The Max-Level Sacred Mountain Begs Me to Save the Interstellar [Apocalypse] - Chapter 4

“Hack, hack, hack!”

“Pull, pull, pull!”

“Damn it, I’m exhausted. Is this thing a plant or made of metal?”

Sweat slid down the side of Shen Ye’s forehead. Over the past minute, he had tried every rescue method he could think of, but the roots of the green poppy remained firmly embedded in Xie Songnian’s body. Despair coiled around him like a vine, threatening to choke the life out of him.

“Wait!” Shen Ye suddenly grabbed Xie Songnian’s backpack and rummaged through it frantically. “Plants are afraid of fire! Sister Fang said the team is issued particle spray guns. Where is it?”

[Fool.]

“Who? Are you insulting me?” Shen Ye looked around in alarm, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

[The poppy is saving him. This man’s time is almost up!]

Shen Ye froze, thinking for a moment before decisively aiming the spray gun at the poppy. Under the scorching heat of the intense flame, the emerald leaves began to curl and turn yellow.

He had to be joking. Xie Songnian was strong enough to kill a supersonic Tyrant Monarch; he was destined to be a long-lived old man. This voice had to be a distraction to waste time!

[You! Hmph! Go look at his chest. That thing is about to take full control of this body!]

There was indeed something pulsating rhythmically in Xie Songnian’s chest. Shen Ye had originally assumed it was just a normal heartbeat. He stepped forward and looked through the puncture holes made by the poppy into Xie Songnian’s body.

Beneath the knotted muscles and throbbing veins sat a bright red heart, and right next to it, clinging tightly, was a black, palm-sized embryonic shadow already pierced through by the poppy’s roots.

“Whoa! What is that!” Shen Ye was genuinely startled.

[A Stalker. Humans only know them for being fast and stealthy, but they don’t know that their most terrifying ability is parasitism. Once it drains the last of the nutrients from this shell, we are all finished.]

“Wait, we?” Shen Ye nimbly caught the unusual choice of words. “Excuse me, but you wouldn’t happen to be Mount Buzhou, would you?”

[Who else? Do you only have a brain for decoration?] The voice sounded exasperated.

Shen Ye was speechless. It was so aggressive; he didn’t remember Mount Buzhou being like this.

[Someone is coming. If you want to save him, stuff the poppy seed into his wound.]

As soon as the voice finished, the poppy’s roots receded like a tide. The entire plant withered and yellowed at a speed visible to the naked eye before crumbling into dust. A dark brown, unremarkable seed landed in the pool of blood with a soft “thud.”

Shen Ye did not hesitate for a second. He picked up the seed and pressed it deep into Xie Songnian’s wound.

Almost at the same time, disorganized footsteps approached. The figures of the cleanup squad broke through the gloom and rushed in.

“Captain!”

“Shen Ye! Are you alright?”

The squad rushed to Xie Songnian, while Cheng Fang immediately checked on Shen Ye’s safety.

“I’m fine, Sister Fang. Just now…”

Shen Ye quickly organized his thoughts, omitting the existence of the voice in his head. He briefly explained the strange behavior of the slime monster and the green poppy.

After listening, the expressions of everyone present became very solemn.

They brought Shen Ye back to the base and provided him with a temporary room. The official word was that they wanted him to rest until Xie Songnian woke up, but Shen Ye knew he hadn’t fully gained their trust. This was effectively house arrest.

However, Shen Ye took this opportunity to ask Mount Buzhou a few questions.

“Zhouzhou, are you there?” Shen Ye asked in a sweet, obedient tone.

[You can just call me Mount Buzhou. I don’t have much time awake. Answer me directly: Are you willing to die?]

“Huh?” Shen Ye had finally been reborn as a well-connected person; he valued his life!

[Then what about the people of the stars? Are they willing to die?]

“Unless they have bubbles in their brains.”

[Then what do you think the relationship is between the ‘Aberrations’ and humans?]

Shen Ye replied, “Uh, probably a relationship of predator and prey, or invader and victim?”

[Wrong. Humans only landed on the Three Stars of Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury after the destruction of the Blue Planet. The so-called ‘Aberrations’ have lived here for generations. The Ghost Mist is to them what air was to the old Earth. Therefore…]

“Therefore, humans are the alien invaders!” Shen Ye felt like he had been struck by lightning. This was a perspective he had never considered.

[In the entire solar system, only these three habitable planets remain. It is the same for humans as it is for the Aberrations.]

“Is there… no possibility of peaceful coexistence?” Shen Ye asked almost naively.

[Absolutely impossible. The monsters follow the most primitive biological urge: to feed on humans. Unless humans are willing to become sacrificial lambs, we are about to face a very inglorious war.]

“Natural selection, survival of the fittest. Nature is cruel by design,” Shen Ye muttered. “Then what about you, Mount Buzhou? What are you?”

[I am the resonance of the deceased Blue Planet’s will, a slim chance for humanity. Normally, I should have chosen a host like Xie Songnian, then quickly absorbed energy to cover the Three Stars with plants…]

“Alright, say no more!” Shen Ye interrupted. The next part was undoubtedly going to be about how much of a loser he was.

[For better or worse, even if you die, I cannot bind to anyone else now. Therefore, the fate of humanity is tied to you alone.]

“That is a heavy burden,” Shen Ye said.

[The remains of Aberrations are the nutrients for my recovery and the prerequisite for me to produce seeds. You must collect monster corpses as quickly as possible, or I won’t even be able to defeat an Elite-level Aberration. Also, do not reveal my existence too early. Some people have already taken sides against humanity.]

“Shen Ye! Captain Xie is awake and wants to see you.”

As soon as Xiao Liu pushed open the door to the isolation room, he saw Shen Ye sitting upright on the bed with his mouth wide open. He looked a bit dim-witted.

“Are you… are you okay, Shen Ye?” Xiao Liu’s hand was already moving toward his gun.

A man who just wanted to make money and buy a house was suddenly tasked with saving the entire human race. The shock was too much, and Shen Ye’s soul was temporarily offline.

“I, I, I’m fine. Is my brother-in-law awake?”

Xiao Liu nodded. “The Captain wants you to go over immediately!”

The isolation room was located deep in the base’s basement, while Xie Songnian’s office was on the top floor with an expansive view. The two rode the elevator up. Bored, Shen Ye’s attention was caught by a video playing on a loop on the elevator screen.

“That’s Dr. Gu Huaren,” Xiao Liu said, pointing at the figure surrounded by a crowd in the footage, his voice full of admiration. “The founder of cloning technology, our great savior!”

“You know how delicate interstellar seeds are. Not enough humidity? They die. Not enough sunlight? They die. If they touch the Ghost Mist too early? They die. Just when humanity was in despair, Dr. Gu brought us plant gene cloning technology. Even though the mist-dispelling range of clones is narrower, they can be mass-produced! Most outdoor activities now rely on them!”

At this point, Xiao Liu leaned in and whispered into Shen Ye’s ear, “Actually, I have some gossip.”

“Hmm?”

“I heard Dr. Gu used to be a very ordinary researcher. Then one day, he had a sudden flash of inspiration and broke through the technical barriers. Do you think one day I’ll have an epiphany, kill a Lord-level monster like the Captain, and get a glorious promotion? Hehe.”

“More likely you’ll die a glorious death,” Shen Ye said, looking at Xiao Liu’s face full of fantasies. He didn’t think there was much hope.

Ding.

The elevator reached the 9th floor. Xiao Liu gave a “fighting” gesture. “The Captain is in that room. Go in yourself.”

Shen Ye thought: Useless, but thanks anyway.

The office door was ajar. Shen Ye pushed it open gently, revealing a minimalist decor. A large desk stood against the wall, opposite a set of dark brown leather sofas—cold and efficient.

“Come here.”

Shen Ye was startled. He followed the voice and suddenly discovered another door hidden behind the sofa. It was a suite. Xie Songnian was wearing loungewear, leaning calmly against the headboard while cleaning a laser gun.

“I recognize that gun! You pointed it at my head the other day! This is a threat! I’m going to make a scene! I’m going to tell your wife!”

“Heh,” Xie Songnian raised an eyelid and let out an ambiguous chuckle. “Tell her once you find her.”

Shen Ye froze. “Where did my sister go? What did you do?”

Xie Songnian replied, “Don’t change the subject. I’m asking you, where did that plant go?”

“It withered and turned to ash. Why, didn’t the cleanup squad bring it back for you to see?”

Even facing his “brother-in-law,” without memories or absolute trust, Shen Ye did not dare reveal a single word about Mount Buzhou. He understood the principle that possessing a treasure makes one a target.

“Truly? Nothing was left behind?” Xie Songnian’s expression was becoming dangerous.

“No… nothing at all. Just a layer of powder blown away by the wind.”

An suffocating silence filled the room. After a long time, Xie Songnian seemed to give up his questioning. He gently placed the cleaned gun on the nightstand. “Fine, I won’t force you. Tell me when you’re ready, okay? Shen Ye.”

Not okay…

The moment Xie Songnian’s tone softened, Shen Ye’s danger radar spiked. Xie Songnian was lying!

“You’ve been in isolation for so long, you haven’t eaten anything. I’ll have someone send some food.” Xie Songnian made a move to operate his Star Ring.

Shen Ye didn’t want to stay a moment longer; he was about to blow his cover!

“Brother-in-law, I’ve been worried about you. Since you’re awake, I want to go back to my dorm and rest.”

Xie Songnian considered this for a long time, his voice growing increasingly gentle. “Alright. Will you still go on the next mission?”

“…Yes.”

“Then wait for my notification.”

“Okay.”

Shen Ye left, feeling dejected.

The door closed behind him. The gentle facade Xie Songnian had put on vanished instantly. He opened the projection on his Star Ring, and the footage recorded by Cheng Fang’s device appeared clearly in the air.

In the video, every detail of Shen Ye was visible. Xie Songnian carefully analyzed every subtle expression and movement. Unfortunately, he found nothing.

Outside the window, the sunlight that had pierced the mist slowly retracted, and the world was once again swallowed by the murky darkness. But suddenly, one, two, three… thousands of lights flickered on in homes, outshining the stars.

Xie Songnian withdrew his gaze from the window and slowly sank into his memories. During the life-and-death struggle with that Lord-level Stalker, no one thought Xie Songnian would return to the base alive.

Including Xie Songnian himself.

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