"ng8773, please contact the Rongcheng air traffic controller, frequency 129.1!"
Chen Yang didn't have to wait long before the air force controller contacted him, still using the military's emergency frequency. Originally, the command's plan was for the plane to land at the Rongcheng military airport, but the situation clearly didn't allow it now—there was no qualified pilot!
The short runway at the military airport was already a struggle for a giant passenger plane to land, and now a passenger was controlling the aircraft. It was already a miracle that it could land successfully at the Rongcheng civilian airport; how could they expect it to attempt a high-difficulty landing on the short runway?
Therefore, the command made a decisive decision, instructing the flight to contact local air traffic control for guidance to land at Yongle civilian airport.
Of course, everyone in the command center, including Fang Hongda and Liu Guoqiang, had almost given up hope of a successful landing…
"129.1, ng8773, understood!"
Chen Yang successfully made contact with ground control via the frequency provided by the Air Force, and followed control instructions to descend and change course, preparing to return to Rongcheng Airport.
At this moment, no one noticed that during the gunfight in the cabin, a stray bullet had struck the rear bulkhead of the aircraft, creating a thin crack.
At 30,000 feet, the aircraft cabin is like a balloon. For comfort, the cabin is pressurized, maintaining a pressure similar to that at ground level, while the outside air is much thinner at high altitudes. The cabin constantly endures the immense tension caused by this pressure difference.
Thus, the crack formed by the stray bullet began to slowly extend and widen under the terrifying pressure…
Suddenly, a loud "bang" resounded! A ten-inch square section of the bulkhead vanished instantly at the crack, revealing the pitch-black night sky outside.
High-pressure air rapidly leaked out through the crack. Chaos erupted inside the cabin. All unsecured items flew everywhere the moment the bulkhead broke, then were quickly expelled with the leaking air. Immediately afterward, oxygen masks dropped in unison in front of the screaming passengers. Fortunately, Chen Yang had instructed the flight attendant to have everyone fasten their seatbelts, so everyone was secured in their seats and no one was sucked out of the cabin.
The J-10 fighter jet following behind the flight was caught in the crossfire. The fragment of the bulkhead struck like a meteor, and the middle aircraft had no time to avoid it. The high-speed impact of the debris severely damaged its left wing, and the plane plummeted downwards like a kite with a broken string.
While struggling to control the aircraft's attitude, the pilot quickly reported the situation via radio:
"Eagle Nest! D-Two reports! My aircraft has been hit by unidentified debris falling from a flight. Damage details unknown!"
The commander of the Air Force Rongcheng Command Post, who was overseeing the operation, paled upon hearing this. He grabbed the microphone and asked:
"How's the control?"
"The attitude is mostly stable now, but the stick is very heavy. I suspect there's an oil leak!" The pilot, having barely managed to recover the aircraft from its out-of-control state, quickly glanced at the instruments and replied.
"D-Two, I order you to return to base immediately. D-Three and D-Four will escort you!" the commander said decisively.
"But... what about the civilian aircraft?" D-Two was aware of the aircraft's current situation. He had originally intended to lead the way for Chen Yang, but before he could even change formation, he was hit by debris. Therefore, upon hearing the commander's order, he hesitated for a moment. "Execute the order!" the commander said decisively. "The hijackers on board are under control. The civil aviation personnel can handle the guidance now!"
"Yes, sir!" D and D2 replied crisply. Then, with difficulty, C twisted the control stick, steer the plane erratically back towards its origin, D3 and D4 following closely behind. The three fighter jets quickly disappeared into the vast night sky.
Meanwhile, on NG8773, despair gripped everyone's hearts.
The passengers, already on the verge of collapse, ignored the oxygen masks hanging in front of them, screaming hysterically.
A couple, having checked in late, hadn't been able to get adjacent seats. They stretched out their hands to each other across two rows of seats, trying to offer warmth in their final moments.
The flight attendant, disregarding the danger, unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, loudly reassuring the passengers and instructing them to put on their oxygen masks.
A blast of cold air rushed in from the broken doors of the cabin, causing the temperature to plummet. Most passengers, dressed only in a single layer of clothing, shivered in the sub-zero temperatures. Soon, some turned pale and were in critical condition.
The scene inside the cockpit was similar to the passenger cabin. The door, its lock broken, was quickly sucked open, and pieces of paper flew everywhere. The oxygen masks above Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi's seats were also lowered.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep..." A piercing alarm suddenly blared from the cabin!
Explosive decompression!!!
Chen Yang immediately thought of this terrifying word.
"We must descend immediately!" This was Chen Yang's instinctive reaction.
30,000 feet is a forbidden zone for human survival. The air is so thin that normal breathing is impossible, and the temperature is around -50 degrees Celsius. Prolonged exposure to such air would result in either suffocation or freezing to death.
After depressurization, everyone would fall into a deep sleep due to tissue hypoxia within 30 seconds to 1 minute. Once this happened, the plane would become a veritable "ghost flight." Therefore, Chen Yang immediately put on his oxygen mask and signaled Yang Liuyi to put hers on quickly as well.
Chen Yang urgently reported via radio:
"ng8773 reporting, cabin depressurization, requesting emergency descent! Repeat! Cabin depressurization, requesting emergency descent!"
"ng8773, Rongcheng received. Request approved." Rongcheng ground control quickly responded.
"ng8773 understood!"
At the same time as reporting, Chen Yang disengaged the autopilot. He then quickly pushed the stick forward, manually lowering the aircraft. Generally, an aircraft's oxygen reserves are only enough for about 12 minutes, especially since the flight was almost full today…
At 10,000 meters altitude, the giant passenger plane rapidly descended in an unusual posture. While rapidly descending, Chen Yang instructed Yang Liuyi to immediately contact the cabin crew to assess the damage.
The cabin crew's feedback brought Chen Yang a slight sigh of relief—there were no casualties, and the damage to the fuselage wasn't severe. A ten-inch square "D" had been created at the tail—Boeing's anti-crack design had prevented a potential mid-air disintegration.
Currently, the aircraft's control systems appeared unaffected.
20,000 feet!
18,000 feet!
15,000 feet!
Chen Yang anxiously stared at the altimeter. The aircraft was now diving at a high speed, approximately 15 meters per second. The immense thrust pressed Chen Yang and Yang Liuyi firmly against their seats. Although they were wearing oxygen masks, the semi-weightless feeling during the dive still made Chen Yang somewhat dizzy.
These were agonizing ten minutes. Within ten minutes, the aircraft rapidly descended from 31,000 feet to approximately 10,000 feet. This was almost the plane's limit. Chen Yang felt the entire aircraft tremble slightly, as if it might fall apart in mid-air at the slightest mistake.
Seeing the altimeter reach 10,000 feet, Chen Yang felt a slight sense of relief. He leveled the plane slightly and then quickly removed his mask. At this altitude, although oxygen was still scarce, it wouldn't immediately cause fatal harm.
9,000 feet!
8,000 feet!
7,000 feet!
Chen Yang focused intently on controlling the plane's descent, hoping to obtain more oxygen. But just then, the terrifying terrain obstacle alarm blared again in the cabin:
"Terrain! Terrain! Pull up!"
"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep…"
Almost simultaneously, Rongcheng Approach Control loudly warned:
"NG8773! Pull up! Pull up! Gaogai Mountain is ahead!"
At this moment, in the light of the landing lights, Chen Yang could also see the blurry outline of a mountain ridge not far ahead. His heart tightened, and he quickly pulled back on the stick!
The massive fuselage of the Boeing 757 struggled to slowly rise from its dive, the entire aircraft creaking and groaning under the reaction force, as if it might tear apart at any moment, sending chills down one's spine.
Looking at the approaching Gaogai Mountain, Chen Yang gritted his teeth. He pushed the throttle to the maximum and desperately pulled back on the control stick. Yang Liuyi, without waiting for Chen Yang's instructions, did the same, hoping to help him.
However, the massive Boeing 757 was like a slow-moving giant; turning around suddenly was clearly not so easy. As the shadow of the mountain ridge grew larger in her vision, the plane's climb became increasingly slow, clearly indicating that a collision was inevitable. Looking at the imminent ridge of Gaogai Mountain, Yang Liuyi closed her eyes in despair…
Chen Yang's eyes remained fixed on the road ahead. The ridge of Gaogai Mountain sloped downwards to the left and upwards to the right. The plane swayed and climbed to this point; a crash was imminent!
Chen Yang gritted his teeth and pulled the control stick all the way to the left, simultaneously applying the rudder. The plane tilted slightly to the left in the night sky, then its nose lifted, narrowly missing the highest point of Gaogai Mountain in a breathtaking maneuver. The tail of the plane almost grazed the treetops.
Yang Liuyi waited with her eyes tightly closed for a long time, but she didn't hear the explosion of the plane crashing into the mountain.
She slowly opened her eyes and was overjoyed to find that the menacing black mountain shadow outside the windshield was gone, replaced by the endless night sky and the faint lights of fishing boats visible on the distant sea.
Yang Liuyi glanced at Chen Yang beside her again and found that his expression was normal, only his breathing was slightly rapid. Looking at Chen Yang's hard profile illuminated by the cockpit instrument lights, Yang Liuyi suddenly felt she had gained a new understanding of this frighteningly calm man.
Chen Yang took a few deep breaths and calmly spoke into the radio:
"ng8773 reporting, climbed to 7500 feet, where am I now?"