Chapter 29: Injured

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  Time passed quickly, and Son Xiang's 1936 slipped away amidst the sound of gunfire. The F4U fighter jet's engine reached its limit after a month of intense combat.

  With Sun Xiang's telegram, Hughes Aircraft Institute engineer Otis C. Hackett also came to Spain, his mission was to bring the F4U back to the institute for further analysis and testing.

  Otto Kruger was a mechanical engineer and an aviation enthusiast who was hired as an actor for Hell's Angels, later gaining Hughes' respect and being appointed chief designer.

  Ottiker had many bold ideas for building new aircraft and was a rare talent for Hughes, who was obsessed with speed.

  In that secret aircraft factory, they continuously improved the shape of the plane, selecting the best performing 1000-horsepower Pratt & Whitney engine, and after 15 months, finally manufactured an H1-type single-wing aircraft with a fuselage length of 8.2 meters and a wing span of 7.6 meters. So Otika was also the core strength of Hughes Aircraft Institute.

  Otika: "Steve, have you found any major defects in the plane's driving this month?"

  Sun Xiang: "Not for the time being, but Otakar, I think the fuel tank of the plane still needs to be modified. The current fuel tank can only support me to complete about 1200KM of flight, which has not reached the predetermined 1800KM. I don't know if it's a problem with the engine, the fuel consumption is relatively large."

  "Alright, dear grandson, this plane is actually the most perfect treasure I've ever seen, the test data is too perfect, your performance in Spain fully demonstrates the strength of this aircraft, oh my god, shooting down 34 enemy planes, it's too perfect, grandson! Every day in Spanish newspapers there are new achievements about you!"

  Sun Xiang sighed and said, "The F4U test has ended, and the data in your hands has proven the excellence of this aircraft. If such data cannot move the high-level military officials, I will have to question their intelligence."

  "Otika: "Son, what are your plans now? Come back to the States with me. The flight test mission is complete and all that's left is to submit a report to the military.""

  "Can't do that, I still have some unfinished business to attend to, can't leave just yet. The scrapped planes and your team will head back to the US together, don't leave anything behind here."

  "Okay"

  Workers from the Autocar and Hughes Aircraft plants returned by train to Marseille where they would board a ship back to America.

  Spanish local media made extensive reports on Sun Xiang, and the achievement of shooting down 34 enemy planes caused Sun Xiang's photos to appear not only in major European newspapers but also on the desks of intelligence agencies in various countries.

  In the photo, Sun Xiang sits on the wing, without a flight cap, wearing an air force jacket, with handsome looks and a bright smile, making him the heartthrob of many girls.

  Marseille, France

  "Hey! Sherry, 34 already? Is Steve really Hughes' partner or what? Doesn't look like a businessman at all!" He then snapped the newspaper in his hand.

  "Steve is certainly not a businessman, he's a soldier! He's a hero! I'm so proud of him." Her voice dropped: "But when will this battle be over? I miss him so much."

  The Spanish Civil War drew the attention of countless countries, Europe, the United States, and even Asia, China gave great attention to this civil war. Sun Xiang's photos were spread with reporters from these countries and refugees.

  January 18, 1937, Madrid Airport No. 10 I-16 aircraft was making the final adjustments, F4U's scrapping, leaving Sun Xiang could only gloomily return to the cockpit of the I-16, after experimenting with the combat performance of the F4U, Sun Xiang had to abandon transporting the new plane to Spain in order to ensure that specific intelligence about the new aircraft would not be detected by the Fascist Alliance. The firepower problem of the I-16 aircraft made Sun Xiang very worried, looking at 2 7.6mm machine guns, he could only shake his head helplessly.

  Tower: "Firebird Squadron, prepare for takeoff"

  "Got it!"

  Tuliya: "Xiao Sun, your weird bird is gone, are you still having fun?"

  "Hey, that seagull has gone home to find its mom."

  Four planes took off in succession, followed by six bombers taking off.

  "Hey! Comrades, our target this time is a military fortress in the Sevastopol region. Be careful to protect the bombers, our fighter jets are getting fewer and fewer, pay attention to your own safety!"

  Ponorski: "Of course, after the war is over, I still have to marry my fiancée, I don't want to meet Jesus so soon."

  After flying over the target, Sun Xiang suddenly felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, and had a very uncomfortable feeling.

  4 fighter jets circled in the air, and due to the presence of anti-aircraft fire from the fortress, 6 bombers also dared not to lower their altitude. They hastily dropped 12 500kg bombs before turning back. Sun Xiang listened to the rumbling sound of the planes below, and his previous uneasy feeling slowly dissipated.

  Suddenly a black shadow emerged from above the cloud layer, and its unique appearance made Sun Xiang's pupils suddenly constrict!

  German planes! At least ten BF-109s, weren't the He 51 biplanes deployed when Germany's "Condor Legion" was first formed?

  "Be careful of enemy fighters, they are very fast and have strong firepower!!""Understood""Understood""Alright, Sun"The 4 I-16s turned to face the enemy.

  There were eleven BF-109s in total. The enemy's long-range aircraft separated into five planes to chase the bombers, and the remaining six came towards Sun Xiang and his four men.

  Cold sweat broke out on Sun Xiang's forehead, really looking at us, four to six!

  The I-16 aircraft was originally inferior to the BF-109 in performance, and the speed difference was not too great, but now it had crashed into an iron plate.

  As soon as the battle began, Ponursky's plane was shot and smoked at the tail, and had to make an emergency landing. Sun Xiang was furious in his heart, the aircraft rolled over, trying to dodge the opponent's pursuit.

  Sun Xiang manipulated the I-16, relying on his own plane's agility to dodge the pursuit of enemy planes from behind. Harvey and the Russian lieutenant's planes were also in a precarious situation, under the strong firepower and speed suppression of the opponent, they could only evade.

  Sun Xiang suddenly pulled up and rolled over, turning from the pursued to the pursuer, biting onto this BF-109 without hesitation and opening fire. The machine gun bullets intersected in mid-air! Accurately hitting the opponent's tail!

  A burst of black smoke erupted, and this plane had to withdraw from the battle. This damn 7.6mm machine gun, if it were replaced with the F4U's 12.7mm machine gun, this plane would have been blown out of the sky long ago.

  Another BF-109's machine gun almost stuck to Sun Xiang's cockpit and shot over, didn't have time to be afraid, the body turned around and swept against the plane that was biting Harvey, but missed the target due to hasty shooting.

  Turiyev proved to be an elite Soviet pilot, and with experience, he hit the belly of a BF-109, igniting the fuel tank, BOOM! The plane exploded like fireworks.

  At this time, there were only 4 enemy planes left in the sky. Sun Xiang and his men did not dare to fight again, and they retreated towards Madrid while fighting.

  The friendly bombers dropped their bombs and returned lightly, but the huge speed difference still allowed the 6 bombers to be caught up by the BF-109 and shot down one by one! The 5 German planes that were chasing also dared not to enter deep into the enemy's control zone, and immediately turned around to support the German planes that were still entangled with Sun Xiang and others.

  The sky suddenly turned into a fierce dogfight, 3 against 9 plus the difference in aircraft performance, there was no way to win, Sun Xiang could only barely hold on, and bullets were constantly whizzing past the plane! The bright red trajectory was like a hangman's noose around Sun Xiang's neck.

  "Oh! Damn it!! I've been hit...!" Harvey's voice was trembling! His vehicle crashed to the ground like a drunk man.

  "Pull it up, Harvey!! You can do it!! Harvey..." Sun Xiang's roar was somewhat hoarse.

  The radio was filled with a busy noise, and soon Turyaev's seat was also hit, fortunately not fatally.

  Right after that, Sun Xiang's cockpit was shot through by a BF-109 plane chasing him at full power. A sharp pain came, and his chest was pierced by shards of shattered windshield glass. Turiyev saw it clearly, his anxious voice echoing over the radio: "Sun! Sun! How are you?"

  "Nothing's wrong, I won't die yet! Be careful of them! Hold on! We'll be back in Madrid soon!"

  As the distance to Madrid got closer and closer, the enemy planes could not get rid of these two troublesome I-16s. If they ventured further, they would enter the local anti-aircraft artillery fire zone. The enemy commander ordered a retreat!

  Sun Xiang and Turiyev were lucky to have escaped with their lives. When Sun's plane landed at the airport, he was too weak to climb out of the cockpit, and airport medical staff rushed to pull him out...