Legendary Captain

Chapter 149 If you're being threatened, just say something!

"What time?" Wang Lingkun was drinking when he heard Qin Zongyang's words and immediately coughed violently, with some alcohol even coming out of his nostrils.

Wang Lingkun casually wiped his mouth, his neck stiff, his face full of disbelief: "Tell me again, what time is it?"

"It's 7:15! Look for yourself!" Qin Zongyang tried hard to suppress his expression, pretending to be innocent, and showed Wang Lingkun his phone screen.

Wang Lingkun stared wide-eyed at Qin Zongyang's phone screen. For a moment, he couldn't even recognize the time displayed on the screen.

"It really is 7:15!" Wang Lingkun's mind went blank for a moment, and he instantly lost the ability to think.

"Impossible! This shouldn't be happening! How could this be?" Wang Lingkun was starting to doubt his existence. "Could I really have drunk too much? That can't be! How much did I drink? My brain..."

To be honest, Wang Lingkun felt his mind was still relatively clear, and he should be able to tell the approximate time. It felt like less than an hour had passed, but in reality, two hours had gone by. Could there be something wrong with the flow of time? Or had his alcohol tolerance suddenly decreased, and he was already drunk after only a small amount? Was his mind starting to fog up?

But after drinking for so many years, how could I not tell whether I'm drunk or not?

At this moment, Wang Lingkun fell into deep self-doubt!

Qin Zongyang saw only Wang Lingkun's bewildered expression. He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to suppress his laughter. At that moment, Qin Zongyang couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Wang Lingkun's recklessness wasn't due to his personality, but rather a lack of common sense.

They're so easy to fool!

Wang Lingkun, of course, had no idea that he had been tricked by Qin Zongyang, and was still racking his brains trying to figure out where things had gone wrong.

"Is there something wrong with your phone?" Wang Lingkun, who had lost all sense of direction, started to try anything in desperation.

Qin Zongyang shrugged: "My phone is connected to the internet, how could it be wrong?"

As long as the phone is connected to the internet, it will automatically obtain the network time, so it's definitely accurate.

"Don't believe me? Ask someone else." Qin Zongyang pointed to the people at the next table, wanting Wang Lingkun to verify it himself.

"Huh? Oh!" Wang Lingkun was already out of his mind at this point. After being directed by Qin Zongyang, he actually went to the next table to ask for the time.

As soon as Wang Lingkun left his seat, Qin Zongyang let out a long sigh, and in an instant, he felt completely relaxed. For a moment, seeing Wang Lingkun's bewildered expression, Qin Zongyang even felt a faint sense of guilt.

Fooling idiots doesn't seem right!

But the scene was just too hilarious, especially after seeing Wang Lingkun ask the other table and his expression become even more confused. It was that "Where am I? Who am I? What am I supposed to do?" look that Qin Zongyang found most unbearable. He had just recovered from his initial shock when he glanced at it and started laughing again.

Wang Lingkun slumped back to the table, sighing, "Old Qin, do you think I've really drunk myself silly? I have no sense of time at all! You should know me, my alcohol tolerance isn't like this, what went wrong? Hmm? Why is your face so red? Wait, your body is still shaking!"

In Wang Lingkun's eyes, Qin Zongyang's face was not only red, but his eyes were also bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably, as if he was experiencing great pain.

"You've had too much to drink!" Qin Zongyang tried hard to calm himself down, but when he looked at Wang Lingkun's face, which was three parts confused, three parts innocent, and four parts pitiful, he couldn't help but smile and couldn't calm down at all.

Wang Lingkun grunted in a raised tone, expressing strong disbelief: "Really? You didn't drink that much! You only had a little at the beginning, and then nothing more!"

"I can't hold my liquor; I get drunk as soon as I drink a little!" Qin Zongyang started to lie through his teeth.

"Really?" Wang Lingkun glanced at Qin Zongyang with some suspicion. "I've heard you have a huge capacity for alcohol?"

Qin Zongyang was stunned for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table: "Which bastard said such nonsense? I'm going to settle the score with him! I clearly don't drink a drop of alcohol, so how did they make me a drunkard?"

Wang Lingkun raised his eyelids and said in a sinister tone, "You don't drink, so why do you have so much alcohol hidden at home?"

Qin Zongyang gasped! Good heavens, Instructor Wang still has a brain; what a sharp question!

"Collecting! I don't drink, I just collect wine! Otherwise, why would I only have a few sips of such good wine? Doesn't that make sense?" Qin Zongyang laughed.

"That's true!" Wang Lingkun nodded. "He really loves drinking. It's amazing he could resist such good wine!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Instructor Wang is truly insightful!" Qin Zongyang laughed heartily.

Though he spoke lightly, Qin Zongyang was inwardly scratching at the smell of the wine. He was a seasoned drinker, and just the aroma alone required immense willpower. However, no matter how tempting it was, for the sake of his apprentice and for his promotion, even if the finest liquor were placed before him, he would still have to resist.

Wang Lingkun pondered for a while in his seat, carefully looking around. After surveying the area, he suddenly lowered his voice and said to Qin Zongyang, "Old Qin, I don't see anyone I recognize in this shop. It's only been fifteen minutes, so it should be fine, right? I haven't seen anything!"

Qin Zongyang's eyes practically popped out of their sockets, and he quickly waved his hands, "Instructor Wang, you absolutely mustn't! We can't break the law!"

"It can't be that bad! It's only been fifteen minutes. I just checked, and there's no one from our company here! Don't worry, nobody saw it!" Wang Lingkun laughed.

Qin Zongyang grinned, never expecting that Wang Lingkun was so audacious, still harboring a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality).

Of course, it's not surprising that Wang Lingkun had this idea. Any normal person could eliminate the alcohol completely within 24 hours, so the breathalyzer test wouldn't be affected.

It's really not worth giving up tomorrow's flight just because it's an extra fifteen minutes.

Seeing that Qin Zongyang remained silent, Wang Lingkun said smugly, "Right! This rule is absurd to begin with, but since no one saw it, let's just let it go."

"Who said no one saw it?" Qin Zongyang suddenly said.

"Huh?" Wang Lingkun exclaimed in surprise, glancing around. "Are there people from the company here?"

Qin Zongyang tapped the table, attracting Wang Lingkun's attention. Pointing to himself, he said, "Isn't it right here? I see it!"

Chimelong Airlines, small conference room in the Publicity and Marketing Department on the ninth floor.

In the conference room, Lian Shanxue was discussing some matters with the general manager of the publicity department when the general manager suddenly mentioned something: "We might need you to come and shoot a video soon!"

"Hmm?" Lian Shanxue was a little confused. She had only come to Chimelong Airlines to take a few posters. Why would there be a video to shoot later?

Although Star Travel is a subsidiary of Chimelong Airlines, they can't be treated the same. Lian Shanxue has a contract with Star Travel, not Chimelong Airlines. Helping Chimelong Airlines with small matters is one thing, but she can't keep doing all the work for them!

The General Manager of the Publicity Department explained, "It's like this! You know about the Chimelong 5677 volcanic ash incident a while ago, right? One of the disposal units was the son of our company's vice chairman. There should be a press conference soon to report on this, and we'll need some video footage for that, so we might need your help!"

"What about my schedule after that?" Lian Shanxue asked, somewhat embarrassed.

Her schedule for the next two months was already booked, but now that a task has been added at the last minute, her plans are completely messed up.

The general manager of the publicity department hurriedly said, "As long as you agree, I will coordinate your schedule with Xingyou, and there won't be any conflicts. Besides, you don't have many scenes in this film, so it won't be too strenuous."

The main character in this promotional video about Chen Qi is definitely Chen Qi; Lian Shanxue is purely a decorative character to make the video more visually appealing.

"I see!" Lian Shanxue thought for a moment, "If we can coordinate it, I'll have no problem."

The general manager of the publicity department was immediately overjoyed: "Miss Lianshan is still so kind-hearted!"

As he spoke, he suddenly looked towards the door. Lian Shanxue instinctively followed the gaze of the general manager of the publicity department and saw a man enter the room.

"Mr. Chen! What brings you here!" The general manager of the publicity department greeted him with a big smile.

The person who arrived was none other than Chen Qi!

Chen Chuan originally assigned Chen Qi a mid-level, sinecure position at Chimelong Airlines, certainly not comparable to the deputy general manager of the publicity department, and certainly not worthy of being addressed as "General Manager Chen." However, Chen Qi had a powerful father, so even the general manager of the publicity department had to fawn over him.

Chen Qi didn't even glance at the general manager of the publicity department, but instead looked past him and at Lian Shanxue behind him: "These are the people who are cooperating with me?"

"That's right! Mr. Chen, she was the one who collaborated on that promotional video." The general manager of the marketing department suddenly remembered that he hadn't introduced Lian Shanxie yet, and quickly said, "This is Ms. Lian Shanxie from Xingyou Airlines!"

"Lianshan. Xue?" Chen Qi's gaze swept back and forth across Lianshan Xue's face. "Lianshan Yi, the Lianshan in Guizang Yi? The clouds emerging from the mountains begin with Gen, stretching endlessly, is that Lianshan?"

The three ancient Yi (易) are Lianshan Yi, Guicang Yi, and Zhouyi.

The Zhouyi (Book of Changes) begins with the Qian hexagram, the Guicangyi (Returning to the Source of Changes) begins with the Kun hexagram, and the Lianshanyi (Connecting Mountains and Mountains) begins with the Gen hexagram. Gen represents a mountain, and the area above and below the mountain is called Lianshan (Connecting Mountains). Clouds and mist emerge from within the mountain, hence the name Lianshan (Connecting Mountains) for the Yi (Book of Changes).

Lian Shanxue nodded slightly: "President Chen, you are very knowledgeable!"

Chen Qi stepped forward, approaching Lian Shanxue, a smile still on his face: "You flatter me."

Lian Shanxue disliked being so close to a strange man and subconsciously took a half step back.

Chen Qi noticed Lian Shanxue's evasive action and was displeased. He extended his hand, saying, "I'll have to trouble Miss Lian Shan from now on!"

Because Chen Qi was already displeased, his words sounded somewhat cold. This change in tone, when it reached Lian Shanxue's ears, suddenly activated a certain memory in her mind.

That voice sounds so familiar!

Lian Shanxue was certain that she had heard this voice somewhere before!

Looking at the somewhat dazed Lian Shanxue, Chen Qi's outstretched right hand was left hanging in mid-air, caught in a dilemma, which fueled his anger even more.

It wasn't long before Lian Shanxue came to her senses and saw that Chen Qi had already extended his hand. After hesitating for a moment, she shook hands with Chen Qi.

Lian Shanxue reflexively withdrew her hand after barely touching Chen Qi's. She was very uncomfortable with physical contact with men.

Seeing Lian Shanxue looking like a frightened little rabbit, Chen Qi sneered and withdrew his right hand.

"Alright, I'll leave my press conference to you!" Chen Qi said to the general manager of the publicity department before leaving the conference room.

After Chen Qi left, the general manager of the publicity department finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little more relaxed.

"Mr. Wang, is this the pilot you mentioned who dealt with Chimelong 5677?" Lian Shanxue asked.

The general manager of the publicity department nodded: "That's right! He's the co-pilot on duty for Chimelong 5677."

"Wasn't there another person who came up to help? Haven't you found them yet?" Lian Shanxue pressed.

"No, I don't think so! At least as far as I know, it hasn't been found yet!"

"We haven't found it yet." Lian Shanxue had already remembered where the sound came from. It was a strange, incoherent recording she had heard on Xu Xian's phone earlier.

When Chen Qi was speaking normally, I didn't notice anything, but when his tone turned sinister, it sounded exactly like the voice of the person in the recording.

"Could it be that the person who spoke to Xu Xian in that recording was the same person from earlier?" Lian Shanxie wondered to herself. "Xu Xian. Changlong 5677."

In an instant, Lian Shanxue seemed to grasp a glimmer of inspiration.

"Mr. Wang, if employees within the group purchase Chimelong Airlines employee tickets through internal channels, can we check that here?" Lian Shanxue suddenly asked.

If Xu Xian was indeed on Chimelong Airlines flight 5677 at the time, he certainly wasn't on the extra crew. If he were, his identity would be easily traced; it's impossible to hide. And most Chimelong Airlines tickets are extremely expensive. Given that Xu Xian was asking for money, it's highly likely he bought an internal employee ticket from the group.

General Manager of Public Relations: "You'll have to ask the marketing department about that. Is there anything you need to check?"

Lian Shanxue was definitely not telling the truth: "A relative of mine bought a Chimelong employee ticket, but it doesn't seem to show up on their end. I figured since we're already here, I'd check if there's a record of it here."

As long as you are an employee within the group, you can add several relatives to your social network, and these relatives will also enjoy ticket discounts. Therefore, Lian Shanxue's argument makes perfect sense.

"I see!" The general manager of the publicity department didn't doubt it. "Then I'll take you to the marketing department to check."

Checking ticket purchase records is a rather private matter, and he doubted the marketing department would agree to it without Lian Shanxue by his side.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Wang!" Lian Shanxue quickly expressed her gratitude.

The general manager of the publicity department waved his hand: "It's nothing!"

In the marketing department office, Lian Shanxue used the excuse of needing to keep her relative's information private to send the marketing staff away. If that person was Xu Xian, then there must be a reason why Xu Xian didn't step forward, so she couldn't let others know.

After entering Xu Xian's name into the search system, a ticket for Chimelong 5677 was indeed displayed on October 21st, with a note indicating that the transaction was completed, meaning that Xu Xian had already received the ticket.

When Lian Shanxue saw this ticket purchase record, she recalled the various rumors about the mysterious passenger on Chimelong 5677 and that inexplicable recording. It was almost a matter of course that she could confirm that Xu Xian was the mysterious person that the industry had been talking about recently.

But why did Xu Xian keep it a secret?

She silently closed the search page, muttering to herself, "Xu Xian, what are you thinking?"

Just as Lian Shanxue was lost in thought, a staff member from the marketing department came over and asked, "Excuse me, have you finished checking?"

Lian Shanxue snapped out of her daze: "Oh, I couldn't find it! There might have been a problem with the information he entered when he bought the ticket. I'll have him check it again when I get back! Thanks!"

After speaking, Lian Shanxue made way for the marketing staff. Meanwhile, the general manager of the publicity department, who had been waiting, approached Lian Shanxue and asked, "All done?"

Lian Shanxue nodded: "Okay! Thank you for your help, Mr. Wang! I have to go to Dianyun Airport to shoot some things tomorrow, so I'll head back first! After you coordinate the rest of the schedule with us, I will do my best to cooperate."

The general manager of the publicity department repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you so much for your hard work."

"Mr. Wang, you're too kind! I'll be going now!" Lian Shanxue was already eager to return to Yunnan.

"Old Qin, what do you mean by this?" Wang Lingkun could hardly believe his ears. "Are you saying you're going to report me?"

"What are you saying? How awful! I'm telling you to pull back from the brink!" Qin Zongyang said earnestly.

Wang Lingkun didn't believe it: "Really?"

Qin Zongyang stood tall and proud: "How could I possibly fake it?"

"How many people have fallen because of this wishful thinking? It's just a flight, how much money can it make? Is it worth the risk? Two years! If you get caught, you'll be grounded for two years! Do the math and see how big the losses are!" Qin Zongyang started to intimidate.

Clearly, Wang Lingkun was also frightened, stammering, "But tomorrow is an inspection! What if someone can't inspect me because I drank alcohol, and there's no other inspector to take my place?"

Flight route inspections are a very serious matter, and companies will be held accountable for arbitrarily canceling them. Of course, if another inspector is found to replace them, there won't be any problems.

The problem is, can we even find it?

Inspectors need to be qualified; not everyone can do it, and there aren't many in the entire Star Travel Airlines network. Plus, there happens to be no flight tomorrow, and it falls within the rest period, which greatly reduces the chances of finding a replacement inspector.

Wang Lingkun was probably intimidated by Qin Zongyang's intimidation, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Let me ask the dispatcher!"

"Yes, yes! Ask quickly!" Seeing an opportunity, Qin Zongyang immediately beamed with joy: "You didn't bring your phone, I'll give you mine!"

Wang Lingkun looked at Qin Zongyang, who was being quite attentive, and a hint of suspicion flashed through his mind. However, he still took the phone and made a call to the dispatcher.

"It's me, Wang Lingkun! I'm not feeling well, could you see which inspector can replace me tomorrow?" Wang Lingkun said to the dispatcher.

Dispatcher: "Instructor Wang, some inspectors are unwilling to catch the pilots flying, and I can't persuade them!"

"It's okay, just tell me about someone who can fly, and I'll tell him myself," Wang Lingkun said.

Seeing that he didn't have to persuade them himself, the dispatcher immediately felt relieved and quickly said, "Instructor, wait a moment!"

After waiting a few minutes, the dispatcher replied, "The only inspector eligible for a day off tomorrow is General Manager Qin. Instructor, would you like to discuss this with General Manager Qin?"

"President Qin? Qin Zongyang!" Wang Lingkun's eyes immediately fell on the smiling Qin Zongyang across from him.

Upon hearing Wang Lingkun call his name, Qin Zongyang's eyes lit up. He didn't even need to listen to the phone to know what Wang Lingkun was saying to the dispatcher, and shamelessly chuckled, "I happen to have some time!"

Wang Lingkun snorted, "That old bastard Qin Zongyang is fine!"

"But, instructor! The student we're inspecting tomorrow, Xu Xian, is Qin Zongyang's apprentice. Shouldn't we avoid any appearance of impropriety?" the dispatcher asked.

"What did you say?" Wang Lingkun almost jumped up: "The person being inspected tomorrow is Old Man Qin's apprentice?"

Wang Lingkun hung up the phone abruptly, tossed it onto the table, and sighed, "Old Qin! Don't you have any shame?"

Qin Zongyang heard what Wang Lingkun said. He never expected that the dispatcher would have such a big mouth and would tell Wang Lingkun everything, even that Xu Xian was his apprentice.

Just when things were about to go smoothly, that little brat dispatcher ruined it all.

Having said all that, Qin Zongyang didn't bother with pretense anymore: "What's wrong? I'm a qualified inspector, what's wrong with inspecting my own apprentice? What rule forbids a master from inspecting their apprentice? Tell me!"

Wang Lingkun had originally thought that Qin Zongyang would feel a little bit ashamed, but to his surprise, the old man became even more confident and even turned the tables, questioning him.

However, looking at Qin Zongyang's red-faced and furious demeanor, Wang Lingkun could sense something was amiss.

He suddenly said in a low voice, "Old Qin! Do you have some kind of leverage that your apprentice has over you? If you're being threatened, just say so!"

(End of this chapter)