Outside the door of the Administrator's office in the Alliance Building, Lyu Bei raised a hand and knocked gently. Upon receiving permission, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Sir."
Chu Guang put down the tablet in his hands, looked at Lyu Bei standing by the door with an expression that clearly said he had something to report, and chuckled.
"Did you find that pen I lost?"
Lyu Bei shook his head with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Not yet..."
Chu Guang laughed and said, "If you can't find it, forget about it. Maybe I tossed it somewhere in the shelter and forgot myself. It's just a pen. No need to make a big fuss over it and delay other business."
Even though Xiao Qi had said not to take his personal safety lightly, at the end of the day, all he had lost was a fountain pen.
Besides, plainly speaking, he didn't believe anyone on this planet could threaten his safety.
He wasn't bragging.
Solely from the standpoint of individual combat prowess, there probably wasn't a creature on this world stronger than him.
Heya had even exaggerated to the point of saying that there was something in his DNA that current technological methods couldn't explain—a condition that had apparently begun manifesting a long time ago.
If even the Alliance Biological Research Institute said so, he truly felt there was no reason to worry.
Moreover, he had a mountain of tasks on his plate every day; there was no point wasting so much thought on a single pen.
Lyu Bei, however, clearly didn't see it that way.
As always, he didn't dare show the slightest carelessness, speaking with utmost loyalty.
"How could anything regarding you be a minor matter, sir? Especially when it happened right inside your office... Furthermore, we uncovered a strange occurrence during our recent inquiries and investigation."
Chu Guang asked, "What strange occurrence?"
Lyu Bei continued in a cautious tone, "It isn't just you, sir. Staff members from other offices have also reported misplacing things recently. Small desktop items, especially rarely used ones, have been vanishing without explanation."
"That's happening too?" Chu Guang raised an eyebrow in surprise. "When did this start? Has no one mentioned it before?"
"Similar incidents have actually been happening for a few days now. However, because everything lost was inconsequential trivia, the people who misplaced them didn't take it to heart, and some didn't even file a loss report," Lyu Bei explained with a helpless expression. "It wasn't until our men approached them that they confirmed similar things had indeed happened to them."
Chu Guang frowned in thought for a long while, his index finger gently tapping against the desk before speaking.
"This might not be a small matter after all... Is there a breakdown of what kinds of items went missing?"
Lyu Bei answered immediately, "Primarily office stationery. Mostly pens, and in some cases, pen caps."
"What about the scope?" Chu Guang pressed. "Just this floor? Or the entire Alliance Building? What about adjacent structures? Have neighboring residents experienced anything similar, or is this targeted exclusively at government offices?"
Lyu Bei froze for a moment before hurriedly replying, "At present, issues have only been identified within the Alliance Building. To avoid sparking unnecessary rumors and speculation, we strictly controlled the scope of our inquiries... Of course, if you deem it necessary, sir, we can expand the investigation immediately."
Chu Guang pondered for a moment and said, "For matters involving residential quarters, it's best not to step forward in the name of the Guards Corps. Tell you what: I'll give the head of the Security Bureau a call shortly and have them cooperate with you. Under the guise of a routine public security survey, they can appropriately broaden the investigation to see if similar incidents have occurred in civilian households."
Something was fishy here.
At first, he had assumed he had simply been absentminded and misplaced his pen. He hadn't expected several offices across the Alliance Building to have experienced identical issues.
Fortunately, only office supplies had been lost, rather than confidential documents.
Yet it was precisely because of this that no one had paid the matter any mind until the exact same thing took place in his own office.
Chu Guang couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't so simple.
The immediate priority was to map out the physical perimeter of this anomaly; perhaps a pattern would emerge.
He only hoped he was overthinking things.
Lyu Bei nodded and noted down the Administrator's orders before continuing.
"There is one more matter, a military report from the south. According to the Guards Corps detachment stationed at Port French Fries, an emergency situation occurred in the port's outskirts: a colossal mutant suddenly appeared in the forest just one hundred kilometers away from the urban district—"
Chu Guang picked up his cup of black tea from the desk, took a sip, and spoke.
"It's called a Dragon Lizard, right?"
Lyu Bei was stunned. "That... I wasn't aware of its name. You already know about it, sir?"
Chu Guang answered concisely, "I knew the moment it happened. Word was that an epic behemoth appeared near Port French Fries. I've already ordered the Jungle Corps into Stage One combat readiness. If an emergency arises, they will take direct action."
The forums were already in an uproar over this, with people claiming Godzilla had descended upon the wasteland.
He had actually looked into the situation right away and instructed the local garrison to prepare for battle.
Honestly speaking, though, he didn't take the creature too seriously.
Even if plenty of mischievous players on the forum were describing it in vivid detail and hyping it up as some kind of invincible existence, in his eyes, no matter how strong it was, it was still just an oversized beast, utterly fragile before overwhelming fire superiority.
What truly warranted attention was that according to eyewitness players, a gigantic tree grew beside that lizard, suspected to be of the exact same kind found among the Doma tribe on Planet Gaia.
This phenomenon had instantly caught the Alliance Biological Research Institute's eye. Research into this anomaly had already been assigned to Ms. Chen Yutong, who oversaw the Baiyue Province broodmother research project.
That included the colossal, bizarre lizard as well.
Setting down his teacup, Chu Guang said, "You and the Guards Corps don't need to fret over Port French Fries. Focus on finishing the task at hand first."
Lyu Bei snapped to attention and saluted. "Understood!"
...
On the official *Wasteland Online* website, the forum was abuzz with heated discussion, all triggered by a single thread and a close-up photograph.
Handsome Enough to Drop Frames: "Breaking news! Brothers! A world boss just spawned near Port French Fries! Come check this out!"
Tail: "!!?"
Jieyan: "Holy crap?! For real?"
Thunder King Professor Yang: "Quit asking if it's real, the guy literally posted photos."
Lord Proud How Can You Stop Me: "Heh, that counts as a world boss? Back when I was a special ops soldier in Southeast Asia, I saw at least ten bigger than that and killed one with my bare hands! It chased me snapping its jaws, so I serpentined between a few trees, did a spin-step vault straight onto its back, and I don't need to spell out the rest, do I? Insiders know what to do. [Sweating Soybean]"
Elven King Fugui: "I'm no insider, but I'm pretty sure it didn't get enough to eat. [Funny]"
Elaina: "Dragon Lizard: 'What a quaint little side dish.' [Funny]"
Drum Hair Washer: "There are so many ridiculous points here that I don't even know where to start roasting. [Sweat]"
Talan Raider: "To think Baiyue Province was hiding such a monstrous beast all along. How did nobody notice it before? [Blank Stare]"
Valley Escaped Mole: "Nobody used to venture into the deep forest back then. This time, the monster walked out on its own."
Just Want to Quietly Be a Dog: "I can testify, this thing is way too fierce. Individual infantry don't stand a chance against it, just call in strategic weapons already. T.T"
Xiaochuan Junichiro: "Why do I feel like the real issue is just a skill issue? [Squint Laugh]"
Just Want to Quietly Be a Dog: "Screw off! You think you're good, you try it!"
Just Want to Quietly Screw Dogs: "Exactly!"
Tengteng: "Excuse me, are your names matching couple IDs? [Blushing]"
Yaya: "Uh, I think they're probably just good buddies. Also, why the teapot are you blushing?!"
Blue Lantern and Old Wine: "Damn, I'm seriously worried this thing will flatten Port French Fries just by sitting on it. [Awkward]"
In Debt God: "How about opening a poll thread to see if we should wipe this monster out first? [Funny]"
Ye Shi: "Brothers, hold up a second! I think I just got a mission. Don't make a move yet!"
Construction Site Boy and Bricks: "I already posted the poll."
Killing Dagger: "I raised my hand."
Valley Escaped Mole: "UNANIMOUS PASS!!! [Voice Cracking]"
Midnight Chicken Slaughter: "Brothers, time to work!"
Xiao Xiao Xiao Bookworm: "Awoooo!!"
Ye Shi: "??? Holy crap, you guys are such dogs?!"
...
"Fucking bastards."
Back online inside the Coastal Hotel at Port French Fries, Ye Shi cursed under his breath, flipped out of bed, threw on his clothes, and hurried out the door.
Though he knew the boys were joking around, the sheer number of players here meant you couldn't rule out a couple of knuckleheads charging in hoping to farm loot and torching the sacred tree in the process.
The Administrator's mission for him was to try using psionics to establish a mental connection with the sacred tree in the forest, inquire about its intentions, and explore the possibility of cooperation.
He had to talk with the tree before someone stirred up trouble.
Seeing Ye Shi rush out of the elevator in a fluster, Professor Sun Zewen, standing in the hotel lobby, looked at him and asked, "What's the matter? What's the rush?"
Ye Shi didn't answer directly, asking urgently instead, "Where's Dora?"
"Dora? She should be in the garden behind the hotel with Ms. Han Mingyue." Professor Sun eyed him with a peculiar look before adding, "Didn't Professor Han say she was going to look for you? You didn't run into her?"
Ye Shi showed an awkward expression.
He had been offline earlier, and his in-game character had been sleeping like a log; naturally, he couldn't have heard any knocking.
"The garden, right? Thanks!"
"You're welcome." Professor Sun nodded, then seemed to recall something. "Oh, right—regarding psionics... If you make any new discoveries over there, remember to let me know!"
"Will do!"
Tossing back a reply, Ye Shi sprinted toward the garden behind the hotel.
When he reached the garden, however, the sight before him left him dumbfounded.
Thick, sturdy vines climbed all over the curved glass curtain wall, covered in blooming, brightly colored flowers.
The scenery didn't look like Earth at all—it looked like Gaia, five light-years away!
Standing at the garden entrance, he stared with wide eyes for quite a while before finally recovering from his shock.
Just then, he spotted Ms. Chen Yutong and Lao Bai standing near the garden pathway.
"Is this... the scenery of Alpha Centauri?!"
Ye Shi looked at Ms. Chen.
Her face was brimming with excitement, her expression of disbelief even more exaggerated than his own.
Lao Bai scratched the back of his head, looking at the exotic, wondrous flora throughout the garden. "I don't know much about this, but could this cause trouble like an invasive species outbreak?"
"That's not an issue in Baiyue Province," Chen Yutong replied, shaking her head. "New species are born here every single day. A new dynamic equilibrium has already formed among them."
Ye Shi gave a dry cough and said, "Honestly, I don't think it's an issue anywhere on the wasteland... including River Valley Province. The monsters there won't care about a bit more."
Spotting Ye Shi at the entrance, Lao Bai smiled. "Finally back online? Ms. Han seemed to be looking for you."
Ye Shi replied, "I'm looking for her too, and Dora... Where are they?"
"Straight ahead." Lao Bai pointed toward the center of the garden. "Could you pass a message to our guest from Alpha Centauri for me? Ask her to keep this vegetation confined within the hotel's garden as much as possible... Don't let it spread outside."
The hotel owner actually quite liked this aesthetic; after all, it might even become a major selling point.
However, if it spilled onto the streets outside, that would be another story entirely.
Altering the urban appearance of Port French Fries required deliberation and approval from the representative council.
"Got it."
Ye Shi acknowledged with a nod and strode forward, winding his way through a lushly vegetated path until he soon arrived at the center of the garden.
Both Ms. Han and Dora were here.
The latter was sitting cross-legged atop a vine-entwined stone table, seemingly in communion with the broodmother deep in the forest.
Seeing Ye Shi walk through the path, Han Mingyue teased, "You sure sleep heavily. My hand went sore from pressing your doorbell."
"I was worn out yesterday, so I took a nap at noon," Ye Shi explained sheepishly.
"Come on, tapped out at such a young age?" Ms. Han teased again.
Ye Shi: "..."
"Ye Shi!" Dora opened her eyes as she sat cross-legged on the stone table, crying out in delight, "You're here!"
Ye Shi pointed around them. "Did you do all this?"
Dora shook her head shyly and said bashfully, "It did this... It said it wanted me to take a look for it, to see if this is what Alpha Centauri looks like."
The "it" likely referred to the broodmother.
Seeing Ye Shi asking about the surroundings, Han Mingyue lowered her crossed arms and explained, "Don't worry, we already asked the hotel owner's permission. He's very intrigued by our experiment and even agreed to lend us the garden for a week, with the sole condition that it doesn't disrupt hotel operations or disturb other guests."
Ye Shi nodded. "As long as he's fine with it. Still, it's best not to let it spread into the streets outside."
"Mhm!" Before Han Mingyue could answer, Dora nodded excitedly and said with a touch of pride, "It promised me that these plants will only grow in this garden... They won't spread outside."
Han Mingyue crossed her arms again, swept her gaze over the surrounding landscape, and marveled, "Speaking of which, how does it do this? Through... some special compound in the air?"
Dora shook her head, an expression of confusion on her face as well.
"I don't know how it does it either. My psionics can't turn purple flowers red, but it can... According to it, these plants are very obedient to it, and it can decide the way they grow."
Han Mingyue rubbed her chin, lost in thought. "Controlling evolution, huh... Sounds pretty formidable. Wonder if it works on humans too."
She didn't know much about biological technology; she had only heard that such feats were extraordinarily difficult.
Even the Alliance Biological Research Institute had far too many unknowns.
Ye Shi pondered for a moment before offering, "Theoretically speaking, it should be possible. Isn't that how Gaians came to be? But I think it's better not to try. Feels like it would trigger a lot of ethical problems."
For instance, children being born looking completely different from their parents...
Even if one knew their partner hadn't cheated, most people probably wouldn't accept it.
Or, while the Alliance's mainstream media lavished praise on the beauty of their compatriots from Alpha Centauri, almost no one would actually want their child to have green skin.
Even if that meant they could photosynthesize.
Human perspectives shifted gradually alongside technological progress; hoping to achieve things in one bound risked spawning monstrosities like mutants.
Just then, Dora seemed to remember something and spoke up.
"Oh, right! It wants to meet you."
Ye Shi's heart leaped, and he immediately asked, "Where? Here?"
"At the sacred tree in the forest," Dora said, gazing at him with earnest eyes. "It heard that you've mastered psionics too. It wants to see you and speak with you face-to-face."
"Uh, so... right beside that giant lizard?" Ye Shi's expression grew strained.
Dora nodded and said earnestly, "It says that's its child. As long as you don't hurt or agitate it, it won't attack you."
Pausing, she added, "If you're scared, I can come with you... Do you want to go see it?"
Her face was full of anticipation.
It was clear she genuinely wanted to make this meeting happen.
Ye Shi thought it over for a moment, then said, "It's safer if I go alone."
Dora looked slightly crestfallen, but she still nodded. "All right... But rest assured, it promised it definitely won't hurt you."
She seemed to have sensed the worry in his heart.
Ye Shi smiled and said, "I trust it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to meet in the first place."
...
At dusk, a transport aircraft soared over the distant forest outskirts of Port French Fries and dropped a parachute.
The lizard sprawled beside the sacred tree lifted its crested head, staring at the parachute for a moment. It reached out a claw as if to touch it, but soon, as though receiving a command, it pulled its front claw back, let out a low rumble, and flattened itself once more beside the sacred tree.
From the moment he neared the edge of the forest, Ye Shi had every nerve in his body drawn taut.
Only when the lizard settled down did he finally breathe a sigh of relief, loosening his tense nerves.
As his feet touched the ground, he expertly packed away the parachute.
The vegetation in the immediate vicinity had been cleared away, leaving only the towering sacred tree standing proudly in the center of the clearing.
Clearing those trees seemed to have been an order from the sacred tree itself, likely intended to concentrate the soil's fertility around its own root system.
Going by what happened on Gaia, once it fully matured and developed an immense canopy, the area sheltered beneath it and the area beyond would form a whole new forest kingdom.
Gazing at the intertwined trunks, Ye Shi offered a stiff greeting.
"Hello... Uh, can you hear my voice?"
His psionics had only just awakened, and he wasn't proficient in their use; silent mental communication was still difficult for him.
Silence lingered for a moment, leaving only the gentle breeze and the rustling of leaves.
Just as Ye Shi was wondering whether his psionics had malfunctioned or if his posture was wrong, a voice finally drifted into his ears from somewhere beyond the physical plane.
"Hello... Is this your language? I presume it carries the meaning of a greeting. We rarely greet one another in such a way."
"That's right, it's a greeting." A look of pleasant surprise surfaced in Ye Shi's eyes. He took two steps forward, tilted his head up toward the newborn canopy, and continued, "What should I call you?"
The sluggish voice drifted again from the void, echoing directly inside his mind.
"I have no name, nor have I needed such a thing for a very long time... You are the first to use one for me. You may call me whatever you like."
Whether it was his imagination or not, Ye Shi felt a hint of anticipation in the voice.
He hesitated for a moment before suggesting in an uncertain tone, "The Tree of Life... What do you think of that name?"
Though the name sounded a bit cliché, he couldn't come up with anything else on short notice.
Yet despite being a spur-of-the-moment idea, the gigantic sacred tree seemed very pleased with it, its jagged canopy swaying back and forth.
"Tree of Life... That sounds nice. I thought you would call me slime mold or something similar."
Ye Shi admitted honestly, "I did think about it."
"Yet I am not such a thing at all," the Tree of Life said, its voice laced with a sliver of disdain, as though smacking its lips in picky judgment. "Slime mold... such a thing is too shallow. I should be an existence far higher than that."
At this point, it paused for a moment, fixing its gaze upon Ye Shi standing before it.
"Thank you, young human. You brought my kin from a star five light-years away. I believe, and am certain, that she is my true kin. Through her accounts, I have finally comprehended what my original form truly is..."
Ye Shi asked blankly, "What is it?"
"It is life itself. Or, in your tongue, nature... I am nature."
It seemed to let out a hearty laugh, though only Ye Shi standing here could hear it.
After a brief pause, it continued, "Thanks to your help, I have finally grasped my mission. I shall likely slumber for a time, during which I will redefine my form of life. I will no longer be who I was before... that strain growing upon tree roots. I shall be all things, the origin of every living creature within this forest."
Ye Shi stared at it in astonishment, his eyes locked on it for a long while.
*Holy shit.*
*Did this mutant slime mold just attain enlightenment?!*
He tried his best to comprehend what it meant: its consciousness would no longer be confined to the frail, constantly withering physical shell of the primitive Na fruit strain, but would merge completely with this land.
Just like the indestructible Tree of Ein Sof.
"Then this tree..." Ye Shi swallowed hard and asked.
"It is a projection I leave in the world you can see, one of my countless sprouts," the Tree of Life whispered softly. "We shall likely keep each other company for a very long time. Of course... if you reject me, I will remain silent just as before. You may simply treat me as nonexistent."
Ye Shi immediately replied, "We certainly won't reject you... In fact, I happen to bring the goodwill of our leader. He hopes we can coexist in peace."
"Haha... That is wonderful to hear. Please send him my regards," the Tree of Life chuckled. "I rather like you all as well. Though you are somewhat noisy, you are quite interesting... And those things tasted truly delightful."
Was it talking about the fertilizer?
Ye Shi grinned and said, "If you like it, I can have people deliver some more... Ah, but please don't do what you did before. It causes us quite a headache."
The Tree of Life gave a gentle, genial laugh. "Rest assured. Unless you have a need for it, I will not do such a thing without your consent. However, taking your gifts for nothing would not do. Is there anything I can do to assist you?"
Ye Shi had originally intended to say maintaining the status quo was enough, but catching sight of the giant lizard, inspiration struck.
"Can you keep dangerous mutants away from the vicinity of the Baiyue Strait?"
The Tree of Life asked curiously, "Away... how far away? There must be a boundary."
Ye Shi wanted to pull out a map to gesture, but realized the tree might not understand it, so he said, "From your position all the way to the coast!"
From here to the coast was roughly a hundred kilometers, encompassing several settlements along the Baiyue Strait.
Having this area as an active zone for Alliance residents was more than enough.
As for the vast forest beyond, that would remain for players to hunt monsters, gather resources, and explore.
Comparatively speaking, this was an excellent compromise.
The Tree of Life nodded. "That is easy. I need only have my child stay here. When other beasts catch its scent, they will naturally steer clear. If a herd migrates toward your settlements, I will have it drive them away for you. Naturally, if you venture deep into the forest yourselves and encounter danger, that will be none of my concern—that is a part of natural selection."
"I understand. All we ask for is a relatively peaceful domain to live in. In the future, our settlements will also concentrate along the coastlines on both sides of the strait and won't push deeper into the forest."
Looking at the gargantuan lizard, Ye Shi hesitated for a moment and added, "Are you sure this guy won't hurt people, though? He... doesn't look like an herbivore to me."
"Haha, it is indeed not entirely herbivorous. It mainly feeds on a species of ant roughly the height of its toes. But do not worry; I have already instructed it not to harm you. As long as you do not take the initiative to hurt it, it is usually quite docile... I give you my word."
*Docile, huh...*
Looking at the behemoth curled up at the base of the sacred tree, snoring loudly, Ye Shi found it truly hard to imagine it being docile.
After all, barely an hour ago, it had gone on a rampage and flattened an entire stretch of woods with a single swipe of its tail.
Still, since the Tree of Life had given its word, Ye Shi chose to trust it for now.
"I will convey your words to the others."
"Thank you." The Tree of Life gently swayed its canopy. Then, as if recalling something, it added, "Oh, right, there is one more thing."
Ye Shi looked up at it and asked, "What is it?"
"I heard from your friend that you intend to travel to other stars later, is that correct?"
A hint of longing lingered in the Tree of Life's voice, as if it was yearning for an affirmative answer.
Ye Shi nodded, looking at it with mild curiosity. "We do have that plan... Is something wrong?"
The voice echoing from the void carried joyous laughter.
It sounded as thrilled as a child.
"That is wonderful... When you embark on your journey, please take my seed along with you. I wish for it to see other worlds in my stead."
Seeming worried that he might decline, the Tree of Life hastily added, "It will not take much of your time, and it will benefit you as well. I will have it remain aboard your ship to supply you with oxygen. Once you find a place where one can breathe, or where there is water, simply cast a portion of it down."
"Whether it survives or not shall be entirely up to itself."
Chapter 1029