Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Fang Wen strode onto the semi-aircraft carrier deck of the Hetu, the biting sea breeze hitting him and making the hem of his flight jacket flutter.

The flight deck beneath our feet is a temporary steel plate, only 100 meters long including the outer extension, with unfinished welds remaining at the edges.

The Hetu was originally a C3-type cargo ship, about 151 meters long and with a full load displacement of about 15400 tons. It could accommodate a flight deck, hangar and basic aviation facilities.

After the renovation, the open cargo hold was removed and a hangar and elevator were installed, and the upper deck space was large enough to lay a flight deck.

Unfortunately, the renovation was not fully completed before the business department came knocking and terminated it on the grounds of violating the Neutrality Act.

Fortunately, the original renovations were not demolished after a reasonable argument, and it turned out like this now.

With a short runway, no catapults like those on future aircraft carriers, no arresting cables, and even the deck angle not meeting the standard, short takeoff is as difficult as dancing on a knife's edge. Among pilots worldwide, only Fang Wen was able to accomplish this feat with his extraordinary abilities and superb skills.

The mechanics, who were already on standby, immediately surrounded the P-40C fighter jet and quickly checked its engine, machine guns, and fuel. Gong Xiuneng also went up to the deck and solemnly instructed, "Commander, the deck is too short, be careful!"

Fang Wen nodded slightly, said nothing more, climbed onto the plane, bent down and crawled into the cockpit.

The moment he closed the hatch, he activated his mechanical perception ability. An invisible force instantly spread throughout the entire fighter jet, allowing him to perceive every engine operation, every propeller rotation, and even the slightest vibration of the fuselage rivets.

The Pratt & Whitney 1830 radial engines of the P-40C roared instantly, the deafening roar filling the air. The propellers spun rapidly, whipping up gusts of wind that forced the crew on deck to scramble to avoid them.

Fang Wen gripped the control stick tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on the end of the deck ahead. He activated his supernatural abilities at full power, precisely controlling the engine's output to ensure that the fighter jet could accumulate enough power within a limited distance.

After the engine reached its optimal state, Fang Wen slowly pushed down the throttle, and the fighter jet sped along the narrow deck like an arrow. The fuselage swayed slightly due to the violent acceleration, and the guardrails at the edge of the deck rushed backward.

The 100-meter distance passed in the blink of an eye. Just as the fighter jet was about to break through the outer flight deck, Fang Wen suddenly pulled the control stick and raised the nose of the aircraft.

The wings sliced ​​through the air, generating lift that instantly lifted the fuselage. The fighter jet skimmed the surface of the sea and climbed steadily, completing a thrilling short takeoff.

The mechanics and crew on deck erupted in cheers, and Gong Xiuneng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Wen remained focused in the air, steadying the control stick, slowly increasing altitude, adjusting the fighter jet's attitude, and flying towards the surrounding sea area to conduct a search.

Because the P-40 was not equipped with radar detection, it relied on mechanical sensing to locate targets.

If the receiver of the radio signals is a submarine, it will be very difficult to detect.

But this is the Hawaiian Islands, and it is impossible for the Japanese naval fleet to come here, either from the perspective of existing submarine technology or strategy.

The sea was vast and boundless, with its azure waters undulating gently, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Fang Wen maintained a low altitude, patrolling a 50-kilometer radius around the fleet's route. About fifteen minutes later, his gaze suddenly fixed on a small dot in the northern sea.

It was a fishing boat, not large, and its appearance was no different from that of Hawaiian fishing boats. The boat was also marked with the logo of a local fishing company. It was drifting slowly on the sea and looked flawless.

But Fang Wen's intuition told him that things were not that simple.

He touched the necklace around his neck, activated the X-ray vision ability of the Vertical Eye Gem, and with the X-ray vision enhanced, his mechanical perception vision penetrated the hull of the fishing boat and clearly saw the scene inside the cabin.

Inside the fishing boat's cabin, several men dressed as fishermen were inspecting weapons. At their feet was a small compartment where a short man wearing headphones sat, his head down, rapidly transcribing something. The radio's indicator light was flashing, clearly indicating that he was receiving some signal.

"As expected, it's the Japanese who were providing support!" A cold glint flashed in Fang Wen's eyes as he instantly understood everything. This seemingly ordinary fishing boat was actually a signal receiving ship for Japanese spies, lurking in this sea area to receive intelligence on the fleet's route sent by spies lurking on oil tankers, and then forward it to the Japanese Navy to guide the fleet to intercept them.

All of this must have been prepared for a long time, perhaps even more than a month ago. The Japanese army had already activated its spies in Hawaii, all for this moment.

If it hadn't been discovered in time, the fleet's route would have been completely exposed, plunging them into utter ruin.

Not wanting them to forward the intelligence they received, Fang Wen didn't hesitate any longer. He immediately adjusted the fighter jet's attitude and swooped down towards the fishing boat.

The plane quickly came into firing range, and he pulled the trigger.

The two 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns behind the propeller fired their bullets in sync, passing through the propeller and heading towards the fishing boat below.

Four 7.62mm Browning light machine guns under the left and right wings also fired simultaneously.

Bullets rained down like a storm, accurately striking the hull of the fishing boat. The modified steel plates inside the boat were hit, producing loud "bang bang bang" sounds, and wood chips and debris flew everywhere.

The Japanese spies inside the cabin were terrified. Knowing they were no match for the fighter jets in the air, they did not take up arms to resist. Instead, one of them came out and waved his arms to indicate that they were innocent fishermen.

Having already seen through their true nature, Fang Wen was not about to stop his attack. A barrage of bullets swept through, cutting the man in half at the waist and sending him crashing into the sea.

After the first round of strafing ended, Fang Wen maneuvered his fighter jet to gain altitude, then adjusted the angle and dove down again to continue the attack.

The attack targeted the other side of the fishing boat. A hail of bullets pierced the hull and penetrated the compartments. The radio was destroyed, the indicator lights went out instantly, and the spy was also hit and fell into a pool of blood.

Seeing this, the remaining Japanese spies stopped hiding and took out their guns, raising them to fire into the sky.

They were met with an even fiercer attack.

After several rounds of sweeping attacks, the fishing boat was riddled with holes, seawater rushed in, the boat began to tilt and sink, and the fishing gear on the deck was scattered everywhere by the seawater. Finally, after a violent rocking, it slowly sank into the azure seabed, leaving only a floating oil slick and debris to prove that it had once existed.

After confirming that the fishing boat had sunk completely without leaving any survivors or traces, Fang Wencai slowly pulled up the fighter jet, adjusted its course, and flew towards the Hetu.

At this moment, his face remained completely calm, as if he had just destroyed an insignificant object. Years of war had hardened his will to the point of being hard as stone.

The subsequent return voyage, landing on the deck of the Hetu, proved to be even more challenging for him.

The Hetu was now clearly visible in the distance. Fang Wen slowly descended, aligned himself with the deck, and gradually decelerated. With the aid of his supernatural abilities, he achieved precise control over the aircraft. After assessing that there might be issues with the angle and landing point of this descent, he quickly pulled up and flew past the Hetu.

After circling once, Fang Wen found the right angle and lowered the altitude again.

This time there were no problems. The plane glided smoothly to the deck, and the landing gear touched the deck with a "hissing" sound.

He steadily maneuvered the fighter jet, gliding along the deck until it came to a stop in front of the buffer net. The roar of the engine gradually subsided, and the propeller slowly stopped spinning.

The hatch opened, and Fang Wen stepped out of the cockpit. Gong Xiuneng and the mechanics immediately surrounded him.

Gong Xiuneng asked anxiously, "Commander, how is it? Have you found the spy ship?" Fang Wen nodded, his tone calm but with a hint of coldness: "We found it. It was a Japanese spy receiving ship disguised as a Hawaiian fishing boat. It has been destroyed and left no hidden dangers."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their gazes toward Fang Wen were filled with even more admiration.

A short takeoff of 100 meters, aerial reconnaissance, destruction of a spy ship, and then a smooth return—this series of operations seems utterly unbelievable.

Fang Wen got off the plane and said in a deep voice, "Have the tanker side start taking action and arrest the man. Also, notify all ships to strengthen their vigilance and keep the radio detection equipment on duty 24 hours a day. There may be more than one Japanese spy planted in the fleet. You are in charge of interrogating that man."

"Yes!" Gong Xiuneng immediately responded and turned to convey the instructions.

The fleet maintained a steady speed, sailing deep into the Pacific Ocean, the azure waters cut by the hulls of the ships, leaving long white trails.

More than a thousand kilometers away from Majuro Atoll, after the spy radio incident, the soldiers and radio monitoring personnel on each ship remained highly vigilant and dared not relax their guard in the slightest.

About an hour later, a small transport boat slowly approached from the direction of the oil tanker. As the boat drew near the Hetu, the soldiers on board hung a man who was bound hand and foot on a hook and pulled him aboard.

This person was the spy who secretly sent a telegram in the tanker's hold.

The man's face was covered in dust and fear. His hands were tightly bound with thick ropes, and his feet were tied with iron chains. He was being dragged by two soldiers toward the lower cabin of the Hetu.

Gong Xiuneng was already waiting outside the interrogation room. He was a notorious troublemaker in the Independent Regiment, and his interrogation methods were unparalleled.

"Brother Gong, we've brought the man. Can we see him?" the escorting soldier asked.

Gong Xiuneng replied, "If you want to see, then see. What's the big deal? Bring the person in."

Two soldiers dragged the man into the house, and Gong Xiuneng followed him in, closing the door behind him.

Gong Xiuneng pressed the man into a chair, his tone icy: "Speak! Who sent you? Are there any other accomplices on the ship? What was your agreement on how to pass intelligence?"

The spy, neck stiff and eyes darting around, remained defiant, hissing, "I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just an ordinary boatman, you've arrested the wrong person!"

He thought that as long as he refused to admit it, the other party would be unable to do anything to him, but little did he know that Gong Xiuneng was most skilled at dealing with such stubborn people.

Gong Xiuneng sneered, said no more nonsense, raised his hand and used the Tendon-Dislocating Bone-Splitting Hand, his fingertips precisely landing on the spy's joints and twisting them.

With a soft "click," followed by the spy's heart-wrenching scream, his shoulder dislocated instantly. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, and the stubbornness on his face shattered by the excruciating pain, leaving only fear in his eyes. "I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll confess everything!"

They confessed so easily! The two special forces soldiers, who were just waiting to see what would happen, were left without even seeing anything.

The spy, who couldn't even withstand the first stage of interrogation, revealed the truth intermittently amidst his pain.

It turns out that he was not a Japanese spy from the beginning; he was just an ordinary shipwright at Taishan International, responsible for the pipeline maintenance of oil tankers.

A month ago, a stranger secretly contacted him, promising him a large sum of money and threatening to harm him if he didn't agree.

Faced with a huge sum of money on one hand and his own safety on the other, he did not report to the higher-ups at Taishan International. After much hesitation, he finally agreed to their request and became a spy infiltrating the fleet.

To complete the mission, he also underwent three days of secret radio operation training. He was given a small portable radio and instructed to secretly send the fleet's position, course, and speed once the fleet sailed to the western waters of Hawaii.

This was only the first step in making contact. After the fleet entered the western Pacific, it was necessary to send a telegram every day, regardless of whether anyone could receive it.

This was clearly intended for the Japanese submarine force, to inform them of the fleet's location.

Unexpectedly, Fang Wen had been conducting reconnaissance of the radio stations on each ship, and he was caught red-handed as soon as he sent a message.

"There really weren't any of my accomplices on the ship!" The spy cried and begged for mercy, kowtowing repeatedly. "I was just coerced, please spare me! I'll never do it again!" Gong Xiu recorded his confession in detail, and then took it to the captain's cabin to report to Fang Wen.

After listening to the report, Fang Wen's face remained expressionless, his tone calm yet chilling: "This kind of traitor is a threat if kept alive. Drag him onto the deck and throw him overboard to feed the fish."

"Yes!" Gong Xiuneng responded and left. Not long after, a brief scream came from the deck.

After dealing with the spies, the fleet continued its voyage.

In the following days, no abnormal radio waves were detected, and the sea remained calm, as if the previous espionage incident was just a minor episode.

Fang Wen remained vigilant. He knew that the Japanese army would not give up intercepting the convoy loaded with munitions just because a spy ship was destroyed and a spy was dealt with. The real danger was yet to come.

A few days later, the fleet passed Majuro Atoll and began sailing south.

This section of the sea was the most dangerous area on the entire return journey, as Japanese submarines could potentially be lurking in this area.

Japanese submarines lurked underwater in this area. Due to their stealth, they were difficult to detect. If a submarine were to suddenly launch a torpedo attack on a cargo ship, the cargo ship, fully loaded with munitions, would inevitably explode and sink if hit, with unimaginable consequences.

To mitigate risks, Fang Wen would pilot a P-40C fighter jet daily, taking off from the semi-carrier deck of the Hetu to conduct aerial reconnaissance. (End of Chapter)