Ch 16: Interplanetary Planting Master

Encounter

Earth Standard Time, 18:00. Su He and Han Rui arrived at the central district ruins. The two of them lay prone on the top of a dilapidated building, gazing at the Iris from a distance.

“This is a starship!”

Su He wore a dreamy expression, mesmerized as he drooled over the colossal structure before him. Before seeing the Iris, he had read numerous introductions about starships online. Each introduction was filled with the most extravagant praise, yet Su He felt that all the words combined couldn’t describe the awe the starship inspired in him.

“So beautiful.” Su He’s eyes sparkled as he continued to drool over the starship.

The Iris was a long, sleek starship, entirely made of H-3 energy alloy unique to Morton Planet, shimmering with a dark silver glow under the sunlight. Its design was inspired by the sailing ships recorded in ancient Earth history, with smooth lines and a very distinctive style. The Iris had four levels, was over four hundred meters long, and its overall design was seamless, looking more like a piece of art than a battleship.

Su He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and asked Han Rui in a low voice, “Do you think our energy stones are enough to buy a starship like that?”

Han Rui didn’t want to crush Su He’s dreams but was forced to face reality. After hesitating for a long time, he said, “…Maybe we can buy a smaller one?”

The two of them exchanged looks, simultaneously realizing that their dreams were lofty, but reality was harsh.

Su He was downcast for a few seconds but quickly regained his spirits. “It’s okay, if the energy stones aren’t enough, we can grow more vegetables. I still have plenty of seeds in my bag; we can plant them as soon as we get back.”

Stimulated by the sight of the enormous starship, Su He immediately turned into a man of action. He and Han Rui carefully left the rooftop, slipping into the underground world through a series of pipes. They didn’t go to the settlement; with many secrets to keep, they preferred to live together alone. Xiao Bai dug a hole near the settlement, making the bottom spacious, with multiple exits prepared.

In the center of the hole, Su He laid out the energy stones, rearranging the formation. He planned to first try planting a batch of apples and, if they sold well, to expand the variety of their products. Once the seeds were planted, the two of them had a simple meal and leaned against each other, chatting.

“Han Rui, do you recognize this flower?”

Su He used his finger to draw a flower on the ground. He had seen this flower in Lu Li’s mental world, where the flowerbeds were full of them. He had also just noticed this flower’s symbol on the stern of that starship. Reluctantly, Su He connected the two and was almost certain that the starship outside was Lu Li’s.

After finishing his drawing, Su He looked at Han Rui. Han Rui stared at the flower on the ground in silence for a while before saying, “It’s an iris.”

“Iris?”

With his head down, Han Rui explained, “Iris is the name given by humans, to commemorate the extinct iris flowers on Earth. It’s said that they look very similar. This flower was discovered by the Federation on a habitable planet, which was then named Iris Star.”

Iris Star? Su He suddenly thought of the dead star in Lu Li’s mental world, though he wasn’t sure why. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, “Where is Iris Star? Is it far from Broken Star?”

This time, Han Rui’s silence lasted longer. He shook his head and said softly, “There is no Iris Star anymore. Eighteen years ago, it was wiped out by the Federation due to a dark beast tide.”

Han Rui spoke lightly, but the word “wiped out” conveyed a sense of cruelty that Su He picked up on. He said nothing more, drawing his knees up to his chest as he thought of Lu Li. Could the dead star in Lu Li’s mental world be Iris Star? Was his home there? Was the “wiped out” that Han Rui mentioned the same as Su He understood? These questions fluttered around Su He’s mind like feathers, sparking his curiosity. He couldn’t resist opening his terminal to search for information about Iris Star. There was nothing, the search page was blank.

Su He: “…”

His curiosity grew rapidly, with the suppression of information only fueling its growth. Su He instinctively wanted to ask Han Rui, but the words caught in his throat as he realized Iris Star had nothing to do with him. Why was he so concerned? His mind wrestled with this all night, torn between asking and not asking. Until Han Rui fell asleep beside him, Su He still hadn’t spoken up.

He looked at the sleeping Han Rui, reached out to tuck the clothes around him, and suddenly realized a crucial question. With all information about Iris Star erased from the web, how did Han Rui know about it while living on Broken Star?

Su He’s mind buzzed with confusion as old questions mixed with new ones. He wrapped himself in his clothes and eventually fell asleep thinking about these problems.

In his dreams, Su He found himself on that dead star again. He appeared in the same spot as before, with a massive, bottomless black hole at his feet. After waiting for a long time without seeing the hawk, he leaned over to look into the hole. The heavy smell of blood hit him, and he saw countless dark beasts and human corpses tangled together, making the inside of the hole look like a scene from hell.

Su He felt dizzy and almost fell in. Someone pulled him back, and he turned to find himself in Lu Li’s arms. Not the child version, but the adult Lu Li.

In the darkness, Su He woke up suddenly, his heart pounding. He turned over in frustration, wanting to bang his head against the wall. He shouldn’t have thought about Iris Star before bed; now he had dreamed of Lu Li again. Though dream Lu Li was as handsome as ever, what’s the point of dreaming about a man?

Su He tried to recall some of the actresses who used to appear on his screen, only to tragically realize that no matter who he thought of, they all had Lu Li’s face. It was utterly horrifying.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, unaware that Lu Li was also affected and unable to rest. The more Su He tried not to think about Lu Li, the more ingrained Lu Li’s image became in his mind. Consequently, his summons to Lu Li grew stronger.

At 3 AM Earth Standard Time, Lu Li appeared on the top floor of a dilapidated building in the ruins. He could smell Su He’s lingering scent there. Spreading his senses, he followed the trail underground, through a winding tunnel, and accurately found his target.

As the two got closer, the resonance between them became more pronounced. The unfinished mental fusion had clearly had a greater impact than Lu Li had expected. Leaning against an exposed steel beam, Lu Li pondered how to resolve this issue. Bonding was the best solution, and Lu Li didn’t dislike Su He; in fact, he had a bit of a liking for him. He recalled how Su He would run whenever he saw him and smiled slightly. However, Lu Li couldn’t distinguish whether his affection was driven by instinct or by Su He’s personality. For other sentinels, this might not be an issue, but Lu Li was stuck on this point.

Time passed, and the horizon gradually shed its darkness. Su He couldn’t sleep past 6 AM, and with dark circles under his eyes, he began picking apples. Han Rui, who had just gotten up, assumed Su He was stressing himself out and earnestly advised, “We may not be able to afford such a big starship, but with some effort, we can definitely get a smaller one. Su He, don’t push yourself too hard; your health comes first.”

Su He: “…”

He nodded vaguely, too embarrassed to admit he hadn’t been thinking about the starship at all, but had spent the whole night thinking about Lu Li.

After a quick clean-up, they smeared their faces with mud as usual and headed to the black market. No matter the time, the black market was always bustling with noise—vendors shouting, customers haggling, and the occasional sounds of scuffles.

Su He was curious about what these people did when he rarely saw anyone on the surface.

“The surface is full of dark beasts. People have gotten used to the safety of the underground world. Except for hunting teams and scavengers, hardly anyone wants to live on the surface,” Han Rui whispered, guiding Su He expertly through the crowd.

With their previous experience, business went relatively smoothly. But Su He soon realized something was wrong; he seemed to be followed. Pretending to stop, he noticed two skinny men halt a few steps behind. Their greedy eyes were fixed on Su He’s bag. Su He frowned, thankful they weren’t sentinels.

Quickly, he sent a text to Han Rui to be cautious, then deliberately ducked into a corner and entered a tunnel. Pressed against the shadows, he heard footsteps approaching rapidly.

“Hurry up, that kid is just ahead. I saw him make a lot of credits this morning.”

The coarse voice reached his ears, and Su He planted a seed in the ground. He wasn’t afraid of a two-on-one situation; if it weren’t for avoiding sentinel attention, he would’ve dealt with it in the market. As someone rushed in, the seed sprouted rapidly, and green vines tripped the leading man.

“Brother!” The man behind bent to help, but Su He swung his bag down hard.

A bag full of apples was quite heavy, and the man was quickly knocked out. As the first man tried to get up, Su He punched him, quick and decisive. Before they knew it, both men were unconscious. Su He beckoned, and the vines dragged the two into the shadows. He unbuckled their belts to tie their hands and feet, then took all their valuable belongings.

The old man had said, “Repay kindness with kindness, repay malice with justice.” Dealing with these unscrupulous people, Su He intended to make them feel the pain when they woke up.

Satisfied, Su He exited the tunnel, only to find Lu Li standing two steps away, looking at him oddly.

Su He: “…”

Their eyes met, and Su He’s first instinct was to run. He hadn’t even moved when Shen Shen approached.

“Boss, do you want to buy apples?” Among the mixed scents of the black market, Shen Shen had instantly picked up the scent of Su He’s apples. With interest, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Kid, how much for the apples in your bag?”

Su He: “…”

Finding it strange, Shen Shen urged, “I asked you a question.”

Su He glanced at Lu Li. “A hundred credits each. A discount of five credits each for ten or more.”

Without batting an eye, Shen Shen immediately haggled, “I’ll buy by weight, not by piece. A hundred credits per kilo, and buy five kilos to get one apple free.”

Lu Li: “…”

Su He: “… I think robbing would be faster for you.”

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺