Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

“You have to help us stop the development of the wetland! Four thousand eight hundred people signed the petition, but they ignored it as if it didn’t exist. The mayor even said the situation would change, bullshit! They’re almost draining half of the wetland now, saying they want to build an industrial park there!” The elderly man was indignant.

“Professor Elvan, you’re an expert in animal conservation; there must be a way to preserve the wetland, right? I haven’t seen any geese nesting here for almost two or three years.” The old man called out to Elvan twice but found no response from him.

Elvan was staring at the corner at some feces, lost in thought; he remembered his son’s complaints.

“Last night there was a hamster running around in my room, so loud I couldn’t sleep.”

“Hamster, hamster, yes!”

“Do you have a plan?” The old man’s face lit up with excitement.

Elvan ran to the lakeside and made a phone call: “Aiji, if endangered species of hamsters are found near the construction site, how long would the project be suspended?”

“The investigation would take about six months…

“Six months?”

“Yes.”

“YES!”

Three months ago.

“I’ve researched a migration route that is safer than the geese’s previous ones; for at least the next few decades, the geese’s habitat will greatly improve. Do you understand?”

“Don’t understand.”

“I guarantee it will work.”

“I don’t think so.”

Elvan followed the man, pleading constantly, but Legoff didn’t slow down in the slightest, not even turning his head, as he entered the lobby to greet the staff and headed to his office.

“Isn’t saving a species important? If the plan is implemented, we can save the White-fronted Goose. It’s our responsibility to do so.”

In the hallway, Legoff was annoyed and pointed his finger at Elvan’s chest.

“Elvan, I tell you for the last time, the government has stopped financial assistance; they have more pressing issues, like unemployment rates. Wild geese won’t be their top priority. Besides, your crazy idea won’t succeed. Geese flying with gliders? You think geese are as naive as you?”

“But endangered species and climate change are also important,” Elvan still tried to persuade. “I don’t need subsidies; I just need your stamp of approval. If you stamp it, the plan can proceed, you know the procedure.”

Legoff opened his office door, holding his forehead, his voice growing louder. “Without genetic testing and a virus analysis report, I won’t stamp it. Even if you succeed with these dozen geese, so what? Maybe two hundred are needed to truly save the species. Your plan won’t work, Elvan.

“I know tests are necessary, but we are running out of time if it’s too late they

will just…”

“No!”

Bang!

Elvan touched his nose, saw the secretary at the door, and his eyes lit up.

“Aiji.” Elvan motioned with his eyes toward the stamp on the table.

Aiji looked up at Elvan, shook his head helplessly.

Elvan wouldn’t give up, his eyes flickering.

Minutes later, Aiji gave in, calling out to another colleague: “Avra, let’s go have

a cup of coffee together.”

The two got up quickly, leaving no one around.

Ten days ago…

“Alright, let me see the documents, migrating geese with gliders? Okay, you got the stamp, yes, but you still need to do blood tests, or you won’t be able to pass through the Schengen Area.” Johnny casually flipped through the documents.

“What did he say?” Elvan asked Lenin.

“Need to do blood tests.”

“How long?” Elvan hurriedly asked.

“About… eight days.” Johnny put the documents aside and spread his hands, “We also have to follow procedures.”

Countless memories flashed through Elvan’s mind; he had given so much for this moment, how could he give up?

Even if no one believed he could succeed.

If no one had walked this path, then he would walk it! If no one would do it, then he would!

Ten days had passed.

The test results were still not out.

Elvan thought of the blizzard the day after tomorrow and the terrible consequences of the dozen geese not being able to migrate.

The arrow was on the bowstring; he had to shoot.

He had been studying the conservation and migration of birds for over twenty years, but what use was research, research, and more research? They didn’t need money, they didn’t need manpower; all they needed was a simple stamp, and they were unwilling.

On the other side, Bi Fang and Etienne were training the geese to fly.

Making the geese learn to fly wasn’t difficult; the instinct of birds to fly is ingrained in their genes. Just a little guidance, and they could take off smoothly.

Blowing the whistle, they ran up a slope quickly; the geese couldn’t keep up and naturally started to flap their wings, one stroke, two strokes, and soon these Natural Sprites had grasped the skill of maneuvering the air currents.

Soon, one by one, two by two, from gliding to skilled flying, more and more geese flew towards the sky.

The large geese traced a graceful arc on the horizon as if they might plummet into the mountains at any moment. Ultimately, they flapped their wings vigorously and disappeared into the dense white clouds, only to return to the people once more.

Bi Fang and Etienne watched the geese flying in the sky with excitement, and the audience in the live streaming room was also thrilled.

[So beautiful]

[Beautiful, I agree. This is my first time watching geese fly]

[Amazing, isn’t this place too beautiful? I want to go and play on the stones too]

[This is Finland, how could it not be beautiful? It’s one of the most worthwhile places to visit in Europe.]

[I heard that Finland has the highest happiness index in the world. I want to go there and be a happy idler.]

[Happiness is achieved through hard work!]

“This is their first flight, and from now on, they will have this place etched in their hearts. They will return here next year to nest,” Elvan said as he hurried over and explained, watching the geese’s first flight. “If you do this a few more times, they will get used to your presence.”

The geese’s maiden flight was successful, and next up was the trial flight. The two of them stepped on the stones in the stream to reach the hang glider, hopping from one lily pad to another like two frogs.

“Have you tried this before?”

“A bit,” Bi Fang felt that piloting the glider wasn’t difficult, like playing a game —just maneuvering two sticks.

To ascend or descend, use the control stick; pulling back raises the elevator, pitching the nose up; pushing forward lowers the elevator, pitching the nose down.

The rudder is controlled with foot pedals; pressing the left pedal swings the rudder left, turning the nose left; pressing the right pedal swings the rudder right, turning the nose right.

The only difficulty was that merely operating the rudder could change the glider’s lateral position but could not make it turn.

A hang glider has a strong inertia when flying straight. Turning the rudder would cause sideslip, like when turning sharply in a fast-moving car. Sharp turns on the road are typically sloped to prevent the car from sliding, but the hang glider is free in the air. To make the glider turn without sideslipping, one must simultaneously operate the ailerons and the vertical tail.

But after getting familiar a couple of times, Bi Fang quickly got the hang of it. Next, they needed to get the geese to follow them in flight.

“Test, how’s the test?”

Bi Fang contacted Lenin on the shore using his headset.

“You’re coming through clear.”

“We’re taking off now. Are you ready on your end?” Etienne, who was in the rear seat, contacted Lenin.

“Everything’s ready.”

“Let’s go!” Elvan shouted excitedly.

The most cautious executor, the most comprehensive migration plan-success was within sight!

On the expansive lake surface, Bi Fang looked at the ripples on the water, started the engine, and the Elvan behind him began to honk the horn.

Lenin and Etienne stood on the shore, equally excited, watching every move of the geese: “Good, they’re all near you now, go ahead, they’re following you now, go!”

Bi Fang nodded and steered the hang glider to glide on the lake surface.

The large geese followed the hang glider, flying low over the lake surface, but as they flew, the geese suddenly scattered in different directions, flying to the sky.

Only a very few still maintained formation, trailing behind the two of them. “Damn it,” Lenin had a bad feeling.

“Are any still following?” Elvan asked eagerly.

“No…” Lenin felt embarrassed, “They have flown away.”

“What’s going on?” Elvan was startled and quickly asked Bi Fang to stop, looking back.

There wasn’t a single goose behind the hang glider anymore; those that were following had flown off to frolic elsewhere.

Lenin on the shore had a worried frown but still offered comfort: “It’s okay, maybe the propeller was blocking their view, and the geese didn’t see you, so they flew away. It’s okay, you guys go back and try once more, as long as the geese see you, it’ll be fine.”

Elvan was unsettled and had Bi Fang turn sideways to head back, but even after the geese saw Elvan, they still ignored him and swam towards Lenin on the shore.

“Damnit!”

Elvan couldn’t bear such a blow and banged the seat fiercely. This was completely different from what he had expected. The geese had clearly followed their first flight on the shore, so why wouldn’t they even glance at the hang glider now?

Back on the shore, Bi Fang removed his helmet and glanced at Elvan, then looked towards Etienne, feeling uneasy.

“There must be a problem with one of the steps.” Elvan was very anxious. “Maybe we weren’t properly prepared,” Lenin guessed.

“No… They were ready, they all took off, which means they were ready,” Elvan contested this idea, “It’s something else.”

“The wind?”

“Wind? Yeah, the wind, as if the wind has anything to do with it, not at all.”

“Don’t get mad at me.”

“I’m not mad, it’s you telling me not to get mad that’s making me mad.

The two began to argue intensely.

Meanwhile, Bi Fang moved away from the two and sat down next to Etienne, hugging his helmet: “You mentioned before, you witnessed the birth of the Barnacle Goose?”

Etienne, puzzled, still nodded: “Yes, my father and I were there at the time. What about it?”

“No, nothing,” Bi Fang looked at the arguing Elvan, “I just hope I’m wrong.