UAAG CH41

In early February, exactly half a year after the AA4012 crash into the sea, the NTSB held a press conference in Boston.

298 victims, one of the world’s most advanced aircraft—this was enough to attract the attention of people around the globe. At 9:00 AM, the conference began punctually. NTSB Senior Investigator Lawrence first introduced all the investigation details, followed by UAAG spokesperson Lina, who gave the final summary report.

Since the aircraft wreckage was salvaged from the sea in December, media attention on this accident had never waned. The public had long known that the AA4012 black box had vanished and hadn’t been recovered. They also knew that purely from the salvaged wreckage, this plane showed no mechanical failure.

In fact, a month ago, after media reports stated the plane had no mechanical failure, Airbus’s US stock even rose slightly.

Now, as predicted by all media beforehand, the investigation team’s conclusion was most likely pilot error.

A reporter stood up and asked: “If my understanding is correct, you mean this was a human-caused accident?”

Lina looked at this reporter, smiling: “No.”

The reporter was stunned.

Lina’s voice was gentle, her pace unhurried: “I hope you can understand my words correctly. First, before the investigation report is released, and before readers open this report, please remember that this is an aircraft accident where the black box was not recovered. If we had found evidence on the wreckage, such as engine damage or fly-by-wire system failure, then this answer would certainly be correct, set in stone, and unquestionable. But we found no clues, so we placed the answer on the pilots.”

“That is to say, if the AA4012 crash was a mechanical failure, that would be a 100% correct fact.”

“If it was a human factor, that is just a hypothesis. Before the black box is recovered, no one can guarantee that this really was a human-caused accident.”

The reporter’s eyes rolled: “Then can I understand it this way: this is extremely likely an air crash caused by human factors, just not 100% certain.”

Lina paused, her voice calm: “Yes.”

The reporters nodded in unison, recording this sentence.

Lina: “This reporter, may I ask if you are a man?”

Just having finished asking and preparing to sit down, this reporter was suddenly called out by Lina. He nodded in surprise: “Yes.”

Lina smiled: “It seems you are also extremely likely a man, but not 100% certain.”

Reporter: “May I ask what you mean by this?”

Lina’s expression remained unchanged, smiling politely: “You are indeed a man now, but you may not necessarily be a man in the future. This is just like how we now speculate AA4012 might be human error, but suppose one day its black box is recovered, suddenly it might not be human error. Of course, this analogy is inappropriate, after all, you are definitely a man now, while AA4012 cannot be confirmed as definitely human failure yet.”

The reporter was dumbfounded, unsure how to refute for a moment.

Lina: “News emphasizes truthfulness, timeliness, and accuracy. Reporting news truthfully and accurately, bringing the truth to the public—this is the meaning of the news media’s existence. In some respects, it is also the reason we investigate this air crash.”

…

The lengthy press conference finally ended after a full five hours.

All the reporters present were experienced and eloquent senior journalists, including several famous sharp-tongued ones in the US. Even Lina couldn’t handle them with ease at times. However, she had done her best.

Actually, they all knew that this accident might be human error. But everyone’s efforts were to be worthy of the truth if it ever truly reversed one day.

At least, you did it, you tried. Only then can you have a clear conscience.

After the conference ended, Lina and Lawrence left the hall together. Lawrence smiled at her: “Hard work. In the past, I always dealt with these jackal-like reporters. They are really scary. If it were a mechanical failure, they would get to the bottom of it, insisting on throwing the responsibility from your mouth to the aircraft manufacturer, or the airline, or the airport. If it wasn’t a mechanical failure, they would look for a person responsible. You know, people care more not about why the error occurred, but after the error, who should bear the consequences, who should be fined, or even go to jail.”

Lina: “This is quite the opposite of us. What we are looking for is why the error occurred, and how to prevent errors in the future.”

The two smiled at each other.

Lawrence: “Have you read this investigation report written by Joseph?”

Lina pretended to be surprised: “Lawrence, are you doubting my professional level?” She laughed: “Of course I have read it, and more than once.”

Lawrence shook the thick investigation report in his hand: “312 pages, really amazing. Finishing this report in just three days, even for me, feels tough. Honestly, tell me secretly, there are so many excellent investigators in NTSB, why did Patrick only want Joseph back then? Hmm… like me, I’m not bad either.”

The blonde lady covered her lips and chuckled: “You’re not suitable.”

“Hey, do you think I’m inferior to Joseph? I am a senior investigator.”

“Oh? So you are mocking that Old Joseph is just an ordinary investigator, inferior to you?”

“I didn’t say that!”

While talking and laughing, the two walked back. After getting in the car, Lina flipped the investigation report to the last dozens of pages. She looked down at the lines clearly printed on the white paper, revealing a gentle smile.

『 IV. Safety Recommendations

Based on the analysis of this accident, safety recommendations are proposed from personnel and organizational aspects respectively.

…

Regarding the cultivation of pilots’ personal psychological quality, it is mostly ignored or not correctly addressed in major airlines today. Pilots’ psychological illnesses are not only reflected in communication with psychologists and monthly psychological assessments, but should also be reflected in interpersonal communication and appropriate and reasonable cockpit discipline… 』

Cold words without any special emotional language, but she knew that the person who wrote it put his heart into it.

Lina earnestly read the safety recommendations part of this investigation report for the fourth time. When the car arrived at the investigation headquarters, she finally finished reading.

In the investigation headquarters, NTSB investigators were packing up instruments and documents. The instruments were naturally to be transported back to the NTSB branch for preservation, while the documents were to be handed over to the NTSB headquarters in Washington, where there is a large database preserving accident data of every air crash investigated by NTSB for over sixty years.

Lina went upstairs and stopped before walking out of the stairwell.

“What are you doing?” She walked over.

In the spacious investigation headquarters office, NTSB investigators hurried to and fro, busily moving various machines. The few people from UAAG seemed out of place at this time. They sat on the sofa in the hall. Zhuo Huan sat on the east-facing sofa, while Fu Cheng and Su Fei sat together opposite him.

On the coffee table between the three were a few playing cards.

Su Fei clenched his teeth, about to throw out another playing card acting as a chip, when Zhuo Huan suddenly sneered: “You’re going to lose again.”

Su Fei looked up: “Huh?”

Zhuo Huan didn’t answer him but looked at Fu Cheng sitting next to Su Fei: “Half a year ago I went to Harvard and played Blackjack with this person 46 times, winning 37 times. I heard some people got IMO gold medals and even Turing Award nominations. Wow, do you know who this person is?”

Su Fei: “…”

Fu Cheng held the cards and smiled slightly: “If you didn’t always provoke him like this, I think he might not have lost so much.”

Zhuo Huan was noncommittal, a lazy smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as he casually drew a chip card and threw it out.

Fu Cheng folded directly, no longer participating in the game between these two. Su Fei, however, was menacing, glaring fiercely at Zhuo Huan, having thoughts of skinning and deboning Great Master Zhuo. If he couldn’t beat Zhuo Huan, Fu Cheng wouldn’t doubt he might really do it.

In the entire UAAG investigation team, only Su Fei could play this kind of probability game with Zhuo Huan. Both of them could count cards; if they went to Las Vegas, they would definitely be banned by major casinos. Logically speaking, Su Fei shouldn’t have lost so badly, but his psychological quality wasn’t very good, always easily angered by Zhuo Huan’s few words, or directly revealing his emotions through expressions.

Fu Cheng went to the pantry to pour himself a cup of coffee, and Lina happened to be there too.

Lina smiled at him: “How did you think of playing Blackjack with them?”

Fu Cheng: “Su Fei wanted to pull me in as a helper. Although I think it’s useless.”

Lina thought for a moment: “At least on a certain point, I think you far surpass Reid.”

Fu Cheng looked at her in surprise.

“You can beat him in a fight.”

Fu Cheng: “…”

“Although this joke isn’t very funny, thank you, I think so too.”

Lina: “Anyway, it’s not like you haven’t fought before, right?”

Fu Cheng was stunned: “You know?”

Lina actually knew about the time he almost broke Great Master Zhuo’s hand with a stick during the test flight in the Arctic Circle?

“Of course, I am Lina. There is nothing I don’t know, unless I don’t want to know.”

It took two days for NTSB to finally pack all the data and instruments and send them to the investigation headquarters in Washington. The five members of UAAG didn’t leave either, but continued to stay in the luxury hotel provided by the other party, waiting until the last day to attend the summary cocktail party held by NTSB.

This is a unique feature of NTSB.

Probably because the budget funds are too much, the US Congress allocates a large sum of money to the FAA every year, and the FAA allocates a large sum to the NTSB. So after investigating every air crash, the NTSB holds a summary cocktail party.

Old Joseph often attended NTSB cocktail parties, and Lina, as the daughter of the second-largest shareholder of McFly, had also attended a few times. Zhuo Huan hadn’t attended. Every time NTSB sent him an invitation, he threw it into the trash can without even looking.

Besides that, the one most interested in this was Su Fei.

Early in the morning, he excitedly tried on formal wear, applied hair mask to his hair, expecting a romantic encounter at the party. However, at night, seeing those men in suits at the cocktail party, Su Fei instantly lost his appetite and felt completely uninterested.

There were women, but mostly family members! Those who weren’t family members didn’t even look at Su Fei, and were equally uninterested in a brat like him.

Great Master Zhuo had absolutely no interest in this kind of cocktail party; as soon as he entered, he disappeared somewhere.

Fu Cheng ate something and took a glass of champagne, but didn’t drink much.

Old Joseph walked to his side: “Is this kind of thing called alcohol?”

Fu Cheng turned to look at him.

Su Fei also walked over at some point: “Life is short, am I just wasting time here?!”

Lina: “We can leave anytime.”

The three looked at her in unison.

Lina raised her phone and shook it: “Reid already asked me to contact a car, so, want to leave together?”

The NTSB summary cocktail party wasn’t just an ordinary party; it was more like a social occasion for workplace networking. This didn’t suit UAAG.

Lina arranged for a stretch Rolls-Royce this time. Upon getting in the car, they saw Zhuo Huan already sitting there, resting with his eyes closed.

The four squeezed in together.

Fu Cheng was the last to get in. Lina only left him one seat, next to Zhuo Huan.

Fu Cheng paused, then walked over and sat down.

The leather sofa seat sank slightly. Zhuo Huan lifted his eyelids to glance at him, then closed his eyes again. He coughed lightly, and Fu Cheng asked: “Teacher Zhuo, caught a cold?”

Zhuo Huan let out a muffled hum from his nasal cavity: “Mm.”

Old Joseph: “Reid seems to have had a cold for several days, right? Heard you humming all the time before.”

Fu Cheng was somewhat surprised: He actually hadn’t noticed?

Old Joseph winked: “Probably froze in the wind on the rooftop that time.”

Fu Cheng was suddenly stunned, recalling that night.

True enough, wearing only a shirt and daring to stand on a Boston seaside rooftop in the wind, in February Boston no less. This wasn’t just being carefree; it was simply waiting to get sick.

Silent, hands in pockets, Fu Cheng listened to the cheerful chat of Old Joseph and Su Fei in the car.

The fingers in his pocket moved slightly, as if touching the man’s cold body temperature again.

Thinking for a moment, Fu Cheng turned his head slightly and whispered: “I should have taken off my coat and given it to you.”

Zhuo Huan opened his eyes and looked at him.

Fu Cheng: “I’m healthier than you; blowing in the wind shouldn’t give me a cold.”

Zhuo Huan: “…”

Damn.

“You’re something else.” Dropping a sentence through gritted teeth, Zhuo Huan stood up directly and walked to Su Fei: “Move over, switch seats with you.”

Su Fei: “Huh? What for?”

“Switch or not.”

Su Fei was confused but switched seats with Zhuo Huan. He didn’t care where he sat at all; anyway, even a stretch luxury car was only so big, chatting was convenient anywhere.

After moving over, Su Fei whispered to Fu Cheng: “What did you do to make RIP angry?”

Fu Cheng showed a gentle and harmless smile: “Just told the truth.” His voice was neither high nor low, just loud enough for everyone in the car to hear.

Zhuo Huan, who was resting with his head turned and eyes closed, heard this: “…”

The next moment, he opened his eyes and looked at Fu Cheng expressionlessly.

Fu Cheng seemed very surprised, looking at him seriously, his handsome face showing blankness and confusion: “Teacher Zhuo, is something wrong?”

Zhuo Huan laughed out of anger.

He stood up again and walked to Su Fei: “Switch back.”

Su Fei: “…”

“Are you sick! Switching back and forth, am I just here for you to order around? Do you know the car is moving? Don’t walk around casually while driving, do you understand!”

Zhuo Huan: “Taking you to a bar to play.”

Su Fei: “Ah?”

Zhuo Huan looked down and said to Lina: “Go to a bar. It’s still early today, not going back to the hotel.”

Lina’s gaze swept over Zhuo Huan and Fu Cheng, smiling: “Okay.”

Su Fei stood up instantly and excitedly sat back in his seat. Zhuo Huan snorted lightly, hands in pockets. First, he looked down at Fu Cheng, then turned sideways and sat down unceremoniously. His overly long legs spread to both sides, almost squeezing Fu Cheng’s legs to one side, obviously on purpose.

Fu Cheng hadn’t seen such a childish person in a long time. He was about to speak when a head suddenly leaned against his neck.

Soft, slightly long hair brushed against his bare neck. Fu Cheng’s body stiffened, words reaching his lips but unable to come out.

Coincidentally passing through a tunnel, the light suddenly dimmed.

Inside the enclosed tunnel, the humming sound of traffic echoed on the walls on both sides, becoming noisier and suppressing all other sounds. Su Fei and Old Joseph involuntarily raised their voices to chat clearly. But in Fu Cheng’s world, there was no sound long ago.

Today he wore a very thick white down jacket as an outer layer, so the inner layer was thinner, just a wool sweater.

The open collar exposed the young man’s beautiful collarbone. The place where the man leaned his head sideways was the slightly protruding bone. Not soft or comfortable to pillow on, yet suffocatingly sexy. He stiffened, daring not move, wanting to avoid this man and stay away from him, so his slender neck line was immediately elongated. The flickering tunnel lights shone down, forming a layer of radiant luster.

Zhuo Huan watched for a while, then suddenly raised his head and lowered his voice, saying in the young man’s ear: “Fu Cheng, I’m sick.”

Like a feather slowly teasing the eardrum, Fu Cheng’s lips moved, unable to resist looking down at him.

The next moment their eyes met, Zhuo Huan curled his lips.

“So, don’t seduce me…”

The last two words were not spoken aloud, but the man looked at Fu Cheng and deliberately used his mouth shape to slowly and ambiguously trace the shape of those two words. After finishing, Zhuo Huan laughed first. He didn’t speak again but leaned on the young man’s shoulder, looked at the slender collarbone close at hand, closed his eyes and continued to rest.

Illness was harder to endure than desire. He couldn’t help coughing, warm breath spraying on the young man’s exposed collarbone.

After a long time, Fu Cheng looked up at the starlight ceiling characteristic of Rolls-Royce.

Starlight filled the sky like diamonds, sparkling on the car ceiling.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Knowing he shouldn’t, knowing there was no reason, how could it be like this, but his heart still pounded in his chest. He didn’t push this man away, even subconsciously didn’t refute that sentence. Instead, hotter blood flowed in his veins, and for over twenty years, his soul suddenly became incomparably sober.

Upon arriving at the destination, Fu Cheng sat in the outermost position. He was the first to get off the car with a calm expression.

After entering the bar, Zhuo Huan seemed really tired due to illness. He took off his coat and covered his face, lying down to rest. Lina asked if he wanted to be sent back to the hotel first, but he refused: “I’ll sleep for a while, you guys play first.”

Fu Cheng left a sentence: “I’m going to the toilet.”

Passing through the corridor, ignoring the toilet sign pointing to the left without glancing sideways, Fu Cheng strode to the right. In the dimmest corner at the end of the bar corridor, the tall and thin figure was completely hidden. Fu Cheng took out a cigarette from his pocket, and with a click, lit it.

Quietly taking two puffs, he opened his phone and opened the photo album.

In this era, data is the easiest to lose, and also the hardest to lose. He scrolled for a long time and finally found a photo taken with a pretty girl seven or eight years ago. He had almost forgotten everything about this girl; even the photo was kept only because he was too lazy to organize his phone album, so he never deleted it.

There weren’t many photos, just two, but Fu Cheng looked at them over and over again.

A cigarette was quickly finished. Fu Cheng turned off his phone. He strode back to the bar booth, only to see Zhuo Huan had sat up at some point, ordered a drink, and was drinking while looking at his phone.

Fu Cheng sat next to him and threw down two decks of cards.

“Teacher Zhuo, care to play Blackjack?”

Zhuo Huan paused and looked up at him. In the past, the young man’s eyes were always clean and clear, with a trace of simple stubbornness and strength, like a stubborn rock weathered by wind and rain on the edge of a cliff, fragile yet striving. But now, perhaps the bar music was too mellifluous, the light beams ambiguous and charming, these eyes were immersed in strong colors, making Zhuo Huan unable to resist looking for a long time.

Su Fei: “Holy shit, Fu Cheng, you’re asking for abuse?”

Zhuo Huan came back to his senses.

“Sure.”

Fu Cheng gave the cards to Su Fei, letting him be the dealer.

In the noisy bar, Fu Cheng and Zhuo Huan sat on the sofa and started playing Blackjack.

Using candies swiped from the bar counter as chips, Great Master Zhuo drank while calmly taking cards, calculating as soon as his eyes glanced at the table. After Fu Cheng took cards, he didn’t make much movement. However, just when key cards were dealt and Zhuo Huan started calculating again, he suddenly spoke: “Zhuo Huan.”

“Hmm?” Zhuo Huan looked up.

Fu Cheng used his mouth shape to trace three words.

Zhuo Huan was fiercely stunned. When he came back to his senses and looked at the cards on the table again, he could actually continue calculating, but calculating now was meaningless. After a few more rounds, Zhuo Huan laughed and cursed: “Fuck.” Then he gave Fu Cheng a meaningful look and slammed the cards on the table.

Su Fei: “Damn, you won, Brother Fu?!”

Fu Cheng showed his cards and smiled: “Thanks for letting me win.”

After drinking for an hour, Lina arranged a car again, and the five returned to the hotel together. As if by convention, Fu Cheng was the first to sit inside this time. Zhuo Huan got in second, sitting rightfully next to him.

After the car started, no one seemed to pay attention here anymore. Zhuo Huan reached out to grab Fu Cheng’s hand, but Fu Cheng calmly dodged.

Zhuo Huan was stunned, looked at him for a while, and raised an eyebrow: “What do you mean.”

Fu Cheng asked back: “Teacher Zhuo, what do you mean.”

Zhuo Huan looked at him steadily and slowly smiled: “The three words you said.”

Two hours ago, in this car, Zhuo Huan looked at him and said with a faint smile—

『 Don’t seduce me—

Fuck you. 』

Fu Cheng was surprised: “Which three words did I say.”

Zhuo Huan didn’t speak, but his look was obvious: Don’t you know what you said yourself?

Fu Cheng: “I said, I’m sorry. Because I estimated I won that round.”

Zhuo Huan’s pitch-black eyes stared deathly at him. After a long time, he chuckled, stood up again, and ran to Su Fei. Before he could speak, Su Fei directly said: “RIP, you want to switch seats, can you not just stare at me alone? You can find Lina or Old Joseph!”

Zhuo Huan’s face was extremely foul. He snorted coldly.

Su Fei: “…”

Fine, he’s the bigger person.

After the two switched seats, this time, Zhuo Huan didn’t ask to switch back.

Upon returning to the hotel, Great Master Zhuo didn’t care who was sitting near the door. He strode directly and got off the car first.

Su Fei looked at Fu Cheng: “How did you provoke him?”

Fu Cheng didn’t answer. He watched Zhuo Huan’s receding back for a long time.

While waiting for the elevator, strangely, Fu Cheng took out his phone, scrolled to the top of the album, and expressionlessly deleted two photos.

The next day, the UAAG crowd arrived at Logan Airport, preparing to return to China.

Su Fei peeked at Zhuo Huan: “I think RIP still seems very unhappy.”

Lina glanced at Fu Cheng first, then smiled: “Reid is always like this. There are plenty of things that can make him unhappy, so no need to worry too much.”

Zhuo Huan, hands in pockets, threw his luggage directly to the airport VIP service staff and walked ahead alone. Halfway, his phone rang. After answering, he sneered: “Congratulations, forty minutes later and I would have boarded. Congratulations again, I’m in a very bad mood right now. Don’t look for me if it’s nothing, I have no time.”

Lawrence on the other end of the phone was stunned first, reacting after a long while. He quickly said: “Patrick, you haven’t boarded yet? Perfect, cancel the flight immediately and come back! The black box has been found. Yes, you heard right, the AA4012 black box has very likely been found!”

The footsteps stopped abruptly.

When Zhuo Huan stopped, the crowd following him also stopped one after another.

Zhuo Huan hung up the phone, his gaze sweeping over his members, finally stopping on Fu Cheng. He strode forward, stopped beside Fu Cheng, lowered his head and whispered: “I’ll settle the score with you later.” Then he looked at everyone, “Cancel the flight. Lawrence’s call, the black box has been found.”

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