Ch 58: Interplanetary Planting Master

Choice

“Good day, Colonel Lin.” Aileen wasn’t surprised by Lin Ji’s appearance. She smiled and greeted him as a yellow hound appeared at her feet.

The summoning of the spirit entity seemed to signal something, almost instinctively, as a white rabbit stepped in front of Han Rui. He took a step back, looking at Aileen with complex emotions. In Aileen, he saw the shadow of the mother his father had often mentioned, and for a brief moment, he felt confused. But Lin Ji’s presence forced him to confront reality. The person before him wasn’t human. Neither Aileen nor the mother his father spoke of—both were alien beings occupying human shells.

These thoughts flashed through his mind as Lin Ji, piloting a mecha, approached. A silver ice wolf emerged from the back of the mecha, guarding the other side of the street. Throughout it all, Aileen stood still, smiling gently, seemingly without any intention of leaving. The three formed a triangle, facing each other. Lin Ji jumped out of his mecha, silently standing before Aileen. After a long moment, he calmly asked, “Who are you?”

That question held many layers of meaning, much like Han Rui’s earlier question: why? Aileen’s gaze swept across Han Rui before she spoke. “My original name doesn’t matter. In fact, I prefer being called Song Silan.” Han Rui’s expression shifted slightly, while Lin Ji’s face remained unreadable. Aileen’s smile turned melancholic. “You may not believe me, but in my understanding, I am Song Silan. I possess all her memories up to the age of eighteen and the experiences after that. I joined the Federation army and became your adjutant. At a high tower event, I met Han Qi. We got together, conceived a child, and I was filled with anticipation when I gave birth to him. These were all my choices, my experiences, and my life.”

She paused and looked apologetically at Han Rui. “I’m sorry for leaving you shortly after you were born, but I had no choice. I searched for your father and you for a long time afterward, but I could never find either of you.”

Han Rui clenched his fists, avoiding Aileen’s gaze. “Father was… possessed by an alien being like you, and he committed suicide three years ago.” He had always been confused by many of his father’s behaviors: why he constantly claimed there were monsters in his head, why he hid and refused to return to the Federation, why he only spoke of his mother when delirious but never when he was clear-headed. Now, three years later, the answers seemed clearer.

“I’m sorry,” Aileen repeated, her expression dimming. “Your father was very smart. He realized my existence… the possession was a last resort, and the result…”

“Why?” Han Rui asked sharply.

Aileen looked at him with a complex expression. “This is war. There’s no reasoning in a life-or-death struggle between different species.” Seeing Han Rui’s pained expression, Aileen explained further, “We once considered ourselves gods, but eventually, we were forced to leave our home planet and wander the universe. Thousands of years passed before we finally found our way back, but…” She gave a bitter smile. “Our former pets have now become our biggest obstacle.”

“That god nonsense again,” Zhuang Wei’s voice cut in as he and Li Zhengdao quickly arrived after being notified by Lin Ji. The imposing presence of a high-level sentinel spread around them. Zhuang Wei’s voice was stern. “Surrender.”

Aileen’s value was undeniable. The Federation needed to understand the dark beasts and the alien parasites, and Aileen was the best way to do that. Although Zhuang Wei found it difficult to comprehend the parasite’s feelings for Han Rui, Aileen had a high chance of defecting to the Federation because of her connection to him. As Zhuang Wei finished speaking, Aileen smiled slightly and said, “And after I surrender? I’ll become a test subject for the Federation? Will General Zhuang allow me to stay with my child?”

This question was within Zhuang Wei’s expectations, and he quickly replied, “I guarantee the former won’t happen. As for the latter, you and Han Rui can stay together under certain restrictions.”

“What a generous answer, but unfortunately, the God Clan will only die in battle, never surrender.” Aileen’s gaze swept over Zhuang Wei and Li Zhengdao, and in a flash, she darted toward Han Rui. Her speed was astounding, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as the yellow hound pursued her closely. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Han Rui. But while Aileen was fast, Lin Ji was faster. The silver ice wolf let out a fierce growl, leaping in front of Han Rui and biting at Aileen. This brief delay allowed Lin Ji to spring forward, his hand reaching out toward Aileen with great force.

Although Aileen was a sentinel, she was an auxiliary sentinel, no match for Lin Ji. As the ice wolf bit down on her, Lin Ji’s punch landed on her body at the same time. Everything happened in a flash. Zhuang Wei and Li Zhengdao clearly saw the exchange between them, and Han Rui barely had time to let out a short gasp. In the next moment, a silver figure emerged from Aileen’s body, shimmering like flowing light, with a tall silhouette too blurry to determine its gender.

The figure spread its arms wide, gathering an overwhelming surge of mental energy. “Be careful,” Zhuang Wei quickly warned. Lin Ji raised his sensory shield, but the enormous impact forced him to take a step back. Taking advantage of this moment, the figure lunged toward Han Rui. Zhuang Wei unleashed a burst of tremendous power, his fist striking the figure’s back like a gust of wind. The silver figure didn’t dodge, enduring Zhuang Wei’s blow as it wrapped its arms around Han Rui.

As soon as they touched, it was as if a bridge had been built in the mental realm, and a flood of memories rushed into Han Rui’s mind. He could feel the body holding him gradually dimming, as the silver light faded before his eyes, one by one.

“Why?” Han Rui asked softly.

In the mental world, the silver figure was barely holding together. It smiled weakly and said, “Every mother chooses the best path for her child. I love you. Thank you for letting me experience what it means to be a mother.”

Han Rui remained silent for a moment, then whispered, “…Mom.”

The last silver light went out, and the alien parasite gradually shriveled up, finally turning into a milky white, gelatinous substance. Lin Ji, Zhuang Wei, and Li Zhengdao gathered around, staring at the corpse on the ground, unsure of what to say. It seemed Aileen had known about their plan all along, yet she had cooperated with Han Rui until the very end, waiting for them to appear. Or perhaps, from the start, Aileen had resolved to die. She had found Han Rui, who had been missing for years, and after realizing her identity had been exposed, she hesitated between leaving and staying, ultimately choosing to die as a mother in front of Han Rui.

The plan to capture Aileen could be considered a failure, but none of them could find the words to express their feelings. Han Rui stood quietly in front of Aileen’s body. Feeling pity for him, Lin Ji sighed and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m fine,” Han Rui said softly. “Mom… she left me a memory.”

Zhuang Wei suddenly looked at him, “What does it pertain to?”

“I can’t fully understand it, but it seems related to genetic biotechnology.”

Zhuang Wei exchanged a glance with Li Zhengdao and immediately said, “Based on the intel transmitted by Lu Li, the alien parasites belong to a civilization proficient in biotechnology. This is precisely an area where the Federation is weak. The information contained in that memory will be of great value for the advancement of our Federation’s technology. I’ll apply to the President for a special recruitment for you into the Federation Academy of Sciences. Han Rui, don’t let us down.”

“I want to stay in the Seventh Corps,” Han Rui unexpectedly voiced his request with his head lowered.

Zhuang Wei was taken aback, but Li Zhengdao welcomed it, saying, “That works out perfectly. The Seventh Corps has its own research institute on Zhenhai Star. Little Han Rui, you wouldn’t mind going there, right?”

Han Rui nodded. The one who called herself his mother had said that every mother chooses the best path for her child. He wasn’t sure what path she had intended for him, but he felt that staying with the Seventh Corps and doing everything he could to make up for the crimes committed 18 years ago on Iris Star was the path he wanted to choose.

Meanwhile, thousands of light-years away, Su He was unaware of all that had transpired on Zhenhai Star. The crew of the Iris had already crossed the distance between the Federation’s border regions and Iris Star twice. After confirming their course was correct, Lu Li opted for a long-range wormhole jump to save time on their journey. In just one day, the Iris crossed thousands of light-years. As they emerged from their final wormhole jump, the asteroid belt was already within the sentinels’ field of vision. Of course, this field of vision was specific to the sentinels, as Su He, being a guide, couldn’t see anything.

At the moment, Su He was in the dining hall, helping Chen Hongliang harvest some newly matured crops. These crops had been discovered by the sentinels on a small island in the center of the Iris Star sea during their last trip. At that time, Su He had been too busy setting up formations, so many of the plants that were transplanted back had been left in the care of the people in the settlement. Upon their return, Larson was eager to report that not only had the settlement people taken excellent care of the plants, but they had also discovered several edible species among them.

In Su He’s view, most of the plants Larson referred to were just seasoning herbs, similar to those already available on the Iris, and didn’t hold much value. What truly had potential was the crop Su He was currently harvesting. It stood about a meter tall, with reddish stalks, somewhat resembling Earth’s wheat, though the heads of grain it bore were significantly larger than Earth’s wheat.

The residents of Iris Star didn’t know how to properly consume this crop. After harvesting, they would steam the entire plant, husk and grain together, and eat it just like that. Su He tried a bite and found it rough on the throat, but for the residents of Broken Star who were used to nutrient packs, this food was already a delicacy.

“Little guide, what do we do next?” Chen Hongliang, having finished his work, eagerly looked at Su He.

Su He recalled the process of de-husking wheat from Earth. First, they laid the harvested crops on the ground, then found a sealed metal barrel, filled it with water, and used it as a makeshift millstone to roll over the grains to remove the husks. He had barely made one round when Chen Hongliang stopped him, took over the task, and began turning the barrel with ease. With a sentinel’s abundant energy, Chen Hongliang found the work much easier than Su He did. Chen Hongliang joked, “Little guide, you should tell the boss that from now on, anyone who messes up on the Iris should be punished by working in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good,” Su He laughed, nodding in agreement, thinking it was actually a pretty good idea.

In no time, they had ground all the harvested crops into flour. By this point, Su He didn’t need to guide Chen Hongliang anymore; Chen Hongliang knew exactly what to do. He began planning what to cook next, and Su He’s mouth watered just listening to him.

Su He had already made up his mind: as soon as they returned to the Federation, the first thing he would do was patent this alien “wheat.” The transformation of Iris Star would take some time, but in the meantime, he planned to rent a large plot of land near the Seventh Corps and plant this alien “wheat” in abundance.

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