[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky":3,"chapter-i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Sparked the Hundred Demon Night Parade in Tokyo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2326223,4550,"Chapter 5: Chapter Five: High School Student Hijacks Plane?","i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji and Ishinori Ken are pilots at the Hamamatsu Base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though both are young, barely in their early thirties, they are Hamamatsu Base’s top pilots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have carried out numerous missions with outstanding results and are regarded as future elite candidates of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this investigation into the NH137 hijacking—a mission of such gravity—Hamamatsu Base decided to assign it to these two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High above, white clouds and blue sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two fighter jets streaked across the heavens like meteors, each leaving behind a trail of white vapor—breathtakingly brilliant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>En route to the airspace where NH137 was located, Fujihiro Shoji asked through the comm mic to Ken Ishinori, who piloted the other jet:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ken, wanna make a bet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two tigers cannot share one mountain. As Hamamatsu Base’s top pilots, neither would admit being inferior to the other; every mission became a contest to determine who was the base’s number one pilot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mission was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji grinned. “We both just reviewed the passenger and crew manifest. We know roughly who’s onboard. Let’s bet on who the hijacker is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Done!” Ken Ishinori answered without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For them, competition had become routine—there was no such thing as backing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, their jets tore through the sky at blistering speed, nearing NH137 in mere moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that brief span, Ken Ishinori rapidly recalled the onboard personnel data he had studied before takeoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are too many people onboard. Guessing one person is too easy to get wrong. Let’s guess a general age group.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll go first—I bet it’s someone aged 35 to 40.” Fujihiro Shoji spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Japan is one of Asia’s economic powerhouses, yet also a nation with a large population but very little land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This has led to fierce social competition and a high-pressure society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure is constant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their workdays are long, stretching from morning until eleven or twelve at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many office workers routinely work overtime, sometimes even spending entire nights in the office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And under such intense pressure, their rewards rarely match their effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This causes immense mental strain, often leading to psychological overload, even schizophrenia—this is why Japan’s suicide rate is so high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji’s theory was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Japanese society has always been high-pressure, especially for middle-aged men whose careers show no progress; they are prone to suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll guess 25 to 35,” Ken Ishinori replied immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, Japan’s suicide rate has not declined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the contrary, the age of suicide victims has been trending younger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason lies in Japan’s extreme emphasis on academic credentials, believing they determine one’s future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, if a Japanese student fails to enter a top university, their future is doomed. And those aged 25 to 35 are precisely the ones just graduating and entering society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this stage, fresh graduates face society’s brutal “crushing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If their mental resilience is weak, nine out of ten either become hikikomori or head to Aokigahara Forest to kill themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ken, even though we’re betting on age groups, do you have a specific hijacker in mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji, ever the chatterbox, asked Ken Ishinori.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain Hasegawa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, you think the same as me! Hijacking is hard to pull off—the easiest way is to recruit the captain. If the captain himself is the hijacker, it’s even easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji laughed heartily—just then, the endless white clouds ahead finally shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A commercial airliner appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was NH137.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following their prearranged plan, Fujihiro Shoji maneuvered his jet to one side of NH137, positioning themselves to observe the airliner from both left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Fujihiro Shoji, expertly piloting his jet, continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ken, you agree with what I just said, right? You’re thinking the same thing… Huh? Ken, why aren’t you answering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the two jets hovered—one on each side of NH137.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ken?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji was puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One moment they were joking, the next—silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You might think it’s because they’re nearing NH137 and need to focus—but that’s impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew his partner well: even during missions, Ken Ishinori never fell silent; he always chatted and joked while working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Fujihiro Shoji was about to speak again—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice crackled through the comm mic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Shoji, look—look at NH137’s cockpit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Ken Ishinori’s voice, Fujihiro Shoji froze slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t what Ken said that stunned him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the tone of his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t Ken’s usual tone—it was strange: shocked, trembling, filled with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like he’d seen a ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at the cockpit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curious and uneasy, Fujihiro Shoji turned his gaze to NH137’s cockpit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pupils dilated violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji screamed aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I fucking—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill shot straight up his scalp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji stared, utterly dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was so shocked he blurted out a foreign curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight—his expression horrified, completely stunned by what he saw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his line of sight—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man seated in the captain’s seat of NH137 was not Captain Hasegawa… it was someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Fujihiro Shoji know this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because he’d seen a photo of Captain Hasegawa—but because he knew for certain: no captain could look like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the man in the seat was far too young!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too young to possibly be a captain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighteen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might even be seventeen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji stared fixedly at the face of the man in the captain’s seat, his mind reeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s definitely not Captain Hasegawa. Where is Hasegawa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seventeen-year-old captain? Possible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just in Japan—even worldwide, no captain could be seventeen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shoji, look—look at what he’s wearing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji immediately understood who Ken meant and snapped his gaze over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight made him jerk violently—he nearly lost grip of the control stick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s… a high school uniform??” Fujihiro Shoji’s voice dripped with disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized a question far more shocking than any action movie:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>NH137 had 231 people onboard… and the pilot was a high school student…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant 231 lives were being gambled on a high school student.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ken, is this really a hijacking? Or is it a mass suicide involving 231 people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ken Ishinori’s mouth twitched; he was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji’s words struck him exactly where he thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been thinking the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The communicator received a reply from Hamamatsu Base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fujihiro Shoji, Ishinishi Ken, have you reached your destination?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reporting to General Suzuki Kū, we have arrived at the destination,” Fujihiro Shoji and Ishinishi Ken said in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is not the time to consider the high school student issue—the mission is paramount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū, who had established contact with Hamamatsu Base and connected the communication channel, nodded and sat in his office at the Air Self-Defense Force Headquarters, then spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Report to me everything you’ve observed about NH137. I need the most detailed intelligence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fujihiro Shoji and Ishinishi Ken turned their gaze to NH137’s cockpit, seeing clearly through the cockpit window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They supplemented each other’s observations and delivered their report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Suzuki Kū, the cabin is in disarray—the overhead bins are all open, luggage has fallen, oxygen masks have dropped. I see many injured, but no deaths yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The left wing of NH137 is damaged; judging from the marks, it was likely caused by ice buildup at high altitude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see the flight attendants—they appear to be speaking to the passengers, likely calming them down and apologizing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze shifted away from the cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Suzuki Kū, the front windshield of the cockpit is shattered, and there’s a bird carcass inside—likely a bird strike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bird strike? Not a hijacking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū looked bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hijacked—and then hit by a bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>NH137 is just that unlucky—every bad thing that could happen to an aircraft has happened at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I saw a bird carcass, but I can’t tell what kind—it’s too bloody and mangled to identify.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. Continue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ishinishi Ken and the other man resumed their report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aside from the front windshield being shattered, all movable windows have been opened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The co-pilot is injured—seems to be his eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, there are three people in the cockpit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three?” General Suzuki Kū’s eyes suddenly lit up: “Who is the third person? Clearly identify his appearance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, General Suzuki Kū assumed the third person was the hijacker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just him—all senior officials listening, from the Metropolitan Police Department, Hamamatsu Base, and Tokyo Air Traffic Control, all believed the third person was the hijacker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even imagined in their minds the third person holding a gun or knife to the captain and co-pilot, forcing them to fly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...General Suzuki Kū, no—the captain isn’t among the three,” Fujihiro Shoji said awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain isn’t among the three? Then who’s flying the plane? The co-pilot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so, where is the captain? And are the other two in the cockpit, besides the co-pilot, the hijackers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. Tell me the appearances of the two people besides the co-pilot who is flying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giving the order, General Suzuki Kū extended his hand, ready to have his subordinates compare the descriptions against the aircraft’s passenger records to identify the hijacker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand had just extended…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Suzuki Kū, the person flying the plane isn’t the co-pilot,” Fujihiro Shoji said, voice trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept contradicting General Suzuki Kū—would the general get angry and make his life miserable?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū’s cheek twitched several times; he was momentarily speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the co-pilot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who’s flying the plane?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All senior officials listening—including General Suzuki Kū—were stunned and alarmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This must be a planned hijacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure the captain wouldn’t resist, they’d pre-positioned a replacement pilot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me the appearance of the hijacker flying the plane, and the other hijacker.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!” Fujihiro Shoji replied seriously: “The pilot has a very refined face, short hair, and is wearing a high school uniform—around seventeen or eighteen years old...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait! Wait!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū interrupted, leaping abruptly from his chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same moment, all senior officials reacted identically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fujihiro Shoji, I asked you to describe the pilot’s appearance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Fujihiro Shoji’s description, it sounded exactly like he was describing a high school student.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reporting General Suzuki Kū, I am describing the person flying NH137. Based on appearance and uniform, I can confirm he is a high school student.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tokyo Air Traffic Control, the Metropolitan Police Department, Hamamatsu Base, and the Air Self-Defense Force Headquarters—all fell utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū and all senior officials sat frozen, dazed, as if their heads were spinning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I just hear that right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A high school student flying a plane?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp intake of breath erupted beside General Suzuki Kū.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Suzuki Kū turned to his subordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s eyes were wide with horror: “General Suzuki Kū, NH137 has been hijacked by a high school student!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was loud, transmitted through the communicator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The already silent departments—Air Traffic Control, Police, and others—grew even quieter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silence as deep as death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Please vote for recommendations!! Please, kind patrons, send some recommendation votes!!)\u003C\u002Fp>",1858,"2026-06-20T17:56:08.120Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a0a0083b4dd34835d1ae4e5ab6ae4f2b33b4f3158af8541b2d4ee6005ec656ff","i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-6","i-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-chapter-4",477,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-sparked-the-hundred-demon-night-parade-in-toky-cover.jpg"]