Chapter 0177
Caught off guard, Yu Lulei paused for a moment but showed no hint of embarrassment.
She turned to address the pilots from another country in the
international lingua franca, “Don’t you think this task is nonsensical? Who the hell sets up wooden blockades in the sky?”
There it was, a classic line, resonating with pilots from various nations. Heads were nodding vigorously-a few hot-headed ones even joined in the tirade.
This collective outburst seemed to relieve some of the tension among the nearby pilots.
Once the obstacle course was complete, fifty planes aligned themselves toward the land commander’s direction.
A few of the pilots couldn’t help but lose their composure, “For goodness’ sake…”
They watched as the fifty planes lined up, facing two large boar positioned on trucks in the distance.
The boards, their material unknown but seemingly lightweight-as the wind made them sway-had cut-outs precisely the size of the planes.
The rule for this segment: the aircraft had to navigate through the cut- out, maintaining a clearance of no more than eight centimeters above
and below.
Much like the game where people strike poses to fit through shapes in a foam wall-if touched, the board would shatter under the plane’s
weight.
The challenge was immense.
“My God…”
Some pilots were on the verge of a breakdown. Some foreign pilots threw down their hats, muttering incomprehensibly, quite obviously perplexed by the task at hand.
“Brian, do you think you can make it through?” Madison suddenly leaned forward to ask Brian who sat ahead.
As soon as she spoke, the surrounding colleagues immediately turned to Brian. An old military pilot, Brian was accustomed to stringent standards.
Gazing at the dense formation of aircraft ahead, wrinkles of age on his face but his eyes still alight with a man’s passion for flight, Brian pondered for a few seconds, “Zero margin for error is too much to claim. But for me, it’s not too difficult.”
Listen to that!
That’s the confidence of a military-trained professional pilot!
The challenge wasn’t just about hitting the center to avoid touching the board; it was about precisely calculating the plane’s every from uneven terrain, ensuring it doesn’t veer off to the sides.
It’s like noticing during takeoff that the plane’s wheels don’t follow a straight line.
Controlling the lateral deviation is difficult-the aircraft, heavy and cumbersome, can’t be maneuvered as easily as a car.
As the discussion ensued, ten planes began making their way toward the boards. From start to approaching the boards, there was a
maximum distance of fifty meters.
While the fifty pilots held their breath as they progressed, those waiting watched tensely.
Soon, boards started shattering.
The planes were heavy; their immense force could split a board in two
the deviation was too great.
Sighs could be heard all around.
The pilots still awaiting their turn felt an enormous pressure.
Before long, the fifty pilots returned, all seemingly disheartened. The following fifty were up next.
Now they realized, even knowing the task in advance wouldn’t have been much help.
Madison quietly observed, learning from the mistakes of others.
Half an hour later, it was time for the 21st to the 30th groups to take
the stage.
As Madison stood up, many eyes nearby shifted their attention to her. Shihua, too, caught the notice of the international pilots-her fame abroad was no small matter.
Madison, unexpectedly, found herself in the same batch as the man
named Lek.
Lek chuckled as he walked, “May the best pilot win, Captain Madison.”
The formal address made Madison smile, “Best of luck to you too, Captain Lek.”
“Thank you, you as well,” Lek replied with a clear grin.
After verifying their identities and being assigned their respective planes, the pilots boarded one after the other.
The first obstacle didn’t induce much stress; touching it was inevitable-they just aimed to minimize contacts.
30
As Madison passed the obstacles, she took measured steps to estimate the distances between them.
It was only when it was their turn did everyone realize-the distances between the obstacles were not consistent!
Such a tricky setup!
Madison quietly kept the estimated distances in mind, also making a note of the approximate diameter of the plane’s wheels.
The land commander signaled with his flags, and fifty planes started their engines simultaneously.
One by one, obstacles were knocked over, some utterly crushed.
However, people noticed that the pilots from Z country knocked over surprisingly few obstacles.
Not long after, the first task ended. The pilots didn’t disembark but turned around to face the board challenge.
Inside her plane, Madison’s gaze sharpened, fixated on the distant land commander’s flags, calculating the wind speed and for
the oscillation amplitude of the board.
Madison was at the forefront, with Lek about seven or eight planes her left and Charlie to her right, and next to Charlie was Shihua.
The trio of women began to move forward slowly.
Back at Mukino Air’s seats, everyone clenched their fists, breaths held, eyes fixed on the barely visible edges of the boards.
Please don’t break!
Please don’t break!
The three planes reached the boards, ready to pass through!
“Crack-”
“Crack-”
The sound of splintering boards echoed everywhere.
Madison couldn’t pay attention to her surroundings-she decelerated
to the slowest speed, eyes locked on the direction of the board’s
sway.
At the moment when the board’s oscillation peaked, three planes came to a halt…
The pilots from other countries watching gasped in awe.
“It looks like they’re calculating the wind force!”
“Brilliant!”
“So impressive!”
They admired them genuinely.
Then, when the board suddenly ceased its shaking, for about ten seconds, the three planes passed through simultaneously!
“Oh, my!”
“The board is intact!”
“How is that possible?!”
Foreign pilots exclaimed.
Back home, pilots from various airlines leaped up, electrified, Incredible!! That’s some real face for us!”
“Two of them are our own Mukino Air pilots!” someone shouted excitedly
lim the distance, most other boards lay in pieces, while a few were only
cracked. Those three
At this moment, it seemed like all rivalry and jeers were forgotten, now replaced by pride and joy for one another, sharing a nation.
Old Gao’s eyes shone, and while Deputy Director Ye kept his
composure due to his position, not standing to applaud, his face was all smiles.
When the three women disembarked and looked back at the boards, surprise was evident in each other’s eyes.
Even Shihua had a newfound recognition for Madison’s abilities at that moment.
“You’re really something.” Charlie was the first to congratulate her, You touched two obstacles, right? I touched three.”
Charlie whispered, “Shihua also touched two.”
Madison laughed, “You’re equally outstanding.”
As they returned to their seats, they were greeted with thumbs up from their colleagues, who exclaimed in unison:
“There’s no disputing the prowess of these women!”
