Legendary Captain

Chapter 225 A Mighty Spirit That Can Swallow Thousands of Miles! (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

"Are you sure you've thought this through?" Lu Xinyu was shocked and disoriented by Xu Xian's crazy idea. "There's a severe thunderstorm in your area right now. Not only is there lightning, but also extremely strong turbulence, rain, and even hail. There's also a high chance of serious icing. Are you really going down there?"

The thunderstorm area below Xu Xian now has more than just lightning. Thunderstorm areas are usually accompanied by various other extreme weather conditions, such as turbulence, hail, and icing. Any one of these can pose a great threat to flight safety, let alone when so many dangerous weather conditions are gathered together.

Although the passenger plane was designed with extreme weather conditions in mind, Lu Xinyu didn't think the 737 could really pass through such a strong thunderstorm area safely!

It's too risky, it's practically gambling with one's life! Even though he knew that the plane was also facing the threat of toxic gas, and that waiting any longer would only lead to certain death, he really didn't have the courage to agree to let Xu Xianqiang rush into the thunderstorm area.

As for opening the window, it wasn't that Xu seemed to have lost his mind; it was a genuine procedure. One of the procedures for dealing with smoke is to open the passenger-side side window to remove the smoke.

However, this method can only be used if it is confirmed that the source of the smoke or abnormal gas is in the cockpit. If the source of the smoke or abnormal gas is elsewhere, this method will not work.

It is now clear that the source of the abnormal gas is the cargo hold. Even if Xu Xian opens the side window, it cannot truly solve the problem of the toxic gas spreading; at most, it can only temporarily disperse the toxic gas in the cockpit. As long as the source of the abnormal gas in the cargo hold is not eliminated, toxic gas will still seep into the rear of the cockpit.

Although this is only a temporary solution, when it comes to the final stage, every little bit of delay is worthwhile; we can't just lie down and wait to die.

Compared to rushing into a thunderstorm area, Lu Xinyu had no objection to the idea of ​​opening windows to ward off toxins.

However, the key issue now is not whether to open the window or not, but whether to get down!

"I know!" Xu Xian gradually pictured the red spots appearing on the body of flight attendant number two in his mind. This was a very bad sign.

"Some people on our plane have already developed skin rashes, which are symptoms of cyanide poisoning!"

Lu Xinyu glanced at Cao Jinwen, who quickly shook his head. Cyanide poisoning was beyond his knowledge, and he couldn't offer Lu Xinyu any help. Every pilot is required to undergo regular hazardous materials training, regardless of whether the company transports hazardous materials. In other words, even if Xingyou Airlines didn't have the qualifications to transport hazardous materials, all pilots would still receive hazardous materials training. Lu Xinyu and Cao Jinwen's limited knowledge of hazardous materials came from that training.

It was already quite an achievement that they knew about toluene diisocyanate. Knowledge of cyanide poisoning wasn't covered in their hazardous materials training courses; it was completely outside the normal scope of knowledge Lu Xinyu and Cao Jinwen would normally encounter. Naturally, they wouldn't have the leisure to delve into anything related to cyanide. Knowing that cyanide was highly toxic was already the limit of their understanding.

Of course, only someone like Xu Xian, with his diverse interests, would know about the symptoms of cyanide poisoning.

"Xu Xian, you're not lying to me, are you?" Lu Xinyu was hesitant to make a judgment about things he didn't know. "Toluene diisocyanate fumes are also highly irritating to the skin. The erythema should just be caused by toluene diisocyanate. Although toluene diisocyanate can produce cyanide when heated, the concentration is very low, and you should have extinguished the fire. Without high temperatures, toluene diisocyanate can't produce cyanide, right? Your crew's oxygen supply is longer than the passengers', so why didn't you just keep breathing oxygen?"

Toluene diisocyanate vapors are also highly toxic, but less so than cyanide vapors. Only inhalation of high concentrations of toluene diisocyanate will cause severe adverse reactions in a short period; conditions like emphysema are relatively rare.

Of course, the decomposition of toluene diisocyanate into deadly toxic substances like cyanide after heating is indeed quite troublesome.

However, high concentrations or doses of cyanide can be fatal, and even a slightly slower dose can kill within minutes.

Almost ten minutes have passed since the Star Travel 6333 incident, and Xu Xian has yet to report any fatalities, indicating that the concentration of cyanide produced is extremely low. Therefore, it would take a relatively long time for low concentrations or doses of cyanide to cause death.

Moreover, there are fire extinguishers in the cargo hold. Even if the fire cannot be completely extinguished, the temperature of the burning material can be lowered. Without a high-temperature environment, the reaction of toluene diisocyanate to cyanide will be inhibited, so the situation is not so bad.

Lu Xinyu didn't say it explicitly, but his meaning was quite clear.

Anyway, that cyanide is just mixed in with the gas and absorbed by the human body; the crew just needs to wear oxygen masks. The crew's oxygen supply lasts longer than the passengers', and it will most likely last until the plane lands. As for what happens if the passengers run out of oxygen? Lu Xinyu's implication was that it's up to each individual to rely on their own abilities and accept their fate.

As long as the safety of the crew is guaranteed, everything is fine.

This was almost a rational, even cold-blooded, decision, but it was also the best solution that Lu Xinyu considered after balancing various risks.

Compared to the unpredictable concentration of toxic gases inside the cabin, especially the cyanide it contains, the danger of the thunderstorm area below the aircraft is quantifiable and can be estimated. All aircraft chose to detour around this enormous thunderstorm cloud; those unable to do so returned to their origin. This is proof of just how dangerous a thunderstorm area is.

Instead of dwelling on whether the current concentration of cyanide in the cabin is lethal, he felt that making choices was the right approach.

Lu Xinyu's approach was quite cold-blooded. If their methods were followed, even if the plane landed safely, there would likely be a large number of casualties in the cabin. After all, the passengers' oxygen supply would only last for fifteen minutes, and considering Xingyou 6333's current altitude and the extra time needed to maintain that altitude while flying over the thunderstorm zone, the required time would definitely far exceed fifteen minutes. Once the oxygen ran out, the passengers would have to rely on their own bodies to endure the remaining time; if they couldn't, they would have no one to blame but themselves.

This is indeed a rather inhumane solution, but it will at least give some passengers a high probability of survival.

However, rushing into a thunderstorm area could result in the destruction of the aircraft and loss of life. Moreover, given the intensity of the thunderstorm, this possibility is extremely high, almost guaranteeing a slim chance of survival.

Rather than using the entire plane as chips for a high-stakes gamble, Lu Xinyu preferred a safer option, because those gamblers usually end up losing everything.

Cao Jinwen stood to the side, saying nothing. Sometimes, he truly admired Lu Xinyu. So rational, devoid of any emotion, only analyzing gains and losses, she was practically a robot.

Given his personality, he would never come up with a plan like Lu Xinyu's.

"President Lu, it seems I didn't explain things clearly before. Let me repeat myself. And there's a big problem with what you said."

Lu Xinyu frowned: "What did you say?"

"You think the concentration of cyanide isn't dangerous enough? That means you don't understand cyanide poisoning. Acute cyanide poisoning generally has four stages: first, the prodromal stage, characterized by eye and upper respiratory tract irritation, blurred vision; second, the respiratory distress stage, characterized by chest pain, difficulty breathing, palpitations, and red patches on the skin—we've already had flight attendants with these symptoms; third, the convulsive stage, characterized by involuntary and paroxysmal spasms, even opisthotonus and incontinence; and finally, the paralytic stage, during which a person rapidly loses the ability to breathe independently, ultimately leading to death. We've already reported cases of people falling into a coma in the cabin. Do you think we can wait any longer? Even if the plane manages to land, given the current situation, no one in the cabin will survive. Are you willing to take that responsibility?"

In fact, the cabin environment is very complex, and the unconscious passengers were not necessarily caused by cyanide poisoning. However, since the flight attendants had already developed erythema on their skin, it means that the concentration of cyanide in the cabin was definitely not a figure to be underestimated, at least not to the level that Lu Xinyu thought a person could withstand.

Lu Xinyu was speechless after Xu Xian's words. He couldn't bear the responsibility, but he also dared not agree to let Xu Xian force his way into the minefield. If things went wrong during the forced entry, the entire aircraft would be doomed, and as the commander, he would become a sinner. Even with Lu Xinyu's character, he dared not risk being nailed to the pillar of shame in civil aviation by agreeing to Xu Xian's crazy idea.

However, Xu Xian was not finished speaking.

"Also, there's something you don't know! Cyanide can be inhaled and absorbed directly through the skin, so even with an oxygen mask, you can still be poisoned! You don't understand our situation at all, so what right do you have to give us orders?" Xu Xian's mind was made up: "Now that the captain is unable to control the plane, I will take over command! I've decided to begin the descent in two minutes, please cooperate!"

Xu Xian wasn't recklessly charging in; he wouldn't force his way through the area where the lightning was closely connected for at least the first five or six minutes. He waited about two minutes, crossing the densely lightning-covered zone, before descending, even though it was still extremely dangerous.

Lu Xinyu was nearly driven mad. This was the first time he had ever heard of a problem with the captain. Even Cao Jinwen, who was standing next to him, looked extremely grim. It was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly; when something happened, the captain was completely unreliable.

"What happened to the captain?" Lu Xinyu asked anxiously.

Looking at Wang Qian, who was still vomiting, Xu Xian could only say, "It seems he inhaled some toxic gas; his vomiting is very severe now."

In fact, Xu Xian and Wang Qian were in the same situation, but compared to Wang Qian's extremely severe reaction, Xu Xian's condition was much better. Apart from a slightly itchy throat and some sore eyes, he didn't have any particular symptoms.

Indeed, differences in physical constitution can lead to different reactions to the same toxic substance.

"Can he still hold a club?" Lu Xinyu's heart skipped a beat. "Xu Xian, are you trying to solo into the thunderstorm zone?"

Ning Sheng was sound asleep when he was woken up by a series of urgent phone rings. He had been busy all day, so after dinner, he did some light exercise to help digest his food before going to bed. But things didn't go as planned, and he still couldn't get a good night's sleep.

Ning Sheng, who was a bit grumpy when he woke up, sighed when he saw that it was a call from the Operations Control Center, guessing that they had something to ask him again.

Ning Sheng is highly capable and has excellent interpersonal skills, so he is highly valued by his superiors. Whenever the company is short-staffed, they think of Ning Sheng; he's the kind of person who's always there to be helped, like a brick in a wall.

For Ning Sheng, who is very ambitious, being valued by his superiors is certainly a good thing. But the seemingly endless tasks are always a bit tiring.

Scratching his head, Ning Sheng rubbed his eyes and answered the phone: "What's wrong?"

"Brother Sheng, you're at the operations control center right now, want to come and work a shift?"

Ning Sheng glanced at the watch on the bedside table, a hint of reluctance rising in his heart: "Where's the person on duty?"

"Both President Lu and President Cao have to go out on business. Before they left, they specifically asked you to come and keep an eye on things."

"I'm so damn grateful to them!" Ning Sheng thought to himself, but said aloud, "Is there anything wrong at the Operations Control Center? If not, you guys go ahead and do your work. Call me if you need anything! I flew an early morning shift today, and after I got back, I went to work for the fleet all afternoon. I just couldn't take it anymore."

To prepare for an early morning flight, Ning Sheng got up before 4 a.m. After the flight, he went straight to help out with the fleet, skipping lunch and working until dinner time. He was completely exhausted.

The operations control center is mostly quiet, and many of the staff on duty aren't there all the time. Didn't Lu Xinyu just take some time out to give Qin Zongyang a theoretical consultation before? She only rushed over after the incident.

Therefore, Ning Sheng's request was not excessive at all.

"Brother Sheng, something's happened! Otherwise, we wouldn't be bothering you! We don't have anyone to lead us, so we can't make any decisions. You'd better come over quickly."

"Something happened?" Ning Sheng jolted awake. "What happened?"

Five minutes later, Ning Sheng, his hair disheveled, rushed out of the room. The operations control center had just told him the situation, which really startled him. He hadn't expected such a big thing to happen while he was sleeping. He didn't dare to refuse, so he threw on some clothes and rushed out without washing his face or brushing his teeth.

Ning Sheng, who had just stepped out of the room, bumped into Zeng Yu, who was returning from a walk, and stopped in his tracks.

After Zeng Yu arrived, the company is still looking for accommodation for him. Because of Zeng Yu's special status, they can't just settle for anything, so it's been taking some time. During this time, the company arranged for Zeng Yu to stay in a suite in the office building. Coincidentally, Ning Sheng's rest area is also on this floor, and they bumped into each other by accident.

The idea of ​​recruiting Zeng Yu came from Ning Sheng. Although he didn't dare to hope that someone of Zeng Yu's caliber would come at first, Ning Sheng, as the person in charge of the whole matter, knew Zeng Yu.

"Teacher Ning, what's the rush? Where are you going?" Zeng Yu asked Ning Sheng with a smile. Although Ning Sheng was a junior among his juniors, he never put on airs with Zeng Yu.

Ning Sheng was somewhat flattered by Zeng Yu's politeness: "Mr. Zeng, something has happened at the company, and I need to make a trip there."

"Something happened?" Zeng Yu was taken aback for a moment, then stepped aside: "Then you should go quickly, don't delay."

Ning Sheng thanked Zeng Yu and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered that Zeng Yu was invited by Xu Xian, so they must know each other. He said, "Old Zeng, something happened to Xu Xian!"

"Xu Xian?!" Zeng Yu's face froze instantly.

Upon learning of Xu Xian's accident, Zeng Yu could no longer sit still and followed Ning Sheng straight to the Operations Control Center. Someone was already waiting at the entrance, and upon seeing Ning Sheng arrive, quickly went to greet him.

Ning Sheng already knew the general situation from the phone call, and when he met the staff, he hurriedly asked, "What's the situation now?"

"Xu Xian wanted to force his way into the thunderstorm area, but President Lu wouldn't allow it," the staff member hurriedly said, then suddenly noticed Zeng Yu's presence: "Brother Sheng, who is this?"

The operations control center is a very sensitive place, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Zeng Yu looked unfamiliar and didn't seem to be a member of the company.

"This is Elder Zeng, you don't need to interfere." Ning Sheng nudged the staff member, signaling him not to cause trouble.

Seeing that Zeng Yu seemed to be someone of considerable importance, the staff stopped asking questions and continued talking about Xu Xian: "There's another situation; it seems the captain of flight 6333 has run into trouble!"

Zeng Yu's expression changed drastically: "What did you say? The captain has a problem?"

At the Chengdu Area Control Center, the center director is leading a group of people on a tour of the center's central hall.

"Editor-in-Chief Ye, this time our Chengdu traffic control will depend on your brilliant writing," said Chen Yuan, the director of the control center, with a hint of flattery.

Although the Tianyan Magazine delegation that came this time was quite large, only two people truly caught the attention of Director Chen Yuan: Editor-in-Chief Ye Jing and former Editor-in-Chief Shi Lanxi.

Tianyan Magazine is currently producing a documentary about air traffic controllers. In order to strive for authenticity, the tour group led by Ye Jing visited major air traffic control centers across the country, and today it happened to be the turn of the Chengdu air traffic control center.

As the only official media outlet in the industry, Tianyan Magazine's weight is self-evident. If Tianyan Magazine could polish the content related to Chengdu's traffic control in the final documentary, then the director would be proud of himself.

"Director Chen, you can't say this to me when Elder Shi is here!" Ye Jing said with a smile.

Chen Yuan also laughed heartily: "Of course! It's truly an honor for our Rongcheng Control Center that Elder Shi could come!"

Although Shi Lanxi has stepped down, her seniority still matters, and even Ye Jing cares about her opinion. It's not that Chen Yuan doesn't want to flatter Shi Lanxi, but rather that he doesn't dare to.

Shi Lanxi has a very eccentric temper, and many people who try to flatter him end up making a fool of themselves. Director Chen doesn't consider himself eloquent enough to provoke Shi Lanxi, so he chooses not to provoke him and avoid embarrassing himself.

"That's enough!" Shi Lanxi waved his hand, extremely impatient with such flattery. Leaning on his cane, he shook off Chen Yuan and Ye Jing and stepped into the central hall first.

In the central hall, a giant screen hangs in the middle, covered with countless tiny dots, each representing an aircraft. Below the screen, rows of control booths appear extremely busy.

Suddenly, Shi Lanxi's gaze fell on a small, flashing red dot on the screen. He raised his cane, pointed at the large screen, and asked, "What's that?"

Ye Jing and Chen Yuan, who were lagging behind, both looked at the large screen as Shi Lanxi pointed. Ye Jing was alright; she wasn't a law enforcement major, so although she had some guesses, she wasn't sure, and her reaction was relatively calm. But Chen Yuan, being an expert in this field, naturally understood what the red dot meant.

Just then, his assistant stepped forward, approached Chen Yuan, and said urgently, "Director, I have something to tell you."

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Shi Lanxi and Ye Jing beside him and sighed inwardly that they had really chosen a good time!

A moment later, guided by their assistant, Chen Yuan, Ye Jing, and Shi Lanxi went directly to a certain area to switch seats, which was specifically for communicating with Xingyou 6333.

As Chen Yuan and his two assistants walked, they talked. Chen Yuan still couldn't believe Xu Xian had such audacity: "Are you sure you heard the 6333 crew trying to force their way into the thunderstorm area?"

In the time it took to get there, the assistant had given Chen Yuan a general overview of the situation. Even knowing Xu Xian's reasons, Chen Yuan still found it hard to believe that this co-pilot named Xu Xian had such audacity. The assistant had also described the intensity of the thunderstorm below Star Travel 6333 to him; a thunderstorm of that intensity was practically fatal. And with the captain already in trouble, could he really handle it all by himself?

"That's right! We authorized Xingyou's operations control to access the call. The information we received was all communication between Xingyou and the flight crew."

Once Xingyou Aviation's emergency communication system is connected, communication between air traffic control, operations control, and the flight crew will be unimpeded and open. In other words, air traffic control can hear every word of the conversation between Xingyou's operations control and Xu Xian.

Initially, Star Travel 6333 decided to wait until it crossed the thunderstorm zone before descending, which was a relatively normal procedure. However, the director happened to be meeting with people from Sky Eye Magazine, so the controller didn't inform the director immediately.

Not long ago, the controller heard from Xu Xian that many people on board had been poisoned, and the crew decided to force their way into the thunderstorm area, which was not a normal operation.

Sensing something unusual, the controller dared not hesitate any longer. He quickly found the chief's assistant and asked the assistant to contact the chief, while he went back to monitor the situation.

"Damn it!" Chen Yuan cursed under his breath, but it was unclear who he was cursing.

Ye Jing and Shi Lanxi, who were behind him, remained silent, and it was unclear what they were thinking.

As soon as the controller arrived at the seat responsible for contacting Star Travel 6333, he was about to get up when he saw the director arrive, but Chen Yuan stopped him.

"What did you say?" Chen Yuan asked.

"They're arguing!" the controller said through the loudspeaker. "It seems that Star Trek doesn't allow crews to force their way into thunderstorm areas."

Chen Yuan sneered, "Of course they'd allow it! What's the difference between that and courting death? But the passenger in the front seat is called Xu Xian, right? That name sounds familiar."

A glint of light flashed in Shi Lanxi's somewhat cloudy eyes as he slowly turned to Ye Jing: "As expected of someone that kid Xu Qing cares about, their luck is exactly the same."

Ye Jing didn't speak, but her eyes narrowed slightly, like a lioness who had caught the scent of her prey.

Just then, Lu Xinyu's somewhat exasperated voice came through the loudspeaker: "Xu Xian, if the captain were alright, I'd reluctantly accept your idea, but right now you're the only one in the cockpit who can actually control the plane. Have you got the guts to recklessly drive into the thunderstorm zone? Are you trying to drag the entire plane's crew down with you?"

"That's better than waiting to die in the plane!" Xu Xian said coldly. "As long as the plane doesn't break apart, I can get through the thunderstorm zone!"

Holding the phone, Lu Xinyu wanted nothing more than to smash it. Seeing that he couldn't persuade Xu Xian at all, he turned his anger towards Qin Zongyang and yelled, "Qin Zongyang, what a fine apprentice you've trained! He thinks he can get through a thunderstorm zone as long as the plane doesn't break up? Who does he think he is, a god?"

While thunderstorms are intense, it's rare for one to be strong enough to cause an aircraft to break apart. Even if the aircraft has a high probability of not breaking apart, the dangers are still considerable.

Lightning can damage the aircraft's fuselage and electrical systems, hail can have a huge impact on the aircraft's structure, ice accumulation can change the aircraft's aerodynamic configuration, making the aircraft difficult to control, and strong turbulence can even cause the aircraft to go out of control.

Any one of these factors would be enough to drag the plane into an abyss of no return! Xu Xian actually dared to boast that as long as the plane didn't disintegrate, he could fly through the thunderstorm zone. He was simply arrogant beyond measure!

Faced with Lu Xinyu's roar, Qin Zongyang kicked the fat manager aside and was about to step forward to deal with Lu Xinyu when Xu Xian's voice, as sharp as metal, rang out: "Lu Xinyu, don't judge my abilities with your shallow perspective! I was the one who flew the Chimelong volcanic ash incident, I was the one who made the emergency landing on the Kunyang River, you think you can do it? If you can't, then shut up! Today, I, Xu Xian, am going to force my way into this thunderstorm zone, and I want to see if God can take my life!"

At this moment, both the Rongcheng Control Center and the Xingyou Operation Control Center were filled with the sound of gasps for air.

"It's him?" Chen Yuan was utterly shocked. No wonder the name Xu Xian sounded familiar; he was the person involved in the Kunyang River forced landing incident that had caused such a huge uproar.

Compared to the Kunyang River forced landing, which is almost universally known, the earlier Chimelong volcanic ash incident is little known. This is the first time Xu Xian has publicly admitted that he was the one who handled the Chimelong volcanic ash incident.

Although the impact of the Chimelong volcanic ash incident was not as great as the Kunyang River emergency landing, it was still quite famous in the industry, after all, it was a volcanic ash incident that had not been seen for many years.

Those who handled the Chimelong volcanic ash incident have always heard that it wasn't the original flight crew who boarded, but rather a substitute passenger. However, to this day, many people still don't know who this substitute passenger was. This has become a popular topic of conversation within the industry.

But now, Xu Xian himself has said that he was the one who handled the Chimelong volcanic ash incident, which shocked the entire audience.

Even with Shi Lanxi's composure, he couldn't help but feel his blood boil upon hearing Xu Xian's boastful words. He chuckled softly, "Trying to rival the heavens, what an arrogant brat!"

Ye Jing felt a chill run down her spine. She wasn't familiar with Xu Xian; she only paid attention to him because of Xu Qing. But when she truly got to know Xu Xian, she realized the immense spirit this young man possessed.

Inside the Xingyou Aviation Operations Control Center, Zeng Yu was grinding his teeth, his whole body was trembling, and his face was flushed.

"Good! Good! Good!" Zeng Yu roared, "This is a true man! This is the successor I've chosen!"

Ning Sheng, who was standing next to Zeng Yu, was also filled with heroic spirit and youthful passion. Today he finally understood what it meant to knowingly walk into danger!

Lu Xinyu stumbled back several steps, his hands trembling, the phone he was holding almost falling. He never imagined that the person in charge of handling the previously mysterious Chimelong volcanic ash incident was Xu Xian.

The Chimelong volcanic ash incident and the Kunyang River emergency landing incident are both special cases that should be cited as examples at any time. Handling either one would have left a significant mark on civil aviation history. However, this honor now belongs to a young man in his twenties, which is completely unacceptable to him.

What he found even more unacceptable was that the young man used this to trample him underfoot!

Just then, Xu Xian's voice rang out again: "Master, if I survive, I'll make up for the loss of face you've suffered, tenfold!"

It's a pity we won't reach 1,000 monthly tickets this month!

A new month is just around the corner! I'm begging for monthly votes! I'll try to get a thousand!

If you like it, you can also support it with a tip. 1500 points is equivalent to one monthly pass!

(End of this chapter)