Ch 46: Interplanetary Planting Master

Connection

To return to the Federation as quickly as possible, the Iris continued to jump through wormholes following the direction of the Galactic Particles.

At first, Su He found it quite interesting, but after a few jumps, he lost interest. The experience of traveling through wormholes was similar to being in a subspace storm—time and space warped, and people were stretched into strange shapes, but everything returned to normal as soon as they exited the wormhole.

The Iris had to constantly adjust its course. After each jump, it would travel normally for a period of time, map the surrounding stars, and recapture the trajectory of the Galactic Particles. The sentinels were busy, and even Reno had to constantly sense the presence of the Galactic Particles. Everyone had something to do, while Su He was left feeling bored and idle.

Lu Li opened up the starship’s entertainment facilities for Su He to use, but Su He quickly lost interest after a round of games. Many of the games were deemed dangerous by Lu Li, and those without dangers were frustratingly difficult due to the terminal’s design. Su He decided to settle in the cabin and practice.

Su He’s sect’s cultivation technique had seven layers of mental practice, and he was only on the third layer. The old master had mentioned that the further one went, the more difficult it became to cultivate. Additionally, the lack of spiritual energy on Earth meant that Su He’s master had only reached the fourth layer in his lifetime. If only his master were still alive; he would have been thrilled with so many energy stones. Su He thought about this while holding an energy stone and circulating his mental practice.

The warm energy flowed through his body, and the little seedling in his spiritual world happily shook its two leaves. Over these days of cultivation, the seedling seemed to have grown a bit; it was no longer just thumb-sized but was now about the size of a palm. Su He was intrigued and called the seedling to appear before him. He poked at the seedling’s leaves and asked, “When will you grow into a tree?”

The seedling didn’t understand Su He’s question and continued to happily twine around his fingers. Su He smiled and moved his fingers along with the seedling. Although his thoughts about the growth of the spiritual entity were initially just idle speculation, after Reno mentioned the growth stages of Galactic Treemen, Su He privately speculated that the seedling’s growth might follow the stages of initial, juvenile, and mature as Reno described. However, even the initial stage of Galactic Treemen took hundreds of years, and Reno took four thousand years to grow from a juvenile to a mature state. Su He thought that even if he lived to be 207 years old, the current highest age in the Federation, the seedling would probably remain just a seedling and wouldn’t progress beyond the initial stage, let alone grow into a tree.

With one hand holding the energy stone and pure energy flowing into his body, Su He watched as the seedling transformed into a green light band floating in the air. He concentrated and formed a milky-white energy sphere. Just as the light band was about to wrap around the energy sphere, it suddenly darted under the bed. Su He blinked, leaned over the bed, and saw in the dim corner, Mosca curled up and surrounded by green light dots.

Su He: “…”

He waved his hand, and Mosca cautiously approached. Su He didn’t know when it had hidden there; even the sentinels’ sensitive perceptions couldn’t detect the presence of the life form. “Do you want to join me?” Su He extended his mental tendrils.

The tiny light dots flickered, conveying simple joy.

Su He smiled. “Then you need to behave and not nibble on things everywhere.”

Mosca waved its tentacles, and the seedling excitedly entangled with it.

At lunchtime, Su He brought Mosca to the dining room. Lu Li looked surprised to see the life form. “When did it come aboard the Iris?”

“Guess,” Su He did not answer directly.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow. “Mosca sneaked on board and has been hiding under the bed. You just discovered it, didn’t you?”

Su He: “…”

The sentinels around twitched their lips upon hearing Mosca’s name. “Snowbound Romance” was a classic among sentinels, and they couldn’t bear to see a life form with the same name as the main character.

Lu Li chuckled and said to Su He, “If you have nothing to do this afternoon, I’ll accompany you.”

“Anything?”

Lu Li nodded.

Su He’s eyes lit up. After finishing his meal quickly, he took Lu Li to the entertainment room. Inside, there was a game pod for simulating mecha piloting, but Lu Li restricted Su He’s access due to safety concerns. The Iris was essentially a warship, and the game pods used a fully immersive simulation system to achieve a realistic experience, which also carried the risk of physical strain and sudden death.

Su He had longed to be here for a long time. He stood in front of the game pod and signaled Lu Li, who, with a light smile, granted him access. Su He jumped into the pod but found himself at a loss with the array of unfamiliar controls and had to carefully read the operating instructions. Lu Li tapped on the game pod’s door, and when Su He opened it, he jumped in as well.

The space inside the game pod was the same size as a real mecha cockpit, designed for a standard pilot, so the two of them had to squeeze together. Su He blinked and imagined a scenario where he was holding Lu Li while piloting the mecha. But the reality was that Lu Li took the pilot’s seat and said to Su He, “Come on, let me guide you through it first.”

Su He: “……”

Given the situation, Su He had no choice but to lean against Lu Li as usual. Lu Li began to patiently explain the settings and functions of the various controls. “Try starting the mecha first,” Lu Li instructed.

Su He pressed the power button, and the virtual screen lit up, mecha data flashed, and the surroundings changed to a desert scene. The yellow sand blew across the screen, and after the silver mecha stood still for a moment, it took its first step. Perhaps not well-balanced, the mecha staggered and nearly fell, flailing its arms before finally stabilizing. Inside the game pod, Su He looked anxiously at Lu Li, who, with a serious expression, praised him, “Well done. Your performance as a beginner is excellent.”

Su He’s gaze was skeptical, trying to find any sign of insincerity on Lu Li’s face. But Lu Li’s expression was sincere, and his praise seemed genuine. Su He hesitated, wondering if he really did perform well and was perhaps a mecha piloting prodigy.

Encouraged, Su He took a brave second step. This time, luck was not on his side, and the mecha’s legs gave way, causing it to kneel forward. Lu Li wrapped his arms around Su He’s waist to help him maintain balance. The silver mecha half-knelt on the ground, avoiding a tumble through the sand.

The sentinels who had come to watch were captivated by the mecha’s clumsy movements and suppressed their laughter as they listened to Lu Li’s praise of Su He. “Your reaction speed is quite fast; you just need to pay more attention to balance.”

Yu Sen expressed his envy, “It would be great if the boss were this gentle with us during training.”

Liao Kai patted his shoulder, “Wake up; stop dreaming.”

Shen Shen said frankly, “The little guide did perform well.”

In fact, Su He’s performance was excellent by any standard, not just the sentinels’. Everyone knew Su He had no prior training, and as a guide, he lacked the sharp senses of a sentinel. His reactions were based purely on normal judgment, and he performed much better than Lu Li had expected. Lu Li guided Su He to get the mecha back on its feet, and Su He, with a serious expression, took a third step.

Su He realized that the biggest challenge in controlling the mecha was maintaining balance. The Federation’s mechas used a body-sensing control mode, so pilots had to get used to the discrepancy between their bodies and the mecha’s proportions. Once Su He found the key points, he adapted quickly. After twenty minutes, he was able to make the mecha run in small increments across the desert.

“How did I do?” After running a lap around the virtual desert, Su He stopped, panting, and looked at Lu Li with bright eyes, seeking praise.

The physical exertion Lu Li had mentioned earlier became apparent. In just half an hour, Su He was sweating profusely. The fine sweat dampened his forehead, and the pheromones suppressed by the inhibitor became more concentrated and intense in the confined space. Lu Li initially smelled a faint, pleasant aroma, which soon became sweet and intoxicating, stirring desires within him. Their current position seemed more like an intimate hint.

Lu Li embraced Su He, pressing his hand on the back of Su He’s head and kissed him. “Little Sprout, you did great.” Lu Li gently praised him, kissing from Su He’s chin to his neck. The rich pheromones solidified on Lu Li’s tongue, and a sweet, smooth flavor spread in his mouth. Unable to contain himself, Lu Li opened Su He’s collar, gently biting his collarbone and leaving a sentinel’s mark.

Su He felt dizzy, tilting his head back as Lu Li’s desire enveloped him like a massive vortex. His spirit was too weak to struggle, being consumed by Lu Li’s emotions, as if he were on the verge of burning up.

Su He’s body was pressed tightly against Lu Li’s, his movements restrained by Lu Li’s arms. The warm breath on his neck made his body feel electrified. The small flame of desire grew rapidly as if doused in alcohol, and Su He’s rationality fled. His hands gripped Lu Li’s waist, his heartbeat syncing with Lu Li’s, creating a rhythm that was even more jubilant and intense than before. In his dazed state, Su He felt a blankness around him, with Lu Li being his only existence.

Everything progressed too quickly. Su He’s coat was pulled open, and the intense heat within him burned. He clung to Lu Li, moaning softly.

“Baby, are you ready?” Lu Li’s voice sounded like the devil’s temptation in his ear.

Su He did not speak but eagerly sought out Lu Li’s lips for a desperate kiss.

The noise in the game pod was sensed by the sentinels outside. The sentinels exchanged glances, and Wei Na, being considerate, started clearing the area. Everyone, curious, listened intently while urging each other to leave.

“Boss has missed several chances already. Let’s bet on whether they’ll combine this time,” Liao Kai whispered.

The sentinels’ interest was immediately piqued, and they began placing their bets.

The entertainment room quickly became empty. The game pod door opened, and Lu Li, holding Su He, jumped out. The urgent need for bonding swept over them like a torrent. Lu Li’s remaining rationality reminded him that the guide needed a more comfortable environment. They quickly returned to their room, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Lu Li eagerly removed Su He’s coat. Their bodies intertwined and pressed tightly together. Su He dropped his defenses and opened himself up to Lu Li.

Lu Li’s mind was consumed entirely by desire for Su He. He needed Su He, wanting to integrate him into his life. His mental energy surged, overwhelming Su He like the tide. Su He offered no resistance and soon responded to Lu Li with the most fervent affection.

Their spiritual worlds merged. Pure energy spread outward in waves from their center. The sentinels aboard the Iris were all blushing, unable to avoid being affected by their union. At some point, Su He’s spiritual world exploded into a brilliant display of light. The colorful hues flowed like a rainbow, more dazzling than the sun, more beautiful than roses, flowing between him and Lu Li. Su He crossed the rainbow bridge and stepped into the familiar courtyard.

Young Lu Li looked up at him and asked, “Who are you?”

Su He smiled slightly and replied, “I’m Su He.”

An invisible yet solid link formed between them. A gentle breeze blew, and Lu Li’s spiritual world seemed to shed a layer of gray film. Brilliant colors descended from the sky, bathing the entire world. Tender green grass sprouted from the ground, and colorful flowers bloomed in the wind. Black walls, white villas, brown paths scented with earth, and metal buildings sparkled in the sunlight. A kestrel carrying a small sprout flew by, birds began to sing, waves surged, and vibrant life flashed throughout the world.

Young Lu Li instantly grew up, striding over to hold Su He tightly in his arms. The two of them gave themselves to each other without reservation, kissing, entangling, and exploring, savoring the primal ecstasy of life.

They drifted in a sea of sensations, eventually merging into one entity, never to be separated again.

PREVIOUS TOC NEXT