CH 4

Jian Ning gasped for breath and released his palm, collapsing onto the ground. He knew that his plant abilities allowed him to command plants to attack humans. However, whenever monsters appeared on Earth, he would immediately retreat to the base because of his young age and the constant protection he received. Later, he was assigned to vegetable cultivation and had never experienced anything like today, where he was able to rapidly grow a seed into a mature plant and command it to fight. When he made his move, he wasn't confident, but luckily, he succeeded.

"Tuan Tuan!" Thinking of the little guy, he quickly raised his head, and Tuan Tuan ran over to him on his short legs, his mouth still stained with fresh blood.

Jian Ning lifted his sleepwear and wiped Tuan Tuan's mouth. The little guy seemed fine, without any injuries.

Without his ability to support, the red fruit tree withered quickly. Jian Ning got up from the ground and walked over to Weiss, avoiding the withered branches on the floor. He reached out and checked Weiss's breath and confirmed that he was no longer breathing.

The military would surely come looking for Weiss when they discovered he was missing, and it wouldn't take long for them to find this place. Jian Ning panicked for a moment, picked up Tuan Tuan, returned to his bedroom, removed the shielding device in a hurry, and quickly went to the next door to knock on Lin Yang's door.

The robotic butler let him in, and Lin Yang, still drowsy, came out of the bedroom. Upon seeing Jian Ning's pale face and bloodstained sleepwear, he instantly became alert and asked anxiously, "What happened?"

Jian Ning picked up the hot water brought by the robotic butler, took a sip to steady himself, and recounted the incident of Weiss breaking into his home.

After listening, Lin Yang's expression turned grim. He quickly changed clothes and went back with Jian Ning.

Entering the room where the intense conflict had just taken place, Lin Yang's eyes widened in shock. Inside the room, a thick and tall red fruit tree lay on the ground, with long withered branches and roots covering the floor. In the center of the room, a lifeless man lay on the ground, a large pool of blood around his neck.

"You have to leave this place." Without time to ask about the red fruit tree, Lin Yang checked Weiss's wounds and said solemnly.

Jian Ning was just an ordinary person, while Weiss was the family member of the highest-ranking officer stationed on Blue Star. Once they discovered that he died here in Jian Ning's place, there would be no trial. Jian Ning would be immediately taken to prison and executed.

Anxiously holding Tuan Tuan, Jian Ning asked, "Go... where should I go?"

Lin Yang spoke firmly, "Imperial Star, Saint's Academy."

Blue Star was no longer safe. Jian Ning had to escape far away. He had nowhere else to go, but as long as he entered Saint's Academy and became an outstanding cultivator, even if this matter was discovered, no one would dare harm him recklessly.

Lin Yang took out his OptiBrain and checked, saying, "There's a spaceship going to Imperial Star tomorrow. Take the earliest one."

Looking at the time, it was already midnight, and the earliest ship tomorrow would depart at 6 a.m. They had six hours to prepare.

First, Jian Ning needed a fake identity card to discreetly leave Blue Star without being traced.

"Follow me," Lin Yang led Jian Ning and Tuan Tuan back to his own house. At the doorstep, he paused and took a tiny metallic grain from the doorknob. Frowning, he asked Jian Ning, "Who visited your house today?"

"... My stepmother," Jian Ning looked at the metallic grain, puzzled, and asked, "What is this?"

Lin Yang's face turned serious. "This is a jammer. When attached to the doorknob, it disrupts the lock function, allowing it to be opened without a fingerprint. It's favored by many thieves."

Jian Ning's expression changed, understanding what had happened. No wonder Weiss could enter his house without making any noise. It turned out to be the doing of his stepmother.

"Let's get the identity card first." With limited time, they had to temporarily set this matter aside. Lin Yang brought them back to his house and took out a silver box from the bedroom.

"You need to change your face before leaving," Lin Yang opened the box and took out a small metal container. He then retrieved a thin, circular soft film from the container, about the size of a pinky fingernail. He explained, "This is a disguise film. By adjusting the data, it forms a virtual mask on your face, concealing your true appearance. As long as you don't remove it, it's difficult for ordinary people to notice."

After a moment of thought, Lin Yang affixed it behind Jian Ning's ear.

As soon as it was applied, a transparent panel appeared in front of him. Lin Yang put on specially designed glasses and tapped on the panel a few times. Then he retracted the panel and handed Jian Ning a mirror.

Jian Ning took the mirror and looked at the person inside. It was a stranger, a young boy, with completely changed features except for the eyes. His nose, eyebrows, and mouth had all transformed, and his appearance could only be described as delicate.

Lin Yang explained, "The virtual mask can't disguise the eyes, so the eyes can't be altered. However, with just a pair of eyes, no one can recognize you."

Jian Ning looked at the person in the mirror and agreed deeply. If he didn't know that it was him, he wouldn't recognize himself.

He reached out to touch his face, and the person in the mirror also touched his face, without any sense of discordance or flaw.

"Your hair needs to be trimmed as well." Lin Yang looked at his slightly long hair and called the versatile robotic butler to give him a haircut.

"Professor, why did Tuan Tuan suddenly change back before it was time for the medicine he ate?" Jian Ning looked at Tuan Tuan playing with a yarn ball on the sofa and asked.

Lin Yang bent down and picked up Tuan Tuan, patting his little paw as he explained, "You were in danger, and Tuan Tuan's mental power erupted momentarily, rendering the medicine ineffective. We'll administer it again." 

He went back to the room and brought out another pill, feeding it to Tuan Tuan. The snowy white Tuan Tuan transformed back into a small dog with a gray-black fur.

"Let's go, time to get you new identities," Lin Yang said. He took out a communicator and pressed a few buttons. After Jian Ning's haircut was done, he led them out of the door.

Lin Yang drove them in a hover car to a secluded alley in the East District. They found a small, rundown shop hidden in the corner and knocked on the door.

The shop door took a while to open, and a robot led them inside.

It was an antique shop, small and somewhat messy. Behind the glass counter were various items that seemed to have a long history. A messy pile of blankets cluttered the couch, and a man with disheveled hair yawned as he lay in the blankets, looking at them.

"Nuo Wen recommended me. I need two identity cards," Lin Yang directly addressed the man.

The man glanced at them lazily and got up from the couch. "Follow me."

Jian Ning carried Tuan Tuan and followed him into a small room next to it. Inside, there were several OptiBrains in disarray. The man took photos of him and Tuan Tuan, tapped on the OptiBrain for a while, and said, "Give me a name."

The original owner's name was Fang Ning. Jian Ning paused for a moment and said, "Jian Ning."

Once the identity cards were done, it was already close to 3 a.m. Jian Ning went home to pack his belongings.

In addition to spare clothes, toiletries, and Tuan Tuan's toys and milk, the most important item was the crystal card containing the money he had saved from working for a year.

After packing his things, just as he was about to close the suitcase, he suddenly remembered a golden small ball in the bedside cabinet. It was given to him by Tuan Tuan's father before he left, claiming it could protect him. However, it appeared to be an ordinary metal ball, and Jian Ning had no idea how it could protect him. He had kept it in the cabinet without taking it out.

Jian Ning put the golden small ball together with the crystal card and closed the suitcase. The last thing to deal with was the red fruit tree in the neighboring room. Such a large tree that appeared out of nowhere would bring him endless trouble if not handled properly.

The most secure solution was to burn down the tree along with the entire house.