GOR Chapter 270: Hijacking Event
Truth be told, GM did not set Chen Xiaolian up.
At that moment in time, Chen Xiaolian himself was not aware of it.
This first phase of the quest was somewhat special. Generally speaking, punishment instance dungeons were all of the competitive type. If this was a competitive type quest, then Chen Xiaolian and Roddy would be excluded.
Unfortunately, this first phase of the quest just happened to be a non-competitive type of quest.
This situation ended up being a problem for Chen Xiaolian.
Each passenger death would cost him 100 points.
All of the hijackers had explosives on their bodies. Once those explosives were triggered, almost everyone within the airplane would have no way of surviving.
That was only natural. Whenever such an accident occurred within a flight, the rate of mortality would be very high.
…
These terrorists were very clever.
Obviously, the patient just now had been poisoned by the terrorists.
That was one of their strategies. First, instigate panic among the flight crew and utilize this unexpected incident to suss out who the air marshals were – the latter was certainly the prime objective of their actions.
After taking advantage of the incident to kill off the two air marshals, the terrorists had managed to complete their objective by half.
…
Sharp screams reverberated throughout the interior of the airplane as no small number of passengers frantically screamed out while some others burst out in tears.
Seeing the black coloured muzzle of a gun, no one dared to put up any form of resistance.
The terrorists at the back side of the airplane walked forward with a little girl held within his arms. He pointed his gun at the surrounding passengers and shouted loudly in English.
Not far away from Chen Xiaolian was Takashimoto Shizuka, whose face had become pale. A female terrorist held her by the throat and used her to block her front. This Japanese flight attendant was somewhat able to maintain of modicum of calmness. However, her pale face and her shivering legs revealed the terror she felt within her heart.
As for Chen Xiaolian, a bearded fellow was standing before him, pointing the muzzle of a gun at him.
Chen Xiaolian dropped his hands down and stared intently at the terrorist.
“Back! Back!”
The terrorist continued to point his gun at Chen Xiaolian. After checking what was happening around him, Chen Xiaolian decided.
These fellows were all criminals. If he were to resist, he was confident that he could finish off the terrorist standing before him. However… there were also terrorists in the front and back of the cabin. There was no way for him to finish them off simultaneously. Once they go berserk and set off their explosives… everything would come to an end.
After having come to that conclusion, Chen Xiaolian made a decision. He took a deep breath and quickly took two steps back. At the same time, he raised both his hands and made a gesture to show that he was not a threat.
Since I have no confidence in being able to deal with all the terrorists simultaneously, then… it would be best for me to wait for an opportunity.
Chen Xiaolian slowly retreated until he was at a safe distance.
Roddy who was at the front part of the cabin had his head raised and he was staring intently at the back of Takashimoto Shizuka’s figure.
The female terrorist turned to face Roddy. As long as Roddy got up, all he needed was one step to rush forward – Chen Xiaolian believed that Roddy would certainly be capable of finishing off the female terrorist with just one move.
However, Chen Xiaolian had already used the guild channel to contact Roddy: Do not act rashly.
Roddy was originally holding onto a metal spoon. He then slowly let it go.
“Stand up!”
It would appear that the female terrorist was the leader here.
The two fellows who were in the front area of the cabin obeyed her command and they pointed their guns at the first-class passengers. They shouted, “Everyone stand up! Up!”
Sawakita Mitsuo slowly backed away. There was a very calm look on his face. However, there was also a peculiar look within his gaze.
Like Chen Xiaolian, Sawakita Mitsuo had also received the prompt from the system informing him about the quest. A perplexing smile appeared on his aged face before he dropped his hands and backed away until he was back by his seat.
“Great Teacher!”
The middle-aged man who had already stood up whispered.
“Wait first,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a faint smile. Then, he turned to look at Nagase Komi.
Nagase Komi had the same cold and indifferent expression on her face. She slowly pulled out her earphones and cast an icy glare at the terrorists.
Sawakita Mitsuo gently shook his head.
Soon, all of the passengers in the first-class cabin had been forced to stand up. The terrorists pointed their guns at them and forced them all to move to the back of the cabin.
Everyone present was forced into the back half of the cabin.
The terrorists were cautious as they did so. They would constantly have one fellow stationed at the other end. As for the two terrorists who were by the female terrorist in the front side of the cabin, they would be careful to maintain a certain distance from the other passengers. With the exception of the two hostages in their hands, they would never allow others to come close to them.
Soon, the front side of the cabin had been emptied.
All the passengers there had been forced to move to the back half of the cabin.
The terrorist in the back side of the cabin occupied the last two rows. He created a certain distance between himself and the passengers and pulled the little girl, forcing her to sit beside him. At the same time, he also took off his jacket to reveal the hidden explosives around his body.
“How did these fellows even manage to get these things past the security? Are the security personnel blind or something?” Chen Xiaolian swore inwardly.
However, he knew that matter was not something that could be blamed on the security personnel – this was a quest arranged by the system.
Simply put, this was a setting.
Moreover, after observing them carefully, Chen Xiaolian realized that the explosives on the terrorists’ bodies had a plastic texture.
There were like Lego toys that appeared to have been assembled together.
Even the guns in their hands were similar. It was as though their exterior was made of plastic and they were smaller than the average firearms.
“Special firearms.” Roddy communicated with him using the guild channel. “Looks like they used plastic materials to get past the security… however, these type of firearms are generally small-calibre and can dish out less in terms of firepower. Also, it cannot be fired consecutively. Maybe that is where we can find an opportunity to act.”
“First, we need to figure out the detonation method of those explosives,” Chen Xiaolian replied with a frown. “Wait first.”
Then, the passengers that were seated in front arrived at the backside of the cabin and Chen Xiaolian deliberately moved close to Roddy.
As it so happened, Nagase Komi and Sawakita Mitsuo, seemingly on purpose, moved very close to Chen Xiaolian and Roddy.
The five of them deliberately sat together in the same row.
Chen Xiaolian winked at Nagase Komi. She reacted with a frown before finally revealing a wry smile.
“Cooperation?” Chen Xiaolian mouthed out the word without making a single sound.
Nagase Komi hesitated for a moment and glanced at Sawakita Mitsuo who was seated beside her. The old man gave a meaningful glance at Chen Xiaolian before responding with a faint smile.
One minute later, the terrorists finished setting up their positions. Two of them took to the backside of the cabin, another two took to the front end of the cabin and one stood in the middle of the corridor, carefully checking the passengers.
“Don’t talk! And don’t whisper! You are not allowed to make a single noise! That is, if you do not want to die.”
After those words of warning were repeated three times, the cabin turned quiet.
Of the two terrorists staying in the front side of the cabin, one of them was the female terrorist. She had released Takashimoto Shizuka and had her join the rest of the flight attendants. They were huddled together in front of the other passengers.
“Now, I need to open the door of the cockpit.”
The female terrorist sneered and pointed the muzzle of her gun at the chief flight attendant, forcing her to use the intercom aboard the plane to contact those who were inside the cockpit.
The chief attendant picked up the intercom handset and said a few words. However, before she could continue, the female terrorist shoved her aside, picked up the handset and quickly spoke into it.
Two minutes later, the female terrorist furiously hung up.
Obviously, the crewmembers inside the cockpit had refused to open up the door.
After having suffered from so many terror attacks, especially the infamous terror attack that happened in US over a decade ago, most of the airline companies in the world had strengthened their cockpit doors as an anti-terrorist measure.
The cockpit door was resistant to any attempts to break through and was also bulletproof. Given the lack of equipment available within the airplane, any attempt to break through the cockpit door would prove very difficult.
“In that case, let’s do this.”
The female terrorist hesitated slightly before quickly making her decision.
She walked forward and picked up the intercom handset again. She sneered and said, “Esteemed captain, I know that you can hear me. So, I’ll say this. I will give you two minutes to consider… two minutes later, you must open the cockpit door and surrender to us. Otherwise… we will begin killing the passengers! Every 30 seconds that goes by, we will kill off one of the passengers. We will keep doing so until you open the cockpit door. And now, the countdown begins.”
After saying that, she walked over and grabbed the chief flight attendant. Grabbing her by the hair, the female terrorist dragged her to the front and had her kneel in the middle of the corridor while pointing a gun at the back of her head.
“We’ll start with your colleague!”
The chief flight attendant had already burst into tears and snot flowed out from her nose as she kneeled on the ground, shivering. She helplessly mumbled, “Oh God, Oh God…”
…
“What should we do?”
Within the cockpit, the captain who was wearing pilot uniform furiously slammed his fist down on the dashboard.
“We cannot open the door. Once we open it, we’re dead men,” said the vice-captain. He was a middle-aged man with a panicked expression on his face.
There was a co-pilot within the cockpit. He too had a nervous expression on his face and he said, “They will not be able to get in. The door is specially made.”
“I’ll discuss things with them again.” The captain picked up the intercom handset and took a deep breath.
…
“These actions of yours are pointless. We have already reported this hijacking incident. According to the latest laws passed for the US, hijacked airplanes will not be allowed to enter US airspace. Since 911, such an event would never be allowed to repeat itself. It won’t be long before the Air Force fighters come to our location. If you are thinking of hijacking this plane to repeat 911, you can forget about it. The moment we enter an airspace deemed dangerous to them, the Air Force fighters will shoot us down!”
The female terrorist listened to what he said but sneered. “This is not something for you to worry about, Mr Captain. This is our problem… as for you, all you need to worry about is surrendering to us. What happens next is up to us.
“Now… let me remind you. You have already wasted a lot of time. You have another 10 seconds remaining!”
She pointed the muzzle of her gun down and the sobbing sounds of the chief flight attendant grew louder as her legs trembled in fear.
Additionally, there was a strange scent in the air.
The female terrorist lowered her head and saw that the chief flight attendant had been scared to the point of ***.
Considering the situation she was in, no one would ridicule the chief flight attendant. She knelt in the middle of the corridor with a gun pointed at her head. As for the passengers behind her, their faces were all pale. Some of them sobbed softly, some of them were panicking and some were frantically tracing the cross and muttering the name of their Lord…
“Five, four, three…”
The female terrorist coldly counted.
“Wait!”
A resigned and frustrated voice belonging to the captain came out through the intercom.
“All right! Just don’t hurt anyone. We will cooperate.”
The captain then slowly put down the intercom handset.
He turned to look at his two companions within the cockpit and said, “Sorry, we’ll have to do it according to the rules. We cannot provoke these terrorists. We need to prioritize the safety of the passengers.”
After pausing for a moment, he revealed a firm expression and said, “God bless us all. Later on, when I open the door, don’t do anything to resist. Do what you can to protect yourself and wait for a chance.”
He turned to his vice-captain and asked, “Has the hijack signal been sent?”
“It has been sent repeatedly.”
“Send it out once more,” said the captain with a sigh.
“The security box…” The co-pilot glanced at the captain.
There was a safety box within the cockpit. There were some weapons stored inside – although there was no gun inside, there were knives, ropes and handcuffs.
“We’ll wait it out and see how things goes first.”
The captain stood up and said to the vice-captain, “You drive. Make sure the flight is stable and maintain the current course.”
…
When the door of the cockpit was opened, the captain walked out to find a terrorist moving toward him. The terrorist pointed a gun to his head and dragged him to the side.
The captain did not resist and was dragged to a passenger seat. As he sat down, he maintained his posture where both his hands were placed on his head.
These crew members have all received professional training. In face of such an incident, they will not recklessly try to do something heroic. During the course of their professional training, they would be taught that doing so will only provoke the terrorists, leading to an even more terrible consequence.
The captain was handcuffed – the handcuffs were obtained from the corpse of one of the air marshals.
The female terrorist and one of her companions quickly entered the cockpit.
The vice-captain cooperated with them and did not resist. As for the co-pilot, he was chased out from the cockpit and was handcuffed to a passenger seat beside the captain.
To the vice-captain’s dismay, the terrorists knew what they were doing.
That was especially true of the female terrorist; she pointed her gun at the vice-captain’s head and asked him to surrender the safety box within the cockpit.
Clearly, they already knew that the safety box within the cockpit stored some weapons.
He helplessly brought out the safety box from the cabinet and handed it over.
The female terrorist opened it and glanced at its contents.
Next, her companion sat down on the captain’s seat.
Clearly, this fellow possessed some knowledge in piloting planes.
“From now on, this airplane is completely taken over,” the female terrorist said coldly. “I know that you have already sent out the alarm. However, from this moment onward, we will be maintaining radio silence as we fly. No matter what the other side says, do not reply! Do not reply unless I give the orders! Maintain your current course and keep the airplane steady.”
At that point, it was clear that the terrorist sitting beside him was also a pilot. The vice-captain was incapable of doing anything.
The female terrorist then walked out from the cockpit. She glanced at the sobbing flight attendants. Next, she hauled the chief flight attendant up and tossed her into a passenger seat.
“You have very good luck. Your captain values your life a lot. Right now, you should be thanking him and not your God.”
By then, the chief flight attendant was so terrified she no longer knew what was going on. She simply sat there and sobbed.
There was a glint in the female terrorist’s eyes as she moved over and picked up the broadcasting handset. She took a deep breath.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The female terrorist’s voice came out through the broadcast system of the airplane and fell upon the ears of everyone there. “I am very sorry to inform everyone that there will be some adjustments to this flight plan. As of this moment, this airplane has been taken over by us. We are the mighty military defenders in the holy war. We will be taking over all the affairs that goes on inside this airplane. Yes, you may consider this as a hijacking.
“Now, I am going to announce several regulations. I hope that everyone will agree to follow them. I don’t like to threaten people a lot; so, I will only state this fact. Those who violate the regulations I put forward will be punished with death.
“First, everyone is to remain seated and to not move about. All activities within the airplane are temporarily halted. That includes the trip to the toilet!
“Second, any actions taken against my men, even verbal attacks, will be considered as a provocation, resulting in a death penalty for the one who did so.
“Third, all forms of communication will be confiscated. My companions will collect all communication devices – I ask that everyone cooperate. If someone attempts to conceal their communication device, that person will also face the death penalty.
“At the same time, I am sorry to inform you that your lunch and dinner are also temporarily cancelled.
“However, everyone may be at ease for now. Our goal is not to kill off the people within this airplane. As long as you obediently listen to our instructions and not invite any trouble for yourselves or others, once we get some affairs sorted out with the government, you fellows will be allowed to safely return home.
“Lastly, I wish you all a pleasant journey.”
After hanging up, a cruel smile was formed upon the female terrorist’s face.
…
One of the terrorists brought an empty bag and started walking through the corridor to collect the mobile phones and other communication devices belonging to the passengers. Mobile phones, PADs and other electronic devices were all confiscated by them.
Seeing the muzzle of the gun pointed at them, no passenger dared to resist and they all obediently handed over their devices.
Soon, the terrorist came to Chen Xiaolian’s row. Chen Xiaolian did not hesitate to toss the mobile phones belonging to both him and Roddy into the bag.
Sawakita Mitsuo and his team also did not hesitate to do the same.
Chen Xiaolian discussed the matter with Roddy through their guild channel for some time before turning to look at Sawakita Mitsuo.
Sawakita Mitsuo also turned to look at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian noted that Sawakita Mitsuo had secretly extended out an open palm toward him.
The move surprised Chen Xiaolian who responded with a nod of his head.
Sawakita Mitsuo’s action meant: There are five terrorists.
Chen Xiaolian pointed at him and Roddy before pointing at Sawakita Mitsuo’s side. Then, he opened up his palm as well, which meant: We have five on our side as well.
Sawakit Mitsuo replied with a faint smile. He quietly unfolded his white coloured fan. The surface of his white coloured fan swiftly changed and a line of words appeared upon its surface. The fan was positioned such that only Chen Xiaolian and Roddy would be able to see those words.
The wondrous skill made Chen Xiaolian raise his brows – clearly, this old man’s fan was not some ordinary goods. There was a high possibility that the fan was some equipment from the system.
The words written on the surface of the fan were: One each.
The line of words disappeared as soon as it appeared.
Chen Xiaolian nodded his head. Hesitating for a bit, he made a few hand signals.
Seeing the hand signals, Sawakita Mitsuo was able to somewhat understand what Chen Xiaolian meant to say: The terrorists are too spread out. We cannot act on all of them at the same time.
The old man’s eyes glinted and he reopened his fan.
Another line of words appeared on the fan: Follow my lead.
Chen Xiaolian knitted his eyebrows before nodding his head.
Next, Sawakita Mitsuo suddenly raised his hand and shouted, “Hey, I have something to say!”
After saying that, he stood up.
“Hey, sit down!”
One of the terrorists was quick to walk over. He pointed his gun at the old man and shouted out in agitation.
“I have something important to say!” The old man coughed and continued, “It is very important!”
The terrorist ignored him and sent a slap flying toward him.
Sawakita Mitsuo moved half a step away and his figure seemingly staggered. That move from him caused the terrorist’s slap to strike thin air. He then shouted, “I want to talk to your leader! I have something important to say!”
The terrorist swore and pointed his gun at Sawakita Mitsuo.
The old man maintained a calm face as he raised his head to look at the terrorist.
By then, the female terrorist who was at the front side of the cabin had heard the commotion. She reacted by shouting something.
The terrorist who had his gun pointed at Sawakita Mitsuo lowered his gun and took a step back.
The female terrorist then moved over and stared at Sawakita Mitsuo.
“Mr, I do not like having problems. Did I not say that just now? Are you thinking of questioning my authority?”
The female terrorist raised her head as she looked down on him coldly.
“No, I am not trying to stir up any troubles,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a calm tone of voice. “However, there is an important matter that I have to tell your leader directly – it’s very important!”
“Then tell it to me. I am in charge here. I hope that what you are going to tell me is really important. Otherwise, you will pay the price for your actions.”
The female terrorist gripped onto a sharp dagger in her hand.
Sawakita Mitsuo raised up both his hands, showing that he had no thoughts of resisting. “I have a document that I need to show you. It is on my assistant’s person and I will let him to bring it out.”
“Very well, just don’t try anything,” answered the female terrorist who frowned as she looked on with curiosity.
The middle-aged man who was beside Sawakita Mitsuo carefully brought up his bag and retrieved a piece of document from within it.
The female terrorist accepted it, opened it and glanced through the contents. There was a puzzled expression on her face and she asked, “Japanese? What does it say?”
“Please turn to the back. There are English words written there,” said Sawakita Mitsuo in a calm manner.
The female terrorist turned the document over and read it, “Japan… Imperial… House…”
“Japan’s Imperial Household Agency,” said Sawakita Mitsuo coolly. “Simply put, it is an agency established specifically for the Japanese Imperial family.”
“Japanese… Imperial family?” The female terrorist’s eyes lit up.
“My documents will prove my identity. I am the Vice-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. You can equate it to being a Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household.”
“Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household?” There was dubiousness in the female terrorist’s voice.
“Yes, the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household. If you are unable to understand that, then I can only explain it as such. I have a rank that is equivalent to that of a government minister.”
The female terrorist’s eyes lit up!
A ministry level official of any country would be considered as a high-level executive. Not to mention, this was a minister from Japan, a world-class economic power.
To think that there was a ministry level official among their hostages. This was an unexpected harvest!
This hostage would prove to be a very useful bargaining chip when dealing with the US government.
GOR Chapter 270: Hijacking Event
Truth be told, GM did not set Chen Xiaolian up.
At that moment in time, Chen Xiaolian himself was not aware of it.
This first phase of the quest was somewhat special. Generally speaking, punishment instance dungeons were all of the competitive type. If this was a competitive type quest, then Chen Xiaolian and Roddy would be excluded.
Unfortunately, this first phase of the quest just happened to be a non-competitive type of quest.
This situation ended up being a problem for Chen Xiaolian.
Each passenger death would cost him 100 points.
All of the hijackers had explosives on their bodies. Once those explosives were triggered, almost everyone within the airplane would have no way of surviving.
That was only natural. Whenever such an accident occurred within a flight, the rate of mortality would be very high.
…
These terrorists were very clever.
Obviously, the patient just now had been poisoned by the terrorists.
That was one of their strategies. First, instigate panic among the flight crew and utilize this unexpected incident to suss out who the air marshals were – the latter was certainly the prime objective of their actions.
After taking advantage of the incident to kill off the two air marshals, the terrorists had managed to complete their objective by half.
…
Sharp screams reverberated throughout the interior of the airplane as no small number of passengers frantically screamed out while some others burst out in tears.
Seeing the black coloured muzzle of a gun, no one dared to put up any form of resistance.
The terrorists at the back side of the airplane walked forward with a little girl held within his arms. He pointed his gun at the surrounding passengers and shouted loudly in English.
Not far away from Chen Xiaolian was Takashimoto Shizuka, whose face had become pale. A female terrorist held her by the throat and used her to block her front. This Japanese flight attendant was somewhat able to maintain of modicum of calmness. However, her pale face and her shivering legs revealed the terror she felt within her heart.
As for Chen Xiaolian, a bearded fellow was standing before him, pointing the muzzle of a gun at him.
Chen Xiaolian dropped his hands down and stared intently at the terrorist.
“Back! Back!”
The terrorist continued to point his gun at Chen Xiaolian. After checking what was happening around him, Chen Xiaolian decided.
These fellows were all criminals. If he were to resist, he was confident that he could finish off the terrorist standing before him. However… there were also terrorists in the front and back of the cabin. There was no way for him to finish them off simultaneously. Once they go berserk and set off their explosives… everything would come to an end.
After having come to that conclusion, Chen Xiaolian made a decision. He took a deep breath and quickly took two steps back. At the same time, he raised both his hands and made a gesture to show that he was not a threat.
Since I have no confidence in being able to deal with all the terrorists simultaneously, then… it would be best for me to wait for an opportunity.
Chen Xiaolian slowly retreated until he was at a safe distance.
Roddy who was at the front part of the cabin had his head raised and he was staring intently at the back of Takashimoto Shizuka’s figure.
The female terrorist turned to face Roddy. As long as Roddy got up, all he needed was one step to rush forward – Chen Xiaolian believed that Roddy would certainly be capable of finishing off the female terrorist with just one move.
However, Chen Xiaolian had already used the guild channel to contact Roddy: Do not act rashly.
Roddy was originally holding onto a metal spoon. He then slowly let it go.
“Stand up!”
It would appear that the female terrorist was the leader here.
The two fellows who were in the front area of the cabin obeyed her command and they pointed their guns at the first-class passengers. They shouted, “Everyone stand up! Up!”
Sawakita Mitsuo slowly backed away. There was a very calm look on his face. However, there was also a peculiar look within his gaze.
Like Chen Xiaolian, Sawakita Mitsuo had also received the prompt from the system informing him about the quest. A perplexing smile appeared on his aged face before he dropped his hands and backed away until he was back by his seat.
“Great Teacher!”
The middle-aged man who had already stood up whispered.
“Wait first,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a faint smile. Then, he turned to look at Nagase Komi.
Nagase Komi had the same cold and indifferent expression on her face. She slowly pulled out her earphones and cast an icy glare at the terrorists.
Sawakita Mitsuo gently shook his head.
Soon, all of the passengers in the first-class cabin had been forced to stand up. The terrorists pointed their guns at them and forced them all to move to the back of the cabin.
Everyone present was forced into the back half of the cabin.
The terrorists were cautious as they did so. They would constantly have one fellow stationed at the other end. As for the two terrorists who were by the female terrorist in the front side of the cabin, they would be careful to maintain a certain distance from the other passengers. With the exception of the two hostages in their hands, they would never allow others to come close to them.
Soon, the front side of the cabin had been emptied.
All the passengers there had been forced to move to the back half of the cabin.
The terrorist in the back side of the cabin occupied the last two rows. He created a certain distance between himself and the passengers and pulled the little girl, forcing her to sit beside him. At the same time, he also took off his jacket to reveal the hidden explosives around his body.
“How did these fellows even manage to get these things past the security? Are the security personnel blind or something?” Chen Xiaolian swore inwardly.
However, he knew that matter was not something that could be blamed on the security personnel – this was a quest arranged by the system.
Simply put, this was a setting.
Moreover, after observing them carefully, Chen Xiaolian realized that the explosives on the terrorists’ bodies had a plastic texture.
There were like Lego toys that appeared to have been assembled together.
Even the guns in their hands were similar. It was as though their exterior was made of plastic and they were smaller than the average firearms.
“Special firearms.” Roddy communicated with him using the guild channel. “Looks like they used plastic materials to get past the security… however, these type of firearms are generally small-calibre and can dish out less in terms of firepower. Also, it cannot be fired consecutively. Maybe that is where we can find an opportunity to act.”
“First, we need to figure out the detonation method of those explosives,” Chen Xiaolian replied with a frown. “Wait first.”
Then, the passengers that were seated in front arrived at the backside of the cabin and Chen Xiaolian deliberately moved close to Roddy.
As it so happened, Nagase Komi and Sawakita Mitsuo, seemingly on purpose, moved very close to Chen Xiaolian and Roddy.
The five of them deliberately sat together in the same row.
Chen Xiaolian winked at Nagase Komi. She reacted with a frown before finally revealing a wry smile.
“Cooperation?” Chen Xiaolian mouthed out the word without making a single sound.
Nagase Komi hesitated for a moment and glanced at Sawakita Mitsuo who was seated beside her. The old man gave a meaningful glance at Chen Xiaolian before responding with a faint smile.
One minute later, the terrorists finished setting up their positions. Two of them took to the backside of the cabin, another two took to the front end of the cabin and one stood in the middle of the corridor, carefully checking the passengers.
“Don’t talk! And don’t whisper! You are not allowed to make a single noise! That is, if you do not want to die.”
After those words of warning were repeated three times, the cabin turned quiet.
Of the two terrorists staying in the front side of the cabin, one of them was the female terrorist. She had released Takashimoto Shizuka and had her join the rest of the flight attendants. They were huddled together in front of the other passengers.
“Now, I need to open the door of the cockpit.”
The female terrorist sneered and pointed the muzzle of her gun at the chief flight attendant, forcing her to use the intercom aboard the plane to contact those who were inside the cockpit.
The chief attendant picked up the intercom handset and said a few words. However, before she could continue, the female terrorist shoved her aside, picked up the handset and quickly spoke into it.
Two minutes later, the female terrorist furiously hung up.
Obviously, the crewmembers inside the cockpit had refused to open up the door.
After having suffered from so many terror attacks, especially the infamous terror attack that happened in US over a decade ago, most of the airline companies in the world had strengthened their cockpit doors as an anti-terrorist measure.
The cockpit door was resistant to any attempts to break through and was also bulletproof. Given the lack of equipment available within the airplane, any attempt to break through the cockpit door would prove very difficult.
“In that case, let’s do this.”
The female terrorist hesitated slightly before quickly making her decision.
She walked forward and picked up the intercom handset again. She sneered and said, “Esteemed captain, I know that you can hear me. So, I’ll say this. I will give you two minutes to consider… two minutes later, you must open the cockpit door and surrender to us. Otherwise… we will begin killing the passengers! Every 30 seconds that goes by, we will kill off one of the passengers. We will keep doing so until you open the cockpit door. And now, the countdown begins.”
After saying that, she walked over and grabbed the chief flight attendant. Grabbing her by the hair, the female terrorist dragged her to the front and had her kneel in the middle of the corridor while pointing a gun at the back of her head.
“We’ll start with your colleague!”
The chief flight attendant had already burst into tears and snot flowed out from her nose as she kneeled on the ground, shivering. She helplessly mumbled, “Oh God, Oh God…”
…
“What should we do?”
Within the cockpit, the captain who was wearing pilot uniform furiously slammed his fist down on the dashboard.
“We cannot open the door. Once we open it, we’re dead men,” said the vice-captain. He was a middle-aged man with a panicked expression on his face.
There was a co-pilot within the cockpit. He too had a nervous expression on his face and he said, “They will not be able to get in. The door is specially made.”
“I’ll discuss things with them again.” The captain picked up the intercom handset and took a deep breath.
…
“These actions of yours are pointless. We have already reported this hijacking incident. According to the latest laws passed for the US, hijacked airplanes will not be allowed to enter US airspace. Since 911, such an event would never be allowed to repeat itself. It won’t be long before the Air Force fighters come to our location. If you are thinking of hijacking this plane to repeat 911, you can forget about it. The moment we enter an airspace deemed dangerous to them, the Air Force fighters will shoot us down!”
The female terrorist listened to what he said but sneered. “This is not something for you to worry about, Mr Captain. This is our problem… as for you, all you need to worry about is surrendering to us. What happens next is up to us.
“Now… let me remind you. You have already wasted a lot of time. You have another 10 seconds remaining!”
She pointed the muzzle of her gun down and the sobbing sounds of the chief flight attendant grew louder as her legs trembled in fear.
Additionally, there was a strange scent in the air.
The female terrorist lowered her head and saw that the chief flight attendant had been scared to the point of ***.
Considering the situation she was in, no one would ridicule the chief flight attendant. She knelt in the middle of the corridor with a gun pointed at her head. As for the passengers behind her, their faces were all pale. Some of them sobbed softly, some of them were panicking and some were frantically tracing the cross and muttering the name of their Lord…
“Five, four, three…”
The female terrorist coldly counted.
“Wait!”
A resigned and frustrated voice belonging to the captain came out through the intercom.
“All right! Just don’t hurt anyone. We will cooperate.”
The captain then slowly put down the intercom handset.
He turned to look at his two companions within the cockpit and said, “Sorry, we’ll have to do it according to the rules. We cannot provoke these terrorists. We need to prioritize the safety of the passengers.”
After pausing for a moment, he revealed a firm expression and said, “God bless us all. Later on, when I open the door, don’t do anything to resist. Do what you can to protect yourself and wait for a chance.”
He turned to his vice-captain and asked, “Has the hijack signal been sent?”
“It has been sent repeatedly.”
“Send it out once more,” said the captain with a sigh.
“The security box…” The co-pilot glanced at the captain.
There was a safety box within the cockpit. There were some weapons stored inside – although there was no gun inside, there were knives, ropes and handcuffs.
“We’ll wait it out and see how things goes first.”
The captain stood up and said to the vice-captain, “You drive. Make sure the flight is stable and maintain the current course.”
…
When the door of the cockpit was opened, the captain walked out to find a terrorist moving toward him. The terrorist pointed a gun to his head and dragged him to the side.
The captain did not resist and was dragged to a passenger seat. As he sat down, he maintained his posture where both his hands were placed on his head.
These crew members have all received professional training. In face of such an incident, they will not recklessly try to do something heroic. During the course of their professional training, they would be taught that doing so will only provoke the terrorists, leading to an even more terrible consequence.
The captain was handcuffed – the handcuffs were obtained from the corpse of one of the air marshals.
The female terrorist and one of her companions quickly entered the cockpit.
The vice-captain cooperated with them and did not resist. As for the co-pilot, he was chased out from the cockpit and was handcuffed to a passenger seat beside the captain.
To the vice-captain’s dismay, the terrorists knew what they were doing.
That was especially true of the female terrorist; she pointed her gun at the vice-captain’s head and asked him to surrender the safety box within the cockpit.
Clearly, they already knew that the safety box within the cockpit stored some weapons.
He helplessly brought out the safety box from the cabinet and handed it over.
The female terrorist opened it and glanced at its contents.
Next, her companion sat down on the captain’s seat.
Clearly, this fellow possessed some knowledge in piloting planes.
“From now on, this airplane is completely taken over,” the female terrorist said coldly. “I know that you have already sent out the alarm. However, from this moment onward, we will be maintaining radio silence as we fly. No matter what the other side says, do not reply! Do not reply unless I give the orders! Maintain your current course and keep the airplane steady.”
At that point, it was clear that the terrorist sitting beside him was also a pilot. The vice-captain was incapable of doing anything.
The female terrorist then walked out from the cockpit. She glanced at the sobbing flight attendants. Next, she hauled the chief flight attendant up and tossed her into a passenger seat.
“You have very good luck. Your captain values your life a lot. Right now, you should be thanking him and not your God.”
By then, the chief flight attendant was so terrified she no longer knew what was going on. She simply sat there and sobbed.
There was a glint in the female terrorist’s eyes as she moved over and picked up the broadcasting handset. She took a deep breath.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The female terrorist’s voice came out through the broadcast system of the airplane and fell upon the ears of everyone there. “I am very sorry to inform everyone that there will be some adjustments to this flight plan. As of this moment, this airplane has been taken over by us. We are the mighty military defenders in the holy war. We will be taking over all the affairs that goes on inside this airplane. Yes, you may consider this as a hijacking.
“Now, I am going to announce several regulations. I hope that everyone will agree to follow them. I don’t like to threaten people a lot; so, I will only state this fact. Those who violate the regulations I put forward will be punished with death.
“First, everyone is to remain seated and to not move about. All activities within the airplane are temporarily halted. That includes the trip to the toilet!
“Second, any actions taken against my men, even verbal attacks, will be considered as a provocation, resulting in a death penalty for the one who did so.
“Third, all forms of communication will be confiscated. My companions will collect all communication devices – I ask that everyone cooperate. If someone attempts to conceal their communication device, that person will also face the death penalty.
“At the same time, I am sorry to inform you that your lunch and dinner are also temporarily cancelled.
“However, everyone may be at ease for now. Our goal is not to kill off the people within this airplane. As long as you obediently listen to our instructions and not invite any trouble for yourselves or others, once we get some affairs sorted out with the government, you fellows will be allowed to safely return home.
“Lastly, I wish you all a pleasant journey.”
After hanging up, a cruel smile was formed upon the female terrorist’s face.
…
One of the terrorists brought an empty bag and started walking through the corridor to collect the mobile phones and other communication devices belonging to the passengers. Mobile phones, PADs and other electronic devices were all confiscated by them.
Seeing the muzzle of the gun pointed at them, no passenger dared to resist and they all obediently handed over their devices.
Soon, the terrorist came to Chen Xiaolian’s row. Chen Xiaolian did not hesitate to toss the mobile phones belonging to both him and Roddy into the bag.
Sawakita Mitsuo and his team also did not hesitate to do the same.
Chen Xiaolian discussed the matter with Roddy through their guild channel for some time before turning to look at Sawakita Mitsuo.
Sawakita Mitsuo also turned to look at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian noted that Sawakita Mitsuo had secretly extended out an open palm toward him.
The move surprised Chen Xiaolian who responded with a nod of his head.
Sawakita Mitsuo’s action meant: There are five terrorists.
Chen Xiaolian pointed at him and Roddy before pointing at Sawakita Mitsuo’s side. Then, he opened up his palm as well, which meant: We have five on our side as well.
Sawakit Mitsuo replied with a faint smile. He quietly unfolded his white coloured fan. The surface of his white coloured fan swiftly changed and a line of words appeared upon its surface. The fan was positioned such that only Chen Xiaolian and Roddy would be able to see those words.
The wondrous skill made Chen Xiaolian raise his brows – clearly, this old man’s fan was not some ordinary goods. There was a high possibility that the fan was some equipment from the system.
The words written on the surface of the fan were: One each.
The line of words disappeared as soon as it appeared.
Chen Xiaolian nodded his head. Hesitating for a bit, he made a few hand signals.
Seeing the hand signals, Sawakita Mitsuo was able to somewhat understand what Chen Xiaolian meant to say: The terrorists are too spread out. We cannot act on all of them at the same time.
The old man’s eyes glinted and he reopened his fan.
Another line of words appeared on the fan: Follow my lead.
Chen Xiaolian knitted his eyebrows before nodding his head.
Next, Sawakita Mitsuo suddenly raised his hand and shouted, “Hey, I have something to say!”
After saying that, he stood up.
“Hey, sit down!”
One of the terrorists was quick to walk over. He pointed his gun at the old man and shouted out in agitation.
“I have something important to say!” The old man coughed and continued, “It is very important!”
The terrorist ignored him and sent a slap flying toward him.
Sawakita Mitsuo moved half a step away and his figure seemingly staggered. That move from him caused the terrorist’s slap to strike thin air. He then shouted, “I want to talk to your leader! I have something important to say!”
The terrorist swore and pointed his gun at Sawakita Mitsuo.
The old man maintained a calm face as he raised his head to look at the terrorist.
By then, the female terrorist who was at the front side of the cabin had heard the commotion. She reacted by shouting something.
The terrorist who had his gun pointed at Sawakita Mitsuo lowered his gun and took a step back.
The female terrorist then moved over and stared at Sawakita Mitsuo.
“Mr, I do not like having problems. Did I not say that just now? Are you thinking of questioning my authority?”
The female terrorist raised her head as she looked down on him coldly.
“No, I am not trying to stir up any troubles,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a calm tone of voice. “However, there is an important matter that I have to tell your leader directly – it’s very important!”
“Then tell it to me. I am in charge here. I hope that what you are going to tell me is really important. Otherwise, you will pay the price for your actions.”
The female terrorist gripped onto a sharp dagger in her hand.
Sawakita Mitsuo raised up both his hands, showing that he had no thoughts of resisting. “I have a document that I need to show you. It is on my assistant’s person and I will let him to bring it out.”
“Very well, just don’t try anything,” answered the female terrorist who frowned as she looked on with curiosity.
The middle-aged man who was beside Sawakita Mitsuo carefully brought up his bag and retrieved a piece of document from within it.
The female terrorist accepted it, opened it and glanced through the contents. There was a puzzled expression on her face and she asked, “Japanese? What does it say?”
“Please turn to the back. There are English words written there,” said Sawakita Mitsuo in a calm manner.
The female terrorist turned the document over and read it, “Japan… Imperial… House…”
“Japan’s Imperial Household Agency,” said Sawakita Mitsuo coolly. “Simply put, it is an agency established specifically for the Japanese Imperial family.”
“Japanese… Imperial family?” The female terrorist’s eyes lit up.
“My documents will prove my identity. I am the Vice-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. You can equate it to being a Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household.”
“Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household?” There was dubiousness in the female terrorist’s voice.
“Yes, the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Household. If you are unable to understand that, then I can only explain it as such. I have a rank that is equivalent to that of a government minister.”
The female terrorist’s eyes lit up!
A ministry level official of any country would be considered as a high-level executive. Not to mention, this was a minister from Japan, a world-class economic power.
To think that there was a ministry level official among their hostages. This was an unexpected harvest!
This hostage would prove to be a very useful bargaining chip when dealing with the US government.
