Chapter 323 - 255: How Did Such a Large Human-Made Object Just Disappear?

Her expression was calm, a faint smile on her face as she said to Lin Li, "Lin Li, it’s alright, you don’t need to worry. That flock of black swans is just passing by, they won’t be a danger to the plane..."

"..." Lin Li fell silent, looking at Su Yue.

He knew that Su Yue was terrified, but she was smiling to comfort him.

In that instant, he understood why Su Yue was putting on a brave face despite being so afraid.

Su Yue was pretending to be calm because she thought *he* was panicking. To put him at ease, she felt she couldn’t show her fear. So, she suppressed her own terror and forced a smile to help him relax.

’What an idiot. Does she really think I can’t tell she’s terrified?’ The smile Lin Li had been holding back vanished completely. He reached out with his left hand and placed it over Su Yue’s right hand, which was gripping the armrest tightly.

"Lin Li?!!!"

Su Yue, who had been putting on a brave face while terrified inside, froze when she saw Lin Li take her hand. In that instant, more than half of her fear vanished.

’How did this blockhead suddenly get so proactive? Did the crisis make him finally get a clue?’

Just as Su Yue was mistakenly thinking Lin Li had finally gotten a clue, the plane suddenly began to descend, breaking everyone from their thoughts.

...

A little over ten seconds ago, the black swan Exotic Beast Group, which was more than twenty meters from the plane, had suddenly shown signs of moving toward it.

Although the black swan Exotic Beast Group was moving very slowly, they would collide with the plane before long.

In the cockpit, the captain also noticed the black swan Exotic Beast Group approaching via his instruments. The one-minute warning he had planned to give the passengers would have to be cut short.

"Activate the Spiritual Artifact." To prevent a collision with the black swan Exotic Beast Group and a potential crash, the captain made a snap decision.

He shouted to the co-pilot beside him as he maneuvered the plane, lowering its altitude and taking evasive action.

"Yes, sir." The co-pilot, a First Rank Initial Stage Cultivator, was holding a pyramid-shaped metal object.

As soon as the captain gave the order, he immediately injected the Spiritual Energy he had already gathered in his hands into the pyramid-shaped Spiritual Artifact.

"BUZZ."

The pyramid-shaped Spiritual Artifact, now infused with the co-pilot’s Spiritual Energy, immediately trembled as a faint golden Spiritual Light emerged on its surface.

Instantly, invisible ripples, imperceptible to the naked eye, radiated from the Spiritual Artifact.

The flock of black swan Mutant Beasts, drawing ever closer to the plane, watched as the man-made object before them rapidly faded and then vanished completely.

’???’ The black swan Mutant Beasts were bewildered. ’How could such a large man-made object just disappear?’

"HONK..." The leading black swan Mutant Beast, a Second Order Middle Stage, let out a cry and led its flock in a new direction.

"Captain, the Mutant Beasts have changed course!" the co-pilot said excitedly. He was clutching the Spiritual Artifact that granted the plane Invisibility, and had seen the black swans turn away on his instruments.

"Don’t celebrate just yet. We’re not out of their visual range," the captain said calmly. "How much longer on the Invisibility effect?"

The co-pilot nodded, then glanced down at the Spiritual Artifact in his arms. "It can last for another ten seconds."

"It’s a little short, but it should be enough to get us completely clear of their visual range," the captain said.

"It’s a good thing the plane was equipped with this Spiritual Artifact. Otherwise, we would’ve had a crash for sure," the co-pilot said, still shaken.

"Hah. A year ago, during a board meeting, some of the higher-ups were against spending money on these Spiritual Artifacts. They said it was a waste to equip every plane with one," the captain said.

The co-pilot had heard something about that, too. "I heard it was the chairman who pushed it through despite the opposition," he added. "He was the one who made the final decision to equip every plane with a Spiritual Artifact that could make it invisible for ten-or-so seconds."

"That’s right. The chairman has great foresight. If we didn’t have this Spiritual Artifact today, we’d definitely be in an accident..." the captain said.

...

"AHHH..."

As the plane suddenly dropped in altitude and banked sharply, the violent shaking caused all the passengers to scream instinctively.

It was at this moment that Lin Li’s Perception picked up a Spiritual Energy Wave from the direction of the cockpit.

But under the circumstances, Lin Li had no time to ponder why a Spiritual Energy Wave was coming from the cockpit.

He looked at Su Yue beside him. The woman who had been putting on a brave face now had her eyes squeezed shut, her right hand gripping his left for dear life. Though she was scared to death, she didn’t make a sound.

"It’s okay, don’t worry..." Lin Li could feel her grip on his hand tightening, a sure sign her fear was mounting. He whispered to comfort her.

"Mm," Su Yue nodded forcefully upon hearing his comforting voice.

’If there’s really a crash, I’ll take you to the Mysterious Small Island to take shelter...’ Lin Li watched Su Yue, who could no longer maintain her calm expression and was now visibly tense, and muttered under his breath.

He had always told himself that no one else could ever know about the Mysterious Small Island, but with the situation so critical, he couldn’t just stand by and let Su Yue die...

’Wait, I’ve never tried to bring anyone else into the Mysterious Small Island.

If the plane really crashes in a bit and I try to take Su Yue to the Mysterious Small Island for shelter, but only I can get in, then Su Yue would just...’

The sudden thought that the Mysterious Small Island might only admit him sent a jolt of panic through Lin Li, who had been completely calm until now.

With her eyes squeezed shut, Su Yue felt Lin Li squeeze her hand back, his grip gradually tightening. She could feel his tension firsthand.

What Su Yue could never have guessed, however, was that Lin Li was nervous because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to protect her if the plane crashed.

"DING-DONG."

Just as every passenger on the plane was scared out of their wits, the intercom crackled to life again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to our observations, the flock of black swans has changed its flight path and is now flying away from us. The threat has passed, and we are now safe."

Hearing what sounded like a voice from the heavens, all the terrified passengers let out a collective sigh of relief, followed by a burst of cheers.

"That’s great!"

"Oh my god! That scared me to death."

"I’ll never forget this experience as long as I live."

"I’ve flown two or three hundred times, but this is the first time I’ve ever run into such a huge flock of black swans at high altitude."

Filled with the feeling of having survived a disaster, the passengers began to chatter excitedly, each sharing their own thoughts on the ordeal.

Aside from a few people who knew the black swans were Mutant Beasts, no one else’s thoughts went in that direction.

"See? I told you it would be fine. Nothing to worry about..." Su Yue opened her eyes, the tension completely gone from her face, replaced by a radiant smile as she spoke to Lin Li.

Lin Li, who had only been nervous out of worry for Su Yue, now felt completely at ease. Seeing her bright smile, he joked back.

"To run into something like this on my first flight... my luck is really something else. I think I’ll have to buy a lottery ticket after we land..."

"You should! After surviving something so awful, we’re bound to have a string of good luck. Maybe you’ll actually win if you buy a ticket..." Su Yue teased with a laugh.

...