After the thrusters ignited, the front of the spacecraft slowly lowered, and the orbit began to descend. The light outside the window grew brighter and brighter, like a layer of red-hot iron sheet pasted on the outside of the hull.

Chen Hao's fingers were pressed against the control lever, his palms sweating. He didn't wipe them, afraid that if he let go, something would go wrong.

"Entering the atmosphere," Nana's voice rang out. "The heat shield temperature is rising; the current surface temperature is 1,200 degrees Celsius."

"Can it still hold on?" Chen Hao asked.

"The design limit is 1,600, which is currently normal."

The moment the words left his mouth, the aircraft jolted violently, as if struck by something. The warning lights flashed twice and then went out on their own.

“Airflow disturbance,” Nana said. “The left wing is under greater force, and its attitude deviation is 0.5 degrees.”

Chen Hao immediately shifted slightly to the right, his arm muscles tensing. This wasn't like cheating on an exam, where you could correct mistakes. Now, every sway could be a death knell.

“If I did it again, I might cry,” he said.

“You won’t cry.” Nana stared at the screen. “You didn’t cry when the engine exploded last time.”

"I was so scared that time that I didn't even have time to react."

Another violent shaking followed, as if the entire cockpit had been lifted up and slammed to the ground. Susan groaned, and Carl quickly turned around, pulling over the seatbelt beside her to re-fasten her.

"You're squeezing too tight," Susan gasped. "Loosen it a little."

“Don’t loosen up,” Carl said. “If you keep shaking, you’ll hit your head.”

She didn't speak, only bit her lip and gripped the edge of the seat with her fingers. Six months pregnant, her body couldn't withstand this kind of tossing and turning, but she didn't call for a stop or ask to return.

Chen Hao glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Are you alright?"

"I won't die." Susan forced a smile. "We'll settle the score after we land."

"Okay, I'll treat you to hot pot then."

"A serving of tripe for three people."

"make a deal."

As they spoke, the spaceship had already plunged completely into the atmosphere. The outside was no longer dotted with black, but a fiery red, like falling into a furnace. A low, rumbling hum emanated from the fuselage—the vibrations from air friction, continuous and penetrating to the very core.

Nana spoke faster: "The thermal shield is down by 12 percent, the structural stress is stable, the power system is normal, and the oxygen reserves are sufficient."

She spoke quickly, but not in a panic; her rhythm had changed. Normally, she speaks like she's reading an instruction manual, but now it sounds like she's racing against time.

“Automatic navigation is delayed by 0.3 seconds,” she said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Chen Hao frowned.

"The system is slowing down; manual control of pitch is recommended."

"Didn't you say I'd take over in the last ten kilometers?"

"Now it's the last ten kilometers."

Chen Hao took a breath and turned off the assist mode. The joystick immediately became heavy, as if it were connected to a steel bar piercing straight into the clouds.

He strained with both hands, sweat beading on his forehead. This section of the track couldn't be adjusted slowly by the machine; it had to be done by feel. The reflexes he'd honed from playing video games were proving surprisingly useful in this situation.

"The left side is too high!" Nana pointed out.

He gave it a sharp push, and the spaceship tilted to correct itself. The next second, it was propelled upwards by an updraft, and the altitude reading jumped.

"Hold on!" Karl shouted.

"I know I need to play it safe!" Chen Hao retorted, "but the weather won't let me play it safe!"

“You’re acting like a grumpy taxi driver right now,” Susan whispered.

"I am now the most expensive driver in the entire universe."

Another wave of tremors struck, even more violently than before. The entire ship swayed from side to side, and three lights on the dashboard simultaneously illuminated red.

Nana quickly scanned the screen: "Excessive vibration at the landing gear connection, pressure fluctuations in the sealed compartment, and a brief malfunction of the attitude gyroscope."

Which one is the most serious?

"None of them are fatal, but if they accumulate and worsen, they could cause a roll during landing."

"Then let's not let it get worse."

Chen Hao gritted his teeth, pressing down on the lever while simultaneously using his knee to brace against the emergency stop button below the control panel. This was a move he'd come up with on the spur of the moment; he didn't know if it would work, but he was giving it a try.

A few seconds later, the vibration subsided a little.

"It works?" he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Nana said. “It could be a change in airflow.”

"Then I'll add some more ingredients."

He stepped on with his right foot as well, tilting his body to the side as he operated. This is where the fat man's advantage came in—a lower center of gravity, making him less likely to be thrown off balance.

Carl looked at him and said, "You'll break the joystick sooner or later if you keep doing this."

"If it breaks, I'll just lift it with my hands."

"Then you should lose 30 pounds first."

"I'll start running a marathon as soon as I land."

"Who would believe that?"

The atmosphere inside the cabin was tense, but they were still joking. It was a strange sense of security; even though they could burn up in mid-air at any moment, no one shouted to give up.

Nana continued reporting the data: "The heat shield has lost 21 percent of its capacity. It is estimated that it will take another four minutes to leave the high-temperature zone."

"Four minutes..." Chen Hao muttered, "It takes longer than me to write a self-criticism."

“You never write more than two hundred words in your self-criticisms,” Susan said.

"That's because the teacher doesn't allow us to write too much."

"Now you can talk."

"In the face of life and death, inspiration strikes."

The spaceship had now entered its most dangerous zone. The external temperature was approaching 1,500 degrees Celsius, and the hull emitted a faint "crackling" sound, like metal groaning. The navigation lines began to sway, and Chen Hao had to constantly correct the course.

His arms were starting to ache.

"I can't hold on any longer." He gasped for breath. "Who can take my place for five seconds?"

“Nobody knows how to drive,” Carl said.

Where is Nana?

“I can take over, but the switchover process will take two seconds, during which time the posture may be out of control.”

"Then forget it."

He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again. Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the control stick.

“I remember skipping school when I was a kid and hiding in an internet cafe to play games,” he said. “That day my mom came to find me, and I was so scared that I jumped out of the second-floor window and fell on my bottom.”

"And then?" Susan asked.

"Then she didn't hit me, she just said, 'Can't you take responsibility for yourself this once?'"

No one responded.

He knew they were waiting for him to continue.

"Back then, I thought being responsible meant handing in assignments on time," he smiled. "Now that I think about it, being responsible means bringing everyone back alive."

After he finished speaking, he steadied his grip even more.

Looking at the data stream, Nana said softly, "The heat shield loss has stopped increasing, and the external temperature has begun to drop."

"Does that mean...we survived?"

"It hasn't landed yet, so we can't confirm."

"But at least it wasn't burned to ashes."

"correct."

The firelight outside the window gradually faded, the red turning into dark orange, and then into grayish-white. The stars reappeared on the edge of the field of vision, and the sky returned to clarity from chaos.

The vibrations gradually subsided, and all the warning lights went out. The spacecraft entered the smooth descent phase.

Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't let go of the control stick.

"How much longer?" he asked.

“Three minutes,” Nana said. “Prepare to activate the thrust reverser for final deceleration.”

"Check the landing gear."

"Deployed, locked normally."

"Life support system?"

"Stablize."

How is Susan?

She opened her eyes, "I can still scold you a couple of times."

"Great, you're in good spirits."

Karl hadn't moved until now, when he slowly released the armrest. His palms were sweaty, leaving two wet marks on the metal armrest.

“Those few minutes just now,” he said, “was longer than the last five years combined.”

“Me too,” Chen Hao said, “but I’ve discovered something.”

"What?"

"Even a mediocre student can drive a spaceship home."

"The premise is that there is a robot that reads the answers."

"Then you should come and take the driving test next time."

"I don't drive, I fix cars."

Nana suddenly said, "A ground signal boost has been detected. The control tower is sending the final guidance frequency."

"Bring them in."

The familiar notification tone sounded on the communication channel.

A voice came through: "SSV-097, this is ground control. You have completed the reentry phase and are in good condition. Maintain your current trajectory and prepare for touchdown attitude adjustments. Welcome home."

Chen Hao grinned.

"Did you hear that? They said welcome home."

“I heard you,” Nana said.

"I'm saying, shouldn't we add some ceremony to this?"

"for example?"

"For example... everyone shouting 'We're back' together?"

“Too childish,” Carl said.

"But we're doing the most childish thing right now."

"So my objection is invalid?"

"It's been ineffective for a long time."

Susan took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll shout it then."

Nana paused for two seconds, then said, "I can pronounce it in sync."

"Ready—" Chen Hao raised one hand.

The three of them looked up.

We're back!

The sound bounced around in the cramped cockpit, a little off-key, but loud enough.

The sky outside had returned to calm, with clouds drifting below and the earth clearly visible. The marker lights of the designated landing zone were lit, like a row of streetlights waiting for travelers to return home.

Nana looked down at the last screen of data.

"Thrust reverser engine warm-up complete, landing gear load test passed, navigation lock to final coordinates."

Chen Hao gripped the control stick tightly with both hands and leaned forward.

"From now on," he said, "I must walk this path steadily and smoothly."

The fuselage vibrated slightly; that was the engine pre-igniting.

He pushed the control stick, and the spacecraft slowly lowered its nose, aligning itself with the runway.

The horizon ahead is getting closer and closer.