Three seconds later, the entire row of passengers, along with the flight attendants, screamed in unison: “Aaaahhh—”

“No, impossible…” David Bolton was shaking uncontrollably, his eyes fixed on the special S insignia on Ethan White’s chest. “Fake, it must be fake…”

In fact, there had always been rumors among the public about S-class mutants, but there was very little documentation. Some declassified materials indicated that only 20 people worldwide had undergone S-class evolution. However, what they actually became, what abilities they possessed, or even whether they were still considered human, was all unknown.

“I don’t believe it!” David Bolton roared, erupting in a frenzy of rage in his desperation, and swung his hand violently—

Outside the cabin window, leaden clouds churned wildly, thunder and lightning crashed down, and the cockpit windshield instantly shattered with countless cracks.

“Ah, climate control, is it?” Ethan White stroked his chin.

“…No one is going to catch me,” in the midst of the thunderstorm, David Bolton’s face twisted with ferocity. “You can all go to hell with that damned Inspection Bureau!”

The plane shook violently, then suddenly lost all weight, plummeting rapidly toward the ground.

The co-pilot smashed his head into the instrument panel, and terrified screams erupted throughout the cabin!

Ethan White pressed one hand tightly against the co-pilot’s bleeding forehead, while his other hand was raised and clenched. “Dude, you’re way too impulsive. Can you relax a little?”

He snapped his five fingers open.

David Bolton hadn’t even realized what was happening when he heard four crisp cracks by his ears: Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

Blood burst from all four of his limbs at once, his body was bent backward into an impossible ball, twisted at a horrifying angle, hanging in the air like a bloody lantern.

“Aaaah—”

David Bolton let out a shrill, miserable scream, but it was abruptly cut off—as Ethan White made a silencing gesture, and the airflow instantly blocked his vocal cords.

With a thunderous sound, the plane stabilized, and all the passengers fell back into their seats.

“The gap between you and me is about the same as the gap between a paramecium and a human,” Ethan White said calmly.

Clatter! The submachine gun dropped to the cockpit floor.

The last hijacker, who had just been pointing his gun at Ethan White, was now trembling all over, scrambling backward on hands and feet as if he’d seen a living demon. “S-sorry… Please, spare me, spare me…”

At that moment, his hand suddenly touched something behind him. Instinctively, he looked—it was the book that had just fallen to the floor.

The book’s title was absurdly long and full of nonsense, but the bunny girl blowing a kiss and the four characters “Ethan White, author” stood out clearly.

In a flash, inspiration struck the hijacker.

“G-great book!” he fumbled to open the book and held it up in front of his face, looking up at Ethan White in terror, his voice trembling: “T-the author’s thinking is so sharp! I’ll buy, I’ll buy a hundred copies right now!”

Ethan White turned his face, looking down at him from above, and suddenly the corner of his mouth curled up.

“Too late.” He smiled. “Affection that comes late is worth less than grass.”

He swept his palm upward at an angle.

Blood splattered everywhere, the sound of bones shattering and screams rang out at the same time, echoing throughout the entire cabin.

On the ground, in the control tower.

“Hello? Hello?” The long-silent radio suddenly crackled, followed by a lazy voice: “This is flight MN538, can you hear me?”

In the busy control room, all the hurried footsteps seemed to freeze in place.

Everyone’s expression was frozen as they turned to look at the console, unable to believe their ears.

Brian Sullivan’s pupils narrowed slightly. After a few seconds’ pause, he hung up the military district’s satellite phone and reached for the intercom. “Who are you?”

“I’m an innocent passenger caught in the crossfire and ready to sue this airline into bankruptcy at any moment,” Ethan White sat in the captain’s seat, holding the intercom in one hand while silently mouthing to the barely conscious co-pilot, emphasizing: “I’m joking—”

Co-pilot: “…………”

“The three hijackers have been subdued, but the captain is seriously injured, and the co-pilot looks like he’s about to pass out too. The fuel level is currently…” Ethan White frowned at the flight instruments, and after a few seconds finally said, “Can’t see, the co-pilot just smashed the instrument panel with his head.”

The co-pilot, at his limit, struggled desperately, but when he opened his mouth, only a mouthful of blood gurgled out.

“We need to make an emergency landing, but I’m not familiar with operating a B777-300ER commercial airliner. Requesting ground tower assistance for a forced landing. Can you grant landing clearance?”

A boom erupted in the control room.

Countless people panicked, countless people shouted, and a cacophony of noise came through the radio into the cockpit. Ethan White waited patiently.

After a moment, he finally heard a clear, steady voice come through the intercom.

“This is the tower.” Brian Sullivan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking up at the endless sky. “Permission to land granted. Please receive operational instructions.”

Ten minutes later.

The massive airliner roared as it slowly landed on the tarmac. More than a hundred Inspection Bureau espers stood at the ready, a forest of gun barrels glinting with silvery cold light.

Brian Sullivan, wearing a throat mic and tactical headset, had his index finger on the trigger, the tightly shut cabin door reflected in his deep, dark eyes.