**Compared to others, Long Zhan's situation was slightly more complicated. He needed to tandem jump with a complete novice and ensure the rookie's safety.**
Thus, he had to find the appropriate way to securely attach himself to Dr. Lucien.
During a parachute jump, the weightless state makes it difficult to readjust one's posture mid-descent. The connection between the two couldn't be too tight or too loose; they needed to achieve the perfect balance in their tethered distance.
To that end, after Sonny double-checked Long Zhan's equipment, Jason stepped in to lend a hand.
Jason meticulously inspected Long Zhan's gear and reassured the visibly nervous Dr. Lucien, aiming to maximize the safety of both individuals.
Once everyone had donned their gear, the cabin lights dimmed, replaced by flashing red warning lights.
"*Beep… Beep… Beep…*"
The alarm echoed throughout the cabin, signaling the next phase of their mission.
"Ten! Ten! Ten!"
Jason raised both hands, shouting the countdown while repeatedly emphasizing "ten." The signal indicated that there were ten minutes left before the jump, and it was time to put on portable breathing systems.
Seeing Jason's gesture, Long Zhan immediately turned and mirrored it, passing the signal to Sonny, who then relayed it to the others.
The red-lit cabin provided poor visibility, so these hand signals ensured that everyone received the message.
"Doctor, here—put your mask on," Long Zhan called out loudly to Dr. Lucien once Jason's orders had reached all team members. He assisted Lucien with securing the portable oxygen mask before putting his own on.
It wasn't just the operational team members who needed to wear masks. Even the mission commander Eric, Mandy, and their accompanying intelligence unit all retrieved oxygen masks from the cabin wall and put them on after seeing the signal.
The transport aircraft's cabin pressure control system was activated, gradually reducing the internal pressure to equalize it with the outside environment in preparation for the rear hatch to open.
The cabin quickly became oxygen-deficient. While the operational team relied on portable breathing systems, support personnel like Eric and Mandy had to wear oxygen masks to maintain proper respiration.
"*Beep-beep-beep…*"
The alarm persisted as the red-lit cabin turned into a realm of tension, nervous anticipation, and adrenaline-fueled excitement. Time seemed to pass in an accelerated blur against the backdrop of the warning sound.
"*Clank!*"
As the countdown hit the final minute, a loud metallic clunk echoed from the rear. The closed hatch began to slowly open.
Since the cabin pressure had been reduced over the last nine minutes, the hatch opening didn't result in the catastrophic vacuum effect often dramatized in disaster movies.
The only sounds accompanying the hatch's gradual opening were the mechanical whir of electric motors and the muted rush of air flowing inward.
Thanks to aerodynamic shields on either side of the aircraft, the backflow of wind was not as strong as one might expect despite the aircraft's high speed. Apart from ruffling clothing, the incoming wind caused minimal disruption.
"One! One! One!"
Jason shouted, raising his hands again with both index fingers extended. This new signal prompted the operational team members to move into position. Facing the rear hatch, they formed two neat columns on either side.
Thirty seconds later, the nine-person jump team had moved to within two meters of the edge.
By now, the rear hatch had fully opened. Lights along both sides illuminated the jump area at the cabin's edge, casting a stark brightness on the drop point.
Beyond that bright zone, however, lay an infinite abyss.
No stars. No moonlight.
Just an impenetrable black void, like the gaping maw of a monstrous abyss waiting to devour anything that approached.
"Let's go!"
The jumpmaster standing by the hatch, gripping the safety rope, issued the final signal to jump.
To maintain synchronization during the group jump, the slowest members were required to go first. Long Zhan, jumping tandem with Dr. Lucien, and Brock, who was jumping with a dog, were positioned at the front of the two columns.
Brock stood slightly behind Long Zhan, offset by half a body length. The two formed a staggered formation.
Wearing his mask, Long Zhan couldn't speak, but he had already drilled Dr. Lucien in the necessary procedures. Following their prearranged signal, he patted Lucien's shoulder twice.
Lucien, drenched in sweat, was paralyzed with fear as he stared at the darkness beyond the hatch. The primal instinct to resist the void overwhelmed him.
But as a CIA operative—albeit one in a support role—his self-control was stronger than that of an ordinary person. Despite his terror, he didn't succumb to panic.
Taking several deep breaths through the oxygen mask, Lucien forced himself to stabilize his emotions. The countless instructions Long Zhan had hammered into him began to surface in his mind, giving him a clear sense of what he needed to do next.
With Long Zhan gently but firmly nudging him, Lucien gradually moved to the edge of the hatch.
Following Long Zhan's guidance to the letter, he avoided looking down, closed his eyes, relaxed his body, and leaned forward.
As Lucien tilted forward, Long Zhan followed suit, their movements perfectly synchronized in unspoken harmony.
Once their angle exceeded 30 degrees…
"*Whoosh!*"
The two plunged from the aircraft like falling torpedoes, accelerating to tens of meters per second as they hurtled toward the earth from 10,000 meters above.
From a distance, their departure resembled an egg being dropped from the plane.
The speed of their descent was so extreme that the wind roared in their ears like a Category 12 hurricane. The exposed skin on their foreheads felt as if an invisible hand were yanking it upward with brutal force.
For a first-time jumper, the experience was overwhelmingly surreal and terrifying.
The moment Lucien exited the cabin, his face turned ghostly pale. His heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst from his chest.
He instinctively wanted to scream, but even with the oxygen mask shielding him from the gale, no sound escaped his throat.
The prone position of freefall pressed on his chest like a massive stone slab, making even breathing a struggle.
All he could do was cling to Long Zhan's instructions, keeping his eyes shut and resisting the urge to flail or grab wildly.
Gathering every ounce of strength, he focused on expanding his chest to draw in enough air.
"Good thing he's not a hyperactive type," Long Zhan thought with satisfaction at Lucien's compliance.
He spread his arms and legs to stabilize their descent and kept a close eye on the altimeter strapped to his wrist.
When their altitude dropped from 10,000 meters to 9,000, Long Zhan immediately deployed the main parachute.
"*Bang!*"
The parachute canopy unfurled with a deafening explosion of force, akin to a grenade detonation.
The sudden drag halted their freefall, reducing their descent speed from tens of meters per second to less than five meters per second.
Grabbing the control cords on either side, Long Zhan expertly steered them toward the northwestern border, embarking on his first-ever high-altitude combat glide from 9,000 meters.