Chapter 121: The Sinister Man

"Xiao Ran, Xiao Ran, wake up! Why did you suddenly fall asleep?"

Lin Chong’s voice was loud and anxious.

What was going on? They had been talking just a moment ago when Mu Ran’s eyes suddenly rolled back, and she lost consciousness.

The plane was currently experiencing violent turbulence, pitching and rolling in a terrifying manner. Every passenger in the cabin had donned their oxygen masks, their hands gripping their seatbelts tightly across their laps. Fear and restlessness permeated the entire aircraft.

Mu Ran groggily opened her eyes, seeing Lin Chong crouching before her, his face a mask of frantic agitation. She grabbed the seatbelt to pull herself upright, but she felt limp and collapsed back into her seat. With dull, listless eyes, she met Lin Chong’s bloodshot gaze, her pale, dry lips parting slightly. "Brother Lin, why did I suddenly lose consciousness? I just had a dream..."

The dream had felt so real.

"What? Did you dream that we were saved from this air disaster?"

Lin Chong let out a casual, scoffing laugh. His previously grim expression softened slightly, though the bulging veins on his hands—which were gripping the armrests—betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Brother Lin, I know how to save everyone!"

No sooner had Mu Ran finished speaking than the plane plunged sharply, sending Lin Chong sprawling to the floor.

"Sir, please return to your seat immediately! Do not be nervous; our crew has undergone countless hours of professional training. We will surely overcome this crisis!"

It was the same flight attendant, Cheng Tong. She had been in the back organizing meal service before the turbulence became severe. The plane had leveled out for a few minutes, but just as everyone began to breathe a sigh of relief, it started its rapid descent. Cheng Tong had been thrown against the cabin door. Before she could regain her bearings, she saw the bald passenger in front of her fall to the ground.

"Sir, get up quickly!"

Cheng Tong gripped the seatback in front of her, her gaze filled with worry as she stared at the motionless man on the floor. How had he passed out again in just a few seconds? As the plane plummeted, luggage began falling from the overhead bins, and she feared Lin Chong would be struck and injured.

"Ma'am, please hold onto your seatbelt; do not move about," Cheng Tong said, turning to Mu Ran, whose forehead was beaded with sweat. Seeing the woman’s poor complexion, she felt a surge of panic.

Terrified, Cheng Tong glanced at the dark, menacing clouds outside the window before looking back at Lin Chong on the floor. She kept one hand locked onto the seatback and reached out with the other, trying to pull him up, but the man was too far away.

The plane’s nose dipped further, and an irresistible sensation of weightlessness took hold. Lin Chong was about to slide into the aisle; if she didn't grab him now, it would be too late.

Cheng Tong gritted her teeth and decided to let go of her only "lifeline" to reach for Lin Chong. Suddenly, a slender but powerful hand appeared before her, grabbing Lin Chong by the collar, hauling him up, and tossing him back into his seat.

"Miss flight attendant, thank you. You should go sit in that empty seat," Mu Ran said, her expression blank and her tone cold.

"Ma'am, you cannot stand up! It’s too dangerous!" Cheng Tong was stunned by Mu Ran’s strength. But the woman, who possessed a calm aura despite the chaotic, oppressive atmosphere, was now standing up and heading toward the economy cabin.

"Xiao Ran, where are you going?" Lin Chong opened his eyes. After his brief blackout from the fall, a face had surfaced in his dazed mind—a man’s face. In truth, before he had passed out earlier, Lin Chong hadn't actually known how to solve the crisis. But to keep Mu Ran from panicking, he had claimed he did, saying only that the time hadn't come yet.

"Lin Chong, I know what to do, and I know you don't actually have a solution." Mu Ran’s smile was chilling, like a bloodthirsty demon unwilling to accept its fate.

"Xiao Ran, then..."

"I'm coming with you."

Lin Chong rubbed his head; the sharp, stabbing pains reminded him that they were hanging by a thread.

"Sir! Ma'am! Where are you going? The plane is descending rapidly! It’s extremely dangerous! Please return to your seats!"

"Return to our seats to wait for death?" A hoarse, mocking male voice came from the seat behind Lin Chong.

It was the man in sunglasses. At some point, one of his lenses had fallen out. His hair was disheveled, and blood trickled from his forehead, giving him a disheveled appearance.

"Sir, please sit down and fasten your seatbelt!" Cheng Tong shouted, her eyes wide with shock and fear, repeatedly urging the man in sunglasses, Mu Ran, and Lin Chong to return to their seats.

"You’re terrified too, aren't you? Your crew may have had countless safety drills, but what about the captain you’re cursing in your heart right now? A man who got his position through connections—are you really going to let us entrust our lives to him?" The man in sunglasses swayed as he walked toward the attendant, sneering repeatedly.

"How do you know that?" Cheng Tong’s voice trembled. Even among the crew, few knew about the captain’s connections.

The man in sunglasses turned, his voice devoid of ripples yet laced with a calm, playful tone. "Anything I want to know, I can know." He had told many people he could read minds, but they never believed him.

"Sir! No matter what, you cannot go to the economy cabin! It’s too dangerous!" Cheng Tong stood up, releasing her seatbelt in an attempt to grab him, but her legs were weak and trembling; if she hadn't been gripping the seatback, she would have been thrown aside.

"Mu Ran, wait for me!" The man in sunglasses walked with a steady gait to Mu Ran and Lin Chong’s side. "I know what you’re planning, and perhaps you’ll find me useful later." He looked at Mu Ran’s light-colored eyes, a gleam of cunning passing through his own, his smirk both repulsive and off-putting.

"Get lost." Mu Ran’s voice was icy; she didn't even spare him a glance. She had urgent business to attend to and had no time to exchange words with this man of ill intent.

Lin Chong shielded Mu Ran, gesturing at the man with his chin. "Brother, don't cause trouble for me. Trust me, the plane will land safely soon. Go back to your seat. If something happens to you, your family will be devastated." Lin Chong spoke rapidly, appealing to both emotion and logic.

The man in sunglasses let out a mocking laugh, his eyes flashing with a strange, dark light. He glanced at Mu Ran, who was walking straight ahead, and said to Lin Chong in a chilling tone, "I have no family. The person you’re looking for is deaf. I can help you."

"Let him come," Mu Ran said, her expression blank, her cold tone serving as a warning.

The man in sunglasses curled his lips. "Don't worry, I won't hold you up."

Lin Chong looked at him, puzzled, then turned to follow Mu Ran. He stepped between the man and Mu Ran. He didn't know what the man’s intentions were, but he was certain they were malicious. It was as if this man had already seen through their entire plan. Were psychologists this capable nowadays? Could he really read minds? The world was full of wonders, and Lin Chong’s heart sank as a terrifying thought emerged: was this man a practitioner of some dark, unorthodox arts?

In moments of crisis, the mind is often at its clearest. Recalling that thought, Lin Chong’s guard against the man in sunglasses rose even higher. Perhaps he wasn't just reading minds—he was a master of hypnosis! What was his true purpose in approaching Mu Ran?

As he pondered this, Lin Chong felt a wave of repulsion. He looked back at the man with disgust. "Stay away from us. Economy is at the front; the plane is descending at a steep angle. Don't fall on us."

"Don't worry, I’m standing very steadily. By the way, I just read what you were thinking. To be honest, I appeared here specifically to approach Mu Ran."

Lin Chong felt a chill. This man was the most sinister person he had ever encountered.

"Delusional." Lin Chong sneered, extending his arm to block the man from advancing further. "Don't go any further."

"Don't go further?" The man in sunglasses looked past Lin Chong at Mu Ran, who was standing unsteadily before a middle-aged man. He turned his gaze back to the bald man blocking his path, his aura turning wicked and sinister. "Baldy, I know you aren't an ordinary person. I advise you: leaking heavenly secrets brings divine retribution. Mu Ran has no value; why bother protecting her so fiercely?"

"How do you know Mu Ran has no value?" Lin Chong sneered. Mu Ran was someone he was determined to protect. Precisely because her fate was extraordinary, staying by her side could not only benefit him but help him avoid the calamities of divine retribution.

The situation in the economy cabin was chaotic. Some passengers had fainted from fear, while others were shouting and cursing, screaming about how air disasters never happened in the Imperial Capital and why they were unlucky enough to encounter one.

"See those people shouting? They are filled with fear and despair. I can see everything they are thinking. I told you, I have the ability to read minds. But Mu Ran—I cannot see into her heart." She was the second person whose mind he couldn't read. Furthermore, Mu Ran’s relationship with "that person" was destined to make her meat on his chopping block.

Lin Chong glared at the man, raising his arm to quickly catch a falling suitcase. His breathing was unsteady as he said, "You will meet a bad end. Mu Ran is not someone you can easily manipulate."

The man in front of him had been reading his thoughts, and the sinister aura he emitted made Lin Chong fear that he and Mu Ran were no match for him. But he would never let this man harm her.

"Ma'am! Please return to your seat! It is extremely dangerous right now!" A flight attendant with disheveled hair stumbled toward Mu Ran, trying to reason with her. "Please, everyone, do not panic! Our crew has been trained countless times; we will ensure your safety. Please calm down, do not be impatient, and do not stand up! Please put on your oxygen masks!"

"Take this man to your captain! I believe the current captain has no ability to guarantee everyone's safety," Mu Ran said, grabbing the attendant’s arm and pulling her aside to whisper firmly in her ear.

The attendant stood stunned, following Mu Ran’s gaze toward the man in question.

"Captain Gao?!"

Captain Gao was a legend in the Imperial Capital’s Civil Aviation Bureau. He had flown fighter jets in his youth, joined the civil aviation bureau in his thirties, and served as a captain for decades, safeguarding countless flights. There had been several aerial emergencies in the capital, but under Captain Gao’s control, they had all been resolved safely. The flight attendant beside Mu Ran was a veteran who had heard many of his heroic tales, but she never imagined Captain Gao would be in the economy cabin.

"He cannot hear us," Mu Ran said. She knew a bit of sign language; due to years of service, Captain Gao’s hearing had been severely damaged, and his main reason for traveling to Country B was to seek treatment for his ears.

The attendant nodded, her emotions running high. "Yes, but... I cannot let you into the cockpit! That violates regulations."

Mu Ran sneered. "You’ve worked here for so many years; you must know some inside information about the skill level of the pilot currently flying this plane."

"Go ask him. Ask your panicked pilot if he wants to die."

The attendant was incredulous, her body trembling, her pupils dilating as her lips twitched. "Ma'am, you..."

Who exactly was this woman? How did she know about the internal affairs of the flight crew?