Legendary Captain

Chapter 342 High-Energy Laser Weapon (Thanks to Watermelon Vine for the generous donation)

After the plane came to a stop at the runway threshold, the ground support personnel who had gathered around quickly approached and began the rescue operation.

Xu Xianyan saw the plane stop and was about to go down when Yuan Fengjie called out to him as he reached the stairwell: "After the greetings, remember to report to the security office. It's a necessary procedure, don't try to slack off."

"Okay," Xu Xian replied casually, and then ran towards the stairwell.

The guard asked Yuan Fengjie, "Should I follow them?"

"He's not a fugitive, let him be. It's not a big deal, just a routine report." Yuan Fengjie waved his hand and said, "Go ahead and get busy. I expect things will be quite busy here for a while."

Just as Yuan Fengjie predicted, Huining Airport is not exactly peaceful now.

The Binjiang Regulatory Bureau is located less than five minutes from Binjiang Airport. Upon receiving the report of the emergency, the bureau was immediately notified. Huining Airport is also not far from Binjiang Airport; it would only take the regulatory bureau personnel about ten minutes to arrive.

Once the regulatory authorities arrive, things will get quite lively.

Not only the regulatory bureau, but the Northeast Regional Administration's headquarters is also located in Binjiang, though it's a bit further away. The Binjiang Regulatory Bureau is merely a regional civil aviation regulatory agency; such a significant matter, since it was discovered within the Northeast jurisdiction, will ultimately fall under the jurisdiction of the Northeast Regional Administration. In a while, someone from the Northeast Regional Administration will definitely be coming over, and for some time to come, Huining Airport won't be peaceful.

"Okay, I'll report to the security department." The guard nodded. With this, the brothers who were resting probably wouldn't have time to rest anymore.

"Go on!" Yuan Fengjie waved his hand, watching Xu Xian's figure rushing out below, and said with amusement, "He really can't find peace anywhere."

After leaving the control tower, Xu Xian ran towards the plane's location. Along the way, he could see that the plane had already stopped talking about evacuation, and people were continuously evacuating via the slides. However, the crew members were the first to leave, and Xu Xian hadn't yet spotted Lian Shanxue.

However, the evacuation was swift. One person after another came down the slides with almost no gaps. Just as Xu Xian reached the vicinity of the plane, the figure he had been waiting for finally appeared.

"Lianshan!" Xu Xian shouted, trying to get Lianshanxue's attention.

However, the evacuation scene was extremely chaotic. Many rescuers gathered around, and after Lian Shanxue slid down, he was submerged in the crowd. Even when Xu Xian stood on tiptoe, he could not see where Lian Shanxue was.

All Xu Xian heard was a cacophony of voices around him, and he guessed that his shout probably hadn't even reached Lian Shanxue's ears.

Just as he was about to move forward, Xu Xian was suddenly stopped by a soldier-like man.

"The area ahead is off-limits. Please leave!" the soldier said sternly, with no room for leniency.

Xu Xian was panting heavily; the intense, rapid run had taken its toll. His gaze swept to both sides, noticing more and more soldiers gathering and forming a protective wall around the evacuation site.

"I'm from the Luohang Air Force fleet. We're family. I know someone inside. Could you let me in for a moment? I just need to check on her situation." Xu Xian said, showing his work ID from the Luohang Air Force base. Although the Luohang Air Force fleet is quite independent, it's still under the jurisdiction of the Third Air Division of the Western Air Force. He's practically an air force member, so isn't he family?

"No!" the soldier said firmly. "If you want to visit someone, you can go to Binjiang First People's Hospital. This is the accident scene and must be protected."

After all, they were family, so it was easy to talk to them. Although he insisted on keeping Xu Xian away from the plane, he still provided Xu Xian with some information, which was considered quite considerate.

"Binjiang First People's Hospital?" Xu Xian was very annoyed. Once the crew was taken to Binjiang First People's Hospital, he figured he would be stopped by the authorities again. Before the relevant investigation was carried out, he probably wouldn't be able to see Lian Shanxue. If he didn't seize this opportunity, it would probably be a long time before he could see Lian Shanxue again.

Seeing that the heavily armed soldiers showed no sign of loosening their grip, it was obvious that the authorities had contacted Huining Airport to request the protection of the scene.

"Damn it!" Xu Xian took two steps back, hopping and peering into the crowd, but it was a dense mass of people, impossible to make out. He could only shout at the top of his lungs, "Lian Shan! Lian Shan!"

However, the noise in the environment was too loud, and Xu Xian's shouts, which he used almost all his strength to shout, were not drowned out. He received no response at all.

Xu Xian had really given it his all. After shouting, he felt dizzy and couldn't shout anymore.

Just as Xu Xian was feeling a bit oxygen-deprived, a large group of plainclothes people wearing work badges walked past him and headed straight for the plane.

"From the bureau?" Xu Xian immediately guessed.

Sure enough, the leader of the group whispered a few words to a guard, then showed his identification, and the guard let them pass.

Xu Xian's mind raced. He followed the crowd, intending to blend in. However, the soldier who had spoken to Xu Xian earlier spotted him immediately, grabbed him, and said helplessly, "Brother, you said we're on the same side, don't make things difficult for us! If you sneak in like this, we'll be punished! I'll pretend I didn't see anything this time, but don't let it happen again. If I see you trying to sneak in again, then I'll have to follow the rules."

"It's a shame you're not a pilot with eyes like that," Xu Xian said speechlessly, taking two steps back with a sigh. "Is there really no room for negotiation?"

"No discussion!" the soldier insisted.

"Fine!" Xu Xian was also convinced. There was no way around it; the army was a place where what they said was law, and they couldn't tolerate any nonsense. If they said there was no room for discussion, then there was no room for discussion.

Xu Xian looked into the crowd again and saw that a group of bureau personnel who had just gone in seemed to have made contact with the flight crew, exchanged a few words, and then led the crew onto a minibus. During the boarding process, Xu Xian clearly saw Lian Shanxue's figure, and at first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual about her.

Once this person gets on the bus, there's definitely no chance of ever seeing them again. There's nothing they can do; the plane practically crashed right in front of the regulatory bureau. The efficiency of the officials from that bureau is truly astonishing.

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to see Lianshan Snow, Xu Xian was quite disappointed. However, since there didn't seem to be any obvious casualties, he decided to contact Xu Qing later; he was well-informed.

If there were no casualties, this incident could have been a turning point for Lian Shanxue, a chance for her to rise in status. Frankly, an engine detaching is an emergency that hasn't been encountered in decades. Lian Shanxue handled this emergency perfectly, and with no injuries, the overall impression is positive. As for the level of recognition she will receive, that depends on the authorities' analysis and Lian Shanxue's specific performance in this emergency.

Xu Xian wasn't involved, so he didn't know many details about the cockpit and had little right to comment.

However, his only concern was the cause of the engine detachment. If it was due to a problem with Star Cruises' maintenance and support department, it would be a catastrophic event for Star Cruises. Even if the crew handled the emergency safely, if the engine detachment was caused by a maintenance and support error on Star Cruises' part, then Star Cruises would be doomed, there would be no other way.

"Should we contact Jing Shu?" Xu Xian muttered to himself. As the vehicles continued to gather, the passengers on the flight were transported away in batches, and the scene gradually calmed down.

Xu Xian glanced at the plane and, seeing that Lian Shanxue had also left, realized there was no point in him staying, so he went back. However, Xu Xian didn't go back to the infirmary, but to his dormitory.

The plane is currently parked at the end of the runway, and it will take a long time to move it. Tomorrow's training is definitely out of the question, so there's no need for him to go to the infirmary.

The office of the captain of the Los Angeles Airlines fleet.

Second Squadron Captain Wang Chenchen knocked on the door and entered, placing a stack of documents on Li Cheng's desk: "Captain Li, Xu Xian's training plan has changed, and you need to sign it again."

Li Cheng glanced at the document: "Long-distance training deployment delayed? What happened?"

"News has come from Huining that a civilian airliner made an emergency landing there. The airport will not be able to clear the runway by tomorrow, so tomorrow's training will have to be postponed."

Li Cheng frowned: "A civilian airliner made an emergency landing in Huining? Huining's runway is capable of accommodating a civilian airliner?"

Huining Airport's runway is notoriously short throughout the country, so Li Cheng found it hard to imagine that a commercial airliner could make an emergency landing in Huining.

"I almost went off the track, but thankfully it wasn't a big problem," Wang Chenchen said with a smile.

"It's good that everything's alright." Li Cheng turned to the last page of the document and signed his name. "It's not a big problem that the long-distance training is a bit late. The key is the new recruit assessment later on. Xu Xian should be able to be sent there by now, right?"

"Okay! Once this long-distance relocation training is finished, his course will be over, and he can be sent over." Wang Chenchen nodded. "Team Leader Li, should I contact the Third Division and ask them when the recent recruit induction assessment is?"

"Sure, go and ask around!" Li Cheng said.

After rookie pilots join the Air Force, they need to undergo a period of tactical training and pass an assessment before they can join various combat missions as a qualified combat unit.

The Luohang fleet does not have the authority to conduct assessments, so it can only follow the assessments of the Third Division. In other words, Xu Xian will have to undergo the formal qualification assessment along with a batch of new pilots from the Third Division.

Once Xu Xian passes the assessment, his training will no longer be primarily individual, but will involve more collaboration with other pilots. Li Cheng is also very much looking forward to seeing how Xu Xian will perform after integrating into the Luohang fleet.

"By the way!" Li Cheng said to Wang Chenchen, "When I went to the division headquarters a while ago, the division commander said directly that our fleet would be involved in the upcoming trilateral joint exercise. You need to keep your men on high alert, so they don't fall behind. That would be a disgrace to our Luohang fleet, understand?"

"I know!" Wang Chenchen replied, without any surprise on his face. The news that Luohang's fleet would be involved in this tripartite joint exercise had been circulating for a long time. Li Cheng's words to him today were just to finalize the matter, so there was nothing surprising about it.

Wang Chenchen hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Also, the civilian airliner that made the emergency landing this time belonged to Star Travel Airlines."

"Star Travel Airlines?" Li Cheng was taken aback. "Isn't that where Xu Xian used to work? Wait a minute! Could this emergency landing be related to Xu Xian in some way?"

"There really is some connection," Wang Chenchen said helplessly. "When the civilian airliner made an emergency landing, Xu Xian went up to the control tower at Huining Airport and even spoke with the crew involved, giving on-site command. Just now, the Huining Airport security department confirmed Xu Xian's identity and training plan with us. That kid is really something. By the way, the Northeast Regional Administration's aviation safety department has also contacted us. If necessary, we'll need to question Xu Xian."

"On-site command? Directing the passenger plane to make an emergency landing in Huining? Is he doing what he used to do?" Li Cheng smiled wryly. "It's normal for airport security to come and verify Xu Xian's identity and training plan. Is the airport control tower a place you can just go to casually? As for the Civil Aviation Administration, since Xu Xian got involved, they should cooperate with any inquiries they may have. However, if possible, we should communicate with them and get things done as soon as possible. Xu Xian has other plans later, and if the Civil Aviation Administration interferes again, it could make things difficult for him to complete the plans."

"That's no problem. I'll check with the civil aviation authorities and schedule a time that's acceptable to everyone," Wang Chenchen said with a smile. "There's another matter. The person in charge of the L/A project at the Second Laser Institute will be coming to Luoyang Aerospace headquarters in a while to discuss the C42 laser weapon system. We'll be responsible for receiving them."

"It's none of their business if they go to headquarters. If they need to be received, headquarters can handle that!" Li Cheng said speechlessly.

"There's nothing I can do. The project manager is a man of action, and he arranged to meet Ye Qing here. They'll discuss the actual aircraft directly then," Wang Chenchen said helplessly. To be honest, he didn't really like doing reception work either, especially since he'd heard the project manager was a woman. Didn't that make things even more complicated? The flight base was full of rough, tough guys; suddenly a woman showed up, and he had to properly entertain her—it was incredibly awkward.

"I never expected that the Second Laser Institute in the south would be the first to complete the prototype of a laser weapon. Tsk tsk tsk, the first institute in the north has really lost face this time." Li Cheng said sarcastically, "I heard that the Second Institute's breakthrough this time is all thanks to that new person in charge. I heard she's not very old, what's her name again? Ying... Ying Ruoqing?"

This book looks set to reach 200 million copies.

(End of this chapter)