Ch 31: Interplanetary Planting Master

Danger

Zhuang Wei received the news of the Iris’s mishap several hours later.

After leaving the Iris, he had shut off his personal terminal to carefully think through the development of the entire situation. Zhuang Wei knew that Lu Li was right: the likelihood of a traitor within the Third Corps was much higher than within the Iris. The most obvious point was that if the mastermind could disguise themselves so perfectly, infiltrating Zhuang Wei’s inner circle would be far more valuable than lurking around a mere Federal Major.

Zhuang Wei wanted to see what the mastermind would do upon hearing that the Iris had safely escaped the beast tide. Would they initiate a second wave of the beast tide? Highly unlikely. Opening a wormhole requires precise coordinates, and the Iris could change its course at any time during its voyage. The mastermind would know this and thus would not attempt it. Otherwise, they could have attacked Zhuang Wei on his way to the Broken Star, without waiting for him to arrive there. Hence, Zhuang Wei needed to be cautious about the mastermind tracking his fixed coordinates.

He thought he had planned well, but the news of the Iris’s accident disrupted his strategy. He was stunned to hear Lin Ji say that the Iris had been sucked into a subspace storm and couldn’t react for a moment. “The Iris was sucked into a subspace storm?” Zhuang Wei repeated.

Lin Ji hadn’t expected this either. He activated his terminal, and the headlines on all major Federal news channels were about the beast tide and the appearance of a king beast on Broken Star. The Iris and its crew were being hailed as heroes in these reports. However, these heroes were not so fortunate, as they had escaped the beast tide only to be caught in a subspace storm.

Zhuang Wei: “…”

Lin Ji turned off the terminal and asked, “What are you planning to do?”

Zhuang Wei immediately realized that this was an opportunity. He pondered for a moment and said, “Only a few people knew I left the Iris. Major Lu and the Iris went missing together, and the other insiders are all on this starship…”

Lin Ji raised an eyebrow, “You want to fake your death?”

Zhuang Wei lowered his eyes, tapping lightly on the command console. He said calmly, “Isn’t that exactly what the mastermind wants? Only with my ‘death’ can we see their next move.”

Lin Ji, unconcerned, asked, “Do you really believe someone in the Federation is colluding with the dark beasts?”

Zhuang Wei looked at him steadily and said, “I certainly hope not, but what’s your conclusion, Colonel Lin?”

Twice now, the beast tide’s timing was too coincidental. Zhuang Wei still firmly believed that humans couldn’t control the beast tide. However, what if humans were colluding with the dark beasts? If, as some theorized, the dark beasts had a hierarchical structure similar to human society, with the dark king beasts possessing intelligence, then after a prolonged war with no end in sight, wouldn’t they try to infiltrate human society? Conversely, if humans knew where the dark beasts came from, they would likely have tried to infiltrate the dark beasts’ ranks long ago.

Lin Ji remained silent before giving a wry smile, “Then the Iris is indeed very unlucky.”

The beast tide might be man-made, but the subspace storm was purely a natural disaster!

Zhuang Wei sighed, thinking about the boy that Lu Li had asked him to take care of. Regardless of their relationship, this matter needed to be communicated to him. As well as to Li Zhengdao, because he would not be able to carry out his plans alone and would need Li Zhengdao’s help. To some extent, Li Zhengdao was also the only person in the Federation he could trust. Almost immediately, Zhuang Wei made up his mind, “Change our course. We are heading to the Seventh Corps.”

Across the vast light-years, the events happening in the Federation were unknown to the crew of the Iris. They were currently sailing on an endless sea, searching for land to dock. The Iris had sustained considerable damage during its descent, and its anti-gravity system had failed. It was now relying on residual energy to propel itself, sailing like a ship on the water’s surface.

After several hours of following the wind, the fourth team, which had gone out to scout, returned one after another. Based on the map they had drawn, the Iris was not far from land, but the situation seemed somewhat odd. In the virtual screen, the images of the land captured by the fourth team showed an endless desert at the edge of the ocean. The two terrains met without any transition, sharply and distinctly.

Lu Li scrolled through the screen. The fourth team’s photos, both distant and close-up, seemed normal when viewed individually, but juxtaposed with the ocean, they felt somewhat off.

He asked the most critical question, “Did you detect any energy fluctuations from energy stones?”

The team leader, Dong Ming, shook his head.

Everyone felt a pang of disappointment. Lu Li, however, remained impassive and continued asking, “Did you find any life forms in the desert?”

Dong Ming stepped forward and displayed the subsequent images. In the screen, a green plant bloomed like a flower in the desert. He explained, “This plant’s roots are buried in the sand, with dozens of tentacle-like stalks emerging layer by layer. The plant is covered with tiny respiratory organs. It’s a species never seen before in the Federation, and it’s the only life form we found in the search area.”

“Risk level?”

Dong Ming asserted, “Between 0 and 3, harmless.”

The Federation had discovered various strange planets after venturing into space for years. They had a fixed set of criteria to judge the native life forms of these planets. A risk level between 0 and 3 was considered harmless; between 4 and 7 was moderately dangerous but still relatively safe for sentinels. Levels 8 to 10 indicated danger, warranting caution from sentinels. Levels above 10 required immediate combat readiness.

Lu Li looked at Shen Shen, who suggested, “With such a low-risk level, it’s safe even for ordinary humans. We can consider docking.”

The Iris was running out of energy and needed to find a way to replenish its supplies quickly. Additionally, food shortages were also a pressing issue. Before leaving the Broken Star, the Iris had procured more than half of its supplies, but those provisions were based on a crew of fewer than forty. Now, with over 300 refugees in the lower decks, they couldn’t be left to fend for themselves.

Lu Li made a decisive decision, “Dock the Iris. Expand the search area and continue looking for energy stones.”

An hour later, Su He stood by the window, staring wide-eyed at the desert outside. He wondered if he had missed something because, just moments ago, it was an endless ocean, and now it was a vast desert. Lu Li knocked on his door and asked, “The Iris has docked. Do you want to go and take a look?”

Su He instinctively asked, “A desert?”

Lu Li laughed, “This planet’s terrain is unique, with the ocean and desert meeting. It’s quite a special sight—half water, half fire.”

Su He’s eyes lit up, and he nodded immediately. As they docked, the glowing orb in the sky was about to set, casting an orange-red glow over the sea, creating a vibrant sunset. The sunset spread across the desert, and the monotonous yellow sand reflected colorful light. In the glow, the green plants stretched their tendrils, emitting a faint phosphorescence. From a distance, the entire desert looked enchanting.

The refugees in the lower deck were allowed to leave the Iris for the first time, and they rushed outside, curiously examining their surroundings. Most of them had never seen the real ocean before, and their attention was drawn more to the sea than to the harsh desert environment similar to the Broken Star. They eagerly jumped into the water.

“So much water!”

Many were moved to tears. On the Broken Star, water was a scarce commodity, exchanged for credits. They could never have imagined a day when the ocean would open up before them, with so much water that they could jump in and bathe freely.

Shen Shen organized teams to fish in the shallow waters while strictly limiting the refugees’ movement range. Although no immediate dangers had been detected on this planet, caution was second nature to soldiers. The refugees, having survived on the Broken Star, understood survival instincts well and obediently stayed near the shore, taking the opportunity to clean themselves.

When Su He emerged, he saw the crowded shoreline. “Do you want to go to the shore?” Lu Li asked.

“I want to check out the desert,” Su He said. After seeing the ocean all the way on the Iris, he was more interested in the desert.

Lu Li smiled and followed Su He into the desert. Su He bent down to scoop up a handful of sand, finding it no different from the deserts on Earth. Although he had always lived in a small town and had never visited the ocean or desert, he had seen plenty on TV. “Is the rest of the planet also desert?”

“Not sure yet,” Lu Li said, looking into the depths of the desert. “This planet is quite large, and it will take some time to explore it fully. However, based on the current data on the planet’s gravity, atmospheric pressure, and environment, it is a standard habitable planet. The desert is likely just one of its natural features. There should be mountains, plains, hills, and many more life forms yet to be discovered.”

Su He’s curiosity was piqued, “Could there be intelligent life?”

Lu Li candidly replied, “The chances are very low.” Noting Su He’s confusion, he explained, “The Federation has explored space for over a thousand years, discovering or transforming nearly a thousand habitable planets. While many of these planets have life forms, none have produced intelligent civilizations. All the intelligent civilizations we currently interact with come from other galaxies, such as the Galactic Treemen.” He continued, “The universe is vast, and its life forms are incredibly diverse. But forming life is only the first step in evolution. Developing intelligence and creating civilization are what define a truly intelligent species.”

“You mean having their own thoughts?”

Lu Li laughed, “It’s not that simple to judge.”

Su He thought for a moment and then extended his mental tendrils, spreading them like a web from his center. In his mental world, the light representing Lu Li remained as warm and bright as ever. His tendrils extended beyond Lu Li, probing deeper into the desert. Ten meters, a hundred meters, two hundred meters, three hundred meters… Su He suddenly paused, his mental form appearing, happily perched on top of Su He’s head like a pair of small leaves.

Lu Li noticed his expression, “What is it?”

“Energy stones.” Su He pulled Lu Li along to the spot he had just sensed. “Hurry, I felt an energy fluctuation.”

They quickly reached the spot Su He had indicated. Su He crouched down, ready to dig, but Lu Li stopped him. “I’ll do it.”

Su He watched Lu Li’s actions intently, imagining a huge energy stone mine being revealed beneath the sand. He would be rich. Under Su He’s eager gaze, Lu Li finally unearthed the source of the energy fluctuation Su He had sensed. The good news was that the energy stone Lu Li found was of excellent quality, a pure A-grade standard energy stone. The bad news was that it was only the size of a fist, with no others around.

Su He: “…”

Lu Li chuckled lightly, comforting Su He, “Although one piece is a bit little, it proves that this planet has energy stones. We now have hope of leaving.”

Su He’s dreams of getting rich shattered, and he nodded listlessly.

In the distance, Shen Shen called them back for dinner. Su He followed Lu Li back. As they walked away, several green plants emerged from the spot where they had just stood. At the base of the plants, a lifeless gray rock suddenly split open, revealing a mouthful of sharp, jagged teeth.

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