"professor."

A zero-voiced electronic voice announced: "The radiation intensity of all samples has been measured."

"The data has been processed."

As soon as he finished speaking, a holographic chart slowly appeared before Lü Yongchang and Mao Zhengzhi's eyes.

Looking at the data in the charts, the doubts on Lü Yongchang and Mao Zhengzhi's faces gradually deepened.

According to the tests conducted by the scientific research robot, the radiation contained in those large leaves was the weakest.

Tree bark is secondary.

The concentration in the tree trunk is slightly higher.

This was all within the expectations of Lü Yongchang and others. In fact, they could foresee that the radiation intensity at the roots of these giant trees might far exceed that of the rest of the area.

But to their surprise, the fungi that grew at the base of the giant tree had extremely high radioactivity!

Its strength is hundreds of times that of the leaf area and dozens of times that of the trunk area!

"That's strange..."

Mao Zhengzhi frowned and muttered to himself, "With the tree canopy blocking the radiation, these fungi should not be exposed to it."

"Even if they can absorb the radioactive material in the tree trunk, their radiation intensity shouldn't exceed that of the tree trunk area..."

Lu Yongchang didn't speak, but simply rested his chin on his hand and stared at the holographic image of the fungus with its enormous cap and incredibly vibrant colors.

After pondering for a long time, he spoke.

"Zero, sampling, comparing the giant tree and fungi at the cellular level."

Mao Zhengzhi turned around and looked at Lü Yongchang with a surprised expression.

"professor?"

"What is this...?"

Lü Yongchang chuckled lightly: "It's just a guess."

"In the images transmitted back by the detector at the time, these fungi were all growing in the root area of ​​the tree trunk."

“There are no traces of fungal growth in the surface soil.”

What came to mind?

Mao Zhengzhi's eyes widened, and he said with an incredulous look, "You suspect that these fungi... no, these things that look like fungi are part of the giant tree?"

Looking at the radiation detection data, he muttered to himself, "So... these things might be the giant tree's organs for storing nutrients?"

"That's really strange. What kind of plant puts its nutrient storage organs in such a place..."

As he spoke, Mao Zhengzhi shook his head with a smile: "Isn't it easy for other creatures to eat it?"

However, there was no smile on Lü Yongchang's face.

He nodded solemnly: "It is very likely an organ of the giant tree."

"But I'm afraid... it's not the organ that the giant tree uses to store nutrients."

"Hmm?" Mao Zhengzhi looked at Lü Yongchang with some confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Look at its bright colors, what comes to mind?"

Lu Yongchang stared intently at the scientific research robot's every move on the screen, muttering to himself, "These giant trees... are probably a bit different from what we imagined!"

Mao Zhengzhi's eyes were initially filled with deep doubt, but a few seconds later, the doubt in his eyes vanished instantly, leaving only a sudden surge of fear!

"Professor, you mean..."

Mao Zhengzhi felt a chill run down his spine. He swallowed hard and said in a trembling voice, "These things that look like fungi are the giant tree's predatory organs?"

Plant predation, though rare, does exist.

Even on Earth, plants like pitcher plants and Venus flytraps prey on insects to provide themselves with nutrients.

They have even evolved unique predatory organs for this purpose.

Like the giant tree on the lost star.

However, the two are not the same size.

Mao Zhengzhi subconsciously took a step back, his face filled with horror: "So... this planet is a cage full of countless lures?"

Lu Yongchang gestured towards the holographic projection: "The results aren't out yet."

"Maybe my guesses are all wrong..."

"Professor, the comparison is complete, and the similarity between the two is close to 99.9%."

The laboratory fell silent once again.

...

"Tap...tap...tap..."

In the office of [Earth], Lü Yongchang sat behind his desk, subconsciously bending his knuckles and gently tapping the desk in front of him.

Above the desk is a holographic image of a planet.

"The Lost Star..."

He frowned and muttered to himself.

The potential rewards are high, but so are the risks.

Leaving aside arthropods, the giant trees alone, which may have predatory tendencies, could cause enormous losses to the landing operation.

Normally, he should be focusing his attention on black holes right now.

After completing a series of studies, we will use the warp drive to travel to a habitable star system.

This is the ideal path for human civilization.

But when he thought of that incredibly massive war, and then of the powerful radiation resistance of these giant trees, Lü Yongchang felt like he was being scratched by a cat.

"Professor, Academician Zhu Ziwen is here to visit."

The synthesized voice pulled Lü Yongchang out of his endless entanglement.

"Zhu Ziwen?"

Lu Yongchang's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something, and he said excitedly, "Let him in!"

...

"Professor, I'm sorry to bother you."

The door opened, and Zhu Ziwen's voice came from the doorway.

Lu Yongchang raised his head and stared at Zhu Ziwen, who strode into the office.

Compared to before, Zhu Ziwen appears to have matured considerably, and his eyes gleam with wisdom.

Looking at this academician from the Proxima Centauri era, Lü Yongchang couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Before we knew it, the Proxima Centauri generation could no longer be considered the new generation.

"do not bother."

Lu Yongchang smiled gently and pointed to the seat in front of him: "Sit down."

"I guess you brought me good news?"

In front of Lü Yongchang, Zhu Ziwen's serious expression gradually disappeared, and a slightly shy smile appeared on his cheeks.

"Professor, I heard you're planning to organize planetary explorers to land on the lost planet?"

Lu Yongchang chuckled, straightened up slightly, and said half-jokingly, "Yeah, what, you don't want to go and take a look at the Lost Star, do you?"

The shy smile on Zhu Ziwen's face gradually disappeared, and his expression became serious.

"Yes, Professor."

Lü Yongchang: "???"

This is something he really can't figure out.

He took a deep breath, calmed his turbulent emotions, and after carefully considering his words, said:

"Ziwen, although you are not an academician in the field of biology."

"But you should have heard some news as well."

"The Lost Star is dangerous."

Zhu Ziwen smiled and nodded: "Professor, of course I know."

"This is also the reason why I applied to go to the Lost Star."

Seemingly noticing Lü Yongchang's somewhat surprised look, Zhu Ziwen spoke up again to explain.

"Professor, the development of the second-generation exoskeleton armor has been completed."