Their figures were like falcons breaking free from restraint, charging forward against the fierce currents with unwavering momentum!
Flying ahead was Remus Lupin, his face stern, short hair wildly whipping in the wind;
Following closely was Mad-Eyed Moody, a sinister smile full of murderous intent on his scarred face, his Magic Eye locked onto Adebayor, teeth bared as if to tear out his throat!
"How is this possible?" Adebayor cried out in shock: "Flying Broomsticks? How could you possibly get such things?"
—According to logic, items the length of a flying broomstick could only be stored in the aircraft's cargo hold and should have been charred by now!
Moreover, he had been watching these people for quite some time and knew they had neither brought flying broomsticks to the United States nor purchased flying carpets or applied for a Portkey.
And Wizards among the Scourers had said that for this type of Magic Items, applying a Transfiguration Spell or Shrinking Spell was basically impossible!
Because the spell would affect the magic on them, causing it to fail or go out of control.
—That was his confidence in setting this trap and thinking he could take down this group of Wizards.
Lupin and Moody completely ignored his questioning; their response was two beams of spelllight tearing through the air!
Adebayor hurriedly tugged at the flying carpet, rolling himself along to dodge the two spells, but the speed of the carpet under his pull barely increased by a fraction, unable to shake off the rapidly approaching brooms!
He was not a true Wizard, and sitting on the flying carpet he could only simply control direction and altitude, unable to accelerate as he wished.
Moreover, items like flying carpets are like sea turtles in the ocean, emphasizing stability and comfort; but in terms of speed and agility, they can't compare with broomsticks like swordfish, even the ancient Comet series could outmatch the most advanced flying carpets.
But Adebayor was after all an experienced Scourer; in a turn, he had already pulled out an extremely small, unusually shaped gray-white gun, unexpectedly firing behind him!
"Bang bang bang bang!"
Four bullets in succession, whistling towards the two as the gunshots sounded dull and strange amidst the roaring winds.
But Moody and Lupin almost instinctively evaded as Adebayor raised his hand, their brooms carving daring arcs through the sky, chasing Adebayor like nimble Bludgers!
The Magic Wand quickly flicked!
The bullets would be deflected by the fierce winds, but the influence on the spells was minimal.
Though Adebayor tried hard to twist his body to dodge, he was still hit by two spells in quick succession!
His body instantly petrified into stone, and the powerful impact knocked him off the flying carpet, plummeting straight down towards the sea below!
Lupin swept past the slowly drifting flying carpet with a "whoosh," swinging his Magic Wand to transform the carpet into a ball of fire.
Meanwhile, Moody piloted the broom, diving towards the petrified Adebayor, first casting the Stunning Spell on him, then grabbing Adebayor by the collar and hauling him onto his broom.
The two descended a bit further before suspending the broom in mid-air.
Lupin shivered uncontrollably, his teeth rattling, making a faint clicking sound.
He glanced at Moody whose lips were blue and eyelashes coated in frost, and gently waved his Magic Wand, spinning a warm breeze around them, gradually dispelling the pervasive chill.
"Merlin's Beard!"
Moody moved his fingers that seemed on the brink of freezing into ice, shivering as he spoke:
"It's my first time flying this high, thought I'd freeze to death... Remus, what spell is this?"
Lupin forced a smile, his teeth chattering as he said: "Warm Breeze Spell, a spell created by Vid."
Moody fell silent for a moment, raising his head to look above.
The huge airplane dashed towards the distant horizon at nearly 900 kilometers per hour.
Couldn't catch up anymore.
Even though their aerial battle was brief, the flight speed of the flying broomsticks was significantly inferior to that of the airplane.
Moreover, at nearly ten thousand meters altitude, the air was thin, the temperature possibly minus fifty degrees; staying here every second was a severe test, even less conducive to rapid flight.
Moody savored the warming comfort of the spell briefly; once his body slightly recovered, he resolutely turned his broom, saying:
"Let's go, we need to lower altitude first."
The two brooms flew side by side, swiftly descending towards the sea surface; as they lowered, they felt the temperature noticeably rise.
Once they reached a height of two to three hundred meters above the sea, the two Wizards first cast the Disillusionment Charm to prevent Muggles from recording their broom-riding figures, then reduced speed, heading towards England.
At this moment, the airplane in the sky had shrunk to a silver point of light.
Moody rotated his Magic Eye, glanced at Lupin only a few meters away, shouted:
"Still got energy, Remus?"
His gaze swept over Lupin's pale face, asking:
"I mean... if we can't fly back in one go, we could just find an uninhabited island to rest for a while!"
Lupin turned his head; though he couldn't see the Disillusioned Moody, he still controlled the broom to close the distance, saying:
"Mad-Eyed, asking this now is pure nonsense."
Even though their crisis seemed resolved, there were countless troubles waiting on that smoky giant in the sky!
The airplane's passengers had almost all seen the scene of them casting magic, flying out on two bare brooms!
To make them forget this experience and fill in appropriate memories was no small task.
Also, casting magic in front of numerous Muggles violated the Confidentiality Law severely. If Fudge were still in charge, they might even end up in Azkaban;
Such a large airplane was severely damaged, several Muggles injured, financial losses immeasurable; the aftermath was terrifying to contemplate;
Furthermore, the Scourers who were thought to be completely disappeared resurfaced again, openly attempted assassination of Vid Gray. If exposed, it would cause a great shock in Europe and America's Magic World!
All these issues weighed heavily on their minds, making them eager to cross space and return instantly—only the sooner they returned to the United Kingdom, the more likely they could take the initiative.
However, long-distance Apparition was extremely dangerous; the two needed at least to step onto British soil to confidently perform this magic.
Of course, Vid must've already notified Dumbledore about this huge matter.
But Moody and Lupin couldn't shove all troubles onto the principal, and pretend like chicks nestled under the wings of a big bird, oblivious to the chaos.
Besides, there was another matter weighing on their hearts.
After a long time, Moody spoke again, his voice deeper, carrying unprecedented gravitas:
"Remus... those... poppets of Vid's..."
As if fearing to disturb something, Mad-Eyed didn't finish his sentence, but Lupin completely understood his unspoken thoughts.
—Those Alchemy Creations that could disguise as ordinary humans, possessing non-human strength, with unknown numbers, their very existence causing fear.
But...
Lupin took a deep breath of cold air, his gaze instinctively tracing the direction of the plane's disappearance.
He slowly spoke, voice small but carrying undeniable certainty:
"Alastor, I always trust Vid. I also believe... he will control what needs controlling!"
Lupin paused before continuing:
"Remember what Modis said? They could mass produce poppets soon..."
"So now, even without Vid, the growth and vast development of poppets are already unstoppable."
"But compared to others, I'd prefer this power in Vid's hands! At least he possesses enough rationality and self-control to know what should absolutely not be done!"
Moody looked deeply at Lupin, lowered his broom, increasing speed a little more, said roughly:
"Then let's hurry, staying a second longer in this god-forsaken place is torturous!"
The two spoke no more, pushing their speed to the maximum, streaking across the sky like meteors, heading for that distant island.