Legendary Captain

Chapter 344 Man-Made Disaster (Part 2) (Bonus Chapter!)

Star Travel Aviation's top-floor conference room.

At this moment, all the middle and senior leaders of Xingyou Airlines have gathered here to discuss the aftermath of the recent engine detachment incident.

"Any updates on the investigation?" Wen Jingshu asked softly, sitting at the head of the table and looking at the large group of people below.

"Chairman, let me speak," said Luo Qing, Vice President of Operations. "The Bureau has given a very positive evaluation of the crew's handling of this incident, so at least we have no concerns about the crew's handling. However, the biggest problem now is not the crew's handling, but the cause of the incident. We've tried various methods, but we can't find any information at all."

"All sorts of methods? You really tried everything?" Wen Jingshu raised her eyelids slightly, but instead of looking at Luo Qing, she looked at Chief Pilot Ning Sheng.

In airlines, the chief pilot is the person who directly liaises with the regulatory authorities.

Ning Sheng was startled and quickly said, "This incident has already spread overseas, and the Civil Aviation Administration is taking it very seriously. Regarding the crew's handling of the situation, all the details are extremely clear and easy to characterize, so the Administration hasn't been trying to cover it up, and we haven't encountered any major difficulties when we were making inquiries. However, it seems that the Administration has hit a bottleneck in the investigation of the engine detachment, and there has been no progress. This incident has become too big of a deal; before sufficient evidence to definitively characterize the incident appears, the Administration certainly won't give up, otherwise, the spread of rumors will affect the image of domestic civil aviation. Considering this, the Administration's silence on the progress of the engine detachment investigation makes sense."

Wen Jingshu hummed in agreement, which was considered as acknowledging Ning Sheng's statement.

"So, what are your own thoughts on this?" Wen Jingshu continued to ask.

Many flight safety and maintenance personnel looked at each other in bewilderment, none of them willing to accept the chairman's words.

Wen Jingshu glanced around, her brows furrowing: "Where's the Vice President of Maintenance?"

Today, all the company's middle and senior management leaders have gathered here, but the only one missing is Qi Fengyang, the vice president of maintenance.

"Where is the Maintenance and Support Department Manager?" Wen Jingshu scoffed. "Your boss isn't here, don't you know?"

The maintenance and support department manager, sitting in the far corner, was sweating profusely. In this conference room, as a department manager, he could only sit on the edge, but now he had been singled out by the chairman, and the pressure was immense.

"President Qi... President Qi has gone abroad." Under the watchful eyes of a group of leaders, the maintenance and support department manager stammered as he spoke.

"You went abroad?" Wen Jingshu glanced at Yang Ning beside her, but Yang Ning shook his head: "I didn't receive a report from Qi Fengyang."

"Mr. Qi, he made the decision to go abroad at the last minute," the maintenance and support department manager quickly added. "I only received his message not long ago, saying that if asked, just say he went to Chenyan. Chairman, I really didn't know Mr. Qi's whereabouts before that!"

"Chen Yan? What's he doing there?" Wen Jingshu asked, puzzled.

The maintenance support department quickly said, "Chairman, all the D-checks for our company's aircraft are done in Chenyan. I guess General Manager Qi felt that there was something wrong with the maintenance company in Chenyan, so he wanted to take a look in person."

D-check is the highest level of routine aircraft maintenance, and the procedure is extremely complex. Given Xingyou Airlines' size, it simply doesn't have the capacity to complete the D-check process independently. Furthermore, maintenance companies in China capable of performing D-checks are quite expensive, so Xingyou Airlines sends its aircraft to South Korea for D-checks. The prices quoted by qualified maintenance companies there are significantly lower than in China.

Fortunately, Xingyou also has international flights to Yanguo. By slightly manipulating the international flight carrier, we can even save on the cost of repositioning the aircraft, which is very cost-effective.

This practice of outsourcing D-checks is very popular among small and medium-sized airlines. It's not that Star Travel is taking advantage of loopholes or anything; it's all legal and compliant.

"D-inspection?" Wen Jingshu recalled that Qi Fengyang had mentioned the term "D-inspection" in the operations control center on the day of the accident. However, Wen Jingshu wasn't a professional and only vaguely understood it, so she didn't pay much attention. "Does he think the cause of this incident might be the overseas repair company? Is that what he means?"

"They didn't tell me the details, but I suppose it is true," said the maintenance and support manager.

Qi Fengyang is the kind of person who strikes with absolute certainty. Without solid suspicion, he certainly wouldn't disregard this plenary meeting and travel abroad alone.

"If it's a problem with a foreign company..." Wen Jingshu's eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at Luo Qing, "If Qi Fengyang finds evidence abroad, then for us..."

"Of course, this is fantastic news!" Luo Qing said calmly. "Since President Qi has suspicions, he certainly wouldn't be making baseless accusations. This matter is of great importance, and President Qi must have planned it carefully before acting. The fate of the company rests entirely on President Qi's shoulders."

"Inform Chen Yan, acting as liaison, to fully cooperate with Qi Fengyang's work," Wen Jingshu instructed. "Also, Qi Fengyang is currently not in the country. The Maintenance and Support Department will be temporarily led by Luo Qing, and will follow Luo Qing's arrangements. Understand?"

The maintenance and support department manager nodded repeatedly: "We will definitely cooperate with General Manager Luo's work."

"Hmm!" Wen Jingshu leaned back slightly, feeling a bit tired from sitting upright for so long. Since becoming pregnant, her energy levels had been decreasing; she could only concentrate on work for more than half an hour before feeling an overwhelming sense of fatigue. This was a far cry from before, when she could work for four or five hours straight without feeling energetic.

Given Wen Jingshu's personality, she generally disliked leaning back in her chair during formal occasions like meetings, as such a posture easily appeared lazy. As a company leader, she didn't want to appear so undisciplined in meetings. However, she was truly reaching her limit. The baby in her womb was really draining her energy.

However, Wen Jingshu was very well-mannered. Even though she was extremely tired, she only leaned back slightly, and it was not noticeable unless you paid special attention.

"There's no news about the engine detachment for the time being, and there's nothing we can do about that. However, the crew involved handled the incident exceptionally well, so there's unlikely to be any changes to their record. The flight department can discuss a commendation plan, and once it's finalized, it can be submitted to Luo Qing for approval," Wen Jingshu said. "And what about the cabin crew?"

At this moment, the cabin crew manager leaned forward slightly and said, "Chairman, I'm here!"

"Tell the factory to work overtime and quickly stock up on an extra batch of our company's merchandise."

The cabin crew department is directly responsible for all peripheral production and sales of Xingyou Airlines, so Wen Jingshu needs to communicate with the cabin crew manager.

The cabin crew manager was taken aback: "The area around our company? Sales figures for the area around our company."

"What do you know!" At this moment, Li Chuan, the marketing director who was a little ahead, couldn't stand it anymore: "Just do what the chairman tells you to do, why are you talking so much nonsense?"

As he spoke, Li Chuan apologized to Wen Jingshu, looking quite embarrassed, "Chairman, I'm sorry, my subordinates just don't think things through. Please don't mind."

"It's alright." Wen Jingshu waved her hand. "In addition, the public relations department should come up with a publicity plan specifically tailored for Lian Shanxie. The budget can be higher. After the plan is completed, it should be submitted to the finance department for review first, and then sent to Li Chuan for final approval."

"Li Chuan, you've worked hard these past few days!" Wen Jingshu said.

Li Chuan quickly replied, "That's all for the company, and I have no choice but to do it. But Chairman, what if President Qi's trip doesn't achieve the expected results, and the responsibility for the engine detaching falls on our company? What then?"

The instructions Wen Jingshu just gave, whether it was to increase production at surrounding factories or to have the public relations department develop a publicity plan for Lianshan Snow, were all based on the premise that the engine detachment incident had nothing to do with Xingyou Airlines.

If Qi Fengyang can't find evidence of the overseas repair company's violations on this trip, then everything Wen Jingshu instructed will have been in vain. This made Li Chuan somewhat worried. Should he wait for news from Qi Fengyang before making a decision?

"Should we consider this possibility?" Wen Jingshu suddenly asked with a smile. "Do you think we need to consider this possibility?"

Li Chuan's pupils contracted slightly: "I understand. Our company is fighting a desperate battle; there's no other way. I didn't expect that I, who just said others couldn't think straight, would make the same mistake myself."

Wen Jingshu beckoned Yang Ning over and whispered, "Aunt Ning, could you explain some details to them? I'll be right back."

Yang Ning was almost always by Wen Jingshu's side, and he knew her thoughts perfectly well. Wen Jingshu was quite at ease letting Yang Ning explain some details to the people below.

"Miss, are you alright?" Yang Ning asked with concern.

"It's nothing, just the same old problem." Wen Jingshu clutched her chest. "Aunt Ning, come on over."

After saying that, he stood up straight and left the office.

Yang Ning watched Wen Jingshu leave in a hurry, feeling quite worried. However, he was still thinking about the things Wen Jingshu had asked him to do, which was to prepare to assign detailed tasks to the various middle and senior leaders.

However, Wen Jingshu's sudden departure surprised everyone. Vice President of Operations Luo Qing was completely baffled: "Ms. Yang, what about the Chairman?"

"It's alright! You don't need to worry about that. I'll explain the details to you below," Yang Ning said.

However, Wen Jingshu's behavior just now was too strange. How could Luo Qing just ignore it based on Yang Ning's words?

"Ms. Yang, the chairman doesn't seem to be alright. Should we go check on him?"

Yang Ning's face froze instantly: "Luo Qing, remember to know your place. What business is it of yours to interfere in the chairman's private affairs? Just do your job."

Yang Ning was already distressed by Wen Jingshu's severe pregnancy symptoms, which indirectly made him increasingly irritable. There wasn't a particularly good solution for pregnancy symptoms; he could only wait for them to subside. Yang Ning was extremely anxious watching Wen Jingshu gradually lose weight. And now, Luo Qing's relentless questioning only fueled Yang Ning's anger.

Luo Qing was shocked by Yang Ning's strong reaction and immediately shut up. Those who were curious about what was wrong with Wen Jingshu also obediently shut their mouths.

"No problems?" Yang Ning's cold gaze swept across the room. "Very good! Let's get down to business!"

The inner room of the chairman's office.

After vomiting, Wen Jingshu went back to the inner office to rest. Yang Ning, who had finished his business, rushed over and immediately breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wen Jingshu half-lying down in the inner office.

"Miss, given your current condition, you shouldn't worry about company matters. Just focus on your pregnancy," Yang Ning suggested.

Wen Jingshu closed her eyes and said slowly, "It's alright! Whether Xingyou Airlines can be revived depends on this period of time. If our company is not responsible for this incident, then Xingyou may be able to recover a lot of losses, and I won't have to work so hard. If, unfortunately, it is our responsibility, then I will never have to worry about Xingyou again. Anyway, no matter what the outcome, I should have a long breathing room soon, Aunt Ning, don't worry."

"Miss!" Yang Ning really didn't want Wen Jingshu to continue doing this for even a day longer.

Wen Jingshu raised her hand to stop Yang Ning's persuasion: "Let's not talk about this anymore, just listen to me."

"Fine, I won't say anything!" Seeing Wen Jingshu's resolute attitude, Yang Ning didn't dare to argue with her too much, and besides, what Wen Jingshu said did make sense. Whether Xingyou Airlines lived or died would soon be clear.

"However, Miss, you can't hide your current condition for much longer. Why don't you tell the Master and the Great Master? There's no point in hiding it anymore," Yang Ning said.

Now Wen Jingshu's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and many loose clothes can no longer cover it.

Although Wen Jingshu has now exchanged all her shares in the group, she is still a member of the Wen family. It's not like she's completely severed ties with her family; it's impossible for her to have absolutely no contact. With her large pregnant belly, she can't hide it any longer.

"I know! The matter of the engine detachment will be resolved soon. After this is over, my mother's death anniversary will be approaching, so I'll go home and tell my grandfather." Wen Jingshu didn't intend to hide anything. However, there's a saying in her hometown that you shouldn't tell anyone you're pregnant after 100 days. This is mainly because the early stages of pregnancy are quite dangerous, and various factors can lead to miscarriage. It's best not to talk about it before everything is confirmed.

However, she's past the first trimester now, and all her test results are normal, so it's time to tell her family. Besides, the child in her womb carries the Wen family bloodline, and it's impossible to completely hide it from them.

Wen Mingyuan is currently wandering around abroad, so if Wen Jingshu wants to tell him in person, she can only do so with her grandfather, Wen Changxing.

Seeing that Wen Jingshu had no intention of hiding anything from her family, Yang Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Previously, Wen Jingshu had had a very unpleasant argument with her family over the share swap. Yang Ning was worried that Wen Jingshu, in a fit of anger, might completely cut off contact with her family about the child, which would be disastrous.

However, Wen Jingshu clearly knew what was important, which reassured Yang Ning.

"What about Xu Xian?" Yang Ning asked.

"No need! Let's not talk about Xu Xian yet!" Wen Jingshu said seriously, "He's busy with his own things, and I don't want to bother him. Besides, this child is probably not what he wanted. It was just an accident! I don't want to tie him down with the child!"

In fact, based on Wen Jingshu's understanding of Xu Xian, if someone as loyal and devoted as Xu Xian knew she was pregnant with his child, he would definitely follow Wen Jingshu wholeheartedly. That's almost certain; Xu Xian is that kind of person.

Moreover, Wen Jingshu heard that Xu Xian seemed to have made a deal with someone. Flying fighter jets was part of the deal, and she hoped Xu Xian could prove his innocence as soon as possible. That way, Xu Xian wouldn't have to endure the criticism from outsiders, and her child could have a father without burdens.

If Xu Xian knew she was pregnant, given his personality, he would likely abandon everything to come find her, which would undoubtedly ruin the deal and deprive her of the opportunity to prove her innocence. This was something Wen Jingshu couldn't accept. At least she felt she could handle everything on her own, and even with the torment of pregnancy symptoms, she still hoped Xu Xian would be by her side.

Wen Jingshu's pregnancy symptoms were very stubborn. Even though she had passed the first trimester, they still tormented her from time to time, causing her great distress and leaving her helpless.

"Well..." Yang Ning hesitated for a moment, "Miss, there's something I might need to tell you. It's just that... when Chairman Mei came over before, she seemed to have noticed your situation. So, this news might not be able to be kept secret for long."

"What did you say? Aunt Mei knows I'm pregnant?" Wen Jingshu's almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise.

Yang Ning said helplessly, "Miss, you know how strong your reaction was at the beginning. Any woman with a little experience can guess it pretty accurately. There's really nothing we can do about it."

"Aunt Mei might not even know the child's father."

Yang Ning was truly speechless. It seemed pregnancy really did make her forgetful for three years: "Miss, anyone who even slightly knows about your relationship with Xu Xian surely knows who the child's father is? Could there be other candidates?"

Wen Jingshu was stunned for a moment, then held her forehead: "What should we do?"

Two days later, Zeng Yu stared at the inspection report for the hanger bolts, lost in deep thought. The report concluded that the inspection agency had deemed the hanger bolts合格 (qualified/compliant), with no quality issues whatsoever. This gave Zeng Yu some new ideas!

Alone in his room, Zeng Yu hesitated for a moment before finally making a phone call.

The office of the Vice President of Operations at Star Travel Aviation.

While Luo Qing was working, the landline phone suddenly rang. An elderly voice came from the other end: "Luo Qing, is this President Luo?"

"Hmm?" Luo Qing quickly racked his brain, but seemed to have no memory of that voice. Nevertheless, he still answered very politely, "Hello, I'm Luo Qing. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Zeng Yu!" Zeng Yu announced his home directly.

"Zeng Yu, Elder Zeng!" Luo Qing exclaimed in surprise. Zeng Yu's name was quite well-known in the civil aviation industry. Moreover, Luo Qing knew that Zeng Yu had been invited by the Northeast Regional Administration to Binjiang to participate in the investigation of the engine detachment incident. This situation was rather ambiguous.

Could it be that the investigation has made progress?

"Enough with the nonsense! Where's your VP of Maintenance? Where's Qi Fengyang? I can't get through to him on the phone," Zeng Yu said bluntly.

"President Qi?" Luo Qing said, "President Qi went to Chenyan Kingdom and hasn't returned yet!"

"Chen Yanguo? What time is it? He's still abroad! No wonder I couldn't get through to him on the phone!" Zeng Yu had just cursed a couple of times when he added, "Wait, Chen Yanguo, isn't that the D-inspection company you outsourced located in Chen Yanguo?"

"Yes! What's wrong, Mr. Zeng?"

Zeng Yu was overjoyed: "You should be able to contact that kid Qi Fengyang! Quickly tell him that this incident is very likely due to the repair company that did the D inspection illegally disassembling the engine. Tell Qi Fengyang to find the evidence! As long as you find it, your company will be saved!"

"It's really D Inspection Company that's the problem!" Luo Qing exclaimed in shock.

"What do you mean?" Zeng Yu was somewhat bewildered by Luo Qing's reaction.

Luo Qing could not hide her excitement at this moment: "Mr. Zeng, President Qi had previously suspected that the outsourced company might have broken the rules during the D inspection. So we went to investigate that company four days ago."

"Really!" Zeng Yu hadn't expected Qi Fengyang to have such a keen sense of smell: "And the result? What was the result?"

"No, we haven't heard anything from President Qi yet!" Luo Qing was getting a little anxious after Zeng Yu said that.

"There are too many items in the D inspection. There are hundreds of items just related to the engine. How can he possibly find anything by searching aimlessly? You should tell him to focus only on whether the company has violated any regulations in the engine disassembly and assembly procedures. Focus on checking that. Otherwise, if you check everything, you won't find anything."

"Okay, okay!" Luo Qing knew this was important, so he quickly took out his phone to call Chen Yan, the surrogate. He had previously instructed the surrogate to stay with Qi Fengyang, so even if Qi Fengyang couldn't get through, the surrogate could simply transfer the call. The surrogate's phone was reachable worldwide and was on 24/7.

Just as Luo Qing was about to make a call, his phone rang instead. Upon looking at the caller ID, he found it was Chen Yan's phone number.

"Mr. Zeng, please wait a moment, I need to take this call!"

Luo Qing was taken aback. What was going on? But he had a premonition that made his heart pound! Could it be that Qi Fengyang had made a breakthrough? Zeng Yu had just told him that it was because of the outsourced maintenance company. If Qi Fengyang could find any clues there, wouldn't Xingyou Airlines be able to clear itself of any involvement? In that case, Xingyou Airlines could be brought back to life!

Upon answering the phone, it wasn't the agent's voice on the other end, but Qi Fengyang's furious voice: "Luo Qing, this is the company's problem! This is the company's problem!"

I'm updating 15,000 words a day, and this is extra for the previous donations!

Chong's update is a promise, so everyone should give him a shout-out!

However, it seems that updating 15,000 words a day isn't too tiring.

(End of this chapter)