The month-long vacation on Aerido Star ended quietly amid explosions and accumulating credits.
The return transport slowly approached Canglan Star’s orbit.
The planet wrapped in green aurora came into view again.
For some reason, seeing it now stirred a subtle feeling of homecoming in Ryan’s chest.
When the transport entered synchronous orbit, aligning with the docking platform above Herta’s laboratory, Ryan didn’t head toward the airlock like other passengers.
He went to an observation hatch on the ship’s side and took a deep breath.
The hatch opened.
The vacuum of space lay before him.
He wore no protective gear—only fine electric arcs flowing around his body, an invisible force field enveloping him.
He glanced down at the familiar green planet, then at the distant outline of Herta Space Station, and smiled.
Then he stepped forward and jumped off the transport.
His body began falling under the planet’s gravity, accelerating.
But he stayed calm, focusing his will.
The fall lasted less than ten seconds.
Just as he was about to breach the atmosphere and his body began heating from friction, his force field twisted strangely, and he seemed to merge into the omnipresent electromagnetic waves.
The next second, the disorientation vanished.
He stood steadily in the corridor outside his room in the lab’s living quarters.
Familiar floor beneath his feet.
Familiar walls and lights around him.
“Phew… faster than an elevator. Just a bit dizzy.” He shook his head, adjusting to the instant environment switch.
He pushed open his door.
The room was almost exactly as he’d left it.
Draft papers with early railgun designs still on the desk.
The collection bin in the corner still held the artificial diamonds and miniature fusion reactor.
Even the half-finished energy drink on the nightstand had been replaced with a fresh one by the cleaning dolls.
Everything preserved, as if he’d just stepped out for a meal rather than a month away.
The familiar atmosphere relaxed him inexplicably.
He set down his light luggage and headed directly to the botanical garden.
Through the familiar heavy isolation door, rich life energy washed over him.
First in view: that heaven-piercing hybrid Arbor.
It seemed…
even taller?
“You’ve got to be kidding…” Ryan stared up at the canopy that seemed ready to puncture the lab ceiling, his mouth twitching.
“I was gone a month and you grew again? What are you, bamboo?”
A thought flashed: Should I cut it down?
But he killed it immediately.
Cut it?
Are you insane?
Besides the fact that Ruan Mei gave it to him—purpose unclear—and Herta seemed interested too, the tree’s hardness alone…
he’d tried before.
High-energy laser cutting?
Left a shallow white mark on the bark.
Physical force?
The tools broke; the bark didn’t even scratch. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
This thing’s hardness was absurd—beyond any known alloy, possibly approaching certain Curio materials.
To cut it down, he’d need to borrow a planet-destroying weapon.
He sighed and abandoned the impractical thought.
His gaze turned to the other plants.
Those that had grown wildly from the Arbor’s energy leakage were still lush and vibrant, but their growth was clearly under control now.
He noticed at the ecological zone’s edges and key points, many energy-guidance and isolation devices—ones he’d helped design and assemble—were operating stably, effectively containing the Arbor’s overwhelming life energy within a set area and preventing another ecological rampage.
“Looks like the parameters I set before leaving are working well.” Ryan nodded, satisfied.
These devices couldn’t completely stop the Arbor’s growth, but they at least protected the rest of the lab and kept the plants healthy.
He wandered the ecological zone, checking several key devices’ operational data and slightly adjusting one energy node’s output frequency to distribute life energy more evenly.
Done, he found a spot with a full view of the Arbor and sat down, quietly enjoying the unique ecological zone’s tranquility.
No Madam Herta’s omnipresent pressure and sharp tongue here—just a few Herta dolls handling maintenance.
One even waved at him.
Compared to the formality and calculation of dealing with company reps on Aerido Star, or the constant explosions of his own research, this was beyond comfortable.
He leaned against a soft leaf and closed his eyes.
The month on Aerido Star had clarified his position and abilities.
The past was behind him.
The future…
still seemed to involve working for Herta.
But at least this place was his “base”—a place where he could research in peace.
“Whatever. Since I’m here, I’ll make the best of it.” He muttered.
“Finish the remaining station work, then see if I can learn something from that ridiculously hard tree…”
Lab life—despite a genius’s exploitation and various accidents—wasn’t so bad.
Especially with Herta absent and only the dolls around.
Though that might be because certain modules weren’t activated.
Just as Ryan was enjoying the rare peace, a small Herta doll clattered over and spoke in its flat tone: “Your vacation has ended. Per your schedule, you have two pending matters.”
Ryan didn’t even open his eyes.
“What? Another precision component on the station need me to personally screw in?”
“First,” the doll ignored his grumbling, “message from Madam Herta: once you’re done playing, get back to work. Don’t think about slacking. I can see you.”
Ryan clicked his tongue.
No escape, as expected.
He sat up.
“And second?”
The doll’s purple eyes flickered.
“Second: Madam Ruan Mei sent an encrypted message three days ago, designated for you personally.”
Ruan Mei?
Ryan jolted fully awake.
What did she want?
Checking on the tree since it’d grown again?
“Where’s the message?” Ryan asked quickly.
The doll extended a small finger toward the main control area.
“Madam Herta has granted you temporary access. Go see for yourself.”
He followed the doll toward the control area, wondering what Ruan Mei had left.
Good news or bad?
Please don’t be another hot potato…
At the main console, following the doll’s instructions, he pressed his palm to the scanner.
The screen lit up—verification passed.
Seconds later, Ruan Mei’s holographic image appeared—gentle with a hint of distance.
Her voice flowed like a clear spring:
“Dear one, I hope this letter finds you.”
“Regarding the seed’s growth, I have a general understanding. That it thrives so vigorously under your care pleases me greatly and confirms certain hypotheses of mine.”
Pleased?
You’re pleased?
I nearly got buried alive by the rainforest it spawned!
Ruan Mei’s image continued: “I’m reaching out to ask about something—or perhaps to propose a new research direction. You’ve shown unique talent in energy guidance and material structure reshaping. I wonder if you might be interested in the subject of directed evolution of life forms?”
Directed evolution of life forms?
Ryan blinked.
That sounded far more advanced than growing trees.
“I’m currently conducting research involving the use of external field forces to safely and controllably guide living organisms past their inherent morphological limits—’evolving’ toward forms better adapted to their environment or more functionally specialized.”
Ruan Mei explained: “Stable energy input and precise microscopic manipulation are crucial. I believe your abilities might provide new approaches and implementation pathways.”
She paused slightly, as if observing Ryan’s reaction—though it was just a recording: “Of course, this is not mandatory. Herta has invited me to visit the space station. We can meet then. Here are some basic materials—if you’re interested, take a look.”
The message ended.
An encrypted attachment appeared on screen.
Ryan stood there, processing Ruan Mei’s words.
Directed evolution of life forms?
That sounded like…
artificially accelerated evolution?
Or even creating new life forms?
He wondered if giving her his biological samples had been the right choice.
The depth and potential impact of this topic dwarfed building nukes and railguns.
And it was far more…
thrilling.
After all, he’d never deeply studied biology.
The secrets of life were endless.
“Well?” The Herta doll beside him spoke with a playful tone.
“Ruan Mei’s extending an olive branch. I’m curious about your choice.”
Ryan looked at the encrypted attachment on screen, thought of that absurdly hard, still-growing Arbor, and finally glanced at the doll waiting for entertainment.
He took a deep breath, a smile mixing excitement, nervousness, and intense curiosity spreading across his face.
“Of course…” He reached out and tapped the attachment.
“…I’ll take a look first! More knowledge never hurts!”
Danger?
In a lab, when wasn’t there danger?
He’d gotten used to explosions anyway.