Legendary Captain

Chapter 347 Anti-radiation missiles

At the entrance avenue of the division headquarters, Wang Zhaoxin, who had just changed his clothes, arrived near the prepared vehicle, ready to head to the Luohang Flight Base.

Even now, he's still thinking about Xu Xian's formation flight test; the shock that it gave Wang Zhaoxin in that short period of time was unparalleled.

Wang Zhaoxin told the lead pilot to increase the difficulty to level two, meaning the lead pilot should perform the maneuver as a level two pilot. Therefore, the lead pilot immediately performed an Immelmann maneuver. Even under these conditions, Xu Xian was able to keep up accurately without ever considering the approaching alarm.

Wang Zhaoxin felt that if this maneuver had been performed by any third-level pilot, the alarm would have gone off non-stop, but Xu Xian had managed to complete it without a single alarm, which was simply unimaginable.

Xu Xian's spatial positioning ability and reaction speed are the strongest that Wang Zhaoxin has ever seen. He is a person who is born with knowledge; he is born knowing how to fly!

They fly not by skill, but by instinct!

This is something that can hardly be achieved through training, which makes it all the more precious.

However, the thought of Xu Xian's appalling physical fitness test gave Wang Zhaoxin a terrible headache. If Xu Xian continued to be so undisciplined, it would be a complete waste of talent, a total crime.

Just as Wang Zhaoxin was about to get into the car, Che Youwei called out to him from not far away: "Old Wang, wait a minute."

"Hmm?" Wang Zhaoxin glanced at Che Youwei out of the corner of his eye and noticed he was holding a piece of paper. "What are you holding?"

"Take a look at Xu Xian's assessment result notification." Che Youwei handed the form to Wang Zhaoxin: "While you're at it, also show this form to Li Cheng and see what a mess he's made of."

Wang Zhaoxin took the order, glanced at it, and his blood pressure spiked again. In the final assessment, Xu Xian failed the test!

Even though he received an excellent rating in the flight practice, the physical fitness assessment was too difficult, and he was never able to make up for it in the end.

It can only be said that Xu Xian's performance in flight practice was astonishing, but his physical fitness was equally astonishing!

"Not approved." Wang Zhaoxin clutched the notification slip in his hand, crumpling it into tiny wrinkles. "Such a promising talent, and Li Cheng turned him into this? No way, this time I'm definitely getting Xu Xian over!"

"Old Wang, I agree with you on this matter. It's such a waste to let a promising talent like Xu Xian be allowed to continue like this. However, you have a fiery temper, so speak nicely to Li Cheng. Although the Luohang fleet is nominally under my Third Division, there isn't actually a clear subordinate relationship. Don't put on airs as a division commander with Li Cheng. Peace and harmony bring wealth." As expected of the political commissar, he was very thoughtful. Che Youwei knew that Wang Zhaoxin had a bad temper and that this trip might lead to unpleasantness with Li Cheng, so he specially came to give Wang Zhaoxin some pointers.

Che Youwei's words do make sense. Although the Luohang fleet is indeed hampered by the three divisions, such as in recruitment, physical examinations, and various assessments, in a real sense, there is only a nominal subordinate relationship between them. If Wang Zhaoxin really wanted to use the title of division commander to suppress Li Cheng, the effect would not be that significant.

The Luoyang Aircraft Fleet was primarily an organization established by Luoyang Aerospace Industry to collect data on various aircraft models, similar to a test flight team. If the Luoyang Aircraft Fleet truly refused to release Xu Xian, Wang Zhaoxin was powerless to do anything about it.

However, Wang Zhaoxin has a very short temper, and if Li Cheng doesn't cooperate, the two might really have a falling out.

"Harmony brings wealth!?" Wang Zhaoxin's eyes widened. "Watching Xu Xian's team entrance exam almost gave me a stroke. Don't worry, Li Cheng used to work under me, I can definitely talk to him without any problems."

"Are you going to use your old squad leader authority again?" Che Youwei sighed, exasperated. "Fine, fine, whatever you do, just don't cause a conflict, okay?"

Li Cheng, the squadron leader of Luohang's fleet, used to be a member of Xi'an Air Force. When he was a recruit, Wang Zhaoxin was his squad leader, and that's where their connection lies.

Wang Zhaoxin felt that Xu Xian was a veteran squad leader, so asking him for someone shouldn't be too much to ask. However, Che Youwei felt that Wang Zhaoxin was being overly optimistic. But to be honest, after watching Xu Xian's flight skills assessment, Che Youwei was also very envious. If Wang Zhaoxin could get Xu Xian, and they trained him properly, he would almost certainly become an ace in the entire Western Air Force.

Xu Xian's personality is far too undisciplined, and coupled with the relatively relaxed management of the Luohang fleet, it has no effect on Xu Xian whatsoever. In such an environment, how could Xu Xian's personality be changed? It's simply a pipe dream!

Only the iron-willed style of the military can properly polish Xu Xian, this rough gem!

"Hey, old man! Just wait for my good news." Wang Zhaoxin patted Che Youwei on the shoulder with confidence, put the order in his pocket, and got into the car.

The results of the team entry assessment will be available in about half an hour after the flight practice assessment. Since there are only so many people participating in the assessment, the statistics will be compiled very quickly.

Xu Xian simply waited at the division headquarters and took the form himself, saving the division headquarters the trouble of sending someone to deliver it to the Luohang Flight Base later.

There were only a dozen or so people participating in the assessment this time, and this group of people didn't leave; they waited with Xu Xian.

"Is everything here?" A man who looked like a military officer pulled out a stack of lists. "Find it yourself!"

As they spoke, the dozen or so rookie pilots who had taken the assessment lined up one by one to find their assessment result notification slips, just like when they were in school and were getting their report cards. Xu Xian was at the very back of the line, and every time someone walked by with a slip, he would crane his neck to take a peek.

Xu Xian was certain he could get the highest score in his flight skills assessment, but he had absolutely no idea whether he could overcome the challenge in the physical fitness assessment.

After stealing a few glances, Xu Xian saw that only about half of the people were deemed qualified, which was a rather strict pass rate.

When it was Xu Xian's turn, the officer only had one card left, and without a doubt, it was Xu Xian's.

"Los Angeles Airlines fleet? This is the first time I've ever seen such a list in my life!" The officer said with a smile, handing the list to Xu Xian.

Xu Xian looked down and immediately focused his gaze on the conclusion column. The three words "Fail" clearly written on it were quite glaring.

"Oh my god!" Xu Xian was devastated. Even though he had a premonition, he still couldn't accept seeing the words "failing".

Xu Xian dejectedly accepted the order, smacked his lips, and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The officer laughed and said, "Your situation is easy to handle. I see you got full marks in the practical flight test, but you missed too many points in the physical fitness test. Physical fitness is easy to improve; you can make up for it next time. Don't be discouraged."

"A perfect score in practical flight training?" The officer's words immediately drew the attention of the other participants in the recruitment assessment. After all, it was quite rare for a rookie pilot to get a perfect score in practical flight training. They were actually more curious about how poorly someone who got a perfect score in practical flight training would perform in the physical fitness test to be deemed unqualified in the end.

No wonder the officer who handed out the notice said that Xu Xian's notice was the only one he had ever seen in his life!

"I'm not discouraged." Xu Xian shrugged. He wasn't really under a lot of pressure from the team entrance exam. He had come here to take the exam and had a general idea of ​​how intense the physical fitness test would be. He just needed to focus on practicing when he got back. It wasn't a difficult task.

"It's good that your mindset hasn't been affected," the officer said with a smile, then clapped his hands. "Those who pass the test will receive promotion notices within three days and will leave basic training to be assigned to their respective combat units. Prepare yourselves in advance. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me now."

As soon as he said this, several people who had passed the test gathered around and started asking questions all at once.

Xu Xian pursed his lips, realizing that what happened next had nothing to do with him. He glanced at the notification slip again, then sighed, ultimately feeling somewhat disappointed.

Office of the squadron leader at Luohang Flight Base.

"Brother Wang, you're saying you want to transfer Xu Xian's position to your Third Division? Isn't that stealing someone? No way, no way, absolutely not!" Battalion Commander Li Cheng shook his head vigorously. "Brother Wang, why are you looking for Xu Xian instead of someone else? He's not easy to move!"

Across from Li Cheng, Wang Zhaoxin snorted with dissatisfaction: "Why is it hard to move? Aren't you in charge here? And... the old sergeant's influence isn't working anymore, is it? Li Cheng, I was the one who taught you tactical maneuvers in the dark back then, otherwise you wouldn't have even passed the recruit assessment. Now you're telling me it's difficult, is that it?"

"Brother Wang, you..." Li Cheng remembered Wang Zhaoxin's kindness, but this matter was indeed difficult to handle. Wang Zhaoxin brought up their past relationship, which only made Li Cheng feel more uncomfortable and had no real effect, because it involved another person, Ye Qing.

"What's wrong with me? What kind of management do you have here? What kind of management do I have there? Someone with Xu Xian's personality should go to my place to hone his skills. If he continues like this here, he'll be ruined!" Wang Zhaoxin said to Li Cheng with extreme seriousness, "Do you know what Xu Xian's score was in the team entry assessment this time? He failed! Don't you feel any urgency, no pressure at all?"

"Didn't pass? What happened to the physical fitness test?" Li Cheng knew Xu Xian very well and immediately got to the heart of the matter.

"One failed, two barely passed, and the other was average. Li Cheng, although your management here is lax, you still have the title of a third-level teacher. This is the first time I've ever seen such poor physical fitness assessment." Wang Zhaoxin was furious.

Li Cheng suddenly laughed: "What about his practical flight assessment?"

"You still dare to talk! It only makes me angrier!" Wang Zhaoxin waved his hand. "Li Cheng, if you still care about our old comradeship, give Xu Xian to me. I'm not joking, Xu Xian is being wasted on you!"

"Let me be honest with you, Brother Wang!" Li Cheng was ready to speak frankly with Wang Zhaoxin: "If it were anyone else, I certainly wouldn't object to whoever you wanted today. However, you know, Xu Xian was chosen by Ye Qing; he wants Xu Xian to stay here. Brother Wang, if you want to take Xu Xian away, you'll have to convince Ye Qing first. Also, Xu Xian himself probably won't agree; you can't force him. Arguing with me is useless; those two are the key!"

"You have to eat one bite at a time, drink one sip at a time. Does that mean you're all set on your end? As for the other two, I'll figure something out myself!" Wang Zhaoxin said. Regardless, they needed the leader's approval before they could proceed.

"I have no objection. If you can really convince them both, I definitely won't hold them back. But, Brother Wang! There might be a tiny chance that Ye Qing can be persuaded, but Xu Xian is a different story. That kid is incredibly lazy. Don't let his poor physical fitness test score fool you; it's the result of my hard work. If I really didn't care, I guarantee he would have failed every single item on the test! This time, only one failure is an improvement." Li Cheng said earnestly, seemingly speaking from the heart.

Wang Zhaoxin's lips twitched a few times: "So this kid actually performed exceptionally well!"

He was truly speechless. Xu Xian's physical fitness test score would be appalling in any war zone or unit. Yet, in Li Cheng's words, it was still considered an improvement—it was simply unbelievable.

"That's why he needs someone to supervise him, otherwise it would be such a waste!" Wang Zhaoxin became even more determined to bring Xu Xian back.

"What's a pity?" At that moment, a head peeked out from outside the door. It was Xu Xian: "Team Leader Li, I'm back after the assessment."

"Oh! How did it go?" Li Cheng asked deliberately.

Xu Xian glanced at Wang Zhaoxin, who was also in the office, but he didn't recognize Wang Zhaoxin. Faced with Li Cheng's question, he scratched his head shyly and said, "Just a little bit short!"

"Just a little bit off?" Li Cheng smiled and glanced at Wang Zhaoxin. "Brother Wang, aren't you going to say a few words?"

As he spoke, Li Cheng introduced Xu Xian, "This is Wang Zhaoxin, the commander of the Third Division. He came here specifically to see you!"

"Commander!" Xu Xian was slightly surprised, and quickly saluted, "Greetings, Commander!"

"Alright, I didn't expect you to be so quick!" When Wang Zhaoxin left, the assessment had just ended. Usually, Xu Xian would have to wait for the results at the division headquarters, which would take about half an hour. In other words, Xu Xian left more than half an hour later than Wang Zhaoxin, but he arrived at the base not much later than Wang Zhaoxin.

"Xu Xian, you've come at the right time. I have something to tell you." Wang Zhaoxin coughed twice and said, "It's like this, I'd like to transfer you to the Third Division. Your battalion commander has already agreed. Is everything alright with you?"

It can only be said that Wang Zhaoxin is truly cunning! Putting aside everything else, he first made it clear that Li Cheng had already agreed, subtly increasing Xu Xian's psychological pressure. Then, when asking for Xu Xian's opinion, he didn't ask what he thought, but directly asked if there were any problems on his end, thus pre-setting Xu Xian's stance.

Although these are just minor speaking techniques, the fact that Wang Zhaoxin put so much effort into figuring out language shows that he really wanted to get Xu Xian into the Third Normal School.

However, even with Wang Zhaoxin's best efforts, he still couldn't get through to Xu Xian.

Just like Li Cheng's reaction earlier, Xu Xian kept shaking his head: "Commander, I can't go over there. I'll stay here."

"Aren't you going to reconsider?" Wang Zhaoxin hadn't expected Xu Xian to refuse so decisively. "To be honest, your talent is very strong, extremely strong. Staying here would be a waste of your talent. Haven't you thought about that?"

"I haven't thought about it," Xu Xian said frankly.

Wang Zhaoxin grew anxious: "Don't you think it's a waste? You have every opportunity to become a top-notch fighter pilot. If you continue here, you're just watching this opportunity slip away. Don't you have any regrets?"

"Um," Xu Xian thought for a moment, "become a top-notch fighter pilot, and then what?"

Wang Zhaoxin gasped: "Serving the country and contributing to national defense—isn't that enough?"

Xu Xian tilted his head slightly: "Then, if I quietly be a good socialist youth, isn't that also contributing to the country?"

The veins on Wang Zhaoxin's forehead bulged, yet even though he was seething with anger, he couldn't find a reason to refute it. Was contributing to the country limited to narrow national defense? Was being a good socialist youth and not causing trouble for the country not contributing to it?

"You have such a sharp tongue!" Wang Zhaoxin said, exasperated. "Do you think life in the army is too tough?"

"How could that be?" Xu Xian waved his hand. "How could I possibly have such a thought?"

Wang Zhaoxin's eyes widened: "Tell the truth!"

Xu Xian's body stiffened: "Yes!"

"I really am," Wang Zhaoxin waved his hand, "You go out and wait first, I have something to say to your Captain Li."

Xu Xian glanced at Li Cheng, who nodded at him. Xu Xian had no choice; even though he felt somewhat dangerous, he couldn't stay any longer.

"Should I leave the form here?" Xu Xian placed the notification form on Li Cheng's desk and left the office with a nervous heart.

After Xu Xian left, Wang Zhaoxin rubbed his forehead and said, "That Xu Xian is a lazybones reincarnated. I'm speechless. I'm really speechless."

"Brother Wang, he's just a kid. He hasn't developed that sense of responsibility and honor yet. Your ideas are completely different from his. How can you possibly persuade him?" Li Cheng sighed.

Xu Xian is not hard to see through. Li Cheng has been with Xu Xian for some time and has a pretty good understanding of his true nature. To be honest, Xu Xian is lazy and lacks ambition. Trying to persuade him with reasons about responsibility or honor is a joke, because Xu Xian simply doesn't care.

After Li Cheng said that, Wang Zhaoxin basically understood what kind of person Xu Xian was. He said with great regret, "If he were just an ordinary person, that would be one thing. Heaven gave him talent that others envy immensely, so why did he discard it like trash? Do you know? In the formation test during flight practice, the lead aircraft performed an Immelmann maneuver, and he maintained the standard distance throughout without a single alarm sounding. You should understand what that means! Does he have a lot of flight time? Not much! But even a seasoned and experienced second-level pilot might not achieve Xu Xian's level of performance! What allows him to do this? Instinct! Instinct! Innate instinct! But he doesn't care at all. You tell me... oh dear..."

Wang Zhaoxin's head throbbed more and more as he spoke: "Forget it, I'm not going to say anymore, or my liver will hurt."

"Giving up like this? Then you've made a wasted trip today?" Li Cheng laughed.

"He's practically screaming 'I don't want to go,' do you think I can force him to go? Let me tell you, even if he's not at the Third Division, you still need to increase his training volume. His current training volume isn't enough, absolutely not enough, especially physical training." Wang Zhaoxin rubbed his temples: "Did you hear me?"

"I've taken it to heart, and I know what to do," Li Cheng said.

"If he gets this score on the physical fitness test again during the second recruitment assessment, I'll hold you accountable." Wang Zhaoxin plopped down in a chair. "Isn't the joint exercise starting in a couple of days? This time it's mainly a showdown between our Third Division, the Sixth Division of the Guangdong Air Force, and the Fourth Division of the Naval Aviation. Your Luoyang Airlines squadron will be under my command during the exercise. You'll be coming to the division headquarters first. The division commanders of the Sixth Division of the Guangdong Air Force and the Fourth Division of the Naval Aviation will be coming to our division headquarters. Let me tell you, if we embarrass ourselves this time, those two will be mocking me to my face. You'd better come with me."

"So you're using me as a shield, huh?" Li Cheng revealed the truth in one sentence.

This time, the Western Air Force, the Guangdong Air Force, and the South China Sea Fleet each dispatched their elite divisions. After all, no matter how large the scale, it is still an exercise. You can't bring together all the air military forces at the three theater command levels to fight each other, can you?

Therefore, the three divisions representing the Western Air Force, the six divisions representing the Guangdong Air Force, and the four naval aviation divisions representing the South China Sea Fleet are the main combat forces in this trilateral exercise.

In this three-way exercise, the division commanders and political commissars of each division did not participate in the command; they all observed the exercise as bystanders. With the commanders of all three air divisions gathered at the Third Division headquarters, if the Third Division performed poorly in the exercise, wouldn't he be openly ridiculed by the commanders of the Fourth and Sixth Divisions to the point of losing his mind?

To prevent this from happening, Wang Zhaoxin had to make preparations in advance. Li Cheng was classmates with the commanders of the Fourth and Sixth Divisions at the aviation school, although not in the same year, they still had some friendship. Li Cheng's words weren't without merit; he had indeed been used as a tool by Wang Zhaoxin, a scapegoat without exaggeration.

"Also, Ying Ruoqing from the Second Laser Institute will be here on the day of the exercise. Have you prepared your reception plan? In addition, Meng Ziyang will be with Ying Ruoqing."

Li Cheng frowned: "Meng Ziyang? That's the Guangdong Air Force ace? When did he become a bodyguard for women?"

"Why do you care about him? It's a good thing he's not participating in this trilateral exercise; that's enough." Wang Zhaoxin snorted. "From today until the day of the exercise, your base will be on Level 3 alert. During the exercise, it will be on Level 2 combat readiness. All aircraft must be fully armed and fueled, and maintenance personnel must conduct regular checks to ensure the aircraft are ready for takeoff at any time. All on-duty pilots must wear anti-G suits for extended periods unless absolutely necessary. I need to be able to provide combat capability at any time, understand?"

"Understood! I understand, and this isn't the first time!" For veteran pilots like Li Cheng, combat readiness duty was nothing new. In fact, Li Cheng had even experienced a true state of first-level combat readiness once.

Li Cheng hesitated for a moment before asking, "I heard the Commander is concerned about this exercise. It seems he'll be watching closely. Isn't that a lot of pressure?"

Wang Zhaoxin's face immediately darkened: "Shut up!"

Ever since Xu Xian met Wang Zhaoxin, the commander of the Third Division, in Li Cheng's office and realized that Wang Zhaoxin intended to get him into the Third Division, Xu Xian had been feeling uneasy and worried for a long time.

Whenever he sees himself in the mirror, he can't help but ask himself a question from the depths of his soul: "Is my brilliance too dazzling, impossible to conceal? Should I perhaps hide my shortcomings?"

Having made up his mind, Xu Xian resolved that from now on, he would only exert seven-tenths of his strength and spend most of his time pretending to be mediocre.

However, to Xu Xian's relief, there was no further news after that, as if Xu Xian had been overthinking things.

In the past two days, due to the upcoming tripartite exercise, in principle, all personnel participating in the exercise are not allowed to take leave or receive visits from relatives and friends. However, Xu Xian did not pass the entry assessment and, according to regulations, is not within the scope of the exercise personnel. In other words, unless there are special requirements, Xu Xian does not need to participate in the exercise, and therefore he is not bound by the Level 3 combat readiness. At least he can still receive visits.

Xu Qing called Xu Xian and set a time for him to come over. Coincidentally, the time Xu Qing chose was the first day of the three-way exercise.

After confirming the time for Xu Qing's visit, Xu Xian went to the security office to enter Xu Qing's identity information. This way, Xu Qing could enter that day.

At the Luohang Air Base, visits from relatives and friends are generally only allowed after prior notification; it's not that you can visit on the same day you go.

On the day of the exercise, the Third Division's Operations Analysis Room, along with Division Commander Wang Zhaoxin, Political Commissar Che Youwei, Luoyang Aircraft Squadron Leader Li Cheng, and the commanders of the Fourth and Sixth Divisions who had traveled from afar, were all gathered there.

At this moment, on the central large screen in the combat analysis room, twelve fighter jets representing the Sixth Division of the Guangdong Air Force were aggressively heading towards the headquarters of the Third Division.

"Straight to the heart of the enemy! Commander Huang, aren't you afraid that all twelve of your fighter jets will be wasted?" Wang Zhaoxin sneered. Their three divisions only had a total of forty-eight fighter jets. For the Sixth Air Division of Guangdong to deploy the equivalent of a quarter of the three divisions' air power to strike at the heart of the enemy was actually somewhat reckless.

After all, there are strong air defenses around the headquarters of any air division, and it is very dangerous to break through them rashly.

Huang Jue, commander of the 6th Air Division of Guangdong, remained unfazed: "Wang Zhaoxin, don't try to be clever with your words. Your 3rd Division has only managed to hold out this long thanks to Li Cheng. The battle has come to this point, and your 3rd Division has done a decent job. It's time to end this."

The headquarters of the Third Division houses the command system and most of the early warning system. Destroying the headquarters would eliminate the brain of the Third Division's air power, leaving the remaining air force as nothing more than headless flies, not worth fearing.

On the first day, the 4th Naval Aviation Division launched a fierce attack on the 3rd Division, and even with the addition of the Luoyang Air Force fleet, they could only barely hold on. But just as the 3rd Western Air Force Division and the 4th Naval Aviation Division were locked in a deadly struggle, the 6th Guangdong Air Force Division, which had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly dispatched twelve fighter jets to strike the 3rd Division headquarters, which was undefended, a truly underhanded tactic.

Currently, only two squadrons, totaling ten aircraft, remain at the airfield where the 3rd Division is stationed. Even though the number of combat-ready aircraft at the airfield is not particularly large, with the support of ground-based air defense forces, it is still sufficient to ensure the safety of the division headquarters, even if it cannot launch proactive attacks.

Wang Zhaoxin and Che Youwei initially thought so too, but seeing Huang Jue's confident demeanor, they felt uneasy. Anyone with common sense knew that the air defenses around the command system were extremely strong. Why would the 6th Air Division of Guangdong dare to deploy so many fighter jets at once? Weren't they afraid of being thrown to the ground?

"I originally thought the Fourth Division would easily take you down, but I didn't expect you to last this long. That's truly beyond my expectations," Huang Jue laughed. "Your Third Division has performed admirably today. Since you've achieved an unexpected result, you can step down now. Next up is the duel between our Sixth Division and the Fourth Division. However, before that, it'll be a good opportunity to test our latest anti-radiation missiles on you!"

(End of this chapter)