MCL CH47

Chapter 47: Maybe, Possibly, Perhaps… Just a Tiny Bit of Trouble…

The plane departed on schedule and soon leveled out in the sky.

The cabin, quiet at first, grew more lively as the flight attendants moved about.

Lin Xi had assumed someone as exacting as Yan Xingzhou would be irritated by such a noisy, crowded environment. Yet the man appeared calm, at ease, as if nothing around him could ruffle him.

That unexpected composure made Lin Xi study him a moment longer. Just as he was about to speak, there came some movement from a few rows behind, followed by an excited call—

“Pretty brother, it’s really you!”

Turning, Lin Xi found himself surprised—it was the little boy he’d met earlier in the airport.

His young mother whispered something to him, prompting the boy to fidget sheepishly before thrusting out what he held:

“Mom said I should thank you properly. This is my favorite candy. It’s for you.”

Lin Xi smiled and accepted the colorful sweet. “Thank you.”

The boy’s eyes sparkled. “No, I should be the one saying thank you, pretty brother.” He seemed ready to say more—but then his gaze shifted sideways, froze, and after a long hesitation his courage crumbled. Muttering under his breath, he quickly shrank back into his seat.

Following the child’s line of sight, Lin Xi’s eyes met Yan Xingzhou’s cool, expressionless stare.

He chuckled. “Since when were you the type to scare children for fun?”

“I didn’t scare him,” Yan Xingzhou answered evenly.

“Oh, really?” Lin Xi arched a brow, amusement dancing in his tone.

Even under such direct scrutiny, Yan Xingzhou’s face betrayed no change. “What surprises me is you. I didn’t know you were so popular with boys.”

There was the slightest pause. His lips parted, and each word was deliberate, deliberate enough to sting:

“Pre-tty. Bro-ther.”

A hush seemed to fall around them.

Then Lin Xi laughed outright. “You can’t be serious, President Yan.”

He fixed his gaze sharply on the man, catching every subtle shift of expression. Drawing out his tone deliberately, he teased: “Am I supposed to think you’re jealous… of a child? Is that it, President Yan—mmph.”

The rest was swallowed by a sudden kiss.

A passing flight attendant froze mid-step at the sight, then immediately looked away, hastening on after a single casual glance from Yan Xingzhou.

When the moment ended, silence returned. Yan Xingzhou lowered his eyes slightly, a faint satisfaction lingering there.

“You understand, then.”

Though they had pulled apart slightly, their breaths intermingled, unwillingly entangled.

Lin Xi tilted his head, eyes laughing. He hooked a finger under the other man’s jaw, his smile bright and mocking. “Correction: I never knew you could shamelessly play this thick-skinned.”

“I thought that was your speciality,” Yan Xingzhou replied evenly.

The plane jolted mildly in rough air. He adjusted his posture calmly, composure restored, whatever vinegar edge he had shown already fading. His tone shifted back to the serious:

“Before boarding, Ju Ze sent word. Gu Beiqiu has already left J City today, and in the short term, he’ll be too busy to manage the Bureau’s daily operations.”

Lin Xi had already heard details about the funeral incident. At once, he understood. “So the people at HQ don’t know you’re traveling to J City with me?”

Yan Xingzhou glanced his way. “Outside of Gu Beiqiu, only a rare few even have clearance to see my itinerary.”

“Nicely played. A proper diào hǔ lí shān—luring the tiger from the mountain.” Lin Xi’s voice carried genuine appreciation. He was about to add more when the aircraft suddenly bucked violently.

The cabin erupted in chaos.

Unprepared, passengers panicked, some screaming outright. Flight attendants were shaken but tried to maintain composure. Their leader hurried to contact the cockpit. Others moved quickly to calm the cabin, but the turbulence only grew sharper, and fear spiraled out of control.

Lin Xi glanced toward Yan Xingzhou.

Both sat utterly calm.

Their gazes locked—and Yan Xingzhou’s reply was mild and simple: “No one knows I’m on this plane.”

Lin Xi nodded, mind already racing. He was right. Targeting Yan Xingzhou was impossible, since none should know where he was. As for Lin Xi himself—as “Lin Ni,” newly welcomed into cooperation by Gu Beiqiu’s Bureau—they had no reason to move against him, certainly not in a way that endangered civilians. Other forces? No clear motive either.

Which meant…

Caught between “a terrible coincidence” and “being collateral in someone else’s vendetta,” a third option occurred to him. The proof was glaring—because from the start of this turbulence, that one “contaminant” in his mind had gone suspiciously quiet.

“Spill it,” his voice rang cold and flat across the mental link. “What happened?”

Silence. Then a hesitant squeak:
[H-hm? What d-do you mean, what?]

“Don’t insult me with this pathetic acting.” Lin Xi’s laugh was sharp as a blade. “Tell me—what kind of mess have you gotten me into this time?”

[…]

[…U-um. Yes.]

The pitiful whimper that followed made Lin Xi’s temples throb. He massaged between his brows. “How big a mess?”

Silence stretched five long seconds before the voice admitted weakly:

[Maybe. Possibly. Probably… just the teensiest… tiniest… little bit of… trouble. Mhm.]

Lin Xi: “…”

He understood.

At that very moment, the plane suddenly dropped hard. A wave of gut-wrenching weightlessness hit, dragging screams out of the passengers. Someone began sobbing in terror, pushing the cabin into disarray.

Yet in the cockpit, panic was already boiling over.

The captain’s knuckles strained bloodless on the controls, his face pale as chalk as he stared fixedly at the forward display.

The copilot’s voice broke with fear: “Why now? Why here?! A rift—at this altitude?! Pull away—hurry!”

But his command was cut off mid-word as the aircraft jolted downward, plunging directly toward the edge of a swirling sky-tear.

For an instant, it seemed they had narrowly skimmed past—until the view ahead filled with twisting light-warped air, a vast black vortex pulsing with bizarre color.

Alive. Breathing. Waiting.

The rift snapped wide, jaws in the sky. And the struggling aircraft was dragged straight into its maw.

Any hope of escape vanished.

Despair flickered across the captain’s eyes. He could do nothing but watch as his plane, his crew, and all souls aboard were swallowed whole into the endless dark.

In mere seconds, the flight that had taken off so smoothly vanished from the blue sky above N City.

—

At that exact moment, inside N City Action Unit Headquarters.

The moment he received the call, Qi Xian nearly leapt from his chair. “WHAT?! Y-you’re saying—another one? Already?!”

His outburst stunned the entire operations floor. Everyone stared, faces drained.

Snatching the cigarette from his lips, Qi Xian crushed it out with one hand while striding fast down the corridor. Mid-step, the voice on the line kept speaking, and he froze suddenly in place.

“…What level did you just say?”

On the other end, the comms officer’s voice cracked with terror: “S-special A! It’s a Special-Grade Rift! Captain Qi, an entire passenger flight was swallowed! We’ve already reported to Chief Su—please, make immediate arrangements!”

Qi Xian nearly cursed aloud but forced his voice steady. “Understood.”

Hanging up, he turned coldly to his team. “Investigate immediately. I want the full passenger manifest of the flight from the international airport to J City that just departed.”

He was trying his hardest to stay calm, but his voice trembled faintly at the end.

Special A.

In all his years, Qi Xian had never seen higher than an A-rank crack. Special A was one step below the mythical S-rank—basically the highest threat-level known. Entire countries trembled at reports of it. Globally, there had been only a handful of Special A incidents in history. And now… here it was again. On his watch. In N City.

For a second, all he wanted was to clutch his forehead. Since the day he brought his unit here, it felt unending—disaster after disaster.

“Captain, here’s the manifest.”

He snapped out of his daze. “Good. Hand it here.”

Flipping quickly through the files, Qi Xian’s frown deepened. Most passengers were ordinary citizens—hopeless against exposure, let alone being dragged into a rift. His only hope was that at least a handful of ability-users had been on board, buying enough time for a rescue operation.

Then—he spotted it. One entry. Flagged “Data Missing.” He paused.

Immediately after—his eyes fell onto the next name listed.

Qi Xian: “…”

Of course. A name far too familiar.

Lin Ni.

This guy again?!

Why is it no matter where the hell I go—you’re always there, stirring up disaster??