Chapter 749: Urgent as Fire and Water

Ground crew are preparing.

Chen Shanben is carefully inspecting the plane.

Zhang Yong and Yang Lichu are standing by the plane.

Looking at the time, it's not even half past five. If all goes well, they'll arrive in Jinling by six. It should still be light out.

After all, planes are fast. Even the slowest transport planes can reach speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour. In contrast, the Shanghai-Nanjing train only averages 30 kilometres per hour. It's a world of difference. In the future, planes will rule the skies. Air supremacy is paramount.

'The pier...'

'I don't need to worry about it.'

'Who will?'

'You'll take over.'

'No one told me.'

'When we return to Nanjing, I'll ask your wife. You can take over.'

'What is it?'

'Secret. I'll tell you more when Madam gives her permission.'

'Understood.'

Zhang Yong nodded.

In fact, he hated it when people kept him in suspense.

However, the person in front of him was the one who liked to keep him in suspense. There was nothing he could do.

For one thing, she was the daughter of the Deputy Minister of Justice.

For another, she was Madam's mouthpiece.

He could not afford to offend either.

Still, he felt curious. Where was the dock, and what was the matter?

Ichirō Yanagawa. He's Heisuke Yanagawa's younger brother. What does he want? Is he going to surrender to China? That's ridiculous. Even Kua Fu would be rolling his eyes.

'Let's go.'

'Be careful.'

'Okay.'

Yang Li first boarded the plane.

Soon after, Chen Shanben took off.

This guy seems to want to show off his skills and take off straight up.

For a moment, Zhang Yong also felt the urge to become a pilot.

Shit. What a cool pose.

I wish I could do the Pugachev Cobra manoeuvre in an A380...

And then break up in mid-air...

He watched the plane disappear into the north-western sky.

At this time, the sun was setting, and the layers of rosy light were like a golden armour, so beautiful...

He shook his head.

Pulling his thoughts back.

Yes, the sunset was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was the sunset.

Standing in the sunlight, he was actually a little unaccustomed to it. Perhaps it was because he had been exposed to so much darkness that he was actually a little afraid of the sunlight.

Suddenly, a yellow dot appeared at the edge of the map. Approaching the airport.

Curious, who is it?

Raising the binoculars, he discovered that it was someone he didn't know. Riding a bicycle, it seems like he's just passing by?

However, the yellow dot is gradually entering Longhua Airport. It seems that it is a staff member here? I don't know if it belongs to the military or civil aviation?

Longhua Airport is used by both the military and civilians. Originally, the Air Force has gradually withdrawn. But now it may have to be expanded again.

It is clear that the two airports at Jinling Daxuochang and Hangzhou Jieqiao are not enough. Shanghai must also have an airport. Even if it is for military and civilian use.

In addition, Zhang Yong heard Yang Lichu mention that the Ministry of Air and Naval Affairs is also preparing to expand several airports in Hankou, Changsha, Nanchang, etc. In addition, new airports will be opened in Nanyang, Luoyang, Xi'an, etc. The two airports in Kunming and Chengdu will also be expanded, but the funding will be handled by Long Yun and Liu Xiang respectively.

The map indicates that the yellow dot has entered the civilian airport area. It seems to have entered the command centre?

Correct. It's actually a member of the command centre.

Recover your gaze.

Pay no attention.

For him, the best option is to not be disturbed.

Go back to the office.

Have dinner.

Take a shower.

Go to bed.

Naturally, he sleeps soundly on his own turf...

'Knock, knock...'

'Knock, knock...'

However, the sound of a hurried knock on the door rings out.

Zhang Yong reflexively reached for the gun under the pillow. This was a habit he had deliberately cultivated.

Originally, there was also a gun in the personal space. But he got used to sleeping with the gun under the pillow. Because that was what Li Boqi did. And that was what everyone else did.

'Team leader, it's me, Chen Hai.'

'Come in.'

Zhang Yong nodded.

The door was not locked.

On one's own turf, if there is really a danger, locking the door is useless. Someone can just kick it open.

No need. There are air force guards stationed here. It's impossible for a large-scale enemy to break in.

Chen Hai opened the door.

'What is it?'

'Director Yang called from Jinling, saying it's urgent. He wants you to get up and answer the phone immediately.'

'Got it.'

Zhang Yong reluctantly got up.

Fortunately, tonight was not absurd. There was no confrontation with Catherine.

Otherwise...

Hurry up and answer the phone.

Urgent?

What's going on?

He went to the office. Outside the office door, he found two guards standing. Two bald, burly men in Mao suits, standing solemnly.

What could be so important? He couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Then he slowly calmed down.

What the hell.

The sky couldn't fall on him.

Even if someone wanted to arrest him, he could easily get away with it.

He went in. Picked up the phone.

Yang Lichu's voice came over the line, 'Zhang Yong, is that you?'

'It's me,' Zhang Yong yawned. "Is there some danger that requires my immediate escape? Tell me...'

'Something good," Yang Lichu's tone was a little sharp. "I'm very happy. That's why I woke you up in the middle of the night. I won't let you sleep. I don't want to sleep. And you can't sleep either.'

'No, Miss Yang..." Zhang Yong was defeated. "What are you happy about?'

'Anyway, I'm very happy," Yang Lichu didn't answer directly. 'Tonight you must be happy with me. You're not allowed to sleep.'

'Or you can fly back here and sleep with me... Oh, that's not right...'

'You wish. I'm not going back tonight.'

'So what is it that you're so happy about? Tell me.'

'I'm not telling you! I'm not telling you!'

'So I should hang up?'

'Don't you dare!'

'Miss Yang, don't use public resources for personal matters...'

'None of your business! It's my mistress's permission. I'll wake you up in the middle of the night!'

'!@#¥%...'

Zhang Yong was speechless.

You could tell that Yang Li was really happy.

Fine. You're happy.

I'll just yawn a bit. And then I'll skip work tomorrow...

No, today.

And...

Bah bah bah...

What skipping work! I'm the boss, who's going to say I'm skipping work?

Tomorrow, no, today, it's all off!

No, tomorrow too!

Two days off in a row!

Haha. I'm happy too.

'I'll leave the matter of Ichiro Yanagawa to you too.'

'What exactly is it?'

'I can't tell you over the phone. I'll send you a telegram.'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He thought to himself, sending a telegram was even less secure.

There was no guarantee that the phone wasn't being tapped. On the other hand, a telegram could be decoded.

He thought of Natasha...

Alas, she was a telecommunications genius and a workaholic.

Unfortunately...

she was still in Hangzhou!

I wonder how Ayi is taking care of her.

Suddenly...

'Forget it, I'll go back tomorrow!' Yang Lichu changed her mind again.

'You don't need to be in such a hurry...' Zhang Yong said with a false heart, 'I don't think there's anything major...'

'Then I'll go back the day after tomorrow,' Yang Lichu changed her mind again.

Zhang Yong: ...

Okay. Miss Yang, I already know that you are very happy.

You don't have to be so incoherent with your joy. Are you losing your mind? Jumping from one thing to the next. Never mind, let's wait until she calms down.

'I'll be back the day after tomorrow,' Zhang Yong helped her make up her mind.

'Okay,' Yang Lichu was very obedient. Her originally chaotic thoughts gradually began to make sense.

Zhang Yong then hung up the phone.

He was really sleepy.

There were still two guards standing outside the door!

But she ended up talking about nonsense. Nothing serious.

Was she happy?

Why? Did it have anything to do with me?

What did I do? I sent over ten drawings.

Did it have something to do with the drawings?

Did she get a big compliment from Madam? So she couldn't hold back?

Oh, in the end, she is a young girl. Not very experienced. After getting a big compliment from Madam, she might have really been carried away.

She had been sulking since the dock incident. She probably didn't have much confidence in herself. So when she suddenly received praise, she was of course overjoyed. It was a big change. Alas. But it was true. This was how ordinary people felt. When they did a bad job, they felt depressed. When they received praise, they immediately felt like flying.

He walked out of the office.

He told Chen Hai that the double-shift could be cancelled.

At the same time, he told him, 'Tell everyone that tomorrow is a holiday. Free activities.'

'Yes,' Chen Hai answered immediately.

Zhang Yong went back to his room. He continued to sleep.

He woke up dazed, and it seemed to be morning. But he decided to stay in bed.

After all, it was a holiday today...

The map showed five white dots approaching quietly.

Strange, the guards actually let them through? Who exactly were they? There was no annotation, so he didn't know who they were.

They must be someone from within the Air Force.

Later, he discovered that the five white dots were slowly approaching his room.

Huh?

Who on earth are they?

When he got up and looked, he realised that it was Shen Ming and the others.

No wonder they could come and go as they pleased.

It seems that even the guards knew they were there to see him.

Haha. His reputation really precedes him.

I wonder how much lewd and shameless scenes the guards have imagined.

They are not afraid of other people's gossip.

They came to see me early in the morning. Really. I am a gentleman.

However, beautiful women are pleasing to the eye. It is nice to look at them.

It happens to be today's holiday. Others have nothing to do today and go to the brothel to listen to music. He doesn't have that kind of capital. He can only look at beautiful women.

Shen Ming and the others are wearing the unique slim-fitting skirts of the Air Force. Simple but beautiful.

Female air force soldiers actually don't have a uniform. But they do have skirts. They're a bit like modified cheongsams. And a bit like dresses from later times.

How should I put it? They look like something from a certain fantasy drama.

If they were to wear the uniform of ordinary soldiers, they would really look terrible. 100 points for their appearance, but less than 40 points left.

The compromise is to wear a uniform skirt. But no cleavage, no legs. It's quite conservative. But their appearance won't drop too much. You can still tell they're beautiful.

'Team Leader Zhang!'

'Team Leader Zhang!'

Shen Ming and the others greeted him sweetly.

Zhang Yong nodded.

It was a strange feeling. They didn't feel constrained at all. Zhang Yong, on the other hand, felt a little constrained.

Let's put it this way, he really didn't have any intention of taking them into his harem. Besides, he wasn't short of women. Those beautiful spies were all willing participants. It was all a transaction. No emotional burden. Emotions were too heavy a burden for him to bear. Walking in the dark, he couldn't bear the favour of a beautiful woman.

They should have their own lives. They can go and pursue happiness. There are so many handsome guys in the Air Force, both in terms of knowledge and skills, who are much more outstanding than him. Chen Shanben is not bad. In the future, he will have the brightest prospects. Which one of you is going to catch...

'You came to see me, is there something wrong?'

'If we're fine, can't we come to see you?'

'You're either working or in a relationship, why are you looking for me?'

'Team Leader Zhang, are you in a relationship?'

'No. No dog would want to get involved with that.'

'Then we won't get involved either.'

'No...'

Zhang Yong suddenly froze.

Oops. He had just shot himself in the foot.

He had spoken too much. This was a disaster. He had just killed the mood with one sentence. And now he didn't know how to smooth things over.

Oh dear...

'Team Leader Zhang, do you have a moment?'

'For what?'

'Why don't you come and play kite flying with us?'

'What kites?'

'Kites! This is a great place to fly kites!'

Zhang Yong: ?

You girls, inviting me to fly kites?

Something's not right...

Are you trying to flirt with me...?

That's not right either...

Five of you trying to flirt with me at once?

I can't handle it...

Seeing their expectant eyes, Zhang Yong vaguely understood.

They probably needed his help.

Although they have been taken care of by Madam and have joined the Air Force, they probably won't be given any specific tasks for a while. The Air Force Ministry is currently overwhelmed with work and cannot take care of many things.

The most important thing is that they are marginalised within the airport.

To put it bluntly, they have no backing.

Apart from Yang Lichu, they don't know anyone.

Even Yang Lichu is a stranger to them. They are simply being used as guides.

Yang Lichu brought them here. But she certainly couldn't help them much. Miss Yang herself had a lot on her mind.

Perhaps you could say they were clever. They wanted to find a patron.

He, Zhang Yong, was it.

In their eyes, he was absolutely trustworthy.

It felt absurd. Outsiders said he was greedy and lustful. But they trusted him completely.

After all, he had rescued them.

The ancients valued this act of saving their lives very highly. Perhaps Li Boqi had poured some more of his magic potion into their ears.

'Where are the kites?'

'We can make our own. I know how.'

'Really? Good, I'm off today. I'll spend the day flying kites with you!'

Zhang Yong readily agreed.

If he could be of some help to them, he would be more than happy to.

Giving roses to others leaves a sweet fragrance on your hands.

Seriously, who doesn't want to be a good person?

But being a good person is exhausting.

It's better to be a bad person.

In fact, his 'evil reputation' is well-known, and it can sometimes have a positive effect.

For example, ordinary people dare not provoke him.

He took them flying a kite, and when other people saw it, they knew that they were close to him. They would not dare to bully them easily. So as not to get them to tell tales. Gao Yuanhang and Chen Shanben, when they saw it, would also pay special attention. In the future, they would have an easier time in the Air Force.

Alas, they are actually quite pitiful...

Suddenly...

he had a bold idea.

Since they were grateful to him, why didn't he try to help them get ahead?

He had already decided to join the Air Force. In the future, he would drop bombs on Mount Fuji. He would definitely need to have someone in the Air Force. In the future, it would be good to have contacts everywhere.

Fortunately, they had the approval of Madam, and no one would dare say anything if he gave them a little help.

'What do you want to do?'

'We want to fly a kite!'

'I'm telling you, you've been here for days. Which department do you want to go to?'

'We don't know! We can't just go wherever we want.'

'Just tell me, I'll figure it out.'

'Really?'

'Of course!'

Zhang Yong nodded affirmatively.

This was the first time he had placed his own people openly, and it had to be successful!

After all, he was the director of the Third Intelligence Department.

Although young, I have real power. And I have money.

If I can't even arrange 30 girls, don't even think about me working hard in the future.

Hmph...

'I want to go to the Communications Department.'

'Me too!'

'Me too!'

'I want to go to the Technical Department.'

'I want to go to the Air Traffic Control Department.'

'I...'

They all spoke at once.

Their eyes were full of expectation.

Zhang Yong took out a small notebook and carefully made a note of it.

There were too many people, and his memory was not good, so it would be bad if he couldn't remember.

The communications office and air traffic control office are the best. You can contact them at any time in the future.

Okay, I've got it all down.

Then there's kite-flying...

kite-flying...

songs of birds and insects...

songs of birds and insects...

Well, I've instantly become the most beautiful sight on the entire airbase.

Sure enough, a lot of people are looking over this way.

Zhang Yong ignores them.

Kite-flying, I've never seen that before!

Kite-flying with a beautiful girl, don't you like it?

Haha!

They played with the kites all morning.

I'm exhausted. They kept me on the go. They were so unruly.

Zhang Yong had a vague feeling that Shen Ming and the others seemed to be deliberately taking advantage of him. But he had no concrete evidence.

At noon, he invited them to dinner. He also invited the other girls to dinner.

Of course, they couldn't do it on the base.

They went to a restaurant outside the base.

Coincidentally, the yellow dot was there too. It turned out that he worked in the communications office.

Zhang Yong took the initiative to greet the other person. He learned that his name was Huang Zhicheng. A very common name. I don't know what his real name is.

After dinner, he finally managed to get rid of them. Then he went back to his own doghouse and got ready to sleep.

However, before he fell asleep, Lu Hai came to report that Yang Lichu had called from Jinling again. He said that there was another urgent matter...

Zhang Yong: ...

I'm convinced. It's another urgent matter!

Young Miss Yang, you want a beating!

If you were here by my side, I would really beat you up!

But there's nothing I can do. I have to obediently answer the phone.

What if Madam has something to say?

"I'm still very happy. As soon as I woke up, I wanted to call you again.'

'Madam praised you?'

'Well, she rewarded me with a watch. It's my favourite.'

'Are you that happy about a watch? Look at you...'

'What do you know? Madam can't reward you right now, so she had to reward me instead. I naturally couldn't refuse.'

'Wait!'

Zhang Yong felt that something was wrong.

No. Are you saying that was my reward?

What do you mean it was inconvenient to reward?

It was very convenient for me!

"What's going on?'

'Someone has told tales on you. They say you've gone too far.'

'What have I done?'

'I'm not sure exactly. Anyway, the committee has asked about it. Now that other people are getting carried away, your wife will have to put up with it. If we reward you publicly, it'll be like pouring oil on the fire. But if we reward me, then there'll be no problem at all.'

'Give me back the watch.'

'Forget it. What do you want a lady's watch for?'

'I have a condition too.'

'Name it. I'll promise you anything.'

'Shen Ming and the others came to see me today, and they kept pestering me to fly a kite with them, hoping that I could help them...'

'You heartless scoundrel!'

'Hurry up and find them a job. Something central. Something with prospects. Maybe they can help out in the future.'

'Don't worry. With your drawings, there's no problem at all.'

'Thank you!'

'Boo...'

Yang Lichu suddenly made a surprising move.

Zhang Yong: ...

What's going on?

This woman is really crazy.

What are you doing on the other side of the phone? If you've got the guts, come face to face with me! I'm not afraid of you...

'You...'

'Madam said, if anything happens, just say you're from the Air Force.'

'Thank you!'

'Don't worry about those slanderous remarks.'

'I understand.'

'Do you know that if you sell that drawing to Curtiss, you can get at least half a million dollars...'

'What?'

'Curtiss is designing and manufacturing a new Hawker 81 fighter, and they happen to need the bf-109 drawings for reference. The P-36 they've designed and finalized now just doesn't feel perfect. Unfortunately, only part of the drawings are available. If there were more, it's possible to sell them for up to a million dollars.'

'Who said that?'

'Madam personally communicated with their technical representative. Just this morning. I was in charge of translation.'

'Madam needs a translator?'

'She doesn't understand the technical details of aircraft! But I do! After the meeting, Madam was so happy that she rewarded me with a watch!'

'Really?'

'Why else would I be so happy?'

'Ah...'

Zhang Yong was happy, but also a little sad.

Half a million dollars...

No, a million dollars!

The Curtiss Company is really willing to spend.

But thinking about it again, he felt relieved. Curtiss must also know that its technology is lagging behind, so it is anxious to make a breakthrough.

Other aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, are its competitors. There is also the up-and-coming Lockheed, which should not be underestimated. They are all competing for the same orders. If they fail to win new orders, the company may go bankrupt.

The test flight of the bf-109 fighter is undoubtedly a great thrill for them.

In fact, it is a thrill for all fighter designs.

If the new Hawker 81 fighter jet was too different from the Bf 109, there would be no market for it!

The US military's requirements are also very high.

At this time, a detailed drawing is like a guiding light for the Curtiss company.

In these chaotic times, there are no patents for weapons. This is especially true for fighter jets. You can copy, no, borrow, from others. As long as you can get hold of the enemy's drawings.

In this respect, one million dollars really isn't much.

Zhang Yong was moved to reflect that he had never thought of making money in this way. Madame is really good at managing money! She only got the blueprints last night, but this morning she was already negotiating with Curtiss herself. That was really quick.

I'm impressed!

"Curtiss also promised to give us priority if the new Hawker 81 comes off the production line.'

'Really?'

'Yes. At least 150.'

'That's good.'

Zhang Yong suddenly felt happy.

He didn't mind losing a million dollars.

The bf-109 was a bit of a problem. But the reference Hawker 81 was entirely possible.

It was like medicine in the future. If you couldn't get the real thing, the third brother's imitation would do. As long as the performance was acceptable. Or rather, not too far off.

In fact, Curtiss still had very strong fundamentals.

They just hadn't found the right path for themselves. Once they chose the right path, they definitely had a future.

For Curtiss, the Hawker 81 had a good start, with 150 orders even before it was released. At least they could advertise it. If the Hawker 81 really performed well, they could still develop the international market.

The best of both worlds.

Win-win cooperation.

So, here's the question...

How can the remaining twenty drawings maximise profits?