The feeling of being spied upon left a deep impression on Su Ge. Uncertain whether she should tell anyone, she remained vigilant over the next few days. However, that unsettling feeling of being watched did not return. 

This outcome made Su Ge start to doubt whether she had been mistaken that day. In fact, no one had been spying on her, and nothing was amiss. 

The construction work on the site seemed to have hit a bottleneck. 

It had been two days, and there were still only frames and nothing more. 

Su Ge stood at the edge of the construction site, watching a group of men squatting on the ground and arguing continuously. Their argument was about how to construct the building. 

It was certain that something needed to fill the space between the columns, but there was now an issue with the filler material. 

Even in the technologically advanced Interstellar Alliance, the building materials they used were very sophisticated. Su Ge didn’t understand these things very well, but it was clear that such advanced building materials were not available on Planet 756. Therefore, men from many planets began their seemingly friendly and in-depth discussions on what materials to use for filling the walls. 

The construction site was almost in chaos. 

Su Ge raised her eyebrows, listened intently to their argument with a serious expression, occasionally nodding in agreement.  

However, even though Su Ge was trying her best to engage with these extraterrestrials for nearly an hour, she found it boring. Finally, amidst the futile arguing of the aliens, Su Ge found an opportunity to interject, asking, “Why don’t you use mud for the walls?” 

Before this, the aliens had proposed several materials such as wood, stone, and even tightly bound grass for constructing walls, but none had considered mud. 

Flynn looked at Su Ge. “Are you joking?” 

“No, I’m serious.” 

Although nowadays people in countryside no longer live in mud houses, Su Ge had seen villagers use mud to build things like cattle and pig pens when she roamed around her hometown as a child, so she knew a bit about it. 

“If it rains, the mud will be washed away,” Flynn said seriously, explaining why they hadn’t considered mud from the start. 

Su Ge nodded in understanding. “Of course, if it rains as heavily as it did last time, a mud house wouldn’t hold up naturally. But can wood, stone, or even grass withstand that kind of rain?” 

No one could refute this logic. 

Flynn, as the chief designer and foreman of the entire construction site, said, “But mud houses aren’t very good. They’re prone to collapse, not very clean, and how do we shape pieces of mud into the forms we want?” 

Su Ge smiled. “That’s too simple.” 

Fifteen minutes later, Su Ge earned Flynn’s profound admiration and left the other aliens dumbfounded. 

Flynn continued to knead the pile of mud in front of him with his hands. The mud was mixed with fine grass and animal hair, which usually would have made it loose and easy to fall apart. Instead, it held its shape well and showed no signs of collapsing for a long time. 

It is more flexible, easier to handle, and lighter in weight. It is indeed much better than stone. Even without saying a word, Flynn was already very satisfied with the pile of mud in his hand. 

Now the question is— 

“How do we attach this to the wall?” 

On the screen in the live broadcast room, footage showed Su Ge writing and drawing on the ground. Soon, a box-like structure appeared on the ground. 

【What is this? 】 

【Can someone from Earth explain? 】 

【Specifically, can someone from China explain what this is? 】 

【It’s a wall casting clamp. 】 

… 

【Why can I understand what Earthlings say separately, but when they combine it, I don’t get it at all? 】 

【Same here. 】 

… 

This confusion spread not only in the live broadcast room but also echoed continuously on the construction site of Planet 756. 

“How do we use this?” Flynn held a miniature version of the clamp in his hand. This was made by Glaki in a very short time by hand. It was very delicate and fit perfectly in the palm of one’s hand. 

Su Ge didn’t explain. She simply placed the device on the ground, grabbed a handful of semi-dry mud, and filled the clamp. Then, she took a round wooden stick and vigorously pressed it into the clamp, compacting the semi-dry mud inside. 

After Su Ge cleanly removed the two clamps, a small rectangular mud block lay on the ground. It felt soft to the touch with a hint of moisture, but it was easy to imagine that once dried, it would form a solid and resilient wall. 

At this moment, Su Ge had already picked up the spatula again and placed it on top of the mud block. Before Su Ge could add any more soil, Flynn had already understood the purpose of this thing and couldn’t help but applaud, “This thing is quite ingenious!” 

Soon, this ingenious thing had turned into reality, and the construction site, which had been idle for two days, resumed its bustling activity. 

This should have been a joyful occasion, after all, the house was nearly ready to move into. Just thinking about the good days ahead in the house, it made living in tents at the campsite seem much less comfortable. 

But Su Ge didn’t feel the least bit happy. 

She discovered that her things had been stolen. 

The food sent from Earth seemed plentiful, but it was actually insufficient. Su Ge typically used Earth food to cook a meal for everyone every two days; the rest of the time, they relied on wild vegetables and hunted game. 

Therefore, Su Ge kept a clear record of all supplies in her mind. She knew exactly how much was left and how long it could last. Even the slightest shortage wouldn’t escape her notice. 

And now, the losses were not trivial. 

Three bags of rice that were originally left had been reduced to two. Half a bag of flour was also missing, and even the smoked ham leg she had prepared a few days ago was short by one! 

This made Su Ge furious beyond measure. 

It couldn’t have been the aliens. Firstly, they wouldn’t do such a thing. Secondly, they were always together; if someone stole something to eat, someone would definitely have seen it. Finally, with so much missing, the aliens couldn’t have hidden it so well. 

If it wasn’t the aliens, then who could it be? 

No, no, no, it’s too early to say it was a person. It should be asked, what else could it be, or what kind of creature? 

Rong Shi had mentioned before that the organizers had conducted detailed investigations on each deserted planet during the initial screening to ensure there were no intelligent beings present before considering it. But what about the current situation? 

Why were her things stolen? If not the aliens, it must be the creatures on this deserted planet. 

They had been on this deserted planet for almost a month. Although they hadn’t fully explored it, they had seen quite a lot. Most of the creatures on the planet resembled Earth’s animals, appearing entirely animal-like without any signs of evolving intelligence. 

But then, what about her stolen belongings? 

Su Ge didn’t lose the rice, flour, and smoked ham leg all at once; they were stolen in three separate incidents. This suggests that whatever was taking the food was very cautious, stealing small amounts each time and gradually accumulating them. 

Would creatures without intelligence typically exhibit such planning and actions? 

As Su Ge analyzed, Rong Shi sat by the fire, skewering the fish he had just caught from the river on a thin wooden stick, then roasted them over the fire. 

The people tending the fields went to water them and unexpectedly found a pile of stranded fish. They promptly collected them, totaling more than twenty pounds. Now everyone was occupied with the task of cleaning and preparing the fish, which was quite laborious. 

Before Su Ge could finish her analysis or Rong Shi could speak, all the aliens busy with the fish angrily took up their arms. 

“Animals dared to steal our things! I’ll keep watching tonight! I’ll catch them!” 

“Yes! I’ll keep watch too!” 

“After I catch them, I’ll show them!” 

“Grill, fry, stew…” 

… 

They started arguing angrily, but it eventually turned into a feast. Su Ge couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. Sure enough, despite their years of nutrient consumption, they all turned out to be foodies! 

Rong Shi quietly flipped the fish on the barbecue grill, seemingly unconcerned with the noisy commotion nearby. Suddenly, he asked, “Do you know how the Interstellar Alliance classifies intelligent beings?” 

“Huh?” Su Ge’s attention was still on the alien’s argument. After all, it was quite interesting to see them quarrel like that. So, when Rong Shi asked this seemingly unrelated question, she hadn’t snapped back to reality. 

Subconsciously, she turned to look at Rong Shi, mouth half-open, her dark eyes carrying a bewildered look. 

Rong Shi couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her face. The longer he spent with Su Ge, the more relaxed he felt, something he had never experienced in his previous twenty-two years of life. 

He grew up in an environment where everyone was reserved, polite, and kept a distance as if they were celestial beings. No one ever showed such expressions or actions; it would be seen as highly disrespectful to royalty. 

Originally, Rong Shi felt the same. However, at this moment, he felt entirely different. In fact, he had never been this relaxed before. He felt like an ordinary person—neither a prince nor a senior officer, just someone normal. Whether from the Milky Way galaxy or Earth, it didn’t matter, and that was perfectly fine. 

His thoughts shifted here, and Rong Shi couldn’t help but pause for a moment. 

An ordinary person? Become an ordinary person? The kind who no longer needs to be a prince or a high-ranking major general, just an ordinary person named Rong Shi. 

Although he had never thought about it before, now that he did, it felt rather good. 

Some thoughts were like seeds in spring, just breaking through the soil and growing wildly. 

Su Ge looked at Rong Shi strangely. He had just said something very strange, but she hadn’t heard clearly. Now she wanted to ask him carefully, but when she turned to him, he didn’t say anything. 

“What did you just say?” 

The blank expression on Su Ge’s face had disappeared, replaced by a look of eager curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. 

Rong Shi’s absent-minded thoughts, wherever they had wandered off to, were suddenly caught by the fire hidden in her eyes at that moment, and then pulled back. After a barely perceptible pause, he spoke, and even as he spoke, the smile on his face did not fade. 

“I said, do you know how the Interstellar Alliance defines whether a species is intelligent?” 

Su Ge blinked. Her intuition told her that this definition was probably different from what she had assumed. After all, the simplest way on Earth to determine if an animal is intelligent is to see if they use tools. In fact, on Earth, many animals, especially mammals, use tools. There have even been reports that chimpanzees communicate with humans. 

But judging from Rong Shi’s expression, the Interstellar Alliance’s definition of intelligence was different. 

“I don’t know.” 

“There are just two criteria, which are very straightforward. They need to have a distinct language system and the ability to use it in writing,” Rong Shi stated bluntly, revealing the definitive answer to Su Ge. “Only when both these conditions are fulfilled will the Interstellar Alliance acknowledge them as intelligent beings.” 

With that, he gestured with the grilled fish stick in his hand towards all the aliens not far away, then pointed at himself and Su Ge. “Look at us, we all meet these two criteria to be recognized as intelligent beings. Only planets inhabited by intelligent beings qualify for inclusion in the Interstellar Alliance’s planetary system list.” 

With this said, Su Ge understood roughly. Simply put, only species that have created civilization are recognized. As for those life forms that only possess primitive intelligence, in the eyes of the Interstellar Alliance, they haven’t even risen to the level of intelligent beings, let alone warrant attention. 

“So… the one who stole the things was…” 

Rong Shi nodded and confirmed Su Ge’s statement directly: “The one who stole the things is a secondary intelligent being.” 

Secondary intelligent beings? 

This is another term Su Ge had never encountered before, and Rong Shi smiled as he explained to her, “It’s normal that you’re not familiar with it. In fact, among all the races of the Interstellar Alliance, unless someone specializes in interstellar history or xenobiology, very few would understand these things.” 

“Secondary intelligent beings are those who haven’t yet met the two conditions to be considered full-fledged intelligent beings. They typically have their own language system but lack a writing system. Their IQ isn’t very high either.” 

After all, the corresponding disciplines were too complex, and Rong Shi wasn’t a researcher; his knowledge of these matters wasn’t overly detailed. He simply summarized what he knew. 

“Are there secondary intelligence beings on this desolate planet?” Following the Interstellar Alliance’s classification, Su Ge quickly imagined what these beings might be like. They should be very much like “people” from various planets, but not exactly “people”. They were more advanced than animals with primitive intelligence, yet inferior to those with advanced intelligence—a sort of middle ground. 

If these secondary intelligent beings truly existed, Su Ge suddenly felt overwhelmed. 

Those animals that had just acquired primitive intelligence would have their own survival rules, but they lacked social attributes. On the other hand, advanced beings not only had survival rules and strict social attributes but, more importantly, they possessed moral standards—only these traits allowed advanced beings to be called “people” and manage a planet. 

So, what would these beings in the middle ground be like? 

Some questions were better left unexplored. 

Su Ge took a breath and temporarily set aside the question, “Where do you think they might be?” 

“Most likely in the forests,” Rong Shi frowned slightly. After thinking for a moment, he added, somewhat troubled, “But I’m not sure about their numbers.” 

“At night, I’ll keep watch.” Pausing for a moment, Rong Shi told Su Ge, “I’ll go investigate first to see what the situation is.” 

“I’ll come with you…” 

“No need.” Despite Su Ge’s suggestion, Rong Shi shook his head firmly. “You’re not a soldier, and you’ve never dealt with secondary intelligence beings. You also don’t know the operational guidelines of the Interstellar Alliance. So, it’s not suitable for you to go. It could bring unnecessary trouble upon yourself.” 

Su Ge really wanted to argue about something, but as she looked into Rong Shi’s unusually determined eyes, in the end, she didn’t say the words she wanted to refute. She nodded slightly and said, “Then I’ll wait for your good news.” 

That night, Su Ge thought she wouldn’t sleep well due to her worries. However, she unexpectedly fell asleep and slept deeply. She drifted into a deep slumber as soon as her head hit the pillow and only woke up the next morning to the noise outside the tent. 

Yesterday, Rong Shi, Sela, and Meng took turns keeping watch. 

Among them, Rong Shi had the strongest combat ability, but Meng was extremely skilled in running, and Sela had the strongest reconnaissance ability. If these three couldn’t catch the opponent together, it would be even more difficult for others to figure out the details of these secondary intelligent beings. 

Indeed, they were secondary intelligent beings, and as Rong Shi had guessed, they lived in the forest. However, even with Rong Shi, Sela, and Meng working together, they couldn’t catch one. 

As Sela gestured and recounted last night’s watch, he took a sip of freshly brewed corn porridge. The warmth spread through his body, prompting him to exclaim involuntarily with satisfaction. 

“That thing is probably this tall, runs extremely fast, and they are very familiar with this planet. We could only drive them to the edge of the forest and couldn’t find them again.” 

Listening to this, Nalita suddenly spoke up, “Then why didn’t you continue chasing into the forest? Why did you come back?” 

Su Ge glanced at Nalita, finding her to be quite mysterious. Sometimes she seemed like just a decorative vase, yet she often surprised with her knowledge. However, moments like these, where she asked such basic questions, made Su Ge wonder. Any reasonably intelligent person wouldn’t ask such things. 

Saro smirked slightly but refrained from making harsh remarks. Instead, he patiently explained, “None of us have been into the forest. We have no idea what it’s like inside. Isn’t it asking for trouble to go in without a complete plan, especially with so many secondary intelligent beings there?” 

Flynn didn’t bother with Nalita’s silly question and turned to Rong Shi, asking, “So what do we do now?” 

Rong Shi pondered for a moment before saying, “Focus on defense.” 

“What! Why defense? Why not just go and beat them to a pulp!” Zigmadar was the first to jump up in opposition, looking at Rong Shi with a shocked expression. “Boss Rong Shi, did someone kidnap you? This is totally unlike your usual self! Blink twice if you’re being held hostage!” 

The tense atmosphere from before was shattered by Zigmadar’s banter, and everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Compared to the tension just now, everyone seemed a bit more relaxed. 

Zigmadar furrowed his brow and turned to Su Ge, asking, “Su Ge, what do you think? Are we going to attack or just defend like them?” 

In fact, Su Ge had been pondering this question since Meng started recounting last night’s events. It wasn’t until Zigmadar mentioned her name that she raised her head and voiced her opinion, “Defend.” 

Zigmadar appeared deflated, like a balloon losing air. He sighed loudly, then sat down with a despondent look, raising his head to gaze at Su Ge with frustration. 

“Why though? Why?” he exclaimed. “Why are you all acting like timid turtles? They’re just a group of secondary intelligent beings. Why not attack them directly?” 

Although Zigmadar’s complaint was his alone, it echoed in the hearts of many presents. They stopped their laughter and simply looked directly at Su Ge and Rong Shi, as if hoping to find reassurance from them before they could feel content.