Ch 42: Interplanetary Planting Master

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Zhenhai Star, serving as the central star of the Seventh Corps’ jurisdiction over the border regions, protects hundreds of surrounding planets. Numerous starships travel to and from this star daily, making it a bustling hub.

Lin Ji steered the small starship towards Zhenhai Star’s space orbit, where a dozen starships were already lined up, awaiting inspection to enter Zhenhai Star. He asked Zhuang Wei beside him, “How do you plan to contact General Li?”

Zhuang Wei was prepared, “Aren’t we traveling with a guide?”

Han Rui, from the Broken Star, had no ties to any faction within the Federation and was one of the few people Zhuang Wei dared to trust at this time. Five days had passed since the disappearance of the Iris, and the Third Corps remained unusually calm. Zhuang Wei’s absence from the Third Corps was meticulously concealed, without a hint of information leaking. On a normal day, Zhuang Wei would commend General Zheng for his thorough work, but now, with suspicions in mind, the Third Corps’ cover-up seemed to hint at other motives.

Deeply contemplative and wary of multiple possibilities, Zhuang Wei believed that whoever managed to infiltrate his ranks might have also placed someone close to Li Zhengdao. To ensure secrecy, he didn’t even trust those in Li Zhengdao’s immediate circle. Throughout the journey, Zhuang Wei had closely observed Han Rui, who kept a low profile and barely made his presence felt on the starship. The only time Han Rui showed distress was upon learning that the Iris had been caught in an interstellar storm. Confident in his judgment, Zhuang Wei found Han Rui to be smart yet cautious, which sufficed.

When Zhuang Wei mentioned Han Rui, Lin Ji hummed noncommittally. After a brief exchange, they saw that seven or eight starships had already passed through, and their turn was approaching. Lin Ji left the cockpit, saying, “I’ll bring out Caron.”

Zhuang Wei nodded.

Soon, the space station inspectors requested to speak with the starship captain, and Caron’s handsome face appeared on the virtual screen.

Opposite him, a stern-faced female inspector in a black military uniform said, “Please report the starship’s registered name, number, crew count, purpose for visiting Zhenhai Star, and estimated duration of stay.”

Caron whistled and gave a slightly flirtatious smile, “Alice, number 9584318, with 113 crew members. We plan to immigrate to the border star, here to handle immigration formalities, expecting to stay for a week.” The female inspector meticulously recorded Caron’s report, and the instrument behind her began scanning the starship’s basic information to ensure it matched Caron’s report. Caron, during the wait, playfully ran his hand through his hair and flirtatiously called out, “Sweetheart, I…”

Halfway through his sentence, Caron suddenly froze, unable to finish. The female inspector looked over, puzzled, while Caron awkwardly forced a laugh.

The inspection of the Alice was soon completed, and the virtual screen went dark. Caron looked down to find a massive silver wolf crouched at his feet, baring its teeth menacingly. Lin Ji approached, taking Caron’s place at the controls, and gave him a cold glance, saying, “I advise you not to entertain any inappropriate thoughts.” He steered the starship away from the space station and requested permission to land on Zhenhai Star. Being a small starship, the Alice met the landing requirements of Zhenhai Star. Generally, starships larger than 300 square meters would be required to dock at the space station and transfer to smaller shuttles for the journey to Zhenhai Star.

Lin Ji maintained a calm demeanor, while Caron, unable to contain his frustration, finally snapped. Since being taken by Lin Ji, he had lost control of the Alice. Originally a starship belonging to the Silent Corps, it was now under Lin Ji’s command. Caron had been confined to a cabin, allowed out only when needed. Though he had considered rebelling, he had been harshly subdued. Swallowing his pride and holding on thus far, Caron finally vented, “Are you really planning to take us to immigrate to a border star? I’m a star pirate, a killer, not a frontier settler!”

Lin Ji ignored his outburst, merely saying, “You may return to your cabin.”

“…” Caron. His expression shifted, and he made a sudden dash for the weapon system, only to be quickly overpowered by Lin Ji and slammed to the ground. The silver wolf pinned him down, its sharp teeth at his throat. Meeting Lin Ji’s cold, emotionless gaze, Caron felt a chill run down his spine. He reluctantly raised his hands in surrender, “I’ll go back to my cabin.”

Lin Ji said nothing as Caron returned to his confined quarters. His eyes darted around, planning to keep a backup plan for himself in case things went south.

At the command station, Lin Ji lightly tapped the table, dislodging a tiny electronic chip from the instrument’s crevice. He snapped it in two and sent the silver wolf to deliver it to Caron’s cabin.

Caron: “…”

Zhuang Wei emerged from the adjacent room, shaking his head with a smile, “Star pirates and their tricks, always so hard to guard against.”

Neither of them paid much mind to Caron after that. Half an hour later, the Alice docked on Zhenhai Star. Zhuang Wei and Lin Ji, with Han Rui in tow, boarded a pre-booked unmanned shuttle. Zhuang Wei programmed the destination. Han Rui sat quietly, looking out the window.

The shuttle quickly took off, and Han Rui’s gaze shifted from the glass window, reflecting Zhuang Wei’s profile, identical to the one he had seen on the network. Han Rui didn’t understand why Zhuang Wei was on this starship, acting so secretively. He distrusted Federation soldiers, Zhuang Wei included. He looked away and remained silent. Knowing they were now in Seventh Corps territory made Han Rui uneasy.

The shuttle was swift, reaching its destination before Han Rui realized. They arrived in a bustling district, with houses of all sizes packed together and people in military uniforms and civilian clothes milling about, making it look like a marketplace.

Unlike the rigid, military-centric layouts of other corps’ headquarters, Zhenhai Star bore the chaotic, personalized touch of Li Zhengdao. Even the military administrative center looked like a jumble of shops. Li Zhengdao’s office was nestled among these small buildings, barely noticeable. Despite its appearance, no one would foolishly assume it lacked security.

Zhuang Wei looked at Han Rui and said, “Just like last time, extend your mental tendrils. The person you’re looking for is very special; their mental world is on the verge of collapse and is easily recognizable.”

Han Rui obediently extended his mental tendrils, gradually expanding them outwards from the small shuttle. The street was surprisingly full of sentinels, with bright spots starting to flicker in his mental world. Han Rui couldn’t imagine what a collapsing mental world would look like. Wasn’t Zhuang Wei worried he might find the wrong person? His tendrils reached out and suddenly paused. Not far from the shuttle, a bright and warm but fractured spot appeared within his mental range, looking exactly as Zhuang Wei had described—on the verge of collapse.

Li Zhengdao!

The name flashed through Han Rui’s mind. Only someone with a broken mental world would appear like this. He remembered the incident from eighteen years ago, his expression turning complex.

“Found him?” Zhuang Wei had been watching his expression closely.

Han Rui nodded and conveyed the message as instructed, “3489210, Zhuang Wei.”

Zhuang Wei!

Seeing those numbers, Li Zhengdao immediately believed it was Zhuang Wei. He extended his senses, and the entire street gradually came into view. The bustling crowd, the shuttles coming and going—his senses quickly locked onto a nondescript shuttle by the roadside. The small shuttle took off a minute later, and Li Zhengdao swiftly followed.

A few minutes later, the shuttle stopped in another street. Li Zhengdao appeared and, with a dissatisfied look, boarded the shuttle, snorting, “Zhuang old man, what shady business are you up to, sneaking around here? Where’s Lu Li? What are you up to, making me worry for days?” Before he could finish, he caught sight of Lin Ji, his expression changing dramatically. His aura flared, like a tiger descending a mountain, and he lunged at Lin Ji with a speed that belied his appearance.

Zhuang Wei stepped in front of him, “Hear me out.”

Li Zhengdao’s face darkened, his eyes scanning Zhuang Wei and Lin Ji with suspicion. He took a step back and said coldly, “Where’s Lu Li?”

Zhuang Wei smiled wryly, “The Iris did get caught in an interstellar storm, but I had already left the Iris before that.”

Li Zhengdao was skeptical. Zhuang Wei apologized, “For certain reasons, I didn’t let Lu Li tell you. I didn’t expect…”

Li Zhengdao interrupted him coldly, “Since this isn’t about Lu Li, I won’t get involved in the Third Corps’ business.” He turned to leave, but before Zhuang Wei could speak, Lin Ji said suddenly, “What about the truth from eighteen years ago?”

Han Rui’s body shook. What incident from eighteen years ago? He instinctively perked up, but then his vision went black as he fainted. Lin Ji retracted his hand and said softly, “He has nothing to do with this. It’s best not to involve him.”

Li Zhengdao watched Lin Ji’s actions indifferently. Zhuang Wei said in a grave tone, “This is a complex matter that started three years ago…”

Zhuang Wei, who rose from being a commoner to a Federation general, skillfully navigated through the intricacies of the Federation government and military. He eloquently recounted the events that occurred on Brox, including his reasons for going there, his suspicions after leaving, his original plans, and his actions following the incident with the Iris.

Li Zhengdao remained expressionless, not speaking a word even after Zhuang Wei finished his explanation. Some of what Zhuang Wei said had already been told to him by Lu Li, while some were new. The phrase “she’s not her” seemed like a baseless conjecture only someone as idle as Zhuang Wei would entertain.

Zhuang Wei smiled wryly, “This matter is full of uncertainties and isn’t just about you or me. You wouldn’t want Guide Minghui’s death to remain an unsolved mystery, right?”

“The culprit?” Li Zhengdao snapped, “Isn’t the culprit right beside you? You’re just taking advantage of Lu Li’s honest nature to trick him with this nonsense, aren’t you?”

Zhuang Wei: “…”

Lin Ji hung his head, his hair falling over his face, obscuring his expression.

Li Zhengdao ignored Lin Ji and said sharply to Zhuang Wei, “You’re here to tell me there’s a traitor in the Third Corps, that you need to fake your death to lure them out, and you need my help, right?”

Zhuang Wei nodded.

Li Zhengdao sneered, “Five million credits. We have no personal ties, so don’t expect me to help for free.”

Zhuang Wei smiled slightly, knowing Li Zhengdao had figured out the situation but couldn’t bring himself to concede in front of Lin Ji. Softening his tone, he said, “Major Lu recently found his destined guide on Broken Star. With such good fortune, he’s sure to be safe.”

Lin Ji added wryly, “Even someone like me survived the interstellar storm. With the help of a Galactic Treeman, Major Lu will be fine.”

Li Zhengdao’s mood slightly improved. He had been hopeful because the Iris had a Galactic Treeman, believing Lu Li might indeed be okay. But… Li Zhengdao extended his hand to Zhuang Wei, “Five million. No pulling strings.”

Zhuang Wei: “…”

He reluctantly transferred five million credits to Li Zhengdao, who immediately transferred it to Lu Li’s account. The old man felt a bit melancholic. Lu Li, that rascal, used to complain about being broke, struggling to support dozens of people, almost resorting to becoming a star pirate. Five million wasn’t much, but it would give the rascal some relief once he returned. Since he’d have a guide to support as well, Zhuang Wei thought he should have asked for more.

Zhuang Wei frowned slightly, sensing a malevolent presence beside him.

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