The plant Su Ge pointed out is a low-growing grass known as the Malan flower in China. Although they don’t grow tall, they thrive in moist soil. Finding these plants indicates that water is close to the surface.

Su Ge herself had just turned back because she had spotted these plants scattered about. Otherwise, Li Ya wouldn’t have insisted on walking this far. 

After showing the Malan flowers to all the extraterrestrials, they quickly presented their findings. 

As Rong Shi had said, among all the planets, Earth’s species were actually quite unremarkable. They didn’t possess any extraordinary talents worth boasting about. Moreover, they were quite fragile, with weak immunity and poor radiation resistance, unlike other species. 

Especially notable were the species skilled in combat, with outstanding talents such as great strength, high speed, keen sense of smell, excellent vision, and even brief flight capabilities. 

At first, Su Ge didn’t have a strong feeling about this comment. However, since last night when Zigmadar effortlessly inserted several thick logs into the soil, Su Ge began to take this difference seriously. 

Su Ge never thought that having differences in physical attributes compared to other extraterrestrials was anything remarkable. While Earthlings indeed lacked physical prowess, they excelled in other areas beyond the reach of aliens. 

For example, now, a group of extraterrestrials quickly found several similar plants and brought them to Su Ge. “Which one is it here?” they asked. 

Su Ge soon identified the Malan grass among the similar plants. She picked up the small green plant, which already looked a bit wilted under the scorching sun. She asked the finder, Sela, “Where did you find this?” 

“Over there, in a large patch,” Sela, from the planet Alrak, where reconnaissance work was their specialty, replied. Their troops comprised mostly of scouts due to their excellent vision and stealth capabilities within the interstellar alliance’s army. 

Following Sela’s lead, they soon came across a large patch of Malan grass. 

Su Ge felt the softness of the soil beneath her feet. She stomped a few times and then squatted down, grabbing a handful of soil to feel it. Indeed, the soil here was quite moist. 

Looking around, she made her own judgment. 

Such a large area of moist soil was unlikely to be groundwater. After all, with this weather and such loose and coarse soil, retaining water was nearly impossible. Therefore, the fundamental reason for such lush growth and moist soil was likely surface water. 

The extraterrestrials had no clue about Su Ge’s thoughts. Sometimes, it wasn’t due to their ignorance or narrow knowledge but simply because such situations never occurred on their home planets. Even if they knew such knowledge, it was purely theoretical and couldn’t be applied practically. 

Just like Rong Shi in this case. He carefully observed Su Ge’s actions, seeing her examine the plant roots and soil seriously, even walking back and forth on the growth zone of the plants. Despite recalling the books he had read, he couldn’t figure out what Su Ge was doing. 

Even Rong Shi was clueless about this, let alone the other extraterrestrials. Zigmadar leaned towards Rong Shi and whispered, “Boss, what is she doing?” 

“Looking for water.” Rong Shi remained quite composed, uttering those two words before sealing his lips shut, refusing to speak another word. Zigmadar, despite being full of questions, couldn’t pry anything out of him. 

Zigmadar thought I know we’re looking for water. I just want to know how she’s going to find it… Oh well, I’ll just hold my tongue. 

Fortunately, Su Ge quickly found the direction. She didn’t keep Zigmadar waiting for too long. She noticed that as they walked eastward, the ground became increasingly damp. Eventually, water started seeping out of the soil, wetting the soles of their shoes. Su Ge turned back and gestured towards a few people standing in the distance, saying, “This way… Let’s go this way.” 

With a sense of direction established, Su Ge then explained the main principles and methods of finding water to the other aliens in detail. Soon, they all grasped the concept and began purposefully searching for surface water sources in the dense vegetation. 

With many hands, the task became much easier, especially with a group of aliens who were not weak. Their efficiency increased exponentially. 

Before long, they heard Ron shouting, “Over here, over here! There’s water over here.” 

When everyone hurried to Ron’s side, they did find crystal-clear water under a thick cluster of reeds. It spread out over a wide space, concealed by the dense plants, completely invisible until you got close.

For those suffering from the scorching heat and exhaustion, nothing was more exhilarating than seeing such refreshing water. Without waiting for Su Ge to approach, the aliens became extremely excited. They immediately began scooping up water with their hands, splashing it onto themselves, washing their faces, and even drinking it. 

By the time Su Ge approached, she saw that several aliens were already drenched! 

Not only that, but they enthusiastically invited Su Ge to join them in enjoying this rare coolness. However, contrasting with their joy, Su Ge’s expression turned extremely grim. She hastily shouted, “Stop! Stop!” 

Although Earth’s status within the interstellar alliance wasn’t particularly high, due to the fierce and resourceful (and water-rich) image Su Ge had built among these individuals over the past few days, her words still carried weight with them. 

So, when she shouted, almost everyone instinctively halted their actions of enjoying the cool water and turned to look at her, all asking in unison, “What’s wrong?” 

“Have you all drunk the water?” Su Ge’s face was tense, and her complexion wasn’t good. 

Including Rong Shi, all the aliens nodded, curious as to why Su Ge would ask such a question. Rong Shi, being very close to Su Ge and their resemblance making it easy for him to discern her feelings, could immediately sense something amiss from her expression. 

At this moment, Su Ge’s slightly furrowed brows and serious expression made Rong Shi’s heart skip a beat. His previously jubilant mood immediately sank. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Su Ge glanced at Rong Shi. Maybe it was because he had just been washed with clean water, but his whole body looked like a plant that had been watered. He appeared bright and fresh again, and was very pleasing to the eye. However, at this moment, even with such an attractive Rong Shi in front of her, she couldn’t feel any aesthetic pleasure. 

She simply spoke calmly, “Water sources found in the wild should not be consumed directly. They need to be treated before consumption.” 

All the aliens:… 

“Treated? How?” Su Ge’s serious and cautious tone made Li Ya suddenly nervous. He promptly spat out the sweet, refreshing water still lingering in his mouth, looking at Su Ge’s face with concern, and asked. 

“In simple terms, it needs to be boiled before drinking.” 

All the aliens: Another term they didn’t understand. But at times like this, it was best to stay silent and listen… 

Noticing the puzzled expressions on everyone’s faces, Su Ge sighed. Forget it, they’ve already drunk it anyway. She would handle the rest later. For now, she simply explained to them. 

“I’m not exactly sure about the situation on your home planet, but on mine, water from outdoor sources undergoes similar disinfection and testing processes before being bottled as drinking water. I believe the situation on your planet should be similar.” 

“We’ve been living in this technologically advanced era for a long time now. Our resistance to bacteria is actually weaker compared to people in the past. Moreover, wild water sources generally contain many viruses unknown to us. If consumed without treatment, it’s very easy to get sick.” 

Pausing for a moment, she continued, “In our current situation, if someone falls ill…” 

She didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood. 

“Is this situation bound to happen?” Ron’s brows furrowed. To be frank, he didn’t have any issues with Su Ge; he was just expressing some rational viewpoints. 

Su Ge shook her head. “What I described is the worst-case scenario. It might not necessarily happen, but everyone’s individual situation varies, so I can’t guarantee.” She added reassuringly, “Of course, if you haven’t consumed much, it might not necessarily lead to illness.” 

Su Ge’s reassurance somewhat lifted the heavy burden in the minds of the several extraterrestrials. Then, the remaining task was quite simple: how to carry this water back. Certainly, this couldn’t be expected of Su Ge alone; she only had one bottle. 

Just as Su Ge was still pondering over this matter, she saw Rong Shi had already taken off his backpack and walked to a spot where the water was relatively clear to fill his bag with it. 

This action left Su Ge dumbfounded. She asked, “Won’t it leak?” 

Rong Shi shook his head. “No, I checked before I came. This backpack is made of new materials used by the military. It’s sturdy and durable. In military warfare, this material is specifically used to contain corrosive liquids, so it won’t leak when used to carry water.” 

Suppressing her surprised expression, Su Ge thought to herself: Extraterrestrial technology is quite impressive; such products don’t exist on Earth. 

After Rong Shi’s explanation, everyone started using their own backpacks to carry water. However, to avoid mixing up the water, they still queued up to collect it and moved cautiously, afraid of dirtying the water and causing additional filtration trouble. 

Zigmadar, being the slowest, naturally became the last one to collect water. As he waited for the water to clear up again, he boredly glanced around. Suddenly, the four small bumps on his head emitted a blue flash— 

Before Zigmadar could discern where the danger was coming from, he heard a loud splash accompanied by a huge spray of water shooting up from beneath the calm surface, heading straight towards him. 

Almost instinctively, Zigmadar swung his backpack towards the creature. 

Su Ge, who was collecting water in front of Zigmadar, hadn’t gone far when she heard the sound and turned around, immediately stunned by the scene before her. 

She saw a gigantic python, as thick as a grown man’s waist, leaping out of the water, lunging towards Zigmadar. Its robust body twisted into a peculiar posture, clearly intending to coil around its target. 

Su Ge didn’t have time to think. She drew her dagger and rushed towards Zigmadar and the python. 

As she dashed forward, Sela suddenly felt something flying towards him. Instinctively, he reached out and caught it. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a heavy backpack, and its owner was Rong Shi. Like a bolt of lightning, he followed towards Zigmadar’s direction. 

Among the six people, Zigmadar was undoubtedly the strongest, but except for Su Ge, who had undergone training since childhood, and Rong Shi, who was a soldier, the others hadn’t pursued a military path on their home planet. So, they only possessed innate abilities of their respective races but lacked combat skills. 

Encountering such a situation, the others could only provide moral support to the three individuals facing the threat, with no other means available. They could only watch helplessly. 

Su Ge had faced various combat training since childhood, so when she suddenly saw the giant python, although the visual impact startled her, it didn’t affect her combat rhythm. Instead, this sense of urgency made her tighten her attack. As for Rong Shi, his training was on the battlefield, so his mental resilience was even steadier than Su Ge’s when faced with such a sudden biological threat. 

In this situation, although Zigmadar was indeed startled and got a hefty blow from the python, he didn’t suffer any actual injuries. The python, just seeking a meal to fill its belly, hadn’t expected to be knocked down by nothing more than a breeze. 

Born in an era of peace, Rong Shi never truly faced the battlefield, but that didn’t stop him from engaging in various simulated battles. On those unfamiliar planets, he encountered creatures and intelligent beings far more dangerous than giant pythons. So, when it came to dispatching this python, he displayed the kind of tough approach expected of a seasoned soldier, not even giving the serpent a chance to struggle. He ended it directly. 

Su Ge, on the other hand, was different. She was actually most afraid of snakes among all creatures. Even though she had acted, when the python fell onto the grassy ground, she unconsciously took two steps back. Especially when the python was already dead but still twitching under the control of its central nervous system, rolling over to reveal its white belly, she quickly stepped back a few more steps. 

Rong Shi, who was already keenly aware, noticed Su Ge’s movements. He turned to look at her, with some hesitation. But before he could ask, he heard a dry, hoarse but pleasantly surprised voice: “Rong Shi?” 

With the call, everyone’s attention was drawn to the source. 

Since Su Ge was standing very close to Rong Shi, she was relatively close to where the voice came from and could see clearly. 

How to describe it? 

If the sight of a giant python leaping out of the water just now was chilling, then what they saw now was somewhat eye catching. 

A head of disheveled hair, completely unrecognizable from its original shape, piled up messily. If not for the humanoid figure underneath, it could easily be mistaken for a bird’s nest. Beneath this “bird’s nest” is a face that simply indescrribable. 

It was beyond recognition, needless to say. The body and face seemed as if covered in a thick layer of mud. If it weren’t for the three or four holes on top for seeing and breathing, Su Ge would almost believe it to be a mud sculpture. 

No, no, calling it a mud sculpture would actually be an overestimation; accurately, it was a pile of black and yellow mud mixed together, with various grass leaves, dead branches, and indiscernible debris mixed in—trash? 

Exactly, if it hadn’t spoken, if it hadn’t accurately called out Rong Shi’s name, it would have just been lying there, and nobody would have noticed it. 

It was a perfect disguise! 

Given the opponent’s prestigious appearance, Rong Shi found it difficult to discern, especially since their voice had become hoarse. Moreover, Rong Shi didn’t know all the contestants. In these circumstances, the only thing Rong Shi could confirm was that the other person was definitely one of the contestants. As for which one, it was completely unclear. 

With some hesitation, he asked, “Who are you?” 

“I’m Nalita. Don’t you remember me?” Although the other person felt a bit disappointed, she quickly exclaimed her name again with excitement. She even started to stagger towards Rong Shi. 

Even though Rong Shi was a soldier, even though soldiers rolled around on the battlefield and weren’t particularly squeamish, facing such appearance… no one could bear it. 

As she moved closer, Rong Shi immediately took two steps back without any concealment. Although he didn’t speak, his disdainful attitude was quite evident. 

Nalita? 

Who is she? 

To be honest, Su Ge could only match the names and appearances of these five aliens. She couldn’t identify any of the others, let alone the one that just came up. Who was it? What planet was it from? What did it look like? Su Ge was completely confused. 

Just as she was staring at the other person, trying to discern their true appearance beneath the thick layer of mud, she heard Zigmadar voice in her ear, “Oh, Nalita, didn’t expect to meet her first…” 

Su Ge turned her head to glance at Zigmadar and immediately noticed the four small bumps on his head blinking with orange light. According to what she had learned from Zigmadar earlier this morning about the significance of this light, it meant he was gossiping now… 

Well, Zigmadar was truly the most broad-minded person she had ever seen. He had just been on the brink of life and death battling a python, and now he was immediately diving into gossip mode, as if seamlessly shifting between various moods. 

Of course, these weren’t the focus. The focus was that Zigmadar was now whispering gossip to Su Ge while they both leaned in close: “Nalita is from the Trala planet, and she’s the idol of the entire Trala planet, a big star, you know? And this one is Rong Shi’s crazy fan, admirer. It’s said that she fell for him the first time she saw a photo of Rong Shi in military uniform, kneeling before his combat trousers and boots. And when she heard Rong Shi was participating in the show this time, she signed up too…” 

The two of them were engrossed in their whispered conversation when suddenly they felt a cold beam of light shooting towards them. Following the beam, they saw Rong Shi dodging Nalita while glaring at the two of them. 

Su Ge and Zigmadar, in a remarkably synchronized manner, retreated towards where Ron’s group was standing. Zigmadar also didn’t forget to pick up his backpack. In just a few steps, they had retreated to join the other three. 

And then… 

Gossip truly transcends all boundaries, not just in the world, but throughout the universe. No matter how aloof someone may seem, they all have a gossiping heart burning within them. 

The five people standing together suddenly started gossiping as if nobody else was around. Of course, Su Ge was mainly listening while Zigmadar did most of the talking, with occasional input from the other three. Listening to this interstellar fan-chasing gossip, Su Ge felt like this trip wasn’t too arduous after all. 

Nothing beats live gossip for excitement. As Su Ge absorbed all the details about Nalita’s pursuit of Rong Shi, she watched the two main gossipers play a game of cat and mouse in front of her, adding a pink tint to the already fiery atmosphere with gossip bubbles floating around. 

Rong Shi had never felt so challenged in controlling his temper, especially under the scrutiny of Su Ge’s gossip-filled gaze. He felt incredibly embarrassed. 

The awkward situation made his usually calm and composed demeanor become agitated, even directly rejecting Nalita, who had been relentlessly pursuing him, with firm words: “Stop! Don’t come near me!” 

Nalita was stunned for a moment. This was the first time Rong Shi had spoken to her directly, which was truly a memorable occasion. 

Nalita instinctively lifted her hands to shield her face, desiring to experience the unique, private emotions of this moment. However, she soon became aware of how she must appear. At that instant, both Rong Shi and the five others engaged in gossip heard a sharp scream: “Ah—!”

Then, Nalita, covered in mud that blended seamlessly with the earth, turned and ran. As she fled, patches of wet mud continued to fall from her.

Leaving everyone else dumbfounded by this puzzling scene… (￣□￣；)(￣□￣；)