Chapter 269 Rivalry on the Tarmac
Ruby nodded. “Right, let’s go.”
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Watching Ruby hurry inside, Naomi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ruby hadn’t picked up on her private thoughts.
Soon, the group had assembled on the training field.
Seeing Naomi and Ruby arrive, Arabella’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Why are you two here? This area is restricted to students who’ve advanced to phase three training,” Lucas said, his tone carrying a note of displeasure.
“Actually, they’ve been cleared for phase three as of today,” Kyle interjected as he walked over, having overheard.
“They passed the assessment already?” Lucas asked, surprised.
“Yeah, they’ve been putting in extra hours this past week and passed the retest yesterday,” Kyle explained.
Arabella understood now. So that was why Naomi had been coming home late–she’d been cramming for a reassessment.
‘Hmph, don’t think you’re the only one who can pass.” Ruby shot a challenging look at Arabella.
“Are you proud of passing a retest?” Arabella said coolly. “Only someone incompetent would have failed the first time.”
“Who are you calling incompetent?” Ruby’s face flushed with anger.
Arabella raised an eyebrow. “Whoever feels addressed.”
“Arabella!” Ruby gritted her teeth, “Don’t go too far!”
“This is a training facility. Keep it professional,” Lucas said, his annoyance evident.
Ruby wasn’t having it. “I’m not the only one talking. Why are you only correcting me?”
“Because you’re being the loudest and the rudest,” Lucas stated bluntly.
“She just called me incompetent! Why aren’t you saying anything to her?” He was still taking Arabella’s side!
Calmly, Lucas replied, “She didn’t name you. You identified yourself.”
“You-!” Ruby was shaking with anger.
“Alright, everyone, let’s just begin the session,” Kyle interjected, feeling a headache coming on as he tried to defuse the situation.
Lucas turned to Arabella. “Let’s go. We’ll board first and get you familiar with the cockpit layout.”
“Okay,” Arabella agreed and moved to follow him.
“Wait!” Ruby called after them.
Lucas frowned, irritated. “If you’re not here to train, you’re welcome to leave. Don’t waste everyone’s time.”
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11:43 am DDD
Chapter 269 Rivalry on the Tarmac
“Who says I’m not here to train?” Ruby shot back. “I want you to instruct me.”
“You want me to instruct you?” Lucas almost laughed at the absurdity. He had no such intention.
“That’s right. Doesn’t this program allow for specific instructor requests? I’m requesting you,” Ruby declared haughtily.
Lucas gave her a dismissive glance. “Request denied.”
With that, he led Arabella toward the aircraft.
Who did she think she was? The idea that he would agree was ridiculous.
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“Hey! Don’t you think I’ll report you to the administration? I’ll make sure you lose your instructor position!” Ruby threatened.
“You’ll be waiting for your own dismissal paperwork,” Lucas retorted without looking back, completely ignoring her. Was she out of
her mind?
Ruby stood frozen, stunned by his words. What did he mean?
“You should be careful. Lucas is the lead instructor here and isn’t part of the standard student assignment pool. If you want to avoid expulsion, don’t provoke him again. He really does have the authority to recommend removal,” Kyle advised quietly, trying to be helpful.
“Ex… expulsion?” Ruby was dumbfounded, a wave of panic rising within her. She knew Kyle had no reason to lie. She couldn’t actually threaten Lucas; she was the one at risk of being kicked out of the academy and utterly humiliated.
“Kyle, Ruby just admires Lucas‘ skills. If it’s not possible, we can certainly work with another instructor.” Naomi quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“I think Lucas was just upset in the moment. As long as you don’t provoke him further, he likely won’t pursue it,” Kyle reassured them. “Let’s focus on starting your training now.”
“Alright, thank you, Kyle.” Naomi then turned to Ruby. “Why don’t you train with Kyle?”
“Naomi, you said you wanted to work hard to catch up to Arabella. Besides Lucas, Kyle is the most qualified here. You should be the one training with Kyle,” Ruby said, her earlier arrogance gone, replaced by a glimmer of sense.
“Then I’ll go with Kyle. You should focus on your training too,” Naomi said, not pushing the point further. Truthfully, her earlier offer had been mere politeness. It was just as well Ruby hadn’t taken her up on it.
Watching Naomi follow Kyle, Ruby selected another available instructor and began her own session.
Phase three involved dedicated one–on–one instruction, with each student assigned a trainer
Soon, three helicopters lifted into the sky one after another….
“How is she flying that steadily already?” Ruby muttered, her attention fixed on Arabella’s distant helicopter.
Distracted, she failed to notice her own aircraft beginning to drift and tilt.
“Eyes on your controls! Are you trying to crash?” her instructor barked, voice tense. He’d never seen a student handle the cyclic so carelessly.
Startled, Ruby overcorrected, jerking the helicopter before finally stabilizing it and initiating a slow, unsteady descent.
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1:43 am DDD
Chapter 269 Rivalry on the Tarmac
No, she needed to stop. Her hands were trembling, and her legs felt weak.
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“That’s enough for today. You’re not focused. We’re ending the session now,” the instructor said firmly, his own nerves still rattled by the sudden loss of control.