Chapter 132: A Moment in History (Part 2)

[Chapter 132: A Moment in History (Part 2)]

On United Airlines Flight 77, Ian and Daniel continued with their interviews.

Passengers shared their feelings on camera.

They mostly left farewell messages to their loved ones, expressing their sentiments.

"My name is Shani. I just got fired by my boss Ian Carr because I couldn't bring myself to pick up the camera. Ian Carr, you're a cold-hearted bastard, but I still admire you. Mom, if I die, remember that I love you! And Wyatt, if I survive, I'd accept your marriage proposal."

"Sophia, my baby, I love you. I'm so sorry I might not be able to spend the rest of my life with you, but I want you to know that even in my final moments, my heart belongs to you..."

"Dad, Mom, I'm so sorry I might not be able to see you again. Your son always dreamed of becoming a hero, and today I did it. I caught a hijacker and subdued him with Mr. Carr! Please remember, your son fulfilled his dream of heroism, even though it came at a high price."

"Claudia, listen to me. There's a secret compartment under the closet in our bedroom. There's an account with my savings, and the password is ... Remember, I love you!"

"I just want to know if my insurance will pay out if I die. Will it?"

"Caden, you bastard, I will always hate you. I will never forgive you! It's lucky for you that I might die on this flight, but if I survive, I'll find you and crush your skull as revenge for cheating on me!"

"Tell Bill we won't accept his buyout offer unless he raises the price by 10%. Even if I die, I won't back down! This is my final wish!"

"Oh God, Mom! Mom! I don't want to die!"

The cabin was filled with passengers expressing a range of emotions, some were despairing, some were calm, and others were crying uncontrollably.

...

A blonde little girl sat in the cabin, staring blankly at Ian, and asked, "Mr. Carr, are we going to die?"

Ian felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

That was the first time his hardened heart felt a flicker of emotion.

When casualty felt far away, it was just a number.

But when one was faced with such extreme sorrow and despair, rationality began to fade, and emotions rushed back in.

At that moment, Ian started to regret.

Maybe I was wrong from the beginning!

For the news, for my career, I cast aside all conscience...

This experience might just be a divine retribution, making me realize that there are still lines one should not cross!

Then he gently cupped the little girl's face and said softly, "No, we won't die. Shawna is a great pilot; she's a genius. She'll lead us to safety, and the plane will land safely..."

The little girl smiled.

She shouted, "We won't die; the plane will land safely!"

Passengers looked at each other and joined in, crying out, "We won't die! The plane will land safely!"

At that moment, hope became the only thing that boosted everyone's spirits.

The flicker of hope was so small yet supported them, becoming their last courage to survive.

...

A flight attendant gathered her courage and wheeled a cart down the aisle, distributing drinks and snacks: "Take this; it's free. For anyone who wants to call home, you can do it now."

The cabin filled with the ringing of phones as people contacted their families, sending heartfelt blessings and prayers.

...

Ian also shared his final message: "If I die, my inheritance goes to my mother, held by Gaskill Bronte! That's it."

As soon as he finished delivering his last wish, his phone rang.

...

It was Gaskill, worried about Ian. Ian smiled at the camera and reassured him over the phone, "I'm not going down that easily, Gaskill, trust me!"

Then messages of concern and well-wishes came pouring in from Lloyd, Senator Brand, Kate Beckinsale, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, and others.

Nicole Kidman also reached out; she had recently divorced Tom Cruise and missed having Ian, the strong little wolf, around.

Their tones were filled with sadness and concern for Ian's situation.

Crips also sent his regards -- he was happy to see the terror looming over him potentially fade away but had to consider what would happen if it didn't.

To avoid distractions, Ian had to temporarily silence his phone while he and Daniel continued with their interviews.

...

A young African American guy shouted into the camera, "Let those terrorists meet their maker; you won't defeat me! I'm Jon Bisset, and my courage is as vast as the sky. No one can defeat me in my domain; come at me for it, you bastards, ha!"

He delivered a rap performance!

In this dark hour, the hip-hop artist's enthusiasm brought a bit of joy to the atmosphere.

...

As the news frenzy exploded, the entire world rapidly spread the story. Ian's right eye increased its intensity at an unprecedented rate!

Countless people had heard the news of this horrific event and watched the live broadcast from the plane, seeing those waiting in despair.

This was reporting from another time, standing face-to-face with death!

Ian closed his eyes, quietly waiting for the fate about to unfold.

His right eye continued to feel warm.

That was the news coverage frantically amplifying his right eye.

This report was too sensational and explosive! The warmth emanating from his right eye surged rapidly!

Ian's experience points were skyrocketing!

The urge to rank up was uncontainable!

He watched the numbers rise -- 800/20000, 1200/20000, 5800/20000...

The pace was alarming!

Not because of the numbers but the quality!

No news article could compare to the magnitude of this event; its explosiveness was historical!

Ian's numbers soared past 18000 and still climbed higher.

Was he about to achieve a fourth level?

So much experience and such a quick breakthrough had never happened before.

What could it be?

He stared at the numbers in astonishment.

19200, 19500, 19800, 20000!

...

Upon reaching that number, Ian's right eye erupted in a dazzling display as confusing light and shadow swirled around.

Invisible threads intertwined and began to form an unseen giant, expanding outward from Ian, filling the entire three-dimensional model with overwhelming grandeur!

It flew through the cabin, roaring silently towards the sky.

At the same time, a new figure appeared on the media point count: 0/50000.

Level up!

Ian thought in his heart, placing all his hopes there as he tried to feel and manipulate.

The invisible giant filled the whole plane, merely existing without anyone able to see it. The pressure brought by the surging power making everyone think it was their own fear.

...

As the interviews neared an end, Shawna's voice called from the cockpit, "Mr. Carr, we need to prepare for landing, please come to the cockpit."

Ian stood and headed to the cockpit, feeling the invisible giant moving forward, as if he were in another realm, completely unaffected.

He sat in the co-pilot's seat and told Daniel, "Keep the camera rolling."

Then he turned to Shawna and asked, "What's the situation?"

Shawna replied, "We are circling over Ohio."

"Why here?" Ian questioned.

Shawna explained, "Because there's a road without much traffic."

"We're landing on a highway?" Ian was astonished.

Shawna nodded, "The tower is not very confident about my flying skills. They don't want me landing at the airport for fear of a collision with the terminal, so they gave me a road that's twenty times the airport runway. It's like a new driver needing ten parking spaces."

Ian immediately said, "I think they underestimated you."

Shawna smiled slightly, "I think so too; I'll succeed."

A resolute look crossed her delicate face, and her gaze grew fierce.

...

The plane continued descending, and the highway loomed closer.

At this point, everyone fell silent; only the tower continued to issue commands: "Watch your altitude, prepare to slow down gradually."

As the ground drew nearer, the tower's voice grew increasingly urgent: "No, no, no, you're descending too slowly. You'll crash if you keep this up. Pull up! Pull up quickly!"

Amidst the roar, the plane climbed again, skimming the highway before ascending into the air once more.

The tower instructed, "Circle back to the starting point and land again. Don't go too slowly, but don't go too fast either."

"Not easy to judge," Shawna mumbled.

The tower grew anxious: "You need to get it right; we're low on fuel, and you don't have many chances to try again."

Shawna took a deep breath and attempted to land once more.

...

As the plane dropped toward the ground, the tower yelled, "Deploy the landing gear!"

Shawna activated the landing gear but frowned, "It's jammed; I can't push it down?"

The tower facepalmed: "Oh God!"

Ian quickly looked towards the gear; sure enough, a wheel was stuck due to rough handling earlier, but he could help.

The giant raised its arm and with a clang, the landing gear came down.

"It's down!" Shawna shouted.

"Thank goodness!" the tower exclaimed, "Adjust the nose, set your height..."

Shawna followed the tower's instructions.

However, soon the tower cried out again, "No! No! You're slowing down too much!"

Shawna's expression shifted, "Should I climb again?"

"It's too late; control the plane, don't veer off!" the tower screamed.

Shawna asked, "And then?"

The tower exchanged helpless replies, "Pray to God!"

Shawna understood.

She said nothing more, focusing intently as she had never done before, her heart grew calm.

In moments of crisis, only a big heart could make a difference.

Passengers in the cabin closed their eyes and prayed for God's protection.

...

Meanwhile, Ian was working hard too.

He borrowed strength from the giant to support the plane, muttering to himself, "I can do this! I can do this!"

The invisible force slowed the descent of the aircraft, and it miraculously glided down to the ground with a steady posture.

"Damn it, it's losing speed!" the tower yelled in despair.

Thud!

The landing gear touched the highway, almost in a crash landing.

Fortunately, the giant helped stabilize the craft; the tremendous force made Ian's right eye feel like it would explode.

He let out a painful groan, shutting his eyes tightly as he braced himself.

...

Under the impact, everyone was thrown around the cabin; oxygen masks fell, and chaos erupted.

Shawna fought to maintain control as the massive aircraft raced down the cleared road.

...

After riding out the initial shock, the giant finally dispersed, and Ian's right eye burst with blood, immediately following the crackle of the newly upgraded focal point scattering.

Damn!

Ian finally understood.

Overextending the eye wouldn't blind him.

But the level would drop!

The points plummeted back to 0/20000, but thankfully the ongoing coverage continued to increase.

At least they had survived. Ian clutched his right eye painfully, trying not to make a sound.

...

The aircraft skidded to a halt amidst the deployment of drag chutes and screeching brakes, eventually rolling off the road into an adjacent cornfield, carving a long path as it collided with the corn.

Then with a bang, the landing gear shattered, and the right wing scraped the ground and broke away.

Moments later, the aircraft finally came to a stop.

Thus, it rested, battered, among the cornfields.

...

"Ha! I did it!" Shawna gasped, elated.

She hugged Ian, exclaiming, "I did it! We survived!"

Ian's vision was blurred, but the joy inside him matched her excitement.

They had survived!

He looked at Shawna and nodded gently, "Yes, we did it. We survived!"

Daniel rushed into the cabin with the camera, "We did it; we survived!"

"Oh yeah! We survived!"

Everyone burst into excited cheers.

Only one passenger yelled, "Oh no, my savings!!! Claudia!!!"

*****

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