What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 226 Taking the blame
SBD's maximum range is only 1200 kilometers, which is just right from Goose City.

However, this range is based on high-altitude economic cruising. If flying at full speed over the sea, the drag and fuel consumption at low altitudes will increase significantly, so each aircraft is equipped with an auxiliary fuel tank.

Tang Wen hadn't originally planned to use them, but when he discovered that Chen Haifu was the one trapped and got through to the satellite phone, he immediately had another idea.

The eight crew members of ship 8101 jumped into the sea not because they were afraid of being caught in the blast wave, but because they heard that American planes were going to drop bombs on them.

Upon hearing this, the eight men immediately believed it and, upon learning that they only had a few minutes left, jumped into the sea to escape without hesitation.

Sure enough, before they had swum a few dozen meters, they heard a sharp, heavy sound of something cutting through the air behind them.

The SBD was pulled up at the last moment, and then the two auxiliary fuel tanks landed precisely on the fishing boat, one in front and one behind.

One bullet hit the stern, and the other hit the middle.

Although it was an auxiliary fuel tank, it still had a small amount of aviation gasoline. After the first SBD dropped it, the second plane immediately set it on fire with its machine guns and then dropped the second one right afterward.

The gasoline immediately ignited, with a power no less than that of a bomb.

The two patrol boats in front and behind were also affected, but because they were not directly hit, they were only affected by the shock wave, which caused them to experience tinnitus and instability.

However, the spilled gasoline immediately ignited the fishing boat, and an auxiliary fuel tank smashed the external diesel fuel tank of fishing boat 8101.

Although diesel fuel is stable, it can still ignite at high temperatures, and flames burst out of the breach instantly, turning it into a ticking time bomb.

Fortunately, most of the crew members on the two patrol boats did not jump into the water. Upon discovering the situation, they quickly started the engines and escaped, leaving behind this unstable bomb.

At this moment, Uchimura Tomata, who had surfaced, immediately began cursing and shouting angrily at the people on the boat:

"Baka! Get me out of here first!"

When he turned around, he saw that the entire upper level of room 8101 had been set on fire, and the fire was spreading rapidly and uncontrollably, developing into a huge blaze.

As for the whereabouts of the two perpetrators, they are unknown. He went to find the crew members of the fishing boat who jumped into the sea, and after a long time, he finally saw the shadow of what looked like a human head at least a hundred meters away.

However, at the same time, another enormous creature appeared on the sea surface.

-

Yamamoto Takano, lying in the cockpit of the Type 2 large boat, breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the fishing boat burning fiercely in the distance.

Thankfully, Plan A achieved its goal, so we don't have to act out a tragic drama anymore.

Tang Wen originally planned to stage a scene of an immortal returning, but after discovering that he could contact Chen Haifu, he changed his mind.

When Chen Haifu jumped into the sea, he took his satellite phone with him. Its waterproof design allowed it to remain functional, enabling him to keep Tang Wen informed of his location at any time.

Following his approximate location, the Type 2 large boat circled the chaotic mess at sea twice before spotting Chen Haifu waving red shorts.

He immediately maneuvered the plane to land, making a sharp U-turn before descending and touching the water, stopping just about fifty meters away from Chen Haifu and his group.

With his special manipulation techniques, Yamamoto could have gotten even closer, but he was afraid of scaring Chen Haifu and his group.

Indeed, that was the case. A distance of 50 meters is nothing compared to a huge seaplane. It looked like it was heading straight for the eight people, and they almost thought they were going to be hit and killed by the plane.

The group swam desperately to the plane, then climbed onto the rope ladder and into the cabin, panting heavily. The past ten minutes had exhausted everyone's strength, and they lay on the floor without any regard for appearances.

Yamamoto Takano looked at Chen Haifu on the ground:

"Boss Chen, your boat owner will compensate you with a better and newer one, so please don't worry."

"No need, no need..." Chen Haifu shook his head, then asked:

"Let's take off quickly, or the Japanese ships will catch up."

"Yes, but I have some things to do right now."

Yamamoto Takano took out a Hasselblad film camera. Fortunately, the seaplane was originally intended for tourists, and it happened to have such a camera inside.

He stood in front of the open hatch, capturing the two patrol boats that hadn't yet separated and the burning 8101 in his frame, snapping a bunch of photos. Just then, the fishing boat's fuel tanks, having reached their maximum concentration, finally exploded, igniting the several tons of fuel stored inside; sinking was only a matter of time.

Setting fire to a fishing boat by the Maritime Surveillance Agency would certainly be a big news story, wouldn't it?

The two SBDs remained hidden above the clouds, and it took them less than a minute from the moment they appeared to the moment they launched their attack, making it impossible for them to take pictures.

The three aircraft flew in an extremely dense formation at an extremely low altitude and over an extremely long distance, a feat that is virtually impossible in reality, making them impossible for radar to detect.

Given the extremely limited information dissemination at the time, the two SBDs would not have come into the public eye.

As for the Type 2 large boat, it can be explained exactly as it is, as it does not possess any offensive capabilities.

When Yuta Uchimura was pulled onto the ship, he was immediately puzzled when he saw the plane with the old notebook paint scheme, but that didn't stop him from realizing that the plane was trying to rescue the crew members who had jumped into the sea, and he immediately tried to stop it.

However, the Type 2 boat was faster and could not catch up after gliding, and soon took off.

This time, Uchimura Tomoda saw the open hatch and the camera.

He immediately realized the state of the scene and a chill ran down his spine.

No way, no one would actually dare to do that, right?
However, the plane did not answer him. After circling twice, the Type 2 large boat flew away without looking back, also flying at extremely low altitude close to the sea.

About 20 minutes later, two F-5s, having gained nothing, appeared high in the sky, and the pilots cursed angrily over the radio:

"Damn it, another radar false alarm. There's no plane here."

"I want extra attendance pay... wait, what's next?"

High-heat light sources are very noticeable at high altitudes, and F5 immediately spotted the burning fishing boat descending to a lower altitude.

The lead aircraft contacted Uchimura Tomita over the radio, and after learning his identity, immediately asked:
Are you blowing up this fishing boat?

Tomohiro Uchimura almost jumped up:
"Of course not, they set the boat on fire themselves with the plane, and everyone was taken away! The seaplane had just taken off and headed west!"

The two F5s were skeptical, but they reported the facts and flew eastward with afterburners engaged.

However, the Type 2 large boat was flying at full speed and had already traveled nearly 100 kilometers away, almost skimming the surface of the sea. They could only keep getting closer and finally spotted the seaplane and a white boat heading out to sea.

The other party immediately identified itself over the radio as a specially painted tour company plane, and the two F5s abandoned the pursuit and returned to base.

After all, if we take another step forward, the Southern Overlord's Su-27 will be taking off.

This also pretty much proves that the aerial target just now was this seaplane, and their mission has been completed, so there is naturally no need for them to linger.

……

Seeing the fishing boats that had been completely set ablaze on the sea, Uchimura Tomita finally realized something and told everyone to take out their cameras to preserve evidence.

However, digital cameras are now very precious, and there are no mobile phones that can record video in real time; there are only a few film cameras.

In such a sudden situation, who would dare risk their life to take a picture?

At this point, No. 8101 also reached its limit. Its tail completely broke off, and it began to tilt while spinning, quickly sinking into the water.

Knowing he was being unfairly blamed, Uchimura Tomohisa felt a chill run down his spine and quickly called his younger brother.

Tomohiro Uchimura, who thought he had the victory in his grasp, almost fainted, but he was still told to quickly note down the location of the wreckage and wait for the wreckage to be salvaged to collect evidence.

No one can take the blame for arson, and even if Chen Haifu really did set it on fire, the two patrol boats involved would probably be implicated as well!

Someone even took photos of it. Now, Tomohiro Uchimura would rather those two boats had been sunk by bombs, at least then he could be a victim!
As a supporter of the plan, he might be pushed out to take responsibility.

Tomohiro Uchimura hadn't expected the other side to be so ruthless, but he didn't want to be dismissed either, so after much deliberation, he made a phone call.

(End of this chapter)