Chapter 135: The Plane in Peril

“Hey, you!” The girl, noticing Ling Tian ignoring her, felt a bit frustrated. Could it be that she held no charm for him? Yet, when he had just wiped her leg, he seemed quite interested. She wanted to say something more, but seeing Ling Tian’s lackluster expression, she closed her mouth again. After all, once they landed, he promised to accompany her to buy a dress; there would be plenty of opportunities to interact. Hmph!

Ling Tian was gazing at the clouds outside when suddenly the jade pendant before him began to flicker rapidly. A jolt ran through him—could something major be about to happen?

He glanced at the girl beside him; she showed no sign of attacking him. Then what could it be?

The plane? Could there be a problem with the plane? Ling Tian’s mind raced to past cases of missing aircraft and crashes. No way he’d be that unlucky, right?

As if confirming his fears, the plane started to shake violently. The girl suddenly collapsed onto Ling Tian, her soft chest pressing against his own.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh my God!” The passengers panicked, and the beauty in Ling Tian’s arms wore a genuinely alarmed expression—this was no act.

Instinctively, she clung tightly to Ling Tian, as if grasping at a life raft, for the turbulence worsened and the plane began to lose control. Some passengers had already begun to sob, chaos erupting inside the cabin.

“Please remain calm. The plane has malfunctioned; the captain is inspecting the issue. Please put on your life jackets located under your seats,” flight attendants announced, trying to steady everyone.

But this did little to soothe fears. Hearing about life jackets only heightened panic. Usually, such measures were reserved for serious emergencies—a signal to prepare for the worst.

Unlike the rest, Ling Tian remained composed. Not that he feared death, but he trusted his luck and his abilities. Unless the plane exploded immediately, he would survive.

“Why aren’t you scared?” the girl asked, curiosity finally overcoming her.

“With so many people around, why be afraid? Especially with a beautiful woman like you by my side, I’d die a worthy death. But if you let go of me now, I might even be able to fix the plane,” Ling Tian said, glancing at the woman clutching him tightly.

“You? You can really fix the plane?” Her eyes brightened, and she released her grip. She truly wanted to live; the plane must not be doomed.

Statistics showed plane crashes were rare, but once they happened, survival was slim.

“If you can fix this plane, I’ll give you ten million yuan after we land. Please, save me!” a nearby passenger pleaded urgently.

“Fix the plane? Really? If you can, I’ll throw in ten million yuan as well,” another wealthy voice chimed in. First-class passengers were truly extraordinary.

Under normal circumstances, Ling Tian would have been met with ridicule if he claimed he could repair a plane. But now, his words were everyone’s hope.

No one mocked or doubted him; all eyes were filled with hope.

“If you fix the plane, I’ll give you my body,” the girl added, as if lacking ten million yuan, staking herself to encourage Ling Tian.

“Don’t worry, I’m a plane mechanic. And don’t forget what you promised,” Ling Tian said confidently, smiling as he headed toward the cockpit.

A flight attendant tried to stop him. “Sir, the cockpit is off-limits to passengers. The situation is dangerous; please return to your seat.”

Before she finished, the plane jolted again, and the attendant bumped into Ling Tian. He steadied her, then released her and pressed onward toward the cockpit.

The attendants were too slow to intervene; Ling Tian was already at the cockpit door.

Suddenly, he paused, overhearing voices arguing inside.

“Captain, you can’t do this! There are so many passengers and crew on board. What you’re doing is murder,” one voice, likely the co-pilot’s, pleaded urgently.

“These are orders from above. Do you understand?” the captain replied, his tone tinged with helplessness.

“That’s just one person’s order, and it’s insane. Sacrificing all these lives—I can’t do it. We’re less than an hour from the airport; my duty is to protect the passengers. To hell with that damn order!” The co-pilot was clearly defying the command.

“My family is being held hostage. If I don’t obey, they’ll be killed. I have no choice but to sacrifice those on this plane. You still have a chance; we both can parachute out. There’s a life raft waiting below. We’ll be fine,” the captain urged, desperation in his voice.

“I won’t allow this, Captain. No matter what, I won’t permit it,” the co-pilot said firmly. Indeed, the captain’s family were people, but so were the passengers and crew.

The captain’s loved ones might not die, but if he colluded with the captain, all aboard would perish.

Their voices were low and urgent, inaudible to most outside, but Ling Tian’s extraordinary hearing caught every word. He thought to himself: it seems the captain is the mastermind here.

“Ha ha, it’s too late. I’ve installed a timed bomb. In ten minutes, the plane will explode. If you refuse to jump, then you’ll die with the others. There’s nowhere to make an emergency landing now. If you die with regrets, blame Ling Tian—it’s all because of him. The higher-ups kidnapped my family to force me to destroy this plane and kill Ling Tian,” the captain suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, revealing a shocking truth that stunned both Ling Tian and the co-pilot: there was a bomb, and it was meant to kill Ling Tian.

Damn! Ling Tian cursed inwardly. Who was this bastard behind the scenes? Unable to confront him openly, they resorted to such a cruel scheme, sacrificing so many innocent lives just to take him down?

Without hesitation, Ling Tian forced open the cockpit door. Though locked from inside, the lock was no match for him.

His sudden appearance startled the two men inside, but Ling Tian had no time for pleasantries. He scanned them and noticed one wearing the captain’s uniform, preparing a parachute.

Hmph, Ling Tian thought. Clearly, there was premeditation. Civilian planes don’t carry parachutes, but here were two in the cockpit—something was very wrong.

Currently, only military and stunt planes are equipped with parachutes due to their inherent risks. Civilian planes do not have them for several reasons:

1. Crashes happen in an instant; even if every passenger had a parachute, there wouldn’t be time to prepare.

2. Parachuting requires specialized training, not something ordinary passengers can master on the spot.

3. With typically only two cabin doors on a plane, a rush to jump would cause chaos, hindering pilots and potentially worsening the disaster.

4. Planes are designed to be lightweight. Imagine a 300-seat aircraft carrying over 300 parachute packs—an enormous burden. Plus, storing them under seats or overhead compartments is impractical.

Thus, designers abandoned the idea of equipping planes with personal parachutes.

This captain was clearly prepared and determined. But amid the vast ocean, even with life rafts below, could he truly survive?

Ling Tian shook his head. If their conversation was true, the captain would likely be silenced afterward—no hope of survival.

“Who are you? Get out of here!” the captain panicked upon seeing Ling Tian. Though young, Ling Tian exuded a formidable aura.

“Where’s the timed bomb? Tell me now!” Ling Tian grabbed the captain, flinging the parachute to the floor.

“What did you say?” the captain feigned ignorance, struggling futilely.

“Enough nonsense. I heard everything you said. Where is the bomb?” Ling Tian demanded again.

“I… I don’t know. Are you the Ling Tian?” the captain finally realized who he faced but refused to confess.

“Stop pretending. If you don’t tell me, I’ll throw you out the window!” Ling Tian advanced, ready to act.

“Captain, don’t be stubborn. Tell us where the bomb is, or it’ll be too late,” the co-pilot urged anxiously.

The captain hesitated, fear creeping in, but steadied himself and said calmly, “Kill me if you want, but I won’t say a word. If the plane doesn’t explode, my parents, wife, and children will die.” His eyes were resolute and unwavering.