Xiao Luo wasn’t one to revel in adulation and flattery, but he appreciated the applause and praises from his fellow passengers. It gave him a sense of gratification, knowing that he had saved someone today, and it put him in a pleasant mood. He returned to his seat, plugged on his earphones, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind to enjoy a moment of tranquility.

  Wang Yanzu, on the other hand, enjoyed sharing every bit of the attention as he stood next to Xiao Luo, and felt thoroughly invigorated. He suddenly noticed that Xiao Luo had left his side when the applause died and quickly returned to his seat. “Brother, you’re really brilliant. Let’s add each other on WeChat after we get off the plane!”

  “Can you stop talking to me, please?”

  Xiao Luo couldn’t tolerate him any longer and abruptly put a stop to any further conversation. Wang Yanzu had been buzzing in his ear like a housefly from when he boarded the plane, denying him even a moment of peace and quiet. To have been able to put up with him till now could already be considered quite an undertaking.

  Wang Yangzu just had a door slammed right in his face and had to sit quietly, twiddling his thumbs—how awkward was that! However, Wang Yangzu, the kind of man he was, just couldn’t endure the boredom. Soon he began striking up conversations with the passengers seated around him. But, most of them did not respond to him with the enthusiasm he had hoped for, as very few people were inclined to have meaningful conversations with absolute strangers. It wasn’t that they particularly despised him or were aloof, but it was merely their normal reaction toward a stranger.

  After the old man’s condition had stabilized, the flight attendants returned to their respective stations. Tan Ningfu once again served Xiao Luo a glass of water.

  “Mr. Xiao, thank you very much for what you did just now,” she said with a charming smile.

  “Not at all, it’s my duty.”

  Xiao Luo smiled and spoke modestly. He thanked Tan Ningfu as she had poured him two glasses of water, and noted that they were both precisely when he needed a drink. There was something about this girl, and Xiao Luo liked her.

  “It has nothing to do with duty. I think it’s more than that, you’re a good person, Mr. Xiao. Only a good person will take on the responsibility to act in situations like that,” Tan Ningfu said.

  “Well, I wouldn’t consider myself a good person, but I’m certainly not a bad one,” Xiao Luo replied.

  Tan Ningfu smiled, she thought it was rather profound. “You’re funny, Mr. Xiao. By the way, which hospital in Xiahai are you working?”

  When he heard her ask that question, Wang Yanzu could hardly sit still. He thought Tan Ningfu must be trying to make something happen between them. He wanted to intervene somehow, but he found that he had nothing worthwhile to say.

  \r \r \r

  “I haven’t got a placement yet,” Xiao Luo replied.

  “Would you mind giving me your contact then, Mr. Xiao?” Tan Ningfu asked. It did sound a little brazen, and Wang Yanzu nearly choked.

  Xiao Luo raised his head and gave her a quizzical look.

  Tan Ningfu was a little embarrassed, realizing how that came across. “I live with my grandmother, and she’s always been in poor health, often fainting without any symptoms. She has been to the Xiaohai Hospital, but they couldn’t find any problems with her,” she clarified, “so, if you have time, Mr. Xiao, could you come and have a look at her, please?”

  “Oh, I see. But I honestly can’t assure you that I can cure your grandmother,” Xiao Luo said.

  “It’s okay, just try your best. Regardless of whether you can or not, I’ll be grateful to you, Mr. Xiao,” Tan Ningfu said, bowing slightly.

  Since she had already brought it up, Xiao Luo couldn’t refuse her request, and he duly gave his contact information to Tan Ningfu.

  After Tan Ningfu walked away, Wang Yanzu felt envious, and as he sighed in disappointment, he couldn’t help lamenting, “Brother, you’re going to have the time of your life! Sigh…… how unfortunate, such a beautiful lady cannot be mine. If I could find a girl of her class, I’ll be willing to even trade 10 years of my life for it.”

  Xiao Luo pretended not to hear him. Being a “talkaholic” wasn’t a good thing at most times, and right now was a good example. Wang Yanzu was beginning to annoy him to bits.

  Suddenly, the plane jolted and shook violently, then the cabin lights flickered for a moment before it came back on.

  “What happened?”

  “What’s going on?”

  There was an anxiety in the entire cabin, and some of the passengers began to panic. They were 8,000 to 9,000 meters above the ground level, and any mishap would undoubtedly be fatal.

  The purser quickly spoke through the PA to calm the passengers, “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. We are experiencing air turbulence, and this is a normal phenomenon. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened. Thank you.”

  A normal phenomenon?

  As Xiao Luo looked out the window, he saw bolts of lightning flashing around, and he immediately felt a sense of impending doom. The aircraft had flown directly into a storm cloud, and he could even feel the electrical charge permeating the atmosphere. Shouldn’t planes be avoiding thunderstorm clouds?

  Xiao Luo had a bad feeling about this, especially when he saw the purser rushing through to the first-class cabin with several safety officers. They headed for the cockpit and kept knocking on the door, calling for the flight crew to respond.

  Things went from bad to worse, after they did not get any response from the cockpit, the purser instructed the safety officers to breach the cockpit door.

  The passengers in the economy-class were oblivious to what was happening, but passengers in the first-class cabin witnessed everything. It was beyond a doubt now that something was definitely wrong. Fear began to set in, and everyone sat quietly, looking pale and terrified. A few passengers even checked to see if there were lifejackets under their seats. The turbulence came back once again, more violent than the first, and the frightened cries of children could be heard from the aft cabin.

  Suddenly, a voice came on the PA again. It was a man’s voice.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your first officer, Lao Cui. Congratulations! You have all been given the privilege to go to heaven with me, hahaha…… Yes, you’re not mistaken. You and I, and this Boeing 747, will be going to heaven, where there’s no pain, no conflict, no pressure—only bliss and joy. Do not fear, do not panic, and keep a smile on your face as we’re going to meet God. I, Lao Cui, will lead you to him, hahaha……”

  It was the voice of a deranged man, a psychotic man who intended to commit suicide by crashing the aircraft.

  Their co-pilot, Cui Jihou, had just declared his intentions to kill everyone on board; the aircraft was shaking wildly as it flew into a thunderstorm, and lightning flashed incessantly. They will all die without a final resting place.

  There was pandemonium in the cabin as passengers were assailed by an over-powering sense of dread and began to panic—what were they supposed to do? The sounds of people crying, screams of anguish, and desperate prayers filled the air.

  “We’re doomed! The co-pilot has gone crazy, he wants to kill us all! No, please, no! I haven’t gotten a wife yet! I haven’t lived enough!” Wang Yanzu was wailing in tears. But there was no way out of this, he couldn’t just jump off the plane like jumping off a car.

  “Hurry up, I need a few men here to break through the cockpit door!” the purser shouted urgently.

  A few men responded immediately and tried to smash down the cockpit door. They rammed against the door with their shoulders and tried to kick it open, but to no avail. The cabin reverberated with the sound of each impact, but the door remained in place.

  “Gentlemen out there, please stop wasting your energy. You can never break down an armored cockpit door. I suggest you sit down, relax, and prepare to meet God.” The co-pilot came on the PA again with a sinister message to the passengers.

  “Cui Jihou, what the hell are you thinking?” the purser yelled.

  “What am I thinking? Why don’t you go and ask our company directors? I’ve toiled for more than 10 years, but yet those who joined after me had all been promoted, but what about me? I’m still a damned co-pilot,” Cui Jihou responded, “I’m very upset, and I want revenge; I want the company to pay a painful price, hahaha, hahaha……”

  The first officer had gone mad—he intended to destroy the aircraft and everyone along with it. As his maniacal laugh echoed through the cabin, everyone fell into despair. ……