CHAPTER 1098: CHAPTER 1078: A GENTLE PUSH

The Crystal Jet in Chen Fei’s hand was being updated in sync with the Nangong Team, or rather, it was half a step slower.

After all, the new technology that Nangong Ruiyang and others were applying to the prototypes was still in the validation stage. Once confirmed to have no major issues, they would officially document it and continue further observation. If the technology was not suitable, it would be immediately eliminated. Because of the modular design, adjustments and upgrades were very convenient.

Whether the new technology is advanced or not is not the most important thing; the most important is suitability.

The atmosphere on the tarmac suddenly became silent.

Chen Shan looked perplexed, turning his gaze to Chen Fei in confusion.

"What is this?"

"Hiss! It looks a bit familiar, ’Rookie.’ Isn’t this... your carrier-based aircraft?"

Ding Xiu couldn’t help scratching his chin.

The outline of the model indeed seemed familiar. After all, they had faced off in the ranking battle at Barksdale Air Force Base, but he had only seen it from afar in the flight simulator and had never seen the real thing up close.

The vision of the flight simulator had limitations, and it couldn’t simulate real sight distance, leaving the pilot’s advantage of vision useless.

"It seems to be no ordinary combat aircraft!"

Sun Ruzheng squinted his eyes, carefully examining this carrier-based aircraft that appeared out of thin air on the tarmac.

As a Sky Knight, he was well aware of the differences between a standard fighter jet and a Crystal Jet; the aircraft in front of him has significant differences from conventional fighter design, instead resembling... a Crystal Jet!

As soon as this idea popped up, it spread like wildfire in Old Sun’s mind.

Are you kidding me?

What are you doing with a Crystal Jet? At least you should have a Sky Knight first, then a Crystal Jet. That’s the normal way!

"Carrier-based aircraft? What do you mean?"

Chen Shan was more puzzled, not understanding why Chen Xiao’er brought out a carrier-based aircraft.

"To be precise, it should be called a Crystal Jet!"

Chen Fei casually revealed the answer.

"Pfft!~"

Chen Shan burst into laughter on the spot, pointing at Chen Fei, clutching his stomach, and laughing uncontrollably, "Are you a Sky Knight? No! Since you’re not a Sky Knight, why are you messing with a Crystal Jet?"

As one of the few manufacturers customizing Crystal Jets, the young master of the National Defense Star had just shown the potential of becoming a Sky Knight, yet he didn’t dare to mess with Crystal Jets now. But this guy, not even a Sky Knight, dared to audaciously mess with a Crystal Jet. No, it’s brazen to call this a Crystal Jet.

Just this!

Does it even deserve?

Crystal Jets aren’t roast chicken, nor roasted duck, that can be casually made, are they?

Perhaps others were unclear about the custom process of Crystal Jets, but didn’t Chen Shan know?

Chen Fei faced Chen Shan’s mockery, which began to irk him again, and said calmly, "Just playing around! Maybe it’ll work out!"

People laughed at my insanity, I responded with a punch to their face.

When noticing Xiao Er’s sign of clenching his fists again, Chen Shan dove behind Ding Xiu like he had seen a ghost, and foxily said, "Senior Ding, please take a look; what on earth has Chen Xiao’er created?"

"It seems, it seems to be a type of Crystal Jet!"

The more Ding Xiu observed, the more convinced he was that what Chen Fei brought out was not a conventional combat aircraft. That air of the Crystal Jet was undoubtedly transparent to a Sky Knight’s eyes.

"Huh? What?"

Using the senior as a shield, Chen Shan was a bit dumbfounded; how did it end up being a Crystal Jet?

Crystal Jets aren’t just building blocks that anyone can design and create, and the most crucial part is the design. Looking at Chen Xiao’er’s demeanor, does he have that design capability and the related resources?

The saying "different fields are like mountains apart" isn’t said lightly; if an economics undergraduate could engage in aircraft design, then even farmers in the plantations could build Crystal Jets.

A true Crystal Jet is not the design of one person but a concerted effort by a team of top experts. The key core involves more than just appearance and internal functions; there’s also the design of exclusive aerial combat techniques. A Crystal Jet plus a Sky Knight is a genuinely complete combat unit.

If Chen Fei genuinely possessed such resources, why would he go around asking for other people’s technology repositories? Each manufacturer has their complete repertoire, and there’s no need to covet others’ stuff, maybe occasionally exchanging certain technologies or directly purchasing finished products, that’s it.

So from the beginning, Chen Shan assumed this aircraft was a joke wrapped in the guise of a Crystal Jet. Anyone who took it seriously would be a fool.

Actually, Chen Shan’s understanding wasn’t wrong; laypeople indeed couldn’t build Crystal Jets. But the reality was, Chen Fei wasn’t fiddling with this Tactical Jet alone; it was a professional team voluntarily contributing their expertise; sometimes things are just that incredible.

"Little Shanzi, want to give it a try?"

Chen Fei glanced at his little brother, shifting his gaze to the Tactical Jet.

The aerial combat type tactical armor had not yet been removed, so he could board directly. The Tactical Jet received into "Spatial Branding" was already in the best state, with weapons and ammunition fully installed, so no preparation procedure was needed, usable straight away.

"Who knows if you’re planning to rig me!"

Chen Shan truly feared being set up; hesitantly, he looked to Ding Xiu.

The senior had a wealth of experience and should be able to spot any problems.

"It’s okay to give it a try; this carrier-based aircraft has good performance."

Ding Xiu had experienced fighting against Tactical Jets in a flight simulator and found them to be competent.

A combat aircraft that could shine brilliantly in ranking battles must have excellent performance.

"Chen Fei, you better not mess this up for me!"

Chen Shan pointed bluffingly at himself while mouthing protests but heading toward the tactical jet, jumping up and down, yet not reaching the cockpit.

The ground crew quickly reacted, brought over a ladder, and sent him inside.

The tactical jet immediately completed data interfacing with the "Flying Dragon" intercept tactical armor. Chen Fei was still part-timing as a tester for Henghai Tactical Weapons’ single soldier tactical armor, and the data interfaces and related technical information were ready-made. Naturally, the tactical jet would perfectly match with no compatibility issues.

"There’s no refueling port!"

"No air intake!"

"No charging port!"

The ground crew, preparing to assist, pushed various equipment over, only to find that this aircraft was somewhat different from what they thought, lacking even the regular maintenance inspection panels.

"I already said it’s a Crystal Jet, where would those things even come from!"

Chen Fei was quite speechless.

It was clear that Chen Shan wasn’t the only one who didn’t believe the tactical jet was powered by crystal energy propulsion.

The tactical jet didn’t even have a fuel engine, so where would those interfaces come from? The efficiency of crystal energy conversion power is much higher than fuel propulsion, and the structure is relatively simple and durable, highlighting the technical advantage.

The tactical jet is mostly unmanned, yet the required modules for a manned flight are all present, with the interface style being quite similar to the general operating interface for Crystal Jets.

Chen Shan quickly familiarized himself with the operating interface; mostly there was no big difference, only needing slight attention to some small functional modules.

Buzz!~

The rear of the tactical jet lit up, emitting a hot stream as the engine fired up successfully for the first time.

The sound of the crystal propulsion engine was relatively quieter than that of a fuel engine.

It connected smoothly with the tower, obtaining the necessary pre-flight data.

The aircraft gently trembled, smoothly gliding from the parking apron towards the runway.

The entire exclusive airport had no other aircraft taking off or landing, with the entire runway and airspace cleared specifically for Chen Shan alone.

Wow! Truly the treatment befitting a young master of the National Defense Star.

Roar!~

Like a gust of wind passing over the runway, the tactical jet swiftly ascended into the sky.

"Eh?" ×2

The same "Eh?" sound, yet from different places.

One came from the cockpit of the newly airborne tactical jet, one from the ground parking apron.

Ding Xiu stared intently at the ascending tactical jet, seemingly puzzled by something.

"Human-machine integration, this kid indeed has a knack for it!"

Another Sky Knight, Shen Ruzheng, also noticed something unusual.

"Ha!"

Chen Fei chuckled with an inexplicable smile.

"What’s going on, something’s not right?"

Holding the Pure Light Sparrow Xiao Jiu, Shen Fei keenly sensed the anomaly among the three men, clearly discovering some special information she wasn’t privy to.

"It’s the compatibility! Little Shanzi and this tactical jet have a very high compatibility. Just taking off, he’s already reached the level of human-machine integration."

Outsiders see the buzz, insiders see the trick. Human-machine integration isn’t exclusively a Sky Knight’s hallmark; the seasoned Veteran "Rookie" noted this special state from Chen Shan’s tactical jet takeoff posture.

For a first-time pilot, entering the cockpit for less than ten minutes and reaching a "human-machine integration" state in such a short time can only be explained by a rather high compatibility, implying that Chen Shan and this tactical jet are quite a match.

If Chen Shan passes the trial training and becomes a Sky Knight, would this tactical jet possibly become his exclusive Crystal Jet?"

Shen Fei suddenly realized something.

For a Sky Knight, compatibility with one’s vehicle is extremely important.

"Theoretically, yes. Being an existing model, having undergone combat testing, whether directly utilized or further developed, it holds significant practical value. But..."

Chen Fei suddenly looked at his girlfriend, saying, "Isn’t it problematic for the young master of the National Defense Star to fly a Crystal Jet designed by the Northern Weapons Industry?"

The two companies might end up fighting each other!

Is the National Defense Star not concerned about its face?

Is the Northern Weapons Industry not concerned about its face either?

The two are competitors after all!

"Uh!"

Shen Fei also noticed the key point.

The tactical jet in Chen Fei’s hands was something Nangong Ruiyang and his team have been working on, initially borrowing some resources from the Northern Weapons Industry, now with the Technology Pool’s full support. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it possesses the technological lineage of the Northern Weapons Industry Group.

The entire aerospace circle is presumably waiting eagerly to watch the spectacle.