Ch 5: Interplanetary Planting Master

Lu Li (Part 2)

With Admiral Zhuang Wei’s blessings, Lu Li returned to the command room. Shen Shen had already set up the particle interception, and the second and third squads were geared up and ready for the assault.

“What’s the situation?” Lu Li asked.

“Everything’s normal. The target is about to enter the particle interception zone,” Shen Shen responded.

Lu Li nodded and extended his senses through the starship, spreading them out into the dark universe ahead. There was no sound, no smell—nothing. The universe in his mental world was a blank slate, the ideal place for a sentinel. Ever since Lu Li’s awakening at age eight, he had faced an exceptionally chaotic world daily. Overloaded information assaulted his senses like turbulent waters, repeatedly battering him. To avoid dying from information overload, the first skill Lu Li learned was how to erect a sensory barrier for himself. Being able to extend his senses without obstruction like this was a delight. A few seconds later, Lu Li saw the Xica starship. It was moving towards them, heading straight into the particle interception zone.

“Second and third squads, deploy. Good luck, everyone,” Lu Li ordered calmly.

“Roger, boss,” Jiang Bo howled excitedly. “For the credits, let’s go!”

“For daily veggies!” “For a bed to sleep on at night!” “For boss not going bankrupt!” Various shouts followed as the Iris’s hatch opened, and eighteen dark-colored, unidentifiable mechas shot out, ghosting towards the Xica starship. The remaining crew on the Iris laughed heartily at Jiang Bo and the others’ goals, while Lu Li smiled warmly, shaking his head.

Everyone was relaxed, confident that the elite troops wouldn’t be defeated by a few small-time star pirates. But the next moment, a blinding blue light erupted from the enemy ship, transforming the C-class heavy ship into a B-class Dreadnought. At the same time, their hatch opened, and thirty similarly unidentifiable mechas flew out, intercepting the second and third squads.

Lu Li: “…They’re not star pirates.” Star pirates wouldn’t react so quickly or disguise a Dreadnought as a heavy ship.

Shen Shen responded quickly, “Mercenaries?”

Lu Li extended his senses, “They seem like military personnel.”

Shen Shen: “Who would be so bored as to disguise themselves as star pirates instead of showing up openly?”

Lu Li: “…”

The others: “…”

Shen Shen: “Should we recall Jiang Bo? It would be bad if there were a misunderstanding among our own.”

Lu Li was about to order Jiang Bo’s recall when the two sides’ mechas clashed. Brilliant sparks lit up the dark universe, and Jiang Bo’s enraged voice came through, “Boss, they’re not star pirates! They’re private soldiers from the Lin family.”

At the mention of the Lin family, the Iris’s crew became fired up, and Lu Li changed his mind about recalling Jiang Bo. Although both were part of the Federation, the Seventh Corps and the Lin family had always been at odds. Eighteen years ago, the Lin family orchestrated the “Bloody Iris Incident,” in which Seventh Corps Commander Li Zhendao lost his partner. Lu Li and all members of the First Combat Unit lost their homes, families, and everything. If it were anyone else, the Iris would avoid conflict. After all, Lu Li was a soldier, not a star pirate. But the Lin family… Lu Li’s gentle expression remained as he glanced at Shen Shen, who immediately understood and whispered, “The white noise emitter in the command room is on. Admiral Zhuang shouldn’t hear our conversation.”

Lu Li nodded and reissued his order, “Adjutant Shen, take command. First and fourth squads, follow me.”

The Lin family wouldn’t be lurking in such a remote corridor disguised as star pirates just for fun. Whatever their intentions, Lu Li had no plans to let them leave easily. Soon, eighteen mechas flew out from the Iris, fanning out towards the enemy ship. The enemy ship responded in kind, sending out another thirty mechas to intercept.

In the captain’s lounge, Zhuang Wei watched the battle with interest and asked his guard, “What do you think of the First Combat Unit’s combat prowess?”

The guard praised, “They’re very strong.”

Zhuang Wei smiled, “The First Combat Unit is Li Zhendao’s trump card. Over the years, Lu Li has led them on Kahn, commanding tens of thousands of regular troops to hold back millions of dark beasts. Their achievements are outstanding.”

The guard nodded in agreement, “I’ve heard of him. Last year’s ‘Blue Sand Blood Battle’ was particularly impressive. But I heard the Central Inspectorate suppressed his commendation…”

Zhuang Wei shook his head, “The Central Inspectorate… You might not know, but Lu Li also came from the Central Inspectorate. Later, he had a fallout with them and left the military with his subordinates. If not for old Li taking him in, the Federation might have had another star pirate group.”

“How could that be? General Li is still young, and the Seventh Corps has many warriors who might not accept Lu Li.”

“Whether they accept him will depend on Lu Li’s abilities. As for old Li…” Zhuang Wei sighed, “Minghui the Guide has been gone for eighteen years now.”

Minghui the Guide was the partner of Seventh Corps Commander, Federation Admiral Li Zhendao, who died in the Bloody Iris Incident eighteen years ago. The union of sentinels and guides, often compared to marriage, was a bond that couldn’t be broken, nor could it withstand the loss of either party. The connection was both physical and spiritual, and the death of one meant unbearable pain for the other. Most in such a situation chose suicide; only a few survived, but they remained in lifelong grief.

When Minghui died, everyone thought Li Zhendao wouldn’t make it, but he did, and for eighteen years. If not for the Seventh Corps guarding the border and holding back the dark beasts, humanity wouldn’t have won the brief peace they enjoyed. Although Li Zhendao always appeared lively, Zhuang Wei sensed he wouldn’t last many more years, maybe five at most. In a world where high-level sentinels could live to 150, dying before seventy was considered early.

With these thoughts, Zhuang Wei lost interest in conversation and turned his gaze back to the distant battlefield.

In the dark universe, Lu Li maneuvered his mecha to avoid the intense pulse stream of the Gauss cannon. After a 360-degree spin, he appeared beneath the enemy ship. Extending his left arm, his mechanical hand transformed, a small Gauss cannon emerging. Blue light flashed, and the pulse stream tore a hole in the ship’s hull at close range.

Lu Li backed off, and his subordinate, Liao Kai, code-named Wild Wolf, leaped up to the breach. The rest of the first squad followed closely. Seeing enemy mechas returning, Lu Li redirected the Gauss cannon, pressing down, and the light beam forced two enemy mechas to dodge, only to be hit by the pulse stream. It was as if they intentionally collided with Lu Li’s attack.

This was the advantage of a high-level sentinel over a low-level one. Lu Li had already judged the enemy’s evasion direction before attacking, aiming directly at the anticipated spot. He retracted the Gauss cannon and spoke calmly on the team channel, “I want to hear ‘mission accomplished’ in five minutes. Anyone who drags behind will clean the Iris for a week, with no vegetables or fruits during that time, only nutrient supplements.”

“Ouch!” “Boss is too harsh.” “I don’t want to eat trash.”

The channel erupted in wails, and everyone sped up their combat. Though the Lin family’s private soldiers were formidable, the First Combat Unit was the Corps’ elite. In less than four minutes, the battle inside and outside the starship was over. The surviving Lin family members were locked in the escape pod. Liao Kai set the coordinates for a remote planet and pressed the launch button.

“Good luck.”

He smiled without sincerity, not caring about the fate of the Lin family members. To Liao Kai, not throwing them to the dark beasts was already a big kindness.

With the external threat removed, the squad members began to ransack the enemy starship.

“Hurry, move the crew beds back. I’m done with sleeping in hammocks.”

“Wow, look at their kitchen. They even have porcelain! Pack it all up and sell it on Broken Star’s black market.”

“We’ve struck gold! There’s an eco-plant cultivation room in the hold.”

“Focus, guys. Energy stones are the most valuable.”

The chaotic voices echoed, with Liao Kai’s being the loudest, “Boss, come here. There’s a room we can’t open. The Lin family guarded it the most. Little Taro almost got hurt.”

“I didn’t—mmph, mmph…”

Lu Li, accompanied by Wei Na, hurried over. Little Taro was pinning Liao Kai down and pummeling him. Little Taro, real name Yu Sen, was the youngest in the First Combat Unit, having just turned eighteen. The others enjoyed teasing him.

“Boss, help!” Liao Kai cried, clutching his neck.

Everyone laughed.

The room Liao Kai mentioned looked ordinary but had a three-layer password lock. Wei Na connected her personal terminal to the lock and began cracking it at lightning speed. More team members gathered, curious about what was inside. After ten minutes, the lock opened, revealing neatly arranged A-class standard energy stones. Everyone’s eyes lit up, and Jiang Bo was about to shout that they had struck it rich when Liao Kai interrupted, “What’s that?”

In the center of the energy stones, a two-meter-tall “tree” floated in mid-air.

“Galactic Treeman,” Lu Li answered.

The Galactic Treemen were an ancient race in the universe, resembling and indeed being trees. They had their unique biological civilization, with a history spanning millions of years. Not native to the Milky Way, they came from a distant extragalactic system. Their growth cycle was extremely long, taking thousands of years to mature from a juvenile. Throughout their growth, they required large amounts of energy stones. Consequently, once past the initial stage, all Galactic Treemen would leave their home planet to drift through the universe, seeking planets with potential energy stones.

When humans first discovered the Galactic Treemen, they assumed they were an alien species like the dark beasts. However, humans quickly realized the value of the Galactic Treemen. As the pinnacle of biological civilizations, Galactic Treemen could root themselves anywhere. The energy within their bodies would cover the rooted area, forming a unique energy shield. This energy shield could not only protect against existing weapon attacks but also automatically repair damage caused by these attacks. For a Federation constantly at war, Galactic Treemen were the dream of every starship. Thus, humans immediately formed a partnership with the Galactic Treemen: humans provided the energy stones needed by the Treemen, and in return, the Treemen offered essential protection for human starships.

From the first discovery of a Galactic Treeman to the present, their total number in the galaxy remained low, making them exceptionally precious. The known few dozen Galactic Treemen were either part of the Federal military or belonged to a few major families. Jiang Bo, staring dreamily at the sleeping Treeman, said, “Boss, let’s keep him on the Iris. Then we’ll have a starship with a biological shield.” His words echoed the sentiments of the others, who all looked at Lu Li with eager anticipation.

Lu Li smiled slightly, “A Galactic Treeman requires three times the energy stones that the Iris uses in full operation each month. So, tell me, how are we going to solve the energy stone problem?”

The group of penniless soldiers: “…”

Anyone with sense knew the value of a Galactic Treeman. The problem was that Lu Li was already flat broke and couldn’t afford to sustain such a high energy consumer.

Looking at the disappointed faces around him, he said, “Liao Kai, connect with the General. See if he’s willing to take in this Galactic Treeman.”

A minute, two minutes, three minutes passed, and Liao Kai dejectedly reported, “The General refuses to take my call.”

The group immediately hung their heads like ostriches, wishing they could bury them in the floor. Everyone knew why the General wouldn’t take their call: every time the First Combat Unit contacted him, it was to borrow money. The General had grown weary of this.

“Use the starship’s terminal to connect, and make sure it’s encrypted,” Lu Li said calmly, completely ignoring the fact that he was the one who borrowed the most.

This time, the terminal connected in just ten seconds, and the virtual screen in the room displayed a kindly old man wearing a bear-shaped sleeping cap.

At a glance, the old man tried to shut off the screen. Lu Li anticipated this move and said quickly before the screen could go dark, “Payback.”

The group: “…”

PREVIOUS TOC NEXT