American Zombie Detective

Chapter 157 Qin Jin Forced to Take Up His Post

Taking advantage of the barely stable situation in the cabin, Captain Dyson, Security Officer Klaus, and Chief Purser Millie quickly held an emergency consultation at the cabin docking station, and their faces were all extremely grim.

"The situation is terrible!" The captain's voice was hoarse, and beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead. "Autopilot locked, can't be manually overridden, radio completely malfunctioning, we're—we're stuck to that thing." He pointed out the window and swallowed hard.

The security officer wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his eyes darting around: "The situation in the cabin is worse. Although we've managed to get everyone back to their seats for now, the panic has reached a breaking point. Those three bodies—I checked them, they've definitely been dead for a long time, and that woman's husband, they were definitely on that ghost plane across the way—it's a ghost or a demon—we—we're in danger—"

The flight attendant, pale-faced, struggled to maintain her professional composure: "We have to do something, at least—at least we can't let the passengers get out of control, that would be even bigger trouble—"

"—" She looked at the captain pleadingly, "Captain Dyson, what should we do? You...you have to come up with a plan, please! Hurry!"

"We...we need to find someone to put everyone at ease, and...we also need to find a way to resolve this..." Dyson frantically thought, blurting out whatever came to mind: "We need...we need police, the FBI, or some other law enforcement agency—yes, preferably an exorcist! We need an exorcist!"

As he blurted out the words, he realized the crucial moment. Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, he anxiously and hastily offered his solution: if exorcists couldn't be found, police officers or law enforcement would do too.

These words were like a ray of light in the darkness, instantly illuminating the eyes of flight attendant Millie: "Wait! My God! I remember now—" She suddenly grabbed the captain's arm, her voice shifting from fear to excitement: "When we boarded, Detective Hansen specifically spoke to me, saying that his friend, a Los Angeles detective, was traveling on our plane with special cargo, and asked me to... to let my child look after his pet during the flight—I think his last name was—Qin? Yes, Qin! Detective Qin! He's in first class!"

The unexpected good news made Captain Dyson's face flush instantly. He quickly made a decision: "God! This is wonderful! Which seat is he in? Get him here right now!"

He then instructed the security officer: "Go and make announcements in economy class and the rear cabin to see if there are any other law enforcement officers or relevant professionals among the passengers who are willing to assist us! Be careful how you do it, don't cause further panic!"

Soon, the flight attendant hurried through the cabin, which was still filled with fear and hushed sobs, and accurately located Qin Jin's seat.

She bent down, her voice low, carrying a barely perceptible hint of anticipation and panic: "—Is this Detective Qin Jin? Our captain requests your immediate presence in the catering area; it's extremely urgent!"

Qin Jin sighed silently in his heart.

They arrived as expected.

This is the "aftereffect" of Inspector Hansen's enthusiastic introductions of him to every person in charge at the airport.

His police officer status became the last possible lifeline for the crew on this plane that was in dire straits.

As Qin Pu stood up and followed the flight attendant to the front service area, the other sensitive and nervous passengers in first class immediately noticed.

"Hey! What's going on? Where are you taking him?"

The white man who had been provoking them earlier, Jason, asked warily, his wife gripping his arm tightly. The flight attendant quickly reassured everyone, "Please remain calm! The captain is actively handling the situation. This Mr. Qin is an investigator; the captain has asked him to come over and discuss a solution. Please stay in your seats; keeping quiet is the best help you can give the crew!"

At that moment, the security officer's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Dear passengers—we need assistance—police officers, FBI agents, veterans, and other professionals—please remain calm, we will resolve the issue!"

Qin Pu followed the flight attendant to the front service area, and soon, a security officer also came over with a passenger from economy class.

This was a white man in his thirties, dressed in a casual suit, his hair neatly combed, his eyes sharp yet deliberately composed. He extended his hand: "Niels Van Hoven, Van Hoven Investigations, private investigator. I heard you need help?" He showed his wallet identification.

The captain, security officer, chief flight attendant, Qin Jin, and the detective Nils formed a small emergency meeting circle in the relatively enclosed front service area.

The captain succinctly reiterated the most challenging situation:

The plane went out of control, communications were interrupted, an inexplicable ghost plane appeared outside the window, and a ruler-shaped object appeared out of nowhere inside the plane.

"Gentlemen, as professionals, what's your take on this? What exactly is going on here?"

The captain's voice carried a hint of desperate hope.

Niels Van Hoven spoke first, his voice filled with confidence despite his apparent nervousness: "Gentlemen, I believe this is a classic case of a supernatural ghost flight! I've seen these kinds of cases before; they almost always end in crashes and loss of life. So, my personal opinion is—"

He lowered his voice: "We need to prepare to abandon the plane and escape as soon as possible! We can use physical means to reduce fuel input, which may slow the plane down or even make it descend, and then make an emergency landing... Uh, Captain, I don't know if this technical means is feasible; it requires your expertise."

"Absolutely impossible!" the captain replied with absolute certainty. "Even if we could control the fuel supply through the pipeline, in this situation, I wouldn't be able to control the plane. Don't forget, the plane is completely out of control. What's the difference between a forced landing and a direct crash?"

"Oh, okay? Then let's try another approach!" Niels immediately offered a second solution: "Contact the ground and have the military send planes to pick us all up! You see those in the movies, two planes side by side with a cableway in between, whoosh—we can glide across, what do you think—"

Captain Dyson, Security Officer Klaus, and Chief Flight Attendant Millie exchanged glances, almost all agreeing that Nils was an idiot—no one paid any attention to what he said anymore, and all eyes were on Qin Jin.

Qin Jin's gaze remained fixed on the ghostly flight so close to them outside the porthole; its wings, like illusory shadows, almost overlapped with their plane.

He paused for a few seconds before slowly speaking, his voice calm: "Detective Niels's earlier theory should be correct; this is indeed a ghost airliner!"

His tone was flat, neither praising nor criticizing: "In the endless sky and sea, death is never lonely. Just as ghost ships reappear on the sea, so too do lost flights in the sky. Some of the souls that die instantly in plane crashes will fall to the earth and rest in peace, while others—will be forever trapped in the moment of the crash, wandering along their final flight path, becoming these—ghost flights."

His explanation carries an ancient, chilling logic that is even more spine-chilling than Niels's theory because it points directly to the deepest human fear of the unknown and death.

"So, you mean, there's a real ghost plane next to us?" Millie's voice trembled slightly.

"That's one way to understand it." Qin Jin nodded. "The key to solving the problem now is to figure out whether this plane chose us unconsciously and randomly, or deliberately. Only then can I make the next judgment."

"Is there a difference?" Captain Dyson asked anxiously.

"Yes, and the differences are significant!" Qin Jin calmly described the various differences between the ghost planes, his composed tone as if he were introducing different ways to cook beef stew with potatoes: "Randomly appearing ghost airliners are more troublesome. Their purpose is unclear. Perhaps they only need a few souls, or perhaps they want to take us all away. Who knows? It all depends on how Lady Luck arranges things."

Qin Jin shrugged. Although he was talking about death, there was no fear of death on his face. "The other one is simpler. It has a purpose. In this case, as long as we find its purpose, we can solve it."

"Now-

'

Qin Jin pointed out the window: "Look closely at the paint and logo on its wreckage, the registration number and stuff like that. Find out its identity first. Captain Dyson, this is your job."

With a clear goal, things immediately become much easier.

The captain identified the aircraft's company from its livery and, using the remaining registration number, quickly searched the aircraft's database for passenger planes that had gone missing or been destroyed in major air disasters.

A few minutes later, Dyson's fingers suddenly stopped.