Chapter 402: Chapter 193: Panic in the Air

The crew members were having a tense and serious exchange with the man in sunglasses.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Ji noticed him quickly approaching. The bald policeman’s gaze turned cold, and he decisively stepped forward to shield the pilot and others, while his right hand swiftly reached for his waist.

“Hey! Didn’t I ask you to return to your seat? Don’t come any closer, or I will take coercive measures against you!”

Upon hearing the warning, the passengers focused their attention once more.

Including the man in sunglasses, who also turned to glance at Gu Ji.

He looked to be in his thirties, with dark brown skin, a head of gelled curly hair, thin mustache forming an eight-character shape, a round face, a black shirt with a wide-open collar, and a strong scent of cologne, giving off a sleazy vibe.

But Gu Ji noticed something new—his left hand, hanging by his thigh, seemed to be gripping something, which he hadn’t noticed in the previous round.

He stood still, continued to smile, and spread his hands to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Haha, I’m just a bit curious. Captain, how’s today’s flight, anything unusual?”

From this moment, Betty’s attitude changed.

Her gaze suspiciously darted over Gu Ji, whispering softly into the captain’s ear, explaining that he was the passenger who submitted the flight log.

The captain pursed his lips and responded calmly:

“Rest assured, the weather is good today, and the flight is smooth.”

“I mean, is there anything unusual about the passengers’ behavior in the cabin?”

With these words, Gu Ji caused everyone’s expressions to change, even the man in sunglasses showed a slight start.

Indeed.

He’s got it this time!

The crew members were being held hostage by the man in sunglasses, and the negotiations just now implied that the crew had agreed to some of his demands, causing a sudden sharp turn in the flight path.

It’s understandable.

An airplane is different from buses, trains, and other modes of transportation. It’s more like a sea cruise ship, a completely enclosed place, isolated and helpless, difficult to get external support, and with too many passengers onboard. The captain, as the primary responsible person for the flight, needs to consider many factors.

For instance, is the man in sunglasses acting alone or does he have accomplices, is his weapon real or for show, what’s his mental state, could it lead to a major tragedy, do the crew members have sufficient courage and ability to bring the hijacker to justice after the event, can he save every passenger during the hijacking?

There are many such questions.

Summarizing from past hijacking incidents, a rash counter-hijacking action could lead to a suicide attack by terrorists under pressure, triggering explosives or biochemical weapons.

The captain’s consent to the terrorists’ requests is not a compromise but the best choice based on a comprehensive evaluation of the pros and cons.

The flight attendants and air marshals likely chose not to disclose the situation to manage passenger emotions, since revealing a hijacking would not only incite panic but also possibly provoke the terrorists with unpredictable consequences.

Rather, it’s better to stall the terrorists, contact the airline and police in time, and let professionals handle the situation.

In the 1989 hijacking incident in the Xia Kingdom’s civil aviation, the crew followed this strategy, pretending to agree to the hijackers’ request to change the route, eventually collaborating with the Japanese police to thwart the hijackers’ plot.

Before the captain could speak, the air marshal spoke up unfavorably, “I’ve said, the person behaving most unusually here is you, return to your seat immediately, this is your last warning!”

With that, he opened the holster and placed his hand on the grip.

Unexpectedly, the freckle-faced woman spoke up, “Does being a police officer make you amazing? That gentleman is clearly helping me out righteously, how can you restrict his freedom!”

Seeing the situation escalate, the passengers craned their necks curiously, some even unbuckled their seat belts to stand up, pulling out their phones to record, all wanting to see how it ends.

But Gu Ji himself showed no sign of tension, calmly raising his hand to point at the man’s left hand:

“What’s that in his hand, is it a detonator?”

“Detonator?”

“My God, what’s happening…”

“Could he be a terrorist?”

The crew members hadn’t anticipated that Gu Ji would so boldly and straightforwardly utter such words, akin to throwing a stone into a calm lake, causing waves of chaos among the passengers.

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

“Sir, spreading panic on an airplane is illegal.”

The bald policeman and the captain urgently chided, fearing Gu Ji’s words would provoke the man in sunglasses, pressing the device prematurely.

That’s right.

Gu Ji came directly with a “clear hand,” knowing that less than seven minutes remained until the incident erupted, he had to do everything possible to break the deadlock, actively intervene in the process, even if he couldn’t eliminate the terrorists, at least prevent them from interfering with the crew’s emergency landing.

Moreover, he was unafraid of triggering the hijacker into taking aggressive actions to go down together.

Because in the previous round, when heading to the cabin, he had overheard the man in sunglasses muttering, “How could this happen,” indicating he also feared crashing, hence it was not a suicide act of terrorism.

The man in sunglasses came with a purpose!

Even considering the worst planning for this round while unable to complete the target task, he must strive to gather intelligence.

The blood-red countdown left him with little time!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep