While Chen Yang and his crew were locked in a life-or-death struggle with the criminals, the ground was on high alert.
A joint command post was quickly established, closely monitoring the aircraft's every move. Provincial Party Secretary Fang Hongda personally oversaw the command post, along with key leaders from the A Group Army stationed in Southeast Province and the Air Force Rongcheng Command Post. The command post was located in the Provincial National Security Department's Anti-Terrorism Emergency Command Center, and the atmosphere was exceptionally tense.
Provincial Party Secretary Fang Hongda's brow was furrowed, as was that of Major General Liu Guoqiang, Chief of Staff of the A Group Army. Knowing that both leaders' children were on the plane, the leaders and staff present held their breath, afraid to utter a sound, lest they incur repercussions. The atmosphere in the command center became even more oppressive.
"Eagle Nest, D and D reporting! Abnormal flight attitude! Potential stall and crash at any moment! Visual observation suggests a violent struggle in the cockpit; the aircraft is currently uncontrolled!"
The quiet hall was suddenly filled with the report from the J-10 lead pilot. Everyone's expression changed drastically, their eyes focusing on the radar screen.
The radar showed the aircraft's altitude was rapidly increasing, while its speed was drastically decreasing, quickly approaching the stall threshold. Once the aircraft stalled, it would rapidly enter a spiral descent. While a fighter jet might be able to recover, facing a massive passenger jet, even the most experienced pilot might not be able to save it, especially since D and D reported the aircraft was currently uncontrolled.
Fang Hongda and Liu Guoqiang's expressions immediately turned grave…
On the plane, the passengers were also terrified by the aircraft's violent change in attitude. Still shaken from the gunfight, their hearts were once again in their throats.
Before Chen Yang even reached the cockpit, he saw the flight attendant, who had been in the front cabin, running out with a pale face. She picked up the intercom and asked a question that sent chills down the spines of all the passengers:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this aircraft is experiencing an emergency and requires your assistance. May I ask... may I ask, who among you can pilot this plane?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yang knew the captain was likely in grave danger.
As soon as the purser finished speaking, despair filled the faces of both the flight attendants and passengers. Everyone had witnessed the co-pilot being shot and critically wounded by the assailant, unconscious. Now, the purser's question implied that the captain had also been injured or even killed in the struggle.
And now, at ten thousand meters altitude, with all the pilots unconscious, this massive airliner had become a veritable aerial coffin.
Neither up nor down...
A deep sense of helplessness and fear welled up in everyone's hearts; they seemed to see death grinning menacingly close at hand.
Some were weeping silently, others were quietly writing their last words, and still others remained silent, their eyes glazed over as they leaned back in their seats. Surprisingly, the cabin was unusually quiet, devoid of major chaos, instead echoing the roar of the engines.
Yang Liuyi, pale-faced, leaned against the doorframe. She had only graduated two years prior and had already become a first-class flight attendant thanks to her outstanding performance. She had so many beautiful years ahead of her! Yang Liuyi thought to herself: I haven't even experienced love yet! Am I going to die?
Yang Liuyi glanced at Chen Yang not far ahead. She thought, "Is this young man the company's security officer? He's really skilled! But his character might not be so good. He's been secretly watching me since boarding, thinking he's being discreet! Just now he even took the opportunity to touch me there…"
Thinking about how she had been distracted and thinking such nonsense at this critical moment, Yang Liuyi's pretty face flushed again.
Chen Yang, unaware of Yang Liuyi's complex emotions, hurriedly approached the flight attendant and said,
"Take me to see him quickly, I have some knowledge of flying..."
The flight attendant, as if grasping at a lifeline, nodded repeatedly and led Chen Yang towards the cockpit. The passengers, who had already given up hope, couldn't help but feel a glimmer of expectation upon hearing Chen Yang's words. This young man had shown remarkable skill earlier; hopefully, he could save them this time too!
Yang Liuyi was also extremely surprised: Wasn't this guy the company's safety officer? Had he even flown a plane?
Upon arriving at the cockpit, Chen Yang was also shocked by the scene before him. Gu Xinmin had been shot in the abdomen, and a flight attendant was bandaging him. Blood was seeping from the bandages, indicating a serious injury; he was already unconscious. It was likely that the gun fired by the man with the mustache had accidentally discharged during the earlier fight.
Although Chen Yang had no experience piloting large passenger planes, as a passionate aviation enthusiast, he had even flown Bombardier business jets. Although Bombardier and Boeing cockpit layouts are completely different, Chen Yang had seen pictures of Boeing cockpits and was familiar with several key instruments. Therefore, he immediately noticed that among the dazzling array of instruments, the "app" light representing autopilot was off, indicating the aircraft was in manual control mode.
Even more critically, Gu Xinmin's foot was hooked on the C-stick, no wonder the plane was constantly climbing.
The man with the mustache had been knocked unconscious, and Hao Shaobin, panting, was tying him up with a rope.
Chen Yang quickly shouted:
"Move the captain out first! His foot is hooked on the control stick! The plane will stall soon!"
Hao Shaobin rushed over and frantically moved Gu Xinmin to first class. Then he dragged the man with the mustache out as well. Chen Yang sat in Gu Xinmin's seat, fastening his seatbelt as he turned to the flight attendant and said:
"Flight attendant, please go out immediately and calm the passengers down. Remember, everyone must be seatbelted and not leave their seats. Also, the unconscious assailant must be strapped to his seat and have someone keep a close eye on him!"
Chen Yang thought for a moment, then added:
"Also, please arrange for a flight attendant to come and assist me!"
The flight attendant nodded hurriedly and said:
"Yes, yes! I'll take care of it right away! Sir, the plane... I'm leaving it in your care!"
As she said this, a hint of worry appeared in the flight attendant's eyes. Chen Yang was really too young. Had he really flown a plane before? The flight attendant had a slight doubt, but in this situation, there was no other way but to trust him. She stepped out of the cockpit, beckoned Yang Liuyi over, and said,
"Xiao Yang! Hurry to the cockpit and help that gentleman!"
Yang Liuyi knew the matter was serious and didn't dare delay, quickly heading to the cockpit. As she entered, she saw Chen Yang struggling to push the C-stick forward, trying to level the aircraft's attitude.
Hearing someone enter, Chen Yang said without turning around,
"Quickly, get into your seats and fasten your seatbelts! Help me push the stick!"
"Okay!" Yang Liuyi responded and obediently took the co-pilot's seat.
Hearing it was Yang Liuyi, Chen Yang turned to look at her in surprise, but given the urgency of the situation, he simply nodded slightly and continued trying to control the aircraft.
With Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi working together to push the stick, the aircraft's attitude gradually leveled out. Chen Yang quickly engaged the autopilot. Under the autopilot's control, the giant airliner began to slowly descend towards the previously set altitude. Although large passenger planes are complex, their basic principles and components are the same as those of the Bombardier and J-10 fighter jets Chen Yang had flown in his previous life. Chen Yang could at least recognize the altimeter, airspeed indicator, and gyroscope, and using the radio was generally not a problem.
Seeing that the aircraft's attitude had stabilized, Chen Yang picked up his headset. He wasn't familiar with the common frequencies for civil aviation, but having served in the Air Force for several years, he was naturally intimately familiar with the emergency distress frequencies for military aviation. He quickly tuned the radio to the Air Force's emergency channel and, following aviation industry practice, issued an emergency distress call:
"ng8773, mayday! mayday! mayday!"
"Mayday" comes from French and means "Help me!" It's widely used because it's catchy and easy to understand. Domestic pilots jokingly refer to it as "Mayday" based on its literal meaning. "Mayday" is also the highest level distress signal; once an aircraft announces "Mayday," it means that the aircraft has entered an extremely dangerous situation, and all aircraft must give way unconditionally. In the United States, even Air Force One gives way to aircraft declaring "mayday."
The Rongcheng Air Traffic Control Center had received reports of a hijacking and was on high alert. All departments were operating at full capacity. They received Chen Yang's distress signal immediately. His signal was very clear; he stated the flight number and clearly issued three consecutive "mayday" calls. Although his use of a military frequency seemed odd to the air traffic controllers, they responded quickly:
"NG8773, this is the Rongcheng Air Traffic Control Center of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Please report the situation immediately!"
Chen Yang calmly stated:
"NG8773, declaring a state of emergency. The aircraft has been hijacked, and the hijackers are currently under control. However, both pilots are incapacitated. Repeat, major emergency, both pilots are incapacitated."
The air traffic controllers gaped; the situation was serious! He quickly followed up with:
"ng8773, what's the aircraft's status? Who's in control now?"
"Currently, flight attitude is good, altitude 31,000 feet, speed 250 knots. I'm a passenger on the flight, an aviation enthusiast. I'm currently in control." Chen Yang checked the instruments and said, "ng8773, requesting immediate return to base, over!"
The air force controller took a deep breath; the worst had happened!
Over two hundred precious lives on board! Now at 30,000 feet, both pilots were incapacitated, and only one passenger was in control. The controller knew very well what this meant for these passengers.
He dared not delay and immediately replied:
"ng8773, Received. Maintain flight attitude, I will report to my superiors immediately!"
"Maintain attitude, ng8773 understood!"
The Rongcheng Airport control tower was a hive of activity. Liu Xiaoyu, the controller on duty today, was simultaneously directing four aircraft to land in sequence.
At that moment, a red telephone rang urgently. Liu Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat! He quickly signaled his assistant to take over command. He picked up the phone, listened for a moment, and his expression changed drastically. Turning to his assistant, he said:
"Xiao Hu, immediately clear all aircraft!"
Xiao Hu said hesitantly:
"But... this China Express Airlines flight is already establishing its flight path; they've entered landing procedures!"
China Express Airlines is a national airline, and its captains are known for their arrogant attitude. Asking them to give way when they're already in landing procedures would surely enrage the captain upon landing! The assistant was a little apprehensive.
Liu Xiaoyu impatiently roared:
"Make them go around! Announce 'Mayday' on a flight!"
Xiao Hu's face immediately changed, and without a word, he began issuing a series of instructions over the radio.
Liu Xiaoyu then pressed a red button on the control panel. A piercing alarm immediately blared throughout the airport. Liu Xiaoyu took the microphone and announced:
"Attention all departments! Attention all departments! A flight has declared an emergency and will be making an emergency landing on Runway 2 in approximately fifteen minutes! Repeat, an emergency landing!"
Airport emergency response teams immediately sprang into action. Fire trucks and ambulances quickly assembled near Runway 2. Because there were still hijackers on board, the SWAT team had also rapidly arrived at the airport. Various special vehicles emitted piercing sirens, and personnel busily began deployment. For a moment, the runway at Rongcheng Airport was filled with tension.
Meanwhile, at 30,000 feet, more than two hundred passengers and crew members were once again in extreme danger…