Chapter 79: Sky Blue Planet is Just That Unlucky!

Chapter 79: That’s Just How Unlucky Sky Blue Star Is!

Like a thunderclap, Sheng Qingquan’s mental outburst made everyone realize a far worse possibility.

Even though it was Sheng Qingquan himself who voiced the idea, he couldn’t help but second-guess it.

“The odds are so low… is this really happening?”

“Maybe it’s a mix-up? Maybe it’s just someone with the same name? The Pi Xinzheng mentioned in the plot might actually be someone else. These signs might just mean that person has already been unlucky enough to get hit, and the Roaming Gem has already arrived—not that two Roaming Gems hit Sky Blue Star back-to-back.”

But even Sheng Qingquan couldn’t convince himself with that reasoning.

After all, the surname Pi was already rare, and the name Xinzheng wasn’t exactly common either. How likely is that?

Most importantly—

“If this happened anywhere else, I’d call it a fluke.”

“But Sky Blue Star… is different.”

At this point, not only did Sheng Qingquan’s face fall, but the expressions of everyone else darkened as well.

Pi Xinzheng muttered to himself, “That’s just how unlucky Sky Blue Star is!”

“A chronic punching bag. It’s already unlucky enough to endure a dozen doomsdays straight, and it looks like it’ll keep running into all sorts of disasters nonstop.”

“Two Roaming Gems? Barely a blip.”

“Think of it like this: if a regular monk meets someone in the wilderness, it’s usually just a real person. But if that monk is Tang Sanzang, then no matter who he meets—whether it’s a farmer’s daughter, a shepherd boy, an old man, or a young man—the odds are they’re a monster—near-certain. The logic is the same.”

“Would you gamble on that sliver of a chance?”

As someone who had personally lived through these calamities, Sheng Qingquan had enough self-awareness.

He wouldn’t risk ten percent, much less one.

Sheng Qingquan kept reading, trying to find more evidence.

“Roaming Gems get hurled randomly, ripping through space, scattering everywhere. The novel never explicitly states that the gems can’t collide with each other.”

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t naïve—he knew that if something wasn’t explicitly forbidden, it was allowed.

“No one knows when or where the first Roaming Gem showed up. But the path of the second gem is clear—we have to move fast, take out one while we’ve got the chance.”

Thinking this, Sheng Qingquan quickly reported the matter to the authorities.

“Wait—getting smacked is a *good* thing now?” Pi Xinzheng said blankly.

At least it could help pinpoint the time and location of the second gem’s appearance.

He’d dodged the protagonist role like the plague before. But now, Pi Xinzheng managed a weak grin. “Never thought I’d *want* to get scammed.”

Him or Sky Blue Star—even without duty or honor, Pi Xinzheng’s gaze slid past his sister and landed on the family photo displayed on the sideboard.

The photo showed all four of them beaming.

"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. If the other side really succeeds, would my family still be safe like they are now?"

Pi Xinzheng resolved himself. With no signal, he couldn’t make a call. Just as he was about to return to the company to ask personnel, the assistant from HR came over first.

"An urgent business trip this afternoon? You need my ID number to book my train tickets and hotel, and the local branch will make the arrangements?"

Thinking Pi Xinzheng was shocked about having to work overtime now, the assistant explained, “It’s an emergency. The sudden internet outage has caused massive disruptions. We were supposed to get the day off, but we can't afford to ignore this. It could leave a terrible impression on our customers.”

“If we can still manage the crisis promptly and provide excellent service under these conditions, what do you think the customers will feel?” The assistant gave Pi Xinzheng a meaningful look.

Then, he took a satellite phone from his bag and handed it to Pi Xinzheng. “To make work easier, you can use this for now. Just return it after the trip.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get overtime pay—time and a half!”

So this was the moment.

Pi Xinzheng had his answer. He didn’t resist. Avoiding his sister’s outstretched hand, he took the satellite phone and rattled off his ID number.

After completing the task, the assistant quickly left. A few minutes later, the satellite phone rang.

The person on the other end had already booked the tickets and hotel and was calling to inform him of the details.

Pi Xinrong had acted on instinct to stop him. After calming down, she understood her brother’s reasoning. Part of her wanted to burst into tears, to stop him at all costs, to cling to him and prevent him from leaving. But reason made her bite her lip and say nothing.

She knew her brother well. If he didn’t go, guilt alone would eat him alive.

Besides, if Tianlan Star was truly invaded, would her brother even survive? Even if he did, it would be a fate worse than death.

Rather than suffering a lingering death, both she and her brother would prefer a swift end.

Knowing this... even as her vision blurred and her gums ached from clenching, Pi Xinrong stood frozen. She didn’t even dare to tell him to come back alive, to promise she’d treat him to a royal feast with a month’s salary.

She was afraid of accidentally jinxing it.

Pi Xinzheng didn’t pack. Glancing at the clock, he gave his sister one last hug. Though it pained him, he let go and left for the train station.

Aside from meeting up with the officials who approached him on the way, he did nothing extra, as if this were just a normal business trip.

Pi Xinzheng had asked the person who booked the tickets in advance. Unless something changed, there would be no hotel changes during the trip—given the current situation, switching hotels would be difficult. So they had booked the same hotel for three consecutive nights.

Since the hotel was already arranged, he could have just given the room number to the officials and let them stake it out.

But he was the protagonist. Pi Xinzheng feared that if he wasn’t there, things might change.

What if the Roaming Gem targeted him instead of the room?

This might be Tianlan Star’s only chance. Never mind the nice weather—even if knives rained from the heavens, he’d have to go.

After getting the news, Sheng Qingquan quietly followed.

The hotel was booked for three days, meaning the Roaming Gem would most likely appear within that time.

Pi Xinzheng checked into the hotel normally with his colleagues, met with customers, and handled business as usual.

He returned to the hotel at night, washed up, and went to bed.

Minimizing variables.

The hotel the company booked was decent—at least the soundproofing was good. Once the door was closed, the room was quiet enough.

Pi Xinzheng usually slept well, but at this moment, with his eyes closed and breathing steady, he appeared to be asleep while in reality, he was wide awake. He could even hear the restless breathing of his colleague in the adjacent bed with perfect clarity.

Also wide awake were the staff members who were closely monitoring the situation, as well as Sheng Qingquan, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

After inspecting the hotel room, Sheng Qingquan was quite satisfied with the environmental conditions.

The hotel had a small courtyard, which was a plus. Although Pi Xinzheng’s room wasn’t close to the courtyard, in a pinch, those plants could still come in handy.

Most importantly, even though the double room’s location and orientation weren’t ideal, as a three-star hotel, it had all the amenities. Beyond the hardware, there were little touches to set the mood.

The double room not only came with a welcome basket with flowers and fruit but also had a potted plant in the corner. Additionally, each bedside table had a small pot of greenery.

This put Sheng Qingquan’s mind at ease a little. No need to sneak plants in, nor was there any concern about whether introducing plants might trigger unintended consequences.

It saved a lot of trouble.

Pi Xinzheng had lain down around midnight. The hours dragged on—one, two, three, four…

Outside the window, the city lights dimmed as the sky lightened.

Just when everyone thought the night would pass uneventfully—

Pi Xinzheng, who’d been lying stiff as a board, cautiously turned over in bed, pretending to still be asleep. At that moment, a silent tear opened in the air above his head.

A massive, fist-sized, pale purple gem carried by its own momentum hurtled straight for Pi Xinzheng’s temple.

In an instant, the small pothos plant on the bedside table exploded upward, vines bursting forth.

These vines lashed out, embedding themselves deep into the opposite wall.

Interwoven, they formed a protective net above Pi Xinzheng’s head.

Sheng Qingquan had been secretly practicing for this moment for a long time through relentless practice.

He had bought out all the pothos plants from nearby flower shops.

His innate control over plants was already strong, and after relentless practice, he’d gotten lightning-fast.

So even though the Roaming Gem fell at breakneck speed—so fast that a blink would make you miss it—Sheng Qingquan just barely got the net up in time before it could strike Pi Xinzheng.

Yet, Pi Xinzheng still gave a low groan before falling completely unconscious.

Although Sheng Qingquan had deliberately reinforced the pothos vines’ toughness to enhance their protective capabilities, they were starting from scratch—they were just ordinary pothos plants.

Thus, even after being specially strengthened, their resilience was limited. Against the high-speed, spinning Roaming Gem, they only softened the blow.

Once it landed, the Roaming Gem seemed to realize it had successfully touched down. Its surface glimmered briefly, and it immediately made a break for the window.

Fortunately, if the net hadn’t kept mending itself, the fish would’ve torn free by now.

Seizing the opportunity, the staff rushed in.

Half of them ran toward Pi Xinzheng, while the other half went after the thrashing Roaming Gem.

At this moment, the Roaming Gem was like a big fish tangled in a net.

The staff didn't dare let their guard down and quickly approached with a custom-made container. Sheng Qingquan controlled the plants, grabbing the gem and tossing it into the box.

As the gem was thrown in, Sheng Qingquan cut the vines loose, leaving the ones wrapped around the gem inside the container before slamming the lid shut.

The staff swiftly locked the lid.

Even so, the container continued to emit violent rattling from within.

They stacked the box inside progressively larger ones, layering over a dozen containers before the staff could finally breathe a little easier.

But this wasn’t enough. Unlike spatial rings or other objects, the Roaming Gem was clearly "alive." Just locking it up wasn’t enough—especially with all that racket, it was uncertain whether they could truly contain it.

The staff left with the container first.

Meanwhile, a doctor took out a healing device and aimed it at Pi Xinzheng.

The Roaming Gem was undoubtedly beautiful, but it was nothing like anyone expected—no bigger than a pebble at best. After all, how big could a gem be? Even a fingertip-sized one would’ve been huge.

Who would’ve thought this gem was as big as an adult’s fist? A stone that size, coming at that speed, was sure to leave Pi Xinzheng’s head covered in blood.

Fortunately, the distance wasn’t too great. Otherwise, considering meteors or asteroids, chances of survival would be zip.

Given Pi Xinzheng’s fate in the plot, the staff had initially planned to request a protective suit from higher-ups. The application had already been submitted and was about to be approved, but Pi Xinzheng flat-out refused to wear it.

His reasoning was simple.

"From the plot, we know that Sky Blue Star would lose its network, suffer blackouts, and have its devices rendered useless. This was clearly the result of the Roaming Gem’s transformation, indicating that the species behind it despises technological products. Though the Roaming Gem is just a gem, who can guarantee it doesn’t share this trait?"

"A cutting-edge tech suit might trigger it. What if, after I wear it, the gem changes course just to avoid it?"

Even if, in the plot, the gem didn’t appear in remote wilderness but instead landed in a city hotel—suggesting it might not have such a taboo, or if it did, the gem itself couldn’t control its landing point—Pi Xinzheng wasn’t taking any chances.

He was risking his life for a sure thing.

Thankfully, though that wasn’t happening, the staff had backup plans.

Aside from Sheng Qingquan volunteering, they had also confirmed from the plot that after Pi Xinzheng was struck, an ambulance successfully transported him for surgery. It was only during a later complication, when another surgery was needed, that the equipment failed.

In other words, high-tech devices wouldn’t be affected immediately.

This gave them a window of opportunity.

They could work within that window.

Now, the doctor used the healing device on Pi Xinzheng.

White light washed over his head.

Thanks to Sheng Qingquan’s vine shield, Pi Xinzheng’s injuries weren’t as severe as in the plot. By the time the light faded, he had already woken up.

"I’m… fine?"

Pi Xinzheng blinked dazedly. His head still ached—pounding with occasional sharp jabs. He instinctively reached up to touch it but found no swelling or wounds.

The spot where he had been struck was smooth, like nothing happened. Like he’d never been hit.

"There should still be some issues inside the head. The treatment device is struggling with it," the doctor explained to Pi Xinzheng's confusion while aiming the device at his colleague for a checkup. "The nearest medical pod has already been cleared out."

"Get a full scan and treatment, and you'll be fine."

As he spoke, two nurses pushed a gurney over. One of them, a tall and burly male nurse, scooped Pi Xinzheng onto the gurney with ease using his strong arms.

Ten minutes later, Pi Xinzheng arrived at the hospital.

Half an hour later, he emerged from the medical pod feeling like new.

No more headache, no shortness of breath—his complexion was rosy, even better than before he was struck.

Moreover, he felt completely at ease. Even his old nagging aches had vanished.

It was as if a robot had been disassembled by an engineer, its worn-out parts replaced, rust removed, and lubricant applied—a complete top-to-bottom tune-up, leaving him with a brand-new body!

Pi Xinzheng energetically stretched his limbs, feeling a surge of energy buzzing through him.

He'd braced for the worst-case scenario, expecting never to wake up again—yet this was the outcome?

The situation was even better than the best-case scenario he had imagined.

Facing the crisis of the Roaming Gem's descent, he had thought it was a single-choice question—death. But the government proved to him that there could be a way to have it all.

"What a time to be alive!" Pi Xinzheng couldn’t help but exclaim.