MTLNOVEL Chapter 138 Being a Scumbag in the United States is Too Risky!_1
Because he was in a hurry.
The flight Dean took didn't belong to a major airline.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been only one female flight attendant in first class.
This was a short-haul flight, a direct one lasting over six hours. Although it offered meals and drinks, there was nothing too high-end.
Fortunately, knives and forks were available.
They weren't very sharp, but deadly enough!
Under the nervous gaze of the gorgeous flight attendant, Dean cleared the area of these potentially lethal weapons. He then mixed some 'seasoning-grade lime powder.' Approaching the flight attendant, he held her in his arms and soothed her in a gentle voice, "Stay calm. Don't be afraid. Whatever happens on this plane, I will take action."
He wasn't flirting but rather ensuring he had a helper who could remain composed.
The situation was now very troublesome.
The air marshal hidden on the plane had lost contact.
No sound came from the cockpit in front of first class after the female flight attendant secretly pressed the emergency button.
This meant that the problem wasn't just in economy class; at least one of the two pilots in the cockpit was compromised!
A plane was different from land.
Once in danger, even someone as strong as Dean would have no way out but death.
So he now needed to know the general situation on the plane!
Feeling Dean's strong, steady heartbeat and his gentle reassurance, the beautiful flight attendant gradually calmed.
She took a few deep breaths and said with determination, "I'm fine, Detective. What do you need me to do for you?"
Dean, keeping his gaze on the aisle between first class and economy class, whispered in her ear, "Tell me about the situation here and the safety regulations!"
"We are assigned a fixed route, so each flight only has one randomly assigned air marshal with a hidden identity.
"There are a total of eighty-seven passengers on this flight.
"The crew consists of seven members: two pilots, and five flight attendants—three female and two male. Four of them are in business and economy classes. I speak five languages, which is why I was assigned to first class."
The now-calm flight attendant clearly laid out the approximate situation aboard the plane.
Dean looked at the blonde beauty in surprise.
She's multilingual, a real talent, Dean mused. Strange that she chose to be a flight attendant, though; the job doesn't seem that cost-effective.
But now isn't the time to be curious about that.
"My name is Dean. What's your name?"
"Catherine!"
Dean quickly assessed the situation on the plane and pinpointed the essentials. "Catherine, you're doing very well," he said. "I now need to know where the plane's emergency buttons link to, and about the air marshal's identity—are you sure no one knows who it is?"
The praise made Catherine even calmer.
After a brief thought, she confirmed,
"The alarm buttons are located in economy, business, and first class. They are rarely used, but once activated, they immediately notify the cockpit, the air marshal's beeper, and the ground base!
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, an explanation for the alarm must be provided after the flight, complete with a report signed by all crew members, backed up, and archived.
"As for the air marshal's identity..." Catherine shook her head.
"These guys have a strict confidentiality system and often rotate, but disputes on the plane are rare, so they become complacent and even flirt with female passengers and flight attendants. So, I'm not sure if this flight's air marshal is acquainted with any crew members."
Dean nodded.
In my previous life, when air marshals boarded for duty, some would show badges, while others simply showed a flight crew identification card.
So experienced flight attendants could usually guess who the air marshal was on the flight.
The system in this world is supposedly more thorough.
But since systems are implemented by people, they still have flaws.
The information known so far is still too limited.
But the unknown terrorists have revealed a crucial piece of information!
Dean mumbled a couple of words in the flight attendant's ear, then moved to her seat and crouched down to examine the concealed emergency button.
According to the flight attendant, once the button was activated, the crew members, the air marshal, and the ground base would all receive the message immediately.
In such a situation, regardless of whether things in economy class and the cockpit were normal, someone should have come to check, and the ground base should also have sent inquiries.
But nearly ten minutes had passed, and first, business, and economy class were all still deathly quiet—an abnormal sign!
Unless the emergency button's wiring has been tampered with!
Dean wasn't an expert on electronic devices, but his observation skills were strong. He easily found subtle scratches where the button was connected.
Indeed, someone has tampered with it recently!
Dean, however, let out a sigh of relief.
He turned his head and gave Catherine a meaningful look.
Catherine bit her lip, suddenly squatted down, kissed Dean on the lips, then took a deep breath and headed toward business class.
Dean touched his lips and smiled as he watched Catherine's receding figure, yet his eyes showed no hint of emotional turbulence.
This foolish woman doesn't know, Dean thought, that I've already used her twice.
The first time was at the meal cart.
I had seemed to be comforting Catherine, but in reality, if an armed gunman had entered first class, Catherine would have been the perfect human shield.
The second time is now.
Although I, using the modified emergency button, guessed that the unknown attack hasn't started yet, if I'm wrong, Catherine will serve as expendable cannon fodder to scout the way.
Heh heh, I can't believe I'm thinking about this. It seems my heart really has softened. Otherwise, why would I have such reflective thoughts?
Dean sneered at himself and toyed with the dinner knife in his hand, all while keeping an eye on the first-class passengers and straining his ears to pick up any sounds from business and economy class.
The people in first class were still oblivious to the unknown danger about to strike the plane.
Some flipped through magazines, and some closed their eyes to rest. Except for the father-daughter pair who had experienced a near mishap earlier, everyone now seemed very quiet.
It was probably the same situation in business class.
But since the plane had only taken off about ten minutes ago and was at least six hours from its destination, some passengers who knew each other still had the energy to chat idly.
After waiting for roughly three or four minutes,
THUD. THUD.
Soft knocking sounds came first from a wall compartment, followed by footsteps.
Catherine had returned!
This was the signal they had agreed upon.
Of course, the main reason they could do this was that first class was far from the plane's engines and utilized special noise-insulating materials.
Heading out to scout the situation had undoubtedly put Catherine under tremendous psychological pressure.
Seeing Dean again, she wordlessly threw her arms around him, stood on tiptoes, and fervently kissed him.
If Dean hadn't stopped her, the woman might have even tried to draw his gun right there!
Having relieved her stress, Catherine licked her lips contentedly and then reported, "Everything is normal in business and economy class, and there are no issues with the flight attendants."
Dean nodded.
This is to be expected.
The emergency buttons were tampered with, meaning these terrorists infiltrated airport ground staff. They have big ambitions and don't want to cause a commotion right after takeoff, which might alert the ground base and lead to an early discovery.
Groups that hijack public transportation typically have one of two objectives.
One is simply to commit a suicidal terrorist attack, creating widespread panic as retaliation.
This isn't hard to understand.
The United States Federation has stirred up trouble overseas, and many bear it ill will.
A plane is a large target with many passengers. After terrorists hijack it, they could just crash it into a landmark building, creating shocking global news that authorities couldn't cover up even if they wanted to.
The other objective is to threaten the authorities to achieve some goal.
Perhaps the leader of an organization is imprisoned, and in a bid to free him, his followers get the bright idea to hijack a plane to make threats or extort a huge sum of money...
This also makes sense.
Because when a plane is in the air, there's nowhere to escape if trouble starts. Just a small amount of explosives can intimidate all the passengers.
Plus, even if authorities became aware of the situation, it would be very difficult to mount a rescue.
With these ideas in mind, the next step becomes clearer.
If the enemy doesn't move, I will!
The most important thing now is to figure out the unknown enemy's motives, plan, and personnel arrangements!
To secure the exterior, one must first secure the interior!
Dean decided to first assess the situation in first class and the cockpit, see if he could identify any hidden terrorist members, and then proceed with the next step of his plan.
"Catherine, about this plan..."
After hearing Dean's plan, Catherine was somewhat uneasy. "Are you sure there really are terrorists on board right now?" she asked. "If you're wrong, not only is my career over, but I might also face a hefty compensation claim from the airline!"
Dean shrugged. "I can only be sure that someone fiddled with the security alarm, but that's enough. Just play your part well, and at most, the passengers will think it was a misunderstanding."
Catherine was still hesitant, but then Dean's voice, like a Demon's whisper, reached her ear, "Besides, even if you get fired, I'll take care of you. I swear!"
The rush of his warm breath made the woman, who was already quite fond of Dean, a bit dizzy.
The man's firm promise resonated deeply within Catherine, steadying her anxious heart.
She bit her lip, hugged Dean tightly, and whispered, "I believe you. Even if it turns out to be a misunderstanding in the end, I'll say I was the one who asked for your help. But if you betray me, I swear, I'll come after you with my grandmother's shotgun!"
Dean: "..."
Damn, being a scumbag in the United States is too risky!