Chapter 99

Xu Yan was taken aback for a moment before he reacted, his heart suddenly flaring with anger — you police officers, even if you're stupid, you should have some principles, right? The one causing trouble was that monster, not me! If it weren't for me stabbing that monster with two swords, letting it get close, you would have been dead long ago. Pointing a gun at your savior, what kind of attitude is that?

Xu Yan was furious in his heart, but he was an introverted person, and the angrier he got, the less he could speak. He pointed to the monster lying on the ground and said stiffly, "He was a madman. I killed him to save people, to eliminate a menace to the public, in self-defense!"

The air marshal narrowed his eyes slightly, the veins on his hand gripping the gun standing out: "Whether it was self-defense or not, you don't get to decide! I am the air marshal for this flight, and I order you to immediately put down your weapon and wait for the police to handle the situation — this is your first warning!

I warn you, according to police regulations, on a flight, if a suspect does not comply with police control, the police do not need to fire a warning shot before shooting!"

As he spoke, his eyes turned fierce, clearly having made up his mind. The gun clicked, indicating that the safety had been turned off.

Xu Yan thought for a moment, then slowly retreated, all the way back to his original seat. He placed the cicada-wing sword on his original seat — Zhu Youxiang was sitting in the adjacent seat, and Xu Yan believed that his companion knew how to handle the sword.

Because of the seats and passengers blocking the view, the air marshal could not see what happened after Xu Yan put down the sword. He saw Xu Yan obediently put down his weapon and immediately felt relieved. He lowered the gun — it was no wonder he was nervous. The environment on the plane was complex, and the situation was much more dangerous than on the ground. The air marshal was the last line of defense on the plane, and if he made a mistake, the safety of the entire plane would be out of control.

It wasn't that this air marshal liked to make a big deal out of small things; the key was that he was indeed wary of Xu Yan. During air crew training, the instructor repeatedly emphasized this point: as an air marshal hidden among the passengers, when an unexpected event occurs, do not easily reveal your identity to handle the situation — because many hijackers are part of a group, and their usual tactic is to have one or two people cause trouble first to draw out the air marshal hidden among the passengers. Once the air marshal is exposed, the hidden accomplices among the passengers take advantage of the air marshal's moment of distraction, using the advantage of being in the dark to suddenly attack the air marshal.

Therefore, the instructor repeatedly emphasized: when handling sudden violent incidents on a flight, be extremely cautious. Be on high alert for suspicious passengers, as they may be part of a terrorist group. If necessary, take decisive action first.

Now, in the eyes of the air marshal, Xu Yan was one of those suspicious passengers. When the trouble started in the first-class cabin, Xu Yan came out on his own, looking around, which made the air marshal very suspicious — who would be so eager to get involved? He had shouted at him several times to return to his seat, but Xu Yan refused to sit down and followed him instead, which made him even more suspicious.

If Xu Yan's earlier behavior only made the air marshal suspect him, then when he suddenly killed the deranged passenger, the air marshal's vigilance increased even more — first, where did this young man get the sword?

The sword in Xu Yan's hand looked like an antique, but its sharpness could pierce a person through with one strike. Such a sharp controlled weapon could never pass through security. This young man had gone to great lengths to deceive the security check and bring this sword onto the plane, and then he boldly killed the deranged passenger — who knows what their relationship was? Maybe he was trying to eliminate a witness or because of some internal conflict in the group?

Because of these reasons, the air marshal was filled with caution and vigilance towards Xu Yan. Only when Xu Yan obediently put down his weapon did he let out a sigh of relief. He reached into his back pocket, took out a pair of handcuffs, and walked straight towards Xu Yan.

Seeing the other person walking over with handcuffs, Xu Yan panicked — it looked like the other person was going to handcuff him? This was too unjust! He couldn't help but call out, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? I was acting in self-defense!"

The air marshal's attitude was very stern: "Whether it was self-defense or not, we'll see after we land! Now, you behave yourself!" As he spoke, he had already approached Xu Yan, grabbed his wrist, and tried to put the handcuffs on.

Putting down the weapon could still be negotiated, but the other person wanted to handcuff him, which Xu Yan could no longer tolerate. He struggled hard, freeing his hand from the air marshal's grip, and sternly said, "Nonsense! If you keep this up, I won't be gentle with you!"

"Less talk, behave yourself!"

At this point, Xu Yan could no longer tolerate it. He struggled hard, pushed the air marshal, and the air marshal felt an irresistible force, stumbling back several steps before he could steady himself. He was shocked: this guy, how could he have such strength? He had undergone physical training at the police academy and practiced sanda and free fighting, and even three or four people couldn't get close to him. This guy pushed him back several steps with one hand, where did he get such strength?

Being pushed away by Xu Yan, the air marshal was slightly angry and wanted to continue to subdue Xu Yan, but at this moment, the passengers couldn't stand it anymore. Mr. Zhao couldn't help but speak up: "Comrade officer, the priority now is to save people, right? This student, after all, killed a madman, which should be considered self-defense. Whatever happens, let's wait until we land, okay? Besides, the flight is still in the air. Even if he isn't handcuffed, where could this young man run to?"

Mr. Zhao's words immediately resonated with the other passengers. An elderly gentleman wearing glasses also chimed in: "Yes, comrade officer, the madman caused trouble and injured many people, and we don't even know the extent of their injuries... This young man, although he killed someone, he also saved many people, right? There's no need to be so harsh. We can wait until we land to see how to handle it."

"Exactly!" Several passengers also chimed in. A middle-aged woman who looked like a housewife said, "This young man looks like a student, gentle and polite, how could he be a bad person? Officer, don't bully the good!"

A young woman who looked like a student said sarcastically, "Yes, when the madman caused trouble, the police didn't do anything... Now that someone has taken care of the troublemaker, the police come to arrest the good guy — you weren't so brave just now!"

"Exactly, they don't catch the bad guys, but they're quick to catch the good guys! The police nowadays really have their priorities mixed up!"

The passengers were indignant, condemning the air marshal for not doing his job and causing trouble. The air marshal's face turned red, and he couldn't explain to the passengers that he had been observing to see if there were any accomplices among the passengers. Seeing that he had incurred the wrath of the passengers, he didn't know how to explain. Just as the situation was at an impasse, a flight attendant came from the front of the cabin. It was the flight attendant who had just been chased by the monster. She urgently said a few words to the air marshal, speaking quickly. Xu Yan only vaguely heard that there were injured people in the first-class cabin who needed help, and the captain had asked the air marshal to assist.

At this moment, the air marshal felt relieved — he could finally leave this awkward situation. He put his gun back in the holster, pointed at Xu Yan, and said to the passengers, "Alright, since that's the case — everyone, please keep an eye on him. If he causes trouble, call out, and I'll come back to handle it!"

With that, he hurriedly turned and walked towards the front of the cabin. Xu Yan felt relieved and bowed to the passengers, "Thank you, everyone, thank you for your help!"

In response, the passengers gave a round of enthusiastic applause. The middle-aged woman who looked like a housewife said loudly, "Young man, you don't need to thank us; we should thank you! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know what to do today. That little police officer was all talk and no action, not as capable as you! You took care of that guy with one strike, how efficient!"

The other passengers echoed, "That's right! Young man, don't worry, you did a good thing, and we can all vouch for you! When we land, we'll tell the police that this was self-defense!"

Seeing the passengers' enthusiasm, Xu Yan bowed repeatedly in gratitude. At this moment, the injured flight attendant limped over and asked Xu Yan to sit back in his original seat. Xu Yan obeyed but asked, "Is your foot okay?"

The flight attendant was taken aback but smiled, "It's nothing, I twisted it while running —" she lowered her voice, "Hello, Mr. Xu, we all support you! When we land, all the flight attendants will vouch for you! You'll be fine!"

"Ah, how do you know my name?"

"Uh," the flight attendant blushed and said softly, "We just checked the boarding list and saw your name... Oh, I'm Xu Tong!"

Hearing the encouragement from the passengers and the flight attendant, Xu Yan felt warm inside. He suddenly thought of something and asked Xu Tong, the flight attendant, in a low voice, "By the way, can I use a phone on the flight? I need to contact someone on the ground to report this incident."

Xu Tong shook her head in difficulty, "For flight safety, passengers are not allowed to use mobile phones... But Mr. Xu, don't worry, the cockpit has already reported this to the ground control tower, and they are prepared."

"Will the ground handle this through the Jincheng Public Security Bureau's airport division?"

"… Probably, we're not sure, but usually, when an incident occurs on a flight, it is handled by the local police where the plane lands."

"Is that so…." Xu Yan pondered for a moment and then said firmly, "In that case, can I go to the cockpit to make a call to a friend on the ground?"

Xu Tong looked hesitant, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xu, according to regulations, non-crew members are not allowed to enter the cockpit during the flight, especially since you are… um, do you have something important to do?"

Xu Yan thought for a moment and felt very difficult. After a long hesitation, he said in a low voice, "Miss Xu, there's something I need to tell you, but you must keep it confidential."

Xu Tong smiled, thinking that this student-like young man couldn't have anything important to say. She smiled and said, "Sure, Mr. Xu, please go ahead, I'll keep it confidential."

"Alright!" Xu Yan looked directly into her eyes and said, "I am an external officer of the General Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army, currently on a mission! I have something important to report to my superiors, and it's very urgent."

Hearing this, Xu Tong was completely stunned. Her lips parted, and her eyes widened, but it took her a while to recover. She laughed, "Mr. Xu, at your age… are you joking with me? Ha ha, pretending to be a serving military officer or police is illegal. Don't joke like that in the future."

Xu Yan looked distressed, not knowing how to prove his identity to the flight attendant. At this moment, he regretted not getting his officer's ID from Wen Xiuzhi earlier. If he had shown it, things would have been much easier.

After a moment, Xu Yan asked, "Miss Xu, do you have paper and a pen?"

"Ah, yes." Xu Tong took out a pen and a piece of paper from her bag, "Mr. Xu, what do you need to write?"

Xu Yan gave a phone number, which was Wen Xiuzhi's mobile number, "This is the phone number of Major Wen Xiuzhi from the Intelligence Department. He is our leader. Please ask the cockpit to contact him and tell him what happened on the plane today. That's all."

Xu Tong frowned, not really believing what Xu Yan said from the beginning. She wanted to refuse, but Xu Yan's request wasn't difficult — just making a call to someone on the ground. She thought, "This Mr. Wen is probably a friend of Mr. Xu's and can help him resolve this issue. After all, Mr. Xu saved us, so it's a small favor to do."

After a moment, Xu Tong took the piece of paper and nodded, "I'll try to talk to the captain and see if he will help. Since the cockpit can only contact the ground control tower, we'll need to ask the ground control tower to contact Mr. Wen."

"Thank you, Miss Xu."

"You're welcome, please wait a moment."

Xu Tong took the paper and walked away, and Xu Yan sat back in his original seat. Mr. Zhao moved over to make room for Xu Yan, looking at him with a strange expression.

Xu Yan wasn't surprised — seeing a person who was just chatting with his companion suddenly go out and kill someone, and then come back as if nothing happened, anyone would feel uneasy.

Because Mr. Zhao had just spoken up for him, Xu Yan said, "Thank you," and Mr. Zhao said it was nothing, it was his duty. Then he asked Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, was what you said just now true?"

"Ah, what did I say?"

Mr. Zhao pointed to his ear and said, "Sorry, Xu Yan, my hearing is very good. I heard what you said to the flight attendant just now — uh, you said you are an intelligence officer. Is that true?"

Xu Yan smiled bitterly, "Well… it could be true, or it could not be. Just say whatever you want!"

Xu Yan didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to reveal the truth to an uninvolved person, so he deliberately gave an ambiguous answer. But to Mr. Zhao, this answer meant that Xu Yan admitted to lying. He exclaimed, "Ah, so you were pretending to be a serving military officer! That's illegal, you know."

He thought for a moment and whispered to Xu Yan, "Xu, you got yourself into big trouble by killing that madman."

Xu Yan didn't think much of it, "But I was acting in self-defense!"

"True, the passengers and crew are willing to vouch for you, saying you killed the madman to protect everyone. But… you know, in today's society, things are very complicated. In a lawsuit, just because you have a good reason doesn't mean you'll win."

He lowered his voice, "I just found out that the dead madman was the chairman of Jincheng Hetao Company, a wealthy businessman. Even if he was deranged, being killed by you, his family won't accept it. They will definitely come after you.

You know, such wealthy families have extensive connections in society… When the case is handled by the Jincheng police, the outcome will depend on how they decide. If they rule it as self-defense, everything will be fine; but if they rule it as excessive self-defense or even intentional murder, you'll be in big trouble.

I have a friend who went through something similar. He was walking on the street when a thief stole his wallet. He caught the thief and beat him up, but ended up having to pay tens of thousands in compensation. If he hadn't found someone to help, he might have gone to jail — this world really has no justice.

The police are responsible for the investigation, and the first step is handled by the police. If you have any