Sky-cracking Rider
Chapter 964 - 964: Section 953 - Ranked Battle

"How could it be! Old David, rest assured, it absolutely wasn't sent by the Lin Family."

Chen Fei scoffed at the old man's guess; he didn't need any evidence to be sure of that.

Based on past experiences with Lin Family offspring, the Lin Family wasn't that petty, especially considering that he, a Chen Family disciple, was present. Even if they had such thoughts, they would be somewhat considerate.

"Is that so? That's great!"

Old David breathed a sigh of relief; he was actually quite worried.

He couldn't compare to the power of the Lin Family's 'Lord of the Sky'; they were so influential that without lifting a finger, merely hinting to the outside world would have countless people trying to please them and easily kill him.

In fact, nobody knows their own situation like Old David. He was just an old codger, sponging off others' fame to get by. Frankly, if Lin Mo hadn't been merciful back then, Old David wouldn't have had the chance to live until now, bragging about being a lifelong rival.

An unexpected snake-like self-detonation caught everyone off guard, but it was unlikely to cause significant damage to a sprawling strategic-level air force base. To seriously injure, at least tactical-level weapons were needed, especially since the self-destruction attack occurred in the living quarters, and casualties would mostly be non-essential personnel and employees of service enterprises.

Yet just as Old David feared, Barksdale Air Force Base's leadership cared greatly about whether the Lin Family was involved behind the scenes. It might be a preemptive warning or deterrence after detecting the imminent secret interception operation.

Next time, it might not be such a painless self-destruction attack but rather overwhelming tactical-level firepower.

Intelligence experts from the Federal Command, CIA, and FBI joined forces, tensions surged, and chaos ensued.

Chen Fei kept vigil at the hospital overnight and accompanied Old David when he was discharged early the next morning.

The old man received a Light Healing Technique and a bottle of glucose, and after waking up, his spirit seemed quite good, much better than those who were directly swept up by the shockwave and debris.

The air force base suggested Old David rest for two days, but he politely declined and insisted on teaching according to the original plan.

After all, he had already been paid handsomely; naturally, he needed to act on behalf of others. Light injuries wouldn't keep him from the podium, especially since he wasn't even scratched, merely jolted by the residual shockwave.

Upon arriving at the hangar serving as the classroom with Chen Fei, Old David was surrounded by a group of young combat pilots.

"Mr. Sid, we heard you were drinking at the 'Dyson Sweetie' bar last night and there was an explosion. Are you okay?"

"It's so good to see you're okay!"

"I know a few Healing Spells; would you like me to heal you?"

...

"Thank you all for your concern. I was lucky, completely unscathed. Please take your seats; today's class is about to begin."

Old David proved his state with a loud voice; having experienced so many big scenes in his life, he wouldn't be bothered by such a minor ruckus.

The self-destruction incident in the living quarters quickly spread throughout the air force base. These combat pilots heard Old David was present and were deeply concerned, initially expecting today's class to be postponed, but no such notice arrived. They came to the hangar early to probe the situation and didn't relax until they saw Old David still coming to class safe and sound.

Old David didn't expose Chen Fei's involvement, attributing his luck solely to his own fortune. This wasn't ungratefulness but rather intentional.

The 'Ranking Battle' was about to begin, and Chen Fei's special abilities needed to be kept secret to give these combat pilots a 'big surprise' (or maybe a big shock).

After all, fairness was especially demanded by everyone from the start.

In truth, sometimes fairness is the greatest unfairness. The same exam venue, the same test paper, the same grading teacher—who can guarantee each student receives the same level of education? Moreover, students themselves differ in abilities, making absolute fairness impossible.

The two-day course quickly ended, and combat pilots from other sovereignties gradually arrived at Barksdale Air Force Base. Old David only received fees for one session, so he naturally wouldn't conduct a new class for the belated pilots of other sovereignties.

Latecomers could only watch recorded videos and have limited post-class inquiries, making their learning efficiency inferior to the 'Americas Gang' who attended in person. This was a deliberate move by the American Federation; good resources should first favor their own.

Coming from The First Sovereign, Chen Fei was an exception. After all, he was particularly close by, already sitting in the 'Americas Gang' territory. He arrived early without prior notice but encountered Old David unexpectedly at the bar and received an invitation to attend the class. The American Federation could only acquiesce.

Moreover, their relationship was evident, making it normal for extra 'personal attention' post-class; no one could stop it.

But after the short training course, the 'Ranking Battle' where combat pilots compared skills was entirely voluntary; anyone could sign up, including Barksdale Air Force Base pilots, with 1,753 signed up—853 local pilots. Not only dedicated combat pilots but even logistics personnel signed up, with all 900 combat pilots participating, including 85 Sky Knights. To intercept the Lin Family's betrayals, Blue Star Sovereignty mobilized considerable elite forces.

A hundred flight simulators connected simultaneously to a military supercomputer center, filling a large hangar. Added to this were massive three-dimensional holographic projections covering the hangar, colorful flags hung, hot dog stalls, ice cream stands all set up, even kindergartens and schools closed, bets placed—one person at 1.2 odds, single bet or multi-bet options available, with final ranking bets at 10.

Nearby the flight simulator hangar was crowded with people, every available spot to watch simulated battles filled, and the bar was especially packed.

"WTF!!!"

The instigator, Sky Knight Mylan, looked at the scene before him, which resembled a festival, with a dumbfounded expression. He couldn't believe it was he who had set things off, triggering a chain reaction that eventually became an astonishing spectacle.

It was merely because he intended to give Chen Fei, this clueless commoner, a little lesson (education) with a casual suggestion of a "ranking battle." Even he couldn't have imagined that it would evolve into a grand party, with even the logistics personnel from the air force base joining in—totally off track!

Hey, hey, hey, this is a sacred duel, not an e-sports game! You all need to take it seriously!

Mylan is a serious person, but the current situation is clearly not so serious.

"Nice job, Mylan!"

A black guy from the "Americas Gang" licked an ice cream and happily patted him on the shoulder.

"Well done!"

Thinking it was a tense and serious mission, he didn't expect such a scene; the Sky Knight from the South Continent of America also patted the dumbfounded Mylan.

"Keep it up!"

"I really like it, it's got a festive atmosphere!"

"I've met new girls again."

"The ground refueling squadron has some really stunning girls, try to hit on them when you have the chance, just say I introduced you, it will definitely work..."

…

A bunch of "Americas Gang" were laughing and joking, saying all sorts of bold words.

Chen Fei was dragged to a corner by the Sky Knights of the First Sovereignty, who grabbed the chance to give him a crash course.

Even though he's a commoner, he's still one of us; at the very least he can't embarrass the First Sovereignty, the militia are also soldiers, pulling people to the front lines in times of need, that's the logic, right!

Damn "Americas Gang," they've lost their conscience, specifically bullying us ordinary folks, acting like bastards, they should just go to hell.

The combat pilots of the "Americas Gang" and the "Europa Gang" aren't completely clueless about Chen Fei; at the very least, they could find some related information from the "Abyss Coliseum."

A look!

Wow! The level of private military contractors is just like that, at most letting three rounds pass, to give a decent exit, otherwise, what else can you do if you win, losing would be even more embarrassing.

If the situation were reversed, all the combat pilots here, whether pilot or Sky Knight, Chen Fei knows nothing about; fundamentally, they're not in the same circle. If it weren't for the emergency situation of the "Lord of the Sky" defecting, there would almost be no chance of crossing paths.

The pilots of the First Sovereignty, who always consider other powers as their hypothetical enemies, are not completely unknown to their foreign counterparts. Although time is short and it's impossible to be comprehensive, they can thoroughly analyze some of the opponent's typical tricks and provide corresponding suggestions in response.

This crash course, despite being hastily fed, enlightened Chen Fei significantly.

A total of 1,700 people are participating in this "ranking battle," using a one-on-one duel elimination system. A hundred flight simulators can simultaneously open 50 matches, knocking out 50 people at once, with five or six rounds, you'll get the top hundred.

The pace of aerial duels is often extremely fast, lasting a few minutes at the shortest and not exceeding half an hour at the longest, to decide the winner. Rarely does a battle exceed an hour.

High-intensity battles often mean high energy consumption and a large amount of ammunition used, and whether it's energy or ammunition, the load capacity of combat aircraft can't last that long.

From the 11th Air Squadron Sky Cavalry Combat Team in Alaska, Mylan, with the flight call sign "Night Cry," boarding number 1034, faced the armorer from Barksdale Air Force Base, boarding number 753, in the first match.

The two got on the flight simulator, and the roar of operations lasted less than three minutes before the winner was decided.

A pro against an amateur, especially with a Sky Knight crushing a little ground crew, there's no glory in winning, but losing... utterly impossible.

Mylan climbed out of the flight simulator with no sign of triumph on his face, emotionlessly made a throat-slitting gesture towards Chen Fei's direction.

Among the group of First Sovereignty combat pilots surrounding Chen Fei, someone cursed: "Damn it, don't fall into my hands, or I'll torture this bastard to death!"