Chapter 94
A-Yan listened to Su Ci’s words to the little monkey and watched the tiny specks of light merging into the earth. His heart couldn’t help but feel an unusual emotion.
Before meeting Su Ci, he had always thought of himself as human, even though no one in the base could see him.
In his innocence, he once held a special affection for humans. He deeply desired their attention, but over time, as he was repeatedly ignored day after day, that affection dulled and eventually turned into indifference.
Only by being indifferent could he endure the pain of unreciprocated loneliness.
But now, even though he knew he was a spirit and not human, seeing these sacrificed human warriors with their smiles as they transformed into specks of light to merge into the earth, A-Yan realized…
He still felt a sense of identification with humanity.
It was different from before, though.
A-Yan glanced at Su Ci, fully aware of what made this newfound feeling distinct.
After hearing Su Ci’s comforting words, the little monkey wiped its tears, climbed onto Su Ci’s arm again, and perched on his shoulder.
However, noticing the muddy footprints it left on Su Ci’s gray-blue uniform, it suddenly lowered its head, ashamed, after inspecting its soles.
Su Ci did not scold it, nor was he displeased.
After all, as the Spirit of the Earth, how could he dislike dirt? What he thought instead was that the little monkey’s spirit form was becoming increasingly solid.
With that thought, Su Ci handed the monkey a cloth.
“Clean it yourself.”
The little monkey obediently took the cloth, carefully wiping its feet as it sat on Su Ci’s shoulder, not missing even the crevices between its toes.
As for the footprints? Seeing them might create trouble for the humans at the base.
Su Ci’s eyes glinted faintly with gold, and the muddy footprints on his uniform disappeared, restoring the gray-blue fabric to its pristine condition.
A-Yan, watching this from the side, stared intently.
It was that technique again—the one that made things clean. He was determined to learn it!
When the monkey finished cleaning its feet, Su Ci stood up again, surveying the riverbed around him.
He decided not to venture further outward for now. Haste makes waste, and it was better to consolidate this area—between the current location and the outskirts of Base 24—first.
So, what next?
With a flash, Su Ci appeared on the opposite riverbank and gazed into the distance. The wasteland stretched out before him, with the blood mist of resentment he had driven back hovering restlessly a thousand meters away, eager to surge forward again.
It was clear that once he left, the blood mist would return, invading this area once more.
Although the lingering glows of the warriors’ souls protected the riverbed, such terrifying resentment might erode even that safeguard.
More importantly, Su Ci wanted these spirits to rest in peace.
As he pondered, his fingers traced patterns in the air.
A formation quickly began to take shape. Su Ci kept adjusting its structure thoughtfully. This was the first time A-Yan had seen Su Ci creating a formation, and he was mesmerized by the process.
The little monkey, naturally, noticed too.
Although it couldn’t understand what the caretaker was doing, it was as captivated as A-Yan.
Finally, Su Ci finished and pulled back his hand with satisfaction.
He began walking along the riverbank, setting down formations approximately every hundred meters. The small formations, no bigger than coins, were etched onto rocks and appeared inconspicuous.
After placing around twenty formations, covering a two-kilometer stretch of river, Su Ci stopped.
He looked up at the cliff ahead.
The river channel near Base 24 ran north to south, and he had been heading upstream. Here, where there should have been a magnificent waterfall, was now a dry cliff due to the river’s depleted source.
Su Ci stroked his chin, setting a few water purification and spirit-gathering formations at the base of the cliff. Perhaps, one day, if the river flowed again, these formations could serve a purpose.
Then, he left and continued downstream along the riverbank.
Walking, he looked for suitable stones to place formations until he reached another cliff a thousand meters away.
This time, he stood atop the cliff, overlooking the plains below.
The little monkey on Su Ci’s shoulder initially panicked as they approached the cliff edge, clutching Su Ci’s clothes tightly for fear of falling.
But as a gentle breeze blew and its nerves settled, the monkey began to enjoy the view from such a high vantage point.
Although most of the plain ahead was shrouded in blood mist, the part it could see left it in awe.
The world outside was so vast, far greater than the little world it had known in the nursery.
“Does it feel like the outside world is terrible?” A voice whispered in its ear. It was Su Ci.
The little monkey stiffened.
It wasn’t a true beast, so it could understand Su Ci’s words and had thoughts of its own.
When it first saw the desolate, lifeless scenery outside, the little monkey had indeed felt that it was terrible and had been filled with disappointment.
Although its feelings hadn’t completely changed, the sense of loss had diminished greatly.
Even if the world was grim, it still longed for something better.
At that moment, the little monkey heard its caretaker continue, “Then let’s change this world.”
The words left the little monkey momentarily stunned. It turned its head to stare intently at the young man’s profile.
The young man wasn’t looking at it.
He was gazing quietly ahead, his tone casual and his expression calm and unfluctuating. Yet, there was a sense of unwavering determination about him.
It was as if this was something he was resolutely set on doing.
“Let’s make this world a better place, shall we?”
Faced with this question, the little monkey didn’t hesitate. It nodded eagerly, and afraid that Su Ci might not notice, it let out a soft squeak.
At the same time, its round, black eyes sparkled like shiny grapes, brimming with hope and anticipation for the future.
Change this terrible world!
Even though it didn’t know what a small creature like itself could do for this world, the caretaker was strong. Whatever he set his mind to, he would surely accomplish!
Standing beside Su Ci, A-Yan remained silent, but his gaze spoke volumes.
Unlike the little monkey, the images that occasionally surfaced in his mind told him that the world wasn’t always like this.
The past world was beautiful, abundant, and teeming with vitality.
He didn’t know how long it would take to restore it to that state, but he was determined to follow Su Su and change this world, making it vibrant once more!
Seeing the little monkey nod, Su Ci’s lips curved into a slight smile.
Perfect. He now had another little helper.
With that thought, Su Ci placed a few miniature formations around the cliff as well. Fortunately, these small formations didn’t require much soul energy. Otherwise, creating so many at once would have been a monumental task for him in his current state.
Even so, by the time Su Ci returned to the riverbed—the place where they had encountered the blood-red mud monster—it was already three hours later.
It was nearing dusk, and the sky had grown dim.
Just as Su Ci was about to redirect groundwater into the river, he suddenly sensed something. He paused briefly, then flashed to the base of the riverbank cliff. Extending his finger, he brushed aside a small patch of slightly damp soil.
Seeing Su Ci suddenly run off, A-Yan quickly lifted his foot. In the next instant, he appeared right beside Su Ci.
Shrinking the Earth into Inches!
A-Yan froze for a moment, suppressing the joy of mastering a new skill, and looked up toward the area Su Ci was observing.
There, in a crevice of the cliff, was a patch of slightly damp soil. Likely moistened during the earlier blood rain and shaded from the sun, it hadn’t completely dried out even after all this time.
Su Ci gently cleared away the damp soil, revealing—
A small blade of grass growing in the crack.
It was less than two centimeters tall, its leaves shriveled and reddish, wilted and devoid of green. It looked for all the world like a dead, dried-up weed.
But Su Ci and A-Yan both knew it was still alive.
This seemingly withered little plant still contained faint traces of vitality.
And even if it were completely lifeless, so what? Su Ci could use the divine power of Spring to a Withered Tree to revive it.
However, Su Ci had noticed something more than A-Yan.
Within this small blade of grass, aside from its faint vitality, there was a dense presence of resentment.
If left to grow in such an environment, it had a high chance of turning into a demon plant. This outcome was inevitable.
In such a hostile world, all forms of life, regardless of origin, had to rely on the resentment around them for sustenance. Otherwise, survival was impossible.
But…
Even if it became a demon plant, so what?
This was the first truly native plant Su Ci had discovered on Earth Star since waking up.
That fact alone was enough to make him overjoyed.
The plants from the cultivation gardens all originated from the stars. While they shared the same ancestry as Earth Star’s plants, they had been altered by their journey through the cosmos and bore marks of those changes.
Given the current state of the earth, Su Ci had assumed that no plant life would survive. He never expected this pleasant surprise during his exploration.
“Su Su, is this a plant?” A-Yan asked uncertainly as he looked at the withered red grass.
“Yes.” Su Ci nodded. “This is a type of herbaceous plant, commonly known as wild grass.”
“Wild grass?”
“Yes. They mostly grow in the wild and are incredibly resilient. However, when they appear in fields, they compete with crops for nutrients, causing reduced yields. Because of this, human farmers often dislike them.”
Su Ci explained to the two little ones, “But some humans also praise them.”
“‘The boundless grasses on the plain; they wither and thrive year after year. Wildfires cannot destroy them; spring breezes give them life again.’ These lines describe wild grass.” Su Ci’s gaze softened as he looked at the shriveled, reddish weed growing in the crack of the stone. His expression carried a mix of affection and nostalgia.
As the Spirit of the Earth, how could he not love a plant so tenacious?
The greenery of the earth would be incomplete without the embellishment of wild grass.
He hadn’t expected that, even in the earth’s current ruined state, after enduring countless years of erosion and hardship, a seed lodged in the crevice of a cliff could rely on its own strength to take root and sprout.
What kind of trials had it faced to break through its seed coat, push through layers of obstacles, and not only sprout but grow to this height?
Even though it was just under two centimeters tall, Su Ci found it extraordinary.
A-Yan, however, was lost in thought. As the young man recited poetry, a vivid image unfurled in A-Yan’s mind—
An endless expanse of plains, lush green grass carpeting the ground and stretching all the way to the horizon. On the vast grasslands, a lone figure sat by a campfire.
Above the campfire, a whole lamb roasted on a spit, dripping hot oil that sizzled as it hit the wood below. People dressed in vibrant colors danced and sang around the fire.
But the lone figure remained seated by the flames, clutching a jug of wine. Occasionally, he glanced at the performers, but most of his attention stayed on the roasting lamb.
Though surrounded by the lively crowd, he seemed confined to a world of his own—content yet exuding an air of solitude.
A-Yan blinked.
“The boundless grasses on the plain; they wither and thrive year after year. Wildfires cannot destroy them; spring breezes give them life again…”
So, the wild grass that grows again this spring—was it the same as last year’s?
A-Yan didn’t have an answer, nor did he voice the question.
Instinct told him it was better not to ask.
Meanwhile, Su Ci retrieved an empty tin can from his spatial button and scooped some soil from the riverbed into it.
The soil, once blood-red, had turned to a healthy yellowish-brown. Originally part of the purged mud monster, it was moist and rich with water.
He handed the tin can to A-Yan, then carefully transferred the frail little wild grass into it.
Su Ci had been especially cautious, fearing he might damage its roots. However, the wild grass’s roots were shockingly short—barely half a centimeter in length. How it had managed to survive before was a mystery.
Once the grass was planted in the soil, both Su Ci and A-Yan felt a distinct change in its energy.
Confusion, uncertainty, but finally, joy.
Even the slightest improvement in its environment was a tremendous blessing to the plant. It didn’t shout slogans like Princess or lie dormant for hours like a Lazybone Instead, it quietly and determinedly put all its energy into growing.
The little monkey perched on Su Ci’s shoulder tilted its head, gazing curiously at the tiny wild grass.
Having visited the cultivation garden, it was far more familiar with plants than other younglings. But this was the first time it had seen a plant so small and ugly.
Wild grass…
Could it really survive?
Seeing the little monkey’s curiosity, Su Ci handed the tin can to it and said, “Hold it carefully. This is very important.”
“In the future, this little wild grass will help us change the world.”
Hearing this, the little monkey tensed up. Although it found the wild grass rather unimpressive and doubted its potential, it was resolute in carrying out anything the caretaker instructed.
Cradling the tin can in its small arms, the monkey instinctively used one hand to shield the top of the can, protecting the fragile grass from the wind.
Noticing this protective gesture, Su Ci’s lips curved into a smile. At last, he felt reassured enough to entrust the wild grass to the little monkey’s care for now.
Then, he looked down at the riverbed beneath his feet. After a moment of thought, he decided not to act immediately.
Initially, Su Ci had planned to draw underground water to irrigate the riverbed. However, after discovering the little wild grass, he changed his mind.
Perhaps, in some unnoticed corners, other fragile lives were also struggling to survive without being discovered.
Flooding the riverbed with water might provide moisture, but for these lifeforms, which had adapted to extreme drought, being suddenly submerged could do more harm than good.
Moreover, the rushing current could easily wash away their tenuous footholds, worsening their already precarious situation.
With this in mind—and since night was falling, and he was already tired—Su Ci decided to hold off for the time being.
He took A-Yan and the little monkey with him, leaving the riverbed and returning to the dilapidated spaceship.
The moment Su Ci left, the blood mist lurking in the distance surged back into the area. This movement was immediately picked up by the meteorological observation team, who had been closely monitoring the region.
They had already received reports of a 30-meter-tall mud monster appearing in the riverbed. Whether it would leave the area to attack Base 24 was still unknown, but the base had been placed on high alert.
At the meteorological observation post, every team member was gathered around the monitoring station, intently watching for any anomalies in the red mist.
Strangely enough, more than three hours had passed, yet nothing unusual had happened in that area.
The mud monster they were so concerned about had not left the riverbed. Surely, even at the slowest pace, it should have reached the base’s visible perimeter by now, right?
And yet, the personnel stationed near the base’s metal walls hadn’t seen any sign of the monster—not even a trace.
The weather was clear and sunny, with visibility much better than usual, and there were no signs of extreme weather brewing. Everyone was left scratching their heads in confusion.
As darkness began to settle, the situation became increasingly untenable. Sending large numbers of people out at night was inherently dangerous, and remaining stuck in this deadlock wasn’t a viable solution either.
Finally, Yan Ping lost his patience. Taking matters into his own hands, he personally piloted a drone toward the riverbed.
He was cautious at first, but when the drone transmitted images of the riverbed, everyone was left speechless.
There was nothing in the riverbed except for three strange mounds of soil and a few scattered dirt hills. Where was the 30-meter-tall mud monster?
Of course, so many people had witnessed it firsthand, and the flight recorder corroborated the sighting. Everyone knew the mud monster had been real.
But somehow, in the three-plus hours during which they had maintained a defensive stance, something had happened in the riverbed that made the monster vanish without a trace.
In any case, the mud monster was gone!
Everyone couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. The personnel stationed near the metal walls were finally able to stand down.
It wasn’t that they feared fighting, but they dreaded pointless sacrifices. If the mud monster had indeed attacked the base, it was possible that even if they all perished in its defense, they still wouldn’t have been able to hold the line.
The group was visibly relieved, but Yan Ping alone still frowned deeply.
He stared at the images transmitted by the drone, zooming in slightly on the footage. He pretended to casually scan the area as if searching for details, but the frame that appeared on the monitor lasted less than a blink.
Still, Yan Ping had gotten the information he needed. His expression grew increasingly peculiar.
In the fleeting image, he had spotted a pair of adult shoe prints and… a pair of small, childlike footprints he now recognized very well.
Almost instinctively, a certain figure surfaced in his mind—the image of that novice caretaker.
Although he had long suspected that this trainee caretaker wasn’t ordinary, Yan Ping hadn’t imagined that the other’s strength was this terrifying!
The one who had provoked the mud monster’s rage was none other than Caretaker Su, and Number One… no, A-Yan!
These two actually had the audacity to travel so far from the base without detection and face a 30-meter-tall mud monster head-on…
Most astonishing of all, they had won.
Recalling his own reaction to the mud monster—immediate retreat, with not even a thought of resistance—Yan Ping felt deeply ashamed.
Compared to true powerhouses, he was still too weak. He had already lost the battle mentally before even engaging.
As a warrior, how could he allow fear to set in before facing the enemy? If he hadn’t fled at the time, could they have witnessed an epic battle?
But regret was pointless. Yan Ping chastised himself even as he lamented the missed opportunity.
Then again, from another perspective, it was probably a good thing they hadn’t disrupted this powerhouse’s role-playing game.
At the very least, having such a formidable presence stationed at the base gave Yan Ping a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in a long time—not since joining the operations team, and especially not since becoming captain of Squad Four.
To ensure this powerhouse stayed at the base for as long as possible, Yan Ping resolved to keep this secret to himself.
He maneuvered the drone to zoom out, confirming once more that the threat from the riverbed had truly been resolved, before hastily guiding it back to avoid capturing any more footage.
As a result, he didn’t record the sight of the surging blood mist rushing back into the riverbed after Su Ci’s departure.
Back at the meteorological observation post, everyone watching this scene had their hearts in their throats.
The blood mist, surging like a tidal wave, was sweeping straight toward the base! Such a large-scale movement of blood mist itself constituted an extreme weather event.
Worse still, it was the kind of extreme weather monsters favored most.
Yet, as the dense blood mist reached the blue line on the monitoring map that represented the riverbed, it suddenly… stopped?
East of the blue line, the map was dark red, almost black. West of the line, it was pure white, creating a stark, unmistakable boundary.
The crisis appeared to… be resolved?
The head of the meteorological observation team considered asking Yan Ping to send the drone back out, but after hearing that it was already returning to base, he reluctantly dropped the matter.
Unaware of any of this, Su Ci hesitated before heading back to the nursery. Instead, he took the little monkey to the medical ward.
He had decided to ask Gu Qingchen about the condition of Number Six.
