187: What is the purpose of this imposter in Chapter 187?

The plane stopped.

The water of Victoria Harbour lapped against the belly of the plane.

Inside the cockpit, silence reigned for three seconds.

Li Li's hand was still pressed against the control stick.

Snow clutched the hard drive, sitting in the co-pilot's seat, his entire body stiff.

Chief Flight Attendant Chen Xiyun leaned against the jump seat, the fire extinguisher still tucked under her arm.

The co-pilot on the floor was wrapped in three layers of seatbelts and duct tape, his breathing shallow.

Three seconds later.

Li Li slammed his fist onto the armrest.

"It landed!"

Snow jolted up violently, his head hitting the ceiling of the cabin.

He nearly dropped the hard drive.

He quickly clutched it back, jumped in place twice, then crouched down in pain.

Chief Flight Attendant Chen Xiyun set the fire extinguisher on the floor and clapped her hands three times. By the fourth clap, she was already crouching on the floor, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

The co-pilot also let out a string of muffled sounds.

"Mmph, mmph..."

Halfway through the cry, he stopped.

He was alive.

But he was a hijacker.

Surviving didn't mean he would live much longer.

His whole body went limp.

Li Li glanced at him.

He ignored him.

Living comes first.

Death can wait in line.

He pressed the cabin announcement button.

"Dear passengers."

"The plane has come to a full stop."

"Cabin crew, open all forward, middle, and rear emergency exits."

"Deploy the emergency slides."

"Evacuate in order of seating."

He paused.

"Also, to the passenger who was writing a will just now."

"Congratulations, it was a waste of time."

"Though I suggest you keep it."

"You might be able to use it next time you fly."

He clicked off the intercom.

The cabin was silent for a moment, and then cries, laughter, and shouts erupted all at once.

The emergency exits were twisted open.

The slides deployed with a "pop," crashing into the water and sending up a spray.

Forward cabin.

Middle cabin.

Rear cabin.

All six slides were fully deployed.

The flight attendants stood at the cabin doors, their voices hoarse, still shouting.

"Jump!"

"Cross your arms!"

"Don't stop!"

"Next!"

As the first passenger slid down, coast guard speedboats from both sides of Victoria Harbour had already pulled up alongside.

Life rafts were deployed.

Firefighter and coast guard soldiers stood on the rafts to receive the passengers.

Searchlights shone from all directions, illuminating the white fuselage of CX890.

Passengers slid down one by one.

Some cried.

Some laughed.

After landing in the life raft, some sat motionless, their hands still clutching their knees.

After being helped up by a Firefighter, the middle-aged man who had written the will froze for two seconds.

He took the paper out of his chest pocket and tore it in two.

"No longer needed."

The Firefighter patted him on the shoulder.

Inside the cockpit.

Li Li turned his head.

"Chief Flight Attendant."

Chief Flight Attendant Chen Xiyun looked up.

"Drag this hero out."

Li Li gestured with his chin toward the co-pilot.

"Hand him over to the troops boarding the plane."

Chief Flight Attendant Chen Xiyun picked up the fire extinguisher and, along with a male flight attendant who had rushed over, hoisted the co-pilot up from the jump seat.

The co-pilot was bound too tightly to move.

As the two dragged him out, his shoe soles scraped against the floor, making a sharp, long sound.

"Snow."

Snow looked up.

Water still remained on his face, it was unclear if it was sweat or tears.

Li Li walked over to his side.

"I'm going to tell you something."

"After you get off the plane, many people will come to pick you up."

"Only go with the Chinese police or the Chinese military."

"Anyone else, no matter what uniform they wear, what credentials they show, or what reasons they give."

"Don't go with them."

Snow's Adam's apple bobbed.

"What about the US Consulate?"

"Definitely don't go with them."

Li Li reached out his hand.

"Let me see the hard drive."

Snow instinctively clutched it tighter.

Li Li didn't rush him.

The sound of a loudspeaker came from outside.

"All personnel, evacuate in an orderly manner!"

"Do not carry luggage!"

"Leave the plane!"

Listening to the shouts outside, Snow looked down at the hard drive in his arms.

A few seconds later, he handed the hard drive over.

Li Li took it, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

"You trust me that much?"

Snow shook his head.

"I trust the Chinese General."

He paused.

"His son-in-law shouldn't be too outrageous."

Li Li was momentarily choked up.

"Your CIA database even lists this?"

"Secondary high-level target, with attached personal relationships."

"Fine."

Li Li stuffed the hard drive into the side zipper pocket of his pants and zipped it all the way up.

"This thing you have is enough to keep half of Washington awake."

"With the hard drive on you, you'll be a target as soon as you get off the plane."

"With me, at least they'll have to ask me first if I agree."

Snow looked at him.

"Will you agree?"

Li Li rolled his neck.

"Depends on the price."

Snow was stunned.

Li Li patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't panic, basic operation."

After saying this, he turned and walked toward the rear cabin.

Since he was acting as captain, he couldn't leave before all the passengers had evacuated.

Basic professional ethics.

Although he had hijacked this profession halfway through.

The first-class cabin was already empty.

Five corpses were covered with white sheets and secured next to the seating area.

This was the heaviest place tonight.

Li Li paused for a moment, then continued walking back.

The business class cabin was also empty.

Blankets, pillows, and torn safety instruction cards were piled all over the floor.

Only the last few rows of the economy class remained.

Passengers were queuing to head toward the slide exit.

Some had weak legs and were being supported by those next to them.

Some were crying until they couldn't catch their breath, yet they still inched forward step by step.

Li Li scanned row by row.

Seats.

Aisle.

Overhead bins.

In the third-to-last row, by the aisle, a man remained motionless.

Asian.

About twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

Short hair.

Gray Hoodie.

His left hand was holding onto the overhead bin, his right hand hanging by his side.

Everyone else was pushing their way out.

He stood in place.

Seeing Li Li approach, he turned his face away.

A normal passenger, seeing the person who had just landed the plane in Victoria Harbour, would at least take a second look.

This guy was hiding too cleanly.

Li Li didn't stop.

His pace remained the same.

As he walked, he casually picked up a blanket that had fallen into the aisle.

Ten rows.

Five rows.

Three rows.

The two were about to pass each other.

Li Li's right hand suddenly flipped up, a hand blade striking directly at the other man's neck.

Fast.

Accurate.

No greeting.

The man raised his left arm, his forearm blocking it head-on.

An ordinary person would have dodged.

He chose to block.

Li Li hooked his wrist and pressed down.

The man retreated half a step, pushed off the seat base with his right foot, and sprang away using the force.

Less than half a meter distance.

The last few passengers in front turned back and saw this scene; their legs went weak on the spot.

Before the flight attendant could even shout, they had already tumbled out of the cabin door.

They didn't even sit securely on the slide before diving directly into the water.

The Firefighter on the life raft cursed and reached out to pull them up.

Inside the cabin.

The man didn't run toward the cabin door.

He bent down and pulled a metal support rod from the gap in the seats.

A horizontal sweep.

Li Li retreated, his back hitting the seat back.

The support rod grazed his chest and slammed into the armrest next to him.

Crack.

The armrest split open.

Li Li ducked inside the inner circle and punched toward the man's ribs with his right fist.

Bang.

The man's body buckled, but he didn't fall.

He backhanded an elbow toward Li Li's side face.

Li Li tilted his head, the tip of the elbow grazing his ear.

The next second, he grabbed the other's elbow, pulled it down, and kneed upward.

Bang.

This hit the abdomen.

The man groaned, the support rod slipping from his hand and falling to the floor.

But he didn't retreat.

Instead, he lowered his head and charged.

The two collided into the same row of seats.

The seat armrest was crushed, and plastic fragments bounced into the aisle.

The space was too narrow.

Fists couldn't be swung freely.

Legs couldn't kick properly either.

Li Li was hit in the left rib, the pain making his teeth ache.

He grabbed the edge of the overhead bin with his right hand, leveraged himself to flip over, clamped his legs around the man's neck, and twisted his body downward.

The man clawed at his legs with both hands, struggling desperately.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

His strength began to fade.

Li Li continued to tighten.

Another two seconds passed.

The man's arms dropped.

He went limp.

Li Li released his legs and crawled out from between the seats.

The wound on his forehead that had already scabbed over began to ooze blood again.

He raised his hand to wipe it off and looked down at the man on the floor.

Received training.

Quick reaction.

Clean movements.

Not top-tier, but definitely not an ordinary passenger.

The sound of boots stepping on the floor came from the cabin door.

Dense.

Neat.

Four Hong Kong Garrison soldiers rushed into the economy cabin with guns raised.

Their gun barrels were trained on the man on the floor.

Li Li stepped back and raised his hand.

"This one is an extra."

"Not on the list of hijackers from before."

"Just traded a few moves with me."

"Professional."

The leading sergeant nodded.

Two soldiers stepped forward, turned the man over, and twisted his hands behind his back.

Pulled the plastic zip tie.

Click.

Locked tight.

Another soldier took out a black hood, ready to put it on him.

His hand suddenly stopped.

He looked at the face on the floor, then looked at Li Li.

The comrade next to him also leaned in.

The leading sergeant frowned.

The soldier couldn't hold back.

"Teacher Li Li."

"This person looks... a bit like you."

The cabin went quiet for a moment.

Several people looked at the man on the floor at the same time.

Height.

Build.

Facial contours.

Indeed, there was a 30-40% resemblance.

Li Li looked down for two seconds, then crouched down.

"It really is a bit similar."

Li Li glanced at the unconscious man.

"Who are you?"

The person on the floor didn't respond.

Unconscious.

The black hood fell down, covering that face which had a few similarities to Li Li's.

Li Li was helpless and could only let the Hong Kong Garrison soldiers take the unconscious man away for interrogation.

Just as Li Li finished checking all other cabins to ensure no one was left, he also prepared to slide off the plane.

The cabin had already started taking in water and was about to sink.

At this moment, Li Li suddenly received a text message on his phone.

It was a number from the Southeast Asia region.

[Li, congratulations on successfully becoming the global focus, completing such an epic mission of emergency landing a plane. I knew you could do it. Now, for what's next, I wonder if you can save Ms. Jiang?]