Skydiving

Two burly men with thick beards smiled at Liu Bo and Zhang Ziming.

The two of them felt goosebumps rising under the intense gaze.

"Damn it, I shouldn’t have come!" Zhang Ziming muttered, twisting his lips.

Liu Bo nodded. "Should we request female instructors instead?"

"If there were any female instructors available, wouldn’t they have assigned them to us already? There probably aren’t any left."

"Fine, let’s just make do."

Reluctantly, the two followed the male instructors to gear up.

Soon, all six of them were fully suited in their skydiving equipment.

At that moment, Old Wang walked over and asked Meng Wenzhou, "Young Master Meng, I’ve got two Agusta AW109 helicopters here. You and this lady can take one. Who should take the other?"

Meng Wenzhou tilted his head toward Su Yang. "These two."

"Got it." Old Wang gave a thumbs-up and briefly instructed the instructors nearby.

After waiting another ten minutes, the group headed to the helipad.

Su Yang and Tang Ziyun boarded the Agusta AW109 helicopter with two female instructors.

The interior of the helicopter was incredibly luxurious, resembling the first-class cabin of a large passenger plane—white leather seats, three oversized square observation windows on each side for passengers to enjoy the aerial views.

Above the cockpit, a 45-inch LCD screen displayed various skydiving videos.

Despite the spacious cabin, Tang Ziyun sat close to Su Yang by the window.

Even before takeoff, she was already starting to feel nervous.

"Su Yang... are you scared?"

"Me? I’m alright. I don’t think I’ve ever been particularly afraid of anything in my life."

Except being broke, Su Yang thought to himself.

"I suddenly regret this," Tang Ziyun admitted.

"Come on, you’re already here. Have you done this before?"

"No, this is my first time," Tang Ziyun shook her head.

"Mine too. Life’s short—might as well try new things. Take a deep breath and relax."

Tang Ziyun swallowed hard and nodded.

About ten minutes later, the crew completed safety checks and preparations.

After fastening Su Yang and Tang Ziyun’s seatbelts, they exchanged a few words with the pilot in the cockpit.

Whirrr!

The helicopter’s rotors soon spun to life.

Tang Ziyun clenched her brows, her delicate lips pressed tightly together.

Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the seatbelt, sitting rigidly upright.

Su Yang chuckled at the sight. "Don’t be so nervous—you’re making me anxious too."

The two female instructors chimed in reassuringly, "Just breathe deeply and relax. Skydiving isn’t as terrifying as you think."

"Huff... huff..." Tang Ziyun took repeated deep breaths.

Su Yang patted her back gently. "It’s fine. We’ve got professional instructors with us."

"Exactly, you’re in good hands," one instructor added.

Tang Ziyun mumbled hesitantly, "What if the parachute doesn’t open after we jump?"

The instructor laughed. "That’s impossible. We’ve checked everything before takeoff—don’t worry."

Tang Ziyun nodded and fell silent.

Soon, the helicopter ascended rapidly with a deafening roar.

Su Yang turned to the instructors. "What should we call you two?"

"I’m Su Qiu—just call me Qiuqiu," the cuter-looking instructor replied cheerfully.

"Hey, we share the same surname! I’m Su Yang."

They shook hands, and the other instructor, who had a more internet-famous look, smiled. "I’m Zhizi."

"Zhizi—lovely name," Su Yang said, shaking her hand as well.

In Su Yang’s eyes, the two women were at best a 7/10 in looks. Zhizi probably wouldn’t even hit a 7 without makeup, so he didn’t bother scanning them further.

"How high are we going?"

"About 4,000 meters," Qiuqiu answered.

Su Yang nodded and made small talk with them.

Before long, the helicopter reached the target altitude.

Su Yang glanced out the window—the island below was now fully visible, the endless blue ocean stretching beyond it. To the right, the city of Lucheng stood in the distance.

"Hey, Tang, stop closing your eyes. Check out the view!"

Tang Ziyun opened her eyes and realized it wasn’t much different from looking out of a plane window.

She leaned closer to Su Yang and peered outside.

"It’s beautiful."

"Right? Aren’t you going to take pictures?"

"Oh, right!" She pulled out her phone and snapped a few shots of the scenery. Then, slightly shy, she turned to Su Yang. "Let’s take one together."

"Sure."

Tang Ziyun switched to selfie mode, tilting her head toward Su Yang with a bright smile. "Smile!"

Su Yang grinned and flashed a peace sign.

Click.

A photo of the two at 4,000 meters was captured.

Afterward, a crew member approached. "We’ve reached altitude—ready to jump."

Qiuqiu gave a thumbs-up and looked at Su Yang and Tang Ziyun.

"Time to jump. Who’s with me?"

"I’ll go with you," Su Yang said.

"Alright, then Zhizi will take the lady."

After double-checking their gear, Qiuqiu handed Su Yang a helmet and goggles.

She then secured herself to Su Yang with a tandem harness.

Meanwhile, Zhizi did the same with Tang Ziyun.

The helicopter hovered at 4,000 meters as the crew confirmed safety and opened the door.

A gust of high-altitude wind rushed into the cabin.

Tang Ziyun swallowed hard, her heart racing again.

Qiuqiu asked from behind Su Yang, "Who’s jumping first?"

"Me. I’ll set an example," Su Yang said, turning to Tang Ziyun with a thumbs-up.

"Don’t be scared! We’ll be down in no time. See you on the ground!"

Tang Ziyun forced a smile and nodded.

"Ready to jump."

"Got it!" Qiuqiu guided Su Yang to the edge of the helicopter.

Looking down at the dizzying height, Su Yang felt a twinge of fear.

"Stay calm after we jump. Keep your arms spread and don’t move around. Just follow my lead."

Su Yang took a deep breath and braced himself.

Qiuqiu gripped the doorframe, counted down from three, and pushed off—sending them both plunging into the open sky.

The rapid freefall brought a surge of weightlessness, but it quickly faded, replaced by an exhilarating rush of adrenaline.

Su Yang felt the world blur around him, the howling wind mixing with the pounding of his heart. An overwhelming thrill surged through him.

"Woo-hoo!!" he couldn’t help but shout.

Wind instantly filled his mouth, forcing him to shut it.

[Ding! Host’s first skydiving experience detected. Excitement and enjoyment confirmed. Reward: 3 million.]

Back in the cabin, Zhizi and Tang Ziyun moved to the edge.

After final instructions, Tang Ziyun wrestled with her fear before finally gritting her teeth and uttering a single word:

"Jump!"

Zhizi pushed off, and the two plummeted into the sky.