Chapter 1438: Chapter 1438: Pilot
When a row of flashing eyes appeared on the screen, Ji You’s expression changed!
"Damn!"
"When did they show up?"
"Why didn’t the monitor give a warning?"
Ji You couldn’t figure it out, her heart was pounding, and every cell in her body trembled involuntarily.
Principal Hong had already taken over control a step ahead, and the spaceship accelerated in an instant, but at that moment, clusters of eyes around them also moved.
Sitting inside the spaceship’s cockpit, Ji You and Dr. Luo felt the ship shake violently!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Crash~"
"Rustle~"
"Swipe Swipe~"
...
Though the view was unclear, from the sounds coming from outside, Ji You could sense what those eyes were doing!
They must be crazily colliding, gnawing, and slapping the spaceship’s hull.
The spaceship shook even more violently, and its speed inadvertently decreased. Principal Hong squinted his eyes, looking extremely serious.
Dr. Luo stood beside him, not moving for the moment.
Ji You readied the gun and cannon, lying beside the launching platform, poised to confront the enemy at any moment.
A hand landed on Ji You’s shoulder, and she turned her head to meet Dr. Luo’s eyes.
Dr. Luo shook his head and said: "These are a swarm of mutated mayflies! After mutation, their hearing, touch, and perception became very dull. As long as you carefully avoid them, they won’t notice you. You see, Principal Hong is driving the spaceship as cautiously as if treading on a tightrope, avoiding them without initiating an attack. So, you don’t need to act. Once they realize their swarm is under attack, they’ll quickly gather to counterattack! Do you know how many there are here?"
Ji You opened her mouth: "How could I count? There must be at least thousands of trillions, right?"
Dr. Luo said: "That’s why we can’t fight them; we have to run."
Ji You: "..."
She only now realized that retreating is a tradition at their school.
Ji You put down the gun and cannon, thought for a moment, then turned and asked: "But wait, look at those things constantly hitting our spaceship, don’t they think this is an attack?"
"That’s right." Dr. Luo nodded, pointing at the glinting eyes outside the monitor, which now seemed creepy, and said: "Even though they have big eyes, they’re blind."
Ji You: "..."
Dr. Luo said: "These are mutated mayflies in their reproductive period with increased aggression. Because they’re blind and deaf with dull senses, as long as we don’t actively attack, even if they collide with the spaceship, they’ll just think they encountered an obstacle. However, this is only temporary. Once their spawning period ends, they’ll clear all obstacles they can sense or touch to allow their eggs to land on the nearest planet. So, we must leave the mayfly swarm quickly, or we won’t be able to escape."
Upon hearing this, Ji You instantly became tense.
Through the monitor, all she could see were dense eyes stretching endlessly, not knowing how large the swarm was. Can they escape quickly?
Ji You unconsciously turned to Principal Hong at the helm, who was squinting, but whether it was the movement of his hands or his aura, he exuded calmness and ease, which settled Ji You’s heart instantly.
This—
This must be what security feels like.
A security given by a reliable elder.
The feeling of being protected was warm.
Dr. Luo had sat down again, but Ji You stayed standing behind Principal Hong, watching his actions closely.
When the mayflies came crashing, Principal Hong piloted the spaceship like leaves swaying in the wind, which not only reduced the impact of the collisions and the ship’s damage but also increased speed to escape the mayfly circle quickly.
...
Ji You watched intently, and soon a second figure joined her: Chu Jiaojiao.
Ji You remained still, and Chu Jiaojiao didn’t say a word.
Next.
A third figure appeared; Sheng Qingyan yawned, struggled to open his eyelids, and silently stood on Ji You’s other side.
Then.
Liu Fufeng, Shen Changqing, Yue Qiguang...
Once everyone was gathered, Principal Hong didn’t turn around, still focused on operating the spaceship.
The spaceship hadn’t left the mayfly swarm.
The situation wasn’t optimistic, but the atmosphere inside wasn’t oppressive or tense; everyone silently donned their combat suits and gear.
They didn’t know how much time had passed.
The spaceship’s thruster suddenly ramped to maximum, the previously stable cockpit shook violently for a moment, then everyone felt the ship returning to its usual state, sliding smoothly to successfully escape the mayfly encirclement.
Ji You and her friends hurried to check the monitor, and not finding any more glowing eyes, their hearts finally settled.
Yue Qiguang said: "What were those moths all about? I woke up and almost thought I was in hell; it was utterly suffocating."
Lou also said: "These are mayflies, right?"
Shen Changqing nodded and said: "Yes, mayflies. They’re one of the mutant star beasts with an encounter rate of less than 1%. Our luck was really terrible."
"Really terrible!" Yue Qiyuan patted his chest, still traumatized, and said: "These critters don’t have long lifespans, averaging less than 3 days. As soon as they molt into adults, they die. It’s really rare to encounter even one. Some spend their whole life voyaging in space and never encounter them, let alone a swarm of this size."
"Bad luck!" Lance sighed.
...
The friends all expressed their feelings, but Ji You stayed silent, standing behind Principal Hong, looking very serious: "Principal, our route has deviated. Do we need to re-establish our path now?"
Principal Hong didn’t turn his head and said: "That’s correct."
Ji You’s lips twitched with bitterness.
Every time she’s traveled through space, it has never gone smoothly. In the vastness of space, a deviation in the course is a very bad scenario.
Moreover—
Ji You hesitated slightly and asked: "Is our spaceship’s navigation broken... broken?"
Principal Hong said: "That’s right."
Ji You: "..."
Ji You’s heart trembled, and she simultaneously sensed her classmates beside her freezing up.
Principal Hong clapped his hands and said: "Well, looks like we’ll be wandering in the starry void."
"..." Ji You said speechlessly: "Given the situation, you’re still in the mood to joke around."
If the navigation is broken, the spaceship could get lost in the starry void.
That!
That would be the worst possible outcome.
Ji You immediately asked: "Principal, can we repair it?"
Principal Hong didn’t answer; instead, he suddenly stood up and said: "4444 Ji You, from now on, you are the main pilot of the spaceship. 1111 Chu Jiaojiao, you’re the co-pilot."
Upon hearing this, Ji You and Chu Jiaojiao immediately said: "Yes."
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