Chapter 206
The rear hatch of the 244H slowly opened, allowing the small spacecraft to enter before closing again.
Even before the small ship had fully docked, its hatch burst open eagerly. Lang Ze leapt out with excitement, shouting, “Su Su! Brother A-Yan! We’re back!”
The little wolf cub was overjoyed. He had thought it would take a full week before they could return to the nursery, but to his surprise, Su Su had come looking for them halfway through their mission, bringing their friends along.
The feeling of being missed—it was incredible!
The 244H was like a second playground for the cubs. As soon as Lang Ze jumped off the ship, he darted through the familiar corridors of the spacecraft. Before long, he found Su Ci and A-Yan.
“Su Su! Brother A-Yan!”
He bounded up to them, his face alight with a bright, cheerful grin, as if he’d already forgotten everything that had happened in the illusionary realm.
Su Ci glanced at him and extended a hand toward the boy.
Lang Ze immediately leaned his head closer, letting his fluffy wolf ears brush against Su Ci’s palm. He squinted his eyes happily, nuzzling into the touch with pure joy and affection.
Su Ci hadn’t expected the little wolf cub to be so enthusiastic. After giving his head a thorough ruffle, Su Ci withdrew his hand with a satisfied expression.
Before he could say anything, Lang Ze had already turned to A-Yan with a cheeky grin. “Brother A-Yan, do you want to pet me too?”
The adorable little wolf wagged his plush, fluffy tail invitingly. His earnest “offer” was almost impossible to refuse.
Ran Lie and the other cubs entered the cabin just in time to witness this scene. They couldn’t help overhearing Lang Ze’s invitation to Su Ci and A-Yan.
“…”
Although their relationships had improved significantly, Ran Lie still couldn’t wrap his head around Lang Ze’s unabashed behavior. How could he act so carefree without feeling even a shred of embarrassment?
“Here, this is for you.”
A-Yan didn’t decline the little wolf cub’s invitation. After calming his slightly racing heart, he rubbed Lang Ze’s wolf ears a few times before spearing a peeled grape with a bamboo skewer and handing it to him.
“Thank you, Brother A-Yan!” Lang Ze beamed as he took the grape. After taking a bite, he glanced down at his pocket, only to realize something was missing.
“Huh? Where’s Xing Xing? Where did Xing Xing go?”
Hearing his panicked call, a child trailing behind the group of cubs furrowed his brows slightly before sighing and muttering, “I’m here…”
When Lang Ze jumped off the small ship earlier, Zheng Xing had transformed back into his human form, changed into his clothes, and followed.
The 244H, aside from the nursery, was Zheng Xing’s favorite place. It made him feel completely at ease. Naturally, he stuck with the group instead of heading to his beloved ship control room because…
He had missed Su Su and Brother A-Yan too.
“Xing Xing, have some grapes!” Lang Ze took the remaining half of the grape from the skewer and popped it into Zheng Xing’s mouth.
The grape’s sweet and tart flavor, chilled to perfection, was absolutely delicious!
Zheng Xing was already accustomed to the little wolf cub feeding him. He obediently took the grape into his mouth, chewing it, his cheeks puffing up adorably.
Little Li Hua, watching this, felt a bit envious, but she was too shy to ask for one. She snuggled up next to Xue Wei, thinking that she would ask her mother to peel some grapes for her when they got back.
These days, Yan Ya’s efforts had not been in vain. Little Li Hua had gradually grown closer to her and even started to rely on her.
As for Li Sinian…
When she saw him lying beside Ran Lie earlier, she suddenly remembered that her father was there too.
She couldn’t help it—just as she was beginning to get familiar with him, he had been away for several days. She’d been busy with so many things every day that she had forgotten about him again.
Thinking about this, Little Li Hua stole a glance at Li Sinian, then quickly looked away.
Thankfully, her father didn’t know. She definitely couldn’t tell him—otherwise, he might get upset.
Meanwhile, Lang Ze, thinking about chilled treats, remembered ice cream. Just as he was about to ask A-Yan, he saw Lu Jiao pull an ice cream cup out of his storage pouch. Lang Ze’s eyes widened in surprise.
“This is ice cream Brother A-Yan made. It’s super delicious, and we saved some for you,” Lu Jiao said, with the other cubs nodding in agreement.
A-Yan had made ice cream cups in different flavors for two days in a row. The cubs had finished the first batch, but on the second day, they decided to save three of them and share the rest.
The three saved ice cream cups were entrusted to Lu Jiao, who had kept them frozen by placing them in a bucket of ice water. Whenever the ice started to melt, he added more ice to keep them chilled.
Now, even after all this time, the three ice cream cups looked as fresh as when they were made.
“Here, take this.”
Lang Ze accepted the ice cream cup and small spoon from Lu Jiao, momentarily stunned.
“Hurry and eat! Brother A-Yan’s ice cream is amazing!” Lu Jiao said, then turned to hand another ice cream cup to Ran Lie.
“I already asked Su Su—you can eat it,” Lu Jiao explained to Ran Lie.
In fact, eating cold treats was beneficial for Ran Lie. It helped suppress the crimson flames within him and kept him “cool.”
Ran Lie looked at the ice cream cup being handed to him, then at the other cubs smiling expectantly at him. Not skilled at handling such situations, he awkwardly muttered a thank you and accepted the cup.
The glass cup felt cold in Ran Lie’s palm, but unexpectedly, a warm current seemed to flow through his heart.
He pressed his lips together, scooped up a bite of ice cream with the small spoon, and put it in his mouth.
As expected, the ice cream made by Brother A-Yan was exceptionally delicious.
Surprisingly, the usually expressive little wolf cub, Lang Ze, was unusually quiet. He lowered his head, took his ice cream cup, and walked to a corner to sit down. Holding the small spoon, he began to eat the ice cream.
The sweet, icy taste melted in his mouth—a truly wonderful sensation.
“So good… Brother A-Yan’s ice cream is so delicious!”
Lang Ze kept scooping bite after bite, but as he did, large tears rolled down his cheeks one after another. His mix of crying and laughing left the other cubs confused.
Lu Jiao scratched his head, baffled.
The ice cream was delicious, but could it really be so good it made someone cry?
Only Zheng Xing, holding his own ice cream cup, slowly walked over to Lang Ze and sat down beside him.
Among the cubs, only Zheng Xing, who knew what Lang Ze had just experienced, and perhaps Lu Li, who was more sensitive to matters of the soul, seemed to have some understanding of the situation.
Lu Li tilted his head slightly, wondering if Lang Ze had been wronged while outside.
Even though his improved relationship with Lang Ze had only come after exchanging two candies, Lu Li had grown quite fond of him. In fact, he felt the nursery had been less lively without Lang Ze these past few days.
The thought that someone might have bullied Lang Ze made Lu Li frown.
Unfortunately, his strength was still too small… As he thought this, he looked toward Su Ci.
Su Ci seemed to have an idea of what was going on, but since Lang Ze didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t press the matter. Just like he hadn’t forced Lang Ze to accept his childhood nickname before, he wouldn’t force him now.
“He’s fine,” Su Ci said softly.
Hearing this, the cubs finally relaxed.
If Su Su said he was fine, then he really must be fine! Maybe… Lang Ze was just too happy?
Following behind the cubs, Li Sinian had witnessed everything. Once again, he was struck by the influence Su Ci had over the cubs. His emotions were complicated—filled with admiration and gratitude, but also a touch of envy and even a hint of jealousy.
He had previously told Yan Ya that relationships required cultivation, but now it seemed Yan Ya had been much more successful in building a bond with the children.
As for him…
Though his daughter would sweetly call him “Daddy,” how could he not feel the distance in her demeanor? And as for his son… He had just been saved by him!
Against the one-eyed monster, not only had he failed to show his bravery as a father, but he also couldn’t protect the three children and even fell into danger himself.
If Caretaker Su hadn’t arrived with the cubs in time, the consequences… were unthinkable!
The thought left Li Sinian trembling with fear. At this point, he no longer cared about his image in his son’s eyes and went over to apologize to Su Ci.
Su Ci didn’t blame him. Choosing to enter the battlefield meant being prepared to face unforeseen dangers at any time.
Only through such crises could true growth occur. This experience would become a valuable treasure for the three children. At the very least…
Ran Lie, visibly calmer, no longer seemed as impulsive as before.
Just as they finished speaking, Yun Zixu’s communication request came through.
“Caretaker Su, what brings you here?” Yun Zixu asked with a hint of anticipation after Su Ci answered the call.
Su Ci speared another grape with a bamboo skewer and replied lazily, “Just came to check in.”
Yun Zixu: “…”
He hadn’t expected that answer. He thought perhaps this was the moment Caretaker Su had finally decided to step in and help them deal with the monsters directly.
But coming here with the cubs just to check in…
Well, that explanation kind of made sense. Thankfully, before they involved the cubs in helping other bases, they had sought permission from Base 24 and received Su Ci’s approval. Otherwise, the situation could have been rather awkward.
Yun Zixu chuckled awkwardly before asking Su Ci what his plans were going forward.
While the crisis at Base 16 had been temporarily resolved, other bases remained in trouble. After all, there were a total of 36 bases on Prison Star.
Moreover, the crises the cubs had resolved were only temporary. The monsters could return at any time.
Su Ci thought for a moment. Since he was already out here, heading back immediately wasn’t an option.
Before setting out, he had collected a variety of spiritual grass seeds, which could be scattered along the way. Moving forward, he might need to use them sparingly to maximize their impact across more areas.
Once these spiritual grasses took root, they would grow and spread across the land, feeding on the pervasive resentment in the environment.
When the resentment in an area was completely absorbed and purified, the grasses would wither, leaving behind seeds that would gradually evolve into hardy, ordinary grasses capable of thriving in normal conditions.
Of course, restoring the planet’s vitality would require far more than just these grasses. But this first step was crucial.
With this plan in mind, Su Ci asked, “What’s the next destination on the schedule?”
Yun Zixu’s eyes lit up. He quickly replied, “Base 17, just an hour away from Base 16.”
“Let’s head there next, then.”
Su Ci asked him to send over the coordinates, then instructed the ship to proceed toward Base 17.
After Su Ci ended the call, the cubs eagerly asked, “Su Su, are we going too?”
“Yes,” Su Ci nodded. “Do you want to?”
“Of course we do!” the cubs exclaimed in unison.
Rong Heng, unable to contain his excitement, added, “Can we fight too?”
“Of course.”
With Su Ci and A-Yan keeping watch, why not?
