Chapter 134
The first harvest of Star-chain Fruit totaled over 200 pieces. Su Ci kept 200 for the nursery and sent the remainder back with Wei Ming.
Although Wei Ming was tempted to stay at the nursery overnight, the awakened mutant garlic and its potential unpredictability convinced him to brave the rain and return to the cultivation center before nightfall.
By the time he arrived, the previously unconscious cultivators and the visiting members of Base 26 had all woken up. According to Gu Qingchen’s examinations, not only were they unharmed, but their overall health seemed improved.
This improvement was likely due to the concentrated garlic emissions they had inhaled, which had expelled accumulated toxins from their bodies.
It was further evidence that the “garlic-scented perfume” indeed had invigorating effects, though not everyone could endure the overwhelming odor.
When Wei Ming returned to the cultivation center, the garlic’s scent still lingered, but its strongest range had decreased from twenty meters to just over ten meters.
However, this range was inconsistent, expanding and contracting unpredictably—sometimes faint, sometimes intensifying suddenly. Compared to its steadily growing intensity before entering dormancy, its current behavior was erratic.
The cultivation center had yet to discern any patterns due to the short observation period.
The director of Base 26’s nursery displayed a keen interest in the mutant garlic. Unfortunately, the current conditions made it impossible to examine the plant up close. Moreover, given its unique properties, Base 24 was closely guarding it. Until final agreements on collaboration were reached, full access to monitoring data was off the table.
Wei Ming brought the harvested Star-chain Fruit to Zhuang Shisong, intending to deliver Cen Liang’s share later since Cen Liang was currently in a meeting with higher-ups.
“What’s this?”
Entering the lab, Wei Ming found Zhuang Shisong replaying a video of the mutant garlic’s awakening. The video clearly showed the garlic’s leaves actively reaching out to touch Su Ci.
Wei Ming froze at the sight.
Zhuang Shisong glanced at him and said, “Do you remember the first time we met Caretaker Su?”
Without waiting for a response, Zhuang Shisong pulled up footage from that day. Very few people in the cultivation center had access to surveillance archives, but Zhuang Shisong was one of them.
When the two videos were played side by side, it became increasingly difficult to dismiss the similarities as coincidence.
Wei Ming looked bewildered. “What’s going on? Why does it feel like these plants… have consciousness?”
And more than that—they seemed to like Caretaker Su.
“Perhaps mutant plants really do possess self-awareness,” Zhuang Shisong said, sharing his theories about plant evolution and Cen Liang’s speculations about Su Ci’s identity.
“Plant bloodline?” Wei Ming asked in disbelief. “If that’s the case, why wouldn’t he just come to the prison planet as a cultivator? Why take a job as a keeper in the nursery?”
Although Wei Ming had grown fond of the younglings and found them well-behaved and adorable, as someone passionate about cultivation, he couldn’t imagine becoming a keeper.
“There might be a specific reason,” Zhuang Shisong said, still puzzled. “But one thing is clear—Caretaker Su’s understanding of plants, especially mutant plants, far surpasses all of ours combined.”
“And honestly…”
Zhuang Shisong stared at the repeatedly looping video on the screen and murmured, “I think the mutant garlic awakened because of him.”
Wei Ming found the idea absurd, but as he watched the two videos on the screen, he couldn’t help but lean toward that conclusion. And then—
“The nursery’s green space might now have three more mutant Star-chain Fruit trees,” Wei Ming added.
Zhuang Shisong’s eyes widened in shock. After a long silence, he frowned. “Do you think the appearance of so many mutant plants in the nursery is due to Caretaker Su, or is it because of the prison planet’s soil?”
He felt he might have stumbled upon a critical question.
“If Caretaker Su has a plant bloodline and can communicate with plants, he would naturally choose the best soil for planting. There must be a reason for his choices!”
Mutant plants are unique to this planet, and their rarity might be due to the use of soilless cultivation techniques. Without direct contact with the prison planet’s soil, plants struggle to mutate.
If that’s the case…
“Do you think, before the pollution, this planet was covered with mutant plants?” Zhuang Shisong couldn’t help but speculate.
A world filled with mutant plants—what a magical sight that would be!
Wei Ming, however, shook his head. “I’ve read the records. When the Star Alliance first discovered this planet, it was barren, with scarce surface resources and minimal underground mineral deposits. It was deemed unworthy of development.”
Otherwise, the planet wouldn’t have been designated as a prison planet in the first place. Who could have predicted the appearance of the red mist?
“I’m talking about hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years ago. Was the planet the same back then?” Zhuang Shisong countered.
“We interstellar humans didn’t reach our current glory overnight. We fled from our home planet and endured countless years of development to get here.”
Thanks to historical lessons and familial knowledge, they both understood humanity’s history well. In fact, Zhuang Shisong’s family owned an ancient text preserved for thousands of years—a treasured heirloom.
This ancient text recorded an era predating even the two major human empires, when all interstellar humans originated from a single planet.
This shared origin is why humans from different nations are considered of the same lineage, with common ancestors.
It’s also this kinship that has repeatedly enabled humanity to unite against external threats during crises, ensuring survival against powerful alien monsters instead of facing extinction.
The reason humanity fled its home planet was simple—it had become uninhabitable.
Natural disasters, wars, and pandemics… History described it as a harrowing period. In the end, only a few million lives escaped aboard spaceships.
To put this into perspective: at its peak, the home planet’s population exceeded 10 billion.
Though today’s interstellar population is measured in the quadrillions, Zhuang Shisong recognized that 10 billion was no small number—especially compared to just a few million survivors.
Moreover, the planet was home to countless other plant and animal species.
These lives were trapped on that doomed planet, their fate grim.
By the time humanity fled, the global population had already halved. Given such catastrophic conditions, it’s hard to imagine miracles occurring afterward.
After escaping the home planet, interstellar humanity endured a grueling era. Only through intelligence and resilience did they eventually find new homes among the stars and develop into the civilization they are today.
Once humanity regained its footing, they tried countless times to locate their old home. But the vastness of the universe, combined with the primitive technology during their escape, meant they had long lost the home planet’s coordinates.
And so, despite the passage of time, no one has ever rediscovered the planet that once nurtured interstellar humanity and countless other life forms.
“Do you think the Prison Star might have a similar history?” Zhuang Shisong said wistfully.
Wei Ming dismissed the idea. “I’m not an archaeologist. How would I know? Besides, every planet is unique. If you’re going that far, why not claim the prison planet is our lost home planet?”
“Maybe it is,” Zhuang Shisong shrugged, clearly joking, before steering the conversation back on track.
“In any case, the soil on this planet seems crucial for cultivating mutant plants. Now that the mutant garlic has awakened, we can use it to improve the soil.”
“Once the soil is improved, we can plant more crops and see if mutant plants increase. That should confirm whether my theory is correct.”
The simplest method would be to transplant the mutant garlic directly into the soil. However, the director and her team likely wouldn’t take such a risk. Plus, the mutant garlic still had many research questions to address, making it more practical to keep it in a controlled growth medium.
Hearing Zhuang Shisong’s plan, Wei Ming thought it was feasible, though he was more focused on another issue.
“So, after advancing, will the mutant garlic enter a differentiation phase?”
If it could produce additional cloves, then every base could eventually have its own plant. This would not only accelerate research but also significantly enhance the safety of base garrisons.
While mutant plants were incredibly valuable and best kept under close control to maximize benefits, Wei Ming felt that saving lives was more important. He hoped this mutant garlic could achieve its full potential.
Without the interference of pollutants, more beast-blood warriors could serve on the prison planet, improving the overall quality of the garrison forces. This, in turn, would increase their odds of winning against the monsters.
All of this hinged on the hope that the mutant garlic wouldn’t grow into a single-bulb variety.
“It’s unclear at the moment,” Zhuang Shisong replied, shaking his head. “Why don’t we ask Caretaker Su tomorrow?”
He felt that Caretaker Su would likely have an accurate answer.
“So, you’re heading to the nursery tomorrow?”
“Of course. There are plenty of bigwigs here, and they don’t need me for now.”
Feeling thirsty, Zhuang Shisong picked up one of the Star-chain Fruit and took a bite. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he froze, startled by the flavor.
“This fruit is incredible! Is this an ultra-S-grade quality?” Zhuang Shisong exclaimed. “No, it’s even better than ultra-S-grade!”
“Really?”
Wei Ming grabbed a fruit to try and was equally astonished.
He had eaten plenty of Star-chain Fruit before, but nothing like this. And perhaps it was just his imagination, but after eating the fruit, he felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Zhuang Shisong seemed to feel the same way.
The two young men, both from prominent cultivation families, were now like wide-eyed villagers, marveling at the fruit with glowing expressions.
A fruit better than ultra-S-grade? They’d never tasted anything like it before!
“Do all mutant plants produce fruit this delicious?” Zhuang Shisong muttered.
The existing mutant plants on the prison planet did produce some fruit, but they were so rare and never sold to outsiders. Naturally, neither of them had ever had the chance to taste them.
Looking at the remaining three Star-chain Fruit in the box, Zhuang Shisong belatedly realized just how precious these gifts from Caretaker Su were.
“Wei Ming, do you think… we’ve just latched onto a golden opportunity?” he murmured.
Wei Ming, however, was staring at the seven remaining Star-chain Fruit in the box and couldn’t help but say, “What do we do? I don’t want to give Cen Liang his share anymore!”
Zhuang Shisong rolled his eyes and resumed eating his fruit, only to quickly notice something unusual.
“Wait, this Star-chain Fruit has no seeds.”
“Seedless? It seems mine is too!”
Were the fruits of all mutant plants seedless, or was it just these three mutant Star-chain Fruit trees?
Their questions multiplied, but for now, Wei Ming and Zhuang Shisong could only set them aside, planning to explore the answers later.
Meanwhile, at the nursery, A-Yan discovered the same issue after dinner when he tried to collect seeds.
All the Star-chain Fruit from the spiritual trees were seedless!
Initially, he had been worried about how to store and plant so many spiritual tree seeds. To his surprise, he didn’t collect a single one.
When A-Yan returned to the dormitory, he brought this issue up with Su Ci.
“It’s one of the characteristics of the Star-chain Fruit spiritual tree,” Su Ci explained.
The tree’s special ability was its infinite growth potential—so long as conditions were favorable, its growth could be nearly limitless. This, of course, violated natural laws.
As a result, the Star-chain Fruit spiritual tree sacrificed something in its evolution: its ability to reproduce.
Hearing Su Ci’s explanation, A-Yan tilted his head. “So, these three Star-chain Fruit trees… if they die, that’s it? No offspring?”
“Not necessarily,” Su Ci replied. “Some plants die after producing seeds. The Star-chain Fruit spiritual tree is likely the same.”
For every benefit, there’s a trade-off. This duality applies to all things.
However, Su Ci didn’t see this as a downside. He didn’t need an excessive number of spiritual plants, so for his purposes, the Star-chain Fruit spiritual tree was an excellent species.
After addressing A-Yan’s question, Su Ci glanced out the window.
From morning till now, the light drizzle hadn’t ceased. Thanks to the rain, the barren lands surrounding Base 24 were now adequately hydrated.
The next morning, when Su Ci woke, the rain had finally stopped.
Crystal-clear droplets glided down the greenhouse glass, sparkling in the sunlight. A faint rainbow arched across the sky.
The rain had passed, and a new day had begun.
When Su Ci arrived at the green space, he saw the younglings marveling at the colorful rainbow in the sky.
“That’s a rainbow! I’ve seen one before!” Lang Ze exclaimed. “Every time it rains, and the sun comes out, you can see it!”
But aside from Xue Wei, none of the other younglings had ever seen a rainbow.
Lu Jiao had already called the AI to search for the science behind rainbow formation. Meanwhile, Ran Lie, who had reverted to his Crimson Flame Tiger form, sat quietly, gazing at the vivid rainbow. Even in the enclosed greenhouse, he didn’t feel the usual oppressive atmosphere.
Instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace and contentment.
He had spent all night trying to understand why he felt this way but couldn’t pinpoint the reason. However, he realized one thing:
The freedom he yearned for wasn’t just about leaving the nursery—it was the freedom to leave when he wanted and return whenever he pleased. He wanted to go anywhere, entirely on his terms.
For now…
He looked at his companions and the transformed nursery, and the desire to stay became overwhelmingly strong.
If that was what he wanted, then staying was the right choice.
The future could be decided by his future self. For now, he chose to stay.
Ran Lie’s heart felt as open and clear as the post-rain sky. He even found himself smiling slightly.
That was when Xue Wei seemed to notice. She turned to him, and when their eyes met, she smiled sweetly.
Ran Lie: “…”
He would never forget the time he traded ear-scratches for tea leaves and ended up pinned to the ground by her, utterly powerless to resist.
To this day, he couldn’t figure out if it was because his Crimson Flame energy was too depleted to fight back or if Xue Wei was simply that strong…
Regardless, he had no intention of reliving that experience.
He stiffly averted his gaze, pretending nothing had happened.
Xue Wei didn’t seem to mind. She simply thought the big tiger was cute. Then her attention shifted to the approaching figure of the caretaker.
“Su Su, good morning!”
Her cheerful greeting drew the attention of the other younglings, who immediately forgot about the rainbow and rushed toward Su Ci.
Su Ci nodded and patted each youngling on the head, his mood lightening as he finished. Then, his gaze shifted to the three Star-chain Fruit spiritual trees.
Overnight, the second batch of fruit had ripened.
With a wave of his hand, the ripe fruits vanished from the vines, stored away in his spatial device. He then lightly touched the largest Star-chain Fruit tree.
Before the younglings’ eyes, the sprawling vines began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller until the entire tree fit in Su Ci’s palm, suspended in midair.
After shrinking, the roots of the Star-chain Fruit tree remained intact and unharmed. The spot where it had been planted was now a small depression, leaving a hole in the soil.
The younglings stared in awe at Su Ci’s actions, completely stunned.
It was Lu Jiao who reacted first, anxiously raising his hand. When Su Ci nodded, he asked, “Su Su, are you taking this Star-chain Fruit tree somewhere else?”
The younglings had watched the plants in the green space grow little by little, and each had developed a special bond with them.
Hearing that Su Ci intended to take one of the trees away snapped them out of their shock, and they all gazed at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
Under their eager stares, Su Ci hesitated before saying, “Yes, I’m going to transplant it to the riverbank.”
“Will we still be able to visit it?” Lu Jiao asked.
Among the younglings, only the lion siblings, Zheng Xing, and Xue Wei hadn’t been to the riverbank before, their expressions showing a mix of curiosity and confusion.
Lang Ze, however, was already excited. “Yeah, yeah! Can we go outside to play?”
Su Ci glanced at Lang Ze, then at Rong Heng and the others. After some thought, he nodded. “You can, but you’re not allowed to run off.”
The weather was nice today, and taking the kids outside for fresh air seemed like a good idea. After all, they were his future little helpers, and this was a chance to foster their appreciation for the land.
The younglings eagerly agreed, thrilled by the opportunity.
“Alright, let’s go,” Su Ci said.
“Yay!” Lang Ze cheered, immediately hoisting Zheng Xing onto his back and calling Lu Jiao and Rong Heng to run toward the nursery’s main gate.
Su Ci shook his head. When he reached the front of the building and saw the little wolf cub bouncing impatiently at the gate, he said, “We’re not going that way.”
Without explaining further, he led the other younglings back into the nursery building, leaving a bewildered Lang Ze scrambling to follow.
“We’re not going outside?” Lang Ze asked, rushing back in confusion.
“We are.”
“Then why are we going into the building?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Carrying the Star-chain Fruit spiritual tree, Su Ci led the younglings up to the rooftop.
There, they found a teleportation array that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It was noticeably larger than the one in the dormitory, spacious enough for Su Ci, A-Yan, the seven younglings, and even the Crimson Flame Tiger cub to stand comfortably.
With a flash of light, Su Ci transported them all from the nursery to the riverbank.
As the scenery suddenly shifted, the younglings were left speechless. Even those who had been to the riverbank before, like Lu Jiao and Lang Ze, were stunned by how much it had changed.
This outing marked the first time everyone was present, making it a complete and joyous group trip.
