When Chen Shan looked again at the lively Little Bird in the other person's hand, his eyes turned terrified. Never mind that the visuals on the wall-mounted TV earlier were off the charts—the scene in reality was extremely horrifying. Under the power of destruction, it could rival a tactical-level weapon strike. Even a full-power strike from a Crystal Jet would probably not compare to such a scene.

The combat power of a Crystal Jet is benchmarked against a Giant Dragon. But even a Giant Dragon has to back off three times over; they are simply natural enemies, aren't they?

Logical and coherent!

"Let your Sky Knight instructor have a quick bout with Xiao Jiu when they arrive!"

Chen Fei scratched Xiao Jiu's chin. Cats, dogs, and birds alike often find it inconvenient to scratch their chins and necks with their paws, so the Little Bird quickly fluffed up the feathers on its neck, making it easier for Dad Chen Fei's fingers to scratch directly to the skin.

"Are you serious?"

Chen Shan always felt Chen Xiao'er was up to no good.

"Serious, very serious. Suitable opponents are hard to come by, and the stronger one is, the more they enjoy a challenge. Why not ask first?"

Little Shanzi guessed correctly; Chen Fei indeed did not have good intentions.

He habitually enjoyed pushing people into traps, especially Little Shanzi. Seeing him without giving a nudge felt like not having clocked in for the day; it was almost a reflex. The incoming Sky Knight, Ding Xiu, was simply collateral damage.

Any Sky Knight seeing Xiao Jiu would probably feel like they've seen a ghost. Military radars of human civilization can't even detect a bird of this size.

More critically, the Pure Light Sparrow of Human Rank Ninth Order flies faster than a Crystal Jet, and more nimbly. If Xiao Jiu lands on the cockpit canopy, even the most badass Sky Knight would be dumbfounded. Forget tactical maneuvers or Aerial Combat Skills—none of it would work.

No combat aircraft was designed with a bird as the opponent in mind.

It's unclear whether the laughing-fool-like Ding Xiu is truly a "fool," jumping headlong into a pit. Regardless, if you can trick one, you trick one; sacrificing a Sky Knight to establish Xiao Jiu's reputation.

On the diagonal sofa, the old father sighed and covered his eyes, unable to watch his foolish son being duped. The Little Second brother of the Old Fourth family was devious indeed.

"..."

Chen Shan didn't know whether to agree or not.

But he couldn't make the decision on behalf of the coming training instructor, so he ultimately had to ask first.

-

Early in the morning, a Small Flying Ship and two Crystal Jets arrived at the dedicated airport of National Defense Star, landing one by one.

Chen Shan's Sky Knight tryout instructor arrived not only as promised but even more than two hours ahead of schedule.

The "Wall of Sighs" operation team temporarily stationed on Socotra Island gradually returned home, with the last unit of The First Sovereign leaving last night.

On the island's barrack area, only the quality humans from the "Ark" plan, the Elemental Annihilation Weapon R&D Team, Ginny's family and the whole group of S-Class Space Ability Users, totaling thousands of people, along with thousands of Combat Mechs taking over patrol, a Giant Battleship, and one Large Flying Ship remained—all under Chen Fei's control.

With the military forces of Sovereignty having departed, there were no other forces left on Socotra Island except those belonging to Chen Fei. Even the remaining natives were taken away with the withdrawal of the "Wall of Sighs" operation team. If any more shady characters were to appear on the island, the Combat Mechs could execute them on the spot without question.

Socotra Island is now tantamount to a military restricted zone, and any unauthorized entry warrants a death sentence.

The first Small Flying Ship to land was the logistics team, bringing not only mechanics but also consumables and related equipment to ensure that the Crystal Jets could maintain optimal combat power regardless of take-off and landing locations, alongside a 12-member Marine Corps team responsible for security at the airport grounds.

The fully armed Marine Corps immediately cordoned off one corner of the airport's tarmac, preventing even National Defense Star's ground crew from approaching without permission.

The two Crystal Jets, noticeably different in appearance, then touched down vertically on the tarmac. Almost all Crystal Jets have vertical take-off and landing capabilities, adaptable to various landing environments. Some can even land directly on water.

Flying straight back from the Socotra Island at the mouth of Aden Bay to home, the agile Sky Knight jumping out of the Crystal Jet cockpit removed his Tactical Helmet, taking large gulps of fresh air with a smile on his face.

"The air at home is the sweetest!"

In "Atlantis," there was always a faint sour and weird salty fishy smell in the air. At Socotra Island, it was the same sea and dry earthy smell. Only at home does the air smell so fragrant. As the saying goes, the local land nourishes the local people. If not for a special task, Ding Xiu wouldn't want to leave home.

The other Sky Knight, who accompanied Ding Xiu to National Defense Star, removed his Tactical Helmet in the Crystal Jet cockpit and took a few deep breaths, agreeing: "You're right, the smell of fuel exhaust is the most reassuring."

The lingering smell on the tarmac is primarily from the residual odor of fuel engines, not only from fuel-engine aircraft but also from auxiliary heat machines on standby for start-up assistance, especially the latter.

Led by the ground crew, a young man crossed the Marine Corps cordon directly to the two Sky Knights.

"Hello, you two. I'm Chen Shan!"

Ding Xiu gave a quick appraisal of the candidate about to undergo tryout, asking bluntly: "I'm Ding Xiu, flight call sign 'Mechanic.' This is my comrade, Sun Ruzheng, call sign 'Mad Devil.' Are you the future Sky Knight? Good, young man, tell me, what is your Battle Qi Order?"

Though it's rare, there are cases of people who only activate their Battle Qi or other abilities after adulthood and intend to become Sky Knights. But for the Sovereignty, gaining just one more Sky Knight is completely worth it.

Even with a vast population base, if God doesn't favor them, the high-end individual air supremacy troop like Sky Knights could suddenly shortfall.

The skies without Sky Knights to guard them would leave the Sovereignty leaders sleepless.

"Just condensed the Battle Qi Seed, haven't entered a rank yet!"

According to the eldest sister's judgment, Chen Shan would need at least three months to formally enter a rank and become a Human Rank First Stage War Professional.

"Haven't entered a rank? Well, let's try other projects first."

Ding Xiu was a bit disappointed.

Without the assistance of Battle Qi, the starting point for preliminary test projects cannot be too high. They can only methodically test out the individual's potential limits. If they never reach the Sky Knight tryout threshold, then it's just a regretful outcome.

As it's related to national defense, the selection process for Sky Knights remains stringent.