Legendary Captain

Chapter 229 Blindness! (Seeking monthly votes!)

"What is that, Chairman?"

In the conference room on the top floor of the Wens Group, everyone's attention was drawn to the fireball that burst into flames in the sky.

Shortly after it appeared, the fireball quickly flattened and spread outwards along a plane, resembling a ribbon of fire from a distance.

Wen Jingshu's delicate body trembled uncontrollably. She suddenly asked Li Yuan, "Where did Xu Xian have his accident?"

Li Yuan was already captivated by the breathtaking sight in the sky. After a couple of seconds, she replied, "Star Trek reported that the aircraft's radar signal disappeared not long ago at the border between the eastern part of Rongcheng and the Shangdu area."

Wen Jingshu almost lost her balance: "Isn't that right here?"

The Wens Group headquarters is located at the border of Rongcheng and Shangdu areas, slightly towards Shangdu. Doesn't that location match up perfectly? Was that thing in the sky an airplane? The airplane Xu Xian was piloting?

The sky was already pitch black, so the thing carrying the eerie blue light bursting out from the clouds was particularly conspicuous.

Shortly after the object appeared, the space at its tail exploded out of thin air, creating an extremely large fireball. This dispelled everyone's idea that it was a meteorite or a shooting star.

But what exactly this thing is, there is no definite answer, after all, it is too far away, the surroundings are pitch black, and the shape of the thing cannot be seen clearly.

Wen Jingshu felt a sudden dizziness. Suddenly, she remembered something, pushed back her chair, and rushed out of the conference room.

The attendees were momentarily confused, unsure whether to leave or stay, and all turned to Yang Ning to ask her what was going on.

Yang Ning dropped a bombshell: "Everyone stay here!"

As she spoke, she followed Wen Jingshu out of the conference room.

Wen Jingshu went to the chairman's office next door, where there was a telescope that her brother Wen Yiren had gotten.

Originally, this was used by Wen Yiren to observe the stars and pass the time in his spare time. However, now that Wen Jingshu has temporarily taken over the group again, the telescope is no longer of use and has been sitting idle for some time. But this time it has helped Wen Jingshu a lot.

"Miss, Miss!" When Yang Ning came out, Wen Jingshu was nowhere to be found. As she hesitated whether to call Wen Jingshu, she suddenly noticed that the door to the chairman's office next door was not closed. After some hesitation, she went over to check.

When Yang Ning turned his gaze into the room, he immediately spotted Wen Jingshu by the binoculars.

"Miss." Yang Ning rushed over, only to find Wen Jingshu looking as if she had lost her soul, staggering and almost collapsing to the ground.

Fortunately, Yang Ning reacted quickly and caught Wen Jingshu, who was already unsteady on her feet.

"It really is Xu Xian." Even with the help of a telescope, Wen Jingshu saw the shape of the thing in the sky, which clearly had the logo of Star Travel Aviation on it, and her last hope was shattered.

Yang Ning helped Wen Jingshu to sit down on the sofa. At this moment, Wen Jingshu's mind was in complete chaos, and she had no ability to think at all.

"Aunt Ning, what should we do now?" Wen Jingshu was in a state of panic and could only turn to Yang Ning for help.

Yang Ning really wanted to say that this matter had nothing to do with them and could only be left to Xu Xian's fate. But she really didn't dare to say that.

Xu Xian holds a very special place in Wen Jingshu's heart. If she dared to say that Xu Xian should just fend for himself, even if Wen Jingshu wouldn't actually be furious, she would definitely harbor resentment in her heart.

Once a grudge is formed in her heart, she will no longer be the person Wen Jingshu trusts the most.

"Oh, if only Miss hadn't met Xu Xian!" Xu Xian had such a strong influence on Wen Jingshu's mind, but unfortunately, he was always causing trouble. Sometimes Yang Ning even thought about whether Wen Jingshu should have her get regular checkups for her heart condition.

Yang Ning couldn't reveal his true thoughts, so he could only offer polite words: "Miss, shall we close the Kunyang Airport case for now?"

Wen Jingshu rubbed her temples: "My thoughts are all jumbled up. There's no point in continuing. Let them all disperse."

"Okay! I'll contact Xingyou later and report any new developments to you immediately."

"No need!" After a moment of clarity, Wen Jingshu said, "Notify Xingyou now that the video conference will begin in ten minutes. All technical leaders at the M3 level and above who are on duty at the company tonight must attend. Anyone who is late will be dismissed on the spot."

"Ten minutes!" Yang Ning exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, isn't that too rushed?"

M3 and above management level personnel are already considered the backbone of the workforce. Giving them ten minutes and dismissing them for being late is an overly harsh approach.

Wen Jingshu slowly stood up and asked only one question: "Does the appointment and removal of subsidiary management personnel require the approval of the group's board of directors?"

Yang Ning was greatly shaken and dared not object any further. He lowered his head and said softly, "No need. Chairman, you can decide for yourself!"

Wen Jingshu nodded: "Very good, go and take care of the matter!"

After speaking, Wen Jingshu slowly walked towards a small room inside the chairman's office, a place specifically prepared for video conferences. It seemed Wen Jingshu wasn't just talking.

Yang Ning waited until Wen Jingshu's footsteps disappeared before raising her head. At that moment, she was truly worried for the leaders of Xingyou Airlines.

Ten minutes. Good luck to them!

On the Star Travel 6333 aircraft, shortly after emerging from the clouds, Xu Xian could feel the downdraft weakening, a change most noticeable in the stick pressure. After all, the aircraft had left the clouds, and the downdraft, no longer in the thunderstorm cloud region, began to lose momentum.

At this point, as long as he stabilizes the aircraft and waits for the downdraft to decrease to an acceptable level, he can intervene in the aircraft sufficiently without worrying about increasing the aircraft's load.

Everything seems to be turning for the better.

Before Xu Xian could be happy for long, a tremendous force from who-knows-where nearly flipped the plane over, and its maximum downward angle reached almost 20 degrees, making the plane almost perpendicular to the ground.

This time, it didn't seem like something was holding down the nose; rather, it was more like some unknown force lifted the tail.

Fortunately, the unexpected change for Xu Xian only lasted for a moment. After the plane underwent a huge change in attitude, Xu Xian took the opportunity to pull the stick and correct the plane back.

"What the hell?" Xu Xian subconsciously prepared to touch his nose, but when he touched the oxygen mask, he changed position and rubbed his forehead, his hand covered in sweat.

Even with Xu Xian's strong mental fortitude, the rollercoaster-like experience he had just had was truly frightening. Since he couldn't see the altimeter, he had no idea how much altitude the plane had descended in such a short time.

As the aircraft gradually left the cloud area, the charge concentration in its vicinity was much lower than before, and the cold light of the electric arc around the aircraft slowly faded. At the same time, the radar logo of Xingyou 6333 suddenly reappeared on the radar screen of the Rongcheng Control Center.

"Yes, you transmit the radar images to us, and we will process them," Chen Yuan contacted the military.

Chen Yuan's meaning was simple: they designated an area for the military radar to detect, then eliminated the aircraft that they could identify themselves, and the last one left was the location of Xingyou 6333.

That's right, the military actually approved the radar requisition request from the Chengdu Control Center.

Chen Yuan was still communicating with the military when a controller rushed over: "Director, Director, there's a signal! There's a signal!"

"Huh? What?" Chen Yuan was taken aback at first, then overjoyed: "Star Travel 6333 can see it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" The controller rattled off several "yes"s in quick succession, pointing towards the area control area: "Just now... I could see it again."

Chen Yuan almost blurted out a curse, but remembering that the person on the other end of the phone was from the military, he quickly swallowed it back: "I think I have a radar signal here, I'll go check it out first."

Now that we can receive a signal on our own, it's best to rely on ourselves.

Led by the controller, Chen Yuan returned to the control area. On the radar screen, he could indeed see a newly appeared dot, but this radar dot did not have the aircraft's identification number or altitude information.

"Why is there only one radar dot? Where is the other information?" Normally, an aircraft's radar dot should be accompanied by its identification number and various flight data. But this radar dot has nothing at all.

Even Chen Yuan suspected that this radar marker might be Star Travel 6333.

"Sir, it seems that the Star Travel 6333 aircraft has malfunctioned; the transponder is broken," the controller said.

"Why couldn't we see the radar marker just now? And now it's back? What's going on?" Whether the transponder is broken or not has nothing to do with the radar. However, now is not the time to dwell on this issue. Chen Yuan waved his hand: "Never mind, never mind, quickly contact them and ask the crew what the situation is. Also, double-check the location. See if it matches the location on the radar, don't get it wrong."

After the radar signal disappeared, the Chengdu air traffic control tried to call Xingyou 6333, but only received a lot of static and no response.

Now that the radar signal has reappeared, does that mean communication can be restored?

"Star Travel 6333, Chengdu Traffic Control, please call." The controller tried calling.

In the cockpit, Xu Xian could vaguely hear someone calling him, but the background noise was so heavy that he couldn't be sure for a moment.

"Rongcheng Control, Xingyou 6333?" Xu Xian took the initiative to call Rongcheng Control.

Upon hearing Xu Xian's call, the controller on the other end almost shouted with excitement: "Star Travel 6333, where are you now?"

Xu Xian glanced at the still completely black display and said helplessly, "My display system is malfunctioning; I can't see the navigation page. Low-altitude visibility is also poor, so I can't determine my location."

To be honest, even with good visibility at low altitudes, it's not easy for Xu Xian to spot anything. Unless there are some very distinctive landmarks, it's impossible to tell where you are at night.

Chen Yuan pushed the air traffic controller aside and asked himself, "So what's the situation with the plane now? What did the higher-ups say?"

"The plane encountered some issues while crossing the thunderstorm clouds, and I haven't been able to check on the cabin situation yet. There are some minor malfunctions, but the situation is generally under control."

Now that the plane has moved away from the main part of the thunderstorm cloud, the icing situation has become less severe. After the ice on the probe melts, the airspeed issue will be resolved, and the overspeed and stick-shaking warnings will return to normal. Even without a specific airspeed display, he is still confident that he can land the plane safely.

This is Xu Xian's confidence!

As for display system malfunctions, FMC malfunctions, and electrical faults, he didn't care much about them; to him, they were just minor issues.

Compared to the airplane problem, there was something else that Xu Xian was more concerned about: his eyes were very uncomfortable.

Just now, while we were in the thunderstorm cloud area, our lives were hanging by a thread, and all our attention was focused on the aircraft's condition, so the feeling might not have been very strong. But now that we've relaxed a little, the feeling is quite obvious.

The oxygen masks on this plane don't have goggles, and the toluene diisocyanate gas can cause severe irritation to the eyes. Xu Xian's eyes were already starting to water uncontrollably.

He didn't know how harmful to the eyes toluene diisocyanate was, but given the current trend, it was uncertain whether he could survive until landing.

At least by now, he could see very, very obvious double images on the lights in the cockpit.

His eyes felt like they were gouged out and roasted over a fire. Xu Xian had a constant urge to rub them, but he didn't dare, afraid that rubbing them would worsen the damage, so he just endured it.

"With the traffic control in Chengdu, can you see my height?" Xu Xian asked.

"We can't see all your information, only a radar marker. Is your transponder broken?" Chen Yuan replied.

Xu Xian's heart skipped a beat. He still wanted to get some flight data from air traffic control, because normally, air traffic control could see their altitude and speed information.

"I don't know, was it damaged by lightning? Just before the system malfunctioned, it seemed like my airspeed and altitude information was unreliable due to icing on the probe. I can't be sure if the data from the backup instruments is correct either."

If the ice buildup on the probe melts and the airspeed and altitude information returns to normal, then the overspeed warning and stick shake warning should be separate and not appear simultaneously. However, the fact that the overspeed warning and stick shake warning are still sounding at the same time indicates that the ice buildup problem on the probe side has not yet been resolved.

"What did you say? You don't even know our altitude and speed? How the hell are we supposed to fly like this?" Chen Yuan hadn't expected that Star Travel 6333 not only had a problem with its navigation system, but also couldn't obtain flight information. Wasn't it just flying blindly?

"It's alright!" Xu Xian seemed very calm. "You can only see one radar marker right now? You can't see my identification code? Then I'll turn left now, and see if the radar marker also turns left. Let's confirm that the radar marker is me."

Even at this moment, Xu Xian's mind was very clear. At least when the authorities were helpless about the problem of proving his identity, Xu Xian immediately came up with a good solution.

Chen Yuan, Shi Lanxi, and Ye Jing, who were in front of the control room, brightened up slightly. Xu Xian's method was truly ingenious.

"Then I'll turn!" After saying that, Xu Xian slightly pressed the disc to the left, but he felt that the pressure on the left disc was too light, which was a bit abnormal. Xu Xian's senses were quite sharp, and he could detect even the slightest difference in the force of his manipulation.

However, Xu Xian didn't pay too much attention to it. He wondered if he was being too nervous and if something was wrong with his senses.

Sure enough, a moment later, the marker on the radar screen in the control room also began to veer to the left.

"It's moving! It's moving!" the controller shouted excitedly.

Chen Yuan blushed and smacked the controller on the back of the head: "What are you yelling about?"

The controller's current reaction makes him feel useless, as he didn't provide any help to the crew at a critical moment, and the crew had to figure out a solution on their own.

"What a bright kid," Shi Lanxi chuckled, her face full of admiration.

In such an urgent situation, it is truly commendable that Xu Xian was able to think of a way to confirm his identity.

Ye Jing chuckled as well: "The junior that Xu Qing has taken a liking to does have some tricks up his sleeve."

"Is it done?" Xu Xian stopped spinning after only a short while and then asked Rongcheng about the control measures.

"Alright!" Chen Yuan responded to Xu Xian, then glanced at the radar screen. "So, where are you preparing to land now?"

"I don't know my current location. Which airport is closest to me?" At this point, we're not concerned about safety measures anymore; we'll just land at the nearest airport if the conditions are met.

The Chengdu area is mostly flat, and the airspace conditions of the airports in the region are all good, with no complicated airports. At this critical juncture, Xu Xian could not afford to be picky and decided to land at the nearest airport first.

"There are only two airports near you right now, one is Chengdu Airport, and the other is Xianchi Airport. However, Xianchi Airport is a private airport."

"A private airport?" Xu Xian paused for a moment, then said, "I'll just go to Chengdu Airport then!"

"You don't even know your altitude or speed. Can you even land? How are you going to descend? We can't even guide you." To be honest, Chen Yuan was really worried for Xu Xian. He didn't even know how high or how fast the plane was flying; was he really just relying on his naked eyes and gut feeling to fly?

Chen Yuan actually had some reservations about doing things this way.

"Xu Xian, you can't see the altitude or speed right now. Are you sure you can land safely? Rongcheng Airport is the provincial capital's airport. We can't afford any accidents!" Chen Yuan's meaning was clear. If Xingyou 6333 failed to land at Rongcheng Airport and a major accident occurred, the impact would be too great. In addition, Rongcheng Airport is the provincial capital's airport, and the airport might not be able to handle the consequences.

"It's alright!" Xu Xian still seemed unfazed by anything. "You don't need to guide me down altitude. Just guide me to fly towards the main field. I'll circle and descend on my own over the main field, join the five-sided instrument landing, and land with the instrument landing signal."

The blind descent signal can also be displayed on the backup instrument, and the display of the blind descent signal has nothing to do with ice accumulation on the probe.

"I see!" Chen Yuan blushed slightly. In front of Xu Xian, he seemed to have lost his ability to think. He casually asked, "Can't you perform a visual approach?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jing and Shi Lanxi both looked at Chen Yuan as if he were an idiot. Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and wished he could slap himself.

"You want me to fly and see visually tonight?" Xu Xian was also stunned by Chen Yuan's astonishing words.

"No, no," Chen Yuan quickly chuckled, changing the subject: "Then what kind of help do you need now?"

"I need to know my current altitude. If I'm too low, I need to make adjustments." Although the terrain in the entire Rongcheng area is relatively low and flat, Xu Xian has no idea of ​​his current altitude.

All he could see below was pitch black, and his vision was blurry, making it impossible for him to determine his relative height.

He can only ensure that the aircraft will not encounter obstacle crossing problems by maintaining an altitude above the grid height in this area.

"This..." Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment, "We can't see your height right now!"

"Okay. Contact the meteorological department and ask them about the cloud base height of my area. I'm flying close to the cloud base right now." It's as if Xu Xian can find a solution for anything, he's practically a monster.

The cloud base and cloud top heights for a given area can be obtained from meteorological departments. Although there may be slight errors, they can still serve as a reference for Xu Xian's current altitude.

"Wow!" the controller exclaimed in surprise. To estimate one's own altitude by looking at the cloud base is truly absurd.

Chen Yuan was completely impressed by Xu Xian. He had come up with such a method; if it were him, he would never have thought of such a thing as being high in the clouds.

In fact, not only Chen Yuan, but also Ye Jing and Shi Lanxi were amazed. A pilot's hand skills are one thing, but his quick thinking is another.

If Xu Xian demonstrated incredible maneuvering skills in the Kunyang River emergency landing incident, managing to reduce the landing error to the centimeter level, then this time, his unconventional thinking ability has been fully revealed.

With unparalleled piloting skills and equally amazing ability to switch between ideas, he is practically a flawless pilot template.

"Okay! I'll contact the meteorological department right away." Chen Yuan was completely impressed by Xu Xian and became exceptionally proactive in handling matters.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing," Xu Xian suddenly said, "Could you ask me what treatment is available for toluene diisocyanate eye burns?"

Chen Yuan, who was about to go out to run errands, immediately stopped in his tracks: "Are your eyes...wrong?"

In the cockpit, Xu Xian gritted his teeth. Although the visibility at low altitude was not very good, he could still vaguely see patches of lights below.

However, these lights appeared as a blurry halo in Xu Xian's eyes, and he was unable to discern the details on the ground.

If it's just the current situation, although we can't see clearly outside, we can still barely make out the instruments inside the cabin. With the ILS signal guiding us, we should still be able to land.

However, this is based on the premise that his eyesight does not deteriorate further. In the current situation, the toluene diisocyanate gas cannot be eliminated at all, and his eyesight will only become increasingly blurry. Even if he can open the side window of the plane when it reaches a low enough altitude, it will be too late.

If he eventually can't even see the instruments in the cockpit anymore, then he's truly flying blind.

Xu Xian dared not imagine whether he could actually land successfully in the dark after seeing everything!

(End of this chapter)