In an area on the arrival level of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, all evacuees of British Airways Flight 1009 have been gathered in this area. After a rough inquiry, fortunately, no one on the plane showed any serious injuries.
However, this was only a simple screening. Soon, the airport's medical department organized personnel to conduct detailed examinations on the passengers of British Airways Flight 1009, and took those who were considered to need further treatment to the hospital.
Perhaps due to the arrival of volcanic ash, other flights were unable to take off and land, and there was no sign of improvement in the foreseeable future. A large number of people in the terminal left, and the arrival floor was even more empty. The area where Xu Cang and others were concentrated was the transfer hall on the arrival floor. At a glance, apart from the people on their own flight, the rest were airport staff who came to support them. There was no other normal passengers.
Xu Cang sat in the corner. There was not even a chair available. He just sat there. Next to him was a bottle of mineral water, which had just been distributed by the airport. One bottle per person, Xu Cang had already drunk most of it.
After leaving the plane and relaxing a little, Xu Cang went to the bathroom and saw his appearance. The side of his face was covered with large patches of black ash due to the presence of volcanic ash, and there was some coagulated dark red blood on his upper lip and chin, and his eyes were bloodshot, looking extremely ferocious.
After wiping his face at the washbasin in the bathroom, Xu Cang returned to the main group and saw the airport staff doing physical examinations for the crowd. Because there were more than 400 people on this flight and there was only one medical team assigned by the airport, the speed of the examination was very slow. Xu Cang waited for five minutes and felt that it would be a long time before his turn came. He was too tired to stand, so he simply sat on the ground, not paying attention to his image at all.
After Xu Cang sat down, he felt an unprecedented quietness. He could even hear the sound of his heart beating in his chest, so powerful and surging.
Xu Cang has never been a narcissistic person, but his idea of ​​using reverse thrust in the air to clear the volcanic ash cloud and complete the final descent and landing was really wild and unconventional. Even Xu Cang thought this method was extremely ingenious.
The difficulty of this landing was not high, at least for Xu Cang, but in terms of the ingenuity of the idea, none of the special situations Xu Cang had handled before could compare to this one.
Xu Cang had not yet recovered from the shocking fall and was extremely excited. However, if he waited a little longer, fatigue would overwhelm him like a tide. Therefore, Xu Cang needed to finish some things before he rested.
Taking out his cell phone, Xu Cang fiddled with it, and sure enough, there was no signal.
After looking around the crowd for a while, he located the position of the responsible captain Jonathan and immediately shouted, "Captain!"
The captain in charge was still waiting in line for inspection. When he heard Xu Cang's voice, he looked back and saw Xu Cang waving at him.
The captain was very obedient. He gave up queuing and ran to Xu Cang: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
At this time, although Xu Cang washed his face and washed away the dust and blood stains on his face, his complexion looked as white as paper, which was definitely not very good.
"It's okay." Xu Cang waved his hand: "Can you make calls on your phone now?"
"Ah? Oh, sure. Do you want to make a phone call?" The captain immediately took out his phone and handed it to Xu Cang: "Do you want to let your family know you're safe?"
Xu Cang took the phone and hummed.
According to the time, the news of the British Airways Flight 1009 accident had probably been received in China. He had to make a phone call to report that he was safe, so that others would not still worry.
As a result, when Xu Cang took the phone and was about to make a call, he was stunned. He remembered that making an international call was different from making a domestic call. He had to add the country's access code and area code. Xu Cang forgot how to dial for a moment.
Xu Cang tutted his lips, lowered his head and thought about it, and finally gave up and planned to ask the captain in charge. But when he looked up, he saw the old man who was willing to exchange 10% of his wealth for his life in the first-class cabin walking towards him from a distance.
The old man came over slowly with his cane, and saw Xu Cang sitting on the ground, with an inexplicable smile on his face: "It's a pity that you didn't land in the agreed way, otherwise you would have received more money than you could spend in ten lifetimes."
Xu Cang rolled his eyes and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
The old man smiled and didn't mind Xu Cang's reaction: "I just heard the captain talk about the way you landed. I can only say that you are very imaginative, not bad, very good!"
"It would be even better if you could give me one tenth of your wealth." Xu Cang had no interest in such things that were limited to talk.
"Hahaha, that won't do. People need to be trustworthy. The way we agreed to land was an emergency landing at sea. Although you finally landed, I'm afraid that agreement cannot be fulfilled." The old man laughed and said, "However, you brought me down safely, and I should thank you. If you encounter some trouble in the UK one day, I can help you once."
Xu Cang raised his eyebrows. This was something truly meaningful. In fact, with Xu Cang's eyesight, he could see that the old man was extraordinary. This kind of promise was still useful.
"You mean anything?" Xu Cang asked.
"Of course it can't be anything, it has to be within reason. I believe you have sense and know what is acceptable to bring up."
Xu Cang complained in his heart. He hated this kind of promise that he had to decide for himself. But it was better to have it than not to have it. What if it really came in handy someday?
"If I really need your help, how should I find you?"
The old man laughed, turned around, and walked away, leaving only one sentence: "My last name is Capet. As long as you set foot on British soil, anyone you ask will know how to find me."
"Cape?" Xu Cang curled his lips. It was no big deal to just leave a surname. Mumbling, Xu Cang looked at the captain in charge: "Do you know him? What is Cape?"
The captain had a strange expression on his face. He looked at the old man's receding figure thoughtfully and murmured, "I don't know him, but I know Capet. Maybe you can read some French history."
"What? Isn't he British?" Xu Cang waved his hand and was too lazy to pay attention to such matters of wealthy families. This matter had nothing to do with him.
"By the way, do you know how to make an international call? I want to call back home." Xu Cang approached the captain in charge, wanting him to help.
"If you want to call back home, you have to add 86 first..." The captain in charge helped Xu Cang dial the number and talked about other things in between: "My company just called me and said that the Indonesian General Administration will come over. When the time comes, I guess you will have to go there too."
Xu Cang was still fiddling with his phone, and responded casually: "Why would I go? I just helped a little."
"This is not a small favor! Don't you have an old saying over there, 'turning the tide when it's already falling, supporting a building that is about to collapse'? How can this be described as a small favor?" The captain in charge said, "Don't worry, we have an office in Jakarta. You just need to briefly explain the situation to the Indonesian authorities, and we will help you deal with other troubles."
"Tsk." Xu Cang did not answer. After some trouble, he finally dialed the number. He hurriedly called Qin Xin, but after waiting for a while, he was told that the other party's phone was turned off.
"Well, is she asleep?" Xu Cang waited for a moment and hung up the phone. It was indeed night in China now, and it was possible that Qin Xin had already gone to bed.
In this case, Xu Cang didn't care anymore. He returned the phone to the captain in charge, stretched his body, and looked at the crowded crowd: "Has anyone been injured so far?"
"Not yet. One of them had a weak heart and was probably frightened. She took a nitroglycerin tablet and is now stable." The captain pointed to a place where people were gathered not far away. A middle-aged woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties was being supported by medical staff. She looked a little weak, but was still conscious.
"Scared? When were you scared? I don't think I made any drastic maneuvers, right?" Xu Cang said casually, but there was a hint of guilt in his tone.
The captain in charge laughed and said, "Before landing, the interior of the No. 2 engine exploded. The noise was indeed quite loud. It was said that it scared the passengers."
"Ahem." Xu Cang pretended to clear his throat: "That passenger... didn't know it was me who did it?"
"Ah?" The captain didn't understand Xu Cang's meaning at first, but he immediately understood it after thinking about it. Xu Cang was worried that the man would cause trouble. So he immediately gave Xu Cang a reassurance: "Don't worry, even if she wants compensation, she won't be able to find you. We will prevent everything."
Upon hearing this, Xu Cang immediately smiled: "Okay, okay, that's good!"
Immediately, Xu Cang stood up and dusted off his clothes: "After the inspection, if there is no problem, how to arrange for the people?"
"Our crew will return to the hotel where we will stay overnight. Passengers who do not have any physical problems and wish to leave on their own are welcome to do so. If it is inconvenient, the company will provide centralized accommodation for those who do."
Xu Cang said, "Then remember to arrange accommodation for me."
"You're kidding. You're definitely going with us, not with other tourists. Don't worry, the overnight hotel our company has here is a five-star hotel and will satisfy you."
After saying that, the captain in charge snapped his fingers at the flight attendant not far away, who quickly ran over and said, "Captain, what's wrong?"
"The company hasn't sent the email to the overnight hotel yet," the captain pointed at Xu Cang and said, "Ask the company to add Xu Cang's name as well."
Generally speaking, overnight hotels have agreements with airlines. The crew's accommodation plan will be packaged in advance and emailed to the overnight hotel. The overnight hotel can only open rooms for the crew according to the permission list. If the name is not on the list and the hotel opens a room for that person, the airline will refuse to pay the corresponding room fee.
However, if an unplanned situation such as an alternate landing is encountered, the crew needs to remind the company to send an email to the hotel temporarily, otherwise it will be difficult to book a room later.
The crew originally planned to do a preliminary physical examination and then call the company to confirm the list of people who would check in again. This way, the flight attendant could add Xu Cang's name to the list to avoid any trouble when booking a room at the hotel.
"Captain, he's not from our company, so it might be difficult to deal with him."
Xu Cang's spoken English was not very good, but that did not mean his listening was bad. He probably understood what the flight attendant was saying, so he quickly said, "Forget it if it's too much trouble. I'll stay with the passengers. If it's convenient, arrange a single room for me."
Xu Cang is not very interested in five-star hotels.
However, the captain simply waved his hand and said: "Just tell the company. If you have any problems, just push them to me. I think the company will agree."
"Well... okay." The captain had already said this, so the flight attendant could not say anything more and immediately said to Xu Cang politely: "Mr. Xu, I need your passport."
Xu Cang quickly gave his passport to the chief purser, who then informed the company of Xu Cang's information and asked the company to attach Xu Cang's passport information when sending emails.
After waiting for a while, a short and sturdy Indonesian came over. He was the agent of British Airways at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. He came over and whispered a few words to the captain in charge. The captain showed a hint of joy and waved his hand to let the agent go back to work.
"We don't have to wait here. The company has arranged a car to pick us up. If you feel unwell, we will go to the hotel for treatment." After the responsible captain told Xu Cang, he gestured to the second captain and the chief steward. The two people should also know that the company has sent someone else, and they immediately understood and began to greet the other crew members to go through another channel.
Before departure, the captain in charge called Leo and Song Xinyang over separately. After all, the identities of these two people were not ordinary.
"Mr. Leo, we plan to go back to the hotel first. You may have any plans. If not, why not come with us?" said the captain in charge.
Leo looked at Xu Cang and said with a smile: "Don't worry about me, I have already contacted everyone, you can leave on your own. But, Mr. Song, what are your arrangements?"
"Someone will come to pick me up soon, don't worry about me." Song Xinyang said, with a strange look in his eyes, and asked, "I wonder where the hotel you are staying in is?"
"Sahideya!" said the captain in charge.
"The treatment on British Airways is very good. All the hotels where we stay overnight are five-star hotels." Leo joked, seeming to be in a pretty good mood after the disaster.
"Mr. Leo, thank you for your compliment." The captain in charge smiled and said, "Since both of you have plans, we will leave first."
Finally, Song Xinyang nodded slightly to Xu Cang: "Mr. Xu, you should still be in Jakarta tomorrow, right?"
"Well, Indonesia said the authorities wanted to have a talk, so they won't leave tomorrow." Xu Cang asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Song Xinyang said seriously: "I will talk to Mr. Xu about this matter tomorrow."
Although Xu Cang roughly guessed that Song Xinyang would have some changes in attitude towards cooperation after seeing his strength, he never expected the change to come so quickly. He thought that he should discuss it with Rolls-Royce headquarters before making a decision.
"Yeah." Although he was pleasantly surprised, Xu Cang still restrained his mind and did not show it. Negotiations are about who can keep their composure. Although British Airways Flight 1009 was indeed a near-death experience, the effect it produced was also amazing enough.
Who in the world could have imagined that volcanic ash could be dispersed by aerial reverse thrust?
After Xu Cang left, Leo glanced at Song Xinyang meaningfully and said, "It seems that Luo Luo is also very interested in Mr. Xu."
"Yeah, who wouldn't be interested in him?" Song Xinyang sighed, "His skills, IQ, and insight are all top-notch. With just a little training, he can become the best test pilot. A good test pilot can save us a lot of effort!"
At the end, Song Xinyang looked at Leo and said, "Or is it that Airbus is not interested in such people?"
"Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be interested in this. It's not easy to deal with." At this point, Leo suddenly felt uninterested: "Forget it, Mr. Song, my pick-up person is here. Come visit me when you have the chance."
Song Xinyang nodded: "Sure!"
…
After Xu Cang followed the crew to the Sahideya Hotel, he did not encounter any problems in booking a room. At the end, he borrowed the captain's mobile phone to try to call Qin Xin, but still couldn't get through.
In that case, Xu Cang ignored it for the time being. He went back to his room, took a shower, and fell asleep.
It was not until the next day when the sun was shining brightly that Xu Cang woke up groggily. He looked at the clock on the bedside and saw that it was almost one in the afternoon. He had slept for more than thirteen hours, which was really outrageous.
I looked out the window. It was still a little foggy outside, but the volcanic ash didn't look serious and it seemed to have almost dispersed. This meant that the eruption of the Klud volcano was not very long-lasting.
If it was a continuous eruption, the volcanic ash in Jakarta would not dissipate so quickly.
However, this is also good. If the volcanic eruption is too severe and the ash cover is too serious, it will be very troublesome for flights to be unable to enter or leave. After all, he is in a hurry to return home.
According to what the responsible captain Jonathan said earlier, there will be a meeting with the Indonesian authorities today, but no one has disturbed him so far. Thinking about it, this time arrangement is quite good, and it did not affect my sleep.
After sleeping for more than ten hours, I regained my energy, but my stomach was already empty. However, after looking around the room, I found that there was nothing else to fill my stomach except some drinks.
However, the hotel restaurant should still be open at 1pm, so it would be nice to go there for a meal.
So, Xu Cang boiled a kettle of water and took the opportunity to wash up. However, after what happened yesterday, there were still some black stains and a slightly unpleasant smell on the clothes. In addition, Xu Cang found that there were a few inconspicuous blood spots on them, which should be the blood from his nose dripping on them.
Fortunately, Xu Cang brought some spare clothes. However, looking at the old clothes covered in dust and blood, Xu Cang felt so sorry in his heart, thinking that they could not be washed clean.
Boom boom boom!
Just when Xu Cang had just changed into clean clothes, there was a knock on the door. Xu Cang thought it was customer service, so he didn't think much about it. He tidied his clothes and went to open the door.
As a result, when the door opened, what caught my eye was not the hotel waiter, but Qin Xin with red eyes.
"You... why are you here?" Xu Cang had a thousand thoughts but couldn't figure out why Qin Xin was here.
However, at this moment, Qin Xin's hair was slightly disheveled, her face was full of fatigue, and her eyes were red like a little rabbit. Xu Cang was stunned for a moment, and then thought of a terrible possibility: "Could you have rushed here from Erhai Lake overnight?"
Thinking about the fact that he couldn't get through to Qin Xin's phone last night, Xu Cang immediately felt that it was very likely. There was often no signal on the mountain road from Erhai Lake to Jianchuan.
In other words, Qin Xin drove for seven or eight hours overnight to Jianchuan, and then took a flight from Jianchuan to Jakarta in the morning. No wonder Qin Xin looked so exhausted.
Qin Xin did not answer Xu Cang, but her eyes were red, and even tears were welling up in her eyes: "Xu Cang, if you continue to be like this in the future, I will... ignore you!"
As she spoke, the tears that had accumulated in Qin Xin's eyes could no longer be controlled, and they slid down her cheeks in a sad line.
Previously, Xu Cang said that he went to England for Luo Luo's matter. This reason seemed fair and square, but Xu Cang's expression was obviously a little abnormal when he talked about this matter with Qin Xin. However, Qin Xin trusted Xu Cang at that time and did not ask more questions. Unexpectedly, this happened.
Although it was just a very irresponsible guess, Qin Xin felt that Xu Cang was not going to the Rolls-Royce headquarters in the UK, but for the flight accident that almost caused an air crash.
Qin Xin was angry at Xu Cang's concealment of the truth from her, and even more angry at Xu Cang for risking his life. On the way, she had thought about teaching Xu Cang a lesson when she saw him again, but when she really saw him, everything turned into grievance.
When Xu Cang saw Qin Xin's tearful face, he seemed to have returned to the days in the future when he and Qin Xin were in love. However, at this moment, Xu Cang was like a child who had made a mistake, feeling guilty and not knowing how to explain.
He forced an ugly smile and said, "Well... um, it wasn't that dangerous. It just deviated a little from what we expected. But it's okay."
Indeed, if the Great Britain Air Disaster had developed as he remembered, it would not have been that dangerous. After all, Xu Cang was not a desperado who valued money over his life.
Of course, the slight deviation that Xu Cang referred to was just a linguistic modification. Whether it was a little bit or billions of bits was actually very clear.
"Nothing!" Qin Xin looked Xu Cang up and down, and it seemed that nothing was wrong. She wrinkled her nose like a lazy kitten, and finally pouted angrily: "I'm hungry!"
…
About ten minutes later, Xu Cang led Qin Xin, who had recovered, down to the first floor lobby. Qin Xin had driven all night so she naturally had no time to eat. She was also too worried on the plane, so how could she have an appetite?
I haven't had a drop of water since then, it would be strange if I'm not hungry.
Although Qin Xin left in a hurry, she still brought a card with her, thinking that it would not be a big deal to eat at the hotel at her own expense. As a result, Xu Cang's stingy nature broke out, and he severely taught Qin Xin a lesson, saying that she should always be frugal and manage her family well, and resolutely went to the front desk to ask for meal allowance.
The emails sent by airlines to hotels usually also include the amount of meal allowance. Although Xu Cang is not an employee of British Airways, since British Airways agreed to include his name in the email, there must be meal allowance.
Based on the idea that if you don't take advantage of a good opportunity, you're a bastard, Xu Cang will definitely take advantage of British Airways today.
As a result, Xu Cang really received a meal voucher at the front desk. However, this meal voucher did not have a specific amount, but the hotel specially designed several sets of meals for the crew, and with this meal voucher, he could choose a set meal.
Of course, if the crew wants to choose dishes outside the set menu, that is also possible, and they can get a 20% discount.
"Look, just this 20% discount is worth our trip. You just said we didn't need to come!" Xu Cang looked at the meal coupon in his hand with great satisfaction, and turned around to "reprimand" Qin Xin. Now that Qin Xin was in a much better mood, Xu Cang started to show off again.
He put away the meal coupon and said to Qin Xin with a smile: "Do you have enough money in your card? I want to eat lobster!"
Qin Xin looked at Xu Cang, who was acting like a child, with amusement, and said helplessly, "You can eat it, even if you eat lobster as a meal."
"That's what you said." Xu Cang was very proud and immediately prepared to take Qin Xin to the second floor to eat.
However, just as he started, a familiar voice came from the door: "Mr. Xu!"
Hearing this, Xu Cang subconsciously looked towards the gate, and saw a tall and strong white man calling him.
Xu Cang recalled briefly. Wasn't this voice the same as Richard, the president of the World Federation of Air Line Pilots Association, whom he had heard on the plane before?
"Hmm? It's you?" Xu Cang stopped and looked at this powerful person in surprise. Previously, it was this person who directly asked the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority to grant dual temporary authorization for the satellite landing system. This method was really a powerful move.
But, shouldn’t this person be at the British Airways headquarters? Why is he here the next day?
Richard looked to be over 1.9 meters tall, half a head taller than Xu Cang, and he was sturdy and had an imposing aura. He walked with great vigor, and when he came in front of Xu Cang, his aura was even more overwhelming.
"I told you that if you can survive, I will come find you." Richard put his hands behind his back, like a mountain. In front of him, Xu Cang seemed insignificant. This was the majesty formed over the years, and this was the spirit of the leader of the world's pilots.
Xu Cang restrained his relaxed mood with Qin Xin, and his eyes turned serious: "What do you want from me?"
"You're good! No, very good! Such a talent is certainly worth my trip." Richard smiled: "On the way here, I talked to Jonathan on the phone. Use the shock wave of the engine explosion to sweep away the volcanic ash in the air. Wow, Xu Cang, your thinking is really unrestrained and uninhibited!"
Although Richard is white, he speaks Chinese very well, but this contrast makes Xu Cang feel a little uncomfortable.
"Thank you!" Xu Cang lowered his eyebrows slightly, obviously not very happy to deal with this top figure of pilots: "If there is nothing else, I'm going to eat."
"Haha, Mr. Xu! I feel like there's something you might be interested in hearing. At least it's more important than having lunch."
Xu Cang frowned: "What do you mean?"
"Xu Cang! You are very capable, but didn't you ignore the terrain warning during the final approach and force a landing? Moreover, the regulations prohibit the use of reverse thrust in the air." Richard chuckled: "CAA is very unhappy with your actions!"
Xu Cang rolled his eyes: "I am under the jurisdiction of CAAC, but I don't care about CAAC's attitude."
"But CAA has already applied to CAAC for the right to investigate you!"
"What?" Xu Cang's face suddenly darkened: "Are you guys meddling too much?"
"It's not the first time that the British have been meddling in other people's business!" Just then, a young man who looked like a Chinese came over from a distance. He wore a pair of sunglasses and walked in front of Xu Cang, politely extending his right hand: "Hello, Mr. Xu, I'm Luo Ming from Lockheed Martin!"