Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 251, 250: Arriving in San Francisco and Winning the Bet, Caribbean Pirate Treasure
At 5 a.m., the Xuanming seaplane, which had rested for two hours, took off again.

This flight also covered more than 3800 kilometers, and they arrived in San Francisco 18 hours later.

The final journey is often the most interesting.

Passengers perked up again, playing cards, sightseeing, chatting, or enjoying complimentary in-flight meals.

The reporter who had been suspected by Fang Wen also took the initiative to reveal his identity this time.

He took out his identification and found Wu Yingzong.

"Hello, I'm from the Party Affairs Investigation Department of the Nationalist Government, and I'm here to protect your general manager's safety. Obviously, there's no need for me to be here, and I've even been targeted by those two. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, I'd better take the initiative to explain."

The two men he was referring to were officers from the 19th Army. After the Majuro incident, the two men shifted their attention to the journalist's identity, which greatly annoyed him.

Wu Yingzong carefully examined the other party's identification documents, then picked up the landline phone and reported to Fang Wen.

"Understood. Regardless of whether it is true or not, continue monitoring." Fang Wen gave the instructions and then hung up.

The Party Affairs Investigation Section was established in 16 by Chen Yu, Chiang Kai-shek's sworn brother, and will be renamed the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) in the future.

Chen is also a secret major shareholder of Taishan Airlines' domestic company, holding 70% of its shares. Of course, he wouldn't allow Fang Wen, a business talent, to get into trouble when the company is developing rapidly.

Therefore, it is understandable that a special agent from the Party Affairs Investigation Department was sent to provide protection.

With the last suspect cleared up, this voyage can be considered a perfect ending.

No, that's not true.

It's such a pity that during the journey across Taipingya, I didn't receive any mysterious energy signals like those from the Four-Faced Golden Buddha, the amber cross, or the Shang Dynasty bronze artifacts.

Fang Wen then thought again, the Pacific Ocean is so vast, the plane only flies a single line, and the range of his ability to receive mysterious energy is not large, so he would have to be lucky to encounter it.

As he thought this, the regret in his heart faded.

The surprise appeared after flying more than 1000 kilometers, when they were still more than 2000 kilometers from the west coast of the United States.

The mysterious energy he suddenly received gave Fang Wen a jolt as he drove in his monotonous state.

where?
In his mechanical state, he focused intently on looking downwards.

On the boundless blue sea, there appears to be a small black dot.

From the perspective of receiving mysterious energy, Fang Wen felt that it was there, but the distance was too far to see clearly.

He steered the plane closer to the black dot, and as the distance decreased, he finally saw it.

It was a large, decaying sailing ship. The mast ropes were still there, but the sails were gone. The hull was covered with seaweed and barnacles.

That mysterious energy emanates from within it.

Fang Wen immediately thought of a maritime legend: "Ghost Ship"

Ghost ships, also known as phantom ships or ghost ships, refer to ships that mysteriously disappeared or sank at sea many years ago. When they are rediscovered years later, they are found to be empty, presenting a mysterious and eerie phenomenon.

The appearance of these ships is often accompanied by mysteries that cannot be explained by science, thus becoming part of maritime legends.

The Xuanming seaplane encountered a 'ghost ship', the two of which are equally similar in name.

Fang Wen didn't have time to explore the ghost ship right now, so he took out a sextant and recorded the latitude and longitude coordinates.

Presumably, an old seagoing vessel without sails wouldn't have gone too far. After the plane lands in San Francisco and the race is over, he will return to find it by following the coordinates.

Thinking it wasn't safe enough, Fang Wen took out his camera again, lowered the flight altitude, and captured the scene of the ghost ship as it passed by.

After doing all this, Fang Wen readjusted the course and continued flying towards San Francisco.

The sun shines brightly in San Francisco.

There were many people waiting at the seaside pier.

Among them were many local Chinese residents, all eager to see if the pilots from the East could defeat the Pan Am pilots and achieve the feat of becoming the first commercial airliner to cross the Pacific Ocean.

If we arrive today, then we've already won this match.

According to newspaper reports, Pan Am's plane encountered some minor problems in Guam and was waiting for mechanics to come and repair the engine malfunction.

In other words, as long as the Xuanming ship doesn't encounter any problems, they will win no matter what.

Of course, waiting to greet Fang Wen and his group at the harbor were other people, including gamblers who had bet on the Xuanming to win, newspaper reporters, race supervisors, and people sent by Pan Am.

As they waited, the sun grew increasingly intense, and everyone sought out shade.

Some people couldn't take it anymore and were preparing to leave.

Suddenly, a Chinese man saw a black dot getting closer and closer in the sky.

He shouted, "It's here! It must be the Xuanming!"

Following his directions, everyone looked over.

The black dot grew larger and larger; it was the Xuanming seaplane.

People cheered, some happy for the honor of their hometown, others delighted to have won their bets.

Under their watchful eyes, the plane slowly descended to the sea and then anchored.

Next, the flight crew and passengers boarded a boat together and went to the dock.

Reporters, who had been preparing for this for a long time, surrounded the passengers and crew and began interviewing them.

Fang Wen became the most popular person, and the most passengers wanted to interview him.

Faced with so many reporters and their excited expressions, Fang Wen was somewhat puzzled.

Lin Shuiwang, who was greeting him, whispered in his ear, "General Manager, it's all my fault. In order to make the bet with Pan Am, I told the media about your story. I originally wanted to elevate you and make Pan Am think highly of you, but I didn't expect them to be so interested in your story and even embellished it in their reports."

So that's how it is. No wonder.

Fang Wen didn't mind having this effect.

In the pre-internet era, newspapers were an important channel for people to learn about the world, and it was not a bad thing to promote oneself through newspapers.

Fang Wen understands the allure of traffic and influence better than anyone else in the world.

He accepted the effect readily and gave a public interview.

The reporters were delighted by the cooperative boss and began asking questions.

"Mr. Fang, what are your thoughts on this trans-Pacific flight?"

"I don't have many thoughts about it. For me, it's just a normal flight."

How long did it take you to get from Guangzhou to San Francisco?

"The impartial staff haven't reached a conclusion yet; I've calculated it as 91 hours, which is almost 4 days."

"You said it only took 4 days? As far as I know, it takes a month to travel from the United States to Asia by passenger ship. Does this mean that people can choose this more convenient way of traveling across the Pacific Ocean?"

"Yes, but there will be problems. For example, during this flight, the rapid movement of the plane across time zones caused jet lag, and many passengers experienced discomfort. Some also developed claustrophobia symptoms after staying on the plane for a long time. Therefore, Taishan Airlines will make adjustments when it officially opens for business." After Fang Wen answered several questions from the reporter, Lin Shuiwang came over and said, "General Manager, it's time to announce the competition results."

He then walked toward the temporary award stage set up at the dock.

Under the watchful eyes of reporters and spectators, a lawyer appointed by both parties announced the outcome.

"According to the telegram from Guangzhou, the Xuanming aircraft departed at 9:11 AM Eastern Time on November 4th, and after 92 hours, the landing time after calculating the time difference was 11:11 AM San Francisco Time on November 7th. Meanwhile, Pan Am's Chung Hwa Clipper aircraft had an accident in Guam, and Pan Am decided to withdraw from the competition, giving Taishan Airlines the victory."

This announcement made Pan Am's withdrawal somewhat dignified, and Fang Wen didn't say anything, accepting it gladly.

Next comes the moment when the bet will be fulfilled.

The president of Pan Am came over and shook hands with Fang Wen, saying in a low voice, "We can pay for three percent of the shares in cash, at a rate ten percent higher than the market price."

Fang Wen nodded and replied in a low voice, "Sure, but I have a request. Could I meet with your major shareholder?"

The president was surprised and shook his head: "No, your behavior is provocative to them, and I hope you won't do it."

"It has nothing to do with the aviation bet; it involves the interests of an archipelago nation and related business plans," Fang Wen quickly explained. If the Rockefeller and Wellington families were willing to join, their influence would ensure the Marshall Islands' affairs were settled.

Furthermore, once someone of this caliber enters the fray, the speed at which US-Japan relations break down will accelerate, which would be a great thing for China.

However, it was clear that an archipelago nation could not attract the interest of the two major conglomerates, and the president of Pan Am ultimately did not agree to pass on the message.

However, he left his contact number for private communication, since Fang Wen was such a young and promising person that he was willing to make friends.

After receiving the business card of the Pan Am president, the lawyers and finances of both parties then transferred the shares to US dollars. 3% of Pan Am shares were transferred for US$70, which is equivalent to the cost of 5 Xuanming ships, so it was worth it.

After the aviation bet ended, Taishan Airlines gave each of its passengers a return cruise ticket as a gesture of goodwill.

The passengers were willing to take the cruise back, and no disputes arose.

Next, Fang Wen planned to explore the mysterious ghost ship.

He asked John Harvey, the legal director of Taishan International, and Lin Shuiwang, the president, to stay behind for a discussion.

In the San Francisco hotel, Fang Wen placed several developed photos on the table and said to John Harvey and Lin Shuiwang, "Take a look at the photos."

The two picked up the photo and looked at it.

Lin Shuiwang said first, "This boat is quite old."

“It must be a 17th-century galleon,” John Harvey said.

"Where do you think I got these photos from?" Fang Wen asked with a smile.

Lin Shuiwang suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "No way, General Manager, you've encountered a ghost ship, and you still dare to take pictures of it?"

John Harvey was also startled: "Ghost ships are terrifying; I've heard these legends since I was a kid."

"I also think it's a ghost ship, but I want to find out its origin. Can you two help me look it up?"

The two accepted the request and went out.

Given their current status and social connections, doing this kind of thing is much simpler for them.

They eventually found the Department of Oceanography at San Francisco State University, which has a strong interest in sailing ships and the history of 17th-century maritime rivalry.

After a day of rest, Fang Wen, accompanied by Lin Shuiwang and John Harvey, went to the Department of Oceanography at the State University.

Fang Wen found a senior professor of sailing research in the Department of Oceanography and placed the photos directly in front of the professor.

"I want to know about the ship in the photo."

The professor took the photo, put on his glasses, and examined it carefully.

The more I looked, the more surprised I became.

"This is a 17th-century galleon, but it has been modified in a way that was common among Caribbean pirates to make the ship more stable during boarding maneuvers."

"Pirates of the Caribbean?"

Fang Wen was surprised. The Caribbean Sea is located at the junction of North and South America, and it was indeed a place where pirates roamed in the 17th century. He had even seen a movie with that title in the future.

At that time, because the Panama Canal had not yet been built, Caribbean pirates who wanted to reach the area they had discovered (the western Atlantic to the eastern Pacific) had to sail around to the southern tip of South America and then travel tens of thousands of miles upstream to get there.

Fang Wen felt that 17th-century pirates couldn't have done it, but the professor was adamant that it was a 17th-century ship.

To prove all this, the professor even brought up the history of Caribbean pirates in the 17th century.

With the discovery of the New World, European countries, in their struggle for colonies and wealth, encouraged private ships to engage in privateering to undermine their rivals' trade.

This policy support provided fertile ground for the rise of Caribbean pirates.

The Caribbean region, with its unique geographical location and climate, became an ideal hiding place and target for pirates.

As Caribbean pirates spiraled out of control, their targets diversified, evolving from the initial Spanish treasure fleets to transatlantic raids on Indian Ocean fleets and the triangular slave trade fleets.

These fleets typically carried large quantities of valuable cargo, making them prime targets for pirates. Pirates acquired wealth through raids and robberies, significantly impacting maritime trade at the time.

After acquiring a large amount of treasure, pirates would spend some of their wealth to modify their sailing ships in preparation for their next battle.

Their specially modified pirate ships were more aggressive and faster, becoming a nightmare for merchant fleets.

It wasn't until European countries realized that these pirates were affecting everyone's business that they dispatched more powerful national fleets to wipe them out.

But these pirates were cunning; even when they were killed, captured, or hanged, they never revealed the location of their treasures.

Therefore, the story of Caribbean pirate treasure has been passed down to this day.

There are many versions: Edward Teach's Blackbeard's treasure, Captain William Kidd's treasure, Bartholomew Roberts' treasure, and so on.

Later, the professor even concluded that this was the legendary pirate treasure ship that had never been found, and also the mysterious ghost ship.

He pleaded earnestly, "I know you must have discovered its true location. Please let me join this expedition. I don't want any reward or reward, just take me on board."

Fang Wen was pondering the professor's fervent behavior.

His only need for the ghost ship was the specific mysterious treasure inside; nothing else.

After all, the treasures looted by pirates in the 17th century were not only gold and silver, but also large quantities of spices, and even silk and ceramics.

Therefore, its actual value is not necessarily very high.

But judging from the professor's and John Harvey's performance, Fang Wen discovered another point.

That is, the legend of the Caribbean pirates has taken deep root in the minds of every child in the Americas, and even when they grow up, they are still very interested in the treasure of the Caribbean pirates.

This pleasure of exploring mysterious treasures exists widely across social classes, and perhaps serves other purposes as well.

He then told the professor to wait for news, returned to his hotel room, and then called the president of Pan Am.

Ask them to convey a message to the major shareholders, asking if they are interested in exploring the treasures and ghost ships of the Caribbean pirates.
At first, the president of Pan-American thought Fang Wen was joking, but after confirming it, he immediately relayed it to the major shareholder.

As Fang Wen had predicted, the two tycoon sons who were initially unwilling to meet him took the initiative to contact him.

(End of this chapter)