Chapter 484: Chen Ling's Probe

Ding dong dong—

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, Eastern Miles members. I am the cabin manager for this flight, and I welcome you aboard China Eastern Airlines to Gusu...”

As the flight attendant's gentle voice sounded, the plane began to taxi down the runway for takeoff.

Chen Ling was on the last flight of the day, a late-night one. Outside the window, it was almost pitch black; apart from the flashing runway lights, not a single other plane could be seen taking off.

Chen Ling averted his gaze from Nie Yu, leaning back comfortably in his first-class seat, eyes closed, as if asleep.

The next moment, Yang Xiao's phone notification rang.

Ding—

Yang Xiao, who was gazing at the night view outside the window, froze on the spot. Since the plane had taken off, he had long activated flight mode, making it impossible for any message to come through... He instinctively opened his phone and found a text message from "Chen Ling" that had bypassed his lock screen and popped up before his eyes.

"Don't be surprised when you read this message, don't make a sound, and don't make any unnecessary moves... I have something important to tell you."

Yang Xiao glanced at Chen Ling beside him from the corner of his eye. The latter was lying in his seat with his eyes closed, his phone not even out, as if truly asleep.

Yang Xiao, as instructed by the text, controlled his expression and didn't look around. Instead, he pretended to be replying to a normal message and quickly typed a brief reply:

"What's wrong?"

"The person next to me isn't right."

"What's wrong with them?"

"His palms have thick calluses, not the kind from farm work or chopping vegetables. From their outline, they look like traces left by years of holding a gun; also, when he came in earlier, I noticed a bullet scar on his collarbone and a knife wound on his forearm when he put his luggage away... Most importantly, he has a strong scent of blood."

After his eye technique was enhanced, Chen Ling's secret pupils retained their keen observational abilities. The moment the other person entered first class, Chen Ling began to observe him deliberately... Under his terrifying ability to scrutinize details, he immediately noticed several abnormalities about the person.

Yang Xiao understood Chen Ling's meaning and immediately asked:

"Are they here for us?"

"Probably not, or they would have recognized us." Chen Ling paused, then the next message popped up, "But this flight is from Shennongjia to Gusu..."

"You mean, their target is the same as ours?"

"It's possible."

"What should we do then?"

"I'll probe them first."

Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes, not looking at Nie Yu beside him, but instead directly opened his flip phone and tapped into his notepad.

His fingers didn't press the phone's keys, yet lines of characters rapidly appeared in the notepad!

"Time: 23:15. Scene: First Class. Characters: Unknown Male, Cabin Manager, Flight Attendant A, Flight Attendant B..."

"Twisted Play God's Path — Weave Fate."

Yang Xiao, sitting beside him, witnessed this scene with a bewildered look in his eyes; he didn't seem to understand why Chen Ling was suddenly writing a short narrative in his notepad... But as Chen Ling wrote the first line of the 'script,' it was as if some unseen force began to push the plot forward, and events started to unfold in an unforeseen direction.

"Audience Expectation Value: 3"

Soon, a flight attendant emerged from behind the curtain and crouched beside Chen Ling, asking:

“Hello, sir, would you like something to drink?”

“Hot water,” Chen Ling replied calmly. “And please bring us a fruit plate with two sets of forks.”

“Certainly. And for this gentleman?”

Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment. “Black tea, please. Thank you.”

After taking Chen Ling's and Yang Xiao's orders, the flight attendant moved to Nie Yu's side and crouched down. “Sir, may I ask...”

“Hot water.”

Before the flight attendant could finish, Nie Yu said coldly.

The flight attendant acknowledged and turned to go behind the curtain to prepare the refreshments. The plane flew steadily through the air. Outside the window, there was nothing but the black night sky and the twinkling lights on the wing.

The cabin manager began preparing the drinks and fruit requested by the passengers. Two sharp metal forks were placed on the tray. At this moment, she did not notice that an updraft was approaching in the direction the plane was flying. After picking up the tray, she walked towards the first-class cabin...

Approximately five minutes later, the flight attendant emerged from behind the curtain, carrying a tray.

Just then, the plane violently jolted due to turbulence. Her center of gravity instantly shifted, and with a gasp, she stumbled over the curtain without warning, spilling the contents of the tray.

Three cups of scalding hot tea spilled precisely towards Nie Yu's seat, and the sharp metal forks, which had been placed on either side of the tray, spun through the air, heading straight for Nie Yu's eyes!

Nie Yu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, instantly opened them. A terrifying aura flashed and vanished. His hands, like lightning, snatched the flying metal forks, and his figure, like a phantom, dodged the scalding tea. The next moment, he darted in front of the flight attendant and grabbed her collar!

His movements were too fast. Neither the flight attendant nor Yang Xiao saw what happened clearly. By the time they regained their senses, a strong gust of wind swept across their faces, and Nie Yu's grim eyes were fixed on the flight attendant!

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” Nie Yu said in a low, stern voice.

“I... I'm terribly sorry!” the flight attendant stammered, regaining her composure, her eyes filled with fear and panic. She could feel the pressure from Nie Yu's gaze, causing her to tremble uncontrollably. “Sir... are... are you alright?”

Nie Yu glanced at the metal forks in his hands. They were not lethal weapons, and his taut nerves gradually relaxed... However, the trajectory of those two forks had been too precise, flying directly towards his eyes. If not for that, he wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

“Ding dong—”

“Due to updraft, the aircraft may experience turbulence during the flight. Please fasten your seatbelts and refrain from moving in the aisles. Restrooms will be temporarily unavailable during this time...”

As the announcement sounded in the cabin, Nie Yu looked around with some uncertainty. Apart from the terrified flight attendant, there was only Chen Ling, who appeared to be sleeping, and Yang Xiao, who was also staring at the scene in confusion. There was no apparent danger... Only then did he completely relax, concluding it was just an accident.

“Watch yourself, you hear me!” Nie Yu snarled, glaring at the flight attendant.

As the flight attendant continued to apologize to Nie Yu and clean up the spilled liquid on the floor, the incident finally passed. However, Yang Xiao was profoundly shocked.

Everything that had just happened was almost identical to the short narrative Chen Ling had written in his notepad just minutes earlier!

Had Chen Ling foreseen the future, or had he secretly orchestrated all of it?

Yang Xiao didn't know, nor did he dare to ask now. Chen Ling's image in his mind became increasingly mysterious... Just as he was lost in thought, another text message popped up!

"This plane absolutely cannot land in Gusu."