Chereads / THE ULTIMATE ASSASSIN / Chapter 3 - The Assassin vs The Hijackers

Chapter 3 - The Assassin vs The Hijackers

High in the air, a Raven Airbus-1000 belonging to Hainan Airlines was speeding its way towards China. It was an overnight flight that had left Paris at 9 PM and would be landing in Beijing in approximately 10 hours. The airplane had been flying for five hours and was approximately halfway through its journey.

The RA-1000 was a new type of airplane developed by Raven Aviation, a subsidiary company of the Raven Group. It was considered to be the most sophisticated and luxurious airliner currently in service. After Hainan Airlines was acquired by the Raven Group, it was supplied with a whole fleet of RA-1000's and its business was booming.

Inside the airplane most of the passengers were sleeping peacefully. In the first class cabin, a handsome young man was sitting upright in his bed with a soft blanket covering him. This handsome young man had an enchanting pair of deep purple eyes. It was indeed Zhu Xiwang. A few moments ago, he had been sound asleep, but something had suddenly made him wake up. It was not that his sleeping position was uncomfortable. He had trained himself to fall asleep anywhere, no matter how uncomfortable, let alone this soft and comfortable bed.

No, the problem did not lie with his sleeping quarters. His bed was actually very comfortable. Something else had forced him awake. It was his killer instinct. As the ultimate assassin, he had honed his killing skills to perfection and his ability to detect bloodlust was second to none. And, not long ago he had detected bloodlust inside this very airplane. He was asleep at the time, but his body reacted instinctively and prompted him awake. He was that sensitive when it came to bloodlust. He could pick it up instantly even in his sleep. This was because he was a grandmaster when it came to the art of killing and had shed too much blood himself.

He knew that the only reason for detecting bloodlust inside an airplane would be that someone was trying to hijack the airplane. He groaned inwardly and cursed his luck. 'There are so many airplanes taking off from Paris every day. It's just my luck that these hijackers had to target mine. Am I doomed to have violence follow me wherever I go? *sigh* I hope the Air Marshals are alert.'

Since Hainan Airlines became a subsidiary company under the Raven International Conglomerate two Air Marshals would always be posted with every flight. Considering how hard it was to sneak weapons, especially hot weapons, into the airplane two armed Air marshals could provide more than enough security to the passengers in most cases. But, they would not be able to maintain security if there were too many hijackers. Xiwang hoped that there would not be too many hijackers on the plane or he might have to take action personally.

The hijackers soon made their move. Xiwang closed his eyes and used his trained instincts to probe the position of the hijackers. It was not that hard to identify their locations. They were leaking bloodlust all over the place. These hijackers had probably killed a lot of people before but they were obviously nothing compared to a trained assassin. A skilled assassin could mask his bloodlust perfectly. As Xiwang had feared, there were too many hijackers-fifteen in total. They were also armed with submachine guns and soon overpowered the two Air Marshals. Thankfully, no one had been killed yet.

Two of the hijackers coerced a frightened stewardess into getting the pilot to open the cockpit. They entered the cockpit and held the pilot and co-pilot at gunpoint. Under their threats, the pilot was forced to change the plane's course. Six of the hijackers were controlling the passengers in the economy section. Five others were in the business section. The last two hijackers were making their way to the First Class section with two beautiful stewardesses in between them.

In addition to the normal first-class seats, there were three private suites in the first-class section, each fitted with a luxurious bed, sofa and a bar as well as other amenities. Xiwang was in the first suite and the hijackers were steadily making their way towards him. The two hijackers first gathered the other first-class passengers in one location. Then they made their way to the private suits with the stewardesses walking in front of them. As the stewardesses walked, the two men stared at their perky butts lewdly. They had extremely perverted expressions on their faces and it was obvious what they wanted to do.

They called to the occupants of the suites and told them to quickly go out. Xiwang and the other two occupants came out of the suites and joined the other passengers. Xiwang took a good look at the submachine guns in the hands of the hijackers. He recognized the materials used to manufacture them and was a little impressed. The submachine guns were not made of metal, but a new type of super polymer. It was not easy to get a hold of this super polymer nor was it easy to use it to make things, let alone something as complicated as a submachine gun. Xiwang silently evaluated the hijackers. 'I guess that explains how these goons were able to get past the metal detectors. They probably took apart the guns and re-assembled them inside the plane. They get an A for effort, at least. Too bad they had to pick my plane.'

Having seen the weapons, Xiwang believed that these men belonged to an organized criminal organization with solid backing and plenty of resources. Otherwise, they could not have gotten their hands on the super polymer. As if to confirm his guess, one of the hijackers' voice was heard through the intercom: We are members of The New World Order. We have hijacked this plane and we will be heading to a new destination. It is not our intention to harm anyone. Behave yourselves and no one will get hurt.

The New World Order was an organized criminal organization, or more precisely a terrorist organization, that had recently gained infamy. No one knew the exact extent of the organization. But, it was clear that they were highly organized and had tremendous resources. They had perpetrated many terrorist acts in different parts of the world. Their stated aim, like their name portrayed, was the establishment of a new world order where they would rule over every country and bring order and peace to the world. They were fanatical and determined. They had branches in different parts of the world and were a source of headache for all the Governments of the world.

One of the hijackers stood guard over the passengers while the other one dragged one of the stewardesses into suite no.1, which was where Xiwang had been staying. The remaining stewardess was with the passengers but she knew that after the two men were done with her co-worker then they would take turns raping her. Tears were flowing down her face as she imagined her terrible future.

Witnessing all this, Xiwang had an extremely annoyed look on his face. He was thinking inwardly, 'First they pick my plane, now they just had to pick my suite. I guess it's time to act.' He called out to their guard, "Hey, idiot!"

The hijacker turned to him and tried to point his gun at him. But, before he could raise his gun, Xiwang suddenly disappeared from his view. In the next instant, Xiwang's powerful right hand was already on the hijacker's throat, strangling him with a vice-like grip. The other passengers and the stewardess were stunned. They all had the same thought. 'So fast!' The hijacker did not even have a chance to blink before he blacked out. The ultimate assassin had lived up to his name as a master of close-quarters combat. The amount of strength he had applied to his hand was perfect-not so strong that it would break the man's neck yet strong enough to instantly render him unconscious. The hijacker was lucky that there were witnesses. Otherwise, he would have died instantly.

Throwing the man aside, Xiwang made his way to his suite. Inside, he saw the hijacker pinning the stewardess to his bed. She was weeping and trying to struggle desperately while the man ran his hands all over her delicate body. The shirt of her uniform was torn revealing a lacey, white bra that only partially covered her bountiful mounds. As the man tried to pull down her bra, Xiwang gave him a hard chop to his neck, immediately rendering him unconscious. The stewardess was still trembling and weeping as he pulled the man off her. He pulled her up and covered her with the blanket. Then, he said to her in a gentle and soothing voice, "It's okay. It's all over. You're alright now."

The stewardess suddenly hugged him and wept even harder. Xiwang knew that the poor girl was traumatized by the event so he decided to let her vent for some time. He rubbed her back gently and said in that same soothing tone, "It's alright. You can cry. Just let it all out. You're alright."

After a while the stewardess was able to calm herself down. She let him go and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you." Xiwang smiled at her and said, "You're welcome. Now, stay here while I go take care of the rest of these goons." The stewardess saw his charming smile and his enchanting deep purple eyes and was dazed for a second. Seeing him walking out, she called after him, "Please, be careful." Xiwang turned back and smiled, "I'm always careful." Then, he walked out slowly, leaving the beautiful stewardess in a daze.

Outside the suite, the other passengers and the stewardess were still waiting anxiously. They heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Xiwang. These people were awed by this handsome young man who moved like greased lightning. If he came out it meant that the second hijacker had gone the way of the first one. They ran up to him and asked nervously, "What do we do now?"

"I knocked out the one inside as well. Find something to tie them up with. There are thirteen other hijackers on board. Stay here while I go take care of them." Without waiting for a reply, he left towards the business section of the cabin. The people left inside the room all stared at his back in awe. His previous actions had utterly surprised them. The man had simply moved too quickly and his strike was too fierce. It only took him a second to take out the hijacker. They were thoroughly convinced by his ability and wondered just exactly who he was. They had inexplicable faith in him and somehow knew that even with their guns, the hijackers would be no match for him.

Watching him walk off calmly, the stewardess had a dreamy look in her eyes as she commented, "Now, that's a real man!" All the other passengers nodded their consent to that remark.

In the business section, the hijackers were lined up in a row, keeping a watchful eye on the passengers. Because they were on an airplane, Xiwang knew that it could prove disastrous if the hijackers were to fire off their submachine guns. It would be bad if these terrorists were to hit any of the passengers and it would be even worse if they were to shoot a hole through the walls of the pressurized cabin. He could not afford to be careless so he decided to end everything swiftly.

One of the hijackers saw him and shouted, "Stop! What are you doing here?" His voice alerted the others. But, before they could react, Xiwang made his move.

Swoosh!

He moved like lightning. All the onlookers could see was a blur that seemed to consume the hijackers. In the next instant, all the hijackers were down. Contrary to what some people might believe it is not that easy to knock someone out in a real fight. But, such a feat was simple for an experienced master of close-quarters combat like Xiwang. A hit at just the right angle, at just the right place and with just the right amount of force and everything was over. The same thing happened at the coach. The economy class passengers were stunned when they suddenly saw a blur followed by the collapse of the hijackers. Now, there were only two hijackers left and the only place left was the cockpit.

Xiwang took possession of one of the hijackers' radio and called the leaders inside the cockpit. "Come out."

"Who is this?" No answer. Inside the cockpit, the two men stared at each other. They knew that their men had run into some sort of trouble outside. What they could not imagine was that all their subordinates had been neutralized. The smaller man said, "Go check it out." The bigger man opened the door of the cockpit and looked outside. What he saw was a big fist that crashed right into his face and then he was out cold like the others. Before the smaller man could react his neck was already locked with a vice-like grip. The result was obvious and without suspense. He immediately blacked out. The choke-hold move was something Xiwang had developed in the course of his training, purely for amusement. He called it 'the sandman's grip'. He made it look simple but it was not a simple move at all. The power needed to be controlled precisely which was not possible unless one was a master of close-quarters combat. It was not a killing move but it was useful nonetheless.

Xiwang turned to the pilot and co-pilot and said, "It's over now. All the hijackers have been knocked out. Get the staff to tie them up and place them somewhere." The two men could not hide the surprise on their faces.

"Did you do everything by yourself?"

"I was lucky."

"To take out all those armed hijackers alone! Just who are you? Are you some kind of special agent from somewhere?"

"I'm the passenger from suite number 1. Take care of the hijackers." With that, Xiwang left before the two men could reply.

As Xiwang had instructed all the hijackers were tied up securely and placed in the cargo hold of the plane. The rest of the flight passed by uneventfully for Xiwang except, of course, for the occasional intrusion from the stewardesses who took turns visiting his suite with excuses like giving him an extra blanket or making drinks for him or informing him of the flight progress every five minutes or so. It couldn't be helped. Xiwang's actions had made him a hero and a celebrity among the passengers and crew. No one felt sleepy any more. Everyone was talking about the mysterious young man who had saved all of them.

In the crew cabin, the air stewardesses were huddled together talking excitedly. There were also two male stewards on one side with unhappy expressions. They were grateful to the man who had saved them but, nonetheless, they were still jealous of him because all the beautiful stewardesses seemed to have developed an interest in him. One of the stewardesses who had just gotten back from Xiwang's suite said, "My God, he's so handsome. Those dreamy eyes and that wonderful voice. He's just perfect."

"I know, right? And he's always so polite. Such a refined and handsome young man. He's just like an angel."

"When I went there he was taking off his shirt. My God! That body. He's so hot. It was like looking at a Greek god or something. I'm getting wet just thinking about it."

"What are you saying?! You have a boyfriend."

"This and that are two completely different things."

"Meimei, you said you hugged him. What was it like?"

"Yes, Meimei. Tell us, tell us." This girl that they called Meimei was the one who was nearly raped by one of the hijackers. She was twenty one years old and was the youngest among them. She was a beauty with fair and delicate skin. She was not a tall woman and was only about five foot five in height. Though she was petite, her body was curvy and her chest was quite large. She was very popular among the male staff, many of whom had a crush on her. They would often fantasize about her curvy body and really wished that they could ravage her naked body. In fact, a lot of pilots and stewards had tried and failed to hook up with her many times before. She had never been with a man before and the previous event still scared her. She blushed and answered the ladies, "Well, I was really frightened at the time. I just hugged him without thinking. My mind wasn't really clear at the time but I remember that it felt warm and very comfortable. It made me feel really safe."

"Wow! It must have felt so nice."

"Did you see the way he took take care of those hijackers? It was like 'whoosh' and everything was over. A girl would definitely feel safe with someone like him as a boyfriend. He looks better than all those movie stars. He's rich and so strong yet so polite. *sigh* I think I'm falling in love."

"Stop dreaming. He probably wouldn't even consider someone like you. You know, booking one of those suites costs more than our annual salary. He's obviously a very rich man. Someone like him will definitely have a very impressive and beautiful girlfriend."

All the women nodded in agreement to that. They were all beautiful women in their own right and did not lack suitors. But, they knew that the handsome and charming young man from suite no.1 was from a different world. None of them was confident enough to win the heart of such an impressive man. It was unfortunate, but they were not good enough for him. Like an aloof god, he was someone they could only admire from afar. As the ladies continued to chat happily, the girl called Meimei had a pensive look on her face and did not seem to be paying attention to the conversation anymore. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something.