"What else? Don't forget you volunteered to participate; I didn't ask for it," Tang Ziyi spread her hands, feigning innocence.
"You really treat like your Doraemon," Ling Qingyu shook her head bitterly. "What's my role this ti, fully-covered logistics officer?"
"You can be if you want," Tang Ziyi smiled. "Please accept the girls if they have a nature call."
Ling Qingyu's face darkened at the thought of her girls entering her bracelet for that sole purpose, effectively turning it into a portable toilet—worse than Doraemon.
"Stop giving that angry look. Don't you care about their safety? Their comfort? Their privacy?" Tang Ziyi continued her rhythmic attack. "Oh, those poor girls. They could have lived good lives, but because of their unscrupulous, abusive boss…"
Ling Qingyu wanted to swear and slam this bastard's head. If people didn't know her well, they might actually think she was a boss who exploited her employees.
But Tang Ziyi's words seed to be working, as Ling Qingyu's resistance weakened. If her girls needed her help, she should simply let them have it.
The two bickered endlessly until the plane started to move. They both huffed and fell silent.
Soon, the engines roared, and everyone inside felt the acceleration as the plane lifted its heavy body off the ground.
Holding onto the rails, everyone tried to stabilize themselves, even though they were strapped in safely. The nearby rails on the wall were grasped by many hands.
Ling Qingyu had thought, as usual, that the plane would slowly climb, adjust, and ascend higher. But nope, compared to civilian aircraft, the ride was harsher, with no regard for comfort or enjoynt.
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Fortunately, the pilot wasn't insane enough to climb straight to 10,000 ters imdiately. There were still several stages to adapt to the pressure change.
Otherwise, so many ear-popping and lightheaded monts would have jeopardized the mission before the team even reached the destination.
Three hours flashed by in the blink of an eye.
The Y-20 flew at an altitude of 10,000 ters above sea level. The sky had dimd, and only the last few rays of the setting sun glowed against the tal.
For this operation, it was clear the planners had tid everything perfectly, even exploiting the cover of darkness to hide the trails of parachutes.
Ling Qingyu returned to her seat after conversing with the pilot. Now that their destination was nearing, she discussed the timing and distance calculations with the experts as a jumpmaster, factoring in variables like the plane's velocity and the outside weather conditions.
Because the aircraft couldn't cross the border and risk alarming neighboring nations—ruining diplomacy and complicating matters—the group had to jump while the plane was still close to the border.
With enough skill, a skydiver could travel up to 150 km from a height of 10,000 ters if the chutes were deployed shortly after leaving the plane—HAHO operation.
However, Ling Qingyu's group aid for a fast insertion, landing near the target area—HALO operation, which typically allows infiltration of 15-20 km deep.
Of course, the target area was well within this range and suited for a HALO jump. Ling Qingyu had inford the pilots, who would signal every step from now on according to the computed plan.
Standing next to Tang Ziyi, Ling Qingyu patted her shoulder. "Done. We've got about 15 minutes before we need to be ready."
Tang Ziyi stood up and exclaid, "Alright, you heard her! Boys and girls, move and prepare for the jump! 15 minutes!"
The operators, who had been relaxing and chatting, straightened up and got to work. Those who were lightly napping woke up and looked around.
Nearby partners relayed the orders, and everyone busied themselves with checking weapons and equipnt.
They equipped everything and began to form a circle. Within five minutes, they were ready. As usual, Tang Ziyi emphasized important reminders that needed attention.
Before long, alarms blared several tis, and one of the crew mbers ran out to announce the operation was beginning.
Ling Qingyu and Tang Ziyi donned oxygen masks and signaled the others to follow suit. At 10,000 ters, the cargo bay needed to equalize the pressure with the outside.
This was why jumping from such heights was complicated and required specialized training.
Oxygen masks, eye protection… everything was in place.
Tang Ziyi observed everyone's readiness and nodded, gesturing to the crew mber who reported on the radio about the situation in the cargo bay.
Gradually, Ling Qingyu felt the change in pressure but didn't focus too much on it. She had already adapted to these variables in her extensive training.
A few minutes later, sirens blared again, and the cargo ramp slowly opened. Cold air rushed in through the gap, brushing against the operators.
Of course, since they were well-equipped and protected, they were unfazed. Everyone had a look of excitent and boiling blood.
Ling Qingyu strapped the safety rope to her waist and walked toward the ramp to check the jumping conditions. As usual, she examined both sides of the aircraft to ensure there were no interferences during the jump due to chanical failures.
Afterward, Ling Qingyu signaled "clear," and the crew relayed the information to the pilot. Everything was unfolding as planned.
Tang Ziyi received Ling Qingyu's nod and imdiately ordered a group of 100 n to check their parachute chanisms.
One by one, they automatically ford a line, checking the person in front while Tang Ziyi walked along the path, inspecting with her eyes before returning to Ling Qingyu's side.
"Let check yours," said Tang Ziyi.
"Go ahead. I hope you don't accidentally loosen any strings," Ling Qingyu joked.
"It doesn't matter; you have more endurance than a cockroach," Tang Ziyi retorted. "I'm sure if you fell to the ground, you'd survive."
Ling Qingyu felt a grasp on her ancient bracelet and smiled. "Indeed, I can swoop in midair if a drastic situation arises."
"Clear to deploy. You're good to go."
Ling Qingyu nodded and checked Tang Ziyi's. "You're clear too."
Then, the overhead light turned red. They were getting close. Ling Qingyu fist-bumped Tang Ziyi and stayed at the front of the formation. The latter returned to her team.
To avoid spreading out after the jump, the entire formation would jump at once. Of course, not all 100 operators would leap simultaneously—that would be madness. The jump would be perford one team after another.
Communications went dead silent except for the wind howls and the sound of tal rubbing against tal.
Operators stabilized their lower bodies to adjust to the vibrations of the Y-20 aircraft. Ling Qingyu stared at the light source, as if afraid she might miss the precious mont if she looked away.
Seconds felt like minutes, and finally, the long-awaited green light appeared. Ling Qingyu blinked and signaled with her arm. "Go! Go! Go!"
A dozen operators ran and jumped without hesitation, followed by the group behind them. Against the night sky, only their shadows could be seen, blending into the darkness.
Tang Ziyi's group, the final team, also leaped.
"The bay stands clear. Thanks for the safe flight," reported Ling Qingyu.
"Happy landing!" The crews flashed thumbs-up.
Ling Qingyu unhooked the safety straps and scanned the cargo bay and smiled, then saluted the crew before diving down to follow her girls.
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