shuhaige
Chapter 55
Chapter 55
“Beyond here lies the desert. There’s no time to seek the ocean, and below us is a residential area- we can’t risk it.” Madison’s voice
trembled slightly, yet she strived to remain calm.
“We’re entering the thunderstorm area…” the co-pilot shouted.
“Just give me two minutes… I can make it through… before the thunderstorm fully forms, if I can just fly through it now…” Madison muttered to herself as if in a trance.
Someone screamed at the top of their lungs, “Lightning! There’s lightning!!!”
“Ah-”
The violent turbulence blurred the recordings in the black box.
One could only imagine the chaos that had engulfed the plane then.
A jumble of fragmented voices filled the room.
“The first officer…” the co-pilot was frantic.
Sudd
Madison shouted, “Hold the captain steady! If we can’t fly
all die…”
ords were immediately followed by a burst of intense noise in ne black box recording, so loud that even the distant rumbling of thunder was audible.
Everyone in the conference room instinctively furrowed their brows, their hearts clenched.
About a minute later, the black box captured someone gasping with tearful joy, “We made it through! We’ve made it!!!”
Despite trembling with emotion, Madison’s voice was orderly as she arranged, “Prepare for an emergency landing in the desert, contact rescue teams. Once the plane stops, evacuate women, children, and the captain first. Maintain order and wait for rescue.”
“Yes!” the co-pilot and the crew responded, their voices laced with tears.
The recording ended there.
On the large screen, the last thing to appear was a line of text-a news headline.
-On July 23rd, at 16:23, flight CA1869 made a successful emergency landing in the Gobi Desert. All 426 passengers survived, piloted through the storm by CA’s first officer, Captain Meng.
In that moment, there was silence among all present.
Even Madison herself sat quietly, watching the screen, unable to recall exactly what she had said back then, her fear having led to a momentary memory lapse.
only remembered that she had saved the lives of more than undred people on the plane.
The first to break the silence was a veteran captain from Mukino Airlines, his eyes red as he began to applaud vigorously.
His applause was the signal for everyone else to join in. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
Among them, not everyone had experienced a thunderstorm, and even fewer had managed a successful emergency landing under such dire circumstances, preserving the lives of all on board.
That glory deserved their applause and their admiration.
Ethan’s eyes gradually turned to the woman at the edge of the row of captains.
The woman he admired was indeed as remarkable as a deity.
Frank spoke up, “So, does anyone have any objections now?”
A hush fell over the crowd-no one dared to utter a word.
Frank made the final call, “From now on, Madison will lead the sixth squadron. Captain Song has stepped down from the election due to his age and the demands of being the captain.”
Brian chuckled at this moment, “Yes, I’m getting on in years and can’t worry about too much anymore. It’s good for the young ones to gain some experience.”
Madison looked at Brian with indescribable respect in her eyes.
Brian winked at her, offering a protective gaze as if shielding a junior.
“All squadron captains, please stand,” Frank commanded.
As ordered, the six captains slowly rose to their feet.
Madison glanced around and noticed Captain Charlie among them, presumably the captain of the second squadron…
pilots seated behind her looked at the two female captains in nt and sensed that Mukino Airlines was in for some interesting times ahead.
In the flight department office.
Frank called Madison over.
As she entered, he graciously offered her a cup of hot tea, “Please, have a seat.”
“You’re too kind, Manager Xiao, you are the superior here,” replied
Madison humbly.
Frank chuckled heartily, “These are the routes you’ll be flying.
They’re not long, considering you’re new here. You’ll start with these to get acclimated. Once you’re settled, we’ll move on to the longer routes.”
Madison understood and accepted gratefully, “Thank you, Manager Xiao. I’ll do my best not to cause any trouble.”
“You’re too polite. It’s me who is counting on you to keep things running smoothly.”
Madison didn’t dwell on his words and stood to leave.
Her flight was taking off at seven that night, and she needed to prepare for departure.
The flight crew would have a meeting, review weather forecasts, estimate potential emergencies, and check all equipment.
She spent the entire day at the company until it was time, around five, to head to the terminal.
Her assigned first and second officers, both from the training base, had more flying experience than she did, but perhaps their luck had been less favorable?
They lacked any standout achievements.
Madison herself felt a bit unworthy, unsure if she was really cut out to be a captain and squadron leader!
Her assigned first officer, Jack, had served as a captain for a small
carrier for six months.
He said, “In our line of work, ability speaks for itself. I’ve flown longer than you, but to be honest, I’ve never encountered real danger. Faced with a situation like that, I might freeze completely. That’s
when we need an experienced captain to lead, and you should be more confident about that.”
The second officer was ranked seventh, a man of few words, a few years older than Henry, who looked very honest and straightforward, so everyone called him Calabash..
LanduLandu, they’d say.
Calabash nodded silently, “What does it matter who’s captain? I’m here to earn my keep. As long as we take off and land safely, that’s. enough for me.”
Entering the terminal building.
Passengers and airport staff all noticed the striking woman leading the way.
Her long, curly ponytail, straight back, and graceful stride all spoke of a distinguished air.
Especially her uniform, which differed from those of the first and second officers and the cabin crew behind her.
The distinction lay in the four shiny stripes adorning her shoulders and cuffs, signifying her status as captain.
With each step forward, Madison felt she was moving towards the light.
The plane-carrying countless dreams-awaited her.
This time, it was tasked with carrying her own.
At the gate.
Passengers waiting for the seven o’clock flight were astonished: “A
516
female captain? She looks so beautiful and poised.”
“She’s simply stunning.”
At 19:30 local time.
The cabin door closed, and the passengers heard, for the first time from Captain Madison, the pre- flight announcement:
“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am the captain of this flight. We are en route to Tang City, China, with an estimated flight duration of 3 hours and 25 minutes. If you require any assistance during the journey, please do not hesitate to contact us. We wish you a pleasant flight!”
After signing off, Madison saw a recent WeChat message from -Ethan just before turning off her phone.
It was too late to reply, but she read his words.
Ethan:
[Wishing Captain Madison a safe flight, waiting for you to come home.]
As the plane soared into the sky, Captain Madison smiled faintly.
he heavens were within reach;
And somewhere, someone was waiting for her to return home.
Just then, the cockpit door opened, and Jessica, acting as captain, poked her head in.
With a teasing smile, she whispered, “Goddess, here’s a little secret for you-my brother postponed several business meetings and has been waiting at the airport to watch us take off. You can only imagine how worried he is about you.”