As for the conflict between Zhuang Rui and Muta, the two of them were unaware of it. When they heard Zhuang Rui mention the bomb, they turned pale and almost screamed.
"Let me have some peace and quiet..."
Zhuang Rui took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and at the same time, invisible and colorless spiritual energy passed through his eyelids and spread downwards from his body.
As Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy spread, the outline of the aircraft gradually became clearer, with streams of spiritual energy passing through the alloy fuselage, carefully searching every inch of it.
If it weren't for the concern that spiritual energy would seep into the human body, Zhuang Rui could have inspected the entire plane in a very short time. However, now he could only bypass the people in the cabin and explore little by little.
"No problems inside the cabin, no problems on the surface of the fuselage, no problems were found in the tail section or wings, the overhead bins are normal, and the aircraft elevators are functioning normally..."
Fuel tank... More than half an hour later, Zhuang Rui's tightly closed eyes suddenly widened, startling the two flight attendants who had been staring at him.
"Mr. Zhuang, what's wrong?"
Liuli mustered up her courage and asked a question. Zhuang Rui's expression was something they had never seen before; he looked like he wanted to devour someone.
"Sit still and don't ask questions," Zhuang Rui said without waiting for a reply. He unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed into the driver's seat, leaving the two bewildered people in the back staring at each other.
"Old He, check the nearest airport and contact them immediately to request a landing," Zhuang Rui kicked open the cockpit door and yelled at He Shuang.
"President Zhuang, what's going on? Xiao Peng just asked me if we could make an emergency landing. Please explain clearly..."
He Shuang's face was full of surprise. Hadn't that strong gust of wind just passed?
"There's no way to explain it now. We offended a very powerful person in South Africa, and I suspect they planted a bomb on the plane..."
Zhuang Rui couldn't very well say that he found a piece of plastic time bomb stuck to the bottom of the fuel tank, could he?
When Zhuang Rui first checked the fuel tank under the wing, he didn't notice anything, but suddenly a red light shone into his eyes from the metal sheet under the fuel tank.
Upon closer inspection, Zhuang Rui saw a palm-sized, flat, clay-like object firmly stuck to the bottom of the fuel tank. Inside this clay-like object was something resembling a digital watch, with numbers constantly changing on it.
The plastic bombs were so white that they would be difficult to spot even if you were standing under the wing of the plane, unless you were paying close attention.
Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. When Zhuang Rui saw this thing, he immediately knew why he was panicking. It was definitely a plastic bomb.
Zhuang Rui had seen this kind of thing quite often in foreign movies, but he never expected that he would encounter it himself one day.
Although he didn't know the bomb's power, Zhuang Rui was certain that if it exploded in that location, the plane would definitely turn into a fireball in the air.
Fortunately, the number inside the bomb still showed 48 minutes and 30 seconds left, although now it's only 47 minutes and 50 seconds.
"What? A bomb? No way, Mr. Zhuang, this airport is guarded. Who could plant a bomb on our plane?"
Ding Hao was somewhat dismissive. The things Zhuang Rui mentioned were quite common in stories. For example, before the liberation, Dai Li died in a plane crash, and it was rumored that a bomb had been planted on the plane.
However, in reality, Ding Hao had never heard of such a thing. As it turned out, the reports of bombs on airplanes were all false alarms.
Zhuang Rui had no time to waste with them at this moment. He immediately glared at Ding Hao and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense, Lao He, is there an airport where we can land within half an hour?"
Ding Hao and He Shuang, who were in the driver's seat, were both startled by Zhuang Rui. Since they had known and worked for Zhuang Rui, they had never seen their young boss so out of control.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's fierce expression, He Shuang immediately replied, "Mr. Zhuang, turning back in half an hour is definitely too late. We are currently over the Indian Ocean, surrounded by nothing but the sea and small islands. The nearest airport is two hours away..."
"What? No airport? Then how about we force a landing on the sea?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned when he heard this. He originally thought that he had 40 or 50 minutes, which should be enough time for him to find an airport to land. He did not expect that he had already run over the Indian Ocean and there was no airport nearby.
He Shuang said with a wry smile, "President Zhuang, this is a small plane, there's no way it can land in the sea. The best outcome is that it will crash into the ocean..."
Having flown fighter jets for over twenty years, He Shuang thought he was crazy enough, but Zhuang Rui's words made him realize that his boss needed to be even crazier. Trying to land on the sea was practically suicide.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui's face contorted with rage, veins bulging, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn it, Muta, if I don't die this time, I'll skin you alive..."
"Mr. Zhuang, this is just your guess; it might not necessarily lead to anything bad..."
He Shuang comforted Zhuang Rui for a moment, then suddenly looked at the electronic screen, his expression changed, and he said, "President Zhuang, there's a storm ahead, we need to take shelter..."
"Damn it, a storm?"
Zhuang Rui now understands what it means for misfortunes to come in pairs. Not only was a bomb planted in the fuel tank, but a storm also struck, leaving Zhuang Rui truly at a loss.
Actually, it's quite normal for airplanes to encounter storms over the oceans. Usually, they can spot them in advance and navigate around them without any problems.
"Old He, turn back!" Zhuang Rui knew he couldn't afford to panic. He took a deep breath and said, "Old He, Ding Hao, whether you believe it or not, I, Zhuang Rui, started from scratch and relied on an extraordinary intuition. I've never been wrong when it came to gambling on stones and finding treasures. I said there was a bomb on the plane, and I absolutely couldn't be wrong..."
"Mr. Zhuang, what should we do?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui's serious expression, He Shuang and Ding Hao also sensed something was wrong. Zhuang Rui was a billionaire boss; he wouldn't be so bored as to make such pointless jokes with them, much less risk his life by asking them to do something like a forced landing on the sea.
Before Zhuang Rui could speak, Peng Fei interrupted, "Abandon the plane and parachute!" Peng Fei wasn't trusting Zhuang Rui's feelings, but rather his own intuition, which had saved him many times before.
"Isn't this a bad idea? It's too dangerous out at sea. If we don't encounter a rescue team, isn't that just courting death?"
Ding Hao shook his head. He disagreed with Peng Fei's idea. Besides, this plane was worth more than 100 million yuan. Zhuang Rui didn't care, but Ding Hao was very distressed.
“It’s better than being bombed on the plane,” Zhuang Rui said coldly, glancing at Ding Hao. “Old He, switch to autopilot. You and Ding Hao, come out, let’s discuss this…”
He Shuang and Ding Hao were a bit confused by Zhuang Rui's actions. They were the boss, so they just did what he said. After He Shuang turned the plane around and set it to autopilot, the four of them returned to the cabin together.
"Ahem, let me say something first..."
After gathering everyone together, Zhuang Rui coughed and said, "I'm certain there's a bomb on the plane. I don't know when it will explode, but it should be soon. Staying on the plane will definitely mean certain death. I've decided everyone should parachute out..."
Since it was a private plane, there were plenty of parachutes, more than a dozen in total, so there wouldn't be any of the ridiculous stories from textbooks where Uncle Zhou gave up his parachute for Xiao Yangmei.
How could that be?
"There's the ocean below, I won't jump..."
"I also disagree with skydiving." After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the two flight attendants and Ding Hao simultaneously voiced their objections. It was nighttime, and anything could happen in the vast ocean.
The mature He Shuang remained silent, simply watching Zhuang Rui. Perhaps because of Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei, he too had a sense of impending doom.
"If you want to live, then shut up. Skydiving doesn't necessarily kill you, but I can tell you with certainty that staying on the plane will definitely kill you, and you'll die a horrible death..."
Zhuang Rui's smile vanished completely, and his words sent a chill down the spines of Ding Hao and the two beautiful flight attendants.
Although they didn't know why Zhuang Rui was so certain there was a bomb on the plane, his attitude suggested that if they didn't jump, such a thing could really happen.
"Peng Fei, give me the phone..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at the wing. There were still forty-two minutes left. He didn't have time to waste with the others. The most important thing now was to notify the country and ask them to find a way to rescue them after they parachuted.
"Brother Lei, someone planted a bomb on my plane. We have to parachute out immediately. Here are the coordinates. You need to find a way to rescue us..."
Zhuang Rui called Ouyang Lei, but fearing that the other party would ask too many questions on the phone, he directly told him that he had discovered the bomb.
"What? Who did this?"
Even though Ouyang Lei was a man who had seen his share of storms, he was so frightened by Zhuang Rui's words that he jumped out of bed and rushed out of the bedroom without even putting on his shoes.
"It was Muta from Libya. I had a few words with him in South Africa, and I never expected him to plant a bomb on my plane..."
Zhuang Rui briefly explained the whole situation, then said, "I'm going to parachute now, Lei-ge, you need to find a way to get someone to rescue me..."
"How much longer until the explosion?"
Ouyang Lei had calmed down by now and was using his hand to search for Zhuang Rui's location on the world map in the study.
"I don't know." In front of so many people, Zhuang Rui naturally couldn't say how much longer it would take for the explosion to happen. Otherwise, his secret would be exposed. It was understandable to sense the danger, but to be able to guess the exact time of the danger was simply too amazing.
"Then hurry up and parachute out. Remember, bring your satellite phone and stay in touch with me after you jump..."
Ouyang Lei didn't suspect anything. A time bomb doesn't necessarily have a time display on it. Zhuang Rui has a bomb on the plane, so it could explode at any time.
"Brother Lei, don't tell Grandpa and my mom about this, and... don't tell my wife either. We'll talk about it after we find them..."
Before hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui, fearing his family would worry, repeatedly gave Ouyang Lei a few instructions.
"I know, be careful. The rescue team won't arrive for at least four hours, so you have to hang in there..."
After hanging up the phone, Ouyang Lei immediately picked up the internal phone of the Central Military Commission on the table and issued a series of instructions.
"Chief Ouyang, what happened?"
A high-ranking official from the Central Military Commission called, saying that the scope of the orders Ouyang Lei had just given on the phone had exceeded his authority.
"A bomb has been planted on the plane carrying an important person, and immediate rescue is needed. I will explain this to the Central Military Commission later..."
Ouyang Lei was too preoccupied to say anything more, and when the other party heard that it was just about rescuing one person, they didn't say much either. As long as it didn't involve national security issues, they would still give Ouyang Lei this much face.
Following Ouyang Lei's call, numerous relevant departments immediately sprang into action. In the embassies of several countries near the Indian Ocean, phones rang incessantly, and the ambassadors, who had already gone to bed, immediately contacted the heads of state and presidents of the local countries for consultations.
Several warships that were conducting military exchanges near the Indian Ocean also turned around and headed toward the coordinates specified by Zhuang Rui.
Meanwhile, Chinese military satellites were also mobilized to lock onto Zhuang Rui's target area, but at night they could not detect anything, only signs of a storm in the vicinity.
Chapter 821 Crisis (Part 2)
"Grandpa, that's how it is, don't worry..."
After arranging the rescue work, Ouyang Lei immediately drove to Yuquan Mountain. He dared to hide such a big matter from his aunt, but he dared not hide it from his grandfather.
Although the old man has been retired for one or two decades, his influence in the military is still too great. Even if Ouyang Lei doesn't say anything, someone else will inform Ouyang Gang, and Ouyang Lei will inevitably get a scolding.
Having fought his way through the war years, the old man wasn't particularly surprised by Ouyang Lei's words. However, Ouyang Lei, standing beside the old man, genuinely felt a chilling killing intent.
"Xiao Lei, no matter what it takes, you must protect your little brother's safety..."
The old man closed his eyes wearily and said, "Notify the South China Sea Fleet stationed at the Yulin base to immediately depart for the Indian Ocean, um... under the pretext of a military exercise, to conduct search operations..."
"Grandpa, isn't this... a bit inappropriate? I've already contacted the embassies of all the countries around the Indian Ocean with which we have diplomatic relations, and asked them to send rescue teams..."
The old man's words shocked Ouyang Lei. He hadn't expected the old man to overstep his authority and issue such an order. This was the first time the old man had given instructions to the army since he retired.
Moreover, this order is extraordinary. It should be noted that there are three major fleets in China. The South China Sea Fleet guards the entire southern sea area of China, and the Yulin base is the only military-level base in the South China Sea Fleet, making it extremely important.
It can be said that every move of the South China Sea Fleet is watched by countries around the world. The old man's order will make many countries suspicious and uncertain. The place separated from the mainland by only a strait is probably going to be in chaos.
"What's wrong with that? Developing the economy shouldn't mean forgetting the fundamental principles that made the nation what it is. Going out and seeing the world can't hurt..."
Knowing Ouyang Lei's concerns, the old man continued, "If Xiao Rui can't be found, this old man doesn't have much time left to live..."
"Grandpa, please don't worry, I will definitely find my little brother..."
Ouyang Lei thought the old man was worried about Zhuang Rui, which was why he said those words. Little did he know that the old man did not mean that at all.
Zhuang Rui's acupuncture treatment over this period of time has greatly improved the old man's condition. If he does not receive Zhuang Rui's treatment for a long time, Ouyang Gang knows that these old men will not be able to hold on for much longer.
"Go ahead and talk to Zhenshan about this. Remember, don't tell your aunt..."
The old man waved his hand, indicating that Ouyang Lei could leave. No one knew what the old man was thinking with his eyes closed. Only the nurse who came in later noticed a single, cloudy tear in the corner of his eye. ...