UAAG CH39

From early December, when fragments of AA4012 wreckage were discovered on the sea surface, to now, two months have passed, reaching late January.

Investigating an aircraft accident is often measured in quarters. Faster ones can be completed in three months or half a year. Slower ones may take a year, two years, or even three or four years without finding the problem, ultimately becoming a cold case.

Although it has only been two months since UAAG took over this aircraft accident, the plane crashed last August. It has remained silent in the vast ocean. The public has long been impatient, wanting to know the truth behind this tragedy that claimed over 200 lives.

The NTSB investigators are under immense pressure, while UAAG members, under someone’s oppression, are habitually working overtime.

So, after two months of working day and night, they have finally reached this step.

At 1:03 AM, Fu Cheng walked into the conference room. Seeing him enter, Su Fei hurriedly waved to him. Fu Cheng walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat next to Su Fei.

Having stayed outside for an extra half hour, the smell of smoke on Fu Cheng’s body had dissipated.

Su Fei: “Why did it take you so long to come back?”

Fu Cheng: “Thinking about some things.” He didn’t elaborate. “Is everyone here? Are we having the final meeting?”

Lina smiled from the side: “Yes. Without recovering the black box, we can only conclude this accident investigation in this way.”

Fu Cheng nodded. His gaze lingered on Old Joseph beside Lina for a moment.

This afternoon, when Fu Cheng and Lina heard Old Joseph’s name from that American Airlines ground crew member, Fu Cheng was already mentally prepared, but Lina was caught off guard, suddenly stunned and speechless. When the two boarded the return flight, Lina suddenly said to Fu Cheng: ” The human heart is always the most complicated thing.”

Fu Cheng looked at her.

“When I was in school, I didn’t major in psychology, but I was very interested in psychology, so I minored in it. At Yale, I took a psychology course. The professor at the time… hmm, I remember his name was Steve, an old man with glasses who hadn’t smiled in decades. Students feared him, but he was an authority in the field of psychology. In the first class of his course, he didn’t turn on the computer or lecture as soon as he came up, but wrote a line on the blackboard.”

“If you were to describe your dream partner, what do you think they would be like.”

“For a whole class, he didn’t say another word, just sat on the podium watching us write an essay, which we all sent to his email. No one knew his intention. Since then, he never mentioned it again, and we gradually forgot.”

“Until two years later, he suddenly printed out all our essays and handed them back to us.” Recalling matters in university, Lina’s gloomy mood eased slightly, and she laughed: “Fu, you might not know, after seeing that essay, I almost laughed. The man I thought was most suitable for me two years ago, the one I could spend my life with, must be a gentle person. He didn’t need to be very wealthy, but deep down he must be kind. He wasn’t good at expressing himself, always watching over me silently and taking care of me. But two years later, I found that I no longer liked this type of man. I fell for younger, slightly playful boys.”

Fu Cheng: “Lina, are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say, no matter how brilliant or genius a psychology expert is, they cannot fathom the psychology of an ordinary person.”

“You could even say, even he himself doesn’t know what he is thinking, what he wants to do, why he became like this, and how to save himself.”

“So Fu Cheng.”

“Humans are the most complex animals in this world.”

Boston Investigation Headquarters.

In the conference room, Lina and Su Fei kept chatting and laughing, as if she hadn’t heard about a friend’s past from someone else today. She gave Old Joseph respect, just like Fu Cheng, who also didn’t reveal a single bit to Old Joseph.

All investigators gathered in the conference room.

Not long after, Lawrence pushed the door open first, holding a thick folder. Behind him was Zhuo Huan, wearing a white shirt and looking displeased.

Lawrence pulled out a chair in the first row and sat down, while Zhuo Huan walked to the front of the conference table. He scanned the room, including his own members, then knocked on the table: “AA4012, begin the final investigation report meeting. NTSB Senior Investigator Lawrence, you report the investigation results.”

“Okay.” Lawrence stood up, opened the folder, and began to read.

After a lengthy report of data and information, Lawrence gave his concluding remarks: “Currently, because the black box has not been found, mechanical failure in the AA4012 crash cannot be 100% ruled out. However, it is suggested that when writing the investigation report, a probability estimation of mechanical failure can be added at the end based on percentage likelihood.”

Zhuo Huan: “Okay.”

Lawrence: “Patrick, will we write the investigation report?”

Zhuo Huan: “UAAG will be responsible.”

Lawrence: “OK. Then let’s determine the final cause of the accident for the investigation report now. Undoubtedly, we all know that the possibility of non-human causes is extremely low. For this accident, I advocate emphasizing pilot training in the report and requiring airlines to increase crew resource management training.”

Zhuo Huan: “Okay.”

Lawrence: “Then there’s no problem.”

Zhuo Huan looked at his four team members. His gaze paused on Fu Cheng for a moment, and finally looked at Old Joseph: “Old Joseph, you will be responsible for this report.”

Old Joseph was stunned.

“Okay.”

The group discussed some more details about the accident investigation. Half an hour later, the meeting ended.

While packing up the materials, Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: “This was truly a pleasant cooperation. Patrick, thank you for your help, and thanks to everyone at UAAG. Solving the problem so quickly exceeded my expectations. I think I can finally return to New York.”

Zhuo Huan never bothered with mutual flattery in business. He ignored Lawrence completely, keeping his head down and twirling his pen while sitting.

Lawrence was long accustomed to this guy’s rudeness. He shrugged: “Fine. I really hope for world peace and no more air crashes. I don’t want to work with you again.”

With a click, the Montblanc pen fell onto the table.

Zhuo Huan looked up and said to Lawrence: “In the investigation report, you can make probability guesses about the cause of the accident, but I demand that the length be the same.”

Lawrence didn’t react immediately.

UAAG members also looked at Zhuo Huan in surprise.

Lawrence: “What do you mean, Patrick?”

“Don’t understand? It means you can write whatever you want in the investigation report, for example, predicting the probability of mechanical failure is less than 5%. Of course, this bullshit probability is something I just made up. You can say it’s 1%, but whatever the number, it’s something you made up and cannot be verified. I allow all these. But for each cause, I demand the same word count.”

“Why?!” Lawrence asked in confusion.

Zhuo Huan stood up. Once he stood up, Lawrence, who was originally looking down at him, instantly had to look up slightly.

Zhuo Huan: “AA3157.”

Lawrence: “Yes?” He didn’t understand what this had to do with another American Airlines accident.

Fu Cheng’s heart jolted. He looked up sharply at Zhuo Huan.

Zhuo Huan picked up the pen on the table and casually stuck it in the folder. He said indifferently: “Don’t understand? AA3157, the final cause of the accident has not been determined to this day, but what do you think the cause is?”

Lawrence’s lips moved, but he didn’t answer. Of course he wouldn’t answer, because a few days ago he was mocked by Zhuo Huan because of this accident. The reason was that he jokingly said the accident was a pilot issue, and Zhuo Huan asked him back why he ignored the other cause written in the investigation report, “servo valve failure.”

But who would specifically correct this stuff!

The whole world knows “Richard Dive”. Even in the eyes of laymen, this meme is famous.

This term originated from AA3157.

Twenty-four years ago, the black box of AA3157 was also damaged, and the cause of the accident could not be 100% determined. So in the end, two possible causes were investigated: one was Captain Richard’s personal error or even suicidal tendencies; the other was servo valve failure.

The public tended to favor the former view, even treating the term “Richard Dive” as a joke, bringing it up occasionally for amusement.

Lawrence complained internally for a while, then said: “Of course I know, pilot error and mechanical failure. Two possibilities.”

Zhuo Huan: “I’m asking, which possibility do you think it is.”

Lawrence’s eyes widened: “You…” He sighed decadently, “Fine, fine, fine, you want to find an opportunity to mock me again? Yes, I think it’s a captain problem. This is the reason recognized by most people in the industry. Not just me, if you pull anyone randomly, nine out of ten will think it’s this.”

Zhuo Huan: “So twenty years later, when everyone talks about the AA4012 case again, what term will they invent for the two pilots? Tim Drive? Kyle Sleepwalk?”

Lawrence: “Can this be confused! In the case of 3157, a servo valve failure was actually found, only because the black box was damaged, the true final cause couldn’t be confirmed. But this time, we have inspected the entire plane carefully, there are no problems at all!”

“What’s the difference? Did you salvage the whole plane?”

“You…!”

“Or did you salvage the black box?”

Lawrence was about to collapse: “No, you can’t say that…”

Zhuo Huan: “First, you didn’t salvage the black box. Second, you didn’t check every part of all the aircraft components clearly. Even if you salvaged every fragment lost in the Atlantic Ocean, you can’t guarantee 100% that every mechanical failure can be found. In that case, why are you so sure it’s a pilot problem.”

“You you you!” Lawrence pointed at Zhuo Huan for a long time. Zhuo Huan sneered, unmoved.

Lawrence turned to the four UAAG members and said: “I can’t communicate with him at all! How do you usually tolerate Patrick? The thing I regret most in my life is knowing him and being friends with him! Is what he said the same thing? We know clearly what the situation of this accident is. Let alone how low the probability of mechanical failure is, I can even say there is absolutely no possibility of mechanical failure! To make the length of the two causes the same, how can it be the same, how to make it up?! Are we not going to announce the investigation results this time, not write the investigation report?”

Zhuo Huan let out a mocking scoff from his nose, kicked the chair away, turned and left.

Lawrence: “…”

“Unreasonable!”

Lina frowned slightly, about to speak, but Fu Cheng beat her to it. The black-haired young man looked calm, neither humble nor arrogant: “I think what Teacher Zhuo said is not unreasonable.”

Lawrence: “Okay, let’s not talk about that for now. Normally, the analysis of the accident cause needs about three thousand words. Maybe Old Joseph can make up reasons, talk nonsense, and drag the possibility of mechanical failure to three thousand words too. But is this necessary? Anyway, I’m not writing the report, Old Joseph is. I just can’t stand Patrick’s way of handling things. Does he think this way everyone will think the plane might have crashed due to mechanical failure? Everyone knows there was no failure, it was human error!”

Fu Cheng: “Then do you approve of the Richard Dive?”

Lawrence was instantly speechless.

Fu Cheng stared at him steadily: “Teacher Zhuo just doesn’t want a second Richard Dive to appear. Same word count for accident causes, this is indeed not the solution. It’s just that Teacher Zhuo can’t think of a good method right now, so he came up with this idea. He doesn’t want a second Richard to appear. Doesn’t want, years later, countless people indiscriminately throwing dirty water on a dead person.”

Lawrence defended himself: “But ours is different this time. Our plane has no mechanical failure. Unlike Richard Dive, this time it is almost 99% human error.”

“What about that 1%?”

Lawrence opened his mouth.

“The dead cannot speak. As long as there is a sliver of possibility, don’t let the dead bear infamy underground.” Fu Cheng looked at him deeply: “This is what Zhuo Huan really wants to say.”

Stunned in place, Lawrence was speechless.

Fu Cheng looked at Old Joseph and the others: “I’ll go check on Teacher Zhuo.”

Su Fei was stunned: “Eh…”

Before he could finish speaking, Fu Cheng left the conference room and disappeared outside the door.

Su Fei scratched his head: “I thought, Lina, logically speaking at this time, it should be you going to find RIP and tell him to stop throwing a tantrum.”

Lina watched Fu Cheng’s receding back and smiled thoughtfully: “Yeah, I originally thought the person going out at this time should be me.” Pausing, she turned to look at Old Joseph, “Reid didn’t find a good method, but I think, by handing this report to you, Old Joseph, you are the most suitable candidate. You can do the best.”

Old Joseph’s eyes flickered, and he didn’t answer for a long time. However, Lina and Su Fei kept looking at him expectantly, and Su Fei even gave him a thumbs-up gesture.

Suddenly, for some unknown reason, a trace of stuffiness accumulated in his heart for more than ten years vanished.

Old Joseph laughed loudly: “Of course. After all, I am the truly most experienced investigator in UAAG. Don’t forget, you are all switched careers halfway, only I have seventeen years of aircraft accident investigation experience.”

After searching the investigation headquarters for a while, Fu Cheng didn’t find Zhuo Huan.

Thinking for a moment, Fu Cheng went to the rooftop.

The cold wind at 3 AM was like a knife, cutting the face painfully. Fu Cheng saw the man leaning against the railing smoking at a glance.

—Not satisfied with freezing while smoking on the balcony anymore, ran directly to the rooftop to suffer.

Fu Cheng was silent for a moment, then walked up.

“Coming out without a coat, aren’t you afraid of getting sick.”

Zhuo Huan turned his head and saw it was Fu Cheng. He sneered, obviously in a terrible mood. Whoever came over now would get a face full of Great Master Zhuo’s bad temper.

Unable to stand watching someone wearing only a shirt braving the fierce wind of Boston’s winter on the rooftop, Fu Cheng took off his coat. But just as he took it off a bit, he paused, then put it back on expressionlessly.

Great Master Zhuo, who watched his actions from beginning to end: “…”

Zhuo Huan: “If I’m not mistaken, you just wanted to take off your coat and give it to me to wear.”

Fu Cheng: “I’m cold.”

Zhuo Huan: “…”

Fu Cheng: “If you were a woman, I could take it off for you.” Very serious.

Zhuo Huan: “…Fuck.” He was amused to anger, laughing out a pleasant breathy sound in the cold wind.

Although Fu Cheng couldn’t take off his coat to keep Great Master Zhuo warm, and it seemed Great Master Zhuo had no intention of stopping his self-torture, at least he could still wear a warm down jacket and accompany Great Master Zhuo to suffer in the cold wind. However, Fu Cheng didn’t forget the purpose of this trip: “Actually, the report is written by Old Joseph. Just tell him how you want it written, no need to specifically tell Lawrence. Lawrence didn’t refuse this way of writing either, he was just competing with you at the time and refused to relent.”

Finally, Fu Cheng said: “Not a big deal.”

Zhuo Huan bit the cigarette holder, suddenly feeling a bit cold. He calmly stuck his hand into Fu Cheng’s down jacket pocket.

Fu Cheng: “…Your hand is very cold.”

Zhuo Huan: “Yeah, your hand is warm.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Zhuo Huan: “Not holding your hand, just put it in your pocket to warm up, what are you afraid of.”

“…”

After a while.

Fu Cheng: “If you really don’t want the public to target the pilots, just having the same word count in the investigation report is useless. This is not the solution.”

Gazing at the starry sky, although shivering from the cold, Zhuo Huan still calmly held the slim cigarette with his other hand, tapping it slowly on the railing to remove the overly long ash. His voice was hoarse, but for some reason, Fu Cheng heard a trace of special pride and flamboyance in it.

“Do you know Rogue 318.”

Fu Cheng was stunned.

“Yeah, of course I know. Teacher Zhuo, didn’t you know long ago that I understand this accident very well.”

Zhuo Huan seemed not to hear. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the clear moonlight rising and falling with the waves on the sea surface in the distance.

“There is a way to prevent the world from paying attention and making arbitrary guesses. As long as before the truth comes out, the official is not allowed to publish any investigation causes, nor write any investigation reports. Don’t let the news media make wild guesses and report casually to attract attention; don’t give anyone the opportunity to guide malicious tendencies.”

Fu Cheng stared blankly at the man in front of him.

Under the moonlight, Zhuo Huan’s narrow and elegant eyebrows seemed to fly, embellished with bright starlight.

“Do you know who can do it.”

“Who?” Even though he already had the answer, that name blurted out.

Zhuo Huan smiled: “Me.”

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