Because it was a planet dedicated to bicycles, the road designs were wonderfully flexible, lined with scenery that transformed with every angle viewed from the bike. Ziye’s spirit soared.

Sometimes, people travel not to see different scenery, but simply to escape places filled with pressure. In space, Ziye was constantly consumed by thoughts of developing strategic weaponry and equipment for the Wolf Den, constantly planning her future strategic deployments. Her strategic plan was laden with immense, crushing pressure. Develop a sleek Plunderer ship in three months. Develop new Dreadnoughts suitable for the Wolf Den in six months. Develop at least three classes of strategic vessels with different functions within a year. Launch an aircraft carrier within two years. ... The sheer weight of these expectations nearly suffocated Ziye. On this bicycle planet, she could finally set aside all that stress and live a few carefree days.

The sights along the route varied constantly. Beyond sweeping curves, there were winding mountain paths flanked by sheer cliffs on one side and precipitous drops on the other, and even the 'Path of the Brave'—a route where a narrow, less-than-two-meter-wide bike path bridged over a yawning abyss.

Spente, completely familiar with the Path of the Brave, expertly steered onto it. Ziye was terrified, yet seeing Spente proceed, she felt she had no choice but to press on, steeling herself. Li Chunyu followed, then Lingyin and Bobo.

Before mounting, Lingyin glimpsed the thick clouds swirling far below in the abyss and slammed on her brakes in fright. But no matter how hard she squeezed, the bike wouldn't stop. Stunned, she lost control of the handlebars, veering toward the edge overlooking the abyss, leaving Bobo frozen stiff. It was Aikes, watching from behind, who reacted instantly, ditching his own bike and sprinting to pull up behind Lingyin, grabbing her rear tire. The front wheel halted just shy of the cliff edge. Had Aikes been a fraction of a second slower, or had Lingyin braked even slightly harder, the consequences would have been unthinkable!

Lingyin finally managed to catch her breath moments later, her face deathly pale, screaming, "Aaaaaah—!" Bobo finally snapped out of his shock, stopped his bike, and ran forward to embrace Lingyin. "It's okay, it's okay." Lingyin instinctively stepped back, avoiding his embrace. Seeing this, Aikes quickly grabbed Lingyin’s arm. "Don't step back; just walk slowly over here." Lingyin felt the earth shifting beneath her feet and instinctively wanted to look back, but Aikes warned, "Don't look back." Lingyin immediately suppressed the urge and slowly walked back to solid ground. Bobo’s expression darkened. Lingyin had just actively dodged his comforting hug!

Aikes, oblivious to their expressions, dragged the bike back, contacted Spente via ultra-comm to pause the group, and then said, "Lingyin, you should rest for a moment." Lingyin choked out, "Can’t we take a different path? I'm a coward; I don't dare cross." Ziye turned her bike around and laughed heartily. "Silly Ling'er, this path is perfectly safe! I was scared too, but look." She took Lingyin’s hand and walked onto the bike path overlooking the abyss. Up close, Lingyin saw that high, two-meter-tall, transparent fine-wire railings were installed on both sides. She tested one, pulling hard; it was as solid as rock. "You scared the life out of me! What a treacherous route!" Lingyin slapped her chest. Even knowing the railings were there, seeing the drop still made her legs weak.

Spente laughed, utterly failing to grasp Lingyin’s feelings. He spread his arms wide while standing on the edge, looking completely delighted. "Don't you feel like you're soaring freely between heaven and earth standing here?" Lingyin clung desperately to Ziye. "No." Ziye proposed, "Or, maybe we can find a route that looks a little safer?" Spente sighed helplessly. "This is the only route we have here. If we want to switch, we need to backtrack 2km." Bobo offered, "How about Lingyin and I go back the way we came, you guys press on, and we meet up at the next intersection?" Just as Li Chunyu was about to speak, Lingyin snapped defensively, "No need! If there are railings, what do I have to fear? I’ll just get off and push it!" Li Chunyu didn't know what to say and wisely kept quiet. Bobo called out, "Lingyin!" Ignoring him, Lingyin turned to retrieve her bike, which Aikes had already pushed back and parked beside her. She walked up to it and kicked the frame hard. "Hate it! The brakes must be broken." Aikes tested them. "The brakes aren't broken." Lingyin retorted angrily, "Then why couldn't they stop?" Aikes asked gently, "Look closely at your bike—how is it different from ours?" Lingyin didn't need to look. "Mine is slender and prettier than yours." Aikes chuckled. "We have mountain bikes; you have a road bike. Road bike tires are thin and slick; the brakes can’t lock the tires down completely, which is why they couldn't stop instantly." Lingyin instantly felt deflated. She had specifically bought the tall, skinny bike because it looked different from everyone else’s sturdy ones, never realizing there was this functional difference. But then she questioned, "Why can't they lock the tires? Isn't that reckless disregard for life?" Aikes explained, "Road bikes are designed for high speed on flat ground; they have low friction. If the brakes lock the tires instantly, the whole bike will skid and shoot out from under you—that's much more dangerous than not locking up completely. Haven't you seen people on these bikes wipe out and end up bruised and battered?" Lingyin never wanted the road bike again and decisively shoved it toward Aikes. "I'll trade with you." Aikes frowned slightly. Lingyin grumbled unhappily, "If you don't want to, forget it." Spente intervened with an explanation. "Little Lingdang, Aikes’s bike isn't like that. Aikes's frame is a 19-inch build; it’s very tall and long. You aren't tall enough; you’d struggle terribly to ride it." Lingyin examined Aikes’s bike closely, finally noticing the subtle differences, and stamped her foot. "Then what should I do?" Aikes had already formulated a solution. "Little Yezi, you swap with Lingyin." Ziye clicked her tongue. "No problem, but someone needs to ride right behind me afterward in case the brakes fail and someone needs to grab me." Aikes smiled and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, you aren't riding it. You swap your road bike with Chun'er, Chun'er swaps with Bo-zai, and Bo-zai swaps with me." Bicycle frames are designed according to height, so everyone’s bike was slightly different. In terms of height progression: Lingyin < Ziye < Li Chunyu < Bobo < Aikes. With this arrangement, Aikes still ended up on the road bike, but everyone else acquired a bike whose height difference from their own was less severe, making the ride slightly easier.

Everyone agreed with the plan, but Spente raised his hand. "Do you need me to swap with you?" Aikes laughed. "We can rotate." Lingyin finally understood. "You are all so tall—isn't it hard for you to ride?" As soon as she spoke, Spente burst into laughter. "Silly girl, road bikes and mountain bikes aren't the same. Road bikes are generally one standard size, and Aikes will be fine. The bike parts are all quick-connect; we just adjust them." With that, he walked to the bike, raised the seat slightly, widened the handlebars, and made corresponding adjustments elsewhere. Lingyin watched his movements, feeling like she was witnessing a revelation. It was Ziye’s first time seeing such adjustments too. An idea sparked in her mind, but it vanished too quickly for her to grasp. She quickly told Xiao Douya to film the process. Suddenly, she felt that these tiny bicycles held profound secrets, perhaps principles that could even be applied to Plunderer ship design.

Once Spente finished adjusting, Aikes mounted the bike and announced, "Everyone ready? Let's go." Lingyin was still worried. "If the brakes won't lock, what if there’s an accident?" Spente didn't feel like laughing anymore; laughing at novices was boring. He simply explained, "The main brake for a road bike is your feet; put your feet on the ground, and the bike stops. Aikes is tall and skilled; trust me, he'll be fine." Lingyin considered this and agreed, falling silent.

After switching bikes, the group maintained formation. Spente led the way, followed by Ziye, then Li Chunyu. Bobo wanted to follow Lingyin, but she refused and instead moved behind him, resulting in the order: Li Chunyu, then Bobo, then Lingyin and Aikes bringing up the rear.

Up ahead, Ziye quickly began to understand the feeling Spente had described—being free to roam between heaven and earth. Above the abyss, her vision was completely unobstructed; she could see the distant sky, the nearby mountains, and the thick mountain fog beneath her feet. This sight exerted a strange, soothing balm on her nerves. The mountain wind whistled past her ears, lifting her hair, as if competing with the wind's speed. In this scenery, there was no meticulous carving, no dazzling gold; yet, here was boundless expanse and ceaseless flow. Ziye adored this sensation. Xiao Douya propped its seedling upward on her handlebar, its eyes darting between the distant mountains and near views, its wings fluttering in the wind as if ready to take flight at any moment.

Perhaps, among this cycling contingent, only one person was unhappy. That person was Bobo. He and Lingyin had been together for a year. Although they sometimes had minor disagreements, things were generally good. Especially when facing difficulties, they always thought along the same lines; they feared neither good news nor bad, always finding the courage and spirit to encourage each other. But today, Lingyin was suddenly giving him the cold shoulder.

The reason lay in the recent small incident. Lingyin had nearly plunged into the abyss, and he hadn't been able to rescue her in time. After that, the way Lingyin looked at him had changed. Bobo knew the source of the issue; Lingyin probably resented him for not rushing forward to save her. However, as a cycling beginner, he hadn't even realized the danger until it was over, and when he did realize it, he’d forgotten how to react! In that moment, he admitted he hadn't reacted as quickly as Aikes, but did Lingyin really need to treat him like this? He was deeply grateful to Aikes for the rescue; it was Aikes who had saved Lingyin from disaster. Yet, Bobo suddenly felt deeply miserable, miserable at the look of intense gratitude Lingyin gave Aikes. He even felt that Lingyin's expression carried some indefinable, subtle meaning. Lingyin was an extremely self-reliant person who disliked bothering others, especially people she wasn't very familiar with. But during the bike swap just now, she preferred trading with Aikes over trading with him. Did this mean she disliked his pace? The more Bobo thought about it, the more depressed he became, especially now that Lingyin and Aikes were behind him, out of his sight. His heart felt like it was being gnawed by hundreds of ants, as if the mountains and waters themselves were roaring arrogantly at him. He wanted to scream!