Legendary Captain

Chapter 390 The Wrongful Conviction is Exonerated

"You held me?" Xu Xian's face stiffened. Wasn't that when he was still a little kid? How could he possibly remember who held him back then?

Seeing Xu Xian's confused expression, Qin Qing's mother was not annoyed. She gently stroked Xu Xian's head and said, "What a good child. You were cute when you were little, and you've grown up to be very handsome."

As she spoke, Qin Qing's mother's gaze shifted downwards, landing on Xu Xian's neck, and she casually asked, "Do you still have that gold lock?"

Xu Xian instinctively clutched his chest. Few people knew that he possessed a golden lock. He glanced at Qin Qing's mother again, then his pupils suddenly contracted. He grabbed Qin Qing and ran to the side.

Qin Qing's mother didn't take Xu Xian's somewhat intense reaction to heart. She simply smiled as she watched Xu Xian and Qin Qing's departing figures, and remarked with some emotion, "He really is the person Xu Qing has chosen."

In the distance, Xu Xian stopped where there were fewer people. He immediately asked Qin Qing, "What's your mother's name? She's not surnamed Qin either, is she?"

"Yeah!" Qin Qing withdrew her right hand with a hint of disgust, frowning. "Why are you asking me my mom's name?"

"Answer my question first. Surely you don't keep your mother's name a secret?" Xu Xian said urgently.

Qin Qing thought about it and realized it was true; there didn't seem to be any need to keep her mother's name a secret. Besides, if Xu Xianzheng wanted to investigate, he could find out easily.

"My mother's name is Qin Heluo! Isn't that a cool name?" Qin Qing didn't hide it anymore and directly said his mother's name.

"Qin Heluo! Oh my god, it really is Aunt Qin." Xu Xian was completely taken aback. He turned his head and secretly glanced at Qin Heluo not far away, then whispered to Qin Qing, "Where's your dad?"

Qin Qing's pretty face turned slightly cold: "What do you mean? Are you checking my household registration?"

"No, no! Didn't your mom just say she used to hug me? It seems like it's true!" Xu Xian exclaimed in amazement at the wonder of fate: "Could it be that your dad's surname is also Qin? What a coincidence!"

"What? My dad's surname is also Qin! I have no idea what my dad's surname is." Qin Qing snorted. "I take my mom's surname. What do you mean? You know my mom? How come I don't know her?"

"To be precise, it's not that I know your mother, but rather that one of my uncles knows her." Xu Xian exclaimed in surprise, "So, Aunt Qin isn't married?"

Judging from Qin Qing's words, Qin Qing and Qin Heluo are not related by blood; Qin Qing is likely adopted. Therefore, it's easy to deduce that Qin Heluo is unmarried.

Qin Qing glanced at Xu Xian, but still nodded: "Mm!"

"Wow!" Xu Xian gasped. "Would you mind telling me why Aunt Qin isn't getting married?"

"You!" Qin Qing rolled her eyes at Xu Xian's increasingly audacious behavior and said fiercely, "Are you looking for death?"

"No, no, no! Don't be angry, don't be angry! If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, I was just asking casually." Xu Xian quickly begged for forgiveness. However, he basically understood what the situation was without even asking.

Qin Qing, Xu Qing—wasn't that Qin Heluo's last lingering affection for Xu Qing? What a tragic love story.

Xu Xian secretly glanced at Qin Heluo again, only to feel that the years had not left any trace on Qin Heluo's face at all. Instead, with the passage of time, his temperament had become more and more mature.

"I never expected that Uncle Qing, who seems like such an honest and simple person, would have so many romantic affairs," Xu Xian thought to himself.

To be honest, Xu Qing wasn't exactly handsome in the conventional sense; he was just average-looking. Yet, Qin Heluo remained unmarried for life because of him, which was quite remarkable.

Firstly, recalling Xu Qing's ever-present joking and laughing manner, Xu Xian couldn't understand why Xu Qing had such great charm.

Judging from this, Qin Qing still doesn't know the origin of her name.

This damn old-fashioned love.

Just as Xu Xian had figured everything out and was preparing to go back, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the number and saw it was Ye Qing's. A slight tremor ran through Xu Xian, as if sensing something, and he answered the call. Ye Qing's first words were: "Xu Xian, the data has been recovered."

"I've seen the video from the South Ship." Liao Yuan took a sip of tea and glanced at Wang Zhaoxin across the coffee table.

"I've seen it!" Wang Zhaoxin nodded. "It was excellent. His grasp of the situation, his calculations against the enemy, and his own operational skills were all top-notch! I originally thought that Xu Xian would need more training, but I didn't expect that he didn't need any at all. He skipped the accumulation stage directly. His performance was nothing like that of a rookie."

"Yes, they're all top-notch! That's why I had to recall Xu Xian. I can't sleep a wink if someone like that is on the South Ship." Liao Yuan laughed heartily. "If I remember correctly, Xu Xian should be back tomorrow, right?"

"That's right!" Wang Zhaoxin nodded. "However, it seems that Xu Xian had an urgent matter to attend to and went to the headquarters of Luohang Industry tonight. He won't be taking the flight scheduled for tomorrow."

"Luohang Industrial Headquarters? Isn't it Luohang Flight Base?" Liao Yuan couldn't understand why Xu Xian would go to Luohang Industrial Headquarters. That's a place for scientific research, and it seems to have nothing to do with Xu Xian.

"He went to see Ye Qing." Wang Zhaoxin coughed lightly. "That kid Ye Qing reported to me that it concerns an unsafe incident involving Xu Xian at the Civil Aviation Administration. Xu Xian might have to go to the Southwest Regional Administration of Civil Aviation tomorrow, so he'll be here a bit late."

"The safety incidents in civil aviation?" Liao Yuan knew a little about Xu Xian's past, but not in detail.

"Yes, Xu Xian once piloted a commercial airliner off the runway. The data recorder on the plane was damaged at the time, and the data could not be retrieved, so the investigation into the incident has been fruitless. Xu Xian asked Ye Qing to help restore the data recorder, and it seems that Ye Qing has already restored it." Compared to Liao Yuan, Wang Zhaoxin, as Xu Xian's superior, knew more details.

"Overrunning the runway?" This statement surprised Liao Yuan. In Liao Yuan's understanding, Xu Xian was omnipotent, at least in the field of flying. No matter how many mistakes he made, he wouldn't make a mistake in flying, let alone such a serious incident as overrunning the runway.

It's not that Liao Yuan looks down on civil aviation, but the operating environment for civil aviation is indeed much better than that for military aviation. However, Liao Yuan finds it hard to believe that Xu Xian could still make the plane overshoot the runway in such a relatively simple environment.

At least if something went wrong, it shouldn't have been Xu Xian's fault. But according to Wang Zhaoxin, the flight data recorder malfunctioned at the time, which is indeed a bit unlucky.

"The flight data recorder is damaged. If it weren't for Ye Qing, wouldn't he have been unable to clear his name for the rest of his life?" Liao Yuan laughed.

Wang Zhaoxin smiled knowingly: "Yes, the initial reason Xu Xian was willing to come to us was because Ye Qing helped him repair the data."

"Hahaha! Just like Xu Xian's personality, he won't act until he sees the benefit!" Liao Yuan thought for a moment, "After he gets the data from Luohang Industrial Headquarters tonight, he should still hand it over to the Civil Aviation Administration. Tell him to focus on his own business tomorrow, and that the matter with the headquarters can be postponed until the day after tomorrow."

Restoring his reputation is a major issue, but Xu Xian's arrival here isn't in a rush, as long as he's not on the South Ship. If things were to proceed as planned, with Xu Xian going to the Southwest Bureau in the morning and then coming here in the afternoon, it would be far too much of a hassle. Therefore, the schedule can be postponed until the day after tomorrow, saving Xu Xian the trouble of running around.

"Okay, I'll talk to him about it later. Running back and forth is indeed tiring." Wang Zhaoxin also agreed.

"However, there's something you need to take seriously." Liao Yuan took out a stack of documents from beside him and tossed them in front of Wang Zhaoxin: "Xu Xian has become famous this time, even the General Staff has taken notice. The General Staff has ordered all flight units in the entire army to conduct a case study of Xu Xian's annihilation of the enemy ship and submit a case analysis. Usually, Lao Jing handles this, but since he's not here, and you're Xu Xian's superior, this is your responsibility. This matter cannot be taken lightly, understand?"

Old Jing is Jing Chenfei, the chief of staff of the Xi'an Air Force. This kind of battle case analysis is basically the job of the staff officers. However, since Jing Chenfei was not available, Wang Zhaoxin had to take over.

"No problem," Wang Zhaoxin readily accepted the task. "However, what does the General Staff mean by 'all flight units'?"

"That includes all Army Aviation, Air Force, Naval Aviation, Carrier-based Air Force, and Marine Corps Aviation."

Wang Zhaoxin was slightly surprised: "It really includes the entire army? The scope is that large?"

"Otherwise, why would I say that Xu Xian has become famous?" Liao Yuan sighed.

"However, I don't think Xu Xian's case is actually representative or practical. The significance of this case analysis isn't that great." Wang Zhaoxin is a straightforward person who never hides his thoughts.

In Wang Zhaoxin's view, 99% of the pilots were not even qualified to imitate Xu Xian's operation. Throughout the entire operation, the slightest mistake would have meant instant death, with no other outcome.

For cases where ordinary pilots have no chance of handling such situations, discussing them on a small, localized scale is fine. However, Wang Zhaoxin felt that it was unnecessary for the entire army to study them.

Of course, it's not that Wang Zhaoxin thought the General Staff's move was wrong, but rather that he felt it wasn't very meaningful.

Geniuses have their own way of doing things, which ordinary people cannot imitate. Forcibly trying to imitate them will at best result in a ridiculous imitation, and at worst, it could even lead to death.

"From a technical standpoint, you're right. However, without the perspective of the General Staff, your vision is limited," Liao Yuan pointed out. "Our country has been at peace for too long, and the public's memory of our military's combat capabilities has become less clear. This time, Xu Xian's destruction of the rebel destroyer of Chenyan was, firstly, a legitimate act of self-defense without any diplomatic conflict, and secondly, Xu Xian's performance was outstanding, making it perfect for boosting troop morale. I believe the combat video of Xu Xian that we just watched will soon circulate online. Technically, Xu Xian's operation may not have much practical significance, but it's perfect for propaganda purposes in boosting troop morale and enhancing national pride."

Frankly, the act of the rebel warship from Chenyan Kingdom sacrificing itself for its own benefit was perfectly timed. If this missile destroyer truly belonged to the Chenyan Kingdom's navy, even if they attacked first, it absolutely could not be used as propaganda material afterward. This would be tantamount to boasting about one's own strength while stepping on Chenyan Kingdom's face. Of course, if the nation's intention is to fight Chenyan Kingdom to the death, then it doesn't matter.

But now, that warship no longer belongs to the Chenyan Kingdom's navy; it's similar to a pirate, but not entirely. After all, the shock effect of sinking a missile destroyer is incomparable to sinking a pirate speedboat.

Xu Xian sank the enemy ship without any casualties among the cargo ship's crew, making it easier for the public's anger to be vented and preventing any ethnic conflict. The government of Chenyan was also pleased that its biggest threat had been dealt with. In this way, even with extensive propaganda, it wouldn't cause resentment between nations—a perfect outcome.

"You mean the General Staff wants to make Xu Xianli a role model for others to learn from?" Wang Zhaoxin asked.

"I think so," Liao Yuan said. "I have a feeling that Xikong won't be able to keep this kid in the future."

"What about his military rank this time? What did the higher-ups say?"

"I've inquired. First-class merit, same position, but promoted to major. Is that enough?" Liao Yuan stood up and stretched. "I'm getting old. The future belongs to you all. If there are more people like Xu Xian, then I can finally retire in peace."

"You're joking, you seem to be in great spirits!" Wang Zhaoxin laughed. "So, can I talk to Xu Xian about this promotion in advance?"

Wang Zhaoxin guessed that Xu Xian already knew about the First-Class Merit Citation. However, the matter of his promotion in military rank was harder to guess; Xu Xian probably didn't know yet.

"Whatever!" Liao Yuan didn't stop him. "It's alright, go about your business!"

In the office of the director of the Advanced Technology Research Department at the headquarters of Luoyang Aerospace Industry, Xu Xian, looking travel-worn, finally got his hands on the data hard drive he had been longing for.

The First Squadron had originally planned to hold a farewell party for Xu Xian tonight, but upon learning that the data logger had been repaired, Xu Xian couldn't contain himself and canceled the farewell party, rushing back in a hurry.

"The data's all in there!" Ye Qing pointed to the hard drive in Xu Xian's hand. "I've looked at it. I have to say, your luck is truly terrible!"

(End of this chapter)