Legendary Captain

Chapter 220 Transportation of Dangerous Goods

"When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you. Is this what they mean by 'when you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you've reached the end of the road'?" Lu Xinyu laughed heartily, feeling more exhilarated than he had ever been in his life.

What kind of situation is this? The opponent you've been fighting for so long, when you've driven him to the brink of defeat, has ended up burying himself. This is the best-case scenario ever.

Perhaps because she had never seen anything so lucky in her life, Lu Xinyu laughed for two or three minutes before stopping, and even had some tears in the corners of her eyes.

Even though this good fortune fell upon him, he himself felt it was utterly absurd and unrealistic.

After a long while, Lu Xinyu finally managed to accept it all. He beckoned to his assistant: "Go and find out more details. Report every single detail to me. If we don't seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring down Qin Zongyang in one fell swoop, we won't have such a good chance again."

Now that Lu Xinyu was confident of victory, his assistant was also full of enthusiasm. After agreeing, he hurriedly went out to gather information.

After his assistant left the office, Lu Xinyu still had a smile on his lips. He pondered for a moment, and a series of plans gradually formed in his mind.

"You said something happened to my master?" In the company cafeteria, Xu Xian was about to eat when he was stunned by a bombshell message from Ning Sheng.

Xu Xian had just finished his flight today and it happened to be lunchtime, so he thought he would eat at the company before going back, so as to avoid having to cook when he got home. The food at the company cafeteria was also cheap.

On their way to the cafeteria, they ran into Instructor Ning Sheng, who was also going to eat, and the two traveled together. Previously, Ning Sheng had asked Xu Xian to find an experienced aircraft mechanic, and Xu Xian not only succeeded but also sent Zeng Yu, the most senior and experienced aircraft mechanic in the country, which was considered an overachievement.

Ning Sheng has also applied for and received payment for Xu Xian's hard work, which can be settled in one lump sum. Since we happened to run into each other, I thought I'd mention it to Xu Xian.

However, compared to the matter of the hard-earned money, Qin Zongyang's matter seemed to be more attractive to Xu Xian.

Ning Sheng sighed and said, "Your master was a bit unlucky. The co-pilot accidentally turned off the component power switch, causing the plane to depressurize. They completed the entire depressurization procedure and the plane descended to below 10,000 feet before they realized the component had been accidentally turned off."

The depressurization procedure did not include checking the position of the component switches, which is part of the reason why the unit did not detect the incorrect position of the component switches after the entire procedure was completed.

Upon hearing that Qin Zongyang was in trouble, Xu Xian lost his appetite.

"What about the investigation?"

Ning Sheng glanced around and whispered, "This time, Lu Xinyu took the initiative to participate in the investigation. In addition, your master, as the captain, will definitely be held responsible for not noticing the co-pilot's mistake in time. This situation is probably not good."

Ning Sheng had been working part-time in the flight department, so he knew some inside information.

"The situation is not good. How bad?" Xu Xian's heart tightened. Lu Xinyu's involvement in this matter was just making things worse.

The chief pilot has a responsibility to participate in the investigation of unsafe incidents. As long as Lu Xinyu is willing, he can intervene in the investigation of any unsafe incident, and no one can stop him.

Ning Sheng clicked his tongue: "I might have to move up to the passenger seat!"

"First and second officer!" Xu Xian's hand gripping the chopsticks trembled, almost dropping it. "It's that serious? Even the captain is gone? Is someone deliberately targeting my mentor?"

"No!" Ning Sheng waved his hand. "Although Lu Xinyu is involved, he can't cover everything up. This whole thing is just too absurd. The General Administration has already ordered the Southwest Bureau to be stationed at our company. For the next period of time, under the supervision of the Bureau's personnel, we will conduct a major safety overhaul of the company. This has really blown up."

The fact that the Southwest Regional Administration has sent personnel to Xingyou Airlines is a very dangerous signal. It indicates that the administration is extremely dissatisfied with Xingyou Airlines' security situation and is ready to intervene directly.

Unfortunately, Xingyou Airlines had just experienced two safety incidents, and before they could even recover, a third one occurred. Moreover, Qin Zongyang's case wasn't simply a technical issue, which greatly angered the leaders of the Southwest Bureau.

Airlines have safety standards, and so do regional administrations. If too many accidents happen to airlines under their jurisdiction, the leaders of the regional administration will also be held accountable by the central administration.

The year was supposed to be going smoothly, but then Xingyou Airlines caused three safety incidents for the Southwest Regional Administration, making it difficult for the administration's leaders to sleep soundly lately. Given this situation, isn't the Southwest Regional Administration's working group stationed at Xingyou Airlines meant to make an example of them?

Therefore, it was expected that Qin Zongyang's case would be dealt with severely this time, and it wasn't entirely due to Lu Xinyu's interference.

"To be demoted to the co-pilot level is too harsh. That's a drop of four levels!" Xu Xian found it hard to imagine that an old instructor who was about to retire would not only fail to advance further but would instead be demoted back to the co-pilot level. That would be an utter disgrace. He wondered if his master could accept it.

Ning Sheng himself is an instructor, and he can't accept the thought of being demoted to co-pilot level. Not to mention that Qin Zongyang is already at the pinnacle of pilot skills. How much psychological pressure would such a person face if he were suddenly demoted to co-pilot?

"Although there's no further news yet, barring any unforeseen circumstances, there shouldn't be any major changes. The course of events is very clear, and there's nothing to dwell on. The final punishment report will definitely be released within two to three days."

Xu Xian wanted to say something, but his eyes flickered and he saw someone coming in through the cafeteria entrance.

"Master?"

The person who came in was none other than Qin Zongyang!

There weren't many people in the cafeteria at the moment, and Xu Xian and Ning Sheng were the only people eating in uniforms, making them very conspicuous. Qin Zongyang spotted Xu Xian's group immediately.

Qin Zongyang didn't go to get food first, but went straight to Xu Xian's side and sat down next to him.

"You came to eat and didn't even invite me!" Qin Zongyang complained.

Xu Xian said helplessly, "And you're the one talking! You got into such a big mess yourself, and you didn't even tell me! If Brother Sheng hadn't just told me, I'd still be completely in the dark!"

Qin Zongyang laughed loudly: "It's such a trivial matter, what's there to talk about?"

"What a magnanimous teacher!" Ning Sheng said with a smile. He could tell that Qin Zongyang didn't seem to care much, and he couldn't help but admire him secretly.

"Aren't you just putting on a brave face?"

Qin Zongyang patted his chest and said, "Even if I'm demoted to a trainee and put in the cockpit, I'll still act like a tyrant. Do you think your master will be bullied?"

"Taking advantage of his seniority!" Xu Xian smiled bitterly, unsure whether Qin Zongyang was genuinely heartless and didn't care about being demoted, or if he was just putting on an act. But if he was just putting on an act, he did it too well.

Qin Zongyang had a slight smile on his face when he came in, and he didn't look like someone who was about to be punished at all.

"Xu Xian, you'll have to rely on yourself from now on," Qin Zongyang suddenly said.

Xu Xian was taken aback: "You mean you can't carry me anymore? What's the big deal?"

If Qin Zongyang is demoted to co-pilot, then he will no longer be able to take Xu Xian flying, according to Xu Xian's understanding.

Qin Zongyang's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly laughed and said, "My master is useless at everything, but he's number one at screwing over his apprentice. If anyone asks who your master is in the future, you can say he's a co-pilot. How embarrassing! It's better to say you don't have one. Bad luck, bad luck!"

Xu Xian glanced at Qin Zongyang's expression and, thinking he was joking, chimed in, "Even if you're a student now, you're still my master!"

Qin Zongyang's expression froze slightly, then his smile faded a little: "Really? You really think so?"

"A teacher for a day is a father for life. Is this just empty talk?" Xu Xian laughed. "Alright! You're almost sixty years old. What haven't you seen? At worst, your level will recover later. It's not a matter of life and death!"

"Xu Xian, actually..." Qin Zongyang was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang in his bag. He took it out and looked at the number, his face immediately stiffening. After composing himself slightly, he said to Xu Xian, "I have something to do. You eat!"

"I'm leaving now!" Xu Xian had barely finished speaking when Qin Zongyang had already left his seat to answer a phone call.

Watching Qin Zongyang hurriedly leave, Ning Sheng clicked his tongue in amazement: "Your master has a truly open-minded attitude. He's taken such a big blow and he's acting like nothing happened. If it were me, I definitely couldn't do it."

Xu Xian was initially worried about Qin Zongyang, but now that he saw that Qin Zongyang seemed fine, he felt a little relieved: "Yes, as long as he takes it easy, that's fine."

Xu Xian didn't care what level Qin Zongyang was or whether he could carry him, as long as Qin Zongyang didn't get too attached to this incident.

Qin Zongyang answered the phone after leaving the cafeteria, and the voice that came through his ear was actually Lu Xinyu's.

"Have you thought it through? If you can't decide today, I can't change it later!" Lu Xinyu's sinister voice rang out from the phone, filled with smugness.

Qin Zongyang's face was extremely gloomy: "Are you sure you can do it?"

"You've been flying in Star Trek for so many years now. If you decide to retire early, I believe the company and the authorities will be lenient and give you a dignified ending."

Qin Zongyang joined Xingyou Aviation in its early days and is a true veteran. If Qin Zongyang decides to resign because of this incident, Xingyou will likely do its best to save face for him.

"As long as you agree to early retirement, I'll take care of things with the company and the authorities. You'll end your flying career as an instructor, not a co-pilot!" Lu Xinyu said with a smile.

Qin Zongyang gritted his teeth, his right hand gripping the phone tightening slightly.

He was already close to retirement, and if he were demoted to co-pilot this time, he probably wouldn't be able to regain his previous rank before retirement. In fact, with Lu Xinyu interfering, he might not even be able to regain his rank as a solo pilot.

In fact, Qin Zongyang really didn't care about his technical level. Instructor, captain, co-pilot, they were all the same to him. His seniority was there for all to see. Once on the plane, those captains and instructors treated him with utmost respect.

Although I may not have as much power as before, at least I can still live comfortably.

But his conversation with Xu Xian just now has somewhat changed Qin Zongyang's mind. If he hasn't returned to captain rank by the time he retires, then he will become a stain on Xu Xian's reputation for life.

Being a co-pilot's instructor is something to be ashamed of, even if Xu Xian doesn't care. But Qin Zongyang does.

Since he had no hope of turning things around anyway, he might as well take this opportunity to retire early, preserving his dignity for himself and for Xu Xian.

Qin Zongyang was filled with mixed emotions. He never expected that his flying career would end in this way.

"I agree." Even though he was extremely unwilling, Qin Zongyang had no other choice but to accept.

Before Qin Zongyang could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Master, what are you saying?"

Qin Zongyang was startled and turned around, only to find that Xu Xian was behind him without him noticing!

Three days later, the company's intranet bulletin board announced the disciplinary results for the crew of flight Xingyou 6774.

The co-pilot, needless to say, was demoted to first-class co-pilot and suspended from flying for an additional year, a fairly severe punishment. Qin Zongyang, on the other hand, had his instructor and captain qualifications revoked, was demoted to eighth-class co-pilot, and will not be allowed to apply for reinstatement for one year. Furthermore, Qin Zongyang was removed from his positions as deputy general manager of the flight department and as a standing member of the technical committee.

That's right! Qin Zongyang, who was caught red-handed by Xu Xian, ultimately refused Lu Xinyu's deal and voluntarily accepted the punishment.

Although they didn't completely eliminate Qin Zongyang in the end, Lu Xinyu felt that Qin Zongyang had no chance of turning things around. Even though they couldn't force Qin Zongyang to retire early, which seemed a little imperfect, it was still acceptable.

This time, Lu Xinyu learned his lesson. With lightning speed, he revoked Qin Zongyang's qualification on the technical committee and, incidentally, also removed Wang Lingkun, who disliked him, from his position as a standing committee member. Now, there are no more worries about the technical committee!

Qin Zongyang was dismissed from all his administrative positions and demoted to co-pilot. What could they possibly do against him? With Qin Zongyang out of office, the entire flight department was now unchallenged, and the position of general manager of the flight department was a foregone conclusion!

In fact, it wasn't just Lu Xinyu who thought this way; everyone in the entire flight department felt the same way. Only when the results were announced at the next flight department quarterly meeting could Lin Bo step down and give way to a more capable person.

Even though many people disliked Lu Xinyu's arrogant and domineering attitude, they could only helplessly accept the outcome. Lu Xinyu's successful rise to power was an indisputable fact, regardless of whether he was popular or not.

Shortly after the Southwest Regional Administration took over Xingyou Airlines, the outcome regarding Lian Shanxue's case was announced. He was simply punished with eight hours of theoretical training at the fleet, and that was it – a completely insignificant penalty.

Of course, this result was expected by everyone. Lianshan Snow is now the busiest airline in the entire civil aviation industry. Even if no one knows how long this traffic can last, at least Li Chuan is grinning from ear to ear every day.

Although the plan to remove Lu Xinyu from the temporary technical committee was abandoned, the entire flight department was extremely busy due to the Southwest Bureau's presence. Therefore, Xu Xian's application for promotion was submitted but ultimately disappeared without a trace.

Xu Xian was quite helpless about this, estimating that the Flight Department would only have the capacity to process his promotion application after the Southwest Bureau working group left.

Fortunately, Qin Zongyang's matter only spread within the circle and did not leak outside, so the impact was not too great. After a period of excitement, as the punishment results for Qin Zongyang were announced, the heat of the matter gradually cooled down, and Xingyou slowly returned to calm. The only change was Lu Xinyu's increasingly high-pressure management method over the co-pilot.

Previously, with Qin Zongyang keeping him in check, Lu Xinyu knew to restrain himself. Now that no one can pose a threat to Lu Xinyu, what worries does he have? Coincidentally, two of the three recent unsafe incidents were caused by the co-pilot, which further solidified Lu Xinyu's belief that the co-pilot was the source of the unsafe incidents and must be resolutely eliminated.

With a wave of his hand, Lu Xinyu launched wave after wave of investigations, causing great distress to the co-pilots. In less than half a month, 30% of the co-pilots were demoted, and complaints were rampant.

Perhaps feeling that Qin Zongyang was no longer a threat, Lu Xinyu no longer bothered to deal with Xu Xian, Qin Zongyang's apprentice. At least Xu Xian had not encountered any difficulties in the recent investigations and had passed them smoothly.

Even though he was quite dissatisfied with Lu Xinyu's policies, Xu Xian was powerless to change them due to his low status and influence. He could only rack his brains and try his best not to make any mistakes.

Flight preparation room for Star Travel 6333.

"Just add fuel according to the release order!" Captain Wang Qian stretched, gazing at the sun, which was only half-hidden above the horizon, and grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Another all-nighter!"

Xu Xian packed his things: "It's alright, we landed around ten o'clock, not too late."

Today's Star Travel 6333 flight only has one leg, which is a direct flight to Bincheng in Northeast China. After landing, we will stay overnight in Bincheng and fly back tomorrow.

Yunnan and Binzhou are located in opposite directions, one in the southwest and the other in the northeast, and are quite far apart, requiring about four hours of flight time, making it a relatively long one-way journey.

"Have you ever stayed overnight in Bincheng before?" Wang Qian asked.

Xu Xian shook his head; this was his first time spending the night in Bincheng.

"Look at you, you didn't even do your research beforehand!" Wang Qian slammed his fist on the table. "Do you know how far our hotel in Bincheng is from the airport? It's over an hour's drive! With our departure time and travel time, it'll take at least an hour and a half. By the time we check into the hotel and get to our rooms, it'll be almost midnight. Isn't that late? For a healthy life, you should go to bed before 11 pm."

"It's rare for pilots in our line of work to maintain a healthy schedule, isn't it?" As long as there are flights that are a little earlier or later, pilots won't be able to rest within the normal time frame. The good times, when they get up to go to work after 8 a.m. and land and get off work before 10 p.m., are usually the time when senior officers fly, and it's not the turn of inexperienced solo captains.

Speaking of this, Wang Qian began to complain bitterly: "I've started losing hair again recently. I'm not even forty yet, and my hair loss is already very dangerous! The money we make in this industry is earned by sacrificing our hair."

Xu Xian subconsciously touched his hair. Thank goodness! It seems he won't have to worry about his hair volume for a while.

As he was speaking, Xu Xian suddenly saw a familiar figure enter the preparation room to get hot water, so he quickly called out, "Master?"

"Huh?" Qin Zongyang, who was just about to get hot water, turned around blankly and immediately spotted Xu Xian not far away. He frowned and walked over: "Flying?"

Seeing Qin Zongyang approach, Wang Qian still respectfully greeted him, "Instructor!"

Even though Qin Zongyang is now an eighth-level co-pilot, Wang Qian still treats him with utmost respect.

"Yes, a single-journey flight to Bincheng!"

Qin Zongyang glanced at the mission sheet: "It's very cold in Bincheng right now. Don't go out unless you have to. Many people have caught a cold."

Wang Qian immediately understood: "Teacher, once we get to the hotel, we definitely won't go out."

Qin Zongyang's words were clearly directed at Wang Qian. Some captains just can't stay idle; once they arrive at their overnight destination, they insist on going out for a stroll. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but in Bincheng, it's below -20 degrees Celsius, and it's late at night—going out is just torture! But some captains insist on going out, and the co-pilot can't stop them, having to accompany them and suffer along with them. That's why Qin Zongyang specifically reminded Wang Qian. Wang Qian, being quite perceptive, immediately understood.

"Hmm!" Qin Zongyang nodded, quite satisfied.

"Master, what are you doing here? Are you flying today too?"

Speaking of this, Qin Zongyang was furious: "Isn't it that co-pilot inspection again? Your master is a co-pilot now, and he's on the inspection list too. The fleet sent me to the company for inspections a few times before, and I yelled at them all. But now they're telling me that if I don't participate in the inspection, I'll be demoted again. It's like a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs. So, I had no choice but to come."

"It's almost time to leave work, and someone's still checking on you?"

"Isn't someone on duty here? We can just ask anyone a question, it doesn't need to be a big deal!" Qin Zongyang glanced at his watch: "The appointed time is almost here, I'll be going now, you go ahead and get busy!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly fetched hot water and rushed out of the preparation room.

"Your master seems to be in a good mood?" Wang Qian said with a smile.

"It wasn't a big deal to begin with." Xu Xian was still thankful. If he hadn't happened to be in the cafeteria and overheard his master and Lu Xinyu on the phone, his master would be a retired old man by now.

Just as Xu Xian was lost in thought, someone gently patted his shoulder. He turned his head instinctively and was greeted by a fragrant aroma. There stood Lian Shanxue, looking beautiful and charming, in front of him.

"I'll add you to the crew!" Lian Shanxue winked at Xu Xian, saying in a rather cute way.

"Add our crew? It's not on the mission statement." Xu Xian instinctively glanced at the mission statement, but Lian Shanxue's name wasn't listed in the "Add Crew" section!

Lian Shanxue, on the other hand, took out a mission sheet and handed it to Xu Xian: "Just added, this is the latest mission sheet!"

Xu Xian took it and saw that Lian Shanxue's name was on the mission sheet. Lian Shanxue's information as part of the crew was probably added temporarily after the dispatch was released, which is why Lian Shanxue's name wasn't on Xu Xian's mission sheet.

What are you going to Bincheng for?

"I used to fly to Bincheng Shopping Mall and then come back," Lian Shanxue said with a smile.

As she spoke, Lian Shanxue made a point of greeting Wang Qian again. Wang Qian blushed a little when he saw Lian Shanxue, even though he wasn't married yet!

When will you be entering?

Xu Xian checked the time: "Within ten minutes, you can wait outside."

"Okay, then I'll wait for you outside."

After Lian Shanxue left the preparation room, Wang Qian seemed reluctant to leave, clicking his tongue and saying, "She's really getting more and more beautiful the more I look at her, what a pity!"

"What's a pity?" Xu Xian asked curiously.

"It's a pity she's already taken!" Wang Qian said, looking at Xu Xian with resentment.

"Captain, this is a dangerous goods cargo notification form!" Inside the cockpit, Xu Xian was preparing for the flight, while the maintenance crew handed Wang Qian a dangerous goods cargo captain's notification form.

Wang Qian took it, glanced at it, and muttered, "Allyl cyanide. What's that?"

"A chemical raw material used in organic synthesis," Xu Xian said casually.

"You knew that too?" Wang Qian exclaimed in surprise. "I heard from other captains that you're a walking encyclopedia, and they weren't lying to me!"

"It was covered in the hazardous materials training, didn't you hear it?"

Wang Qian's face stiffened. He always slept through the dangerous goods training courses, so he never paid attention.

After receiving the dangerous goods notification slip, Wang Qian nudged Xu Xian: "What's so dangerous about this stuff?"

"Flammable and poisonous!"

Wang Qian was taken aback: "Such dangerous stuff is being transported by air? Can't it be transported by land?"

Xu Xian stopped what he was doing, smiled and said to Wang Qian, "Who told our company to take on dangerous goods transportation business? If you can get the leaders to change their minds and cut off the dangerous goods transportation business, it will be a good deed for our aviation industry."

Previously, Star Travel did not carry dangerous goods. But recently, for some unknown reason, after a series of changes and modifications, it actually applied to the authorities for a license to carry dangerous goods, which has resulted in some of Star Travel's flights now transporting dangerous goods.

Some dangerous goods can only be transported by cargo planes, while others can be transported on passenger planes. Unfortunately, the Xingyou 6333 flight encountered a dangerous goods transport situation.

Wang Qian was speechless after Xu Xian's words: "Our company leaders all have terrible tempers, we can't afford to offend them! But then again, how profitable is this dangerous goods transportation business that the leaders insist on doing it?"

"You'll have to ask your supervisor; I don't know."

"This is so annoying!" Although dangerous goods shouldn't cause any problems if stored properly according to regulations, Wang Qian still felt uneasy: "What if something really happens to this stuff?"

The third special event in this book is finally about to begin!

(End of this chapter)