Chapter 196
Mo Lin stared at the two flower pots on the balcony, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Having served at Base 26 for many years, he was long accustomed to the barren environment of Prison Star, utterly devoid of natural greenery. His duties kept him too busy to wander through the plantation, so it had been ages since he’d last seen any live plants.
But now, looking at the Star-chain fruit vines spilling out of the flowerpots, their tendrils swaying vibrantly in the air, he could feel the sheer vitality radiating from them.
This scene was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Wasn’t Prison Star supposed to be an environment where ordinary plants couldn’t survive? Didn’t they say potted plants would simply wither and die here?
Mo Lin began questioning everything, but then he remembered: these plants had been brought from Base 24 by that new recruit acquainted with Caretaker Su.
It had been less than a day since they arrived—wasn’t it normal for them to still be alive and well?
Even as he tried to rationalize it, stepping closer to the balcony and feeling the plants’ vigorous energy left him full of doubt.
These plants didn’t look like they were suffering from the effects of the blood mist or on the verge of dying. If anything, their health seemed better than most greenery he’d ever seen, even back home.
At that moment, he noticed the little black cat that had been hiding in Lang Ze’s pocket. The cat leapt lightly onto the balcony, its pale pink nose twitching as it sniffed the air around the plants. With its eyes half-closed, it made a contented expression, clearly enjoying itself.
Only then did Mo Lin realize that the air on the balcony was exceptionally fresh. Moreover, the blood mist that typically lingered in the area was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t the lingering garlic spray from the cubs that had repelled the mist.
If that were the case, the mist would still hover nearby, waiting to reclaim the space once the garlic scent dissipated. But here, the mist was entirely absent—or so diluted that it was barely perceptible to the naked eye.
What was going on?
Mo Lin’s gaze shifted back to the two plants, his curiosity deepening.
Meanwhile, the little black cat, crouched beside the flowerpots, opened its eyes and turned to Lang Ze. Its slender tail pointed toward the Star-chain fruit plant as it spoke in a soft, childlike voice, “Lang Ze, fertilize it.”
This was the first time Mo Lin had heard the cub called Zheng Xing speak. Until now, he had assumed it was just a regular cat.
Lang Ze cheerfully responded, “Got it!” He pulled out a small bag of fertilizer from his storage pouch, mixed it with water as Zheng Xing instructed, and carefully poured it into the pot.
Clearly, the Star-chain fruit was growing too rapidly under the influence of spiritual energy, and the soil nutrients weren’t sufficient to support its growth.
As for the other pot…
The small spirit grass, which provided the spiritual energy and optimal environment for the Star-chain fruit, had grown significantly since the morning, transforming from a tiny sprout into a small cluster.
However, it didn’t look as healthy as the Star-chain fruit. Its leaves were visibly wilting.
Even Lang Ze noticed something was wrong and asked, “Zheng Xing, doesn’t it need water or fertilizer?”
Zheng Xing “looked” at the spirit grass and shook his head.
The plant wasn’t lacking water, but it did need fertilizer. However, the type of nutrients it required wasn’t the same as ordinary plants.
Leaving it alone wouldn’t harm it for now, as the blood mist, though heavily diluted, was still present and slowly drifting back into the area. The concentration was low enough for the spirit grass to absorb and survive.
However, if it were to continue growing, it would need more substantial “nourishment.”
However, if the small spirit grass were removed, the Star-chain fruit might wither and die upon re-exposure to the blood mist…
Zheng Xing didn’t like seeing plants die.
Just as he decided it would be best to leave both plants in place, he heard Lang Ze say, “They look so cramped in those tiny pots. Can’t we plant them in the ground?”
Looking at the two plants stuck in their small pots, Lang Ze couldn’t help but empathize, remembering the days when he himself was confined to a small room.
Hearing the sadness in his tone, the little black cat stretched out its tail and tapped on the spirit grass. In a soft voice, it said, “This one can.”
Then, pointing at the Star-chain fruit plant, it added, “This one can’t.”
The soil in the pots had been brought from the nursery and purified, making it ideal for the Star-chain fruit. If the plant were transplanted into the soil of Base 26, it would surely die.
As for the spirit grass, which thrived on the nutrients provided by the blood mist, there was no such concern.
Mo Lin didn’t understand the underlying reasons but continued to observe the plants. Soon, Lang Ze approached him, looking up with hopeful green eyes full of expectation.
“Uncle Mo, can we plant this little seedling in the ground?”
At that moment, Mo Lin finally understood how Li Sinian must have felt when Lang Ze had begged to return to the nursery.
When such a well-behaved and adorable wolf cub pleaded with you, who could possibly say no?
Still, Mo Lin managed to hold onto a sliver of reason.
“The soil on this planet isn’t suitable for planting,” he explained. “If we plant the seedling in the ground, it’ll likely wither and die quickly.”
Lang Ze blinked in confusion. “Prison Star? Isn’t our planet called Earth Star?”
Mo Lin froze for a moment, realizing he’d slipped up.
The cubs didn’t know they were children of prisoners or that this planet was originally built as a prison facility. Keeping this information from them was part of their protection.
“Yes, Earth Star,” Mo Lin quickly corrected himself with a smile. “Sorry, Uncle misspoke.”
“Oh, okay.” Lang Ze didn’t dwell on it and returned to the matter at hand. “If Xing Xing says it’s okay, then it’ll be fine, don’t worry!”
“Xing Xing is that amazing?” Mo Lin glanced at the little black cat crouched by the flowerpots.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, the cat took a few steps forward and hid itself beneath the leaves of the Star-chain fruit plant.
“Of course Xing Xing is amazing!” Lang Ze said proudly. “So, can we plant the seedling in the ground? It’ll be fine, I promise! All the plants at our nursery are grown in the ground, and they grow super well!”
Seeing how earnestly Lang Ze was trying to convince him, Mo Lin eventually nodded.
After all, his orders were to keep the three cubs happy. As long as their requests were reasonable, he had to fulfill them.
Still, since the plants technically belonged to Song Zehe, he decided to have the base’s AI contact him first for permission.
At that moment, Song Zehe was on duty, helping repair the base structures damaged by the mucus giant. When he received the call, he was momentarily confused.
However, he didn’t object to the request.
It wasn’t that Song Zehe didn’t value the two potted plants; it was mainly because he had never grown anything himself. On the other hand, these three cubs had spent so much time with Su Ci, so their planting experience was undoubtedly far richer than his.
Especially during the journey here, the boy named Lang Ze had mentioned that some of the Star-chain fruits he had eaten were ones he and his friends had planted themselves—and might have even harvested personally. Song Zehe had been filled with admiration upon hearing this.
Now that he learned it was for them, he quickly agreed without hesitation.
With Song Zehe’s approval, Lang Ze eagerly got to work.
It turned out that the cubs’ spirit storage bags were surprisingly well-equipped for planting. Inside were not only fertilizer sprayers but also shovels and spades, all specially made by A-Yan.
Lang Ze indeed had experience with planting.
He took out a small cup—it was actually a snack container he had saved because he thought it was pretty after finishing the snack. Unexpectedly, it was coming in handy now.
After filling the cup with some soil, Lang Ze, under Zheng Xing’s guidance, carefully dug up the little spirit grass.
This transplant process was something he had already done many times. With Zheng Xing’s instructions, he managed it skillfully without causing any harm to the plant.
However, after placing the spirit grass into the cup, Lang Ze followed Zheng Xing’s additional directions and separated a small sprig of the spirit grass, complete with roots, and replanted it back into the original pot.
This way, with that sprig of spirit grass continuing to absorb the blood mist, the Star-chain fruit plant wouldn’t be affected.
“Hehe, time to plant the little seedling!”
Lang Ze opened his shirt pocket, waited for the little black cat to hop back in, then cradled the cup holding the spirit grass and dashed out of the room.
Nearby, Ran Lie had been standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets, maintaining his usual cool demeanor. But when he saw Lang Ze suddenly run off, he couldn’t hold his act any longer and quickly ran after him.
Mo Lin, however, didn’t rush. He first contacted the staff at the cultivation garden, asking them to check on the two potted plants, and then posted a group-wide announcement in the Base 26 main communication channel.
[From today onward, everyone is to refer to Prison Star as Earth Star.]
The announcement seemed a bit odd at first, but it didn’t take long for the base’s top leader, He Qirui, to step in and back it up.
It was clear that this influential figure had immediately grasped Mo Lin’s intentions.
While He Qirui might come across as a kind, grandfatherly figure who liked to speak in a playful tone around the cubs, he was known among Base 26 officers as a strict and authoritative leader.
With his endorsement, there was no room for doubt or resistance; everyone quickly complied.
Mo Lin was very satisfied with this outcome.
After putting away his communicator and heading out of the recruit barracks, he saw that the cubs had already run to the outskirts of the camp.
Accompanying them were Li Sinian and a few skilled soldiers who were there to ensure their safety. This was also why Mo Lin felt at ease letting the cubs roam outside.
The cubs were squatting on the ground, and the boy named Ran Lie was under the wolf cub’s direction, using his crimson flames to burn through a metal protective plate on the ground.
Mo Lin opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t stop them.
The base was entirely paved with metal flooring to prevent monsters from tunneling in from underground. However, with the rampant blood mist, this defense had long since become ineffective.
The monsters could appear out of thin air in any part of the base, rendering such measures virtually useless.
Given that, letting the cubs burn the metal for fun didn’t seem like a big deal.
He walked over nonchalantly, watching as the wolf cub used a small shovel to loosen the compacted soil beneath the burnt metal, dug a hole, and carefully planted a small sprig of grass from the green plant they had brought.
Then, the wolf cub quickly darted off to another corner of the camp, ready to dig another hole.
After observing for a while, Mo Lin realized something peculiar—their planting wasn’t random at all.
Every spot where the cubs chose to plant the small grass… was in areas where the blood mist was the thickest within the camp?
At first, he thought he might have been mistaken, but after watching them for a while longer, he confirmed that these three kids were indeed targeting the most densely polluted areas.
When he suggested spraying some garlic mist to disperse the blood mist, however, he was firmly refused.
Not only that, but the wolf cub also gave him several pointed looks, as if to say, “Don’t mess things up,” making him feel like he was the clueless one among the group.
This left Mo Lin somewhat disoriented.
He stared at the haphazard little holes in the ground and the tiny seedlings that had just been planted in them.
As the cubs moved on to the next location, the absence of garlic mist meant the holes were quickly shrouded again by the dense blood mist, making it hard to even see the seedlings clearly.
Could these plants really survive, given the cubs’ planting method?
Mo Lin silently observed, already beginning to wonder how he could console the cubs if all the seedlings withered and they ended up heartbroken.
