Ch 50: Interplanetary Planting Master

Shen Jin

As snowflakes drifted down on Snowy Star, countless light-years away, Zhenhai Star basked in bright sunshine.

Han Rui stood in the shadowy corner of a corridor where an automated vending machine was placed. Pretending to select a product, he kept glancing at Li Zhengdao’s office nearby. Lin Ji was inside, though Han Rui wasn’t sure what they were discussing.

Han Rui had been living with the Seventh Corps for almost a month. After Zhuang Wei contacted Li Zhengdao, he entrusted Han Rui to him. Li Zhengdao, without asking any questions, warmly took Han Rui in. Although Han Rui had hoped to stay by Zhuang Wei’s side, he couldn’t forget what Lin Ji had said that day. Eighteen years ago… Eighteen years ago, what? The curiosity gnawed at him. From Broken Star to Zhenhai Star, Han Rui eventually learned Lin Ji’s name. He hadn’t thought much of it at first, but Li Zhengdao’s reaction that day made him realize something. Were they talking about that incident all those years ago? What exactly…

“Still can’t decide what to buy?” A gentle voice suddenly sounded next to him, as a pair of hands reached out to press the option for orange juice. “Try this? It’s quite good.”

Embarrassed, Han Rui turned to see Irene, one of Li Zhengdao’s medical officers and a female sentinel, smiling warmly at him.

“Sister Irene,” Han Rui greeted politely. To the others, Han Rui was staying at the corps under the pretense of being the child of an old friend of Li Zhengdao. The stationed officers took good care of him, with Irene being especially kind.

“Little Han Rui, something on your mind?” Irene asked, her golden hair and blue eyes full of concern. “If there’s anything, feel free to talk to me. Maybe I can help.”

Han Rui shyly smiled, “Nothing much, just still getting used to life here.” Irene’s warmth made him feel a bit out of place, making him wonder if she knew he was a guide. However, since the other sentinels hadn’t reacted oddly around him, the inhibitors he was using seemed to be working well. Hurriedly, he excused himself and left. Behind him, Irene’s eyes flickered with a strange light as she watched him go, a loving smile on her face.

Lin Ji, now disguised, left Li Zhengdao’s office and soon noticed Irene. Their eyes met briefly, and Irene politely nodded, but Lin Ji felt a sudden jolt in his chest. There was something familiar about her. Though they had completely different faces, there was an indescribable quality that made him feel as if they were the same person. As they passed each other, Lin Ji subtly glanced in the direction Irene had been standing, just in time to catch Han Rui looking back at him with a somewhat strange expression. Lin Ji frowned slightly.

Around the corner, Han Rui quickened his pace. He wasn’t sure how to face Lin Ji. Finding a secluded corner in the shadows, he couldn’t help but think that life on the Broken Star might have been simpler. His thoughts drifted to Su He. Li Zhengdao had already informed him that the Iris was safe, but when would Su He return? If he asked Su He to leave with him, would Su He agree?

Han Rui’s thoughts couldn’t cross the vast expanse of space to reach Su He. Meanwhile, on Snowy Star, Su He and Lu Li had spent the day exploring and decided to stay overnight. To fully experience local life, they had rented a small ice and snow cabin. Though the world outside was cold and frozen, the inside of the house was equipped with an energy heating system, keeping it warm and spring-like year-round as long as energy stones were available. Since it was a rental, the cabin was fully furnished with all the necessary living amenities. After purchasing some personal items, Lu Li and Su He made themselves right at home.

After dinner, Su He went to take a bath while Lu Li, recalling from memory, sketched a few designs on the newly purchased terminal. He entered these designs into the Tianwang system to search for related information, but the results were vague. Some hints seemed to suggest that the designs were related to deities.

“What’s this?” Su He asked, coming closer with damp hair after his bath.

Lu Li wrapped his arm around Su He’s waist, pulling him into his embrace, and kissed his cheek. “Do you remember the group of people chasing the child today? They all wore white robes, and each had the same design embroidered on the chest.” Lu Li tapped the screen, revealing a symbol resembling a trident. “This is the one. After paying attention, I noticed that many people in town had different symbols embroidered on their robes. So far, I’ve seen six distinct designs.”

“Maybe they represent different family crests?” Su He still remembered how the group had first asked which family they belonged to.

“Possibly,” Lu Li agreed, without arguing. “There’s something odd about this planet, maybe a belief in divine grace…”

“Wait!” Su He interrupted, surprised, his gaze fixed on the screen after Lu Li flipped the page. A simple tree-like symbol appeared. “How is this possible?” Su He moved in closer. “This looks exactly like my sect’s emblem.”

“Exactly the same?”

Su He hesitated before nodding. “Though much of my sect’s history has been lost, some elements were preserved. When I was young, I came across a few ancient books my master had carefully kept, and they had a tree drawn on them—exactly like this one. My master said it was our sect’s symbol.” His tone was filled with doubt. First, there was the building on Iris Star that might be connected to his sect, and now, in the Federation, he had encountered his sect’s emblem again. One was from the distant past, and the other from a future in which only he and his master had lived. It all felt unsettlingly strange when pieced together.

“I’ll look into it tomorrow,” Lu Li said, holding him close.

“Maybe let’s not,” Su He reconsidered. “The general told us to lay low, right? If we stir up trouble and ruin his plans, it wouldn’t be good. Besides, it could just be a coincidence. I’m the only one left in my sect, so whether we investigate or not doesn’t really matter. But calling sentinels heretics—aren’t you going to do something about that?”

“There’s a special inspection department in the Federation that handles these kinds of things. If others interfere, they might not appreciate it. Besides…” Lu Li paused and then added, “There’s no rush. Once we leave, we can submit the clues.”

He finished speaking and gently touched Su He’s hair, which had mostly dried by then. Lu Li turned off the screen, pulled a blanket beneath them, and flipped Su He onto the windowsill, pinning him down. “Don’t waste time on irrelevant things. We should focus on strengthening our connection.”

Lu Li’s expression was tender as he slowly entered Su He’s body, and the ripples of their shared mental world spread simultaneously. The thin, wing-like insulation film kept the warmth well-contained inside the room, while still allowing them to enjoy the unique beauty of the ice house. Under the soft milky light, the ice walls reflected dazzling colors. Su He saw his own reflection on the smooth, mirror-like ice surface. The illusion of being surrounded by mirrors made him blush, and he buried his face in Lu Li’s chest out of embarrassment.

Their bodies entwined as waves of desire surged between them, flowing together. The starlight from the sky softly fell onto the ice walls, as if responding to some mysterious resonance within the universe that was amplified by the fluctuation of their mental powers.

Inside the cabin, it was warm and cozy, but outside, the wind and snow raged fiercely.

Two figures dressed in white robes appeared on the street, walking toward a house along the roadside. They knocked on the door, and soon there were sounds of footsteps. A sleepy man’s wary voice came from inside, “Who’s there at this hour?”

The person outside in the white robe responded in a low voice, “I am the messenger of Lord Uerlen, here to deliver a divine message.”

The lights inside quickly turned on, and the door was opened. The bright light shone outside as the person at the door removed their hood, revealing a face identical to Shen Shen’s.

“You’re not—” the man at the door started to scream, but before he could finish, he was hit by a small tranquilizer dart and fell unconscious. The other white-robed person holstered the tranquilizer gun, pulling back her hood to reveal the innocent-looking face of a young girl, though her expression was cold and indifferent.

“Lieutenant Colonel?”

The man, who resembled Shen Shen, spoke in a low voice, “Three on the first floor, two on the second. Finish it within three minutes.”

Their figures quickly disappeared into the house. The door closed again, the lights dimmed, and moments later, the faint scent of blood began to seep into the air. In the first-floor hall, the petite girl complained, “The Inspection Department always gives us cases like this—one god after another for us to investigate. Honestly, I don’t think many people in the Federation even believe in gods. Those who do are all lunatics. Do we really need to investigate them?”

The man who looked like Shen Shen remained silent. The petite girl continued, “We used to have the best performance in the Special Operations Division, but ever since…” She abruptly stopped, realizing she was broaching a forbidden subject. She glanced sideways at the man, but he was still silent. Not daring to speak further, she too fell into silence.

The men on the floor were already dead, their lives taken before the girl could even attempt to invade their minds. It was always like this. The opposition never valued their lives, using suicide as a way to resist the influence of guides. “At least we still have one alive,” the girl said, toying with the tranquilizer gun and quietly praising her own cleverness.

“Shall we wake him up now?” the girl asked, looking at the sentinel beside her.

The sentinel was about to respond when he suddenly looked toward the window. “Stay here and be on alert,” he ordered hurriedly before running out of the house.

The thick snowflakes covered the footprints on the ground. The man reached out with his senses and detected a familiar presence—one he knew he wouldn’t mistake. His perception spread like a web, and he quickly pinpointed the direction, giving chase. The white robe concealed his figure, and as he approached a fork in the road, something stirred within him. Swiftly, he retreated.

The standard defensive distance between sentinels opened up, and from the dark shadows, Lu Li calmly emerged. “Lieutenant Colonel Shen, long time no see.”

The man’s pupils narrowed, and with a cold snort, he suddenly lunged at Lu Li, throwing a punch. Lu Li, seemingly having anticipated the attack, sidestepped perfectly to avoid it. The man’s second punch aimed straight for Lu Li’s face, but Lu Li seized the opportunity, grabbing his arm and executing a clean over-the-shoulder throw. As the man twisted mid-air, he kicked at Lu Li, who didn’t retreat but instead charged forward, colliding with him forcefully. Neither of them used weapons—this was a pure, visceral fight between sentinels. Snow on the ground was swept up by the wind as Lu Li timed his move, finally knocking the man down. With a thud, the sound of flesh hitting the ground echoed. The man lay there motionless for a while, staring at the sky, and muttered, “I thought the Iris had gone down, that you were all dead.”

Lu Li chuckled softly. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

He extended a hand toward the man. As soon as the man grabbed it, he suddenly yanked hard. Caught off guard, Lu Li was pulled to the ground, and the man didn’t hesitate to throw a punch, yelling angrily, “I entrusted my brother to you, not for you to take him to his death!”

Lu Li pushed his hand away, taunting, “Shen Jin, Lieutenant Colonel, you didn’t hand over your brother to me—he chose the Iris himself.”

The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down. Shen Jin exhaled heavily, his usually delicate face twisted in frustration. He stood up begrudgingly, pulling Lu Li up with him. “The Iris hasn’t returned to the Federation. What’s going on?” he asked sharply, immediately hitting the key point.

Lu Li remained silent, while Shen Jin gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile. “You don’t trust me. You think I’d do something to harm the Iris?”

Lu Li responded calmly, “We’re on different sides, Lieutenant Colonel. Surely you understand my position.”

Hearing the “Lieutenant Colonel” again, Shen Jin’s tone hardened. “Major Lu, as a Federal soldier, you know full well that the Federation is searching everywhere for the Iris, yet you’ve concealed your survival. Do you still remember military regulations?”

“How could I forget?” Lu Li replied nonchalantly. “Though perhaps Lieutenant Colonel has forgotten that I was once part of the Inspection Department.”

The irony in Lu Li’s words cut deep, leaving Shen Jin fuming but unable to do anything about it. He switched topics. “What are you doing on Snowy Star? Where’s Shen Shen?”

Lu Li remained composed. “I’m here on my honeymoon. As for Lieutenant Shen, naturally, he’s stationed on the Iris.”

Shen Jin: “…”

Lu Li seemed quite pleased with the reaction his comment provoked and then asked the question he was truly interested in. “Why is the Special Operations Division here again? Does it have to do with the gods?”

Shen Jin’s expression darkened. “Stay out of the Inspection Department’s business. I’m not the only one here, and there are plenty of people looking to cause you trouble.”

Lu Li smiled faintly. “Thanks for the warning.”

Shen Jin snorted. “I won’t interfere with whatever the Seventh Corps is planning. Just make sure to take care of Shen Shen and the Iris. Don’t forget, I contributed a third of the funds for the Iris. That starship is partially mine.”

Lu Li: “…”

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