Vice Director Ye of the Civil Aviation Administration was present, and he answered, "It was left by the first-ce holder, 2.8 meters."


    Director Wang was momentarily taken aback before bursting into apuse, unable to contain his delight, "Excellent, truly excellent. She must be nurtured with great care."


    Vice Director Ye nodded eagerly in agreement, "Absolutely, without a doubt."


    In the first round of individualpetitions, Madison had decisively outperformed all domestic pilots, securing her ce at the top.


    In this moment, even those previously skeptical of her abilities were thoroughly convinced.


    Some people are simply born geniuses, beyond the reach of envy.


    Who else would dare to imagine that a woman in her twenties could repeatedly shatter records for the shortest crash simtion distances? Glory was on the horizon for Madison.


    The televised broadcast of thepetition was stirring an aviation frenzy across the nation''sworks, and model airnes were selling out.


    A throng of Madison''s fans was emerging online, captivated by images of her sporting sunsses and holding binocrs. Some talented artists even captured her likeness in illustrations that went viral on the inte.


    Step by step, Madison was cementing her era of brilliance, unshakable by anyone.


    The end of the first round brought lunchtime.


    Each airline had its own floor, with clear divisions.


    Thanks to Madison''s first-ce finish, everyone instinctively gathered around her for the meal.


    ustomed to the attention, Madison said, "We don''t know what this afternoon''spetition holds. But remember one thing: keep a level head." "Understood!"


    However, Henry brought up a concern: "Captain Madison, honestly, with our abilities, it''s going to be tough to push Air China''s squadron leader out."


    Their individual skills indeed fell short of Zheng Congyu''s-that was a fact.


    Now, only Madison and Brian had a chance to eliminate Zheng Congyu.


    But with Brian''s advancing age, even with the will, sometimes his reflexes couldn''t keep up with the younger pilots.


    Madison quietly pondered while holding her chopsticks, then spoke resolutely, "Pray for an elimination round next. Don''t worry about him; leave him to me. I only ask that you do your utmost to keep the other Air China pilots'' ranking down."Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It was the first time she had been so aggressive, so intentional.


    Everyone felt a surge of adrenaline.


    "We''ll give it our all, Captain Madison!" they promised, sitting up straight.


    Madison nodded and exhaled silently, "Good luck to us all."


    The two-hour lunch break went by quickly, with hardly anyone managing to sleep.


    Over at Pine Airlines, Zuo Yulei grumbled, "Had I known, I''d have switched to Mukino Airlines earlier. They''re incredible."


    Yang Zi red at her, "Try switching and see if the boss doesn''t break your legs."


    Zuo Yulei pouted in response.


    At one-thirty in the afternoon, the pilots returned, ready for the second round.


    As they settled in, snowkes began to drift from the sky, cool but not cold.


    Still, Director Wang arranged for everyone to move inside, watching from behind the expansive ss windows.


    Once again, they had no idea what thepetition would entail, only the strongest and most versatile could test the waters.


    Madison named the leads: "Brian, Captain Charlie, Captain Xu, Captain Kang, you''re up."


    "Understood," they replied without hesitation.


    Madison instructed, "Safety first."


    "Don''t worry," Charlie reassured her with a smile.


    But this time, Air China made a different move.


    Seeing Zheng Congyu take to the stage with their deputy leader and two pilots who''d ranked lower in the first round, Madison knew that Air China had simr thoughts to hers. But why was he bringing two lower-ranking pilots?


    "Captain Madison, are they...?"


    "Zheng Congyu is aiming to take out our aces."


    But how did Zheng Congyu know what thepetition entailed?


    Wasn''t he afraid of miscalcting?


    This was where experience inpetitions came into y.


    Madisoncked some of that experience.


    This round was indeed an elimination round.


    Groups of eight, with only the top four advancing.


    Upon learning the rules, there was no time to ponder.


    Before thepetitionmenced, Brian called his colleagues together, "It seems Air China wants to oust us all."


    Charlie was quick to catch on, "Brian, if needed, I''ll ensure you advance."


    Captain Kang interjected, "No, let me. I''m not as strong as you."


    They still didn''t know what the elimination round entailed.


    Only after the rules were read out did Brian break into a smile.


    They all gave Madison a thumbs-up.


    Why?


    Because the task at hand was something Madison had trained them for before.


    The exercise, often practiced by her


    grandfather, a remarkable military


    pilot, was familiar to Madison. She


    had an entire visual strategy


    ane


    e


    mapped out from the countless


    stories he''d shared. Content belongs


    to NovelDrama.Org


    So, in the week leading up to thepetition, she''d insisted on a full day of training for the pilots.


    Zheng Congyu frowned on the other side.


    They''d trained too, but not on teamwork and synergy.


    He had a good rapport with his deputy, but the two other pilots werest-minute additions; they barely knew each other, let alone had any rapport. "What should we do, Team Leader Zheng?"


    Zheng Congyu frowned, unable to afford elimination. In ast-ditch effort, he swallowed his pride and asked, "Can we switch out yers?"


    The organizers hadn''t mentioned any restrictions on substitutions.


    "Yes, you can."


    As Zheng Congyu swapped out two yers, Brian nudged Captain Kang, "Go and get Captain Madison to join us."


    Before Kang could respond, Madison was already there.


    "I''m joining," she said, filling in her number.


    In an instant, Madison and Zheng Congyu were set to face off directly.


    An elimination round.


    The losing team would be out of thepetition entirely.


    The showdown hade so swiftly.


    Madison extended her hand to Zheng Congyu, "Be gentle, Team Leader Zheng."


    Zheng Congyu bore no malice


    towards Madison; it was simply a


    matter of allegiance. He smiled,


    should be the one saying that


    Captain Madison, with your strength,


    I''ll take this seriously."


    "Good."


    Six teams were ready within five minutes.


    Madison''s reappearance not only sent the online live stream audience into a frenzy with theirments but also stirred excitement among the crowd on-site.


    The female pilots were particrly thrilled.


    Though Madison wasn''t part of theirpany, she was a credit to women everywhere!


    The teams boarded their nes.


    The virtual radar would assign four waypoints to each team, which they had to choose and fly past in a split second without anymunication. Though the rule seemed simple, the organizers had ced the waypoints staggered, not on a straight line.


    From left to right, one-two-three-four, they were aligned.


    It all hinged on their choice.


    As the countdown began, everyone held their breath.


    Win, and glory was endless.


    Lose, and they might be under Air China''s heel for years.


    As squadron leader, Madison had no room to retreat, only to charge forward.


    She prayed that in the heat of training, the things she had drilled into her team would be remembered.