Legendary Captain

Chapter 262 Revenge from the Co-pilots

The two co-pilots chatting were probably also attending the training session. Recently, Xu Xian had a problem with his entry procedures at Hongdu Airport. Although it didn't cause any major issues, it still alerted the flight department. In today's tense environment, any small disturbance would tighten the already taut string of the flight department even further.

It was against this backdrop that the already dwindling study sessions began to resurge. The already heavy pressure on pilots, especially co-pilots, became even more unbearable. Whenever there were more than three people in an informal setting, Xu Xian could hear the pilots unleashing their utterly baseless insults against the company.

Xu Xian himself was indeed very disgusted by these endless inspections and studies, as if pilots had no private rest time in their lives.

It's true that pilots earn more than most people. But what's the point of making money if you have time to earn it but no time to spend it?

Especially in the modern environment, most people don't face significant economic pressure. Many aren't wealthy, but they're not at the point where they have to work themselves to the bone to earn money. Star Travel's actions have drawn widespread complaints from pilots.

Fortunately, Wen Jingshu had previously instructed her brother, acting as the group's chairman, to send an email to Xingyou Aviation's planning department, requesting restrictions on Xu Xian's flight time. Therefore, Xu Xian wouldn't be stuck in the cycle of flying, attending classes, and then flying again. However, most people don't enjoy Xu Xian's privileges; with so much studying taking up their rest time, it's no wonder they complain.

Of course, it's impossible to please everyone, and it's normal for employees to have opinions about their company, but such a large-scale complaint seems abnormal.

"Xian...Brother Xian?" The two co-pilots were startled by Xu Xian's voice and stopped in their tracks, looking in the direction the voice came from. When they saw who it was, they were both extremely surprised.

After more than a year of work, Xu Xian is no longer the greenhorn he once was; he's now known as Brother Xian by others.

These two co-pilots should only be second officers, and their skill level is lower than Xu Xian's.

Xu Xian finished the rest of his iced tea in one gulp, then walked up to the two men: "Who were you saying you'd make them pay? The company?"

"Uh..." Xu Xian's blunt words left the two co-pilots speechless.

Their joint operation already involved 70-80% of the co-pilots, but Xu Xian happened to be among the remaining 20%. They didn't force Xu Xian to participate, but they also didn't want him to know about it.

"Brother, we were just venting about the company, nothing special," a passenger in the front seat said with a forced smile, trying to brush it off.

Xu Xian showed a hint of doubt: "Really?"

The other passenger quickly added, "Really? You know how things are at the company lately, bro. We're really having a tough time. I was just venting."

"Oh, well, that's partly my fault. Sorry about that." Xu Xian scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Whether it was the previous insurance company withdrawal incident or the recent mistake in the approach procedure, both seem to be directly related to Xu Xian. Two co-pilots I met in the lounge had previously complained about this to Xu Xian.

Upon hearing Xu Xian's apology, the two co-pilots quickly replied, "No, no, this has nothing to do with you, Brother Xian."

One of the co-pilots gave Xu Xian a meaningful look, seemingly having made a decision: "Brother Xian, in a couple of days, we..."

Upon hearing this, the other passenger's expression changed. He grabbed the first passenger and said to Xu Xian, "Brother Xian, you have to go ahead with your business. We'll be going now."

As he spoke, he pulled the other passenger away.

Xu Xian was somewhat confused, but he simply nodded and watched them leave.

"What's going on?" Xu Xian scratched his head, feeling like something bad was about to happen, but he didn't know what it was.

"Forget it, I don't care anymore." Xu Xian shook the empty drink bottle, found a trash can to throw it away, and leisurely went home.

Two days later, early in the morning.

Xu Xian yawned all the way to the company. He had an early shift today and had to get up at 4 a.m. Even when he got to the company, his mind was still a little foggy.

As he stepped from the pitch-black outside into the brightly lit base building, he sensed something was amiss, but he was clearly still half asleep, his mind foggy, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Xu Xian arrived earlier this time. Instead of going to the flight preparation room first, he went to the restroom as usual to relieve himself and then washed his face with cold water to refresh himself.

After doing all this, Xu Xiancai slowly walked towards the flight preparation room.

Xu Xian had regained some of his thinking ability after being stimulated by the cold water, so as he gradually approached the flight preparation room, he began to realize where the problem was.

It's too quiet, almost unnaturally quiet!

Although it was still early, it should have been the peak departure period. Under normal circumstances, the flight preparation room should have been full of people, and you should have been able to hear the sounds from a distance. Why wasn't it full today?

However, Xu Xian didn't take it to heart at first, nor did he seriously consider the issue; he just found it a bit strange.

But when he entered the flight preparation room, Xu Xian was stunned.

Logically, the flight preparation room, which should have been packed with people at this time, only had a few scattered people. Moreover, Xu Xian discovered that everyone inside was a co-pilot, with not a single one.

"What the heck?" Xu Xian unconsciously took a few steps back and stepped outside. Only after seeing the sign at the entrance clearly stating "Flight Crew Preparation Room" did he realize that he hadn't gone to the wrong place.

Xu Xian looked around and saw no one. The entire base building was deserted, lacking the usual bustling atmosphere of peak departure times. He didn't even see the convoy dispatchers who usually waited outside the preparation room.

At this moment, the surrounding environment exudes an eerie atmosphere.

Xu Xian began to doubt whether he was dreaming. Everything seemed real, but it was all just a dream. He should still be lying in bed!

Feeling a bit confused, Xu Xian subconsciously wanted to pinch his cheek to see if he was dreaming, when suddenly a huge roar seemed to come from the flight preparation room: "What? He can't fly either?"

The sound was extremely loud, startling Xu Xian. However, upon closer inspection, the voice seemed somewhat familiar, and it appeared to be that of Cao Jinwen, the flight squadron leader.

Clearing his throat, Xu Xian stepped into the flight preparation room, where he happened to see Cao Jinwen making a phone call at another exit.

Cao Jinwen appeared extremely anxious and didn't even notice Xu Xian at the opposite entrance/exit.

Xu Xian pursed his lips, ignoring everything else, and went straight to sign in for the breathalyzer test, figuring he'd deal with the rest later.

Near the breathalyzer, at the medical station, Xu Xian noticed that the medical staff was also on the phone, and he could clearly hear the medical staff speaking.

"Are you not feeling well either?" The flight doctor frowned, looking worried.

The word "also" here carries a special meaning.

As Xu Xian swiped his card and blew on the alcohol, his attention was focused on the aviation medical unit. He felt that the company was acting extremely strangely from every angle today.

The flight doctor's tone was clearly off: "Do you have a sick leave certificate?"

After waiting for a while, the flight doctor sighed helplessly: "Okay, I'll pass it on to the flight control."

After hanging up the phone, the flight doctor picked up a pen and wrote something down, muttering to himself, "Another one. What's going on today?"

"What's wrong today?" Xu Xian asked the flight medical officer casually after finishing his alcohol test. The flight medical officer's desk was right next to the data desk.

The extremely distressed flight doctor suddenly realized someone seemed to want to ask her something. She looked up and met Xu Xian's gaze, her eyes naturally drifting to Xu Xian's armband. She smiled wryly and said, "You were the first co-pilot to arrive this morning!"

"Huh?" Xu Xian was taken aback and quickly scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, the few people in the entire flight preparation room were all four-bar guys.

Xu Xian had noticed this detail from the beginning, but he had only glanced at it briefly. Now, after careful examination, the result made Xu Xian feel uneasy.

It seems like a big problem has arisen.

"What's going on?" Not only that, Xu Xian noticed that although there weren't many people in the flight preparation room, the flight information desks were piled high with stacks of documents, covering the entire front of the desks. Xu Xian quickly glanced at a few of the flight information documents; some were clearly past the check-in time, yet no one had picked up their flight information documents, which was extremely strange.

Before the flight doctor could reply, the captain at the table closest to Xu Xian also answered the phone: "I can't find him, what am I supposed to do? Can't I fly alone?"

The captain also looked bewildered, and it's very likely that he didn't know what had happened either.

"Wait any longer? If we wait any longer, it'll be time for takeoff. Maybe I should just get a hotel room and go to sleep. Call me when you find them?"

"No way, you're just going to leave me waiting in the preparation room? Honestly, don't you guys even understand the situation?"

Perhaps due to a very unpleasant communication with the dispatcher, the captain angrily hung up the phone, seemingly still muttering something under his breath.

"See? The co-pilot is gone!" the flight doctor said at that moment.

"What do you mean?" Xu Xian was taken aback. "Where's the passenger?"

The flight doctor picked up a sheet of white paper, densely covered with names and flight numbers: "From the first sign-in time this morning until now, I've received twenty-six calls requesting flight safety suspension. That doesn't include those from last night; if we include those after 11 PM last night, the number will reach fifty-one. This is the first time I've encountered this situation since I became a flight doctor. Moreover, it seems that these fifty-odd suspensions involve mostly early shift personnel. So... look at the preparation room, that's the state it's in now."

"More than fifty satellites grounded?" Xu Xian exclaimed in surprise, "What's the reason?"

"There are all sorts of things." The flight doctor put away the papers he had been recording. "I have a feeling something's about to happen."

No sooner had the flight doctor finished speaking than Cao Jinwen, who was on the phone in the distance, roared again: "From now on, all personal leave is strictly prohibited! Can't you understand human language? Absolutely! I said absolutely none!"

As Cao Jinwen spoke, his voice grew louder and louder, almost shouting, his anger overflowing.

"Personal leave?" Xu Xian muttered under his breath.

At this moment, the person at the data desk spoke up: "Not only have many people taken sick leave, but quite a few have also taken personal leave. Today is unbelievable; everyone's rushing to take leave, as if they all planned it together."

"As if they had planned it?" Xu Xian's mind raced, and he suddenly remembered the conversation between the two co-pilots he had encountered two days ago: "Was this what they were talking about back then?"

However, Xu Xian was still somewhat puzzled and did not directly connect the two; perhaps it was just a coincidence.

Confused about the situation, Xu Xian took the paper documents and spare tablet bag and randomly found a table. However, in the strange atmosphere of the flight preparation room, Xu Xian, the only co-pilot, seemed very out of place, and many captains present turned their attention to him.

Xu Xian had just put his things down when he noticed that someone had appeared next to Cao Jinwen.

The man anxiously told Cao Jinwen, "Mr. Cao, we can't contact the other co-pilots who are eligible for their rest period. We've already moved the co-pilots with flights scheduled for tomorrow and the day after. However, we can't get through to most of them, and a few who did say they'd consumed alcohol and couldn't perform their duties."

With so many people on leave, we simply don't have enough backups, so we have to resort to "flying" (calling out unwanted calls). But none of the calls that qualify for "flying" are being answered.

Cooperating with a co-pilot to take off is not the pilot's obligation, and even if it were settled later, it's impossible to force a qualified co-pilot to take off right now. So, the dispatchers are thinking of changing the plans of co-pilots who have flights scheduled for the next two days, moving them up a few days to make do with what they have.

However, while the idea was feasible, problems arose in its actual implementation.

Not to mention that many of the co-pilots who could have changed the plans were also unreachable, even the very few who could be contacted all gave irrefutable excuses, the most common of which was that they had been drinking.

Drinking alcohol during your break is fine, as long as you comply with alcohol regulations. The most important thing is not to blow the breathalyzer.

For pilots who will be operating flights tomorrow and the day after, if they drank alcohol recently, the alcohol will be eliminated by the time they are on duty, and it will not affect flight operations or cause them to exceed the legal alcohol limit.

But if the flight assignments were moved to the present, there would be a huge problem. They were all over the legal alcohol limit; how could they dare to fly those flights?

The scheduling required a last-minute change to the plan, which led to the pilot's violation of alcohol regulations. Therefore, the pilot is definitely not responsible, and with the excuse of drinking, no one dares to let them fly. If they were forced to fly and tested positive for alcohol, they would all be in serious trouble.

Xu Xian seemed to have a general idea of ​​what had happened, but then he noticed another problem: it was time to sign in, but where was the captain who was with him?

(End of this chapter)