Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Upon arriving at Primitive Star, the sight of barren and crude landscapes deepened the anxiety that the immigrants already felt.

They had originally thought that "Primitive Star" might just be a name for an uninhabited planet, but they never expected it to be truly primitive. Surrounded by tall trees and vines, with weeds everywhere and no traces of human habitation, the place was utterly desolate.

At this moment, the immigrants finally felt the stark reality that they might have come here to die.

"We're finished, we've really been tricked into coming here to mine!" someone wailed, their voice like a spark that set off the silent crowd.

As more and more people disembarked, the immigrants grew increasingly restless. Some even tried to push against the crowd to get back on the ship, causing chaos.

However, reboarding was out of the question. This was a one-way ticket, and Primitive Star, being undeveloped, had no ticket offices or internet.

"Oh my god, how did we end up so miserable!" This devastating news hit them like a heavy blow, leaving them devastated.

"First, we fell ill and spent all our money on treatment, and now we've been tricked into coming here to mine! Is there anyone in the world more miserable than us?"

"Can't the heavens show some mercy? There must be a limit to how unlucky a person can be!"

"Maybe not necessarily..."

Amidst the chorus of despair, a few stubborn souls refused to believe they had been deceived, but their voices were too faint to be heard. The immigrants were now in a state of panic and disarray.

"To hell with it, my life is already a mess, whether I die sooner or later, I'm not going to mine!" a man standing next to Fen Er said with resignation.

Fen Er's lips turned pale, her hands clenched tightly, her teeth clenched, and her eyes wide open as she stared into the deep, slightly chilly primitive forest, as if trying to bore a hole through the trees with her gaze.

She wanted to tell herself that she hadn't been deceived, but this desolate place made it impossible for her to continue deluding herself.

Indeed, one should never harbor a侥幸 psychology. Wouldn't it have been better to stay in the sanatorium and recuperate? Why did she have to be so stubborn?

Fen Er was now filled with deep regret.

"Tsk!"

As Fen Er stood there, lost and frustrated like most others, a contemptuous snort reached her ears.

She turned to see that it was Liu Zi.

Seeing this young boy again, she felt a surge of anger. If it hadn't been for his constant chatter about how great Primitive Star was, she might not have made the decision to come here.

"What are you scoffing at?" Fen Er found an outlet for her anger, hands on her hips, demanding fiercely.

Liu Zi didn't catch the hostility in Fen Er's tone, thinking it was just the noise around them that made her voice louder. Seeing a familiar face, he toned down his disdainful expression and explained:

"Fen Er, these people are so clueless. They don't even realize their own situation. Mining? They wouldn't even be hired to sweep garbage! We're all a bunch of sick people. If we were really tricked into mining here, one gene collapse and we'd blow up the entire mining area. Who would dare to mess with that? If they wanted to trick us into mining, it would make more sense to say they wanted to scam us out of a 50,000 head fee!"

Fen Er didn't know whether to call this kid smart or foolish, but upon reflection, he did have a point.

"You're right, they're just scamming us for money, leaving us here to fend for ourselves!" Fen Er said through gritted teeth.

"Now we cry out to the heavens with no reply, weep to the earth with no solace!" Someone overheard their conversation and, feeling even more desperate, stumbled and fell to the ground, wailing.

"I don't want to die yet! Even though I'm sick to death, I don't want to die so soon!"

The noise around grew even louder, and Liu Zi was so annoyed he wanted to plug his ears. "Oh, stop the racket, it's driving me crazy! No one's going to die. We're veterans— who would dare to pull any tricks under the Empire's nose?"

"Use your brains, will you!"

His words calmed many down, reason kicking in, lessening their agitation. However, Fen Er wasn't comforted at all and snapped, "So, self-paying patients like us are just left to fend for ourselves, huh? Are we just doomed then?"

Liu Zi rolled his eyes. If it weren't for the fact that he knew this lady, he wouldn't have bothered to say anything more.

"If we're being scammed, we're all in it together. If not, then none of us are. We're all in the same boat, sister. Don't shake the morale. Like the staff said when we disembarked, just wait here for the reception team. Everything will be clear soon. What's the use of guessing now?"

"Anyway, I think they wouldn't go through all this trouble to scam us. Not only is General Lu personally overseeing this, but they haven't been sneaky about it either. The whole galaxy knows about this. Even if the Empire can't spare the attention for us, who would dare to do anything shady under the watchful eyes of the entire galaxy?"

Liu Zi's words were like a wake-up call, and the immigrants gradually calmed down. The future was uncertain, and their hearts were filled with anxiety, but also a glimmer of hope, hoping that the arrival of the reception team would bring a turning point in their lives.

The waiting time was often long. As the immigrants felt like every second was a year, and their eyes were strained from looking into the distance, Hu Yuanyang arrived belatedly in a flying car from the shadows of the trees.

The flying car stopped in an open area, and after it stabilized, the door slowly opened. Hu Yuanyang appeared in a well-tailored black suit. Behind him, more flying cars stopped, and many guards disembarked, lining up neatly with an imposing presence.

"Welcome, all immigrants who have come from afar. This is an affiliated planet of Shennong Star, and I am the planetary agent of Shennong Star. Now, let me introduce the general situation of the planet to you."

"As you can see, this is a primitive planet, undeveloped, with incomplete facilities and equipment. However, the planet has prepared temporary accommodations, and a sanatorium is under construction, expected to be completed in 15 days. During this period, we have prepared a very interesting rehabilitation program for you: land reclamation and farming. We will also provide free meals. If you are willing to join the infrastructure department to help build houses, you can enjoy more benefits."

"You can experience the specific details for yourselves. Now, let's head to the temporary accommodations together!"

There were too many immigrants, so Hu Yuanyang led them on foot. The harmful creatures in this area had been cleared in advance, so walking posed no danger.

For the immigrants, this new scenery passed quickly, and soon they arrived at the temporary accommodations.

The so-called temporary accommodations were quite decent. Although these temporary dwellings had the basic shape of houses, they were clearly made from simple materials, lightweight but with no defensive capabilities at all.

The immigrants looked at each other, unsure of how they felt. Were they really going to live in such a place from now on?

This thought made everyone's faces darken.

This was far worse than the well-equipped, high-tech sanatoriums they had been in before.

"Really, spending money to suffer!" Fen Er said.

If they remembered correctly, they still had to participate in some so-called rehabilitation program here. What kind of rehabilitation program involved land reclamation and farming? She had never heard of such a thing.

The immigrants were now filled with the thought that they had definitely been brought here to do hard labor. The planet's ruler was truly vicious, squeezing every last bit of value out of them before letting them die in misery!

Though they thought this, seeing the well-equipped guards, they didn't dare to voice any complaints.

The closer one is to death, the more one values life. Even if they were destined to be a group of dying people, they didn't want to die in vain.

Well, farming it is. Looking on the bright side, it's better than mining.

Most people had already mentally prepared themselves and had learned to self-motivate.

When Hu Yuanyang turned around, he saw a group of gloomy immigrants, as if they had some deep-seated hatred for him, wishing they could cut him into pieces with their eyes.

He was full of questions. He hadn't done anything heinous.

He figured these people were dissatisfied with the conditions here. However, given the short time—only five days had passed since the lord notified him of the incoming immigrants to when he managed to set up the temporary accommodations—he had done his best.

Hu Yuanyang felt that even if he explained, these people might not listen. For this new group of immigrants, he was actually the weaker party.

Managing a new group is not easy. Within this group, he needs to cultivate a right-hand man to assist with certain tasks. He had already identified the perfect candidate—none other than Liu Zi.

Leaving the immigrants in the wilderness earlier was not due to negligence but was intentional. While everyone was complaining, only Liu Zi remained calm and composed, analyzing their situation without haste. Moreover, with just a few words, he immediately soothed the hearts of all the immigrants.

Such a person would naturally become the anchor for the immigrants. He must be his ally.

Hu Yuanyang looked at the immigrants, scanning the crowd, and said, "I manage multiple planets and am very busy, so I can't always be here. Therefore, I need to appoint someone to relay messages and organize activities on my behalf. Since I don't know everyone well, I choose... you."

Hu Yuanyang pointed at Liu Zi.

"Me?" Liu Zi pointed at his nose in shock. The surrounding people's gazes also focused on him. Realizing that this young man was the one who had just analyzed everything so clearly, they had no objections.

Whether this place was good or bad was still uncertain, and they had no reason to compete for such an uncertain position.

"Yes," Hu Yuanyang finalized Liu Zi as the administrator.

Liu Zi was thrilled. Since retiring from the military, he hadn't been given such a responsibility for a long time.

"I'll do my best!"

"Liu Zi, Liu Zi!" Fen Er whispered, "If you hit it big, don't forget about me. If there's any inside information, make sure to tell me early!"

"Sis, it's too soon to say that," Liu Zi blushed with embarrassment, "but if there are any benefits, I'll make sure everyone gets a share!"

Hearing Liu Zi's words, the immigrants all grinned. Although it was just an empty promise, it gave them something to hope for.

After making the arrangements, Hu Yuanyang didn't bother to check if Liu Zi could handle the responsibility and simply stepped back.

This was very much like how Yun Wan operated.

The first task Liu Zi took on after taking charge of the immigrants was to assign housing. Fortunately, the temporary residences were all similar in quality, so they could be assigned based on the order of arrival, and the immigrants complied.

On one hand, they had no choice, and on the other, they weren't in a position to choose. If they kept being picky and ended up with no place to live, how would they survive on this primitive planet?

The most challenging part was the land reclamation and farming.

Liu Zi had been trained as a soldier from a young age and had only seen farming on TV. Although the planet's agent had provided him with a few farming experts, he still didn't know where to begin.

Moreover, everyone had traveled far to reach this primitive planet, walked a long way, and just settled down without even having a sip of water. Now they were being assigned tasks, and it was likely that everyone would be overwhelmed.

Liu Zi glanced at the pretty girl from the planting team and hesitated, "Should we start this cultivation project tomorrow? Let everyone rest up, and they'll have more energy to work tomorrow."

Since it concerned their own interests, everyone perked up their ears, waiting for the planting team's response.

"Sure, we're here today to bring you food and get to know each other. You can go over there to collect your meals."

Hearing there was food, all the immigrants eagerly rushed towards the direction pointed by the planting team.

"Come here for dinner, a boxed meal with a bowl of soup. Here you go."

"Line up, don't rush."

...

When everyone had their boxed meals and were eating heartily, Jiang Jiayu, who had been out on duty, finally spoke leisurely:

"Fellow citizens, the food you're eating now is what we will grow in the future. You can see what you like. These red ones are small tomatoes, these green ones with a slightly spicy taste are peppers, and these crispy ones are potato chips... Once you decide, you can come to me tomorrow as a family unit to collect seeds. After harvesting, you can make a living from them."

"Can I grow this?"

A man picked up a piece of chicken and said, "Can we grow this?" After saying this, he stuffed the chicken into his mouth, crunching on the bones.

His suggestion garnered agreement from many.

"I want to do that too! That smells so good! What is that? It wasn't introduced earlier," a woman also said.

Jiang Jiayu couldn't help but laugh and feel exasperated.

"This isn't something you can grow; it's chicken, meat from an animal. We don't have the conditions to raise chickens yet, but if we farm well, we'll have it in the future!"

Jiang Jiayu's words, accompanied by the delicious food, soothed the hearts of the immigrants. The delicious taste made their thoughts race, and for a moment, they felt that such a life wasn't so bad.

"Seriously, man, back in the sanatorium, we also had good food and drink, but somehow, eating here just feels more fragrant, and my heart feels more at ease. Am I being ridiculous?" a young man in his late twenties said, eating heartily and unable to resist sharing his feelings.

"You're not wrong. Although we walked a long way today and it was tiring, but you know what? This sudden burst of activity feels pretty good, especially after eating this meal, it feels like my whole body and mind have opened up!"

"Hey! I feel the same way. In the sanatorium, it was just medicine, medicine, and more medicine. My mouth had no taste left. Today, I didn't take any medicine and was tired all day, but my condition didn't worsen, and I don't feel uncomfortable at all. This primitive planet is kind of amazing!"

"Look, the food here is great, but... curing diseases without injections or medicine? This is the interstellar society. Do you believe what you're saying?"

"Why shouldn't I believe it! These vegetables are from Shennong Star! The vegetables from Shennong Star are extraordinary, not only delicious but also very beneficial for the body. They're rare in the interstellar community!"

"Wait, are you saying our life here is better than most in the interstellar community?"

"You got it!"

Some immigrants were skeptical, but while rumors might be exaggerated, their bodies don't lie. Today, they indeed didn't feel any dizziness or signs of illness.

They also realized that the Shennong Star folks didn't seem worried about their genetic collapse.

"I’ve made up my mind! Tomorrow, I’m planting a ton!"

Fen Er listened to these claims with a bit of disdain. These people are really optimistic!

She still felt like she’d been tricked into coming here for hard labor.

She wished she’d stayed in the sanatorium, not realizing how good she had it.

While the immigrants were fantasizing about the future, Yun Wan and Lu Huai were still looking into the drugging incident on the capital planet.

Lu Huai told Yun Wan that the breakthrough was with Lu Ran, but Lu Ran and Lu Huai didn't get along, and Lu Ran wouldn't easily reveal any information. With no other options, Yun Wan had Jiang Di, fresh from training, "invite" him over.

Jiang Di's method of "inviting" was a bit rough. When Yun Wan saw Lu Ran, he was bruised and swollen, but his face was clean, probably because Jiang Di had him clean the blood off his face before coming.

"General Lu, we invited you here today to discuss the events of that day," Yun Wan said, waving for someone to prepare tea.

The woman's calm demeanor made Lu Ran grit his teeth in anger, "You call this an invitation?!"