Chapter One: Aerial Combat in the Game

The sky was clear and blue, not a single cloud in sight. A formidable fleet sailed across the South Pacific, comprised of three aircraft carriers, one battleship, six cruisers, and sixteen destroyers. This was a support and escort fleet led by US Navy Vice Admiral Fletcher, tasked with protecting Rear Admiral Turner's South Pacific landing force in their assault on Guadalcanal.

After their disastrous defeat at Midway in 1942, the Japanese redirected their offensive toward the South Pacific, planning to seize Port Moresby in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Their ambition was to transform Guadalcanal into an unsinkable aircraft carrier, thereby expanding their naval operations in the South Pacific.

The Americans were equally intent on Guadalcanal. They planned to land troops on the island, turning it into both a battlefield to halt Japanese expansion southward and a springboard for counterattacks against Japan itself. Thus, the US military devised the South Pacific counteroffensive, codenamed "Watchtower," aiming to capture New Britain, New Ireland, New Guinea, and other strategic locations.

On the deck of the USS Enterprise, aviators and crew made ready for takeoff. Beside an F4F Wildcat fighter, a black-haired, dark-eyed man of Eastern descent conversed with an American captain.

The man was Chen Hao, an ordinary player in the game "War," with nearly eleven years of experience—equivalent to forty-three years in game time. The game's storyline began in 1900 and had now reached the era of World War II. Like most players, Chen Hao aspired to become a political figure upon entering the game, but reality proved far harsher than his ambitions. After repeated setbacks, he lowered his sights to becoming a general commanding thousands.

He failed again. Chen Hao tried his hand at being a warlord, diplomat, industrialist, even a gangster boss, but every attempt ended in disappointment. By his tenth year in-game, he was a thorough failure; his dream of becoming a powerful figure like Du Yuesheng had collapsed. He reflected on his shortcomings and decided his failures were not due to lack of intelligence—he considered himself a genius—but rather because he had not found the right path. He realized that all his previous roles required leadership, a talent he lacked, leading to his constant defeats.

In his tenth year, Chen Hao decided to forge a solitary path as a powerful soldier. The game had produced countless skilled solo players, making distinction among ordinary branches nearly impossible, so he chose the most challenging: the Air Force.

After completing the transfer quest, Chen Hao trained at the Tonggu Air Base in Burma for three months, becoming a pilot in the Flying Tigers. Under Squadron Leader Chennault, his squadron was stationed in Kunming.

By 1942, radar detected a group of Japanese aircraft approaching Yunnan, and all Flying Tigers fighters scrambled to intercept. Chen Hao participated in the unit’s first air battle in China—his own debut as an Air Force pilot. He fought bravely against the incoming Japanese bombers, shooting down three with his P-40 fighter. He was awarded the Blue Sky White Sun Medal, and his reputation increased by five points.

Chen Hao subsequently engaged Japanese aircraft in Burma and Yunnan multiple times, consistently surpassing Colonel Chennault’s mission objectives. He triggered the hidden quest "Invitation from the US Navy," and Colonel Chennault recommended him as a naval aviator aboard the USS Enterprise. In this carrier fleet attacking Guadalcanal, there were 237 fighters ready to launch, only six of which were piloted by players—Chen Hao was one of them.

As the Enterprise fleet neared Guadalcanal, Chen Hao received a system notification: "Player Chen Hao, your superior Sutherland has issued the quest 'Ace of Air Combat.' Mission objective: Fly an F4F Wildcat as Sutherland’s wingman and assist him in shooting down the Japanese ace Saburo Sakai’s Zero. Reward: Unknown."

Saburo Sakai and "Brother Ba" Sutherland were renowned aces of World War II, both having encountered each other at Guadalcanal without managing to shoot the other down. Chen Hao’s task was to help Sutherland bring down Sakai’s wingman—a narrative-altering quest promising rich rewards upon completion.

Yet the challenge was immense. Saburo Sakai shot down sixty-four aircraft in WWII, making him one of Japan’s top fighter pilots. His Mitsubishi Zero, the mainstay of the Japanese Navy Air Force from the China front to the war’s end, dominated the Pacific early on. Compared to the US F4F Wildcat, the Zero surpassed it in speed, climb rate, and maneuverability. Sakai, with extensive combat experience from the China theater, held an edge over Sutherland at this stage.

In "War," equipment comes in ordinary, standard, elite, deluxe, and flagship versions. An ace like Sakai would at minimum fly an elite Zero. Chen Hao, having spent all his resources, could only afford a standard F4F Wildcat, far inferior in performance.

"Kid from the East, you don’t need to be nervous at all. Look at our Wildcat—sturdy as anything. It feels much safer to fly than those Japanese Zeros," said the highly intelligent NPC Sutherland, initiating conversation with Chen Hao.

Chen Hao smiled. "Captain, I’m not nervous. I’m just curious why you chose me as your wingman in the Wildcat."

Sutherland laughed exaggeratedly. "Kid, I’m starting to wonder if picking you was a mistake. Don’t you get it? The Zero outperforms the Wildcat, but at Midway, Major Thach invented the Thach Weave. Among all the foreign pilots, you’re the only one who’s mastered it."

Chen Hao now understood why the quest had fallen to him. He opened his status panel, and saw the Thach Weave skill listed.

Thach Weave (Intermediate 568/1000): Activated when two friendly aircraft fly in pairs. If one is pursued by an enemy fighter, the two can curve inward toward each other, making it difficult for the enemy to fire. During these maneuvers, the wingman can seize the chance to fire at the enemy. Skill effect: When fighting the Zero, all F4F Wildcat attributes are increased by 8%.

After Midway, Chen Hao had been lucky enough to learn the Thach Weave and spent much time honing it to intermediate proficiency. Aside from this skill, he possessed a solo specialty called "Sky Splitter," which could instantly boost his aircraft’s speed by 15% and weapon accuracy by 30% for three minutes.

In "War," a player’s base attributes are split between political and military, allowing two special skills. Chen Hao’s previous military skill wasn’t Sky Splitter—it had taken tremendous effort to acquire it as a pilot, making it his greatest asset in air combat.

The Enterprise’s fighters began to take off. Chen Hao entered his F4F Wildcat and formed a parallel formation with Sutherland, heading toward Guadalcanal. After about ten minutes, four Zeroes appeared ahead. Sutherland issued the combat order, and Chen Hao immediately activated the Thach Weave, maneuvering his Wildcat inward with Sutherland’s.

A Zero quickly latched onto Sutherland’s Wildcat, but during the inward turn Chen Hao managed to get behind the Zero. He focused, pressed the fire button, and all six fifty-caliber machine guns on his Wildcat opened up, targeting the Zero pursuing Sutherland.

This Zero was piloted by an ordinary enemy, a standard model; it was quickly hit, its fuel tank punctured, and it spiraled downward. Chen Hao let out a triumphant shout, but suddenly sensed danger. Looking back, he saw a Zero closing in behind his Wildcat.

This Zero was far nimbler than the one he’d just chased—the pilot was none other than Japanese ace Saburo Sakai.

This was the scenario Chen Hao least wanted. His mission required him to assist Sutherland, so ideally Sakai would be chasing Sutherland, with Chen Hao following behind to ambush using Sky Splitter. Instead, the roles were reversed: Sakai was pursuing Chen Hao, and Sutherland was now the one trailing behind.

Chen Hao performed two barrel rolls to evade Sakai’s 20mm cannon fire and pulled his Wildcat into a climb. Sakai, experienced and skilled, exploited the Zero’s superior agility to stay glued to Chen Hao’s tail, leaving him in a desperate situation.

Sutherland, flying an elite Wildcat, unleashed a barrage from behind Sakai’s Zero, but the Wildcat’s performance lagged behind the Zero, and Sakai’s piloting was razor-sharp; Sutherland failed to score any hits.

In a moment of crisis, Chen Hao activated his Sky Splitter specialty, instantly boosting his aircraft’s speed by 15%.

Sky Splitter was a top-tier air combat specialty. With it, Chen Hao could easily escape Sakai’s pursuit, but he hesitated. His mission was to help Sutherland shoot down Sakai. If he simply fled, not only would the quest fail, but if Sutherland were shot down as a result, Chen Hao would face severe system penalties for disobeying orders.

In an instant, Chen Hao made his decision—he did not continue fleeing, but instead turned his aircraft head-on toward Sakai’s Zero. While Sky Splitter was active, his Wildcat outpaced the Zero, ensuring he wouldn’t be disadvantaged in a three-minute dogfight.

Sakai’s Zero danced through the hail of bullets like a phantom, using superb skills to evade the combined assault from Chen Hao and Sutherland. Chen Hao’s Wildcat drew ever closer to Sakai’s Zero, and his heart sank. In dogfights between Wildcats and Zeros, diving attacks were typical; in close-quarters combat, the Wildcat was no match for the Zero.