Chapter 96: Ninety-Sixth Day of Living Like a Salted Fish

Lu Yuan couldn’t think of anything else that could go wrong.

With only these few people and a territory of this size, no matter how he looked at it, there really shouldn’t be any variables left.

It couldn’t be the Garbage Ships, could it?

Lu Yuan had even cautiously used his Mental Power to scan every Garbage Ship currently in the orbit above the Desolate Planet. He confirmed they weren’t carrying anything strange and that the conversations among the crews were perfectly normal.

By all accounts, there were no issues.

However, as a veteran of countless battles, Lu Yuan trusted his intuition.

If his gut told him something was wrong, then something was definitely wrong. The reason he hadn’t discovered it after all this time was…

Lu Yuan sighed. He had been slacking off for so long that his brain felt a bit stiff.

“Lu Yuan, do you have any other suggestions?” Goudan asked from the other side.

Lu Yuan lifted his eyelids to glance at him and continued to ponder.

Goudan waited quietly, his brows slowly knitting together. “Is there a problem?”

“I feel like there is,” Lu Yuan said. “Perhaps there is one more variable.”

“What is it?” Goudan asked.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment longer before saying slowly, “The Desolate Planet itself.”

“Huh?” Goudan was stunned. After a moment of thought, he asked, “You mean the climate?”

“A good guess,” Lu Yuan said, “but incorrect.”

Goudan looked at him, speechless.

“We’ll see.” Lu Yuan shook his head. “It won’t affect you all. Just prepare according to the current plan. If a problem arises, I’ll take responsibility for it.”

He didn’t say it directly. Mostly, he hadn’t decided whether to tell the others that the Desolate Planet possessed life and consciousness.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t tell them.

It just felt like it would be a huge hassle.

Goudan seemed to understand his meaning. Seeing the other meeting participants look completely relieved after hearing Lu Yuan’s guarantee, Goudan shook his head. “That’s it then. Meeting adjourned!”

Then, once everyone else had left, he asked again, “What exactly is the problem with the Desolate Planet?”

This guy was certainly sharp, Lu Yuan thought. Organizing his ideas, he said, “The Desolate Planet is alive. It’s very likely it has its own consciousness and preferences. I don’t know how it will view our act of instigating a war.”

“We aren’t going there to murder and pillage; it’s just normal expansion. How else could the Desolate Planet view it?” Goudan rested his chin on one hand. “Besides, even if it were murder and pillage, the Desolate Planet probably wouldn’t care. If it did, things wouldn’t have been so chaotic before you arrived.”

“Maybe it just couldn’t interfere?” Lu Yuan suggested. “It has no way to communicate with every individual or influence everyone’s thoughts.”

“So what do you think it can control?”

“Itself.”

Lu Yuan suddenly looked up. “For example, have you ever experienced an earthquake?”

“No one has ever experienced an earthquake. Most people haven’t even heard of them.”

The next day, Goudan leaned over the table, relaying the information he had gathered to Lu Yuan.

“Hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, volcanoes… none of those either,” Goudan said. “Just as you said, the climate of the Desolate Planet seems much milder than we imagined. It might be harsh on a daily basis, but there are almost no extreme, sudden natural disasters.”

“The only planet I know of without such natural disasters is the Capital Star.” Lu Yuan’s tone was somewhat subtle. “And even there, they don’t truly ‘not exist.’

“Countless people work day and night for that purpose, calculating the movements of the atmosphere and the crust, the activity of its sun, and the influence of surrounding stars and planets. The Academy of Sciences has several research groups dedicated to these topics, developing the equipment needed to interfere with natural disasters.

“But even so, they can’t guarantee the Capital Star remains free of natural disasters. They can only use diversion to ensure these disasters occur in places where they won’t affect humans.”

Goudan listened in silence.

Lu Yuan paused, then continued, “However, just because the people here haven’t experienced these disasters doesn’t mean they don’t exist on the Desolate Planet at all. Besides, blizzards, extreme heat, and torrential rain are technically natural disasters too. It’s just that you’ve already adapted to living in such harsh environments.

“…Anyway, let’s wait and see. If the Desolate Planet is going to react, it will happen within the next day or two. If not…”

Lu Yuan gave a small smile. “Then it means something has moved beyond my control.”

There was actually a hint of anticipation in his voice.

During his years as Marshal, he had always been the master strategist, never believing there was anything he couldn’t foresee or that could fall outside his expectations.

In the past, Lu Yuan might have been displeased by things sliding out of his control-it would have interfered with his plans. Now, however, he only found it interesting.

Total control was quite boring, after all.

It was just like his willingness to play games with Zhu Rong. He had made the games himself, and their inherent entertainment value was limited, but whenever Zhu Rong made an unexpected move, his gaming experience improved significantly.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t played any games in a long time.

His shop hadn’t been open for business in a while, either.

Everyone had been incredibly busy lately. Unlike winter, when everyone huddled at home with nothing to do and plenty of time for entertainment, they were now occupied with both studying and farming. The physical and mental exhaustion was so great that even Goudan lacked the energy to watch television, let alone anyone else.

Er Ya and the others hadn’t come by recently to perform any new songs for him, either.

Lu Yuan glanced up at the nearby shelf. As expected, it was covered in a layer of dust.

“Tch.”

He wasn’t sure when it had started, but the fair, purely profit-driven transactions between him and Goudan-and between him and the people of the Desolate Planet-had gradually vanished. They had been replaced by a more emotional form of mutual aid.

Goudan had gradually stopped offering chips he could provide whenever he needed help or made a request. Lu Yuan didn’t consider such things anymore, either; he hadn’t even checked how much money Goudan spent on cooking every day for a long time.

To the point where running this shop had become somewhat meaningless.

His meals were all covered by Goudan, and he had almost no other needs, so he had no use for money. The shop truly had no customers, and it certainly wasn’t making a profit.

Perhaps once Goudan’s territory expanded, he might find new clients?

Lu Yuan thought idly, his Mental Power slowly spreading out. It enveloped the entire surface of the Desolate Planet before extending toward the core from all directions. Finally, all the threads of Mental Power converged at the center of the planet.

Only then did Lu Yuan stop. He did not withdraw his Mental Power, however, leaving it to lie in wait.

He wasn’t sure what results this would yield.

But just in case.

Three days later.

Goudan led a group of people to gather around the Garbage Dump, waiting for the arrival of the Garbage Ship.

All preparations were complete; they only lacked the final spark.

At that moment, Lu Yuan’s Mental Power captured a strange ripple.

At the Garbage Dump, Goudan suddenly felt a jolt of vibration.

He looked up instinctively, only to see the distant houses swaying and trembling before collapsing.

So it really is going to make a move. Goudan didn’t have time for other thoughts; that single realization rose in his mind just as Lu Yuan’s voice echoed in his head: “You might need to change your plans.”

“Hmm?”

Back at the small shop, Lu Yuan’s house was the only surviving structure in the entire area. He stood by the window, looking out at the ruins, while his Mental Power focused on the situation in the distance.

“The earthquake’s epicenter is in the northern mountains, and it has triggered a volcanic eruption. There’s a settlement nearby with a large population. They were already hit hard by the earthquake, and with the volcano added to the mix, many people might die.”

He spoke calmly, yet Goudan somehow detected a hint of anger.

“I’m currently using my Mental Power to suppress the volcano. But this pressure has to be released sooner or later-if not here, then somewhere else. I suggest you head over there now to guide the people, or bring them back to our side.”

“Are you angry?” Goudan asked.

“Not really,” Lu Yuan paused. “It’s a bit of a hassle, but since I have the ability and happen to be here, I can’t just stand by and watch them die.”

“Are you angry at the Desolate Planet?” Goudan asked again.

“Not really,” Lu Yuan denied once more. “It’s likely trying to force my hand. And it must have been certain that I would act. Even if doing so carries the risk of casualties… it’s doing it for self-preservation, so it’s excusable.”

He’s definitely angry, Goudan thought. Saying it was “excusable” was just a way of saying, “I’m angry, but I’ll forgive you.”

“You have such a good temper,” Goudan remarked, then added, “Fine, I’ll go take a look.”

“Mm,” Lu Yuan nodded. “Arrange things on our end first. Everyone’s houses have collapsed… I was busy tracking the Desolate Planet’s consciousness and didn’t have time to provide backup here.”

“It’s fine,” Goudan said. “At worst, we’ll sleep in the open for a couple of days. It’s not winter. The most we’ll deal with is a bit of rain… and we’d be getting wet inside the houses anyway. No big deal. So, did you catch the Desolate Planet’s consciousness?”

Lu Yuan’s tone carried a hint of frustration. “No, it hid itself incredibly fast. If Geshu Qing hadn’t mentioned that the Desolate Planet was alive, and if I hadn’t been prepared, I probably wouldn’t have even detected its existence.”