Chapter 157: Hijacked Flight
Chapter 157: Hijacked Flight
“Those pills,” Lin Mu nodded, “I adapted them using an old recipe. Many of the original Chinese herbs are impossible to find now, so I have to find substitutes with the same medicinal properties. It’s quite difficult searching for them, otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked for your help.”
“What are these pills used for?” Yao Xianxian asked curiously.
“Heh heh,” Lin Mu gave a mysterious smile. “I’ll keep that a secret for now. After I finish them and see how effective they are, then I’ll tell you.”
“Ugh! Pulling that again!” Yao Xianxian rolled her eyes dramatically.
For the next week, Lin Mu was incredibly busy. During the day, he taught the Dragon Eye members cultivation techniques at their base, meditated on their martial arts, then shared his insights with them. At night, he went to film with Yao Xianxian. He was swamped, his head buzzing with exhaustion.
Somewhere in the middle, he also found time to visit Ou’s Pawnshop to retrieve Autumn Swan—now with its scabbard. Seeing the scabbard, Lin Mu couldn’t help but marvel at the craftsmanship passed down for millennia in the Ou family; it truly blended beauty and functionality to perfection.
The scabbard was concealed within a genuine leather belt. The belt itself was black with intricate, openwork carvings hinting at dragon motifs, paired with a rose-gold buckle, giving it a very high-end and grand appearance.
The sword hilt was cleverly hidden beneath the buckle. When needed, a simple, smooth pull allowed Autumn Swan to slide out effortlessly.
Lin Mu tested drawing the sword several times. Each movement was fluid, with no sense of awkwardness. Swirling the blade a few times, he shhwipped it back accurately into the scabbard with startling precision and efficiency. Watching this, Ou Xinghui also subtly nodded in quiet approval.
“We’re going to Jingdu tomorrow for some location shooting,” Yao Xianxian informed Lin Mu that evening after wrapping up their scene. “I think we’ll be there for a few days.”
“Off to Jingdu, huh? Fine by me,” Lin Mu nodded. “I’ve never been before. Good chance to see the sights.”
“You’ve never been to Jingdu?” Yao Xianxian giggled involuntarily. “Such a country bumpkin!”
“Who says I’m a bumpkin! I’ve even been to New York!” Lin Mu immediately protested, refusing to accept the label.
“Oh ho! Been abroad, have you?” Yao Xianxian pretended great surprise, looking Lin Mu up and down before covering her mouth with suppressed laughter. “Frankly, I couldn’t tell!”
“Of course I can’t compare to you, superstar,” Lin Mu conceded defeat, looking thoroughly exasperated. “You’ve been everywhere.”
Early the next morning, the film crew chartered the entire First Class Cabin on a flight from Donghai International Airport to Jingdu.
“Seriously, couldn’t you book a later flight?” Lin Mu grumbled to Yao Xianxian, settling into the seat beside her. “Why did it have to take off at five-thirty?”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t wake up early; it was because he’d spent the entire previous night conducting intensive training for the Dragon Eye members. He’d been so busy he’d almost missed the morning’s flight. He’d been the last to arrive—any later, and he’d have been flying to Jingdu alone.
“Aren’t you always an early bird? Getting up at five-thirty shouldn’t be hard for you?” Yao Xianxian took off her large sunglasses, eyeing him strangely.
“Exceptions happen! Who knows what might come up in the evenings, right?” Lin Mu pushed back his seat and stretched out comfortably. His shoulders twisted, emitting soft click-clack sounds from his joints.
“Confess! What trouble did you get into last night?” Yao Xianxian lowered her seatback to match his height, giving him a teasing look. “I know where you live. There are three beauties there!”
“Come on, what trouble?” Lin Mu winked suggestively. “Just the… y’know… the usual late-night stuff!” He trailed off meaningfully.
“Honestly! You’re just…” Yao Xianxian ground her teeth, momentarily speechless at his shamelessness before finally sputtering, “Such decadence! How could they even agree to your nonsense?!”
“Hahaha!” Lin Mu shook his head with a laugh. “Of course they wouldn’t agree! I was just teasing you!” He pulled down his eye mask.
“Such an annoying guy!” Yao Xianxian was momentarily speechless again. She poked Lin Mu’s forehead hard, then flopped angrily back into her seat, closing her eyes to rest.
After about half an hour, Lin Mu’s ears twitched. A commotion erupted in the Economy Cabin behind them. Even muffled by the dividing door, his sharp senses picked it up clearly. And he heard it—a faint gunshot.
A gunshot on a plane. His first thought: hijacking.
His hand instantly found the electric button on his seat. With a soft whirr, both his and Yao Xianxian’s seats rose upright together.
“What’re you doing?” Yao Xianxian complained, tapping his arm irritably and pulling out her high-fidelity earbuds. “I was listening to music!”
“Shh!” Lin Mu brought a finger to his lips. “Hijackers.”
“What?! Hijackers?” Yao Xianxian froze for a second. Lin Mu didn’t look like he was joking. No one would spin that kind of tale casually at a time like this.
“Yeah,” Lin Mu confirmed, his head tilting slightly. “I heard gunfire from Economy. Shh! They’re coming!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the First Class door swung open. Two men wearing black balaclavas strode in. Earpieces nestled against their heads. The one holding a submachine gun swept a gaze over the occupants before turning and leaving the cabin.
The other man slung his submachine gun over his back, drawing a long-barreled revolver from his waist.
“Wake up! Everybody wake up NOW!”
He grabbed the loudspeaker handset near the door and roared the command. Sleeping crew members startled awake, jerking upright and twisting around, alarmed.
Seeing a man with a gun blocking the entrance, pure panic instantly washed over every face.
Though they had filmed numerous scenes involving cops battling crooks, confronting real hijackers was different. None could keep calm. Well, none except Lin Mu and Yao Xianxian.
They too wore expressions of fright—brilliantly faked, it must be said. Their acting was chillingly convincing.
“Alright everyone,” the hijacker spoke into the microphone, voice amplified. “No need for alarm. We have no ill intentions towards you. We boarded this plane simply to find one person. That person has been… located. All you have to do is sit quietly in your seats. Stay seated, stay quiet, and when we reach our destination, you’ll be free to go. Simple.”
He paused, surveying the cabin. Seeing only stunned silence and wide eyes, he suddenly barked, “I want to know… DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!”
“Understood!”
“Got it!”
“We understand!”
A chorus of frantic replies erupted immediately. No one wanted to risk a delayed response angering the hijacker and earning them a bullet.
“Good. Just cooperate, and I guarantee no one loses so much as a hair,” the hijacker said, his voice thick with menace. He waved his gleaming silver revolver slightly for emphasis. “But if anyone feels like playing the hero… let the gun in my hand remind you: personal heroism belongs strictly in Hollywood movies. In reality? It just gets you killed.”
“Hey, uh, Boss?” A small voice piped up just as everyone else was frozen in terror. It was Lin Mu. He sat with an expression of childlike wonder, his eyes locked onto the revolver in the hijacker’s hand.
His voice instantly made every other person in the crew wish they had a blunt instrument to knock him cold. Now? He cared if the gun was real? Was he crazy?!
“Heh. Kid,” the hijacker tilted his head, a strange curiosity flickering in his eyes. His pistol lifted, the long barrel pointing squarely between Lin Mu’s eyes, catching the cabin light with a metallic glint. “Yeah, it’s real. Real enough. Want to test it? Have a bullet? On the house.”
“Whoa, Boss, misunderstanding!” Lin Mu threw his hands up in exaggerated surrender, plastering on an obsequious smile. “See, we’re a film crew. We shoot movies. We handle props—lots of ’em—fake guns included. I’ve held plenty. But a real one? Never crossed my path ’til now! Got curious, that’s all. No offense meant, Boss!”
Yao Xianxian’s facial muscles spasmed violently beside him. She was biting the inside of her cheek, struggling desperately against the urge to explode into laughter. She knew exactly how formidable Lin Mu was. A gun? Against him? This hijacker could have a rocket launcher and it wouldn’t make a difference.
Yet here Lin Mu was, teasing the hijacker! What scheme was he hatching? Thankfully, Yao Xianxian was slightly shorter than her headrest. The hijacker missed the way her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, a silent hysterical reaction she could barely contain.
“Just keep filming your movies, kid,” the hijacker emitted a short, dry laugh, shaking his head dismissively as he started to turn away. “Maybe I’ll swing by a theater someday, catch your blockbuster, add to your box office.”
“Hey, Boss, wait!” Lin Mu called out, stopping him. “I know my guns! Seriously! Just… never knew where to buy a real one, see? Any tips? Got a supplier?”
The crew now collectively wished someone would just shoot the idiot youngster. He was asking for it! Asking a hijacker where to buy an illegal firearm? What would a regular citizen even do with one?!
Yao Xianxian shook beside him, clenching her jaw. She couldn’t hold back much longer. She bent over, grabbing Lin Mu’s shirt and tugging it hard, trying to pull him down. Lin Mu reflexively reached out and grabbed her hand firmly, silently commanding her to stop.
“Kid,” the hijacker turned back slowly, his voice low and dangerous. “Real guns aren’t toys.”
“Aw, Boss, I’m a genuine gun nut!” Lin Mu’s eyes lit up with fake enthusiasm, totally ignoring the warning. “That piece you got there… that’s a Colt Limited Edition, ain’t it? Only fifty ever made worldwide. Always got that fine wood grip, and the serial number etched right onto the base.”
“Ho! Look at that!” The hijacker sounded genuinely taken aback. “Kid actually knows his stuff! This one’s Number 07 right here.” He tapped the grip. “Took some serious… effort to get hold of.”
“Whoa! It is the Limited Edition!” Lin Mu breathed, impressed. Then his brow scrunched up thoughtfully. “But Boss… powerful as the Colt is, it’s not ideal for combat, is it? Low ammo capacity? Shouldn’t you be using something like an USP? A good semi-auto pistol would be way handier in a fight, don’t ya think?”