Five Friends' Summer Trip (Part 2)

The fourth stop of their trip was Mark Twain National Forest.

The park was located in Rolla, southern Missouri, in the Missouri River basin. Established in 1939, it was one of Missouri's most popular outdoor recreation areas, renowned for water activities such as rafting and kayaking.

The RV Lin Hai was driving arrived at Mark Twain National Forest. Towering trees along the roadside formed a natural green tunnel, while sunlight filtered through gaps in the dark green leaves, scattering dappled shadows.

Missouri's summer sunlight was thick and warm like melted butter. As the vehicle passed through the entrance to Mark Twain National Forest, Peter in the back seat was clumsily trying to fasten Mary Jane's sunhat strap.

"I can do it myself, Peter." Mary Jane smiled and brushed his hand away, her red hair flickering like dancing flames beneath the sunlight.

"I just... um... that knot didn't look very secure..." Peter's ears turned bright red, and his glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose.

"Peter, statistically speaking, excessive attentiveness reduces the success rate of courtship by sixty percent." Gwen watched the scene through her sunglasses, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. She was wearing a light blue tank top and denim shorts today, her blonde hair tied into a neat ponytail.

"I'm not courting her!" Peter nearly sprang out of his seat, only to bang his head against the roof.

Harry, who had already decided to sit back and enjoy the show, immediately burst into laughter. He held up his phone and faithfully recorded the scene. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the sixth time during their freshman summer trip that Midtown High School's famous nerd, Peter Parker, has attempted to deny his crush on Miss Mary Jane."

Lin Hai smiled and shook his head as he opened the navigation app. "Our first stop is Firefly Valley deep in the forest. Supposedly, at this time of year, you can see tens of thousands of fireflies lighting up in sync."

The vehicle drove onto the winding mountain road through the forest park, with oaks and beeches forming a green tunnel on either side. Lin Hai could feel his Life Force trembling faintly. Like a mouse that had fallen into a rice bin, he sensed too many plants overflowing with vitality, and the feeling was completely different from the city.

To distract himself from the plants' effect on his focus, Lin Hai glanced at Gwen's profile. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and cast tiny specks of light across the bridge of her nose, as though someone had dusted it with gold powder.

"Watch the road, driver." Gwen suddenly turned toward him, her azure eyes staring straight at him through her sunglasses. "Unless I have navigation on my face."

Lin Hai gave a dry cough and turned back to the road, hearing Harry's muffled snicker from the back seat.

Two hours later, the five of them arrived at the best observation spot in Firefly Valley carrying camping gear. It was a meadow surrounded by ancient oaks, with a clear stream running through its center. As the sun set, twilight gradually enveloped the woods.

"According to the park handbook, the fireflies should begin coming out half an hour after sunset." Gwen spread out the picnic mat with movements as precise as if she were arranging petri dishes in a laboratory.

Peter set up a tripod. "I want to shoot a time-lapse. They say the fireflies here flash in sync."

"Wow!" Mary Jane exclaimed, pointing toward the edge of the forest. The first green light blinked on like a signal, followed by the second, then the third... In the blink of an eye, the entire forest edge looked as though it had been sprinkled with flowing starlight. Tens of thousands of fireflies pulsed in unison to some mysterious rhythm, decorating the night like a living starry sky.

"Whoa... this really is... a miracle of nature!" Peter pushed up his glasses, his voice trembling slightly with awe.

Lin Hai felt the Life Force inside him responding to this natural miracle. He quietly pressed his hand against the damp grass and released a thread of Emerald Energy. In an instant, more points of light rose from the grass around them—not fireflies, but luminous fungi awakened by Life Force, like a galaxy on the ground answering the starlight above.

"This... this isn't in the travel guide." Gwen stared in surprise at the flickering blue-green lights beneath her feet, then looked thoughtfully at Lin Hai.

Harry keenly caught that glance and immediately adjusted the angle of his phone. "Ladies and gentlemen, at this moment, we are witnessing a natural miracle and a certain unspoken understanding..."

Lin Hai pretended not to hear, though the tips of his ears grew warm. He hadn't expected Gwen to be so perceptive, much less that she would choose to remain silent instead of exposing him on the spot.

Mary Jane was completely immersed in the moment. "This is perfect! Peter, if you get good shots, these photos could absolutely make it into National Geographic!"

Harry recorded everything on his phone, his face lit with an excitement completely unlike his usual elegance.

Once the group had more or less finished recording the beauty brought by the fireflies, Lin Hai pointed into the distance. "There's a good campsite up ahead. It's close to the stream on the left and the firefly viewing platform on the right, so it's perfect for pitching our tents."

However, when the tent was only halfway set up, Harry plopped down onto an inflatable mat and declared a strike. "I hereby solemnly announce that the Osborn family corporate culture does not include manual labor."

"And that's your excuse for putting the tent poles in backward for the third time?" Gwen steadied the wobbling main support with one hand, grass clippings caught on the tip of her blonde braid. She took the metal clasp Lin Hai handed her, and their fingers briefly touched beneath the canvas shadow before they both casually pulled away.

Peter was trying to explain, using physics principles, how to secure the canopy with the fewest ropes possible. Instead, he tangled himself into a human mummy. Mary Jane laughed so hard she could barely hold her camera steady, her red hair looking like a dancing flame beneath the sunset that had not yet fully sunk below the horizon.

Although the process was full of mishaps, the result was decent enough. The tent was finally pitched, so everyone spread out picnic mats in the open space beside the stream and prepared to enjoy the sandwiches and hot cocoa they had brought.

"This place is like something out of a fairy tale." Mary Jane looked up at the fireflies still flickering endlessly among the trees, her red hair gleaming softly in the faint light.

Peter sat beside her, holding a sandwich so nervously that he nearly crushed the bread. He cleared his throat and tried to find a topic. "Um, Mary Jane, do you... do you know how fireflies produce light?"

Mary Jane blinked, the corners of her lips curving up slightly. "I don't, Mr. Parker. Are you going to explain it to me?"

Peter immediately straightened up and pushed up his glasses. "Oh! Of course! Fireflies' light-producing organs contain luciferin and luciferase, which create cold light through chemical reactions. Their efficiency is close to one hundred percent, much more efficient than artificial light sources—"

"Wow, so romantic." Harry cut in from the side, deliberately drawing out the words as he raised his phone toward Peter. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a live broadcast of Professor Peter Parker's How to Win Over Girls with Biochemistry."

Gwen couldn't help laughing, and Lin Hai also chuckled as he shook his head. Peter's face instantly turned as red as Mary Jane's hair, and he stammered in defense, "I just... think it's cool!"

But Mary Jane looked at him with a smile. "It's actually pretty interesting. Keep going?"

"So, the principle behind firefly light is actually a bioluminescent reaction." He pushed up his glasses, his voice growing excited from Mary Jane's encouragement and slightly louder as well. "They have specialized light-producing organs in their abdomens containing luciferin and luciferase. When oxygen enters, it triggers a chemical reaction and releases photons."

Mary Jane rested her chin on her hand and blinked. "So why do they glow?"

"Mostly to court mates!" Peter nodded, then immediately realized he might have put it too bluntly and hurriedly added, "Um, I mean, male fireflies emit light at specific frequencies, and females respond, like..."

"Like some kind of romantic light signal?" Mary Jane finished for him.

"Exactly!" Peter sighed in relief, an involuntary smile appearing on his lips. "A little like Morse code, but more beautiful."

Mary Jane laughed softly. "You really know a lot, Peter."

Peter's face instantly turned as red as a charcoal briquette in a campfire. He stammered as he tried to respond, only to be interrupted by Harry's exaggerated coughing.

"Ahem, ladies and gentlemen," Harry repeated again with his phone raised, "this is Midtown High School Romance Watch. We have just witnessed the precious scene of Mr. Peter Parker attempting to win over the red-haired goddess with biochemistry knowledge."

"Harry!" Peter grabbed a small pebble and threw it at him, but Harry laughed and dodged aside.

Before long, perhaps because everyone was a little tired, the firefly forest that temporarily belonged to them grew quiet again.

Harry lay on his back in the grass, his hands tucked beneath his head as he looked at the star-filled sky and the dancing fireflies. This was the first time he had truly relaxed since his father became the Green Goblin.

"You know?" he suddenly said, his voice so soft it seemed like he was talking to himself. "I never used to think the stars were this beautiful."

Gwen turned to look at him. "Because New York's light pollution is too bad?"

"No." Harry smiled. "Because I never had time to look up before."

The Osborn family curse, his father's madness, the company's pressure, and everything else had all ended after that battle. Norman Osborn was healthy again now, even healthier than before, and gentler too. Harry took a deep breath, and the scent of grass and earth gave him an inexplicable sense of peace.

"Hey, Harry," Lin Hai's voice came from beside him. "Want to try this?"

He handed over a steaming cup of something. Harry took it and sniffed it. "What is this?"

"My master's special calming tea." Lin Hai smiled. "It'll help you sleep well."

Harry took a sip, and warm sweetness spread across his tongue. "Thanks, brother."

Gwen sat cross-legged beside Lin Hai and lightly poked his arm with a finger. "So, can you do that thing with the glowing fungi again?"

Lin Hai raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already see it?"

"Science requires repeated verification," Gwen said solemnly, though a sly smile gleamed in her eyes. "And I think it's beautiful."

Lin Hai shook his head helplessly, but still pressed his palm to the ground. Emerald Life Force seeped into the soil through his fingertips. In an instant, countless specks of blue-green light appeared in the grass around them, like scattered stars.

"Whoa..." Gwen murmured in amazement, reaching out to lightly touch a tiny glowing mushroom. A faint warmth spread to her fingertips. "Are these really just fungi?"

"Not entirely. After being activated by Life Force, they can store energy for a short time. Simply put, they're a bit like bioluminescent batteries." Lin Hai explained softly.

After recovering from his earlier amazement, Harry had somehow quietly raised his phone beside them and aimed the camera at the two of them. He provided a quiet narration. "This is still Midtown High School Super Romance Watch. Our botanist has just successfully flirted with the blonde goddess using glowing fungi."

"Harry!" Gwen grabbed a handful of grass clippings and threw them at him. Harry rolled away, dodging Gwen's grass attack.

Peter and Mary Jane watched the scene from the side. Mary Jane suddenly said softly, "You people... really are special."

Peter pushed up his glasses and smiled. "Yeah. Special in a special way."

The night breeze brushed past them as firefly light intertwined with starlight. The five of them lay in the grass, enjoying a rare moment of peace. At that moment, there were no complicated troubles, only friends, grass, forest, stars, and the summer that belonged to them.