Chapter 76: 75, South Asian Tropical Monsoon Climate, Biplane Flight In Heavy Rain
With Shao Sishen’s assistance, the efficiency of the second flight greatly increased.
Fang Wen no longer determined the first half of the flight path by following the coastline, but instead Shao Sishen pointed out a heading close to a straight line using a combination of compass magnetic field and map positioning.
Guangzhou—Zhaoqing—Yunfu—Yulin—Qinzhou.
They then smoothly landed at the French military airport, saving 40 minutes.
After resting at the airport for one night, they took off again early the next morning.
But this time, the flight encountered a problem.
Qingyun Hao was flying at high altitude, already in the Laos Plateau area.
Strong winds suddenly blew in the sky, with large cumulonimbus clouds gathering.
Fang Wen adjusted the fuselage while shouting to the back: “Shao Sishen, be careful, there’s heavy rain coming.”
Shao Sishen in the back quickly put down the compass in his left hand, took out a rope belt, and wrapped himself tightly to the seat.
Both pilots knew this was South Asian tropical monsoon climate; from June to October, it was the rainy season of the monsoon climate, when rainfall reached 80% of the annual total.
The previous flight had been lucky with fair weather the whole way, but this time they unluckily ran into a rainy season storm.
Heavy rain was the greatest threat to biplanes; unlike the monoplanes that would soon appear, biplanes meant greater contact area with heavy rain, and the upper and lower wings would be battered by rainwater multiple times.
Moreover, biplanes at this time did not have streamlined fuselages, so rainwater might accumulate on the wings, causing extra burden.
There was also the engine problem; water entering the cylinders of piston engines would seriously affect the engine.
Water is an incompressible liquid; if water enters the engine cylinder and the engine continues to operate, the water will prevent normal piston movement, causing the connecting rod to bend or even break under stress, which could lead to engine cylinder block rupture.
In addition, after water enters the cylinder, it will
mix with engine oil, causing the oil to deteriorate and fail to lubricate the engine properly, thereby accelerating engine wear or even causing engine malfunction.
Therefore, every biplane pilot flying in heavy rain would pray for their own good luck.
Sure enough, Shao Sishen in the rear pilot seat was already closing his eyes in prayer.
Fang Wen, however, entered the mechanical perception state, preparing to battle the storm.
In the mechanical perception state, Fang Wen’s spiritual power was highly concentrated, becoming one with Qingyun Hao again.
At this moment, he transformed into an iron bird, spreading wings to soar in the dark sky.
Strong winds buffeted his body, followed by the heavy rain sweeping in.
Raindrops the size of soybeans struck the wings, accumulated water flowing down the edges and dripping onto his body.
It seemed that after contact with the Four-faced Buddha golden statue, his mechanical perception ability had slightly improved.
He brushed aside the thought and seriously faced the monsoon storm.
Under his control, the airplane flew along the direction of the monsoon, with speed also increasing accordingly.
With the help of the monsoon, Qingyun Hao flew out of the rainfall area in twenty minutes, and the sky became bright again.
Fang Wen immediately shouted to the back: “Shao Sishen, confirm our current position.”
“Yes, officer.”
Shao Sishen seemed to be back in aviation team training, taking out the map and compass from the waterproof bag beneath him and beginning to confirm.
Because of the missing flight path segment in the rainfall area, he needed to first estimate the distance and heading deviated from the original flight path, then re-determine the direction.
This was a very complex calculation process, and also
a test for aviation navigators; airplanes that couldn’t find the correct direction would often get lost over complex forests, ultimately crashing after fuel exhaustion.
A few minutes later, Shao Sishen replied: “We are now possibly in central Laos, close to the western Thailand area. We need to change heading to reach the destination.”
The flight path changed!
Changing course mid-air was extremely dangerous, but now they had no choice.
Fang Wen and Shao Sishen communicated loudly at high altitude.
Shao Sishen even drew the new flight path on the map for Fang Wen to see.
They had already deviated more than 200 kilometers from the original flight path, forming a 30-degree angle; to reach the destination, they needed to turn about ninety degrees and fly northwest.
While checking the map, Fang Wen used mechanical perception to double-confirm, and the result was similar to Shao Sishen’s judgment.
He then agreed to the plan, and the airplane turned and flew northwest.
After flying for one and a half hours, the terrain below changed.
Mountains and valleys intersected, yet covered with abundant trees due to rich water resources.
This was northern Thailand, where the airport in the original plan was located.
To more easily find the temporary airport hidden in the forest below, Fang Wen had specially instructed before departure to make some special marks here.
Such as easily recognizable patterns and text; they didn’t need to be beautifully crafted, as long as they could be seen from the air.
He and Shao Sishen circled in this area, carefully searching.
According to the plan, if they hadn’t found the target after consuming more than half the fuel, they would return to base.
One circle, two circles; the airplane circled widely at high altitude, trying to find something different in this vast complex forest environment.
From the mechanical perception integrated perspective, Fang Wen ultimately found it.
“Shao Sishen, look northwest, right below the airplane.”
“Oh, yes, a ‘king’ character. This is too simple; if not observed from this angle, it might not be visible.”
At the position their eyes reached, a rough ‘king’ character was revealed in the forest below where trees had been cut down.
And beside the ‘king’ character was a narrow runway.
There were people there too, waving flags, seemingly trying to attract the attention of the airplane in the air.
Trees on both sides of the runway had been cut down as required, with a total width of 10 meters, suitable for landing.
But it required precision, without too much deviation.
Fang Wen turned on the radio device.
“Qingyun Hao calling ground airport, respond if you hear.”
“Heard, heard, you can land.” came an unprofessional reply over the radio.
Fang Wen could only instruct: “Please check the runway, tell me once confirmed clear, and have your people leave the runway during landing.”
“Okay, please wait.”
After a while, the radio transmitted a ground call.
“Qingyun Hao, respond if you hear.”
“Received.”
“You can land.”
Immediately, Fang Wen adjusted the fuselage, circled slightly to find the entry point, and decisively pushed down.
The airplane dove down and landed on the hard dirt road surface.
Because it had just rained, the ground was somewhat muddy, causing the fuselage to bounce.
But fortunately the dirt pits were not deep and had been filled, so the landing process was completed.
Once the airplane stopped, Fang Wen did not get off, but shouted loudly to the people running over: “Immediately level the ground, dig away the mud and water, and cover it with another layer of soil.”
Those people were at a loss.
Until a short elderly person wearing a long gown arrived.
Though the elder was short, he had great authority; the others stepped back behind him upon his arrival.
He spoke: “What are you standing there for? Get to it quickly.”
With his words, those people got busy.
He walked to the front of the airplane, frowning as he examined it.
“How do I get up?”
“No boarding ladder?” Fang Wen thought helplessly; this flight had been too rushed, and clearly no preparations had been made here.
The runway had just been laid; from the radio reply, there were no professionals at the airport.
They hadn’t even prepared a boarding ladder.
“No ladder?” he asked.
The elder turned his head, and a manager-like person ran over: “Master, we have a ladder; I’ll have someone fetch it right away.”
Soon, a wooden ladder was carried over and placed directly on one side of the airplane; the elder carefully climbed up the ladder.
He stood in front of Shao Sishen, his height only a bit taller than the seated Shao Sishen.
“How do I sit?”
Fang Wen took out a hanging seat and hung it on the crossbar of the rear pilot seat: “Boss Kuang, sit here.”
The elder’s beard twitched; without a word, he sat down and stared at Shao Sishen.
Being stared at like this, Shao Sishen felt a bit embarrassed and turned his head to look aside.
The scene seemed a bit awkward.
Fang Wen spoke to ease it: “We can take off once the road is leveled, about three and a half hours to the French military airport, rest half an hour then continue takeoff, arriving in Guangzhou in 4 hours.”
“Good.” The elder’s tone softened: “Mr. Fang, I have another transaction; I wonder if you’re willing to take it.”
“Tell me.”
“The Liu family broke the rules and targeted my family; I want to teach them a lesson too. I know you’re China’s best pilot, especially skilled at bombing. Can you help drop a bomb to destroy the Liu family? I can give you a heavy gold reward.”
Fang Wen was silent, thinking it over.
He was unwilling to take this transaction.
That would be using a bomb against ordinary people; regardless of whether they were good or bad, once the bomb exploded at the Liu family, there would definitely be elderly, women, and children among the casualties. He couldn’t accept doing such a thing for money.
Seeing no answer from Fang Wen, the elder spoke again: “How about 1000 taels of gold? If that’s not enough, I can add more.”
Shao Sishen nervously watched Fang Wen’s back, afraid he would agree, and hurriedly spoke to stop him.
“No, Fang Wen, you can’t agree; if you do this, it’ll be a lifelong stain.”
“Yes, no amount of money is worth it. Boss Kuang, I won’t take on this grudge; our transaction ends when we return to Guangzhou.”
The elder was not angered; instead, his beard laughed: “Truly a hero with a broad mind, unmoved by personal gain. This old man didn’t misjudge you.”
Whether he was covering for his earlier words or truly testing, Fang Wen and Shao Sishen pretended not to know and responded politely.
After some innocuous conversation, the manager below reported: “Master, the ground is leveled.”
The elder nodded and said to Fang Wen in front: “Mm, Mr. Fang, we can take off.”
“Don’t you have anything else to bring back?” Fang Wen asked in surprise.
“Too many things would affect the flight; just me going back is enough,” the elder replied proudly.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to say.
The airplane accelerated on the leveled hard dirt runway and flew into the sky.
The return flight encountered no further problems; after transiting at the French military airport, the airplane arrived at Guangzhou Dashatou Airport at five in the afternoon.
After the airplane landed, Kuang family members joyfully surrounded the elder, fussing over him warmly.
The elder didn’t negotiate further with Fang Wen and left directly.
Only Kuang Mingzhu stayed, saying apologetically: “Please stay in Guangzhou one more night, Mr. Fang; I’ll settle your reward tomorrow morning.”
Fang Wen nodded: “Alright, Shao Sishen needs to go home too.”
After Kuang Mingzhu left, Fang Wen parked the airplane in the hangar, then took Shao Sishen back to his home in Guangzhou.
Shao Sishen’s family was very happy that he had gone to Shanghai for a new job.
But considering his physical condition, they required him to hire a servant there to handle daily life.
Fang Wen explained Taishan Airlines’ welfare: basically all meals and lodging were covered, arranged to high standards, so the two elders needn’t worry.
With Fang Wen’s assurance, Shao Sishen’s parents smiled contentedly, said no more, and went to prepare Shao Sishen’s luggage and tidy the room where Fang Wen stayed.
The next day, Fang Wen, Shao Sishen, and his parents and relatives returned to Dashatou Airport.
Kuang Mingzhu, who had said she would come to settle the reward, was already waiting at the airport early.
She carried a wooden box and handed it to Fang Wen. “This is your reward.”
Fang Wen took the wooden box, opened it, and inside was the Four-faced golden Buddha.
Then Kuang Mingzhu took out a bill of exchange and explained:
“This is a Citibank bill of exchange, issued by the Guangzhou branch; you can exchange it for US dollars in Shanghai.”
Fang Wen checked the amount written on it: 2000 US dollars; at the current silver dollar exchange rate, settling the reward in dollars was a small profit.
He pocketed the bill of exchange and extended his hand. “Alright, transaction settled; I’m heading back to Shanghai. See you if fate allows.”
This was normal handshake farewell etiquette.
Kuang Mingzhu seemed a bit shy, shook hands, then quickly withdrew.
After the handshake, it should have been farewell, but she didn’t leave; instead, she silently stood by the airplane, watching Fang Wen refuel it.
After refueling, Shao Sishen’s family brought his luggage; it was time to return to Shanghai.
Fang Wen boarded the airplane and was preparing to start it when Kuang Mingzhu, who had been standing by, said loudly: “Thank you for what you did for the Kuang family; I’ll remember your kindness.”
“No need to thank; it was just a transaction—you owe me nothing.” Fang Wen replied, then started the airplane and looked to the sky.
When the airplane reached 3000 meters, Shao Sishen said loudly: “I think Kuang Mingzhu likes you.”
“No way; we’ve only known each other two days.” Fang Wen responded loudly.
“It’s true; I’ve known Kuang Mingzhu since childhood. Don’t let her capable work fool you—she can’t hide her feelings at all.”
“Doesn’t she have a child? Don’t make up stories about a married lady.”
“You mean little Yun? That’s her adopted child. Let me tell you, Kuang Mingzhu looks mature but isn’t that old; how could she have a 6-year-old. Never mind, it takes two to tango; forget I said anything.”
High altitude wasn’t suitable for conversation, so the talk ended.
Fang Wen recalled the process of sending Kuang Mingzhu back that day.
No way; they hardly even talked. This must be Shao Sishen guessing wildly.
After several hours of flight, the airplane landed at Shanghai Airport.
Fang Wen got off the airplane, then carefully helped Shao Sishen down the boarding ladder.
Fang Shouxin and Shunzi, who had heard the news, hurried over from outside the airport.
Fang Wen introduced: “This is my comrade Shao Sishen; we bombed Izumo together. Now he’s the flight training director at Taishan Airlines. Shunzi, accompany Mr. Shao home; he’s staying with me for now.”
After Shunzi and Shao Sishen left, Fang Wen said to Fang Shouxin: “Uncle Fang, go to Citibank and exchange this bill of exchange for money.”
“Young Master, I’m afraid I might mess it up.” Fang Shouxin had been a rice shop shopkeeper for a long time, seen money house bills, but this was his first time with a foreign bank bill.
Fang Wen didn’t know how to cash bank bills of this era either, but Taishan Airlines’ Shopkeeper Liu definitely did.
He took Fang Shouxin to the Taishan Airlines office outside the airport, had Shopkeeper Liu go back to town to check accounts at the ticketing company, and by the way accompany Fang Shouxin to exchange the bill.
After that, he turned his attention to the biggest gain of this trip.
Four-faced golden Buddha.
