Chapter 107
When Ran Lie left Room 303, Su Ci was already nowhere to be seen.
He glanced around and then controlled his still slightly uncoordinated limbs to walk toward the stairwell.
Although the elevator could probably accommodate his fully beastified form, Ran Lie decided to walk instead, taking the opportunity to improve his coordination. After all, he didn’t know how long he’d need to stay in this transformed state.
At the stairwell, he hesitated, looking at the stairs leading both up and down. His gaze eventually landed on the steps going up to the fourth floor, and he took a step forward.
He was no longer in a hurry to escape.
Although he hadn’t given up on the idea of fleeing Base 24, now that there was hope for mastering the power of his bloodline, he couldn’t let go of that opportunity so easily.
As for how he might escape in the future—or whether he even wanted to live in the blood mist—Ran Lie wasn’t sure.
He was lost in confusion, but one thing he was certain of: he couldn’t stay in Base 24 forever. For now, he’d take it one step at a time.
Ran Lie reached the fourth floor, paused briefly, and then continued to the fifth floor.
He didn’t feel like going back to his room just yet. This rare moment of freedom to wander around the nursery felt precious. Though his face betrayed no emotion, his tail stood upright, the tip slightly curled and gently twitching.
The young Crimson Flame Tiger exuded an aura of contentment.
When he reached the fifth floor, Ran Lie scanned the numbers on the doors and finally stopped in front of the one belonging to the little white deer.
If Number Seven saw him like this…
Ran Lie glanced at his reflection in the metallic door.
As long as he didn’t growl or roll over to expose his belly for petting, the Crimson Flame Tiger’s image was quite close to what he’d envisioned—majestic and imposing, radiating an intimidating presence.
After a moment of adjusting his expression, Ran Lie approached the metallic door. His tail, like a whip, extended out, and the tip tapped lightly against the door, producing a rhythmic knocking sound.
Ran Lie’s intention was to catch Number Seven’s attention and lure him out. However, as soon as he knocked twice, the tightly shut metallic door opened on its own.
Staring at the open door, Ran Lie froze. He didn’t see any sign of the silver-haired boy.
The Crimson Flame Tiger tilted his head, curiously peeking into the room. It was empty—not a soul in sight.
Ran Lie didn’t step inside. Instead, he released his mental energy to scan the room. To his surprise, Number Seven wasn’t there.
Glancing at the electronic clock on the wall, Ran Lie realized it was activity time. Number Seven was likely in the activity room.
With this realization, Ran Lie turned and looked toward the room next to Number Seven’s. This time, he didn’t knock. He simply released his mental energy to probe inside.
Then, to his surprise, he discovered that Number Six was actually in the room, already returned to human form. However, their eyes were closed, and they appeared to be in a deep sleep.
Ran Lie’s gaze inadvertently revealed a trace of envy.
Number Six could fully beastify and still revert back to human form with ease. Unlike him—he could only maintain his beast form. The only consolation was that he still retained his human rationality.
Retracting his mental energy, Ran Lie chose not to disturb Number Six’s rest and started heading downstairs.
He’d heard from the caretakers that Number Four had been brought back and given a new name. He wondered how Number Four would react upon seeing him in this form.
Meanwhile, Su Ci arrived at the back of the nursery building, near the grassy area. As usual, there were only Lang Ze, Lu Jiao, and Zheng Xing present. The lion siblings were nowhere to be seen.
Releasing his spiritual sense, Su Ci noticed that little Li Hua was still copying her name. Beside her, Rong Heng was also busy, reciting the heart mantra of a sword cultivator.
Looking at the increasingly distorted handwriting on little Li Hua’s paper, Su Ci silently offered a moment of pity for her.
What a merciless older brother—this lesson would likely be unforgettable for her.
Withdrawing his spiritual sense, Su Ci shifted his attention back to the wolf cub and the others.
Lang Ze was still playing his flute. After days of diligent practice, he now played with some degree of proficiency.
In Su Ci’s vision, he could even see the spiritual energy released by the tiny spiritual sprout being drawn in by the flute’s sound, swirling around Lang Ze.
Encased in this spiritual energy, Lang Ze’s mind would grow clearer, making it easier for him to gain insights. Progressing in the path of sound cultivation would naturally become much more efficient.
Perhaps one day, Lang Ze might truly find his path to enlightenment through sound cultivation.
Su Ci nodded approvingly and turned his gaze to Zheng Xing.
By comparison, Zheng Xing’s innate talent was a bit lacking.
Perhaps the boy had sensed this himself. He wasn’t practicing at the moment; instead, he sat beside Lang Ze, listening to the flute while playing with a metal sphere in his hands.
The metal sphere was both a toy and a tool for strengthening his abilities. By controlling the sphere, he practiced manipulating any metallic machinery—an exercise in itself.
What surprised Su Ci was the little white deer.
Unlike the others, the white deer was on the other side of the grass, not practicing the flute. Instead, he had activated a light screen and was attentively listening to a foundational course. With a metal rod in hand, he practiced writing on the dirt.
His handwriting was already quite decent. Although the strokes were a bit wobbly due to his young age and lack of wrist strength, his self-taught progress demonstrated remarkable dedication.
The children were all focused and earnest, completely absorbed in their activities. None of them noticed Su Ci’s presence.
Seeing them engaged in things they genuinely enjoyed brought a sense of relief to Su Ci.
Wasn’t this a form of cultivation for the mind and spirit?
When immersed in what they loved, they naturally experienced positive emotions. These emotions could help them channel and process the power of their bloodlines.
In this way, they might unknowingly gain control over their innate powers.
Of course, this method wouldn’t work for Ran Lie and Rong Heng, as they were already at their limits.
It might provide some relief, but it wouldn’t suffice. They required more targeted approaches to suppress and guide the raging power of their bloodlines.
The paths of sword cultivation and Buddhist cultivation are precisely these kinds of targeted methods. Let’s hope they possess the insight necessary to walk far along these two paths.
Su Ci withdrew his gaze without making a sound to disturb the children.
As for Zheng Xing and Lu Jiao not practicing the flute? Just as he had said before, if they didn’t have the talent for it, they could take a different path. He wouldn’t force them to follow the way of sound cultivation.
His attention shifted to the area surrounding the two spiritual sprouts.
After the transplantation, ten crops remained from the first batch: two golden yams, two emerald beans, two snow crystals, and four star chain fruits.
The snow crystals, emerald beans, and star chain fruits were all vine plants. Although some had already been transplanted, these ten remaining plants had expanded their vines significantly after a day and night of growth.
The snow crystals required no immediate attention since their vines would eventually develop root systems that burrow into the soil. These roots would enrich the soil with nutrients, improving its quality, so there was no issue there.
However, the other two crops didn’t share this growth characteristic. To better support their growth, they would need trellises.
Fortunately, when Su Ci left Luo Shengfei yesterday, he had casually taken some materials with him—all discarded parts and scrap equipment. Since these weren’t made of reshaped memory metal, they couldn’t be repaired and were thus rendered useless.
Although Luo Shengfei had tried his best to repurpose these scraps, they still occupied nearly half of his workspace. After hearing his complaints, Su Ci opportunistically swept all the discarded metal into his spatial button.
Luo Shengfei didn’t understand why Su Ci wanted these materials, but after confirming multiple times that Su Ci wouldn’t just throw them away and genuinely had a use for them, he generously handed them over.
Of course, Su Ci had a use for them.
Metal, once a rare and valuable resource in the past, had become so abundant in the new era that it was practically overflowing. Ironically, when he wanted to find some dry branches or wooden sticks to build trellises, they were nowhere to be found.
After roughly assessing the plants’ growth and the size of the plot, Su Ci confirmed the dimensions for the trellises and disappeared in a flash.
He reappeared beside two pools of water on the side of the nursery building. First, he retrieved a giant black beetle from his spatial button. After removing its shell, he tossed the remaining soft, translucent flesh into one of the pools for purification.
Next, Su Ci pulled out all the discarded metal parts from his spatial button, piling them into a heap beside him. The pile resembled a small hill.
Su Ci extended his hand, and a crimson flame appeared above his palm, burning quietly and releasing intense heat.
With a wave of his hand, the flame floated upward, hovering in midair. From the pile of parts, a single piece of scrap metal flew out and entered the crimson flame.
A sizzling sound followed, and the broken part melted into glowing molten metal.
Su Ci continued controlling the damaged components. One by one, the metal pieces flew into the flame, melting and combining into an ever-growing pool of molten metal.
Multitasking seamlessly, Su Ci manipulated the flow of metal pieces into the flame while shaping the red-hot liquid into specific forms. Once formed, he plunged the pieces into the pool of water, rapidly cooling and solidifying them.
With this method, one newly crafted component after another emerged from the water, gradually accumulating into a pile.
The trellises he intended to create had a simple function: to support the climbing vines. As long as they were sturdy enough, they would serve their purpose.
Before long, Su Ci had finished crafting all the parts he needed, using only about a third of the scrap he had taken from Luo Shengfei.
Su Ci gestured, and the completed components rose from the bottom of the pool and landed neatly at his feet, glinting under the sunlight with a metallic sheen.
Looking at the parts, Su Ci initially prepared to assemble them himself. However, after a moment’s thought, he collected all the components back into his spatial button and walked to the rear of the nursery building.
The three children were still immersed in their activities.
Su Ci clapped his hands to draw their attention.
“Su Su!” Lang Ze was the first to rush over, his face full of excitement. “I have a question for you!”
“Mm.” Su Ci nodded. “Hold on for a moment.”
He then retrieved the components from his spatial button, letting them clatter to the ground in a heap.
“Su Su, what are these?” The little white deer curiously approached.
“These are parts for a trellis we need to assemble and place over there,” Su Ci explained.
“Can I help?” Lang Ze eagerly raised his hand, brimming with enthusiasm.
Su Ci, however, turned to Zheng Xing and asked, “Zheng Xing, can you handle this on your own?”
Judging by Zheng Xing’s enthusiasm yesterday, it seemed this kind of task piqued his interest. If so, Su Ci was more than willing to give him additional opportunities to practice. This was also a form of cultivation, beneficial for refining his control over the power of his bloodline.
Faced with Su Ci’s question, Zheng Xing gave a small nod—barely noticeable. After all, if he could pilot a spaceship, assembling a metal trellis should be no challenge.
His spiritual energy swept over the pile of components, gathering information and analyzing it thoroughly. Cradling the metal sphere in his small hands, his palms began to glow faintly.
If there had been unfamiliar observers present, Zheng Xing might have hesitated or hidden his abilities. However, surrounded by those he trusted, he didn’t mind demonstrating his skills or being watched.
Under Zheng Xing’s control, the components on the ground started moving. Piece by piece, from smallest to largest, they assembled themselves seamlessly.
Lang Ze and the little white deer stared, wide-eyed in amazement. This was their first time witnessing Zheng Xing’s abilities so vividly.
“Controlling metal? No, it’s controlling machines!”
“So cool!”
Lang Ze crouched nearby, his hands on the ground, his fluffy tail wagging behind him. He looked just like a big, loyal dog guarding Zheng Xing’s side.
He glanced at the trellis gradually taking shape, then at the rare spark of enthusiasm lighting up Zheng Xing’s face. He quickly understood—this was what Zheng Xing truly loved to do!
Just like how he loved playing the flute, Zheng Xing enjoyed assembling these rigid metal parts.
“Zheng Xing is amazing!” Lu Jiao, exclaimed with genuine admiration.
Lang Ze nodded in agreement. Of course, Zheng Xing was the best and most amazing!
The two of them continued watching Zheng Xing assemble the trellis. Meanwhile, near the entrance of the nursery building, a shadowy figure approached the metal door, peeking around suspiciously.
When this suspicious figure appeared, Su Ci immediately received an alert from the base’s AI system.
As the AI displayed an image of the intruder, Su Ci recognized the person and couldn’t help but feel surprised.
It was Cen Liang, a mid-level researcher from the cultivation center. What was he doing here?
Watching Cen Liang pacing back and forth at the door, Su Ci considered the situation for a moment before turning to the children. “I’ll be gone for a bit.”
Lang Ze and Lu Jiao watched him leave.
It didn’t take long for Zheng Xing to finish assembling the trellis. Before he could admire his completed work, he sensed that Su Ci had left.
“Where did Su Su go?” Lang Ze murmured softly. He still had a flute-related question to ask!
“Let’s follow him and see,” Lu Jiao suggested.
Zheng Xing shook his head, hugged his metal sphere, and went back to crouching near the grassy area. His small figure resembled a little mushroom, as if he could squat there forever.
Lang Ze didn’t push him. Instead, he turned to Lu Jiao for confirmation.
Under Lang Ze’s expectant gaze, Lu Jiao hesitated but eventually nodded. “Okay, let’s go check it out.”
After all, Su Ci hadn’t said they couldn’t follow him—and Lu Jiao was starting to get better at finding loopholes in the rules.
So, the two children dashed off in the direction Su Ci had taken. Before they reached the front of the nursery building, Lang Ze’s ears twitched slightly.
His acute hearing picked up voices from a distance.
He heard Su Su talking to someone—and the other voice sounded oddly familiar.
At the corner of the building, Lang Ze skidded to a stop, with Lu Jiao quickly halting behind him. Both crouched by the wall, peeking cautiously around the corner toward the nursery entrance.
The metal door of the nursery had opened. A young man in a gray-blue uniform stood at the doorway, facing a slightly balding man with graying hair at his temples. The two were engaged in conversation.
Although they were far away, Lang Ze recognized him instantly—it was that bad old man!
Yes, he was sure of it. It was the same bad old man from yesterday, the one who tried to get Su Su to go to the cultivation center!
Remembering what Lu Jiao had said about being polite, Lang Ze reluctantly corrected himself. Fine, it was that bad grandpa…
What was he doing at the nursery today?
Could it be that he still hadn’t given up and was trying to convince Su Su to go to the cultivation center again?
Just the thought made Lang Ze angry. He was about to charge forward when Lu Jiao grabbed the back of his shirt.
“Lang Ze, calm down!” Lu Jiao said. “Didn’t Su Su tell us? We shouldn’t act impulsively. Don’t be as reckless as you were before—Su Su doesn’t like that!”
This last sentence successfully stopped Lang Ze in his tracks.
Scratching his head in frustration, he muttered, “But that bad grandpa is here to bother Su Su again!”
“We need to trust Su Su,” Lu Jiao said firmly. “Besides, he might be here for something else.”
In truth, Cen Liang’s sneaky arrival outside the nursery wasn’t to poach Su Ci.
After yesterday’s call, he had been preoccupied with the brief glimpse of green that had appeared in the background. After agonizing over it for an entire day and night, he finally decided to visit the nursery to investigate.
However, the moment he arrived at the door, he was caught by Su Ci.
Cen Liang wasn’t embarrassed, though, as he had a perfectly legitimate excuse.
“This is something someone from Base 26 asked me to deliver to you. Since you haven’t come to the cultivation center to pick it up, I thought I’d bring it over,” Cen Liang said with a cheerful smile.
Su Ci nodded, realizing he had completely forgotten about it.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the item from Cen Liang.
Although he now had an adequate food supply, no one would complain about having extra. Besides, it had been thoughtfully sent by Song Ze and his associates, which showed their consideration.
Song Ze was still a rookie. The monthly credits he earned were probably quite limited.
Cen Liang continued chatting. “That frenzied cub from yesterday… is it okay now?”
“No problem,” Su Ci replied, then said nothing more.
The two stood in awkward silence, staring at each other. The awkwardness, of course, was entirely on Cen Liang’s part.
“That’s good to hear, that’s good to hear!” Cen Liang said, struggling to keep the conversation alive. “You’re really impressive! I didn’t expect you to be so unassuming and yet so good at managing the cubs!”
Before coming over, Cen Liang had done some digging.
He knew that whenever a new caretaker joined the nursery, some people at the base would start betting on how long the newcomer would last.
Given Su Ci’s slight build, he had been the least favored in recent history.
Yet to everyone’s surprise, he had quietly persisted day after day. It had been over half a month now, and apart from a single incident involving a frenzied cub sent to the medical bay on his first day, things had been remarkably calm ever since.
Based on what he saw in the video yesterday—particularly the little wolf cub’s attitude toward Su Ci—Cen Liang couldn’t help but admire this caretaker.
At the same time, he realized that the suggestion he had made during their video call might have been a bit presumptuous. Su Ci seemed to be doing exceptionally well at the nursery and was unlikely to transfer to the cultivation center. While Cen Liang thought it was a shame, he understood that everyone has their own aspirations, and he couldn’t force it.
After some small talk, it became clear that Su Ci had no interest in continuing the conversation. Cen Liang rubbed his hands together and decided to get straight to the point.
“The real reason I’m here,” Cen Liang said, “is that I heard from Xiao Zhuang that you’ve been planting seeds at the nursery. How’s it going? Any problems I can help with?”
Su Ci looked at him and replied, “There actually is something.”
Cen Liang’s eyes lit up. “What is it? Tell me!”
“I need a greenhouse,” Su Ci said.
“A greenhouse?” Cen Liang frowned. Was it possible that what he saw yesterday was just his imagination?
He replied, “That might be difficult. The nursery’s responsibilities don’t include agriculture. However, you could submit a request. Considering your abilities, the administration might approve it.”
As he spoke, his eyes wandered, trying to catch a glimpse inside the nursery. He distinctly remembered that the background of Su Ci’s video yesterday was outdoors, but there wasn’t much to see from the front of the building.
Meanwhile, Su Ci was still thinking about the greenhouse.
“That’s too slow,” he said. “My crops might not survive the wait.”
Hearing Su Ci bring up the crops himself, Cen Liang’s eyes brightened. “You’ve really managed to grow something? Can I take a look?”
Realizing he sounded a bit too eager, Cen Liang cleared his throat and added with a smile, “If you’ve made progress, I might be able to help with the greenhouse.”
In truth, Cen Liang was thinking that if Su Ci had successfully grown green shoots using soil from this inhospitable planet, those seedlings could be transplanted to the cultivation center’s greenhouse. Building an entirely new greenhouse just for a few seedlings seemed extravagant.
Su Ci scrutinized him for a moment before nodding.
He had been considering exchanging mature star chain fruits for credits. Planting crops behind the nursery building was bound to be discovered sooner or later. Since exposure was inevitable, it didn’t matter much whether it happened now or later.
With that in mind, Su Ci led Cen Liang to the back of the nursery building. To prevent him from seeing the two pools, Su Ci chose a different path, avoiding any encounter with the wolf cubs.
“Did you really use Prison Star’s soil to grow green shoots?” Cen Liang couldn’t help but ask along the way. “What’s the germination rate?”
He knew that Su Ci had taken twenty or thirty seeds from Zhuang Shisong. In his estimation, having even one or two seeds sprout would already be impressive.
The young man casually replied, “Germination rate… 100%.”
Cen Liang was about to retort, thinking Su Ci must be joking. After all, even advanced hydroponic techniques couldn’t achieve a 100% germination rate. But as they turned a corner and he saw the densely packed star chain fruit trees growing in the corner, along with the green vines nearly covering an entire trellis, the words caught in his throat.
This… how is this possible?!
