Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 28, Circumstances Create Heroes: An Interview at the Hangar
Rheinland NYP-2 returned to the skies above Nanjing Airport as the sun rose.

Although the air battle was intense and fierce, it only lasted forty minutes. Including the previous bombing, feints, and the round trip, it lasted for a little over three hours.

Therefore, it is only a little past eight o'clock now.

Fang Wen felt that his body was severely overdrawn, a consequence of overusing his mechanical senses.

With renewed vigor, he landed the plane smoothly on the airport runway. The moment the plane came to a complete stop, he finally collapsed in the cockpit.

The three people in the cabin were celebrating their safe return when they discovered that the cockpit was not responding.

Howard opened the cockpit door and saw Fang Wen lying unconscious. The three of them quickly carried Fang Wen out of the cockpit and hurriedly lifted him off the plane.

The returning pilots from the Guangdong Airlines team, who had originally come to celebrate with Fang Wen as a group, rushed over to help when they saw this scene. They worked together to lift the plane onto the car and transport it to a hospital in downtown NJ.

I was in a daze, feeling like I was in a strange place, but I couldn't open my eyes.

The strange, foul smell of disinfectant, the smell of sun-dried sheets, and the stinging pain on the back of my right hand all indicated that I had arrived at the hospital.

The physical exhaustion made Fang Wen realize that this ability was consuming his physical strength. It seems that he should maintain a habit of long-term physical exercise in order to improve his physical fitness and have more time to use his abilities.

He didn't know how long this state lasted, but he finally couldn't resist the overwhelming sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep.

Until light appeared in the darkness, the sunlight of the next day awakened him.

Those discomforts vanished, and my body returned to normal.

Fang Wen sat up in bed and found an IV needle inserted into the back of his right hand.

"He's awake. Go tell the doctor."

Fang Wen looked up and saw two nurses in white coats talking at the door.

One of them quickly left, while the other came in and inquired with concern.

"Are you ok?"

"I feel okay, can I be discharged now?" Fang Wen replied.

"No, we need to see the doctor first. He'll be here soon. I heard you came from the airport. There was a plane that went to Shanghai yesterday. Can you tell me what happened then?" The nurse changed the subject halfway through her sentence, which surprised Fang Wen. Had the news reached Nanjing in less than a day?
"I can't say, after all, it's a military operation," Fang Wen politely declined.

The nurse seemed a little disappointed but didn't ask any more questions. A short while later, another nurse came over with the doctor.

The doctor checked the pulse and asked.

What did you feel before you fainted?

"I was completely exhausted, with no strength left in my body," Fang Wen answered truthfully.

"what about now?"

"I'm all better now, and I don't feel any discomfort."

"Then get down and walk around."

The doctor asked the nurse to remove the IV.

Fang Wen walked around the ward twice and said, "I'm perfectly fine, just a little hungry."

The doctor smiled and said, "Hunger indicates that your body is returning to normal. It's probably a reaction after high-intensity exercise, and it's nothing to worry about."

"Can I leave now?" Fang Wen asked.

"Wait a minute, I'll call the airport and have them come pick you up."

After the doctor finished speaking, he left and asked the nurse to prepare some food for Fang Wen.

The nurses brought a metal box, and Fang Wen, who was really hungry, didn't care about anything else. Under the nurses' playful and attentive gaze, he finished the whole box of food.

After the meal, the people who came to pick up Fang Wen arrived.

He got into a car with two air force officers and left the hospital.

In the car, the officer told him something. "Fang Wen, you need to be prepared. The higher-ups have called and are planning to mold you into a national hero."

"Me! Why?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.
"Because you are the most suitable, you have no factional affiliation, you are not anyone's man, your identity is clean, you have excellent flying skills, and you are even being promoted by the people of Shanghai. According to the above, this is called a hero made by the times."

The officer's words left Fang Wen bewildered.

But what exactly happened?
The officer continued to explain.

Upon returning to the airport, Fang Wen finally understood the gist of it.

The incident began with a flight that night, during which leaflets were scattered all over Shanghai. Thanks to some underhanded tactics by Boss Yang, Fang Wen's name and a small advertisement for Boss Yang's printing shop were printed on the back.

It was this that made the people of SH City aware of a pilot named Fang Wen's patriotic act.

Even during wartime, these bourgeois citizens still gossiped about Fang Wen, seeking out more information about him.

But who would have thought that the next day, a fierce air battle would break out in the sky, and China would demonstrate its strength by destroying an enemy fighter jet and sinking a warship.

The Guangdong Air Force and Fang Wen were among those who participated in this aerial battle.

The Guangdong Air Force was not under the control of the Republic of China's central government air force. Relatively speaking, Fang Wen, a participant with no connection to the air force, was more suitable as a propaganda target.

Therefore, right after the air battle ended, several reporters from Chinese and foreign newspapers, as well as radio station personnel, suddenly appeared at the airport.

These people will conduct on-site interviews and reports on Fang Wen.

The car stopped outside the airport dormitory building.

The officer said sternly, "This is what I mean by 'circumstances create heroes.' Amidst the power struggles of all parties, you are the best choice. I hope you can cooperate with the publicity efforts. Now, please go and change your clothes. I will take you to the hangar to complete the interview."

"Can we not go?" Fang Wen asked.

"Given the current situation, the Japanese have superior ships and cannons, and they've even taken over the skies. Pessimism is starting to emerge among the people. This hard-won victory will be wasted if you don't cooperate," the officer explained earnestly.

"clear."

Fang Wen returned to his dormitory, found a clean civil aviation uniform to change into, and then went downstairs.

Downstairs, Howard, the machine gunner, and Pan Jiafeng were also there. They then walked towards a hangar at the airport, led by an officer.

There, it had been set up as a temporary interview room, where domestic and foreign reporters from various Shanghai newspapers, photographers, and radio hosts were all present.

At this moment, Fang Wen felt as if he had returned to modern times and participated in an entertainment variety show.

He, along with Howard, the machine gunner, and Pan Jiafeng, sat down in front of reporters and cameras for a posed photo session.

With flashing lights, after posing for photos as requested, the interview began.

A reporter asked, "Mr. Fang Wen, could you introduce yourself? I'd like to know your most authentic information."

"Yes, my name is Fang Wen. I am from Jiaxing, Zhejiang. I dropped out of school to join the army and was admitted to Nanyuan Aviation School. Later, I was selected to become a flight specialist for China Airlines, and I have been working there ever since."

The reporters gave brief self-introductions, writing them down in their notebooks with pens.

Another reporter asked, "As far as I know, your aerial piloting skills are outstanding. You have successfully completed nighttime reconnaissance flights, successfully dropped bombs from an airborne transport plane, and escaped the pursuit of Japanese warplanes under the watchful eyes of all of Shanghai. With such excellent abilities, why didn't you join the Air Force?"

This question is a bit challenging.

Fang Wen looked at the officer on the sidelines; the officer had a serious expression and was waving at him.

This is clearly a way of refusing to answer.

But that wouldn't be good. After thinking for a moment, Fang Wen replied, "No matter where we are, as descendants of Yan and Huang, all we need is a patriotic heart. What do you think?"

This answer made it impossible for the reporter, who had initially seemed a bit difficult, to press the issue further.

The questions became much more subdued, focusing more on interesting anecdotes from my time in civil aviation.

Then, the radio station began a live interview, which was the main event. The interview would be broadcast to Shanghai, not only to be heard by the public, but also to be known by the various countries in the concessions, and to let the Japanese army know the details of the air battle.

(End of this chapter)