The Sunu people differ from humans in many ways (although from the perspective of extraterrestrial definition, they are too similar to humans—to this day, many Earthlings still believe they are descendants of Atlanteans who migrated to other planets before the extinction of the dinosaurs). They have more sensitive hearing and smell than humans, but their vision is more degenerate...
Lin Xi also knew a lot of little-known facts about the Sunu people, but he didn't intend to continue the discussion with Ando Shizuo on this topic, since he wasn't a Sunu enthusiast like Ando.
"Ah, of course, I understand. After all, Liz is going through a special time right now."
He interrupted Ando.
But the next second he regretted it, because Ando sat there awkwardly, a thin layer of cold sweat visible on his forehead. He looked stiff, and Lin Xi could tell that Ando Shizuo was the kind of person who would never ask for help from others.
He always felt a pang of sympathy for these kinds of people. Especially when he recalled how Ando had suddenly stepped in to help him out yesterday, Lin Xi immediately understood. Clearly, the idea of finding someone else to take care of Xingdie had probably been swirling in Ando's mind for a long time.
Lin Xi, who is also a researcher, seems to be the most suitable candidate.
"I don't really care."
Lin Xi scratched the back of his head and said softly.
Although he doesn't particularly like insects, but...
In Bryce's medical room, he witnessed Liz's condition firsthand and naturally knew that Ando had no choice but to make this decision.
“…It’s just that Captain Taran might be a bit of a problem,” Lin Xi shrugged at Ando. “You know, he’s always disliked me. I don’t think he’ll agree to let me take care of Star Butterfly.”
Ando nervously scratched the back of his hand: "It's okay, we don't have to tell him right now that this isn't a formal handover—once Liz's condition improves, I'll bring the egg case back to my lab as quickly as possible."
Even Ando himself probably didn't realize that even when he was trying to persuade Lin Xi to take care of the Star Butterfly's egg case in his place, he still had an undeniable possessiveness towards the egg case, and he was still subconsciously trying to retain control over the Star Butterfly's egg case.
Lin Xi frowned.
"Since you put it that way..."
Lin Xi could certainly sense the inherent risks of this behavior—most of which were Ando's. Frankly, this method offered no benefit other than avoiding trouble with Taran.
However, just as he was about to continue speaking, he looked up and saw Ando's face, a tired and haggard one. Ando was not as calm as he had appeared in the medical room yesterday, nor did he completely ignore Liz's strange behavior; he was simply hiding all his pain and worry very well.
"Okay, I'll take good care of the bug eggs, although I don't have much experience in this area."
Lin Xi changed her tune.
Having received Lin Xi's promise, Ando soon arrived at Lin Xi's room with the egg case of the Star Butterfly.
At that time, Lin Xi was not even fully awake yet.
Lin Xi rubbed her eyes and opened the hatch to let Ando Shizuo into her room.
The man held the Star Butterfly's egg case tightly in his hands, as if it were some rare treasure.
And that thing was just like the one Lin Xi had seen before, looking like a giant bean pod, quietly floating in a special cultivation device (that device looked quite advanced; Lin Xi was willing to bet that it was a machine that Ando had paid for out of his own pocket).
"I thought... all I had to do was put it in the plant lab."
Lin Xi finally snapped out of her daze after seeing Ando Shizuo place the fixation device on her bedside table and then place the egg sheath connected to the life support device there.
He stared at Shizuo Ando in astonishment and asked.
When Lin Xi agreed to Ando's request, she never expected that the so-called "taking care" of the Star Butterfly Egg Sheath would mean placing the thing directly in her room.
Judging from the installation location chosen by Shizuo Ando, the matter is probably not just about keeping the insect eggs in his own cabin.
"No—how could you do that—"
Ando turned around to look at Lin Xi in shock, as if Lin Xi had just said something unbelievable.
“This egg case is still in dormancy, which means its activity is still very weak. What we need to do is activate it as much as possible, otherwise it may die directly during this long period of dormancy. That's how the Sunu Star Butterfly went extinct! To avoid this, we need to change its nutrient solution, adjust the temperature, and provide some sound and light stimulation every now and then. It shouldn't be too strong, but it must be there. This will help it perceive the outside world... In short, it needs careful and attentive care. If you just leave it in your laboratory and ignore it, it will probably die very quickly—” Ando Shizuo opened his eyes wide and said seriously to Lin Mao.
After a while, he noticed Lin Xi's expression, and then he seemed to belatedly realize something.
Ando coughed lightly twice, then added awkwardly, "Well, although the procedure may seem a bit complicated, you'll find that once you get used to its habits, taking care of it isn't difficult. I've designed a small monitoring system that will tell you what to do. Of course, it might require more effort than a plant... but I can assure you, you'll enjoy it. The Sunu Star Butterfly is indeed a rather fascinating creature, even before it hatches."
Is it too late for me to back out now?
Lin Xi looked at Ando, who seemed increasingly uneasy, with a wry smile, and asked softly.
...
Of course, the so-called "change of heart" was just a joke.
Lin Xi had many flaws, but he was by no means the kind of person who would go back on his word—the egg case of that star butterfly was ultimately left on his bedside table.
As Ando said, once you get used to it (meaning you stop thinking about how it's essentially a bunch of unhatched insect eggs), it doesn't seem so repulsive.
After seeing off the reluctant Ando Shizuo, Lin Xi sat in front of the egg sheath and stared at it for a long time, though he himself didn't know why he was doing so.
The life support device operated silently, and the egg cases in the pale blue culture medium floated like jellyfish born in the deep sea long before humans existed.
Wait, jellyfish?
Lin Xi's gaze sharpened. Only now did he notice that the egg sheath was not completely unchanged from the one he had first seen.
Beneath its swollen, translucent body, numerous extremely fine, transparent tentacles have sprouted. Each one appears to be only as thick as a hair, yet it is incredibly long. At this moment, they are gently swaying back and forth, a sight that inevitably evokes the image of a jellyfish.
However, didn't Ando say that this thing is still in a dormant period? So what are these tentacles for?
A hint of doubt flickered in Lin Xi's mind.
However... since Ando never specifically mentioned these tentacles to him, they are probably some unique characteristics of the Star Butterfly's egg case.
Lin Xi quickly put that bit of confusion behind her.
He had a lot on his plate, such as dealing with Bryce's nagging, playing cards and having fun with the exploration team, and taking care of the plants in the spaceship's greenhouse.
The last item should have been a fairly straightforward task.
Lin Xi has an amazing talent for plants; simply put, he has a "green finger," and this talent works as well as ever on the special plants on Sunu Star.
But now, Lin Xi's talent is facing an unprecedented predicament.
Lin Xi didn't know if it was because the spaceship had crash-landed or something else, but the plants in his laboratory and greenhouse, which had always been lush and healthy, suddenly started to be infested with pests.
Considering the cleanliness of the spacecraft's greenhouse, this is almost an unbelievable accident.
But it happened without any warning.
Lin Xi later discovered that the roots of several soil-grown plants that could not be planted in antibacterial nutrient solutions contained extremely tiny insect eggs. After hatching, these eggs exhibited remarkable activity and tolerance to various insecticides.
Lin Xi had sworn many times through gritted teeth that he would kill those idiotic graduate students in charge of the inspections once he returned to Earth. But no matter how angry Lin Xi was, the little bugs stubbornly survived round after round of routine disinfection and pest control. Then, these tiny demons spread throughout the enclosed, warm, and completely uncontested greenhouse.
"I really can't understand how these insects can be almost more resilient than tardigrades!?"
Lin Xi complained to Bryce and Elisa more than once.
He had never encountered such a situation before; many plants were weakened by the insects' gnawing.
The only thing that could make Lin Xi feel fortunate about was that Taran was quite weak due to a severe headache. He was already exhausted from dealing with the important matters at work, and he didn't have the energy to cause trouble for Lin Xi for the time being.
In between trying to salvage the mess in the plant laboratory and greenhouse, Lin Xi couldn't help but marvel at Ando Shizuo's good fortune: the pest infestation happened exactly the day after the star butterfly egg case settled on his bedside table. If Lin Xi had discovered this a day earlier, he probably would have refused Professor Ando's request without hesitation.
Although Lin Xi also admitted that taking care of the Star Butterfly's egg case was not as complicated or troublesome as he had imagined.
In fact, after a busy day, when he returned to his cabin and looked at the egg sheaths floating leisurely inside the life support system, he would feel a vague sense of relaxation.
The tentacles sprouting from the surface of the egg case became more numerous and thicker. They were no longer delicate and transparent, but rather a protein-colored substance close to the egg case itself. Even without looking at the series of data fed back to him by the system, just by observing the egg case with the naked eye through the transparent glass, it was clear that this little creature was quite vibrant.
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