Ch 45: Interplanetary Planting Master

Iris

A week after Reno emitted the galactic particles, the news that the Iris was safe was presented to Li Zhengdao. Initially, the galactic particles were captured by the Galactic Treemen of the Sixth Legion, and the decoded message was quickly transmitted through the unique method of the Galactic Treemen to the S-Class starship, the Dawn. A few minutes later, Li Zhengdao connected with the Dawn, and a virtual light screen lit up, revealing a three-meter tall Treeman before him.

The Treeman working for the Dawn was named Jerset. Having worked for the Federation for over seven years, he was quite familiar with human thought patterns, so he was not surprised that Li Zhengdao had found him.

“Good day, General,” the tall Treeman said politely. “How may I assist you?”

Li Zhengdao’s expression showed some suspicion as he replied directly, “I received a message.”

The Treeman appeared to smile, though it was difficult for humans to discern expressions on a tree-like being unless, like Reno, the Treeman used leaf movements to express emotions. “General, there is no need for doubt. The message comes from one of my kin. The Galactic Treemen have a unique method of communication, and this message about the Iris’s safety was conveyed to you through this method.”

Li Zhengdao quickly believed the Treeman’s words. The Federation had also researched the galactic particles mentioned by the Treemen, but perhaps due to differences in civilization foundations, humans had difficulty understanding this method of communication, just as Treemen struggled to understand human methods. He sighed in relief but kept a neutral expression. “The Seventh Legion appreciates the generous help of the Galactic Treemen. I would like to know how many people are aware of this information?”

The Treeman responded promptly, “The information was conveyed through the unique method of the Galactic Treemen. Currently, apart from you, only we Treemen are aware. But rest assured, the Galactic Treemen prefer not to interfere in Federation matters.”

The Treemen, having cooperated with humans for many years, had a deep understanding of human suspicion and thus expressed their stance upfront.

Li Zhengdao showed a sincere smile, thanked the Treeman again for their generous assistance, and asked if the Treeman could convey a message to the Iris.

“Please go ahead.”

Li Zhengdao took a deep breath and said in a strong voice, “You brat, don’t come back yet. Old Zhuang wants to fake his death; it would be bad if you come back and expose him. I heard you found a little guide; I’ve already prepared the money for the guide. Don’t be wishy-washy; get the guide into bed quickly. For you bunch of scoundrels, I didn’t even get to enjoy my birthday. By the way, the military department said they would award you a heroic commendation, but I found it unlucky and refused. Now that you’re all alive, I’ll go collect this award. The military department is generous this time, with a substantial bonus that should be enough for you to get more guides. And to the other scoundrels, hurry up and find a guide. I’m sick of seeing you bunch of bachelors…”

After ten minutes, he finally stopped, generously adding, “That’s all.”

Treeman: “…Shall I convey it as is?”

“Of course.”

The Treeman’s leaves trembled ever so slightly, which was a significant display of emotion for him.

Li Zhengdao contentedly turned off the virtual light screen and signaled his adjutant, who was standing by the door, to come in. “Contact the military department and tell them that I agree to accept the heroic commendation they mentioned last time. Ask them to transfer the bonus as soon as possible.”

Adjutant Qiong Hua appeared before Li Zhengdao with an expressionless face and reminded, “It’s not the so-called heroic commendation, but rather the Galactic Federation Purple Heart Medal, the highest honor a Federation soldier can receive. The General clearly refused to accept the Purple Heart Medal last time. I need a reason to negotiate with the military department.”

As one of the few female sentinels in the military, Qiong Hua was a role model for all female sentinels. She was beautiful, intelligent, and elegant, holding a high position before the age of forty. She was liked by everyone, except perhaps Li Zhengdao. Li Zhengdao complained, “Do I need a reason to accept an award from the military department?”

Qiong Hua’s eyebrows twitched as she patiently said, “Before this, you had refused the award without regard. Let me remind you that three days ago, you had a fierce argument with Colonel Tang Cheng from the military department over this matter and said that only a scoundrel would accept the award.”

Li Zhengdao: “…”

Qiong Hua looked at him expressionlessly. Li Zhengdao struggled to recall if he had indeed said that. Qiong Hua delivered the final blow, “Do you need me to contact Colonel Tang Cheng to help you remember?”

Li Zhengdao suddenly remembered, “I recall now.” He said as he moved to the window, “I have a military department meeting in ten minutes. You handle this matter.” Before finishing his sentence, Li Zhengdao nimbly climbed out of the window, showing a somewhat fleeing demeanor.

Qiong Hua sighed helplessly and connected to Colonel Tang Cheng’s terminal in the military department. As the light screen lit up, Qiong Hua smiled gracefully, “Good day, Colonel Tang.”

Tang Cheng, seeing Qiong Hua’s sarcastic smile, asked, “What’s this? Has General Li changed his mind?”

Qiong Hua remained composed, “Colonel Tang, you know that the missing members of the Iris all belong to the Federation and the elite Seventh Legion. The General was deeply pained by the loss of such talent and, in a moment of emotional loss of control, said some harsh words. Please understand. Now, the General has come to terms with it. The deceased cannot be brought back, and all he can do is ensure that the Federation forever remembers their contributions and teaches future generations.”

Tang Cheng cursed Li Zhengdao’s fickleness internally, thinking he was a damned fool for saying such things, but replied, “General Li’s dedication to the Federation is truly exemplary. Please take good care of the General’s health, Ensign Qiong Hua. The Federation needs him.”

Qiong Hua nodded with a smile and hung up, looking out the window to see that Li Zhengdao’s figure had already disappeared into the crowd. She sighed, feeling it was a miracle she hadn’t been driven mad by managing the General’s mess for twenty years.

A few streets away, Li Zhengdao sneezed four or five times. He wondered if someone was praising his noble character behind his back, which was causing such strong reactions. Being loved by subordinates was indeed a trouble. He turned left and right on the street and soon arrived at Zhuang Wei’s temporary residence.

As soon as Li Zhengdao entered the door, he loudly announced, “Old Zhuang, I’ve got good news for you. The Iris is safe.”

“Congratulations,” Zhuang Wei replied sincerely.

Li Zhengdao, not wanting to show too much joy in the Legion’s territory, came to Zhuang Wei’s place with a broad smile, “You scoundrels made me worry for nothing.”

Zhuang Wei’s attention was elsewhere. “Who else knows about this news? When is the Iris expected to return to the Federation?”

Li Zhengdao grunted, “Don’t worry. Besides the Galactic Treemen, only the two of us know about this. I’ve asked Lu Li to stay away for now, so as not to expose your fake death.”

Zhuang Wei, with a wry smile, shifted the topic. “The mastermind behind this is even more composed than I expected.” Despite the Iris’s disappearance for half a month, the Third Legion had managed to keep the news of Zhuang Wei’s disappearance tightly under wraps. The activities of the military officers showed no signs of unusual behavior. Both Zhuang Wei and Li Zhengdao believed that whatever the mastermind’s intentions—whether it was to seize power, cause chaos within the Third Legion, or create panic in the Federation—they needed to release the news of Zhuang Wei’s disappearance first. But the other party had remained passive, and Zhuang Wei was growing impatient.

Now that the Iris was safe, Lu Li could not remain away forever. If this matter dragged on, they might not get another opportunity as good as this. “Release the news of my disappearance on the Iris,” Zhuang Wei said decisively. He needed to take control of the situation.

Li Zhengdao: “…”

That afternoon, the Seventh Legion’s commander, Li Zhengdao, who was known for his unpredictable actions, had a loud argument with Colonel Xu Zhengda of the Third Legion. Due to a mistake by the aide, the white noise generator was not activated, and their argument was overheard by nearly every sentinel nearby.

The news quickly spread like wildfire across the Federation, causing widespread chaos: Zhuang Wei, the commander of the Third Legion, was also on the missing Iris!

Far away, light-years from the Federation, the Iris was unaware of any of this. On the seventh day after Reno emitted the Galactic Particles, Liao Kai finally repaired the starship’s anti-gravity system, which meant the Iris could leave the planet at any time.

“Are we leaving?” Su He asked Lu Li.

“Yes,” Lu Li confirmed. “Reno has confirmed that the Galactic Particles have been interpreted. Although we haven’t received any official message from the Federation yet, we can already determine the direction to return. We just need to adjust along the way.”

“When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

The Iris was now not only responsible for itself but also for some residents of Broken Star who chose to stay behind. Before leaving, they needed to dismantle a set of water purification systems and other necessary supplies from the starship to leave on the planet, which required some time to arrange.

Lu Li was busy settling them, while Su He had to say goodbye to the life forms. He didn’t want to return after some time to find that the life forms had eaten up everything he had worked so hard to establish. He stood by the sea and extended his mental tendrils, and the life form he named Mosca emerged from the sand.

Mosca’s injuries had almost healed, but it couldn’t recover the half of its body that was missing. It had become Su He’s exclusive mount, often carrying him around the desert.

“Mosca, let’s go to the desert,” Su He nudged Mosca with his mental tendrils.

Mosca carried him swiftly. Reno, transformed into a spiritual form, followed closely beside Su He, while the black hawk flew low overhead. Su He looked back and saw a touch of intoxicating green at the desert-ocean boundary. That was the result of his hard work over the past few days, and Su He smiled slightly.

The time to leave came quickly. The Iris finally ascended into the sky again after being silent for half a month. The view on the ground grew smaller until a massive planet, primarily yellow with a sapphire in the center, appeared before them.

The sentinels crowded around the window, reluctantly gazing at the planet.

Jiang Bo said loudly, “Boss, let’s name this planet.”

Lu Li, with a complex expression, looked out the window and after a few seconds of silence, said, “Iris. That’s its name.”

The sentinels fell silent simultaneously. In the vast starry sky, two Iris planets seemed to overlap. The city reappeared, people laughed, and airships flew by. This was their new home.

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