Chapter 0182
The incident had caused quite a delay, and after much deliberation, the international judges agreed to let Madison retake the assessment.
The pilot who had interfered with Madison’s performance was
disqualified on the spot, thanks to testimonies from both Leck and Madison’s co-assessor.
With a backlog of pilots still awaiting their turn, the disruptor was promptly taken aside for further investigation to avoid further delays, and the assessment resumed for the rest.
Seeing that Madison wasn’t immediately scored zero, Shihua’s gaze from the back of the crowd could bore holes with its intensity into Madison’s back.
Word of the incident had subtly spread to the seating area, casting a pall of judgmental looks toward the implicated nation’s pilot.
The domestic pilots were particularly scornful:
“Is he that desperate?”
“Just for a ranking assessment, he sinks to sabotage?”
“Could he still be bitter about the performance contest?”
“I just heard some assessors saying that a pilot from that nation testified against him.”
“Who knows if this is just one side showing a soft face while the other plays the heavy- if they can pull Madison down, it reduces their competition.”
“It’s hard to say. Thankfully, Madison was allowed to retake the test.”
Over at the assessment field, the recent events had left Madison
somewhat tense.
The assessor, noticing her unease, offered reassurance: “Don’t be nervous, you’ll do fine. Just believe in yourself. Your mere presence here, so young, is proof enough of your excellence.”
Foreigners always have a forthright way with compliments and encouragement.
Madison offered a smile, grateful: “Thank you for testifying on my behalf.”
She dared not dwell on what had almost transpired; had the
international judges sided with the national pilots, she would have been powerless against them.
With her mind occupied but hands steady, Madison completed the reassessment even faster than her initial attempt, concluding only about five minutes after the other pilots.
Before departing, she made a point to thank her assessor formally with a bow: “Thank you for your honest testimony.”
The burly assessor beamed with pride, “Don’t mention it! You’re quite exceptional-one of the finest pilots I’ve come across so far! I hope to see you shine on the global stage!”
“I’ll give it my all.”
Nearby, Charlie and Kou Mei had stayed behind to wait for Madison to
finish.
“Madison!”
She approached them.
“You alright?” Charlie was concerned that the incident might have thrown her off her game.
Madison shook her head: “A little hiccup like that won’t knock me off
course, don’t worry.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Madison spotted Leck conversing with the assessors.
Leck caught her gaze and bid the assessors farewell before heading
her way.
“Captain Madison,” he greeted her with a somewhat strained attempt at Mandarin.
Madison responded respectfully: “Captain Leck.”
“I apologize for my compatriot’s behavior and the inconvenience it caused you,” Leck said, although his foreign language skills were not quite fluent, they didn’t hinder their understanding.
“It’s not your fault,” Madison dismissed with a smile, well aware of who was really pulling the strings.
Leck stepped forward, speaking rapidly in his native tongue to ensure privacy, “Someone from your country had him do it. Think about it.
Madison hadn’t expected such candor. She thought he would maintain a united front publicly, dealing with internal disputes privately.
But now, with his forthright admission…
Leck raised his hands in a gesture of respect: “Captain Madison, I have great admiration for you as a pilot. I won’t tolerate injustice being done to you. Please focus on your assessment. I look forward to competing against you in an official pilot contest someday, where I intend to triumph.”
With that, Leck walked away, leaving Madison slightly dazed and Charlie and Kou Mei shrugging at each other in confusion.
3/5
Walking back, Madison queried: “What’s this official pilot contest he
mentioned?”
“I’ve never participated.”
“Me neither.”
They answered in turn.
Kou Mei added: “It’s a selection from military pilots moving into civilian flights, entering a global ranking. The champion receives the Falcon Trophy and a spot on the international leaderboard. It’s not dissimilar to the civilian flight shows.”
“Is there any woman on this leaderboard?”
“Not one,” Kou Mei confirmed.
“When’s the next contest?” Madison inquired.
Charlie raised an eyebrow, surprised: “You’re a professional pilot and you don’t know this?”
Madison merely chuckled.
Back when she was a co-pilot, she hadn’t paid attention to such competitions, focused solely on becoming a captain.
“Every eight years, so it’s next year,” Charlie explained.
Next year…
Everything seemed to converge on the coming year.
Returning to their seats, Old Gao immediately pulled Madison aside.
Behind closed doors, many high-ranking aviation officials gathered, including Deputy Director Ye, who first inquired about Madison’s condition.
Assured that she was fine, he then revealed: “The man couldn’t handle the pressure and confessed everything. They named the instigator. However, he’s being stubborn about revealing who was behind it all. It’s your call on how to handle this.”
As Madison remained silent, Old Gap assured her, “Don’t worry about the consequences. You just say the word, and Deputy Director Ye and I will move heaven and earth to bring that person to justice.”
It was clear they were offering their support.
But Old Gao’s use of “heaven and earth” hinted at the difficulties it could entail, possibly causing a stir in the aviation industry.
“Let it go,” Madison decided.
“What do you mean let it go?”
The room went still as everyone turned toward the newcomer: ” President Grant?”
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