High above the South Pacific, at 35,000 feet.
Inside the first-class cabin of South Pacific Airlines Flight 121 from Hawaii to Los Angeles, Sherron suddenly opened his eyes wide and scanned the cabin with alertness.
Opposite him, a stocky African-American man lifted his eyes and eyed Sherron suspiciously.
"Hey, buddy, you all right?" he asked.
Sherron scoffed and panted, "I'm fine, Willie. Just had a nightmare—must be all the tension from these past few days."
Willie shrugged and returned to studying the models in his fashion magazine.
What Willie didn't know was that his partner's soul had already been replaced. Xie Lun—from another world—had taken over this body, which not only shared his name but even his appearance. After quickly absorbing the memories stored within, Xie Lun steadied his mind and surveyed his surroundings.
This world was strangely familiar, its broad structure similar to his previous one, yet the details were markedly different. For instance, in this nation—known as the "Rice Nation"—there wasn't an organization with a three-letter acronym starting with "F." Instead, they had the National Investigation Agency, or NIA for short.
And now, he was an NIA agent. Today's mission was to escort witness Shawn Jones (a white young man seated next to his partner) along with his partner, Inspector Willie Finn (the sturdy man across from him), from Hawaii to Los Angeles. Shawn had witnessed mob boss Edward King brutally murder Los Angeles District Attorney Daniel Hayes and had agreed to testify in court. To ensure his safety, Willie had devised a plan: distract everyone by drawing their attention to a private jet while he and Xie Lun secretly transported Shawn on a regular commercial flight—the very South Pacific Airlines Flight 121 they were now on.
Xie Lun narrowed his eyes. Why did this scenario feel so familiar, as if he'd seen it before? Sitting comfortably on the plush first-class sofa, he mulled it over until the realization struck him.
That's right—just before his crossover, he'd watched a movie that began with this very plot. In the film, gangsters hid hundreds of venomous snakes aboard the plane to silence the witness. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
After all, this was an airplane—a metal coffin—soaring 35,000 feet above the ground. If a snake outbreak truly occurred, there'd be nowhere to hide.
Still, Xie Lun forced himself to calm down. Movies are movies, and reality is reality. Besides, the film's plot was riddled with holes. How could anyone possibly smuggle hundreds of snakes onto an aircraft unnoticed? And if the goal was to kill the witness, wouldn't planting a few bombs be far simpler?
Once he was sure that the immediate area was secure, Xie Lun refocused on the new system functions that had just activated in his mind.
[The "Detective" System]
As its name suggests, this system scans for cases and events. Once the host resolves a case, they receive corresponding experience points and score based on the degree of completion.
Experience Points: Increase the host's level and enhance physical attributes.Score Points: Can be used to open Skill Chests, which come in five tiers: Low-Level, Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, and Top-Tier.Each chest grants a random skill of the corresponding level (no duplicate skills will be provided).
The host's personal attributes have now been scanned. Opening the personal information panel…
Immediately, a semi-transparent window—visible only to Xie Lun—appeared before his eyes:
Name: Xie Lun
Level: 1
Constitution: 12/12
Magic: 8
Strength: 136
Stamina: 12
Agility: 15
(Average adult attribute is 8)
Experience: 0/100
Detective Points: 01
Skills: None
Xie Lun quickly reviewed the panel, noting that aside from his magic, his physical stats were far above average—likely a result of his rigorous training as an NIA agent.
[System Notification]
Case clue detected. Case Code: "Snake-Infested Flight".
Since this is the host's first use of the system, upon resolving this case, an additional newbie bonus package will be awarded along with the standard experience points and score. Please take note!
The very mention of "Snake-Infested Flight" made his hair stand on end. He really had crossed over into a movie-like world!
Without hesitation, Xie Lun closed the personal info panel, gripped the gun at his waist, and rose to his feet, scanning the cabin vigilantly. Across from him, Shawn—the white young man—looked startled and cautiously asked, "What's wrong?"
Before Xie Lun could respond, Willie returned with a grave expression. "The captain's in trouble—there's only one pilot left, and the plane's wiring is malfunctioning. I'm heading to contact headquarters to get things ready."
Lowering his voice, Xie Lun grabbed Willie's arm. "I just saw a snake in the corner—colorful, with a triangular head. It has to be venomous."
Willie's eyes widened. "Really?"
Though the venomous snake hadn't yet invaded the first-class cabin, Xie Lun was certain that snakes were already spreading throughout the aircraft. Whether it was the captain's accident or the electrical issues, both were the work of these snakes.
Steeling himself, he nodded. "It vanished in the blink of an eye, but I definitely saw it."
"It can't be… How could there be snakes on an airplane?" Willie reacted in shock, swallowing hard. "Could this be the work of the Gold family?"
At that moment, piercing screams erupted from the economy section below. Moments later, a panicked flight attendant rushed up the stairs, shouting, "Snakes! There are so many snakes down there!"