Sky-cracking Rider

Chen Fei was not surprised in the least, saying, "Just relax, I didn't spend much on this car, only a little more than 60,000, and... I'm flying planes now, what do I need a car for?"

The newbie driver with bad skills is still cocky as all get-out, no explanation required.

The moment Chen Fei gripped the joystick, he was even more terrifying than a novice female demon on the road, not only scaring enemies but also making his own people nervous, their hearts in their throats the whole time.

Once this kid gets reckless, he doesn't even spare himself; he's got a history of that.

"A little more than 60,000? Are you kidding me?"

Chen Meng was half-convinced.

The market retail price was over 150,000. To get it for a little more than 60,000, it wasn't stolen, was it?

"Don't believe me? Check the invoice!"

The actual amount Chen Fei paid was right there on the invoice and wouldn't be falsified. 62,000 Star Yuan is 62,000 Star Yuan, not a single Star Yuan more; otherwise, it'd be invoicing fraud, a crime!

Hearing her brother put it that way, Chen Meng finally said, "Oh!"

She wasn't paying attention to the amount on the invoice, preoccupied with talking about the car.

"I'll be there for Sister Meizhi's wedding at my uncle's house next month," Chen Fei confirmed his schedule, having requested a week off in advance with Manager Hanna.

"That's really great, I've missed you, bro!"

Having not seen her brother for more than two months, Chen Meng felt the longing intensely.

"What are you missing? You're all grown up, aren't you? Acting like a kid."

Chen Fei chuckled and hung up the phone.

-

Back in the days when the Chen Family followed the old ways, generational names were chosen according to the phrase "A hundred rivers have their surplus, but the vast sea is never full," taken from the first line of a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Meng Jiao, in "Zeng Bie Cui Chun Liang".

It embodies the idea that small-minded and ignorant people are easily conceited, whereas those with broad horizons and great knowledge are always diligent, capable of embracing everything.

However, during the cultural revolution, even the family tree was used to roast sweet potatoes, and with Chen Family descendants scattered across the world, it became impossible to tell the main from the branch families, and the tradition of arranging generational names was no longer a priority. Only occasionally would a name be chosen for the younger generation to strengthen familial ties.

Chen Fei's grandfather's generation all had single characters for names — Ping, Fan, Sheng, Han, Zang — not following the traditional generational order.

But his father's generation picked it up again; this time based on the character "Hai" for sea, with seniority determined by birth order, and the next generation dropped it once more.

Chen Haiqing from Third Grandpa's family is the eldest uncle, while Chen Haiyun and Chen Haizhi from Great Grandpa's family are the second and third uncles. Chen Fei's grandfather is known as Fourth Grandpa, and his own father is also of this generation, named Chen Haishang.

Thus, Chen Fei's father's generation was all about "Rising High into the Blue Clouds."

Beyond that, Second Grandpa was childless his whole life, and Fifth Grandpa's household, with Fifth Aunt Chen Wenting, did not count among this generation's men, though their family was still considered prosperous.

As the saying goes, the Dragon's Nine Sons each pursue their own path.

The Great Grandpa's family engaged in politics, serving the people generation after generation, whereas Second Grandpa was into commerce, dealing with black technology, and Third Grandpa was in the military, receiving honor for his service and enjoying the status of a respected veteran.

It seemed like the eldest three brothers' achievements in politics, commerce, and the military had exhausted all the Chen Family Gate's good fortune, leaving Fourth and Fifth to appear quite ordinary, just regular folks through and through.

Chen Fei's actual grandfather, as the fourth in line, was just an average wage earner who never aspired for greatness nor had the means to pave the way for future generations, simply ensuring food on the table and support for his children's education.

Fifth Grandpa was a teacher, and because his income was government-regulated, his life was a bit more comfortable. Fifth Aunt was also a teacher, as was Fifth Aunt's daughter, and her son-in-law and grandson-in-law were both teachers as well. Three generations of educators, though noble, had limited prospects, for only those with official positions were counted as real teachers.

Without an official post, they were just laborers.

Though they were all children of Old Chen's household, poor relatives did not bask in the wealth of richer ones. There was no envy or jealousy; people did what was within their means, took life as it came, and focused on not burdening others, whether they were rich or not.

Great Uncle's branch of the family was particularly affluent, but Chen Fei's own family, stemming from Fourth Grandpa, neither distanced themselves nor deliberately sought closeness. They interacted during holidays as was customary, even if the thoughtless younger sister Chen Meng nearly dragged the family to the brink of bankruptcy.

Chen Haishang, Chen Fei's father, never thought of asking for help or support from relatives, not even mentioning it.

The proverbial "Rising High into the Blue Clouds" Fourth Uncle was always a man of integrity. He believed that if relatives helped, it was out of kindness, and if they didn't, it was acording to duty. He could grit his teeth and get by, so why add so much pressure to himself?

Perhaps it was a case of the tide turning, but when Second Brother Chen Fei temporarily quit school, abandoned pursuing a master's degree, and went far from home to work and pay off debt, the Chen Family's fiscal deficit slowly but steadily eased. Now and then, he sent back treasures of gold and silver, and even a car, breathing new life into the household.

The whole family was pulling together, and Second Brother didn't necessarily have to shoulder the entire debt burden alone.

Er...

While the family continued to worry about the pressure on Chen Fei, the rookie at work was toying with a Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core worth millions of Star Yuan in his bird's nest. The core, emitting a dim white light, seemed to have shrunk further and needed reinforcing to prevent it from rolling out.

According to Manager Hanna's assessment, after ingesting two Elemental Affinity Potions, Xiao Jiu's Light Element Affinity must have increased by more than one rank, doubling its absorption ability for the Magical Beast Crystal Core.

The Pure Light Sparrow was originally the lowest among the Magical Beast Groups. If there were ever a ranking for the weakest magical beasts, it would definitely make the top ten. If not for the occasional one or two Pure Light Sparrows with exceptional talents understanding Light-based Spells and awakening their casting ability, the entire group would be considered ordinary birds.

Because their starting point was so low, their room for improvement was substantial. Any helpful resources invested would yield particularly noticeable effects.

Little Bird hopped around beside Chen Fei, occasionally jumping up to peck at his fingers. Far from helping, it was causing even more of a mess, making several knots that still couldn't secure the Light Beast Crystal Core in its nest.

Chen Fei, annoyed, simply pressed the little guy down into the nest, pinning it in a "chick fighting an eagle" pose, with its claws flailing in the air.

Xiao Jiu continued to frolic and wrestle with him, its claws flailing wildly and chirping ever more cheerfully.

This little mischief-maker!

After much effort, Chen Fei finally secured the shrunken Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core.

The deeper into the core of the Magical Beast Crystal Core, the higher the elemental density, ultimately condensing into a pure colored Elemental Crystal. Although the Third Rank Light Beast Crystal Core had significantly reduced in size, Xiao Jiu only absorbed the outer layer, which had a relatively lower density of the Light Element.

The deeper it went, the slower the absorption rate became, and the degree of shrinkage was no longer as rapid as before.

After teasing the Little Bird for a while, Chen Fei turned his gaze to the corner of his single-person dormitory bed, where a long stick-like object was tightly wrapped in oilcloth.

He finally made up his mind.

-

"Long live peace! Hoorah!"

The bar "Medusa's Beautiful Eyes" at the Aircrew Base 911 was open for business yet again.

Among the regulars was a must, Major Chekhov Leonidovich Ivanov, the squadron leader of the Genuine Fragrance Combat Flight Squadron.

Having been through life and death situations, the Big Bear became even more uninhibited.

If every day lived is a bonus, why not enjoy life to the fullest?

With a swig of Blue Star Erguotou, shaking arms, twisting waist, and shaking buttocks, he shouted wildly in the bar, almost derailing the music that was playing.

Ever seen a bear dance?

This was it!

The bar patrons took it as if they were watching a circus.

There weren't many recreational activities at the Aircrew Base 911, and the bar was the only leisure facility. Everyone was bored to death and heartlessly joined in the rowdy crowd. With the lights at MAX, the music's rhythm chaotic at MAX, and the atmosphere at MAX, everything was pumped up for Uncle Chekhov, making the scene as raucous as a frenzied dance of demons.

"Drink deeply if the love is strong, take a shot if it's weak, cheers!"

Chekhov raised his glass, and the Aircrew Base knew his preference; Blue Star Erguotou was always in stock at the bar.

"Hey, Squadron Leader Chekhov!"

An object wrapped in oilcloth slammed onto the bar unexpectedly, then with a push, all the glasses and bottles were swept aside.

"Eh? What's going on here?"

Chekhov, already tipsy, eyed the oilcloth package before him, and then looked over to see that it was the Rookie.

One of us?

No problem then, no problem!

If it had been anyone else, the Big Bear would have already greeted them with a fist the size of a bowl.

Making a mistake is okay; there's always the next life to get it right.

"Here's your gun, the original factory model AK-47!"

After Chen Fei finished speaking, he gestured to the bartender, "One martini, make it any style you like!"

Today was a good day, and he deserved a celebratory drink.

"Uh, the original factory model AK-47? Wait, hold on, let me think..."

Chekhov Big Bear scratched his scalp with fingers as thick as carrots, and it took him a while to remember, slowly nodding and saying, "Ah! I remember now, yes, I do have an original piece from the Izhevsk Armory, it seemed to be broken, so, you bought another original one?"

He looked towards the oilcloth-wrapped object on the bar.

Waterproof and durable, the sturdy oilcloth was practical for wrapping metal items. It might not look fancy, but it worked well, as the trusty old items were all packed this way, complete with a special method of tying that gave it a stylish look once it was tied up.

"You open it and see."

Chen Fei shrugged noncommittally, most of his attention fixed on the bartender showing off his skills.

The bartender wasn't a professional but a part-time worker from the control tower. Otherwise, arranging for these miscellaneous people would be very inconvenient for an Aircrew Base of just over two hundred people.

Putting one person to the work of two, that was the proper way capitalists operated.

Like Schrödinger's cat, who cares if it's a live cat or a dead cat? Just get two cats and the problem is solved, one alive and one dead, making everyone happy!

"Let's see..."

Chekhov picked up the oilcloth package, feeling its weight in his hand, and slowly unraveled the string.

Removing the oilcloth, a sleek black automatic weapon appeared in his line of sight.

-