When Harry woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar swamp.
The swamp was filled with soft, rotten mud and was dirty and smelly, with a strange dark green mist floating in the air.
Half of his body was stuck in the mud, and he was still slowly sinking. After fluttering around in panic, his huge bat wings pulled out of the mud, rolling up a lot of mud, which covered his body and head.
After spitting out a few mouthfuls of mud, Harry noticed that his body had become so big.
It was so big that he couldn't control it and could only stumble through the swamp, falling into deep pits with every step.
His body was too big and too heavy, and with every step he took, he sank deep. It took Hurry a long time to learn how to use his bat wings to support himself and his limbs to move in the soft swamp.
The swamp was very large. To both sides of Harry's front was endless quagmire. He could not find the direction at all. He could only rely on instinct to find the direction with higher ground.
After trekking for a whole day and night, he finally found a relatively sturdy high place where he could barely take shelter.
He lay panting on the high ground, his body covered with mud and his bat wings drooping limply.
At this time, Hu Li was dirty, tired and hungry.
He whimpered softly, tears in his eyes. He wanted to go home, and he also missed his father.
After waking up, his brain clearly recalled what happened the night before.
Not only did he not listen to his father, he also secretly ate all the gems and grew bigger, tearing down his house.
The broken scene flashed before his eyes. Harry sniffed and big tears fell down.
Sad and scared.
When he was still a little dragon cub, he had always hoped that he could grow up quickly and become a majestic dragon. Now that he has really grown into a big dragon, he is not happy at all.
Growing up is so sad for Long.
He wanted to go back to his old self, to be with his dad, and never grow up again.
Ruan Shiqing towed the second-hand landspeeder he had bought earlier to Fita Manor.
He had bought back this second-hand landspeeder with the intention of modifying it, but as he had too many things to do, he had not been able to find the time to do it. Now it just happened to come in handy.
He asked the Xiong brothers and 09 for help and began to dismantle the landspeeder.
Ordinary landspeeders can only move forward on flat surfaces. If they are placed in some special terrain, such as deserts and swamps, they cannot maintain normal operation. Take the swamp for example. If Ruan Shiqing drove an ordinary landspeeder into it, the engine of the landspeeder would stop working in less than an hour because it was blocked by a large amount of mud.
In order to facilitate access to some special places, Nashi Company and Quark Shipyard once produced special desert land speeders and swamp land speeders.
But there were few specialized landspeeders, and none existed on planet B3024. So he could only modify the ordinary landspeeder himself, turning it into a swamp landspeeder to facilitate entering the Lost Swamp to find Heri.
He dismantled the engine at the bottom of the speeder, leaving only the anti-gravity device, and sealed the chassis; then he found a turbine, dismantled the fan in the turbine, and installed it at the stern of the speeder, which became the propulsion power for the swamp speeder.
The turbofan is connected to the fuel chamber and control system, which controls the speed of the landspeeder by changing the fuel distribution method and fan speed.
After solving the core power problem, it is also necessary to install mudguards, seal and reinforce the cockpit, add oxygen filters, etc.
By the time the work was completed, another night had passed.
The sky was just getting light, and the two moons had sunk below the horizon. In another hour, the sun would rise.
Ruan Shiqing prepared all the necessary items, entered the cockpit, and said goodbye to the others.
Mori was still trying to persuade him: "Why don't you wait a little longer? Mr. Rong heard that you were in trouble and tried his best to come back. It would be safer if Mr. Rong was here."
When Ruan Shiqing insisted on entering the Lost Swamp, Mori contacted Rong Heng.
When Rong Heng heard the news, he tried his best to rush back.
But Ruan Shiqing didn't dare to delay for even a second. He didn't know whether the irrational He Li would hurt him; nor did he know whether his body suddenly became so huge and what sequelae it would bring; and he didn't know whether He Li would be in danger if he really entered the Lost Swamp...
He had too many worries and didn't dare to waste even a minute.
"The speeder is equipped with a communication and positioning device. If we find Hurry or I'm in danger, I'll send a signal back."
The past few days were chaotic, thanks to Marin who helped him a lot without any hesitation, Ruan Shiqing's expression eased and he said sincerely: "I understand your worries, but I can't wait."
After saying that, he waved his hand, lowered the protective shield, and the speeder sped out.
Calling up the map navigation, Ruan Shiqing headed west.
It's roughly the west side, close to the Lost Swamp. The further west you go, the more desolate the surroundings become.
Unlike the wasteland filled with metal garbage in the outer city, there was a dead silence inside. Not even a single insect chirp could be heard on the overgrown ground, let alone a trace of grass.
The silence is terrifying.
In dead silence, Ruan Shiqing drove for four hours before finally reaching the edge of the Lost Swamp.
From afar, there was a layer of strange dark green mist covering the void over there.
Ruan Shiqing slowed down, turned on the headlights, detection devices, and oxygen filters, and then carefully drove into the range of the green mist.
The land speeder cut through the mist and moved forward slowly. The detection device continuously sent back environmental analysis data. Ruan Shiqing looked at the displayed data and his expression became more and more solemn. Marin was right. This swamp was very dangerous.
In general, swamps are rich in ecological species, with all kinds of plants and animals living in the swamps. But in this area, apart from thick dark green moss, there was no sign of life.
According to the analysis of air composition, the dark green mist contains a trace toxin that can paralyze the nerves of living things. If you just linger on the edge, this toxin will not cause any effect. But if you go deep into it and inhale excessive toxins, your body will gradually fall into a paralyzed state.
In such an environment, the result of the senses and body falling into a state of paralysis is predictable.
At this time, Ruan Shiqing didn't want to find any trace of He Li here.
Due to the thin mist, the light in the room was very dim. The headlights alternated to illuminate the surroundings. Ruan Shiqing paid close attention to the screen, looking for any trace of Heri - with Heri's current huge size, if he had really been to the Lost Swamp, he must have left some traces.
After not knowing how long he had been lying on the rig, Harry opened his eyes in a daze.
The sky in the sky became darker.
My stomach is growling with hunger.
Rubbing his protesting belly, Harry looked around, hesitated for a moment, and chose the right direction to see if he could find something to eat. As soon as he took a step forward, he sank deep into the mud.
The feeling of weightlessness for a moment made him panic and he pulled out his claws, then fell to the ground in shock.
The swamp seemed to be deeper than when he came here. When his claws were stuck in it just now, he almost couldn't pull them out.
Sitting dejectedly on the only high chair, Harry roared in frustration.
The dragon's roar is extremely penetrating.
Ruan Shiqing keenly caught the faint sound of a dragon's roar coming from afar, and even his heartbeat quickened.
He had been in the swamp for a day, from before dawn to when dusk was getting darker. The landspeeder had traveled one-tenth of the swamp, but found no trace. The dead silence and suffocating environment made him anxious, and Ruan Shiqing could only keep himself calm by giving himself psychological hints.
The sound of a dragon's roar is like a shot of adrenaline.
He cheered up, increased his speed, and rushed in the direction where the sound came from.
The further you go in, the thicker the green fog becomes.
The swamp covered with green moss seemed full of life at first glance, but if you look closely, you will find that it is scattered with animal carcasses. Ruan Shiqing even saw quite a few skeletons of mammals.
His heart grew heavier.
After walking for another half an hour, it was already completely dark.
The light of the artificial moon barely shone through the mist, and Ruan Shiqing could only rely on the light of the headlamp to move forward.
The speeder finally came to a stop in a low spot.
In the range illuminated by the headlights, he could see that the low-lying area was covered with traces of struggle, as if some huge creature had struggled there. Ruan Shiqing walked forward along the traces and saw vague footprints again.
The swamp is fluid, and the footprints left behind are quite blurry, but after comparing the size, Ruan Shiqing was almost certain that they were the footprints left by He Li.
—He once fell into a swamp, struggled to get out, and then left with difficulty.
The dragon roar he heard just now was most likely made by He Li and was not his illusion.
Ruan Shiqing followed the footprints left by the man and continued to search forward.
Harry lay weakly on the high chair.
Because of hunger, the strength in his body seemed to be gradually draining away. He tried to flap his huge bat wings, but he could only barely lift them up and flap them twice before they drooped down again.
The mud on his body had dried, and as his bat wings fluttered, dirt and dust fell off his body.
Woo.
I'm so hungry.
He groaned a few times in discomfort, and kicked and thrashed with his claws to vent his anger. When he saw his dirty, mud-covered body, he was stunned again.
The smooth and lustrous scales that looked like black jade had become gray and dull because of the mud. The gaps between the scales were filled with green moss and mud. He must have looked very ugly now.
He lowered his head again, sniffed, and was overwhelmed by the indescribable stench.
vomit.
So stinky.
He Li couldn't stand it anymore and shook his head wildly, feeling even sadder.
When at home, the little dragon cub was never hungry and never dirty.
He is no longer his daddy's pretty little dragon cub.
He Li lowered his eyes sadly and wanted to cry again.
He was subconsciously aware of a problem: he couldn't leave here, nor could he go home again. No one liked an ugly and smelly dragon.
And he also damaged the house.
The extremely sad little dragon gave up and lay on the high ground, staring at the moon that was looming in the mist with wide eyes.
Suddenly, my ears caught a familiar call.
"Hurry, Hurry."
It's Dad's voice. Dad is coming to find him!
The excited little dragon cub crawled up all of a sudden, tried to stand up straight, and looked around eagerly.
He was tall now and could see far, and indeed he saw a small cluster of faint light in the distance, which came from a landspeeder.
It must be dad!
Just as he was about to speak out in response, the little dragon noticed his dirty claws again.
The response that reached his throat hesitated and was swallowed back. He stretched out his claws and took a look. The scales were black, and the claws were curved and sharp. They looked extremely ferocious, not at all as round and cute as before.
When his father cut his nails in the past, he always praised his cute paws.
But now, there is not love at all.
Still ugly.
Harry pursed his lips sadly.
If his father saw him like this, wouldn't he no longer like him, or even be afraid of him
A mess of thoughts lingered in the little dragon's mind, and his courage disappeared, replaced by fear.
Not only did he not make a sound in response to his father's call, but he shrank his body and hid in the swamp hesitantly.
The little dragon cub had a little luck, maybe he could quietly leave here with his father, and then make himself a little cleaner and prettier before going home.
This way I won’t scare my dad.
Ruan Shiqing followed the remaining traces of the swamp and found a high point.
This high point should have been a small hillside, but it was swallowed by the swamp, and only the towering top was exposed. There was no grass growing on it, and only a lonely dead tree stood there with a strange posture.
The tracking traces were broken at the plateau, but there were still traces of human activities around the plateau, indicating that Harry had at least stayed there.
But now he is nowhere to be seen here. Ruan Shiqing is not sure whether He Li flew away while resting or if he had an accident here.
After a slight hesitation, Ruan Shiqing drove the speedboat to the plateau, put on a gas mask and protective clothing, and carefully left the speedboat.
He checked the mountain first, then noticed the claw marks left on the dead tree, which made him more certain that Harry must have stayed there before.
He turned on the loudspeaker on his waist and played an audio file - it was an audio file he had recorded in advance, calling out Heri's name over and over again.
The dragons have keen hearing and might be able to hear him.
Hiding in the swamp, Herry held his breath and carefully dug up the dense mud on the edge of the high ground to prevent himself from sinking completely.
He heard his father calling him and couldn't help but sniffing sadly, but he forgot that he was sinking in the mud and inhaled a nose full of mud without warning.
!!!!!!!
The unpleasant smell of the swamp made it impossible for him to hold his breath any longer. He popped his head out and kept choking and coughing.
Ruan Shiqing was startled by the sudden noise. He quickly pulled out the blaster from his waist and turned around. He saw a huge black dragon floundering in the mud, throwing mud everywhere.
"… "
He lowered his gun, looked closer, and recognized the dirty, muddy creature. "Hurry?"
Harry's body froze and he lowered his eyes, not daring to look at him.
Without bothering to ask him why he was stuck in the mud, Ruan Shiqing strode forward and stretched out his hand to him: "Come up quickly."
He Li glanced up at him quietly, and seeing his anxious expression, he carefully extended his claws towards him.
The black claws were much bigger than Ruan Shiqing's hands. He didn't even dare to hold his father's hand, fearing that his claws would accidentally scratch him.
Ruan Shiqing didn't care at all. He grabbed He Li's claws with both hands and asked, "Can you come up?"
If not, he would have to use the speeder to pull him up.
Harry nodded, uttered a low "woop", and climbed up to the plateau by himself.
He was filled with deep regret now. He didn't dare to look his father in the eye. He curled up like a dragon, wishing he could get into the cave.
If he hadn't smelled it carefully, he would have known how dirty and smelly he was. If he had known, he wouldn't have hidden in the mud.
Ruan Shiqing was angry and amused when he saw his expression. But he finally came to his senses. Since He Li had been in there the whole time, he must have heard his voice before.
But instead of responding to him, she appeared in the mud, obviously trying to avoid him.
"You've grown up." Ruan Shiqing snorted, sat down next to him, and slapped his paw in anger: "I'll settle the score with you when I get home."
The little dragon cub looked at him sideways and asked cautiously, "Can I, can I still go home?"
Ruan Shiqing's face was stern: "You still remember to go home?"
The little dragon immediately lowered his head guiltily.
He has been wanting to go home for a long time.
Seeing his appearance, Ruan Shiqing softened his heart again. He slowed down his tone and held the little dragon cub's dirty paw: "No matter what you become, you are still daddy's Heli. Daddy will never give up you."
The little dragon sniffed, clasped its paws together, and loosely grasped its father's hand.
"Can we still fly now?" Ruan Shiqing asked.
He Li shook his head, and his bat wings fluttered randomly for a few times, quite unsystematic. He had been able to walk so far in the swamp before, relying entirely on instinct. Now that he was hungry and had his father to rely on, the little dragon cub didn't even want to move. If it weren't for his huge size, he would have already crawled into his father's arms.
"Then it seems we have to wait for rescue here." Ruan Shiqing said.
He was always worried that something might happen to him when he left the kid alone in the swamp to ask for help. So he could only send a message to Marin, telling him that he had found Heri and sent his location, asking him to send someone to the Lost Swamp to pick him up.
Ruan Shiqing breathed a sigh of relief when he received Ma Lin's reply that he would come right away.
After bringing another oxygen supply device from the speeder, Ruan Shiqing originally wanted to put it on the little dragon cub. However, the dragon cub was too big now. It was not suitable for the oxygen mask. He could only remove the mask and let him breathe directly through the oxygen hose.
Although the toxins in the body don't seem to have much effect on the little dragon cub, it's still better to be on the safe side.
After doing everything, Ruan Shiqing came over to the little dragon with a small signal transmitter in his hand.
"Wait a little longer, Uncle Marin will be here to take us home soon."
Harry held the hose obediently and uttered a low "hmm".
They had already gone deep into the center of the Lost Swamp, and although they had located it, it would still take some time for Marlin to find them. Ruan Shiqing was still talking to the little dragon cub, but after only half an hour, his voice gradually became lower, and he fell asleep with the dragon cub, exhausted.
It took about six days from the disappearance of the dragon cub to the discovery of the Lost Swamp. During this period, he barely slept, relying entirely on mental potions to stay awake.
After finding Heli's medicine, he stopped replenishing his potion. A strong sense of fatigue came over him, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.
Harry froze his body, not daring to move, for fear of waking him up.
The little dragon lowered his head and noticed the heavy shadows under his father's eyes.
He moved his paws nervously, feeling extremely guilty.
At that time, it started to drizzle again, and the green mist became thicker, even the rain was stained with green.
Thinking of what his father had said about the green mist being poisonous, the little dragon nervously raised his bat wings and stood above his father, blocking out the green rain.
The rain was getting heavier, but the little dragon tried his best to isolate himself from the world with his bat wings.
Ruan Shiqing, who was leaning against him, was sleeping soundly and was not splashed by the rain at all.
Morris was worried and kept guarding the edge of the Lost Swamp with his men for a whole day.
In the evening, Rong Heng, who had hurriedly driven back in "Rong Guang", also arrived. He wanted to go in and look for Ruan Shiqing immediately, but was stopped by Mo Li.
The Lost Swamp is too big. If they rush in to look for him, what if they fail to find him and instead miss the signal sent back by Ruan Shiqing
Ruan Shiqing's swamp flying boat is equipped with complete communication and positioning equipment, but the signal in the Lost Swamp is very weak, and they cannot perform real-time positioning and tracking. But as long as Ruan Shiqing continuously sends signals somewhere, they can ensure that the message is received.
Therefore, their best option at the moment is to passively wait for Ruan Shiqing to send back a message.
Intellectually, Rong Heng knew that what he said made sense, but his anxiety could not calm him down.
He sat motionless in front of the monitor, his eyes fixed on the screen without moving, his body tense, like a wild beast trying desperately to suppress his emotions, as if he would explode at any second.
Morrie had never seen him so uncalm.
Even when faced with a swarm of insects, the prince was always calm and composed. He seemed never to panic or get scared, and could always lead them to fight their way out of a desperate situation.
But now the other party's anxiety is so unconcealed.
Even when the communication device responded, he was the first to rush into the Lost Swamp.
Mori heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the message on the display.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
In the message sent back, Ruan Shiqing explained his situation and sent back his location.
Rong Heng drove Rong Guang and searched according to the location sent, and Mori followed closely behind.
There was rain in the swamp, which greatly interfered with the vision.
They didn't dare fly too high, so they could only slow down and try to keep the flight low.
Rong Heng was the first to notice the figure on the mountain.
Letting Noah take over "Glory", Rong Heng opened the cabin door, jumped from the sky without hesitation, and landed steadily.
High up in the sky, the dirty black dragon spread out one of its bat wings, carefully shielding the rain from the bird beside it. When it saw him coming, its eyes lit up.
"What's wrong with him?" Rong Heng approached with a serious expression.
He Li whispered: "Dad is too tired and fell asleep."
It turned out that he just fell asleep.
Rong Heng heaved a sigh of relief, and gently carried the dragon boy horizontally. He said to the dragon cub, "Wait for me here, I'll take him up first."
Harry said "oh" obediently, slowly retracted his stiff and sore bat wings, and squatted in the original position, being extremely well-behaved.
Facing such a dirty dragon cub, Rong Heng sneered, but his eyes softened.
Although it's a bit stupid, at least it's not annoying.
He handed Ruan Shiqing to Mo Li who arrived at the scene one step ahead: "Drive Rong Guang to take him back first, and then find a doctor to check him out."
"What about you?" Mori asked his men to send Ruan Shiqing to the rest cabin and settle him down.
"I'll take the guy outside back." Rong Heng sneered, "I can't let you tie him up with a rope and hang him out. Remember to take your son with you."
Mori understood his meaning, moved himself to "Glory", and took everyone away first.
Rong Heng stayed on the mountain.
After Mori and the others had gone far away, he looked at the shrinking dragon cub and said in a vicious tone: "I will carry you back, but in exchange, you have to keep the secret for me, understand?"
Although he didn't understand what secret he had to keep, Harry nodded confusedly.
Rong Heng was finally satisfied. He slowly unbuttoned his clothes and transformed back into his complete animal form - the adult form of Ymir.