Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 514 Returning to the Extraordinary State in Combat, Zero Fighter, Office Encounter, and the Forgotten Ghost Ship Treasure

The Japanese naval fleet below has entered combat readiness.

The Type 89 127mm twin anti-aircraft gun fired a series of shells into the sky, exploding into dark clouds.

On the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Fengxiang, Japanese aviators boarded their planes urgently, preparing for takeoff and combat.

All of this was caused by Fang Wen's harassment in the Qinyuan.

It wasn't that the fleet was making a mountain out of a molehill, but rather that Fang Wen had previously caused a similar disturbance single-handedly aboard the Qinyuan, resulting in damage to several aircraft on the flight deck of the Fengxiang, yet he escaped unscathed.

This was an utter disgrace to the Japanese Navy, so upon discovering that Fang Wen was returning in the Qinyuan, they immediately went into battle mode.

Fang Wen was prepared for this and activated his supernatural abilities at full power.

With the injection of a large amount of energy, that long-lost extraordinary state returned.

The powerful mental energy, penetrating the physical body, could actually affect everything in the cockpit.

Those loose, unattached objects floated up under the influence of the released spiritual energy, hovering in the air around Fang Wen.

With a thought, Fang Wen made the floating objects around him fall down, allowing him to focus on controlling the aircraft in combat.

In this extraordinary state, his sensory sensitivity and efficiency increased by at least two times.

Used in combat, it can take on ten or even more opponents at once.

Used to pilot fighter jets, yet capable of facing an entire naval fleet.

Everything is under control.

The firing angle of every anti-aircraft gun, the aircraft on the flight deck, and the little people running around are all being perceived.

The overloaded brain quickly calculated the firing trajectory of the anti-aircraft guns below, and immediately made adjustments to control the aircraft to deviate from the anti-aircraft gun firing range.

A Chinese fighter jet, facing an entire Japanese naval fleet, not only did not retreat, but flew safely under the barrage of anti-aircraft fire.

It seemed as if the goddess of fortune had blessed it, remaining unaffected no matter how fierce the anti-aircraft fire below.

The Japanese captains roared, but they were powerless against the Qinyuan.

If anti-aircraft guns are ineffective, then the only option is to send out fighter jets to engage them.

Immediately, the anti-aircraft fire ceased.

Type 97 fighter jets took off one after another from the flight deck of the Fengxiang, heading towards the Qinyuan high in the sky.

Fang Wen pushed the throttle valve, and the improved Sierra engine of the Qinyuan fighter jet roared sharply, sending the aircraft soaring southeast like an arrow.

He wasn't trying to escape; he was luring enemy planes to chase him.

Even if one possesses superpowers, one should not engage in such reckless behavior as fighting over enemy warships.

The seven fighter jets caught up and, with their high-speed pursuit, gradually left the fleet behind.

At this moment, Fang Wencai began to act. The plane suddenly flipped and quickly changed its flight direction with a high-angle "roll" maneuver.

The seven enemy planes suddenly lost their target and were still in shock, completely unaware that the Qinyuan had changed course by rolling and had come up behind them.

(Type 97 fighter plane and Japanese fleet)
In his superhuman state, Fang Wen quickly straightened the aircraft and aimed at the enemy plane ahead.

Two 20mm cannons fired deadly shots, hitting the middle Type 97 fighter.

The remaining six planes quickly spread out, attempting to encircle Fang Wen from behind.

At this moment, Fang Wen discovered through radar detection that the transport fleet had already flown 180 kilometers away, a distance from which the Japanese warplanes could no longer catch up.

Instead of continuing the fight, he took the initiative to fly his fighter jet to the coastline and disengage from the battle.

If he were to leave, the Type 97 fighter jet would be completely unable to catch up with the Chinyuan at its true speed.

After a fruitless chase, the six Type 6 fighters had no choice but to return to base.

Six Type 6 carrier-based fighter jets landed one after another on the deck of the Fengxiang aircraft carrier. The first one barely managed to stop at the end of the deck due to the landing distance.

The pilots staggered out of their cockpits, their faces pale, and went down to the flight deck to report the battle situation to the captain.

"Damn it! Six against one, and they still managed to escape unscathed?!" Captain Tanaka of the Hosho slammed his fist on the command platform. The air squadron leader reported, head bowed: "The enemy's fighters are far faster than the Type 97, and the pilots are extremely skilled. We simply cannot lock onto and fire with tactical means..."

This situation, combined with the previous one, illustrates one thing.

That means China already possesses a new type of aircraft with a speed exceeding that of the Type 97 fighter jet.

The news quickly reached the Combined Fleet Command. The naval leadership was furious and convened an emergency meeting overnight.

The battle report from the Fengxiang was slammed onto the table: "The Qinyuan harassed the fleet single-handedly, as if it were an empty field! Where is the dignity of the navy?!"

The staff officers remained silent. Throughout this war, the Japanese army had always held an advantage in military technology, but now they were inferior to the Chinese in air combat aircraft. They understood what this meant.

Under immense pressure, the Japanese naval high command roared: "We must accelerate the development of new fighter jets! Otherwise, air superiority will fall into enemy hands!"

This order was relayed back to the Japanese Navy's Equipment Department, putting pressure on Mitsubishi, which was in charge of the 12th test project.

Inside the secret research institute of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya, the lights were on, and the technicians were working frantically around the "Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Data" seized in Yangon.

These fragmented and incomplete documents reveal revolutionary design concepts—a streamlined fuselage, a pressurized cockpit, and even fragments of a formula for a new type of alloy.

“The prototype of the Twelve-test fighter jet is too slow!” The chief engineer stared at the wind tunnel data and made a decision. “Based on this data, we will redesign it!”

The transport aircraft formation safely returned to its base in northern Myanmar.

Fang Wen made a brief stop at the base in northern Myanmar, then changed to a seaplane and flew to Yangon with Gong Xiuneng, Sun Tianrui, and three children.

The plane landed at Yangon seaport. After docking, Gong Xiuneng opened the cabin door, secured the cable, and then carried three children off the plane.

"It's so hot here," the youngest girl said innocently.

The other two boys, however, were somewhat reserved because they had come to a completely unfamiliar place.

Fang Wenrou then said softly as she came ashore, "Here, you don't have to worry about going hungry or being in danger. I'm also going to arrange for you to go to school. By the way, have any of you ever been to school?"

The oldest child spoke up: "Our mother used to teach us to read. She said that because of the Japanese bombing, the school was closed, and that we would be able to go back to school after the war ended."

Hearing his words, Fang Wen felt a pang of sadness; the mother of his three children would never come back for them. And the war continued.

At this moment, the people who came to greet him also arrived.

Shopkeeper Sun, Fang Shouxin, Sun Debiao, Zhao Junping.

Besides Zhao Junping, the other three people came to the airport not only to pick up Fang Wen, but also to report many things to him.

The group returned to the headquarters of Thames Airways in southern Yangon in a company car.

After getting off the car, Fang Wen instructed, "Gong Xiuneng, when we get back to the company, you, Zhao Junping, and Sun Tianrui will take care of the children and inquire whether Chinese schools accept children of their age."

Afterwards, he, along with Manager Sun, Fang Shouxin, and Sun Debiao, took the elevator up to the general manager's office on the rooftop.

As the elevator continued upwards, Manager Liu spoke up, "General Manager, there were some things I couldn't say earlier, for fear of causing a bad impression. Now it's fine, but I'm afraid you can't go into your office for the time being; it's haunted there!"

"What do you mean by being haunted?" Fang Wen asked in surprise. What kind of evil spirits were there in his office?

Just then, the elevator arrived.

Fang Wen decided to step out of the elevator first to see what was going on.

He walked through the corridor to the office area and saw that there were many things placed at the entrance of the general manager's office, and many strange and unusual things were hanging on the door, some of which he recognized, such as talismans.

There were several oddly dressed people outside doing something.

"What are they doing?" Fang Wen asked.

"They are all Taoist priests hired by the company; they are performing an exorcism," Sun Debiao explained.

Fang Wen's expression turned cold. It wasn't that he didn't believe in these things, but rather that he felt a loss of control because he didn't know what was happening.

Having been in charge of the administrative department for many years, Fang Shouxin had developed the ability to read people's expressions and spoke up to explain.

"Young Master, things are developing very strangely. Here's what's going on."

Through Fang Shouxin's explanation, Fang Wen learned the whole story. The problem first occurred five days ago.

At that time, the company assigned cleaning staff to clean this floor.

As the office area for the general manager and deputy general manager, although the offices cannot be cleaned casually, the appearance of the exterior must be maintained. Therefore, the cleaning staff must clean it once a day.

Five days ago, sanitation workers smelled a foul odor while cleaning.

It smelled like something rotten.

This place is cleaned regularly, so how could there be anything rotten here?

As a result, health workers searched the entire floor repeatedly, but could not find it.

Ultimately, he concluded that the odor originated from the office, but he couldn't be sure whether it was the general manager's office or the deputy general manager's office.

Therefore, he reported to his supervisor, who then reported to the administration department.

Upon learning of this, Fang Shouxin, the head of the administration department, immediately came to investigate.

He also smelled a faint stench of decay.

However, considering that the general manager's office cannot be entered casually, the matter was dropped.

Then, time passed day by day.

The putrid smell grew stronger and stronger.

Moreover, this floor was infested with insects and rats.

Such a bizarre situation drove the sanitation workers to the brink of collapse, and they no longer dared to come here to clean.

Fang Shouxin raised the matter in the company's management committee. Liu Zhanggui and Sun Debiao, members of the management committee, believed that it was an evil spirit, while Shao Sishen and Huo Duanyang did not believe in it.

After some argument, they decided not to bother Fang Wen, who was fighting on the front lines, for the time being, and instead find some mages to take a look.

After listening to Fang Shouxin's words, Fang Wen was lost in thought.

Fang Shouxin had participated in the Boxer Rebellion when he was young, and Manager Liu and Sun Debiao had also been traveling the world for many years. They all believed in folk legends, so it was understandable that the three of them would do this.

He asked with a half-smile, "Did the sorcerers have any effect?"

"It seems not. We just listened to them chanting scriptures, but nothing happened. They did spend a lot of money, though," Sun Debiao said honestly.

Fang Wen remembered that his personal bodyguard, Gong Xiuneng, used to be a Taoist priest.

Therefore, he ordered someone to bring Gong Xiuneng over.

After a while, Gong Xiuneng came up alone.

"Commander, the three children have been temporarily settled in the place where Zhao Junping and I are staying. It's spacious there, and there's no problem accommodating the three more."

Fang Wen nodded: "I asked you to come up here because of this."

After hearing his explanation, Gong Xiuneng immediately perked up.

“If it’s an evil spirit, I’ve dealt with it with my master before. Why don’t I come and take a look?”

Fang Wen nodded: "Then go ahead."

Gong Xiuneng went over, observed from the office doorway, and then walked around to take a look.

He then returned and said, "There was indeed a foul smell, but I don't think it was from being possessed by an evil spirit. It smelled more like the odor of a dead rat."

"A dead rat? You mean there's a dead rat in my room?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.

“Yes, more than one, the smell was too strong,” Gong Xiuneng replied.

To find out if this is true, just take a look.

Fang Wen then took out the key and opened the door.

The door was pushed open, and a strong, putrid stench wafted out.

Everyone covered their mouths and noses.

Gong Xiuneng didn't do that, but frowned and said, "It smells even worse than outside."

He went inside first and turned on the light.

The younger brother lit the room with a light, and Fang Wen glanced around. The furnishings in the room were unchanged from when he left.

Wait a minute, Fang Wen, with his keen eyesight, noticed something was off about the bookshelf behind the desk.

Besides holding books, that bookshelf also served as a cover for a hidden door to a safe.

At this time, several books were missing from the bookshelf, and the decorations were all overturned.

Enduring the stench, Fang Wen walked behind the desk and witnessed a bizarre scene.

On the carpet behind the desk lay a pile of dead rats, along with some insect carcasses.

This is the source of the stench.

Fang Wen shifted his gaze from the rat carcass to the bookshelf.

He discovered large chewing marks under the bookshelf.

Perhaps it was the gnaws of the rats that caused the objects on the bookshelf to move.

But why did the rats gnaw on the bookshelf, and why did they all die here?
Puzzled, Fang Wen walked to the other side of the room, took out a pair of leather gloves, put them on, and then went to the bookshelf to open the hidden door switch.

With a creak, the bookshelf opened, revealing a safe behind it.

However, because the bottom was gnawed by rats, the bookshelf became crooked when opened.

The metal of the safe was covered with countless rodent teeth marks.

Fortunately, it was of high quality and has not been broken.

Upon seeing this, a flash of inspiration struck Fang Wen.

He remembered.

There was something in the safe that might be related to the mass death of rats.

Three years ago, Fang Wen piloted the first Xuanming-type passenger plane on a trans-Pacific flight. That time, it was a competition with Pan Am to win the honor of being the first civilian passenger plane to fly across the Pacific Ocean.

Later, Fang Wen met members of the Rockefeller and Whitney families and joined them in their search for the mysterious Caribbean pirate ship.

That pirate ship sailed from the Caribbean region in the east of the Americas, through South America, to the Pacific region, and would appear on the west coast of the United States every now and then.

Even more remarkably, this ghost ship, which has been unmanned for centuries, completes circumnavigation time and time again with the help of ocean currents.

Fang Wen and his team eventually found the Caribbean pirate ghost ship and retrieved its treasure.

But in the process, Fang Wen also discovered the secret behind the deaths of all the pirates on the pirate ship.

Those pirates were killed by the plague spread by rats, and the last living beings on the ship were those giant sea rats.

I shook off my thoughts.

Fang Wen continued to look at the safe.

There was a gem inside the safe, a secret treasure he discovered through his supernatural abilities.

However, due to the mysterious and eerie nature of the ghost ship, he never absorbed the energy from the gem and kept it in a safe, intending to study it slowly later when he had time.

But now he discovers that the gem is probably directly related to the deaths of the crew on the ghost ship.

The reason lies with these rats.

Gems seem to attract mice and insects.

After this discovery, Fang Wen developed a strong interest in the mysterious gem.

(End of this chapter)