Chapter 58 Ji Anjue

Chapter 58: Ji Anjue

Ji Anzhi jolted awake, grabbed the energy gun from the table, and demanded sharply into the empty room, "Who's there?"

There was no one in the room, and no further sounds were heard, just like that time during the final assessment—utterly baffling.

Just as Ji Anzhi was about to search further, the voice spoke again in his mind: 'I mean no harm.'

From the voice alone, it was impossible to tell if it was male or female. It had a soft, childlike quality. More importantly, this voice truly came from within his own mind, not through his ears from the outside world.

Ji Anzhi's gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold, stern tone directed at the void. "Who are you?"

The soft voice sounded in his mind again: 'I really mean no harm. I didn't mean to scare you; I was just worried about your condition.'

Ji Anzhi wasn't buying it and repeated his question.

The voice fell silent for a moment, seemingly hesitating. Just as Ji Anzhi was about to speak again, it finally said: 'Look at the floor.'

Ji Anzhi immediately lowered his gaze. But on the floor, there was only Xiaoxue, who had jumped next to the plant and was looking at him with a clueless expression. Not even a speck of dust was there, cleaned spotless by the cleaning robot.

His first thought was that he was being tricked. The voice seemed to read his mind and quickly added: 'I am the plant on the floor.'

There was only one plant in the dorm room—the one right in front of him. Ji Anzhi crouched down, pressing the energy gun directly against the plant's main stem, and asked coldly for confirmation, "It's you?"

The soft voice carried a mix of fear, pleading, and grievance, on the verge of tears: 'Mhm... I really mean no harm... sob...'

Ji Anzhi was still somewhat skeptical. As far as he knew, while many plants in the stars possessed self-awareness, without exception, none could communicate using language. If this plant was truly talking to him, then it was a completely new intelligent life form undiscovered by the Federation.

He reached out and pinched one of the translucent green leaves. The childlike voice immediately cried out: 'Ah! You vile human! How could you commit violence against a youngling? Ah! It hurts! Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! Let go! Waaah...'

Ji Anzhi now believed the voice came from this plant. Who would have thought something that looked so quiet could be so noisy in reality.

Seeing the human release his grip, the plant immediately curled its leaves inward, especially the injured one, hiding it deep within.

Xiaoxue seemed to sense something, circling around the plant in an agitated manner.

Putting down the energy gun, Ji Anzhi sat on the floor and began to negotiate with this intelligent being. "What are you?"

The plant made it clear it had a temper too and stubbornly remained silent. But this temper vanished the moment Ji Anzhi picked up the energy gun again, replying meekly: 'I don't know.'

Ji Anzhi raised an eyebrow. Do I look like someone easy to fool?

Sensing Ji Anzhi's thoughts, the plant felt that if plants could cry, its tears would be flowing like a waterfall! I'm not human! How should I know what I am!

But for the sake of its own life, the plant replied indignantly: 'I've studied your human knowledge. I think I could be called a Divine Tree...'

Ji Anzhi was taken aback by its self-proclaimed title. Religion wasn't prevalent in the interstellar age. Even where it existed, it was mostly in small nations or among frontier inhabitants—one for ruling the ignorant masses, the other for finding hope in life.

He examined the plant before him carefully. Its shape somewhat resembled a shrub, but it had fewer leaves. The leaves were like glass-grade imperial green jadeite, translucent, pure, and lustrous. Their texture was also similar to jade. One could easily mistake it for a carved collectible made of imperial green jade.

Ji Anzhi meticulously wiped his energy gun, remarking casually, "Divine Tree? Why?"

Scared by this action, the plant spilled everything in detail: 'I don't mean the divine tree from religious beliefs. I can enhance your human psychic power. Especially the flesh of my fruit—not only can it safely strengthen your psychic power, but it can also expand your human Psychic Sea!'

Psychic Sea?

Ji Anzhi didn't know what a Psychic Sea was. He'd ask about that later. But before that, there was a more important question. His expression went blank. "You know what I'm thinking?"

The plant didn't know how it had been exposed, but under the threat of force, it tremblingly confirmed. Seeing the other's quickly furrowed brow, the plant didn't even dare to explain, wanting to play dead on the spot.

This human was so gentle and kind before! Why is he so fierce after I started talking to him? Is this what humans call "men's mouths are full of lies"?

Sob!

It really could read his mind. Was this telepathy? But Ji Anzhi preferred to believe that when humans think, they emit different emotions or biological fluctuations depending on the thought content. This plant in front of him happened to be able to receive and interpret them, hence knowing his thoughts.

Ji Anzhi demanded, "How can you know my thoughts?"

Feeling Ji Anzhi's disbelief, the plant replied somewhat aggrievedly: 'Through psychic threads. I have psychic threads too. No psychic thread rejects me. I can easily obtain the information I want from them.'

Hearing this, Ji Anzhi put away the energy gun and took out concentrated weed killer. His face returned to its usual gentle and amiable expression, but to the plant, Ji Anzhi was no different from a god of death at this moment...

Ji Anzhi's voice was smooth and amiable: "So, how much do you know? Hmm?"

The plant instinctively sensed danger and, without hesitation, exposed his three roommates to divert attention: 'I know everything. And I also know it was your roommates who bought the three Energy Tanks you sold on the black market!'

Ji Anzhi was stunned by this sudden turn in the conversation. Realizing the implication of the plant's words, his pupils constricted sharply. A cold sweat broke out, and he almost dropped the concentrated weed killer in his hand.

Xiaoxue was startled by its owner suddenly collapsing. A few seconds later, it ran to Ji Anzhi's side, gently nudging him. Finding it ineffective, it anxiously circled around, meowing incessantly.

The plant was also frightened. It knew through the psychic threads that Ji Anzhi's body had serious issues, but it didn't expect an emotional outburst to cause this. It quickly mobilized its own psychic threads to relax the muscles in his lungs and open his airway. Only then did Ji Anzhi recover.

After recovering, his skin quickly returned to its normal color. Ji Anzhi also regained his senses from the fear of death, propped himself up, and took deep breaths. Once his breathing normalized, he looked at the plant.

He hadn't taken any medication just now, and no one had helped him. Xiaoxue couldn't possibly have saved him. So, it was most likely the plant.

"Was it you?"

The plant replied with a touch of smugness: 'Mhm, no need to thank me.'

Ji Anzhi had originally intended to thank it, but upon hearing this, he skipped directly to the interrogation. "Are you sure the information is accurate?"

The plant replied in Ji Anzhi's mind: 'You mean about your three roommates?'

Ji Anzhi nodded.

Being doubted, the plant bristled with anger, all its leaves standing on end. It raged: 'You're doubting me? You dare doubt me! What level is your psychic power? You actually dare doubt me!'

Ji Anzhi's smile remained unchanged. Without a word, he quietly opened the cap of the concentrated weed killer.

The effect was remarkably immediate. The previously bristling, furious plant instantly calmed down, retracting its leaves into a docile posture, its tone also turning obedient: 'Your doubt is justified.'

Ji Anzhi: "........."

So spineless?

But being spineless was good too. Ji Anzhi shook the concentrated weed killer in his hand and smiled. "Now, tell me in detail exactly how you know these things, and what else do you know?"

Caving under the threat, the plant honestly said: 'Every psychic thread carries its owner's memories. I can communicate with psychic threads without any barriers. In human terms, it's reading their memories. That's how I know about your roommates.'

'I know your roommates Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan bought the three Energy Tanks you made on the black market. The highest-grade one was studied by the research institute, but they couldn't figure it out. They almost triggered some self-destruct program. Later, Jian Fuxu took over the Energy Tank and dismantled it within a week, causing an explosion. From what I read in their memories, it seems the military academy and some Legions are all looking for you.'

Ji Anzhi now understood who was tracking him the day before yesterday—the Federal Legion.

It seemed taking that forbidden drug had been worth it. If they had really caught him, forget lifelong imprisonment as a lab rat; given the complexity of their power structures, Ji Anzhi probably wouldn't even have had the chance to await imprisonment.

The Federation's First to Seventh Legions were all stationed at the borders, defending against the Zerg frontlines. Only the Eighth Legion and the Ninth Legion were responsible for internal Federation security. The pursuer from the day before yesterday was most likely from the Eighth Legion...

Knowing the real culprit, Ji Anzhi didn't feel much about it. After realizing the value of the Energy Tanks he had modified, he had somewhat anticipated this situation. Now, knowing the whereabouts of those three Mech Energy Tanks, Ji Anzhi actually felt a sense of settled relief.

But an explosion from just 5,000 units of energy was that powerful? He recalled that Jian Fuxu was conducting the disassembly in the highest-level blast-proof chamber at the time, yet he could feel the shockwave from the explosion even in the distant teaching building. Was it really just one Mech Energy Tank being disassembled?

Ji Anzhi couldn't know for sure. Now, initially believing that the plant before him possessed mind-reading abilities, Ji Anzhi put away the concentrated herbicide and said calmly, "I'll take your word for it, for now. My secondary mental development was caused by you."

Though phrased as a question, his tone left no room for doubt. The plant didn't hide anything and admitted openly, 'Yes!'

No wonder he had started feeling drowsy not long after arriving at the military academy, and why his secondary mental development was discovered in the first month. Even after half a year, he was still in the midst of that phase.

Taking out a tube of plant nutrient solution, Ji Anzhi asked the plant if it wanted it. The plant, seeing no reason to refuse, gladly accepted.

As he poured it, Ji Anzhi asked, "Can you stop my mental development?"

'Huh?'

The plant was puzzled. Secondary mental development was beneficial and harmless to humans, so why would he ask to stop it? Had it received incorrect information?

Ji Anzhi explained, "It draws too much attention. Put it on hold for a bit. Once I've run some checks and confirmed it's stopped, we can pick it up again."

The plant, after all, wasn't human. Even though it had absorbed knowledge about human society and behavior from human memories, it couldn't fully grasp its complexities. However, this didn't worry the plant, and it agreed to pause the development for a while.

Of course, it could only be paused for a limited time. Prolonged interruption would be like starvation for the plant.

Perhaps sensing that Ji Anzhi had lowered his guard, the plant boldly made a request: 'These nutrient solutions are enough. I want the kind of stimulant drugs you humans use for mental energy.'

Ji Anzhi asked, "Stimulant drugs for mental energy?"

The plant eagerly replied, 'Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!'

Ji Anzhi hadn't expected the plant to want mental energy stimulants. Such drugs were among the most strictly prohibited of substances, difficult to obtain even on the black market.

Upon inquiry, he learned that the plant's mental energy was the opposite of humans'. Its mental energy was too placid, and without external mental energy to stimulate it, its growth, development, flowering, and fruiting would all be extremely difficult.

Normally, it could only borrow the restless mental energy threads of humans or Xiaoxue to stimulate its own mental development. But since it often stayed in the dormitory, it mostly had access only to Xiaoxue, leading to its stunted growth—it couldn't even manage to bud a single pretty flower...

This was also why it had proactively revealed itself today.

Ji Anzhi recalled various incidents from the previous semester. No wonder Xiaoxue had insisted on him taking the plant out when he went to class before—it turned out this potted plant was up to its tricks. Its sudden exposure today was also because it was hungry and needed to eat.

Ji Anzhi thought for a moment. The plant was an intelligent being, so it needed a name. He asked for its opinion: "Do you want a name?"

The plant didn't understand why it needed a name. Its inherited memories contained no names, as their species only had a few seeds that could sprout and grow every century, and it was one of the lucky ones.

Speaking of which, it should have been on the planet from its inherited memories, nurtured by older predecessors and protected by the planet's animals as it grew. Unfortunately, fate didn't favor plants—it ended up in a foreign land, stunted in growth...

'No.'

It didn't need a name from this scrawny stick, hmph!

Ji Anzhi nodded and said, "Alright, from now on, you'll be called Ji Anjue. Remember your name."

The plant, now named Ji Anjue: '…………'

What was the point of asking me then? Just for the ceremony?

Ji Anzhi pretended not to notice Ji Anjue's stunned silence. He'd gotten a real scare earlier—what was wrong with giving a name? Besides, the name he chose wasn't unpleasant; he wasn't deliberately making things difficult.

Drowsiness washed over him again. Ji Anzhi had wanted to ask Ji Anjue more about Xiaoxue, but he couldn't hold on any longer and had to go to bed, too exhausted even to wash up.

Seeing Ji Anzhi fall asleep so quickly, Ji Anjue couldn't help but look down on the fragility of the human body. However, considering how well this scrawny stick had taken care of his guardian beast and how diligently he had looked after him earlier, Ji Anjue only disliked his physical weakness.

The toxins in his body seemed tough to purge. When he bore fruit, he'd give him one. After all, he was a plant adrift in a foreign land, living off someone else's kindness.

Sigh...