“Little Vine, Dodder, stop fighting!”
Ruan Linzhan covered her eyes. “Don’t worry about them. We’re going home.”
He no longer wanted to stay here at all.
Ruan Shu: “But…”
Ruan Linzhan: “Don’t worry. They’re evenly matched; once they’re tired, they’ll stop. Besides, weren’t you hungry? Let’s go eat.”
The curator quietly approached at some point, “Commander Ruan, why don’t you have a meal here?”
Ruan Linzhan glanced at the fierce battle between the little vine and the dodder plant, then thought of the one responsible for all this chaos, who was already captured. He nodded in agreement.
Ruan Shu called out, “Little Vine, we’re going to eat first. Don’t fight too long, okay?”
As they left, the staff at the botanical garden were left feeling uneasy.
Just… leaving like that? They’re really not going to stop them?
Well, it’s not like they could stop them anyway.
The curator could tell there was a connection between the mutant blackberry vine and these people.
He just couldn’t understand how these two from the Ruan family could control mutant plants. Isn’t that the Li family’s power?
And he recalled how that young girl had emerged from the dodder plant’s nest. The dodder had built a nest for her, hadn’t harmed her at all, and even seemed obedient.
Even someone from the Li family might not be able to do that.
The curator’s curiosity about the young girl from the Ruan family grew.
Of course, he kept these thoughts to himself, not daring to inquire any further.
—
“Who was that person, and why did they bring an inducer in here?”
During their meal, Ruan Linzhan kept his focus on the rice dumpling beside him, feeding her while asking about the person’s identity.
Ruan Shu, munching on a large shrimp, perked up at the question.
The curator’s face darkened at the mention, his tone bitter.
“It was someone from that cult. Those people are completely brainwashed. They believe that sacrificing themselves is worthwhile for so-called freedom, the rebel army, and the dark beast god. They’re just a bunch of mindless fanatics.”
Another encounter with the rebels.
Hearing the organization’s name brought a flash of disdain to Ruan Linzhan’s eyes.
“This isn’t the first time they’ve stirred up trouble. These cult members, in their twisted pursuit of freedom and power, have caused several smaller incidents. They’ve smuggled heavily polluted energy into schools and carried powerful explosive devices into malls.”
“The Imperial Star Police are actively hunting them, but they’re like sewer rats—quick to hide and highly dispersed, making it impossible to catch them all.”
He hadn’t expected his botanical garden to fall victim this time. Many of the mutant plants had gone berserk, and in the end, Ruan Linzhan had to destroy them.
And those protective shields around the garden… they were expensive.
And on top of that, the botanical garden would have to compensate those injured here. This incident really was a huge loss for him.
Ruan Shu’s impression of the rebels was just as negative, recalling that the last war on the main planet was also caused by them.
She bit down on the piece of meat her brother fed her.
“Brother, you should eat too.”
Ruan Linzhan nodded.
The curator was deeply apologetic about the incident, grateful that Marshal Ruan’s daughter hadn’t been harmed in any way. He spoke earnestly with Ruan Linzhan about compensation.
“Chirp…”
A tiny sound suddenly interrupted them, causing Ruan Shu to stop mid-bite, her cheeks still puffed out.
She felt a slight movement around her stomach area.
Looking down, she realized that she was wearing overalls today, which had a large front pocket. She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now it seemed like there was something inside her pocket?
As she leaned down to look closely, a pink thing suddenly poked out.
Ruan Shu: “Ah!!”
She let out a short, startled cry.
“What’s wrong?”
Ruan Linzhan immediately leaned over, and three pairs of eyes fixed on the pocket in front of her stomach.
A small mushroom poked out, its cap slightly squashed.
But it didn’t mind—it was a resilient little mushroom.
Under the curator’s horrified gaze, the pink mushroom jumped onto Ruan Shu’s lap, shook its cap a little, and soon transformed back into an adorable, healthy-looking mushroom.
“Chirp~”
Curator: “How did Pink Maiden get here?!”
His loud, panicked voice nearly shook the ceiling.
Ruan Linzhan shot him a disapproving look, though his own gaze toward the little mushroom wasn’t exactly friendly either.
Also…
Just how many more surprises did his little cousin have hidden up her sleeve?
How many had it been already?
Ruan Linzhan felt he was growing numb to the endless surprises.
Ruan Shu was equally shocked; she truly had no idea when Pink Maiden had slipped into her pocket.
While she was still processing this, Pink Maiden had already leapt up.
Ruan Shu instinctively caught it in her hand.
The little pink mushroom, brimming with excitement, hopped a few times in her palm, rubbing its delicate mushroom cap against her hand.
“Chirp~”
It was delighted!
Ruan Shu gently poked Pink Maiden’s cap with her finger while taking a bite of the food her big brother offered.
“Brother, it’s so cute.”
On the other side of the room, the curator, who was almost on the verge of bolting out the door, gasped at her words. This was Pink Maiden—a mutated fungus! Cute wasn’t exactly the word he’d use; terrifying was more like it!
But… seeing those two so calm made him feel like he was overreacting.
Powerful star beasts are usually highly attuned to danger in the air. Seeing Commander Ruan so unfazed, could it be that Pink Maiden wasn’t releasing any spores?
“Commander Ruan, about this…”
Ruan Linzhan calmly fed Ruan Shu another bite. “It’s fine.”
The curator took that as a genuine reassurance, relaxing a bit, though he still discreetly alerted the caretaker responsible for Pink Maiden.
“Brother, I met Pink Maiden when I was with Dodder. Dodder threw it out twice.”
And now, here it was again. Ruan Shu couldn’t help but marvel at its resilience.
“Chirp~”
Pink Maiden leaped onto her shoulder, rubbing its cap affectionately against her.
Ruan Linzhan cast a sidelong glance at it, and the little mushroom immediately straightened its cap, as if it had been scolded.
That person is terrifying!
Mutated fungi, though dangerous because of their parasitic spores, were actually timid and defenseless. In terms of fighting ability, they were even weaker than Ruan Shu.
But they were poisonous, so most creatures avoided eating them—unless they had a death wish.
With their small bodies and excellent hiding skills, these fungi usually stayed hidden from other species, only approaching others to spread spores when it was time to reproduce.
Of course, Pink Maiden, the mushroom in the botanical garden’s exhibit, had grown used to being observed. With the safety of the protective barriers, it generally stayed put.
Mutated fungi were a mix of ruthless and timid creatures, skilled at hiding but highly cautious by nature. However, today, Pink Maiden seemed to have braved a leap beyond its natural instincts.