Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 255, Section 254: Recapturing the Xuanming Ship, Operation Drugging, The Price of Saving Lives

Sure enough, something happened.

Fang Wen stood on the ghost ship's lookout tower, observing the distant situation through binoculars.

The expedition fleet consisted of seven ships.

This included three ocean-going cruise ships brought by the wealthy, an oil tanker, a freshwater ship, a supply ship, and a passenger ship for their entourage.

These ships were both symbols of status and guarantees of security, but now they have become a danger.

The supply ship caught fire.

The cruise ship that belonged to Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller also caught fire.

Bullet marks from the exchange of fire could still be seen in the flames, indicating that the two sides were still locked in a stalemate.

"Let's go down and circle around to the plane from the back," Fang Wen said.

Then, the group carefully climbed down the rope.

John Harvey, who was guarding below, breathed a sigh of relief: "Not long after you went up there, a fire broke out over there. I thought they would come over."

"We'll go around and get on the plane."

Fang Wen's words gave everyone direction, and they picked up their oars and began to row.

The small boat moved forward, passed the ghost ship, exited through another exit of the atoll, then turned right and quietly approached the plane anchored on the right-hand reef island.

As they drew closer, gunfire erupted, clearly indicating that neither side had ceased fire yet.

In the darkness, the small boat came within 300 meters of the seaplane, and the lights on the plane could be faintly seen.

There were actually people on the plane. Fang Wen immediately ordered the small boat to anchor near the reef island. Lin Shuiwang and Wu Yingzong, who were the best swimmers, volunteered to dive over and board the boat.

Fang Wen instructed, "Don't be reckless. Find out the situation first. If there are many people above, then we'll think of a solution."

The two nodded, took off their outer clothes, and dived into the water.

After a brief underwater swim, the two approached the seaplane and quietly peeked out from under the boat.

A lot of noise came from the engine room above the ship, indicating that there were quite a few people there.

There were also armed guards standing watch at the cabin door.

After a while, Lin Shuiwang and Wu Yingzong returned to report on the situation.

"They're bad guys. They said there's no plane, so nobody can escape."

Fang Wen nodded. He was right. Someone wanted to take advantage of this adventure to kidnap four wealthy people.

He recalled that Sun Debiao had done something similar before, and he guessed that the wealthy people had long had their people planted around them for this purpose, and this expedition gave them the opportunity to make their move.

We absolutely must get the plane back; as for the people, we'll save them if we can.

However, the current situation is somewhat difficult, as the middle hatch has been secured.

Access is only possible through the maintenance hatch in the mooring compartment.

The maintenance access in the mooring compartment is specially designed to deal with situations where the anchor or chain gets stuck.

Even if you go up from there, you'll be the focal point of the view from the back cabin, making it impossible to deal with the people inside the cabin.

Oh, right, there's another entrance, which is Fang Wen's cockpit.

For security reasons, the place is locked from the inside out, and only Fang Wen has the key.

Going down from there will take you to a small compartment between the rear cabin and the hot water room; from that angle, no one else can see you.

Fang Wen explained the situation to everyone and then offered suggestions.

"I think we can enter from both the cockpit and the mooring bay at the same time, attacking from both sides. They definitely won't be able to handle that."

This is a good tactical plan, and Fang Wen plans to implement it if no one objects.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Wanping spoke up: "General Manager, I have a better idea."

"Oh, go ahead and tell me." Fang Wen didn't feel humiliated by this. People from the future don't care about saving face. He was just trying to see if there was anything better, so he was really looking forward to Zhao Wanping's suggestion.

Despite not being good at speaking, Zhao Wanping explained her plan with encouragement from her husband.

"General Manager, a pincer attack is indeed effective, but what if stray bullets damage the aircraft? I think using some underhanded tactics would be better. For example, I could use a sedative to knock them out."

Fang Wen couldn't help but be moved.

As the designer and builder of the Xuanming, he knew his aircraft inside and out.

Airplanes need to be well-sealed when flying at high altitudes, but passengers also need to breathe.

Therefore, airplanes also need an air circulation system.

The Xuanming uses pressurized air drawn from the engine compressor outlet as its air supply source. This method is simple, reliable, and has been widely used.

Its air intake is located at the connection between the propeller and the engine, and there are two at the connection between the left and right propellers and the engine.

The skin there also has a maintenance port, which is used to quickly remove the skin after the aircraft engine and propeller have failed.

After removing this layer of skin, you can see those honeycomb-shaped air intakes.

The air vents are located at both ends of the wings, and in order to ensure the air quality inside the cockpit, the air vents are unidirectional.

So, as long as you block the air intakes on both sides of the wing and then pour in smoke, you can take care of those guys inside the plane.

Fang Wen then explained the entire plan and arranged the action.

The operation began, and everyone acted according to Fang Wen's instructions.

Lin Shuiwang was in charge of surveillance.

Wu Yingzong was responsible for infiltrating through the cockpit, then retrieving the sedatives, nozzles, and aircraft repair tools from the rear storage compartment.

Zhao Wanping was in charge of manufacturing and dispensing the medicine.

Fang Wen was responsible for opening the plane and pointing out the specific location and providing operational suggestions to Zhao Wanping.

As for the others, they stayed behind and waited.

Watching the four dive past, Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller remarked with some emotion, "His life was truly colorful; I wish I could be like him."

John Harvey, however, was quite self-aware: "Those whom God favors are always different from others, just as most dreams will not come true."

“But you were also blessed by God because of that, weren’t you? Your life would have been different without him,” Elizabeth Catherine Rockefeller replied.

John Harvey was stunned by these words.

Without Fang Wen, he would probably be a well-known lawyer in New York, but now he is a shareholder and director of a listed company, and his life has indeed changed dramatically.

They were indeed blessed by chance!

He gazed thoughtfully at the distant sea reflecting the moonlight.

At this moment, Fang Wen and his three companions also arrived outside the plane.

Wu Yingzong used his skill to throw the grappling hook into the angle between the wings, and then climbed up in one breath.

He went up to the wing, tiptoed to the center, climbed down, and went to the cockpit in the middle of the fuselage.

There was an emergency lock outside the cockpit to prevent the hatch from being unable to open in case of an accident. Wu Yingzong used the key to the emergency lock to open the cockpit hatch and then nimbly crawled inside.

He carefully opened the lower passageway of the cockpit. The passageway was open, but he did not rush down. Instead, he listened to the situation below.

Once he found no problems, Wu Yingzong concealed blades in his hands and quickly slid down the vertical ladder.

As soon as he came down, he prepared to take action, then carefully peeked out before rushing into the rear cabin, opening and closing the door in a matter of seconds.

Upon entering the rear cabin, he quickly rummaged through the area, tying Zhao Wanping's medicine bag and Fang Wen's repair tools to his body, and then waited.

Outside, in the hot water room, two thugs with guns were chatting and laughing, each making a bowl of instant noodles.

A few minutes later, the two took their instant noodle bowls and turned to leave. Only after leaving the hot water room did Wu Yingzong nimbly emerge from the rear cabin and quickly climb out of the plane.

Having obtained the goods, he climbed onto the wing and waved down.

Then Zhao Wanping and Fang Wen climbed down the rope.

Fang Wen took Wu Yingzong's toolbox and began working.

He knew the aircraft's data perfectly well in his mind, and didn't even need to look for it; he simply used a special rivet screwdriver to open the maintenance hole.

Both maintenance holes were opened. Fang Wen plugged one of them and then explained to Zhao Wanping.

"These are honeycomb holes. There's no engine to assist with air intake. What are you going to do?"

"The blowpipes and sleeping potions of our ancestors."

When it comes to her family's unique skills, Zhao Wanping is very confident.

He carefully placed the powder into the blowpipe and then kept blowing into it.

Odorless powder was continuously blown into the cabin through the air duct.

Unbeknownst to them, this dust had already permeated the air inside the cabin.

Some people fell asleep in bed without realizing it, some slumped over their desks, and some patrolling soldiers slowed their pace and leaned against the wall without realizing it.

On the plane, Zhao Wanping silently counted to ten.

"fall."

The last armed robber collapsed onto the bed.

The drug worked so well that Fang Wen became very interested in using it in actual combat.

Although it cannot be used in open areas, it can be surprisingly effective in certain environments. Taishan Aviation's private army is mainly focused on special operations, so the more equipment in this area, the better.

He cleared his mind and gestured downwards.

The four men covered their mouths and noses with damp towels and carefully entered the plane from the front and back.

Looking at the thugs staggering about, Lin Shuiwang couldn't help but count: "One, two, good heavens, eight people have been drugged. If we really fight, we might not be able to win."

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and help tie them up, lest they wake up halfway through," Fang Wen said with a smile.

After dealing with the bandits on the plane, a small boat from the reef island, having received the notification, also sailed over.

Now, the seaplane has become a temporary base.

Fang Wen analyzed the current situation.

"We're not clear about the situation there yet; we need to send someone over to contact them."

This time, Lin Shuiwang took the initiative to take on the task again. He was the best swimmer in the sea, so it was the perfect opportunity to show off.

Immediately, he jumped into the sea and swam towards two luxury cruise ships on the other side of the atoll.

In the water, he saw three wealthy men on a cruise ship, hiding at the back, while another cruise ship stood in front, exchanging fire with the enemy.

Seeing this, Lin Shuiwang dared not show himself or board the ship rashly, lest he be accidentally injured by the highly tense bodyguards.

He waited for a while, until the bodyguards left, before he finally showed himself.

"Don't shoot, it's me."

The three tycoons, startled, quickly stepped back, but then reacted and stepped forward to ask in surprise.

"It's so good that you're back."

Lin Shuiwang was pulled up, and the two sides exchanged information about what they knew. Then Lin Shuiwang went underwater to report.

On the seaplane, Fang Wen was considering how to deal with the drugged hijackers.

This matter originally had nothing to do with him, but killing them would only dirty his hands.

He then asked Elizabeth Catherine Rockefeller, who was standing nearby, "These people are for sale to you, $1 each, do with them as you please."

“Okay.” Elizabeth Catherine Rockefeller actually wrote a check, then ordered her two attendants with a look of disgust to throw the still unconscious bandits into the sea.

Bubbles rose from the seabed, and the lives of these eight bandits ended with a $100,000 fine.

At this moment, Lin Shuiwang also emerged from underwater and was pulled onto the floating platform by Wu Yingzong.

“General Manager, I’ve figured out the situation over there. It was the people on the supply ship who caused this. There were twenty kidnappers on board, plus five crew members in disguise, making a total of twenty-five. Because of your warning, the bodyguards suddenly moved in, but they didn’t wipe them all out. Ten of them ran to the sailors’ ship, and the others should be the ones who hijacked our plane,” Lin Shuiwang asked.

After a pause, Lin Shuiwang said, "They said that as long as you kill those robbers or rescue them, you will be rewarded handsomely."

"What can they give me?" Fang Wen asked calmly.

Having built such a large company as Taishan Airlines, he has come to understand more and more that no matter how rich or powerful a person is, they are not omnipotent. This world is complex and ever-changing, and there is always something that can subdue something else.

Now that the scions of the two major conglomerate families have been caught in a trap, how could I possibly let go of such a good opportunity for a deal?

At this moment, Elizabeth Katherine Rockefeller spoke up: "Why don't you let them come over? I think it's safer here."

That's true. If an accident happens and those three tycoons die here, all the transactions will be lost.

Immediately, Fang Wen instructed Lin Shuiwang and Wu Yingzong to row across.

After a while, the three wealthy men returned, looking quite disheveled, without even bodyguards with them.

"What happened?" Fang Wen asked.

Lin Shuiwang replied, "Those kidnappers also occupied the freshwater boat, which was their only source of food and fresh water. Some of the bodyguards escaped on their boats, while the rest stayed on board to hold them off."

Seeing this, Fang Wen realized that these wealthy people's last resort had become himself, and his mind immediately became active.

Although the Rockefeller and Wellington families were powerful, they could not control the entire family business. If they made exorbitant demands, even if the other party agreed, it would be of little use.

With a quick thought, Fang Wen made a decision.

(Atoll)

He invited the four to sit down in the hot water room and said slowly, “I am a man with dreams, but the process of realizing dreams always requires the help of some benefactors. For example, Standard Oil’s export quota in the Persian Gulf, and more Pratt & Whitney engines. If you are willing, I will remember your help and lead you out of this hardship.”

These two requests were neither too high nor too low; they were exactly what the wealthy could handle, and also what Fang Wen needed.

They responded after a brief discussion.

"My sister and I can only decide on an export quota of 30 tons. Is that okay?"

"Pratt & Whitney will add 200 engines at a 30% discount."

Fang Wen smiled, but inside he was overjoyed.

The Taishan joint venture refinery only had an annual crude oil quota of 100,000 tons, including those from Myanmar and the Persian Gulf. Now, it has suddenly increased to 300,000 tons. This is fantastic; the current refinery capacity needs to be increased. And the 200 Pratt & Whitney engines, still at a 30% discount, also significantly enhance Taishan Aviation's aircraft manufacturing potential.

He said, "Alright, let's go now."

“Wait a minute.” Elizabeth Catherine Rockefeller whispered to her three partners, and after obtaining their consent, she asked, “I know you are a very capable person. Could you help us get rid of those kidnappers? We’re willing to add another ten percent.”

Fang Wen did not agree. He felt that increasing the profit by 10% was not worth the risk. As long as these people were sent back, he would make a profit.

But he didn't expect the other party to keep raising the price.

They kept increasing the price by 30%, but the four tycoons couldn't raise it any further.

Fang Wen smiled.

"Row."

(End of this chapter)