The group gathered in discussion had no idea that danger was drawing near. They were deeply engaged in planning Rora Starsea's proposal — to build a production line capable of manufacturing nutrient solution.
As the native inhabitants of the planet, Han Hu and the others saw the situation even more clearly than Rora did. They understood all too well the flaws of relying on outside planets for "aid" rather than being self-sufficient.
Now that a way to break free from that dependency had appeared, they naturally didn't oppose it — in fact, they welcomed it.
After finalizing the division of tasks, everyone dispersed to handle their respective duties.
Standing outside the meeting room, Rora Starsea ran through her mental list again. It seemed that, for once, she didn't have anything urgent to do.
So… what should she do next?
The garbage-sorting project would start tomorrow; the nutrient production machines were still being manufactured; the one-star building construction was also scheduled for tomorrow. Her bracelet still stored enough nutrient solution for a week, and she didn't feel right about taking more from the communal stockpile.
"What's wrong?" Xuanxi, walking beside her, asked curiously when he noticed her hesitant expression.
"Nothing," Rora replied. "Since we've got nothing pressing right now, why don't we take a look around the settlement?"
Xuanxi nodded. "Alright."
The two of them followed a path leading deeper into the settlement.
Although Rora had been living here for several days, aside from her visits to meet Han Hu, she hadn't really explored the area.
The settlement wasn't large by local standards, but by the measure of her old world, it could easily match two villages combined.
As they walked, they saw almost no one — it was likely that most of the inhabitants were out scavenging for resources at this hour.
Soon, Rora found herself at the edge of the settlement. The houses here were quite different from the ones she'd seen earlier; instead of metal structures, most were patched together from wood and reinforced plastic — barely livable, but they served their purpose.
She was just about to turn back when something flickered in her peripheral vision. Instinctively, she turned her head. Her gaze locked onto what looked like a sheet of smoky-gray plastic — sturdier than the kind she was familiar with — covering part of a nearby roof.
By coincidence, there was a small hole in the sheet. Through it, Rora thought she had just glimpsed a faint flash of green.
She turned to Xuanxi, pointing toward the object on the roof. "What's that?"
Xuanxi followed the direction of her finger, and quickly recognized it."That's an old batch of thermal insulation film — it was phased out last year. It can effectively absorb sunlight during the day and radiate a steady temperature suitable for humans at night."
Hearing his explanation, Rora Starsea's eyes lit up. That's way better than the plastic sheets used for greenhouses back in my old world.
She stepped closer, crouched down, and peered through the hole. She hadn't even gotten a clear look when a tense, trembling voice sounded from nearby.
"Wh-who are you? What do you want?"
Rora turned her head. From the crack of a half-open door, a grimy little child peeked out, eyes full of alarm.
"Did you plant what's inside there?" she asked gently, her tone calm and kind.
The child seemed to relax a little upon seeing that she didn't look threatening. Gaining a bit of courage, the little one nodded and whispered,"Yeah… I found it last time while scavenging. After a while, it started growing little green sprouts, so I buried it in the soil."
"How did you know you should plant it in the ground?" Rora asked.
"My grandpa told me," the child said, her face dimming with sadness.
"Where's your grandpa now?" Rora asked softly.
The child glanced at her, then turned toward the house. "Grandpa's sick… he's lying in bed."
Rora stood up. "Can I go see your grandpa?" she asked.
The child hesitated for a moment, then nodded, pushing the door open and giving a shy smile. "Sister, come in."
As Rora looked at the child's dark, soot-covered skin, a sudden thought struck her — she hadn't seen her own reflection since arriving on this planet. She glanced down at the back of her hand. Her skin, too, was dark — almost the same color as the child's.
Realizing this, Rora Starsea instantly gave up on the idea of finding a mirror to see what she looked like now.
She stepped into the small house before her, with Xuanxi following closely behind.Inside, it was dim — the faint light outside filtered through the layer of plastic-like material covering the walls. Once her eyes adjusted to the gloom, the interior slowly came into view.
There was a single table pushed against the corner, with two stools beside it. Two bowls sat neatly on the tabletop — everything looked simple, almost bare.
Rora Starsea turned toward the only inner door, pushed it open, and entered. The light inside was even dimmer, but she could just make out a figure lying on a bed. What caught her attention, however, was the bookshelf standing by the wall — surprisingly large, and packed tightly with thick volumes.
She narrowed her eyes, reading the titles on the spines: "A Hundred Questions About Plants," "How to Grow Delicious Vegetables," and more. Judging by these, the child's grandfather must have been quite knowledgeable about botany.
As she approached the bed, the man lying there seemed to sense her presence. His eyes fluttered open.
Rora gave a polite nod. "Hello. What illness are you suffering from? I have some medicine with me — perhaps it could help."
The old man tried to focus on her face. After a long pause, he finally responded, his voice faint."Thank you… but no need. I'm fine."
With that, he closed his eyes again, and said nothing more.
Rora looked toward the child, who was struggling to hold two bowls filled halfway with water.
"Sister, brother — have some water!" the child said with a shy smile, offering the bowls carefully with both hands.
Rora paused for a moment, then took one bowl. "Thank you."Xuanxi accepted the other in silence.
Pulling the child gently outside, Rora crouched down to meet her gaze. "Do you know what kind of sickness your grandpa has?"
The little girl looked lost, shaking her head blankly.
Standing behind her, Xuanxi finally spoke."Her grandfather isn't sick," he said quietly. "He's starving."
Hearing this, Rora Starsea showed no surprise. She had already noticed the man's sunken cheeks — it was clear at first glance that he hadn't eaten properly for a long time.
She took out a box of nutrient solution from her wristband and handed one bottle to the child."Here," she said gently, "take this and give some to your grandfather. It will help him feel better soon."
The little girl's face turned hesitant — she wanted to take it, but something held her back.
Rora Starsea pressed the bottle into the girl's small hands."I need your grandfather to recover quickly," she said softly but firmly. "I plan to hire him afterward. Consider this payment in advance."
At her words, the child's eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly and hurried inside with the bottle clutched tightly in her hands. A few muffled voices drifted out from the room soon after.
Rora expected it would take a while before the girl returned, but to her surprise, it wasn't long before the child came running back out.
Her bright, shining eyes looked up at Rora."Thank you, sister! Grandpa's feeling much better already! Oh— and, sister, my name's Ajin! The Jin comes from the hibiscus flower — it's a really beautiful flower!"
As for Xuanxi, he had already been entirely forgotten in the exchange.
Rora chuckled and reached out to ruffle the child's hair."All right, Ajin — that's a lovely name. I have to go now. When your grandpa gets better, you can go find Han Hu. You know him, right?"
Ajin nodded quickly. "Of course! Everyone knows Boss Han!"
"That's good," Rora smiled. "He knows where I live — just tell him I sent you."
"Okay! I'll remember, sister!"
Rora stood, gave a final nod, and turned to leave."Oh, and remember," she added with a smile, "take good care of that plant outside."
Ajin's face lit up again. "I will! Ajin won't forget!"
After saying goodbye, Rora Starsea continued walking forward according to her plan.Before long, the space around her opened up — the air grew thick with a foul, fishy stench, mingled with the rotting odor of garbage. It was nauseating.
She held her breath and quickened her pace. Soon, a murky stretch of water came into view.
Stretching endlessly before her, she couldn't tell whether it was a river, a lake, or even a sea.
After a moment of thought, she moved swiftly, climbing up a tall nearby tree. One arm wrapped around the trunk for balance, she gazed out into the distance — only to see water, stretching boundlessly to the horizon.
Xuanxi tilted his head up, watching her with a trace of hesitation in his eyes.He looked at the smooth tree trunk before him, clearly debating whether to climb up as well — yet the restraint ingrained in him since childhood made it hard for him to decide.
From her perch above, Rora Starsea guessed that the expanse before her must be a sea.She hadn't expected that the settlement they lived in was actually located by the coast.
After climbing down from the tree, she had planned to take a closer look — maybe there were still living creatures in the water.But when her eyes caught the strange, unidentifiable objects floating on the surface, she gave up the idea.Instead, she snapped off a branch from the tree, stirred the water a few times, and when nothing appeared, she tossed the branch away in disappointment.
Xuanxi, meanwhile, stood motionless at the shore — as still and silent as a wooden stake — his gaze fixed solely on her movements.
As the sky began to dim, Rora's exploration yielded no discoveries, and the two finally decided to head back.Their figures gradually disappeared from sight.
Neither of them noticed what happened afterward —The very branch Rora had tossed into the sea was suddenly seized and pulled beneath the water's surface by a pale hand that shot up from the depths.Only a few bubbles rose to the surface, popping one by one.
Moments later, the water returned to its eerie calm,as though nothing had ever happened there.
On their way back, Rora Starsea's spirits were high.She had found someone who could help her with planting — perhaps even a future agricultural genius.The land on this planet was desolate, and the farming instinct buried deep in her Blue Star homeland DNA was starting to stir restlessly.
Later, Xuanxi had some urgent matters to attend to and returned ahead of her, leaving Rora to wander the settlement alone.As she idly lifted her gaze to the sky, she suddenly noticed —a massive black spaceship descending slowly from above.
Unlike the previous transport ships that merely hovered in midair, this one was landing — actually touching down.
A strange thump echoed in her chest.For reasons she couldn't explain, Rora's heart skipped a beat.Without hesitation, she quickened her pace,running straight toward the place where the black ship was landing.