"I am the Dragon Knight..." Two days later, Su Pei's cheerful laughter drifted over the sea.
"I am the wind, illuminating the sky with lightning," Su Pei exclaimed excitedly in the air.
Following closely behind, Xiao Guang listened and smiled without saying a word, this somewhat eccentric girl.
"Yunqi, come to the stern, let's have a talk!" Su Lao led the way, followed by several officers including Ma Lao and Li Ji.
Xiao Guang was taken aback, "Sure!"
Having finished their business, Xiao Guang and the others strolled back to the bow of the ship with light steps.
People leaned against the railings, gazing at the tiny dots in the sky, buzzing like bees, flying past the bow, the stern, and the sides of the ship. Excitement filled their expressions as they witnessed the birth of a new star in this dire situation.
"It's truly flying, yet the reality before our eyes seems so unreal," Ma Lao, a plump man, muttered to himself.
"Yes, this year has been like a dream, and I don't know how we managed to get through it," Su Lao whispered softly on the side.
"I want to return to her side. I promised that I would definitely go back. For her sake, I'm willing to give everything. I must see a more beautiful homeland appear before me—or maybe before my grave."
"You, Old Ma..." Su Lao looked at his old friend in astonishment, "I never thought that you, of all people, would have such a romantic encounter in that world. I always assumed you've been single for science's sake."
"You old fool, I'm quoting lines. You wouldn't understand the elegance of Duanmu Hongliang's writing."
"A Japanese book, huh? Of course I haven't read it."
"That's a pen name of a Chinese author. You're so uncultured!"
"Well..."
"Look it up online. Oh, but there's no internet now. Ah, you can't just search things up online anytime. People's depth and culture are revealed in moments like this."
"Hmph." Su Lao turned his head, dismissing the conversation.
"I'm thinking about a long-term issue. If we can't return to that world, how can we preserve the civilization from there in this world?" After a moment of silence, the plump old man spoke.
"All those cultures, those books, how much essence do they contain? Should we write them down silently to preserve them, or select useful knowledge? I often stay awake at night, after survival, pondering how to carry forward this culture. Is it even necessary to carry it forward? Even if we memorize the Four Great Classical Novels, is it necessary for future generations of this world to understand them?"
"For those of us surviving here, the history has already diverged. It's not meaningful to be entangled with the past history. To comprehend the classics of that world, one needs to relearn the cultural context. This could burden our descendants." Su Lao's tone was somewhat flat but filled with both reluctance and determination.
"We can't worry about all that now. Just like those comrades who will forever remain on the island, even if we can leave this world, we can never take them with us."
"Perhaps there's hardly any chance left. Originally, we were a comprehensive military research base. Some mysterious and unknown object was temporarily transported here and then inexplicably exploded. We ended up here by chance, and now we can't piece together the truth of the matter. However, I speculate that the original space has been shattered, creating a new world or a new space. Where exactly, I don't know—perhaps in some dimension, perhaps in the depths of the universe. Therefore, as time passes and lives are lost, our connection to this world and the new world becomes more stable. Returning almost becomes a dream when time and space are stable. Perhaps Earth is still searching for us, but the difficulty is no less than searching for extraterrestrial life millions of light-years away." Su Lao's tone remained calm, "We might very well be on a planet billions of light-years away."
"Can you please not be so straightforward? Can't you leave some room for hope?"
"Well, what else can we do? People who love literature enjoy fantasizing. I'm afraid you'll have a mental breakdown if I don't bluntly tell you."
"Hmph."
The two fell into silence once more, watching the girl in the sky.
"Let's still look at the sky. When you're feeling down, look at the sky. It's so vast that it surely can embrace all grievances," the chubby old man named Ma quickly regained his mood, happily shaking his head. "Who would've thought this girl had such talent."
"I really can't figure it out. Once we're ashore, let's study it together with the folks at the base," Su Lao replied.
Xiao Guang smiled while gazing at Su Pei in the sky.
"Let her come down, save some of Doudou's energy," Su Lao, in true parent fashion, had started calling his daughter's favorite beetle 'Doudou.'
"It's alright, Doudou has excellent endurance," Xiao Guang replied. "She's been flying for only about half an hour these past few days, just stretching her muscles a bit. No problem. Besides, Su Pei has given all her juice to Doudou."
"Hehe, right, let her fly a bit longer," Ma Lao stared fixedly at the sky, saying joyfully.
Su Pei had mentioned to Xiao Guang that the old man was a true biologist and historian, young at heart and never married. Her own mother had passed away when she was very young, and when her father had meetings or had to work overtime and couldn't be there for her, he would entrust her to him. So, he treated her as he would his own daughter, and she regarded him as family.
Li Ji exclaimed beside them, "Fate, with so many people, only this girl can do it." Then he turned to Xiao Guang, bowing his fist, "Apologies to you, I was petty. I used to think you were hoarding knowledge when I saw everyone struggling to learn. But now, it seems I misunderstood you."
"Hehe, it's fine. I didn't hear you complaining either."
"I glared at you from behind."
"I saw it and, in my heart, I despised you."
"I grumbled internally."
"Me too."
"I concur!"
...
Several officers like Shi Xiaofang exchanged remarks with each other.
"Hehe, it's okay, it's okay. I understand. I really hope all of you can learn too. Then we'll have another team. It's a lot of pressure to fly all by myself," Xiao Guang said.
Su Lao stared at Xiao Guang for a while, "Could it be that no one else on that side has learned, and you were busy saving people? There's a lot of talk about keeping things to oneself and taking credit for one's own achievements."
"It doesn't matter." Xiao Guang smiled. "Maybe I'm just not good at teaching. But now, the little girl has learned. Maybe she can figure out some secret."
The chubby old man raised his thumb at Xiao Guang. "A true warrior!"
"The little girl can't explain why for now, which is strange. She keeps saying she feels something. Could it really be so mystical?" Old Ma, too, was wondering, his curiosity growing heavier.
"Ma Lao, you better work hard. The whole team's counting on you to uncover the secret," Li Ji said as he playfully clenched his fist towards Xiao Guang.
"Hehe, no problem, I haven't heard you complain either."
"I was glaring at you from the back," Li Ji said bluntly, pointing at a few people. "They saw it too."
"Haha, I saw it, and I'm also silently judging you in my heart."
"I was grumbling."
"Count me in."
"I second that!"
...
Shi Xiaofang and the other officers exchanged comments back and forth.
"Hehe, don't worry, don't worry. I understand. It really doesn't matter. I truly hope that all of you will learn, so we can have another team. Flying all by myself is quite challenging," Xiao Guang reassured.
Su Lao stared at Xiao Guang for a moment. "Could it be that nobody on the other side has learned yet? And with you being occupied with rescuing people, rumors spread about keeping secrets and seeking recognition for one's achievements."
"It's fine," Xiao Guang chuckled. "Maybe I just don't have the knack for teaching. But now things are looking up since the little girl has learned. Perhaps she'll uncover some secret."
The plump old man raised his thumb toward Xiao Guang. "A true warrior!"
"The little girl can't really explain why for now, it's odd. She keeps saying she feels something. Could it truly be that mystical?" Even Old Ma was puzzled, his curiosity growing.
"Ma Lao, you've got to give it your all. Everyone's expecting you to find the key to it," Li Ji said as he playfully raised his fist towards Xiao Guang.
"Hehe, no worries, I didn't hear you complaining either."
"I was glaring at you from behind," Li Ji spoke frankly, pointing at a few individuals. "They saw it too."
"Haha, I saw it, and I've also been quietly judging you in my heart."
"I was grumbling."
"Include me in."
"I second that!"
...
Shi Xiaofang and the other officers continued their banter.
"More than just you, the base has been pondering for a year and hasn't gotten a clue. Currently, they can't even command a snail."
"Now there are two of them. Looks like when we go back, we'll need a thorough investigation. There must be some pattern."
As they conversed, they looked at Su Pei in the sky, the cheering crowd, and Xiao Guang, ready to take off at any moment.
After Xiao Guang had explained the basics to Su Pei a couple of days earlier, he took her to the sky. He was surprised to find that Doudou, the beetle, readily followed her commands. From Xiao Guang teaching to Su Pei test flying, it quickly turned into Su Pei flying and Xiao Guang sitting in the back.
Now, it had become Su Pei flying alone, and Xiao Guang watched from the back of the beetle.
Su Pei led Doudou in a swift dive, just about to touch the water's surface when they rapidly skimmed over it. At times, she shot upwards into the sky, sometimes flew at high speed, other times hovered to a stop, occasionally spun in the air, drawing cheers from the people on the ship.
"She's very clever, learns really quickly. It took me many days to learn, but she understood as soon as she heard it," Xiao Guang praised sincerely.
"No, what you're doing is unprecedented. There's no way research and exploration can progress that quickly. Xiao Pei is merely learning from your experience."
"Su Lao, I want to discuss something with you," Xiao Guang suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm? Go ahead."
"While other beetles might cooperate with Su Pei, they haven't had extended riding time. Su Pei just started driving the beetle, so she's a bit unfamiliar with it. I've given Doudou to her, so could you let her ride it?"
"Hehe, you're making a painful sacrifice and you're consulting me?" Su Lao chuckled. "Yesterday, she asked you for Doudou, and I didn't agree. But now you're speaking up for her."
"It's not really speaking up for her. She's just a kid. You're too strict with her. Yesterday, she clearly liked Doudou and wanted to swap riding for a few days with me. I was about to agree when you scolded her."
"Haha, this kid doesn't have any hidden motives. It's me who spoiled her." Su Lao sighed. "I'm worried you'll be busy often and without a familiar mount, it'll be a problem. Isn't she just messing around?"
"She'll get used to it as she rides more."
"Oh my, since you're giving it away, don't say you don't want it to Su Pei," seeing Su Lao about to say something, Ma Lao on the side chimed in, "Young man, I thank you on behalf of Su Pei! You're quite something!"
"This..." Su Lao rolled his eyes at Ma Lao, "Xiao Guang, I really appreciate it. I owe you another big favor."
"Ah, it's not just a favor, after all, you saved our lives. There's no need to be polite," Ma Lao spoke up again, "Xiao Guang, this old Su here is just a bookworm. He doesn't know how to talk. Don't take him too seriously. What he meant is that if we need something in the future, just say it. We're now friends for life, after all."
Suppressing a laugh, Xiao Guang nodded involuntarily. He thought, you guys are all bookworms.
Su Lao stood at the bow of the ship, waving his hand and shouting loudly. Su Pei, who hadn't had enough fun, landed on the bow.
Su Pei hopped off the beetle, patting its head like one would pat a small dog. "Good job!"
Doudou shook its head, its brain changing, and obediently rested there. Unlike other beetles that had been temporarily enlisted, Doudou didn't need a leash. Ma Lao had always been amazed by this fact, as it overturned all his preconceptions. Had these creatures developed intelligence?
"Dad, how did I do with flying?"
"Even better, let me tell you some good news. Your dad agreed that Xiao Guang can give Doudou to you," Ma Lao chimed in excitedly.
"Really?" Su Pei jumped up in joy. "Thank you, Xiao Guang."
"You're welcome."
"But I can't accept it. Doudou is yours. I'd be happy borrowing it to play when I want," Su Pei said with a smile.
"Will you feed it and take care of it?"
"Of course, I won't neglect it or tire it out."
"Then adopt it, it'll be harder for me, and it's been working hard. Let it enjoy its life with you."
"Alright, I'll take good care of it." Su Pei agreed immediately.
"Smart kid," Ma Lao glanced at Xiao Guang and thought to himself.
"If everyone could ride, it'd be great. We could all get on beetles and fly back to the base together," Su Pei sighed.
"Yeah, let's figure out a way once we're back. By then, the two of you should cooperate well in researching. I need to think it through," Ma Lao joined the conversation. "I feel that if things don't work out, I'll have to slice and observe you two, and surely I'll find out the reason."
Laughter erupted among the onlookers. The land was not far ahead, and today they would be able to land on solid ground. Everyone's mood and morale were unprecedentedly high.
"Once I saved people stranded in the mangroves. I rode a huge golden beetle, seven or eight times larger than Doudou, and flew away with hundreds of people."
"Wow, then why not bring a few golden beetles?" Su Pei asked.
"They don't have long-lasting endurance. At most, they can fly for half an hour, then they need to rest and eat," Doudou explained.
"Later, through various trials, I found that beetles like Doudou have enduring stamina and gentle temperaments. Most importantly, it's as if they resonate with humans."
"Indeed," Ma Lao joined in. "In these past few days of observation, I always felt like they are old friends of ours, as if we've lost the invitation."
"Land—"
The shouts of the observers and Su Pei reached their ears. The people who were chatting shivered and hurried to the bow of the ship.
The bow was crowded with people, and the crowd was gazing intently. In the distant horizon, a slender line, undulating slightly, appeared and disappeared on the sea's surface. It was the land that everyone had been longing for.
Cheers resounded one after another, stopping only after a long time. It was unclear who started to sob softly, but everyone fell silent. This motley group, with tattered clothes and rough appearance, wandering away from home, having experienced life and death. They had never cried in the face of danger, but now their eyes glistened with tears. They stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant hope.
Li Ji, cheerful, quickly called out to everyone, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up, get moving. Row the boat, let's head for the beach. Charge!"
"Yes!"
The boat's speed immediately increased, and the shouts echoed back and forth.
At this moment, Su Pei was in the sky, suppressing the urge to fly towards the land. The golden beetle seemed to sense the rider's excitement on its back, and it spun around with even more joy.