At this moment, the air in the Emergency Command Center seemed to have frozen.
Everyone's ears were filled with the roar of the planes, the sound of metal scraping, and the shouts of the captains and passengers; their hearts were in their throats.
Jiang Cheng's brow was tightly furrowed, his eyes staring at the screen without blinking.
His gaze was like something tangible, tightly locked onto the icons representing the two planes on the screen.
His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the exertion, and his lips were slightly pursed.
The system in front of him was constantly monitoring the precise seconds and distance as the planes brushed past each other.
The numbers, accurate to several decimal places, flickered continuously.
Although Jiang Cheng could provide remote command and his mind was rapidly thinking of response strategies...
...the control was ultimately in the hands of the two captains.
Inside those cramped cockpits, they faced immense pressure and rapidly changing conditions.
If even one of them failed to coordinate with his commands by just a second—even a deviation of a few tenths of a second...
...and failed to precisely maneuver to miss each other in time, the planes would still collide.
That would be an unimaginable disaster; countless lives would perish in the collision of steel and flames.
So, at this moment, Jiang Cheng was actually very uneasy.
He felt like he was walking a tightrope.
On one side was Zhou Ying's hope for life, and on the other was the abyss of death.
And the key to that balance was not entirely in his hands; that was what pained Jiang Cheng the most.
Soon, within a few seconds, the B500 began to take flight.
Its massive fuselage was like a giant beast breaking free from its cage, carrying an unstoppable momentum.
In the five seconds it took to lift off, the B320 also crossed the runway.
The two planes brushed past each other with a difference of only five seconds.
In that instant, time seemed to stand still, and the only thing left in the space was the lingering sound of the engines.
Seeing this, the people in the command center who had been stunned into a daze were momentarily taken aback.
It was as if their brains hadn't had time to process this sudden good news.
Then, a burst of enthusiastic cheering erupted.
The sound seemed ready to burst through the walls of the command center, announcing the resolution of the crisis to the entire airport.
Jiang Cheng also breathed a slight sigh of relief; a look of gratification appeared on his face, though his eyes still held a hint of exhaustion and gravity.
Seeing that they had escaped disaster, the captain of Flight B320's expression also relaxed immediately.
His tense muscles were like prisoners who had received a general amnesty.
After escaping the disaster, he immediately used his superb skills and rich experience to gradually stabilize the aircraft's posture.
Dozens of seconds later, Flight B320 finally came to a successful stop on the runway.
The moment the plane stopped, the ground crew, who had been waiting in readiness at a safe distance, sprang into action, swarming toward the aircraft like a tide.
Jiang Cheng also immediately put down the radio and hurried toward the runway.
In the emergency command room, most people could hardly contain their inner excitement and joy.
They cheered, their shouts filled with relief over the plane's safe landing...
...and gratification over the successful resolution of the crisis.
However, amidst this jubilation, Zhao Qiming seemed out of place.
At this moment, it was as if all the strength had been drained from his body, and his legs gave way.
He slumped straight onto the ground, gasping for breath.
His expression was weary and dazed, as if he were a survivor from one of those two planes who had just undergone a life-and-death ordeal.
He was completely immersed in the aftermath of this soul-stirring event.
As the person in charge of the airport, Zhao Qiming knew very well.
Although this aircraft crisis wasn't directly caused by him...
...in this country...
...those in high positions might usually spend their days without merit or fault, or even in mediocrity.
But once a major accident occurred under their watch...
...the first person to be held accountable and dismissed would certainly be him.
This was the burden of responsibility and the price behind power.
Seeing that he had managed to keep his position with great difficulty...
...Zhao Qiming subconsciously clenched his fists, his eyes slightly closed, a look of profound gratitude on his face.
Seeing that Jiang Cheng had left, the other staff members in the Emergency Command Center gathered around Zhao Qiming, full of curiosity.
They began to ask questions one after another.
"Manager Zhao, what kind of ID did that man just pull out?" a young staff member asked first, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Yeah, I was just about to poke my head over to see what it was, but he had already put it away. I didn't even get a chance to peek at it," another staff member chimed in, their face full of regret and confusion.
Hearing this question, Zhao Qiming seemed to be suddenly awakened from some thought and immediately began looking around as if waking from a dream.
His gaze held a hint of panic and urgency; after confirming that Jiang Cheng was nowhere to be seen...
...he immediately asked somewhat frantically, "Where is President Jiang?"
"After the plane stopped, he already headed toward where it's parked," someone quickly replied.
After hearing this, Zhao Qiming immediately stood up and was about to rush out the door.
However, driven by curiosity, someone still stopped him and asked.
"Manager Zhao, you haven't told us yet—who is he?"
"Right, what are we supposed to say when the investigation comes down later?"
"Yeah, with something this big, we'll probably have to spend the night at the company."
...