UAAG CH52

In just one day, major media outlets worldwide scrambled to report the news about the Emirates Flight 411 crash.

Twenty-three years ago, in 1998, the Boeing 777 had only been in existence for three years. Before the McFly F485 appeared, it was the world’s largest twin-engine wide-body airliner and was hailed as the most perfect long-haul aircraft. Even the A340, which Airbus painstakingly designed specifically to compete with Boeing aircraft, could not shake its dominance in the civil aviation industry.

The Emirates Flight 411 crash was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 777.

Because the cause of the Emirates 411 crash was extremely bizarre, it took the investigation team over a year to provide an answer. At that time, the safety of the Boeing 777 was questioned globally. Everyone suspected whether the perfect Boeing 777 had some undiscovered design flaws, which also had a significant impact on Boeing.

And now, the Emirates 411 crash, having already been written into textbooks as a case study, was gradually fading from people’s memories. Yet, it suddenly reappeared.

Several well-known media outlets in the UAE rushed to the GCAA investigation headquarters that very day. In addition, many media organizations from the United States, the United Kingdom… also dispatched their reporters based in Dubai.

Americans wanted to know what kind of relationship this accident had with Boeing; the British wanted to know whether the $350,000 paid by Rolls-Royce twenty-three years ago was for a wrongful case.

Within two hours, the entrance to the GCAA headquarters was besieged by reporters.

Things having reached this point, it was useless for Maha and Lawrance to blame and suspect each other any longer.

Lawrance smoked a cigarette, his expression dejected. “How do we resolve this now? I think everyone knows that there has indeed been a turn in the Emirates 411 crash, but in fact, up until now, none of us can say with certainty that the investigation result back then was definitely wrong. New evidence appearing in a criminal case doesn’t mean the murderer has become someone else.”

Maha looked at him and sneered. “Yes, but so what?”

Lawrance crushed the cigarette butt in the trash can. “Then you have to tell everyone, tell the whole world, that what the media is reporting now is wrong!”

Maha retorted, “Mr. Lawrance, I want to know, in the United States, do your news media not have the right to speak freely? Do you think I decide what they report? Or GCAA decides? If I tell them it’s wrong, will they go change it? No! You’re wrong! Most reporters won’t listen to a word you say; they will only report what they want to report!”

Lawrance paced back and forth, looking extremely irritable. During this time, his mobile phone kept ringing; people were calling him constantly, but he would just look at the name on the screen and hang up directly, not daring to answer. In the end, he cursed “Shit” and turned off his phone completely.

Lawrance stopped pacing and pointed at Maha. “Hold a press conference. At least tell them the current status of the investigation!”

Maha: “You don’t need to tell me that; GCAA will definitely do it. And Mr. Lawrance, I can tell you, I’m just an ordinary senior investigator. This matter is no longer under my control. Someone higher up will take over the media work for Emirates 411. If you still want to do something, or do something for your superior, don’t throw your weight around here with me. Your NTSB title is not worth a penny to me!”

Before long, Lawrance rushed into UAAG’s special office within the investigation headquarters. He walked quickly up to Zhuo Huan: “Patrick…”

Zhuo Huan was chewing gum. Hearing the voice, he raised his eyes, then frowned and tutted.

Zhuo Huan turned his head to look at Lina: “I thought smoking wasn’t allowed in the investigation headquarters.”

Lina smiled slightly: “You can remove the words ‘I thought’; it is indeed so.”

Zhuo Huan pointed at the anxious brown-haired man in front of him: “He’s smoking.”

Lina: “Thank you for your report, little friend Reid. I’ll notify his parents to come immediately.”

Lawrance interrupted them: “I really am not in the mood for jokes!”

Zhuo Huan sneered: “I’m not even f*cking smoking, and you are?”

Implication: Is it your turn?

Lawrance: “…”

Zhuo Huan pulled a tissue from Lina’s desk, spat the gum into it, wrapped it up, and threw it into the trash can. He took out a silver cigarette case from his pocket and took out a cigarette. With a click, he lit the lighter.

“Teacher Zhuo.”

An elegant male voice sounded from beside him.

Zhuo Huan raised an eyebrow: “Huh?”

The next moment, a piece of gum was thrown into his mouth.

Fu Cheng walked past Zhuo Huan holding a stack of documents. He looked back at this man and said expressionlessly: “Smoking is not allowed in the investigation headquarters.”

Zhuo Huan was stunned for a long time, then chewed the gum and pointed at Lawrance with his chin: “He smoked.”

Fu Cheng: “Oh, so you don’t learn the good but learn the bad?”

Zhuo Huan laughed: “Then who should I learn from?”

Fu Cheng: “Learn from me.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t smoke.”

“Tsk.”

Lawrance finally couldn’t bear it anymore: “Alright, I beg you guys, stop flirting in front of me!” He was talking about Zhuo Huan and Lina, but Fu Cheng suddenly froze. Zhuo Huan heard this and cast a meaningful glance at him, while Fu Cheng calmly turned and left.

Lawrance looked at Zhuo Huan seriously and sincerely: “Patrick, I want a straight answer from you. Although there are new witnesses and evidence now, and new clues, can you tell me that this definitely means the accident investigation of Emirates 411 back then was wrong?”

Zhuo Huan looked at Lawrance and said indifferently: “No.”

Lawrance: “Thank you. I also know it definitely can’t mean that. But as I said, many people won’t believe it. However, as long as it’s you who says it, people all over the world will believe it. When the press conference comes, I beg you to speak this truth. This is the truth, not a lie.”

Zhuo Huan looked at him steadily. After a long time, he mocked: “You’ve been in the NTSB for so long. Even Old Joseph knows what my relationship with your superior is. Don’t you know?”

Lawrance was instantly speechless.

Zhuo Huan: “I won’t attend the press conference. We both know clearly why you came here. An Emirates 411 crash isn’t enough to make the NTSB’s currently most popular and youngest director cross half the globe to come to Dubai personally. Lawrance, your promotion has nothing to do with me, and Levi Andrew has nothing to do with me either.”

Having said all this, Zhuo Huan started to walk away.

His motives laid bare in a single sentence, Lawrance was so ashamed he wanted to hide. His face flushed red, unable to utter a single word. But just as Zhuo Huan was about to leave the office, he turned around and called out to him: “Reid, we’ve been friends for so many years, help me with this favor. This is just a fact; it’s not a lie. For a personal grudge, do you really want the public to speculate randomly and slander, throwing dirty water on an innocent person before the truth emerges?”

Footsteps halted abruptly; Zhuo Huan turned around.

In the spacious and bright office, at this moment, Fu Cheng, Lina, Old Joseph, and Su Fei were all sitting behind their desks, quietly looking at him.

And in front of them stood Lawrance, isolated and helpless.

In a trance, Lawrance’ hesitating and irritable figure under the light seemed to turn into another person.

The same pleading and torment. 298 lives, every day and night, every minute and second, whispering in his ears. Crying, shouting, painful screams. Every night when he closed his eyes, everything came like a flood filling the sky, overwhelming him like mountains toppling and seas overturning, crushing him. He was submerged in the deepest part of the ocean, without air, silent and soundless.

At that time, there was not a single person by his side.

Only endless deep-sea darkness, devouring time.

His gaze moved slowly over Lina, Old Joseph, and Su Fei, finally stopping on that handsome and beautiful young man for a few seconds.

They didn’t speak, but their eyes were loudly saying that no matter what, they would support his decision.

Zhuo Huan looked up and glanced indifferently at Lawrance: “This matter isn’t as serious as you think, and Levi Andrew won’t be brought down by such a small thing.”

The expression on Lawrance’ face crumbled.

Zhuo Huan turned to leave. Before leaving, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked back again: “By the way, throwing dirty water on an innocent person? Heh, Levi Andrew is covered in words from head to toe, but not a single word is ‘innocent’.”

Everyone living in this world has their own difficulties.

After what happened in the morning, everyone in the investigation headquarters knew clearly that Lawrance was a subordinate of the legendary NTSB Deputy Director Levi Andrew.

This was actually not something shameful; on the contrary, it was quite normal. Everyone had their own faction and their own fixed inclination.

Old Joseph said: “Actually, I just remembered. When Lawrance joined the NTSB back then, he joined Deputy Director Andrew’s investigation team and worked under Andrew. It’s just that Andrew was soon promoted to Director and then Deputy Director. So it’s not surprising that Lawrance is Andrew’s man. Although the NTSB doesn’t have serious factional divisions like the FBI, having a few factions is still very normal.”

Su Fei: “What about you then, Old Joseph? What faction do you belong to? Is it also this Andrew?”

Old Joseph laughed loudly: “Of course I don’t belong to any faction. I joined halfway through, okay? I’m just an ordinary investigator! Hey, I suddenly understand why I haven’t been promoted to senior investigator after so many years. Is it because I don’t have anyone above me?” After speaking, Old Joseph looked at Fu Cheng and Lina: “Is Reid angry again and ran out to smoke?”

Fu Cheng: “Teacher Zhuo probably went to the laboratory.”

Lina smiled: “Fu, I don’t know since when, but you seem to know Reid’s itinerary better than I do.”

Fu Cheng was stunned.

Lina seemed to just say it casually, and she quickly changed the subject. She waved the phone in her hand and said to everyone: “I always tell you guys that Reid actually has a good temper; he’s not that unapproachable.”

Su Fei: “However, whenever RIP says something that offends people, Lina, you are also the first one to rush out and tell that person that RIP has a bad temper, so they shouldn’t get angry.”

Lina blinked: “Did I? Did I say such things?”

Su Fei: “Yes!”

Lina smiled gently: “Reid just sent me a message asking me to attend the press conference in the name of UAAG and report on the current investigation progress. But I think just saying it at the press conference seems to always have poor results. Press conferences nowadays are long past their prime; who still watches press conferences?”

Fu Cheng heard the implication in her words: “It seems you have a new idea?”

Lina: “Fu, you really understand me.”

Fu Cheng laughed: “I just know a saying… No matter what happens, trust Lina.”

Lina was suddenly stunned, seemingly not expecting Fu Cheng to say this. The blonde woman’s bright eyes gazed at Fu Cheng. After a while, she looked away and sighed with emotion: “What a pity. Compared to love, I cherish friendship more.”

Everyone: “…???”

Lina waved her phone: “Actually, since last month, I registered an account on Twitter in the name of UAAG. Do you guys have Twitter? Let’s follow each other. Even the President likes to govern via Twitter; I think our UAAG should perhaps also have a Twitter account.”

On the second day after the Emirates 411 crash incident fermented, GCAA held a press conference in Dubai and invited UAAG and NTSB to participate together.

At the same time, Lina also posted UAAG’s reference opinion on this crash on UAAG’s official Twitter.

However, unfortunately, UAAG had too few followers. Fu Cheng didn’t have Twitter. Su Fei and Old Joseph were tasked by Lina immediately to follow UAAG. Even so, the number of UAAG followers was only three.

One was Su Fei, one was Old Joseph, and there was an unknown alt account.

Fu Cheng downloaded the Twitter app, registered an account, and followed the account “UAAG Investigation Team,” becoming the fourth follower. Clicking on the follower list and seeing “Polaris_” inside, he turned to ask Lina: “Who is this Polaris?”

Lina looked up: “Reid.”

Fu Cheng was stunned.

He clicked on the “Polaris_” account. There were almost no updates inside, only a photo posted two years ago. It was a pitch-black night sky without a single star, captioned with three short letters: sky.

Fu Cheng looked at it for a while and pressed follow.

Lina sighed: “So our UAAG Investigation Team’s official Twitter, in the end, only has four followers?”

Su Fei said in surprise: “How can there be only four? Don’t we have five people?”

Old Joseph said faintly: “So you think having five followers, and all five being UAAG members… is something to be proud of?”

Su Fei: “…”

He didn’t say that!

Lina rubbed her brow, saying helplessly: “I didn’t want to do this originally, but it seems I still have to follow it.”

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at her.

At this time, Zhuo Huan also returned to the office and walked to his seat to sit down.

Old Joseph was the first to react. His eyes widened, and then he laughed: “I remember now, Lina, your Twitter followers seem to be over 40 million?”

Su Fei was shocked: “Holy crap, over 40 million?!”

Fu Cheng was also very surprised, but he wasn’t very clear about the concept of over 40 million Twitter followers: “Does over 40 million mean a lot?”

Old Joseph kindly explained to him: “Roughly, it’s equivalent to once Lina follows UAAG, the whole world will know that the McFly eldest miss, top socialite Stephanie, has left the UN and joined UAAG.”

Lina smiled slightly, logged into her Twitter, and followed the UAAG Investigation Team.

Five minutes later, the UAAG Investigation Team’s followers skyrocketed, soaring directly to 100,000. This number was still rising frantically.

Just as Lina said, even though she had participated in many press conferences as a UAAG representative, in this era, how many people would specifically watch a press conference? Not until she used her own account to follow UAAG did the world know she had actually left the United Nations and entered this “unremarkable” air crash investigation organization.

Watching UAAG’s skyrocketing follower count, Su Fei was dumbfounded: “This is too scary; this is going to be a trending topic. Hey, by the way, how come RIP doesn’t seem to have any followers?”

Hearing this, Fu Cheng looked up at the man sitting under the window.

Su Fei asked loudly: “RIP, don’t you use Twitter? You have so few followers.”

Logically speaking, the number of followers for McFly’s chief designer absolutely shouldn’t be so few.

Zhuo Huan didn’t even lift his head, giving a nonchalant scoff.

“Why should I use Twitter? I have nothing to say to this world.”

After the GCAA press conference, media reporters still blocked the investigation headquarters completely, but the global craze discussing this matter had gradually passed.

After all, this was a crash from twenty-three years ago. No matter how much curiosity and enthusiasm there was, it would wear down over time.

Besides, air crash investigation is a boring and lengthy process.

Old Joseph once said: “All air crashes in the world are divided into only two types. One type can be solved in a week, and the other takes more than three months.”

The causes of air crash accidents are either simple enough to be seen at a glance, such as air traffic controller errors, lightning strikes, or bird strikes; or they are obscure and hidden deep in secrets. Spending three months is considered little; investigations taking three or four years are common. Beyond that, most are never solved.

The results of the Emirates 411 crash couldn’t come out in a short time.

The day after the press conference, Maha brought Yamila Betty to the investigation headquarters again.

Seeing her, the reporters surrounding the investigation headquarters immediately swarmed up. Maha and other investigators spent a lot of effort to get her into the investigation headquarters.

Lawrance and Old Joseph received her at the investigation headquarters.

Lawrance looked at the emaciated, sallow-faced middle-aged woman in front of him. He was silent for a long time before saying: “Originally, according to regulations, you should have been extradited back to Yemen late this month. But now things have exceeded everyone’s expectations, and you are being watched by the whole world. So before the results of the event come out, we have discussed with the UAE Immigration Authority to ask you to temporarily reside in Dubai. We will arrange a safe house for you, provide three meals, treat you as a confidential witness, and protect you.”

Betty raised her eyes to look at Lawrance, then at Old Joseph. After a long time, she nodded: “Mn.”

Old Joseph looked at her and smiled: “Yemen is still at war. Staying in Dubai might not necessarily be a bad thing. But this is only the first reason we invited you here today. The second reason is that we want to confirm with you again: before you saw the fragments fly off the wing, did you notice any other abnormal phenomena? Please recall carefully.”

In the UAAG office, Lina was making coffee and afternoon tea for everyone. She brought the coffee cup by cup to everyone’s desk, receiving thanks one after another.

Su Fei lay on the table, constantly scrolling through his phone.

During the rest time when experiments were stalled and the truth couldn’t be found, his biggest hobby was scrolling through UAAG’s official Twitter to see how many followers were added every second.

Su Fei threw his phone on the table: “I still can’t figure it out! NTSB definitely isn’t the one who leaked the secret, and GCAA doesn’t seem like it either. After this matter was exposed, both GCAA and the UAE Immigration Authority were criticized and scolded badly. So besides them, who else could it be? Why would Emirates leak this matter to the media?”

Fu Cheng: “Why must it be Emirates?”

Su Fei: “Eh?”

Fu Cheng took a sip of coffee: “Sherlock Holmes once said, when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Zhuo Huan raised his eyes to look at him and raised an eyebrow: “The Sign of Four.”

Fu Cheng looked up to meet his gaze: “Mn, Chapter 1 of The Sign of Four.” He continued to look at Su Fei: “Besides NTSB, GCAA, and Emirates, there is actually another person who could also leak the matter to the media.”

Su Fei said in surprise: “No, no one in our UAAG leaked it!”

Fu Cheng: “…”

Lina: “…”

Zhuo Huan walked to Fu Cheng’s side, skillfully opened his drawer, took out a piece of gum, and then said to Lina: “Have you seen his diploma? Are you sure he graduated from Harvard?”

Lina smiled: “Su Fei is still very outstanding in his professional field.”

Su Fei: “Hey hey hey, I’m still here, and you guys are badmouthing me? Then tell me, it’s not us, not NTSB, not GCAA, and not Emirates, then who else could it be?”

Fu Cheng held his forehead: “There is another person… it’s Yamila Betty herself. She could leak it to the media herself.”

Su Fei was suddenly stunned, but soon, he shook his head vigorously: “But what benefit does this have for her? Do you know that she is being scolded very badly now? Everyone says she is too selfish because, for her own benefit, she hid it for so many years. If it weren’t for the sudden extradition, she would probably have hidden it for a lifetime. An air crash isn’t an ordinary car accident. Maybe the evidence she concealed, the truth found in the end, is the culprit causing many air crashes over these years!”

At the same time, in the conference room, Old Joseph and Lawrance’ new round of questioning with Betty also came to an end.

Before getting up to leave, Old Joseph remembered something else and sat back down: “By the way, there is something I want to ask. Now that the matter has been exposed, do you know what your reputation is like in the eyes of the media and the public?”

The emaciated middle-aged woman trembled and silently lowered her head.

Old Joseph: “You are being scolded very badly. Air crash investigation is a professional field that allows no errors. Since 1998, there have been no fewer than 20 fatal accidents caused by the Boeing 777, and countless accidents with injuries, even severe injuries that are hard to heal. Among them, only 80% have had the cause of the accident found. Perhaps twenty-three years ago, if you had said what you saw at that time, the investigation team would have inspected the entire shattered plane, found the truth, and prevented this accident cause from ever appearing again.” He paused, then continued, “Instead of now, where we are left with only a few fragments, and that plane has disappeared.”

“What I want to ask is, do you know that after you told the media about this, what you got besides being able to stay in Dubai for a few more months, or even a year or two, is mostly being insulted by the whole world and spat on by thousands for the rest of your life?”

Yamila Betty kept her head down, not saying a word.

Old Joseph looked at her messy hair and sighed: “Sometimes I also hope that the truth of the accident hasn’t changed because of your words, that it remains as investigated twenty-three years ago. If you had spoken out earlier, then back then, the sacrifice of those 38 people might have been more meaningful. And subsequently, many victims of uninvestigated Boeing 777 crashes wouldn’t have died innocently for this reason.”

“Over these twenty-three years, have you ever regretted it? Have you ever thought about telling the truth? Perhaps just by speaking out, you could have saved a person’s life, saved many people’s lives.”

Still a long silence.

Just when Old Joseph thought this woman wouldn’t answer and would always respond with silence, a hoarse and unpleasant female voice sounded: “Thought about it, don’t regret it.”

I have thought about it, but I never regret it.

Old Joseph was suddenly stunned.

Lawrance also looked blankly at the short and thin woman in front of him.

She kept her head down stubbornly, skinny as a stick, as if a gust of wind could blow her away. But it was this tiny body that used an incomparably firm, decisive, and unlooking-back voice to say quietly: “I haven’t even lived my own life; how can I care about whether others live or die.”

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