TCPUAAV Chapter 153

 

 

 

“Is this really Blue Planet?”

 

“It looks exactly like the books described.”

 

“Even the botanical gardens don’t have this many plants, right?”

 

“They’re growing so well without anyone taking care of them…”

 

After all, the flora in Sikkim’s botanical gardens survived only thanks to enormous investments and meticulous care.

 

With the rapid advancement of technology and increased mechanization of planets, the already fragile ecosystems had grown even more hostile over the years. Plants had been gradually declining, with many going extinct. By now, the only surviving species were either extraordinarily resilient—like the toxic and highly territorial Falling Star Vines—or artificially cultivated cash crops, which were expensive and labor-intensive to grow.

 

So when the soldiers suddenly saw a planet covered in thriving greenery, they couldn’t help but erupt in chatter and excitement.

 

“At least this trip wasn’t in vain,” Ruan Shiqing said, squatting down in front of a plant to study it carefully.

 

What he saw with his own eyes matched the archived imagery of early Blue Planet exactly.

 

He carefully collected samples of the plant’s leaves and surrounding soil, then returned to the ship’s lab for analysis. Seeing him so excited, Rong Heng could tell his presence wouldn’t be needed for a while. So he gave orders for the soldiers to spread out and scout the surrounding areas for signs of Zerg activity.

 

Half a day later, the scouting teams returned—but none had found any traces of the Zerg.

 

And yet, the reports of Zerg near Blue Planet had been confirmed. Rong Heng frowned, not taking the situation lightly. He ordered the search and surveillance to continue in rotating shifts, maintaining full alert.

 

Then, he made his way to the lab to find Ruan Shiqing.

 

Ruan Shiqing had just received the chemical analysis report and came out of the lab, smiling with joy—only to run straight into Rong Heng’s solemn expression.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“We haven’t found any sign of the Zerg on Blue Planet,” Rong Heng said. “I’ve ordered another sweep of the entire planet.”

 

They had brought enough aerial reconnaissance equipment to cover the whole surface of Blue Planet.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s brows furrowed.

 

The idea of Zerg on Blue Planet hadn’t worried them too much at first. After all, the main Zerg forces had already been wiped out, and the few remaining stragglers posed little threat. But now, with the Zerg suddenly vanishing without a trace, the situation took on a different weight.

 

It was hard not to feel something was off.

 

“We need to expand the search. Scan the surrounding star systems too.”

 

Rong Heng nodded. “Already sent teams out.”

 

While Rong Heng was organizing a full sweep of Blue Planet, the little ones’ shuttle had only just entered orbit.

 

Ruan Yuebai sat at the controls, watching the scanner as several patrolling warships appeared on the display: [Let’s circle around and land from the other side.]

 

Since Snowball had ditched them and snuck off to Blue Planet, they weren’t going to let him get away without a proper surprise.

 

The shuttle activated its cloaking system, bypassed the patrolling warships, and descended on the far side of the planet.

 

It touched down in a deep canyon, where the little ones disembarked and cautiously avoided the overhead drones.

 

“How are we going to find them?” Heli asked.

 

“Let’s hijack a drone,” Nota suggested, practically bouncing with excitement.

 

The shuttle was too big and too risky to bring near the main warship—better to steal a recon drone and sneak their way in undetected.

 

Heli immediately agreed.

 

While the three excitedly plotted how to bait down a drone, Ruan Jiao, who had been quietly listening, suddenly twitched his antennae and widened his eyes in delight.

 

He walked a few steps deeper into the canyon, his feelers swaying with a strange rhythm, and a distinctive hissing sound came from his throat.

 

In response, a soft rustling came from the trees on both sides of the gorge.

 

The other cubs immediately stopped their discussion, going on high alert as they scanned the surroundings.

 

[Zerg presence—stay sharp.] Ruan Yuebai’s gaze swept over the treeline. He hadn’t seen anything yet, but he could already detect the unmistakable scent of Zerg.

 

Having dealt with Zerg so many times, he could now recognize their presence just from that distinctive odor.

 

The cubs instantly shifted into defensive positions.

 

The rustling in the trees grew quieter, as if the creatures had sensed something and were trying not to provoke the newcomers.

 

Ruan Jiao grew visibly anxious, his feelers vibrating even faster.

 

“They— I know them. No danger,” he said hurriedly, speaking in broken phrases as he got worked up.

 

The other cubs looked at him in confusion. “You know those Zerg?”

 

“They took care of me. Before,” Ruan Jiao nodded, his eyes fixed on the trees ahead, and continued sending soft hisses toward the forest.

 

They remembered him mentioning once that, before he hatched, a group of Zerg had guarded and cared for him. Eventually, though, those Zerg had disappeared, replaced by the cruel ones who had experimented on him for his genetic material.

 

He had assumed those kind ones were long dead. But now, he sensed something familiar in the air—something warm and safe.

 

His heart surged with joy. He couldn’t wait to see his old friends again.

 

A moment later, a set of black, armored claws cautiously reached out from the woods, followed by long antennae, crimson compound eyes, and a hulking body.

 

The Zerg halted at the forest’s edge, its feelers twitching hesitantly, as if it wanted to approach but wasn’t sure if it could.

 

Though still fierce in appearance, there was something different about this one. It exuded a gentler aura—something unlike the aggressive and hostile Zerg they had encountered before.

 

“It used to take care of me. I even gave it a name—Gulu, because it always made this gulu-gulu bubbling sound.”

 

After giving the other little ones a quick introduction, Ruan Jiao ran up to the Zerg and gently bumped feelers with it. Then, in the Zerg’s unique language, he explained that these were friends, and they wouldn’t hurt them.

 

Gulu wiggled its feelers, finally seeming at ease. It rose to its full height and let out a high-pitched hiss.

 

Moments later, the rustling in the trees intensified—more Zerg emerged from the forest, waving their antennae as they curiously inspected Ruan Jiao and the others.

 

The three little ones immediately tensed, their bodies instinctively ready to pounce. If Ruan Jiao hadn’t said these Zerg were friends, they probably would’ve already launched an attack.

 

Sensing the tension, Ruan Jiao quickly whispered a few more words to Gulu. At his command, the swarm retreated back into the forest, leaving only three Zerg behind.

 

He led them out, patting Gulu’s razor-sharp claw as he said, “No need to hijack a drone anymore. Gulu and the others can take us. We’ll follow the drones in.”

 

And just like that, the three little ones found themselves awkwardly riding on the backs of Zerg.

 

These Zerg were masters of stealth and incredibly fast. As they darted through the dense forest, their speed wasn’t any slower than a recon drone.

 

Ruan Jiao sat excitedly atop Gulu, eagerly asking about what had happened after they’d been separated.

 

Though the others couldn’t understand Gulu’s responses, they could piece together the story through Ruan Jiao’s words.

 

It turned out that after the death of the Zerg Queen, the swarm had split into two factions—the hawks, who advocated for war, and the doves, who had followed the Queen’s wishes for peace.

 

At first, it was the doves who found the royal egg. They brought it back to Blue Planet and guarded it with utmost care, even though they knew the egg would hatch a male and not a new Queen. Still, they hoped.

 

The hawks, on the other hand, didn’t care about an egg that couldn’t birth a Queen. They took the majority of the swarm and left Blue Planet, continuing their war against the Empire.

 

Later, a high-ranking Zerg from the hawk faction returned to Blue Planet, intent on taking the royal egg.

 

The doves refused to give it up. But they were outnumbered and overpowered. Not only did they lose the egg, they were forced to go into hiding underground to escape the hawks’ pursuit.

 

All these years, they had remained hidden beneath Blue Planet, completely cut off from both the hawks and the outside world.

 

If not for sensing two familiar presences today, they wouldn’t have risked coming to the surface.

 

“There’s no danger anymore,” Ruan Jiao reassured, gently bumping feelers with Gulu. “Those bad bugs are gone.”

 

Gulu didn’t fully understand the complexities of the outside world, but it understood “no danger.” Still, it was hesitant. It let out a soft gulu-gulu sound before hissing lowly, “But many humans came today. Armed.”

 

Just as humans were familiar with the Zerg, the Zerg were no strangers to humans either.

 

But this group of Zerg, led by Gulu, still followed the late Queen’s final command: do not initiate war with humans.

 

“That’s my dad,” Ruan Jiao explained.

 

He was already used to calling him Dad, but technically, by Zerg genetics, Rong Heng wasn’t his father—he was his older brother. The relationship was complicated, and too tedious to explain, so he skipped it altogether and added simply, “They won’t hurt you.”

 

Gulu nodded and moved carefully, lowering itself into a crouch beneath the forest canopy. Its hiss now so soft it was almost inaudible. “Should we go out?”

 

Following the recon drones, they had already reached the clearing where the main warship was parked.

 

Ruan Jiao glanced at the other three cubs, silently asking for their opinion.

 

Heli immediately shook his head. Not yet!

 

Ruan Jiao nodded and was just about to tell Gulu to stay hidden a while longer when—

 

A volley of energy blasts suddenly shot toward them from the edge of the clearing.

 

Alongside the blinding beams came Rong Heng’s cold, commanding voice: “Come out.”

 

Rong Heng had been lying in wait for a while now.

 

After several full sweeps across Blue Planet yielded nothing, Rong Heng grew suspicious. He ordered the search to be tightened and personally monitored the detection systems. About an hour ago, he finally noticed something strange—four Zerg were approaching their location.

 

These Zerg had shown no previous signs of activity, as if they had just materialized out of thin air. Something this abnormal had to be investigated. So Rong Heng chose to quietly observe and see what they were up to.

 

But once the Zerg arrived… they didn’t move at all.

 

Suspecting they might be high-level Zerg attempting a stealth approach, Rong Heng decided not to wait any longer. He would strike first and take them alive if possible.

 

Just as he raised his hand to give the order to open fire—

 

A crisp, loud voice rang out from the woods: “Papa!”

 

 

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I’M SO HAPPY YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!!

 

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