177: Chapter 177 The Terrorist's Strict Father

A silver flash streaked by.

The man had just turned his head when the blade entered his neck.

Li Li sprang up from his seat, covered the man's mouth with his left hand, and pushed the blade in another half-inch with his right.

The man could only squeeze out half a gasp from his throat.

His hand was still suspended in mid-air; he hadn't managed to reach for his gun, nor had he managed to raise the alarm.

Li Li pressed him down into the seat.

His leather shoes scuffed against the carpet twice.

Three seconds.

No more movement.

Li Li withdrew the blade, wiped the blood off on the inside of the man's suit, and patted him down.

No handgun.

Only a folding knife, a mobile phone, and an earpiece.

Li Li crushed the earpiece and shoved the phone into his pocket.

Two were down in First Class now.

One behind the first row of seats.

This one right in front of him.

Two remained, having escorted the Gray Hoodie to the lavatory.

Plus the Co-pilot in the cockpit.

Five.

The plane was still off course.

Not much time left.

Just as Li Li was about to move forward, the curtain was pulled aside.

The Chief Flight Attendant walked out.

Her hair was disheveled, the collar of her uniform was skewed to one side, and there were red marks on her face where someone had covered her mouth.

Then she saw the person on the floor.

And the knife in Li Li's hand.

Her mouth just opened, and Li Li raised his hand.

He pressed his index finger to his lips.

The Chief Flight Attendant immediately covered her mouth with both hands, swallowing her scream.

Her legs were shaking.

But she didn't retreat.

Li Li lowered his voice.

"The cockpit."

The Chief Flight Attendant pressed against the bulkhead, her voice tight.

"The Co-pilot is also one of them."

She paused for a moment before squeezing out the second half of the sentence.

"The door is locked from the inside."

Li Li's heart sank.

A commercial airliner cockpit door is no ordinary door.

Bulletproof, explosion-proof, anti-hijacking.

He could clear out the people in the cabin, but if he couldn't get into the cockpit, this plane would still fly to Hanoi.

Once there, the passengers would be bargaining chips.

The Gray Hoodie would also be taken away.

As for himself.

He would most likely be classified as an accidental variable at the hijacking scene.

Li Li pulled the knife to his side.

"There are two more outside; I can handle them."

The Chief Flight Attendant stared at him for two seconds.

"Are you Li Li?"

Li Li paused.

"You know me?"

"I've watched your livestream."

She took a breath.

"The Dubai episode."

Li Li didn't respond.

This wasn't the right time for a fan meeting.

The Chief Flight Attendant raised her hand and gathered her loose hair behind her head. The hair tie had snapped, so she simply let her hair down and adjusted the buttons on her uniform.

Not to make it neat.

But to make it look like something that would distract the Co-pilot.

Li Li watched her.

The Chief Flight Attendant cursed under her breath.

"That bastard has been eyeing me for three years."

She took off her name tag and shoved it into her pocket.

"Every time we're scheduled on the same flight, his eyes never behave. Today, I'll let him take a good look."

Li Li didn't speak immediately.

Her hands were still shaking.

But she had already taken half a step toward the cockpit.

The Chief Flight Attendant looked up.

"I can stall him."

"How long?"

"Three minutes."

She paused.

"Five minutes is also fine."

Li Li nodded.

"Don't lock the door completely. If something goes wrong, break it down."

The Chief Flight Attendant glanced at the corpse on the floor, then at the knife in Li Li's hand.

"Don't make me stall for nothing."

"Don't panic, it's basic procedure."

She was stunned for a moment.

To be able to say that at a time like this.

Fine.

It's him.

The Chief Flight Attendant turned and walked forward.

Her high heels stepped on the carpet, each step steadier than the last.

When she reached the cockpit door, she raised her hand and knocked twice.

Lightly.

And slowly.

The Co-pilot's voice came from inside.

"Who?"

The Chief Flight Attendant changed her tone.

"It's me."

The door opened a crack.

The Co-pilot only revealed half his face.

The next second, the door opened wider.

The Chief Flight Attendant went in.

The door didn't close completely.

It was left ajar.

Li Li withdrew his attention.

Now it was his turn.

There was a thick curtain between First Class and Business Class.

Behind the curtain was the transition corridor.

The lavatory was on the right.

Li Li moved forward, sticking close to the seats.

His feet made no sound on the carpet.

A pair of black leather shoes appeared from under the curtain.

An agent was guarding the outside.

There was another one in the lavatory.

The Gray Hoodie should still be inside.

Li Li crouched down, just about to make his move.

Click.

The lavatory door opened.

Someone inside cursed in English.

"Take him back, I need to use the restroom too."

The other person chuckled.

"Hurry up."

The lavatory door locked again.

Under the curtain, three pairs of shoes moved.

One pair entered the lavatory.

Two pairs headed toward First Class.

Li Li stepped to the side, pressing his body into the corner.

The curtain was pulled aside.

The Gray Hoodie came out first.

The Caucasian youth's face was pale, his lips were cracked, and two red marks were visible on his wrists.

As soon as he came out, he saw Li Li.

And he saw the knife.

There was still blood on the blade that hadn't been wiped off.

He didn't scream.

And he didn't retreat.

He crouched down immediately.

He folded himself downward, his head almost touching his knees.

Li Li's blade passed over his head.

The agent behind him had just pulled back the curtain, and his chest collided with the tip of the knife.

Pfft.

The blade entered the left chest.

The agent's body stiffened, his hand still resting on the Gray Hoodie's shoulder.

Li Li gripped the back of his neck with his left hand, pulling him in, while his right hand continued to press the blade.

The agent reacted quickly, gripping Li Li's wrist tightly with both hands to prevent the blade from being pulled out.

They were deadlocked.

Half a second.

The Gray Hoodie struck from below, punching his groin.

Very accurate.

And very vicious.

The agent let out a muffled groan and released his grip.

Li Li withdrew the blade.

And struck again.

A second stab.

A third.

The agent made no further sound.

Li Li dragged him to the middle of the second row and pressed him against the side of the seat.

It was even more cramped now.

The Captain was still nearby.

Two agents were there too.

First Class, originally wide enough to lie flat, now required calculating angles just to find a place to step.

Li Li turned to look at the Gray Hoodie.

"Is there another one in the lavatory?"

The Gray Hoodie nodded.

"Yes."

Li Li walked out, carrying the knife.

The Gray Hoodie followed.

At the lavatory door, Li Li paused.

"Are you an agent?"

The Gray Hoodie was stunned.

"What?"

"Your profession."

"Programmer."

Li Li nodded.

"Then I can't leave him alive. You won't be able to guard him."

The Gray Hoodie opened his mouth.

"Huh?"

Li Li raised his foot.

Bang.

The folding door was kicked open.

The door panel slammed hard into the head of the person inside.

The agent was sitting on the toilet, pants not yet pulled up, and was knocked backward by the impact.

Li Li entered the room.

The blade descended.

Clean.

No second sound.

He confirmed the other party could no longer move, then casually picked up the phone and glanced at it.

The screen was still lit.

It was stopped on a Tokyo trending search page.

Li Li tossed the phone back.

"Flying to Hanoi, but heart in Tokyo."

The Gray Hoodie stood at the door, his face even paler.

Li Li came out and very politely closed the lavatory door.

"Let's go."

"Where to?"

"The cockpit."

The two returned to First Class.

Li Li pulled a tie off one of the agents and wound it around his hand to test its resilience.

It would do.

The cockpit door was still ajar.

The Co-pilot's laughter came from inside.

"You're different today."

The Chief Flight Attendant's voice was a little lower.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted to see?"

Li Li pushed the door open and entered.

The Co-pilot was sitting in the right seat, with his back to the door, leaning back.

The Chief Flight Attendant stood in front of him, her uniform buttons undone down to the second one, her hand still resting on her collar.

Seeing Li Li enter, she visibly relaxed.

The Co-pilot heard the movement.

"What's wrong, baby?"

The Chief Flight Attendant stepped back half a step.

"The most exciting part is here."

"I just love exci—"

The tie looped around his neck from behind.

Li Li crossed his hands and twisted.

The Co-pilot kicked his legs wildly, his hands clawing at the tie.

Li Li pressed his knee against the back of the seat, pinning the man down firmly.

In less than ten seconds.

The Co-pilot went limp.

Li Li loosened his grip slightly, confirming he wasn't dead.

Keeping him alive.

This one was worth more than the ones outside.

The Chief Flight Attendant raised her hand and slapped him.

Not satisfied, she kicked him in the leg.

"Animal."

Li Li didn't stop her.

He dragged the Co-pilot out of the seat, tied his hands and feet with the tie and seatbelt, and then found tape to gag him.

The warning lights in the cockpit weren't flashing wildly.

The autopilot was still working.

Altitude 36,000.

Heading west.

The destination had been changed to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Li Li sat in the left seat, scanning the Primary Flight Display, heading select, fuel, transponder, and communication panel.

The transponder didn't have an emergency code set.

The communication frequency had been switched.

Four corpses in First Class.

One tied-up traitor in the cockpit.

The Gray Hoodie's identity was unknown.

Li Li turned to look at the Chief Flight Attendant.

"Do you have anyone you can trust?"

The Chief Flight Attendant was still panting.

"Yes. Two flight attendants, both Chinese, they've been flying with me for years."

"Someone with guts."

The Chief Flight Attendant thought for two seconds.

"Xiao Qin. She said she's seen dead people."

"Call her here."

Li Li glanced at the Gray Hoodie.

"Have her guard the outside, and don't let any passengers approach First Class. You come in, lock the door, and watch him."

The Gray Hoodie looked up.

Li Li didn't explain.

The Chief Flight Attendant nodded and turned to walk out.

As she passed the Co-pilot, she kicked him again.

This time, it was a heavy kick.

Only Li Li and the Gray Hoodie were left in the cockpit.

Li Li rested one hand near the control stick, while the other still gripped the knife.

The Gray Hoodie suddenly spoke.

His Mandarin was very awkward.

But it was understandable.

"I understand Chinese."

Li Li turned his head.

The Gray Hoodie pointed to himself.

"You don't trust me."

Li Li was silent for half a second.

"Correct."

The Gray Hoodie actually relaxed a little.

"Reasonable."

Li Li looked at him.

"You were being held by them, yet you were able to recognize me. You know Morse code. You speak Mandarin. You cooperated quite well just now."

The Gray Hoodie spread his hands.

"I'm not an agent."

"You said it yourself, a programmer."

"Yes."

Li Li waited for the rest of the sentence.

The Gray Hoodie swallowed.

"My name is Snowden."

Li Li's hand stopped by the communication knob.

"Snow?"

"Snowden. You can call me Snow."

The cockpit was quiet for two seconds.

Li Li looked at the off-course heading indicator on the instrument panel.

Then he looked at the Gray Hoodie again.

Snowden.

Snowden?

Prism?