Legendary Captain

Chapter 273 The outcome is still uncertain.

This was the first time in Sheng Shilong's life that he had gotten so angry. His blood rushed to his head like a motor, making his head turn bright red.

Especially when Xu Xian raised his hands, acting as if it had nothing to do with him and trying to get away with it, it made Sheng Shilong's blood pressure spike, and he rolled his eyes and fell backward on the spot.

To be honest, Xu Xian really didn't expect Sheng Shilong to be so easily angered that he actually fainted.

As Sheng Shilong fainted, Xu Xian was holding his hands up, but Lu Xinyu, who was closer to Sheng Shilong, reacted quickly and caught Sheng Shilong as he fell backward.

A flushed Sheng Shilong collapsed into Lu Xinyu's arms, a scene so shocking it was witnessed by the newly arrived flight attendant. The seasoned flight attendant was utterly stunned.

"Brother, what's wrong?" The flight attendant didn't dare to speak to Lu Xinyu, but instead asked Xu Xian.

The sight of two grown men in their forties embracing was indeed a bit too much to bear, and Xu Xian couldn't stand it anymore. He said to the flight attendant, "Has the security officer gone down yet? Call him over to lend a hand."

"Not yet, brother, wait a minute, I'll go call him." After saying that, the flight attendant ran into the cabin as if she were running away.

After the flight attendant went inside, Lu Xinyu said worriedly, "Xu Xian, Instructor Sheng isn't young anymore. If you keep talking back to him like that, what if he gets seriously injured? Who will be responsible? Don't you know that many of us pilots have cardiovascular problems? What if one of our blood vessels bursts?"

Pilots often wake up early and go to bed late, especially staying up late, which naturally raises their blood pressure. Therefore, many pilots who fly for extended periods suffer from cardiovascular disease. Lu Xinyu was genuinely afraid of upsetting Sheng Shilong and causing him serious problems; if that happened, no one could bear the responsibility.

"It's alright," Xu Xian laughed. "It just means he still has some shame. Let him be."

Shortly after, the security officer called the flight attendant over, and carried Sheng Shilong all the way down to the crew car waiting on the tarmac, leaving the ground staff at the gate dumbfounded.

When Sheng Shilong was dragged onto the crew vehicle, the driver was speechless, saying, "Mr. Lu, what's going on? Should we take him to the hospital first?"

Before Lu Xinyu could speak, Xu Xian interrupted him: "Master, let's go back to the company first. He'll be fine once we get there."

Lu Xinyu immediately understood and waved his hand: "Go straight back to the company, we'll talk about it later if anything happens."

Just as Xu Xian had said, after the crew car drove around the airport, Sheng Shilong began to make some indistinct sounds, as if he was about to wake up.

Seeing that Sheng Shilong seemed to be alright, Lu Xinyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at Xu Xian, who looked preoccupied, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hey Xu Xian, what's wrong with you today? Do you have a grudge against Kunlong Airlines?"

You'll find out soon enough.

With Xu Qing gone, the civil aviation industry is bound to undergo a major reshuffle, and Xingyou Airlines will not be able to avoid it.

"So mysterious." Lu Xinyu pursed his lips, not asking any further questions.

After leaving the airport, Sheng Shilong showed signs of waking up, but it seemed he was just missing that last bit of strength. Even after arriving at the company, Sheng Shilong was still drooping and didn't seem to be fully ready to go back.

Seeing that Sheng Shilong had not yet woken up, the crew and security personnel got off the train one after another, leaving only Xu Xian, Lu Xinyu and Sheng Shilong on the train.

"Finished downloading!" Xu Xian shouted abruptly.

At this moment, Sheng Shilong slowly woke up.

He opened his eyes, subtly glanced around the car, and seeing that everyone had indeed gotten off, he suddenly stood up, grabbed his suitcase, and got off the car.

Xu Xian smiled dismissively and immediately followed him out.

"Have you made up your mind yet?" Xu Xian asked Sheng Shilong with a smile as he got out of the car.

Sheng Shilong glanced around, his face scrunched up as if in an emergency assembly: "I've made up my mind. The result of this flight path inspection is satisfactory."

"Did I tell you about the elevator jamming?"

Sheng Shilong quickly replied, "Of course I told them."

"What if the cabin audio wasn't recorded?"

"Then there must be a problem with the cabin sound system."

Xu Xian clicked his tongue: "Why did I have to use the flaps to land at thirty when I was controlling the brakes?"

"That was my conclusion after comprehensive judgment as the captain. The approach speed of flap 15 was too high, and the runway length might not be enough," Sheng Shilong said.

"The runway isn't long enough?" Xu Xian almost laughed out loud. It was truly remarkable that Sheng Shilong could come up with such a reason. Both runways at Dianyun Airport are over four thousand meters long, definitely long runways. Even with all flaps retracted, the runways would most likely be sufficient for a landing.

With flaps 15 landing, the runway length is insufficient? That's utterly blatant lying.

However, Xu Xian didn't expose him, since he knew that Sheng Shilong was just lying.

"Alright! Flap 15, high approach speed, runway length not enough, that's settled, it's decided!"

Seeing that Xu Xian was satisfied, Sheng Shilong immediately reminded him, "What about today's matter?"

"What happened today? Everything's been peaceful and uneventful. What's going on?" Xu Xian asked with a smile.

Sheng Shilong nodded repeatedly: "All is well, nothing has happened, very good, very good."

As he spoke, he grabbed his suitcase and prepared to leave. But Xu Xian called out, "Instructor Sheng, tell Instructor Han Qi from your company that I'll visit him when I have time."

"What do you want with him?" Sheng Shilong asked curiously.

Xu Xian's smile widened even more: "It's just a matter of reasoning."

After Sheng Shilong had left, Lu Xinyu leaned closer to Xu Xian: "So this was your scheme, waiting for Sheng Shilong to fall into it!"

Sheng Shilong has really embarrassed himself today. If he doesn't let Xu Xian pass, he'll become a laughing stock in the industry. How can a veteran instructor who's been flying for two or three decades not even be able to spot an elevator jam? What kind of flying is that?

Just now, Sheng Shilong was filled with resentment and anger, and wanted to confront Xu Xian head-on. But after fainting, he calmed down and came to a realization. It would be better to apologize to Xu Xian; everyone would be happy, and there was no need to keep putting on a brave face.

In fact, Lu Xinyu strongly doubted whether Sheng Shilong had truly fainted, or if he was simply trying to save face. After all, on the covered bridge earlier, Sheng Shilong had been practically verbally abused by Xu Xian, completely defenseless. Rather than stand there and suffer humiliation, he might as well pretend to faint and save face.

After the flight crew and security personnel have left, I'll make a private deal with Xu Xian, and that way I'll save face.

"Do I need to use tricks on him? To put it bluntly, even if he dies, so what?" Xu Xian sneered. "I just want to embarrass him. As for the results of the flight path inspection, that's just a side effect."

"Why do you harbor such resentment towards the people at Kunlong Airlines? What did they do to you?" Lu Xinyu asked curiously.

Xu Xian laughed, "I guarantee that in a couple of days, you'll be very unhappy with Kunlong Airlines too. By the way, what happened to the reward the company was going to give me for handling the emergency on flight 6333?"

Xu Xian performed exceptionally well in handling the hazardous materials leak incident on Flight 6333, bringing significant economic benefits to the company and making him a major contributor to the success of the operation.

After the bureau gave a positive evaluation of the handling of that emergency, the matter was considered closed. However, shortly after this was determined, the company even approached Xu Xian to discuss a reward.

The company's initial plan was to ask Xu Xian if he had any rewards he wanted. However, Xu Xian was extremely depressed due to Lian Shanxue's departure and said he didn't particularly want anything. Therefore, the company put the matter aside and told Xu Xian to go back and think about it, and to let the company know whenever he had an idea.

In the last couple of days, Xu Xian seems to have come up with some pretty good rewards.

"A reward? Haven't you come up with one yet? Doesn't the company always go along with you?" Lu Xinyu said.

"I've figured out what kind of reward I want," Xu Xian said. "Who should I ask about this?"

"About the reward?" Lu Xinyu thought for a moment, "I reckon you'll still have to talk to President Lin."

"Alright, I'll find some time to meet with President Lin."

The working hours of Lin Bo, the general manager of the flight department, are extremely unpredictable, and Xu Xian needs to find out about Lin Bo's working hours in advance.

Just then, Xu Xian's phone rang. Xu Xian glanced at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow, said goodbye to Lu Xinyu, and found a quiet place to answer the call.

"Uncle Qing!" Xu Xian was really surprised that Xu Qing would call him.

"Xu Xian, there's something I might need your help with." Xu Qing's voice carried a hint of seriousness.

"You said you want your master reinstated?" Lin Bo, the general manager of the flight department, stared at Xu Xian across from him, his head throbbing with frustration. "Do you know how difficult this is?"

"I know, so I only ask to be reinstated to my administrative position, not my technical rank." That's right, the reward Xu Xian was thinking of was to have his mentor Qin Zongyang reinstated to his administrative position.

Lin Bo muttered under his breath, "Restoring the technical level would be even more troublesome."

While administrative positions can be considered company actions, technical skill levels require registration with the relevant authorities and cannot be restored simply by the company. Restoring a technical skill level necessitates a series of compliant procedures; it cannot be granted through company approval alone.

Xu Xian was aware of this, of course, so he simply avoided mentioning the restoration of technical rank and focused solely on administrative positions. Compared to the numerous issues involved in technical rank changes, changes in administrative positions were something the company could decide on its own.

Moreover, Xu Xian had seen through his master. Qin Zongyang had long since reached the pinnacle of his technical skills, so he had little interest in advancing further. What Qin Zongyang was obsessed with was achieving breakthroughs in his administrative position.

"Mr. Lin, is this matter very troublesome?" Xu Xian asked.

Lin Bo's forehead practically screamed "Dilemma!": "You mean you want Qin Zongyang reinstated as deputy general manager of the flight department?"

"Yes! Of course, it would be even better if we could take this opportunity to go further," Xu Xian said with a smile.

"You little rascal, if you take another step up, you'll be in my position as deputy general manager of the flight department," Lin Bo said irritably. "There's a rule in the flight department that whether you're the general manager, deputy general manager, or chief engineer, your technical level must be at least a Class B instructor. But your mentor hasn't even been reinstated to captain level yet, which doesn't meet the rules."

Xu Xian was aware that some important positions in the flight department required a certain level of technical expertise from the candidates, and Lin Bo did not give him a perfunctory answer.

"Is this company policy or the bureau's policy?" If it's the bureau's policy, then things are indeed difficult to handle. The bureau won't make an exception for just one person. But if it's the company's own policy, then there's more room for maneuver.

Lin Bo sighed: "It's company policy. However, I'm not sure if your request will be met. I'll report it, and the outcome is none of my business."

Xu Xian is a completely different person now, and Lin Bo said he couldn't afford to offend him. He was just an old man nearing retirement, and this matter needed to be made clear beforehand.

"I know, Mr. Lin, just report this matter for me. The final outcome is up to the higher-ups."

Seeing that Xu Xian understood what he meant, Lin Bo smiled and said, "Let's put that aside for now. Do you know about the co-pilot strike that happened not long ago?"

"I not only knew, but I also flew an early shift that day and saw the desolate state of the preparation room."

Lin Bo's expression turned serious: "Has anyone contacted you afterward to discuss the strike?"

"No, what's wrong, Mr. Lin?"

"That's good! Don't get involved. I don't know how, but the news of the strike got to Chimelong, and it seems like the co-pilots there are also going to strike. The higher-ups are really annoyed."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian immediately laughed: "I thought only Xingyou was a terrible place, but it turns out the passenger in Chimelong has quite a bit of grievances too."

If the co-pilots at Chimelong are living comfortably, why would they have the time to go on strike?

"All crows are black, it's all about who's worse," Lin Bo said with a wry smile. "Anyway, I'm about to retire, so I don't need to worry about this. Let others figure it out. Since they haven't contacted you, you should be careful to distance yourself from them in the future. You don't have to help the company, but don't help them!"

Xu Xian's position is special, but since he is also a co-pilot, he is naturally easily labeled as representing the interests of the co-pilot group. If the strike intensifies, the co-pilot group will definitely need a leader, and Xu Xian will be the best candidate.

Honestly, those co-pilots who are usually treated like dirt are now huddled together – they represent a force that higher-ups can't ignore. I wonder if, after this incident, the higher-ups will reconsider their attitude towards co-pilots.

Currently, most of the co-pilots are simply united, making them relatively easy to divide and weaken. However, if they have a strong leader, they can easily become a cohesive unit, which would make them much harder to deal with.

"Don't you think the company's attitude towards the co-pilot needs to change? Do you really think it's still the same as before?" Xu Xian said casually.

The teaching system in the aviation industry still largely follows the ancient master-apprentice system. Perhaps because it has always been this way, in this system, the apprentice is in a completely weak position, and it is quite common for masters to beat and scold their apprentices. Based on this, instructors also tend to hit and scold their co-pilots at will.

Early co-pilots grew up in this environment, and when they became instructors, they eventually became like their mentors.

And so, the practice of frequently resorting to beatings and scoldings miraculously persisted in the aviation industry.

Compared to the older generation's hardworking and conscientious attitude, the new generation of young people is increasingly showing a tendency to slack off. You could call it a lack of ambition, but it is a real problem that needs to be addressed.

In the older generation of master-disciple relationships, the disciple had to serve the master tea and water, and even have to endure the master's irritable temper from time to time, in order to receive the master's guidance.

But many young people hold such views. I don't want to learn anything from you, so please don't try to act superior just because you're older.

Compared to acquiring skills or rapidly improving technical levels, many young people prefer a more equal relationship. Unfortunately, companies don't seem willing to treat young co-pilots with equality, leading to extremely tense relations between companies and the co-pilot group.

As long as the company's attitude towards the co-pilot remains unchanged, the conflict will continue to accumulate. Even if it can be suppressed this time, the future will likely see new problems arising again.

The company doesn't understand that the current co-pilot's needs are very different from those of the previous co-pilot.

Previously, co-pilots demanded higher salaries and faster promotions. Now, co-pilots seek more equal working relationships and a relatively relaxed work environment, and their demands for higher salaries and promotions are not as high as before.

Take the co-pilots that Xu Xian knows as an example. He knows several co-pilots who, even though they have enough time and time to land, still insist on taking the left seat.

They simply felt that becoming a captain would be too stressful and involve too many troubles, so being a co-pilot was just fine. The fact that a captain's salary was significantly higher than a co-pilot's wasn't even on their radar.

Lin Bo waved his hand: "Times have changed. I can't understand it anymore. You guys figure this out. Just don't get involved. If you do, the scale of this matter will explode exponentially."

"By the way, I heard you really angered Instructor Sheng from Kunlong Aviation?" Lin Bo said unhappily, "He's a senior instructor, you should at least give him some face. He fainted on the spot from anger, he must have been holding back a lot of rage!"

Xu Xian narrowed his eyes: "President Lin, you need to understand. If Qingyuan Group dominates, Xingyou might still have some leftovers. But if Kunlong Aviation takes the lead, given their nature, in three to five years, other companies won't even have scraps left. That's the difference!"

Lin Bo frowned: "What are you trying to say?"

"Those who are not of our kind should be attacked by all of us," Xu Xian said coldly.

"If you had said this three days ago, there might have been a viable path. But now, the leader is gone, it's too late!" Lin Bo sighed.

Xu Qing and Han Qi are both people of high moral character, but the management quality of Kunlong Airlines is far inferior to that of Qingyuan Group. If you were to ask any person in the civil aviation industry whether to choose Kunlong Airlines or Qingyuan Group as the leading company in civil aviation, more than 90% of them would probably choose Qingyuan Group.

This is the difference in reputation between Qingyuan Group and Kunlong Airlines.

Lin Bo's meaning was simple: Xu Qing was destined to fall; the leader who could lead the resistance against Kunlong Aviation was gone. The time was not on their side; how could they succeed?

Xu Xian laughed, revealing a set of pearly white teeth: "The outcome is still uncertain!"

(End of this chapter)