Although the view was dark, Ling Qingyu could still see her girls and several teams below. They had installed reflectors with tiny light sources, which Ling Qingyu's enhanced vision could make out as a faint line. Her eyes were not ordinary.
She rotated herself to face the direction of their destination, spreading her limbs to slow down the fall and increase the horizontal distance covered on the ground, trailing behind the others.
Wind brushed against her skin, but everyone was equipped with headsets as ear protection, nullifying the loud noise.
"Last person out of the plane," said Ling Qingyu over the radio.
Communication between personnel during a skydive was possible with a push-button equipped on the palm, provided the words remained succinct and clear.
"Copied. Watch us from above and act as needed. Rember, you are to follow my trail," Tang Ziyi replied.
"Understood."
Tang Ziyi then addressed the other teams, "Sitrep, Kilos."
"Kilo 1, loud and clear."
"Kilo 2, received."
"Kilo 3…"
…
"Kilo 10, everything's according to plan."
They were separated into ten teams, each comprising ten operators. Spirit Fox mbers belonged to Kilos 1 to 8, while the Wolf faction made up Kilos 9 and 10.
"All Kilos, stay tight in formation and follow Kirin's command," Tang Ziyi said.
"Roger!" echoed through the radio.
Kirin was Ling Qingyu's call sign, a temporary na to manage the skydiving mbers. As the one with the most experience, Ling Qingyu was well-suited for the role. While she remained solo in the air, her comrades flew in a tight formation, their hands nearly touching each other. At night, if they weren't careful, so operators might drift off and get lost.
But as long as they stayed grouped, the entire team could keep track of one another.
"Kirin, you have the command," Tang Ziyi said.
"Understood, Boss. I have the command." Ling Qingyu wasn't fazed by the huge responsibility. She had drilled this scenario so many tis that it had beco second nature.
Ling Qingyu checked the instrunt on her wrist, which displayed vital information along with a GPS dot tracking her position. Thanks to Athena's top technology, Tang Ziyi spared no expense, and Spirit Fox mbers were equipped with better devices than even the Wolf mbers, supported by Ling Qingyu's god-tier satellites.
"Kilo 2, report your altitude every 1,000 ters after passing 4,000," Ling Qingyu called into the channel.
"Kilo 2, copied."
Kilo 2 was the first team to jump, followed in nurical order by 3 through 10. Kilo 1, where Tang Ziyi stayed as the HQ elent, jumped last.
The group fell at terminal velocity. In the eyes of an observer, they would appear to be walking in the sky—a beautiful sight, though only visible to themselves.
"4,000 ters," Kilo 2 called out a few minutes later.
Another 20 seconds passed. "3,000 ters."
Ling Qingyu glanced at her wrist. The numbers were changing rapidly; she was 800 ters above them.
"3,000 ters."
"2,000 ters."
"Kilo 2, spread out at 1,500 and begin to deploy at 1,000," Ling Qingyu instructed. While the operators already knew the procedures, it was always good to have a backup plan in case of any discrepancies.
A few minutes later, her caution proved wise.
"Understood. 1,500," Kilo 2's team leader waved to his mbers to spread out and maneuver. The tight formation loosened, and the distance between them allowed for safe chute deploynt without interference.
Now, the mbers no longer needed to worry about being separated from the team.
"Kilo 3, spreading out."
"Kilo 4, spreading out."
"Kilo 5…"
"Kilo 7…"
…
"Kilo 10…"
"Kilo 1…"
"Kilo 2, deploying chutes," Ling Qingyu squinted to pinpoint Kilo 2's chutes, managing to spot the outline of rectangular umbrellas.
Inside Kilo 2's separate radio channel, reports reached the team leader. "2-1, canopy deployed."
"2-2, canopy deployed."
"2-3…" "2-4…" The team mbers reported in, and only then did the team leader relay to Ling Qingyu.
"Kirin, Kilo 2, canopy deployed." The first team successfully deployed their chutes, allowing Ling Qingyu to shift her focus.
"Understood, Kilo 2. Continue to Drop Zone."
Everything was going smoothly until a panicked report ca through. "Kilo 10, canopy deployed, one failure, waiting to see the reserve."
Ling Qingyu's eyes darted to Kilo 10. She counted the umbrellas and saw only nine—one was indeed missing. "Kilo 10, is the reserve working?"
"Wait one, Kirin…Negative, the reserve chute seems to be malfunctioning, 10-9 keeps spiraling in circles. Scratch that, two of the ropes disconnected from the reserve chute."
"Understood. Stay calm, everything's under control." Ling Qingyu glanced at Tang Ziyi's team and sighed in relief when she saw their chutes had deployed properly with no mishaps. Only Kilo 10 had one failure, which was pretty good statistically. The Wolf teams belonged to Kilos 9 and 10, and it wasn't surprising that their equipnt failed, especially when not manufactured by Athena.
In fact, her daughter's technology and thodologies surpassed the world's by at least a hundred years. Still, one mustn't ignore the deadly Murphy's Law.
"Kirin, Kilo 10 requests to detach from our primary formation and help him out."
"Negative, Kilo 10. Your altitude difference isn't enough to maneuver toward him and help. Continue the course; Kirin will assist. You have 300 ters until the minimum safe altitude. We have plenty of ti," Ling Qingyu replied with a steady tone. She couldn't risk another team mber attempting to help and failing to deploy their reserve chute.
Turning one person in danger into two would be a disaster.
Besides, whether the Kilo 10 mber could even reach the malfunctioning teammate given the height difference was questionable. The best bet was to act herself.
The radio remained tense with silence. No other teams spoke to avoid disturbing the judgnt call. But Ling Qingyu was calm; she had faced many similar scenarios.
Ling Qingyu adjusted her fall, steering toward the Wolf mber in need. She accelerated her speed, bringing her hands and feet together to minimize drag. Like an eagle swooping to attack its prey, Ling Qingyu only slowed down just enough to grab the panicked man struggling with his failed ergency chute with deadly accuracy.
She pulled out an army knife to cut the ropes and untangle the ss, then wrapped her legs around him. The man clung to her waist as she pulled the chanism.
The canopy snapped open, and the two held each other tightly. It would be tragic if he fell because of a loosening grip.
"Breathe. Breathe. We're fine. Take a deep breath," Ling Qingyu said, controlling the situation, though she cursed inwardly as the man clung to her. She wondered if he was taking advantage of the situation.
The man, still panicked, forgot to breathe until he gulped in the much-needed air and looked around at the rapidly approaching landscape. Just a minute ago, he had nearly fallen to his death. "Thank you…I never expect—"
"You're welco. Statistically, you hit the lottery."
"Kilo 10 reports canopy deployed. Eagle?"
"Eagle to all units, he's fine, except for his pale expression and the fact that he's hugging a bit too much," Ling Qingyu joked.
The entire group breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. Accidents could happen, no matter how well they prepared.
A few operators even teased on the radio, making the man blush. The most outrageous comnts ca from her girls, leaving Ling Qingyu speechless, unable to bla the Wolf units.
Communication chatter filled the radio as the operators discussed the thrilling event. After such a life-threatening situation, they had plenty to talk about.
With the parachutes deployed, communication beca easier since the wind was no longer a disturbance, and the operators didn't need to concentrate as intensely as during the freefall. They were much more relaxed.
Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire
This level of comfort depended on the skydiver's experience. Soone like Ling Qingyu, with her expertise, could even engage in casual conversation during the most dangerous monts.
Because of the incident, Ling Qingyu and the man veered off course from the DZ. She tried to maneuver the toggles but knew they would have to walk a bit more to reunite with the team once they landed.
"By the way, I think you haven't washed your hands properly, eh?" Ling Qingyu smiled and shook her head at the man.
She lanted his bad luck. Both the primary and ergency chutes failed. She had rarely encountered such a situation in reality.
"Huh? What do you an?" the man asked, puzzled.
"I said, you should wash your hands twice when you get the chance," Ling Qingyu rolled her eyes.
"Ah, please, ma'am. Maybe heaven just wanted to create a chance for us to be together." The man's face darkened, clearly not wanting to dwell on his misfortune. He was certain that even if he played the lottery, he'd end up owing money for so absurd reason.
Ling Qingyu glanced down at him helplessly. His skin was as thick as a city wall. "How about I kick you down to see if the universe really wants us to be together?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers