CHAPTER 223: CHAPTER 223: WORRIES AT THE AIRPORT

She had just checked. At this time of day, there was only one flight from Shangluo.

This meant that Xia Liang was on this plane.

Anxious, Qingxue quickly took out her phone and called him incessantly, but the only response she got was a recorded message: "The number you have dialed is switched off."

Even so, Qingxue kept sending messages to Xia Liang.

"Xia Liang, are you there?"

"Tell me you had something to do today. Tell me you didn’t come back."

"I won’t blame you for standing me up."

"Xia Liang, please answer me..."

Message after message, call after call—but no response came.

She was completely panicked.

She tried calling Luu Qi. Still the same result.

In the end, she opened her chat with Luu Juan, her hands trembling as she typed.

"Auntie... did Xia Liang take a flight today?"

But as soon as she typed it, she deleted it. She already knew for a fact that Xia Liang was on the plane. She just didn’t want to believe it, clinging to a sliver of hope.

If she asked, it would certainly arouse Luu Juan’s suspicions, and it would be awful to make them worry.

"How did you find out?"

"I used a VPN! I saw it on a foreign website."

Upon hearing this, Qingxue no longer cared about anything else. She immediately went up to the man and asked, "What’s the website you’re talking about?"

The man was initially annoyed at being interrupted, but his expression changed in an instant when he saw Qingxue, replaced by an eagerness to please.

"Beautiful lady, you want to see it, too? I can type in the URL for you."

Qingxue was too preoccupied to care and simply handed him her phone.

"Then thank you very much."

"No, no, it’s nothing!" the young man said, waving his hands.

If Xia Liang had been here, she would have been utterly baffled. What on earth was going on? A woman was clearly bothering this man, yet after he did her a favor, he was the one who looked like he had gotten a great deal, even feeling a bit overwhelmed by the attention. So pathetic?

Quickly, the young man entered the URL and handed the phone back to Qingxue.

He even kindly reminded her, "It’s right in there, you can look!"

"Thank you," Qingxue said again, but her mind was entirely on Xia Liang as she hastily began to read.

The more she read, the paler her face became.

Seeing her like this, the young man wanted to offer comfort, but he didn’t know what to say. Qingxue just shook her head, muttering, "Impossible, this is impossible..."

He didn’t make a move as she walked away. Only then did regret hit him. Why didn’t I just say, "Hey, add me on WeChat, and I’ll send you the link"? That way, he might have gotten her contact information. He regretted not even trying to talk to her, even though she almost certainly would have ignored him. He couldn’t know that for sure, though, so all he could do was regret his inaction.

「Soon, it was one o’clock.」

The plane had arrived over Qingyun City.

Yun Long, though aware of the situation inside, still said over the intercom, "The plane is about to land."

He already knew what was happening on the plane, but he believed in being cautious. This was a lesson learned from many years of experience. It was also why he hadn’t disclosed that Xia Liang had taken control of the plane. If the news got out and turned out to be false, he’d be in a world of trouble.

Anyway, since the situation was under control, what difference did it make if the announcement was made sooner or later?

Aboard the plane, a sensation of weightlessness accompanied the slow descent.

After taxiing on the runway for a period, it finally came to a stop.

It was immediately surrounded.

On the plane, the passengers looked out to see themselves completely encircled by the Guardians.

Some even hurriedly took out their phones to post on social media.

"Today was like a dream! First, we were hijacked by mercenaries, then we were saved by a super-handsome mysterious man! Now that the plane has stopped, we’re surrounded by so many Protectors! This is a day I’ll never forget for the rest of my life."

These people all uniformly avoided mentioning Xia Liang. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but that they didn’t dare. After all, Xia Liang had warned them that revealing her identity would result in being "invited for tea." So, no one dared to mention her name or describe her appearance at all.

Watching the restless crowd, Xia Liang quickly stood up and went to the PA system controls.

"Everyone, please stay calm and don’t rush. The Protectors are all outside. To prevent any accidents or unintentional injuries, please do not leave your seats until I coordinate with them."

Xia Liang’s words proved effective. The previously chaotic crowd quieted down.

Just then, the intercom rang, and the head flight attendant once again handed it to Xia Liang.

Xia Liang didn’t beat around the bush and answered it directly.

"Hello?"

Naturally, it was Director Yun on the other end.

Xia Liang didn’t waste words. Even without Director Yun saying anything, she understood his concerns; after all, he couldn’t see the situation for himself.

"Director Yun, have your people wait below. I’ll send the passengers out one by one. You can secure each person as they disembark and only let the next one out once you’re certain they’re clear."

Yun Long was surprised that Xia Liang understood his worries so perfectly. Her method was indeed the safest, so he immediately nodded in agreement.

"Good."

Saying this, he then worried that Xia Liang would have a hard time maintaining order by herself, so he offered to help. "Do you want me to send a couple of people to help you?"

Help?

Xia Liang glanced at the people around her. They had all seen her abilities and weren’t afraid. Plus, the flight attendants, Luu Qi, and Shi Qiang would all help her maintain order.

She immediately declined.

"That’s not necessary, Director Yun. You should focus your personnel on the inspections. Go ahead and get your side arranged. I need to brief the passengers here."

"Alright!" Yun Long agreed. Leaving the line open, they both began making arrangements.

Xia Liang spoke over the broadcast again.

"Due to the complexity of this case, when disembarking, remember to keep your hands up and do not make any other unnecessary movements. Remember, this is not a joke."

Hearing the serious tone in Xia Liang’s voice, everyone committed her words to memory.