Chapter 387: Danger! Danger!
Around 3 a.m. on September 11th, local time in Japan, at the VIP channel of Tokyo Haneda Airport.
At this time, a considerable number of security checkpoints in the airport have been closed, but the interior of the airport is not silent. There are many passengers sleeping directly on the benches in the airport, and there are also some people walking around here there.
For a large international airport like Haneda Airport, there are people there 24 hours a day. There is no such thing as an empty airport.
However, three o'clock in the morning is indeed the time when there are the least people.
At this time, not to mention the passengers, security personnel are also extremely tired. This is the time when people are most likely to feel sleepy. Even if people on the night shift have had enough sleep during the day, they will still feel sleepy at this time.
No one had come to the VIP security checkpoint for a long time. One of the two people on duty sat in front of the X-ray machine, propping up his head and feeling sleepy. The other person in charge of the physical examination was slumped in the seat, drooling at the corners of his mouth, and looked like he was sleeping quite comfortably.
Suddenly, there were knocking sounds at the security checkpoint. The inspector who was sleeping soundly on the chair was the one who reacted the fastest, but his conditioned reflex was too intense. He jumped up and looked around blankly. He was surprised to find a middle-aged man with a cane at the checkpoint.
The man was a white man with a strong build. His neck was probably as thick as his thighs. He was bald and his whole body was filled with explosive power.
The security officer rubbed his eyes and asked the white man, "Go through security?"
"Yeah." The white man responded in a low voice.
The security officer looked at his watch and saw it was 3:21 in the morning. He was immediately shocked and muttered, "What a lunatic! You're coming here at this hour. There are flights that take off at 4 in the morning. What kind of crazy flight is this?"
However, some international flights do have some weird take-off times. Although I was very unhappy about having my sweet dream interrupted, I only complained inwardly and didn't show any expression on my face.
He walked to the X-ray machine and knocked on the table: "Get up and work!"
The X-ray machine operator seemed to be dozing off, but he was sleeping even more soundly. He woke up after knocking several times. He yawned and glanced at the white man's crutches: "The crutches must be put through the machine separately."
The white man said nothing, put the backpack and briefcase on the conveyor belt, then held the edge of the X-ray machine and placed the crutches flat on the conveyor belt.
The X-ray machine operator was also surprised at the white man's sturdy physique. However, seeing him holding on to something while walking, he couldn't help but sigh that God is really fair. Even though he has such a strong body, it's a pity that he is a cripple.
The white man walked through the metal detector and, as expected, the metal detector beeped.
However, the person in charge of the close security check did not have any special reaction. This metal detection door is very sensitive and will make a sound when there are any metal objects. Therefore, there will generally not be any special reaction due to the sound of the metal detection door. The most important thing is the close security check that follows.
The X-ray operator propped up his head and watched the backpack pass through the X-ray machine, which showed that there was nothing special in it.
However, he soon discovered a strange little object in the image of the bag.
Next, the crutch is passed, and this thing needs to be manually inspected.
The crutch is made of metal, so many details cannot be checked. The X-ray machine operator stood up and turned the crutch a few times. There was no problem, so he pushed everything away. There was nothing in the backpack, so it passed smoothly.
Then, the X-ray machine operator pointed at the bag and said to the white man, "Let me open it and take a look."
The white man had just passed the metal detector at this time and just nodded without saying anything.
"Thank you." The X-ray operator opened the bag, which contained mostly clothes and daily necessities, nothing special. However, he still found something that puzzled him.
"Spring?" The X-ray machine operator held up the small spring and looked at the white man in confusion: "Why do you carry this?"
The white man had just stood on the small platform, ready to undergo a personal security check. When he heard the X-ray machine operator's words, he patted his injured left leg and said, "I can't walk much. I usually stay at home and do some handicrafts. That's a spare part. I remember that springs are not considered contraband, right?"
"Oh, that's not the case." The X-ray machine operator put the spring back into the bag, then pushed the bag away and urged the personal security personnel, "I'm done here, hurry up."
He glanced at the intersection and found that there was no one behind the white man. After letting this man pass, he could continue to sleep. He had just had a very erotic dream, so he went to sleep quickly as he might not be able to continue the dream. He was very anxious.
The white man was slow in his feet, so he had to wait until the X-ray machine was almost finished before he was ready for the personal security check. He leaned one hand on the wall next to him and raised the other hand horizontally. Although he looked fierce, he cooperated with the security check.
Under the urging of colleagues, the personal security personnel had dry eyes and were anxious to finish their get off work and go home.
Following the procedure, the inspection was carried out at every part. When the inspection reached the waist, the detector suddenly sounded. The white man took the initiative to lift up his shirt, revealing his extremely wide belt. His belt looked like it was made of real leather, but it was wide and thick, which was quite rare.
The white man patted the metal buckle of his belt: "This one?"
The security officer waved the detector at the buckle and indeed there was a sound, but after leaving the buckle and going around the belt, there was no sound anywhere else.
This metal buckle is a very simple one. It can’t hide anything and it looks fine.
"Yeah, it's okay."
The security officer nodded, let go of the belt, and continued checking.
The detector below never sounded again, so it was naturally released normally.
The white man put on his backpack, picked up his crutches, picked up his small bag, and slowly left the security checkpoint.
The security personnel waited until the white man walked away, then dimmed the lights in the room and went back to sleep.
After passing the security check, there were even fewer people inside the airport. Some overnight passengers were lying crookedly on the benches near the boarding gates, and some were lying listlessly or tilting their heads to watch videos on their laptops. There was basically no movement around, and there was a faint smell of cigarettes in the air, even though in theory, there should be no smell of cigarettes in the airport.
Some boarding gates that had no boarding plans in the short term had turned off some of their lights, so the area inside the airport was a little dim. The white man easily found a secluded place, and after looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, he put his crutches aside.
When he went through security just now, without the help of crutches, he needed to hold on to something to stand steadily. But this time, after leaving the crutches, he stood straight without showing any inconvenience.
He moved his "injured" left leg a little, as it was numb from not moving for a long time. However, there was nothing he could do about it, as security personnel were the most sleepy at this time, and their attention was not so focused, making it easier for them to get away with it.
He needs to stay here for more than ten hours, but before that, he needs to make some preparations while no one is paying attention.
He unbuckled the belt and removed the metal buckle, then tore a hole at the end of the belt. He discovered that there were actually two bullets hidden inside the thick belt.
At the same time, take the crutch and remove the semicircular rubber pad at the lower end of the crutch to reveal the polyurethane material filled inside.
Then, he knocked the cane on the ground twice, and a half finger-long cylindrical polyurethane material fell out of it, along with a finger-thick steel pipe. This was not an ordinary steel pipe, but the barrel of a pistol.
If the hollow space in the crutch was not too small, he might have been able to hide the bullet inside the crutch instead of in the belt. After all, close security checks are more risky.
Finally, he untied the bag and took out the spring.
Just now he told the security personnel that this was just a part for making some small gadgets. This was actually not an exaggeration, because this was not a spring in the conventional sense, but a recoil spring for a pistol.
Soon, he took out a pistol part from his backpack. This was an old Glock 17 pistol. Except for the barrel and the recoil spring, the rest was made of engineering plastics, which could not be seen by an X-ray machine. The white man had to separate the pistol parts into two bags because he knew that the recoil spring would definitely be seen and the bag would be opened for inspection. Therefore, the recoil spring and the rest of the pistol parts had to be separated.
In this way, all the pistol parts are collected and everything is ready.
…
At around 8 o'clock in the morning on September 11, in the hangar of the Guam Branch of the Southwest United States, a middle-aged man in a red maintenance uniform walked slowly around the Airbus 320 in the center of the hangar. He was the maintenance supervisor of the Guam Branch.
Behind him was a young mechanic in his twenties.
"When this 320 was maneuvered over, the crew reported that there would still be engine vibrations, right?" The maintenance supervisor stopped and looked back at the young mechanic.
The young engineer nodded immediately: "Yes, but the vibration value has not been very good, it is at the critical standard."
"It's at the critical standard, which means it's not exceeded." The maintenance supervisor curled his lips and asked, "What are the results of the second fluorescence test?"
"Here..." The young mechanic handed a document to the maintenance supervisor: "The second fluorescent test did not find any problems with the blades."
"Isn't that enough?" The maintenance supervisor took a quick look at the conclusion and then gave it to the mechanic: "Let it go."
The young mechanic was stunned: "Release, release this plane?"
The maintenance supervisor frowned. "What else can we do? We have done two fluorescence tests recently and both were fine. What else can we do? The headquarters transferred the aircraft here because the aircraft utilization rate in the United States is too high and the workload is heavy. What else can we do?"
In Guam, the basic mission of this aircraft is to fly to Japan and South Korea as a relay point for the US route, and the flight mission is not heavy.
If it is in the mainland United States, almost eighteen hours out of the twenty-four hours a day are spent working, while at the Guam base, the working hours are only about ten hours, which is much easier than in the mainland United States, which also reduces the load on the aircraft itself.
"Oh, the age of this plane is not bad, but the engine is old. It is normal for it to have some minor problems." The maintenance supervisor waved his hand and said, "As long as it meets the standards, it will be released normally."
The young engineer was still a little worried: "But the vibration value of Engine 1 has always been high, so we can just ignore it?"
"How to solve it? The cabin doors of some old aircraft rumble and vibrate after flying, but we can't find out what the problem is. The manual also recommends that as long as there is no problem with the fixing point and the pressurization, it can be released normally. Is it written in the manual? Can it solve the problem of cabin door vibration?" The maintenance supervisor said patiently: "Engine is like a person. When it gets old, it hurts here and there. It's normal. The headquarters has taken this situation into consideration and specially transferred it here to reduce the workload. It's OK."
To be honest, the Southwest United States is pretty good.
Not long after the engine overhaul, they were willing to do another fluorescence test, which cost a lot of money. They couldn't find the cause, so they transferred the plane across the ocean to Guam and arranged a quiet route, which was quite appropriate.
The young mechanic thought that this was also the case. There were many problems that could not be found, and the manual did not require them to find them. As long as they met the release standards, it would be fine. Although he felt strange in his heart, the young mechanic still agreed with the maintenance supervisor.
Of course, it is not okay to disagree. If you can't solve the problem, solve the person who raised the problem. This approach is universal in the world.
Seeing the young mechanic hesitant, the maintenance supervisor patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay. This plane will basically only have one flight a day in the future, flying to Japan or South Korea and back. The capacity of the Guam branch base is also tight now. Previously, a 737 was forcibly transferred to fly to Tokyo. If this 320 can be released, it can just replace the 737, so there will be no delays."
"Today?"
"Yes, flights 3101 and 3102 will take off this afternoon. Please finish the remaining work and release them. I will report to the higher-ups and arrange for the aircraft to be dispatched."
The young mechanic took a look at the 320 and nodded: "Okay, leave the rest to me."
The maintenance supervisor smiled and patted the young mechanic: "Then I'll leave it to you."
…
At around nine o'clock in the morning, Haneda Airport returned to its former bustle, with people coming and going and it was very lively.
In a staff lounge, Southwest America's Haneda Airport agent had just arrived at work when he received a call from Southwest America informing him that the aircraft models of flights 3101 and 3102 had been changed to Airbus 320. He was also sent the passenger information of the corresponding flights.
There is nothing wrong with the aircraft model change, as it happens frequently. The main thing is that he is more concerned about the passenger information.
"Charter flight?"
According to the flight information he received, flight 3101 from Guam to Tokyo was relatively normal, with an occupancy rate of over 50 percent. This was usually the occupancy rate for this flight, and even today it was considered relatively high. Most of the time it was only about 40 percent.
But the key point is that there were only a few people on the return flight 3102, which is very strange.
Many people who want to go to the United States, if there is no direct flight, it is more common to go to the United States via Guam. Therefore, this flight 3102 is relatively popular, and it is normal to have a 60% to 70% occupancy rate. Why is it almost empty today?
What's even more strange is that if only half of the people come here, the plane will basically be empty on the way back, which is obviously a loss. According to the nature of airlines, such flights will most likely be canceled, but Southwest Airlines did not cancel them.
The only possibility is that there were not just a few people on the return trip, but the plane was chartered.
If it wasn't a charter flight, then either Southwest Airlines was kindhearted and would not cancel the flight even if it meant losing money, or Southwest Airlines must have sent the wrong message to him.
In order to verify the situation, the agent called Southwest Airlines and found out that it was indeed a chartered flight. In fact, strictly speaking, it was not a chartered flight, but the entire economy class was chartered, and the rest were first class. After all, only a few people can sit in first class, which resulted in the situation that there were only a few people on flight 3102.
After getting this result, the agent finally understood. Although it was still a little strange, he didn't think much about it. He was just an agent and he didn't make much money a month. It was enough for him to make a living. Why should he work so hard?
