CH 149

On this night, the Cangyu Mountains seemed to have trouble sleeping, not only the various bases but also the mutated creatures in the forest. Some were genuinely interested in tree planting, while others were attracted by Shu Shuishui’s promised rewards. There were also diligent mutated creatures still studying the practice, and under the cool night sky with moonlight gently casting its veil, it felt like a gentle mother covering her child with a thin blanket, silent yet accommodating.

The next morning, a massive crowd gathered outside the Shui Jing Gong, consisting of mutated creatures and teams from various bases, totaling in the thousands. At first glance, it was quite a spectacle.

The mutated creatures were particularly disciplined, each carrying their own group and standing quietly, a scene not often seen.

The Shui Jing Gong residents who had risen early had already started forming groups spontaneously. Under the guidance of experienced planting teams, they collected basic supplies. Bundles of saplings were already on the backs of Gray Rats, ready to head to their designated locations.

The people of Cang Zhan Star were all pragmatic, and the teams quickly disappeared into the lush forest.

As for the mutated creatures, they were assigned different tasks based on their unique abilities. For example, pangolins and groundhogs, skilled at digging, were naturally responsible for digging holes. Lions, tigers, and other fierce beasts, in addition to their vigilance duties, were also responsible for transporting water sources.

Small, agile creatures followed Gray Rats to transport saplings. Even smaller insects came to observe, although they couldn’t contribute much.

Shu Shuishui stared at a giant mutated grasshopper for a long time and then decided to assign it the role of being a cheerleader. He believed that having such a large grasshopper cheering for everyone would surely boost efficiency.

Thus, in the morning hours, the Cangyu Mountains were filled with busy figures.

Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu didn’t join the planting army. Instead, they, along with Nan Ge, Liu Po, and others, stayed at the Shui Jing Gong to oversee the coordination and operations of the greening project. Additionally, they were responsible for nurturing the young spirit tree seedlings.

Given that the primary planting area was in the Cangyu Mountains, two new types of spirit plants were introduced. One was a vine, but it was not parasitic. Instead, it coexisted with the trees it attached to, even transforming nearby ordinary trees into spirit trees. This was a survival strategy for the vine, enhancing the safety of its surroundings to protect itself. While this type of vine had relatively weak survival capabilities, it had excellent growth effects. Shu Shuishui designated a specific area for planting it and entrusted the saplings to those skilled in planting.

Another type of spirit plant was the common spirit grass. Although it produced weak spiritual energy, its survival rate was extremely high. As long as you scattered the seeds, they would quickly grow. This type of spirit grass was also the longest food source for spirit beasts and was very beneficial to the mutated creatures in the Cangyu Mountains. Shu Shuishui had always planned to cultivate it, and at this moment, he took out all the propagated spirit grass seeds. Although spirit grass was small, it was the most numerous and easily adaptable spirit plant.

The remaining two types were the tree-like spirit woods that the Shui Jing Gong had been using all along. They were adaptable to the ever-changing natural environment of the Cang Zhan Star.

As the sun gradually rose, the interior of the Cangyu Mountains also warmed up. The morning was enough time for everyone to get acquainted and have some fun besides planting trees.

Some became fast friends, and some had successfully befriended the mutated creatures through Gray Rat diplomacy. They discussed which meat was the best with the giant mutated tiger, and debated over which hillside had fatter rabbits with the forest wolves.

The leader of the mutated creatures, Bai Ye, remained at the Shui Jing Gong base since its massive size didn’t allow it to contribute much to the planting efforts. The interior of the Shui Jing Gong base was quite empty at this time, giving Bai Ye the opportunity to explore. Bai Ye didn’t need a guide and gracefully roamed around the base. Occasionally, it encountered something it couldn’t understand, but it made a mental note to ask Shu Shuishui later.

As an elegant and otherworldly creature, Bai Ye naturally drew attention. However, most of the Shui Jing Gong members were core members and didn’t make a big fuss about it.

“Do you need a tour guide?” A voice rang out, and Bai Ye turned to see a person with a faint smile. The person waved and added, “Although I’m also a guest here and not very familiar with this place.”

Bai Ye remained silent for a moment and elegantly nodded. “Sure.”

“I’m Qing Mengxing. What about you?”

“Bai Ye.”

“I never thought I’d be a tour guide for a deer.”

“Well, I’m honored today.”

As they exchanged pleasantries, they strolled through the Shui Jing Gong base. They took their time, and with Qing Mengxing’s explanations, Bai Ye got to know more about the area. “This basin is indeed suitable as a place to live, a shelter from the wind in winter, and a cool nest in summer. I never thought there was such a good place in the Cangyu Mountains. That area over there is under construction for a power plant. Wind and solar power generation are also in progress. Electricity is a basic energy source…”

When the two of them approached the planting area, they saw neat fields with crops and a spirit wood breeding area. Gu Langu and Shu Shuishui were working in the fields, arranging the newly planted saplings and using formations to help them grow quickly and increase their survival rate.

They were quite far away, so it was unclear what they were talking about. However, as they got closer, their conversation gradually became audible.

“Gu Gu, do you think that big mutated grasshopper might feel like it has too much meat?”

“It might, like having an extra leg or something.”

Shu Shuishui quickly shook his head. “No, no, that’s not good.”

“Okay, how about two extra legs?”

Shu Shuishui shook his head even more vigorously. “No, no, just smelling it should be enough. We can’t eat our companions, even if they are food. You see, the mutated tiger and the mutated deer get along well, and I overheard their conversation. They both think the valley to the southeast of the mountains has the best food.”

Gu Langu paused, realizing that the deer thought the grass in that area was particularly delicious, so the tiger must have thought the same. However, the complicated logic was better left unspoken because Gu Langu knew that Shu Shuishui would absolutely not eat an awakened, intelligent mutated grasshopper.

“Xiao Bai Bai and Xiao Xing Xing have arrived.” Shu Shuishui’s ears twitched, and he turned to look in the direction of Bai Ye and Qing Mengxing’s approach. He raised his hand and greeted them warmly. “You’re here just in time. We were discussing what to have for lunch.”

Qing Mengxing and Bai Ye, who had already heard part of the conversation, exchanged glances but decided to pretend they hadn’t heard the discussion about the mutated grasshopper.

Lunch was a rare occasion when Shu Shuishui took charge of cooking. Because of this, Nan Fang, Yu Jin, Liu Du, and others rushed back to the base upon hearing the news from Gray Rat, all eager to enjoy the meal Shu Shuishui had prepared.

They ate their lunch to their hearts’ content, each person getting quite full, which was perfect for digestion during the tree-planting activity. Other bases also began resting and having lunch in their teams. Everyone sat together, creating a picnic-like atmosphere. Combined with the recovery they had experienced in the Cangyu Mountains during this period, resources were not scarce, and lunch was quite satisfying.

The tree-planting enthusiasm continued for several days without waning, especially with many people exchanging for micro-farms, making it even more fervent. After the summer, a harsh winter awaited, and in such circumstances, who wouldn’t want some form of life insurance?

In just a few days, the area around the Shui Jing Gong was almost covered in spirit plants, and they all seemed to be growing well, indicating that there was no compromise on quality for the sake of quantity.

On the tenth day of the greening plan, the planting teams had expanded their work areas far beyond. On this day, something unusual yet within the plan happened at the Shui Jing Gong base. There was a groundbreaking development in Cheng Que’s research: the successful development of antibodies capable of suppressing the madness of mutated creatures!

If this experiment hadn’t been conducted on Cang Zhan Star, it would likely have sent shockwaves throughout the entire Canghai Galaxy. The resolution of the madness issue among mutated creatures meant that they could officially adapt to a new world, new rules, and a new way of survival.

After handing over the results to Shu Shuishui, Cheng Que collapsed to the ground before he even reached his own tent. After a chaotic scene, the diagnosis indicated something both humorous and bewildering – he had simply fallen asleep!

Shu Shuishui looked at the finished product in his hand and the thick stack of documents. Then, he glanced at Cheng Que’s face, now adorned with stubble, no longer showing any scholarly demeanor. In an instant, he felt the weight of responsibility in his hands. It wasn’t just Cheng Que’s hard work but also the hope of Cang Zhan Star. Creating miracles was never the work of a single person; it was a collective effort that breathed life into their world.

In the evening, Shu Shuishui announced Cheng Que’s research results, and as expected, it stirred up a huge response. Cheng Que’s research didn’t just involve mutated creatures; it also had implications for humans. His initial idea was to connect the minds of mutated creatures and humans through connection points, essentially forming a contract.

This was a one-on-one contract method, establishing a connection between humans and mutated creatures for mutual benefit. The antibodies would also work through this contract. The antibodies would gradually simulate this kind of contract, so ultimately, even without human assistance, mutated creatures could obtain stable mental faculties and would no longer be plagued by madness.

Of course, mutated creatures can also directly inject antibodies without forming a contract with humans. Living beings have an instinct to mimic, but without guidance, the process of antibody evolution and correction takes a long time, ranging from months to years. Cheng Que’s suggestion is to form a contract because experimental results can continuously improve. However, if they simply wait, they may not have much time left.

The response to this experimental result is mixed – it sounds like forming a contract would lead to an improvement in one’s own abilities, but at the same time, one would become part of the experiment, and the unknown and untested aspects of it make people uneasy.

However, what surprised everyone was that Cheng Que himself became the first person to try it out.

On the second night after the release of the experimental results, there was a mutated elephant by Cheng Que’s side. The elephant itself was already massive, but this mutated one was like a small house. The base went into a frenzy! After all, who wouldn’t want to have a powerful mutated creature as a companion? So even with the risks involved, it was worth it! Coming to Cang Zhan Star, who hasn’t cultivated a bit of courage!