Ch 30: Interplanetary Planting Master

Ripples

As an 18-year-old, what’s more frustrating: getting aroused by a man or climaxing almost instantly?

Su He: Haha… both together are a killer combo!

He took five minutes to quickly shower and wash his underwear and pants. Once he calmed down, he started to think about what had happened while he was unconscious. Since waking up, he hadn’t seen Reno. Was Reno hurt? Lu Li said they had escaped the subspace storm. Were they safe now?

Su He waited for his clothes to dry, changed into them, and then leaned out the window. A sapphire blue ocean, sparkling like a jewel, suddenly appeared in his view. He was momentarily stunned, then turned and ran out of the cabin. The windows on both sides of the Iris were wide open, and the warm sunlight shone down the open corridor, making Su He feel an overwhelming sense of clarity.

The vast ocean stretched endlessly, its gentle waves mesmerizing. Three black mechas emerged from the sea, stirring up three white whirlpools. A bizarre-looking fish leapt from the water, fiercely chasing the mechas, its sharp teeth glistening in the sunlight. A few sentinels gathered in the corridor, laughing at the scene. Su He glanced over, and one of the sentinels turned and gave him a bright smile.

Su He couldn’t help but smile back, feeling infectious happiness from the other’s expression. The sentinel approached him and, with a bit of magic, produced an apple from behind his back, offering it to Su He. “For you, little guide.”

“…Dong Ming?” Su He realized, no wonder he looked familiar; he was the same person who gave him an apple in the dining hall earlier.

Su He’s hesitation was misunderstood by Dong Ming, who grinned and winked. “Don’t worry, little guide. You reek of the boss’s pheromones. Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn’t dare to poach from him.”

“…” Su He felt awkward, as this topic reminded him of his recent embarrassing history. He took the apple from Dong Ming and changed the subject, “Where are we now?”

“Probably in some unknown star system,” Dong Ming replied, leaning against the corridor wall and enjoying the sun. “We’re lost. After being thrown out of the subspace storm, we collided directly with this planet. But we’re lucky; this planet is habitable, so survival shouldn’t be an issue.”

Su He processed this information while Dong Ming suddenly stood straight and called out, “Boss.”

At the corridor’s turn, Lu Li appeared. He wasn’t wearing his jacket; his dark green shirt was tucked into black military pants, accentuating his height and build. Su He noticed that Lu Li was always upright and neatly dressed, unlike the relaxed attire of the other sentinels. Even now, with his sleeves slightly rolled up, Su He suspected both sleeves had precisely the same number of folds.

Su He unconsciously stared at Lu Li, unaware of the details he was observing. Lu Li walked over to him, and Dong Ming disappeared in a flash, taking away the group of gossiping sentinels with him. The long corridor was now empty except for Su He and Lu Li. The salty sea breeze gently brushed their cheeks, and the warm sunlight bathed them. Su He smelled Lu Li’s clean scent and blushed inexplicably. Trying to act nonchalant, he asked, “Have you seen Reno?”

Lu Li had come to discuss this matter. Due to the earlier incident, he hadn’t had a chance to mention it. He softened his tone, “Reno is fine. He expended all his energy during the subspace storm and is now in hibernation.”

Su He was anxious, “Hibernation? Is it serious? When will he wake up?”

“With energy stones, he can wake up,” Lu Li explained gently. “But the Iris is currently short on energy. Reno will wake up once we find energy stones on this planet.”

Su He then worried about another problem, “Will there be energy stones on this planet?”

Lu Li paused and said, “There usually are, just a matter of quantity. But no matter how little, it should be enough for us to leave.”

Su He recalled what Dong Ming had said, “Are we no longer in the Milky Way?”

“Not necessarily,” Lu Li replied. “The Iris has low energy, and we sustained some damage during the crash, so we can’t determine the detailed star map yet. We only know we are outside the Federation’s jurisdiction, but that doesn’t mean we’re in an extragalactic system. We could just be in another arm of the Milky Way.”

Su He knew a bit about this. The Milky Way primarily consists of four large spiral arms and two smaller ones. The origin of humanity, the Solar System, is located in one of the smaller arms, the Orion Arm. After venturing into space, human activities mainly centered around the Orion Arm and the adjacent Perseus Arm. With the vastness of the Milky Way and the pressing threat of the Dark Beasts, exploring the universe had become secondary. He leaned on the railing, staring at the moving sea below, and softly asked, “Can we go back? I’ve never seen what Earth looks like now.”

Lu Li didn’t catch the deeper meaning in Su He’s words and thought he was just curious about Earth. “Earth’s environment is similar to here,” Lu Li said. “Three-quarters of it is covered in oceans like this, vast and beautiful from space. The remaining quarter is land, floating in the sea.”

Lu Li explained earnestly, making Su He glance at him with an odd look before suddenly laughing. Su He couldn’t explain why he felt like laughing; his heart just felt warm. Maybe it was the relaxed atmosphere after the constant tension, but Su He found Lu Li’s serious explanation of Earth endearing, melting away any last defenses he had against the sentinel.

Although they hadn’t bonded yet, their recent closeness had strengthened the subtle bond between them. In ancient Earth history, sentinels and guides didn’t bond immediately upon meeting. They spent time getting to know each other, gradually deepening their connection with gestures like holding hands, touching, kissing, and finally bonding. However, as the number of awakened sentinels and guides became unequal, this process was expedited.

While the Federation still officially stated that there should be an adaptation period before bonding, in the competitive environment where multiple sentinels vied for one guide, marking the guide as soon as possible became an unwritten rule. Cases like Lu Li and Su He were rare. However, resources always tilted toward the upper echelons. For sentinels and guides from prominent backgrounds, without competitive pressure, they could afford to take their time, adhering strictly to the ancient standards.

Lu Li felt Su He’s emotional shift and was instinctively influenced by it, smiling along. He raised his hand to touch Su He’s forehead, where the swelling had almost disappeared. “Does it still hurt?”

Su He shook his head, thinking such a minor injury was nothing. He had suffered worse while running around the mountains.

Lu Li gently rubbed Su He’s forehead, making the latter’s face flush hot. Just this simple action made Su He’s thoughts wander. His gaze darted around, “I’m going to check on Reno.” With that, he turned and ran off.

Lu Li was momentarily stunned before a gentle smile spread across his face.

Meanwhile, the disappearance of the Iris caused an uproar in the Federation.

The first to discover the Iris was missing was the rescue team dispatched by the Fourth Corps. Upon detecting a subspace storm in the asteroid belt where the Iris was located, they hurried to the scene. But after the storm, the asteroid belt was empty—no sign of the Iris or any traces it had left behind. Despite employing various methods to contact the Iris, the rescue team concluded the worst: the Iris had been swallowed by the subspace storm.

This conclusion was quickly reported to the Seventh Corps and then to the entire Federation. As expected, Corps Commander Li Zhengdao of the Seventh Corps was furious, venting his anger on the Fourth Corps’ rescue leader for a full two hours. The usually cheerful and chubby old man turned into a fire-breathing dragon, his high-ranking sentinel’s pressure almost incinerating the rescue leader through the long-distance communication.

The rescue leader wished he could have vanished with the Iris. He felt deeply wronged; the Fourth Corps had no intention of delaying the rescue and followed the standard procedure. How could they have predicted a subspace storm in the asteroid belt, coinciding with the Iris running out of energy and waiting for rescue? After swearing they hadn’t delayed and promising 24/7 searches until the Iris was found, Li Zhengdao finally ended the call.

The rescue leader thought the matter was over, but then the Third Corps contacted him. The murderous look from their commander made him think General Zhuang was on the Iris. Again, he endured another round of hellfire. After promising to find the Iris or die trying, the Third Corps’ officer Xu Zheng coldly ended the call.

In the end, the rescue leader never understood why the Third Corps was so angry. He hadn’t heard of them being so close to the Seventh Corps.

At the Third Corps’ base in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way, Xu Zheng was visibly anxious. General Zhuang was missing, having been swept away with the Iris in the subspace storm. This bombshell left him stunned. He could only imagine the chaos that would ensue in the Federation if the news got out.

For the sake of both the Federation and the Third Corps, the news had to be kept secret. But how long could he keep it under wraps? The annual military review was approaching, and General Zhuang’s absence would surely raise suspicions. What to do?

Xu Zheng was at his wit’s end, pacing his office like a headless chicken. He needed a solution quickly. First, he had to warn his colleagues in the corps who knew about General Zhuang’s departure to keep quiet. Then he had to contact General Li Zhengdao.

Xu Zheng’s request to speak with Li Zhengdao was angrily denied.

Dark Beast tide, the king beast, subspace storm… did they think he was a fool? Encountering one was unlucky enough, but three at once? Had Lu Li angered the Grim Reaper? Li Zhengdao was convinced it was a conspiracy. He blamed it all on Zhuang Wei, believing the Iris was dragged down because of him.

Li Zhengdao’s grief upon hearing of the Iris’s fate was immense, comparable to when Minghui had an accident. He viewed Lu Li and the Iris crew as his children. Each had a bright future, especially Lu Li, whom he saw as his successor.

The thought of this deepened his sorrow, and he swore to uncover the mastermind behind this and avenge the Iris. Based on the information Lu Li had shared with him after escaping the beast tide, Li Zhengdao concluded, like Zhuang Wei, that the beast tide targeted Zhuang Wei, meaning his movements had been leaked. While Li Zhengdao didn’t suspect the Iris crew, he believed Zhuang had misjudged someone, leading to a betrayal within the Third Corps.

Now, with Zhuang and the Iris missing, Li Zhengdao connected the dots to the beast tide at Ganymede 18 years ago. He vowed to take revenge and imagined throwing the culprits naked into a subspace storm, followed by releasing a horde of Dark Beasts on them.

xxx

Thingyan: Revenge is understandable but why naked? A little gay aren’t you General? Hehe

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