Chapter 64

If the excerpt from "The Fortress of the Inland Sea" was somewhat shocking to those present, then "The Fortress of Tokyo" left them utterly stunned. American F-16 and F-22 fighters were displayed on the screen, showcasing their superior performance, and the profound background of each pilot's dialogue left everyone in awe. With Gonzo's substantial budget, the visuals were pushed to the limit, to the point where Teacher Song almost squatted in front of the screen to confirm that it was indeed animation and not real footage.

Clearly, it wasn't real footage; the design of the alien warships gave that away. The sound system in Teacher Song's home wasn't particularly good, but the sound effects were still enough to stir the hearts of true military enthusiasts.

"Really well done," Teacher Song sighed, carefully examining the flight paths of the planes on the screen. He even took out a piece of scratch paper and began to make calculations, only putting down his pen when the scene ended.

"This pushes the flight performance to its limits," Teacher Song said, "and it seems theoretically feasible."

Chen Zhenghui pursed his lips.

Teacher Song turned to Ma Zhen, "How did the Japanese manage to be so professional?"

"The animation director personally went to the base in Okinawa, boarded American planes to experience the flight, and recorded the sounds on-site," Ma Zhen replied.

"Did they board the F-16 as well?" Teacher Song asked, disbelieving.

"I don't remember the exact type of plane, but they did board it and recorded the sounds. So the sound effects are very realistic," Ma Zhen answered.

Teacher Song fell silent for a moment before saying, "Leave this disc with me, and I'll help you find someone as soon as possible."

"If it's too much trouble, you don't have to. If it doesn't work out, we can always hire specialized designers to design a few planes," Chen Zhenghui said. He had come to Beijing to see Aizawa Tomoaki to avoid being accused of espionage, but after talking with Teacher Song, he felt that involving the highest levels of leadership might not be worth it. However, since they had come this far, he had to push through.

Teacher Song stared at Chen Zhenghui for a long time before finally exuding a powerful aura, "Don't worry about this. I'll find someone to handle it. I'll think of a way. Besides, you're a friend of Wang Anran. Even if this doesn't work out, he won't just stand by and watch."

At this point, Teacher Song was essentially vouching for himself and Wang Anran, and Chen Zhenghui couldn't refuse. He nodded and bowed, "Thank you, Teacher Song. If there are any expenses..."

"There are no expenses!" Teacher Song interrupted.

"Well, as a consultant, you should receive a consultant fee," Chen Zhenghui insisted, not wanting to take advantage of the situation.

"I'm just helping a friend, and I'm interested in this myself," Teacher Song interrupted again, "Besides, whether it works out or not is another matter. I can't accept the fee."

Chen Zhenghui was almost moved to tears. If everyone in the country were like you, there would be nothing to worry about!

"No, no, the fee must be paid," Chen Zhenghui insisted. "We will face more technical issues in the future and will need to consult with you. If we don't pay, we won't feel right coming back."

Teacher Song was very traditional and seemed to fear becoming a corrupt official, so he immediately rejected the amount Chen Zhenghui proposed. They argued back and forth, with the payer wanting to pay more and the receiver refusing to accept it. In the end, not only Chen Zhenghui but also the others present felt that Teacher Song was of the highest moral character.

"Teacher Song, this makes it difficult for us. How about this: we'll set a standard for our company, and we'll pay all our technical consultants according to this standard. This way, you can feel at ease," Chen Zhenghui said. "We'll also include your name in the staff list as a consultant. You can use your real name or a pen name, whichever you prefer."

Teacher Song finally couldn't refuse Chen Zhenghui's proposal and reluctantly accepted a consultant fee of 50,000 yuan, asking to be credited under his pen name in the opening credits. He also agreed to write a text document with suggestions for the air combat scenes. Chen Zhenghui felt he had struck a great deal. With Teacher Song's name on the project, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television would have a hard time banning it. The previously uncertain mainland market suddenly looked much brighter.

Eager to prove his worth, Teacher Song told Chen Zhenghui, "Stay in Beijing for a few days. You don't need to come see me every day. I'll call you when I have news."

Thus, Chen Zhenghui and his team found themselves with some free time. After this incident, Ma Zhen began to collect a large amount of data, buying various military magazines and catalogs to build a database. Chen Zhenghui agreed to reimburse these expenses, and the materials were sent to Japan. Ma Zhen also called his colleagues in Pengcheng to set up a similar database. The two young artists, with nothing to do, decided to explore Beijing on the company's dime, which Chen Zhenghui supported, considering it a vacation. He himself planned to spend time with Aizawa Tomoaki, but since Aizawa had classes during the day, Chen Zhenghui spent his days wandering the streets of Beijing, reminiscing about his lost youth.

Meanwhile, Teacher Song was diligently fulfilling his role as a consultant and even going beyond it.

Having a father with significant influence was a great advantage. Lao Song had always been kind to others, and since Teacher Song was not involved in politics, the political leaders respected both Lao Song and Teacher Song.

Teacher Song took the two discs and first went to the Air Force leadership. He visited a friend, the commander of a flight regiment in Beijing, and showed him the discs, asking for his professional opinion on the scenes.

The commander was very interested in the animation and called a meeting with his squadron leaders to study the scenes. They concluded that the scenes of American planes in air combat were well-designed and realistic. However, the scenes of Chinese planes were less realistic due to a lack of familiarity with them. The meeting was expanded to include more pilots, who generally agreed that the J-8 could not perform such maneuvers.

The J-8 was just a prototype. The main fighter of China in 2020 would clearly surpass it.

"What about the J-10?" Teacher Song naturally asked.

The J-10 had just been developed last year and was undergoing its first test flights this year. The pilots, based on the available parameters, had varying opinions.

The commander insisted on making a copy of the disc for the regiment to use as a teaching tool, which annoyed Teacher Song. "Don't you have your own video materials?"

"Video materials aren't as clear as this," the commander said, "and it's all in wide-angle shots, much clearer than video materials. It's perfect for teaching new recruits."

Faced with his old friend's enthusiasm, Teacher Song had to suppress his anger. "This is just an animation."

"Huh? Isn't this an Air Force animation teaching film?"

"Nonsense, this is a Japanese animation that will soon be broadcast on TV."

"Really? When will it be broadcast? Can we get a copy?"

"Let your intelligence department handle it," Teacher Song said, already thinking about what to do next. "Since you're making a copy, make a few more for me to take."

After leaving the flight regiment, Teacher Song went to see Lieutenant General Liu Kun, the Air Force chief of staff of the Beijing Military Region. He told Liu that a Japanese animation company had made an animation of American planes in air combat, and a Chinese animation company wanted to make a similar one for the Chinese Air Force. They had made a sample and wanted professional advice.

Liu was also very interested and watched the VCDs of the American and Chinese air combat scenes. He was impressed by the quality of the animation and praised its professionalism. However, he was hesitant about providing professional assistance.

Teacher Song naturally mentioned the commander's opinion that the animation was useful, which piqued Liu's interest. He went to the regiment to see the soldiers' reactions and discussions.

Then he told Teacher Song, "This is a very innovative approach, a new teaching method that could be promoted within the Air Force." He paused and added, "We can make our own animations for internal use, but since this is for public broadcast, it involves military secrets, and I can't make that decision."

"But this is also good publicity!" Teacher Song argued. "The Americans made movies like 'Top Gun.' Now the Japanese are making such animations. Shouldn't our country adapt to this new form of military propaganda?"

Liu laughed, "I'm just the Air Force chief of staff of the Beijing Military Region, not the Minister of Propaganda. I can't make that decision, but I'll report it to my superiors."

Bureaucrats work in a very methodical way, and Teacher Song couldn't control the progress. He told Chen Zhenghui, who was very anxious. A week had passed, and both Fukuda Mitsuomi and Miyamoto in Japan were urging Chen to return to prepare for the TV series. He was also under pressure from Liu Xin and Zhou Hua, as the air combat scenes couldn't be delayed indefinitely. "The Fortress of Tokyo" had already started airing, and "The Fortress of the Inland Sea" was under immense pressure to meet its production schedule, as it was to follow "The Fortress of the Inland Sea."

At this point, Chen Zhenghui had given up on his initial hopes and decided that if there was no news in three more days, he would return to Japan and start Plan B.

It wasn't clear whether it was Teacher Song's influence or Chen Zhenghui's luck, but after a core leader visited the J-10 test flight site and heard a report from the Air Force, the VCDs Teacher Song had sent had already spread within the Air Force. To explain the performance of the hypothetical enemy's American planes and compare it with the J-10, the Air Force used the animation as a demonstration. The core leader was very interested and asked where it came from. The on-site Liu chief of staff gave a report.

The core leader was a very open-minded person. Upon hearing that a domestic animation company was collaborating with a Japanese company to make an animation about the Chinese Air Force, he said, "This is a great idea. The Air Force should support it." He continued, "We need new ideas in propaganda. Our military industry has made great achievements, and we should publicize them. We shouldn't fear others seeing our accomplishments. Show them what we have, don't let them guess and accuse us of being opaque. If we have something, it will eventually be known. It's better to show it proactively than to let others speculate. Some things can't be hidden. We are a great nation and shouldn't try to hide everything."

Finally, the core leader said with great interest, "I want to see this animation when it's done. Our planes shouldn't be inferior to others, and the animation shouldn't be inferior either."

This was the final decision. That night, Chen Zhenghui, woken up by Teacher Song's call, was overwhelmed with excitement—what a relief.