The high plateau stretched endlessly, blanketed by lush green grass. Amid the grass, every few steps one could spot the occasional bud of an orange flower.
These buds were none other than Gijera—the terrifying plant that could lure humans into blissful ecstasy… and eventually bring them to a quiet death.
"Begin exploration. Locate Gijera's root system underground,"
Eri issued the order as soon as the buds were identified.
Only at the root could the Gijera Essence be harvested more effectively.
The members of the Planet Terra Defence Corps quickly activated the equipment they had brought along. Waves of invisible energy rippled outward, probing into the depths of the earth.
"Eri, can Gijera's root system be transplanted?" Yu Zhou suddenly asked. If only a portion was needed, perhaps they could take a segment back to cultivate.
"In theory, it can," Eri replied after a moment's thought. "Gijera is an extremely resilient lifeform. Unless the root system is completely destroyed, it will regenerate—even if it takes tens of thousands of years."
Yu Zhou nodded. "That makes sense."
He remembered his own battle with Gijera. It had been far tougher than expected. In the original "storyline," Gijera should have behaved predictably, but Yu Zhou's provocation had driven it into a sudden frenzy, nearly costing him dearly.
"Report! We've detected Gijera's main body beneath the central plateau," one of the Terra Defence Corps members reported to Eri.
"Excellent," Eri said firmly. "We'll dig from this position, creating a tunnel underground, and advance toward Gijera from below."
"Huh? Wouldn't it be faster to dig straight down from above Gijera?" Yu Zhou frowned. Direct tunnelling from above would be quicker than boring a sideways passage through the earth.
"I know," Eri acknowledged. "But we cannot alter history. If we dig directly above Gijera, we risk being discovered—by the Earthlings of this era, and even… by the 'you' of this very timeline."
Yu Zhou immediately understood. His memories contained no record of ultra-ancient Terrans openly tunnelling above Gijera. If his past self saw that, a paradox would occur.
So, this harvesting had to remain a secret, invisible to anyone of this age.
"Gijera, huh…"
Charija crouched nearby, staring silently at the buds as though lost in thought.
"You know of Gijera too, Charija?" Yu Zhou asked.
"Of course." Charija nodded. "This flower entices people to abandon reason, leading them to death without pain."
"Tell me, Charija," Yu Zhou pressed further, "have you ever travelled back thirty million years with a time machine?"
"Thirty million years?" Charija blinked, then shook his head. "That chaotic era? I had no interest in it."
"Chaotic era…" Yu Zhou murmured, mulling over the words.
Meanwhile, the Defence Corps had finished boring a massive pit, one so deep its bottom vanished into darkness.
"Report! We've reached the parallel depth to Gijera's position," the squad informed Eri.
"Good. Continue advancing toward Gijera."
"Yes, sir!"
Yu Zhou leaned over the edge of the abyss, peering into the darkness. It was impossible to tell just how deep the pit ran.
"We'll head down first," Eri told Yu Zhou and Charija. "If you wish, you may accompany us. But if you stay here, make sure you aren't seen by anyone from this time."
"I'll go," Yu Zhou said without hesitation. Staying above held no value. He wanted to see with his own eyes how the Terra people extracted Gijera's essence.
"…Fine. I'll come too," Charija said reluctantly. Normally he'd prefer to avoid such things, but leaving Yu Zhou alone didn't sit right.
"Then step aboard."
Eri produced a metallic plate seemingly out of nowhere and set it on the ground, standing on it. Yu Zhou and Charija joined him, and the plate began to float.
It carried them smoothly over the pit's edge and descended slowly into the depths.
"So, it's a flying device," Yu Zhou muttered, clicking his tongue in admiration. "Not bad… maybe I should buy one. Would save space in my bracelet—I could ditch the motorbike and car entirely."
His thoughts drifted further. Maybe I'll get a small spaceship too. If it has auto-pilot, even better.
Before long, the platform touched down at the pit's bottom.
The Defence Corps had already set up bright lights, illuminating the subterranean cavern as they dug steadily toward Gijera's main body.
"See those?" Eri gestured toward the devices the squad wielded. "Excavation collectors. They look like rifles, but inside is spatial technology. They fire beams that absorb stone and soil into contained storage."
Yu Zhou had been watching them curiously. "So, these collectors can only store soil and rock?"
"No—they can differentiate between elements and materials," Eri explained. "If you're searching for ore, you can set the collector to ignore everything but that ore. It'll absorb away the dirt, leaving only the target behind."
"That's… impressive." Yu Zhou rubbed his chin. "Do these sells in shops?"
"Yes. They're common civilian tools. Of course, our Defence Corps models are of superior quality."
"And that flying platform—can I buy one of those too?" Yu Zhou asked eagerly.
"Certainly," Eri replied. "They're a standard mode of transport on Terra. Though for interstellar travel, spaceships are more common."
"Good," Yu Zhou grinned. Buying such things would be invaluable. Spaceships, too—though piloting one might be beyond him. I'll just get one with auto-navigation.
Above them, the excavation pressed onward. Below, in the hidden shadows of history, Yu Zhou observed silently, learning how the ancients harvested the essence of Gijera without ever being seen.
(End of Chapter)