After Chu Huai Zhi resumed his position as Marshal, the very first order he gave was for a total, universe-wide conscription.
Unite every force that can be united. Loosen the recruitment requirements. Improve the benefits for military service. Rally the entire Federation’s strength to defend against the external threat.
Lin Xiaohe understood and respected the black market folks who wanted to use military service as a way to clean up their records.
A vast, mighty fleet of ships and warships turned around and headed back toward the Federation. Only Brother Dong stayed behind.
He handed over his supply ships to Lin Xiaohe, then obediently settled down near the Stardust Wall, having made up his mind not to leave the radiation range of Lin Xiaohe’s sphere of influence until the situation calmed down.
Lin Xiaohe checked the messages from Melina, memorized the war zone map, and glanced over the Federation’s latest movements.
Melina had gathered more information than the average citizen, especially regarding the Zerg.
She told Lin Xiaohe that Chu Huai Zhi had somehow recruited a group of incredibly strong, eccentric experts from who-knows-where.
These experts formed their own independent unit called the “Resetors” (or “Return-to-Zero-ers”).
They were few in number, but highly lethal. Within three days, they had eliminated three “Void Devourers” in the First Star Ring.
The Federation’s current strategy was: the Resetors would handle the high-level Zerg, while special forces from the military and the Ministry of Security would take the lead in rescuing planets where wormholes had appeared.
Regular forces, which lacked the same level of firepower and individual soldier quality, were assigned to the front lines against the Empire.
The military forces of all six star ring sectors were unified and reassigned. Military command authority was centralized under the Federal Marshal.
The Federal Government announced that they had officially entered a state of war.
The Federation, which had been caught off guard by the Zerg and scattered like loose sand, was now pulling together again under Marshal Chu’s command.
The vast majority of people firmly believed that the Federation could stabilize the situation and achieve ultimate victory.
At the end of her message, Melina forwarded the Federal Government’s official announcement clarifying the incident.
Lin Xiaohe curled her lip. Every single word of that announcement reeked of condescending disdain. It wasn’t sincere at all!
Who cares?!
Lin Xiaohe sent Melina the “Sugar Bean Bible” (Tang Dou Bao Dian), then turned and piloted the supply ships back to Kyushu Star.
On Kyushu Star, Wesley and the others had transformed into the most devout farmers, carefully tending to the plants with utmost care.
“I’m not bragging,” Wesley said cheerfully, “but even a blade of grass grown on our Kyushu Star tastes better than anything from the Federation!”
Dong Yuxuan, from the renowned Third Star Ring planting family, endorsed Kyushu Star: “I can vouch for that. The crops on Kyushu Star have more soul.”
Grandma Lin smiled happily: “Our Kyushu Star is getting better and better. It’s just a shame about all that vast ocean. If we could also raise some aquatic products, we wouldn’t be short on meat anymore!”
Hearing this, Lin Xiaohe had an idea. With proper planning, aquaculture could definitely be set up!
She decided that when the Great Voice Whale Elder returned, she would ask him where he caught those crayfish. Maybe she could catch some and bring them back to raise in the water?
As Lin Xiaohe pondered this possibility, she walked over to the area near the Jianmu tree.
The mutated seeds she had planted had all sprouted, taken root, and borne fruit.
Plump, round green beans, bright red chili peppers, golden yellow corn — they all looked perfectly normal on the outside.
Lin Xiaohe leaned in, snapped off a chili pepper, and popped it into her mouth. It was spicy and hot, but contained no stardust residue and showed no signs of mutation.
She frowned deeply. What’s going on?
Seeds from stardust-mutated plants had been sown, yet what grew were ordinary crops?
That defied all logic!
Was it a problem with the seeds, or a problem with the soil?
Lin Xiaohe pressed her lips together. Next time she went to see Old Dong, she’d have to ask him for some ordinary, natural soil to run a comparison experiment.
“Arghhh! What is this?! Why can’t I analyze it?!” Over by the side of the Jianmu tree, Mo Li was kneeling on the ground, banging his forehead on the dirt in frustration.
Lin Jingqiu, standing next to him, waved at Xiao He, then helplessly tried to persuade her master: “Master, can we please give up on researching that tube of reagent? Please?”
Why did he have to keep banging his head against that wall?
Mo Li shook his head, clutching his head with his two mechanical arms, his face a picture of utter breakdown: “I have OCD! If I don’t figure out what that reagent is, I’ll die with regrets!”
Lin Jingqiu was also on the verge of collapse. Out of over a thousand people, she was the only usable pharmacist. She was completely spread thin.
Especially since the Great Voice Whale babies drank the potions like they were soft drinks. It was incredibly demanding!
Lin Xiaohe felt sorry for her second sister, so she walked over: “What reagent? Let me take a look.”
She was, after all, someone who could soar to the heavens and dive into the earth, who had experienced great rises and falls, who had seen big things. Maybe she could recognize it?
Mo Li gave her a distrustful glance, but due to Lin Xiaohe’s authority, he had no choice but to pull the tube of reagent from his chest, unable to resist adding: “Be careful. Don’t break it.”
The tube still carried Mo Li’s body heat. The blue liquid inside was thick like a dense paste, flecked with specks of starlight.
Lin Xiaohe examined it carefully. It looked familiar, yet she couldn’t quite remember where she had seen it before.
Interesting.
Even after she had leveled up, with Xin Bao assisting her, she had long had a photographic memory. So why couldn’t she remember this little thing?!
Something was fishy. Definitely fishy.
Lin Xiaohe opened the reagent tube, used a dropper to suck up a drop, and placed it on her palm.
The blue droplet quivered slightly, looking quite bouncy and jelly-like.
“Slurp!”
Huh?!
Everyone looked in surprise at the little red beetle that had suddenly appeared on Lin Xiaohe’s palm.
It swallowed the droplet in one gulp: “Xiao He! More! Want more!”
Lin Xiaohe doted on the little creature, so she simply poured half the tube of reagent onto her palm, completely submerging Xiao Hei (Little Black).
Xiao Hei happily paddled around in the liquid.
Mo Li’s mouth twitched. He knew it! Lin Xiaohe and this reagent were just incompatible!
After eating half a tube of the reagent, Xiao Hei let out a satisfied burp, but still stared longingly at the remaining half.
Mo Li lunged forward with a single stride, pinched the reagent tube, and said dryly, “Xiao He, don’t trouble yourself. I’ll handle it myself, okay?”
Please, please, stop trying to “analyze” it. If this goes on, the remaining half-tube of reagent would probably all end up feeding this greedy little bug!
Lin Xiaohe awkwardly returned the reagent tube to Mo Li.
Look at the mess she’d caused.
“If I get a chance, I’ll make it up to you.”
“Heh!” Yeah, right. That pie-in-the-sky promise was bigger than a black hole.
An awkward atmosphere spread among the three of them.
Suddenly, the skies above Kyushu Star churned with activity.
A wormhole, originally only the size of a plate, began spinning at high speed, flashing with purple light.
Mo Li only glanced at it for a moment before feeling dizzy and disoriented.
The sky instantly darkened. A damp, oppressive weight flowed across the entire planet.
An ancient, solemn, and majestic voice echoed in everyone’s minds, making their scalps tighten.
“What insolent little thief dares to steal our clan’s secret treasure! In the name of my master, you shall be punished!”
As the voice finished speaking, a massive tentacle emerged from the enormous wormhole, which now occupied nearly a quarter of the sky.
The suckers on the tentacle expanded and contracted, as if breathing.
Then, a smooth, enormous body prepared to squeeze out of the wormhole. A pair of sesame-seed-sized eyes locked onto Lin Xiaohe’s gaze.
“Nanii?! Why is it you again?!”
Lin Xiaohe could actually see the shock and disbelief in those tiny little eyes.
This familiar, over-the-top, almost corny vibe reminded Lin Xiaohe of the octopus she had encountered during the Inter-Academy Military Competition.
But wasn’t that thing supposed to be a virtual creation of Nuwa?!
Silence. It was the Cambridge of the moment (a lighthearted reference to “silence is golden”).
One person, one bug. There was no joy of reunion between old acquaintances. Only a profound, heartfelt sense of [Oh, fate!].
Just as Lin Xiaohe was wondering whether she should say hello or not, the octopus recoiled as if it had been burned, whoosh — it shrank back into the wormhole.
As if suddenly remembering something, it extended all its tentacles, used every ounce of its energy, and closed the wormhole shut!
Everyone on Kyushu Star looked up, eyes wide, mouths agape, utterly stunned by the scene.
A wormhole… can be closed?!
On the Zerg’s tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong, and to treat different people differently.
