Ch 49: Interplanetary Planting Master

Familiar Faces

According to Li Zhengdao, as soon as the Iris had its incident, Zhuang Wei secretly contacted him. The two of them, working both openly and covertly, investigated several suspicious individuals in the Third Corps, but found nothing. Later, they received word from the Galactic Treemen that the Iris was unharmed. The old man Zhuang couldn’t sit still and proposed a bold, all-or-nothing plan. Li Zhengdao deliberately leaked the news that Zhuang Wei was aboard the Iris, waiting to see the reaction from those behind the scenes. And sure enough, they took action.

Lu Li softly asked, “Cloning? Or perhaps mimicking like the Siquan people? But what about the mental world?”

Li Zhengdao didn’t answer directly, saying, “The details are still under investigation, but what is true cannot be faked, and what is fake cannot be made real.” He gave Lu Li a meaningful look. “Kid, you need to learn patience. The most dangerous enemy is the one hiding in the shadows. Once they make a move, they will inevitably reveal their flaws.”

What Li Zhengdao and Zhuang Wei feared the most was that the enemy would do nothing. As long as the enemy made a move, they were confident they would find a flaw.

Lu Li calmed down and nodded.

“Alright, you don’t need to worry about these things for now. Just stay hidden and don’t let anyone find you. Old man Zhuang considers you the secret weapon, saving you for a grand finale.” Lu Li laughed. The old man waved him off dismissively, “Move aside. Now that the important matters are settled, let me see that little guide you’re hiding so tightly. I’ve had enough of seeing you bachelors all the time. If it weren’t for you bringing the guide along this time, I would’ve thought you’d been swapped just like Zhuang Wei…” Li Zhengdao, having shifted from his serious tone, now rambled on. Lu Li laughed as he pushed Su He forward. Su He, a bit nervous, greeted him, “General.”

Li Zhengdao smiled broadly, “Good, good! Such a good kid! If this guy Lu bullies you, just tell me, and I’ll teach him a lesson.”

Su He stifled a laugh and nodded, making the old man grin even wider. Behind Su He’s back, the old man silently mouthed to Lu Li, “Brat, I’ve already prepared the money for you to take care of the guide.”

Lu Li felt a warmth in his heart and smiled, “Su He is wealthier than me; he takes care of me.”

Li Zhengdao: “…”

Even after disconnecting the call, Lu Li couldn’t help but chuckle at the general’s final expression. He lowered his head, helped Su He put on his hat, and gently touched his face. “Are you cold?”

“Not really. Are we heading back to the Iris now?”

“No rush. Let Shen Shen head back first, and we’ll stay here for a few days. We’ll also take the opportunity to purchase some supplies and send them back to the Iris planet.”

Liao Kai restored the communications station, and the three of them quietly returned to the starship. Though dealing with two Zhuang Weis was a headache, as Li Zhengdao had said, the truth could not be faked. Zhuang Wei had held his position as a Federation Corps leader for many years, not just because of courage but also wisdom. Since the general had a plan, there was nothing more the Iris could do at the moment except wait for their grand entrance. After giving a few instructions to Shen Shen, Lu Li arranged for him to return to the Iris early the next morning to explain the situation. Meanwhile, they would stay on the snowy planet for a few days to purchase some necessary supplies.

Though Snowy Star’s environment was harsh, it was different from the harshness of the Broken Star. Here, the water supply was abundant, and the perpetual ice and snow created a unique planetary landscape. When the Federation first discovered Snowy Star, the plan was to turn it into a tourist destination. However, its extreme remoteness, combined with rumors of small-scale beast tides in the area, deterred the Federation’s citizens. Few were willing to risk their lives traveling so far just to see a snow-covered planet. The government’s development plans were forced to be scrapped, and as the battle with the Dark Beasts became more pressing, the planet gradually disappeared from the Federation’s transformation plans.

Su He walked along the street, curiously observing his surroundings while listening to Lu Li explain. The buildings here were all made of ice and snow, none taller than four stories, with most being small houses of one or two floors sparsely scattered across a vast plain. The center of the plain, which was likely the focus of the government’s original development plan, had houses built closer together, forming a street that resembled a commercial area.

Perhaps due to the year-round snowfall, the residents of this planet dressed in very plain clothing, mostly long white robes that covered their entire bodies. The wide, fur-lined hoods they wore almost completely concealed their faces. Occasionally, when the locals glanced at Su He, their faces were hidden in the shadow of their hoods, making it impossible to see any expressions. Su He was also dressed the same way, with both he and Lu Li wearing long white robes that hid their faces beneath hoods. Su He softly asked Lu Li, “Do you think if a family ran into each other on the street, they’d recognize one another?”

Lu Li chuckled and, through his robe, gently held Su He’s hand. He was always amazed at the curious and whimsical questions Su He asked. “They probably have their own special way of recognizing each other.”

“What? Like having their faces embroidered on their robes?”

This made Lu Li laugh out loud. He led Su He down a narrow alley, pinching Su He’s chin and planting a kiss. “What are you always thinking about in that little head of yours?” Lu Li asked affectionately, holding Su He’s face and kissing him again and again. Their breaths intertwined, and Su He could feel Lu Li’s excitement pressing against him. He gave Lu Li a reproachful look, to which Lu Li softly laughed, “See, the robes are useful, at least for times like this.”

Su He: “…”

Lu Li continued kissing him, tightening his arms as if he wanted to mold Su He into his embrace. As the two held each other tightly, a sudden flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from deeper in the alley, followed by a shout, “Stop, you damn heretic!”

Lu Li frowned. Ahead of them were three forked paths, and every time, this group managed to pick the one they were on. He reached out with his senses: seven or eight adult men, all dressed in white robes, were chasing after a boy who looked no older than ten. The boy was agile, running faster than the men behind him.

“Is there trouble?” Su He asked.

Lu Li’s tone revealed a hint of amusement, “Interesting, a newly awakened wild Sentinel.”

Su He quickly understood what Lu Li meant. The two of them blocked the exit of the narrow alley. A few minutes later, a small figure shot out like a cannonball, yelling as he ran, “Idiots, come chase me!” His childish voice echoed around them. The little boy looked up, saw Su He and Lu Li, and shouted, “Move aside, or I won’t be polite!”

Lu Li chuckled, amused, and instead of stepping aside, he took a step closer. The boy puffed up his cheeks and charged at Lu Li, aiming a kick, but Lu Li easily dodged it and lifted him into the air by the collar. “A newly awakened wild Sentinel?” he asked.

The boy was about to struggle but stopped when he heard the word “Sentinel.” His large, round black eyes looked at Lu Li. “You’re not from Snowy Star. You’re from outside? Are you a Sentinel too?” he fired off several questions, showing no fear of strangers. Su He, curious, walked closer. The boy’s eyes lit up when he saw Su He. “Hey, are you a Guide, beautiful?”

Su He couldn’t help but laugh. Lu Li’s face darkened, and he turned the boy around. The men chasing them finally arrived, eyeing Lu Li and the boy he was holding with suspicion. The boy suddenly made a face at the men and clung to Lu Li, shouting, “Dad!” Not satisfied, he turned his head with difficulty and sweetly called to Su He, “Mom, bad people are chasing me!”

Lu Li & Su He: “…”

The men in the alley weren’t fooled by the boy’s antics. The leader stepped forward and asked, “Which family do you belong to? This child is a heretic. Lord Uerlen has ordered us to capture him.”

This was the second time Lu Li had heard the term “heretic.” His expression remained calm as he said, “Well, that’s unfortunate because I’m a heretic too.”

(T/N: heretic here means wild, unregistered sentinel).

As he spoke, Lu Li let go of the boy and charged forward. His movements were so swift that the boy only felt a gust of wind, and Lu Li was already among the men. In less than a minute, only Lu Li remained standing, while the other men lay unconscious on the ground.

“Whoa!” The boy stared at Lu Li in awe, then turned to Su He, grabbing his arm in excitement. “Mom, look, Dad’s amazing!”

Su He glared at the boy, his face darkening. The boy’s eyes sparkled mischievously as he puckered his lips and blew Su He a kiss, deliberately using a sweet, childish tone. “But in my heart, Mom is the best.”

Lu Li couldn’t take it anymore. He strode back and pulled the boy away from Su He, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, spill it. Why were they chasing you?”

“You heard them, didn’t you? They called me a heretic and want to take me back for purification.”

“A heretic meaning a Sentinel? What is purification?”

The boy shook his head. “I don’t know what purification is, but it’s definitely not a good thing,” he said with certainty, nodding vigorously to prove his point.

Lu Li found it hard to stay angry with the little guy. His expression softened as he asked, “Federation law requires all awakened Sentinels to register with the government. The government takes responsibility for their education and future. Didn’t you go to them?”

“There’s no government here anymore,” the boy replied crisply. “You’ll understand if you stay a few days.” He said this and started to run, but after a couple of steps, he turned and asked Lu Li, “Aren’t you going to kill them? They’ve seen you and will definitely come after you when they wake up.”

Lu Li frowned slightly and said sternly, “Sentinels exist to protect Federation citizens, not to kill people recklessly.”

The boy was stunned by Lu Li’s serious tone and froze in place. Su He walked over and extended his mental tendrils. Over the past couple of days, Lu Li had been teaching Su He about Guides, one of the key abilities being mental control. A powerful Guide could even control multiple Sentinels at once, invade their mental world, and alter their memories. However, such powerful Guides were incredibly rare, perhaps appearing only once in a century. Ordinary Guides could at most control regular people and couldn’t break through the sensory barriers of Sentinels.

Su He’s mental strength was formidable, even among the rare few that Lu Li had encountered. The strength of a sentinel or guide’s mental abilities could be gauged by their mental projection. For powerful sentinels and guides, their mental projections could manifest as tangible entities, while for most, these projections were mere illusions visible only to them. Though Su He’s sprout was still young, it was a unique growth-type projection, with limitless potential for the future.

Following Lu Li’s teachings, Su He extended his mental tendrils, gently probing into the minds of the men lying on the ground. Ordinary humans had weak mental strength; their mental worlds were formless, mere chaotic dots of light. Su He’s mental tendrils slipped in, searching the sea of memories for the most recent fragments. He didn’t alter these memories—it would have been too deliberate—but simply blurred the images of Lu Li and himself.

“All done.” Su He retracted his mental tendrils. Without a care for the situation, Lu Li kissed Su He’s fingers, saying, “Well done, my little seedling!”

Su He smiled, teasing, “It would be better if I could practice on a few sentinels.”

“No way, that’s too dangerous,” Lu Li sternly refused.

The two stood together, as if separated from the surrounding world, forming a space all their own. The boy watched them from a distance, pouting before turning to run. What was so great about sentinels? He was a sentinel too. What was so special about guides? One day, he would find an amazing guide of his own. No! He was going to steal this beautiful guide and make him smile at him every day. The boy turned and ran back, but the alley was already empty—Lu Li and Su He were gone. He reached out with his senses, instinctively tracking Lu Li’s trail.

Not long after the boy left, two more figures in white robes appeared in the alley. One of them focused for a moment before speaking, “The memories have been blurred. I can’t tell who did this.” The voice was sweet and clear, obviously a woman.

The other person remained silent for a moment before withdrawing his senses. “I have a feeling we’ve encountered someone familiar.”

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