Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 22: Counterstrike
There was still 02:10:04 left until the explosion.
You recognized the damning drugs in your pocket, but not this inconspicuous pamphlet found in your luggage?
The three huddled together, hastily flipping through the pamphlet. The more they flipped, the fewer their questions, but the heavier their hearts sank.
It was a brochure, or rather, a missionary pamphlet. The pamphlet depicted Master Ling Zhen as an omnipotent deity, claiming that faith in Master Ling Zhen could overcome all disasters, heal all illnesses, and grant eternal life to the soul. More chilling was a story of a “believer attaining eternal life” detailed in the pamphlet.
In the late Qing Dynasty, a villager suffering from a serious illness received guidance from Master Ling Zhen in a dream and awoke to find a red-threaded lapis lazuli gourd around his neck, about an inch in size, completely translucent. From then on, the villager devoted himself to Master Ling Zhen, sacrificing pigs, cattle, and sheep. After each slaughter, a drop of blood would appear in the gourd.
However, when only one drop was needed to fill the gourd, no matter how many animals the villager killed, no more blood would accumulate. So, on Master Ling Zhen’s birthday (the 14th of the ninth lunar month), the villager hosted a banquet for the entire village but poisoned the food, leaving no one in the village alive. The last drop of blood thus filled the gourd.
For his “meritorious sacrifice”, the villager was summoned by Master Ling Zhen. Not only was his illness cured, but he also obtained eternal life. Those who perished in the “sacrifice” were described as “chosen lucky ones”, whose souls ascended to heaven to be forever by Master Ling Zhen’s side.
“What kind of bullshit is this!” Qian Ai, covered in goosebumps from reading, recalled the cover pattern and felt even more creeped out. “Who would believe such crazy stuff unless you’re psycho.”
“You wouldn’t believe it because you’re not suffering from any ailments or disasters, but those who are in pain and desperately seeking psychological comfort and spiritual support would.” Xu Wang, with years of sales experience, had seen and understood the human heart the most.
“The 14th of the ninth lunar month…” Wu Sheng closed the pamphlet, looking at his teammates. “That’s today.”
“What do you mean?” Qian Ai asked incredulously. He widened his eyes at Wu Sheng, then glanced at Jiang San’er, getting chills. “You’re not suggesting this guy planted the bomb to sacrifice the lives on this entire plane to this ‘Master’, are you?”
Their discussion was fully overheard by Jiang San’er—they hadn’t bothered to exclude him. To their surprise, Jiang San’er started vehemently denying any connection with a face full of horror. “This isn’t mine. It has nothing to do with me!”
His voice trembled as he ranted, and his facial muscles quivered. The idea of “sacrificing the entire plane’s passengers” seemed to have deeply shocked him.
But Qian Ai had already branded him as a “deranged cultist”, indignantly grabbing his collar. “It was found in your bag. If it’s not yours, is it ours?!”
Although Jiang San’er was middle-aged and overweight, he wasn’t tall. His pudgy body hardly matched Qian Ai’s biceps, and as his collar was grabbed, his heels lifted off the ground, leaving only his toes struggling to touch down.
Seizing the moment when Jiang San’er’s psychological defenses were at their weakest, Xu Wang interjected, “The code.”
Whether it was the injustice of being falsely accused or the fear of being blamed for a whole plane of people’s lives, Jiang San’er burst into tears. “I really don’t know any code. I just brought some powder on board. Even if you increased my guts a hundred times, I wouldn’t dare do something like bombing a plane…”
After a long, hard look at him, Xu Wang sighed. “Lao Qian, let him go. It’s not him.”
“But the pamphlet was in his bag…” Qian Ai was reluctant to give up; they had been tormented for two hours and had just begun to find some clues!
“His seat is very far from here.” Wu Sheng analyzed calmly. “Anyone could have tampered with his bag easily.”
“But didn’t he board the plane late?” Qian Ai countered. “If the overhead bins were almost full by the time he stored his luggage, wouldn’t it be odd for someone to come and rummage through after that?”
Reminded of something, Xu Wang looked at his teammates meaningfully. “What if during the flight the overhead bins opened due to turbulence and the bags and suitcases clattered to the ground?”
Qian Ai was still processing this when Wu Sheng immediately understood. “Did the luggage fall during the flight? Who cleaned it up?”
“Two flight attendants, me,” Xu Wang paused, “and two passengers.”
“Who?” Wu Sheng asked urgently.
“I don’t know their names.” Xu Wang shook his head, but his gaze was intense. “But I can recognize them.”
“Xu Ge, Wu Ge, Qian Ge—” A sudden call interrupted the tense atmosphere, relaxing the trio’s taut nerves.
It was Kuang Jinxin from the back of the plane. Only he had this kind of magical, zen-like influence that made one relax upon hearing his voice, regardless of what he was saying.
After delivering the utterly dejected Jiang San’er back to his seat and securing him with the seatbelt, the three hurried toward Kuang Jinxin, expecting some mischief from the Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face group. But as they neared the back of the plane, they heard a strain of light music emanating from the beverage cart area.
The music was soft, but the sound quality was rough.
It was the passenger call bell.
“It’s been ringing continuously, and I didn’t dare to answer.” Kuang Jinxin had witnessed Xu Wang’s “bumpy” journey from the economy class and had developed an indelible psychological shadow from such emergencies, knowing well his own limited coping ability, so he called his teammates to handle it first.
The three looked at each other, sensing an ominous vibe—the call bell had been ringing for so long, yet no flight attendant had responded; it was clearly a trap set for them!
However, while the trap was the same, the curiosity and exploration spirit people held toward this confounding world varied subtly.
Qian Ai was the first to raise his hand, suggesting with a tone full of lingering fear from being overwhelmed, “Better to mind our own business. I say we forget it.”
“Answer it,” Wu Sheng said nonchalantly, hands in pockets, seemingly carefree, but his eyes and eyebrows betrayed his competitive spirit. “We’ve overcome the toughest eighty hurdles. This last one won’t be an issue.”
Both expressed their opinions, but neither took any action, making Xu Wang feel a sense of responsibility—was this not waiting for him, the “team leader”, to make a decision? With a rush of adrenaline, he boldly pressed the answer button!
Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow in approval.
Qian Ai clutched his chest; his feelings of closeness and distance were too apparent!!!
At the same moment, a grandmother’s fast-paced and heavily dissatisfied voice came through the speaker. “Why does everyone have blankets except for me? Are you bullying an old lady like me? And let me tell you, the air conditioning is too strong. It’s the easiest to catch a cold when you’re sleeping, you know?”
Despite the soft tone, the Wu dialect somehow made the old lady’s rant sound like the Rainstorm of Pear Blossom Needles*.
*There are a few references I found (xuanhuan (fantasy) novel Douluo Dalu, wuxia novel The Legend of Chu Liuxiang). Apparently, it’s a hidden weapon composed of needles that, when used, launches out needles at speed of a torrential downpour (thus the name).
Xu Wang quickly tried to pacify her. “Ma’am, don’t worry. Just tell me your seat number, and I’ll bring a blanket right over to you.”
“What number? It’s all empty down here, so I just sat wherever.”
Xu Wang was confused. “Down here?”
“Yes, it’s dark too—scarily pitch black.”
“……”
“Oh right, I also forgot to say. What’s with this plane allowing lions on board? If the cage breaks, someone could die, you know!”
The three teammates took a step back, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, as if to draw more warmth from the sun.
“Hello? Are you listening to me? Hello—”
Click.
Xu Wang ended the call.
“I told you not to answer it…” Qian Ai almost cried.
Wu Sheng remained unfazed, as if he feared nothing, but still glanced at the hang-up button to make sure it was really off before heaving a sigh of relief.
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared.” Xu Wang tried to bolster his spirits, smoothing down the erect hair of Classmate Qian. “Ignore these insignificant ‘supernatural lines’. Let’s continue looking for those two who were helping with the luggage.”
With the chill from the cargo hold lingering, the three teammates walked the length of the plane back and forth, finally stopping at the junction between economy and business class.
“Recognize anyone?” Wu Sheng understood his posture.
Xu Wang nodded.
Qian Ai nervously swallowed. “But you look like disaster is about to strike…” He wasn’t good at reading facial expressions, but the “gravity” on Xu Wang’s face was hard to ignore.
Wu Sheng cut to the chase. “Which seat numbers?”
Xu Wang slowly looked up. “61, 67.”
Qian Ai frowned. “Why do these numbers sound familiar?”
“Feng Liuyi, An Qijiu.” Wu Sheng’s voice deepened. “The two suspects we were originally going to question.”
Qian Ai, slow to realize, suddenly understood.
“Why even ask then?” It was clear now. “The bomber is among these two… Wait.”
Qian Ai’s face turned pale. “Don’t tell me both are involved?”
Xu Wang and Wu Sheng fell silent.
Why couldn’t it be? There wasn’t a rule stating there could only be one bomber.
In the silence of his teammates, Qian Ai couldn’t stay optimistic. “I don’t want to fight three against two…”
His lament was heartfelt, as if the side with fewer people was their own.
01:45:37 left until the explosion.
Economy class was peaceful, with only the flight attendants occasionally walking by, offering services to those in need.
At an unsuspecting moment, two flight attendants at different locations simultaneously stopped, bent down next to a seat, and spoke to the passengers, as if by coincidence. Yet, if one had keen ears, they would hear both uttering the same script. “Excuse me, sir. Your luggage is occupying someone else’s space. Could you please move it?”
The reactions of the two passengers were identical; both were somewhat irritated—
Feng Liuyi: “Does luggage have fixed positions?”
An Qijiu: “Does it matter where the luggage goes?”
Though they said this, both still got up with the attendant’s assistance—one opened the overhead luggage compartment above his seat, and the other walked forward a few rows before opening another compartment.
Their luggage was simple. Feng Liuyi carried a backpack, and An Qijiu had a wheeled carry-on.
As they reached for their luggage, suddenly two figures darted out! One snatched Feng Liuyi’s bag and the other An Qijiu’s suitcase, and both ran towards the tail of the plane!
The flight attendants had only been asked to make the passengers retrieve their own luggage—it was difficult to identify whose was whose among all the luggage racks—unaware of the ensuing “robbery”, leaving them momentarily shocked.
Feng Liuyi and An Qijiu quickly reacted, chasing after. “Stop right there—”
But they were a few seconds too late; by the time they reached the tail of the plane, they only managed to hear the restroom doors slamming shut. Unwilling to give up, they pounded on the doors as if their lives, not just their luggage, were at stake. “Open up! Open the door quickly—”
Inside the left restroom, Xu Wang effortlessly dumped the bag upside down, spilling a variety of printed materials all over the floor—pamphlets, notebooks, flyers, and even a banner proclaiming “Meeting Ling Zhen, knowing boundless magical power”. While planning, Xu Wang had anticipated finding clues in the two’s bags; the sheer volume of items exceeded his expectations.
In the restroom on the right, Qian Ai struggled in vain to free the zipper from the combination lock, eventually getting so frustrated that he hopped onto the suitcase and jumped on it until it gave way. As he huffed and lifted the now shapeless lid, neatly folded clothes lay inside, contrasting starkly with the greasy exterior of An Qijiu outside. Flipping the suitcase over, clothes cascaded out, along with a yellowed and darkened sheepskin.
The sheepskin, the size of an A4 paper, depicted a chilling scene in dark brown: a landscape littered with corpses, rivers of blood, and a figure ascending to the heavens with a butcher’s knife in hand. Despite its crude execution, the few strokes eerily conveyed a manic joy in the ascender’s narrowed eyes.
Atop the sheepskin was titled: “The Ascension from Sacrifice”.
The persistent sound of door banging in the background became almost white noise to the passengers, until the restroom doors on both sides swung open simultaneously! Xu Wang emerged clutching a stack of “heretical proselytizing materials”, and Qian Ai held the sheepskin.
Seeing them, Feng Liuyi and An Qijiu’s expressions turned pale. They had lost their earlier bravado. In a panic, they turned to run back into the enclosed cabin. But Wu Sheng, who had been waiting with a dining cart, charged forward with all his strength.
The skinnier Feng Liuyi was sent flying before tumbling to the floor in the aisle.
The more robust An Qijiu lost his balance and staggered backward, ultimately sitting down within the purple circle!
Long Legs, Handsome, Sticky Figure, and Fair Face managed to dodge with their bodies but not their foot. As An Qijiu landed, there was a “four-in-one” cry of pain. Apparently, his ass had landed on all the four’s ankles, most likely fracturing them.
“Lao Qian—” Xu Wang and Wu Sheng called out in unison!
In fact, there was no need for their call. Qian Ai, having a clear understanding of his role from the previously formulated tactics, had already bellowed out six “O’s”, firmly encircling the necks of Feng Liuyi and An Qijiu—three for each. The rings stacked up perfectly, leaving no space from neck to chin, making it impossible for them to move their heads in any direction. Above the shoulders, they could only stare straight ahead, immobile.
“The code.” Xu Wang approached the two men, undeterred by the presence of Long Legs, Handsome, Sticky Figure, and Fair Face, and demanded directly. Feng Liuyi remained silent.
An Qijiu still tried to negotiate. “Take this thing off!”
Xu Wang bent down closer to them and sighed deeply. “It’s impossible to take it off, but easy to add another one.” He looked back and called out lightly, “Lao Qian…”
The two, already in agony from their constricted necks, were genuinely frightened by the possibility of another addition. That would mean their necks would literally separate from their bodies!
“0914—” both blurted out the password almost simultaneously.
Xu Wang and Wu Sheng exchanged glances; 0914 was indeed the birth date of the revered Master Ling Zhen, September 14th.
Owl: [Someone used [(Defense) Breakout*] on you~~]
*Break out of the encirclement (突出重围) Idiom referring to successfully escaping or breaking through a tight or difficult situation, often associated with siege or encirclement of enemy forces (which is quite apt considering what they’re trapped in).
The alert made Xu Wang’s body jolt, but no attack followed. Wu Sheng, looking puzzled by Xu Wang’s sudden change in demeanor, asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Not good!” Xu Wang realized something was amiss and quickly turned around. The purple circle that had been restraining Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face had disappeared. Somehow, Fair Face had produced a stun gun and was holding it in his hand!
Despite having checked their arms and confirmed all the [Stationery Box] were empty, Fair Face had somehow obtained a weapon! He reached out to grab Kuang Jinxin’s arm, intending to pull him in as a hostage!
“Xiao Kuang—” Xu Wang lunged forward, but it was a step too late! Fair Face had already grabbed Kuang Jinxin’s arm and pulled with force!
But the arm slipped away.
Stunned, Fair Face stood there as the stun gun’s sparks illuminated his bewildered face. Meanwhile, Qian Ai had already reacted, leaping back far, his chest heaving with a mix of shock and anger, but his face full of fury. “Just as Wu Ge said, you’ve clearly lost, yet you insist on bargaining with intelligence instead of conceding. Surely there’s a scheme! You’re just trying to reap the benefits!”
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face stood up and formed a circle, back-to-back. Aside from Fair Face, the others were unarmed, but without the purple circle’s restraint, each was a force to be reckoned with. Their gazes were filled with renewed aggression, far from their earlier nonchalance.
Wu Sheng, Xu Wang, Qian Ai, and Kuang Jinxin gathered together, facing off against their adversaries.
Fair Face, still hung up on his failed hostage maneuver, demanded to know what trick had been used. Kuang Jinxin looked to Xu Wang for guidance. Xu Wang shrugged. “Tell him. Let them lose with embarrassment.”
Kuang Jinxin complied, showing off his slippery, buttered arms to Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face, boasting about how Xu Wang had anticipated their scheme and prepared by smearing all the butter from the pantry on his arms. “Guess you couldn’t have guessed that. While you were still nursing, Xu Ge was already selling houses,” he bragged.
Wu Sheng: “……”
Qian Ai: “……”
Xu Wang: “Uh, let’s leave the bragging to us in the future.”
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face retaliated, unwilling to back down. Although they hadn’t landed a hit, the four-on-four standoff was evenly matched, and they weren’t intent on a lethal confrontation. They only wanted to turn in their submission.
Suddenly, Long Legs ran towards the corridor, presumably to input the code on the bomb. Wu Sheng was the quickest to react, realizing the intention and chasing after, but he was slightly late.
At the critical moment, Qian Ai took a deep breath, about to shout, but suddenly felt a gust of wind by his neck. He instinctively turned his head to see Fair Face’s stun gun flying towards him, still sparking with electricity, not losing its charge despite being airborne.
Qian Ai couldn’t dodge in time and was struck squarely by the stun gun. In an instant, he felt his entire body go numb, followed by intense pain, as if his brain had turned to wood.
“Lao Qian!” Xu Wang cried out in urgency, intending to retrieve the stun gun, but as he bent down, he was tackled to the ground by Stick Figure.
Long Legs, prepared for the moment, immediately went for Xu Wang’s sleeve after the tackle.
Xu Wang struggled in vain, watching helplessly as Long Legs opened the [Stationery Box] on his arm and pressed the only [Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant] button, hoping to use it!
Xu Wang didn’t know if his stationery could attack himself, but even if it couldn’t, it could still be used on any passenger. Long Legs’ goal was clear—to deplete his stationery!
However, something strange happened. The icon for “Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant” didn’t move, vanish, deform, nor did it even flicker. If not for the vibrant pattern, one might think it had already been used and thus was unresponsive.
Both Xu Wang and Stick Figure were perplexed. Seizing the moment of distraction, Xu Wang forcefully pushed Stick Figure away. Meanwhile, Qian Ai was still lying on the ground dazed, Kuang Jinxin and Handsome were tensely facing off, and Fair Face went to retrieve the stun gun.
At the wing, Long Legs’ fingertip had already pressed a “0.”
Clever tricks are nothing in the face of desperate acts—Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face’s level of commitment to this contest was crushing, as if this wasn’t just a challenge to be attempted but a do-or-die battle.
Victory or defeat hinged on a moment, and in Xu Wang’s eyes, that moment suddenly slowed down.
He saw Long Legs’ fingertip leave the “0”, saw the dust particles rise from the button, saw the trembling of the fingertip, and watched it slowly move towards the “9”…
Suddenly, the fingertip hesitated just millimeters from the “9,” frozen in place.
Xu Wang felt a sudden chill on his nose.
Lifting his head, time seemed to snap back to normal as a drizzle of raindrops fell on his face.
It started raining inside the cabin.
“Shit!” Stick Figure cursed as the raindrops landed on his face, sizzling upon contact and leaving a red mark, though not breaking the skin.
Handsome, Long Legs and Fair Face were in no better condition. The pain made them instinctively seek shelter, but the relentless rain seemed to follow them everywhere!
At the wing, Wu Sheng tackled Long Legs. The two wrestled amidst the chaos, but still audible were Long Legs’ cries of pain from the raindrops.
Confused, Xu Wang caught a raindrop and bravely tasted it. His tongue wasn’t harmed, but the rain… was salty?
Observing the passengers, although they were drenched and used various methods to shield themselves from the rain, none exhibited the same cries of agony as Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face. It was clear—the rain hitting them, and the other passengers was just ordinary rain, but on their opponent’s side, it was like corrosive liquid, eating through clothes with each drop and causing painful red spots on skin.
“F-Fuck, thinking I’m a pushover*…” A sincere sobbing voice broke through the cabin, hard not to stir empathy.
*The tiger doesn’t show off its power. Proverb that basically means don’t underestimate my strength.
Xu Wang looked towards the source and saw Kuang Jinxin tearfully vowing revenge. “I-I’ll make sure you… you’ll regret hurting Qian Ge… He’ll haunt you even as a ghost…”
Qian Ai lay on the ground. His limbs were still numb from the shock, but his mind was clear. He wanted to tell his teammates, “I’m not dead! I’m still alive!“
Xu Wang finally understood Long Legs’ hesitation before pressing “9”.
At that moment, their opponent’s ear must have received a playful alert—someone has used [(Offense) Tears Like Rain] on you~~
So, Xu Wang’s decision to have Kuang Jinxin guard Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face wasn’t random; it was strategic. How does the saying go? Don’t bully the honest, or you’ll pay a dire price.
Kuang Jinxin cried for five minutes straight, dredging up every sad thought he could muster. However, after five minutes, he found himself unable to cry any longer.
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face had been scalded to the point of having a “painted face“, and when the rain finally stopped, the look in Kuang Jinxin’s eyes was nothing short of naked hatred.
The four of them no longer bothered with the code, slowly gathering together and advancing towards the rear of the plane.
Wu Sheng was still at the wing with the bomb, and Qian Ai was still lying on the ground, leaving only Kuang Jinxin and Xu Wang at the tail.
Long Legs twisted his wrist. “We don’t want to make this ugly. You forced our hand.”
Handsome gritted his teeth. “You can do anything to me, but you shouldn’t have touched my face…”
Stick Figure swung his arm. “Ready to get a taste of your own medicine?”
Fair Face, in the midst of fleeing, had somehow managed to retrieve the stun gun. Its buzzing electric sound replaced his silence with a call for revenge.
As the four of them closed in, Xu Wang unconsciously stepped back until he was against the metal wall. He pressed [Cao Chong Weighing the Elephant] again to no avail. Kuang Jinxin was still in a daze after his sobbing.
Qian Ai, lying on the ground and unable to rise, still tried to support. “If you dare, come at me…”
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face stepped over him, now only two steps away from Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin.
Xu Wang held his breath and suddenly twisted Kuang Jinxin’s thigh!
Kuang Jinxin let out a cry, and immediately the tears came flooding back.
With the tears came the rain.
Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face’s mental shadows resurfaced in the rain, cursing in unison, “Fuck”—their frustration mixed with a sense of helpless despair.
“Xiao Kuang, don’t blame me,” Xu Wang hastily explained. “This is all for the team.”
But Kuang Jinxin wasn’t listening at all, busy inflicting pain on himself—pinching his arm, twisting his thigh; wherever it hurt, he targeted.
“No,” Xu Wang quickly intervened. “You don’t have to be so harsh on yourself…”
But in a moment of his inattention, the kid had taken self-inflicted damage to a new level, hurting the enemy a thousand and himself eight hundred.
Now that he had found the trick, Kuang Jinxin cried thoroughly, from a “misty drizzle” to a “torrential downpour”, the rain getting heavier and more corrosive as he went.
The rain continued, creating a tense atmosphere in the cabin. Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face began to feel their bodies changing under the relentless “terrifying downpour”.
Another five minutes later, amidst the deluge, Long Legs, Handsome, Stick Figure, and Fair Face tearfully awaited that affectionate message—
“Dear~ I’m giving you an early holiday. Sending you home.”
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