Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Fang Wen controlled the single-soldier flying vehicle, hovering at an altitude of four hundred meters, the airflow making his clothes flutter.

This man-portable flying vehicle, independently developed by Taishan, is small in size but powerful. In an era before helicopters existed, it was a groundbreaking new military machine.

The sight of the aircraft hovering high in the sky instantly astonished the entire city of Yangon.

Yangon residents on the ground stopped in their tracks, looked up at the sky with shock and curiosity in their eyes, pointed at the flying object, and discussed it amongst themselves.

It's worth noting that in Yangon, ordinary people rarely even get to see airplanes up close, let alone a single person operating such a nimble flying machine that can traverse the sky. Many people even thought it was a strange object that had fallen from the sky and stopped to watch, unwilling to leave.

Not far from the Taishan Aviation headquarters building, the British soldiers stationed at the Governor's Mansion also noticed the anomaly in the sky immediately and reported it. The Governor and several high-ranking British officers stood on the terrace, looking at the aircraft with binoculars, their expressions filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"What kind of equipment is this? The Chinese have actually made something like this?" a British major exclaimed in disbelief. "This kind of man-portable air vehicle is only at the blueprint stage in our British military. Taishan Group is just an Eastern private enterprise, yet they were able to make a finished product!"

The governor put down his binoculars, his face grave, and looked at the garrison colonel beside him. He said in a deep voice, "What else is Fang Wen and his Taishan Group hiding? Now that they have control of Myanmar's oil lifeline and possess such advanced military technology, we need to maintain a better relationship with them."

Meanwhile, in the guest rooms of the Taishan Aviation Hotel, the Germans who were under house arrest also saw the manned aircraft in the sky through the window. Their expressions changed drastically, and they rushed to the window, staring intently at the agile figure. The shock in their eyes was almost overflowing.

"My God! Is this a man-portable rotorcraft? Our German Army Headquarters is still conducting theoretical studies, and these Chinese have already put it into actual combat!"

"No, our individual rotorcraft is also under development. It is called the Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, a cross-rotor single-seat helicopter. This aircraft can be used for a variety of purposes, including naval shipborne, land-based artillery reconnaissance, submarine-borne, and anti-submarine observation."

(Flettner Fl 282 Hummingbird)

The Germans exchanged glances and immediately decided to report the matter to Berlin.

Subsequently, through their informants planted in the hotel, they compiled information on recent events involving the Taishan Group and reported it to Berlin.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, Fang Wen was fully engaged in the pursuit.

He activated his mechanical senses, rapidly radiating outwards from the Taishan headquarters building, leaving no alleyway or corner unchecked.

A few minutes later, Fang Wen's gaze suddenly locked onto a figure running frantically through a narrow, dimly lit alleyway between the dense buildings in the north of the headquarters.

He wore a hat to deliberately cover his face, carried a bulging bag on his back, and kept looking back, his steps hurried.

Fang Wen used his X-ray vision ability to see through the hat and get a face. Although he didn't see him often, his powerful memory allowed him to remember the person. It was Qian Renliang from the Logistics Department!

Fang Wen immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and gave the order: "Zhao Shanhu, the target is in the third alleyway north of headquarters, wearing a gray logistics uniform and a hat, fleeing in the north. Lead the team to capture him immediately. Drive the car to the main road ahead to block his path, the rest of you surround him, make sure to capture him alive!"

"Received! Mission accomplished!" Zhao Shanhu's loud voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Moments later, the roar of car engines filled the headquarters compound as three military jeeps sped out, heading straight for the target area. Two other special operations teams also quickly moved out, advancing on foot along the alleyways to form a tight encirclement.

Qian Renliang, who was in the alley, was already panicked and didn't know where to go. He heard the sound of a car horn in the distance, looked up and saw that Taishan's car was parked on the main road ahead, blocking his way.

He quickly fled to the left.

But he hadn't run far when special forces appeared on his left to block him, so he could only run to the right. He ran a few dozen meters and then stopped and ran back.

Surrounded by people from Mount Tai, under Fang Wen's command, they laid a trap, leaving him with no way to escape.

He tried to make a final struggle, reaching into his pocket to pull out the hidden poison to commit suicide, but Zhao Shanhu had already led his men forward, grabbed his wrist, and pinned him against the wall, cleanly removing the weapon and poison from his body, completely extinguishing his will to live.

"Run! Keep running! You traitorous dog, you'll be sorry when we get back!" Zhao Shanhu shouted sternly, ordering his men to tie Qian Renliang up with ropes and escort him back to headquarters.

Upon successfully apprehending the suspect, Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to change direction and landed smoothly on the rooftop helipad of the headquarters building. He then strode down the stairs and headed straight for the interrogation room.

He showed no mercy to Qian Renliang, a traitor who betrayed his countrymen and colluded with the Japanese invaders to commit murder. He directly instructed Gong Xiu to use any means necessary to pry open Qian Renliang's mouth and uncover all the hidden clues.

Gong Xiu understood immediately and, without holding back, used his dislocating technique.

The guy broke down in less than half an hour.

As soon as Gong Xiuneng lifted the restriction, Qian Renliang cried and confessed all the secrets.

“I confess, I confess everything. I… I’m not the highest-ranking official in Yangon, but just a special agent assigned by the Special Higher Police to be in charge of assassinating General Manager Fang, only responsible for the line between Chhay and Sun Awang…”

Qian Renliang's voice was hoarse. "In Yangon, there is an even larger spy network that specifically targets core institutions such as the British garrison, the Governor's Office, and the police station. The person in charge is codenamed Cobra, and his position is much higher than mine. He directly commands all operations, and he is also the one who relays orders from Tokyo to us!"

Gong Xiuneng immediately reported the situation to Fang Wen.

Fang Wen then went to the interrogation room and asked, "Who is Cobra? Where is he?"

"I don't know who he is!"

Gong Xiuneng glared at him, took a step forward, and terrified Qian Renliang.

He quickly said, "No, I'll tell you. About two weeks ago, Cobra convened a secret meeting with us Yangon leaders. As required, everyone wore masks so no one could see anyone else's face. I was sitting next to Cobra that day and inadvertently noticed a scar on the base of his right thumb, but I didn't think much of it at the time. After the meeting, we all went our separate ways. After I went out, I found a restaurant nearby to eat at, and I happened to see someone walking by outside with the same scar on his hand. I wondered if this was Cobra, so I secretly followed him all the way and watched him walk into the Yangon Police Station officers' quarters!"

This is important intelligence.

With the Japanese army currently suffering setbacks in French Indochina, it will be unable to influence British Burma in the short term.

In this way, China could obtain resources through the Burma Road and Indian Ocean shipping.

This is by no means what the Japanese army wants, and for this reason, they will certainly continue to create chaos and destruction within British Burma.

The Japanese army frequently used this tactic back in China; they're simply copying it now. The best way to deal with their espionage activities is to resolutely strike them down.

If there really is a cobra hiding in the police station dormitory, then Fang Wen's counter-espionage operation has been incredibly successful!

Fang Wen immediately decided that the Taishan Group alone could not completely eradicate this matter; they must work with the British colonial authorities to destroy the entire spy network in one fell swoop.

He immediately prepared Qian Renliang's statement, took the relevant evidence, and drove straight to the Governor's Mansion.

The car drove into the Governor's Mansion. After parking, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng got out and quickly entered the Governor's office building.

Because he had made it clear in advance that he had something very important to discuss, the governor was already waiting in the reception room. As soon as Fang Wen sat down, he got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

"Not long ago, I captured a key agent planted in my company by the Japanese military's Special Higher Police. He revealed a very important piece of intelligence. According to him, there is an even larger intelligence network in Yangon. The head of this intelligence network, codenamed Cobra, infiltrates various military and political departments in Yangon to steal important intelligence and seek opportunities to create sabotage and chaos."

Subsequently, Fang Wen revealed the crucial clues that the cobra was hiding in the police officers' dormitory and that he had a knife scar at the base of his right thumb.

Upon hearing this, the governor trembled violently, his voice filled with shock and anger: "Fang, are you sure the news is true? Have the Japanese really infiltrated Rangoon on a large scale?"

“I’m certain of that. And this isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this. They’ve done it many times in China, planting spies, spreading bad news, creating chaos, coordinating with military operations, and gathering intelligence. Once the Japanese army goes to war in Burma, these people will exert an even more dangerous destructive force.”

The governor grew increasingly alarmed as he listened: "I will fully cooperate with you!"

After saying this, he stood up, dismissed the servants outside, and ordered his secretary to summon two of his most trusted confidants: Colonel Edden, the British commander stationed in Yangon, and Brown, the Yangon police chief.

The four sat together in a closed room, discussing matters in secret to completely prevent any leaks.

“The situation inside the police station is complicated. If there’s Cobra, there might be other accomplices as well.” Chief Inspector Brandt frowned. “We can’t use the police officers; we can only rely on the British Army and Tarzan’s men.”

Fang Wen nodded in agreement, finalizing the entire plan: "Then change into the police station's spare uniforms, disguise yourselves as police officers, and only look for men with scars on the base of their right thumbs. Once you lock onto a target, surround them immediately. Be quick and don't give them a chance to signal or escape. Also, be careful, they might be carrying a suicide drug. You must control their movements and not give them a chance to take the drug."

After the discussion, everyone immediately took action.

Colonel Aiden selected twenty elite British soldiers, while Fang Wen had Gong Xiuneng lead fifteen Taishan Special Forces members. Brandt took out police uniforms and hats from the police station's warehouse and gave them to them.

After getting dressed, the group set off and arrived at the police officers' quarters in Yangon.

It was already 5 p.m., and many police officers were returning from their shifts in the dormitory area. The noise provided perfect cover for the disguised team's actions.

The group split into four teams, working by floor, and quietly checked each person's right thumb, keeping a close eye on them and not daring to miss anything.

Within ten minutes, the team members on the third-floor corridor locked onto their target!
The target man was dressed in casual clothes and was leaning against the window smoking. He was of medium build and had an ordinary appearance.

The team member approached discreetly and quietly examined him. He noticed a shallow scar at the base of his right thumb. Although it had healed and scabbed over, it perfectly matched Qian Renliang's description!
The disguised team members exchanged glances and slowly closed in, intending to take the person into custody when they were off guard.

However, this agent codenamed Cobra was far more vigilant than ordinary people. He instantly noticed the abnormality of this group of "police officers" and realized that they were not familiar faces from the police station.

His expression changed drastically, and he suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "They're fake! They're not from the police station, they're outsiders who infiltrated! Brothers, arrest them!"

The unsuspecting police officers in the dormitory area, who were usually recruited and manipulated by Cobra, were thrown into chaos upon hearing this. Many instinctively grabbed nearby batons and stools and surrounded the disguised officers, causing the scene to quickly spiral out of control.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cobra took off running, rushing down the stairs on the other side of the dormitory building, intending to escape through the back door.

But as soon as he rushed onto the playground, he was blocked by another team of players.

Gong Xiuneng stepped forward first, choked him down and pinned him to the ground, then twisted his arm behind his back.

The cobra struggled frantically, managing to break free a little, and shouted, "Let me go! You have no right to arrest me!"

His shouts attracted the attention of the police officers who came over. There were too few officers to stop so many people, and the scene became increasingly chaotic.

Just then, Chief of Staff Brand and Colonel Edden arrived with British troops.

The bureau chief walked to the playground and shouted, "Stop! This man is a Japanese spy, ordered to infiltrate the police station and steal military and political secrets. There is solid evidence. No one is allowed to stop him. Anyone who does so will be treated as a traitor!"

Colonel Eden also ordered British troops to draw their guns and stand guard. The dark mass of gun barrels was pointed at the rioting crowd, and the restless police officers immediately fell silent and dared not move.

With the situation completely stabilized, and to prevent any unforeseen complications or the remaining undercover agents from realizing what was happening and destroying evidence to escape, Fang Wen immediately decided that the interrogation would be conducted in a secret room inside the police station.

An immediate and swift trial was conducted.

He entered the secret room with Brand and Colonel Aiden. Cobra was firmly tied to an iron chair, the poison had already been taken away, and he was wearing shackles.

Fang Wen sat opposite him, his gaze cold and fixed on Cobra. He spoke first: "Stop struggling. We have already investigated your identity. Qian Renliang has been arrested and confessed. Confess honestly about your purpose in infiltrating the police station, the complete list of Special Higher Police spies in Yangon, and your contact information, and we may spare your life."

Cobra, neck stiff and face stubborn, stared intently at Fang Wen and shouted in fluent British English, "I don't understand what you're saying! I'm a police officer of the British colonial government. This is an illegal arrest, and I'm going to complain to the governor!"

Chief Brand was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "We found a codebook and a large amount of cash in your single room! You still dare to deny it? Who are your men? What is your next plan?"

The cobra kept its eyes tightly shut, remained silent, and adopted a stubborn stance, determined to fight to the bitter end.

Fang Wen's eyes turned slightly cold as he looked at Gong Xiuneng beside him: "Since he doesn't want to talk properly, use a method that will make him talk. Just one thing: don't kill him."

Soft persuasion is useless against such well-trained Japanese spies; only by making them experience unbearable suffering can their psychological defenses be broken down, and the core secrets of the entire Rangoon spy network be uncovered. (End of Chapter)