Enid originally thought that riding in the helicopter piloted by Victor, which twisted and turned in the air like a fighter jet, was already the terrifying peak of her life's 'transportation experience'.
That was until she stepped onto this dilapidated airliner named 'Little Goblin Aviation'.
High in the sky, an aircraft painted an eerie green all over, its fuselage covered in suspicious patches and rust, was flying with violent turbulence through the air currents, looking as if it could fall apart at any moment.
Even more terrifying was that one of the engines was constantly belching thick smoke, occasionally punctuated by playful flickers of flame, as if enthusiastically greeting the passengers.
Through the grease-smeared glass of the cockpit, Enid could clearly see the scene inside—
Two goblin pilots wearing crooked hats were fiercely brawling with each other, fighting over a steering wheel that looked ready to fall apart.
They were also gabbling curses at each other in some incomprehensible language.
And that wasn't even the most outrageous part.
Inside the cabin, over a dozen little goblin flight attendants in ill-fitting uniforms were providing service.
Rather than providing service, it was more like they were engaged in a chaotic, no-rules free-for-all.
They shrieked as they sprinted down the narrow aisles, rattling the meal carts, occasionally 'accidentally' splashing unknown, bubbling liquids onto the passengers.
Enid had already witnessed a poor Bigfoot getting its foot run over by a speeding meal cart, clutching its broken leg and letting out a piercing wail.
And a Mummy wrapped in bandages had a scalding cup of coffee poured right over its head, making it jump up in pain, its bandages coming loose.
'Victor...'
Enid's voice trembled with tears, and she clung to Victor's arm like a frightened little animal, almost burrowing into his embrace.
Even Wednesday, usually as calm as ice, though her face remained expressionless, her hand gripping Victor's wrist tightly, knuckles turning white, completely betrayed the storm of fear raging inside her.
And Tyler... he had been so stimulated by this surreal, terrifying scene that he completely lost his human form, transforming into his muscular Hyde form.
Like a frightened young beast, he huddled in the corner of his seat, not daring to move, letting out suppressed growls from his throat.
'Oh my god, Victor!'
Enid's voice had changed pitch, her blue eyes wide with terror.
'I'm getting a little scared. Is this plane really safe? Look, the engine is smoking! And those screws on the wing... did they just fly off?!'
'Hey, dear, don't worry.'
Victor wrapped an arm around Enid's trembling shoulders, his tone relaxed and cheerful. 'Little Goblin Aviation is very safe.'
He even patted the inner wall of the cabin, producing a dull 'thump thump,' trying to add to his persuasiveness.
'Believe me, this baby has flown for at least a few hundred years, and there's never been an accident!'
'A few hundred years?!'
Enid almost jumped out of her seat in fright, her sharp wolf claws involuntarily'snapping' out, nearly tearing Victor's clothes.
'They haven't thought about replacing the plane in hundreds of years?! This is an exhibit from an antique museum! Wait! Did airplanes even exist hundreds of years ago?'
Hearing this, Wednesday closed her eyes as if with a headache, took a deep breath, as if suppressing the urge to throw this broken plane and her overly optimistic boyfriend out together.
'Don't worry, Little Wolf Girl~'
On Victor's shoulder, Venom poked out its black head, its big white eyes blinking, using a tentacle to point out the window.
'They're professionals. See, there's even a maintenance worker outside.'
Enid looked doubtfully in the direction Venom pointed, and with just one glance, her blue pupils dilated to their absolute limit!
On top of the wing, a little goblin wearing overalls was dangling in mid-air, holding onto a safety rope that looked like it was made from a few shoelaces twisted together.
Its other hand held a huge hammer that looked capable of killing a cow, and it was banging it 'clang clang!' against the smoking engine casing! Sparks flew everywhere!
As if sensing Enid's terrified gaze, the little goblin maintenance worker stopped hammering, turned its head, and through the window, saw Enid's pale face.
Far from showing any apology, it instead gave a smile that could be called 'radiant,' and waved its hammer-holding hand at her in a friendly gesture!
'Oh... oh my god...'
Enid felt dizzy, her brain completely giving up on thinking.
She buried her face deeply into Victor's warm chest, letting out a desperate-sounding whimper:
'I must be having a nightmare... yes, this must be a nightmare...'
Victor chuckled, casually taking the cup of bubbling green 'beverage' handed to him by a little goblin, and took a sip without a care.
Then he hugged Enid tighter, raising his cup in a toast to the hard-working maintenance goblin outside the window, as if enjoying a unique adventure.
And from the cabin speakers came a timely, screeching noise like metal scraping, followed by a sharp, cheerful voice:
'Ladies, gentlemen, and non-humans! Welcome aboard Little Goblin Aviation! Please unfasten your seatbelts and move about freely, because we are about to land.'
Wednesday's tightly shut eyes snapped open. Outside the window were rolling lead-gray clouds and an endless expanse of dark blue sea. Where was the airport?
'Land?'
Her voice held a trace of rare, almost imperceptible tension.
'Victor, there doesn't seem to be an airport nearby, does there?'
Her question was drowned out by an even more violent cacophony of metal banging and an explosion.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Through the window, one could clearly see—
The little goblin responsible for 'maintenance' on the outer wing was swinging its massive wrench with full force, performing a final 'rescue' on the engine that was spewing black smoke and flames.
Sparks flew, smoke billowed!
Then, under Wednesday's incredulous gaze, that weather-beaten engine let out a dying groan and suddenly tore free from its mounting.
Then, trailing flames and black smoke, like a falling meteor, it plummeted straight down towards the vast sea below!
And that 'dedicated' maintenance goblin, seemingly due to excessive force, was also flung away by the inertia.
It flailed through the air, becoming a tiny black dot, its sharp shriek briefly overpowering the wind.
Wednesday's pupils contracted slightly, a crack appearing in her usually calm mask.
This was... their landing method?
Removing the engine? This was the most hellish joke she had ever heard!
'Oh! Girls! The most exciting part is here!'
Victor, however, burst out with an excited cheer, his eyes frighteningly bright, as if the long-awaited grand finale had finally begun.
'I just love this traditional feature of Little Goblin Aviation—powerless gliding! Hahahaha!'
'What... what powerless gliding?'
Enid lifted her head dazedly from Victor's chest.
'Uh... Victor, why do I feel... it's so quiet? That deafening noise from the engine seems to be gone?'
It wasn't just the engine noise that was gone.
Wednesday glanced expressionlessly at the empty engine mount outside the window, mentally adding: The engine itself had already 'run away from home.'
The shadow of death descended along with an eerie silence. The plane, having lost its main power, began to tilt its nose downward at an ominous angle, the feeling of weightlessness creeping in.
Even Wednesday now clearly felt that extreme threat of life hanging by a thread.
She hesitated no longer, almost instinctively, like Enid, she reached out and tightly embraced Victor—
The only guy present who might have a bit of a solution (or at least could serve as a cushion).
Victor, tightly hugged by the two girls on either side, smiled even more brightly, as if enjoying the top-tier drop tower ride at an amusement park.
'Hold on tight, girls! Free-fall acceleration! Feel the wind!'
The plane, like a steel giant bird with broken wings, trailed its battered fuselage, plummeting resolutely... towards the boundless, cold sea surface below.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"