Ch 4: Interplanetary Planting Master

Lu Li

Three hundred light-years away from Broken Star, a B-class Dreadnought Starship was cruising steadily along its predetermined course.

The Galactic Federation classifies starships from highest to lowest: the top level being S-class Space Fortresses, followed by A-class Annihilation Starships, then B-class Dreadnought Starships, C-class Heavy Starships, and D-class Patrol Starships.

Due to the threat of dark beasts, humanity was essentially in a state of total militarization. The difference between military and civilian starships was minimal. Military starships had their serial numbers painted on the sides and tail wings, while civilian starships bore ownership insignias on their tail wings.

This particular starship did not have a military serial number; instead, it bore a blood-red iris insignia on its tail wing. Anyone from the Federation’s Seventh Corps would recognize it as the private starship of Major Lu Li, the commander of the First Combat Unit of the Seventh Corps.

Three days ago, Lu Li and his subordinates in the First Combat Unit of the Seventh Corps had concluded their deployment on the planet Kahn and were given a month of rest. Out of thirty-nine subordinate sentinels, only three chose to visit their families, while the remaining thirty-six stayed on Lu Li’s starship, citing reasons like running out of money, having no credits, having nowhere to go, and being unable to survive, etc. To support these subordinates and to “support” his private starship, Lu Li had to spend his rest period figuring out how to make money.

This time, escorting the “smuggler” Zhao Jingguang from Earth to Broken Star was a task originally outsourced by the Central Inspectorate to civilian mercenary groups. Lu Li managed to take over the task through personal connections. The reward for the mission was one thousand B-class standard energy stones, enough for the Iris to make a round trip to Broken Star with five hundred energy stones left over. Under immense financial pressure, Lu Li’s money-grabbing tendencies were in full play, with Zhao Jingguang being the first “victim.”

…

Detention Room, Lower Deck of the Starship

Short and stout, with a bald head and protruding belly, Zhao Jingguang lay on the ground, his face filled with terror. A black combat boot pressed down on his stomach, grinding lightly. Zhao Jingguang screamed like a slaughtered pig. The owner of the boot bent down, revealing a delicate yet sinister face. As Lu Li’s adjutant, Shen Shen also held roles such as intelligence officer and interrogator. Hands in his pockets, he wore the black uniform of the Seventh Corps in a sloppy manner, staring at Zhao Jingguang with a half-smile, and slowly asked, “Three months ago, on March 15, 1021 of the star calendar, you led fifteen sentinel thugs to attack the central tower on planet N-3, kidnapped four unpaired guides, and sold them to the Red Spider Star Pirates…”

Zhao Jingguang interrupted Shen Shen’s words, trembling and answering hastily, “I don’t know. I only handled the sale of the guides. I don’t know their whereabouts.”

Shen Shen’s boot moved from Zhao Jingguang’s stomach to his face, blocking his mouth. “I don’t care about the guides’ whereabouts. That’s the Central Inspectorate’s business. What I’m curious about is that you sold the four guides for five thousand A-class standard energy stones, but according to the Central Inspectorate’s records, they only confiscated three thousand energy stones. Where did you hide the other two thousand energy stones?”

“There were no five thousand, only three thousand,” Zhao Jingguang cried out.

“So you’re saying the Red Spider Star Pirates lied to me?” Shen Shen asked nonchalantly, his tone rising at the end.

“Yes… no… I don’t know.” Zhao Jingguang babbled incoherently, his face a mixture of tears and snot, looking pitiful. “I really don’t know.” Desperate for Shen Shen to believe him, he turned his head towards the other side of the detention room, swearing, “Major Lu, I swear I don’t know. There were only three thousand energy stones, really only three thousand.”

The person Zhao Jingguang referred to as Major Lu was the starship’s owner, Lu Li. Also wearing a black uniform, Lu Li’s attire was immaculate. His dark green shirt was buttoned up to his Adam’s apple, his dark silver tie was perfectly smooth, and his black jacket, silver epaulettes, sharply pressed trousers, and polished black boots made him look ready for a presidential inspection. Even the most stringent Central Inspectorate wouldn’t find fault with his appearance.

At that moment, Lu Li was sitting in a corner chair, engrossed in a book titled “Eco-Compartment Plant Cultivation Guidelines.” Zhao Jingguang’s wailing caught his attention, and he closed the book, looking at Zhao Jingguang with a gentle gaze. “I believe you.”

Two tears of gratitude were forced out by Zhao Jingguang, and Lu Li looked at him sympathetically, his tone becoming even more gentle. “But I’m sorry, my adjutant doesn’t believe you. As you know, a good officer must listen to his subordinates, so I can’t interfere with Adjutant Shen’s actions. I deeply sympathize with any harm caused to you by Adjutant Shen. If it turns out that his intelligence was wrong, I will make him apologize to you.”

Gratitude froze on Zhao Jingguang’s face. Shen Shen impatiently kicked him, lazily saying, “Did you hear that? If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize to you.”

Clutching his stomach, Zhao Jingguang howled again, “I’m going to report you to the Central Inspectorate for violating my personal safety.”

A look of regret appeared on Lu Li’s face, and he kindly informed him, “Mr. Zhao, being busy with smuggling, you probably haven’t had time to study Federation law. According to Article 18, Section 63 of Federation law, only Federation citizens have the right to personal safety. Due to your attack on the central tower and kidnapping and harming guides, your citizenship has been revoked. I don’t think the Central Inspectorate will accept your complaint.”

Shen Shen burst into laughter, maliciously suggesting, “Since he’s not a Federation citizen anymore, sending him to Broken Star is too much trouble. By usual practice, we could just throw him into the nearest dark beast nest. That’s how the Central Inspectorate and mercenary groups do it anyway.”

Lu Li seemed to seriously consider this suggestion, causing Zhao Jingguang to stop pretending to be dead. He turned over and clung to Shen Shen’s leg, shouting, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! The other two thousand energy stones are hidden in Ruin 36 on Broken Star, coordinates N22E45.”

Shen Shen pulled his leg out of Zhao Jingguang’s grasp, and with a light kick, Zhao Jingguang passed out. He looked at Lu Li with a triumphant expression, “Boss, two thousand A-class standard energy stones should power the Iris for three months, right?”

Lu Li stood up, “If we don’t consider the energy consumption of the external eco-compartment.”

Shen Shen frowned, “Boss, do you really want to hang an eco-compartment on the Iris? We’re a B-class Dreadnought Starship, a combat ship. An eco-compartment is something for civilian starships. It’s too embarrassing.”

Lu Li nodded thoughtfully, “It doesn’t look very good. So could you think of a way to meet everyone’s vegetable and fruit needs on the Iris? I’m already heavily in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. By the way, if I remember correctly, aren’t you usually the one who enjoys the food the most?”

Shen Shen immediately changed his expression, clinging to Lu Li and pledging his loyalty, “Boss, I was wrong. It’s my bad taste. Let’s hang the eco-compartment. One on top, one below, one on each side, and several behind the tail wing.”

Lu Li looked at him approvingly, patting Shen Shen’s head with a pleased expression.

The two exited the detention room, where another adjutant, Wei Na, deactivated the white noise emitter in her hand. Wei Na was a rare female sentinel, tall and fit, with a buzz cut and coffee-colored skin that hinted at mixed heritage. She wasn’t wearing a uniform but a simple tank top and black khaki pants, showcasing her powerful physique.

Shen Shen glanced at the white noise emitter, exaggerating his expression, “Wasn’t that conversation not classified?”

The white noise emitter was a little gadget developed by the military, producing a unique frequency that made sentinels feel calm and reduced the likelihood of eavesdropping on sentinel conversations.

Wei Na glared at him expressionlessly, saying, “Considering a certain important guest is on the Iris, I must uphold the honor of the Seventh Corps and the First Combat Unit.”

Shen Shen: “…”

Before Wei Na could say more, another subordinate, Jiang Bo, ran over excitedly.

“Boss, boss, Little Taro discovered a heavily armed ship from the Xica Star Pirates not far ahead. The brothers are all ready, just waiting for your orders,” Jiang Bo said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Shen Shen looked at him sympathetically. Jiang Bo was puzzled, “What’s wrong? Isn’t it our habit to rob star pirates when we encounter them?”

Lu Li cleared his throat, correcting him, “As Federation soldiers, star pirates, who are the scourge of Federation security, are our determined targets. Our actions are to uphold Federation law and human justice.”

Wei Na: “…”

Shen Shen: “…for the law.”

Jiang Bo: “…for justice.”

With the banner of righteousness, Lu Li quickly issued orders, “Jiang Bo, tell Little Taro to activate stealth mode. First squad, set up particle interception; second and third squads, prepare for forced boarding.”

Stealth mode involved using visual mimicry to change the appearance of the starship to the enemy, a very practical technology for traveling.

Jiang Bo nodded, immediately considering which star pirate group they should impersonate this time. The Red Spider? The Black Prison? Or the Silent Group? As someone with decision-making difficulties, Jiang Bo decided to go with the familiar Red Spider. “Should we fly the Red Spider’s flag?”

“…” Lu Li, he patiently explained, “In the long run, you shouldn’t overexploit one group. Give them time to recover. We’ve already put the Red Spider on the Federation’s radar. Another hit would make their situation difficult. This time, let’s switch to a different group.”

Shen Shen and Jiang Bo immediately flattered him, “Boss, you’re brilliant.”

Lu Li accepted their praise without shame, and with Wei Na, headed to the captain’s lounge to greet the guest. As a heavily indebted starship captain supporting a bunch of freeloaders, Lu Li had to find various ways to make money, like running errands for the Central Inspectorate or giving a lift to discreet passengers. This time, the guest on the Iris was none other than Federation Admiral Zhuang Wei.

As one of the seven Federation Admirals and the commander of the Third Corps, Zhuang Wei’s reason for discreetly traveling to Broken Star didn’t interest Lu Li. If not for the relationship with his direct superior, Li Zhendao, Lu Li wouldn’t have taken on this trouble.

At the captain’s lounge door, Wei Na was stopped by Zhuang Wei’s sentinel guards. Currently, the captain’s lounge was the best-furnished cabin on the Iris. To save energy stones, all non-essential facilities on the Iris had been shut down, leaving only the combat weapons operational. Crew quarters only had hammocks. According to Lu Li, this was to cultivate frugality among the crew. Jiang Bo privately joked that the Iris looked like it had just been looted by star pirates. Previous passengers hadn’t cared about food and accommodations, and they didn’t dare be picky in front of Lu Li. But Zhuang Wei was a special case, so Lu Li had given up his own quarters. Of course, Zhuang Wei had compensated Lu Li handsomely.

“Admiral Zhuang,” Lu Li knocked on the door.

“Major Lu.”

By the observation window, Zhuang Wei greeted Lu Li with a smile. He was almost sixty years old but looked barely over forty. As the strongest sentinel in decades, Zhuang Wei had no trace of a military demeanor, exuding a scholarly aura instead. Without knowing his identity, one would mistake him for a scholar rather than the general of the Federation’s Iron-Blood Corps.

“Are you comfortable?” Lu Li asked respectfully. He had grown up hearing Zhuang Wei’s legendary tales, and at one point, Zhuang Wei had been his idol. Unlike sentinels from military aristocracy, Zhuang Wei came from a civilian background and climbed to the position of Federation Admiral purely on military merits, being the only civilian-born among the seven admirals.

“Very comfortable. The lounge offers a great view of the cosmic scenery along the way,” Zhuang Wei invited Lu Li to sit. “Is there something you need, Major Lu?”

Lu Li slightly bowed, “The Iris will be conducting a minor military operation in half an hour. I hope it won’t inconvenience you.”

“Of course not. Is it against the Xica Star Pirates’ ship ahead?”

Zhuang Wei laughed heartily, joking, “I understand completely. Back when I kept the Nebula operational, it was thanks to the generous support of several star pirate groups. I’m sure the Xica won’t be stingy this time either.”

Lu Li: “…”

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