Chapter 55: Ace Pilot, Requesting Permission to Engage!

"Ugh..."

Lin Ran rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling as though his head had been stuffed with cotton.

The aftereffects of that strong sweet-potato liquor were simply too powerful; he swore he would never drink with those fellows again next time.

"Coming!"

Taking a few deep breaths and pulling himself together, Lin Ran straightened his clothes and pushed the door open.

"Hehe, Brother Lin, did you sleep comfortably last night?" Li Yunlong rubbed his hands together, his face beaming with attentive concern.

"Exquisite!" Lin Ran nodded.

Li Yunlong had practically handed over the room belonging to the Japanese general to him, and that old devil certainly knew how to live in luxury.

"That's good! That's good!" Li Yunlong breathed a sigh of relief. "Then let's go meet the pilot right away."

Li Yunlong led Lin Ran to the command headquarters.

Inside the room, a tall, upright young man with sharp eyes had been waiting for quite some time.

Seeing Lin Ran enter, he immediately snapped into a crisp, textbook-perfect military salute, his voice ringing loud and clear:

"Reporting! Eighth Route Army Headquarters combat staff officer, Wang Zhihang! Here to report as ordered! Awaiting your instructions, Mr. Lin!"

If there was anyone besides the veterans of the New First Regiment who felt the deepest awe toward Lin Ran, it was undoubtedly the leaders at the headquarters.

Every single incredible feat accomplished by Lin Ran was crystal clear to them.

Now, having the chance to interact with him up close and execute such a pivotal mission, Wang Zhihang's heart was overflowing with excitement.

Lin Ran quickly sidestepped to avoid the salute: "Staff Officer Wang, a pleasure to meet you! It must have been a tiring journey!"

Wang Zhihang lowered his arm, standing as straight as a javelin. "You flatter me, Mr. Lin! The superiors instructed me to follow your command in everything!"

With that, he solemnly retrieved a long, cylindrical leather case from behind his back.

"This is a gift the superiors asked me to pass on to you."

A warm sensation washed over Lin Ran as he received it with both hands. This was bound to be an extraordinary treasure!

Carefully, he pulled out a thick scroll of rice paper and slowly unrolled it.

The brushwork was powerful and fluid, the strokes so vigorous they seemed to pierce through the back of the paper!

At the signature area, the names of the Deputy Commander, the Chief of Staff, the Division Commander, and several other top-tier commanders stood out prominently!

"Wonderful! Splendid, simply splendid!"

Lin Ran's eyes curved with delight as he stroked the calligraphy, unable to put it down.

"Staff Officer Wang, please be sure to convey my message to all the leaders: I have received the calligraphy. Lin Ran treasures it deeply and is endlessly grateful!"

Wang Zhihang nodded solemnly. "Yes! I will deliver your words."

He paused for a moment, then added, "The leaders specifically mentioned that their writing was merely a token of their esteem and hardly worthy of exhibition. They have already wired the rear to ask that true master of calligraphy..."

"Hiss—"

Lin Ran drew a sharp breath.

If that person were to send something... wouldn't that be earth-shattering?

Standing nearby and growing increasingly impatient, Li Yunlong seized the moment to chime in, "Brother Lin, you've received your calligraphy, and Staff Officer Wang has arrived. Look... should we perhaps head to the airfield now?"

Old Li's heart had been itching fiercely over the new-style fighter jets Lin Ran had brought.

At that moment, Zhao Gang suddenly interjected, "Old Li, what are you in such a rush for?"

"Mr. Lin has just woken up, and Staff Officer Wang has traveled through the night. Let's have breakfast first. We can talk about the rest after eating."

Li Yunlong slapped his forehead. "Right, right, right. Look at me, completely forgetting about that."

It wasn't entirely fair to blame Li Yunlong; they simply didn't have the habit of eating breakfast, usually making do with just two meals a day.

Still, while they could skip it, they couldn't possibly let Lin Ran go hungry.

Lin Ran remained silent and looked at Wang Zhihang instead.

Wang Zhihang spoke up loudly, "Reporting, I am not hungry!"

He, too, wanted to see as soon as possible what kind of advanced fighter jets these truly were.

Yet, after a brief pause, he added, "Everything is subject to Mr. Lin's decision!"

Lin Ran smiled. "Very well! Let's head to the airfield first! We can have breakfast when we get back."

In truth, Lin Ran was also eager to witness a fighter jet take off.

The group immediately set out, heading straight for the Zhicheng Airfield.

There was a small airstrip in Zhicheng, though it lacked any aircraft; otherwise, during the previous battle, they might have even captured a few.

The airfield facilities were crude, but the runway was still intact.

Arriving at the location, ten J-5 fighter jets sat neatly arranged inside the hangar.

Even though they had seen them the day before, Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, and the others could not suppress their excitement.

Wang Zhihang was so thrilled his breathing turned slightly shallow. He was finally going to realize his ideals and ambitions!

Yet, the next moment, this top graduate from the aviation academy noticed something amiss.

"Mr. Lin, these aircraft... why don't they have propellers?"

Before Lin Ran could speak, Li Yunlong answered first, "Staff Officer Wang, these are called jet aircraft. They don't need propeller blades!"

"No propeller blades?"

Staff Officer Wang was slightly bewildered.

"Without propellers... can they even fly?"

Li Yunlong chuckled heartily. "Not only can they fly, but their speed is twice that of the little Japanese devils' planes, and they fly much higher too."

"What?"

"No propeller blades? And they fly higher and faster?"

Wang Zhihang's mind struggled to process the concept, but the phrase "fly higher and faster" exploded in his heart like a thunderclap!

As a pilot, he understood all too well what that signified—

Absolute air supremacy!

Wang Zhihang turned abruptly toward Lin Ran. "Mr. Lin! Is what Commander Li said... true?"

***

Meanwhile.

In the suburbs of Beiping, at the dedicated airfield of the North China Area Army.

A cold morning breeze swept across the open runway, failing to scatter the oppressive, murderous atmosphere hanging over the grounds.

Twenty Type 97 heavy bombers, emblazoned with the Hinomaru insignia, cast cold, chilling reflections in the faint morning light.

Beneath their bellies, heavy aerial bombs had already been fully loaded.

In front of the control tower, a dense crowd stood in solemn silence.

Toshiji Tada, commander of the North China Area Army, was personally present. Draped in an officer's woolen greatcoat, his expression was as gloomy as stagnant water.

Tada stepped forward. "Gentlemen!"

"As of yesterday, the Imperial Army suffered an unprecedented, utter humiliation in the China theater!"

"Those stubborn communist bandits entrenched in the Taihang and Taiyue mountains used despicable and shameless methods, employing unknown venomous weapons to ambush and severely cripple the Empire's heroic 36th Division!"

"Lieutenant General Dan Chuanan, Major General Akisato Takahashi, and tens of thousands of the Empire's most elite warriors... have all perished in honor!"

"This is a blatant provocation against the Yamato race! A desecration of the authority of His Majesty the Emperor!"

"At this very moment, those wretched Chinese peasants, those mud-legged scoundrels who achieved success through cowardly plots, are reveling in their so-called victory!"

"Do they believe that occupying an imperial city means they can rest easy? In their dreams!"

Tada's voice seemed squeezed out from between his teeth:

"Your mission is to completely awaken them from this dream drenched in the blood of the Empire's warriors! Use the bombs beneath your wings to tell them—"

"The price of provoking the Imperial Army is complete and eternal destruction!"

Tada took a deep breath, mustering all his strength for a final roar:

"I order you to carry out indiscriminate bombing! Destroy everything! Slaughter every single Chinese person who dares to resist or show their face!"

"Let soaring flames and the wails of the Chinese comfort the heroic spirits of our fallen warriors!"

With a grand wave of his hand, Tada commanded, "Target—Zhicheng! Set out!"

"Banzai!" choruses of forty elite pilots from the 1st Flying Squadron echoed loudly.

"His Imperial Majesty! Banzai!"

Moments later, the twenty Type 97 heavy bombers lifted off from the Beiping airfield, charting a course toward Zhicheng...