Enid originally thought that riding in the helicopter piloted by Vic, which twisted crazily in the air like a fighter jet, was the terrifying peak of her life's "transportation experiences."
Until she stepped onto this dilapidated flight called "Gremlin Air."
High in the sky, a plane painted an eerie green, its fuselage covered in suspicious patches and rust, was flying with violent turbulence in the air currents, looking like it could fall apart at any moment.
Even more heart-stopping was that one of the engines was constantly billowing thick smoke, occasionally spitting out a few mischievous tongues of flame, as if greeting the passengers warmly.
Through the grease-stained glass of the cockpit, Enid could clearly see the scene inside—
Two gremlin pilots wearing crooked hats were fighting each other fiercely, wrestling for the steering wheel that looked ready to break off.
They were also cursing each other in some gibberish language.
And that wasn't even the most outrageous part.
Inside the cabin, a dozen gremlin flight attendants in ill-fitting uniforms were providing service.
Rather than providing service, it was more like a chaotic free-for-all brawl.
They screamed as they sprinted down the narrow aisle, pushing the food carts with clanking noises, occasionally "accidentally" spilling unknown, bubbling liquids onto passengers.
Enid had witnessed with her own eyes a poor Bigfoot getting his foot run over by a speeding food cart, howling miserably while clutching his broken leg.
And a mummy wrapped in bandages got a cup of scalding coffee poured over his head, jumping up from the heat, half his bandages unraveling.
"Vic..."
Enid's voice carried a sob. She clung to Vic's arm like a frightened small animal, almost embedding herself into his chest.
Even the always ice-cool Wednesday, though her face remained expressionless, betrayed the turmoil in her heart by gripping Vic's wrist so tightly her knuckles turned slightly white.
As for Tyler... he had been completely stimulated by this surreal horror scene into losing his human form, transforming into his muscular Hyde state.
Like a terrified cub, he curled up in the corner of his seat, not daring to move, emitting suppressed growls from his throat.
"Oh my God, Vic!"
Enid's voice changed pitch, her azure eyes full of panic.
"I'm scared. Is this plane really safe? Look, the engine is smoking! And those screws on the wing... did they just fly off?!"
"Hey, honey, don't worry."
Vic wrapped his arm around Enid's trembling shoulders, his tone relaxed and cheerful. "Gremlin Air is very safe."
He even patted the cabin wall, making a dull thud-thud sound, trying to be convincing.
"Trust me, this baby has been flying for at least a few hundred years and has never had an accident!"
"A few hundred years?!"
Enid was so scared she almost jumped up on the spot. Sharp wolf claws popped out with a snikt, nearly slashing Vic's clothes.
"Have they not thought about replacing the plane in hundreds of years?! This is an exhibit from an antique museum! Wait! Were there planes hundreds of years ago?"
Hearing this, Wednesday closed her eyes as if having a headache, taking a deep breath, seemingly suppressing the urge to throw this broken plane and her optimistic boyfriend out together.
"Relax, little wolf girl~"
On Vic's shoulder, Venom poked out his black head, blinked his large white eyes, and pointed a tentacle out the porthole.
"They are professionals. Look, there's even a mechanic outside."
Skeptically, Enid followed Venom's pointing finger. With just one glance, her azure pupils dilated to the limit!
Above the wing, a gremlin wearing overalls was hanging in mid-air, holding onto a safety rope that looked like several shoelaces tied together with one hand.
In the other hand, it wielded a massive hammer that looked heavy enough to kill a cow, banging CLANG CLANG on the smoking engine casing! Sparks flew everywhere!
Seeming to sense Enid's horrified gaze, the gremlin mechanic stopped hammering, turned its head, and saw the pale-faced Enid through the window.
Instead of any apology, it grinned a "brilliant" smile and waved the hand holding the hammer at her in a friendly manner!
"Oh... Oh my God..."
Enid felt dizzy, her brain giving up on thinking.
She buried her face deep in Vic's warm chest, letting out a whimper filled with despair:
"I must be having a nightmare... yes, this must be a nightmare..."
Vic chuckled, casually accepting a cup of bubbling green "beverage" handed over by a gremlin, and took a sip without a care.
Then he hugged Enid tighter, raising his cup to the hardworking gremlin mechanic outside the window as if enjoying a unique adventure.
Just then, a harsh, metal-scraping noise came from the cabin broadcast, followed by a shrill and cheerful voice:
"Ladies, gentlemen, and non-humans! Welcome to Gremlin Air! Please unfasten your seatbelts and move about freely, because we are about to land."
Wednesday's tightly closed eyes snapped open. Outside the window were rolling lead-grey clouds and endless dark blue ocean. Where was the airport?
"Land?"
Her voice carried a rare, almost imperceptible tension.
"Vic, there doesn't seem to be an airport nearby, correct?"
Her question was drowned out by a series of even more violent metal banging and explosions.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Through the porthole, it was clearly visible—
The gremlin mechanic on the outer wing was winding up with its giant wrench, performing a final "rescue" on the engine spewing black smoke and fire.
Sparks flew, smoke billowed!
Then, under Wednesday's incredulous gaze, the weather-beaten engine let out a dying wail and abruptly detached from its mount.
Trailing flames and black smoke, it plummeted toward the vast ocean below like a shot-down meteor!
And the "dedicated" gremlin mechanic, seemingly due to excessive force, was carried away by inertia.
Flailing in the air, it turned into a small black dot, its shrill scream briefly drowning out the wind.
Wednesday's pupils constricted slightly. Her always calm mask cracked.
This was... their way of landing?
Removing the engine? This was the most hellish joke she had ever heard!
"Oh! Babies! The most exciting part is here!"
Vic burst into excited cheers, his eyes scary bright, as if the long-awaited grand finale had finally begun.
"I just love Gremlin Air's traditional reserved program—unpowered gliding! Hahahaha!"
"What... what unpowered gliding?"
Enid lifted her head from Vic's chest in confusion.
"Uh... Vic, why do I feel... so quiet? The loud noise from the engine seems gone?"
More than just the engine noise was gone.
Wednesday looked expressionlessly at the empty wing strut outside the window, adding internally: The engine itself has "left home."
The shadow of death descended along with the eerie silence. Losing its main power, the plane's nose began to tilt downward at an ominous angle. The feeling of weightlessness crept in quietly.
Even Wednesday clearly felt the extreme threat of life hanging by a thread.
She hesitated no longer. Almost instinctively, like Enid, she reached out and hugged Vic tightly—
The only guy present who might have a way out (or at least serve as a cushion).
hugged tightly by the two girls on his left and right, Vic smiled even more brightly, as if enjoying the top-tier drop tower at an amusement park.
"Hold on tight, babies! Freefall acceleration engaging! Feel the breath of the wind!"
Like a steel bird with broken wings, dragging its tattered fuselage, the plane plummeted resolutely... toward the boundless, cold ocean surface below.