Ch 17: Interplanetary Planting Master

Berserk

Shen Shen: What to do if you offend the boss’s guide? Online waiting, urgent!!!

The terminals of everyone on the Iris buzzed with this message, causing a flurry of replies.

Jiang Bo: You met the boss’s guide? Where? Is it really as hideous as Liao Kai claimed?

Liao Kai: Never mind the looks, did the boss pounce on the guide in front of you?

Dong Ming: Requesting a live stream!

Yu Sen: Live stream +1!

Wei Na: The guide didn’t smear the boss’s face with mud?

Shen Lei: So the mud on the boss’s face last time was really from the guide? Unbelievable! Dong Ming: Unbelievable +1!

Yu Sen: Unbelievable +2!

Shen Shen: …Friendship over!

Everyone in the Seventh Corps was well aware of Li Zhendao’s tactic of bargaining hard and Shen Shen was no exception. However, he didn’t expect to be unlucky enough to encounter the boss’s guide this time.

From the moment Lu Li remained silent, Shen Shen realized something was off. The three of them stood awkwardly before Lu Li broke the silence, saying to Su He, “This is a misunderstanding… we need to talk.”

The words “need to talk” triggered Su He’s sensitive nerves. His face was smeared with mud, making his expression unreadable, but his disdainful look was clear.

Lu Li: “…”

Shen Shen quietly digested the meaning behind Su He’s glare, contentedly excluding himself. He chuckled awkwardly and took a few steps back, saying, “I’ll go browse around, you two talk.” Before he could finish his sentence, a loud explosion rocked the black market. The shockwave shook the entire hall, and someone screamed, “Dark beasts!”

In the chaos, Su He instinctively reached out to steady himself, and Lu Li offered his hand, holding onto him. Su He, unaccustomed to this, hesitated, but Lu Li held firm, spreading his senses to survey the hall. Shen Shen instantly turned serious, pulling out a weapon from somewhere and standing back-to-back with Lu Li. They were more concerned about the invasion of dark beasts than the chaos in the market.

At the center of the explosion, Xiao Bai jumped out, red laser beams scattering like fireworks behind it.

“It’s a guide, capture him.”

“Damn it, be careful, a dead guide isn’t worth anything.”

Crude male voices echoed.
“Han Rui,” Su He’s expression changed drastically, and he immediately shook off Lu Li’s hand and rushed over. Shen Shen didn’t expect there to be another guide hidden here. Although he couldn’t smell any pheromones, the sentinel’s inherent desire for guides made him follow Su He closely. Of course, Shen Shen didn’t forget to throw a sympathetic glance at Lu Li. He thought everyone on the Iris had guessed wrong. In this sentinel and guide game, it was clear that Lu Li was not in control, but rather the guide, whose face he still hadn’t seen.

In the crowd, Han Rui used his self-destructing intelligent device and Xiao Bai to break free, slipping into a stall like a fish. The stall owner was selling various trinkets, and Han Rui silently apologized as he reached for a weapon. A hand reached out and grabbed him; the previously unnoticed stall owner suddenly appeared. Han Rui recognized him, as the intelligent device Su He gave him was bought from this stall. He struggled nervously, “Let go of me.”

The stall owner released his grip and began coughing violently. The explosion had scattered dust and dirt, covering a small area. The stall owner’s face looked even more sickly and pale. He silently watched Han Rui and grabbed a gun from behind him, handing it to Han Rui.

Han Rui: “…”

Without thinking, Han Rui fired at the approaching men, hitting one who fell convulsing to the ground, revealing a large black lynx behind him. The lynx’s owner, Caron, whistled, his eyes greedily fixed on Han Rui. Han Rui fired desperately, red beams passing through the lynx. Caron wore a triumphant smile.

“Don’t struggle, sweetheart.”

Caron stepped closer, feeling incredibly lucky recently. In just one month, he had discovered two guides. It was as if the heavens were compensating him for the past twenty years without a guide. Although he preferred the first guide, that little treasure was well hidden. He wasn’t picky, as long as the compatibility was high, he didn’t mind the guide’s quality.

Han Rui continued to shoot in vain. Caron easily dodged, enjoying the process with a smile. Watching the guide struggle and despair, imagining the guide submitting under him, filled him with immense satisfaction, making him uncontrollably aroused.

“Sweetheart.” Caron bent down, about to touch Han Rui, when a silver arctic wolf appeared, blocking his way.

“Who is it? Who dares?” Caron shouted in anger, glaring at the sentinel trying to compete with him. The arctic wolf’s owner, the sickly-looking stall owner, coughed and said, “The union between a sentinel and a guide should be consensual. I don’t like seeing anyone forced.”

“Hah, you don’t like it? Who do you think you are?” Caron sneered, underestimating the stall owner. He had been here for five or six years and had no idea this seemingly frail man was a sentinel. Caron swung his fist without holding back, aiming for the arctic wolf’s owner. Han Rui gasped, but the next moment, Caron’s hand was caught tightly. The stall owner’s pale, thin fingers gripped Caron’s hand like a vice.

With a clatter, dozens of weapons were aimed at the stall owner. As one of the Sentinels stationed by the Silent Corps on Broken Star, Caron’s influence spanned the entire black market. A wall slid open, revealing metal panels behind the dirt camouflage. A gray mech raised a small Gauss cannon, its dark barrel pointed threateningly at Han Rui.

The situation escalated rapidly, from the explosion to the appearance of the arctic wolf, all within just over a minute. Caron’s anger turned into a smile, feeling back in control. He mocked the silent man, but suddenly, a green vine shot up, whipping Caron’s face. Shock, anger… Caron’s expression changed, instantly recognizing the vines. He had almost captured Su He before, thwarted by these very vines.

The tables turned again as countless vines sprouted from the ground, whipping the crowd madly.

“Damn it, what is this?”

Han Rui’s eyes lit up, and he shouted, “It’s a dark beast, a type we’ve never seen before.”

Linking anything to dark beasts always caused panic. People instinctively believed Han Rui, thinking the vines were an unknown type of dark beast. The Silent Corps members became chaotic. Han Rui, shouting, moved backward, trying to escape with the fleeing crowd.

Su He, achieving his goal, seized the moment to rush out and pull Han Rui away. “Let’s go, the vines won’t last long.”

The chaos provided cover for their escape, but the fleeing crowd also blocked their path. Caron recognized Su He’s back, his sentinel instincts and public humiliation driving him to pounce on Su He.

This time, Lu Li intercepted him.

Caron roared angrily, “That guide is mine.” His remaining rationality forced him to remember the Silent Corps’ directive: not to provoke the Iris.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow and, without warning, punched Caron’s handsome face. Before Caron could react, Lu Li stepped aside, grabbed Caron’s arm, and performed a flawless over-the-shoulder throw. Caron crashed to the ground, struggling to get up, but Lu Li delivered a final punch. A cracking sound echoed as Caron’s head twisted to the side. Just before losing consciousness, he heard Lu Li calmly say, “He’s mine.”

The entire fight lasted less than thirty seconds, Lu Li’s movements fluid and seamless. Standing up, he concealed his murderous intent. Although not fully bonded, Su He already bore Lu Li’s mark. Lu Li couldn’t tolerate any other sentinel coveting Su He, even verbally.

Lu Li stood unmovingly, conspicuous in the chaotic crowd. He nudged the unconscious Caron, then faced the gray mech with poise. The Gauss cannon lowered hesitantly. With Caron spared, the Silent Corps opted to retreat.

The black market’s chaos soon subsided. In the distant scattered crowd, Su He kept his eyes on Lu Li. He and Han Rui hadn’t left but circled back, blending in thanks to the suppressant.

“What happened just now?” Su He asked quietly, watching the situation.

“I found a stall buying energy stones and got targeted by the Silent Corps.”

Han Rui felt incredibly unlucky. Despite his cautious choice of stalls with no Silent Corps ties, they were still discovered. With no way out, he had to blow up his device, hoping to escape amid the chaos.

The two whispered about their escape experiences, while not far away, Shen Shen’s mouth twitched. Sensing Su He’s presence, Lu Li glanced back, and Su He genuinely smiled through his mud-covered face. Lu Li paused, smiling slightly in return.

Su He blinked and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Lu Li seized the opportunity, “We need to talk.”

Su He: “…”

Shen Shen’s mouth twitched again, finding the scene hard to watch.

The crowd slowly dispersed, resuming their usual bustle as if nothing had happened. The stall owner who had helped Han Rui quietly packed up, while others looked at him sympathetically. Offending the Silent Corps meant a difficult life on Broken Star.

“Hey, Lin Ji, you…”

The rest of the words were lost in a sigh, but Lin Ji’s name reached Lu Li’s ears. Heading toward Su He, Lu Li turned at the name, his pupils contracting as memories resurfaced, recognizing Lin Ji instantly.

“You are Lin Ji. You’re still alive.”

Lu Li’s voice was low and deliberate. Rage quickly flared within him, intense enough to scorch the soul. Su He first sensed Lu Li’s mental state, wild like a stormy sea, a volcano erupting with rage and boundless sorrow.

Su He looked at Lu Li in shock, and Shen Shen grabbed his arm, “Not good, the boss has gone berserk.”

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Thingyan: I’ll use Silent Corps instead of Silent Group from now on. It sounds better 🥸