Lin Mo stood near the VIP boarding bridge of Cloud-Wing Regional Airlines’ Yanjing Flagship Flight at Tianhai International Airport, his hands tucked into his trench coat pockets.
Shafts of clean morning light reflected off the wide-body commercial airliner’s polished wings as ground crews in bright jumpsuits loaded heavy cargo containers into the lower hold with practiced speed.
Beside him, Su Wan checked the final flight manifest on her digital tablet. “Boss Lin, our first-class cabin charter block aboard Cloud-Wing Regional Airlines to Yanjing Capital International Airport is cleared for departure. The flight time is two hours and fifteen minutes.”
“And the cargo?” Lin Mo asked.
“Doctor Gu’s mobile alchemy cabin was loaded into the reinforced lower freight bay an hour ago,” Su Wan replied smoothly. “Master Ou and Master Lu Shan secured the meteor-steel mounts themselves. The temperature sensors are stable at four degrees Celsius.”
“Good,” Lin Mo said. “Doctor Gu’s herbs need cold storage.”
A loud slurp sounded behind them.
Chu Lingxiao stood by the boarding gate, wearing a dark wool coat and black riding boots. Her slender fingers gripped a massive one-gallon plastic cup with an oversized straw.
