The airplane was steadily flying through the sky and Chen Xiaolian had his eyes closed, seemingly in the middle of resting himself. However, he was in fact feeling disturbed and was always feeling concerned about what was happening behind.
The one known as Sawakita Mitsuo was also seemingly resting. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep.
Several times now, Chen Xiaolian had picked up the food utensils to serve as a mirror for him to spy upon the back area. From what he could see, there was no movement from Sawakita Mitsuo. Nagase Komi on the other hand was different. Each time he spied on them, he could see Nagase Komi gazing at him in a vigilant manner.
This bald woman. Just what is she trying to tell us?
The ‘?’ symbol that Chen Xiaolian had left in the restroom was surely not hard to understand. It meant: Why are you here? What is going on with you? Etc.
However, Nagase Komi instead gave them this name. What was her intention in doing so?
Warning?
Informing?
Or was there another message there?
Chen Xiaolian inspected the time and saw that the airplane would still be up in the sky for another 10 hours.
The surrounding passengers were already resting. Some were already asleep while some others had earplugs stuffed into their ears as they watched some movies.
The interior of the airplane was very quiet.
At that moment when Chen Xiaolian was feeling confused…
A cry of shock could suddenly be heard coming from the back of the cabin!
A passenger who was seated at the rear part suddenly let out a loud cry as his entire body shook violently. His eyes rolled up while copious amount of white coloured foam flowed out from his mouth. He then stood up and struggled for a moment before falling in the middle of the cabin corridor!
The surrounding passengers were alerted by what happened and they were quick to exclaim out. It wasn’t long before chaos broke out within the airplane.
The flight attendants heard the commotion and quickly came over to see that the passenger was foaming at the mouth. It was clear that his breathing was uneven as his body lay weakly on the floor.
The flight attendants were shocked!
Several other flight attendants moved over. One of them brought the airplane’s emergency medical kit with them. However, seeing the passenger who was foaming at the mouth while convulsing all over, they were at a loss at what to do.
The airplane’s emergency medical kit contained some commonly used medicines. However, the passenger had suddenly displayed such an uncommon condition, leading to them being in a conundrum. They were after all, not doctors.
One of the older flight attendant who seemed like the chief was quick to move to the front area.
Soon, a voice spoke out from the airplane’s broadcast system.
“Dear passengers, a patient had suddenly exhibited symptoms of illness within the airplane. Is there any doctor on board this airplane? We require emergency medical assistance! I repeat, is there any doctor on board? We require emergency medical assistance!”
The broadcast rang out twice.
After that, another flight attendant ran to the front where the cockpit was to report the situation to the pilots.
Naturally, Chen Xiaolian had also heard the broadcast. He turned to look at Roddy who was seated beside him.
He saw that Roddy was looking at him.
The expression in Roddy’s eyes seemed to be asking: Should we get involved?
Chen Xiaolian was silent as he carefully weighed the matter. Then, he turned his head to the back and saw…
Takashimoto Shizuka was kneeling on the floor in the corridor of the cabin. She placed the sick patient’s head on her hands. With one hand holding onto the patient’s head, she used her other hand to hold the patient’s wrist as she attempted to check the patient’s pulse. There were both anxiousness and compassion within her face.
Seeing that look of compassion in her face, Chen Xiaolian was moved.
He immediately stood up as he got ready to move over.
It was at that moment that a middle-aged Caucasian man got up from the rear position close to the corridor. He moved over and said, “I can try. I am a doctor.”
The Caucasian man quickly separated the flight attendant away before kneeling down to check the patient. He retrieved a small flashlight from the emergency medical kit provided by the flight attendant to check the patient’s eyes. Next, he checked the patient’s breathing patterns, pulse…
“His breathing is weak!” The doctor spoke out anxiously. “There is some residue blocking his respiratory tract! He’ll choke to death!”
After saying that, the doctor hastily pushed Takashimoto Shizuka away and turned the patient over. He placed his knee at the patient’s upper abdomen area.
The push caused Takashimoto Shizuka to fall on the floor and her arms struck the passenger seat by the side. The impact caused some parts of her arm to turn red. However, she ignored it and quickly climbed up and asked, “What do we need to do?”
“Give him some space, just give him some space, he needs air.”
“Woah!”
At that moment, the patient suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a filthy looking clump of vomit. Next, he quickly gasped for breath.
“Good, he can breathe again!”
The doctor ignored the filthiness of the vomit and extended his fingers into the patient’s mouth so that the vomit can continue to flow out.
Seeing that the patient was breathing normally once more, the surrounding flight attendants breathed a sigh of relief. Some of the other passengers also clapped their hands.
It was then that the doctor’s face suddenly distorted. With an “Ah!”, he quickly retracted his fingers out. There on his fingers were two deep teeth marks.
The patient had forcefully clenched down his teeth and white foam kept flowing out from his mouth.
“What happened?”
“Something’s not right!” The doctor’s face was ugly to behold and he said, “He seems to have suffered from poisoning! The thing blocking his respiratory tract has been forced out. But, his reaction to being poisoned… damn it!”
The doctor swore and asked, “What did he eat?”
“We… we don’t know,” one of the flight attendants answered anxiously. “The meals served in the airplane are all the same.”
“Rummage over his clothes! And his bags too! See if there are any drugs inside!” The doctor shouted.
Takashimoto Shizuka got up and rummaged through the computer bag belonging to the sick passenger. After a moment, she said, “No, there is nothing here.”
The patient’s body began twitching!
The doctor’s face grew uglier and he said, “I have no way of determining what poison is it! We are in a plane right now! There is no way for me to test him. Also… we don’t have the medicine.”
He pulled up the patient’s eyelid and said, “His pupils are dilating! Epinephrine! Do you have epinephrine!”
“… we have it! We have it!” A flight attendant quickly turned back to the emergency medical kit, her hands moving clumsily.
Among the medicines prepared within the airplane was a syringe containing epinephrine. This was meant to help in cases of allergy to certain foods.
The doctor looked at it before swiftly injecting its contents into the patient.
Epinephrine was a commonly used medicine. When patients were facing a dangerous state such as respiratory failure or heart failure, epinephrine could be used as a means of rescuing the patient.
However, the patient was suffering from poisoning. Thus, this item could only be used to strengthen his heart rate. It was not something that could save his life.
“There’s no other way.” The chief flight attendant ran back from the cockpit and said, “According to the flight captain, the nearest airport available for landing is at least five hours away. We are presently in Pacific skies…”
“I’m sorry, I have no other way of helping.”
The doctor sighed and raised his head up to look at the flight attendants there. He said, “I am just a paediatrician. Emergency treatments are not my forte. Additionally… according to my diagnosis, this patient is exhibiting symptoms of poisoning. As for the type of poison involved here, I have no way of knowing. Moreover… we are presently in the middle of a flight. Even if a doctor specialized in such emergency cases happens to be here and could identify the type of poison used, they would be incapable of getting their hands on the necessary antitoxin.”
“May I try? Please give me some space.”
An aged voice spoke out from behind him.
Sawakita Mitsuo had, at an unknown moment in time, walked over and was standing behind the doctor.
He was still wearing the large sokutai upon his body and his left hand held onto a small foldable fan.
The doctor raised his head and looked at Sawakita Mitsuo. He asked, “Japanese?”
“Yes.”
“You are a doctor?”
Sawakita Mitsuo responded with a faint smile and nodded his head. He said, “I studied in the field for a few years. However, I later changed to another field.”
There was a clear look of doubt in the Caucasian doctor’s face. However, he did stand up to make space for Sawakita Mitsuo. He quickly said, “At present, his eyes have started dilating and his rate of breathing and blood flow are decreasing. I have just injected him with epinephrine. My diagnosis is that he is exhibiting symptoms of poisoning…”
Sawakita Mitsuo bent his body and he moved forward, seemingly indifferent toward the words spoken by the doctor. He reached out with his hand and gently patted the patient on his chest and abdomen areas. Next, his fingers traced upward, moving from the heart position to finally rest on the shoulder area.
His movements were very refined. Additionally, there was strength behind his actions.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Seeing his actions, the doctor exclaimed. “You?”
Sawakita Mitsuo ignored him and narrowed his eyes as he regarded the patient. His other hand moved to hold the patient by the forehead.
Chen Xiaolian was already there. He stood behind the doctor and was carefully assessing Sawakita Mitsuo’s movements. His eyes flickered.
“Mr? You are?” A flight attendant asked Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian replied with a faint smile, “I have some knowledge on first aid.”
There was a clear expression of dubiousness within the flight attendant’s face – no matter how one was to look at Chen Xiaolian, they would never see him as a doctor. He was too young to even pass for a medical student.
However, given the situation, the flight attendant did not say anything against him. The flight attendant simply turned back to observe Sawakita Mitsuo’s actions.
Sawakita Mitsuo suddenly prodded the patient’s ribcage area, forcing him to partially wake up. His actions caused the doctor to shout out, “What are you doing?!”
Sawakita Mitsuo continued ignoring him. He used the fan on his left hand to lightly strike the patient’s back twice.
Pu pu!
A rhythmic sound could be heard as he did so.
When Chen Xiaolian heard the strange sound, a change could be seen on his eyes.
“Ouu!”
The patient suddenly opened his mouth and with a cry, he vomited out a huge amount of white coloured foam!
The amount of foam gradually increased and his garment was stained as a result.
As for the patient, after vomiting out all the white foam, his face was no longer as grey as it had been earlier.
The doctor’s shout was stopped as he looked at Sawakita Mitsuo’s back in surprise. He asked, “This, what kind of method is this?”
Sawakita Mitsuo turned around and said, “Get me water, a lot of water. He needs to wash the poison away from his stomach.”
“Yes! Yes!” A flight attendant ran off and was quick to bring several bottle of water over. The flight attendant also brought a barrel over.
Sawakita Mitsuo gave a light smile and checked his surroundings. Then, he suddenly said, “I messed up. We can’t do it here. Let’s work together to carry him over to the front.”
His gaze fell upon Chen Xiaolian and he said, “Young man, come over and help me. I am an old man. Things like carrying a person is too much for me.”
Seeing as how Sawakita Mitsuo had his eyes on him, Chen Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before walking forward with a soft smile on his face.
Before Chen Xiaolian could move over, two men stepped forward from both the left and right side. They pushed Chen Xiaolian aside and took the initiative to carry the patient.
The two men appeared to be ordinary passengers. However, they had a serious expression on their faces and their movements appeared calm. There was no evidence of anxiousness in their actions or appearances.
Chen Xiaolian was surprised. However, he soon made to a deduction.
These fellows should be the fabled air marshals.
Since the terror attacks that happened over a decade ago, the American airlines had arranged to have even more of these counter terrorist agents provided by government agencies on board their flights. These fellows would travel incognito, appearing as passengers aboard the flight who would be ready at all times to deal with any unexpected security incidents.
With these air marshals coming out to help, Chen Xiaolian was able to simply stand by the side. Sawakita Mitsuo stood up and stretched his back for a bit before saying with a wry smile, “I’m getting on with my years. To think that I would have problems after just crouching down for a while.”
As for the doctor, he looked at Sawakita Mitsuo curiously and asked, “May I ask, back then, what method did you use…’
“It’s just a little trick,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a gentle smile.
Chen Xiaolian narrowed his eyes. Just now, he was able to clearly see what happened. When Sawakita Mitsuo’s fan struck the patient’s back, a spark of golden light penetrated the patient’s back.
This Sawakita Mitsuo was certainly an Awakened!
Sawakita Mitsuo and Chen Xiaolian’s gazes met. There was something odd about his gaze and he suddenly turned his head to direct his gaze at the passenger seat at the side – it was the seat belonging to the patient.
There was a knocked over cup beside the seat. The contents of the cup was probably fruit juice. At present however, most of them had been spilled out. A small amount of juice was available within the cup.
Sawakita Mitsuo’s eyes focused for a moment before he turned his gaze away. He cast a deep gaze at Chen Xiaolian – he noted that there was a rather playful look in the old man’s eyes.
Chen Xiaolian frowned and he turned his gaze over as well. After seeing the cup, his mind raced. He reached out to pick up the cup and brought his nose over to sniff it. The creases on his frown grew deeper.
This juice… if it hadn’t gone bad, then… something must have been put into it!
There was a clear scent of chemical within its smell.
It may not be possible for ordinary people to detect the difference. However, Chen Xiaolian was someone whose body had been enhanced. His senses were all superior compared to ordinary humans.
His senses, be it sight, hearing or smell were much more sensitive compared to ordinary humans.
This unexpected discovery caused a thought to spring up within Chen Xiaolian’s mind!
Poison?
…
Sawakita Mitsuo was staring intently at Chen Xiaolian and there was a trace of a peculiar smile on his aged face.
Chen Xiaolian’s mind raced and he turned his gaze to look to the side.
On the other side, close to where the patient had been sitting was a man sporting a moustache and a beard. His age was indeterminable; however, he appeared somewhat nervous.
A thought struck Chen Xiaolian’s mind.
At that moment, however, a change happened!
A cry of shock rang out from the rear end of the cabin!
The sharp cry resounded throughout the cabin.
A young girl was being held captive. An arm was placed across her neck and the girl was dragged out to the middle of the corridor. Behind her was a beefy looking man who also sported a moustache and beard. He wore a suit but his expression revealed both nervousness and ferocity!
Chen Xiaolian’s pupils contracted at what he saw!
In the fellow’s hand, there was… a gun!
A plane hijacking?
“Don’t move!”
Chen Xiaolian turned to the side and saw the other bearded man jumping up. He pulled out a gun from his chest and pointed it at Chen Xiaolian!
Another cry came out at the same time from the front part of the cabin!
A young woman with tanned skin suddenly jumped into the corridor and caught a woman who was right beside her. The tanned young woman held a dagger, which she pointed at the woman’s neck. At the same time, she raised a gun with her other hand, pointing it at the chief flight attendant who was standing not far away!
Chen Xiaolian’s expression turned grim.
The woman who was taken hostage was… Takashimoto Shizuka!
“Don’t move! Don’t anyone move! Everyone get on the floor!”
At the front area, two people wearing jackets suddenly jumped up.
It just so happened that the two air marshals who were escorting the patient earlier had moved right beside those two.
The two men in jackets suddenly made their move! One of them viciously stabbed a dagger into the abdomen of one of the air marshals! As for the other man in jacket, his hand flew out and the dagger in his hand slit the other air marshal’s throat!
Blood sprayed out and the miserable screams of the flight attendants filled the cabin.
One of the hijackers rushed forward. He held the air marshal’s body tightly and furiously stabbed into the abdomen area of the air marshal again and again. The air marshal fell limp and his knees hit the floor. The hijacker then grabbed a stun gun from the air marshal’s chest.
The stun gun belonging to the air marshal whose throat was slit was also taken away.
“Nobody move! If you don’t want to die, then don’t move!”
The front, middle and back area of the cabin…
Five hijackers, four men and one woman made their move at the same time!
At the same time, Chen Xiaolian’s expression distorted. His heart sank. It was not because the hijackers had guns.
It was not entirely due to the fact that the hostage was Takashimoto Shizuka.
It was not because of what happened to the two air marshals…
Nor was it due to the two hijackers’ actions of opening up their jacket to reveal something akin to explosives on them.
Rather, it was…
Chen Xiaolian could not restrain himself from shouting!
GOD DAMN IT!!!
…
A hijacking?!
Naturally, Chen Xiaolian was not afraid of something like this.
For Chen Xiaolian, dealing with a couple of hijackers would only amount to something of a minor case!
There was however, an issue. These few hijackers were all split into various positions: front, middle and back. Additionally, all of them were equipped with explosives.
Getting rid of those fellows in all three positions would not be easy.
Truth was… even if they failed to get rid of these hijackers in the end; Chen Xiaolian would not feel fearful.
For him and Roddy, there would not be an issue even if the airplane did explode.
With Roddy’s ability to summon his Mech, they could just leave by themselves.
But…
This damnable system quest!
They were required by the system quest to ensure the safety of the passengers!
Every passenger death will lead to a deduction of 100 points!
Back in the London instance dungeon, he had to face the risk of dying time and again to get those 3,500 points!
How many people were there on this airplane?
This was an international flight. The number of passengers could go up to at least four to five hundred people!
If these hijackers were to blow themselves up… how many points would that be?
At present, Chen Xiaolian only had around 2,000 points on him. In other words, if more than 20 passengers die, he would no longer have enough points.
The number of points that Roddy had? That fellow only had a maximum of a couple hundred points!
“Didn’t you say that we are exempt from participating in the punishment instance dungeon quests?” Chen Xiaolian swore furiously. “GM set me up?”