He took a final, harsh drag from his cigarette, drawing the smoke deep into his lungs. The butt flared with a last spark.
Liao Ming tossed the butt to the ground and crushed it out with the toe of his boot.
"Old Wang, just you wait and see."
Liao Ming's hand landed on his friend's shoulder again, his smile filled with unconcealable confidence.
"You'll get it when the next C Level Technician promotion assessment comes around."
With that, he ignored the utterly baffled Wang Kai, straightened his collar, and turned back toward Hangar Three.
His back was ramrod straight, and every step exuded an air of vindication.
Wang Kai stood frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.
He stared at Liao Ming's inexplicably smug back, then glanced at Han Feng in Hangar Three, who was still in the middle of his "violent disassembly." His mind was a total mess.
'Get it?'
'Get it, my ass!'
'Has Old Liao just decided to throw in the towel and give up completely?'
Wang Kai couldn't figure it out. In the end, he could only angrily throw his own cigarette butt to the ground and stomp on it viciously.
"Psycho!"
He cursed, then turned and went back to his own hangar, Hangar Four.
Inside the hangar, the few apprentices under his charge were gathered obediently around a data terminal, meticulously analyzing fault codes and occasionally discussing them in hushed voices.
Everyone was proper and orderly, following the standard, textbook procedure perfectly.
Seeing this harmonious scene, Wang Kai's anger finally subsided a bit.
He nodded in satisfaction.
'Now *this* is how an apprentice should behave!'
'Down-to-earth, steady, and obedient!'
'Compared to that kid next door, who's a perfect example of what not to do—a lawless delinquent.'
'Oh, Old Liao, Old Liao... sooner or later, you're going to pay the price for your soft-heartedness and indulgence.'
Wang Kai shook his head, feeling both pity for Liao Ming and a hint of smugness for his own brilliant leadership.
He could already picture the glory of receiving the outstanding mentor bonus at the end of the year, stepping on Liao Ming's "zero score" to get there.
...
Inside Hangar Three.
The atmosphere had shifted from initial tension to an eerie, dead silence.
Xiaoli, Pang Hu, and Zhou Wen stood rooted to the spot like three wooden posts, dumbfounded.
At some point, the tools in their hands had slipped and fallen to the floor.
The gazes of the three were like searchlights, locked tightly onto Han Feng's figure.
Han Feng's movements weren't fast, but each one was frighteningly precise.
He would walk to a certain part of the fuselage, feel around for a moment, then use the most suitable tool to fluidly remove a protective plate before pulling a clearly problematic component from a complex bundle of lines.
There wasn't a shred of hesitation in the entire process.
He didn't seem to be inspecting an unfamiliar fighter jet; it was more like he was tidying up the incredibly familiar toys in his own room.
Half an hour later.
Just as Xiaoli's data terminal finally went "DING!" and displayed [Data Export 100%], Han Feng happened to straighten up and dust off his hands.
In the parts tray by his feet, more than twenty faulty components of various sizes were already neatly arranged.
Xiaoli looked down at the three trivial "suggested maintenance" notifications listed on his terminal.
Then he looked up at the large tray of "spoils" at Han Feng's feet.
His worldview shattered.
"You madman... fess up. Did you eat the repair manual for breakfast or something?"
Pang Hu rubbed his round belly, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
Zhou Wen silently pushed up his glasses and said in a barely audible voice, "I take back what I said yesterday. The gap between people can be greater than the gap between a person and a Demon Beast."
"A monster... he's a goddamn monster!"
Xiaoli muttered to himself.
"We were all supposed to be slackers at the bottom together, but you secretly evolved into Godzilla?"
Just then, the system's notification sound, arriving fashionably late, chimed in Han Feng's mind.
[Host has completed a full, high-difficulty, hands-on repair. Skill Proficiency has increased significantly.]
[Mechanical Maintenance Theory Skill Proficiency has reached 100/100. Automatically upgrading to Mechanical Repair Theory·Proficient!]
[Privilege 2 triggered: Skill Body Sculpting. When any Skill Proficiency increases, the system will guide Energy to optimize the host's body, making it better suited for that skill.]
[Triggering Skill Body Sculpting... Commencing knowledge Empowerment!]
BOOM!
A vast yet perfectly clear flood of information, like a bursting river, instantly surged into Han Feng's mind!
It wasn't a simple accumulation of memories.
Instead, all the fragments of knowledge he had rotely memorized and only half-understood over the past three years were forcibly shattered, reorganized, and optimized by an unseen force!
The Energy Cycle Model of the Spiritual Energy Engine.
The Rune Algorithm Logic of the Flight Control System.
The Weapon Mount Energy Node Compatibility.
Countless points of knowledge were connected, integrated, and fused, finally forming a complete and rigorous palace of knowledge in his mind.
Many problems he could never figure out before now became perfectly clear.
He even began to deduce more efficient repair techniques from this fused knowledge—techniques never mentioned in any manual.
Han Feng let out a long, turbid breath, feeling as if the entire world before him had become clearer and more transparent.
Just then, Liao Ming walked in.
He first glanced down at the faulty parts Han Feng had found in the tray, and the satisfaction in his eyes was so intense it almost spilled out as tangible light.
"Alright, stop standing around like idiots."
He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"The winner of this assessment is Han Feng."
Liao Ming's voice wasn't loud, but in the silent hangar, it was like a clap of thunder.
Although Xiaoli and the other two had expected it, hearing the result firsthand still brought expressions of disappointment and envy to their faces.
"The rest of you, keep working hard."
Liao Ming added, his gaze sweeping over them.
Then, he looked at Han Feng, his stern expression replaced by a smile so warm it was almost exaggerated.
"Han Feng, you've got some skills, kid! You were really fucking hiding your light under a bushel!"
Liao Ming walked up and clapped a hand as large as a cattail fan onto Han Feng's shoulder.
"You awakened a Talent and didn't even tell your mentor?"
"I only just awakened it. It's not very stable yet."
Han Feng scratched his head, continuing to use this all-purpose excuse.
"If it's this ridiculous when it's unstable, what'll it be like when it is?"
Liao Ming roared with laughter, his mood soaring.
He waved a hand, his voice booming.
"Let's go! To celebrate a genius emerging in our group, it's my treat today!"
"Everyone stop what you're doing. We're going to the second floor. I'll let you guys have a taste of the C Level Technician's mess hall!"
"The second floor?"
Pang Hu's eyes lit up like lightbulbs.
"You mean the legendary elite cafeteria where they serve Demon Beast Flesh at every meal?"
"That's the one!"
Liao Ming waved his hand magnanimously. "Today, you can eat your fill!"
"Long live Director Liao!"
Pang Hu was the first to cheer, his stomach letting out a timely "GROWL."
Xiaoli and Zhou Wen also shed their earlier disappointment, their faces breaking into excited smiles.
Even though they didn't get the reward, getting to eat a free meal on the second floor was a huge bonus!
...
The second floor of the academy's dining hall: the "Elite Cafeteria," exclusively for C Level Technicians.
The environment here was a world apart from the public cafeteria on the first floor.
Bright lights, tables and chairs polished to a mirror shine, and the air wasn't filled with the strange smell of nutrient paste, but with a rich, savory aroma of meat that was almost thick enough to taste.
Liao Ming found a table by the window and quickly tapped a few items on the ordering terminal.
Soon, steaming hot dishes were brought to the table one after another.
There was Braised Iron Feather Bird with its rich, dark-red sauce; Steamed Silver-Scaled Fish with flesh as translucent as jade; and a plate of stir-fried Wind Wolf tendons, glistening and golden-brown...
All of them were meticulously prepared using the flesh and blood of Tier One Demon Beasts, and every dish was infused with pure Spiritual Power.
Pang Hu's mouth was already watering uncontrollably. If Liao Ming hadn't still been sitting there, he probably would have buried his face directly in a plate.
"Go on, eat. Don't be polite."
Liao Ming said with a smile.