Upon hearing that someone else was presenting him with a banner, Yang Lin was momentarily taken aback.
"Another banner? I haven't done much lately. Could it be because I returned that child's lost homework this morning, and his parents are here to thank me?"
"No need to be so formal."
As he spoke, Yang Lin walked towards the main entrance of the zoo.
Even though it was the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the visitor traffic within the park had only slightly decreased compared to the previous days, and the overall numbers remained quite high.
As Yang Lin's figure appeared, it immediately drew the attention of a large number of tourists.
At this very moment, a group waiting at the park entrance collectively moved towards Yang Lin.
When Yang Lin met them, a middle-aged man leading the group excitedly extended his right hand.
"Director Yang, we've finally met you. We've been waiting for this day for a long time."
"Ah?" Yang Lin was completely bewildered by the man's opening remarks.
He couldn't recall having any connection with this group of people, let alone knowing them.
Perhaps sensing Yang Lin's confusion, the middle-aged man immediately revealed his identity.
"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Jiang Zhiping, the General Manager of the Southern Region of Ruyi Airlines. I am here today on behalf of the entire crew of flight NJ4602 to express our most sincere gratitude to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, another man standing beside him stepped forward.
As he approached, he spoke with great sincerity.
"Director Yang, I didn't recognize you on our flight last time. I only realized who you were after seeing the news later."
"If it weren't for you and your bird last time, more than ten crew members and over a hundred passengers on our flight might not have been able to celebrate this New Year."
Hearing this, Yang Lin quickly looked at the man's face and instantly remembered the captain he had met briefly at Shenlongjia Airport. He recalled his surname was Sun.
As understanding dawned, Yang Lin was quite surprised.
He had thought that no one knew about him asking Peng Baobao to disperse the flock of birds, but it turned out he had been discovered after all.
"It seems it's hard to be an unsung hero these days."
After a moment of reflection, Yang Lin quickly put on a smile.
"Ah, you are too kind. It was just a small matter of convenience, and besides, I was on the plane myself. If I hadn't done something, I probably wouldn't have made it through the New Year either."
"There was no need for you to make a special trip to thank me."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Sun Ping's previously calm expression became agitated again.
"Director Yang, to be honest, my wife just gave birth the day before yesterday. If something had happened to me that time, I can't imagine what the consequences would have been."
"So, you didn't just save me, but my entire family, as well as the hundreds of other families on the plane."
"Yes, Director Yang, that was my last flight. I was going to retire after that..."
"I just proposed to my girlfriend. If it weren't for you..."
"Thank you, Director Yang..."
After Sun Ping expressed his gratitude, the other crew members also came forward, all offering Yang Lin their most sincere thanks.
Only those who had experienced the situation at the time could truly understand how desperate they had felt.
Initially, they didn't know that Yang Lin had saved them. It wasn't until Sun Ping and the two co-pilots in the cockpit discovered that the golden divine eagle that dispersed the flock of birds was Yang Lin's pet that they finally understood the entire sequence of events.
Although the whole story sounded a bit far-fetched, after learning about Yang Lin's various exploits, the crew members found it quite plausible; otherwise, there would be no such coincidences in the world.
As the crew members expressed their immense gratitude to Yang Lin, the number of onlookers also grew.
After all, it's human nature to be curious.
"What's going on? Why is someone else approaching Director Yang? Is he a relative?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? His relatives are all in the forest."
"I overheard a bit. It sounds like they are thanking Director Yang or something."
"Thanking Director Yang? Did Director Yang do some good deeds during the New Year again?"
"Director Yang is a kind child from birth. Perhaps he found someone's Lunar New Year money."
"Nonsense. It sounds to me like Director Yang saved someone's life."
"So many people, how could he save them? Is Director Yang Superman, who went to hold up the plane?"
"Does anyone know the real story? If no one says anything, I'm going to start spreading rumors."
...
With no correct answers forthcoming, all sorts of speculations began to emerge.
Some said Yang Lin had busted a large telecommunication fraud ring.
Others claimed Yang Lin had infiltrated a pyramid scheme organization to rescue trapped individuals.
The most ridiculous theory was that Yang Lin had single-handedly pulled over a dozen people out of a cesspool.
Just as the speculations were flying, the Ruyi Airlines group suddenly unloaded a plaque from a vehicle behind them.
"Director Yang, we truly didn't know how to best express our gratitude to you."
"We looked online and knew you liked this sort of thing, so we specially ordered this online. We hope you will accept it."
As Sun Ping finished speaking, the red cloth covering the plaque was lifted.
Immediately, the words "Sky Guardian" appeared before his eyes.
Upon seeing these four words, Yang Lin felt his blood pressure soar to 180.
"Who on earth told people online that I liked this? Step forward and face my wrath."
"Am I that desperate for plaques?"
"Is it the plaque advertising company spreading rumors? You just wait."
Although he was grumbling inwardly, he couldn't show it, so he could only force a smile.
Seeing his feigned smile, the Ruyi Airlines group became even more convinced that Yang Lin liked this gift of appreciation.
"I knew it. Director Yang values reputation over profit, placing honor above life and wealth. This gift is definitely the right choice for a thank you."
"Sister Li, you have such keen insight into people. Look how sincerely Director Yang is smiling."
"Of course. The monthly income of Xihong Zoo is comparable to our quarterly earnings. How could Director Yang care about such petty profits?"
"If I had known there was such a diamond bachelor on our plane back then, I would have..."
"Don't even think about it. Director Yang doesn't like women. He likes animals."
"There aren't many pure-hearted individuals like this nowadays..."
...
As Yang Lin posed for a photo with the "Sky Guardian" plaque, the previously confused onlookers finally pieced together the truth from the snippets of conversation from the Ruyi Airlines group.
When they learned that Yang Lin had saved a passenger plane, their mouths instantly dropped open into O-shapes.