Hovering Aircraft

But the moment he climbed over the wall, pain shot through his ear.

"After causing trouble, you thought you could run? Do you know Old Shen lectured me for an entire hour because of you?" Lin Ximeng dragged Meng Li down. After spending a year together, the two had matched wits and learned each other's tricks, so the moment her scolding ended, she was able to quickly find Meng Li.

"Teacher, listen to my sophistry, not my explanation."

"Still sophistry? Still explanations? You're going to make me mad to death. With a student like you, I'll definitely lose ten years off my life. Do you know I have to write a five-thousand-word Self-Criticism because of you? Tell me, how are you going to explain yourself?"

"I'm young and haven't read much. I'll write five hundred words, and I promise I'll take it seriously."

"..."

"A ten-thousand-word, deeply sincere Self-Criticism. Not one word less. You little disaster, I really... I really don't even know how to describe you. Right, why did you get into a fight?"

"Those people kept talking about me. What they said was awful. Teacher, you know I'm usually very low-key. I never fight."

"You call that low-key? All year round, you're either skipping class or on your way to skip class. If I hadn't known you were already a Rank Ten Soul Master, I wouldn't have indulged you like this."

"Keep a lower profile for a while. I know your family is poor, but with your talent, you can apply for a pretty good soul spirit."

"Hehe, I knew Teacher still loved me."

"Stop teasing me." Lin Ximeng took a deep breath and prepared her next round of scolding, making sure she did not repeat a single sentence.

"You're still giggling? I have to write a five-thousand-word Self-Criticism, and you're giving me a super tenfold discount..."

Over the next two hours, Lin Ximeng vented all the anger she had built up while being scolded onto Meng Li.

Once the lecture was over, Meng Li declined Lin Ximeng's offer of help and told her that he had already purchased a soul spirit.

The two returned to the classroom, and the previously noisy room instantly fell silent.

Meng Li found his seat and sat down.

Tang Wulin looked at the person who had bled him dry for an entire semester. Yet when he saw Meng Li smiling at him, he fearfully withdrew his gaze.

He had been blacksmithing for over a year but had not managed to save a thousand credits. Most of his money had gone to Meng Li for all sorts of novel gadgets. The items were good, but far too expensive. He only felt that his first soul spirit was getting further and further out of reach.

With a soft sigh, he looked at his arms with his large, beautiful eyes. The arms of a seven-year-old child were already as thick as those of a man who had been single for twenty years, with bulging veins all over them. If he kept training, his arms would probably become thicker than his legs—a veteran craftsman's standard build.

Meng Li had forced this on him. According to his original plan, he could have bought a soul spirit in three years by working normally every day. Now, he could only work even harder if he wanted to afford one within three years.

Meng Li took a deep breath and pulled out a sheet of paper. He needed to take responsibility for what he had done today. Even his teacher was writing a Self-Criticism, so it would be unreasonable for him not to write one. But what exactly he should write became a difficult problem.

That evening, just after Meng Li and Na'er arrived home, someone knocked on the door.

When he opened it, a balding middle-aged man stood outside. He wore a long robe so neatly arranged that it did not have a single wrinkle.

"Who are you?" Meng Li asked in confusion.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Hansheng, the owner of New Soul Tool Technology Company. We're very interested in the aircraft you mentioned. May we go inside and discuss it?" Zhou Hansheng revealed the smile unique to a gentleman.

"Mm, gladly." Meng Li paused, recalling how he had submitted a proposal to an investment company a few days ago. The proposal introduced a lightweight, safe, and fast mode of transportation, mainly meant to solve the misery of squeezing onto the Soul Tool High-Speed Rail.

Once, Meng Li had gone to another city to buy something. By the time he returned, he did not have much money left, so he could only squeeze onto the subway.

An entire carriage was packed with standing passengers, without a single empty space. There was a joke that said you went in wearing flip-flops and came out with only the straps. That day, Meng Li had seen it for himself.

Meng Li had once seen those hoverboards floating through the air in science-fiction films. They looked unbelievably cool. Unfortunately, the technology in his previous life had not reached that level. The technology of this era had developed for much longer than that era's, so designing one would not be difficult.

On a whim, he had specifically bought several books on the subject and tried to develop a surfboard-like aircraft. In the future, he would only need to carry a board on his back wherever he went.

Meng Li had only studied those books for a few days before Na'er began reading them as well. Her reading speed and comprehension were both monstrous.

In just one month, Na'er had finished learning and drawn up the design concept. Once the parts were completed, they could begin testing it.

Over the next period of time, the two visited several shops that manufactured Soul Tools and had the different parts made separately.

Since the parts were machine-made, all the materials were delivered to their door within a week. Everything had been built according to the dimensions, without the slightest deviation.

After Meng Li assembled everything according to the blueprints, a white hovering board resembling a surfboard appeared before him.

Its hovering principle relied on a type of Suspension Stone unique to this world. It was similar to magnetic levitation, but this special Suspension Stone could float anywhere.

However, it was extremely unstable. To stabilize it, two fan-equipped wings resembling those of an aircraft were installed on either side of the board. Two thrusters were mounted at the rear to increase speed, while two high-beam and low-beam lights were installed at the front for illumination. Its power came from Soul Power Stones.

The shell was made entirely from high-strength, lightweight materials, and the whole thing weighed less than twenty pounds.

To keep from falling off and to make steering easier, they had specially commissioned a pair of boots fitted with magnets. They were also brimming with futuristic flair.

He had been planning to test it tomorrow, but a company owner had already come knocking. That alone showed the business opportunity brought by that proposal.

Of course, Meng Li had not revealed the entire blueprint when seeking investment. He had only provided one-third of it, and it was the unimportant portion at that.

"I came to discuss cooperation. Mm, our company thinks highly of the aircraft you've developed. The new concepts within it are things we had never considered before. If possible, may I see the prototype?" Zhou Hansheng asked, suppressing the excitement in his heart. He knew very clearly that if the thing this person had designed truly came into being, it would have era-defining significance for the world—and he would be the one making a fortune in this era.

"Of course." Meng Li took the Hovering Aircraft down from the wall.

When he switched it on, the Hovering Aircraft steadily remained suspended in the air, its rear thrusters slowly turning.

"What an exquisite work of craftsmanship!" Zhou Hansheng exclaimed. It was not as though they had never conducted research in this field before, but every attempt had ended in failure. Yet here it was, inside this tiny house that was about to be demolished.

"You truly are a genius."

"The genius isn't me. It's my little sister!" Meng Li did not dare take credit for his sister's work. As for everyone else, that was another matter.

"May I meet her?" Zhou Hansheng asked excitedly, glancing at Na'er, who stood beside Meng Li with a cautious, shy expression.

Na'er stepped farther behind Meng Li, her cheeks flushing red. Clearly, she was embarrassed by the praise.

"My little sister is rather afraid of strangers, so perhaps not," Meng Li said apologetically.

Zhou Hansheng looked at Meng Li's height, his eyes shifting as though he had thought of something. After a pause, he said, "What a pity. Judging by your speech and mannerisms, you should be an adult, but from your height, you seem to have a condition that has kept you from growing taller. I know a doctor who can take a look at you. He's especially famous throughout the Soul Master world."