Ch 15: Interplanetary Planting Master

Discovery

The morning light on Broken Star was dim, with the sky showing an eerie bluish-gray hue. Large clouds gathered, heavily pressing towards the ground. In the midst of the clouds, three red mechs streaked through the sky, leaving long trails behind them.

Su He had just poked his head out of the hole when he immediately ducked back down in caution.

“What was that?” Han Rui asked, lying down next to Su He. He hadn’t seen the mechs, only the changing trails of light against the gray-blue clouds.

“Three mechs just flew past,” Su He said, looking up enviously.

Mechs were highly valuable on Broken Star, not something just anyone could afford. As far as Han Rui knew, the owners of mechs were the top elite from various settlements. However, these individuals rarely ventured out, and seeing three mechs at once meant something significant must have happened ahead.

“Stop gawking,” Han Rui nudged Su He. “The weather is bad today; we need to hurry.”

The two began packing up to leave. In the opposite direction, the three red mechs landed at the 36th Ruin. The mech hatches opened, and Zhuang Wei was the first to jump out, followed by two sentinels who positioned themselves protectively at his sides. Zhuang Wei didn’t speak, quickly extending his perception. This was the thirteenth ruin he had searched in the day and night since arriving on Broken Star. His perception spread like a giant spiderweb, covering the entire ruin from the surface to the abandoned underground world. Chaotic images intertwined, and various pieces of information flowed into his mind, breaking down and reconstructing into a new three-dimensional model of the ruin.

Zhuang Wei rapidly filtered through the information, discarding anything unnecessary. The ruin’s details settled in his mind, but he didn’t find what he was looking for. Instead, he discovered traces of Lu Li’s presence.

Seeing Zhuang Wei’s pale face, one of the sentinels asked worriedly, “General?”

Zhuang Wei retracted his perception and smiled, “It’s nothing, I just got a bit too anxious.”

Another sentinel activated his terminal, displaying a three-dimensional image of Broken Star on the virtual screen. The map was dotted with over a hundred glowing markers, each representing a different ruin on Broken Star. The sentinel zoomed in on the 36th Ruin and tapped it lightly, causing its bright marker to dim.

“General, heading south leads to the 27th Ruin. According to the information from the Silent Group, the underground of the 27th Ruin is also a long-abandoned settlement.”

Hearing the word “abandoned,” Zhuang Wei thought for a moment and said, “Let’s head back to the central district first. It seems the estimated five days won’t be enough. I need to inform Major Lu to have the Iris wait a few more days.”

“At the legion…”

Zhuang Wei waved his hand dismissively, “Colonel Xu will handle it.”

Just as he was about to enter his mech, he thought of something and headed towards a part of the ruin. A few minutes later, Zhuang Wei returned with seven or eight fresh radishes, leaving the two sentinels beside him stunned. Zhuang Wei chuckled, “Let’s bring these back for Major Lu as a snack, and maybe he’ll cut us a deal on the food costs.”

The food on the Iris was good, but certainly not cheap, prompting the sentinels to join in the laughter.

The red mechs flew across the sky again, and this time, Han Rui saw them too. Su He watched the fading trails of the mechs, drooling, “So cool.”

Han Rui’s expression changed slightly as if he wanted to say something. He glanced at Su He but then swallowed his words.

When Zhuang Wei returned to the Iris, Lu Li was facing the terminal, listening to Li Zhendao furiously cursing the Lin family. On the virtual screen, the old man was red-faced with anger, spitting as his rant grew more intense.

“That old scoundrel Lin Wen rejected the legion’s budget request, implying we’ve overspent. How have we overspent? How? I’ve toiled to keep you all stationed at the border, isn’t it right that we eat well and dress well? That old scoundrel is just jealous, simply jealous.”

Lu Li glanced at the time, considering that the general had almost finished his rant, and nodded in agreement, “Exactly, Secretary Lin is just jealous of the general’s talent, wisdom, and noble character. He’s using underhanded tactics to suppress you and the Seventh Legion because he can’t compare.”

He spoke fluently and sincerely, as if it were all true. The old man humbly waved his hand, “Oh, no, I’ve barely lived up to your praise; I still have much to improve.”

Through the screen, the old man’s face was modest, but his eyes crinkled with a pleased smile. He straightened his small, bulging belly and magnanimously said, “Forget it. Given that Lin Wen can’t even come close to me, I won’t bother with him.”

Lu Li smiled slightly, hiding his concern. Each year’s budget request involved a long back-and-forth between the legion and the central government. It was normal for the central government to reject the budget at first, but targeting the Seventh Legion first was significant. Lu Li didn’t comment further; he knew the general understood the situation even better than he did.

As Li Zhendao’s anger subsided, he remembered the actual reason he had contacted Lu Li.

“Oh, brat, return to the legion as soon as possible. That old fox Lin Jin is investigating the Galactic Treeman matter. He’s already checked the ships passing through the nearby routes. I suspect he has his eyes on the Iris.” If it came to a direct confrontation, the Seventh Legion wasn’t afraid of the Lin family. Li Zhendao worried about the Iris being isolated outside. If the old fox played dirty, the legion wouldn’t be able to help. “How’s Zhuang Wei’s matter going?” he asked.

“General Zhuang estimated five days.”

Li Zhendao immediately said, “Then leave for Karn Star in four days, take the Shattered Star route.”

Lu Li pondered briefly but didn’t immediately agree. Four days would be enough for the Iris to restock. His original plan was also to leave Broken Star in four days, but now there was an additional variable—Su He. Lu Li hoped to take Su He away from Broken Star but wasn’t confident he could convince him in just four days.

Li Zhendao noticed Lu Li’s hesitation, “What’s the problem? Trouble?”

Lu Li nodded, “A personal matter.”

Personal matter! The old man’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and he smiled kindly, “Come on, tell me what’s troubling you. I love to help.”

Lu Li smiled innocently, “Nothing major, just that we need more energy stones to set off.”

Before he could finish, the old man exaggeratedly slapped the terminal, “What’s this? The signal is suddenly bad, can’t hear anything. Hey, brat… I’m hanging up.” The old man decisively ended the call, leaving Lu Li laughing at the screen.

Passing by the door, Jiang Bo heard Lu Li’s laughter and winked at Wei Na, “Boss seems in a good mood, huh?”

His comment wasn’t without reason. Early in the morning, while everyone on the Iris was still sleeping, Lu Li had gone out alone and cleared a large area of dark beasts. When Jiang Bo saw the mountain of corpses, he almost had a heart attack, thinking it was a beast tide.

Lu Li’s actions became a hot topic on the Iris. Everyone agreed he must have been provoked, and the theories all revolved around a guide. Liao Kai confidently claimed that the boss’s guide must be too ugly, causing the boss to struggle between resisting and succumbing to his instincts, venting by killing dark beasts. Otherwise, why hadn’t he brought the guide back to the Iris after a day and a night? This seemed plausible and spread as the supposed truth. Jiang Bo pitied Lu Li, thinking how ugly the guide must be for the boss to resist despite their 100% compatibility.

Due to this, Jiang Bo was very attuned to Lu Li’s emotions. Feeling loyal, Wei Na rolled her eyes, ignoring him, and turned to knock on the door.

“Boss, General Zhuang is back and wants to discuss something with you.”

Lu Li was surprised Zhuang Wei returned so quickly. Upon meeting him, he learned Zhuang Wei’s mission wasn’t going well and needed to stay on Broken Star longer. Thinking of Su He, Lu Li agreed to Zhuang Wei’s request without hesitation.

At lunch, Lu Li was surprised to find a dish of braised radish with meat. “Where did this come from?”

“General Zhuang brought it. He found it in the 36th Ruin.”

Lu Li: “…”

Far away in the desolate wilderness, Su He was peeling radishes with a knife, carving a flower on one. Han Rui, watching, was amazed.

“Here, for you.”

Han Rui took it, reluctant to ruin the shape, and took a bite from the bottom. “Delicious.”

Su He nostalgically said, “Eating it raw is nothing; braised radish with meat is the best.” He lamented missing out on the dish due to being scared off by Lu Li and wondered who would get to eat the radishes he left behind in the ruin.

Talking about meat, Han Rui remembered something, “Su He, have you noticed that there are almost no dark beasts on this route?”

Su He paused, realizing it belatedly. Compared to the same route a few days ago, their journey was incredibly smooth.

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