"Hurry up, Peng Fei, distribute the food..."
Inside the cabin of the plane flying over the Indian Ocean, a busy scene unfolded as two flight attendants unloaded food and bottled water, filling the middle of the cabin.
Peng Fei, Zhuang Rui, and the others were stuffing things into the pockets of the life jackets placed in the cabin. These items would come in very handy in the near future.
Nighttime rescue is unlikely to go smoothly, and they may have to drift at sea for several days, so Zhuang Rui told them to pack as much food and fresh water as possible.
Otherwise, if fresh water is cut off in the ocean, the suffering of facing an endless sea that cannot be drunk will be far greater than the despair of being at one's wit's end in the desert.
"Mr. Zhuang, these are glow sticks. They emit a strong light at night. Everyone take one..."
He Shuang was handing out glow sticks, each about forty centimeters long, to everyone. As a veteran pilot who had flown fighter jets for over twenty years, He Shuang was very experienced.
Zhuang Rui's plane was fully equipped, even including an inflatable raft for six people and an electric air compressor powered by a battery.
The rubber raft was enough for several of them. With this equipment, as long as there were no problems during the parachute jump, they should be able to hold out until the rescue team arrived.
"Brother Zhuang, this is for you..."
Peng Fei handed Zhuang Rui a satellite phone that was wrapped in a plastic bag. As long as he had this phone, even if they got separated at sea, they could still find Zhuang Rui's location by using satellite signals from the sky.
Zhuang Rui had two satellite phones, but the other one was currently in the hands of co-pilot Ding Hao.
"Ding Hao, give the phone to Tianya and the others..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and handed the satellite phone in his hand to Liu Li. He was a man after all, and even if he was in trouble, he had spiritual energy protecting him. Surely he could hold out in the sea longer than the two women.
Ding Hao glanced at Zhuang Rui, then silently handed the phone to Liu Li. Zhuang Rui nodded. Although Ding Hao had just offered a different opinion and hadn't been calm enough, his act of handing over the phone without a word showed he was a decent man.
Seeing that everyone was putting on their life jackets, Zhuang Rui said, "When you parachute, turn on your glow sticks and pay attention to where others are jumping..."
Lao He, go and take control of the plane. Once it descends to a suitable altitude for parachuting, set it to autopilot...
Peng Fei, you'll be the first to jump. The inflatable raft is yours. Once you're down, immediately use the electric inflator to inflate it and help the parachutists below…”
Zhuang Rui made the arrangements in an orderly manner. Seeing the boss's calm demeanor, everyone's emotions were also somewhat affected. Although the two flight attendants were still pale, their hands were no longer trembling as before when they put on their life jackets.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. If you survive this time, we'll get you a bigger plane. As long as you're still willing to serve me, your salaries and benefits will all triple." After He Shuang left, Zhuang Rui clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to himself. As the saying goes, people die for wealth and birds die for food. Zhuang Rui's words made Ding Hao and the others' eyes light up.
Their current salaries are already quite good. If they could triple, they would earn 200,000 to 300,000 RMB per month. In that case, they could retire after working for two years.
Ding Hao continued Zhuang Rui's words, "President Zhuang, we'll be fine. I'll jump second..."
Everyone on the plane, including Zhuang Rui, had experience with skydiving. If it weren't over the open sea, the danger wouldn't be too great. However, seeing that Zhuang Rui had already contacted domestic rescue, everyone's fear subsided considerably.
"Let's put Liuli and Tianya in second and third place, so we can see where they're landing from the plane..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head, rejecting Ding Hao's suggestion. This incident was entirely an innocent disaster for the crew, especially since the two girls had just gotten married. If anything happened to them, Zhuang Rui would never have peace of mind for the rest of his life.
"Mr. Zhuang, autopilot is set. We'll descend a little more and then we can parachute. I've changed the flight path; this plane will keep circling over this area until it runs out of fuel..."
About five or six minutes later, He Shuang climbed out of the cockpit, looking back with some reluctance, after all, he was the captain of this plane.
"Running out of fuel? I'm afraid it won't be long before you witness the plane explode..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head, his teeth itching with hatred. Just because of a provocative gesture, Muta wanted to kill him. Zhuang Rui vowed that if he survived, he would definitely take Muta's life, even if it meant paying hundreds of millions of dollars to hire an assassin.
However, if I buy a private jet again, I must equip it with two security guards to ensure the safety of the aircraft after the crew leaves.
"Old He, hurry up and put on your parachutes. Everyone check your equipment to see if anything is left behind. Does anyone have any questions?"
Zhuang Rui tossed a parachute to He Shuang, and Peng Fei helped He Shuang carry it on his back. They were about to jump, and Zhuang Rui was a little nervous. He didn't notice that his voice trembled slightly when he spoke.
"No problem..."
"I'm fine too..."
"Mr. Zhuang... Mr. Zhuang, I'm a little nervous..."
Tianya's face turned a little pale.
"I'm nervous too, but just follow the training steps. Close your eyes and jump. Pull the parachute when you count to five. Remember, don't lose your phone. The rescue team will find you as soon as possible using satellite signals..."
Zhuang Rui patted Tianya on the shoulder. Tianya was a bit timid and not as bold and outspoken as Liuli. He was really afraid that this girl would get nervous and forget to pull the parachute rope.
"I...I understand, Mr. Zhuang..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Tian Ya calmed down a little. However, even Peng Fei felt a little uneasy facing the dark and unknown sea below, so it was normal for Tian Ya to be afraid.
"Old He, prepare to open the hatch..."
Zhuang Rui took a deep breath, glanced back at the wing, and realized there were still twelve minutes left. He couldn't afford to waste any more time; who knew if the time bomb would be accurate? If it exploded prematurely, he would die a truly unjust death.
"Brother Zhuang, you take this..."
Peng Fei walked to Zhuang Rui's side, flipped his wrist, and a small knife about two fingers long appeared in his palm.
"Never mind, you're used to it anyway. Besides, you don't need to cut the paracord; you can just pull down the nose clip to loosen it..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. He knew that Peng Fei always carried a knife with him; this small knife had been with him for many years.
"Brother, you take it, be careful not to cut your hand..."
Because his family was poor, Peng Fei had to take on the responsibilities of a man since he was a child. After his younger sister was born, he fulfilled his duties as the eldest brother, which his parents took for granted. After both his parents passed away, Peng Fei continued to play the roles of eldest brother and parent in front of his younger sister.
It wasn't until he met Zhuang Rui that Peng Fei realized how wonderful it felt to be cared for. From the bottom of his heart, Peng Fei had come to regard Zhuang Rui as family.
When Peng Fei spoke, his eyes were misty. The sea was vast and no one knew what might happen. If he could, Peng Fei would rather give his own life to ensure Zhuang Rui's safety.
"Alright, take care of yourself. Once you're down there, get the raft ready right away. We're counting on you..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and playfully punched Peng Fei. Looking at Peng Fei's left hand, he hesitated before saying, "Let's throw this on the plane. We can find it again when we're salvaging wreckage later..."
Zhuang Rui was referring to that box of diamonds. Even with his wealth, he was a little reluctant to part with it, as everyone knows that things sunk in the sea are very difficult to retrieve.
Putting aside other things, countless ships laden with gold, silver, jewels, and precious porcelain have sunk along the China-Europe route alone. Although people have been trying to salvage them, less than one percent of the sunken ships have been successfully recovered.
"It's alright, Brother Zhuang, this thing isn't heavy. I'll put it on the rubber raft later..."
Peng Fei shook his head. He couldn't carry someone while skydiving, but carrying something weighing ten or so kilograms was no problem. Besides, the water would have buoyancy once they were in the sea, so the thing wouldn't hinder his actions.
"Be careful!" Zhuang Rui shouted, but it's unclear whether Peng Fei heard him, because the cabin door had already opened, and the howling wind and the engine revving filled everyone's ears.
Peng Fei stood with his back to the cabin door, his hands bracing against the iron door. Suddenly, he leaned back and his entire body disappeared from the doorway. Zhuang Rui only saw Peng Fei give him a thumbs-up as he jumped down.
Perhaps due to the nearby storm, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the glow stick on Peng Fei's body was flickering, making it difficult to see clearly.
"Liuli, Tianya, jump at the same time!" Zhuang Rui turned his head and shouted to the two girls who were clinging tightly to the corner of the table.
"Hurry up, if you don't jump, you're just waiting to die!" Zhuang Rui became anxious when he saw the two women hesitating to come over. He knew that the bomb only had ten minutes left on its countdown and could detonate at any moment.
Hearing Zhuang Rui's shout, the two girls mustered their courage and jumped down almost with tears in their eyes. Fortunately, neither of them pulled the parachute lines. Looking at the two parachutes that were faintly visible in the sky, Zhuang Rui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Old He, Ding Hao, you guys jump..."
Zhuang Rui turned to look at the two captains. It wasn't that he was particularly noble, but the key was that he was the one who caused this incident. Zhuang Rui felt that he should be the last one to leave the plane.
"Mr. Zhuang, you go first..."
"Alright, stop talking nonsense and hurry up..."
After He Shuang and Ding Hao jumped down, the timer inside the bomb had only five minutes left to count down.
Looking down into the darkness, Zhuang Rui's heart pounded. He hesitated at the hatch, remembering how Peng Fei had kicked him off the plane during his last parachute jump.
"Muta, I'll fuck your whole family... woman!" With only three minutes left on the countdown, Zhuang Rui let out a scream and jumped out of the plane with his eyes closed.
Chapter 822 Sea Storm
"One...two...three...four...five" Earth's gravity pulled Zhuang Rui's body, causing him to fall continuously towards the sea surface. The skin on Zhuang Rui's face was blown by the gale like clay, constantly changing shape.
After silently counting to five, Zhuang Rui suddenly pulled the parachute cord in his hand, and a white flower-like parachute popped out from behind him, instantly stopping his descent.
Zhuang Rui felt a sudden jolt in his body. His body, which was falling at a speed of about 150 centimeters per second, came to a stop in mid-air. Zhuang Rui even had the illusion that his body was now rising.
Because of the strong wind earlier, Zhuang Rui only dared to open his eyes now. But when he looked down, all he could see was darkness, and he couldn't see the glow sticks they were using to mark their direction.
Zhuang Rui and the others jumped from an altitude of about 2,000 meters, which can be considered a mid-to-high altitude skydive. Zhuang Rui opened his parachute when he was falling about 600 or 700 meters, which means that he is now in the air at an altitude of more than 1,200 meters. Even if he uses his spiritual energy, he cannot sense the other people.
"Damn it, whatever, I have food and water on me, enough to last a few more days. As long as I don't run into sharks, I'm not afraid of anything..."
Looking down into the pitch blackness, Zhuang Rui felt a little scared and muttered to himself to encourage himself.
It is important to know that the ocean covers a much larger area than the land on Earth, and the ocean is one of the areas that mankind has yet to conquer. The seabed, which is thousands of meters deep, is a place that humans cannot reach and is full of mystery.
Even the bravest person will feel powerless when faced with the boundless sea.
Zhuang Rui was currently in the tropical Indian Ocean, so he didn't feel very cold. After floating in the air with the sea breeze blowing for a while, Zhuang Rui's slightly panicked mood gradually calmed down.
A skydive from 2,000 meters high would normally take about 20 minutes to reach the ground. If the wind is strong, the time would be even longer. It's possible that even Peng Fei didn't make it to the sea.
After floating in the air for five minutes, a muffled thunder-like sound suddenly came from the distant horizon, followed by a burst of fire that illuminated a vast expanse of sky.
Not only Zhuang Rui, but also the other people who had parachuted earlier noticed this change. Except for Peng Fei, who had a premonition, the others were dumbfounded, their mouths agape, letting the sea breeze fill their stomachs.
Now they no longer harbored any resentment, and they had no doubt whatsoever about Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei's intuition. If they had insisted on staying in the plane, they would probably have plunged into the sea along with the fireball in the sky.
Meanwhile, outside Earth, a Chinese military satellite also detected the situation. After compiling countless data points, it determined an extremely accurate location and sent it to various search teams heading to the area to search for survivors of the crashed plane.
"What? A fire has been spotted, suspected to be caused by a plane explosion?"
Ouyang Lei, who had been waiting by the phone, also learned of the news. However, all he could do now was pray that the Jade Emperor, the Three Pure Ones, and the Buddha would protect Zhuang Rui. Even with a million elite soldiers under his command, Ouyang Lei was powerless at this moment.
After issuing the order, "Order all rescue teams to proceed to the designated sea area as quickly as possible," Ouyang Lei slumped into a chair, his eyes bloodshot, staring at the image transmitted from the military satellite on the computer screen, his brow furrowed.
But now all we can do is try our best and leave the rest to fate; nobody knows what the situation is really like on the ground.
Clearly, the debris from the plane explosion was falling much faster than Zhuang Rui and the others. Almost simultaneously with the plane's explosion, a huge fireball plummeted from the sky to the sea.
"Damn it, how come I'm so far away from them?"
Using the light from the plane explosion, Zhuang Rui spotted several other parachutes at least a kilometer away. Luckily, Zhuang Rui had good eyesight; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to spot them at all.
However, he was still floating in the sky. Although his professional skills were not very good, Zhuang Rui was still confident that he could control his direction and land not too far away from them.
Among the lines hanging from the parachute, a short rope is sewn at the lower end of the first and last lines. A control stick is attached to the short rope, which can be used to control the direction of the parachute.
Zhuang Rui had studied this a little. He knew that when a parachutist needed to turn, he could simply pull down the control stick to move the parachute lines to the left or right, thus causing the parachute to turn.
"Huh? Why are we running uphill? Damn it, which instructor taught me this?"
Zhuang Rui pulled down the control stick, only to find that the parachute was rising instead of descending, carrying his body upwards. He became extremely anxious and started cursing loudly in the air.
Left side... no, right side still no. Zhuang Rui almost broke the rope on the control stick, but the parachute was still drifting in the opposite direction from where they had first spotted the group.