The crowd immediately erupted into panic. No one knew why the wild rat was charging towards them—whether it was just passing by or had some sinister intent. The dean was also taken aback, his mouth agape, staring at the rat the size of a house, his fists clenched tightly.
Commander Li Ji of the military cast a bitter look at the giant rat and then at the disordered formation of both soldiers and civilians. He deeply understood the helplessness that Liu Huangshu had felt all those years ago.
"Everyone, scatter! Carry the children, support the elderly, and run quickly—"
Having said that, he hoisted an old man beside him and dashed madly towards the cave on the hill of yellow soil. At times like this, saving even just one person mattered.
Chaos erupted on the scene. People started yelling, pushing, and shoving. Some soldiers, disregarding everything else, picked up children and ran amidst the crowd. The mothers of the children stumbled and followed along. Elderly folks, unsteady on their feet, cooperated by hunching over the soldiers' backs. A few pregnant women were carried on stretchers throughout the way, getting down momentarily only to be lifted up and carried away again.
Disaster struck, and the scene descended into chaos, with everyone thrown into confusion. The people on the slope resembled ants, swarming like waves, filled with colossal boulders, surging toward the entrance of the cave.
Xiao Guang's strength was of little use. He couldn't carry the elderly, was unable to lift pregnant women, and became tired from carrying the children for too long. He could only hurriedly follow in the middle of the group, running nervously and looking back from time to time.
"Damn," Xiao Guang cursed. The speed of that wild rat was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, it had reached the rear of the crowd, causing screams. Some soldiers turned back, unable to bear seeing the people chased down by the rat, feeling helpless.
Li Ji, with the old man on his back, ran at the forefront. He glanced back at this moment and astonishingly, the wild rat had stopped. It stared at the ant-like crowd. Who knew what this creature was planning? Steeling himself, Li Ji shouted loudly, "Don't look back, keep running—"
Suddenly, the sprinting rat swiftly changed direction, charging toward the densest part of the crowd. Xiao Guang, running in the middle, had a bad feeling. A chill ran down his spine, prompting him to turn around. What he saw terrified him beyond measure. The enormous rat had already reached him, exuding a foul stench. Its sharp, gigantic claws and teeth were capable of swatting away dozens of soldiers with a single swipe. Its bushy tail was thicker than several people combined, and even the whiskers around its mouth looked sharp enough to pierce through someone. The rat's limbs kicked up dust and debris as it charged forward.
Xiao Guang ran for his life, suddenly hearing a girl's voice. It was a loud cry, "Dad—Dad—"
Xiao Guang turned his head, and the rat, seemingly going mad, started spinning in place. Occasionally, it raised its head to the sky. An old man was caught in the whirlwind stirred up by the rat. The soldier who had supported him lay nearby, his face covered in blood, brows furrowed.
The old man underneath the rat's body was disoriented and bumped into the rat in panic, but he managed to grab onto its fur and hung onto it.
"Dad—," the girl next to them saw the situation, panicked, and rushed over, regardless of the danger.
"Don't go, be careful!" Xiao Guang yelled at the sight. The rat was spinning uncontrollably, and a single misstep could cost the girl her life. However, she was not only brave but also daring, skillfully dodging the spinning rat's feet and rushing towards her father. It was a perilous situation.
Xiao Guang's head felt hot, and scanning his surroundings, he picked up a rudimentary spear. Without thinking, he exerted all his strength, shouting at the top of his lungs. He jumped into the air and hurled the spear at the rat.
Xiao Guang's luck aligned perfectly with his name. The rat was hit where it hurt the most—its eye. It stopped spinning instantly, clawing at its eye. Seizing the opportunity, the girl bravely grabbed onto the rat's fur and started climbing, intending to rescue the bewildered old man. Meanwhile, Xiao Guang had put too much force into the throw, losing his balance. Stumbling and faltering, he ran a few steps and then landed on the rat's leg, clutching onto its pungent fur.
At that moment, an unexpected incident occurred. A sharp, tearing screech tore through the air from above. People were so focused on the giant rat that they forgot about the predator in the sky.
A huge eagle swooped down from the heavens. It seized the opportunity while the rat was rubbing its eye and snatched it with its sharp talons, swiftly carrying it into the sky. The three people hanging onto the rat were also lifted into the air, all of it happening in an instant. The enormous boulders on the slope suddenly fell silent. The disaster that had struck suddenly vanished, leaving behind a group of survivors burdened with a sense of guilt.
The fleeing crowd came to a halt, momentarily dazed as they looked around. Some began to weep, others groaned in pain, and still others held their loved ones and wept bitterly.
"Help the injured and guide people into the cave," Li Ji commanded.
The exhausted soldiers sprang into action without the slightest complaint. The dean gazed at the sky, the heart-stopping scene just now, like his friend Old Jin and his daughter... Ah, the odds were against them. He felt even more distressed. But who was that brave young man?
"Ah—! Help—!" Xiao Guang continued shouting loudly in the sky as the wind roared past his ears. He didn't hear that there was another girl's voice beside him, also yelling, "Stop yelling—!" An eagle had caught the rat, and the rat was carrying three mini human figures on its fur as it soared higher.
Xiao Guang watched the world below him grow distant. His legs felt weak, his hands grew sore, and he was on the verge of tears. Seeing the girl next to him also on the brink of tears, Xiao Guang planned to cry, but when he looked up, he saw an old man unsteadily clutching the rat's fur. It seemed he was about to lose his grip.
A dreadful premonition immediately arose, and sure enough, there could be worse luck. As the old man's grip weakened, he fell straight down, aiming accurately for Xiao Guang.
"Damn, ah—!" Xiao Guang was hit head-on. The two of them tumbled downward, and the girl witnessed this, yelling, "Dad—!" She clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and let go of her grip in mid-air. She also descended.
"Ah—! Ah—! Wow—!" Xiao Guang, who had never parachuted before and was somewhat afraid of heights, finally burst into tears. He was spinning while falling from the sky, crying out. Then everything went black, and he landed face down on something soft and mushy.
"Ouch, damn it." As Xiao Guang stood up, he wiped his face with his hand. What was this? It was smeared on his face like mud, making it hard to breathe.
He blinked vigorously and rubbed his face with both hands, finally able to open his eyes. In his blurry vision stood a woman, with beautiful, distant mountain-shaped eyebrows, eyes like stars, and lips as lovely as peach blossoms. Looking at him, her expression was a mix of resignation, embarrassment, and a hint of disdain.
"Wait, disdain?" Suddenly, Xiao Guang felt his heart race. He looked at his hand, which had been smeared with excrement, and despite the thick layer of bird droppings, his expression of frustration couldn't be concealed.
Looking at the brave young man with his fists clenched tightly, his face full of pain, the girl understood his feelings. She took a step back and tried to comfort him, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. This kind of thing has a very low probability. Actually, it's enough to be proud of yourself for the rest of your life."
After speaking, the girl took another step back, as she had clearly deciphered the resentment gleaming in his eyes through the bird droppings. "If you weren't handsome, do you believe I would beat you up?"
"First, let's clean up a bit." A voice came from the side. "There's a lot of dew over there."
After a while, a dewdrop served as the price for a no longer crystal-clear complexion, and a person emerged from the water who, despite being drenched, was no longer melancholic.
"This, this..." Xiao Guang looked down, then raised his head to look around, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Suddenly, he became very happy and shouted at the father and daughter, "We've safely landed, haven't we?"
"Uh, about that." The girl seemed a little reluctant. She couldn't help but wonder if the guy who had rushed to save her father had lost his mind. He was rather handsome, but it was a pity. "Hey, mister, don't wander around. Stop for a moment. We haven't landed yet."
"What?" Xiao Guang, who was in the midst of bowing, suddenly froze. He immediately jumped up and looked at the girl. "What did you say? We're still in the air?"
"Yeah!" The girl nodded firmly, pointing to the side. "Go over there and see for yourself."
Xiao Guang followed her pointing finger and then looked back at the girl, who nodded. "Go on!"
Xiao Guang hesitated and walked over, glancing around uneasily. The sky, the green ground, an uneasy thought emerged, and a crack in the ground caught his attention. Xiao Guang walked over and looked down. Immediately, he sat down on the ground, exclaiming, "Oh my god, you scared me."
The old man watched, his lips curling up slightly. This young man was rather amusing. The girl, on the other hand, walked up and kicked Xiao Guang's rear end!
"Hey, get up! Stop acting like a baby and come help. If the wind picks up, we'll be blown up to the sky. We're already on top of the trees," the little girl teased Xiao Guang mercilessly.
"What? Flying?" Xiao Guang, who was praying, immediately stood up. With a pious expression, he asked, "Miss, are you serious?"
"I'm serious, I promise I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, ask my dad."
Xiao Guang glanced at the old man. Only now did he carefully examine the old man's appearance and immediately recognized him as a famous figure from a magazine.
"Mr. Jin? Are you really Mr. Jin? Mr. Jin, I'm Guang Yunqi." Xiao Guang was excited. "I really admire you. I love your works, especially the series of 'Scientific Insights.' They explain complex theories in a simple and easy-to-understand way. That's the mark of a true expert!"
"That's meant for middle school students!" the girl muttered on the side. "Is this kid silly?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah." The enthusiasm of Xiao Guang left Mr. Jin not knowing how to respond. From the looks of it, this young man seemed fine, just a bit simple. Wait a minute? He looked familiar, like the guy who fixes computers around the streets, the one kids seem to like, "Uncle Fool?"
"Quickly, let's figure out how to get back to the ground first. You can butter up later," the little girl reminded.
"Junya, be polite," Mr. Jin cautioned.
Junya made a sound and looked at the bewildered Xiao Guang, her eyes filled with amusement.
"Young man, you're Guang Yunqi, right? Our current location should be the top of the trees. As you just saw, when we were in the sky, did you notice that? This is an expansive forest. We're at the top of the forest. Ecologically speaking, the top is the closest to sunlight and the safest place. But getting down is another story. Considering the human body size, these giant trees are about thirty to fifty meters tall, as high as dozens of floors. For us right now, we need to scale up by about a factor of two hundred, making it comparable to being on an airplane." Mr. Jin explained calmly.
Junya looked at the utterly clueless Xiao Guang and thought, he cried even while in the sky. I wonder if he wet himself. With that thought, she even glanced at his crotch.
Xiao Guang might have caught on to Junya's expressive face and strong emotions, as he lowered his head, glanced at himself, and then returned a glare, lifting his chin and puffing up his chest. It left Junya feeling a bit embarrassed. How could he understand this? He's quite sharp.
Mr. Jin paid no attention to the small actions of the two and continued, "While you were washing... um, your face just now, Junya and I discussed. Based on the time and the speed of the eagle's flight just now, we've been carried about two kilometers away. Considering our pace along with the complexity of the ground, it will probably take us a month to get back."
"First, we need to get down from the tree," Junya added on the side, mischief sparkling in her eyes. She had an inexplicable fondness for Xiao Guang at first sight, and she wanted to tease him.
"If we really have to go down, it's so high!" Xiao Guang's voice trembled.
"It's alright," Mr. Jin reassured, "listen to me. Actually, we usually won't die from a fall. Did you notice that when we fell from the sky onto the leaves, we didn't feel uncomfortable at all? Even when we trip on the ground, it doesn't hurt as much. The injuries among us are only due to attacks. We're like ants. Do ants die from falls?"
"Yeah, that makes sense." Xiao Guang felt happy, but then he suddenly felt something was off. "Mr. Jin, you're not...?"
"Correct, scaredy-cat. We just need to jump down!" Junya didn't mince her words and eagerly struck him with the truth. She had a mischievous smile on her face.
"Yunqi, right? You must be very lucky. Just jump, alright!" Junya was not polite, trying to shake him. She pointed to a gap between leaves and continued tauntingly, "Come on, hero."
"I...," Xiao Guang's legs went weak again, and he plopped down on the ground.