Sky-cracking Rider

"My sister..."

Chen Fei watched Little Sister Chen's retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

She was always so brash and noisy, he wondered if she would ever find a boyfriend in the future, which was a headache for him as her brother.

Teacher Shen Fei said with a smile, "She's very lively, just like you."

She could tell that Little Sister Chen was straightforward, heartless, and careless—a trait that could be described as innocent and carefree, or less kindly, easily duped, but not a bad person.

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

Chen Fei felt somewhat embarrassed and found himself an excuse.

Then, he said, "Teacher Shen, you mentioned your father earlier?"

He was very curious about the relationship between Shen Fei, his uncle, and the National Defense Star.

The Chen Family Gate had organized this networking event, which was in fact spearheaded by his uncle, with connections centered around his uncle and the National Defense Star. If a successful match was made, it would mean keeping the benefits within the family's reach.

"My father is the vice general manager of the Northern Weapons Industry Group, Shen Songling. To some extent, the Northern Weapons Industry and your uncle's National Defense Star are competitors."

Finally, Teacher Shen Fei cautiously revealed her family background, feeling inexplicably a bit nervous.

Being in the same industry meant being natural rivals. It was an ironclad rivalry!

"Oh!"

Chen Fei was still a rookie after all, and the flight code name he had been given had not been a mistake.

His reaction was nonchalant.

"You don't know?"

Shen Fei assessed Chen Fei's reaction, which seemed a bit too composed.

No, it was more likely that he knew absolutely nothing about the relationship between the two companies.

Healthy competition was necessary as it was beneficial, so the National Defense Star and Northern Weapons Industry had often engaged in cutthroat rivalry over contracts, sometimes reluctantly trading technologies and equipment with each other.

Because they were both under the same sovereignty, the aggressive rivalry between them on Mars was akin to an inconvenient mess created by squabbling stepchildren. Although the bosses could be reasonable, the folks working under them were not always so amiable. With the right provocation, they might come to blows on the spot.

"Know what?"

Chen Fei looked utterly clueless. He hardly knew anything about his uncle's National Defense Star, let alone the Northern Weapons Industry Group. It was probably the first time he had even heard of it. Experience tales at empire

How could he possibly know the extent of the open and undercover struggles?

"My father's Northern Weapons Industry Group and your uncle's National Defense Star Aerospace Company compete for business, and their relationship has always been tense."

Seeing that Chen Fei was still lost, Shen Fei laid it out directly for fear that he would have biases.

The reason she attended this networking event was mainly because her father respected the personal invitation from Chairman Chen, the industry magnate. If the event had been organized in the name of the National Defense Star instead of the Chen Family, her father would never have allowed her to attend.

"Tsk! So it's just that. What does it have to do with me, or you for that matter!"

Chen Fei reassured Teacher Shen Fei with a laugh that she was overthinking.

The dealings of those two companies were worlds away from him!

So why bother with so much thought!

A poor nobody hardly ever considers these things.

"If you want to keep flying, sooner or later you'll have to face competition from these manufacturers."

Shen Fei thought much more deeply and far ahead than Chen Fei.

Supernatural power users were rare, especially those who could fly combat aircraft, and some things needed to be prepared in advance to avoid being caught off guard later on.

"Teacher Shen, could you elaborate a bit more?"

Seeing Teacher Shen Fei's serious face, Chen Fei didn't fully grasp the significance but was still influenced by her demeanor and involuntarily became more earnest.

"Pilots who advance further become Sky Knights. The Sky Knights have their own exclusive Crystal Jets, each meticulously custom-fitted and finely tuned. The top Crystal Jets are even equipped with SEG core units. All of these require the support of the manufacturers.

There are only seven manufacturers on Blue Star capable of producing Crystal Jets, and only five of those truly possess the core technology. The remaining two are licensed."

Shen Fei extended her hand, with five fingers representing the five combat aircraft manufacturers that truly mastered the secrets of the crystal jet.

If Chen Fei didn't start preparing now, his current achievements would basically be his endgame, and it would likely be difficult for him to advance any further in the future.

Economic foundation determines one's horizon. As a member of the working class, Chen Fei, no matter what, could not compare to the wealthy Teacher Shen Fei, who could see many things that ordinary people could neither see nor imagine.

"Crystal jet? Isn't that a bit too early? And so expensive!"

Despite saying this, Chen Fei's face still involuntarily showed longing. After all, it was a real national treasure artifact capable of going toe-to-toe with a giant dragon. A Sky Knight looked down upon all common pilots. Combined, the two were an existence that low-level armaments couldn't contest — a sheer number would be useless.

In the end, there would only be one result, overwhelming domination, an absolute crushing without the power to fight back.

He had seen crystal jets before, and had even seen Cangqiong Star's assembled combat aircraft up close.

Just the big toy-like "Big Mouth Monster" was already beyond what Chen Fei could afford with his current salary, let alone active combat aircraft and the more advanced crystal jets. He dared not even think about it. It was beyond the description of "expensive."

"That's why it's all the more important to prepare early, to compare different options. The earlier you prepare, the more certainty you have."

Shen Fei took out her phone, found a document, and sent it to Chen Fei, continuing, "An introduction to the top 10 Blue Star combat aircraft manufacturers. Familiarize yourself with it first."

Let this rookie find out what these manufacturers are all about first!

"Top 10 combat aircraft manufacturers?"

Chen Fei heard the notification sound of the email arriving on his phone, took a look, and saw "Top 10 Blue Star Combat Aircraft Manufacturer Rankings."

No.1: Dragoon Magic Industrial

Their business range includes both Blue Star and Cangqiong Star, with products from Blue Star's technology aircraft to Cangqiong Star's magic-assembled combat aircraft, from the Sky Knights' crystal jets to the armed Void Ships of the celestial armies.

They're involved not just in the military field but also in the civilian sector, with over ten million employees. On Cangqiong Star, products from Dragoon Magic Industrial have an 80% market share, monopolizing every corner surrounding the intelligent species, establishing itself as a Sovereign Level enterprise.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

No.2: Boeing Aerospace Company

The American Federation's No. 1, a century-old factory. Had it not been for Dragoon Magic Industrial's sudden rise thirty years ago, Boeing Aerospace would have been the unrivaled leader in both R&D and production, initially leading the technical field by at least twenty years, a whole generation ahead.

Even today, they haven't fallen too far behind. Apart from a few custom-made crystal jets and various military aircraft, they also produce Sky Patrol Ships powered by SEG core units. Their products rival the Magic Cube Warships of a different technical route, competing for the market of large atmospheric transport aircraft.

No.3: Skycar Company

A collective of various sovereignties of Europa, willing to give people, money, technology, and having no shortage of markets, the sovereignties foot the bill, thus making the company quite strong with balanced development and no shortfalls in either technology or production.

No.4: National Defense Star Aerospace Company

They have considerable interactions with Dragoon Magic Industrial in the technology field and developed the first generation of crystal jets. With profound technological depth and continued top-ranked innovation accumulation, they attract an abundance of talent. Focusing on high-end markets, their market share might not be the highest, but their profit margins are among the industry's best.

No.5: Northern Weapons Industry Group

A purebred central enterprise, strongly backed by the First Sovereign with national resources, it has the most comprehensive industry chain and peripheral facilities. In the field of crystal jets, it is the greatest competitor to National Defense Star Aerospace Company.

Their Magic Cube Warships can go head-to-head with the Sky Patrol Ships from Boeing Aerospace, the industry's second-ranked company.

No.6: Rolls Aerospace Group

They have deep collaborations with Boeing Aerospace and overlap with Skycar Company in many business areas, acting as a disruptor in the combat aircraft field in Europa. Their signature product is the atmospheric Assault Ship, a smaller type of Sky Patrol Ship, with more specialized functionality.

No.7: United Aircraft Manufacturing Company

Pieced together from the ruins of the Russians' broken assets through bankruptcy and recombination, it is another Sovereign Level central enterprise. With technology transferred from National Defense Star Aerospace Company, it fills the mid-to-lower end of the market, with smaller sovereignties as its primary customers.

No.8: Concord Sky Group

A space aerospace enterprise that focuses primarily on R&D, possessing strong technical capabilities but weak production capacity, it cannot produce on a large scale. Therefore, it specializes in niche markets of space aircraft, serving as one of Blue Star's main suborbital transport aircraft manufacturers.

No.9: Space Exploration Technology Company

Privately invested and the only aircraft R&D and manufacturing enterprise without sovereignty backing. It boasts the capability to customize and modify crystal jets and is the third-party sponsor of the Sovereign Level Aerial Combat League's "Abyss Coliseum."

No.10: Dassault Aerospace Company

Recognized as a leading aircraft manufacturer in the design field, it profits mainly from technology licensing and subcontracting and acts as the main outsourcing factory for the industry's sixth-ranked Rolls Aerospace Group.

Good grief! Even the manufacturers of the A-39B "Big Mouth Monster" light turboprop attack aircraft and the MiG-28 jet fighter that Chen Fei was most familiar with were not ranked within the top ten.

Dassault Aerospace, ranking in at number ten, excels in design and technological R&D. Without considering the top nine, he would readily believe it to be the leading aerospace company on Blue Star.

Luckily, his father was an industry insider, appointed as the deputy general manager of the Northern Weapons Industry Group. It was through exposure from a young age that Shen Fei knew so much critical information, not widely known.

She said earnestly, "You must not underestimate any of the top ten manufacturers in the industry, so if you manage to grab an opportunity, never let it go easily, and definitely do not miss it. When it comes time to decide on the crystal jet, the most expensive is not necessarily the best, the most suitable is.

Money is often secondary—if you become a Sky Knight, you won't have to worry about money at all."

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