Volume 1, Chapter 24: Initialization

No one slept a wink.

As the first light of dawn washed away the last traces of night clinging to the abandoned factory grounds, the fighter jet codenamed "Dragon Sparrow" sat silently at the start of the makeshift runway. Its silver-grey fuselage reflected the nascent morning light like a dormant metal beast, still radiating the residual warmth from a night of intense labor.

Shen Qingyun and his team stood gathered around the aircraft. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, but beneath that weariness burned an intense, resolute fervor. They had spent the entire night rearming the wounded beast to the teeth.

A jeep kicked up a trail of dust before grinding to a halt beside the runway. As the door opened, Zhou Zhenhua’s face mirrored the color of the barren land—a sallow, jaundiced yellow tinged with a sickly grey. He was followed by several members of the investigation team in various uniforms, all wearing grim expressions.

"Qingyun!" Zhou Zhenhua strode over, his voice dropping to a gravelly, strained tone. "I read the report that arrived overnight. You... are you certain you want to proceed?"

"We do exactly what the report says," Shen Qingyun replied without a moment’s hesitation.

"This is madness!" Zhou Zhenhua’s temper flared. "Do you realize what is in that report? It was deliberate sabotage that nearly cost a life and destroyed the machine! You expect me to believe that one night is enough to guarantee it’s foolproof? This is a test flight, not a child’s game! Du Yuze’s life and the future of your entire team are riding on this!"

"Old Zhou," Shen Qingyun turned to him, "that is precisely why we must fly. We didn't just inspect the tampered hydraulic line; we checked every single component. This aircraft is more reliable now than it was when it left the factory."

Standing to the side with his hands thrust deep into his pockets, Pang Qingquan interjected coldly, "Some people want to see it grounded, so we are determined to see it take to the skies."

Zhou Zhenhua was momentarily silenced; he understood all too well that this was a gamble fueled by sheer defiance. He glanced toward the factory workers held back by the police tape, who had been organized to "observe" this critical taxi test. Among the crowd, one figure stood out sharply.

Tian Weijun.

He was huddled in the throng, head bowed, as if trying to shrink into nothingness.

Shen Qingyun followed Zhou Zhenhua's gaze, then set off, his stride purposeful. Pang Qingquan followed immediately behind like a moving iron tower.

"Chief Engineer Shen," someone greeted him politely.

Shen Qingyun nodded and walked straight through the crowd, stopping directly in front of Tian Weijun.

"Master Tian," he began, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather, "here to watch the test run as well?"

Tian Weijun’s body stiffened. He slowly lifted his head, forcing a smile that looked more painful than tears. "Yes, yes... it's a key project for the factory. We, we all care about it."

"Oh?" Shen Qingyun’s voice rose slightly at the end. "And what do you think? Will it be a success today?"

The question struck like a needle into Tian Weijun’s nerves. He opened his mouth, but his dry throat could produce no sound. Success? In the dark shadows last night, he had cursed it a thousand times to fail.

"Of course... of course it will succeed," Tian Weijun’s voice was thin as a mosquito’s hum. "With Chief Engineer Shen and Engineer Du here, there’s certainly no problem."

"Is that so?" Shen Qingyun stepped closer, his voice dropping to a volume only the two of them could hear. "I actually thought you were hoping it would fall apart on the runway."

Tian Weijun’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. He instinctively backed away, only to collide with the steel-like chest of Pang Qingquan.

"Chief Engineer Shen... what, what do you mean? I don't understand." He began to tremble.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand," Shen Qingyun straightened up, returning to a normal volume, yet the chill in his words made those nearby feel a sudden discomfort. "You will soon. Watch closely, Master Tian. Watch how we take your 'expectations' and grind them into the dirt."

Without another glance at Tian Weijun, he turned and walked back toward the runway.

The ground crew finished their final checks and quickly evacuated. On the runway, only the Dragon Sparrow and its sole pilot remained.

Inside the cockpit, Du Yuze moved with methodical precision. He donned his helmet, connected his comms, and checked the instruments. He was deaf to the disputes and hidden currents outside; in his world, there was only the breathing of this machine—a machine he had modified with his own hands and pulled back from the brink of destruction.

The cockpit, which had retained the original layout of the J-5, had undergone a complete transformation in its avionics and operating systems. As Du Yuze’s fingers brushed over the familiar switches and buttons, a sense of visceral connection flooded his heart.

"Tower, Dragon Sparrow requesting engine start." His voice came through the radio, steady and without a ripple of emotion.

From the makeshift tower, the command came: "Dragon Sparrow, you are cleared to start."

Du Yuze placed his hand on the ignition switch.

On the sidelines, everyone held their breath. Zhou Zhenhua’s fists were clenched, his palms slick with sweat. The factory leaders whispered nervously among themselves. "Old Li" the Master Mechanic, a grey-haired man with calloused hands, stared intensely at the aircraft, his hands moving as if he could feel the pulse of the engine through the air itself.

Shen Qingyun and Pang Qingquan stood together, their expressions a mix of anticipation and lethal calm.

Only Tian Weijun, in the corner of the crowd, dug his fingernails into his thighs, praying frantically in his heart—praying for a miracle. A malicious miracle of his own making.

The next second, no miracle occurred.

After a sharp, tearing shriek, the unique roar of the WP-7A turbojet engine erupted!

It was not the rumble of thunder, but the primal roar from the heart of a storm. The entire abandoned factory compound trembled under the impact, the ground vibrating beneath their feet. The air seemed to ignite, turning scorching and violent.

Some of those watching were startled into taking a step back by the sudden wall of sound.

Tian Weijun’s face drained of every drop of color.

"Dragon Sparrow, requesting high-speed taxi test," Du Yuze’s voice came through again.

"Taxiing approved!"

Du Yuze released the brakes.

The Dragon Sparrow lunged forward like a predator breaking its chains!

Inertia slammed Du Yuze back into his seat. He could feel it—this power was far wilder than any J-5 he had ever flown!

On the sidelines, everyone’s heart leaped into their throats.

"So fast!" Old Li gasped.

"Its acceleration... it’s at least thirty percent higher than the prototype!" another engineer analyzed, his voice trembling.

The fighter jet shot forward like a silver arrow released from a bow, tracking straight down the center line of the runway. The speed climbed rapidly, leaving two distinct vortices of airflow on either side of the fuselage. Despite the high speed, the airframe didn't wobble in the slightest; it remained as steady as a boulder being polished at high velocity.

Shen Qingyun’s eyes, however, never left the distant figure of Tian Weijun.

He watched Tian Weijun’s body sway. On that face, the last vestiges of luck and malice were being replaced by overwhelming terror and dread. He was like a gambler who had bet everything, forced to watch as the dice revealed the exact result he most feared.

The end of the runway was drawing near.

"He needs to brake!" Zhou Zhenhua shouted in panic.

The hydraulic system! The very system that had been tampered with! Despite the repairs and the hundredfold reinforcements they had added, it remained the heaviest stone on everyone’s heart.

Just as everyone expected the plane to overshoot the runway, the flaps and ailerons on the trailing edge of the wings moved in unison, and the small deceleration parachute deployed from the tail.

Moments later, the tires screeched against the runway, leaving two distinct black skid marks etched into the ground.

The massive inertia caused the nose to dip sharply, but it was immediately held steady by the landing gear.

The Dragon Sparrow came to a perfect stop less than fifty meters from the end of the runway!

The world went quiet.

The engine was still roaring, but to everyone’s ears, there was only dead silence.

One second, two seconds...

"Success—!"

Someone shouted, and the next moment, thunderous cheers erupted like a mountain collapse or a tidal wave!

"Success! We did it!"

"My god! It was perfect!"

Zhou Zhenhua threw his binoculars aside and grabbed the factory director’s shoulders in excitement. The members of the investigation team exchanged looks of relief, nodding at one another.

Shen Qingyun’s nerves, taut for an entire night, finally unraveled. He turned and embraced Pang Qingquan and Old Li. The three men, with a combined age of over 150, clapped each other on the back like children.

"Old Li! Did you see that! Did you see it!" Shen Qingyun’s eyes were rimmed with red.

"I saw it! I saw it!" Old Li’s voice was choked with emotion. "This is what it was meant to be!"

Pang Qingquan said nothing, only tilted his head back and let out a long-suppressed roar of triumph.

The crowd cheered and celebrated.

Only Tian Weijun, like a statue drained of its soul, stood rooted to the spot. He watched the majestic fighter, he watched the jubilant crowd; he had lost, and he had lost everything.

On the runway, the canopy of the Dragon Sparrow slowly slid open.

Du Yuze sat in the cockpit, motionless. He did not join the revelry, merely observing the scene in silence. Then, he lifted his head and, across a distance of several hundred meters, locked eyes with the broken figure in the crowd.

He slowly raised his hand and removed his helmet.

Then, he reached for the control panel once more and shut down the engine.

The roar that had dominated the entire field came to an abrupt, jarring end.

The immense noise was instantly snatched away, and the entire world plunged into an sudden, absolute silence.