Listening to the muffled sounds from the pager, the captain and first officer frowned.
Aircraft receivers usually had dedicated communicators, and these signals were unlike others. They were broadcast at the strongest frequency, so such fuzzy sounds should not have been a problem.
However, they knew this was not the time to ponder such things and immediately responded to the pager.
"Due to dense fog below, CA1997 requests to divert to the next city for landing."
"Next... city... also foggy..."
"CA1997 flight... *static*..."
Suddenly, a burst of electrical noise emanated, and the expressions of the captain and first officer froze.
What was happening? Was the pager malfunctioning?
"CA1997 calling Ground Control."
After another transmission and a long wait, the pale faces of the captain and first officer turned even whiter. They hadn't received a response, and recalling the intermittent words they had heard earlier, it was clear something was wrong.
But they were on the verge of landing! Without ground control during landing, especially in such thick fog, even experienced pilots would have no confidence.
"What do we do?" the first officer asked urgently.
"What else can we do?" The captain exhaled heavily. He never expected that there would be no fog for landing, only for it to appear immediately after. Crucially, the fog was so dense that the lights below were invisible, leaving only a vast expanse of white.
"This is such bad luck."
"In this situation, we have no choice but to attempt a forced landing!"
The captain knew it wasn't the time for complaints. Taking a deep breath, he quickly made a decision.
"A forced landing?" The first officer gasped, his eyes widening. A successful forced landing would be safe, but a failure meant a catastrophic crash.
"What else can we do?" the captain repeated, taking another breath. "Didn't you hear the tower say the next city is also foggy?"
"Do you expect our plane to fly through the fog to the city after that?"
Hearing this, the first officer instinctively shook his head. In dense fog, visibility was extremely low. Any potential dangers ahead were unpredictable. Furthermore, prolonged flight in fog could lead to condensation on the aircraft's surface freezing due to temperature, altering the wing's shape and causing loss of control, which would be even more terrifying. Lastly, the aircraft's fuel wouldn't be sufficient to fly that far.
"Alright. Believe in yourself!"
The captain glanced at him and began maneuvering the plane downward. There was no other option. A forced landing offered a chance of survival, but not descending meant certain doom.
"Descending slowly," the captain said, controlling the plane as it gradually lost altitude.
However, at that moment, his eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "Holy cow, a bird!"
*Bang!*
As soon as the words left his mouth, the plane suddenly made a loud noise.
*Boom!*
Immediately afterward, an explosion sounded.
"Warning, warning! Right wing damaged!"
"Warning, warning, right engine damaged, loss of control!"
...
Following the initial impact, within a second, the aircraft began to shake violently. Then, numerous needles on the instrument panel started to jump erratically.
"Damn it, ascend, ascend!" the captain shouted, his fingers frantically pressing various buttons. But no matter what he did, the plane showed no change. It continued to plummet towards the ground like a falling meteor.
"We're... finished."
After a prolonged effort, seeing no improvement, the captain and first officer turned deathly pale. All control surfaces were unresponsive, and they couldn't contact the tower. The inevitable outcome was all too clear.
Inside the cabin, numerous safety devices deployed. The immense force of deceleration jolted the sleeping passengers awake.
"What is this..." Dai Xiaomei, sitting in first class, rubbed her sleepy eyes. Before she could finish speaking, a strong sensation of falling struck.
"Holy cow!" Dai Xiaomei snapped back to attention, her face turning white as she saw the scene outside the aircraft.
"What's happening?" Mo Zi, also startled awake, asked Dai Xiaomei, whose expression was ashen.
"We're... we're crashing," Dai Xiaomei's eyes were filled with undisguised terror.
Ao Yuan, lying in their arms, suddenly lifted his head.
"Wuwuwu~ I don't want to die!"
"Is anyone there? Please respond, what in the world is happening!"
"Help, help, why are we crashing out of the blue!"
"You... you guys look... outside... why is there so much fog!"
The previously sleeping passengers were all awakened. As they grasped their predicament, their faces were etched with horror. They cried out in panic.
"Dear passengers, please remain calm."
"Our aircraft has encountered an unexpected situation and is currently in the process of descending."
"However, please do not panic. Remain seated. Our captain is making every effort to regain control."
"Please believe us, please believe us!"
Fortunately, the PA system was still functional. Amidst the passengers' panic, an announcement echoed through the cabin. The flight attendants were also terrified, but as the cabin crew, they had to step forward to comfort the passengers, despite their own fear.
However, as soon as these words were spoken, and before the passengers could relax, *bang!* Under the immense force of the wind, the glass on both sides of the aircraft shattered.
*Whoosh!* A powerful gale swept in from both sides. Glass shards, blown by the wind, left bloody gashes on many passengers. Dai Xiaomei and Mo Zi were fortunate, as Ao Yuan quickly used his body to shield them from the debris, otherwise, they would have fared no better than the others.
"Hmm?" Feeling the wind blowing through the window, Ao Yuan paused. As the wind blew, he felt as if he had been amplified. What was happening?
"Ah! I... I don't want to die."
"Let me go, let me go."
"What do I do? What do I do? I haven't gotten married yet, I... wuwuwu."
"I'm scared, Mom and Dad, ah... wuwuwu."
"Ah! No! No! No!"
...
At this moment, hearing the cries for help, Dai Xiaomei and Mo Zi, protected by Ao Yuan, turned deathly pale.
The next second, Dai Xiaomei couldn't help but hug Ao Yuan and sobbed, "Ah... Daidai... wuwu... I... I shouldn't have brought you to Mount Taibai to find your mother."
"If I hadn't come, you wouldn't be in this danger."
"Wuwuwu... you... you're only a few days old, Daidai, I'm so sorry, wuwuwu."
...