Legendary Captain

Chapter 310 The Ultimate Skill! Swallowing Smoke!

"Why is there a smell of smoke?" Zhang Qingyu also smokes, so he is extremely sensitive to the smell of smoke. Although it was very faint, Zhang Qingyu was basically certain that he had smelled smoke just now.

But why would there be a smell of smoke on the plane? Unless someone in the cockpit is smoking!

"Can you smell it?" Zhang Qingyu asked the person next to him. The person tried to sniff, but his nose wasn't as sharp as Zhang Qingyu's, and he couldn't smell any smoke at all.

"Forget it!" Zhang Qingyu had originally thought this spot check was just a perfunctory job, but he didn't expect to actually catch a big fish. Before boarding the plane, he had already inquired about the other member of the flight crew, Qin Zongyang, who was about to become the vice president of operations: "Xu Xian, please step aside, I'll go in and take a look."

Xu Xian instinctively tried to block it, intending to argue back, but Zhang Qingyu had already smelled the smoke, so if he continued to block it, wouldn't that just make things worse?

The matter is settled, and there's no way to stop Zhang Qingyu from entering the cockpit.

I should have locked the cockpit door earlier; how could it have gotten a crack open? And the smell of smoke even wafted out. If it weren't for the smoke, I might have actually managed to fool Zhang Qingyu into going back by making some jokes. After all, judging from our conversation, Zhang Qingyu didn't seem to be taking this inspection too seriously; there was still room for maneuver.

However, Zhang Qingyu, with his overflowing sense of justice and stubbornness, would not let the matter rest once he smelled the smoke.

Moreover, with anyone else, things might have been resolved privately. However, with Zhang Qingyu, who is intolerant of any wrongdoing, there's no way to negotiate privately.

Just think, Qin Zongyang was practically sitting on the position of Vice President of Operations. If this kind of thing happens now, wouldn't he lose everything?

Master, you've been a shrewd old fox your whole life, how come you stumbled at such a crucial moment?

"Xu Xian? You just said your master went to the terminal to get water, so the cockpit is empty, right? Can't we even take a peek at the empty cockpit?" Zhang Qingyu's face darkened. "Or are you protecting your master?"

Without giving Xu Xian any time to react, Zhang Qingyu yanked Xu Xian aside. The cockpit door wasn't locked, and Zhang Qingyu grabbed the handle and easily pulled it open.

By the time Xu Xian realized what was happening, Zhang Qingyu had already stepped inside.

Xu Xian's expression changed drastically, and he quickly turned into the cockpit. But as soon as he turned around and saw the situation inside the cockpit, Xu Xian was stunned.

Qin Zongyang frowned, looking displeased at Zhang Qingyu who had barged in. Xu Xian quickly scanned the storage areas on either side of Qin Zongyang's seat, but found no trace of cigarettes.

Zhang Qingyu entered the cockpit, his nose twitching; there seemed to be a faint smell of smoke in the air. He scanned every corner around him, but couldn't find any cigarettes, or even traces of ash.

To determine whether a crew member is smoking in violation of regulations, it is necessary to find cigarette butts or ash. Otherwise, it would be too arbitrary to judge the crew member as smoking in violation of regulations based solely on a statement from an inspector from the safety supervision department that they smelled smoke.

Moreover, this would give the inspectors in the safety supervision department too much power, which could lead to situations where they use their position to settle personal scores.

However, Zhang Qingyu recalled the way Xu Xian had been guarding the cockpit door earlier, which meant that Qin Zongyang must not have handled the cigarettes properly. Otherwise, why would Xu Xian need to be outside arguing with them to buy time?

The faint smell of smoke that lingered both outside and inside the cockpit just now indicated that Qin Zongyang had definitely been smoking. But where did he dispose of the "evidence" in that short period of time?

The cockpit of a Boeing 737 is very small, probably about the size of a toilet. Where can you hide in such a tiny space?

As for Qin Zongyang throwing cigarette butts onto the tarmac, that's definitely impossible. If someone were caught littering cigarette butts on the tarmac, that wouldn't be an internal airline matter; it would mean the airport would be causing trouble for the airline, which would be a serious matter.

Someone with Qin Zongyang's experience wouldn't take such a risk.

Therefore, the cigarette butt or ash must still be in the cockpit; it couldn't be anywhere else.

However, the cockpit wasn't very big; you could basically see everything in a few glances. The only place to hide things was the small dressing room to the left of the entrance. But Zhang Qingyu had already turned on his phone's flashlight and carefully shone it around the dressing room, yet he still couldn't find anything wrong.

Could it be that old Qin Zongyang can perform magic tricks? Did he really manage to destroy the evidence right under his nose?

Zhang Qingyu searched everywhere but couldn't find any evidence against Qin Zongyang, and his expression darkened. He could clearly smell the cigarette smoke, but couldn't find any proof. For an upright person like Zhang Qingyu, this meant letting the offender go unpunished, which made him extremely uncomfortable!

Compared to Zhang Qingyu's extreme displeasure, Xu Xian, watching from behind, was also dumbfounded. As a party involved, he clearly knew that Qin Zongyang had indeed smoked; when Zhang Qingyu came in, the cigarette was still in Qin Zongyang's mouth! Moreover, when he left, Qin Zongyang's completely lost appearance didn't seem fake, indicating that Qin Zongyang genuinely couldn't handle the situation.

Could it be that during the short time he chatted with Zhang Qingyu, Qin Zongyang had a brainstorming session and actually found a good solution?

I hadn't thought of a single way to survive when I got out of the cockpit. But the old fox is really cunning; he found a way to survive in such a short time.

At this moment, Xu Xian showed great respect for his master's intelligence.

Zhang Qingyu searched again, but couldn't find a single clue. He sighed, leaned on the left seat, and said to Qin Zongyang, "Xu Xian said you went to the terminal to get water? What are you doing in the cockpit?"

Qin Zongyang seemed very unwilling to talk to Zhang Qingyu. He rolled his eyes and turned his head to the other side, completely ignoring Zhang Qingyu.

Zhang Qingyu was already annoyed by the lack of evidence, and Qin Zongyang's arrogant attitude only fueled his anger. However, Qin Zongyang was about to become the Vice President of Operations, managing the company's entire flight system, so he couldn't afford to offend him.

"Fine! If our CEO Qin is unhappy, I'll be sensible." Since he hadn't found any evidence of Qin Zongyang smoking, Zhang Qingyu didn't want to stay here and see Qin Zongyang's sour face any longer. He turned around and left the cockpit, giving Xu Xian a meaningful look as he passed by.

Xu Xian felt a little uneasy under Zhang Qingyu's gaze. He had just lied and said Qin Zongyang was getting water at the terminal. But when Zhang Qingyu opened the door, Qin Zongyang was clearly in the cockpit. This lie, being exposed on the spot, made Xu Xian quite embarrassed.

Zhang Qingyu arrived suddenly and left just as quickly. Only after Xu Xian confirmed that Zhang Qingyu and the other man had crossed the covered bridge did he hurried over to Qin Zongyang and ask, "Master, where did you hide the cigarettes?"

"Hide my ass!" Qin Zongyang's face darkened, looking rather exasperated.

Xu Xian didn't even notice what Qin Zongyang said; all his attention was stunned by the smoke leaking from Qin Zongyang's lips.

"Master, your...your mouth is smoking?" Xu Xian had lived for over twenty years and this was the first time he had ever seen someone's mouth smoking.

Just as Qin Zongyang was about to speak, his ear twitched, his gaze shifted downwards to his lower abdomen, and the hairs on his entire body stood on end.

Influenced by Qin Zongyang, Xu Xian also looked at the present situation.

The current DU display is not showing engine data, but rather the surveillance footage from the cockpit door. Surprisingly, the footage shows Zhang Qingyu returning.

Zhang Qingyu launched a surprise attack!

Xu Xian was so scared he almost lost his mind. Could it be that Zhang Qingyu couldn't swallow this insult and was resorting to underhanded tactics?

I have to say, they really outsmarted them.

Xu Xian was caught off guard, and Qin Zongyang was so shocked that he was completely terrified.

Xu Xian turned his head and saw Qin Zongyang's Adam's apple move, and after a gurgling sound, the cockpit door was opened again.

As soon as Zhang Qingyu entered the cockpit, he went straight to Qin Zongyang and said fiercely, "Old Qin, open your mouth!"

The moment Zhang Qingyu went down, a possibility popped into his head, and he immediately came back.

This time, Qin Zongyang actually cooperated, snorting and obediently opening his mouth: "Did you see clearly?"

Zhang Qingyu glanced at it, then scanned the surroundings again, and finally could only sigh helplessly: "You're something else, Lao Qin!"

After saying that, Zhang Qingyu got out of the cockpit looking dejected.

"Master, you wouldn't be...?" Xu Xian had come to understand things a little by now.

Nine times out of ten, Qin Zongyang had the cigarette butt in his mouth just now. No wonder Zhang Qingyu and Xu Xian couldn't find it, and no wonder Qin Zongyang's mouth was glued shut the first time Zhang Qingyu came in! If he had opened it, wouldn't he have been exposed on the spot?

Later, Zhang Qingyu probably realized what was happening and launched a counterattack. Unexpectedly, Qin Zongyang made up his mind and seemed to swallow the cigarette butt directly.

Qin Zongyang patted Xu Xian on the shoulder solemnly: "Apprentice, these cigarettes don't taste very good when eaten raw!"

Xu Xian couldn't help but give Qin Zongyang a thumbs up: "Don't worry, Master, only you know how to eat this raw."

Previously, during a turbulent flight to Bisso Airport, Qin Zongyang swallowed back the vomit he was about to throw up, which had already shattered Xu Xian's worldview. This time, Qin Zongyang swallowed a cigarette in one gulp, which similarly opened up a whole new world for Xu Xian.

"Xu Xian, call dispatch for me and have him bring over a captain." Qin Zongyang's facial features began to tense up: "I can't hold on much longer."

Xu Xian was shocked and quickly helped Qin Zongyang up: "Master, what's wrong?"

"I just threw the cigarette butt into the water in the paper cup to put it out, but that kid Zhang Qingyu was in time, so I had to finish it all, cigarette and water. Now it seems the tobacco soaked in water is a bit too strong, my stomach can't take it." Qin Zongyang clutched his stomach, a pained expression on his face: "This stuff is too strong, I can't hold it in anymore. I can't take you today, apprentice, you'll have to fly to the right seat."

Finding a temporary instructor would be difficult, and even if they did, the instructor might not be willing to train Xu Xian. Therefore, it seems Xu Xian won't be able to fly the left seat today. This made Qin Zongyang feel slightly apologetic, as it was largely his responsibility.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Xu Xian quickly looked up the dispatch number in his phone's contacts and casually asked, "What's the reason?"

"Tell them I drank cold water and got an upset stomach. It's still early, we should make it in time," Qin Zongyang said, clutching his stomach.

The parking positions here are close by, so the captured captains will be able to get on the field quickly. Also, there are backup captains on standby in the dispatch building, so it shouldn't take long to capture one.

If it were anyone else, they would probably argue with the dispatcher, but Qin Zongyang is now the vice president of operations, a company leader, so the dispatcher will have to take care of him. I don't think anything will go wrong.

Sure enough, Qin Zongyang's connections were quite effective. After Xu Xian communicated with the dispatcher, the dispatcher readily agreed to find a backup captain for Qin Zongyang, without even asking why Qin Zongyang couldn't fly.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xian couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder everyone wants to be a leader. The privileges...tsk tsk tsk! They can fly whenever they want, and if they don't want to fly, they can just have dispatch find a backup to fill in. How comfortable! They earn money while standing up!"

"Stop disgusting me. Don't you know who I owe my leadership position to? Enough already, stop with the sarcastic remarks." A wave of abdominal pain washed over him, making Qin Zongyang grimace. He had paid a heavy price to keep his position as Vice President of Operations. Everyone's pursuits are different, just like Xu Xian's long-term goal is always to be a salted fish. Of course, in the short term, Xu Xian might occasionally think about turning things around and trying something new, like his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.

However, no matter how much interest Xu Xian might suddenly develop in certain things in the short term, it's ultimately temporary. Xu Xian's fate as a lazy bum will not change. In the end, Xu Xian is simply a guy with a deep-seated laziness.

Unlike Xu Xian, Qin Zongyang was a complete power-hungry individual. To survive the public announcement period for his already secured position as Vice President of Operations, Qin Zongyang resorted to smoking. Even if time could be reversed, Qin Zongyang would still have done the same.

Qin Zongyang clutched his stomach with his left hand and began pulling down the earphones that were already plugged in with his right hand. He then opened the flight case and stuffed things inside, clearly indicating that Qin Zongyang was ready to leave.

He wasn't going to be foolish enough to wait until the backup captain arrived before leaving. Since the dispatcher said there was no problem, he could definitely trust him. If the backup captain messed things up, the dispatcher would be held responsible; the dispatcher wouldn't make promises lightly.

Qin Zongyang didn't have much stuff, so he packed it up quickly. He grabbed Xu Xian's sleeve, his voice trembling, "Hurry up and call the convoy and have them send an in-flight car to pick me up. I need to take care of something urgent first. If the car arrives, knock on the door for me, and I'll slip away first."

Qin Zongyang couldn't hold it in any longer. He figured it would take some time for the inner vehicle to arrive anyway, so he might as well go to the front cabin bathroom to take care of it first. Otherwise, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself on the way back, which would cause a big problem.

Fortunately, there was an in-flight vehicle parked next to their location, and after receiving Xu Xian's call, the fleet dispatcher quickly arranged for a vehicle to pick them up.

After relieving himself in the front cabin lavatory, Qin Zongyang felt a little better and was called out by Xu Xian. He picked up his suitcase and prepared to leave. However, as Xu Xian was seeing Qin Zongyang off, another in-flight vehicle arrived at the aircraft stand, and two people got out: the captain and the first officer.

"What's going on? Wasn't it just a change of captain? Why is there a first officer? Is he a second officer? Was he added at the last minute?" Xu Xian looked at the captain and first officer walking onto the tarmac, completely puzzled. However, if this first officer was a second officer, then there was no problem.

A single captain, a senior first officer, and a second first officer make up a fairly typical three-person crew.

However, the passenger who came along looked familiar. He didn't seem like a newcomer to the second passenger seat; he seemed to be a long-time passenger.

What does this mean? Does Star Travel have so much capacity now? They're always running double-unit operations?

The backup captain looked up and saw Qin Zongyang waiting upstairs. He immediately went up to greet him: "President Qin, the dispatcher said you weren't feeling well, so I'm here. You can go down and rest."

Not only did Xu Xian not understand, but Qin Zongyang was as well. He pointed to the co-pilot following behind the captain and asked, "What's the meaning of the co-pilot following you? I was just saying we should change the captain!"

The backup captain explained, "Qin Zong, Xu Xian is a senior pilot now. Flying this flight with him is already overcapacity. According to regulations, we have to replace you both."

Xu Xiancai suddenly realized that the problem lay with him.

Xu Xian is now a Level 7 First Officer, and his salary level is close to that of a new captain. For senior first officers like Xu Xian, they either accumulate experience by piloting flights in the left seat or are part of a dual-captain operation, and rarely fly regular flights.

The so-called dual-captain operation is necessary in specific circumstances, such as when operating extremely long-haul flights. For some flights that are very prone to exceeding the time limit, it is necessary to arrange dual-captain flights.

According to the regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the operating time limit can be appropriately extended when two pilots are on board. In the CAAC's records, Xu Xian's technical level is equivalent to that of a captain.

Xu Xian's hourly rate is very high now, and the backup captain is just a single-pilot captain without the qualification to lead a flight. Xu Xian won't accumulate any left-seat time by flying with him. Moreover, there is no risk of exceeding the time limit for this shift, so there is no need for a dual-captain operation. Therefore, the dispatcher directly replaced Xu Xian as well.

"Good heavens, are you all in this company just trying to cut corners? I'm just a little more skilled and get paid a little more per hour, and you won't let me fly anymore? Is there no justice in this world?!" Xu Xian was almost speechless. Xingyou's money-saving method was truly unprecedented.

His skill level is a little higher, and he is a little more expensive, but you can't discriminate against him just because he's a little more expensive. What kind of person would you be to just stop him from flying?

Seeing that Xu Xian was about to explode, the backup captain had no choice but to turn his gaze to Qin Zongyang, who was standing next to Xu Xian. Qin Zongyang blushed and coughed twice: "Um... Xu Xian! I signed the regulations regarding crew strength matching, and... I didn't expect this situation to occur."

Xu Xian was stunned. It turned out that the mole was right next to him!

(End of this chapter)