The Max-Level Sacred Mountain Begs Me to Save the Interstellar [Apocalypse] - Chapter 5

It was a battle that had nearly ended in mutual destruction. However, what it left behind within Xie Songnian’s body was another inexplicably powerful force.

In the training room, facing a rapid series of attacks, Xie Songnian did not even need to think. He followed his instincts, suddenly vanishing and then reappearing nearby without warning. He had actually acquired the short-distance spatial translocation ability of the Stalker.

Because of this, Xie Songnian underwent various examinations, yet every report confirmed that he was perfectly healthy. That changed this year. Xie Songnian felt the urge to eat a human.

From the first moment the thought arose, Xie Songnian had been making preparations. He did his best to cultivate Gu Que and frequently cleared the aberrations outside the base. Even the search for rhenium ore, which was not originally urgent, was part of his plan.

He worked almost around the clock. Even when he heard rumors circulating within the base, he lacked the energy to suppress them. Let them call him the “Brother-in-law” if they wanted; he would not be able to protect that child he picked up from outside the base for much longer anyway.

However, after waking up from this serious injury, that bone-deep, searing desire to consume a human had miraculously vanished. His body felt lighter than ever, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted. This transformation was absolutely related to Shen Ye.

Thinking of this, Xie Songnian opened his Star Ring, tapped on a female avatar in his contacts, and entered the chat page.

After leaving the base building, Shen Ye wandered the streets aimlessly. He was now unsure if saving Xie Songnian had been the right move. The bustling crowds in the commercial district only made Shen Ye feel more isolated.

It was difficult to describe his current mood. He felt like a dog sent to a foster home: unable to understand the rules of the new house yet too embarrassed to keep wagging its tail.

“Sir, I see a red glow between your eyebrows. You will surely meet a benefactor within three days.”

“I haven’t met a benefactor, but I’ve met plenty of aberrations,” Shen Ye’s mouth blurted out before his brain could catch up.

Only after speaking did he see the person in front of him. Dressed in a suit and tie, he looked exactly like the “golden retriever” from his hallucinations.

Shen Ye was shocked. “Zhang Heng, have you been eating poisonous mushrooms?”

“Huh?” Zhang Heng failed to follow his train of thought for once, but fortunately, he was a professional.

“Look! The latest real estate project, right in the center of the base. No commute congestion, and a safety index higher than the Captain’s conscience. Today’s price: only 13,888,888!”

Shen Ye cooperated with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Wow! Where is this excellent house? I want to buy it, I want to buy it!”

Zhang Heng replied, “But there is one tiny problem with this building. It hasn’t been built yet.”

Shen Ye: “Heh, no problem. I haven’t gotten around to earning the money to buy it yet either.”

Zhang Heng’s face turned green. He could help a blind man buy glasses and a deaf man buy a stereo, but the one thing he could not do was sell a drop of water to a pauper. To avoid breaking his myth as a salesman who never lost a lead, Zhang Heng began to help Shen Ye think of ways to make money.

“How about you steal some from your brother-in-law?”

Shen Ye: “And then we both get our legs broken?”

What a terrible idea. Zhang Heng’s nonsensical chatter was useless, but it miraculously cleared the fog in Shen Ye’s mind. He still had Mount Buzhou. He could earn money from all of humanity. Or rather, he was going to save all of humanity.

[Ye Ye is great! Ye Ye is great!]

Shen Ye’s desire to make money was peaking when the Star Ring suddenly emitted a clinking sound.

Star Credits received: Elite-level Aberration clearance fee, 5,000 Star Credits. Star Credits received: Special mission subsidy, 7,140 Star Credits. Star Credits received: Special mission mental compensation, 10,000 Star Credits.

If he were not considering buying a house, this salary would bring incredible happiness.

“But this cannot even buy a toilet. You should still go steal some from Captain Xie,” Zhang Heng remarked. By the time Shen Ye saved enough for a house on this salary, Zhang Heng would have suffocated from boredom.

Shen Ye: “Please leave gracefully; do not interfere with my money-making.”

The arrival of the salary comforted Shen Ye’s poor heart and sparked his inspiration. He suddenly thought of a way to earn money while lying down and saving humanity at the same time.

[Flowers bloom, flowers bloom.]

Yes, Zhou Zhou could freely control the growth, blooming, seeding, and even withering of plants. The Cymbidium seed that had absorbed the Butcher had already bloomed; it was growing exactly where the Butcher had died. Shen Ye opened the Star Net forum and found the chat box for “Mei Ba,” the person who had previously revealed the location of the black market.

AAA Plant Field Master (Shen Ye): [Friend, do you want plants?] Mei Ba: [?] AAA Plant Field Master: [100% non-cloned, non-GMO. Inspect the goods before payment!] Mei Ba: [How do I inspect them?] AAA Plant Field Master: [Self-pickup. Coordinates: 34.112 / 45.23]

Mei Ba, whose real name was Zhou Xiaofu, curiously entered the coordinates into the interstellar map and was shocked to find that they were located within the Ghost Mist. A Cymbidium growing in the desolate Ghost Mist? Who are you trying to fool? Zhou Xiaofu replied aggressively.

Mei Ba: [You’re treating me like Tang Sanzang’s flesh! One bite for immortality, one scam to get rich?] Mei Ba: [Brother, change your routine if you want to get rich. If there really were live plants in the Ghost Mist, I would let you kick my head like a ball.]

AAA Plant Field Master transferred 20,000 Star Credits to Mei Ba.

AAA Plant Field Master: [Is your head even worth 20,000?] AAA Plant Field Master: [If you can get this plant, I will sell it to you at half the market price.]

As he said this, Shen Ye’s heart bled. A native plant sold for at least 150,000 Star Credits at the Agricultural Alliance. To open up his sales channel, Shen Ye was willing to lose nearly 80,000 Star Credits. What a massive price to pay.

Zhou Xiaofu, online handle “Mei Ba,” was a junior at the College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University. At this moment, he was organizing his weapons. Even as a student, clearing aberrations earned him subsidies and extra academic credits.

“Fu Ge, are you really going into the mist? Even with this cloned Mimosa, it is not very safe. Besides, you are not short on money. Why suffer like this?” his roommate questioned him.

“Powerful aberrations have their own territories. I have scouted the route in advance. As long as I bypass a few spots, the vehicle’s protection is enough to last the trip. Besides, my brother wants me to get used to the world inside the Ghost Mist before I graduate.”

Hearing Zhou Xiaofu mention his brother, the roommate stopped protesting. Rumor had it that Zhou Xiaofu’s brother, Zhou Zheng, worked at the Agricultural Alliance and was not just a basic assistant researcher. Zhou Xiaofu had the latest Star Ring, weapons worth hundreds of thousands, and often shared the latest experiences in plant cloning. The roommate privately believed that Zhou Xiaofu’s lifestyle was entirely supported by Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Xiaofu watched his roommate leave. He knew generally what people thought of him. However, to make money, he had to keep playing the role of a pampered son of a wealthy family. His family was actually very poor.

When his sister was born, the three siblings could only share one compressed biscuit a day. Later, his brother luckily got into the Agricultural Alliance, but misfortunes never come singly. Their sister was diagnosed with a genetic disease that required long-term hospitalization, costing at least 100,000 Star Credits a month.

To keep hearing that sweet voice call him “Brother,” Zhou Zheng took the risk of stealing cloned plants from the Agricultural Alliance, and Zhou Xiaofu was responsible for selling them on the black market. The money they made was barely enough to cover the expenses for the three of them.

But recently, the Agricultural Alliance’s regulations had become increasingly strict, and the number of cloned plants they could get their hands on was dwindling. Zhou Xiaofu could go without money, but his sister’s hospital fees could not stop. So, even hearing such a ridiculous rumor about a Cymbidium blooming in the Ghost Mist, Zhou Xiaofu chose to believe it. After all, the paths to big money were all locked behind law books; to get rich, one could only seek hope within the Ghost Mist.

Zhou Xiaofu put on the lucky bracelet woven by his sister and gradually moved away from the laughter on campus. The coordinates given by Shen Ye were about a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. The vehicle traveled alone in the indescribable emptiness, with nothing outside the window but endless, eerie, thick fog.

Out of boredom, Zhou Xiaofu opened a live stream. The Star Net offered strong privacy; unless one actively exposed themselves, even the Agricultural Alliance and the cleanup squad could not easily obtain a user’s location.

Zhou Xiaofu glanced at the live stream interface while driving. As expected, few netizens were willing to stop by. Who would want to watch a live stream from inside the Ghost Mist? Is life too long for them?

But Zhou Xiaofu wanted to talk to someone, no matter what it was about. He had been driving alone for two hours. If silence were a wall, his heartbeat was the echo between them. The taste of loneliness and fear was enough to drive one mad.

“Take a look, come and see! Ba Ba is going to collect a Cymbidium in the Ghost Mist today. It is a genuine native plant! Selling it immediately after picking, first come first served!”

Zhou Xiaofu, his face covered by a rabbit mask, spoke. The nonsensical content actually managed to keep a few netizens in the room.

[Grandson, hurry up and change your stupid stream title. You’re trying to take advantage of your Grandpa!]

The Star Ring had a smart voice broadcast function, so Zhou Xiaofu heard the messages clearly.

[Although interstellar law only states that Agricultural Alliance plants cannot be traded privately, their seeds have genetic locks. No one has ever successfully planted them privately. Surely the streamer knows this.]

[My uncle works at the Mercury branch of the Alliance. Their genetic locks are personally unlocked by the Dean, and only after they sprout.]

[I’m done. People these days have no bottom line just to go viral.]

[Streamer is an idiot. Assessment complete!]

“Tch, Ba Ba never lies!” Seeing this, Zhou Xiaofu immediately made a solemn promise. “If the streamer is lying, I will perform a handstand while eating sh*t!”

Despite his words, Zhou Xiaofu’s internal state was quite different. Boasting was not illegal, and he was just treating it like teasing a dog.

Netizen A: [Waiting for the meal] Netizen B: [Waiting for the meal +1]

Time passed quickly while arguing with netizens. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Xiaofu arrived near the coordinates. He first cautiously poked his head out to look around. As expected, there was nothing but Ghost Mist.

Zhou Xiaofu felt a wave of disappointment. Just as he was about to drive away, he suddenly heard a chaotic clamor from the live stream.

[Am I blind, or is this a miracle?]

[Streamer, look behind you, quick!]

[I’m stunned!]

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