Chapter 294

Chapter 294 Huge Shock

At first, the captain was concerned that Anthony’s death would throw the candidates into irrational fear and post-traumatic stress disorder . After the evaluation results were released, it seemed he might have just overthought the whole thing . Considering that time was of the essence, training resumed that afternoon itself . According to the original schedule, flight training was supposed to be slotted after the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle training . Nonetheless, this part was going to be different from all the other regimes that they were through so far . This time, the instructors would no longer be guiding them .

After a month of intensive training, this would be the players’ first solo flight . All the while, NASA had been paying a lot of attention to the Space Training Academy . Ordinary pilots and spacecraft commanders had many similarities, both required to continually monitor the aircraft, weather, fuel, flight path, and the all-important mission . With the enormous amount of information at hand, they would have to come up with different decisions in the shortest time possible .

Once a problem arose, the players were required to diagnose and deal with it accurately . At the same time, Concurrently, they would keep radio contact with ground control at all times, making their workload immense . Great focus and diligence would be required of the candidates, which was why flight training was the most crucial part of the entire course . Most players dedicated all their time and effort to make sure that they would ace their flight training .

Anthony had just died from an ‘accident’ not too long ago . Before the authorities hunted his killer down and NASA releasing the investigation results, one could only guess the reason behind his untimely death . The most important thing was that none of them knew how the mysterious killer killed him . Other than the young man accused of leaving his room last night, none of the players left their rooms . It was the same thing during lunch, where they all knew each others’ whereabouts . Technically, the suspect couldn’t have tampered with the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle without anyone noticing

When Anthony’s turn arrived, the other players were gathered around the captain . Since Zhang Heng knew that he would end up first place, he did not pay attention to the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle but observed the other players instead . He spotted nothing out of the ordinary at that time .

A supernatural force, perhaps?

Considering those who entered this quest were players themselves, there was a high chance that they carried powerful game items with them . For now, this was the most plausible explanation for Anthony’s death . This meant several new possibilities in the case . Zhang Heng could understand why the knowledgeable middle-aged man wanted to look for the murderer as soon as possible . As long as the case remained unsolved, everyone would be carrying a Damocles’ Sword on their heads . To complete their main quest, they would have no choice but to weed the killer out .

The severe accident that had just occurred caused a nervous and ominous atmosphere to hang over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station . Everyone tiptoed around with a cautious tone about them, checking all the equipment thrice, just to be sure . For the next stint, the technicians had just done the second round of ground checks for the aircraft, making very sure everything was airworthy . After that, Zhang Heng put on his custom made flight suit, helmet, and oxygen mask . He then hopped into the cockpit . For the other players, this might be their first time flying a jet trainer, but during the transitional quest, Zhang Heng had flown this particular type many times himself . When he took the T-38 out for a spin earlier, the instructor was impressed by his performance, unable to stop complimenting him when he landed .

Zhang Heng’s Level 1 flying skills may not match up to that of professional pilots, but they were sufficient for him to pass the current quest . This was especially true after he spent a long time horning his airmanship, where all he needed right now was more flying experience . The young man and school kid in front of him had completed their sorties . As for the rest, they no longer seemed to be worried about their safety as well . Zhang Heng was third to get on the plane . Once the seatbelts were fastened, he pulled the safety pin of his ejection seat; for good measure, of course . He then turned on the flight display and flipped a row of switches . Subsequently, the radar and gauges came to life, and he did a radio check . The pre-flight checks were done, and he was ready to start the engines .

The moment he held the start button, the engine whirred to life, beginning from a low hum and increasing to an almost deafening high-pitched whine . The aircraft was now configured to fly, and after making sure that everything was in check, Zhang Heng signaled ground with his hand indicating that he was ready . Immediately, they ran to the plane, dismantling the ladder and removing the chocks . Once the ground power was disconnected, Zhang Heng released the brakes and gave it a little throttle . The T-38 rolled out of the hanger slowly, taxiing to the runway . It was still a windy afternoon, albeit a lot better than the morning’s gusty weather . More importantly, the skies had cleared, and it was the perfect time to fly . At 13:45 sharp, Zhang Heng requested to take-off from the tower . The moment he was cleared, he pushed the throttle on his left to full, and the airplane screamed and shuddered as the engine spun up . Then, the aircraft started barreling down the runway, pushing Zhang Heng back into his seat with massive force . The moment he reached 220 knots, he pulled the stick back, and the T-38 lifted its nose off the ground . Zhang Heng took a quick look at his instruments, making sure that he was on a steady climb and that the aircraft headed in the designated direction . He was required to fly out to sea and find a corvette named Miller . Once he spotted it, he would turn around and return home . The mission wasn’t all that complicated, really . All he needed to do was to ensure that he didn’t miss the target . All too soon, everything worked as intended, and Zhang Heng could relax a little . He looked outside the glass canopy, enjoying the stunning view earth had to offer from above .

He had to admit that this game changed him a lot . Half a year ago, he would never have thought that something insane like this would happen to him . Even second-generation rich kids could only imagine drifting like Takumi Fujiwara on a twisty mountain road . Now, Zhang Heng was speeding in a fighter jet over America’s territorial waters .

At 13 . 52, he contacted tower again, informing them of his altitude, speed, and heading, at the same time, checking the aircraft’s fuel consumption . All gauges were within their designated parameters, and nothing was out of ordinary so far . The sunlight outside the window was dazzling, bathing the cockpit in bright light . In less than ten minutes, the aspiring astronaut managed to locate the corvette . At 13:59, Zhang Heng communicated with the tower for the third time . He told them that the mission was complete, and he was now turning home .

Around four and a half minutes later, the jet aircraft suddenly jolted violently . There was, and a loud rattling and grinding, and through the glass canopy, he spotted the left engine in flames . Seconds later, a loud alarm started beeping on the instrument panel . At the same time, air traffic control could be heard over the radio . “David, what is going on?”

“I think it might be a bird strike; hit a seagull or something . ”

Immediately, Zhang Heng killed the flaming engine . “David, can you make it back to the base?!”

“Let me try,” grunted Zhang Heng while glancing at the altimeter .

From the beginning, he managed to keep his calm through the frightening anomaly . All those long hours spent flying and training with Armstrong were precisely to prepare for situations like this . He still had one engine left, and if all went well, returning to base should be a textbook maneuver . Just when the jet began to stabilize itself, another loud explosion rocked Zhang Heng to the bone . It was the right engine this time, and now, except for the muffled sound of the wind, the cockpit was silent .