Chapter 2

Simon suddenly let go. The entire crowd burst into laughter.

I saw every passenger look at me with a disgusted expression. Even Anna, the only one who had shown me kindness, had a somewhat repulsed expression.

I looked down. The suffocation had made me lose control of my bladder.

Simon doubled over laughing.

“Look at this pathetic loser. He was so scared that he wet himself. You call yourself a hero? A mutt on the side of the road has more of a backbone!”

Brooke pinched her nose. She took out perfume and sprayed it around her.

“I thought you were actually somebody special. Look at you. My darling scared you so bad that you wet your pants. I only felt sorry for you, so I dated you for three days. I can’t believe you’re still hung up on me. You’re totally out of my league.”

The blood spilling from my head blurred my vision. I was fighting so desperately to save everyone’s lives. Why would they not believe me? Not a single person was willing to stand up for me.

In my disappointment, Anna handed me a tissue. “Here. Wipe yourself off. Then, take me to see it.”

I started to feel hopeful again. I took her hand and slowly stood up.

“Hold on.”

A man in gold-rimmed glasses stopped us.

He adjusted his glasses and said, “Commercial planes don’t have self-destruct programs. Only military jets or drones do. I could tell this man was lying from the very beginning. You’re a nice girl. Don’t fall for his nonsense.”

Anna slapped her forehead.

“Oh, right. How could I forget that? May I ask who you are?”

The man smiled arrogantly and responded, “I’m a university professor of aerospace engineering. This guy is a complete fraud. Everybody, don’t believe a word he says.”

Knowing I was right, I argued, “I’ve flown planes before. My family even owns a private jet. I know that if a captain understands the programming, he can implant a virus and trigger the self-destruct program.”

Simon kicked me and knocked me down. My head slammed into the armrest. The impact tore a large hole in it.

“Yeah, right. You know how to fly a plane? You probably did that in your dreams. And a private jet? Go sell that lie somewhere else.”

“Exactly. A poor kid whose family doesn’t even own a car. Do you have no shame in making up lies like this?” Brooke said with contempt.

Back then, my father had arranged for a helicopter specifically to take me to and from school. Of course, there would be no car to pick me up.

The flight attendant looked hesitant.

“Come to think of it, Captain Wallace used to work as a programmer. He even won a coding award at our airline.”

“Are you actually buying his nonsense? That just proves my uncle is talented. Besides, why would he ever want to hurt me?”

The man with glasses thought for a few seconds. Then, he said, “If that’s the case, the plane really could have been tampered with. Alright. I’ll go with you guys to check it out.”

His words reignited my hope. I nodded hard.

The three of us were about to walk toward the cockpit. Then, the captain, Lucas Wallace, appeared.

“What’s all the commotion? You’re interfering with me and my co-pilot flying the plane.”

After the flight attendant explained everything, he laughed.

“It’s all a misunderstanding. I was arguing with my wife in the bathroom earlier. I got angry, so I said some harsh things. This young man must have taken it seriously.”

I stared right at Lucas and said, “I saw it with my own eyes. You knocked out the co-pilot, and you activated the self-destruct program!”

Lucas’ appearance dispelled most people’s doubts. That included the man in glasses and Anna.

Their faces turned ashen. They sat back down in their seats. “Don’t joke about things like this!”

I was so devastated that I wanted to cry, but there were no tears. There was simply no way to prove that Lucas was lying.

Lucas walked toward me.

“Young man, I’m sorry that my nephew hit you.”

“Lucas, why are you even bothering with him? If I hadn’t stepped in, he would’ve actually gotten in your way and tried to fly the plane.”

“Yeah, Captain. He should be arrested. Hand him over to the police as soon as we land,” another passenger added.

“You motherless piece of trash. With all that energy, why don’t you do something useful? No, you just had to be a scammer,” someone else sneered.

“Hah! I saw through his act a long time ago. He just wanted everyone’s attention so he could sell something. Pathetic.”

All the passengers united in condemning me. It was as if my desperate efforts were nothing but a joke.

Lucas smiled and helped me up. His eyes lit up, but I could not understand what that meant.

“Everyone, stop ganging up on him. This is all a misunderstanding. Please remain seated and stay where you are. I’ll take him to the crew area first and tend to his injuries.”

As soon as the door closed, Lucas revealed his true nature.

He took out a rope and tied me up. I was already on the verge of death.

“I didn’t expect you to see what I did. Just stay put. Soon, everyone will be set free together.”