Legendary Captain

Chapter 239 Blindness

"This is...our plane?" Lu Xinyu was shocked.

It must be said that the image quality captured by professional cameras can only be described as incredibly detailed. Even after being magnified many times, the image details remain very rich.

The dark night sky highlighted the band of fire, but also made everything outside of it extremely difficult to discern. If Cao Jinwen hadn't pointed it out, and if the video quality hadn't been so high-definition, Lu Xinyu wouldn't have been able to find the plane in front of the fire.

In fact, Lu Xinyu was only able to identify the plane's location in the vast darkness by using the plane's lights.

However, even with professional-grade equipment, the video could only make out the outline of the aircraft in such dim lighting conditions; the details were barely discernible.

However, Lu Xinyu had a very strong feeling that this plane was a Star Travel Airlines plane, the one with the number 6333.

"All the videos and photos of this fireband are taken near the location where 6333 started its descent and strongly impacted the thunderstorm area. Based on that, we can basically confirm it's our company's 6333 aircraft," Cao Jinwen said. "The videos from the Xianchi Airport rescue site spread very slowly, but this is different; it's already spread quite widely. I wonder if the group can suppress it. I feel like our company is about to become famous again!"

The use of the word "again" is very apt.

"What's going on?" Lu Xinyu asked.

"After communicating with Chengdu air traffic control, we discovered that 6333 had experienced an oil leak and engine shutdown. Until landing, the crew was flying with only one engine. The fire was likely formed after lightning struck the oil leak and ignited it." Cao Jinwen, being an experienced veteran, made a prediction that was basically consistent with the actual situation.

When the Star Wanderer 6333 was passing through a thunderstorm cloud area, the excessive load and continuous hail impact caused structural damage to the right wing, which in turn affected the right main fuel tank.

Xu Xian felt a strange, enormous force emanating from the tail of the aircraft as he left the thunderstorm cloud area. It was caused by lightning striking the leaking oil slick, triggering a violent explosion, and the resulting shockwave reaching the aircraft.

The process of the oil slick exploding and forming a long trail of fire was witnessed by Wen Jingshu and a group of Wen Group directors in the conference room.

The scene was truly spectacular.

"However, even in the clearest video footage, the aircraft's logo is not clearly visible, so they won't contact us so quickly," Cao Jinwen said.

Lu Xinyu, however, disagreed: "A plane carries one or two hundred people. With something this serious happening, they'll definitely contact the families, right? How many people are involved? At least two or three hundred! Can we guarantee the families won't tell anyone? To be honest, I don't quite understand. In an emergency, trying to block the news is normal procedure, but this time it's so ruthless. With something this big, if the government doesn't intervene, how can it be covered up?"

Suppressing information about emergencies is indeed a routine practice for airlines, but it's only to the best of their ability. In today's society, with such advanced information channels, it's unrealistic for a single airline to suppress information. Only a nation has that capability.

If it were just a minor incident, the airline might be able to cover it up. But this time, the 6333 hazardous materials leak was a major scandal, riddled with loopholes, and Lu Xinyu didn't think it could be concealed.

Since objectively speaking, there is almost no possibility of keeping it a secret, and it is only a matter of time before it is exposed, why bother with such a futile effort?

The Group's Confidentiality Committee personally gave the AOC Director a firm order, which means it's not just a matter of "doing their best," but a genuine desire to keep this matter completely under wraps.

What is the group's purpose in doing this? What is its profit motive?

Honestly, if Lu Xinyu were a high-ranking executive at the Wen Group, he'd be thinking about how to sever ties with Xingyou Airlines and maintain his own stock price. After all, the Wen Group has very little direct control over Xingyou Airlines, so distancing himself wouldn't be particularly difficult. Moreover, Xingyou Airlines was originally a peripheral business for the Wen Group, so sacrificing it wouldn't be a big deal. But now, the group headquarters seems extremely interested in getting involved in this mess. Lu Xinyu really doesn't understand what the people at the group headquarters are thinking.

No sooner had the 6333 aircraft landed than a call came from the Group's Confidentiality Committee. The speed and efficiency were simply astonishing.

Compared to Lu Xinyu's habit of trying to guess what his superiors wanted, Cao Jinwen's thought process was much simpler. He had no desire for promotion, he was content to just coast along, and he would do whatever his superiors told him to do without having any other thoughts.

"President Lu, let's not speculate about the situation at the group headquarters. It's so far behind, there's no point in guessing," Cao Jinwen advised.

Lu Xinyu hummed in agreement, then suddenly blurted out, "Old Cao, there's a question that's been on my mind for a while. Shall we discuss it today?"

"Hmm?" Cao Jinwen was quite unaccustomed to Lu Xinyu's unusual enthusiasm, but he still nodded: "President Lu, please speak."

"I have a feeling that our group's chairman has some kind of relationship with Xu Xian," Lu Xinyu said uncertainly. "When the Kunyang River made its emergency landing, our group's chairman and Xu Xian interacted far too frequently. And have you noticed that even after the chairman stepped down as our company's president, the group still maintains a continuous focus on our company? Before, if it weren't for the group frequently sending in new leaders, I wouldn't even know our company was still part of the Wen Group. Oh, and there's Wen Yiren, President Wen! He's the chairman's brother, and he specifically asked us to pay attention to Xu Xian's every move. Isn't that strange?"

In fact, this problem had been troubling Lu Xinyu for a long time, but he had never dared to think about it. Every time he thought about it, he either found it unbelievable or felt a chill down his spine.

But the more he tried to avoid facing it, the more it became a demon within him. Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer!

After listening to Lu Xinyu's words, Cao Jinwen's expression gradually turned strange, then he burst into laughter: "What relationship? President Lu, you don't actually think our group's chairman and Xu Xian are a couple, do you? To put it bluntly, if that were true, would you still be sitting here?"

Don't be fooled by Lu Xinyu's antics at Xingyou Airlines. The group chairman can manipulate him however he wants! How many times has Lu Xinyu disgusted Xu Xian and his master Qin Zongyang? If Xu Xian really had connections with the group chairman, Lu Xinyu would have disappeared long ago. Why would he still be sitting in the deputy general manager's office in the flight department?

"I think so too!" Hearing Cao Jinwen say the same thing, Lu Xinyu felt much relieved. This issue had been bothering her for so long; now that she had spoken up, she felt much better!

"Oh dear! No matter how marginalized Xingyou Airlines may be, it's still a group enterprise. After the Kunyang River emergency landing incident, the chairman was bound to speak up for us, and he helped Xu Xian in the process! It was just a side thing, definitely not intentional. President Lu, you're overthinking it."

Lu Xinyu wholeheartedly agreed, but then she thought, "What did President Wen Yiren say? Why is he paying special attention to Xu Xian?"

"Perhaps Premier Wen has a discerning eye and thinks Xu Xian is extraordinary? Look, he's caused such a big incident today. It can only mean that Premier Wen has good judgment."

After this explanation, Lu Xinyu felt completely refreshed: "I knew I was just scaring myself!"

Cao Jinwen then got even more aggressive: "President Lu, let me make this clear. If Xu Xian has any personal relationship with the chairman, I'll cut my head off and let you kick it around like a football."

If Xu Xian really had a personal relationship with the chairman, what kind of mess would his mentor Qin Zongyang be in now? Wouldn't he have helped him out? Therefore, Cao Jinwen was 100% certain that Xu Xian and the chairman had no relationship.

Lu Xinyu's eyes narrowed with laughter: "Captain Cao, you flatter me, you flatter me!"

Amidst the laughter, the two exchanged a knowing smile.

Emergency room lobby of a hospital in Hamchi City.

By this time, all passengers from flight 6333 had been transferred here, but there were so many that the emergency room was completely full. The hospital had no choice but to urgently coordinate with the inpatient department to transfer some of the more seriously ill patients there.

There are fewer than two hundred people on board the Star Travel 6333 plane, including the crew. Every single one of them is currently unable to stand. Given this situation, patient triage will be necessary tomorrow. Otherwise, when the hospital resumes normal operations tomorrow morning, it simply won't be able to handle the dual burden of treating ordinary patients and the 6333 patients simultaneously.

Things are alright now, since it's evening. Apart from a few people with urgent medical needs, there aren't many ordinary people coming to see a doctor, so the hospital can focus its efforts on treating the injured from Flight 6333.

Wen Jingshu and her group were the first to arrive at the hospital. When she arrived, she saw the tragic scene in the emergency room and her heart began to pound.

Most of the injured suffered varying degrees of redness and swelling on their exposed skin due to the irritation from toluene diisocyanate gas, with some even experiencing ulceration.

Many passengers also absorbed the cyanide produced when toluene diisocyanate was heated. Wen Jingshu personally witnessed a passenger experiencing full-body convulsions, a truly horrifying scene.

Even though Wen Jingshu had developed a strong mental fortitude in the business world, she still felt uncomfortable and physically uncomfortable upon seeing this scene.

"Miss, let's go to the doctor's office first." Not to mention Wen Jingshu, even Yang Ning, who was following behind, couldn't stand the scene.

Wen Jingshu glanced around the beds in the hall and, not seeing Xu Xian, nodded: "Let's go!"

Wen Jingshu and her group found the doctor on duty's office. The doctor had just finished washing his face and was about to go out to work when he turned around and bumped into Wen Jingshu and the others.

"Who are you?" the doctor asked.

Yang Ning replied, "We are from flight 6333. We came here to inquire about the treatment of the passengers."

"Oh! I see!" The doctor recalled that when he received this group of injured people, he was told that they were taken from Star Travel Flight 6333. After Yang Ning said this, the doctor understood.

The doctor said, "I have just taken a brief look at the condition of these wounded. Apart from a very few serious cases, most of them are in relatively good condition and can be treated without any lasting effects."

Hearing the doctor's words, Wen Jingshu and Yang Ning both breathed a sigh of relief. They had been fearing a large-scale casualty incident. As long as it was treatable and left no aftereffects, things would be relatively easier.

"Then what kind of serious situation are you referring to, doctor?" Wen Jingshu suddenly asked.

"That's right! There was an elderly patient who had a history of tuberculosis. Although he was cured, there was still some damage to his lungs. Toluene diisocyanate is very irritating to the respiratory tract, and now that patient has developed symptoms of emphysema. In addition, the patient is quite old, so his condition is not very good."

"Lungs?" Wen Jingshu turned to Yang Ning: "Aunt Ning, how's the respiratory medicine department at Renxin Hospital?"

Yang Ning glanced at the doctor across from her and whispered, "Our Renxin Hospital's respiratory medicine department ranks among the top three in the country."

"I see!" Wen Jingshu then smiled and said to the doctor, "Doctor, Renxin Hospital is also a property of our group. If needed, Renxin Hospital can provide as much assistance as possible. If your hospital finds it difficult to handle, you can even transfer the case to our hospital."

Hamchi is not far from Renxin General Hospital, so transferring to another hospital is quite convenient.

The doctor was overjoyed upon hearing this. He was, of course, familiar with the reputation of Renxin Hospital, and immediately exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful!"

"By the way, besides this patient, are there any other particularly difficult cases?"

The doctor thought for a moment: "There's another female patient, who seems to be a pilot. For some reason, her eye injury is far more severe than others. Although toluene diisocyanate is also extremely irritating to the eyes, closing your eyes can block out most of the irritant gas. Even if there is some irritation, the situation would definitely not be this serious. As far as I know, although this female patient is a pilot, she is not a member of the crew involved in the incident. I don't know why her eye injury is so severe."

When the injured were brought in, the crew members and ordinary passengers were separated. This wasn't to discriminate, but rather to facilitate questioning by investigators later. Otherwise, mixing them with ordinary passengers would have created a noisy environment that would have hindered the investigation.

At that time, the female patient was assigned to the group of ordinary passengers. The rescuer who brought her there mentioned that the person seemed to be a pilot, but did not go into details, leaving the doctor completely confused.

If this female patient were a crew member, it would be understandable, as she would have to open her eyes to operate the aircraft. But since she wasn't a crew member and didn't need to operate the aircraft, why didn't she close her eyes?

This is something the doctor can't understand!

"Because she wanted to see outside!" A weak voice came from outside the office door. Everyone turned to look at Xu Xian, who was leaning against the doorframe, panting heavily and appearing extremely weak. He said in a feeble voice, "She was in the cockpit when she was rescued. Didn't the people who brought her here tell you?"

The doctor was taken aback: "There really isn't one."

"Xu Xian!" When Wen Jingshu saw Xu Xian's miserable appearance, she couldn't hold back her tears and rushed over with red eyes.

After getting there, Xu Xian took a slight step back and raised his hand to stop Wen Jingshu's movements: "Don't come any closer, I haven't changed my clothes yet!"

Xu Xian was exposed to toluene diisocyanate gas for too long, and the foreign objects on his body were also contaminated with toluene diisocyanate. If Wen Jingshu came into contact with it, she would also be harmed.

Wen Jingshu was stopped by Xu Xian's raised hand. Her gaze swept over Xu Xian from head to toe, and she asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Xu Xian slightly lifted his eyelids, revealing eyes that were already bloodshot, like those of a bloodthirsty beast.

Even though his condition wasn't as severe as Lian Shanxue's, he had still been corroded by toluene diisocyanate for a long time, making it much more serious than that of ordinary passengers.

"It's nothing!" Xu Xian replied to Wen Jingshu's question in a somewhat cold and hard voice.

At this moment, Xu Xian's appearance, as if his soul had been ripped out, was as painful as a thousand arrows piercing his heart in Wen Jingshu's eyes. She slightly raised her hand, wanting to grab Xu Xian's hand, but just as she raised it, Xu Xian directly withdrew his hand.

"How is Lianshan?" Ignoring Wen Jingshu's actions, Xu Xian asked the doctor directly. His biggest concern right now was Lianshan Xue's condition.

"Lianshan? Oh, that female patient!" The name Lianshan Xue was so distinctive that the doctor immediately recognized her: "Her eye condition is very serious."

"What are the chances of a cure?" Xu Xian asked anxiously.

The doctor paused for a moment: "Perhaps it would be more realistic for us to discuss the likelihood of her going blind. It's almost impossible for her to fully recover to her previous state. In fact, even saving her eyesight isn't a high-probability event."

Perhaps realizing he had been too absolute, he added, "As far as I know, the level of ophthalmology care in China isn't that different across the country; there aren't any particularly outstanding ones. If she wants better treatment, she might have to go abroad. And even abroad, her current condition is far from optimistic."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian lost his last shred of hope and froze on the spot!

(End of this chapter)