The Wolfbat

The Wolfbat is one of the books in the series of “Essential Chinese Children’s Literature” and is Bingbo’s first full-length science fiction fairy tale masterpiece. The Chinese version of the book won first prize of the 4th Soong Ching Ling Children’s Literature Award， the 3rd National Excellent Children’s Literature Award， and the 3rd National Excellent Children’s Book Award.

Amidst a dark night...

I sprinted.

Despite possessing the ability to fly， I chose to run as a symbol of my unwavering devotion.

What was the object of my pursuit? I remained unsure. I was simply aware that our species stood in need of salvation， and I had embarked on a quest for an intelligent life form capable of rescuing our race.

In the vast expanse of space， innumerable black holes sailed past me. I traversed one after another， yet none yielded any glimmer of hope.

Exhaustion overcame me. Profound exhaustion.

In the distance， within one of those black holes， I beheld a cluster of azure stars， akin to a starry night sky. I pondered what this location might conceal. Then， I received a missive from our leader.

“You shall be a pioneer warrior. Your mission is to seek territory for our race.

“You shall face formidable trials. You will evaluate others and assess this world using your very being.”

This message instilled me with vigor but also instigated apprehension.

I experienced a pressure foreign to me.

“You are like a spirit， a mysterious cosmic spirit.”

It bestowed upon me a sense of solace and bolstered my confidence. I felt as though I had attained a newfound clarity.

The night no longer exuded the same profound darkness. Before me stretched an expansive， boundless grassland.

I unfurled my wings.

The wind bore me aloft， and the sun ascended， infusing me with vitality. I no longer needed to fly， for the solar winds were sending me toward that black hole.

No， that black hole was no longer the enigmatic void it had once been.

Ah， I could sense a transformation within my physical form.

I could feel the warmth.

The heat...

The temperature inside the freezer had now reached 27℃ and the freezer’s door was wide open.

They saw the colossal body of the Wolfbat.

Professor Shen’s hand quivered slightly as he held the syringe; his excitement was palpable. It was a substantial syringe， equipped with the largest needle available. However， even this seemed rather diminutive when juxtaposed with the Wolfbat’s immense body.

Regrettably， making a larger needle would consume too much time. They had to make do. As long as they could locate a major superficial vein beneath the Wolfbat’s skin， the needle’s length should suffice to deliver the medication.

Professor Shen’s hand continued to tremble.

“Ping， perhaps you should do this，” he said， handing the syringe to his assistant.

“All right， I’ll inject it，” Si Ping took the syringe and went into the freezer.

Carefully， he probed the Wolfbat’s massive body.

After a thorough search， he finally pinpointed a prominent vein in the Wolfbat’s neck.

Si Ping inserted the needle. With a gentle push on the plunger， the transparent liquid began to flow slowly into the Wolfbat’s bloodstream. The 50 ml dosage of medication had been delivered.

Si Ping withdrew the needle.

“Now， close the freezer door and deliver oxygen inside. Turn on the air pressure regulator，” Professor Shen instructed.

All that was left to do was to observe the creature in silence and wait for the medication to take effect. Professor Shen and Si Ping watched attentively.

Attached to the Wolfbat’s head was a highly sensitive air pressure monitor， capable of detecting even the faintest breaths. Several probes were affixed to its body to monitor its heartbeat and pulse. Any subtle movement would be immediately captured by these instruments.

A heavy silence enveloped the room， and no changes had occurred as of yet. Professor Shen and Si Ping anxiously awaited any signs of a response.

Half an hour passed.

An hour passed.

An hour and a half passed.

After one hour and forty-five minutes， a minuscule movement finally stirred within the Wolfbat’s body. Then， the air pressure monitor attached to its head detected a subtle change. The needle on the gauge twitched， recording a slight spike on the paper. Immediately after this， the needle quivered again， drawing a corresponding trough.

“The Wolfbat has started to breathe，” Professor Shen whispered to Si Ping， his expression sparkling with anticipation.

“Look...” Si Ping pointed to the heart rate monitor.

On its screen， a series of peaks and troughs formed， resembling waves， with each peak higher than the previous one， indicating stronger heartbeats.

They looked like a mountain range， stretching onward.

“The Wolfbat has been brought back to life.”

Professor Shen and Si Ping were talking in hushed voices. This was a profoundly significant moment.

The Wolfbat’s foot quivered.

Then， its other foot followed suit.

Right before their eyes， its drooping eyelids twitched and slowly opened.

It gazed at them with eyeballs as large as washbasins. They were round and yellow， with dark black pupils adjusting rapidly.

It stared fixedly at Professor Shen and Si Ping. Its gaze appeared somewhat bewildered， tinged with astonishment.

Simultaneously， the Wolfbat shook its body， slowly rose， and took a step forward.

A living Wolfbat had been reborn!

“Beyond a Hundred Million Years the Resurrection of the Wolfbat” this was the headline plastered across the front pages of major newspapers the next day. The media hailed this achievement as the most important and groundbreaking one， lauding Professors Shen and Si as heroes who had created life. The scientific community was abuzz with excitement.

Back at home， Professor Shen sat with the newspaper in his hands. The more he read， the angrier he became. He tossed it aside in frustration， “Nonsense! We discovered the Wolfbat. Discovery is greater and more challenging than creation! They’re belittling me!”

Professor Shen furiously knocked over his cup and it smashed on the floor.

“Breaking cups again? What’s next?” Hehua asked， distressed by the mess.

Seeing Professor Shen’s highly agitated state， Hehua fetched two of his pills and urged him to take them.

At that moment， Dean Chen arrived.

“Shen old friend， I need you again，” he said with a beaming smile.

“What for?”

“An academic symposium. It will be attended by the most renowned archaeologists， medical scientists and zoologists from around the world. I need you to present and talk about...”

“I won’t go!”

“Ah， I know you dislike being in the spotlight， but they’re already there， waiting for you.”

“I...”

“Come on， come on，” Dean Chen insisted， practically dragging Professor Shen into his car.

At the symposium， Dean Chen introduced him， “This is Professor Shen Qi， the man who successfully resurrected the Wolfbat. He is a distinguished fellow at the Institute. Now， let’s welcome him to tell us about his research.”

But when Dean Chen turned around， he found Professor Shen sprawled across the table， fast asleep.

Chen shook him vigorously， but he wouldn’t wake up.

“What’s going on?” The dean was baffled.

Little did he know that Hehua， fearing that he might break something else in his agitated state， had given him two strong sedatives.

Lili was alone in her room.

She had just finished watching the news on television. Its top story was the Wolfbat， shown in the cramped space of the freezer， shifting its body. Then， there had been a close-up of its head as the camera slowly zoomed in， focusing on its enormous eyes.

The entire screen was dominated by them.

They seemed to be staring right at her. They conveyed a mix of fear， sorrow， and determination.

Its black pupils appeared large， resembling a profound and mysterious black hole. A strange thought suddenly crossed her mind. she wanted to dive into that black hole and see what lay inside...

Lili was experiencing a vision...

She wandered across the boundless expanse of a plain.

The sky seamlessly merged with the earth. No mountains or lakes graced this landscape， only a smattering of towering ginkgo trees stood like sentinels， evoking a haunting sense of solitude.

A creeping unease settled upon Lili.

In the distance， heavy footfalls resonated like a drumbeat， “Thud. Thud. Thud.”

The earth quivered in response.

A colossal creature， the very same Wind God Pterosaur from her dreams，gradually approached. Its wings were half-extended， appearing as if it rode upon the

very wind itself.

Lili found herself isolated and defenseless. Fleeing seemed futile， so she stood her ground， gazing upon the approaching creature.

It extended its head， scrutinizing her closely.

Lili locked eyes with it， her emotions a turbulent mixture of fear， sorrow， and caution.

Without trepidation， a singular thought dominated her mind: If it intended to eat her， so be it.

With a display of its formidable teeth， the Wind God Pterosaur opened its massive jaws and began to speak.

“Wait for me，” it said， “I love you.”

With that， it turned away， its thunderous footsteps resounding again. Finally， it unfurled its wings and soared into the sky.

The gusts generated blew Lili’s clothes and hair as it departed.

Lili awoke from her surreal reverie.

She found herself deeply perplexed. What was happening to her? Why did she have these vivid dreams， even while awake? Her mother’s advice echoed in her mind， “If you love animals so much， why not get a Persian cat?” Yet， Lili had no affinity for kittens or puppies; her heart had been irrevocably captivated by dinosaurs. They were colossal， ancient， and possessed a mesmerizing grace in their form.

Were dinosaurs not extinct， she vowed she would have one as her cherished companion.

Still thinking about this， Lili rose from her seat， ambled over to the telephone， and made a call.

“Hello， is this Linjie? It’s Lili.”

“Hi Lili. What’s wrong?”

“I ... I really want to go and see the Wolfbat.”

“Huh， that’s quite the challenge. My father’s laboratory is strictly off limits to visitors...”

“But I have to see it...”

“Hmm ... let me see what I can do.”

Lili hung up the phone and sat there， lost in thought.

Bingbo

The author， Bingbo， is the vice chairman of the Hangzhou Writers Association. His works have won many awards such as the National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award， the Soong Ching Ling Children’s Literature Award， the National “Five One Project” Award， the National Book Award Nomination Award， and the Bingxin Children’s Book Award.