The speed of the four fighter jets was too great; to turn and attack Qin Fen, they had to slow down, precisely when they were hit by the heat rays.

Four loud bangs erupted almost simultaneously, and everyone else instinctively rubbed their eyes, unable to believe that the air combat novice had consecutively executed two aerial combat maneuvers to take down five enemy craft.

If these were genuine ace pilots, taking down five non-professional fighter jockeys would naturally be simple. However, these two thousand new recruits were all without professional training; at best, they were only decent at simulated dogfights. Finding one among them capable of a one-against-five victory was genuinely difficult, especially the continuous evasions while being pursued by four jets, which was practically flawless execution!

The database quickly analyzed Qin Fen’s combat data and transmitted it to the assembled veterans standing beside the monitors.

“Second elite pilot detected.” The electronic synthesized voice reported the information, completely devoid of inflection, stunning every squad leader.

A string of evaluations flashed across the screen: Operational Skill – Ace Pilot Level. However, precision in power control when executing air combat techniques was lacking, resulting in energy consumption double that of an ace pilot, and component aging accelerating at twice the rate of an ace pilot.

“Old Squad Leader, was he holding back yesterday?”

“But not to the point of finishing last, surely?”

Squad Leader Hao was just about to voice his opinion when his gaze inadvertently swept over the screen, witnessing Qin Fen execute a bizarre evasive maneuver, slipping past an enemy heat ray, simultaneously opening fire and destroying the target.

“That…” Squad Leader Hao’s mouth gaped slightly; Qin Fen’s evasive action reminded him uncannily of the Dragon Concealment Body technique from the Shaolin Arhat Fist!

Incorporating martial arts into aircraft operation? Squad Leader Hao suspected his vision was failing him. Although a perfect rendition of the Dragon Concealment Body in a fighter jet was impossible, the underlying intent was strikingly similar!

Squad Leader Hao fell silent. He stared intently at the screen, meticulously observing every single aerial combat move Qin Fen made.

In the virtual dogfight, Qin Fen’s successive attacks quickly brought a realization to the new recruits: yesterday’s dead last had transformed into today’s machine king!

Qin Fen had now locked his target onto a Ne Zha saucer-type space fighter, which possessed the widest detection radius and omnidirectional attack capability.

Seeing Qin Fen plunge toward it, the Ne Zha saucer-type space fighter immediately turned to flee. Being in a state of all-out offense, it wasn't worried about being unable to attack while retreating.

Two guided heat weapons launched from the Ne Zha saucer-type space fighter’s aft compartment. Qin Fen shoved the acceleration lever again, and the fighter shuddered slightly mid-air. The two missiles scraped past his wingtips, looped around in the air, and resumed their pursuit of the targeted Qin Fen.

“What kind of aerial combat style is this?” A squad leader, who usually frequented air combat forums, watched in astonishment at an evasive posture he had never encountered before.

“Arhat Cloud Stepping…” Squad Leader Hao instinctively interjected.

“Arhat Cloud Stepping?” The other squad leader didn't immediately react; he paused, realizing Squad Leader Hao was referencing a light-body evasion move from a calisthenics boxing routine: “Old Squad Leader, are you joking? This is aerial combat, not your specialty ground warfare.”

Squad Leader Hao shook his head without speaking. The combination of Qin Fen’s sudden acceleration and evasion maneuver could only evoke that phrase in his mind.

Squad Leader Hao observed Qin Fen’s aircraft closely, and gradually, the fighter in his eyes was no longer just a machine but a martial arts master taking to the skies, employing the Shaolin Arhat Fist to knock aircraft from the air one by one.

“That’s not entirely impossible.”

A powerful voice boomed from the doorway of the monitoring room. The assembled squad leaders turned in unison, snapped their chests out, and saluted loudly: “Battalion Commander, good day!”

“Good day, everyone.”

The Battalion Commander who entered the room had sun-kissed, wheat-colored skin and broad, solid arms. Simply standing there, he exuded the unshakable presence of a mountain, somewhat fitting his name, Zhang Jianshan.

“Some time ago,” the Commander began slowly, “my own old squad leader told me about a new recruit he encountered in the corps five years ago.” He continued, “I heard that when that recruit played the air combat network, he used a piloting style resembling martial arts, achieving a flawless victory record. The only pity was that he stopped after only three days, claiming it was boring, and never logged into the air combat network again.”

“I heard about that too,” Squad Leader Hao spoke up again. “Speaking of which, I actually met that kid. No kidding! He really was a…”

Squad Leader Hao suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning. He rushed out of the room straight toward the barracks where Qin Fen was located.

The seven new recruits were still engrossed in the air combat network. Squad Leader Hao stared dumbly at Qin Fen, muttering under his breath, “He looks similar… he really does look somewhat alike! That kid’s surname also seemed to be Qin…”

Squad Leader Hao’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down: “Could it be… could they be brothers…”

Squad Leader Hao clenched his fists tightly, whispering repeatedly, “No wonder, no wonder I felt a sense of déjà vu when I first saw him.”

Squad Leader Hao pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, waiting quietly. Could the super-rookie from five years ago have a brother?

After waiting for an hour, the aerial combat training finally concluded.

The new recruits removed their helmets, exhaustion deeply etched on their faces.

Even though it was virtual combat, it demanded the complete concentration of spirit, especially when facing the pressure of additional training for those ranked in the bottom two hundred; they had to give their utmost just to secure their standing.

Many new recruits, upon removing their helmets, simply collapsed into deep sleep.

Qin Fen, however, was alight with excitement after taking off his helmet. The massive contrast between being ranked last yesterday and first today had invigorated him, leaving no trace of fatigue.

Especially after the accidental use of the Dragon Concealment Body during the dogfight, which led him to discover that he could simulate parts of martial arts using the fighter, he felt like he had discovered a new continent, experimenting repeatedly and succeeding every time, shooting down everyone who had given him trouble yesterday.

The new recruits in the same room removed their helmets, and their first instinct was to look at Qin Fen’s bunk. All of them were astonished; how could yesterday’s novice become so formidable in a single day?

Du Peng’s usually silent eyes held a flicker of confusion, before everyone else noticed the presence of Squad Leader Hao.