Chapter 957: Chapter 958: Colluding with the Unscrupulous
This plane wasnât flying directly to Minghe but to Jinhua. Song Xiaodong, Miao Xuanxuan, and Miao Qingqing were heading to Jinhua for some business, so they took this flight.
Therefore, most of the people on board are either Americans or Jinhua locals.
Cao Heyang turned to Li Fangding and said, "Mr. Vice Mayor, you should be fine with this, right?"
"I... I..." Li Fangding hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "No problem."
Since the plane crash, Li Fangding had not revealed his identity. As the Vice Mayor, he had gone to Las Vegas to gamble â one can only imagine what kind of official he might be. He dared not reveal himself.
But when he was cornered, he eventually disclosed his identity in an attempt to secure a chance to survive.
If he colluded with Cao Heyang and the others, once word got out, heâd be condemned by countless people, and his days as Vice Mayor would undoubtedly end.
To save his own life, he was no longer just a gambler; he had descended to become someone utterly unscrupulous. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I know Jinhuaâs wealthiest citizens inside and outâno one can fool us."
"We..." These two words carried weight. Li Fangding had already aligned himself with Cao Heyang and the others.
Wu Xiaoya shouted angrily, "Vice Mayor, is this what an official should do?"
By this point, Li Fangding had shed all pretense and didnât care anymore. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Here, whatâs official and not doesnât matter. The priority is survival. Now, I can offer you all a chance: those who donât have money can rotate for ten minutes, two at a time. Those willing to pay can stay for an hour, but only two at a time."
"This..." Cao Heyang frowned slightly.
Li Fangding leaned close to his ear and whispered, "This might calm the othersâ anger, preventing them from resorting to more extreme measures. Now that Iâm on your side, I can handle thisâmaybe even better than you can."
Being a Vice Mayor, Li Fangding clearly had a knack for manipulation. And those six people had no real leadership skills. With Li Fangding stepping out, he quickly earned their trust and support.
"Everyone, this is the best outcome I can strive for on your behalf. So, donât act recklessly. Besides, retaining those who are physically strong now is crucial for tackling tomorrowâs crises. I understand this arrangement might feel uncomfortable to many, but rather than letting everyone weaken and await death, itâs better to preserve a glimmer of hope for survival."
Li Fangdingâs negotiating skills werenât half bad; even something so sordid seemed somewhat reasonable through his explanation.
Miao Xuanxuan and Miao Qingqing were already gnashing their teeth with hatred. Miao Xuanxuan murmured softly, "Honey, why donât you just take them out? These scumbags."
Song Xiaodong sighed helplessly and replied, "If I had the silver needles, I might manage it, but theyâre all in the luggage. With my current physical state, itâs impossible."
Miao Qingqing said worriedly, "Then what should we do now? Should... should we pay to let you go up and rest a bit?"
Song Xiaodong shook his head and said, "No need. I estimate there are about three more hours until dawnâwe can tough it out. But as for the elderly and frail ones... Iâm afraid it will be truly difficult for them."
Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan both fell silent.
Song Xiaodong took a deep breath and said, "In this world, things donât always go as we wish. Weâre bound to make choices. Once my strength returns, I wonât let these people off the hook."
Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan nodded in agreement.
Even while staying submerged in water, Song Xiaodongâs body managed to gather a bit of True Qi. But that Qi was almost entirely consumedânot only to maintain his body temperature but also to take care of Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan.
The True Qi now served as the pillar keeping the three of them alive. It was unfortunate that his recovery was progressing so slowly due to the injuries; otherwise, Song Xiaodong wouldnât have been so weak right now. He might have even been able to save more people, and most importantly, those individuals wouldnât be able to swagger about on the planeâs wing.
The whole night forced most people into the water.
By the time the sun rose, of the original forty-two people, fourteen were gone. Now, only twenty-eight remainedâone-third of them had perished.
No one even noticed when those fourteen disappearedâit happened silently, undetected.
As the water drained the human bodyâs heat, bodily functions sharply decreased. Without realizing it, you might drift asleep or faint, then let go of the wing and get swept away by the current, fading into the unknown.
Even among those still alive, several were already semi-conscious.
"The sun is up; canât you let the others come up to warm themselves?" Wu Xiaoya, still somewhat energetic, glared angrily at the group on the wing.
Cao Heyang and Li Fangding, though noticeably weary, were clearly in better shape than the others. Cao Heyang sneered, "If you want to come up, pay us. Otherwise, keep soaking down there."
When people lose their conscience, they become increasingly shameless and irrational.
"Look over there! Whatâs that?" Li Fangding suddenly pointed at the ocean and shouted.
Another man also exclaimed, "I see something yellowâa big object floating!"
Wu Xiaoya immediately grew excited and said, "Itâs probably a life raft! If it is, many people can be saved with that."
Li Fangding hesitated briefly, then whispered to Cao Heyang, "Quickly, go take a lookâsee if itâs a life raft. If it is, we must seize it. A raft is much safer than staying on the wing."
Cao Heyangâs face lit up with joy, and he immediately led two others to dive into the water and swim over.
Everyone else watched anxiously from the water, unsure of what the object was.
"Itâs a life raft!" Cao Heyang shouted excitedly.
Once they dragged the life raft back, Wu Xiaoya quickly instructed them how to operate it. With a loud pop, the raft inflated in an instant, transforming into a small boat.
The crowd erupted in cheers. The life raft could seat ten people, offering salvation to many.
Just as someone attempted to climb aboard, Cao Heyang shoved them off forcefully, glaring and shouting, "We found this life raft. Who gets onâitâs up to us."