Without time to think too much, Old Black piloted his mech and hid behind Lin Xiaohe.
The yellow flowers landed on the pale yellow protective shield, like petals falling onto a pond—they spun slightly and then slowly slid off.
If Old Black hadn’t personally experienced just how dangerous those yellow flowers were, he would have thought this scene was incredibly beautiful.
The mech wobbled, then crashed to the ground with a thud, crushing several more flowers in the process.
Instantly, several more large holes were corroded into the mech’s armor.
Forgetting his own danger, Old Black shouted, “Xiaohe, go save Pili Ge!”
The pink Beetle mech, familiar with the routine, set up its cannons and aimed them at the mutant plant, going biu biu.
Surprisingly, this mutant plant was exceptionally tenacious and managed to withstand Doudou’s attacks for a full half-hour.
Right up until its last moment, it suddenly exploded with a loud bang.
Green blood splattered through the air, falling like a strange green rain.
The surrounding mutant plants greedily absorbed this sudden nourishment. Lin Xiaohe keenly noticed that tiny flower buds were beginning to grow at the forks of their branches.
Feeling something was wrong, Lin Xiaohe quickly piloted her mech back across the river, hoisted the unconscious Pili Ge, and sped away.
Every hair on her body stood on end. This sense of crisis was even greater than when she’d faced a nuclear missile attack!
Deep within the mutant plant zone, it felt like an incredibly powerful presence was watching her.
“Old Black Ge, get out now!”
Old Black obediently climbed out of his cockpit. The next second, he was hoisted into the air by the beetle’s hind leg, experiencing the bumpy ride as the Beetle mech ran for its life.
Lin Xiaohe fled back to the monitoring post as if her life depended on it.
Although the monitoring post was very close to the mutant plant zone, it was at least a familiar place and offered some sense of security.
Lin Xiaohe gently placed Old Black Ge and Pili Ge on the ground, then climbed out of the cockpit.
She was drenched in sweat, her short hair plastered wetly against her forehead, making her face look even smaller.
Old Black Ge immediately checked on Pili Ge but couldn’t find anything wrong; the guy was just unconscious for no apparent reason.
Lin Xiaohe walked over, extremely worried.
Suddenly, a system notification sounded in her mind.
[Detected mutant plant seed nearby. Do you wish to archive it?]
Huh?
She’d been beside the mutant plant zone for a while, but this was the first time the system had prompted her about detecting a seed.
Lin Xiaohe nodded her head in agreement.
[Confirmed. Archiving seed.]
The next second, a faint red light, lasting only about 0.1 seconds, flashed across Pili Ge’s chest.
“Xiaohe, did you just see something?” Old Black rubbed his eyes. He thought he’d seen a red dot on Pili Ge.
Lin Xiaohe acted naturally. “No, I didn’t see anything. Maybe you’re too tired? Or maybe it’s an effect from the mutant plants?”
Old Black pulled open Pili Ge’s clothes and felt around on his chest but found no red dot. He hesitated, “Could I really have imagined it?”
“Waaah! Old Black, I treat you like a brother, and you try to get fresh with me!” Pili Ge’s eyes just snapped open, and he acted like the sky was falling.
His good buddy Old Black was actually groping him while he was unconscious!
Completely sidetracked by Pili Ge’s accusation, Old Black forgot his earlier suspicion and smacked the fool hard on the head.
“Even if I were to get with a sow, it wouldn’t be you.”
“That’s going a bit far,” Pili Ge joked, remembering what had happened. “I’m still slightly better than a pig, aren’t I?”
“Get lost! You should be thanking Xiaohe! If it weren’t for her, we’d both be done for here.”
Pili Ge had noticed Lin Xiaohe earlier, but he hadn’t trusted his own eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
He never expected it to really be Xiaohe!
“Xiaohe, I can’t possibly repay you for saving my life…”
Lin Xiaohe shook her head like a waving flag. “No need for you to offer your life to me in marriage.”
Pili Ge sat up, clutching his chest dramatically. “Boohoo, even Xiaohe thinks I’m a loser.”
The three of them joked around and shared what had happened to each of them.
Old Black clicked his tongue, his expression complicated. “So it was you who sabotaged our mission.”
Lin Xiaohe blinked her big eyes, sighing emotionally. “If I’d known the reporter group was with you guys, I would’ve just asked you directly. I wouldn’t have had to go through all that trouble attacking the base.”
Pili Ge, gnawing on a nutrient pack, complained, “No way. That damn woman Lisa would never have agreed.”
Lin Xiaohe raised an eyebrow. “You two are so capable, why do you listen to her?”
Old Black glanced at the one-bar, one-star insignia on Lin Xiaohe’s shoulder and said wistfully, “Military service really toughens a person up. You’ve even learned how to sow discord.”
“I’m just saying this for your own good.” Lin Xiaohe straightened her neck, speaking with righteous conviction. “What’s so great about being a space pirate? You’d be better off sticking with me!”
Old Black ruffled Lin Xiaohe’s hair and said bluntly, “You’re young, but you’ve got a big mouth. Don’t you know we space pirates are supposed to be ruthless criminals? And you actually want to be our boss.”
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes shone brightly. “I have eyes. I can see for myself. You and Pili Ge are both good people.”
Good people?
Old Black wanted to laugh, but meeting Lin Xiaohe’s trusting gaze, he couldn’t.
Lin Xiaohe genuinely believed they were good people.
“Hmph, then you’re wrong. In the future, don’t hang around people like us. Be careful, or you might get sold out.” Old Black lowered his eyes, unable to look at Lin Xiaohe.
Pili Ge drank one tube of nutrient fluid but still felt very hungry, like his body had been drained.
He opened another tube, drinking it while undermining Old Black. “Of course, we’d like to stick with you. You’re a special recruit, already a Second Lieutenant at such a young age—you’ve got a bright future. But we signed a contract with the Raider Group, and the penalty for breaking it is huge.”
Money, ah, such a tantalizing little creature.
Lin Xiaohe had no money.
She scratched her head. “Well, you two wait. Once I’m strong enough, you can work as my informants. We’ll wipe out Iron Meteor in one go, and then you’ll be free, right?”
Pili Ge laughed heartily. “Alright, we’ll be your informants.”
The three of them rested at the outpost for the night.
The next day, Pili Ge and Old Black said their goodbyes to Lin Xiaohe.
Their two battered mechs flew back into the Black Sand Desert, where there were factions that could take them off the planet Milos.
Lin Xiaohe leaned against her Beetle mech, sighing deeply.
When your strength isn’t enough, even recruiting a few underlings is so hard. And even if you do recruit them, you can’t support them.
Still shaken by the presence deep in the mutant plant zone, she didn’t dare harvest any more plants. Instead, she dutifully started browsing through her Plant Summoner System.
The newly archived seed was a tomato seed. Just activating it cost 20 skill points.
Wincing internally, Lin Xiaohe paid the price.
[Name: Mutant Tomato]
[Affection: -20]
[Stage: Seedling]
[Level: 15]
[Vitality: 100/100]
[Attack Power: 1000]
[Skill: Affection too low to view]
Huh?!
1000 Attack Power?!
Lin Xiaohe’s jaw nearly dropped. Doudou’s attack power was only 400!
Lin Xiaohe rubbed her hands together eagerly, grinning. Had the heavens finally heard her sincere prayers?
Even though the affection was -20, it wasn’t a big deal.
Lin Xiaohe knew the drill. She immediately offered 10,000 space dollars.
[Mutant Tomato Affection -5]
No effect?
Lin Xiaohe’s smile stiffened, her expression turning serious. The Mutant Tomato didn’t like space dollars. Time to try skill points.
She fed it 5 skill points.
[Mutant Tomato Affection -5]
Huh?!
Lin Xiaohe couldn’t smile anymore.
Fine. You little creature have officially gotten my attention.
