Ch 24: Interplanetary Planting Master

Guidance

The wounded King Beast retracted back into the dark portal. Its enormous body clogged the wormhole, blocking the way for other Dark Beasts. For the time being, Broken Star fell into a brief lull as survivors desperately tried to escape.

Small starships wobbled into the sky, but the surrounding Dark Beasts, like sharks smelling blood, immediately pounced. Ink sprayed in the blue ocean, and the starship’s milky-white energy shield was utterly useless. Soon, the first starship to ascend began to disintegrate, and the cries of fear and despair echoed across the sky.

An elderly man’s voice shouted angrily, “What are you waiting for! Pick up your weapons and fight these monsters like men!”

Several mechs flew out from the starship, wildly hacking at the Dark Beasts with all kinds of weapons. Brilliant flames ignited as the first mech, on the brink of destruction, chose to self-destruct. The scorching red halo spread into the sky, signaling other surviving humans in the settlements.

Su He saw the halo on the screen and felt a sense of foreboding. “…What’s that?”

Lu Li replied in a low voice, “A mech self-destructing.”

Su He fell silent, recalling the police who had charged to the front lines during the Dark Beasts’ invasion of Earth, knowing they would die. He remembered the mechs in Lu Li’s memory that had held back the Dark Beasts with self-destruction. He asked Lu Li, “What if we can’t escape?”

Lu Li calmly said, “Then we kill as many Dark Beasts as we can and self-destruct to reduce the trouble for those who come after us.”

Su He sensed a chilling calm. He looked up at Lu Li, seeing only his resolute chin. He silently lowered his head and murmured an agreement to Lu Li’s choice of self-destruction. After all, on the same boat as Lu Li, he had no other choice.

The two reached Area B-1. Lu Li extended his senses, scanning through the endless Dark Beasts. Several familiar figures appeared within his sensory range. Lu Li considered for a moment and looked at Su He. “Have you ever received guidance on using your mental powers?”

Su He: “…”

Lu Li: “I see.”

He sliced through an approaching Dark Beast and explained during a brief respite, “Mental tendrils are a manifestation of mental power, related to the size and stability of your mental world. Try extending your mental tendrils as far as you can and tell me how many people you sense in the nearby area.”

Following Lu Li’s instructions, Su He extended his mental tendrils. The first thing he sensed was Lu Li, shining like a blazing sun in his mental world. Resisting the urge to think about Lu Li, he stretched his mental tendrils further. Having done something similar while searching for Reno, Su He found it relatively easy. His mental tendrils radiated outward, forming ripples that bypassed the mindless Dark Beasts. He received the first feedback from a flickering light in his mental world.

He sensed an overwhelming fatigue, a tiny flickering light resembling a firefly in his mental world. The person’s mind contained no other emotions, just a deep exhaustion pressing down like a heavy mountain. Su He’s mental tendrils trembled slightly, delicately skirting around this light. The ripples continued to spread, bringing back a second feedback. Unlike the first, this light seemed brighter, filled with a fervent emotion that Su He found hard to understand—bloodthirsty and mad. The ripples kept oscillating, bringing back a third, then a fourth… Su He’s face paled as he looked at Lu Li. “Ten. I can sense ten people.”

Lu Li was somewhat surprised at the strength of Su He’s mental world.

Su He added, “One of them feels very bright and warm, different from the others.”

Lu Li said, “That’s probably General Zhuang.” He freed a hand to touch Su He’s forehead, the contact making Su He feel very comfortable. Lu Li continued, “Extend your mental tendrils again and try to transmit the message ‘I am Lu Li’.”

Su He: “…”

He extended his mental tendrils again, inwardly repeating “I am Lu Li.” The words rippled outward like a small pebble dropped into calm water, spreading in circles.

In Area B-3, Liao Kai suddenly looked up and shouted, “Boss, is that you?”

High-level sentinels could hear voices from several kilometers away, especially if the sentinel wasn’t using a sensory shield.

In Area B-2, Zhuang Wei’s expression changed, feeling his previous evaluation of Lu Li as “a lucky guy” was indeed accurate. Finding his guide on such a remote, barren planet and saving him in the Beast Tide—Lu Li’s luck was far better than his and Old Li’s.

Su He’s message elicited varied reactions from the ten people within his sensory range. Lu Li gave Su He a thumbs up in approval and asked him to continue transmitting, “The Iris’s energy is running low. Everyone hurry back to the Iris.”

This time, the response was much more intense. Lights flickered in Su He’s mental world as everyone, seemingly invigorated, accelerated towards Area B-5.

Lu Li didn’t dare delay either. Shen Shen’s earlier calculation of two hours hadn’t accounted for Reno’s energy consumption. Including the Galactic Treeman’s energy drain, they might only have one hour left.

His guess was correct. The Iris’s energy reserves were depleting at a visible rate. Shen Shen watched Reno with a heavy heart, wishing he could shake the tree to make it stop. Reno, feeling the cold stares from Shen Shen, hadn’t experienced this feeling since his academy days when he couldn’t graduate. He cheerfully shook his leaves, “Did we win already? When are we going to save Little Sprout?”

Still calculating the energy stone consumption, Wei Na replied, “Not yet a victory. We just bought some time. The boss and Su He should be back soon. We need to hold our position as their beacon.”

Reno, despite being new to fighting Dark Beasts, performed commendably. Wei Na was very grateful for his efforts, knowing that Reno was their hope for leaving Broken Star alive. She smiled warmly, and Reno, pleased, made a small request.

“Could we save some energy stones for Little Sprout? The poor guy must be scared and needs to grow strong like me.”

Wei Na: “… Su He’s energy stones are provided by the captain. You can ask the captain for this.”

Shen Shen: “…”

The Iris descended slowly, undamaged thanks to the Galactic Treeman’s formidable protection. As team members returned from the ruins, they exited their mechs, drenched in sweat. Liao Kai panted, “The boss is with the guide and should be back soon.”

“What about General Zhuang?” Shen Shen asked.

Liao Kai snorted, “We left him in Area A-9 and came back on our own.”

Shen Shen: “… Fool! General Zhuang is the Federation’s top warrior. Teaming up with him would have eased the burden. Now you’re the vanguard while he follows, saving energy. Can’t you calculate?”

Liao Kai: “… Well, we’ve already had a falling out with him. Relying on him doesn’t seem appropriate.”

Shen Shen snorted, “A little falling out means nothing. Watch, General Zhuang will return with a friendly smile, as if he never stopped us from killing Lin Ji. Even the boss won’t mention Lin Ji. Zhuang needs us to leave Broken Star, and we might need his strength. Admit it, he can take on five of you.”

Liao Kai: “… Damn!”

Having vented his frustrations on Liao Kai, Shen Shen returned to the command post, feeling somewhat relieved. He couldn’t bear another loss from the first team.

As Shen Shen predicted, General Zhuang returned to the Iris with a gentle demeanor. He didn’t bring Lin Ji back or even mention him. Liao Kai, who had been contemplating how to deal with Lin Ji, felt a mix of confusion and relief. He wondered what General Zhuang’s intentions were—clearing Lin Ji’s name? Their relationship wasn’t that close. If not, why stop them from killing Lin Ji? What was the reason?

He privately complained to Shen Shen, who asked back, “Are you a Federation general?”

Liao Kai: “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Shen Shen, back to his usual carefree self, said, “If you’re not a Federation general, why think a Federation general owes you an explanation?”

Liao Kai: “…”

Shen Shen laughed heartily, patting Liao Kai’s shoulder, “Work hard! When you become a Federation general, you can ask General Zhuang for justice.”

Liao Kai: “… Damn!”

Shen Shen said no more. Harsh though it was, the truth remained—one must stand on equal footing to demand equal treatment. Even as victims of the Iris Star massacre, their gap with General Zhuang was vast. With General Li supporting them, perhaps Zhuang would offer an explanation, but its credibility would be questionable.

Minutes later, Lu Li returned to the Iris in his mech. Piles of Dark Beast corpses formed small mountains around the ship. Thirty mechs stood guard, holding off waves of Dark Beasts. To conserve energy, Shen Shen wouldn’t activate the energy shield unless necessary, let alone the Galactic Treeman’s biological shield.

The black mech cockpit opened, and Lu Li jumped out first. He landed effortlessly from a height of several meters and looked up. Su He followed, leaping down and landing in Lu Li’s arms. The sentinels standing guard at the door looked over curiously. Embarrassed, Su He wriggled out of Lu Li’s embrace. Lu Li said softly, “Follow me.” With that, he hurried toward the command center, and Su He jogged after him.

In the command center, Shen Shen was already prepared for departure. Only two sentinels had not yet returned, but they were close, and the Iris would reach their coordinates first.

As soon as Lu Li entered, he said, “The departure plan has changed.”

Shen Shen: “?”

Lu Li said solemnly, “Before the King Beast reappears, the Iris will circle around Broken Star, sheltering the surviving starships and leaving together.”

Shen Shen frowned slightly, pointing out the biggest problem, “The Iris doesn’t have enough energy stones.”

Lu Li turned to look at Su He.

Su He: “…”

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