Legendary Captain

Chapter 192 Hereditary Diseases

"Master investigating disciple, Qin Zongyang, what's the difference between this and investigating yourself?" Wang Lingkun was nearly driven mad. He felt that his act of dragging Xu Xian down with him was already extremely despicable, but he didn't expect Qin Zongyang's methods to be even more underhanded.

Good heavens, trying to outdo Qin Zongyang in moral principles is definitely a terrible strategy! When it comes to shamelessness, I'm no match for Qin Zongyang, whose skin is as thick as a city wall!

Failed!

Qin Zongyang showed no reaction to Wang Lingkun's hysterical questioning, only responding sharply: "This is a lesson! You'll remember this time! Still messing with me? You're courting death! Don't worry, I will thoroughly investigate every detail of this incident and will not let any mistakes go unnoticed! During the company's strict safety crackdown, as an inspector and a role model for pilots, your frivolous work style will have consequences. I will carefully write down my recommended punishment standards in the investigation report."

The previous emergency landing on the Kunyang River, while saving the company from a severe blow thanks to financial support from its parent company, instilled in Xingyou Airlines' top management an almost pathological emphasis on flight safety. Therefore, any safety incident occurring now is tantamount to defying regulations, resulting in even more severe consequences.

As the investigator in this incident, Qin Zongyang has the authority to include recommendations for disciplinary action against the crew at the end of the investigation report; however, the final decision rests with the company's senior management. Nevertheless, the investigator's recommendations will, to some extent, influence the senior management's decision.

In the civil aviation industry, all sorts of unsafe incidents have occurred. There are generally established guidelines within the industry regarding the appropriate penalties for different types of unsafe incidents. These guidelines serve as the baseline for penalties imposed by each airline.

You can impose a heavier penalty than this standard, but not a lighter one. Except for a very few extremely serious incidents or those causing significant social impact, in which case the authorities will directly issue penalties, generally, airlines determine the appropriate penalty for unsafe incidents and then report it to the authorities for review.

Airlines know the minimum penalty standards, so the penalties they report for the crew involved are generally higher than the minimum standards, which is why the authorities usually don't change them.

As for how much higher it should be than the minimum standard, that's a matter of expertise.

This is related to the external environment at the time. For example, if it's during a period of strict security crackdown, and someone commits a crime against the rules, it's basically the same as walking into a trap. Increased penalties are to be expected.

Those high-ranking leaders have no connection to Wang Lingkun, and influenced by Qin Zongyang's disciplinary recommendation, it's entirely possible they could raise the standard of punishment for Wang Lingkun by a whole level. After all, it's Wang Lingkun who suffers, not themselves. Plus, they can make an example of Wang Lingkun, a warning to others—why not?

Wang Lingkun was terrified by Qin Zongyang's words. He was a veteran inspector who had participated in several investigations of unsafe incidents. He knew all too well the impact the disciplinary recommendations attached to investigator reports had on senior leadership.

Of the three investigations he participated in, only once did senior leadership slightly modify the recommended penalties in the investigators' reports. In the other two cases, the penalties recommended by the investigators were exactly the same as those announced in the final report, without any changes.

Many of those high-ranking leaders are not professionals themselves, so they naturally place great importance on the investigation reports of professionals. This is why the investigators' attitudes are particularly important.

The problem is, it seems I've offended the investigator to the death.

"I don't believe the Safety Supervision Department will let you do whatever you want!" Wang Lingkun still refused to accept the fact that he had become a prey.

Qin Zongyang had lost patience with wasting time arguing with Wang Lingkun and directly ended the conversation: "You know two choices! One is to take full responsibility for this incident and never mention Xu Xian's matter again. The other is, we'll fight to the death and see who's tougher in the end! But, you were primarily responsible for this, so taking a little more blame is fine. Does that make sense?"

Wang Lingkun trembled with rage. That old bastard Qin Zongyang was practically forcing him to confess. But the knife was in someone else's hand; he had no room to maneuver.

Perhaps sensing Wang Lingkun's conflicted state of mind, Qin Zongyang didn't press him for an immediate answer, but instead gave him some time to think: "Anyway, you'll be back in Yunnan late today, and the investigation won't start until tomorrow at the earliest. One night should be enough time for you to think it through."

Although it seemed that Qin Zongyang had given Wang Lingkun time to think, it was easy to tell from Qin Zongyang's tone that he was almost certain that Wang Lingkun would compromise. But it was precisely this confident tone that drove Wang Lingkun most crazy, as if he were powerless in front of Qin Zongyang, and the sense of humiliation almost made him lose his mind.

Wang Lingkun, already enraged, hung up the phone, but even without hearing Qin Zongyang's hateful voice, his anger still wouldn't subside.

Suddenly, Wang Lingkun turned his head and stared intently at Xu Xian across the lounge, just like an owl.

Xu Xian was initially chatting and laughing with Lian Shanxue when he instinctively felt a chill. When he looked up, he met Wang Lingkun's fiery gaze and felt a coldness rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Xu Xian roughly knew that Instructor Wang Lingkun had just spoken to his master on the phone. But when he was on the phone, wasn't Wang Lingkun all smiles? How come he suddenly looked like he was about to kill someone?

My unfortunate master may not have any other skills, but his ability to provoke people's anger is absolutely top-notch.

Noticing that Xu Xian was also looking in their direction, Wang Lingkun laughed angrily, "Xu Xian, you've really found a good master!"

Xu Xian scratched his head shyly: "It's not that great! The only thing we can talk about is how they protect their own, but otherwise it's not that great."

"Protecting your own!" Wang Lingkun's eyes widened as if he were suffocating.

Lian Shanxue gently patted Xu Xian's arm and said angrily, "The instructor is about to explode with anger, and you're just adding fuel to the fire. You're really going to make him furious. What good will that do you?"

"Did I add fuel to the fire? Wasn't I telling the truth? Is it not allowed to tell the truth now?" Xu Xian asked, puzzled. Then he lowered his voice and Lian Shanxue whispered, "But Instructor Wang is a veteran of the company. He knows my master is a scoundrel. Isn't provoking him just asking for trouble?"

Lian Shanxue covered her mouth and laughed: "So you mean Instructor Wang asked for trouble?"

"It's not that I just seem a bit dim-witted."

That day, Wang Lingkun ultimately suppressed his urge to strangle Xu Xian. After joining the crew and returning to Dianyun, he didn't go home but instead stayed in the company's staff dormitory. Xu Xian, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine and even went home that evening. However, Xu Xian didn't tell Xu Jingyang about the overheating and smoking communication panel.

In Xu Xian's opinion, it wasn't a big deal anyway, and there was no point in telling Xu Jingyang, except to make him worry.

Shortly after Xu Xian and his group landed at Dianyun Airport, the flight crew called each of them, requesting that they come to the flight department at 9:00 AM the next day for questioning.

These were all standard procedures, and Xu Xian and Lian Shanxue's expressions didn't change much after receiving the calls. Only Wang Lingkun looked like he had lost his parents, radiating an aura of despair.

The following morning at nine o'clock, the three men appeared at the entrance of the company's flight department fleet office. Coincidentally, they also ran into Qin Zongyang, the investigator in charge of the incident.

Qin Zongyang bumped into the three of them, winked at Xu Xian a few times, then put his arm around Wang Lingkun's shoulder, acting like they were brothers.

"Have you thought it through?" Qin Zongyang asked with a grin.

Wang Lingkun stared at Qin Zongyang with extremely noticeable dark circles under his eyes, his gaze filled with indignation: "Qin Zongyang, you'll get your comeuppance for what you've done!"

"Hehe, I don't know if I'll get my comeuppance. But if you don't cooperate today, your comeuppance will come very soon." Qin Zongyang grinned, his face practically screaming "using public office for private revenge," making Wang Lingkun seethe with hatred.

Seeing that Wang Lingkun was only focused on threatening and hadn't shown any other reaction, Qin Zongyang became impatient: "You still haven't figured it out? Staring at those panda eyes, you must have been thinking about it all night! Can't you figure it out even after a whole night? Are you stubborn?"

Qin Zongyang is now not only threatening Wang Lingkun, but also resorting to personal attacks.

While Qin Zongyang and Wang Lingkun were arguing, Xu Xian and his companion naturally couldn't get a word in edgewise. Lian Shanxue took the opportunity to ask Xu Xian about feeling unwell on the plane the day before.

"Were your ears bothering you again on the plane yesterday?"

"Hmm?" Caught off guard by Lian Shanxue's question, Xu Xian replied somewhat flusteredly, "A little. I guess the tympanic membrane hemorrhage didn't heal completely. But it's not serious, don't worry!"

"Really?" Lian Shanxue was utterly incredulous. Xu Xian couldn't keep a secret, so whether he was lying or not was quite obvious. Judging from Xu Xian's current expression, it was practically as if the word "lying" was written all over his face.

However, since Xu Xian intended to keep it from Lian Shanxue, she didn't press her for details. Their relationship wasn't close enough for them to ask each other about private matters, and Lian Shanxue knew how to maintain that level of discretion.

However, Xu Xian's ability to keep it from her still saddened Lian Shanxue somewhat. She sighed, "Are you really alright?"

"It's nothing!" Xu Xian laughed heartily, appearing extremely cheerful, but a shadow of unease hung over him as he thought to himself, "It should be alright, right?"

Rewind to the previous day. After the crew returned to Yunnan yesterday, Xu Xian went home, just in time to catch Xu Jingyang preparing dinner.

Xu Xian went home, changed his clothes, and sat down. He then asked, "Didn't Mom come over?"

Huang Ying usually brings food over almost every day, but she was nowhere to be seen today.

"Your sister's studies are about to end, and she has some things to take care of, including selling the house overseas. She left yesterday and will be back in a while," Xu Jingyang explained to Xu Xian while serving him rice.

Xu Xian smiled and said, "So, this time you're planning to stay in Yunnan for a long time?"

"It should be!"

"Where's Xu Sheng? Is he coming along?"

Xu Jingyang brought over the food, and the father and son sat facing each other. Xu Jingyang seemed to be in a good mood, and his voice unconsciously rose as he spoke: "Didn't your sister study law abroad? Let's see if we can get her a job at the Su family's law firm this time she comes back."

Xu Xian's best friend, Su Qiye, inherited his father's law firm and is now its head. If Xu Sheng could get in, he could receive some preferential treatment, which would indeed be a good choice.

Xu Xian has one problem!

"Didn't Xu Sheng study law abroad? Is it applicable in China?" Although Xu Xian wasn't a law major, he still knew that legal systems differed between countries, so it probably couldn't be applied directly.

Xu Jingyang wasn't too worried: "The Su family's law firm is so big, they must handle some cases involving foreign clients, right? That would give your sister a chance to shine. Besides, even if we take a step back, she can just take the domestic bar exam again. Although the system is different, she has the foundation, so passing shouldn't be difficult. Your sister isn't very old yet, she has plenty of time to work on it, so don't worry about her. Instead, you should talk to that kid Su Qiye and see if you can pull some strings."

"You want me to talk to Su Qiye?" Xu Xian was extremely reluctant. "I already asked him once before. It wouldn't be right to bother him again, would it?"

Xu Xian had previously encountered an incident where an emergency exit accidentally opened, resulting in the injury of a child. The injured child's mother sued the entire crew, including Xu Xian. However, Su Qiye intervened and handled the situation, so Xu Xian didn't need to worry about it much.

Now that he wants Su Qiye to use his connections to hire his younger sister, Xu Xian is feeling a bit embarrassed. Even if they're best buddies, he shouldn't be ordering her around like this!

"Didn't Xu Sheng attend a pretty prestigious school abroad? Why couldn't he get into the Su family's law firm?" Xu Xian asked.

Xu Jingyang sighed repeatedly, "Let me tell you, the Su family's law firm is incredibly powerful. Remember Fatty Wang, the security captain in our neighborhood?"

"Fatty Wang? Handsome Wang!" Xu Xian remembered him immediately, and also recalled something else: "Isn't his son, Wang Ziming, working at the Su family's law firm?"

It was his own son who got into the Su family's law firm, which made Captain Wang so arrogant. A long time ago, when Xu Xian came back from signing a contract with Xingyou, he even mocked Xu Xian.

"His son graduated from a prestigious university in China, but he was rejected twice by the Su family's law firm. He had no choice but to work at other law firms for two years to gain sufficient experience before finally passing the Su family's interview on his third attempt," Xu Jingyang said. "Although the Wang father and son are both arrogant, we can't deny that the son is quite capable. Yet, even he spent two years going through a roundabout process to get into the Su family's law firm. Tell me, isn't that difficult? Your sister isn't a goddess; how hard would it have to be for her on her own?"

"Then let Xu Sheng go to a lower-tier law firm to hone her skills. Didn't you say she's still young?" Xu Xian said while eating.

As soon as Xu Xiangang finished speaking, Xu Jingyang objected: "Are you even her real brother? Is this something a real brother should say? Kids these days aren't as resilient as they used to be. What if she goes somewhere else and loses her spirit? Are you going to take responsibility?"

Xu Xian curled his lip: "Don't lecture others. Don't you know your own mental capacity?"

When the Xu family went bankrupt, Xu Jingyang was like a walking corpse, practically contemplating suicide. Even then, his strong mental fortitude didn't seem to hold up!

"You unfilial son, how dare you mock your father?" Xu Jingyang's sore spot was exposed, and he immediately flew into a rage, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"That's enough! I'll talk to Su Qiye when I have time. But let me make this clear beforehand: I won't force them if they don't want to accept. And I won't be responsible for the outcome."

Xu Jingyang's mood instantly brightened, and he laughed heartily: "What's your relationship with that kid Su Qiye? Xu Sheng is practically his sister, how could I not help her?"

"Tch! They really don't consider themselves outsiders!" Xu Xian said disdainfully. "By the way, there's something I want to ask you."

"Okay, go ahead!"

What does it feel like when your heart is upset?

"Huh?" Xu Jingyang stopped eating abruptly and stared at Xu Xian: "Why are you asking this?"

Xu Xian was slightly flustered, but he still pretended to be calm: "No, I was just asking."

"What's the point of asking this?" Xu Jingyang said, but he still said, "It just feels like someone is stepping on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My heart is beating wildly like it's not my own."

Xu Xian lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "So, it's chest tightness and palpitations?"

"More or less!" Xu Jingyang said.

Suddenly, Xu Jingyang's eyes narrowed: "You don't mean your heart is bothering you, do you?"

"Huh?" Xu Xian's heart tightened. "Dad, what nonsense are you talking about! Aren't you cursing me?"

"No? That's good!" Xu Jingyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Your grandfather also has a heart condition. Could it be that our Xu family has a hereditary disease?"

Xu Xian suddenly realized, "Grandpa's heart wasn't good either? That's not right, Grandpa seemed perfectly normal, he passed away so naturally."

Xu Xian remembered that his grandfather died of old age, not from illness!

"You rascal! Having a heart condition doesn't mean you're sick. It just means you can't do strenuous exercise or overexert yourself for long periods. It doesn't affect your normal life. Your grandfather's condition is at most a very early stage of coronary heart disease. With proper care and health maintenance, he doesn't even need medication. Most of the time, he's no different from a normal person. You could think of it as a mild chronic illness!" Xu Jingyang explained.

As he spoke, Xu Jingyang noticed that Xu Xian across from him had almost completely lost his composure and asked curiously, "What's wrong with you? Are you afraid that you have a heart problem too? Don't you pilots have physical examinations every year? If there's a problem, it should have been detected by now. What are you afraid of?"

Xu Xian's thoughts immediately returned to the time when he underwent the company's pre-employment medical examination. Every trainee had to undergo a medical examination before joining the company, and Xu Xian was no exception.

Among the twelve flight trainees who underwent pre-employment physical examinations in the same batch, only Xu Xian requested an additional electrocardiogram (ECG), meaning he had two ECGs.

However, the final conclusion was still passed.

At the time, Xu Xian thought it might be because he walked to the physical examination site. Plus, he hadn't eaten breakfast to have his blood drawn, and was feeling a bit anxious, which affected the electrocardiogram. Since the final result was a pass, he didn't think much of it.

But now it seems there might be another explanation? However, during a subsequent physical examination, Xu Xian's electrocardiogram passed on the first try, which seems rather strange.

"Hey, hey, son? Xu Xian? What are you thinking about?" Seeing that Xu Xian was completely lost in thought, Xu Jingyang became genuinely worried: "You're not really worried about your heart, are you?"

Xu Xian then snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, "No, it's just that I'm a little curious because it's the first time I've heard that Grandpa's heart is also uncomfortable."

"I see! However, you pilots sit for long periods and lack exercise, which isn't good for your health. You should try to get some exercise when you have time!"

Xu Xian nodded absentmindedly without agreeing, and then ate his meal in silence.

Back at the entrance to the fleet office.

Just as Qin Zongyang and Wang Lingkun were having a heated argument, a third person interrupted: "What are you doing? The investigator and the person being investigated are just like that, arm in arm? What kind of behavior is that?"

Qin Zongyang turned his head, about to start cursing, but upon seeing who it was, he exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

The third person was Zhang Qingyu from the Safety Supervision Department. Zhang Qingyu was one of the investigators when Xu Xian encountered a wake turbulence during takeoff, almost causing a collision.

"Why can't I be here? I'm the supervisor from the Safety Supervision Department during Wang Lingkun's investigation!" Zhang Qingyu laughed.

"It's you? No, it's not Wang... Wait! Are you doing this on purpose?" Qin Zongyang gritted his teeth. Despite his fierce appearance, Qin Zongyang was actually panicking inside.

Zhang Qingyu replied calmly, "Wang Yi, right? He wasn't feeling well, so I filled in temporarily. If you want to say I did it on purpose, then you should investigate whether Wang Yi was really sick. It has nothing to do with me."

"Damn it!" Now it was Qin Zongyang's turn to have a mental breakdown.

Last night, the Safety Supervision Department notified Qin Zongyang of the name of the supervisor they had sent, namely Wang Yi. Wang Yi is just a young pilot doing this part-time; isn't he easily manipulated by Qin Zongyang?

But Zhang Qingyu is different! This old guy is a few years older than Qin Zongyang, and he's already retired, only rehired by the Safety Supervision Department to do ground work, no longer flying. Although Zhang Qingyu's official position isn't very high, in terms of seniority, he's one of the most senior in the entire Xingyou Aviation.

Qin Zongyang may not be afraid of Zhang Qingyu, but when it comes to controlling Zhang Qingyu, he seems to be out of his depth.

Moreover, what's worse, Zhang Qingyu has an overwhelming sense of justice and can't tolerate any wrongdoing. Perhaps because he's too upright, he hasn't had much success in his career advancement.

If Zhang Qingyu were in charge of supervising this investigation, he wouldn't be able to pull any tricks.

Compared to Qin Zongyang's surprise, Wang Lingkun was overjoyed. He knew Zhang Qingyu perfectly well. Zhang Qingyu wasn't some young man who could be easily manipulated; Qin Zongyang's idea of ​​exonerating Xu Xian from this matter was essentially shattered. Therefore, since he couldn't separate himself from Xu Xian, Qin Zongyang could only focus on downplaying the severity of the incident. At least in the final punishment recommendation, Qin Zongyang wouldn't dare to be reckless.

Originally, he thought Qin Zongyang had him cornered, but he never expected this to happen! The timing of that Wang Yi's illness was just too coincidental.

"Is there a problem?" Zhang Qingyu looked at Qin Zongyang's ashen face and said with a smile, "If there's no problem, let's go in."

With that, Zhang Qingyu stepped into the small conference room in the fleet office first. Wang Lingkun followed closely behind with a smile. Qin Zongyang lagged behind, and before leaving, he instructed Xu Xian, "Keep quiet, I'll handle it!"

After saying that, he followed.

Xu Xian and Lian Shanxue exchanged a glance and went inside as well.

In the small conference room, Zhang Qingyu took out three stacks of documents and distributed them to Wang Lingkun, Xu Xian, and Lian Shanxue, who were the crew involved in the incident.

"Last night we spoke with each of the three of them by phone to get a basic understanding of the situation. Please take a look and see if there's anything else we need to add. We don't need to go into details; we just need to cover what wasn't mentioned above," Zhang Qingyu said.

After landing last night, the company did call the three of them to get a very general understanding of the situation. Because they had discussed it beforehand, none of them mentioned chatting with Xu Xian. And because of the time constraints, there was no cabin voice record at the time, so a large part of the story depends on what the crew members involved have to say.

In fact, the cause of this communication panel overheating incident is relatively clear. The main focus is on the cause of the incident and whether there were any major oversights in the subsequent handling process.

The three men took the documents and carefully examined them. They all knew what they had said, but not what the other two had said. They needed to focus on checking if there were any problems with the other two's statements.

Just as the three were conducting their inspection, Qin Zongyang expressed his dissatisfaction with Zhang Qingyu's overstepping of his authority: "I remember the Safety Supervision Department is supposed to be just a supervisor, why do I feel like you're the investigator?"

Zhang Qingyu wasn't angry: "Since we're called the Safety Supervision Department, we can naturally get involved in all matters concerning safety. My main job here is supervision, but asking around about the investigation should also be within my responsibilities, right?"

"You still..." Qin Zongyang was about to retort when Wang Lingkun suddenly spoke up: "I have a question, something's missing from this!"

"Oh?" Zhang Qingyu's eyes lit up. "Tell me about it!"

Qin Zongyang panicked and coldly shouted, "Wang Lingkun, you'd better think this through. Daring to spout nonsense is an even greater crime!"

Despite Qin Zongyang's warning, Wang Lingkun dismissed it: "Of course I can't just say things like that. I'm telling the truth!"

"Of course!" Zhang Qingyu nodded, turned on the phone's recording function, and prepared to record Wang Lingkun's words.

The reason for this incident is actually...

Snapped!

Wang Lingkun had barely begun speaking when a loud bang was heard, and everyone's attention turned to Qin Zongyang. Qin Zongyang's face was flushed red as he slammed his hand on the table; apparently, he had used too much force, as even his palm had turned red.

Zhang Qingyu was about to ask what was wrong when Qin Zongyang, with his bull-like eyes, suddenly shouted, "I need to use the restroom!"

Everyone present was shocked. What kind of situation was this?

"Go ahead, it's not like I'm stopping you. Why are you making such a fuss?" Zhang Qingyu said, displeased. He thought something serious had happened!

Having figured out what was wrong with Qin Zongyang, Zhang Qingyu then turned to Wang Lingkun and said, "You continue!"

Snapped!

Another sound!

Several veins bulged on Zhang Qingyu's forehead as he looked at Qin Zongyang impatiently: "Are you out of your mind? The toilet is just to the left after you go out. Don't you know the way?"

Qin Zongyang raised his right hand and pointed at Wang Lingkun: "I want him to come with me!"

Wang Lingkun, sitting opposite him, nearly spat out a mouthful of blood: "Are you some little girl? You need a companion even to go to the toilet?"

It's usually only women who go to the toilet together, so it seems rather incongruous to see it happening to an older man like Qin Zongyang.

Xu Xian was also dumbfounded, unable to understand what Qin Zongyang wanted to do.

Zhang Qingyu got annoyed: "Qin Zongyang, if you're going to go crazy, go outside and do it. Leave this to me, I'll handle it myself!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zongyang suddenly stood up, startling Zhang Qingyu.

Qin Zongyang stood up and went to Wang Lingkun's side: "Let's go, let's go together!"

Wang Lingkun was speechless: "I have no stock, what am I supposed to do?"

However, Qin Zongyang persisted: "No, you do!"

(End of this chapter)