"So, not relying on Dao Xuan Tianzun's reconnaissance methods?"
The question left the three scientists in momentary contemplation.
After a few seconds, Song Yingxing broke the silence: "It's not particularly difficult, just quite dangerous."
Bai Yuan quirked an eyebrow.
Song Yingxing elaborated, "Having studied physics, we understand that Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloons operate on the principle of hot air rising. As long as the upward force generated by the hot air is sufficient, lifting a living person into the sky poses no challenge, does it?"
He then chuckled. "In other words, if we construct a Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon large enough, we can send someone soaring into the heavens ourselves, eliminating the need for Dao Xuan Tianzun's aid in aerial reconnaissance."
At his words, everyone present erupted in delight.
"What a brilliant scheme!" they exclaimed. "Let's build a colossal Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon!"
Wang Zheng affirmed, "Given Gao Family Village's current technological capabilities, constructing an enormous Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon presents no real difficulty."
Bai Gongzi suggested, "We can fashion the balloon's envelope from oiled canvas and weave a spacious, lightweight basket from sturdy vines to hold the passengers."
Bai Yuan interjected, "And the fuel? It must be lightweight."
Song Yingxing mused, "Charcoal and rapeseed oil are both worth experimenting with."
After a quick consultation, the group immediately called out, "Students! Prepare for action!"
A large contingent of graduate students immediately surged into the room from outside.
As soon as the scientists articulated their concept, the graduate students dashed out, each moving to their assigned tasks. These young researchers possessed exceptional practical skills; they didn't even require artisans, being perfectly capable of fabricating all manner of devices themselves.
Soon, large sections of oiled canvas were meticulously stitched together, and massive woven baskets were procured with equal speed. The graduate students hastily assembled a fire pit, loaded it with a small amount of fuel, and began the heating process…
The colossal Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon swiftly began to inflate with hot air, its enormous envelope swelling and rising, slowly lifting off the ground.
A wave of exhilaration swept through the onlookers.
"It actually works!" they cheered. "It truly works!"
A courageous graduate student promptly leaped into the basket, declaring, "I'll be the first to attempt this ascent!"
Those nearby gasped in alarm.
"Hold on, don't be so hasty!" one cried. "What if it flies up and can't come back down? You'll perish!"
The intrepid graduate student merely laughed.
"Impossible!" he scoffed. "Simply extinguish the flame, and it will descend just as quickly."
Even as he spoke, the "colossal Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon" was already beginning its ascent.
The people below shouted with giddy excitement, while the airborne graduate student bounced with even greater exhilaration.
Yet, their elation proved short-lived.
How could such a hastily assembled, crudely constructed experimental Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon truly soar?
It had barely climbed ten meters when a distinct snapping sound echoed.
The seams, unable to bear the strain, had ripped open.
Air hissed from a rapidly expanding tear in one corner of the balloon.
Then, it began to plummet diagonally from the sky, drifting uncontrollably towards a nearby concrete building.
The graduate student in the descending balloon shrieked, "Help me!"
On the ground, the onlookers were equally terrified and scrambled to follow.
Then, with a deafening crash, the balloon slammed into the concrete building.
By a stroke of uncanny bad luck, the basket collided precisely at the height of a window.
The graduate student in the basket was unceremoniously ejected, tumbling headlong through the window as if he were refuse being tossed away.
The window, lacking glass, clearly belonged to no affluent household; only a simple curtain offered privacy.
The graduate student burst through this curtain and plunged inside.
Immediately, a piercing feminine shriek tore through the house.
"Help! A scoundrel has broken in through the window and is assaulting me! Help me!"
Before her cries for help could truly gather momentum, another loud bang reverberated as the door burst open.
The scientists, followed by a throng of graduate students, stormed inside.
They found themselves in a sparse, humble room where a young woman, perhaps seventeen or eighteen, lay sprawled on the floor, pinned beneath the graduate student.
The woman was clearly petrified, her body seemingly paralyzed by fright, for she merely continued her incessant screaming, incapable of resisting or even pushing the man off her.
The graduate student, knocked unconscious by the fall, lay motionless atop the woman.
Upon seeing the crowd surge into the room, the woman burst into wrenching sobs.
"Save me, good people, save me!" she wailed.
"This man is taking advantage of me, an outsider from Houjia Village!
My parents are gone, a solitary woman with no one to protect her.
He leaped through the window, wrestled me to the ground… intending to violate my honor… Oh, my good name!"
A stunned silence fell over the room.
The graduate student slowly regained consciousness, shaking his head groggily.
"What in the world just happened?" he mumbled.
The crowd simply gestured for him to observe his predicament.
He glanced down, only to discover himself sprawled atop a young woman.
With a startled yelp, he scrambled away in utter mortification.
The woman remained on the floor, still weeping.
The graduate student remained frozen for a prolonged moment, then spoke in a hushed tone.
"Miss… I shall take responsibility and marry you."
The woman's sobs continued unabated.
"Who would marry a scoundrel like him?" she cried.
"Villagers, beat him! Beat this villain to death!"
Bai Yuan stepped forward to explain.
"He is no scoundrel, dear lady. He is a graduate student from Thirty-Two Middle School, currently engaged in research on aerial reconnaissance using Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloons. This was merely an unfortunate accident; he quite literally fell from the sky. Everyone present can attest to that."
The woman's sobs ceased abruptly.
"Not a scoundrel?" she echoed. "A graduate student, you say?"
The assembled crowd affirmed with unanimous nods.
The woman's home was situated not far from the school, and she was intimately familiar with its goings-on. She often witnessed the graduate students' peculiar experiments and their spectacular failures.
She simply hadn't anticipated that this particular mishap would land quite literally in her own living room.
The woman sprang to her feet, scanning the young man from left to right.
He was, she mused, quite handsome.
His age was suitable, his looks agreeable, and he was, moreover, a first-class intellectual from Gao Family Village, a talent reserved for scientific and technological advancements.
His future prospects were boundless.
The woman's eyes lit up with delight.
"You just said you'd marry me?" she pressed.
The graduate student nodded solemnly.
The woman was ecstatic.
"You cannot go back on your word!" she exclaimed.
"Everyone here heard you!"
The graduate student scrutinized her more closely.
Indeed, the young woman was quite beautiful!
Overjoyed, he blurted out, "You… you're truly willing to marry me?"
The woman's delicate face flushed slightly.
"Yes," she whispered.
In that instant, their eyes met, a perfect, unforeseen match.
The onlookers collectively shook their heads.
"There's simply no reasoning with you impetuous youngsters," they muttered.
Bai Yuan, ever the stickler, chimed in.
"When the two of you tie the knot, be sure to summon me to officiate the ceremony. I have a particular fondness for presiding over rites, and among a gentleman's six arts, I am very particular about the 'rites' aspect."
The others merely exchanged exasperated glances.
"Well, it seems scientific advancement also has an unexpected role in matchmaking," Song Yingxing mused with a sigh. "Quite delightful, actually."
Wang Zheng, however, clapped his hands sharply.
"Hold on, everyone, that's quite enough!" he declared.
"We are engaged in serious scientific endeavors here, not idle gossip!
Return to the school, repair the colossal Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon, and let's begin the second attempt!"
Everyone's spirits instantly perked up.
"Indeed!" they chorused. "This concerns a crucial reconnaissance mission!"
They hastily made their apologies and exited the woman's modest home.
Only the graduate student and the young woman remained, their gazes locking, each finding the other more captivating with every passing moment.
After a long silence, the graduate student finally spoke, his voice hushed.
"My dear lady, I must attend to my duties now.
I shall dedicate myself to this research, striving for distinction,
so that when I return to marry you, I can offer you a truly exceptional life."
The young woman offered a slight curtsy, a radiant smile gracing her lips.
"Yes!" she replied.