Chapter 119
Xue Wei placed the can down and suddenly sensed something. She looked up, locking eyes with Lu Li.
The blond-haired boy, who had already walked some distance away, had inexplicably turned to look back at her. His gaze was peculiar.
She blinked in confusion and, after a moment’s thought, gave him a shy smile. When unsure of how to respond, a smile usually wouldn’t go wrong, right?
The cute little bunny appeared soft and white, gentle and harmless.
Gentle and harmless?
Lu Li glanced again at the can she had placed under the wall. Inside were eight giant spider legs. Though their size had been reduced, their weight remained unchanged.
He had used every ounce of strength he had—struggling with all his might—yet couldn’t lift even a little bit of it. And yet, Xue Wei…
Lu Li’s expression froze in shock.
So, what exactly was Xue Wei’s ferocious beast bloodline? How could she possess such incredible strength?
“Liu Liu,” Su Ci’s urging voice called out.
Lu Li had no choice but to look away, planning to find an opportunity to investigate this later. As for his feelings… he had actually seen something even more shocking before.
For example, watching the seemingly delicate Susu casually hoist a giant spider leg onto her shoulder with one hand.
He had learned many times from Su Su that appearances could be deceiving.
Lu Li consoled himself: his talent lay in the realm of the soul. Besides, Su Su had said his physical abilities weren’t bad either. With diligent training and growth, he could still become a formidable warrior one day!
Why compare his weaknesses to others’ strengths?
Unit 4583 brought over a set of tables and chairs for Lu Li.
After he sat down, Su Ci began explaining how to summon the AI and outlined the daily schedule for lessons and writing growth journals.
Once Lu Li nodded in understanding, Su Ci walked away.
Lu Li gazed at the light screen before him, his eyes filled with curiosity.
The lessons began.
The base AI, following the educational plan previously devised for Number Six, didn’t start directly with teaching characters. Instead, it played a video.
The video featured vivid and vibrant colors, immediately captivating attention. However, the characters in the video moved and spoke at a very slow pace, repeatedly emphasizing the same things.
After watching for a while, Lu Li frowned. He had to focus hard to keep paying attention.
In fact, this animated video was a product of the Star Alliance Education Department, designed for young cubs under the age of three. The base AI had selected this content based on its analysis of Number Six’s past behavior and personality.
But today’s Number Six was no longer the same as before.
The implementation of this educational plan on Lu Li proved less effective than it would have been on other cubs. The base AI quickly noticed this.
After some observation, it removed the early education animation from the light screen. Instead, what appeared before Lu Li was a preliminary assessment similar to the one given to Xue Wei.
However, compared to Xue Wei’s knowledge-oriented test, his focused more on intellectual development and emotional aspects.
*
After settling Lu Li, Su Ci retraced his steps and saw the can of spider legs left by Xue Wei in the corner. He didn’t say anything about it.
He picked up the can again and, noticing that the little girl seemed to have nothing to do, invited her to join him.
Xue Wei happily agreed. Meanwhile, the chubby little bird bouncing around on the rope net noticed her leaving and quickly flapped its wings, flying down to perch on her shoulder.
“Chirp chirp!”
It chirped cheerfully at Su Ci.
Thus, Xue Wei followed Su Ci to two water pools on the side of the building, where they both crouched down.
The pools were filled with water, which was clear and clean. The surface shimmered with sparkling ripples under the light.
Xue Wei was curious about the purpose of the pools. If they were for watering plants, they seemed too far from the greenery. Could they be for swimming?
She glanced at the young man as he pulled a small insect-leg-like item from the can.
Insects… The little girl frowned slightly.
The chubby bird, on the other hand, was very excited. Its beady black eyes sparkled as it flew off Xue Wei’s shoulder to land beside the can, craning its neck to peek inside.
As it prepared to peck at the spider legs in the can, a hand shot out from the side, moving the can away and placing it elsewhere.
“Chirp chirp!”
The chubby bird let out a dissatisfied chirp. Though it was just a bird, its expression was vivid, almost as if accusing Su Ci of being stingy.
“You can’t touch this.”
Su Ci pressed his finger on the little bird’s head, giving it a gentle rub before pushing it aside.
The compressed spider legs, though reduced in size, still carried concentrated resentment, which had been compacted into the small can. This made it extremely dangerous, especially for young creatures.
“Chirp Chirp, you can’t randomly touch other people’s things.”
Xue Wei quickly picked up the little bird, softly scolding it. She was about to apologize to Su Ci when she froze, forgetting what she was about to say.
The tiny insect leg, no longer than a fingertip, was growing larger in Su Ci’s hand, expanding until it reached the length of an arm before stopping.
Xue Wei’s eyes widened in amazement. Was this Su Ci’s bloodline ability? It was her first time discovering such an incredible power!
Su Ci held the slightly enlarged spider leg and began trying to extract the meat from it. He found that this method was much simpler and more efficient than before, saving him more than half the time.
After removing the spider meat, he threw it into the pool, restored it to its original size, and let the purification array in the water take effect. As for the other pool, it was already being used by A-Yan to soak spider silk.
The spider leg’s exoskeleton was an excellent material for crafting. Su Ci shrank it back down, placed it into an empty can, and set it aside for future use.
“Is there anything I can help with?” Xue Wei asked.
“Not for now,” Su Ci replied lazily.
These cubs were too fragile. It was better not to let them come into contact with anything containing resentment, especially Xue Wei. Although her emotions were more stable compared to the previous day, it was clear that some of her inner struggles wouldn’t be easily resolved.
Su Ci yawned lazily, only to hear the little girl ask, “Su Su, where is Number One?”
All the cubs she had seen so far were on the greenery, except for Number One, whom she hadn’t encountered yet. This prompted her question.
Su Ci didn’t reply, and then Xue Wei heard a young, unfamiliar voice suddenly speak from nearby: “Are you looking for me?”
Xue Wei immediately stood up, glancing around, but she didn’t see anyone.
“You can’t see me.”
A-Yan, crouched by the pool, looked at the surprisingly strong girl and said, “I’m Number One, but you can also call me A-Yan.”
“Ah… I-I didn’t know you were here…”
“It’s fine.”
Xue Wei looked toward the direction of the voice, but there was nothing there—not even an object—leaving her full of wonder.
Beast-blood warriors made up a very small percentage of the vast population of the interstellar society. Even as a royal in the Aixi Empire, Xue Wei rarely had the chance to meet them, let alone after entering the orphanage.
Seeing the caretaker’s and Number One’s remarkable abilities, Xue Wei belatedly realized that every cub in the nursery might have unique abilities!
How incredible…
So, was Number One’s ability invisibility?
With this thought, Xue Wei pulled a candy box from her pocket and said, “Brother A-Yan, this is a gift I prepared for you. I hope you like it.”
She walked toward where A-Yan was supposed to be but didn’t get too close, unsure of his exact location.
A-Yan hadn’t expected this; just as Su Ci had mentioned, he also received a gift. He reached out, accepted it, and thanked her.
Xue Wei beamed sweetly. “Please take care of me from now on.”
Then, she heard the young man sitting cross-legged nearby suddenly say, “What about mine?”
Xue Wei froze and turned to look at Su Ci.
Su Ci was also looking at her.
Xue Wei: …
Xue Wei: ???
She had completely forgotten about the caretaker’s gift!!!
Realizing this belatedly, Xue Wei panicked, stammering, “Um, Su Su, please wait a moment!”
She lifted her skirt slightly, disregarding her image, and sprinted toward the front of the nursery building. Once she turned the corner, she hurriedly searched through her spatial button.
There wasn’t enough time to make another candy box, but she still had a paper bag from before. She took it out and tossed three or four handfuls of candy into it—after all, the caretaker’s share should be bigger!
After finishing everything, Xue Wei hurried back with the paper bag in her arms.
“Su Su, this is for you.” She held the paper bag out to Su Ci, her cheeks flushed red—whether from shyness or running, she didn’t know.
Su Ci glanced at her, then at the paper bag nearly half-filled with candies, and finally nodded in satisfaction.
He accepted the bag, picked out a few candies that piqued his interest, and then handed the bag back to Xue Wei. Seeing her stunned expression, the young man said, “You can keep the rest.”
With his spatial button already stocked with plenty of nectar from the demon flower, Su Ci wasn’t lacking in sweets.
He unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth. Tasting the layered sweetness, he couldn’t help but marvel at the advancements in interstellar sugarcraft.
Seeing that Su Ci genuinely intended to give the candies back, Xue Wei quickly recovered from her initial confusion.
She squatted beside him, watching him work while nibbling on a piece of candy. Unconsciously, a smile spread across her face.
She didn’t know why, but despite Su Ci’s seemingly lazy and indifferent demeanor, being near him made her feel at ease, her emotions inexplicably relaxing.
Though she hadn’t been at the nursery for long, Xue Wei realized she already liked it here.
Even if she had the chance to meet Madam again, she might not want to leave this place…
However, Madam probably didn’t want to see her anymore, either.
Lowering her head, Xue Wei gazed at her reflection in the pool water with a hint of sadness. Suddenly recalling something, she asked, “Su Su, about Xiang Yang and Little Li Hua…”
She paused, unsure how to phrase her question.
“What about them?” Su Ci casually manipulated the pool water, forming water blades to slice the spider meat into small pieces, and asked without much concern.
Xue Wei bit her lip and finally decided to speak honestly. “They remind me of a couple I know… That couple lost their two children…”
Su Ci’s expression grew slightly more serious as he turned to look at her. “You think Xiang Yang and Little Li Hua are connected to them?”
Xue Wei nodded, then shook her head.
“I’m not sure…” she said, frowning in confusion. “They seem very similar, but… the ages don’t match. That couple’s children went missing ten years ago.”
Su Ci’s eyes showed a trace of contemplation. After a moment, he said, “Alright, I understand.”
Hearing this, Xue Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
Though she wasn’t sure if the caretaker could help resolve the matter, simply voicing her concerns made her feel much lighter.
“I’m going to find Little Li Hua now.”
Seeing that there was nothing else for her to help with and noticing that the other cubs seemed to have finished their classes, Xue Wei decided not to stay there any longer.
The little sparrow chirped twice. Since earlier, it had been flying around as if trying to find A-Yan, but to no avail. Seeing Xue Wei leaving, it quickly flapped its wings and followed her.
As it flew, it frequently looked back, its bead-like black eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Su Ci paid no attention to them. With a casual snap of his fingers, the purified spider meat in the pool was sent to the cold storage, and he picked up another spider leg to work on.
While removing the meat, he said, “A-Yan, let’s use up the remaining batch of spider meat tonight. Whatever we can’t finish, distribute it to the children.”
“Got it.” A-Yan nodded. After noting it down, he couldn’t help but glance in the direction Xue Wei had left. Then he asked, “Su Su, that little sparrow… it seems a bit unusual.”
“Oh?” Su Ci raised an eyebrow. “What do you find unusual about it?”
A-Yan couldn’t quite put it into words. After a moment, he asked, “Is it a fully beastified cub? Like Ran Lie?”
“Yes, and no,” Su Ci replied cryptically, leaving A-Yan somewhat confused.
Still, A-Yan didn’t press further. He wasn’t particularly curious, knowing that with time, he’d eventually figure out what was going on with the little sparrow during their interactions.
He teleported the soaked spider silk to the side of the pool, only to notice that the once-clear water had turned a light green.
The pale green water seemed to have corrosive properties; the metal floor beneath the pool quickly became pitted and uneven where the liquid touched.
The venom from the demon flower’s digestive sac was unexpectedly potent!
Looking at the pool full of contaminated water, A-Yan felt a bit troubled. No matter where he disposed of it, it didn’t seem like a good idea.
He turned to Su Ci for help, but Su Ci merely looked back at him lazily, clearly not planning to intervene.
Left with no choice, A-Yan turned his attention back to the pool. After a moment of thought, he pulled out his heavenly script notebook from his spatial button and began channeling his power over rules.
The boy’s hair floated gently as a platinum glow enveloped him, gathering at his fingertips.
He extended a finger toward the pool, and as the faint light touched the water, his raspy voice echoed, “Purify!”
As the word was spoken, the pool water trembled slightly. The greenish color began to fade as the poisonous flower toxins in the water coalesced.
When the light finally dissipated, the pool water was once again clean and transparent. A drop of concentrated green liquid hovered in the air above it.
The green liquid continued to change, its water content evaporating as it shrank. Eventually, it condensed into a small, round green orb.
The green orb floated over, and A-Yan caught it in an empty can.
Once inside the can, the orb rolled around briefly before settling down. It was clear that in its completely dry state, the toxin no longer corroded metal.
A-Yan held the green orb and presented it to Su Ci like a prized treasure.
Su Ci gently ruffled his hair, unfazed by A-Yan’s intuitive mastery of his abilities. He had grown used to it by now.
A-Yan was no ordinary cub. Perhaps his impressive learning ability wasn’t due to some unparalleled talent, but rather a gradual recovery of abilities he had once possessed.
With the addition of the second pool, the efficiency of purifying spider meat doubled.
By the time they finished processing the spider meat and returned to the green space, Cen Liang had already snapped out of his focused state. Spotting Su Ci, he quickly approached.
“Caretaker Su, you’re finally here!”
He handed over the plant seeds he had brought. As for the fertilizers and maintenance liquids, those had already been moved to storage by the robotic caretakers.
“These are perennial plant seeds. I searched through the warehouse, and these are the only ones that still have any vitality.”
Su Ci gave the seeds a quick glance. They were divided into several small packets, with each containing a few dozen seeds. The seeds varied in size and color.
He could sense faint traces of life in them and nodded. “Thank you.”
“No trouble at all,” Cen Liang replied cheerfully. He held his data tablet tightly; he had gathered a lot of data today. Although he hadn’t yet organized it, he already had some promising findings, and his joy was genuine.
“By the way, regarding the greenhouse, Director Wu has responded,” Cen Liang said. “She mentioned that she’d like to visit the nursery to take a look…”
Cen Liang hadn’t expected Director Wu Yunqin to be completely unaware of Caretaker Su’s project to develop the green space behind the nursery. He had spent a long time explaining it to her, even sending her a couple of photos, before she reluctantly believed him.
If he hadn’t stopped her, she might have already rushed to the nursery.
Cen Liang remembered Yan Ping’s instructions clearly. He had filled in the blanks about Su Ci’s identity in his mind and relayed this impression to Wu Yunqin.
In the end, Wu Yunqin agreed but asked Cen Liang to get Su Ci’s approval first.
Afraid Su Ci might refuse, Cen Liang hastily added, “Dismantling the greenhouse is a big decision. Director Wu said she needs to inspect the site before making any conclusions. What do you think…”
“Let her come,” Su Ci said indifferently. However, recalling the scene at the cultivation park where Director Wu had arrived with a large entourage of researchers, he frowned slightly and added, “She should come alone.”
The green space at the nursery was undoubtedly attractive to the researchers at the cultivation park, but the nursery was meant to be a sanctuary for the cubs. Su Ci didn’t want too many outsiders disturbing them or consuming their already limited resources.
“Understood, no problem!” Cen Liang nodded enthusiastically. However, noting Su Ci’s attitude, he hesitantly asked, “So… in the future, will only Director Wu and I be allowed to visit? Could I bring two assistants along?”
If it was just the two of them, the manpower would still be too limited, so Cen Liang felt he needed to push for more help.
“After all, the greenhouse will require maintenance, and once there are more plants, it’ll be easier to manage with additional hands,” Cen Liang argued earnestly.
Su Ci wasn’t entirely unyielding. He said, “Alright, but at most, two more people.”
“Great, thank you for understanding,” Cen Liang replied with a cheerful smile and quickly went to contact Wu Yunqin.
*
At the Cultivation Park
Wu Yunqin had been anxiously waiting. During this time, she had already read Cen Liang’s report, which he had sent her, no fewer than ten times.
In addition to the report, there were also the two photos Cen Liang had shared during their conversation—though he refused to send any more no matter how much she asked.
But even with just these two photos, it was clear: Caretaker Su had successfully cultivated greenery on the harsh soil of the Prison Star.
She was itching to rush to the nursery immediately.
However, remembering Cen Liang’s hints and advice, she restrained herself. He had made a good point: based on Caretaker Su’s various actions, he was clearly no ordinary individual.
Finally, she received a reply from Cen Liang.
Wu Yunqin responded immediately: “Great, I’ll head over now!”
But Cen Liang stopped her.
“Director, it’s almost dark. It’s better to wait until tomorrow,” he said, explaining that Su Ci had only allowed them to bring two assistants at most.
“Fine,” Wu Yunqin replied decisively. “We’ll screen suitable candidates and bring them along tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’ll think about who’s suitable,” Cen Liang agreed.
*
That Evening
Zhuang Shisong and Wei Ming had been in the lab all day, but their research on the mutant garlic seedling had made no progress.
The seedling had stopped emitting its characteristic pungent odor, and its growth rate had slowed significantly. The situation was like a looming crisis for them.
Fortunately, their observations over the past few days showed that the seedling’s vital signs were still normal, with no signs of death.
Even so, the anomaly left them restless and on edge.
“How could it suddenly end up like this?” Wei Ming, sporting dark circles under his eyes, stared at the data in his hands, utterly baffled.
Zhuang Shisong wasn’t in much better shape.
After a moment of silence, he suggested, “What if we ask Caretaker Su? Maybe he has some good advice?”
Wei Ming scoffed at the idea.
“Are you out of your mind from lack of sleep? How many times have I told you? Even if he’s good at planting, his methods wouldn’t be suitable for the Prison Star, let alone mutant plants. We’re in uncharted territory here.”
Zhuang Shisong sighed, removed his glasses, and rubbed his temples. Just as he was about to reply, their communicators both buzzed simultaneously.
It was a message from Cen Liang.
Zhuang Shisong was about to open it when Wei Ming suddenly shouted, “What the—?!”
Startled, Zhuang Shisong turned to look at him and saw his colleague staring blankly at the screen.
“Cen Liang just said that Su Ci has grown greenery at the nursery. He wants us to go check it out tomorrow…” Wei Ming said, his voice filled with disbelief.
Zhuang quickly checked the message himself, his expression becoming equally perplexed.
Cen Liang hadn’t spelled it out, as he naturally couldn’t imagine that Su Ci had cultivated an entire green space. He assumed Su Ci had simply managed to grow plants using the penal planet’s soil.
Even so, it was a remarkable feat.
He turned to Wei Ming and said, “Didn’t you say before that if Su Ci actually managed to grow something, you’d apologize to him?”
Wei Ming’s face flushed, alternating between red and white, before he scratched his head and muttered, “Fine, I’ll apologize. But only after seeing it for myself tomorrow!”
What if it’s all gone by tomorrow morning? Newly sprouted plants are incredibly fragile!
