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"Please listen to me. For the sake of the child in your arms, please think carefully. The rain outside is just too heavy. It's not safe to fly in this kind of weather."
"Sir, I mean no harm, I just hope you'll hear me out, sir?"
"You two ladies, don't you feel anything at all? That kind of warning, like danger is about to strike. If you really pay attention, I believe you'll sense something."
Bella tried hard to convince the people around her. Problem was, she didn't have any solid proof—only her own sincerity.
As long as someone was willing to listen, she kept trying to persuade them to wait for the next flight. Her tone was genuine, and slowly, a few passengers began to stop.
Most were still skeptical. A few even started to mock her.
"Idiot." "Nutcase." "Delusional."
All kinds of names were thrown at Bella.
"Miss! If you're not boarding, leave immediately. You're not welcome at our airport!" A fierce-looking airport security guard stormed over. A large Black man pointed hard at the exit, telling her to get out.
That was when Bella finally realized—going one by one was too slow and too passive. She could go straight to the airport authorities.
"Where's your supervisor? I demand he immediately organize maintenance staff to check the plane. It won't take long! We passengers have the right to that!"
This time she sounded very American—very democratic. Four or five people started to quietly support her. An old white man with a white beard and hair also said the airport should be more cautious.
"I support her. Your airport should be responsible for passengers' safety. The plane needs a full inspection."
A tall brunette girl stepped out from a group of forty students, clearly siding with Bella.
It was obvious she was under a lot of pressure to speak up—her forehead was drenched in sweat, and she was forcing the words out.
"Claire, you're going crazy too?"
"Heh, crazy Claire. I knew something was off with her."
"Miss Redfield, we're a team. I order you to come back right now!"
The female teacher's voice was sharp and harsh.
But the brunette stayed firm—no way she was getting on that plane.
"We can wait for the flight three hours later. Flying now is just too risky. I feel the same kind of warning as this lady, even if it's not strong. Please believe me."
Even after all that effort, most people still treated it like a complete joke. In the end, only Bella, brunette Claire, her two classmates, and about a dozen other people stayed behind in the terminal.
The airport supervisor rushed in. He was a chubby white man, and his face was full of frustration. Over a dozen passengers refusing to board because of some absurd reason? If this hit the news, he'd definitely be grilled by the higher-ups at the airline.
With a gloomy face, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you to leave the airport immediately. And let me officially inform you: Global Airlines does not welcome you."
Claire's two classmates were stunned. They were still hoping to get on that later flight in three hours.
"Sir, you don't have that right!"
"You're abusing your authority! I'm filing a complaint!"
The airport supervisor waved his hand impatiently, telling the guards to kick these "troublemakers" out. Just looking at them disgusted him.
But before Bella and the others could leave the terminal, a huge commotion broke out on the plane. Two tall male students dragged a skinny male student off the aircraft, looking totally flustered. The same teacher who had told Bella to see a doctor was now frowning behind them. A whole crowd of students and passengers followed.
"Let go of me! The plane's going to blow up! I'm not causing trouble! I swear I'm not! Let go! Damn it!" The skinny student was still struggling. He was drenched in sweat like he'd been fished out of a lake, shirt soaked through. The two big guys dragging him looked like they were dealing with a madman.
Another passenger started shouting too—a young man with black hair.
He kept telling people around him what happened: "Do you know about that bridge collapse before? I was one of the survivors! It was terrifying! My God! I was thinking about that earlier, but once I got to the airport, it was like something messed with my head. This thing—whatever it is—it wants to kill us! We can't escape! We're all gonna die!"
One person saying that might not mean much. But two? Three? Now it started to sound real.
Unlike what Bella remembered from before, this time four or five dozen people came rushing off the plane all at once. Some even lost their shoes while running. It was like some monster was chasing them. The terminal suddenly turned chaotic.
The pilot was a Black man. Right now, his face had gone pale with rage. All these years flying, and this was the first time he'd seen anything like this.
The dozen or so people who stayed behind, plus the fifty or so who came stampeding off, emptied a third of the plane.
At this point, someone was definitely going to leak this to the media. If the airline wanted to kill the rumors, there was only one way—go ahead with the flight.
"You sure the plane's fine?" The airport supervisor looked at the pouring rain outside and asked the pilot in a low voice.
"Trust my professionalism. I guarantee nothing will go wrong!"
The pilot turned and boarded the plane in a huff.
Bella stayed away from the passengers who had gotten off the plane and sat quietly in a corner. She watched as the plane slowly moved onto the runway, feeling extremely uneasy.
After the adrenaline wore off, fear set in.
The more you know, the scarier it gets.
She was worried for the hundred-plus passengers still on the plane. But if nothing happened and the plane landed safely, what would happen to her, the one who started all this? Was spreading false rumors punished with just fifteen days in detention?
Or worse—what if people suspected she caused the plane crash? Then it might be fifteen years, minimum.
Bella was starting to spiral. Her pretty brows were tightly knit, and her pale face looked even whiter now.
She glanced at the skinny student still shouting like a madman, and the black-haired guy beside him. She felt a bit relieved. At least she had two "co-leads" in this. She didn't know them, so it wasn't organized crime. If they were seen as separate cases, the punishment might not be as harsh, right?