She made a minute adjustment to the controls, and Jin Boyuan felt the aircraft respond like a living thing, shifting its weight, finding its balance. The machine seemed to hover on the edge of flight, every system perfectly balanced, waiting for the command to break free from the earth.
Zhou Yuxi took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the instruments, then smoothly pulled up on the collective.
The helicopter lifted off the ground.
It wasn't jerky or uncertain. It wasn't the tentative liftoff of a nervous student pilot. It was smooth, controlled, utterly professional. The aircraft rose vertically, maintaining perfect stability as they climbed steadily upward. At about ten feet, Zhou Yuxi held position, the helicopter hovering rock-steady as she made micro-adjustments with both hands and feet, demonstrating complete mastery of the complex machine.
