Chapter 108 The Destitute Pilot

The police station was right next to the headquarters, and Charles only had to walk a few steps down the stairs to get there.

Charles originally thought that he would have to introduce himself, such as who he was and what he did. After all, the army and the police were two departments, and they performed their duties in their respective fields, although they were also commanded by Gallieni during this war.

But Charles immediately realized that this was unnecessary. As soon as he walked into the police station, the busy police officers stopped as if they had been paused. All eyes were focused on Charles, and then they surrounded him with a "whoosh":

"God, you're Ciel!"

"We know you're next door, but we can't get in. That's where the military is!"

"It's an honor to meet you, Lieutenant! We've heard so much about you!"

…

The police were much more casual than the soldiers, or perhaps the matters on their hands were not as urgent as those of the army, and it would not have much impact if they put it aside for the time being, so groups of people came up to compete to shake hands with Charles.

Charles' hands were a little sore, and he finally found an opportunity to speak: "I'm here to see Eric..."

"Eric?" The police looked confused.

"The pilot!" Charles explained. "The pilot who flew me to Antwerp!"

The police reacted immediately and replied in unison:

"The one who keeps asking for wine!"

"He treated the police station as his home, and he wanted to drink after committing such a crime!"

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. We will keep an eye on him until he confesses all his crimes and the masterminds behind them!"

…

Charles thought, these guys are not going to torture Eric to extract a confession, are they?

Fortunately, this did not happen. This was related to Gallieni. He ordered the police to interrogate them using normal procedures. Gallieni actually knew that these people were innocent, and he arrested them for other purposes.

Eric was held alone in a detention cell, curled up in a corner and fast asleep.

The police opened the iron gate, and Charles went forward to wake him up. Eric opened his eyes dazedly and saw that it was Charles. He turned over and sat up: "Hey, little guy, you are finally here! They said I kidnapped you..."

"It's okay, Uncle Eric!" Charles looked apologetic, "I've explained it to them clearly. I didn't know they locked you up here!"

Eric made two "uh-uh" sounds: "So, I can leave now?"

"Yes!"

Eric looked behind Ciel again and asked, "What about them?"

Charles looked back in confusion. Behind him were several detention rooms surrounded by iron fences, in which were more than twenty young and middle-aged people with dishevelled hair and ragged clothes.

"They are..." Charles looked at Eric in confusion.

"They are from the Carter Flying Club!" Eric replied, "They were brought here for questioning because of you!"

"Flying Club? You mean they are all pilots?" Charles looked at these people in disbelief.

They are almost like homeless people, or street gangs or non-mainstream groups. Many of them have clear tattoos on their necks.

Were all pilots so miserable at that time?

Charles thought Eric was an exception, but he didn't expect they were all the same!

Later, Charles discovered that his guess was correct, the pilots of that era were indeed in a state of decline, and this was just the tip of the iceberg.

…

To express his apology, Charles took them to the officers' mess at the headquarters and gave them a hearty meal.

Compared to ordinary meals, the food in the officers' mess is very good.

Common foods such as sausages, bread, jam, and coffee are all available for self-service and in unlimited quantities, but almost no one touches them. Without exception, they all choose to brew their own wine.

The most important thing was white bean beef stew, which was an improvement for ordinary soldiers, but it was available almost every day, as well as mashed potatoes, pizza and fruit.

The owner of the club is a middle-aged man named Carter. He has disheveled hair and a beard, and wears a faded jacket. He looks a bit like a Viking in the movie!

He almost dived into the plate and devoured it. When he looked up again, the plate was empty and the soup glistened on his beard.

Carter couldn't wait to raise his glass without waiting for the food to be completely swallowed. After taking a few sips greedily, he seemed to remember something, raised half of the glass and shouted incoherently: "Cheers to Lieutenant Charles!"

Others responded:

"Cheers, to the Lieutenant!"

"For Ciel's sake, you're a good man!"

"He is the savior of France!"

…

Then Carter turned around and asked Charles at the next table with interest: "Lieutenant, I heard that you are planning to buy Eric's aircraft factory?"

"Yes!" replied Charles.

He sat at the table drinking coffee. He couldn't eat anything after just having breakfast, and the food didn't whet his appetite.

Charles's answer immediately drew exclamations from the pilots. Some of them even looked at Eric with envy and jealousy, and exclaimed:

"What a lucky guy!"

"I thought he was bragging, but it turned out to be true!"

"Eric is going to be rich!"

…

Eric drank his wine while smiling with his eyes narrowed, and even proudly raised his glass to toast everyone. He looked more like he was showing off!

Carter smiled bitterly, waved his hand around and advised Charles: "I hope you think carefully, Lieutenant, look at us! If you buy an aircraft manufacturer, we may be your customers!"

Eric said "Hey" and glared at Carter, seeming a little dissatisfied with what he said.

Everyone laughed, but their laughter was filled with bitterness, helplessness and desolation.

Ciel thought about it and seemed to understand why they were in this situation.

What can aircraft of this era do?

Shipping goods?

With the limited space and carrying capacity of the plane, I'm afraid it won't even be able to make back the fuel costs for a few round trips!

Transport people?

Not to mention the safety issue, even if there are people sitting on it, a two-seater plane can only carry one passenger!

Fight?

It has no machine guns or bombs, and can only perform reconnaissance missions. It is still being taken over by cheap and durable balloons...

Therefore, most people who can fly planes during this period do so because of their hobby, and they have to be quite persistent, just like most online writers, who continue to waste time without any royalties, investing a lot of time and energy but getting nothing in return!

After a long time, even well-off families can't hold on, and the end result is that everyone has fallen into the current state.

Charles couldn't help but ask, "How much can you earn in a month?"

Carter smiled and turned his attention to the pilots, calling out their names one by one: "Belmondo?"

"I can earn 20 francs a month!" Belmondo raised his glass gently, "But this is without buying airplane parts. If any part breaks, I will go hungry this month!"

"Luccini?" Carter named the next name.

"I'm a little better, Lieutenant!" Luchini stood up and faced Charles: "I make 25 francs a month, but that's because I've been delivering urgent documents for the military for a long time!"

"Cornelus?" Carter turned his gaze to a skinny guy with a chubby belly.

"I..." Cornelus stood up tremblingly: "I don't have money to repair my plane. I haven't had any income for two months!"

He burped and nodded to Charles. "Thank you very much, Lieutenant. It's been a long time since I had such a good meal!"

Charles felt a little sad. These pilots who were called "the chosen ones" and were admired by thousands of people in modern times were in such a predicament because the development of airplanes had not yet begun.

Just as Charles was lamenting the fate of his people, a signalman walked up to him and reported: "Lieutenant, the general asked you to go!"

Thanks to Beiyang Duohaojie for the reward! Thank you!

(End of this chapter)