Chapter 229
After his initial shock, Mu Yuncheng suddenly remembered—
Wait. That wasn’t right. When he boarded the spaceship, the cubs had been on the ground, waving goodbye. He had stood by the window and watched them until they disappeared from view before pulling his gaze away.
So how could they have secretly boarded the spaceship and followed him?
Then, Mu Yuncheng noticed a slender figure slowly stepping out of a nearby room. His eyes widened in disbelief.
That room…
He hurried over, and when A-Yan followed and stepped out of the room as well, Mu Yuncheng peeked inside. What he saw left him completely speechless.
The metallic disk that had been affixed to the floor had completely transformed. Its size had expanded, covering a large section of the floor. Intricate, mysterious patterns adorned its surface, and the design was identical to the teleportation array on the rooftop of the nursery!
“You… you’re…” Mu Yuncheng stammered, too overwhelmed to speak coherently.
“Uncle Mu, we came through the teleportation array,” Lu Jiao explained, noticing the reason for Mu Yuncheng’s shock.
Mu Bao, who had been ignored by his father at the moment, didn’t mind. Instead, he nodded his little head enthusiastically.
At first, Mu Bao had thought his father would be leaving him for a very long time. The moment Mu Yuncheng left, he was so sad he cried. But then A-Yan came over, picked him up, and took him and the other cubs up to the rooftop.
There, they stepped onto the teleportation array, and when the light faded, they found themselves on the spaceship.
Mu Bao didn’t grasp the extraordinary nature of what had just happened. All he knew was that he could see his father again and didn’t have to be apart for so long, which made him incredibly happy.
Among the cubs, only Xue Wei seemed to understand the significance of the teleportation array.
If they could directly teleport from the planet to a spaceship traveling through the universe, didn’t that mean… interplanetary teleportation was also possible?
With her knowledge of such topics, she was utterly stunned at the implications, fully understanding Mu Yuncheng’s amazement.
The other cubs, however, were mostly caught up in the excitement of leaving the planet and venturing into outer space for the first time. For those who had spent their entire lives at the nursery, this was an unforgettable experience.
“Big Brother, Earth Star, it’s all red,” Little Li Hua said, staring at the gradually shrinking planet and speaking to Rong Heng.
Rong Heng was also gazing at the planet, his expression filled with awe. From outer space, the world they lived on appeared so small, barely the size of his fingertip.
“Is it red because of the blood mist?” Lu Li asked. “If the blood mist is completely purified, will Earth Star change to another color? Like green?”
Lu Li still held onto his dream of changing the world, and the recent progress at Base 24 had made him believe in its possibility. Staring at the planet where he had grown up, this desire only grew stronger.
Su Ci thought for a moment and said, “It probably wouldn’t just be green.”
Although he hadn’t seen Earth Star in its prime, he knew it was a planet of diverse terrains—forests, oceans, lakes, and snowfields that never melted. The colors of the landscape would vary, but…
“It should definitely be more beautiful than it is now,” Su Ci added with certainty.
The cubs’ eyes lit up with excitement at his words.
“Wow, I hope that day comes soon!” Lang Ze exclaimed with eager anticipation.
Ran Lie glanced at Su Ci, then back at the reddish planet, silently clenching his fists. His eyes shone with a newfound resolve.
When the great tree, Mu Qing, had appeared, Ran Lie had seen the white-haired elder bow to Su Ci. Though the gesture was eventually stopped, Ran Lie had heard the elder’s words clearly—
That elder had called Su Ci the Earth Spirit.
Ran Lie quickly pieced things together, and many things that had once confused him now made sense.
If the Water Spirit was a spirit born from water, then could the Earth Spirit refer to the very land beneath their feet? Extending that idea, it might mean… the planet they lived on, Earth Star.
If Su Ci was the spirit of Earth Star, then it explained his incredible power and his vast knowledge of seemingly impossible techniques. It also explained why he had made the planet’s restoration a condition for their cooperation.
This was Su Ci’s way of saving himself.
After coming to this realization, Ran Lie hesitated for a long time before finally seeking confirmation from A-Yan.
Although he no longer remembered his past as Number One, the lingering bond of friendship made him feel an instinctive closeness and trust in A-Yan.
And A-Yan didn’t try to hide or deceive him.
After all, Su Ci had never intended to keep this a secret from the cubs. Moreover, with the Wood Tribe’s relocation to the planet, the truth would soon become impossible to conceal.
With this newfound understanding, Ran Lie’s feelings toward Earth Star changed profoundly.
Su Ci had saved him—not only teaching him how to control his bloodline powers but also granting him powerful techniques. Most importantly, he had given him a home.
Naturally, Ran Lie wanted to contribute his strength to repay him. What had started as a commitment to honor his promise to Su Ci, to farm and restore the planet, had now transformed into Ran Lie’s personal belief—a lifelong mission he was determined to fulfill.
Of course, due to his reserved nature, this was a secret he kept to himself for now. Perhaps, at the right moment in the future, he would share this with his companions.
While the other cubs pressed their faces to the windows, marveling at the view outside, Zheng Xing stood beside Lang Ze, his small hands clasped tightly together, looking a bit uneasy.
After reaching space, Zheng Xing realized that what he “saw” was still a vast emptiness. The planets were too far away for him to sense.
Was the space beyond the sky just as void as the world he perceived? Listening to his friends’ excited discussions, Zheng Xing silently lowered his head.
It doesn’t matter, he thought to himself.
After all, Lang Ze would describe it to him later.
Interstellar travel was undoubtedly monotonous, especially when the journey passed through dark voids with no visible celestial bodies.
However, with a group of lively cubs chattering and finding everything fascinating, the dullness was nowhere to be found.
After his initial shock, Mu Yuncheng quickly adjusted his mindset.
When you’re traveling with a genuine deity, no matter what happens, there’s little reason to question life, he thought.
He then took on the role of a guide, explaining the wonders of the universe to the cubs. The young ones listened intently, and every time the ship passed by a celestial body, they would collectively exclaim, “Wow!”
Thanks to the cubs, what could have been a tedious interstellar journey was brimming with life and excitement.
Su Ci listened to Mu Yuncheng’s explanations while observing the celestial bodies along the way, quietly mapping the surroundings of Earth Star in his mind. Perhaps, one day, he could pay a visit to these “neighbors.”
When dinnertime arrived, Su Ci gathered the reluctant cubs and used the teleportation array to return them to the nursery. He also brought Mu Yuncheng and one of the pilots along, leaving another pilot aboard the spaceship to wait for the shift change.
When Mu Yuncheng stepped onto the nursery’s rooftop and saw the familiar surroundings—the place he had just left, the towering tree crown visible in the distance—he couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed.
To think that during an interstellar journey, they could momentarily return to their departure point, have a meal, relax, and then head back to the spaceship… It was something he would never have imagined before!
He had mentally prepared himself for half a year of surviving on nutrient solutions and canned food!
Yet, within a single day, he found himself once again sitting in the nursery’s dining hall, enjoying a steaming, delicious meal. The sense of happiness was indescribable.
Of course, what mattered most…
Mu Yuncheng glanced at his son, who was sitting beside him, his eyes filled with gentle affection.
During this dinner, the cubs’ conversation revolved entirely around the universe and the stars. Their lively chatter, paired with the delicious food, made for a heartwarming scene that left Li Sinian, Lai Ze, and the other adults, who hadn’t been invited along, utterly puzzled.
After dinner, when Mu Yuncheng was taking food to the pilot who stayed behind on the ship, the adults shamelessly tagged along.
This time, it was the little water sprite Pulu who escorted them back.
Although Ran Lie and Rong Heng could also operate the teleportation array, their current skills were limited to using the one at the riverside. They had yet to master the technique for switching between different arrays.
Pulu, however, wasn’t truly a cub but a spirit bound by rules to its small form, so it learned quickly.
When they returned to the spaceship, Mu Yuncheng finally felt at ease.
Now that he was confident the round-trip posed no issues, he no longer had any concerns. Instead, he began to look forward to the ship’s arrival at Mu Pa Pa Star, where he could immediately start relocating his tribe to the homeworld.
Excited by this thought, he quickly contacted the elders closest to Mu Pa Pa Star, instructing them to converge there.
Meanwhile, Li Sinian and the others decided to keep the teleportation technology a secret for now, except in emergencies. They felt a growing responsibility to protect Earth Star, the home the children cared about so deeply.
And so, the spaceship continued its journey to Mu Pa Pa Star, while Mu Yuncheng returned to Base 24 that night to sleep beside his son.
*
That evening, after taking a bath, Su Ci didn’t go to bed immediately. Instead, he sat on the sofa with a cup of hot milk, focusing on the teleportation array attached to the spaceship.
As the ship moved farther away, his ability to sense the array gradually weakened. Once the connection was lost entirely, they would no longer be able to teleport directly from Earth Star to the spaceship.
It was clear that a single teleportation array wasn’t enough to enable seamless interstellar travel. However…
It didn’t matter. If one wasn’t enough, then he’d make two, three, or even four. For Su Ci, crafting these arrays wasn’t particularly difficult.
Just as he was about to start working with some scrap metal from his spatial storage, he paused and turned toward the door, which automatically slid open.
Lang Ze’s small figure appeared in the doorway.
“Su Su, you’re still up!” Lang Ze exclaimed happily as he bounded into the room.
Su Ci watched as Lang Ze greeted A-Yan before hopping over and pulling out his spirit pouch, from which he began taking out various items.
“Su Su, these are my snacks—I’m giving them all to you!”
Since joining the Cub Squad and becoming well-acquainted with soldiers at other bases, Lang Ze had become a well-known “big spender.” Among the snacks he presented, there were even a few Su Ci had never seen before.
Su Ci raised an eyebrow and didn’t touch the snacks. Instead, he asked, “What do you want?”
Lang Ze grinned sheepishly, his smile filled with hopeful charm. “Su Su, you’re so amazing. Do you know if there’s any way to heal Xing Xing’s eyes?”
