Chapter 88: 87, Treasure-stealing Team Assembles, Parachuting Training
As night fell, all the staff at Taishan Airlines finished work, leaving only the security guards on duty.
Some employees went to the canteen for meals, while others ate at food stalls outside the airport.
The spending power of passengers and staff from both airlines made the commercial atmosphere here increasingly strong.
Shunzi carried two food boxes from the company canteen and also picked up some braised beef from a small tavern. With a smile, he greeted his colleagues and hurried home.
Fang Shouxin waited outside the door and took the food boxes into the house.
At this time, Fang Wenzheng was talking with Gang Leader Wang.
“This operation will be carried out under the noses of the Japanese, and not a single piece of information can leak out. General Manager Fang, since you’re letting me participate in this treasure theft, I’ll state my terms upfront: anyone found leaking information will die.”
Fang Wen nodded.
“I trust Gang Leader Wang. How about this, we’ll make an agreement here today. I will handle the airplane transport, and you will be in charge of commanding the treasure theft. I will only assign two people to participate in the operation for easier communication.”
Gang Leader Wang nodded, “Alright.”
Fang Wen smiled, extended his hand, and shook hands with Gang Leader Wang and Zhao Jiu, signifying the agreement on their cooperation.
Immediately, Fang Shouxin brought over a table and took out the dishes and small wines from the food boxes.
Two more people entered from outside: Shopkeeper Liu and Sun Debiao.
Gang Leader Wang exclaimed in surprise, “Aren’t these your Taishan Airlines’ chief accountant and security captain? You’re really willing to send them with me to outside the Passes.”
“They are both trustworthy. Didn’t you say we need to strictly prevent leaks?” Fang Wen said with a smile.
In one night, the division of labor and the plan were finalized.
Fang Wen was responsible for transporting the treasure-stealing team to outside the Passes, transporting the stolen treasures back to Jinan, and then picking them up.
The treasure-stealing team would scout the area there, bribe the guards of the Young Marshal’s Mansion, and figure out how to proceed with the treasure theft.
In this regard, Fang Wen’s transportation aspect was not a concern.
The key was the composition of the treasure-stealing team.
Gang Leader Wang was a top figure in Shanghai for assassination. Both assassination and treasure theft heavily relied on planning and acting with determination.
He divided the treasure-stealing team into three parts.
The first part: Planning and coordinating with all parties. This would be handled by him, Sun Debiao, and Shopkeeper Liu.
They were also the only ones in the treasure-stealing team who would know the complete plan.
The second part: The outer perimeter group. This included a combat team responsible for military obstruction and diverting the guards’ attention, a local team for gathering information, and a subversion team to bribe the guards and managers of the Young Marshal’s Mansion.
The third part, the treasure-stealing action group. This group had the most special requirements, consisting of renowned thieves with special skills. Each member had to possess a unique strength.
After these decisions were made, the next step was to find suitable candidates.
Near the Taishan Airline Company, a small new company had opened.
It was named Fugui Business Company. The name was a bit rustic, but many people came to apply for jobs.
These individuals, upon inspection, did not appear to be benevolent.
The boss of Fugui Business Company, surnamed Wang, never showed himself. He personally received applicants at the company.
And those applicants showed great respect to Boss Wang.
As a new neighbor to Taishan Airlines, Fang Wen naturally paid a visit out of politeness and to learn from Boss Wang.
He brought small gifts and, accompanied by Shopkeeper Liu and Sun Debiao, entered Fugui Business Company.
Inside the not-so-large company, a group of people looked at him with unfriendly expressions.
This was what one would call a fierce demeanor.
Perhaps it wasn’t intentional, but in the Jianghu, such toughness became ingrained on their faces.
Fang Wen understood that these people were definitely candidates for the action group, desperadoes capable of fighting and killing.
He went upstairs and saw Gang Leader Wang chatting with an elder.
Upon seeing Fang Wen arrive, Gang Leader Wang introduced, “This senior is the Former Qing Dynasty Bandit King, and he is willing to help us with his advice.”
Fang Wen bowed respectfully, “Greetings, elder.”
The elder smiled and replied, “Your plan is audacious. Even someone like myself, who has spent a lifetime in the art of theft, has never dared to imagine such a thing. But if it succeeds, it would indeed be a great feat. I dare to join, perhaps to gain some fame and fortune before I die. I’ve heard your plan, and I have some different insights.”
“Please elaborate, elder,” Fang Wen said with delight.
The elder’s expression turned serious:
“Your plan is conventional. It would work if you were stealing from ordinary wealthy families. But now it’s the Japanese army, and conventional methods won’t work. The army is disciplined and has its own system. They are highly vigilant and will actively investigate any unfamiliar presence. Your plan, though seemingly meticulous, could easily develop flaws during execution, leading to complete failure.”
Fang Wen nodded, truly a professional, seeing through it so clearly.
He asked, “Then what should we do?”
“Although the Japanese army is disciplined and appears impenetrable, they have weaknesses. They are far from home, face language barriers, and are unfamiliar with the terrain. They need local cooperation. Those people are the key figures you need to win over.”
Fang Wen was taken aback.
Sun Debiao blurted out, “Find those traitors?”
“Exactly. Such people are devoid of sentiment, loyalty, and patriotism. They are most susceptible to bribery. As long as there’s enough profit to entice them, they can betray once, and they can betray twice.”
The elder’s words gave everyone present food for thought.
Sun Debiao was the most anxious, as if the words were directed at him.
Even Shopkeeper Liu felt a bit awkward.
Fang Wen subtly tugged at Sun and Liu’s sleeves, helping them regain their composure.
However, Sun Debiao still blurted out, “What if they become greedy and demand the lion’s share?”
The elder displayed a sinister expression, “Then agree to it. After the deed is done, we’ll see if they live to collect it.”
Although the words were harsh, the profit was theirs, and no one present felt anything amiss.
Only Fang Wen felt a sense of awe in his heart. To accomplish such an astonishing plan, one could only take unconventional paths, and it would have to be completed by these ruthless individuals.
But the elder had not finished speaking.
“This trip beyond the Passes is a matter of life and death. Ordinary desperadoes cannot handle it. They have no attachments, and even if they perform well now, many will falter when faced with danger there. At that point, all your plans will be mere paper talk.”
With his decades of experience as a bandit king, the elder easily dissected human nature.
This also made Fang Wen realize the loopholes in the plan.
Fang Wen quickly asked, “Then how can we remedy this?”
“It’s still good now. The personnel haven’t been finalized, so changes can be made at any time. My suggestion is to find people you can trust.”
“Are there such people?” Fang Wen asked, puzzled.
“Yes, several of my disciples are skilled in theft, and they still respect me as their master. You can take them with you. If anything goes wrong, you can hold me accountable. Does that work?”
“Huh?” Fang Wen was speechless. So, all this time, he was recommending his own disciples to join.
But he was right. People one knew well were safer. Besides, the disciples of the old bandit king should have excellent skills.
The recruitment of the treasure-stealing team was basically completed over five days.
The entire team consisted of nineteen people.
Team command and coordination between departments: Gang Leader Wang, Sun Debiao, and Shopkeeper Liu.
Outer perimeter group.
Combat team of 7 people: all skilled marksmen.
These were introduced by Gang Leader Wang; his title as the King of Assassination was not for show.
The local intelligence gathering team and the subversion team for bribing the guards and managers of the Young Marshal’s Mansion were not yet finalized due to the elder’s warning. They would be assembled after the team arrived in Shenyang.
Then came the meticulously selected treasure-stealing action group.
A total of 9 people, including Zhao Jiu, the Liu family brothers who were skilled at digging tunnels, and the bandit king’s five disciples.
With the personnel in place, it was time to figure out how to transport them.
Land routes were not feasible now, with Japanese army garrisons all along the way, making it easy to encounter problems during transit.
It was time for Fang Wen to play his crucial role.
In the suburbs of Shanghai, Fang Wen met with the 19-member treasure-stealing team.
“Everyone, you cannot travel by land on this trip. Sea routes are also patrolled by Japanese warships. My plan is to fly you to the vicinity of Shenyang and then conduct a parachute landing.”
The entire place erupted in uproar.
Gang Leader Wang asked, “What is parachuting?”
Fang Wen pointed to the large backpacks next to him, “It’s this. Carry this and jump out of the airplane. Pull the ring on the right side, and the parachute inside will deploy at high altitude, ensuring your safe landing on the ground.”
As he spoke, Shopkeeper Liu, Sun Debiao, and Zhao Jiu stepped forward and took out parachute packs from a nearby vehicle.
These were imitations of the parachute packs brought by Neil from the United States, something Fang Wen had always longed for.
At high altitude, those who couldn’t parachute were the most dangerous.
For this reason, he was willing to spend money to buy expensive parachute packs from the United States.
It turned out that upon purchasing them, he discovered that the parachute packs of this era were very simple. Even the deployment mechanism was a manual ring, something that could be made by tailors in Shanghai.
To reassure everyone, he picked up a parachute pack and demonstrated it.
“This backpack is made of sturdy canvas on the outside, and the straps are also made of the same material, ensuring they won’t break during landing.”
“Inside is the parachute, made of silk fabric. To prevent accidents, the canopy is made quite large, so even if there’s a tear, you can still land safely.”
“This is the buckle-type deployment system. After jumping out of the plane, pull it to automatically open the parachute.”
“Of course, we’re not at the stage of high-altitude parachuting yet; we’ll start with ground parachuting.”
As Fang Wen spoke, he pointed to a wooden high tower in the distance.
It was about 30 meters high.
Some people began to lose their nerve.
“I’m not afraid of dying, but I don’t want to die falling here like this.”
“Yeah, parachuting is unreliable. Why don’t we find a way to take a boat? The Japanese might not be patrolling at night.”
Once one person spoke, others echoed, and the scene became a bit chaotic.
Fang Wen calmly said, “Are the brave men afraid of heights? You always boast about shaking the heavens and earth, but is it all just talk? I’ll jump first, watch me.”
With that, he picked up the parachute pack and climbed the wooden high tower.
His words stopped the argument; everyone felt they might indeed be a bit too timid.
Their general manager wasn’t afraid.
It was quite a stimulating experience for these Jianghu figures who relied on courage, to be outdone by someone who seemed to have less need for it.
They couldn’t help but follow him.
Fang Wen climbed to the top of the 30-meter tower.
Given the materials of the era, reaching such a height was the limit, and standing on the tower, he felt a sense of precariousness.
He grabbed the central vertical pole at the tower’s peak and looked down.
For him, who was accustomed to high-altitude flight, it wasn’t that terrifying.
Furthermore, there was a large expanse of sandy ground below, specifically designed for cushioning the landing.
As long as the parachute deployed in time during the jump, there would be no problem at all.
Seeing that everyone below was watching him, Fang Wen took a deep breath and leaped forward.
At the same time, he activated the deployment mechanism in advance.
The snow-white silk canopy unfurled, puffing out against the air resistance as he descended.
Fang Wen immediately felt lighter and floated gently downwards.
He then landed on the soft sand.
It was a success!
With Fang Wen’s demonstration, everyone felt it wasn’t as difficult or dangerous as they had imagined.
Gang Leader Wang picked up a parachute pack, approached Fang Wen, asked how to use it, and then also climbed the parachuting tower.
He also underwent a period of mental struggle before bravely jumping. Then, the white parachute bloom unfurled, and he too floated down to the sandy ground.
To be honest, parachuting was definitely the most stimulating sport of this era.
The demonstrations by Fang Wen and Gang Leader Wang successfully piqued the interest of these daredevils who lived on the edge.
Sun Debiao also went up and landed successfully.
He had also discovered a small trick.
“Don’t look down. Close your eyes and jump, keep your hand on the ring, and pull it as soon as you leave the wooden tower. Then you’ll find yourself floating up gently.”
The trick he summarized was quickly applied by others.
One by one, daring individuals climbed up and shouted as they jumped down.
There were, however, some mistakes.
One person pulled the ring before jumping out of the parachute tower, resulting in the canopy not fully opening, and they fell directly to the ground.
Fang Wen and the others rushed over to help, their faces filled with alarm.
Fortunately, the sand was thick and not compacted. The person merely sank into the sand. It took some effort to dig him out, but there were no major injuries.
This, ironically, served as a motivator for them to jump, and more people began to undergo more ground parachuting training.
After a week of this training, parachuting from 30 meters was no longer considered dangerous.
With inflated confidence, the treasure-stealing team directly requested high-altitude parachuting.
In response, Fang Wen sternly warned, “High-altitude parachuting is completely different from ground training. Due to wind direction and operational variations, you will land within a certain area. Additionally, your parachute could get snagged on tree branches, preventing you from landing. Furthermore, strong winds can, in rare cases, cause the canopy to wrap around your body during the jump. You must be extremely careful.”
Gang Leader Wang nodded in agreement, “Yes, our lives are our own. Everyone must be cautious and not act recklessly. Alright, General Manager Fang, let’s get on the airplane.”
Fang Wen looked at the others.
Those who had been reluctant before, after completing their ground parachuting training, had actually come to embrace this stimulating and dangerous sport.
Thus, extreme sports are a game of courage, and this was the best illustration of that principle.
He said no more, but instead piloted the Boeing 247, which had not yet been assigned a flight route, carrying the 19 people into the sky.
In the sky, Fang Wen searched for a suitable landing spot.
He chose Xishan Island on Taihu Lake.
It had mountains, water, and a forest.
It provided complex training terrain, especially the forest environment, which was perfect for simulating the situation of a parachute snagging.
He circled above Taihu Lake and called out, “Do you see the island below? Your mission is to parachute down onto the island, then find your partners, assemble completely, and then make your own way back to Shanghai. Can you do it?”
“Yes,” replied Gang Leader Wang, then looked at the others, “Can you?”
Everyone responded affirmatively.
“Okay.”
Even Shopkeeper Liu was like this; everyone here had a spirit of adventure.
Immediately, the hatch opened, and Gang Leader Wang jumped out first.
In the high air, the parachute opened, and instantly, the high-speed descent slowed, drifting towards the ground.
The others followed, jumping out of the airplane one by one until the last person.
Only Fang Wen remained in the airplane. He left the cockpit, quickly crossed two crossbars, and closed the boarding gate.
Then he ran back to the pilot seat and flew the airplane back to base.
