At the entrance of the Manager's Office in the Alliance Building, Lu Bei gently knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, he pushed the door open and walked in.

"Sir."

Chu Guang put down the tablet in his hand and looked at Lu Bei, who stood at the door looking like he had something to report, and smiled as he spoke.

"Has that pen I lost been found?"

Lu Bei shook his head and said with a troubled expression.

"Not yet..."

Chu Guang smiled and said.

"If it can't be found, then let it be. Maybe I lost it in the shelter and forgot about it. It's just a pen; there's no need to mobilize everyone and delay other matters."

Though Xiao Qi said it concerns his safety and should not be taken lightly, it's ultimately just a pen that was lost.

Besides, honestly, he didn't think anyone could threaten his safety.

He's not bragging.

From a personal combat power perspective, there is probably no stronger creature than him on this planet.

To the extent that Heya even exaggeratedly stated—there are aspects in his DNA that cannot be explained by existing technological means, and this situation actually started happening long ago.

Even the Alliance Biological Research Institute says so, he feels there's indeed no need to worry about this matter.

Moreover, he has lots of things to handle every day, there's no point in putting so much thought into a pen.

But Lu Bei obviously doesn't think so.

Like before, he didn't dare to be careless, and loyally said.

"Your matters can never be trivial, and furthermore, it happened in your office... Also, during our recent visits and investigations, we've discovered something unusual."

Chu Guang: "What unusual thing."

Lu Bei continued in a cautious tone.

"It's not just you; other office staff have also indicated that they've frequently lost things recently. Some small office items, especially those not often used, have mysteriously disappeared."

"There's this strange thing too?" Chu Guang raised an eyebrow, showing a surprised expression, "When did this start? Hasn't anyone mentioned it?"

"Actually, similar situations have been happening for a few days already, but since all that's lost are some insignificant little things, those who lost them didn't pay much attention and didn't even report them," Lu Bei showed a helpless expression as he continued, "It wasn't until after our people reached out to them that they admitted similar situations did occur."

Chu Guang furrowed his brows and pondered for a long while before tapping his index finger lightly on the desk and speaking.

"This matter might not be minor... Is there a classification for the types of items lost?"

Lu Bei immediately replied.

"Primarily office supplies, mainly pens, as well as missing pen caps."

"The scope?" Chu Guang continued asking, "Is it just this floor, or the entire Alliance Building? What about the nearby buildings? Do nearby residents encounter similar situations, or is it only targeting government agencies?"

Lu Bei paused for a moment, then quickly said.

"Currently, the issue has only been discovered in the Alliance Building. To avoid unnecessary rumors and speculation, we've strictly controlled the scope of our investigation visits... Of course, if you feel it's necessary, we can immediately expand the scope of investigation."

Chu Guang pondered for a moment before speaking.

"For issues involving residential areas, it's better not to have the Guards Corps involved. Here's what we'll do: I'll make a call to the person in charge of the security bureau and have them coordinate with you guys, under the pretext of crime prevention and detection, to appropriately expand the scope of investigation and see if a similar situation has occurred in residents' homes."

Things are a bit strange.

Initially, he thought it was just him forgetting and losing things, but it turned out it was not just him; several other offices in the Alliance Building had long had similar issues.

Fortunately, only office supplies were lost, not important documents.

But precisely because of this, the matter had never received any serious attention until the same situation appeared in his office.

Chu Guang felt things weren't that simple.

The first step now is to determine the scope of the "anomaly" occurrence; it's possible to uncover a pattern.

He hopes he's overthinking it.

Lu Bei nodded and noted down the Manager's instructions, then continued speaking.

"There's another issue, a military situation from the south. Based on the report from the Guards Corps' division stationed at Potato Harbor, there's an emergency situation outside the suburbs of Potato Harbor—a gigantic variant suddenly appeared in a forest only 100 kilometers away from the city of Potato Harbor—

Chu Guang picked up the red tea on the table, took a sip, and spoke.

"It's called a Dragon Lizard, right."

Lu Bei paused for a moment.

"I... am not sure about its name. You've already heard?"

Chu Guang succinctly said.

"I knew as soon as it happened, it was said that an epic-level beast appeared near Potato Harbor. I've already instructed the Jungle Corps to enter a state of level one combat readiness; if an emergency situation occurs, they will directly take action."

It's already causing a stir on the forum, with talk of Godzilla descending on the Wasteland continent.

In truth, he was already informed about the situation at the earliest opportunity, and advised the local garrison to prepare for combat.

However, honestly, he doesn't really consider that thing a big deal.

Though many players described it vividly and exaggerated its invincibility on the forum, he views it as at most just a large-sized beast that would be defenseless in the face of absolute firepower superiority.

What truly deserves attention is that, according to eyewitness players, beside that lizard grows a gigantic tree, seemingly similar to the kind found in the Doma Tribe on Gaia Planet.

This phenomenon immediately caught the attention of the Alliance Biological Research Institute, and the research on the "anomaly" is currently led by Ms. Chen Yutong, who is responsible for the Baiyuexing Province Hive research project.

Including that gigantic peculiar lizard.

Putting down the teacup, Chu Guang said.

"You guys in the Guards Corps don't need to worry about the matters in Potato Harbor; first, complete the tasks at hand."

Lu Bei stood straight and saluted.

"Yes!"

...

On the Wasteland OL official website, the forum was buzzing, all because of a post and a close-up photo.

Handsome to the point of frame dropping: "Big news! Brothers! A world-class boss refreshed near Potato Harbor! Come take a look!"

Tail: "!!?"

Quit smoking: "Whoa?! For real?"

Thunder Law King Professor Yang: "Forget about real or fake, they've already posted the photos."

Grandpa Ao: "Heh, is this so-called world-class boss? Back in the day when I was a special forces soldier in Southeast Asia, I've seen at least ten bigger ones and even killed one with my own hands! It chased after me biting, I directly maneuvered through trees serpentine-style, then performed a spin move step to flip onto its back, and need I say more? Those who know, know what to do. (Sweat Bean)"

Gnome King Riches: "Although it's not your field of expertise, I think it probably wasn't full yet. (Funny)"

Elena: "Dragon Lizard: The platter is quite exquisite. (Funny)"

Roller Washhead: "There are so many things wrong, I don't even know where to start complaining. (Sweat)"

Tarlan Raider: "Speaking of which, Baiyue Province has such a niubi monster hidden away, how come no one discovered it before? (Dumbfounded)"

Valley Escaped Mole: "No one ventured deep into the forest before, right? This time the monster came out on its own."

Just Want to Quietly Be a Dog: "I can attest, this thing is too fierce. Single soldier strength stands no chance, better directly use strategic weapons. T.T"

Emichiru Junichiro: "Why do I feel it's the dish's fault? (Side-eye smile)"

Just Want to Quietly Be a Dog: "Get lost! If you can do it, then you try!"

Just Want to Quietly Say Dog: "Exactly!"

Teng Teng: "Excuse me, are those matching names like couples? (Blushing)"

Crow: "Uh, I think they might just have a good relationship, why are you blushing like a bubble teapot!"

Green Lantern Old Wine: "Damn, I'm really worried this thing will ruin Potato Harbor with its butt. (Awkward)"

Debt Giant Eye: "How about opening a poll then, to see if we should deal with this monster first. (Funny)"

Night Ten: "Hold up, guys, I seem to have received a mission. You better not take any action yet."

Construction Site Youth and Brick: "I've posted a poll."

Killer Dagger: "I've raised my hand."

Valley Escaped Mole: "Unanimously approved!!! (Cacophony)"

Midnight Chicken Killing: "Brothers, it's time to roll!"

Xiao Xiaosha Chong: "Awo awo awo!!"

Night Ten: "??? Whoa, are you guys really like this?!

...

"These damn dogs."

At the Seaside Hotel in Potato Harbor, Night Ten cursed under his breath as he logged back online, quickly flipped over from the bed, changed his clothes and hurried out the door.

Although he knew his good buddies were joking, the number of players here couldn't be ignored, and it wouldn't be surprising if a couple of fools showed up thinking they could cash in by burning the Sacred Tree.

The task given to him by the Manager was to attempt using spiritual energy to establish a mind connection with the Sacred Tree in the forest, inquire its intentions, and explore potential cooperation.

He needed to converse with the Sacred Tree before anyone caused trouble.

Watching Night Ten hurriedly exit from the elevator, Professor Sun Zewen, standing in the hotel lobby, looked at him and asked.

"What's wrong with you? What's so urgent?"

Night Ten didn't answer, only asked hurriedly.

"Where's Dora?"

"You're asking about Dora? She should be in the garden behind the hotel, together with Ms. Han Mingyue." Professor Sun Zewen examined him with a peculiar expression and continued, "Didn't Professor Han say she was going to find you? Haven't you seen her?"

Night Ten had an awkward expression.

He was offline earlier, his game character was sleeping like a log, and naturally couldn't hear any knocking.

"Garden, right? Thanks."

"You're welcome." Professor Sun Zewen nodded, then remembered something and said, "Oh yes, about the spiritual energy... if you discover anything new, let me know, okay?"

"Absolutely!"

With that, Night Ten hurriedly went to the garden behind the hotel.

And when he arrived at the garden, the scenery there startled him.

He saw thick vines climbing up the curved glass walls, blooming vibrant flowers.

The landscape here didn't resemble Earth; it looked more like Gaia light-years away!

Standing at the entrance to the garden, he stared wide-eyed for a while before snapping out of shock.

Just then, he saw Ms. Chen Yutong and Old White near the garden path.

"Is this... the scenery of South Gate Two!"

Night Ten looked at Ms. Chen.

Her face was filled with excitement, her incredulous expression even more exaggerated than his.

Old White scratched the back of his head, looking at a magnificent and strange plant in the garden.

"I'm not really sure, but won't this cause issues with species invasion or something?"

"That issue doesn't exist in Baiyue Province," Chen Yutong shook her head, said, "Here, new species are emerging every day, they've already formed a new dynamic balance among each other."

Night Ten coughed lightly and remarked.

"Actually, I think the whole Wasteland doesn't have this issue... including River Valley Province, the monsters there are equally fierce."

Seeing Night Ten standing at the entrance, Old White said with a smile.

"Back online finally? Ms. Han seems to be looking for you."

Night Ten: "I'm also looking for her and Dora... Where are they?"

"Just ahead." Old White pointed towards the center of the garden, "Could you pass a message to the guest from South Gate Two, ask them to keep these plants within the hotel's garden boundaries... not to spread beyond."

The hotel's owner really liked this scenery; after all, it might become a major selling point.

But if it spread outside, it'd be a different story.

Changing Potato Harbor's cityscape requires the council's resolution.

"Got it."

Night Ten responded, striding forward, past a dense foliage path, quickly reached the center of the garden.

Ms. Han and Dora were both here.

Especially the latter, sitting cross-legged on a vine-entwined stone table, seemingly communing with the hive in the forest.

Seeing Night Ten walking through the path, Han Mingyue teased.

"You sleep like the dead, I pressed the doorbell until my hand got sore."

"I was exhausted yesterday, took a nap at noon." Night Ten replied embarrassedly.

"Can't believe it, already worn out at such a young age?" Ms. Han teased.

Night Ten: "..."

"Night Ten!" Dora, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone table, opened her eyes and said with surprise, "You've come!"

Night Ten pointed around.

"Did you make all this?"

Dora shook her head embarrassedly and said shyly.

"It was done by it... It said it wanted me to check if the landscape of South Gate Two looks like this."

The 'it' she referred to was probably the Lair.

Seeing Night Ten's inquiry about this place, Han Mingyue lowered the arms she was hugging and explained.

"Don't worry, we've already asked the hotel owner for his opinion. He's very interested in our experiment and even agreed to lend us this garden for a week. The only requirement is not to affect the hotel's operations and the rest of other guests."

Night Ten nodded and said.

"As long as he has no objections, it's fine, but it'd be best not to let it spread to the streets outside."

"Yes!" Before Han Mingyue could speak, Dora nodded enthusiastically and said proudly, "It promised me these plants would only be planted in this garden... they won't spread outside."

Han Mingyue hugged her arms again, glanced around at the landscape, and said in surprise.

"Speaking of which, how is this done? Through some special component in the air?"

Dora shook her head, also looking puzzled.

"I don't know how it does it either. My spiritual energy can't turn purple flowers red, but it can... According to it, these plants are very obedient to it, and it can decide in what way they grow."

Han Mingyue touched her chin and said thoughtfully.

"Controlling evolution... Sounds a bit niubi, though I don't know if it works on humans."

She didn't quite understand the technology in biology, just heard it's not easy.

Even the Alliance's Biological Institute has too many unknowns.

Night Ten pondered for a moment and said.

"Theoretically, it should be possible. Isn't that how Gaia people were born? But I think it's best not to try it; it seems to bring many ethical issues."

Like children born being different from their parents...

Even knowing they haven't been cheated on, most people probably wouldn't accept it.

Moreover, although the mainstream media of the Alliance speaks highly of the people of South Gate Two, no one would probably wish for their child to have a green skin.

Even if they could perform photosynthesis.

People's perceptions change slowly with technological progress; hoping for sudden change could easily lead to creating mutants.

At that moment, Dora seemed to remember something and said.

"Ah, right, it wants to meet you."

Night Ten's heart skipped a beat, and he promptly asked.

"Where? Here?"

"At the Sacred Tree in that forest," Dora looked at him sincerely and continued, "It heard you have mastered spiritual energy too, and it wants to see you, to communicate face-to-face."

"Uh, doesn't that mean next to the big lizard?" Night Ten seemed a bit troubled.

Dora nodded earnestly.

"It said that's its child, as long as you don't harm or provoke it, it won't attack you."

After a pause, she added.

"If you're scared, I can accompany you... Will you go and take a look?"

Her face was filled with anticipation.

It was clear she really wanted to facilitate this meeting.

After thinking for a moment, Night Ten said.

"I'd better go alone; it's safer that way."

Dora seemed slightly disappointed but nodded.

"Okay... But don't worry, it promised not to harm you."

She seemed to have seen through the concerns in his heart.

Night Ten chuckled and said.

"I trust it, or I wouldn't have agreed to meet."

...

At dusk, a transport plane flew over the outskirts of the forest near Potato Harbor, dropping a parachute.

The lizard lying beside the Sacred Tree raised its cockscomb-like head, stared at the parachute for a while, and wanted to stretch out its claw to touch it, but soon, as if hearing some command, it retracted its outstretched forepaw and lay down beside the Sacred Tree.

From the moment he got near the forest edge, Night Ten had been tense all over.

It was only when the lizard settled that he breathed out, relaxing his tense nerves.

His feet touched the ground as he skillfully packed the parachute.

The vegetation in the vicinity had already been cleared, leaving only a towering Sacred Tree standing in the open space's center.

Clearing those trees seemed to be its command, likely to concentrate the soil's fertility around its roots.

According to Gaia's situation, once it's fully developed, forming a massive canopy, the area under the canopy and outside will create a new forest kingdom.

Gazing at the intertwined trunks, Night Ten awkwardly greeted and said.

"Hello... Um, can you hear my voice?"

His spiritual energy had just awakened, and he wasn't proficient in using it, making silent communication difficult.

The atmosphere was quiet for a while, accompanied by a gentle breeze and the rustling of leaves.

Just when Night Ten wondered if his spiritual energy had failed or his posture was wrong, the voice in the depths finally floated into his ears.

"Hello... Is this your language? I guess that's a greeting; we rarely greet like this."

"Yes, it is a greeting," Night Ten's eyes lit up with joy as he tried to step forward, looking up at the new canopy and continued, "How should I address you?"

The slow voice continued to float from the depths directly into his mind.

"I have no name, haven't needed one for a long time... You're the first to use one, you can call me however you like."

Unsure if it was an illusion, Night Ten always felt there was some anticipation in the voice.

He hesitated for a moment and then said in an uncertain tone.

"Tree of Life...what do you think of this name?"

Although the name sounds a bit tacky, he couldn't think of another name right away.

However, even though it was a name he came up with on the spot, the gigantic Sacred Tree seemed quite satisfied, as its uneven canopy swayed back and forth.

"Tree of Life...sounds nice. I thought you might call me slime mold or something else."

Night Ten said truthfully.

"I did consider that."

"But I'm not that kind of thing," the voice of the Tree of Life carried a hint of disdain, speaking as if it was smacking its lips, choosing carefully and saying, "Slime mold...that stuff is too shallow. I should be some higher existence beyond that."

At this point, it paused for a moment, staring at Night Ten standing in front of it and said.

"Thank you, young human, for bringing my kin from some star five light-years away. I believe and am convinced that is my kin. Through her narrative, I finally realized what my true form is..."

Night Ten asked in a daze.

"What is it?"

"It is life itself, or in your language, it is nature...I am nature."

It seemed to let out a hearty laugh, but only Night Ten standing there could hear it.

After a long pause, it continued to speak.

"Thanks to your help, I've finally realized my mission. I'll probably go into slumber for a while, and during this time, I will redefine the form of my life. I will no longer be the me before...the fungus growing on the tree roots. I will be the origin of everything, of all the creatures in this forest."

Night Ten looked at it in surprise, staring at it for a long time.

Goodness.

Has this mutated slime fungus become sentient?!

He tried to understand what it said, which roughly meant its consciousness will no longer be confined to the frail and dwindling shell of the Nago Primitive Fungus Strain, but will instead fully integrate with this land.

Just like the indestructible Tree of Yenshof.

"Then this tree..." Night Ten swallowed and asked.

"Is a projection I left in the world you can see, one of my countless branches," the Tree of Life said in a very light voice, "We will probably accompany each other for a long time, of course...if you reject me, I will remain silent as before, and you can just assume I don't exist."

Night Ten immediately said.

"We certainly won't reject you...in fact, I happen to bear goodwill from our leader, who hopes we can coexist peacefully."

"Haha...that's best. Please convey my greetings to him," the Tree of Life said with a laugh. "I quite like you all too, although a bit noisy, but also quite interesting...and those things tasted really good."

Was it talking about those fertilizers?

Night Ten said with a smile.

"If you like, I can have someone bring some over...ah, but please don't do what you did before, it makes things complicated for us."

The Tree of Life smiled benevolently and said.

"Don't worry, unless it's needed by you, I won't do such things on my own. However, it's not good to take your things for free, is there anything I can do to help you?"

Night Ten was ready to say that everything was fine as before, but seeing the big lizard, he suddenly had a thought and said.

"Can you make dangerous variants stay away from the vicinity of Baiyue Strait?"

The Tree of Life curiously asked.

"Stay away...how far? There has to be a boundary."

Night Ten thought about taking out a map to illustrate, but then realized the other party might not be able to understand it, so he said.

"Start from your position all the way to the sea!"

From here to the sea, it's about 100 kilometers, encompassing several settlements in Baiyue Strait.

Making this area a zone for the Alliance residents is enough.

As for the vast remaining forest, it will be left for the players to hunt, gather, and fight monsters.

This seems to be a good compromise.

The Tree of Life nodded and said.

"This is easy, just let my children stay here, and other wild beasts will naturally avoid the smell. If any beast swarms migrate toward your settlement, I will have them driven away for you. Of course, if you venture into the forest and encounter danger, it's not my business, that is part of natural selection."

"I understand, we're only asking for a relatively quiet place to stay, and in the future, our settlements will cluster along the shoreline on both sides of the strait, not venturing deeper into the forest."

Looking at the huge lizard, Night Ten hesitated for a moment and said.

"But are you sure this guy won't hurt anyone? It doesn't seem to be a herbivore."

"Haha, it is indeed not entirely a herbivore; it mainly eats an ant that's roughly as tall as its toenail. But don't worry, I've instructed it not to harm you unless you attack it first. Most of the time, it is quite docile...I can assure you."

Docile...

Looking at the big guy snoring at the root of the Sacred Tree, Night Ten couldn't imagine it being docile.

After all, just over an hour ago, it rampaged once, knocking down part of the forest with its tail.

However, since the Tree of Life assured him, Night Ten tentatively believed its words.

"I will convey your message to the others."

"Thank you," the Tree of Life gently swayed its canopy, suddenly as if remembering something, and continued, "Oh, there's one more thing."

Night Ten looked at it and asked.

"What is it?"

"I heard from your friend that you plan to go to other stars, right?"

The voice of the Tree of Life contained a hint of anticipation, seeming to hope for an affirmative answer.

Night Ten nodded, looking at him with curiosity.

"We do have that plan...is there a problem?"

The voice from nowhere carried a cheerful laugh.

It was as happy as a child.

"That's great...please take my seeds with you when you leave, I want it to see other planets for me."

Perhaps worried he would refuse, the Tree of Life hurriedly added.

"It won't take much of your time, and it's also beneficial to you. I will have it follow your ship, providing you with oxygen. When you find a place with breathable air or water, just drop off a portion."

"Whether it survives or not, it's up to it."

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