He Got His Hands on the Enemy

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The plane was still flying on autopilot. Fang Linyan went over to the first officer, who had been bitten by the Blood Spider, and quickly tied him up. The pain would wear off in a few minutes. If he didn't prepare in advance, what if the man came out and ruined things for him later?

Once he was done, Fang Linyan went over to the captain, whom he had knocked down. The captain was already starting to recover, but Fang Linyan simply punched him again, sending him to his knees, retching.

Taking advantage of the moment, Fang Linyan moved behind him and put him in a chokehold, pressing a sharp nail against the captain's eyeball. He said coldly:

"Do you want to live or die?"

The captain panted without answering. But when he felt the pressure on the nail suddenly increase, he screamed:

"I want to live! I want to live!"

Fang Linyan said impassively:

"Where's the nearest airport?"

The captain panted out:

"Boston Airport. The one we just took off from."

Fang Linyan said calmly:

"Good. Turn us around and fly back. Then contact the control tower and tell them we've been hijacked and need to return immediately. Don't try anything. I've got a bomb on me. If you want to die, we can all go together!"

***

Yes, this was Fang Linyan's second plan!

Strike first,

hijack the plane in advance!!

The captain looked stunned when he heard what Fang Linyan wanted. But after thinking it over, he realized Fang Linyan's demands were far more lenient than he'd expected, so he readily agreed.

Only then did Fang Linyan let out a breath. He knew he was halfway to success. Then he motioned for the captain to hand him the intercom, the kind used to broadcast to all the passengers.

Soon, Fang Linyan's calm voice echoed through the cabin:

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I regret to inform you of some unfortunate news: your journey will be facing a slight setback."

"This plane has been hijacked by me. We'll be turning back to Boston, and everyone will go home safely with their luggage—assuming those damned cops release my brother, of course."

"Oh, and one more warning. If they won't even agree to this small request, then I'm sorry, but I'll kill one hostage every hour! I've already got cancer, so if anyone tries anything, I'll detonate the bomb on me and we'll all die together!"

After those final words, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Fang Linyan's mouth. Yes, he had successfully shifted the pressure onto those damned terrorists!

They had wanted to take over the plane, but he'd gotten there first and seized the cockpit. That made for a rather interesting situation.

Those terrorists had been brainwashed into being ready to die for their cause. They were even willing to take control of a plane and crash it into a building without hesitation. That meant they must have valued completing their mission more than their own lives.

And the key to whether their mission succeeded was control of the cockpit. So Fang Linyan had struck unexpectedly and taken control first. It was like using Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt to grab the enemy by the balls, turning the tables and leaving them as frantic as ants on a hot pan.

Why? Because if the plane landed back in Boston, it would inevitably draw the full attention of local security. Hijacking it again would become much more difficult.

This was really a battle of wits. The plane had taken off less than twenty minutes ago. In other words, the terrorists had only twenty minutes to plan and counter Fang Linyan's opening move! As the saying went, haste made waste, so there was a good chance they'd make a mistake.

Of course, taking control of the plane first had another major advantage! To everyone else, he was a desperate criminal and terrorist too. He'd even threatened to kill a hostage every hour and detonate a bomb to take everyone down with him.

That left the real terrorists speechless, unable to complain even if they wanted to. After all, their own threats were no different: take hostages or blow up the plane!

They couldn't exactly tell Fang Linyan, "Get the hell out here and let us take the cockpit, or we'll kill the passengers or blow up the plane!"

Too bad. Fang Linyan clearly didn't care about that. Their threats had no bite at all—they were about as limp as a balding middle-aged man who'd just finished his business.

In fact, before the plane crashed into a building, the real terrorists wanted even less than the crew to see anything happen to it! And now Fang Linyan's actions had completely drawn their hatred and attention, so they wouldn't have the time or inclination to go after the passengers. That suited Fang Linyan just fine.

After waiting about five minutes, Fang Linyan realized that the hidden terrorists still hadn't made a move. A cold smile crossed his lips. He decided to add fuel to the fire and discussed something with the captain—"discussed" with a weapon pointed at a vital spot, naturally.

After hearing Fang Linyan's request, the captain shrugged. He didn't see anything wrong with it; it was just standard procedure. Soon, an announcement came over the plane's speakers:

"We've received instructions from the control tower. Since we're making an unscheduled return, the plane is currently overweight and does not meet the safe landing weight requirements. We'll be dumping eight tons of fuel in the air, leaving only enough to return safely to Boston. Passengers who see this from their windows, please remain calm."

For ordinary passengers, the announcement was bound to leave them completely baffled, then plunge them right back into panic. They didn't care about the details.

But for the terrorists with something to hide, it was like a bolt from the blue!

Once most of the fuel had been dumped, leaving only enough for the return flight to Boston, how were they supposed to crash the plane into a skyscraper?

In other words, if they didn't act now, then even if they succeeded after the fuel was gone, they'd have no chance to carry out their plan!

Right after that, Fang Linyan had the captain make another announcement:

"There are injured people in the cockpit! Please note, there are injured people in the cockpit. We need a doctor with first-aid skills and a volunteer to help. Anyone willing to assist, please report to the first-class cabin and wait."