Arc of Fire

Because of the urgency of the immediate threat, Wang Zhong said to just do it.

Of course, another reason was the fear that Pavlov might change his mind and oppose it.

Although, as the Front Army Commander, Wang Zhong could be headstrong if he wanted to, he had worked with old Pavlov for so long; they were truly close comrades in arms, and face had to be given.

Half an hour later, Wang Zhong, now in fresh trousers and leather shoes, appeared at Abawahan Airport.

They had barely set foot on the apron when a jeep bearing the Air Force emblem sped towards them from afar, screeching to a halt with a tail swing right in front of Wang Zhong.

Grigori shielded Wang Zhong in time, standing in front of the jeep with the Thread Cutter ready to fire.

The commander designated to the Front Army jumped down from the jeep, straightened his uniform, and then saluted stiffly, "General! You can’t take to the skies right now. The Prosen Air Force is flying too frequently; we can’t afford the risk of losing you!"

Wang Zhong introduced the woman beside him to the Air Force commander, "This is Miss Amelia, the ace pilot from the United Kingdom. She has fought against the Prosens for three years..."

"Four years," Amelia corrected, "Ever since Melania was invaded, I’ve been fighting the Prosens. I was in the Expeditionary Force Air Force then. Even though there was a sit-in battle on the ground, the skies were ablaze."

Wang Zhong continued, "See, she’s fought the Prosens for four years and never once got grazed by Prosen firepower! She can definitely bring me back unscathed!"

The Air Force commander’s face remained taut, clearly troubled.

At that moment, Colonel Koryonin from the 11th Destroyer Squadron came running over, with two majors with Venus insignia following him. He saluted Wang Zhong first, then said urgently, "General, the skies are indeed chaotic right now, and the enemy is even trying to assassinate you! We all know it!"

Wang Zhong asked, "If you were trying to assassinate an enemy’s senior general, would you send a six-engine heavy bomber?"

Colonel Koryonin was stunned, "Uh? Mmm? Six engines? I remember Prosen bombers aren’t that fast, are they? They should be unable to catch a C47! This... doesn’t make sense!"

Wang Zhong added, "Right? We just ran into their bombers, and in the end, it was friendly fire that brought us down."

Koryonin was shocked, "Who would be so audacious? It must be the remnants of the Quick Victory Faction, the poison of the surrenderists. They all need to be eliminated!"

Wang Zhong replied, "I believe it was a genuine misfire. Anyway, I need to conduct my own aerial reconnaissance immediately. Get the best-conditioned Pe-3 out of the hangar!"

Colonel Koryonin waved his hand expansively, "We’ll send the highest-scoring second squadron for escort!"

Wang Zhong pressed down the hand Koryonin had just raised, "Don’t do that. A Pe-3 with a twelve-plane MiG-3 escort is too ostentatious."

One of the two heroes behind Colonel Koryonin stepped forward, "It can be done like this. We’ll pretend to carry out air dominance patrols, setting up eight loose pairs of aircraft overhead. That way, no matter where the enemy attacks from, we can quickly dive down to protect."

Wang Zhong pondered for a moment and thought a little more security wouldn’t hurt—he really didn’t want to end up like a certain navy general who was living comfortably.

So, he nodded in agreement. Continue your adventure at

Koryonin, overjoyed, turned and ordered, "Second squadron, prepare to strike immediately and take off with the General!"

Just then, the Air Force commander spoke loudly, "General! You haven’t convinced me yet! Let the regular pilots do the photography, why take such a risk?"

Wang Zhong replied, "You’ll know when I come back, Air Force Commander Davarish."

Amelia chimed in beside him, "He’s different; both he and I have special sensing abilities. I know too well; I can feel where the enemy is!"

Great, having a Witch at his side sure made explaining things easier!

After hesitating for a few seconds, the Air Force commander finally stepped aside and ordered, "Bring out the best Pe-3. However, Miss Amelia, you haven’t been trained to fly a Pe-3. Are you really capable of handling it?"

Wang Zhong thought to himself that the commander didn’t understand—New Humans stepping into a Gundam cockpit for the first time could beat professional soldiers with dozens of times their experience. That’s the quality of New Humans!

Amelia declared proudly, "Don’t worry, I can learn to fly any aircraft just by looking at it!"

The Air Force commander finally seemed completely convinced, and he took a few steps back with a worried face. Koryonin reassured him, "We have the second squadron. The Prosens won’t succeed. The General will surely come back safe and then use the intelligence gathered to tally up the Prosens."

While they were talking, a ground crew pushed a Pe-3 towards Wang Zhong.

The insignia on the tail of the plane indicated it belonged to the Third Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron, and there was a line of Antenese on its body: For my brother Petro!

It seemed the crew member’s brother had died under Prosen’s iron heel.

Wang Zhong asked, "Where’s the original pilot of this plane? I’d like to meet him, tell him that by letting Amelia fly, it’s not that I don’t trust his abilities."

The Air Force commander’s face showed difficulty, "He took a bullet through the shoulder from the enemy, and it was sheer willpower that got the plane back here. He’s in the hospital. The plane’s in good condition also because there’s been no pilot to fly it—it’s stayed on the ground, and the ground crew have been using it to train the newbies."

Wang Zhong replied, "I see. Send some flowers to him in the hospital for me."

Amelia had already stepped towards the plane ahead of Wang Zhong, who quickly followed her. The girl gasped when she climbed the ladder and saw the control panel inside the cockpit.

But this did not prevent her from entering the pilot seat.

Wang Zhong also climbed the ladder and sat in the observer’s seat.

To be honest, the cockpit was a bit cramped for Wang Zhong, perhaps because the Pe-3’s design adhered to the Antenese principle of sacrificing space for performance in their man-machine ergonomics.

From the front seat, Amelia cried out, "What’s with these safety belts? They won’t buckle!"

It seems the frontal armor is too thick.

With a "click," Amelia took a deep breath and then began reading the words on the instrument panel, "Airspeed indicator, barometer…"

She read it as if she were reciting a menu.

About fifteen minutes later, Amelia said, "I think I understand how to fly this plane now, let’s go!"

Without waiting for Wang Zhong to reply, she raised her arm and gave the "start" signal.

So, the ground crew grabbing the propeller began to push it fiercely.

After several pushes, the propeller’s rotation speed started to increase, the engine’s exhaust pipe also spewed thick smoke, and there were even some sparks scattering.

The engine’s roar hit Wang Zhong’s eardrums.

The ground crew removed the boarding ladder and then gathered at the wing’s tail, pushing the plane towards the take-off runway.

The 11th Destroyer Squadron’s second squadron’s 12 MiG-3s had also started their engines, and their propellers began to rotate.

However, these MiG-3s were capable of taxiing on their own, and they followed the Pe-3, pushed by the crowd, and entered the take-off runway in sequence.

Wang Zhong glanced to the rear and thought that taking off was made to look like an elephant’s leisurely stroll.

At this time, Amelia turned her head back to look at Wang Zhong, "Put on your headset, I’ve been calling you for a long time, you didn’t respond!"

Wang Zhong then picked up the headset and placed it on his head; just as the Antenese communication from the control tower entered his ear, unfortunately, he couldn’t understand it.

Amelia replied in Antenese, "Understood, I’m ready to take off right now."

The roar of the Pe-3’s engine immediately intensified, and Wang Zhong could feel an invisible hand pressing him into his seat.

Switching to an overhead view, you could see the Pe-3 Wang Zhong was on accelerating rapidly and then soaring into the sky.

Wang Zhong was firmly pressed into his seat.

Amelia’s voice came through the headset, "You are responsible for guiding my flight, do you have the map board?"

Wang Zhong lifted the map board in his hand and shook it at her.

"Then guide me, and let’s conduct a good reconnaissance, oh right, remember to take pictures!"

Wang Zhong, "Rest assured!"

After saying that, he looked down at the map—actually switching to the overhead view—and then issued the first flight direction, "Heading northwest by north, full speed ahead!"

"Got it!" Amelia shouted.

Thirty-five minutes after take-off, Wang Zhong highlighted the first transfer station. The highlighted Prosens were busy under the camouflaged net; as he zoomed in, he could see through the camouflaged net stacks of supplies, including canned beer and cigarettes, as well as antifreeze oil and winter clothes.

Thus, Wang Zhong compared the overhead view with the map in his hand, found the precise coordinates, and then marked a transfer station symbol with a pencil.

Damn, this was much easier than he had imagined.

The best part was that the Prosens probably thought that a concealed transfer station didn’t need anti-aircraft fire, as setting up anti-air defenses would increase the risk of exposure, so they really didn’t set up any anti-air defenses!

No anti-air defenses meant that the Ante Air Force could take out these supply stations as easily as reaching into a bag!

Wang Zhong held back his joy and pressed the photograph button several times, then issued a new flight direction.

As Amelia operated the plane to turn, she asked, "What is it, did you find an enemy supply station?"

Wang Zhong, "Yes, we did. Keep to the new heading now, and we might be able to ’light up’ all the important supply centers along the enemy’s supply lines!"

Amelia, "That’s good to know! I knew you were a ’Witch’ just like me."

Wang Zhong deliberately ignored Amelia’s remark and swiftly marked the Prosen maintenance truck’s repair spot.

After several hours of flight, as soon as Wang Zhong got off the plane, he handed the map, filled with highlighted Prosen supply points, to the Air Force Commander, "Take a look at this."

The commander’s eyes went wide, "What?"

Wang Zhong, "Every marked point, I’ve taken a photo. Once they are developed, I will give you detailed positions of these targets. By the way, these targets have no anti-aircraft protection; the Prosens seem to think that camouflage is the best protection!"

The Air Force Commander, "I’ll organize a meeting with all the bomber squad pilots of our forces right away, to distribute air raid targets!"

Wang Zhong, "Don’t rush! Wait until we send more reconnaissance planes to take more photos, let each squadron’s lead plane get familiar with the route, and then make a concerted effort to strike all at once before the enemy catches on to what we are doing!"

Amelia, "We can also drop Commandos first, let them be in charge of ground target guidance."

Wang Zhong slapped his thigh, "Good! That’s the plan!"