Legendary Captain

Chapter 170 Hope? Despair! (Seeking monthly votes!)

"Xu Xian, do you know what you're saying? Don't you know that the captain's authority is granted to me by law? You're defying civil aviation law; can you take responsibility for the consequences of your actions?" Li Zhiming was practically flying into a rage. His anger stemmed from his understanding that the operations control center had activated the emergency communication system. This meant that their words, now and in the future, could be heard by air traffic control and the operations control center, especially with the chairman present, even if the crew hadn't pressed the speak button.

This means that the conversation in which Xu Xian directly ignored him and forcibly tried to seize his power had been overheard by everyone in the control and operation center.

A captain who is ignored and coerced by his co-pilot, and whose actions are publicized, will likely lose all face in the civil aviation industry, even if he survives this incident.

A captain with no authority whatsoever is nothing but a laughing stock!

The Civil Aviation Law grants the captain supreme command and final decision-making authority. It explicitly states that among the people on board an aircraft, supreme command can only belong to one person, and all activities on board are carried out under his unified leadership. This person is the captain in charge.

It also states that, whether during normal operation or in an emergency, all personnel on board, including crew members, other staff, and passengers, must strictly follow the captain's orders within his authority.

Furthermore, the captain also has the authority to take control of the aircraft, including emergency landings.

Therefore, according to both legal regulations and conventional understanding, it seems that Xu Xian should obey Li Zhiming, but Xu Xian is an outlier.

"But the law can't send me to my death, Captain!" Xu Xian said coldly, his attitude leaving no room for argument.

His eyes scanned the outside, hoping to find a new place to make an emergency landing.

Seeing that Xu Xian was completely ignoring him, Li Zhiming tried to say something more, but Xu Xian immediately made a decision, as if declaring: "According to standard operating procedures, the captain of Xingyou 6233 flight has been determined to be incapacitated and unable to perform his duties as captain. In accordance with Article 51 of the Civil Aviation Law, the first officer will take over command of the aircraft!"

Xu Xian's voice was transmitted to the control and operations center through the emergency communication system, directly and clearly stating his decision to take over the command of the aircraft.

This statement caused an uproar at air traffic control and operations centers. At this critical juncture, a huge disagreement had emerged between the captain and first officer, and it seemed irreconcilable.

"How could this happen?" This was the first time air traffic control had ever heard the co-pilot seize control of the captain in public. At such a critical moment, the crew should have been working together, so how did they split up like this?

The remaining air traffic controllers also had varying expressions. If this Star Travel incident is not handled properly, it will be recorded in the history of civil aviation in China.

It's unheard of for the captain and first officer to have a fight when both engines failed after takeoff.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the flight department at the operations control center all looked grim. Regardless of the outcome of this incident, once the authorities investigate, the conversation between the captain and the first officer will definitely be uncovered; there's no way to hide it.

When disaster struck and the lives of less than two hundred passengers on board were in danger, the two people in the cockpit were arguing heatedly over command and control of the aircraft, which was utterly absurd.

"Who is this co-pilot? Who is he?!" A flight department leader was so angry that he questioned a group of staff members in the operations control center.

When Wen Jingshu called Xu Xian just now, it was clear that the leader of the flight department did not take it seriously.

A staff member from the operations control center answered the flight department leader's question somewhat timidly: "General Manager Chen, the co-pilot's name is Xu Xian."

"Xu Xian, is it?!" The leader of the flight department was now furious. "That disgraceful wretch! He's completely disgraced Xingyou! Who's his master? Who's his squadron leader? Whatever they're doing, tell them to get over here immediately!"

The leaders of this flight department were clearly taking their anger out on Xu Xian's mentor and squadron leader.

However, the next moment a clear voice rang in his ears: "What is your position?"

The flight department leader looked up and saw Wen Jingshu staring at him. He immediately replied respectfully, "Chairman, I am the head of the Quality Center."

"Oh! I see!" Wen Jingshu nodded. "From now on, that's no longer true. Get out!"

The leader of the flight department couldn't accept the title of "Chairman" for a moment, and even wondered if he had misheard. However, the other leaders around him were all silent and trembling, some even slightly distancing themselves from him to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Wen Jingshu slightly raised her snow-white chin, turning her face to face the leader of the flight department, her eyes filled with coldness: "Do you need me to say it again?"

The leader surnamed Chen then realized that he had really offended Wen Jingshu. Although he didn't understand what he had done wrong, judging from Wen Jingshu's expression, if he stayed here, it wouldn't be as simple as just losing his administrative position.

"Miss!" Yang Ning called softly to Wen Jingshu. She was somewhat worried about Wen Jingshu's current mental state. As for the flight department leader who had offended Wen Jingshu, that was never something she needed to consider.

At this moment, Wen Jingshu's eyes were fixed on the huge LCD screen in the operations control center. On that screen, there was a dot representing Star Travel 6233. As long as this dot was still visible on the screen, it meant that the transponder was still transmitting signals, which meant that Xu Xian was still safe.

If at some point, this point disappears

"Aunt Ning, do you know? I checked the construction records and fund flows of Renxin Branch from a few years ago." Wen Jingshu slowly withdrew her gaze, gradually shifting it to Yang Ning, a faint disappointment filling her eyes: "The Renxin Branch project wasn't interrupted because of a lack of manpower, was it? It's because the money only stayed in Shenggong Construction's accounts for one day before being transferred to an overseas account. The owner of that account is Lu Wenguo, the boss of Sanshan Special Steel Company, the culprit behind the Xu family's bankruptcy!"

Several years ago, Wen Mingyuan suddenly decided to build a branch of Renxin Hospital. Unlike Wen Mingyuan's previous cautious style, the construction plan for this branch was completed in an incredibly short time.

At the time, Shenggong Construction happened to be an internal company within the group that could build the branch hospital, and doing things with their own people would save a lot of money. So, the Wens Group headquarters allocated funds to Shenggong Construction to build the Renxin Hospital branch.

However, Wen Jingshu later discovered that the funds allocated by the group headquarters to Shenggong Construction were transferred to another overseas account in less than a day.

Shortly after the project funds were transferred, Wen Mingyuan announced that Renxin Branch could not gather enough staff to support the project and decisively cut it off.

The idea for a branch of Renxin Hospital was proposed and the decision to terminate the project took less than two months, which is so short that it doesn't seem like a serious strategic investment, but rather a childish game!

However, at that time, Wen Jingshu wasn't paying much attention to the group's affairs, and the fact that the branch hospital project had failed didn't arouse any suspicion from her. Moreover, Wen Jingshu wasn't high enough in rank at the time, and her grasp of the group's cash flow was limited; even if she wanted to investigate, she probably wouldn't have the power to do so.

However, Wen Jingshu is now the head of the group, and having long harbored suspicions, she began investigating the branch campus project from back then. The investigation revealed the problems.

Yang Ning's face turned deathly pale. Back then, she worked for Wen Mingyuan, not only as his secretary but also as the group's financial director. Wen Mingyuan would definitely entrust such an important position to someone he trusted.

Yang Ning knew perfectly well what had happened to the hundreds of millions of yuan that were originally intended for the construction of the branch hospital.

Now that Wen Jingshu has brought up the old matter again, even the usually calm Yang Ning is somewhat alarmed.

"Aunt Ning, Xu Xian just told me he was sorry. But is that really true? Aunt Ning, it's our Wen family that has wronged him!" Wen Jingshu's lips had lost their color, and her eyes were filled with despair and regret.

If her father hadn't targeted the Xu family back then, regardless of whether they would have ended up together, Xu Xian would at least still be a well-off rich second-generation heir. Why would he have entered this industry? Why would he have encountered what he has today?

Perhaps Xu Xian felt hurt by unilaterally announcing the engagement back then, which is why he apologized to her. But the one who should really apologize is her!

"Miss, it's all our fault." Yang Ning supported Wen Jingshu with one hand, noticing that Wen Jingshu seemed to be having some mental issues.

Although Wen Jingshu wasn't a professional, she had a basic understanding of the current situation.

Xu Xian was not the kind of person who would fight with the captain when faced with a life-or-death situation. The fact that he was willing to defy public opinion and fight for control of the plane meant that he was fully confident that Yunnan Airport was unsuitable for landing.

Wen Jingshu trusted Xu Xian's judgment, especially when it came to her own life. He would never joke around. Moreover, after learning that Xu Xian had handled the Chimelong volcanic ash incident, Wen Jingshu was convinced by Xu Xian that Dianyun Airport was not a suitable place to land.

So how low can it go?

While most of the flight department leaders were incompetent and useless, one thing they said was true: Yunnan is a mountainous region with very little flat land, and most of it has been taken over by urban development. Large tracts of open, flat land are almost impossible to find, at least not near Yunnan Airport!

So, where else can we land?

The 737 is not a small plane; it's a behemoth with a takeoff weight of sixty or seventy tons, and it's not easy to find a suitable landing spot.

This was undoubtedly a death sentence for Xu Xian!

Although heaven and earth are vast, there is nowhere to support Xu Xian!

Wen Jingshu suddenly looked into Yang Ning's eyes, and their gazes met. Wen Jingshu simply repeated softly, "If Xu Xian leaves, if Xu Xian leaves, if Xu Xian leaves..."

She didn't say anything more because she didn't know what she would do if Xu Xian really left.

Yang Ning felt a pang of sadness. If Xu Xian had really been in trouble, she probably would have just felt sorry for him, but not too much grief. But seeing Wen Jingshu like this, Yang Ning felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

Yang Ning gently patted Wen Jingshu's back, her murmur still echoing in his ears: "If Xu Xian leaves..."

Yang Ning initially thought Wen Jingshu was just overwhelmed with grief and talking nonsense, but after a pause, Wen Jingshu seemed to have given up all hope: "Perhaps... I should go with her too!"

Yang Ning's hand, which was patting Wen Jingshu's back, suddenly stopped. She even doubted whether she had heard correctly.

Wen Jingshu's last sentence was spoken very softly, as if she had used up her last bit of strength, but Yang Ning heard every single word.

Yang Ning held her breath in shock. She never expected that Wen Jingshu, who was utterly despondent, would contemplate suicide. Looking again at Wen Jingshu's eyes, she saw that there was no longer any lingering affection in them.

Yang Ning was nearly driven mad. His original plan upon arriving in Yunnan was merely a simple appearance, with the intention of returning that afternoon. He never imagined things would spiral completely out of control!

Just then, Li Zhiming's questioning voice came over the loudspeaker: "Since you say we can't land at Dianyun Airport, then where do you suggest we go? Does Dianyun have a second airport?"

At this point, Li Zhiming seemed to have resigned himself to his fate and stopped arguing with Xu Xian about the so-called command issue. Instead, he wanted to ask Xu Xian if there was any alternative plan.

It's important to understand that Yunnan is not an eastern coastal city. In eastern coastal cities, the vast plains offer a slight possibility of finding an emergency landing site. However, in Yunnan, this possibility is virtually zero, at least much lower than the likelihood of a forced landing at Yunnan Airport.

However, Xu Xian gave an unexpected answer!

"Who says Yunnan only has one airport?"

These words gave Wen Jingshu, who had almost given up hope, a lifeline. However, when she turned her hopeful gaze to the flight department staff, she saw that everyone in the flight department looked doubtful, clearly unable to grasp the point Xu Xian had made.

"Could it be that abandoned military airport in Yunnan?" a flight department leader asked his colleague uncertainly.

The person next to him immediately denied it: "That airport is twenty or thirty nautical miles away from Dianyungang Airport! It's impossible to fly there!"

"You don't know?" Wen Jingshu, who had just begun to have hope, was gradually losing patience with this group of so-called professionals who were completely useless.

In fact, it wasn't just the people on Xingyou Aviation's operations control side who were confused; the air traffic control side was also completely baffled.

Within the city of Dianyun, besides Dianyun Airport, there's only that abandoned military airport, but that military airport clearly doesn't meet the requirements! It's too far away; planes simply can't fly there!

"No! There really is an airport!" The tower controller suddenly thought of an airport that he had talked about with his colleague who was changing shifts not long ago.

Another ground controller, squinting, asked, "You're not talking about that airport that's still under construction, are you?"

The air traffic controller clapped his hands: "That's right! The new airport is so close to Dianyungang Airport, the planes should be able to reach it most of the time, so why not?"

Of course, the new airport's proximity to Yunnan Airport only applies to airplanes; the situation is different for ground transportation.

"That counts as an airport? It's just a big empty lot. No, an empty lot is enough!" The ground controller's eyes lit up.

What era are we living in? Who cares about all that now? Finding a wide-open, flat area is already a blessing. Indeed, the new airport is currently the best alternative for StarJourney 6233.

"Wow, that's amazing! They even thought of that!" the tower controller exclaimed in amazement.

Because the new airport doesn't even have the basic structure of an airport, many people subconsciously overlook its existence. However, as an emergency landing site, the new airport is undoubtedly an excellent choice.

Although the air traffic controllers didn't know if the co-pilot was right to insist that landing at Yunnan Airport was impossible, his decision to choose the new airport as the emergency landing point was truly a stroke of genius.

In the cockpit, Xu Xian pointed to Li Zhiming's left and asked, "Where is that?"

Following the direction Xu Xian pointed, Li Zhiming used the faint light of the approaching sunrise to see where Xu Xian had chosen.

It was a huge artificial open space, and under the scattered lights, some construction vehicles could even be seen at the edge of the open space.

Li Zhiming's mind went blank for a moment, and he blurted out, "Kunyang!"

"Kunyang? Kunyang!" Wen Jingshu's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and she instantly understood Xu Xian's thoughts.

Kunyang Airport, as the new airport for Yunnan Province, will be a new hub for the entire southwest region in the future. Even Chimelong Airlines has plans to enter Kunyang Airport. Therefore, Wen Jingshu is actually quite familiar with Kunyang Airport. Just hearing the two words Li Zhiming uttered made her thoughts flow smoothly.

Hearing Li Zhiming's shocked words over the loudspeaker, the flight department leaders standing nearby were initially taken aback, but then they all suddenly realized what was going on. Some even clapped and laughed, saying, "If Dianyun Airport really can't be used for landing, the new airport is indeed a good emergency landing site."

Although the construction progress of the new airport is still very limited, at least the soil has been compacted and the terrain is flat and without undulations. Compared with a forced landing in the wild where there is basically no chance of survival, the probability of a successful forced landing at the new airport is indeed much higher.

Just as the leaders of the Flight Department at the Operations Control Center were praising Xu Xian's proposal, a new problem arose in the Control Room.

"But there's no data or information for the new airport!" an air traffic controller said.

The new airport currently has no navigation facilities, and there is certainly no information about Kunyang Airport in the aircraft database, so the crew has no idea how far they are from Kunyang Airport.

Furthermore, Kunyang Airport does not release official altitude figures, making it difficult for the flight crew to determine the aircraft's relative altitude. Even if we roughly assume that Kunyang Airport and Dianyungang Airport are at the same altitude, there is still a margin of error, which could very well lead to misjudgment by the flight crew.

Without any distance information and with inaccurate altitude information, how can the crew calculate the altitude-to-distance ratio and adjust the aircraft's status? Are they really expected to rely entirely on intuition and their naked eyes?

Moreover, even with the naked eye, it's still barely dawn, what can you possibly see?

Just then, Xu Xian's voice came through the radio: "Tower, do you have the latitude and longitude coordinates of the new airport?"

Xu Xian clearly understood that he needed the airport's location information. However, the flight computer did not have data on Kunyang Airport, so he had no choice but to seek help from air traffic control.

Control Tower: "Star Travel 6233, we don't have any data either!"

Not only is it not in the aircraft database, but it's also not in the air traffic control database. Kunyang Airport doesn't even resemble an airport; where would they get the basic data from?

"Do you have any?" Upon hearing Xu Xian's plea for help, Wen Jingshu immediately turned to the flight department leader beside her.

Meanwhile, the pilots and their superiors looked at the flight control technicians, who could only tremble under the gaze of these bigwigs.

"Damn it!" Wen Jingshu cursed under her breath, her heart filled with anxiety again.

"Listen to me!" Xu Xian stepped in again to reassure the troops: "Can you operate the map of Dianyun City?"

"What do you mean?" The control tower was momentarily confused. They used aeronautical charts and rarely used regular maps.

"Could you help me check if the intersection of the line connecting the Dianyun Municipal Government and the Luoshuang Building with the 120-degree radial line of Dianyun Airport is on the Kunyang River?" Xu Xian asked.

Everyone knows that Kunyang Airport is located on the 120-degree radial line of Dianyun Airport. This was known to almost everyone in the industry when Kunyang Airport was being selected.

However, a straight line cannot determine a point. Therefore, another line is needed!

Because Kunyang Airport is very close to Dianyun Airport, it can usually be seen from the air during takeoff and approach. After seeing it many times, Xu Xian had a general impression of it.

He discovered that the Yunnan Provincial Government Building, Luoshuang Building, and Kunyang Airport were roughly in a straight line.

However, this is based entirely on visual observation and may not be accurate. Therefore, Xu Xiancai asked if the intersection was near the Kunyang River.

Since the name of Kunyang Airport comes from its proximity to the Kunyang River, if the intersection were to be near the Kunyang River, there would be at least no major discrepancy.

The air traffic controllers were quick-witted and instantly grasped Xu Xian's intention, immediately shouting, "Change the large screen to the Yunnan map!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the huge high-altitude flight path display screen in the control room was replaced by Yunnan Cloud Map.

The municipal government building and Luoshuang Building are both iconic buildings in Dianyungang City and can be found quickly. When the two are connected in a line, they intersect with the 120-degree radial line of Dianyungang Airport near the Kunyang River.

"That's right, that's right! The junction is right next to the Kunyang River!" the control tower excitedly told Xu Xian.

"Tell me the latitude and longitude of the intersection point!"

大屏上瞬间生成交汇点的经纬度，塔台管制念给徐显听：「北纬26度18分23秒，东经104度21分27秒！」

While the control tower was announcing the latitude and longitude, Xu Xian simultaneously entered them into the CDU flight segment page. Once the latitude and longitude were entered, Xu Xian created a temporary point, copied it to the FIX page, and immediately saw the distance to Kunyang Airport.

"Five and a half nautical miles!" Xu Xian looked at the distance information, his eyes blazing with hope: "That's enough! That's enough! We can fly there! Hahaha!"

Xu Xian laughed loudly, placed a bet on the left, and flew directly towards Kunyang Airport!

Li Zhiming seemed utterly exhausted, almost collapsing into his seat. There were virtually no obstacles near Kunyang Airport; they could fly directly there without any hindrance. Moreover, their current altitude was sufficient, making a landing at Kunyang Airport a very real possibility.

"Could it be that I was really wrong?" After learning that Xu Xian had found a suitable crash landing site, Li Zhiming fell into deep self-doubt.

At that moment, both air traffic control and Xingyou Aviation's operations control center could hear Xu Xian's excited roar. It was the exhilaration of finally finding hope in a desperate situation. Even though they couldn't see Xu Xian's expression, they could feel his joy just from his words.

Wen Jingshu clenched her right hand tightly, feeling as if she still had a chance to make amends to Xu Xian!

A surge of overwhelming joy welled up in his heart, but the next moment, Xu Xian's utterly shocked voice came over the radio.

"How could this happen?"

In the cockpit, Xu Xian had already turned towards Kunyang Airport, and with the help of the dim light, he could already make out the outline of the airport.

But just then, the sun, which had been hidden for so long, finally broke free from its last restraints and rose with its blazing heat from the horizon. At that moment, darkness was banished and light shone upon the world, as if the heavens and earth had just been created, and Xu Xian could see the first ray of sunlight.

Under the sunlight, Kunyang Airport finally revealed its true appearance.

Suddenly, Xu Xian's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze, which had been fixed on Kunyang Airport, stung by the dazzling light. The light that forced Xu Xian to squint wasn't coming directly from the sun, but from the countless mirrors reflecting off the airport's surfaces.

It is said that still water is like a mirror! At this moment, Xu Xian finally saw that there were a lot of puddles on the muddy ground of Kunyang Airport, which looked particularly glaring under the sunlight.

Xu Xian's face, which had been full of hope, was now ashen.

Suddenly, the words Li Zhiming had said as he got out of the crew vehicle under the plane flashed through his mind: "Did it rain last night? The air feels so humid!"

Despite all the careful planning, there was still an oversight!

He forgot that it rained last night!

I'll add an extra chapter every month if I accumulate over 1,000 monthly votes. I currently have over 700 monthly votes, but I doubt that'll be enough this month.

There's also a feature where a one-time donation of 1500 points will earn you an extra monthly pass. If you're interested, you can support it.

Also, the double monthly ticket event will continue until January 7th, so I'll try my best to update more chapters, hehe!

(End of this chapter)