6 5. The Flying Tiger

{The Past-- January, 1942}

{ Background info for this time period... }  (*this chapter is re-written and edited in September*)

After the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. knew they made a huge mistake, but they didn't want to talk too much about it. The mistake is that they underestimated the Japanese. They thought only the Germans would cause them trouble.

Oh, but lo and behold, Japanese were the ones that attacked the U.S.

Before any attack took place, the U.S. didn't think of Japan as an opponent. Many high-level military people and politicians were quite arrogant. 

But the decision makers in the U.S. were not the only ones underestimating others and being arrogant. Japanese also underestimated the people in different parts of Asia.

When Japan invaded China, they called it a "China Problem," so they could tell everyone in the world that they invaded there simply to solve a problem. A very simple problem.

They also believed they could take over the entire China within three months. 

In reality, the city of Shanghai alone took Japan's Imperial Military more than three months.

The Japanese also didn't know, there was one man, that would have the ability and the intention to interrupt some of their plans — a young man who was now getting more magical powers and was assisted by various Chinese ghosts in his head — Robert Smith.

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{ February, 1942. Yunnan, China. Kunming Air Base--- }

Robert B. Smith had returned to Kunming with the help of the blind boy and the ghosts/spirits living in his head. Everybody was surprised that he could return in one piece.

"We are now officially part of the U.S. Army Air Corps. You will now be part of the Flying Tigers team!" Their squadron leader told Robert.

"Yes Sir! I can't wait to get it going officially, Sir." Robert replied.

And he was officially commissioned to be one of the Flying Tigers to help protect Yunnan-Sichuan area from Japan's relentless bombing.

Robert flew his fighter plane again, and there will be another person riding in the back, aiming to shoot the enemy's plane.

"In your 2 o'clock direction, two are flying towards us!" Robert warned his partner.

"Oh! Gosh! Yes!"

His partner then zeroed in his right-hand corner and fired bullets.

"Robert! How did you know there were planes flying over in my 2 o'clock direction? That's completely behind you, and on the left side. How could you see them?"

"I just can!" Robert replied. Robert was not going to reveal the secret that he had ultra senses because he ate the snow under the Ancient Tree.

And they continued on their missions. His partner was impressed that Robert could always detect the enemy's planes.

On the ground, when Robert was not in the air for his daily task to keep the Japanese planes in check, he was finding ways to help the Chinese ghosts in him leaving. All the while the ghosts nagged him and said he should try to learn Chinese from them.

"We are good teachers. If you learn this language, who knows, maybe you can be more useful."

"More useful? I'd like to think I'm quite useful already right now, thank you very much." Robert argued back with Tao, the ghost that could speak English.

"No. Not too useful." Tao said without hesitation.

"Oh my gosh, you are so harsh!"

"You could be a useful pilot if you speak Chinse. There are other places you can go and be useful. Not just here. Plus, we teach you for free."

"OK. I kind of want you guys to leave, because, you know, no privacy with you guys in my head. I can't think about anything without you guys mocking me."

"Yes, no thinking about Mrs. Duan. It's very wrong. She married. You caused her husband die."

"I'm not thinking about her in a bad way! Gosh. I'm thinking in a way that I'm worried about her, wondering if she's OK! Hey. Honest to God. Listen, Tao, she's... like... a lot older than me. I've got a girl I like back home."

Robert then went quiet for a moment. He didn't want to believe he caused Duan to die. It's really the war that caused it. He didn't have to be where Duan lived if he wasn't shot down by the Japanese. He wouldn't be shot down by the Japanese if they never started the war.

"OK. OK. You no cause her husband's death. But you must know the important thing now is to help fight the enemies. So the war will be over."

"I know. I said that. You're just quoting me. Don't make it sound like you're the one who said that. I said that already."

In the mean time, he was keeping in touch with the mushroom boy. Yes, that's what he called him now.

The mushroom boy, Jian, was blind but he continued to live in the mountains. He told Robert that he wanted to safeguard the tree. He told Robert this tree might be more important than himself. It was something important and would become even more important.

"Come on. You should come down from the mountains sometime. Have a little fun. You are still so young." Robert said one time, asking him to come to the city.

"After I see you being able to talk to the ghosts and that you seemed to be even healthier from before, just because you had some snow by the tree, I declare this tree a national treasure. I shall not leave it." The boy, Jian, took a step closer to the tree to prove his point.

"Who made you the protector though?"

"No one. But the ghosts and the spirits all want someone to protect them, too."

"OK. Fine. I will come check on you from time to time."

But soon, Robert received another assignment and had to leave Kunming area.

Because Robert became so good at his job shooting down the enemies' planes, they wanted to promote him and sent him back to the U.S. They all thought he had incredible aim to shoot the enemies before anyone even saw them coming. And, he was so agile to avoid enemies. 

Robert was excited for the promotion, and he wanted to go back home. So he wanted to have a talk with the boy, Jian.

"I'm leaving and going back home for a while, Jian."

"Bon voyage!" Jian simply replied.

"Well, I will try to be back when the war is over."

"Don't come back. I don't want more people to come here."

"But I can't let you just live alone here."

"I'm probably better at fighting off people than you, Robert. I'm not bluffing."

Robert believed Jian could do it. Because Jian could sense everything even though he lost his eye sight.

"Plus, I've got spirits and ghosts with me here." Jian continued to assure Robert.

"What is the difference between spirits and ghosts?"

"The spirits can choose to come and go freely. The ghosts must wait for their time to go anywhere freely. The ghosts have somewhere to be, but they just haven't been able to go."

"I see. Tao, you hear that? Please go where you're supposed to go. You nag me too much!" Robert joked with his ghost.

"Well, good luck, Mister. You don't have to promise anything. Because I had a feeling you shall return to China again. Soon, actually."

"Really? Can you predict the future?" Robert felt hopeful, wanting to ask him more questions.

"I can not. But I can sense things in the air, even from thousands of miles away. I think something is going to happen again. And the war will not end so soon. You would probably be in the war for some more years."

Robert couldn't see the future, but he knew this might be true. Could he even survive the war? Could he even live long enough to do anything else?

Suddenly, he feels a surge of energy in him. He seemed to be able to hear well from far away like Jian.

"Jian, can I please have a little bit of snow to eat before I go?"

Jian smiled, "Of course. I believe you will use your powers well and not abuse it. The fact you only asked to eat snow, and not the mushroom, proves to me that you are not an overly ambitious man."

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P.S. The Flying Tigers air team is real in history and their planes looked like tigers to the locals in China. (That's why they are called "The Flying Tigers")