Chapter 0187
Jack and Landu, as co-pilots, naturally had no place in the rating
assessment.
This opportunity had only come their way because Madison was flying cargo, requiring a first and second officer as her wingmen.
“Do you think you’ll be up for captain assessment next year?”
Madison asked.
Jack nodded vigorously, “Yes!”
Madison smiled, “I may not have seniority, but if you need it, I can -vouch for you when the time comes.”
Jack’s eyes widened, “Really?!”
A recommendation from their fleet captain would significantly boost their chances of promotion.
Madison affirmed with a nod.
Although Mukino Airlines was short on experienced captains, the positions were gradually filling up after two rounds of hiring, raising the bar for applicants.
Mukino’s promotions were overseen by a professional committee that left no room for favoritism.
Over time, a saying emerged in the industry: Any pilot from Mukino could rival those from the national airlines.
Even as a commercial airline, Mukino had, over the last two years, begun to stand on equal footing with the state airline.
As the long flight came to an end, Madison instinctively started to make an announcement but then remembered she was on a cargo
flight.
After landing, specialists arrived to tally the cargo. Following
procedure, Madison reported in, then departed with her co-pilots to the designated hotel.
On the way, she asked her co-pilots if they knew what they had just transported.
“Captain Madison, you don’t know?” Jack asked in return.
Madison shook her head honestly.
Landu revealed, “It was organs for transplant.”
“Transplant organs?!” Madison couldn’t contain her shock.
Jack confirmed again, “That’s right.”
Madison felt a bit distracted. If she had made even the slightest mistake during the flight, those waiting for life-saving transplants
would have lost all hope.
The weight of that responsibility hit her only afterward.
That’s precisely why Ethan hadn’t told her beforehand.
Learning that someone named Madison had transported such critical cargo, many airline CEOs took special notice. Anyone Mukino trusted with such a task was undoubtedly a pilot of exceptional skill.
Madison’s reputation, quite unexpectedly, began to spread in the industry.
“All of these are pilots?”
Reaching the hotel, it wasn’t just Jack’s limited experience that was
at play; he had underestimated the officials’ clout.
“This must be over a thousand pilots, right?” Landu queried.
Madison nodded, “Around twelve hundred, I believe.”
“Goodness…” Jack and Landu followed Madison closely like anxious
brides.
After settling the two men, Madison returned to her room, which had been kept for her, standing empty.
She was the first to arrive; it wasn’t two hours before Charlie arrived too, and Kou Mei and Zuo Yulei hadn’t left at all.
“You finally made it!” Zuo Yulei lamented, “You don’t know, but ever since your Mukino folks left, the big boss at the national airline chewed out all of us from Pine Airlines.”
Charlie chuckled, “Why scold the Pine pilots?”
“For not seizing the moment to walk out with you,” Zuo Yulei sprawled on the bed aimlessly.
Kou Mei shrugged, “You can imagine the pressure our national airline folks have been under these last few days.”
Charlie and Madison exchanged a look and a resigned smile.
Sitting upright, Zuo Yulei gave a thumbs-up, “I must say, your chairman did a sleek job! It was quite a slap in the face for them! It was refreshing to watch!”
Hearing Ethan praised to her face brought a blush to Madison’s
cheeks. She couldn’t chime in, not wanting to seem boastful, so she
listened in silence.
Charlie, however, didn’t hold back, “Of course, he did. How else could he have the nerve to have us all drop our tools?”
Kou Mei applauded enthusiastically.
The rating assessment was down to its last hurdle. Considering the
complexity of the previous tasks, everybody anticipated the final test to be tougher and possibly unprecedented.
Including Madison, everyone felt the pressure, though she couldn’t
voice it.
Once spoken, it would only add to everyone else’s stress.
“I heard your President Grant really put the squeeze on the International Civil Aviation Organization. Does that mean you can walk sideways from now on?” Zuo Yulei leaned in, the gossip witch in her awakened.
“I’m not a crab,” Madison joked, sidestepping the question.
As they chatted, the loosely shut door burst open with a violent kick.
A loud bang startled the four women.
As Madison turned, she was splashed with a glassful of liquid.
The sour liquid invaded her mouth it must have been lemon juice.
“What are you doing?” Zuo Yulei’s voice boomed.
Charlie was the first to intercept Shi Hua, who barged in, but the enraged woman wasn’t stopped easily. She shoved Charlie aside, reaching for the soaking wet Madison.
“Why are you getting physical?!” Zuo Yulei intervened.
Caught off guard by the pain, Madison was yanked up by her hair, her anger igniting instantly.
No one expected the typically reserved Madison to fight back.
She freed her hair from Shi Hua’s grasp and, with a quick motion, slapped her across the face.
Madison’s eyes blazed with fury. She grabbed Shi Hua’s hair and flung her toward the wardrobe.
“Bang!”
Shi Hua crashed into the wardrobe door, her back throbbing with pain. “Think you can push me around?” Madison’s tone was deadly.
Seizing Shi Hua by the throat, Madison’s fingers dug into the tender flesh, slamming her into the wardrobe door repeatedly!
The stunning turnaround and Madison’s suddenly fierce demeanor took the others aback.
They had never seen Madison like this – her cold, silent rage was frightening…
The first to snap out of the shock was Zuo Yulei.
She hurried to the door, slamming it shut and locking it.
As for Charlie and Kou Mei, even though they regained their senses, they didn’t intervene.
Unhindered, Madison let her emotions surge, venting all her suppressed frustrations on the trouble-making Shi Hua.
Dragging Shi Hua’s hair, Madison pulled her close. The soaked strands clung to her face, her eyes indifferent to the point of chilling,
her voice as sinister as a dread whisper in the night-
“If you insist on being stubborn, I’ll show you what hell looks like.”
