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.
Lin Hai's RV arrived at Mark Twain National Forest. Towering trees along the road formed a natural green tunnel, and sunlight filtered through the deep green leaves in dappled patches.
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 fumbling to tighten Mary Jane's sunhat strap.
"I can do it myself, Peter." Mary Jane laughed and swatted his hand away, her red hair flickering like flames in the sunlight.
"I just... um... that knot didn't look very secure..." Peter's ears turned bright red, and his glasses slid down to the tip of his nose.
"Peter, according to statistics, excessive attentiveness lowers one's success rate in pursuing someone by sixty percent." Gwen watched the scene through her sunglasses, the corner of her lips curving up slightly. She wore a light blue tank top and denim shorts today, her blonde hair tied into a neat ponytail.
"I'm not pursuing anyone!" Peter practically sprang out of his seat, only to smack his head against the roof.
Harry, who had firmly decided to enjoy the show from the back row, immediately burst into laughter. He held up his phone and faithfully recorded the moment. "Viewers, this is the sixth time renowned Midtown High School nerd Peter Parker has attempted to deny his fondness for Miss Mary Jane during their freshman summer trip."
Lin Hai smiled and shook his head as he opened the navigation app. "Our first stop is Firefly Valley deep in the forest. They say that 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. He was like a mouse that had fallen into a rice bin; he could sense far too many plants brimming with vitality, and the sensation was completely different from the city.
To distract himself from the way the plants affected his attention, Lin Hai glanced at Gwen's profile. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and cast tiny flecks of light across the bridge of her nose, as though it had been dusted with gold powder.
"Watch the road, driver." Gwen suddenly turned her head, her azure eyes staring directly at him through her sunglasses. "Unless I've got navigation on my face."
Lin Hai gave a dry cough and turned back to the road, hearing Harry choke back a laugh in the back seat.
Two hours later, the five of them arrived at the best observation point in Firefly Valley with camping gear on their backs. It was a meadow surrounded by ancient oaks, with a clear stream running through its center. As the sun set, twilight gradually blanketed the woods.
"According to the park handbook, the fireflies will start becoming active 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'm going to shoot a time-lapse. They say the fireflies here blink in synchronization."
"Wow!" Mary Jane gasped, pointing toward the edge of the woods. The first green light flickered on like a signal, followed by a second, then a third... In the blink of an eye, the entire forest edge looked as though it had been scattered with flowing starlight. Tens of thousands of fireflies brightened and dimmed in sync to some mysterious rhythm, decorating the night like a living starry sky.
"Whoa... this really is... a miracle of nature!" Peter adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling slightly with awe.
Lin Hai felt the Life Force in his body responding to this natural wonder. He quietly pressed a 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 specks beneath her feet, then looked thoughtfully at Lin Hai.
Harry keenly caught that glance and immediately adjusted his phone's filming angle. "Viewers, at this moment, we are witnessing a natural miracle and an unspoken understanding..."
Lin Hai pretended not to hear, though the tips of his ears heated slightly. He had not expected Gwen to be so perceptive, much less that she would choose to stay silent instead of exposing him on the spot.
Mary Jane was completely immersed in it. "This is perfect! Peter, if your pictures turn out well, they could absolutely make it into National Geographic!"
Harry recorded all of it on his phone, his face carrying an excitement completely unlike his usual elegance.
Once everyone had more or less finished documenting the beauty brought by the fireflies, Lin Hai pointed into the distance. "There's a good campsite up ahead. The left side is close to the stream, and the right side is next to the firefly viewing platform. It's perfect for us to set up camp."
However, when the tent was only halfway assembled, Harry plopped down onto an inflatable mat and declared a strike. "I solemnly declare 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 held up the wobbling main frame with one hand, bits of grass clinging to the end of her blonde braid. She took the metal buckle Lin Hai handed her, and their fingers briefly touched in the shadow of the canvas before both of them casually pulled away.
Peter was trying to explain, using physics, how to secure the canopy with the fewest ropes possible. Instead, he ended up wrapping himself into a human mummy. Mary Jane laughed so hard she could barely hold her camera, her red hair like a flickering flame beneath the sunset that had not yet fully sunk below the horizon.
Though the process was full of unexpected mishaps, the result was fairly good. The tents were finally set up, and everyone spread picnic mats across the clearing by the stream, preparing 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 blinking endlessly among the trees, her red hair gleaming softly in the faint light.
Peter sat beside her, clutching a sandwich so nervously that he nearly crushed the bread. He cleared his throat, trying to find a topic. "Uh, Mary Jane, do you... do you know how fireflies produce light?"
Mary Jane blinked, the corner of her lips lifting slightly. "No, Mr. Parker. Are you going to teach me about it?"
Peter immediately straightened up and adjusted his glasses. "Oh! Of course! A firefly's light-producing organ contains luciferin and luciferase. They produce cold light through a chemical reaction, with an efficiency close to one hundred percent—far more efficient than artificial light sources—"
"Wow, how romantic." Harry cut in from the side, deliberately drawing out the words as he raised his phone at Peter. "Viewers, welcome to Professor Peter Parker's live broadcast of How to Win Girls Over with Biochemistry."
Gwen could not help laughing out loud, and Lin Hai also chuckled and shook his head. Peter's face instantly turned as red as Mary Jane's hair, and he stammered out, "I just... think it's cool!"
But Mary Jane looked at him with a smile. "It's actually pretty interesting. Go on?"
"So, the principle behind firefly light is actually a bioluminescent reaction." He adjusted his glasses, his voice carrying a hint of excitement from Mary Jane's encouragement as it rose slightly. "Their abdomens have specialized light-producing organs 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 what do they light up for?"
"Mostly to find mates!" Peter nodded, then realized he might have put it too bluntly and hurriedly added, "Uh, 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 unconscious smile appearing on his lips. "It's a little like Morse code, only prettier."
Mary Jane laughed softly. "You really know a lot, Peter."
Peter's face instantly turned as red as a coal in a campfire. He stammered as he tried to respond, only to be interrupted by Harry's exaggerated coughing.
"Ahem, viewers," Harry repeated while holding up his phone, "this is Midtown High School Romance Watch. We have just witnessed the precious scene of Mr. Peter Parker attempting to win over a red-haired goddess with biochemistry."
"Harry!" Peter grabbed a small stone and tossed it at him. Harry dodged it with a laugh.
Before long, perhaps because everyone was a little tired, the firefly forest that temporarily belonged to them fell quiet again.
Harry lay flat on the grass with his hands behind his head, gazing at the stars filling the sky and the drifting 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 was almost a murmur to himself, "I never thought the stars could look 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 pressure from the company—everything had ended after that battle. Norman Osborn was healthy again now, even healthier than before, and he had become gentler too. Harry took a deep breath. The scent of grass and earth made him feel inexplicably at ease.
"Hey, Harry," Lin Hai's voice came from beside him. "Want to try this?"
He handed over a steaming cup of something. Harry accepted it and sniffed it. "What is it?"
"My master's special calming tea," Lin Hai said with a smile. "It'll help you sleep well."
Harry took a sip, and a warm sweetness spread across his tongue. "Thanks, brother."
Gwen sat cross-legged beside Lin Hai and lightly poked his arm with a finger. "So, those glowing fungi... can you do that again?"
Lin Hai raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already see it?"
"Science requires repeat verification," Gwen said seriously, though a mischievous smile glinted in her eyes. "And I think it was 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, specks of blue-green light lit up in the grass around them like scattered stars.
"Whoa..." Gwen breathed in amazement. She reached out and gently touched a tiny glowing mushroom, feeling a faint warmth at her fingertips. "Are these really just fungi?"
"Not entirely. Once they're activated by Life Force, they can temporarily store energy. Simply put, they're a bit like bioluminescent batteries," Lin Hai explained softly.
After recovering from his earlier amazement, Harry somehow quietly raised his phone beside them, aiming the camera at the two of them as he narrated in a low voice. "This is still Midtown High School Super Romance Watch. Our botanist has just successfully charmed the blonde goddess with glowing fungi."
"Harry!" Gwen grabbed a handful of grass clippings and threw them at him. Harry rolled away, dodging Gwen's grass-clipping attack.
Peter and Mary Jane watched the scene from the side. Mary Jane suddenly said softly, "You people... are really special."
Peter adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Yeah. Special in a special way."
The night breeze drifted past as firefly light intertwined with starlight. The five of them lay on the grass, enjoying a rare moment of peace. At that moment, there were no complicated troubles here—only friends, grass, forest, stars, and the summer that belonged to them.
Before you continue