"Menghan, watch the data. I’m going into a dive! Old Lü, we’re starting a vertical dive now. Anticipate any changes in the engine! I need six seconds!!"

After relaying his orders to Lü Dong and Bai Menghan over the radio, he scanned the plane’s instruments and immediately sent the aircraft into a straight nosedive.

The sudden nosedive sent the passengers into terrified screams.

"AHH~~ Am I going to die?! I don’t want to die!!"

"Help! I’m only seventeen!!"

"Oh my god! Get me out of here! I want to go home! I’m never visiting Huaxia again!"

..

All kinds of voices poured through the radio into Fang Chenyi’s ears, but it was as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

"Ah~ It’s over! We’re done for! The plane has stalled! We’re about to crash into the sea!"

It wasn’t just the screams of the passengers; Xiaozhou, sitting behind Bai Menghan, was now also clutching the radio and screaming in panic.

On the other end, everyone in the national aviation command center felt their hearts sink upon hearing that cry.

The man in charge tore the hat from his head, snatched up the radio in front of him, and said in a choked voice:

"Southern Airlines 9527, Godspeed..."

Seeing this, the people around him also stood up and bowed their heads.

「...」

Meanwhile, on the Black Sea, on the deck of a large ship flying a massive skull-and-crossbones flag, a row of shirtless men with ammo belts slung over their shoulders and guns in hand were all pointing at the sky in shock, letting out strange cries:

"Oh my god! What am I seeing! Is that plane about to fall out of the sky! Oh my god!"

They shouted excitedly, their phones aimed at the plane plummeting from the sky, eager to record the rare spectacle.

「...」

Back on the plane, Fang Chenyi struggled to control the aircraft, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead. Bai Menghan and Lü Dong were rapidly and continuously reporting the plane’s status.

"Altitude 2,300 meters, speed 950 kilometers per hour!"

"Altitude 1,900 meters, speed 930 kilometers per hour!"

"Altitude 1,600 meters, speed 900 kilometers per hour!"

With each of Bai Menghan’s calls, everyone’s heart, including Fang Chenyi’s, rose into their throats.

’Almost there... almost there... Pull up as soon as it hits 900!’

Fang Chenyi gripped the plane’s control stick tightly, calculating silently. But just then, Lü Dong’s panicked voice suddenly shouted over the radio:

"It’s no good! The engine can’t take it anymore! Pull up now!"

The instant Lü Dong spoke, Fang Chenyi reacted without a second thought. He rapidly manipulated the controls, using the momentum from the tilt caused by the missing engine to perform a roll. He followed it with an incredibly difficult aerial flip, and the plane, which had been plummeting straight toward the sea below, was miraculously leveled out!

At that very moment, with a muffled BANG, the only remaining engine disintegrated in mid-air, breaking apart into a shower of fire.

"Phew... As expected of someone with a super flight license. That technique... I’m still a long way off."

Feeling the plane stabilize, Lü Dong, who had been knocked around and bruised inside the cabin, actually had the presence of mind to exclaim in admiration.

After his exclamation, he started to worry again. Although they had descended to a lower altitude, they now had no engines.

Without any engines, a fall from over a thousand meters in the air would definitely not end well!

The still-shaken passengers were dumbfounded to see the plane stabilize once again. Those by the windows, looking at the sea so close below, felt a renewed sense of having cheated death. In their eyes, from this height, even if they jumped, as long as they could swim, they believed there was a sliver of a chance to survive!

In the cockpit, Fang Chenyi, who was still gripping the control stick, saw that he had succeeded. The heart that had been in his throat finally settled a little.

’That was too close. We were just a centimeter from the Death God!’

While he was reflecting on this, Xiaozhou began to shout with joyous surprise:

"AH!! I’m not dead! I’m not dead! HAHAHA!! We’re alive! We’re still alive!!"

Over the radio, upon hearing this joyous shout, everyone at the Huaxia Airlines command center was stunned for a moment. Then, as they realized what it meant, they erupted into fervent cheers!

The commander, his eyes already brimming with tears, pumped his fist fiercely at the air. He then grabbed the radio and anxiously inquired about 9527’s status. Perhaps due to the excitement, his voice trembled slightly as he spoke:

"Southern Airlines 9527, did you successfully make an emergency landing?"

"N-no, we’re still flying... but we’re very low... We’re very close to the sea..."

Hearing the voice on the radio, Xiaozhou didn’t know how to answer, because he had no idea what had just happened. After giving his reply, he turned a confused gaze toward Fang Chenyi.

Fang Chenyi ignored him, but Bai Menghan reached out and took the radio:

"This is Southern Airlines 9527. We just used the last of the engine power to descend to 1,100 meters, but both engines have now disintegrated. The plane is currently gliding at a speed of 860 kilometers per hour."

On the other end, the people in the command center, who had just begun to relax, felt their hearts leap back into their throats upon hearing this. Both engines disintegrated? An altitude of 1,100 meters and a speed of 860... it seemed the current danger was hardly any less than before!

"Southern Airlines 9527, how much fuel do you have left!"

"Command, we have 73 tons of fuel remaining."

As Bai Menghan’s voice faded, the command center fell into silence.

The commander stood before the large screen in the command center, made a quick mental calculation, and immediately spoke into the radio:

"Jettison the fuel immediately."

The commander’s reasoning was clear. With the power systems gone, the remaining fuel was just dead weight. Jettisoning it would lighten the aircraft’s weight, which would be nothing but beneficial for the impending emergency landing.

The reason for his brief hesitation was that jettisoning the fuel would inevitably pollute this area of the sea.

But on second thought, if the plane crashed and the fuel exploded, the fuel would still leak out, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

After quickly weighing the pros and cons, the commander immediately gave the order to jettison the fuel.

However, Fang Chenyi, who was piloting the plane, grabbed his microphone and said decisively, without the slightest hesitation:

"No. We absolutely cannot jettison the fuel."

[To be continued...]