Chapter 254: What to Do When You Don't Want to Be a Hero

Whoosh~

The helicopter landed on the airport, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Hey, Frank!"

Richard waved and shouted.

"Haha, Richard, it's great to see you!"

Frank strode over and gave him a hug.

"Yes!"

Richard patted his shoulder. "Giselle said a plane crashed into a building just now. Is it serious?"

"Very serious, it's a disaster."

Frank sighed and briefly explained the situation. "Richard, you did a great job this time. You saved many, many people."

"Mr. Braddock, you're amazing!"

The other agents also looked at him excitedly. They used to think he was just a boxer and an actor, but they didn't expect him to also be an FBI secret ace. Now, looking at him was like looking at James Bond.

Richard shook his head. He was quite excited before, but thinking of the people on the other plane and those in the building, his heart felt heavy, and he couldn't get excited at all.

"I'll leave these six scumbags to you. They're not dead yet, so be careful."

Richard pointed to the six people on the ground who were tied up like dumplings.

He was worried that these people might have suicide bombs on them, so he knocked them unconscious and left them on the airport, guarding them personally. Even if they exploded, they wouldn't hurt anyone else, and it would be easier for Frank to take over.

"Okay, you rest first, we'll take care of these people."

Now was not the time to talk. Maybe the terrorists had other plans, and they needed to interrogate these people as soon as possible to find out the truth.

Frank left with a few agents, and Richard breathed a sigh of relief. He had been on edge, worried about explosions here and there, and now he could finally take the burden off his shoulders.

Ring, ring, ring~

Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Ms. Theron.

"Phew~ Richard, you finally answered the phone. You scared me to death. I heard something happened in New York."

"Sally, I'm fine, don't worry."

After a few words of comfort, a few more calls came in.

Director Paul Haggis and Sandra Bullock from the "Crash" crew both knew about his flight today and didn't expect him to pick up.

After a while, more and more calls came in: Andy, Anthony, Paul, Gwyneth, Reese, Naomi...

There were too many people, so he sent a group message saying he was fine and not to worry.

He also thought of his friends in New York: Norman, Ellie, Eva, Paris, Dun Wendi, and so on.

Stralem Asset Management was in Center Two. He had heard from Giselle that something had happened to Center One. The two buildings were not far apart, and he didn't know if Center Two was affected. He first called Ellie. It rang for dozens of seconds, but thankfully, she answered.

"What?"

Ellie asked impatiently on the phone.

"Are you still sleeping?"

Richard asked in surprise.

"Mm-hmm~ I had a business party last night and went to bed late."

"Okay, you continue sleeping. Today is a good day for sleeping."

"Oh!"

The call ended, and Richard smiled. He called a few other people.

"Richard!"

Frank walked over with two men in black suits. "These two are colleagues from the Inspectorate. They want to know the details of what happened."

"Okay!"

He knew about this procedure beforehand, so he didn't leave.

Besides him, there were also two captains, flight attendants, his assistant Anna, who all had to be investigated. The passengers on the plane were also not allowed to leave, in case there were other potential troublemakers among them.

"Richard, don't worry. You're the FBI's most valuable asset now. No one dares to do anything to you."

Frank said seriously.

Richard smiled slightly. He had been carrying the FBI badge for almost four years and hadn't solved any cases. He felt quite embarrassed. This time, catching terrorists was considered a job well done.

They arrived at the terminal office, sat down, and began the questioning process.

"Mr. Braddock, how did you discover their intention to hijack the plane?"

The inspector asked.

"It was completely a coincidence. My seat happened to be in front of two Arab men. Before the plane took off, I overheard their conversation in Arabic, and I happen to know that language.

Because I rarely use it or hear it, when I suddenly heard it, I listened carefully and heard some sensitive words."

Richard said.

"I taught Richard Arabic. I can testify to that. He could communicate with me in Arabic when he was 11 years old."

Frank said.

The two inspectors were recording and taking notes at the same time.

"Before the plane took off, were the engines started?"

The inspector asked.

"When they finished their first sentence, the plane's engines started, so I only heard one sentence of their conversation clearly.

I thought they were joking, but their facial expressions didn't seem like it. I should add that I've received agent training and acting training, so I've also studied micro-expressions."

Richard carefully described the two men's expressions and then noticed that they exchanged glances with four other Arab men.

"I sensed something was wrong and went to contact the flight attendant. The flight attendant then took me to the captain and requested an immediate landing. However, the plane had already taken off, and the two captains refused my request.

I showed them my FBI badge, but they didn't believe it, thinking it was a prop. You know, I've played a special agent before. No matter what I said, they wouldn't stop the plane and told me to stop causing trouble."

Richard sighed helplessly, "The first time I used this ID, it turned out to be useless."

The two inspectors twitched the corners of their mouths, imagining Richard's frustration at that moment.

"The negotiation was fruitless, and just as I was about to return to the cabin, the troublemakers launched an attack, releasing tear gas and pepper spray in the cabin.

Taking advantage of the chaos and the cover of the fog, I covered my mouth and nose with a wet wipe, rushed forward and knocked out four of them. Two of them had opened the cockpit with weapons, preparing to assassinate the two captains. I arrived just in time and knocked out two more."

"You knocked out six armed terrorists by yourself?"

The inspector asked doubtfully.

"I'm a boxing champion, and I'm even better at fighting. Knocking out six people is not difficult. I was worried that they might have bombs on them, so I had to act quickly and decisively, and only used one move on each person."

Richard said confidently.

The two inspectors nodded slightly. There were witnesses in both the business class and the cockpit, so this couldn't be faked.

"Richard, well done."

Frank smiled.

"It's nothing, I was just saving myself. I'm only twenty-three, and I'm a boxing champion and a big star. I still have so much money I haven't spent, and so many beautiful women I haven't been with. I don't want to die young."

Richard shrugged.

Frank's face darkened, and he winked at Richard, "Don't talk nonsense, there's a recording here, your words will be in the newspapers, or even written into history."

The two inspectors also smiled. If someone like Richard died young, it would indeed be a great loss.

Ring Ring Ring~

At this moment, Frank's phone rang. He took it out and listened for a few words, his face changed slightly. After hanging up the phone, he looked at Richard, then at the two inspectors.

"Just now, the missing third passenger plane crashed into the Pentagon."

"What?!"

The two inspectors were shocked. That was the national defense agency, the heart of the country, no less important than the White House. It was actually hit. Was this a sign of the end of the world?

Ring Ring Ring!

Frank's phone rang again. He answered it, and his face changed again.

"Frank, where was it this time?"

The inspector asked painfully.

Frank put down the phone and suddenly laughed, "I have good news for everyone. Thanks to our timely notification, the fourth plane was stopped when it took off.

The terrorists knew that they had been exposed and were preparing to launch their attack in advance, but before they could rush into the cockpit, the plane landed back at the airport, and four terrorists were arrested on the spot."

"Wow, that's really great news."

The two inspectors laughed along.

Richard also smiled. He had finally done something meaningful.

"Richard, you've made a great contribution. You'll be treated as a hero."

Frank grabbed his shoulders and shook them excitedly.

"I only caught these six, the others have nothing to do with me."

Richard twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Haha, you caught six and saved 122 people on the plane. If this plane had crashed into Manhattan like the first plane, I don't know how many people would have died."

Frank sighed.

Richard frowned, "Frank, you know, I'm an actor and a boxer. I still have my job. If this gets out, I won't be able to live a peaceful life."

"What do you mean?"

Frank asked in confusion.

Richard pulled him to the window, "I don't want to be a hero. Being a hero is too much of a burden. Can we not say that I caught those people for now?

I thought about this when I was on the plane, so when I took action, I wore a hat and covered my face.

On the plane, only the two captains, the chief flight attendant, and Anna know my identity. Can we ask them to keep it a secret for now?"

Frank shook his head, "No, you were on that plane, a lot of people know."

"As long as I don't admit it, it's just speculation. I thought about this when I called you earlier. I'm a boxer. If the world knows what I did, will anyone box with me again?

I'm an actor. If everyone knows I'm an agent, how can I act in the future? A real agent playing a fake agent? If I don't act or box, how will I make money?"

Richard said helplessly.

"Haha, you're worried about this?"

Frank laughed, "You're a hero, a hero who will be recorded in history. You just need to give speeches every day, and the appearance fee for each speech is no less than that of the president. The country and the FBI will also reward you, and the bonus will definitely be more than you can imagine."

"That sounds good, but it's not the life I want. I just want to be an ordinary person, not to be treated specially every day.

Also, I'm also considering my safety. I ruined those people's plans. Will they secretly retaliate against me? Even if I'm not afraid, I still have my family.

So I hope to keep it a secret for a few years. In the future, when I'm no longer an actor or a boxer, it's okay to release it."

Richard asked.

Frank pondered for a while, "This matter has too much impact, and I can't decide either. But I can suggest it to the higher-ups and let you know when there's a decision."

"Okay!"

After the review was completed, Richard still couldn't leave, after all, the matter was too big and there were too many questions.

In the next five days, he underwent four more investigations, detailing everything that happened before, during, and after the incident.

They asked about everything he did from three days before to three days after, and it was said that they also conducted secret investigations, such as his call records and the people around him.

After several rounds of rigorous investigation, he became a clean person. Then the top three leaders of the FBI came, several bigwigs from the Department of Defense came, and Mr. President and the Vice President came with their wives.

When they came, the bigwigs didn't come empty-handed. They awarded him three medals of honor, one from the FBI, one from Congress, and one from the President.

In addition, he also had a new position: Senior Advisor to the FBI and Special Agent.

At his suggestion, several bigwigs held several meetings and agreed to his request.

Before the matter subsided, his identity would not be revealed to the public. The official announcement would be that the FBI's top agent discovered the terrorists' plot and stopped the crime in time, saving thousands of people.

This included the people on the plane and the people on the ground.

According to the terrorists' plan, the target of the second plane was the Two World Trade Center. If it had succeeded, the casualties of this attack would definitely have doubled.

Richard also secretly felt scared. If he hadn't succeeded, what would he do with all the money he had earned and all the beautiful women he had yet to be with?

After this experience, he also understood the preciousness of life. If he died, everything would be gone.

On September 19th, the review ended, and he returned to his Tribeca apartment.

Seeing him return, Giselle threw herself into his arms and cried for a long time.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm tough!"

Richard hugged her and smiled.

"Humph~, I told you before, stay at home and don't run around, and now something happened. See if you'll run around again in the future?"

"Okay, okay, I won't run around anymore, I'll just stay at home, how about that?"

Richard wiped away her tears and smiled.

"Good, that's what you said."

Giselle hugged him tightly.

Richard smiled and walked into the apartment with her in his arms.

——

(End of Chapter)