Elisa's reminder kept Lin Xi on her guard for the next few days, and given Elisa's remarkably accurate intuition, Lin Xi did indeed feel nervous.
However, this tense situation is indeed difficult to maintain indefinitely. After all, realistically speaking, the Helios spacecraft's time on this unfamiliar asteroid was not particularly difficult.
Of course, there were still many things that were causing headaches—one of the ion engines on the Apollo was severely damaged, and the other looked far from being "intact," which meant that it would be a long time before the spaceship could take off again; the cargo holds were damaged to varying degrees during the forced landing, with the cargo hold that stored the crew's food suffering the most damage. However, there was still an artificial protein machine on board, so if all else failed, they could survive on artificial protein blocks (as long as you could ignore the terrible smell, that stuff was actually quite nutritious). Lin Xi didn't feel too much of a crisis about this.
In short, everything was under control, and once the life-or-death moment was over, people would involuntarily relax.
And there's another piece of good news: the exploration teams that were sent out to explore the surrounding area have returned, and the data they brought back is even more perfect than that of the unmanned robots.
If not everyone is delirious, then those data can only mean that this planet is a perfect paradise tailor-made for humanity.
Those suspiciously brightly colored creatures that humans see through the viewfinder are, after testing, proven to be nothing more than harmless and cute, plant-like life forms. The little things living in the gaps between them are usually weak and sluggish, and are no different from humans at all.
In addition, the planet has abundant water resources; once some heavy metals are filtered out, the water can even be drunk directly.
Gravity, atmosphere, even the slightly cool air temperature... everything is so pleasant.
If planets and the universe were created by God, then that supreme being must be someone without any creativity. This planet is like God taking the original Earth, casually kneading it, and then throwing it back into the galaxy to become another planet.
It's so similar to Earth that if the Apollo spacecraft can return safely, just recording the coordinates of this planet would be enough to make the crew incredibly wealthy.
Lin Xi was certain that the improved atmosphere on the Sun God was closely related to this.
"Apart from those nasty bugs, this place is perfect."
Lin Xi had heard his colleagues and the crew members on the Sun God mutter this more than once.
Ah, maybe that's really the case.
The explorers couldn't even find an animal bigger than a cat. Centered on their spaceship, the entire forest was as friendly as described in a children's fairy tale—vibrant and colorful, with kind and friendly inhabitants.
The most numerous organisms humans have found are insects—all kinds of insects—more than Sunu, which is known as the "insect planet".
They made no attempt to avoid human activity, often clumsily rushing towards these strange bipedal creatures, then flapping their wings and trying to squeeze through the gaps in the interstellar exploration suits.
According to Ando, those insects like humans—they like human body temperature, which is just the right temperature for them to reproduce and lay eggs.
Lin Xi did not stay by Ando's side to listen to his long-winded account of his new research on alien insects. Perhaps it was a prejudice against insects, but Lin Xi felt that Ando had become much more talkative than before since he started working with insects (especially that star butterfly egg case), and his words and actions always revealed a neurotic quality that Lin Xi did not like.
However, it's also possible that it wasn't caused by insects.
Lin Xi heard that Ando's alien wife, Liz, had been diagnosed with pregnancy, and Ando was extremely excited about it.
"...I really can't stand this kind of 'good father' type of man."
Lin Xi muttered to himself.
However, the tedious but successful work of maintaining the flora and fauna of Sunu with Ando wasn't too unbearable. Working inside the ship's hold was far better than exploring the environment.
You should know that those unlucky young men on the exploration team have to spend a lot of time every day cleaning the insects, slime, and insect eggs of various colors and sizes that are attached to the outside of their protective suits.
This made them one of the most averse to insects on the Helios.
But from the perspective of researchers who don't need to go out... insects aren't so bad. After all, if even insects can live comfortably on a planet, then humans will also feel at home.
The above point also came from Shizuo Ando, and Lin Xi did not have much objection to it.
Don't overthink things—this has always been Lin Xi's life principle, and he plans to continue to follow it even after landing on a mysterious planet.
And so, time passed in a steady, orderly flurry of activity. The expedition members would go out every few days to expand the boundaries of human exploration, while the rest of the crew were busy repairing the ion engines and storage facilities, and others were busy calculating orbits in a futile attempt to find out exactly where they were.
Perhaps Elisa's intuition finally lost its effectiveness on the alien planet, and her uneasy premonition came to nothing—in fact, for the time being, the atmosphere on the ship was even more harmonious and relaxed than when it first made the emergency landing.
So far, the only thing that has caused Lin Xi the most pain is John's departure.
Oh yes, the insane John Bronson is the ship's head chef, and ever since he left with a nervous breakdown at the previous meeting, the ship's food has become a nightmare. While the pre-packaged food and frozen vegetables weren't exactly delicious, they were still much better than those simply heated food bags.
"I distinctly remember that these food bags used to taste pretty good."
Lin Xi frowned and muttered to herself.
Hey, Lin!
Someone was calling him.
Lin Xi turned around and saw several people dressed in bright orange exploration team uniforms dragging a box toward him at the other end of the narrow corridor.
The person who greeted him was a young man with freckles and rusty red hair, who looked like a cocky college graduate.
It took Lin Xi a while to remember that the red-haired boy's name was Mark.
"Oh, hi, you guys went on another mission?"
He nodded at Mark and exchanged meaningless pleasantries.
"That's right, our mission this time—"
Before Mark could finish speaking, a faint shriek suddenly came from the crate the men were transporting, followed by a tremor on the ground.
Lin Xi paused, a sensation similar to a subtle electric current running down his neck, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"...Finally, a live sample was captured."
Lin Xi was in a daze for a while before she realized what Mark was talking about.
"Wait, is this a live sample?"
He asked.
Then his brows furrowed.
“You brought back something from the wild—you should have used the lab’s access route,” Lin Xi said, “instead of the usual route.”
It was as if they were echoing his words of dissatisfaction.
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
The enormous hissing sound produced by friction inside the sealed box grew even louder.
Mark's face tightened.
“There’s been a circuit malfunction in the lab corridor, and Dr. Ando has asked us to get the captured samples to his lab as soon as possible,” he explained. Perhaps because Lin Xi didn’t look too good, Mark added, “Don’t worry too much, there won’t be any problems. We’ve studied this type of sample outside before, and they’re fine.”
"Ha, that's right, they're all slowpokes."
"right."
Mark's teammates jeered behind him, making a racket like a bunch of idiotic college students who had just run away from a party.
Then, perhaps to increase the persuasiveness, someone patted the sealed box, and the originally milky white visible layer turned transparent, allowing Lin Xi to see clearly what the live specimen inside actually looked like.
"Didn't you say there weren't any creatures around here even slightly larger than a cat?"
Lin Xi's gaze lingered on the surface of the organism inside the sealed transport container.
Then he spoke with a hint of barely perceptible disgust.
It was a huge worm that looked a bit like a hybrid of a beetle and a spider—except that on Earth, neither beetles nor spiders are likely to grow to the size of a large dog.
"Oh, we're talking about animals—this thing is an insect."
One of the team members said nonchalantly.
Lin Xi's heart sank. He looked at the group of young people in front of him and knew that the negative impact of Taran's strangeness and inaction had gradually spread to the lower-level personnel on the Sun God. At least when they were handing over supplies on Sunu, these people wouldn't have dared to so openly bring these alien creatures into the unsuspecting interior of the spaceship.
"We've only been here a short time, so no one can say for sure what's safe."
Lin Xi showed no outward signs of anything amiss, calmly addressing the exploration team.
Just as he was planning to find a time to talk to Elisa, an unexpected event occurred.
The sizzling sound of the insect began to grow louder, as if it were being frightened by something.
Then, its carapace opened outwards, revealing wings underneath that were as thick as steel plates.
When it flaps its wings, the hard edges of the wings almost spark as they cut through the plexiglass inside the sealed box.
The grinding sound was so loud it hurt your teeth; the excessively high frequency felt like needles piercing your eardrums.
At the same time, a particularly unsettling, heavy thud also rang out.
The giant insect may have been harmless (at least according to the team members), but its thick, heavy, metallic body gave it a particularly dangerous feel once it started rampaging around in the sealed box.
"Snap—"
Lin Xi even heard the crisp sound of glass breaking. He looked at the sealed box in horror and, sure enough, there were several thin cracks there.
However, such a box, which is specifically designed to store living extraterrestrial beings, should theoretically not be this fragile.
"Oh, damn it, what's going on?"
"Activate the paralysis device immediately!"
"Who the hell is still messing with this thing—where's the kill switch—?"
"But Dr. Ando said..."
"Beep beep beep—Alarm—Beep beep beep—Box damaged—Beep beep beep—Alarm—"
"Oh damn it, damn it, damn it—"
...
In an instant, the panicked shouts of the exploration team members and the piercing noises of the insects, along with the alarm of the sealed box, echoed throughout the entire passage.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Lin Xi quickly stepped forward to help.
But as soon as he got closer to the sealed box, the giant insect became even more frantic.
It began to struggle frantically at a terrifying frequency, and in an instant, the once transparent and visible inside of the sealed box was turned into a clump of purple and green slime.
"Fuck it—"
One of the team members cursed and pressed every button used to control the samples, from paralysis to death.
Electric current, liquid nitrogen, and toxic fumes filled the entire chamber simultaneously.
But the insect's movements became increasingly violent.
Bang--
Finally, with a dull, nauseating sound, the insect exploded inside the box.
Lin Xi stood stiffly beside the sealed box, staring at the dead insect through the thick protective layer.
Sizzle—
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
The insect's wings fluttered on its debris, making a tiny noise.
...
It's like some kind of message that's hard for humans to understand.
vol 2
Sunu Cultural Exchange Exhibition.
The weather was sunny, and the crowds were huge.
Lin Xi stood blankly in the indistinct crowd, wondering why she was dreaming of this scene again.
However, compared to the previous dreams, something seemed to have changed.
Perhaps it's because the people in the background look even stranger?
Or perhaps it's because the exhibition hall in front of him, which was originally decorated as a termite nest, now looks more like something else?
"Lin Xi, look—I'll tell Teacher Anna about this after summer vacation—it's so interesting—"
He heard Bryce's voice, the clear, crisp call of a young boy.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the boy beside him.
The older brother, still a small child, had a blurry, as if melted face. The only clear feature was his pair of scarlet compound eyes, which would vibrate rhythmically whenever he began to speak.
Is this a nightmare?
Lin Xi asked herself this question in her dream.
He vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was making him so uneasy.
His mind was like floating on a vast, dark ocean, with nowhere to anchor himself.
Then Bryce started pulling him toward the exhibition hall.
Some memories begin to float up from the dark sea of memories. When awake, humans will forcibly suppress these memories to the deepest part of their memory, because humans are such fragile things. Too many terrifying things, such as the reality under this dream, will completely break those delicate nerves.
But in dreams, occasionally, those things will surge up with the fluctuations of emotions, just like now.
Lin Xi's body trembled incessantly because of that inexplicable fear.
No—no—I won't go—I don't want to go—
He murmured softly in his dream, struggling to break free from Bryce's fingers.
However, even though Bryce in this dream was still a child while he was an adult, he had no strength at all when he tried to break free from Bryce's fingers.
Lin Xi felt increasingly afraid.
"Let me go..."
He shouted, his voice trembling.
Then, suddenly, in a moment, he realized something.
Oh no... that wasn't Bryce at all.
He looked down at the boy beside him.
Why is it only now that he's realizing this? Even he himself is puzzled.
After all, Bryce, as a human, wouldn't have such red compound eyes, and the fingers of a young human child wouldn't be tentacles covered with fine, hard scales.
"Who are you?"
Lin Xi asked, panting.
A few seconds later, the person who grabbed Lin Xi turned into the smiling Sunu guide from his memory.
The clear sky and the surging crowd instantly transformed into the dark and damp interior of the cave.
Unidentified pupae wriggled within the densely packed nest.
Some things hidden in the darkness huddled together, staring at Lin Xi from the shadows. Their tiny eyes reflected the faint light from inside the rock cave, like little glowing light bulbs.
"Yes, that's right. What you see now is the most precious and sacred Star Butterfly on our planet Sunu. It is also our totem and spiritual symbol. And this particular Star Butterfly is a rare individual that has remained active for so long..."
The tour guide kept muttering the original lines in Lin Xi's ear.
But as it spoke those words, its gradually distorted face remained fixed on Lin Xi.
The slightly stinging restraint never left Lin Xi's wrist.
"...Wow, that's quite rare, little Earthling. Star Butterflies only fully reveal their wings in front of someone they really like. Hahaha, I never imagined they would show their wings to Earthlings."
"call……"
Lin Xi's breathing became incredibly heavy.
Something was approaching him.
As the "guide" whispered, the thing drew closer and closer.
It was right behind Lin Xi, but Lin Xi could only tremble and stand stiffly in place.
The guide's voice gradually shifted from broken English to the strangely accented Sunu language.
Lin Xi was able to clearly understand what the monster was repeating over and over again.
"...We love you, Your Majesty...Do not resist...Do not be afraid...We will be your descendants, your people, your subjects...It has been too long...We have waited for you for too long...Your Majesty...We love you so much..."
As it whispered, something that was definitely not a star butterfly slowly emerged from the darkness.
Under the influence of an inexplicable force, Lin Xi slowly turned her head around.
It's not a star butterfly.
Because that thing doesn't have any ethereal, cloud-like beautiful wings, nor does it have the distinct, hard body of an arthropod insect.
That's a different kind of creature.
It's an insect, or rather, it looks subtly similar to an insect in some ways.
This kind of thing simply doesn't exist in the limited vocabulary of Earthlings.
Every scale and shell on its body exuded a terrifying aura. Its size was so enormous that its outstretched limbs seemed capable of swallowing an entire planet whole. Lin Xi could barely make out its face; the only thing he could see was a tiny eyeball in its red compound eyes.
Just as he was thinking this, the body of that "thing" melted again, and when it reappeared in front of Lin Xi, it looked much smaller.
However, that was only in comparison to before. When it opened its mouth, it could still easily swallow Lin Xi whole.
Lin Xi just stared at it blankly.
"His Majesty……"
It opened its mouth, revealing its tongue covered in thorns.
"King...our king..."
It whispers.
"My King".
It seemed as if they were just repeating something meaninglessly, but Lin Xi could sense that behind those repeated calls lay something deeper and more terrifying.
"my sweetheart……"
"No……"
Lin Xi's body trembled even more violently.
"Don't come near me—"
Lin Xi growled weakly.
However, "He" still approached, and Lin Xi wanted to escape, but he had nowhere to run.
Countless mucus clung to his body, rendering him completely immobile, like prey captured by carnivorous insects.
A long, hollow spike emerged from behind the monster's terrifying, curled tongue and pierced directly into Lin Xi's body.
Then, something squeezed out from inside the spike.
"Aa ...
"Aaaaaaahh ...
"No--"
...
...
...
"Lin Xi—you better fucking wake up—"
Someone was shaking him violently.
"Lin Xi—"
Consciousness slowly returned.
His body felt unusually heavy, and something was binding him tightly.
"Lin Xi!"
"No……"
Lin Xi groaned in extreme pain. Even though her mind was still a mess, her body was already instinctively struggling violently.
"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"
He started screaming.
He slowly realized that the voice calling him sounded very familiar.
Lin Xi finally opened her eyes.
Bryce's ashen face came into view, and for a moment, he almost thought he was dreaming again of being forcibly dragged out of the sleep pod.
"I really hope this isn't some kind of time reversal."
It took Lin Xi a long time to regain her breathing rhythm after breathing heavily for a while.
Then he murmured to Bryce.
Well, this is certainly not some kind of time travel or history repeating itself, because this time Bryce's attitude is not as amiable as before.
If I had to put it into words, at that moment Bryce looked like I wanted to punch him twice.
"what happened?"
Lin Xi's vision went black, and tinnitus, accompanied by waves of headache, surged towards him.
Although my body has generally regained consciousness, my mind still feels like it's floating in the clouds, specifically the clouds before a storm.
Of course, he was still confused, otherwise he wouldn't have asked such a stupid question.
Bryce's fists became even more eager to strike after his question.
"Your life monitoring system has triggered an alarm."
A gentle voice rang out from behind Bryce, answering Lin Xi's question.
“Your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing are all in the red, so we have to take you from the cabin to the medical room.”
The kind person who spoke had a doll.
That's Shizuo Ando.
With Ando's prompting, Lin Xi finally noticed his surroundings. This was not his cabin but Bryce's workplace, the medical room on the Sun God.
He was lying inside the treatment device, with several medical probes attached to his body, indicating that his treatment had just ended.
"Okay... what's going on..."
Lin Xi frowned and asked in a pained voice.
"You still have the nerve to ask what happened?"
Bryce was furious.
"Guess how many sedative sticks I found in your room?! You should know these are only for emergencies!"
"Well……"
Lin Xi was momentarily speechless.
Calming glue sticks?
Oh, right.
During the day, he encountered a minor accident in the passageway.
An insect the size of a dog exploded into a puddle of mud right before his eyes. The scene was so mentally disturbing that Lin Xi had to take two more sedative sticks before he could barely stop the "buzzing" auditory hallucinations from lingering in his ears.
"As for why this thing can only be used in emergencies, it's because if you ingest too much, it could cause sleep cardiac arrest—guess why you're lying in this treatment device right now?"
As Lin Xi struggled to recall the events leading up to her unconsciousness, Bryce's voice grew louder and louder.
“Because my dear brother’s heart stopped beating for thirty seconds! That means someone has been dead for thirty seconds! If I hadn’t been on duty tonight and arrived in time, you would be dead by now—” Bryce choked up.
Ando Shizuo glanced at his watch and gently added, "Forty-eight minutes."
"You've been dead for forty-eight minutes now!"
Bryce roared at Lin Xi.
"..."
Lin Xi almost wanted to just lie back down on the treatment device to avoid Bryce's raging fury.
"I just didn't expect this thing to actually have such serious side effects..."
He tried to explain in a weak voice, but even he could tell how guilty he was.
The calming gel sticks taste like a light orange soda; they're refreshing, delicious, and invigorating. Sometimes, their pain-relieving effect is even more effective than their calming effect.
Moreover, in Lin Xi's memory, he may have eaten slightly more than the prescribed dosage—but it was still not enough to cause any negative effects.
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