Ch 35: Interplanetary Planting Master

Harmony

At 9 PM Earth Standard Time, the dim night enveloped the entire planet. The calm and serene sea during the day began to roar angrily, with waves seemingly pushed by invisible hands crashing into the desert. The boundary between the ocean and the desert quickly blurred as seawater mixed with sand, invading the land. Strange marine creatures lurked behind the waves, covering the entire shallow sea area.

At the edge of the desert, green tentacles flailed wildly, and gray rocks with jagged teeth menacingly advanced towards the incoming waves. Countless green life forms swirled up sandstorms, attempting to fill the entire sea with sand.

The sandstorms and the tide soon met. Different species fought fiercely for survival space, with red and green blood intermingling, dyeing the seawater with eerie colors. From a bird’s eye view, the entire planet looked like a massive battlefield, with the desert surrounding the ocean. Green life forms gradually encroached on the native species’ living space on this planet. The ocean became the last sanctuary, and the primal instinct of marine creatures made them loathe the grotesque and greedy land-dwelling life forms.

This kind of war erupted all over the planet, except for the area around the Iris, which remained peaceful. Green life forms avoided this area, and the seawater gently seeped in. The Iris had moved from the desert to the seaside. Su He felt the ground shaking. “Is the ship moving?” He ran to the window and saw the seawater lapping at the shore, as if it was high tide.

Su He watched for a while but saw no sign of Lu Li and his team. He returned to his bed, bored, and started flipping through a book. Cooling System Performance Test Methods, Energy Balance Identification… all were topics Su He couldn’t understand. He mocked himself, thinking that he was lucky not to be in school right now, or he would be at the bottom of the class, practically illiterate. As the thought crossed his mind, a deep surge of anger emanated from the desert, hitting him like a hammer, and he clutched his head in pain.

The anger, like an invisible shockwave, swept through the ocean. The subtle, easily overlooked emotions rapidly converged, like streams merging into a river. Su He’s face turned pale as he erected a mental barrier to protect himself. The hawk appeared beside him, spreading its wings to shield him. This action reassured Su He, making him feel as though Lu Li was right beside him. He forgot his previous embarrassment and instinctively leaned towards the hawk. The furious tide was kept at bay by his mental barrier, and it felt like a storm capable of tearing the world apart was brewing, gathering immense destructive power.

Worried, Su He looked towards the desert, thinking that Lu Li might have provoked the entity deep within the desert and could be in danger.

To the northwest of the Iris, about 15 degrees, nearly thirty mechs hovered in mid-air. Beneath them lay heaps of green corpses, and at the center, a massive life form with tentacles extending over ten meters was cut into pieces. Fist-sized energy stones were scattered around, glowing enticingly in the night. This was the largest life form the Iris team had encountered, hidden beneath the energy mountain. It had weak intelligence and did not appear at first but erupted violently when Lu Li’s team began collecting energy stones. If the team had not reacted quickly, they might have been buried with the energy stones.

“Clear the battlefield, collect the energy stones, we need to return quickly,” Lu Li ordered.

The team responded promptly. Lu Li hovered in mid-air, a worried look on his face. He could feel Su He’s call, his pain, and concern. Although their bond was not strong, this faint connection made Lu Li’s emotions seem like a string held by someone else. Every time he was calm, that person would tug gently, reminding Lu Li of his existence. Lu Li frowned slightly, his mind reaching out through his spirit animal to Su He. Su He didn’t seem too bad but wasn’t as good as he had hoped. What reassured him was that Su He was in his cabin, and the hawk confirmed that nothing had happened to the Iris.

Lu Li’s gaze turned to the desert, sensing that the anger that affected Su He must have come from their actions at the energy mountain. The hawk spread its wings, protecting Su He, slightly easing Lu Li’s anxiety. He suppressed his instinct to rush back and keep Su He by his side every second, reminding himself to focus on the task at hand.

Soon, the team filled all their spatial buttons with energy stones, and the mechs were loaded with large bags. Lu Li set a fire on the desert, the flames quickly consuming the green tentacles. The fire illuminated the sky, and countless shadows looked towards the light. The war at the beach had ended, and the green life forms retreated in unison as if commanded. The sea was filled with various corpses, some being pushed ashore by the waves, others sinking to the bottom.

On the Iris, Lu Li’s team returned swiftly, their black mechs slicing through the night sky silently. From afar, they saw the Iris, now half-submerged in the sea.

“Is it high tide?” everyone wondered. Lu Li quickly scanned the beach and said, “Disperse, carry on with your tasks.” He jumped out of his mech, tossed the spatial button to Shen Shen, and hurried towards Su He’s cabin.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway, and Su He suddenly looked up. The Iris was made of H-3 energy alloy unique to Morton Planet, and Su He, with his ordinary hearing, wouldn’t normally hear footsteps outside, but he could sense them. It was like a faint presence pulling at his attention, growing stronger as it approached, like a sapling taking root and growing, becoming a towering tree in Su He’s mental world.

Su He’s heart raced as he realized Lu Li had returned. He didn’t need to extend his mental tentacles to confirm; his instincts assured him that the person approaching was Lu Li. His gaze fixed on the door, his heart pounding in his chest. With a soft “beep,” the door opened, and Lu Li’s tall figure appeared.

A bright smile spread across Su He’s face, unaware of how radiant his expression was. Lu Li felt a wave of sweetness wash over him, like tides in his spirit world, resonating like a symphony.

The hawk vanished from the room, replaced by Lu Li. The awkwardness Su He had forgotten returned, as he remembered the silly questions he had asked the hawk.

Would Lu Li know? He probably wouldn’t, right? Su He’s mind waged an internal battle, one side celebrating victory while the other retreated. He lowered his head, noticing Lu Li’s approach, and held his breath in nervousness. Lu Li’s hand landed on Su He’s shoulder, his thumb brushing against Su He’s delicate neck skin. This small contact felt like a spark in the dark, causing Su He’s body to tremble slightly. The suppressed thoughts resurfaced.

If it were Lu Li…

The room fell into an awkward silence. Lu Li’s thumb brushed over Su He’s skin again, and Su He noticed his body’s reaction. He awkwardly changed position, using his coat to cover his lap.

Lu Li wasn’t doing much better. On his way back, his mind had been filled with one thought: to see Su He and hold him tightly. Or he could keep Su He by his side forever, never letting him out of his sight. Or he could hand over his freedom, with Su He holding the leash. Wherever Su He went, he would follow, never parting.

Such thoughts swirled in his mind as his thumb traced Su He’s pale skin, feeling an exquisite pleasure. In that moment, Lu Li was deeply grateful for the enhanced senses of a sentinel. These abilities had brought him much pain, but now, this touch felt like touching paradise. His hand moved further up, and Su He didn’t resist. Both understood this was a crucial moment where instinct and reason clashed, but neither wanted to interrupt.

“Su He.”

Lu Li’s finger brushed Su He’s ear, and Su He tilted his head, unable to suppress a laugh. Su He swore he wasn’t doing it on purpose, but his ears were ticklish. His master used to punish him with a feather, and he laughed and hated it. Though Lu Li’s touch was pleasant, the thought of his master made him laugh uncontrollably.

The atmosphere shattered by Su He’s laughter, desire cascaded away. Lu Li regained rationality, recalling Su He’s words to the hawk about liking apples but not being sure if it was natural. Lu Li felt Su He’s uncertainty, withdrawing his hand with great effort.

“Sorry,” Su He mumbled, feeling dazed.

Lu Li chuckled, Su He’s apology erasing his disappointment. He found Su He endearing. Did Su He know what he was saying? Lu Li nodded, gently ruffling Su He’s hair, then focused, “Did you sense an emotional shock earlier?”

Su He nodded eagerly, glad for the distraction. “It was like before, a wave of anger from the desert.”

“Anger?” Lu Li mused. “Probably because we took the energy stones.”

“How did you bring back so many?” Su He asked, eyes wide.

“With spatial buttons,” Lu Li explained, noting Su He’s surprise. “Military-grade devices about 200-300 square meters, used for storing mechs.”

Su He excitedly asked, “Can you buy them on the black market?”

“Unlikely. They’re a military patent, not meant for civilians.”

Su He said, “Oh.” Lu Li immediately offered, “I’ll give you mine.” He now understood why sentinels wanted to please guides, willing to give the world to make them happy. If Su He asked for a king beast, he would probably rush to get one.

“No need,” Su He quickly replied, “I don’t have much use for it. Keep it for your mechs.”

Lu Li laughed.

They chatted about nothing in particular, and Su He found he had plenty to say to Lu Li. His virtual screen lit up, and a small figure in pajamas appeared, sleepily saying, “Time for bed, Master.” Embarrassed, Su He shut off the terminal, avoiding Lu Li’s gaze.

This time, Lu Li laughed out loud.

Su He: “…”

Lu Li gently said, “Go to sleep. I’ll stay with you.”

Su He hesitated for a few seconds before lying down on the bed. His trust in Lu Li had unknowingly surpassed a certain threshold within him and continued to overflow. Su He admitted to himself that he liked having Lu Li by his side; it wasn’t just about feeling safe, but also a kind of indescribable joy.

The sentinel’s pheromones enveloped Su He as Lu Li’s extended perception reinforced Su He’s mental barrier. Su He quickly fell asleep, with the storm brewing deep in the desert kept out of his mental world by Lu Li.

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