Chapter 49: Global Flight!

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  On May 24, 1937, Hughes held a press conference in the top floor ballroom of the Empire State Building, attended by nearly 300 reporters and members of society.

  At 10:00 am, the press conference hall was in a flurry. Howard Hughes and six others including Sun Xiang, Reid, Eric, Andy, and Rich arrived at the scene of the press conference, with the crowd surging forward and camera flashes bursting forth.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet, the press conference is about to begin," said New York City Mayor Gua Dio.

  The hall quickly fell silent, and Sun Xiang, Hu Si, and others sat on the press conference stage. The venue was filled with many reporters. At this time, a white-haired old man with an extraordinary demeanor slowly walked into the venue under the escort of a young man. The reporter's seat was in an uproar, and they took out their cameras to take pictures.

  Sun Xiang looked at him in confusion, who was this old man? Why was the atmosphere so strange.

  Hughs had a fake smile on his face, gritting his teeth and saying: "This old guy is Old Lockheed, the one next to him is his grandson, sooner or later he'll pay me back what I'm owed, damn it..."

  "Mr. Howard and old Lockheed's feud is known all over America," Reed explained with a chuckle.

  Sun Xiang's expression suddenly became clear, no wonder the reaction on site was so big, it turned out to be an old opponent after all.

  Old Lockheed walked to the podium and hugged Hughes across the table, both faces smiling sincerely, Sun Xiang's face turned red with sweat, this moment unknowingly killed countless films.

  "Cough, cough! Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Today we are holding a press conference for 'Around the World in Flight.' First of all, I want to thank Mr. Howard and Mr. Sun for giving me this opportunity to stand here, and especially thank Mr. Howard for setting the starting point of the flight in New York."

  Guadio fiddled with his speech and continued: "Now the eyes of the world are focused on New York's Bennet Airport, thank you Mr. Howard for making New York a city that is being watched by the whole world. Mr. Howard has made great contributions to promoting America's space industry, let us welcome Mr. Howard, Mr. Sun and their crew with warm applause." He led the applause.

  The scene erupted in applause, and Litchi, this little black boy, appeared so formally in front of the media for the first time. Sun Xiang saw that he was very restrained, then hugged Howard and Litchi on his left side, and the young man looked at Sun Xiang with gratitude.

  1930s America was not a paradise for everyone, racial discrimination was a serious issue in society at that time. It was rare to see blacks active in the upper echelons of society.

  A black-and-white photo of six people together will forever freeze this moment!

  Guadio said: "Now is the time for journalists to ask questions." As soon as he finished speaking, the scene was a forest of raised arms.

  "I'm Bob Johnson, Boston Globe reporter. Mr. Hughes, nice to meet you again. I interviewed you and Joe last time. This time I'd like to ask about your current relationship with Mr. Lockheed."

  Hughes hesitated for a moment, then said: "Mr. Lockheed is my guide in the business world, he taught me how to look at some problems, so I want to thank him, now we are partners, you see the plane I use is not produced by their company?"

  "Mr. Howard, Williams, New York Times reporter. How did you arrange the route for this flight?" Williams pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

  "Hughes replied, 'Starting from New York, the first stop is Paris, then Moscow, Omsk and Yakutsk in Siberia, Fairbanks, Alaska, Minneapolis, and back to New York, that's the route.'"

  Hewlett spoke of these place names amidst a sea of scribbling sounds from the audience.

  "Hello Steve, I'm Alex, a reporter with Globe Weekly. Have you decided to go to China?"

  Sun Xiang was taken aback: "Huh? Where did you get this news from?"

  Alex laughed and said: "I've been keeping up with your news, Steve. I spent half a year in Spain."

  Sun Xiang nodded: "I will go to China to support, because it is my motherland, I will do my best to help her through the difficulties, and if the United States needs help, I will do the same."

  Alex nodded and sat down.

  "Mr. Hughes, I'm Remington of Time magazine; may I introduce your crew?"

  Hues nodded at Sun Xiang: "I won't introduce this one." The scene erupted in a burst of gentle laughter.

  "Red Evans, First Lieutenant, United States Army Air Service, flight instructor at Rockwell Field, World War ace and mechanic."

  The scene was filled with gasps of amazement, Reed's resume was a perfect scorecard for a pilot.

  "Hughes continued: "Erich, Rich, Andy, Steve's contemporaries, followed Reed and Steve to learn flying skills, the best in Paulin Base, new flying masters."

  After introducing the crew members, the questions gradually deviated from the global navigation and mostly focused on Hughes' recent scandals and his romance with Catherine, followed by Sun Xiang's 'kung fu'.

  An hour later, the press conference came to an end. The reporters left the venue with satisfaction, carrying the materials they had collected. Hughes directly opened 6 presidential suites in the Empire State Building to rest and prepare for tomorrow's flight.

  The next morning, Sherry and Rita came out of Sun Xiang's room. No one knew when they had arrived. The eyes of the two little girls were red, and Sun Xiang kept comforting them.

  "Don't worry, I guarantee there won't be any danger this time, I swear!" Sun Xiang assured them in front of the two.

  Cherry sniffled: "I know you won't be in danger, but I just can't help worrying."

  Rita hugged Shirley's arm: "Steve, you are the hero in my heart. Heroes must keep their promises."

  Sun Xiang nodded and kissed each of them on the cheek.

  May 25, 1937 at 5:00 am, a few early risers finished breakfast and drove to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

  The sky is somewhat dark, it's a cloudy day, and now it's more than 5 o'clock in the morning, the sun has not fully risen yet, there is a hint of dew in the air.

  Thousands of well-wishers have gathered around Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, with over 20,000 people and journalists coming to the airport to see them off.

  After arriving at the airport, Sun Xiang had a similar experience to the previous few days. The car was unable to move forward due to the crowds of people cheering him on. Helpless, Sun Xiang could only resort to his old trick and climbed onto the roof of the car to appeal to everyone to clear a path.

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