Xiao Guang stared in surprise at the panicked girl before him. The calm and composed demeanor he had cultivated during his year of travels served him well at this moment. "I'm Guang Yunqi, and this beetle is named Dou Dou. He's gentle and serves as my mount. Who are you?"
Assessing the shaken girl, Xiao Guang continued with his steady and deep voice, "I, too, am a human who arrived in this world from a small town about a year ago. We've established a base now, and I was sent to search for those who were scattered by the flood."
With that, Xiao Guang fell silent, waiting to observe the girl's reaction.
Having spent years rescuing people, Xiao Guang had become adept at reading the responses of those he saved. Those accustomed to group living tended to be pleasantly surprised, finding relief in the sense that an organization hadn't abandoned them. Those who had survived alone, however, often displayed a certain nervousness. Yet, those who managed to endure alone possessed remarkable adaptability. After the initial shock and panic, excitement, laughter, or even crying might follow.
In just a few seconds, Xiao Guang made these assessments and chose not to speak further. Instead, he took a step back and sat on a tree branch, observing the girl.
The girl appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, with a beautiful face and delicate features. Her complexion didn't show signs of extreme hunger; it was her peculiar clothing that caught Xiao Guang's attention. It seemed to be made from the skin of some creature, bald and lacking fur. Recalling the ocean and tidal flats, Xiao Guang speculated that this attire might be made from fish skin, indicating fishing skills and the ability to craft clothing. This implied the presence of a group rather than a lone individual.
Seeming to regain her composure rather quickly, the girl's steadiness allowed Xiao Guang to slowly turn his back to her and rise. He did so to prevent her from feeling pressured. No matter where, suddenly standing up in front of a pretty girl, even if she was the person he had just saved, could create certain psychological tensions. In this wilderness, one couldn't predict what unscrupulous acts people might commit, and Xiao Guang didn't want the girl to panic and flee up a tree.
From his bag on Dou Dou's back, Xiao Guang took out two jelly-like substances wrapped in leaves and turned to the girl. "Currently, the leader of our base is Jin Lao, Jin Wei Min. He's my mentor. We've mixed gel into the juice to create these simple jellies for easy carrying. Would you like to try one?"
"Don't be afraid, it's safe now. Take your time and then tell me about the situation on your end. Honestly, I might not have time to go over there and contact your group today. I'll take you back to the outpost shortly for now. Get settled there. Then, I'll need to confirm some things at the base and finally set out to find your companions."
"No, I can't go with you right now, Xiao Guang. Please help us. We're in desperate need of your assistance." The girl didn't accept the juice and stood up, urgently pleading.
"Hmm?" Xiao Guang was momentarily puzzled. What surprised him, especially, was the way she casually and smoothly called his name. Even though he had introduced himself earlier, most people wouldn't address him so easily, as if they had known him for a long time.
"I'm aware of your existence," the girl explained. "We had companions who attempted to explore across the tidal flats and come over here. Though they weren't successful, one person did return alive. He saw your record on a makeshift driftwood bottle. Though he didn't live long after rejoining us, he left behind information about you."
Xiao Guang glanced at the girl, and she continued, "That brave individual mentioned that the base has been searching for survivors all along, particularly mentioning a warrior named Xiao Guang who rides flying insects, searching for us everywhere."
"We're in danger now. Please help us," the girl implored Xiao Guang with an anxious expression. "Yesterday, we were attacked."
Xiao Guang's eyebrows raised. "Attacked? What happened?"
"We live on the other side of the ocean," the girl pointed towards the sea level, "Beyond the ocean, there's a vast tidal flat. During high tide, it gets covered by water, and that's when we drift over the flat to a sea island. It's a massive protruding boulder. We've been living on top of that boulder on the sea's surface for a year now, making a living by fishing. Currently, there are still seven hundred and fifty of us remaining."
"Is the tidal flat dangerous?" Xiao Guang asked.
"Yes! If you look around from a distance, besides this boulder, there's nowhere else suitable for survival. During high tide, the area is submerged in water, and during low tide, it becomes a tidal flat. As soon as people step onto the flat, countless huge crabs and sandworms hunt us down," the girl explained calmly.
"So, you've been stranded on this boulder island?"
"Yes. We can survive on the boulder due to the presence of seabirds. When the crabs swarm up, the seabirds prey on them. Even if a few crabs manage to escape the seabirds, they won't find us on the boulder. We've found ourselves in this delicate balance, residing in caves, using simple weapons, and constructing defenses to survive. Because seabirds don't harm us, we can use their feathers and eggshells to create the equipment we need. The adventurers' small boats are made from feathers and eggshells." The girl's thoughts were clear, and her voice was pure and ethereal.
"But starting last week, the seabirds have been diminishing, and people in our group have been disappearing for no apparent reason. The ecosystem here has been stable—warm climate, abundant food—but suddenly, the seabirds are gradually disappearing, and scientists are baffled," the girl's voice grew more urgent.
"And with the decreasing seabirds, the crabs are increasing. It seems they might take over the island. At that point, we'll have nowhere to hide. Last night, we moved to the highest point. There, a few seabirds have settled and can help us defend against the crabs." The girl's voice showed concern, but she didn't elaborate further.
The clear and concise narrative immediately made Xiao Guang grasp the situation's essence and urgency. Yet, he looked at the girl with a question. "The seabirds are decreasing, but why are you blaming the birds? Aren't birds not known to attack humans?"
Biting her lip, the girl replied, "I climbed onto the birds myself."
"What?" Xiao Guang was momentarily confused. "You know how to control them?"
"I don't," the girl pouted, "I just wanted to understand why they were leaving. They were disappearing fast."
"My dad and the others were all busy. There was nothing I could do to help, and everyone kept me safe at the end. But I wanted to be useful," the girl recounted tearfully.
"So, you found a seabird that was about to fly away and rode on it?"
"Yes," the girl nodded, then sat down, hugging her knees, a pitiful look in her eyes. The heart-wrenching cries of her father at that moment made her feel that her bravery had lost its value.
Xiao Guang was left somewhat speechless, already piecing together the story.
In dire circumstances, the girl was protected by everyone, but she wanted to contribute something. So, she took a one-in-a-million chance and, relying on the protagonist's luck, succeeded.
"How far away is it from here? How long would it take to fly there?" Xiao Guang pointed towards the beetle.
"Not far. The sea is a bit rough, so I estimate it'll take about two or three hours if we fly," the girl looked at Xiao Guang, her tear-filled eyes shimmering with hope.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Xiao Guang replied, "Climb on, show the way. Let's go beat those crabs."
"Yes," the girl nodded vigorously.
Next, Xiao Guang helped the girl onto the beetle. She asked, "Can I sit in the front?"
"Hmm? You want me to sit behind you and hold on?" Xiao Guang made a hugging gesture.
"Yes!" The girl nodded, "I'm afraid I won't hold onto you properly if I sit in the back, and you won't be able to see if I fall."
"Alright!" Xiao Guang supported the girl from behind, and the golden beetle soared into the sky with both of them on it.
What left Xiao Guang speechless was that, in the air, the girl wasn't scared anymore; instead, she shouted excitedly, "Dad, brothers, hang on! I've brought reinforcements!"
With Xiao Guang's urging, the beetle's wings vibrated in a humming motor-like manner, speeding up in flight. The air friction effect sounded like it brushed against his ears. This greatly surprised the girl seated at the back.
"Brother Yunqi, at this rate, we'll be there in an hour!" The girl's lips were pretty and her words were sweet.
"Good," Xiao Guang replied, "While we're flying, tell me about the crabs' habits and the terrain there. We might need that information later."
"Over there is a tidal flat. At dawn, the tide rises, and within two or three hours at most, it's completely submerged, though the water isn't very deep."
"At the highest point of high tide, there's an hour of stillness. Around eleven o'clock, the tide starts to recede. By noon, ebb tide ends. Ebbing is much faster than flooding."
"The remaining time is all tidal flat until the next day."
In a few sentences, the girl described the general environment. Calculating the time, Xiao Guang concluded that the tidal flooding should have started over there a while ago.
"During the flooding, there are strange fish that come with the tide to the flat. These fish are smart. When we drifted past an area similar to a beachside mangrove, we saw them knocking against trees, knocking insects off them, and eating them. They would repeatedly hit the trees at varying frequencies. Some biologists think this requires a long period of evolution, suggesting they might possess collective intelligence."
Xiao Guang nodded. Old Jin had analyzed in his letters that the island's creatures, similar to those on the mainland, underwent peculiar evolution in its closed environment. Not just fish, even insects exhibited behavior habits beyond the ordinary.
"These fish take advantage of the flooding to come and eat the bugs in the mud. Some bugs keep coming out from the mud, and they keep eating them. But some bugs don't come out anymore."
"At this point, the larger fish take the lead, forming a circle. The largest one thrusts into the mud like plowing a field. It digs up the soil, going deeper each time. Those sandworms are very soft, relying on their holes drilled beforehand to escape sideways. They can't determine the direction, so they're eaten in batches."
"They keep 'plowing' the land like that to find bugs to eat, driving the crabs to scuttle around."
"The crabs are fierce; they eat everything—mud, small fish, small shrimp. Sometimes we see dead creatures or accidentally fallen young birds; they rush up to eat them. Even if the young birds are alive, crabs still attack them in groups. However, the adult birds only stay on the rocks and don't go to the tidal flats."
Xiao Guang heard the underlying message; there must have been someone surrounded by crabs and killed.
"Especially the larger crabs, when the adult birds aren't around, they climb onto the rocks. They attack young birds and eggs. Even when the adult birds return, they can only drive them away. The larger crabs have particularly thick shells, enabling them to withstand the attacks."
"Do they have no natural predators?" Xiao Guang inquired.
"They do—seabirds are their natural predators. However, seabirds have many food sources, like fish and shrimp. It's not certain that they will attack crabs. Crabs have hard shells that aren't suitable for seabirds to eat," the young girl replied.
"Then won't the crab population keep increasing?" Xiao Guang raised a question.
"No, the crabs here are strange. They molt frequently, once every two months or so. During their molting period, which lasts about three days, seabirds will actively harass the molting crabs." The girl paused, "The smart fish do the same; whenever they see a molting crab, they eat it."
"Currently, we're mainly relying on seabirds for our residence. Initially, there were many seabirds on the boulder, and no crabs dared to approach. About a month ago, the seabirds started decreasing..." The girl began her account.