Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 438-434 Little Rock City Gang Cooperation: Acquisition of Individual Rocket Launcher Technology

Fang Wen and Bai Yunfei returned to their hotel room, while Gong Xiuneng stood guard outside the door.

He took out his leather handbag.

This is a soft cowhide handbag that he had specially made for him by a leather craftsman.

The handbag is only about two palm widths wide, about the size of a future tablet computer.

It doesn't look like it can hold much.

Fang Wen unzipped the zipper and showed it to Bai Yunfei.

He reached into his handbag and slipped his index finger into a clasp that looked like an ornament.

"The miniature telegraph machine is inside. Instead of a traditional telegraph button, it uses a ring. You put your finger into the ring and press it gently, and it works just like a telegraph button."

After watching Fang Wen demonstrate how to send a telegram, Bai Yunfei couldn't help but ask, "How far can it transmit? Where does the electricity come from?"

Fang Wen explained, “All the equipment is in the bag, including a ring-shaped telegraph button, below which is a miniature telegraph device, powered by a single dry cell battery used in flashlights. The transmission range is 2000 meters. As long as there is a radio receiver within 2000 meters, the information transmitted by this pocket-sized telegraph device can be obtained.”

After listening to Fang Wen's introduction, Bai Yunfei envisioned the application scenarios for this special agent equipment.

If our comrades infiltrated behind enemy lines or even inside enemy territory had this equipment, they could transmit the intelligence they had gathered in a timely manner. Moreover, because this equipment is very small, it can be hidden in personal belongings and will not attract the enemy's attention.

In that case, our comrades working behind enemy lines would be much safer, no longer needing to risk going out to meet with the organization, and able to better infiltrate and gather intelligence.

"How much of this equipment is there?" he asked.

"Currently, I only have one set, which I use myself, and I haven't made a matching receiver. I will improve it when I get back."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he took out a fountain pen from his bag.

"This is a pen gun."

Fang Wen held up a fountain pen and demonstrated it to Bai Yunfei.

He removed the pen cap, and inside was a flat-nosed pistol bullet.

After putting the pen cap back on, Fang Wen twisted the pen tip to remove it.

He explained, "When firing, remove the pen tip, aim at the target, and it has an effective range of 20 meters. The trigger is the cap handle of the pen; simply pull it."

This small assassination tool was a hobby project that Fang Wen made some time ago while developing a grenade launcher.

Although it may seem simple and only allows for one launch opportunity, it can play a crucial role in certain special situations.

At this point, Fang Wen said, "These two pieces of equipment are what I brought to the United States. There are also radio detection equipment and listening equipment, which I can show you after we get back. How about it, are these things alright?"

Bai Yunfei said excitedly, "That's great. These are all very useful items. I look forward to seeing this equipment on the battlefield."

"I'll arrange production once I get back."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Gong Xiuneng said from outside, "Commander, those gangsters are here."

Fang Wen immediately put away the pen gun and went to open the door.

Big Jack came in alone.

“My men found Skod at the Lumberyard Bar last night. There’s an underground casino there, run by a local gang. He went in and played for two hours last night.”

"You mean he'll be there today too?" Fang Wen asked.

“He’s already gone. He obviously lost a lot at the underground casino yesterday and wants to win it back today.” Big Jack’s expression was full of contempt.

Fang Wen saw this and immediately asked, "Was he tricked into losing money yesterday?"

"No, they're playing a very simple poker game here, it's all about luck. Even with this simple game, Skod lost $300 last night. I don't think he's suited to playing cards, he'll still lose today."

After hearing what Big Jack said, Fang Wen had an idea.

It is said that gamblers are the most irrational people, and their addiction to gambling is the best opportunity to get close to them.

The logging camp bar is located on the roadside, 600 meters from the hot spring hotel.

Those who go there are all tourists who have listened to the hotel staff and locals who say it's the best entertainment venue in the hot spring area.

Several Boeing engineers and Fang Wen and his team arrived here together.

The arrival of the twenty people immediately attracted the attention of the locals inside the bar.

I'd only had one drink when someone came over and started introducing the bar's unique features.

"Gentlemen, would you be interested in playing in the back? There are exciting gambling games there, and perhaps some of you will be lucky enough to win big money."

The Boeing engineers looked like they wanted to go but were too afraid, and in the end, none of them went with the broker.

Fang Wenze stood up abruptly: "I've always had good luck, maybe I can win a lot of money today."

He, Bai Yunfei, and Gong Xiuneng followed the broker toward the back door of the bar. Zhao Junping wanted to follow, but the soldiers pulled him back, saying that children shouldn't go to places like that.

Passing through the neon-lit corridor behind the bar, Fang Wen and his companions entered another bustling world.

Several tables here are where gambling is taking place.

They only have one type of gambling game, which is also the one played all over the United States.

Five Card Draw.

The Chinese translation is "five-card draw" or "American-style all-in".

The rules are simple: each player is dealt five face-down cards, and players can decide whether to exchange cards and how many to exchange (maximum five cards), or they can choose not to exchange or fold.

After the player who wanted to exchange cards has done so, they and the player who didn't exchange cards will each turn over their five cards to compare their values.

No wonder it's called a game of luck; no one even turns over their cards, and the outcome is entirely determined by luck.

That's why people who come here feel it's fair, which is why a large number of people gather to participate.

Fang Wen walked past each gambling table, searching for Sked.

At the fifth table, he saw Skod playing cards.

He then walked over and observed silently.

My luck doesn't seem to be good today either.

Skode lost another $2.

The loss of five hundred dollars was very difficult for him to accept.

It's supposed to be a game of luck, but he keeps losing no matter what he does.

Five hundred dollars in this era is equivalent to ten thousand dollars in the future.

Even he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

In addition, he had a sense of wishful thinking, believing that his luck wouldn't stay this bad forever.

Clearly, Skode's judgment was wrong again.

In the following hands, no matter how he chooses to change his cards or does nothing and just reveals his cards, his hand will always be smaller than his opponent's.

Gradually, he lost all the cash he had brought.

He only had twenty-five dollars' worth of chips left.

At that moment, an Asian man sat down next to him.

"I think your luck will improve, I'm betting on you to win this time."

A hundred dollars' worth of chips were placed on Skode's position.

Skord's bad luck was noticed by the gamblers; no one bet on him to win, and nobody came to play at his table either. He was the only one playing against the casino's dealer.

It was rare to find someone who believed in him, and Skod was thrilled, so he pushed out twenty dollars in chips.

The dealer starts dealing the cards.

After some hesitation, Skord swapped his second card.

Then everyone revealed their cards. His hand consisted of a pair of 9s, meaning he could only win against pairs or miscellaneous hands that were less than 9.

But his dealer was bigger than him.

Immediately, the dealer pushed away the $120 chips.

Skode looked helplessly at the Chinese man next to him: "Sorry, I'm just unlucky."

Fang Wen chuckled inwardly.

When Skord switched cards, he used his X-ray vision to look at the hole cards.

He had a winning hand with three 9s, but he managed to take one of them.

Luck is unpredictable.

However, this also gave him an opportunity.

Seeing that Skod was about to get up and leave, Fang Wen said, "You haven't finished losing yet." Skod looked at the five-dollar chip tucked between the cracks in the table and said helplessly, "Only five dollars. I don't have a chance today."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "How about we make a bet? I bet you'll have good luck next time. Use this five dollars to win back all the money you've lost. If you do it, you'll give me a share. If you don't, you'll just lose this five dollars."

Skord hesitated, realizing that this strange bet was completely risk-free for him, costing only five dollars.

He immediately agreed.

This time, however, he didn't take the lead. Instead, he switched places with Fang Wen, and Fang Wen sat in the player's seat.

After settling in, Fang Wen tossed out five dollars in chips to start the next round.

This was the minimum bet, and the dealer couldn't help but glance at Fang Wen.

The cards have been dealt.

The card selection process begins.

Fang Wen, having activated his X-ray vision, looked at his own cards and the dealer's cards.

I have a mixed hand of A, J, 10, 9, and 8.

The dealer exchanges three cards, and their hand consists of a pair of Kings.

In other words, you must be bigger than a pair of k to win.

He pointed to the second card on his left and tapped it; the dealer then took it away.

Then, both sides revealed their cards.

The dealer has a pair of K.

Fang Wen was faced with a straight flush of Q, J, 10, 9, 8.

Won!

This was the first time Skod had won a hand in this position, and he shouted with excitement.

This attracted the attention of people nearby, who then realized he had only won five dollars and looked down on him.

"Am I right? Our luck is starting to improve," Fang Wen said with a smile. Skod nodded vigorously, placing all his hopes for the night on Fang Wen.

The second one.

Fang Wen stroked his chin, without changing any of the cards.

As a result, the Ace of Spades, a miscellaneous card, captured the opponent's miscellaneous card.

From then on, it was unstoppable; five dollars became ten dollars, and ten dollars became twenty dollars.
By the seventh round, the chips in front of him had grown to $720.

The dealer's expression became somewhat unnatural.

It's not that he won too many times, but rather that such a winning streak is too rare.

It's even rarer than the kind of bad luck that Skord experienced, where he suffered a losing streak.

In this situation, Fang Wen looked at Skode.

"Are you still playing?"

The decision was left to Skode, who hesitated.

If you continue playing, $720 can become $1440, or even more.

Even if you don't play, it would be a good outcome to keep half and give the other half to this Asian.

He eventually chose to stop.

Afterwards, Skord and Fang Wen exchanged a bunch of small chips for banknotes. He counted out a portion of them and handed them to Fang Wen.

"Thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be able to recover these losses. How about we go out for a drink?"

“Okay,” Fang Wen readily agreed.

The two went to a bar outside, each ordered a beer, and sat on bar stools to chat.

"Hello, my name is Skode, and I work at a research institute in the central region."

"My name is Fang Qiang, and I come from China."

Skod took a big gulp of beer. "I heard there's a war going on over there?"

"Yes. It's going to be tough, but we'll definitely win," Fang Wen replied.

The two clinked glasses.

"To win money tonight."

"For victory."

One glass after another, Skod gradually became more talkative.

He proactively revealed his lieutenant colonel status and stated that he was currently in charge of a military research project.

Under Fang Wen's deliberate prompting, he revealed his frustrations at work.

"This project was originally designed to compete with the German Mauser T-Giver M1918 anti-tank rifle, which was from Germany during World War I. The army believed that rocket technology could be used to create a better anti-tank weapon. I took over the project, but the development progress has been very slow."

"What went wrong?" Fang Wen asked.

"Huh?" Skord, however, became alert and shut up, taking out a banknote and handing it to the bartender to pay the bill. "Sorry, that's all for tonight. I have to go home."

After he finished speaking, he left the bar alone.

As soon as he left, Big Jack came over.

"How about it?"

"He was very wary; he left before I could even propose a deal. If it were you, how would you get him to agree to a deal?"

“Use our Little Rock method, but I want Tarzan Amusement Park to partner with me to establish an entertainment company here.”

Big Jack looked at Fang Wen excitedly, waiting for a reply.

Fang Wen took a sip of beer. "Okay, but Taishan Amusement Park cannot get involved in the local underground casino business, and it cannot affect the image of the listed parent company."

"Okay, give me two days, he'll agree."

Two days were all it took to get Skord to agree to the deal.

The method is not complicated.

Although Skord won back some money through Fang Wen, he was still not satisfied.

He then went to the lumberyard bar.

This time, because of Big Jack's intervention, he lost even more miserably.

Not only did he lose the money he won back, he also borrowed a large sum of money from the casino.

The amount was so large that Skod was unable to repay it.

Only at this moment did he realize that he had been deceived.

But the debt is already a fact, and if he can't pay it back, not only his job but also his family will be affected.

Later, in the coffee shop of the hot spring hotel, he was brought to Fang Wen by Big Jack's men.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, he immediately understood.

"It's you!"

"It's me. We can talk now." Fang Wen smiled and placed a promissory note on the table.

"what do you want?"

"All information regarding your individual rocket technology."

Upon hearing Fang Wen's request, Skord visibly relaxed.

“This technology has many problems, and we’ve been stuck for a long time without making any progress. If I give it to you, I must guarantee that those gangs will stop bothering me.”

Clearly, the technological bottleneck of the man-portable rocket launcher has not yet been overcome, leaving researchers with no hope.

But Fang Wen knew that this technology would emerge in Europe after the outbreak of World War II and become a powerful tool for the United States in its foreign military sales.

He agreed to Skode's request without hesitation.

Skode then ended his vacation with his family and returned to his home in the central region.

Fang Wenze went to Las Vegas to meet his parents, brother, and father-in-law's family.

For the next week, Fang Wen waited in Las Vegas.

Several days later, Big Jack's men arrived in Las Vegas with a mail package.

(End of this chapter)