Sky-cracking Rider

Whirr!~

Boom!~

The two "Big Mouth Monster" turboprop aircraft being started simultaneously burst into distinctly different noises.

The "Big Mouth Monster" restored by Chen Fei quickly revolved its front propeller blades, and the vibration of the aircraft soon stabilized, becoming smooth and powerful.

The "Big Mouth Monster" that black kid Randy had just repaired spewed several puffs of thick smoke from the exhaust pipe, the engine coughed violently a few times, then simply conked out.

"What?"

Randy, sitting in the cockpit, was dumbfounded.

He had clearly found the fault and replaced the faulty part; the final "Sky Eye Cloud Inspection" had passed, so why did it die the moment it was ignited?

It seemed that this "Big Mouth Monster" was not lightly damaged due to the ignition failure this time.

Not only did he fail to eliminate the fault, but he also caused new problems. The point of maintenance is to solve issues, not create them, rendering the next half-hour of the interview utterly meaningless. Without a doubt, the black kid's certification had failed.

"Randy, do you still want to continue?"

Elisa couldn't help but feel compassion as she saw Randy sitting lost in the cockpit.

Originally, she suspected Randy had tampered with the new parts at Chen Fei's station, as the boy had previously offered to move shelves, tool benches, and parts, which made him a suspect.

But now it seemed that Chen Fei had successfully dealt with those unforeseen issues, and it was Randy who was unlucky, not him.

According to common sense, even if you're setting someone up, you wouldn't bury yourself too, would you?!

The flopped "Big Mouth Monster" did, to some extent, clear the suspicions on Randy.

"It's impossible, this can't be happening!"

Randy muttered to himself in a trance, seemingly not hearing Elisa even after she called out to him several times.

Salman, seeing Randy still spacing out in the cockpit, and apparently quite shaken, then said, "Take a ten-minute break, then begin the interview. Randy, you can come down now, pull yourself together, do you still want to continue?"

"Teacher, looking like this, can I even continue?"

Randy forced a faint smile, but the smile was even uglier than crying.

"Er, I suggest you reschedule in three months!"

Salman offered a reasonable suggestion.

The "Big Mouth Monster" used for the assessment had conked out; could he really impress in the following interview?

Forget it... just drop it!

"I understand, teacher, can I have a moment to myself first?"

Finally, Randy couldn't hold back, his voice trembling with a crying tone.

"No need to rest, just continue!"

Chen Fei didn't care about resting or not; he knew every single part of the "Big Mouth Monster," and wasn't worried about failing the interview at all.

"Alright then!"

Salman turned to the camera facing Chen Fei's examination spot and said, "Candidate Chen Fei wishes to proceed directly to the interview stage. Do any of the invigilators have any objections, or shall we rest for a while?"

Leo Tomid, the engineer from Nevada Mountain Aerospace Company, the manufacturer of the A-39B "Big Mouth Monster," paused briefly before saying, "Interview passed!"

"WHa...?"

Elisa was stunned, turning towards her husband Salman, who was also confused.

What does this mean?

"Interview passed, I second that!"

Leo Tomid's colleague, engineer Jay Illard, sighed and said so before exiting the interview link.

What?

The third-party invigilator randomly selected, experienced maintenance expert Xiao Xi and Ivantius Mortel Loriand, were also taken aback, but they quickly caught on.

"Interview passed, I second that!"

Ivantius Mortel Loriand followed suit and exited the link.

"Chen Sang's knowledge of each part of the 'Big Mouth Monster', even down to the mass in grams, demonstrates an admirable level of dedication. It's attention to detail that determines success or failure. Moreover, he is a Level E supernatural power user, so we have no reason to deny him a pass. The interview is inconsequential now; that's the way it is, goodbye!"

Xiao Xi eventually spoke the blunt truth before exiting the link as well.

Being born into the world, the fear isn't only that someone is more talented than you, but also that they work harder. A psionic who can achieve this level—forget it, I better go mope for a while.

It seems the thoughts of others are similar to Xiao Xi's.

"Mr. Xiao Xi is right; that's exactly what we meant,"

Leo Tomid, an engineer from the Nevada Mountain Aerospace Company, had also finally disconnected from the link.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Well then! The A-39B 'Big Mouth Monster' lightweight turboprop attack aircraft maintenance certification has been approved, the successful candidate, Chen Fei!"

Elisa, the instructor, printed out a paper certificate right then and there and while it was still fresh and hot, she personally handed it to Chen Fei.

Applause erupted throughout the room, especially from Instructor Salman, whose large hands clapped together like thunderous cymbals, making one wonder if he had awakened a wind-type psionic ability; otherwise, how could his clapping be so resoundingly loud?

Even Randy, who had climbed down from the turboprop aircraft, gave a few weak claps and glanced at Chen Fei with a heart full of complex feelings.

Having received the on-site certification certificate, Chen Fei was all smiles, glad that all the efforts of Big Brother Xiao had not been in vain, and he had finally graduated.

Another week passed, and Chen Fei obtained the MiG-28 jet fighter maintenance certification, and just three days later, he claimed the Z-9 armed helicopter maintenance certification as well.

Then, like a domino effect, he received one maintenance certification every two to three days.

Once one understands one principle, all others unfold, and under the exhaustive guidance of two professional instructors, Chen Fei finally overcame his weak points and unleashed his powerful learning capabilities as a graduate student, procuring one certificate after another, leaving the other eleven students ashen-faced and trembling with fear.

They were mere good-for-nothings compared to Chen Fei's achievements!

Did this kid have a cheat enabled?

No cheats were involved, but it's undeniable that he had his special ability activated!

Up to now, apart from Chen Fei, only Randy had attempted to take the certification test, and even he had failed.

Who would have known that the examiners would stoop so low as to tamper with new parts? Those damn examiners and their dirty tricks, are they trying to make it impossible for anyone to pass? Where's the basic trust between people!

Chen Fei had once again caught the attention of the Immigration Bureau, and this time, they even brought FBI agents with them.

What choice did he have after revealing his identity as a supernatural power user? The insatiable American Federation Immigration Bureau was hell-bent on keeping him.

An initial offer of five million Star Yuan annual salary, three days off per week, a 30-day vacation per year, a mansion in the wealthy district, a top-notch apartment in the downtown area, take your pick, a luxury car? Just name the model, and it'll be delivered right away. A wife? Even easier – choose from a Hollywood white horse, little black donkey, or an Asian, if you prefer.

Even lovers could be arranged for you, without repeating partners on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays or Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Besides siring your own children, everything else would be provided in full.

After earlier waves of immigration had petered out, the American Federation, having long relied on foreign talents, yearned for skilled individuals to an insane degree. As long as you dared to come, they'd dare to offer anything, just scared you wouldn't show up!

How could Chen Fei agree to such terms?

He still owed a personal debt to that one-eyed lady, Hanna, and how could he simply walk away, not to mention the Chen Family wouldn't allow it.

The Family had finally produced a Level B psionic ability user, and if he switched allegiance to the American Federation in the blink of an eye, abandoning his family, it would be a slap in the face to the Chen Family Gate!

Can you believe that the Chen family's patriarch, Uncle Chen Haiqing, would disown him for the principle of putting righteousness before family?

The more they talked, the more strained the negotiations became, almost coming to blows. Fortunately, Old David arrived just in time to defuse the highly charged atmosphere.

Audrey Memphis from the Immigration Bureau's Talent Introduction Office had no choice but to leave with her four burly FBI agents, sulkily. Before leaving, she pointed to her own eyes and then at Chen Fei.

The message was clear: I'll be watching you!

"Chen Fei, you need to be careful," Hanna Gagel cut straight to the chase during their video call, warning him to watch out for the Immigration Bureau so that he wouldn't get caught in their schemes.

Although she was a citizen of the American Federation herself, it didn't necessarily mean her loyalty lay with the American Federation, let alone with the Stars and Stripes.

Every man for himself, and God for us all. That's the credo of the American Federation. Patriotism? You've been reading too much fiction, haven't you?

The very idea of federalism was designed for 'every man for himself should disaster strike'. If even the state departments act such, imagine how much less the lower citizens care, just looking out for themselves.

"What should I do, then?"

It wasn't only Manager Hanna who had said something like this; even Old David had echoed similar sentiments. Chen Fei furrowed his brow. The woman from the Immigration Bureau had acted as if she had him in her pocket, resorting to both carrot and stick tactics.

If it had been anyone else, they might have been intimidated into giving up the citizenship of the world's most sovereign state, submitting to become a slave of the American Federation.

"What if you record a video? I can help you blow it up,"

After all, Hanna Gagel had served as a Second-Level Inspector in the Internal Affairs department of the Apocalypse Defense Group; she had seen all kinds of crooked tactics.

"Uh, how so?"

Chen Fei asked earnestly for advice.

"How else? Self-degradation, of course!"

As a citizen of the American Federation, Hanna Gagel knew all too well what the Immigration Bureau and FBI disliked the most.

"...But when I took my first breath of air from the American Federation, the air was so fragrant, fresh, and almost luxurious; I was completely taken aback... Standing here today, that sense of freedom still feels so vivid... The Free American Federation, gunshots every day!"

The video quickly spread throughout the Aircrew Base, with Chekhov Big Bear taking particular delight in watching it as a pre-dinner treat.

That Chen Fei, he truly was a talent.

The American Federation's air being laced with the smell of gunfire, welcoming such a militant and violent individual into its citizenship – the Immigration Bureau would likely get hammered by Congress members, and even the FBI wouldn't want to deal with such self-inflicted trouble, no matter how accustomed to trouble they already were.

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