This was a magical and romantic wedding.
Petru wove a wreath of wildflowers and placed it on Mrs. Larry's head. Hand in hand, they began their journey from under a tall rainbow eucalyptus tree on the hillside, across the soft sandy shore of the lake, and, guided by a cat, onto a floating bridge made of rafts linked end to end.
The pontoon bridge swayed gently on the water, and they walked barefoot as if strolling in the clouds. Lake water seeped up from between the logs, gently kissing their ankles.
At the end of the pontoon bridge was a small boat. The cat leaped lightly onto it.
The boatman sat lazily at the stern, a Crow perched on his head. As soon as the bride and groom boarded, he whistled, and the Crow took flight with a whoosh, flapping its wings, skimming across the bow in a gust of wind, and then skimming the water's surface toward the tall Swordfish frigate in the distance.
The boatman rowed with both oars, and the small boat followed the Crow across the lake. The lake was tranquil, with only the splashing sound of the oars gliding across the water. A gentle breeze blew, and the floral wreath on the bride's head emitted a faint fragrance, while the groom wore a simple yet happy smile.
Crows flew to lead the way, oars propelled the boat forward, and as they approached the Swordfish, Crow suddenly took flight, Guagua twice as if signaling some kind of signal.
Alice and Su Huilan leaned out from the ship's side, tossed their hands, and colorful petals rained down into the air.
The boatman turned the boat around and slowly circled the hull of the large ship. Beautiful petals drifted down, following them all the way, some landing on the boat, some in the water. Wherever the boat went, the rain of petals followed. The small boat circled the large ship completely, and a ring of petals floated on the lake outside the ship, like the arm of Milky Way studded with stars, attracting many fish to frolic among the flowers.
The ship stopped outside the spiral staircase. The Crow, having completed its mission, landed back on the boatman's head. The cat leaped onto the gangway, chest out and head held high, and with light and steady steps, like a noblewoman, led the bride and groom toward the deck of the Swordfish.
Ivan stood straight at the corner of the deck, like a loyal guardian.
The deck was covered with flowers, a vibrant and dazzling sight.
Petru and Mrs. Larry walked hand in hand down the flower-strewn path to the center of the upper deck. Situ and Duwa stood there smiling at them.
Next, a devout Buddhist officiated at the wedding of a scientist who believed in God and a pirate who believed in nothing. Another Native American gentleman, who was over a hundred years old but still charming and drove young girls crazy, served as a special witness, along with the brilliant stars in the sky and the four fuzzy Sun above them, witnessing this absurd yet beautiful wedding.
As the ceremony ended, people began to applaud. Petru, holding Mrs. Larry's hand, said, "I feel like I'm dreaming!"
Mrs. Larry's usually serious and unchanging expression began to melt like chocolate the moment Petru placed the wreath on her head, until it completely disappeared into the sea of flowers, leaving only a sweet look.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, swirling up the petals on the deck, making them flutter around the newlyweds like countless butterflies.
No one spoke; no one wanted to break this blissful moment, for this happiness was so hard-won.
This happiness belongs not only to the newlyweds, but to everyone here. In a place light-years away from Earth, in a Stasis Space where even time seems to stand still, among the remaining eight people, this happiness is rapidly amplified and spreads, bursting forth like an electric current.
But there are always those who break this atmosphere.
" Guagua, caw, is it time for the wedding night festivities?" The Crow perched atop the Qingmu, tilting its head. "Want some entertainment? Hmm... how about a little bee? Or maybe an egg going through a tunnel... Guagua, caw..."
Qingmu yanked the Crow down and ordered it to shut up.
Alice, confused, asked, "What did it say?"
Qingmu said, "Oh, it's nothing. It just said that a room should be prepared for the bride and groom to rest in."
Su Huilan covered her mouth and laughed, "It was all prepared long ago! We set up a greenhouse in the command room on the bridge."
Mrs. Larry said, "Thank you so much, I'm very grateful! The command center is a place for everyone to rest, it shouldn't be occupied by us alone. There's still a long road ahead..."
She looked up at the sky, but ultimately didn't say what she was going to say.
Petru said, "Since everything's already set up, let's... take a day."
Situ suddenly said, "You can stay here as long as you want; no one will bother you. Don't expect to grow old here; you've missed your chance."
Everyone except Qingmu was stunned, not understanding what he meant by that.
Situ asked, " Ivan, when you went down to the cabin, did you go to the helicopter hangar?"
Ivan said, "Yes. We couldn't find Ronald Cohen's body in the crew quarters. Petru and I argued about it for a long time. Although we both thought the other had moved the body, we decided to look elsewhere, so we went to other cabins, including the helicopter hangar."
"Remember that brand-new helicopter? The machine guns you removed are still sitting on the mountain!" Situ said.
"You mean..." Petru exclaimed, jolted awake from his newlywed bliss, "That time bubble is still in the hangar?"
Situ asked, "How long have you been inside?"
Ivan said, "I just glanced at it, maybe ten seconds, twenty seconds at most."
Once they said that, everyone else understood. This time coincided perfectly with the time of the atomic clock in Situ's mind.
Su Huilan said, "Based on the situation in the hangar last time, it can indeed be deduced that there are bubbles within the Spacetime Stasis Zone, and these bubbles maintain the same spacetime flow velocity as the outside world. But what I don't understand is, how could bubbles appear in the same location twice when the Swordfish fell into the Spacetime Deep Well?"
Situ said, "It is indeed too much of a coincidence, and that's precisely why we overlooked it. But it's also fortunate that we didn't go to the hangar, otherwise it wouldn't have been easy for you to wait until we came out."
Su Huilan thought it made sense. Situ and Qingmu were the ones who went down to the hangar to look for people. Sometimes she would go down too, leaving Duwa to accompany the lady and Alice. If they went into the hangar, it would mean that there were only a few women left outside. Coupled with the panic caused by so many people suddenly disappearing, who knew what would happen in the end.
"So what should we do now?" Petru asked.
"Now we'll head to the hangar. As for you two..." Situ smiled, "Newlyweds, this place is yours to enjoy your honeymoon. No one will disturb you."
Petru suddenly calmed down, tightened his grip on the lady's hand, and said, "No, we're going to the hangar too. Don't even think about leaving us behind."
"Alright, we won't abandon anyone," Situ said.
The Boss Coal cautioned, "Including dried fish!"