Chapter 23 College Student on Shennong Star

Chapter 23 College Student on Shennong Star

At the First Sanatorium.

Lu Ran leaned against the wall outside the women's restroom, a cigarette pinched between his index and middle fingers, rhythmically exhaling smoke.

As a soldier, he seldom indulged, and smoking was a vice he had always kept in check.

But today, while his fiancée Ye Lin was in the restroom touching up her makeup, he couldn’t resist lighting one up.

They had come to the sanatorium to visit his cousin brother, Lu Huai.

"Could it be that the heavens couldn't bear to part with their masterpiece, so they had to take him this way?"

That was Ye Lin’s assessment of Lu Huai.

The heavens' masterpiece, huh? Give me a break!

Her tone sounded regretful, Lu Ran mused. Everyone who mentioned Lu Huai did so with regret, and their eyes always held a hint of comparison and deeper meaning when they looked at him.

Yes, he had taken his cousin's place as a general, but with only S-level spiritual power, he was unremarkable among the galaxy's elite and far behind his cousin.

But hadn’t he worked hard?

To cover up Lu Huai’s scandal, he trained tirelessly, yet no one noticed, only mourning Lu Huai’s tragic genius.

He had poured in so much effort, yet he wasn’t even a footnote!

Couldn’t they see that Lu Huai was history? He was no longer the celebrated young hero but a man forced to live in the shadows.

A 3S on the verge of genetic collapse was more dangerous than the highest-level Swarm species.

If other nobles found out, who knows what chaos it would cause. If not for the Crown Prince’s sentimentality and help in suppressing the news, would Lu Huai still be safe in the sanatorium?

Hearing footsteps, Lu Ran extinguished his cigarette and tossed it into the trash bin.

A nurse was pushing a cart.

Lu Ran recognized her; she was Lu Huai’s assigned nurse.

His expression darkened, his gaze fixed on the shadow. As she approached, he straightened up, smoothed his clothes, and flashed a perfect smile.

Casually, he called out to the nurse.

"Little nurse."

The nurse halted the cart, suppressing her excitement, and asked, "General Lu, are you talking to me?"

As a fan, she had recognized him but didn’t want to seem too eager, so she had avoided looking. She hadn’t expected him to call her over.

Seizing the moment, she turned and gazed at his face.

Oh my god, he’s so handsome!

She tightened her grip on the cart.

Was her makeup still intact? Was her eyeliner done? Did her eyes look big enough?

"You’re my cousin’s caregiver, right? I remember you. Are you going to change his dressings now?" Lu Ran made small talk, his voice unusually gentle.

The nurse screamed internally again.

General Lu is so down-to-earth!

As the assigned caregiver, she is well aware of the patient's family relationships. The "cousin" General Lu referred to is her client, Lu Huai, a patient suffering from a genetic disorder.

This condition is incurable and can only be managed with medication. Once it triggers a genetic collapse, the psychic energy will become uncontrollable, causing widespread devastation and eventually leading to a decrease in psychic energy levels.

Lu Huai is one of the patients in the worst condition, and as a result, he has a bit of a temper. He often appears cold and aloof. Although he is more handsome than General Lu, no one’s fond of someone who looks mean and brooding.

His psychic energy level seems to be relatively high, and when the genetic collapse occurs, the fallout is severe. Almost no one is willing to be his caregiver, only she had the guts to volunteer.

Because this way, she can often see General Lu, the galaxy’s greatest hero!

"Yes," the nurse replied.

She’s even jealous of Lu Huai for having a cousin like General Lu, who regularly visits him. If possible, she would like to take Lu Huai's place and suffer this ordeal!

"Oh, it's hard work for you. My cousin... must be difficult to take care of. Please look after him carefully."

"It’s no trouble, patients can be like that. It's our duty."

The nurse was flattered.

"Hmm, thank you, but... it looks like there’s a smudge on your collar..."

"Ah?" The nurse reflexively covered her collar and gave Lu Ran an embarrassed smile.

Oh no, she's embarrassed in front of her idol!

"There’s a restroom just over here. You can go and clean it up first," Lu Ran pointed behind him.

"Ah, but..." The nurse hesitated, glancing at the cart.

"It's okay, I'll watch it for you."

Although it was somewhat inappropriate, the thought of maintaining her image in front of her idol overcame the waiting patient.

Being a bit late won’t be a big deal!

The nurse thought as she walked into the restroom.

The smile on Lu Ran's face faded. With no one around, he walked to the cart, selected one of the bottles of medicine, opened it, poured it into the designated waste bin, and then poured the nutrient solution from another small bottle into it.

He slipped the empty bottle into his pocket.

After a while, the nurse came out.

She didn't find anything on her collar and had some doubts, but upon seeing her idol, those thoughts were quickly forgotten. She shyly thanked him and didn't notice that one bottle of medicine was missing from the cart.

"You're welcome," Lu Ran said with a smile, much more sincere.

After staying in Lu Huai's hospital room with Ye Lin for a while, during this time, Lu Ran was just a quiet background. When Ye Lin finally prepared to leave, he glanced back at Lu Huai, who was resting with his eyes closed.

His profile carried a cold arrogance of a genius.

All the way to the parking lot, an explosion sounded from the sanatorium. He was not surprised and smirked knowingly, then quickly composed himself when Ye Lin didn't notice.

"Tsk."

The gasp was drowned out by the deafening explosion.

Now, let everyone see what Lu Huai has become! If the once-revered figure has turned into nothing but a nuisance and a liability, he’d like to see who still dares claim he’s no match for Lu Huai!

*

On Shennong Star, the students of the Imperial Military Academy anticipated the harsh conditions and didn’t complain about the tents Yun Wan had arranged for them. The students let the instructors take the lord’s mansion and went out to set up tents for camping.

The open space in front of the lord’s mansion was just enough to accommodate so many students.

They toughed it out for the night, and when they woke up the next day, their spirits weren’t dampened by the rough conditions. Even when the lord explained they’d have to skip meals, they shrugged it off.

At the crack of dawn, they flocked to the pigpen to catch a glimpse of this rare ancient species.

Yun Wan rose early, but not as early as these military-trained students. As soon as she stepped out, she was taken aback by the swarm of students packed around the pigpen. It looked like the pigpen was on the verge of collapsing under the weight of the crowd.

Someone noticed Yun Wan coming out and greeted her excitedly, "Lord, good morning! Don’t sweat it, we’re being super careful—no harm to the pigs."

"...Okay."

Yun Wan wasn’t worried about the pigs—she was worried about a stampede.

She reminded them, "Watch your step—the pigpen’s a deep pit with no safety rails. Don’t crowd too much. If someone falls in, it could be deadly."

Hearing this, the students jostling for a better view backed off, and some student leaders stepped in to manage the crowd.

"The lord is right, let’s not crowd together. This way, no one gets a good look. Let’s wait for the instructors to finish sampling, then we’ll line up for photos, ten minutes max per person."

"Okay!"

"Good!"

"Agreed!"

The chaos slowly turned into organized commotion—still loud, but far more manageable.

"Oh, and the pigs will need feeding later, so..." Yun Wan said.

"No big deal," most replied.

A few sharp minds were already scheming ways to pet the pigs.

"Lord, I can help feed the pigs!"

"Me too, I can too!"

"I can cook pig feed!"

In a flash, the pig-feeding duties were delegated.

Yun Wan admired the students’ energy—it was a relief to have extra hands. Now her vegetable field was getting bigger, and there was more and more work. It was exhausting to do everything herself, and it was time to think about hiring.

However, everything had to wait until the planet's defense facilities and basic infrastructure were mostly built. Otherwise, she couldn’t ensure the safety and living conditions of the employees, and she’d just be another greedy boss! Moreover, she would have to get along with the employees for a long time, and if she encountered someone with ulterior motives, she would have to protect herself.

Yun Wan didn’t pay attention to these clear-minded and intelligent students, turned on the live broadcast, and then took Yun Ge to water the vegetable field.

She took the day off yesterday, and today when she went live again, her fans erupted in cheers.

As they looked at the sprawling vegetable field that barely fit on the screen, the fans couldn’t stop exclaiming.

[OMG! Streamer, you’re the best! I thought you were taking it easy yesterday, and I unfairly judged you. I’m guilty!]

[Did the field really grow this much in just one day?]

[Check it out! Those are sweet potato seedlings!]

[Cabbage! I know that one!]

[New varieties too! Streamer, are you rolling out something new?]

"Yep, this batch has some new varieties. Everyone’s welcome to try them when they’re ready."

[Can’t wait!!!]

[I don’t need the new stuff, just hook me up with the classics.]

[Deal, you get the new ones, I’ll take the old ones—hands off!]

[Dream on! I’m taking both the new and the old!]

[You’re hogging it all! Save some for me—I’ve never gotten any!]

As Yun Wan started farming, students from the Planting Department quietly approached.

"Ms. Yun, need a hand with watering? We’re from the Planting Department—we’re used to this and won’t hurt the plants," an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl said, accompanied by two friends.

They looked a little shy, smiling nervously as they spoke.

"Sure."

Yun Wan smiled at the three sweet girls and decided to trust them, handing over the field.

She wasn’t watering herself, but she kept an eye on things from outside, just in case.

It’s not that she’s paranoid, but with the growing attention on the Shennong Star live stream, she couldn’t rule out people with ulterior motives. Plus, this vegetable field is her livelihood. If something went wrong, not only would her reputation take a hit, but she’d also fall back into poverty, and no one might buy her vegetables anymore.

Better safe than sorry.

"Can we observe the seedlings? It won’t take too long," the girl continued.

"Of course. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask, and I’ll explain."

"Really?" The three girls were thrilled, their smiles widening. "Ms. Yun, you’re so kind!"

Yun Wan was charmed by their genuine smiles and kept explaining the ins and outs of growing vegetables.