Legendary Captain

Chapter 272 Dizzy from being sprayed

Sheng Shilong's smiling face froze instantly, then turned to anger. He pointed at the dashboard and said in a low voice, "Xu Xian, don't think you can put on airs just because you have a bad reputation. From the moment we started, I've tolerated you time and time again. Ignorance? Is this your upbringing?"

"What you just said was recorded by the cockpit audio system, and I reserve the right to pursue legal action." He then coldly sneered at Lu Xinyu, "Mr. Lu, it seems your company's employee etiquette isn't very good; you need some lessons."

Lu Xinyu was genuinely embarrassed. In fact, from the moment he approached, he noticed that Xu Xian seemed to be harboring a hidden temper, and his words were always laced with hostility. To be honest, if he didn't think Xu Xian was on his side, he would have punched anyone who dared to speak to him like that.

Therefore, what Sheng Shilong said was actually quite reasonable and well-founded.

However, Lu Xinyu didn't understand what exactly was wrong with Xu Xian. Although he and Xu Xian had been enemies for a long time, they had also spent some time together and he roughly knew Xu Xian as a person. To be honest, he didn't think Xu Xian was the kind of person who would put on airs once he became famous; there must be some other reason behind it.

He didn't know what had made Xu Xian so volatile, but it was clear that both Sheng Shilong and Xu Xian were hot-headed and were now at loggerheads.

Xu Xian might have had some merit initially, since he hadn't done anything seriously wrong, and Sheng Shilong's reason for wanting to hang him was somewhat weak. But Xu Xian directly pointed at Sheng Shilong's nose and accused him of ignorance, which turned Xu Xian's argument into one of being unreasonable, even if he was right.

"This is really difficult!" Lu Xinyu looked at the two people in front of him who seemed ready to fight at any moment, feeling quite helpless.

Right there in the tense cockpit, Xu Xian's phone, which he had just turned on, suddenly rang. Looking at the caller ID, it seemed vaguely familiar.

Ignoring the furious Sheng Shilong, Xu Xian decided to answer the phone first.

Seeing that Xu Xian was completely ignoring him, Sheng Shilong's temper flared up. He wanted nothing more than to beat Xu Xian up, but he ultimately held back. He was certain he would file a complaint against Xu Xian later.

After Xu Xian answered the phone, a somewhat unfamiliar voice came from the other end: "Xu Xian, this is Cheng Guangyu!"

"Oh, it's Director Cheng. What's the matter?" It turned out that the caller was Cheng Guangyu, the director of the Aviation Safety Department of the General Administration. He wasn't familiar with Cheng Guangyu, and since they hadn't seen each other for so many days, he couldn't recognize his voice.

Cheng Guangyu laughed and said, "Didn't you say before that the live simulator should be made as big a splash as possible? The bureau has agreed. However, this kind of behavior is a bit too commercial, so the organizers still need to include your company's name. We will give them our full support."

If it's just targeting airlines, then it's fine for the authorities to get involved, since it's all within their own territory. But if they want to expand beyond that, then there are many more things involved. As a government department, the General Administration of Sport can't directly get involved, so the only option left is Star Travel Airlines.

Cheng Guangyu's idea was simple: organize a live aircraft simulation performance in the name of Xingyou Aviation, but with the support of the authorities behind it, thus minimizing the risks.

Even if problems arise later, Xingyou Airlines will bear the blame, not the authorities.

Xu Xian could understand the bureau's request, since the bureau represented the government and couldn't recklessly take on risks.

"However, would our company be willing to host this?" Xu Xian realized that the problem now lay with Star Travel Airlines.

Organizing a real-game simulation event can attract a lot of attention if done well, but if it's messed up, won't you be criticized? What if the excellent momentum that was just established is ruined?

If it were the old Star Travel Airlines, they probably would have agreed. After all, Star Travel Airlines was a marginal airline in the civil aviation industry, practically nonexistent. They were taking a gamble; even if they messed up, things wouldn't get too bad.

But things are different now. Riding on the popularity of Xu Xian and Lian Shanxiue, Xingyou Airlines has turned its fortunes around and is experiencing a booming development. Now that they've accumulated some wealth, they're probably ready to reconsider their risky business ventures.

Both agree and disagree, and there are reasons for both; the company leadership is capable of making any decision. But what if Star Travel Airlines disagrees? Wouldn't all that effort have been for nothing?

"Your company will agree," Cheng Guangyu said.

"You'll agree?" Xu Xian was taken aback. "So you haven't even discussed it with us yet!"

"What difference does it make whether we discuss it or not? Does Star Travel Airlines even have the option to disagree? Do they dare?" Cheng Guangyu said firmly, his arrogance practically radiating from the other end of the phone.

Xu Xian clicked his tongue: "The bureau is really tough. I was overthinking it."

As regulators in the civil aviation industry, isn't it easy for the authorities to use Xingyou Airlines' name? Pushing you out as a scapegoat is already showing you respect; do you even have the guts to refuse?

"That's roughly how the event is planned. I'll send you the detailed plan once it's finalized. Use this time to prepare."

"Just let me know if you have any news," Xu Xian replied.

Cheng Guangyu: "Definitely. You're busy now, bye!"

Cheng Guangyu spoke in a very efficient and decisive manner. Once he had finished explaining the situation, he hung up the phone decisively.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xian was still thinking about the real machine simulation and had almost completely forgotten about Sheng Shilong.

Sheng Shilong was quite annoyed that Xu Xian completely ignored his actions, but he didn't intend to waste any more words with Xu Xian. The best revenge would be for him to report the test results to the bureau later.

Compared to the enraged Sheng Shilong, Lu Xinyu was more concerned about what Xu Xian said on the phone. He vaguely heard Xu Xian mention the bureau, but he didn't know who Xu Xian was talking to; they seemed quite powerful.

"Mr. Lu, that's the result of this inspection. I'll report it to the bureau later. You can tell your company, Feibiao, because the bureau might call to inquire later," Sheng Shilong said.

This route inspection was organized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The inspection results were not reported to the airlines but directly to the CAAC. In most cases, after receiving the inspection results, the CAAC would contact the airline's flight marking department for verification to ensure the accuracy of the reported results.

Lu Xinyu said with difficulty, "Instructor Sheng, there's no fundamental error involved, is this really necessary?"

"No fundamental mistakes? How can someone as arrogant and conceited as him be a good pilot? Listen to what he just said, when has he ever respected me?" Sheng Shilong had already made up his mind to hang up on Xu Xian: "And Mr. Lu, please send me the cabin voice recordings for this flight later, I'm going to file a complaint with the authorities. I want to see how the authorities judge such an arrogant pilot."

Lu Xinyu sighed. It seemed that Sheng Shilong was really angry and there was no room for negotiation.

Things had gotten to this point, which was completely unexpected. It started as a simple inspection failure, but now Sheng Shilong was going to the bureau to complain about Xu Xian, making things even more complicated.

Despite Sheng Shilong's aggressive demeanor, Xu Xian's expression remained largely unchanged, as if nothing was directed at him.

It was precisely this nonchalant demeanor that infuriated Sheng Shilong. It was as if he had thrown powerful punches, only to have them all land on cotton – truly irritating.

Just then, the flight attendant knocked and entered, poking her head in: "Mr. Lu, everyone has disembarked."

"Finished? Let's go then." Lu Xinyu glanced at Sheng Shilong, who was still angry, and seeing that he was determined, she gave up trying to persuade him and decided to just leave it at that.

Lu Xinyu packed his things and left the cockpit, followed closely by Sheng Shilong, while Xu Xian, as the co-pilot, was the last one to leave.

When Xu Xian came out carrying his suitcase, Sheng Shilong and Lu Xinyu were already tidying up their clothes by the cabin door corridor. They had been sitting for a long time, and their clothes were wrinkled, so they needed to be straightened out.

Just then, the maintenance crew finished their ground work and came up, just in time to meet the crew who were about to disembark.

"Captain, we're disembarking!" The maintenance crew member was quite friendly and greeted Sheng Shilong and Lu Xinyu warmly, asking, "Is the plane alright?"

This question isn't really asking someone, since it's already been asked once before. This time it's more like a greeting like "Have you eaten?" and doesn't have any special meaning.

"It's nothing," Sheng Shilong replied casually.

Just then, Xu Xian came out. He was looking for the clerk to talk to in person when the clerk delivered himself to his doorstep.

"The aircraft elevator seems to be stuck. Check it out later; it might be due to icing," Xu Xian instructed as he passed by the maintenance crew.

Sheng Shilong and Lu Xinyu, who had already walked some distance ahead, immediately stopped, both looking puzzled. They turned to Xu Xian, with Sheng Shilong being particularly puzzled, asking, "What did you say?"

"You mean the elevator is stuck?" the maintenance crew confirmed.

Xu Xian nodded: "The pitch control is almost completely blocked, but the roll control is unaffected, so it should only be a problem with the elevator. The aircraft passed over an area with severe icing, so there may be a lot of ice buildup at the elevator's movement point. However, it's unlikely that simple icing would cause such severe blockage, so you'll have to take the time to check it thoroughly."

Severe icing at the control surfaces can indeed affect the smoothness of control, but it is unlikely to cause complete jamming; there are probably other reasons as well.

"Captain!?" The maintenance crew first turned to Sheng Shilong and Lu Xinyu, who were already quite far away. A jammed control panel was no small matter; he certainly couldn't trust the co-pilot's side of the story. The safest course of action was to ask the captain.

However, Sheng Shilong and Lu Xinyu, who should have answered, were both filled with confusion and could not provide any answers.

Recalling Xu Xian's various unusual behaviors after approaching, Sheng Shilong's expression suddenly changed, and he spat out, "Damn it!"

With a curse, Sheng Shilong dropped the box and strode back, glancing at Xu Xian as he passed by.

Sheng Shilong returned to the cockpit, grabbed the steering wheel, and yanked it hard, but the steering wheel only moved slightly.

Sheng Shilong's expression changed drastically. He tried several more times, but there was still no change.

"It's really stuck!" Sheng Shilong's heart tightened suddenly, and an indescribable sense of shame and indignation surged into his heart.

If the aircraft's elevator was jammed, it would explain Xu Xian's various behaviors. It wasn't that he had bad piloting habits; rather, he was simply unable to use the steering wheel for pitch control.

"How could I not have noticed that?" No wonder Xu Xian kept saying he was blind.

At this moment, Lu Xinyu had reached Xu Xian outside the hatch and asked anxiously, "Xu Xian, when did the elevator get stuck? How come I didn't know?"

"Mr. Lu, do you really think I would deliberately disconnect autopilot just to show off my abilities?" Xu Xian retorted.

Lu Xinyu took a deep breath: "The autopilot wasn't disabled by you, it was caused by the elevator jamming!"

If the elevator gets stuck, the autopilot's handling performance will exceed its limits, and the autopilot will automatically disengage.

"Exactly!" Xu Xian glanced lightly at the hatch behind him, where Sheng Shilong had also emerged. He tilted his head slightly, his face turned towards Xu Xian: "What does Instructor Sheng think?"

"I actually thought you were just showing off your manipulating skills. I was so wrong," Sheng Shilong said, shaking his head.

Lu Xinyu's expression was also not good. He had the same idea as Sheng Shilong and never expected the elevator to be stuck.

"Do I need to demonstrate my manipulative abilities to you?" Xu Xian thought to himself, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "You think you're worthy?"

Sheng Shilong's face immediately turned red, while Lu Xinyu, standing to the side, was at his wits' end. What was wrong with Xu Xian today? Why was he speaking with such veiled barbs?

"I admit you're skilled, but if you get stuck, you shouldn't use the flaps to land at 30 degrees, right?" Sheng Shilong suddenly changed the subject, pointing directly to Xu Xian's land configuration as problematic.

According to the requirements of the abnormal inspection form, for situations where maneuverability is restricted or jammed, the landing configuration should be flap 15, not flap 30.

This checklist doesn't have any memorized items, but Sheng Shilong has been flying for so many years that he knows the QRH book by heart. He doesn't need to look at it to know what the landing configuration is like when maneuverability is restricted or jammed.

Reminded by Sheng Shilong's words, Lu Xinyu remembered that when he was about to deploy flaps 30 in the air, Xu Xianming clearly hesitated for a moment, which meant that he must have also struggled with what configuration to use for landing.

Xu Xian knew, of course, that Sheng Shilong was right, but he had his own reasoning: "Using flap 15 is simply to prevent the operational requirements from exceeding the crew's capabilities, but I don't seem to have that concern, do I?"

"There are mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people. Do you really think you're some kind of god?" Sheng Shilong sneered.

Using flap 15 to land when maneuvering is restricted or jammed is one way to avoid risk, but Xu Xian said it was insignificant.

That's utterly arrogant!

Xu Xian scoffed, "There are mountains beyond mountains, and people beyond people? Then why don't you find those mountains and those people yourself! You couldn't even spot the elevator being stuck? Someone like you is qualified to inspect me?"

Upon hearing such words, Sheng Shilong almost covered his face in shame, unable to contain himself. In front of Xu Xian, he was like a laughable actor, clumsy and ignorant.

Xu Qing and Han Qi are already things of the past. There are always mountains beyond mountains, and he seems unable to find a mountain higher than Xu Xian. There are always people better than him, but he can't find anyone stronger than Xu Xian.

Lu Xinyu stared at Sheng Shilong: "Instructor Sheng, is the elevator really stuck?"

If his elevator were to get stuck, he might be able to fly down, but how could he be as leisurely as Xu Xian, as if there were no obstacles at all?

Xu Xian enjoys a great reputation now, but Lu Xinyu has never seen Xu Xian's demeanor in person. Today, he has finally seen it for himself.

Sheng Shilong gritted his teeth: "Star Travel is going to be a great thing! It's a pity that no matter how powerful you are, the next ten years will still belong to our Kunlong."

Xu Qing has fallen, Han Qi has not retreated, and Xu Xian's foundation is not yet stable. For at least ten years, Xu Xian will not be able to threaten Kunlong Aviation. But after ten years, even if Xu Xian becomes powerful, Kunlong Aviation will have long been stable, and Xu Xian will not be able to touch them.

Lu Xinyu was completely bewildered. He was unaware of Xu Qing's situation and the enormous changes that had taken place in the entire civil aviation industry. He was utterly confused and had no idea what nonsense Sheng Shilong was spouting.

The next ten years will belong to Kunlong Aviation, what a boastful statement!

Xu Xian lowered his eyes and sighed softly, "The people from Kunlong Airlines are all cut from the same cloth."

"I admit you're very capable, but when the control jammed, you didn't even report it to the captain. What does that mean? That alone is enough to get you arrested," Sheng Shilong said viciously.

Indeed, elevator jamming is a fairly serious system malfunction, and Xu Xian didn't even explain the situation to the captain before taking off. Yes, Xu Xian is very capable, but what he did was extremely irregular.

Sheng Shilong was shameless; he didn't mention that he hadn't even noticed the control blockage himself, but instead focused on Xu Xian deliberately concealing the system malfunction.

"Whatever! Whether you pass or not is up to you." Xu Xian didn't care about the outcome at all.

Sheng Shilong frowned: "You did this on purpose?"

Xu Xian grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "I just want to see just how blind the people from Kunlong Aviation really are! You've been flying for twenty or thirty years, and you can't even see the elevator jamming? You're still laughing at me like that. If it were me, I would have retired on the spot after being insulted like this. How dare you spout such nonsense? Whether you pass or not is up to you. Anyway, I'll have plenty of opportunities to settle accounts with Kunlong in the future."

"You...you..." Sheng Shilong was bombarded with insults by Xu Xian, and with many flight attendants who had finished their cabin procedures walking by, Sheng Shilong could even hear some light laughter.

This is clearly mocking him!

"Mr. Lu, is this the kind of upbringing your company's employees have?"

Lu Xinyu shrugged: "I can control others, but I can't control Xu Xian."

Lu Xinyu finally understood that Xu Xian had gone head-to-head with Sheng Shilong, and there was no room for negotiation. So, he might as well stop giving Sheng Shilong face.

Since he had no need of Sheng Shilong, he naturally spoke in a sarcastic tone, since he really disliked Sheng Shilong.

Xu Xian's gaze sharpened as he stared at Sheng Shilong: "Why don't you submit the reasons why I didn't pass? I want to see who ends up losing face!"

Sheng Shilong's eyes widened suddenly, he almost choked on his food, his face flushed red: "Shameless little thief, shameless little thief!"

Xu Xian spread his arms wide, raised them, and smiled at President Lu, saying, "President Lu, I didn't touch Instructor Sheng. If he couldn't catch his breath and passed away, don't blame me!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Sheng Shilong, already furious, experienced a sudden spike in blood pressure, and, overcome by rage, fainted on the spot.

(End of this chapter)