Yang Lin was quite surprised by the call he received.
It was from Dragon Country Geography Magazine.
He couldn't even imagine why they would contact him, it turned out they needed his help finding someone.
Strictly speaking, it was a rescue. The person to be rescued was none other than Teacher Xiao Liang, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"This is a case of the hunter becoming the hunted," he mused.
As he spoke, Yang Lin typed "Shenlongjia" into his phone.
Soon, related information and ticket booking channels appeared before him.
As the largest primeval forest in central Dragon Country, Shenlongjia had always been one of the country's three major biodiversity centers, boasting extremely rich wild flora and fauna resources.
It was precisely for this reason that Teacher Xiao Liang and his team had journeyed to Shenlongjia at this particular time.
And then they lost contact. Although a search and rescue team had been dispatched into the mountains, due to the recent heavy snowfall in Shenlongjia, there had been no progress. The National Geographic magazine had then thought of Yang Lin.
While reviewing the information, Yang Lin also booked the earliest flight to Shenlongjia Airport.
Just as he was about to drive to the airport, a golden flash of light suddenly flew over his head.
Before he could even look up, Peng Baobao's young voice sounded in his ear.
"Zoo director, zoo director, are you going out?"
"Take me with you."
As soon as Peng Baobao finished speaking, Yang Lin reached out and took it down from above his head.
To his surprise, Peng Baobao, despite being only a few days old, had already doubled in size, almost as large as a normal eagle.
"I can't take you with me, I'm going somewhere very far away," Yang Lin said gently.
"Somewhere very far away? Are you going to die then?"
"What?" Hearing Peng Baobao's words so suddenly, Yang Lin almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Who told you that going somewhere far away means dying?"
"Teacher Big Black Bear told me that when I grow up, they will go somewhere far away," Peng Baobao replied earnestly.
"Alright."
"But I am indeed going somewhere very far away, and I have to take a plane. I can't take you with me."
Saying this, Yang Lin began to explain what an airplane was to Peng Baobao.
However, to his surprise, after his explanation, Peng Baobao's interest only grew stronger.
"A big iron bird that flies fast?"
"Can it fly faster than me?"
"That..." Yang Lin didn't know how to answer Peng Baobao's string of questions.
Strictly speaking, no animal in this world could fly faster than an airplane.
After all, ordinary civilian airliners could fly at speeds of up to 900 kilometers per hour, while the fastest bird, the peregrine falcon, could only reach a maximum speed of 387 kilometers per hour.
But judging by Peng Baobao's current speed, Yang Lin couldn't be sure.
"Okay, okay, I need to catch my flight. I can't play with you anymore."
"I'll find you to play when I get back. That's it, bye."
After saying this, Yang Lin put Peng Baobao aside and then drove his car towards the airport.
He didn't notice, however, that as soon as he started his car, a golden figure quietly followed behind him.
Half an hour later, Yang Lin was already on a plane bound for Jiangcheng, where he would then transfer to Shenlongjia Airport.
This journey only took two hours. In the blink of an eye, he had traveled from Guangxi to Hubei.
"Planes are so fast. I had Lao You Fen for breakfast, and I'll be able to have hot dry noodles for lunch. This is the charm of technology."
On the flight to Shenlongjia Airport, Yang Lin gazed at the scenery outside the window while checking the time on his phone.
He had departed from Guangxi at nine in the morning, and it was now almost eleven-fifty, and he was nearing Shenlongjia Airport.
He felt very lucky that, although the weather in Hubei had been a bit poor for the past two days, with rain, snow, and fog, this flight had not been delayed at all.
Just as Yang Lin was sighing with emotion, a voice from the control tower sounded in the cockpit of the passenger plane.
"All pilots, please note, all pilots, please note, a large flock of birds has suddenly appeared in the sky above the airport, heading southeast."
"Ground crews are attempting to disperse them. All aircraft preparing to land, please reduce your speed, turn on your landing lights, and be prepared for any eventualities."
......
Listening to the voice on the radio, the crew immediately became tense.
If there was anything that civil aviation pilots feared most during flight, it would undoubtedly be bird strikes, which were even more threatening than hijackings.
Even though the plane was covered in metal, a head-on collision with a flock of birds at high speed was no less powerful than being hit by a bullet.
If it hit other parts, it might be alright, but if it hit an engine, it would most likely cause the engine to lose power.
Although major accidents caused by bird strikes had become less frequent in recent years due to improved flight technology, it did not mean absolute safety.
"I hope our luck isn't that bad."
"It shouldn't be, we're about to land."
As the captain and first officer in the cockpit spoke cautiously, the voice from the control tower sounded again.
"Flight NJ4602 pilots, please note, the large flock of birds has been dispersed, but a small flock is still approaching your flight path. Please be careful to avoid them."
However, as soon as the voice from the control tower stopped, the two noticed an anomaly on the radar screen.
In the airspace not far ahead of the passenger plane, a group of unidentified flying objects was rapidly approaching them.
The moment they saw these unidentified flying objects, the word "flock of birds" flashed through their minds.
Almost immediately, the two informed the crew of the situation, and at the same time, they quickly adjusted the aircraft's flight path, doing their best to avoid the flock.
But the instant the plane changed its flight direction, a violent collision occurred directly in front of the passenger plane.
Before they could even see what had hit them, the radar dome on the front of the aircraft, along with the radar itself, was damaged.
Instantly, the radar system lost its detection capability, and the flock of birds, which could have been detected in advance, disappeared from the screen.
However, this was not the worst part. The most serious issue was that the moment they sensed the impact, the passengers in the cabin descended into chaos.
The crew had no choice but to inform the passengers about the bird strike.
When the passengers learned of this situation, their hearts sank, including Yang Lin's.
At the same time, the captain and first officer in the cockpit stared blankly ahead.
About five kilometers away, a dark cloud was rapidly approaching their direction.
Upon seeing this dark cloud, their faces turned ashen.