Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 544 Precision Machining Equipment Deal, Long Island Flight School, New York

The ceremony is still ongoing.

As an observer, Fang Wen witnessed the people in the manor falling into a peculiar state of worship.

Those wealthy people and entrepreneurs who usually wear suits and ties and are powerful figures in the business world are now kneeling on the cold ground in loose white robes, their backs ramrod straight, yet they exude a deliberate restraint and subservience.

Steve stood before them, raising the amber blood cross in his hand. The translucency of the amber seemed to flow with dark red light, reflecting a warm and mysterious luster under the light.

His movements were slow and solemn as he imprinted the cross on the foreheads of the three new believers one by one.

The moment they made contact, the first person's shoulder trembled violently, as if a faint electric current was spreading from his forehead to his limbs.

His tightly pursed lips slowly relaxed, and the shrewdness and wariness in his eyes receded like the tide, replaced by a bewildered relaxation—as if the burden he had carried for decades was being gently lifted up by an invisible hand.

As the cross was removed, a drop of moisture clung to his eyelashes, and a very soft sigh escaped his throat, like a lost person suddenly seeing a distant light.

The second person was a balding middle-aged entrepreneur whose brows, which were usually furrowed, relaxed the moment he touched the cross.

His pupils dilated slightly, and his gaze went over Steve's shoulder to the void, as if a gentle gaze was descending from above, sweeping away his past shrewd calculations and late-night anxieties.

The feeling was not critical, but rather a warm and inclusive one, like snuggling into a warm quilt on a winter's day, spreading throughout the body.

His lips moved, silently uttering a few incoherent syllables, and a childlike devotion gradually appeared on his face.

When it was the youngest tycoon's turn, his tightly clenched fingers slowly loosened, and the white marks on his knuckles from the force gradually faded.

The moment the cross was imprinted on his forehead, he gasped for breath, like a drowning person taking their first breath of air—it was a feeling of being completely accepted, regardless of his wealth or status, simply being "seen."

It was as if a voice whispered in his heart, with an undeniable tenderness, telling him, "You are loved."

His gaze shifted from initial scrutiny to complete submission, his eyes reddening, yet he bit his lip hard to keep himself from making a sound, only his shoulders trembling slightly, releasing years of pent-up grievances and loneliness.

Steve placed the amber blood cross on the tray held by his subordinate and said in a calm tone, "The Holy Light Gospel Society has gained three more brothers. Let us welcome them."

The other white-robed men sang melodious hymns and welcomed the three new friends.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen, Gong Xiuneng, and Shao Sishen witnessed the entire ceremony from the sidelines.

Shao Sichen was in a state of excitement because his illness had disappeared, so he didn't really care about these things.

Fang Wen planned to absorb the energy accumulated in the necklace after the ceremony.

Gong Xiuneng disliked everything here. He muttered under his breath, "It's just a smokescreen. How can those people believe it?"

Fang Wen laughed and said, "You're a Taoist priest, don't you believe in gods and ghosts?"

“We Taoists value fate; if you want to believe, you have to go with the flow. Generally speaking, we don’t actively encourage others to believe in this. The West is different; they like to do these things,” Gong Xiuneng replied.

Then, the main event of the ceremony began.

The spiritual comfort that the amber blood cross brings them is not the main reason for the fervent faith of these successful individuals.

What made them firmly follow Steve was that four-faced golden Buddha.

Time and again, it miraculously healed the stubborn ailments of believers, leading them to willingly offer their faith in order to gain healthy bodies.

Today's ceremony is the same.

A short man in a white robe came out, and Steve placed his hand on the head of the Four-Faced Buddha.

After a short while, the short man in the white robe removed his hood, revealing his bald head.

He exclaimed in delight, "My migraines are gone! My God, it's amazing, it cured my 20-year-old ailment!"

Steve responded gently, “God’s gifts are limited. When God takes back a gift, you need to be more devout in order to receive the next one.”

He used religious language to transform the fact that the Four-Faced Buddha could only alleviate his pain for a maximum of one year into a divine blessing, and the effect was completely different.

"No wonder he's a professional charlatan," Fang Wen thought to himself.

The following activities were not very interesting; they were just interactive sessions for the believers. Fang Wen and his two companions left immediately and rested in the accommodations arranged for them at the manor.

The beds in the manor are very soft.

But Fang Wen's sleepiness was still very light. He only needed three hours of sleep to replenish his energy, so he lay on the bed bored.

It was already 3 a.m., and it was quiet outside. There was nothing to do outside.

It was five in the morning when the sky began to lighten. Fang Wen couldn't stand it any longer, so he got up, washed up, and went out for a walk.

He walked around the manor, looking at the various facilities.

The garden, the swimming pool, the lawn—each on its own was nothing special, but together they gave him a sense of déjà vu.

Despite his powerful mental strength, he couldn't figure out where this sense of familiarity came from.

Just then, Steve, who was out for a morning run in a sweatshirt, came up to him.

Good morning, Mr. Fang.

"Good morning, Steve. By the way, what's special about your manor?"

"Yes, its design was inspired by a novel from 15 years ago, The Great Gatsby. I liked it very much, so I built this manor according to the description in the novel."

"That's right."

Fang Wen understood. There was once a movie based on that novel. No wonder it was so similar. Maybe this manor would become the movie's set decades later.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he continued talking to Steve.

"Do you have an answer regarding the procurement of those equipment?"

"I discussed this matter with my followers yesterday, and one of them happens to run a machining equipment business. He said that purchasing the equipment domestically is not a problem at all, but a usage form is required, which stipulates that only domestic companies can purchase and use it. I asked him if there was a way to circumvent this. He told me there was a way."

Steve recounted what he had heard from the believers the previous night.

In short, because the Export Control Act is being drafted, the United States is beginning to restrict the export of technology, services, and processing equipment needed by its domestic manufacturing industry.

In other words, they can sell finished products, but refuse to sell production equipment to foreign customers.

It is this tendency that makes it difficult for Fang Wen to purchase high-end machining equipment.

However, there are solutions. We could follow Japan's example.

That's right, it's Japan.

Although Japan cannot purchase high-end machining equipment, they bypassed this barrier and sourced it from Germany.

Last year, the United States exported $1200 million worth of machine tools to Japan, which were used to manufacture artillery, aircraft parts, and other equipment.

In order to circumvent the review process, some companies have changed the product names, such as labeling "precision boring machine" as "industrial milling machine".

Meanwhile, the United States also sold large quantities of scrap steel and oil to Japan.

These steels and oils account for 60% of Japan's demand. High-octane aviation gasoline processing technology was also sold to Japan.

At this point, Steve looked apologetic.

“Mr. Fang, I know you are a very patriotic person. These business activities clearly violate the provisions of the Neutrality Act and have helped the aggressors to some extent. I personally apologize.”

"Don't you have any opponents in your country?" Fang Wen asked.

"Yes, but those people can't go against the big corporations. Only President Roosevelt could stop their behavior. As far as I know, Congress is currently discussing abolishing the U.S.-Japan Commercial Treaty and enacting the Export Control Act, both aimed at prohibiting the export of goods to Japan."

Through Steve's words, Fang Wen gained a deeper understanding of the strategic shift in the Japanese army.

Because of the comprehensive embargo imposed by the United States, Japan will turn to Southeast Asia in order to obtain steel and oil and gas resources.

It was precisely this act of redeploying troops that slowed the pace of the domestic resistance against Japan, leading to a stalemate that lasted for several years.

In other words, the opportunity for domestic resistance against Japan had arrived.

He continued discussing procurement matters with Steve.

"So, how do we at Taishan Military Industry plan to purchase those equipment?"

"We can't use the name of Taishan Military Industry, because although you're in Myanmar, you belong to China, and the Neutrality Act will bind you. Therefore, we need to establish a company that doesn't involve any warring countries, and that company will purchase the equipment. That's what you need to do, and my followers can get the equipment for you and change the product names to export it abroad as ordinary processing equipment. Once the goods are out of the country, I'm sure you'll have a way to get them back, right?"

Fang Wen nodded: "That's no problem. I happen to have a company that can do this. It's called Zhongxing Electric Appliances."

In terms of equity structure, Fang Wen is a hidden shareholder of Zhongxing Electric Appliances, thus avoiding the impact of Taishan's parent company on the sale of semiconductor radios.

It is registered in the United States and operates in Paris, so it can export to Paris first and then be transshipped.

After listening to his explanation, Steve replied, "Okay, then we'll use that as the main procurement entity. After breakfast, I'll take you to the believer's company to get things settled."

Fang Wen nodded: "Okay, but I have someone else in charge of project execution. Is there a telephone at the manor?"

“Of course.” Steve finished his morning exercise, took Fang Wen to his office, and dialed Lin Shuiwang.

At eight o'clock in the morning, after having breakfast at the manor, Lin Shuiwang also rushed over.

Afterwards, the group drove out of the manor in three cars and arrived at the company of the believer that Steve had mentioned.

The company is called All America Precision Tools Trading Company, a local New York export trading company that mainly deals in machinery and equipment.

When Steve entered the company, he was warmly received by the believer boss.

Steve also introduced Fang Wen: "This is the Eastern friend I mentioned last night. He needs help, and I hope you can keep your promise from last night."

The boss then made a request: "Can I receive treatment earlier?"

“Sure.” Steve replied casually, but it surprised the other person.

No amount of money matters in the face of life and illness. In order to receive treatment, this trading company owner was willing to do everything in his power to complete the transaction of the processing equipment.

He could get his hands on all the equipment on the list.

The key is to rewrite the product names to bypass the review process.

This required him to draw on the network of contacts he had built up over his twenty-year career, and he did it anyway for the sake of treatment.

Fang Wen stayed in New York for a few more days to handle the procurement of precision machining equipment.

He didn't sit idle while waiting.

This will help Shao Sishen regain his ability to fly.

Shao Sishen has been training pilots for many years and is familiar with the theories of various aircraft piloting, but lacks practical experience.

After all, he hadn't actually flown in seven years and needed to start all over again.

Therefore, Fang Wen simply took Shao Sichen to a flight school in New York to practice first.

The car drove into Long Island Flight School.

It stopped at the school's office building.

The three got off the bus and went directly to the registration area.

Fang Wen asked the staff, "Hello, I need to conduct flight training, two people."

The staff asked for names to register, and then asked, "Do you have any flying experience? If so, how many hours?"

“He has flying experience; I estimate he’s flown tens of thousands of hours. He should also have 1000 hours of flight time,” Fang Wen replied truthfully.

The staff member was surprised, "Excuse me, sir, are you sure you're not mistaken? 1 hours of flight time doesn't require training here."

Fang Wen explained, "It's like this: my friend hasn't been able to fly for seven years because of an accident, but he's been working as a pilot instructor. Now that he's recovered, he wants to fly again and needs training. I'm here with him during his training."

"I see. We have several types of aircraft available; you can choose the one that suits you best."

After saying that, the staff led Fang Wen and the others outside to see the actual machine.

The aviation school's parking area houses three types of training aircraft.

The first type is the J-3 "Cub" aircraft, a light aircraft with a bright yellow paint scheme, an engine with less than 100 horsepower, and a speed of over 140 kilometers per hour.

Staff explained that the aircraft is very popular, and three-quarters of the pilots in the U.S. Civilian Pilot Training Program are trained on the J-3 Cub.

The main advantage of this aircraft is its safety, making it more suitable for beginners.

The second type is the T-6 "Texas" trainer aircraft.

Designed and manufactured by North American Aviation, it was originally intended for junior pilots of the U.S. Army Air Corps to learn to fly, and this private aviation school even has one.

The third type is the PT-19 trainer aircraft.

Manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductor.

It is not yet in mass production and on the market. Because Long Island Flight School and Fairchild Aeronautics have a good relationship, they have placed one here for learning and promotion.

After listening to the staff's introduction, Fang Wen and Shao Sishen discussed it.

They immediately ruled out the J-3 "Cub" aircraft, mainly choosing between the T-6 and PT-19.

After discussing for a while, Shao Sichen said, "General Manager, you decide."

Fang Wen looked at the two aircraft and ultimately chose the PT-19.

The reason for choosing it was not because of its superior performance, but because of the name of the company that produced it.

It is unknown now, but in the future, it will be the grandfather of semiconductor companies. Many famous Silicon Valley companies were founded by Fairchild Semiconductor. Fang Wen never expected that Fairchild's predecessor was actually involved in aviation.

(End of this chapter)