Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 649 Industrial Diamonds or Gem-Quality Diamonds? The Missing Contact
With a smile, Fang Wen's gaze fell on the diamond lapel pin on the commissioner's chest—the rhombus-shaped diamond was about half a carat, with a clear color. Although the cutting technique was not top-notch, it was enough to prove that the diamonds from Liberia were of good quality.

His smile deepened: "The commissioner is quite straightforward. How many do you need? And what kind of diamonds can you offer?"

A hint of urgency flashed in J. Samuelnis's eyes as he gestured to his secretary behind him to hand over a velvet box: "We initially need five for transport and patrol of the main domestic waterways. These are samples for your perusal—they are all uncut natural diamonds, with a clarity of VS or higher. How many do you think we would need for one?"

Fang Wen took the box and opened it.

The moment the box was opened, the diamonds inside refracted a delicate sparkle under the soft light.

It's a gem-quality diamond; although it hasn't been polished, it's still very beautiful.

He pondered how to proceed with the deal.

Diamonds are priced in two ways: gem-quality diamonds and industrial diamonds.

像手里这种宝石级天然白色钻石，1克拉的市场售价约为1.5万- 3.9万美元，0.5克拉的中低品位钻石则3000-6000美元。

Colored diamonds of the same grade would be more expensive.

Industrial diamonds, on the other hand, are diamonds that do not meet gem standards. They may have dark colors such as yellow, brown, or black, contain a large number of impurities, and have defects such as cracks and obvious flaws visible to the naked eye.

The prices, too, are worlds apart.

From Fang Wen's perspective, however, he wanted a large quantity of industrial diamonds.

Because World War II broke out.

Industrial diamonds can be used in various military fields, such as manufacturing aircraft engine bearings, precision instruments, and anti-tank shell fuses, and their practical value is higher than that of gem-quality diamonds in this regard.

Thinking of this, he asked aloud:
What are the prices of the industrial diamonds you export now?

"You want industrial diamonds?" J. Samuelnis was slightly surprised, but still answered Fang Wen's question. "The U.S. Army Ordnance Department purchased 50 carats of industrial diamonds at $0.75 per carat. We got some of the orders, but the rest went to India and South Africa. Because of the large-scale purchases by the Americans, the price of industrial diamonds on the international market is now 50% higher than last year. If you need industrial diamonds, we can give you a discounted price of $0.5 per carat."

$0.5, which is the price last year, so it seems the other party is really interested in buying the plane.

Of course, the main reason they chose to buy from Taishan was because the planes produced there were cheap.

After considering it for a moment, Fang Wen said, "Taishan Airlines can provide the Shuiyun-1 passenger plane, a twin-rotor monoplane that can carry 20 passengers, has a payload of 800 kilograms, a range of 700 kilometers, and an average speed of 290 kilometers per hour."

J. Samuelnis nodded. "I trust your reputation and capabilities. How much does this aircraft cost?"

"US$1.5, excluding other fees, the price of the aircraft itself," Fang Wen replied. He quoted this price with the intention of clearing out inventory and did not plan to make much profit from selling the aircraft, so he was simply selling it at the price of a new aircraft from a few years ago.

Unexpectedly, the other party thought it was too expensive.

In order to make the African government official understand the prices in the seaplane market, Fang Wen could only explain.

"Actually, this is already the cheapest price in the world. The two seaplanes we are flying this time, the larger one is a Boeing 314, which costs more than $60, and the smaller one is a private luxury seaplane produced by Taishan, which costs $15. In addition, there are two Sikorsky S-42s and our Xuanming model, which all cost more than $18."

With this comparison, J. Samuelnis finally understood how worthwhile the Water Cloud Type I that Fang Wen was preparing to sell to him was.

He immediately became very interested and asked Fang Wen for more information.

In order to obtain diamonds from Liberia, Fang Wen enthusiastically explained the details of the airplane to them.

The two were discussing something, which attracted the attention of other passengers on the ship.

As the host of the banquet, he had been staying here ever since Fang Wen and his group arrived, so it was clear that the matter they were discussing was very important.

At that moment, a white man walked over.

"Nice, I'm sorry to bother you, but may I know what you were talking about?"

J. Samuelnis was not displeased by the man's rash words and actions; on the contrary, he took the initiative to introduce Fang Wen.

"This is the general manager of Firestone Corporation in Liberia."

Then, J. Samuelnis introduced Fang Wen and Steve.

"These are people from the Holy Light Gospel Society. They're staying here for one night and will leave tomorrow."

He didn't mention Fang Wen's identity, making Steve and Fang Wen understand that there must be a reason, so they cooperated with his words.

The white man feigned surprise: "Holy Light Gospel Church! I was back in the US recently and my friends often mentioned you. Unfortunately, I'm a devout Christian, so I'm sorry to bother you."

After the white man left.

J. Samuelnis continued his conversation with Fang Wen.

"Firestone controls 90% of the country's rubber plantations. We have 500 kilometers of roads in the country, most of which are along rubber plantations. They promised to lobby the U.S. government to help build an airport and port in Monrovia, but the project is progressing slowly and is still not completed. Our port lacks modern loading and unloading equipment, and the transportation of goods relies on manual labor. We also lack roads, which is why we thought of buying seaplanes."

The commissioner's words explained why Liberia wanted to buy seaplanes. American capital has controlled the country's main economy. The country doesn't even have its own roads, so they want to start with air transport. After all, seaplanes can land and take off on water, without the need to spend a lot of manpower and resources to build roads and infrastructure.

Fang Wen responded with a smile: "This model of seaplane has been operating in China for over a year, with more than 100 aircraft in operation. If you purchase it, I can provide training for multiple positions, including pilots, flight attendants, ground staff, and operations, allowing you to directly own an air transport system."

According to his statement, buying an airplane is equivalent to buying a shipping company.

J. Samuel Nixon was overjoyed.

He made the decision on the spot.

"Okay, the president will certainly be satisfied with your proposal, but the problem is, you're leaving tomorrow, so how will our deal be fulfilled?"

Fang Wen replied, "That's easy. I'll give you a telegram contact number so you can contact my company headquarters through that."

The banquet ended two hours later.

Fang Wen, Steve, and the others disembarked from the ship and took a small boat back to the plane.

After Fang Wen and the others returned, the ship sounded its horn and entered the port.

It was already late at night. After checking and confirming that no one had broken into the plane, Fang Wen went into his cabin to rest.

Gong Xiu, sitting on the bed in the outer room, couldn't help but speak up after a while.

"Commander, are you planning to establish a new base in Africa?"

Fang Wen opened his eyes. Actually, there was another reason why he agreed to sell airplanes to Liberia.

In the southwest of Liberia, there is a place called Bioko Island.

It was a Spanish colony and a secret base for the Republican government that fled Spain.

The Republican government pre-ordered a batch of gunboats from Taishan Aviation, intending to train a special forces unit there for future use in fighting back home.

Once the deal for civilian waterplanes with Liberia is finalized, the two batches of aircraft can be combined and transported together.

But Gong Xiu gave him some food for thought. Europe was in chaos, and the African colonies were on the verge of spiraling out of control. Should he seize this opportunity to lay the groundwork and establish a foothold in Africa?
This stake could be on the Liberia side or on Bioko Island.

He said, "You're thinking more than I am. Even if we really were to build a base, it wouldn't be now. Go to sleep."

"Oh. I was just thinking randomly." Since Gong Xiu could speak, he stopped talking, and the plane fell silent.

At 3 a.m., the calm sea in Monrovia was broken by the roar of engines.

Fang Wen piloted the seaplane that took off first.

Following closely behind, the massive fuselage of the Boeing 314 slowly taxied, its wing lights like two small stars, flying towards Ethiopia.

The African continent below is shrouded in darkness, devoid of light.

It wasn't until an hour later, when the first rays of dawn pierced the eastern sky, that this ancient continent gradually came into view.

This flight will traverse the entire African continent, covering a distance of 5000 kilometers, which is equivalent to flying across the Atlantic Ocean again.

However, unlike Atlantic flights which are hampered by monsoons, long-distance flights over continents also present a challenge for seaplanes.

If an aircraft encounters a problem, there will be no spacious water surface available for it to land.

Especially after three hours, the plane entered central Africa, where the land below was desolate due to the lack of water.

(The Central African Desert under high-altitude clouds)
Flying in this environment presents another problem.

That is, the lack of ground reference points can easily lead to getting lost.

If they lose their way and are forced to make an emergency landing in the desert due to fuel depletion, the outcome will likely be certain death.

Even if there is water and food on the plane, it will only prolong their lives in the desert by a few more days.

Therefore, even Fang Wen treated it with caution.

He activated his supernatural ability to ensure that the flight path did not deviate, and traversed the Central African desert region along a straight flight path.

The monotonous 10-hour flight across Africa finally brought some change.

A long, winding river appeared below.

This river originates from Lake Victoria in central Africa and flows all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, spanning half the length of Africa and serving as the lifeblood of East Africa.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone:

"We've reached the Nile River; it's still 700 kilometers to Asmara."

The excited voice of the Boeing pilot came through the radio:

"We're going to make it! We'll cross Africa!"

"Keep in good shape and fly the last two hours."

Fang Wen shut down communications and continued navigating.

Two hours and 20 minutes later, the two planes finally arrived over Asmara.

However, the landing site was not here, but on the Red Sea off the port of Massawa, 60 kilometers to the east.

The two planes landed on the sea and then docked at Massawa Port.

The people in the port watched the two seaplanes with great curiosity.

At the same time, Italian troops stationed at the port also arrived.

Steve got off the plane and negotiated with them.

After the soldiers left, Steve returned and walked towards Fang Wen.

"Something unexpected happened; my contact person went missing. Fortunately, he has already made arrangements with the port authorities."

Fang Wen frowned. The contact Steve mentioned was crucial to this operation.

He was an American who did business in the Italian East African colonies and had a lot of connections there.

It was through his connections that he was able to travel to Ethiopia, which had just been occupied by Italy.

Without this person, the second half of the treasure hunt would not have been possible.

"How did you know he was missing?" Fang Wen asked.

“Those soldiers told me. They’re looking for him too,” Steve replied.

After a pause, Steve analyzed, "I suspect it was the Germans. The World Heritage Association arrested my contact, preventing us from going treasure hunting before them."

Fang Wen glanced at the Italian soldiers standing in the distance: "If that's the case, then we'll have to find someone familiar with the local situation ourselves."

Steve nodded: "That's the only way. We have to find the underwater temple before the Germans."

Massawa Port, as an important outlet to the sea in Italian East Africa, was a melting pot of Italian immigrants, local vendors, and Arab merchants.

In such a complex situation, finding a trustworthy guide is not easy.

Fortunately, although the contact person had disappeared, his company was still there, so Fang Wen and Steve immediately set off for the company.

The contact's company, "East Africa Trading Company," was located in the colonial district on the west side of the port. It was a two-story white building with a faded American flag hanging at the entrance, specifically indicating the owner's identity.

Fang Wen pushed open the half-closed wooden door, revealing a mess inside: documents were scattered all over the floor, desk drawers had been roughly pulled open, and several black employees huddled in a corner, looking terrified.

Upon seeing Fang Wen and his two companions enter, a young man wearing glasses and a khaki suit suddenly stood up, his hand unconsciously reaching for the pistol under the table.

“We come from America, we are friends of Jackson,” Steve said, pulling out his passport to prove his identity.

The young man's gaze softened slightly, but he remained vigilant. He gestured for the employees to retreat to the back room, and after closing the door, he whispered, "I'm Harry, Jackson's assistant. He hasn't come to the company since yesterday, and the military police came to search the place at noon today, saying he's 'suspected of colluding with anti-colonial forces.'"

He crouched down and pulled a folded map from a hidden compartment at the bottom of his desk. "This map was given to me by Jackson."

Fang Wen took the map, which had the route from Massawa Port to Lake Tana marked in red.

This doesn't mean much.

He asked, "Did Jackson say who his guide was?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Harry's eyes. "I don't know."

(End of this chapter)