through her mind, and she picked up her phone to say to Xu Qing, "I'm asking you, isn't there another girl who has a special relationship with Xu Xian? What's her name again? We even had dinner together at Huang Ying's house before."

"You mean Lianshanxue?" Xu Qing reacted quickly, immediately realizing who Mei Tingting was asking about.

Mei Tingting suddenly realized: "Yes, yes, it's Lianshanxue! I was wondering why it looked so familiar."

"What are you saying? Didn't she go abroad for eye treatment? What do you mean by 'familiar'? You must have mistaken her." Xu Qing knew that Lian Shanxue's eyes were injured by fumes during the hazardous materials leak incident and that she was subsequently sent abroad for treatment.

"What? You went abroad to get your eyes treated? You're back!" Mei Tingting looked at Lian Shanxue walking towards the observation elevator: "She's at the Star Travel Base, going upstairs now."

"Go upstairs? Isn't that going to find that little girl from the Wen family? Oh my god, I hope something bad will happen." Xu Qing felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it. It was alright before, but now that Wen Jingshu is pregnant, I'm afraid something bad might happen.

"What could possibly happen?" In contrast, Mei Tingting wasn't as flustered. She withdrew her gaze and calmly said, "We're all people who know our place. Do you think we'd pull hair or slap someone? That kid Xu Xian just went to the Rong residence and started learning some kind of fighter jet, ignoring the raging flood outside. He's having a great time. He doesn't know Wen Jingshu is pregnant, he doesn't even know Shan Xue is back, what else does he know?"

Mei Tingting wasn't too upset about Xu Xian running off the track, but Xu Xian was extremely immature and clueless when it came to handling relationships, which annoyed Mei Tingting.

"Why are you meddling in children's affairs? They haven't committed any murder or arson." Knowing his wife was getting angry, Xu Qing quickly advised, "You should go to Blue Sky Airlines right away, and then take the evening flight back. It's so boring at home without you."

"I'm out running around, can you at least make some time to go to the Rong residence and get things sorted out for me as soon as possible?" Mei Tingting snapped, then hung up the phone.

Thinking of the purest of feelings between her and Xu Qing, and then thinking about Xu Xian's current relationship problems, one can only sigh, "Times have truly changed."

Lian Shanxue, on her way to the chairman's office, bumped into Wen Jingshu, who had just returned from vomiting. Severe morning sickness had nearly killed Wen Jingshu; she now had a strong aversion to almost any oily, salty, or heavily seasoned food, and even the smell made her nauseous. Moreover, as time went on, Wen Jingshu became increasingly sleepy, starting to feel drowsy every few hours. She was now visibly exhausted.

As soon as Wen Jingshu, who had been helped back by Yang Ning, entered the office, she came into contact with Lian Shanxue, who was already inside.

"I didn't expect you to come here so soon." Wen Jingshu knew about Lian Shanxue's approximate return time, but she didn't expect Lian Shanxue to make the most of her time and come here so quickly. She thought Lian Shanxue would come to the company to report for duty in a few days.

Lian Shanxue's gaze lingered on Wen Jingshu's abdomen for a moment, her expression unchanged: "I arrived in Dianyun yesterday and came here today. I heard that the company's situation is not very good right now."

Wen Jingshu slowly sat down on the sofa, gesturing for Yang Ning to make tea for Lian Shanxue. She then half-reclined, clearly feeling sleepy. "It's not good. Something happened."

Lian Shanxue then sat down opposite Wen Jingshu: "About Xu Xian?"

"Xu Xian got into some trouble not long ago. It's a big deal, and there are a lot of rumors circulating online. You should know about it," Wen Jingshu said softly.

"Hmm!" Lian Shanxue hummed in agreement. "I heard from Li Chuan that the company is about to separate from the group and become independent. You bought all the shares in the company. Is that true?"

The share swap is now a done deal, and Star Travel Airlines' separation from Wens Group is also imminent. In fact, all the leaders parachuted into Star Travel Airlines from the group have already begun handing over their work and preparing to leave and return to the group.

This matter has caused such a big stir that there's no need to hide it, so even some of Xingyou Airlines' lower-level employees have a general idea of ​​the news.

Before long, Star Travel Airlines will become an independent airline, not belonging to any large group, but solely to Wen Jingshu.

"Hmm," Wen Jingshu simply hummed in response, offering no further reply.

Lian Shanxue noticed that Wen Jingshu seemed a little tired, and her gaze swept over Wen Jingshu's lower abdomen a few times. At this moment, Wen Jingshu's clothes were quite loose, and there was no obvious bulge at all. However, when she brushed past Mei Tingting earlier, she had indeed heard the news that Wen Jingshu was pregnant, and Wen Jingshu's current appearance did not seem like that of a normal person, but rather very much in line with the symptoms of severe morning sickness in early pregnancy.

At this moment, Wen Jingshu's eyes were filled with fatigue, and her tone of voice was somewhat absent-minded.

Seeing this, how could Lian Shanxue not know what was going on? She quickly stood up, looked down at Wen Jingshu for a moment, and asked, "Where's Xu Xian? Isn't he here?"

Wen Jingshu's eyes swept over Lian Shanxue, who had stood up, for a moment before she smiled faintly: "He's not here. To be precise, he's no longer in Dianyun."

"Not in Yunnan anymore?" Lian Shanxue raised an eyebrow, her expression sharp as a dagger. "Doesn't that mean Xu Xian doesn't know you're pregnant?"

Given Xu Xian's personality, if he knew Wen Jingshu was pregnant, he would definitely stay by her side. Now that Xu Xian is no longer even in Dianyun, it can only mean that Xu Xian doesn't know Wen Jingshu is pregnant.

Wen Jingshu's previously droopy eyelids suddenly snapped open: "What do you mean?"

"What could I possibly mean?" Lian Shanxue smiled, looking at Wen Jingshu with a hint of envy: "Indeed, childhood sweethearts are different!"

As she spoke, Lian Shanxue picked up her bag and made to leave, but stopped abruptly at the door. She turned back and sincerely said to Wen Jingshu, "No matter what, no matter your reason, thank you for helping to heal my eyes. Now that the company is in trouble, I will naturally do my part."

In truth, Wen Jingshu's painstaking efforts to find a suitable ophthalmologist for Lian Shanxue were driven by complex motives, but Lian Shanxue was unwilling to delve into them. She only knew that without Wen Jingshu, she probably wouldn't have regained her sight by now. Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for someone like Lian Shanxue, who was grateful for kindness, to contribute her own efforts to Xingyou Airlines.

After saying that, Lian Shanxue left the office.

After Lian Shanxue left, Wen Jingshu, who was already somewhat tired, slowly got up and asked Yang Ning, "Aunt Ning, there shouldn't be anything important today, right?"

"Miss, that's all. You must be tired."

Wen Jingshu waved her hand: "If there's nothing else, I'll go back and rest. I've been wanting to sleep most of the day, I can't take it anymore."

Time flies. After returning to Xingyou, Lian Shanxue completed all the necessary procedures at the Flight Department and began her qualification recovery training. She had been out of service for too long, and most of her qualifications had become invalid, so she needed to undergo various kinds of qualification recovery training.

However, the only good news is that after Lian Shanxue's return, Xingyou Airlines, which had recently been suffering from a poor online reputation, has seen a rare slight turnaround in its public image. This is mainly because Lian Shanxue is quite popular among the general public, especially young women who see her as a role model. Because of this positive association, their dislike for Xingyou Airlines has lessened.

Personally, Wen Jingshu was inclined to refuse Lian Shanxue's so-called help and gratitude. She would prefer Lian Shanxue to leave quietly and never return. However, the reality was that Xingyou Airlines needed someone like Lian Shanxue, who had good public relations, to reduce people's aversion to the airline. Not only could she not refuse Lian Shanxue's help, but she also had to promote it vigorously, firmly binding Xingyou Airlines and Lian Shanxue together.

Just as Xingyou Aviation was struggling to survive, on the training ground of Luohang Flight Base, Xu Xian was running at a slow and steady pace. There wasn't a single bead of sweat on his face, and even his breathing didn't change much. This was already Xu Xian's tenth lap. Even at a slow pace, he should have been panting heavily by now, but Xu Xian wasn't red-faced or out of breath. It seemed that his physical training during this period had been very effective.

As Xu Xian jogged to the entrance of the playground, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his breathing became erratic. He saw someone entering through the entrance – Ye Qing.

Ye Qing was off today, so he drove over to check on Xu Xian's training progress. As soon as he entered, he bumped into Xu Xian, who was running over there.

"Xu Xian!" Ye Qing called out to Xu Xian.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian immediately left the track and rushed straight towards Ye Qing.

"You miss me that much? Don't rush, don't rush!" Seeing Xu Xian charging towards him like a wild horse, Ye Qing was very satisfied. It had only been a short time since they last met, and Xu Xian had already missed him so much. Not bad, not bad!

However, as Xu Xian got closer, Ye Qing sensed something was different. He asked in bewilderment, "You're running, so why are you gritting your teeth like that?"

"Gritting your teeth? I'm biting you!" Xu Xian roared, accelerating as he pounced on Ye Qing like a hungry tiger.

"Hey, Xu Xian, don't be so enthusiastic! Hey, hey, hey, don't slap my face!"

Fifteen minutes later, Ye Qing, disheveled, and Xu Xian, still furious, sat on a stone bench beside the playground. There was a clear footprint on Ye Qing's chest, a result of Xu Xian's actions.

"Why did you hit me so hard? What if you broke me?" Ye Qing said, dusting off his clothes in annoyance, muttering, "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so angry? Go find a stone pillar and bang your head against it yourself. Why are you bothering me?"

"Still being stubborn? I'm just asking for it! If I break you or cripple you, that's your own fault!" Xu Xian gritted his teeth in hatred. "I clearly remember you telling me that physical training was absolutely appropriate, appropriate, do you remember?"

When Xu Xian spoke, he emphasized the three words "appropriate" very heavily, as if he wanted to bite Ye Qing to death.

"I remember. Is there a problem? Did I mistreat you?"

Speaking of this, Xu Xian had a lot of bitter tears to shed: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Every morning at five o'clock, we'd be woken up to run five kilometers, and then there were parallel bars, push-ups, and even shooting and grenade throwing training when we weren't flying. If you add barracks training on top of that, what's the difference between this and the regular army?"

"Is five kilometers a day a lot? Isn't this the minimum standard? Besides, even though we're fighter pilots, we still need to undergo necessary military training. What if we parachute out? You can't just be unable to fire your gun on the ground, can you?" Ye Qing said speechlessly, "I really thought they were doing something to you. Is this training volume really that much?"

I, Xu Xian, knew that for ordinary soldiers, running five kilometers a day was a basic requirement. Normally, some soldiers would add weights while running, but Xu Xian was running without any weights, so it wasn't particularly strenuous training. As for the parallel bars, push-ups, and other exercises, those were all based on the minimum standards of the military. However, Xu Xian just couldn't stand this kind of training. In the first few days, he felt like all his bones were falling apart, but thankfully, he got used to it after a while.

Of course, the only thing Xu Xian was thankful for was that there was no housekeeping training here. Otherwise, if Xu Xian had to fold blankets into perfect squares and keep the dormitory spotless every day, he probably would have gone crazy. His laid-back personality would be driven to the brink of death by such strict rules.

Ye Qing asked, "How long did it take you to run five kilometers before?"

"Hmm? Before, about thirty minutes."

"And now?"

"A little over twenty minutes."

Ye Qing clapped his hands: "That's great! What a huge improvement! Isn't this the reward?"

Previously, Xu Xian could hardly run five kilometers in one go. No matter how slow his running speed was, he always had to stop and catch his breath. But after this period of training, five kilometers is very easy for Xu Xian. He can run it in one go without any special feeling.

"Then shouldn't I thank you?" Xu Xian kept pulling his right hand in and out. "Do you think I should thank you again?"

"No, no, no!" Ye Qing quickly shook her head. "No need, no need. We really can't accept your gratitude. Just keep it in your heart. Um... isn't there training today?"

"Training?" Xu Xian was taken aback for a moment, glanced down at his watch, then jumped up and down in an instant: "I was so focused on beating you up that I forgot about training. I'm not going to waste any more time with you, I'm leaving."

"What flight are we taking today?" Ye Qing asked casually.

Xu Xian hesitated for a moment: "I'd better not tell you, I don't know if I should."

Xu Xian wasn't sure if the training subjects were classified information, and Ye Qing wasn't strictly speaking part of this base, so it was best not to say anything.

Ye Qing paused for a moment, then quickly realized what she meant: "Haha, good, good, you're very discreet. I was being presumptuous. Go ahead."

"Are you staying until the afternoon? I can treat you to dinner," Xu Xian shouted to Ye Qing as he reached the door.

Ye Qing replied loudly, "I'm off for the next two days, and I'll be back tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting for you to have dinner together."

The two agreed, and Xu Xian gave Ye Qing a thumbs up before covering his head and running outside.

Xu Xian first went to the dormitory to wash up a bit. Although the running intensity was not high, he still sweated a little. A shower made him feel more comfortable, and he went to train feeling refreshed.

After staying here for a while, Xu Xian's work speed improved a lot. He took a shower very quickly, changed into comfortable and dry clothes, and went straight to the equipment room.

Xu Xian was assigned call sign 054 (Dong 54), and cabinet number 54 in the equipment room was for Xu Xian's exclusive use, containing his flight equipment.

Although the C-16 that Xu Xian flew this time is a third-generation fighter jet, Xu Xian's flight equipment is based on the standards of a fourth-generation fighter jet. Its performance is far superior to that of flight equipment based on the standards of a third-generation fighter jet, and of course, the price is also much more attractive.

The pilot's equipment includes a flight helmet, oxygen mask, anti-G suit, high-altitude compensation suit, compensation vest, ventilated suit, waterproof and cold-weather suit, life vest, flight boots, flight suit, and flight gloves. Among these, slightly more advanced equipment now combines the compensation suit and anti-G suit into one, that is, adding anti-G airbags to the compensation suit to form a combined compensation-anti-G suit.

The most valuable part of his entire outfit is his flight helmet, which is not just for protecting his head. For many semi-guided missiles, initial guidance from the fighter jet is required at the beginning of launch. At this time, the pilot cannot perform large-scale maneuvers, otherwise the initial guidance function cannot be sustained.

Later, the designers placed the missile guidance function on the helmet, so the missile could fly in the direction the pilot looked, which was very convenient for initial guidance.

Even more advanced helmet-mounted displays can now directly replace head-up displays, showing various flight data directly in front of the pilot. Even with head-up displays, pilots are often distracted by looking left and right; if flight data could be displayed intuitively and consistently in front of the pilot's eyes, it would be incredibly convenient.

However, Xu Xian's current helmet system is not yet at that advanced level.

After a few quick steps, Xu Xian put on all his gear, tucked his helmet under his arm, and went to the briefing room to meet with his instructor. It must be said that modern pilot equipment and clothing are not only far more effective than before, but also significantly lighter and more comfortable. At least now, even with the anti-G airbags not inflated, Xu Xian didn't look bulky in his outfit; it was about the same as wearing a not-too-thick down jacket.

After the equipment was ready, Xu Xianxian went to the briefing room, where he needed to give a brief overview of the flight training content and for the instructors to explain the key points to the trainees, which was equivalent to a flight preparation.

Xu Xian already knew the content of this flight training; it mainly involved coordinated formation flying. In actual air force combat, solo combat is relatively rare. Fighting alone has significant drawbacks; even ace pilots can be shot down by rookie pilots in solo combat, a phenomenon not uncommon in air combat history. Therefore, only in formation flying can a pilot's combat capabilities be fully utilized.

However, with the rapid advancements in flight performance, large-formation group operations are now relatively rare. Nevertheless, the two-aircraft formation, as the fundamental unit of all types of formation flying, is something every fighter pilot needs to master. Xu Xian is about to conduct a two-aircraft formation flight today.

When Xu Xian entered the briefing room, he found a person at the table. It was not the instructor he was supposed to meet, but Wang Qi, with whom he had a previous conflict.

According to the plan, Xu Xian's instructor should have been Wang Chenchen, the captain of the second squadron, but when the time came, Wang Chenchen was nowhere to be seen, and Wang Qi came instead.

When Wang Qi saw Xu Xian enter, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Captain Wang has to go to the division headquarters for some business, so I'll be your temporary instructor today."

(End of this chapter)