Ch 32: Interplanetary Planting Master

Energy

Su He’s dinner consisted of grilled fish.

Several bonfires blazed along the beach, and people gathered around them cheerfully. The people from the lower deck had already eaten and returned, leaving only the members of the First Squad. Su He then realized that to save costs, almost everyone on the Iris had multiple roles, including repair, doctor, cook, and odd jobs.

Seeing Su He’s surprised look, the others were indifferent. Jiang Bo muttered softly, “What’s the big deal? The boss even got a junior agricultural technician certificate and planned to attach an ecological cabin to the Iris to grow vegetables himself.”

Su He: “…”

Talking about the ecological cabin, everyone felt some regret. They shouldn’t have gone to Broken Star for a bargain. They paid the deposit but hadn’t taken delivery when the Dark Beast tide hit. Shen Shen, biting on fish, said, “We paid the deposit to a Silent Corps stall. When we get back, they either refund the deposit or deliver the goods. If they dare to renege… humph!” His soft features combined with his expression made Su He shiver quietly. He could imagine the consequences if the Silent Corps tried to renege.

Jiang Bo didn’t care, “I wish they would renege, so we could rob them openly.”

“As if we wouldn’t rob them even if they didn’t renege.” Liao Kai bluntly refuted.

Jiang Bo cursed, “Shut up!”

Everyone laughed, and Dong Ming coaxed, “What did the boss say? We’re not robbing. As Federal soldiers, we must firmly combat scum like star pirates who disrupt Federal law and order. Our actions are to uphold Federal law and human justice.”

“Yeah, for Federal law and human justice.”

Su He: “…”

Everyone joined in, fervently expressing their loyalty to the distant Federation. After everyone finished, Lu Li finally spoke in a calm, gentle tone, “Everyone’s virtue is commendable, not forgetting to uphold the Federation’s honor even in exile. You are role models for Federal soldiers. As your direct superior, I can’t slack off either. Starting tomorrow, two hours of weighted training in the desert daily. How about it?”

Everyone: “…”

The scene instantly fell silent, and Su He couldn’t help but laugh. Embarrassed, he glanced at Lu Li, then focused on his grilled fish. His laughter seemed to flip a switch, and the once silent group became lively again. Various shameless, coy, and pleading attempts were made to make Lu Li forget his words.

Bright bonfires flickered, illuminating the lively faces of the group. In the shadows of the desert, countless green plant tendrils danced in the air, seemingly responding to some summons. The gray rocks at the plant roots opened their mouths, greedily moving towards the Iris.

Su He frowned, sensing a malicious intent. He turned to look into the desert, feeling that something unpleasant was there.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Li, with keen senses, noticed Su He’s discomfort immediately.

Su He whispered, “I feel like there’s something in the desert, as if many eyes are watching us with obvious malice.” This malice was pure and direct, like a simple intention growing and becoming more concentrated in the depths of the desert.

Lu Li expanded his senses, and the night desert unfolded before him. He could see every grain of sand and feel the sand particles’ movement. In his sensory range, the green plants quietly stretched their leaves, and the desert was silent. He retracted his senses and shook his head at Su He, who nodded and put the matter aside.

By the bonfire, the group’s conversation had shifted from the ecological cabin to whether the green plants in the desert were edible.

Jiang Bo wailed, “No vegetables, no fruits, how are we supposed to live!”

Yu Sen honestly took out an apple, asking, “Want to eat? I saved it from this morning.”

Su He thought for a moment and said, “I have some seeds with me, we can grow vegetables to eat.”

Everyone: “…”

Lu Li understood Su He’s meaning. He had seen Su He’s ability through the hawk’s eyes. However, he considered it Su He’s secret and hadn’t planned to force Su He to reveal it. The others’ reaction made Su He realize that no one believed vegetables could grow in the desert. Hesitant, he glanced at Lu Li, then took a seed from his small bag and planted it in the ground. A soft white light shimmered, and a tender green seedling wobbled out. Before everyone’s astonished eyes, it sprouted, grew, and blossomed, finally bearing apple-sized fruits hanging heavily on its branches.

Everyone: “…”

Jiang Bo’s mouth opened wide enough to fit a fist, and he stared at the tiny apple tree in shock. Then he reacted, “Let me taste first, see if it’s edible.” As he spoke, he quickly snatched two apples. The rest picked up their dropped jaws and reacted as well.

“How could we let you take the risk, let me try first.”

“I’m the oldest, I should try.”

“I’m the Iris’ part-time chef, I must try.”

A dozen figures jostled and pushed, and Su He blinked, then suddenly laughed. His laughter was genuine and vivid, and Lu Li was uncontrollably attracted, his gaze settling on Su He’s face. Su He sensed something, tilting his head towards Lu Li. Their eyes met, then both awkwardly looked away.

The mini apple tree began to wither after the fruits were picked, quickly disintegrating into green fragments scattered across the desert. Deep in the desert, the swarming plants suddenly halted, their green tendrils thrashing in the air. The gray rocks at their roots began to retreat, and the greedy malice turned to fear, as if something terrifying lay in the distance.

Near the Iris, gray rocks silently retreated from the sand. The night wind blew, moving the sand particles along. Lu Li abruptly drew his weapon and fired at two nearby clumps of plants. Sharp blasts echoed, and sand erupted as gray rocks with green tendrils on their backs quickly retreated.

“What’s that?” The group stopped their antics. Lu Li raised his hand and fired two more shots, this time aiming at the plant roots. Gray rocks shattered, plant tendrils twitched and fell, and green blood flowed out, scattering numerous energy stones around.

A painful scream seemed to echo from the desert depths, and the sand surged. What once seemed harmless plants revealed their ferocious roots, gray rock-like bodies with interlocking sharp teeth glinting in the firelight. The group reacted swiftly, equipping their weapons. The plant tendrils swayed, seemingly communicating.

“Attack.” Lu Li commanded.

Red laser beams flared, green blood splattered, and energy stones piled up. The distant plants retreated, and Lu Li stopped the group from pursuing. The small-scale battle ended, and everyone stared in disbelief at the energy stones underfoot.

“Wei Na.” Lu Li called out.

Part-time medic Wei Na walked over with gloves on, crouched, and began examining a thoroughly dead plant. She pinched a piece of the gray “rock,” sensing, her brow furrowing slightly. Su He curiously leaned in. He hadn’t seen much of the battle since Lu Li shielded him.

After a moment, Wei Na looked at Lu Li, saying, “It’s a very strange life form. The root composition is similar to rock, with internal digestive organs. The back plants are regular green plants, the whole thing can be classified as a carbon-based life form.”

Lu Li’s gaze shifted to the energy stones, asking, “Do they survive by consuming energy stones?”

Wei Na hesitated, shaking her head, “On the contrary, I suspect these energy stones are their waste.” She pointed to a relatively intact “gray rock,” showing the group, noting how the size of the energy stones matched the proximity to the waste exit. The closer to the exit, the larger the energy stones. “If they consumed energy stones, this order should be reversed.”

Everyone: “…”

Wei Na, expressionless, said, “We need further study to confirm, but I recommend upgrading their danger level.”

Dong Ming, feeling guilty for his oversight, hung his head. That afternoon, he had led the team to scout the surroundings and had completely missed the unusual nature of these plants. Lu Li reassured him, “It’s not your fault. They were always so close to us, and none of us noticed anything strange about them.” If it hadn’t been for Su He’s warning and the fact that Lu Li twice noticed the plants changing positions when expanding his senses, he wouldn’t have suspected these seemingly harmless plants were anything amiss.

“Clean up the battlefield and revise tomorrow’s exploration plan.”

“Understood.”

The team got busy, and with nothing else to do, Lu Li suggested Su He go back to the Iris to rest. Su He asked, “Can you save a few energy stones for me?”

Lu Li raised an eyebrow, didn’t ask what he needed them for, and nodded. Su He thought for a moment and continued, “Can energy stones be cleaned with water?”

Lu Li was taken aback, then laughed and said, “Yes.”

Reassured, Su He returned to his cabin. Unlike the others, whenever he saw an energy stone, he couldn’t stop thinking about Wei Na’s words, “waste product,” and found it hard to view them the same way. He thought he would have trouble sleeping on this unfamiliar planet after such a harrowing experience with strange half-plant, half-animal creatures. However, he fell asleep almost immediately. The hawk quietly appeared, vigilantly guarding by Su He’s bedside. Su He instinctively moved closer to the hawk, finding peace in his mental space.

The night passed without the attack Lu Li had feared. When Su He opened his eyes in the morning, he found a dozen energy stones on his desk with a note: “Already washed.”

Su He: “…”

After a night’s sleep, the “waste product” curse had mostly faded. Su He held the energy stones, activated his planting technique, and felt the pure and warm energy flowing through him, far surpassing the d-level energy stones. He believed that if he continued to cultivate with a-level energy stones, his planting technique would improve rapidly.

After stopping his practice, Su He quickly washed up and carried the energy stones outside the Iris. Several sentinels were scattered around, meticulously inspecting the desert below. Su He greeted a few familiar faces and found a sandy spot near the sea. Using the energy stones Lu Li had given him, he began to set up a new formation.

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