More and more bodies went down, piling into a small hill in the narrow cabin aisle and, ironically, creating a conveniently ready-made barricade.
Anyone who tried climbing over from the seats had a fork driven precisely into the eye by Lin Wen Jing and toppled backward.
The sharp smell of alcohol spread through the air, suppressing some of the thickening stench of blood.
The sounds of fighting in the cockpit gradually quieted. At the same time, the passage leading into first class became completely blocked.
For the moment, no one could force their way through.
“Phew… That was intense. Good thing Tianhai Airport doesn’t allow lighters onboard. Otherwise, I definitely would’ve smuggled one in, and we might’ve blown ourselves up on the spot.”
Xiao Li Li shook out her soaking-wet brown hair and could not help sighing.
Several bloody cuts from broken glass marked her hands. The NPCs had torn several pieces from her clothes, and the chocolate she had secretly hidden in her pockets had disappeared without a trace.
“Take a breather. You did very well.”
Lin Wen Jing smiled, turned with the small knife still pinched between her fingers, and checked on Qiu Shuang’s side of the fight. Only after confirming that no help was needed did she sit down and catch her breath.
She did not look quite as disheveled as Xiao Li Li, but her white dress was completely ruined. Several strands of her black hair, now stained with unidentified blood, had also been torn out.
“Sister Jing, thank goodness you were here. That was incredible. You’ve thrown darts at people’s eyeballs before, haven’t you?” Xiao Li Li smiled and collapsed into the soft seat, lowering the backrest as far as it would go. “Without you, I probably would’ve died here today.”
“I’m nothing special. You’re very practiced at smashing people’s heads with bottles too, Li Li.” Lin Wen Jing curved her lips.
“Haha, not at all…”
While the two of them exchanged compliments, the chaos inside the cockpit finally began drawing to an end.
Song Zang watched for the right moment and put slightly more force into his next baguette throw. The blood-soaked half-body finally collapsed for good amid the wreckage.
Panting, Qiu Shuang slumped onto the floor and took the pitiful captain’s hand of her own accord. “Comrade, that was some good teamwork. Let’s take a break first. Later, the two of us can carry your colleague’s body outside together, all right?”
“Who… Who exactly are you people?”
The captain was still riding an intense surge of adrenaline, and the mention of his dead copilot only made things worse. Every muscle in his body remained tightly drawn, his expression both wary and shaken.
“World saviors.”
Xie Chun Ye put on the captain’s headset and answered calmly.
Seeing Qiu Shuang sprawled on the floor without the slightest concern for her image, Ning Si Si plopped down beside her. Her head gradually shrank a little.
She was working hard to chew through the remaining bones and chunks of flesh, while the distorted vortex covering her face gave off a strange, murky glow. The captain secretly glanced at her, shuddered violently twice, then tremblingly hid behind Qiu Shuang.
For the moment, the crisis had passed, and under Xie Chun Ye’s practiced control, the aircraft steadied once more.
When Ning Si Si finished the last of the scraps and covered the thin slit in her face as she let out a satisfied burp, the passengers who had been frantically battering the “barricade” all froze. Then they stopped moving altogether.
They stared at one another, as though they had suddenly awakened from a state of possession.
But once they fully regained their senses, they saw the horrifying sight of themselves standing atop countless corpses—or even pinned between bodies and unable to move—and began screaming in terror almost simultaneously.
“Earth Mother Goddess, what in the world happened?!”
“Divine punishment! This must be divine punishment!”
“Honored Emissary, your believers are willing to offer fresh cow and sheep flesh and blood in exchange for your protection… Earth Mother Goddess above, please bless this aircraft and allow it to land safely. We are your ignorant children who eat raw flesh and drink blood. We are the wicked spawn of the mountains…”
Whispers, cries of pain, desperate sobbing, and prayers from people kneeling on the floor filled the cabin with chaos in an instant.
Seeing this, the chief flight attendant drew a deep breath and picked up the announcement handset with trembling hands. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your chief flight attendant. A violent attack and an incident involving hallucinogenic poison have occurred aboard the aircraft. The suspect has now been killed, and the situation is safe—completely safe. The crew is currently identifying the victims. Please return to your seats as soon as possible, fasten your seat belts, and remain calm. We require the assistance of doctors and nurses. Any passenger with a relevant license may press the service button, and I will speak with you personally.”
Her own limbs had gone weak with fear, but she still had to step forward, take control of the situation, and maintain order.
Her steady, professionally trained voice helped calm the panic that had been on the verge of erupting.
The plane was not particularly large to begin with. Even after the chief flight attendant directed everyone who remained uninjured back to their seats, many rows were still left eerily empty.
Xiao Li Li and Lin Wen Jing put on gloves, dragged the bodies aside together, laid them out properly, and covered each face with a piece of cloth.
Several injured passengers helped one another to their feet, their bodies covered in shards from the bottles Xiao Li Li had smashed. They looked bewildered, with no idea what had happened to them.
The chief flight attendant found a medical kit and worked with a doctor who had volunteered to help bandage their injuries. She once again emphasized the danger of the “hallucinogenic drug,” telling everyone that once they reached Liuhe City, they must follow police instructions and cooperate with a complete toxicology screening.
From beginning to end, she behaved with complete certainty that the plane would land safely. The more frightened the passengers became, the calmer she appeared.
“Thank you,” she said softly to Lin Wen Jing after finishing the last patient’s bandages and straightening the hem of her skirt. “I’ll tell the police that you acted in self-defense.”
Lin Wen Jing smiled. “We only did what we should have.”
“May the Earth Mother Goddess protect us…”
The murmured prayers from the rear of the plane continued without pause.
Listening to the irritating, fly-like drone, Lin Wen Jing’s delicate brows drew together. As though bringing it up casually, she asked, “By the way, are you from Tianhai City? It seems that many people worship this Earth Mother Goddess.”
The chief flight attendant shook her head. “I’m from Liuhe. We don’t have customs like that there. Still, whenever I stay in Tianhai City for an extended period, I buy a few pounds of beef or mutton and make an offering. With these things, it’s better to believe than not.”
“I see.” Lin Wen Jing looked thoughtful. “You should probably eat less red meat in the future.”
The chief flight attendant sighed and touched her completely cold hands. “After going through something like this, who could still stomach meat? Once this flight is over, I’m resigning. Then I’m going vegetarian for several years.”
“One more thing… Does Liuhe Airport also issue temporary identification using only a blood sample?”
“Of course not. Headquarters said that was new technology developed specifically for Tianhai City. It’ll be several years before it can be introduced nationwide.”
Meeting the chief flight attendant’s somewhat surprised gaze, Lin Wen Jing smiled as though she understood. “I see. I suppose I don’t pay enough attention to the news.”
Song Zang pushed the service cart aside and leaned against the doorway, looking out at the broad view beyond the cockpit windows.
The plane seemed to have completely stabilized. Xie Chun Ye was intensely focused, following the original flight path as the aircraft prepared to climb back to cruising altitude.
As Song Zang stared at the bright, crystal-clear sky and the vast mountain range that still stretched endlessly into the distance, an ominous stab of pain began pulsing at his temple.
It felt as though some being of an extraordinarily high order was gradually awakening within the countless layers of mountains.
The increasingly intense palpitations and stabbing pain made it impossible to ignore. Song Zang endured the discomfort but did not look away, continuing to stare fixedly outside.
After carefully assessing it for a long time, Song Zang confirmed one thing.
—He probably could not defeat whatever was sleeping in those mountains. It would be somewhat troublesome.
Unless he could close his eyes during the fight and shut out every sensation from the outside world… but that was obviously unrealistic.
This was suppression on an entirely different dimensional level. And if merely sensing it was enough to make even Song Zang feel sick all over, then its existence had to be extraordinarily vile and corrupt.
If it fully awakened, revealed its true form, and developed even the slightest interest in this plane, the consequences would be impossible to predict.
Perhaps this was why Xie Chun Ye had repeatedly emphasized the importance of Resistance.
Ordinary people probably could not look directly at something so horrifying, much less understand it. A single glance could drive them insane. Those with weaker minds might even die instantly because their brains could not bear the strain.
The persistent, needling pain in Song Zang’s skull reminded him of the warning signal that had buzzed relentlessly through his instincts before time rewound.
Why had remaining awake at that time placed his life in danger?
Why had everyone in economy class suddenly gone mad and charged toward the cockpit just as the Yak Emissary was about to be defeated, as though someone were controlling them?
Song Zang’s face turned a little paler. He delayed no longer and quickly stepped into the cockpit.
He lowered his voice. “Brother Xie, your sticky notes.”
Xie Chun Ye raised an eyebrow, took out the paper and pen from his shirt pocket, and handed them over. Song Zang immediately began writing rapidly.
【Brother Xie, can you tell whether there’s anything wrong with the captain and the chief flight attendant?】
【Are they actually still alive?】
After reading the words, Xie Chun Ye released the controls, switched the aircraft to autopilot, and turned to look at Qiu Shuang and the captain.
The two had just finished carrying the copilot’s body out of the cockpit and were panting from exertion.
Xie Chun Ye slowly pushed his glasses higher, then turned back without revealing anything.
“Those two are alive, but the other NPCs…”
He spoke quietly, then fell silent for a moment. Taking the pen, he drew a large cross beneath Song Zang’s final question.
Seeing this, Song Zang continued writing with a grave expression.
【We fell asleep after drinking the drugged cola, so we survived. Everyone else died, but they don’t realize they’re already dead?】
Xie Chun Ye gave him a confirming look, then immediately added another line.
【The plane is full of empty shells made of skin and flesh. After the blood sacrifice succeeded, they probably witnessed the consciousness of the Earth Mother or one of Her emissaries descending. In a world like this, anyone who beholds a true god either dies or goes mad.】
As the two passed the note back and forth and gradually worked out the truth, the completion rate of their Optional Mission instantly rose to seventy-five percent.
“Shh.”
Their eyes met briefly, and Xie Chun Ye raised one finger to his lips.
“Hey, what are you two whispering about?”
At that moment, Qiu Shuang, who had already recovered her strength, approached them curiously.
When Xie Chun Ye nodded, Song Zang showed her the sticky note with a worried expression.
“Holy shit.”
Qiu Shuang instinctively covered her mouth.
“Sister, you absolutely can’t tell anyone,” Song Zang hurriedly reminded her.
Qiu Shuang nodded without hesitation. Then, with crisp efficiency, she swallowed the entire note. When it caught in her throat, she frantically drank a large glass of water.
Song Zang stared blankly at the smooth sequence of actions, once again discovering just how varied human beings could be.
Still, this was probably for the best.
They truly could not reveal to the others that everyone aboard had died.
If they said it aloud, there was no telling what might happen next. The chaotic scene of a horde of corpses charging through the cabin could even repeat itself.
Ning Si Si was the best example.
When Xie Chun Ye revealed that she was dead, she had transformed into an emotionally unstable, faceless little girl.
Of course, the girl was now completely stuffed. Her belly was round, and she sat on the floor yawning.
Hearing her yawn, Xie Chun Ye’s cool expression softened slightly. “Qiu Shuang, take Si Si outside. Please look after her for a while.”
“All right, Brother Xie.” Qiu Shuang understood what he meant and suppressed her unease as she took the girl’s hand. “Come on, Si Si. Let’s go play with the pretty sisters.”
Ning Si Si obediently allowed herself to be led away. The captain looked left and right, still haunted by the memory of Xie Chun Ye kicking someone cleanly in half. He therefore followed silently behind Qiu Shuang as well.
In any case, that terrifying man knew how to fly the plane—and seemed even more skilled at it than he was.
Song Zang, however, chose to remain behind.
He lowered his eyes and sat in the copilot’s seat, resting his head on one hand as he gently rubbed his temple several times. His mouth was drawn into a flat line, and his expression remained tense.
“What? Are you scared?” Xie Chun Ye glanced at him.
He was not scared. It merely felt as though the entire group was about to be wiped out… and he was still trapped aboard the plane with no quick way to fix it.
Song Zang hesitated to speak. In the end, he still asked the rather unreasonable question. “Brother Xie, can the plane go any faster?”
“What do you mean?” Xie Chun Ye’s heart tightened as he narrowed his eyes.
“These mountains… They make me feel uncomfortable. I mean it. I feel awful.” Song Zang’s face was pale, and his eyes held fear and unease so intense that they seemed almost tangible.
Xie Chun Ye froze and followed Song Zang’s gaze toward the mountain range coiled beneath the clouds. In the next instant, he violently tore off his glasses.
The frames nearly broke apart in his hand. Xie Chun Ye had reacted extraordinarily quickly, but even so, he could not avoid being harmed.
Bright blood streamed from the corners of his eyes and dripped onto his checked shirt, spreading into dark stains.
“Although I’ve already said this countless times…” Xie Chun Ye was nearly numb as he took out a tissue and vigorously wiped his face. A trace of despair hid beneath his completely flat tone. “For fuck’s sake, is this really a novice instance?”
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