Chapter 177: Secret Agent
John and Chekhov were both secret agents!
Except that John was a British agent, while Chekhov was a Russian agent!
Originally, the two men had no connection to each other whatsoever!
Although both had been dispatched to Japan to operate undercover!
On the surface, both maintained legitimate professions and held Japanese citizenship... They were Japanese!
They merely performed the work of secret agents as a secondary occupation!
However, somewhere along the line, something went wrong, or the Japanese counter-intelligence proved far too formidable. For whatever complex reasons, the two men were arrested almost simultaneously!
They were then imprisoned in a heavily secured interrogation facility!
Imprisoned alongside them were agents from various other nations, including some who hailed from their own countries but were completely unknown to them!
From time to time, certain agents would break under the brutal torture inflicted by the Japanese... and confess everything!
This placed immense psychological pressure on John and Chekhov!
Especially when a Chinese agent was brought in and broke within a mere three days, delivering a devastating shock to both John and Chekhov.
After all, Chinese agents were not merely synonymous with toughness across the entire world; they were the very definition of an unyielding spine!
And now, even a Chinese agent had broken down and confessed!
Could they possibly hope to escape the same fate?
Even though both John and Chekhov understood that this was merely a psychological tactic employed by the Japanese to intimidate everyone by allowing captured agents to witness each other's interrogations, the two men still found themselves gripped by fear!
Just as John and Chekhov were left wondering what their future held!
The unexpected happened!
A Chinese operative had actually broken into the detention facility and summarily executed the Chinese agent who had broken!
Then, departed with complete composure!
Rather than leaving John and Chekhov in awe of the strength and ruthlessness of Chinese agents, this incident instantly planted a terrifying thought in both their minds: would their own governments eliminate them to protect state secrets?
Both John and Chekhov toyed with the idea of simply confessing and seeking protection from the Japanese authorities.
Yet this notion completely shifted when an unexpected opportunity to escape presented itself!
Strictly speaking, they owed the Chinese agent a debt of gratitude! He had killed the guard... thereby giving them the chance to acquire the keys!
Unfortunately, John and Chekhov had released every single prisoner being held there!
Yet in the end, only the two of them managed to escape!
Moreover, the pair became the targets of an extremely fierce pursuit!
ducking and weaving, utilizing every trick in their repertoire, the two barely managed to hide themselves!
Yet when attempting to make contact with their respective organizations... their clever minds realized that they had been ruthlessly abandoned! Worse still, their organizations were actively hunting them down as well... As for what fate awaited them if caught? Did that even need to be asked?
This realization brought John and Chekhov to the brink of despair!
Fortunately, the two men possessed genuine competence. Their long-term undercover assignments had allowed them to cultivate small, independent networks operating outside direct organizational control!
Leveraging these resources, combined with their combined prowess, the two successfully infiltrated the airport!
Then, waiting for the right opportunity, they stealthily boarded the aircraft!
Only after the plane took off did they finally let down their guard and breathe a sigh of relief!
However, upon learning that the plane was bound for China, the two men lost their peace of mind once more.
Initially, after a calm and logical analysis, both John and Chekhov had considered China an ideal place to lie low.
Yet, despite their extreme caution, they inadvertently intercepted a communication intended for the aircraft!
This transmission originated from China, ordering the plane to alter its course and land at a designated airfield of their choosing...
John and Chekhov instantly realized that their whereabouts had been tracked down after all.
Furthermore, Chinese authorities had intervened directly! They were setting up a net to trap them...
To step off that plane meant absolute capture!
With no options left, the two men cast aside all hesitation!
John headed straight for the cockpit to seize control of the aircraft, while Chekhov busied himself preparing the conditions for a parachute jump...
To shake off their pursuers via parachute, the plane's current flight path had to be altered...
Thus, when Shinfeng quietly observed the cockpit and saw a burly white man holding a gun on the pilot, with the co-pilot already slumped over bleeding from the head, he finally understood what was transpiring aboard the plane!
Shinfeng assessed the situation and realized there was no way to ambush the assailant without alerting him!
He could only retreat silently!
The cockpit... was sealed shut, protected by an extremely rigorous defense system! It was impossible to force one's way through... and heaven only knew how that white man had managed to get inside in the first place.
When Shinfeng returned, He Tian had already finished bandaging Red Plum and carried her back to the lounge area, placing her gently onto the bed.
"Boss!" Shinfeng said with a solemn expression. "A hijacking! There's one man in the cockpit, and we don't know yet if there are any accomplices!"
"A... a hijacking?" Xiaohui, Xiuying, and Huihui all paled drastically... Although they had calmed down slightly just moments before, it was evident that immense tension still gripped their hearts.
"A hijacking!" He Tian's expression grew equally grave! There were two or three hundred people on this plane! The majority of them were Chinese! Especially with Huihui and the others here as well!
And what airplane hijacker was ever anything short of a desperate madman?
It had to be stopped!
"Little Madman, I'll go check it out. You stay here and watch over them!" He Tian said in a deep voice.
"Boss, I'm going with you! Lock the door and don't worry about anyone else! The news shouldn't have leaked out yet!" Shinfeng replied without hesitation. Between women and brothers, Shinfeng chose his brother without a second thought.
"Huihui, lock the door... and you'll be safe! Don't open it for anyone unless we knock! Also, remember to give Red Plum her medicine with warm water later! Little Madman, let's move..." He Tian looked at Huihui, gave her these instructions, and strode immediately toward the cockpit!
Shinfeng followed closely behind in quick strides!
Surprisingly, the most innocent of them all, Huihui, appeared even calmer than Xiaohui and Xiuying at that moment...
Obediently, she locked the door to the lounge area!
Then she actually proceeded to comfort Xiaohui and Xiuying.
Huihui's composure rubbed off on Xiaohui and Xiuying slightly, perhaps aided by the fact that the lounge door was now locked, giving them a psychological sense of separation from the danger outside!
In any case, they finally managed to calm down a fraction!
"Do you think He Tian and Little Wind will be in danger?" Xiuying asked softly.
"They won't be in danger! I believe in them! Have you forgotten, Little Wind is a formidable martial artist!" Huihui said with certainty.
"But... but that man has a gun!" Xiaohui said, her voice laced with anxiety.
"What else can we do now? We have no choice but to trust them!" Huihui still managed to look composed, though a close look into her eyes revealed that she was, in fact, profoundly terrified as well.
Xiaohui and Xiuying could only nod. As they looked toward Red Plum resting on the bed, the worry etched on their faces refused to dissipate!
He Tian and Shinfeng quietly arrived within close proximity of the cockpit!
Hiding in the shadows, the two observed the situation inside the cockpit!
Upon catching sight of the man inside, He Tian's eyes narrowed slightly, filled with utter astonishment!
He Tian recognized this man!
Back at the detention facility where the migratory birds were held, this man had been one of the many imprisoned agents!
So why... was he appearing here now?
This left He Tian completely baffled!
Yet bafflement aside, this discovery made He Tian even more cautious!
This was a secret agent! Not some common criminal!
Dealing with someone like this would undoubtedly prove far more difficult!
Furthermore, judging by the current situation, the cockpit had been bolted from the inside. Breaking through it was practically impossible.
Besides, the adversary was armed with a gun, whereas neither He Tian nor Shinfeng carried any weapons!
Well, if medical instruments counted as weapons, then they technically had those.
Shinfeng crept closer to He Tian!
"Boss, do you know this guy?" Shinfeng whispered, having caught the change in He Tian's expression earlier.
"I've only seen him once! He's a secret agent. I don't know his combat capability, nor whether he's an internal energy practitioner! Little Madman, we must exercise extreme caution!" He Tian said in a low voice.
"A secret agent... damn it, this complicates things," Shinfeng muttered under his breath.
"It certainly complicates things! However, judging by the current situation, the plane's course has already been altered! Whether he's acting alone or not, guarding this area and waiting for him to emerge is our only option! Little Madman... I'll hold the position here. Go inspect the rest of the plane, especially the cargo hold below... see if there are any accomplices! Remember, be careful, don't rush in blindly! Our opponent is no pushover!" He Tian whispered.
"Got it!" Shinfeng nodded. Patrolling suited his skill set better than standing guard in one place.
Shinfeng slipped away silently!
He Tian remained behind to maintain surveillance.
John was extremely tense!
His success hinged entirely on the next few moments!
John knew very well that within ten minutes, the authorities in China would realize something was wrong with the flight!
Once ten minutes passed, initiating a search and scrambling interceptor jets would take another twenty minutes or so!
However, John could only wait ten minutes; he had to parachute out right after that! Otherwise, escaping would be utterly impossible!
As for taking hostages!
As a seasoned secret agent, John understood perfectly that such a move would only provoke an even more formidable response, doing nothing to aid his escape and likely spelling his own doom...
Only a true madman would do something like that!
And John was not mad to that degree; his sole objective was survival... everything else was irrelevant!
The pilot flew the aircraft with trembling hands, steering precisely along the coordinates specified by John.
At their current speed, they had already bypassed the impending Chinese coastal waters and plunged deep into the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean!
The pilot knew all too well that the plane's fuel reserves were running low... A normal landing at Tianhai Airport would have been entirely routine, but taking such a massive detour presented a catastrophic problem!