Before the formation of the Interstellar Alliance, the entire universe was like scattered sand. Large planets expanded their territories through aggression, while smaller planets relied on larger ones for protection. Essentially, the universe was prone to conflict, and every battle felt catastrophic. 

After the large planets had subdued the smaller ones, several major star systems began vying for dominance in the universe. As a result, several medium-sized planets got entangled in conflicts that none of the large planets claimed to desire openly, yet privately, each harbored ambitions to gain ultimate dominance in the universe through these wars. 

Therefore, while these large planets outwardly denied any intent to engage in conflict, in reality, none showed mercy, leading to a tumultuous era. 

Of course, eventually, this war came to an end with the outcomes favoring several medium-sized planets, leaving the large planets seemingly tranquil. However, each knew deep down that none had emerged as a clear winner in this power struggle. 

Moreover, they came to realize something more profound—that internal strife among the large planets was futile. None could gain an advantage despite the costs incurred, leading to an awkward realization… 

So, in the end, the leading large planets initiated the establishment of an Interstellar Alliance. As it turned out, at times like this, unity definitely leads to mutual benefit. Over these many years, though minor frictions persisted in the universe, there have been no particularly large-scale wars. At least for the major planets, cooperation is undoubtedly a great choice. 

However, it must be said that back in the days when survival in the universe depended on brute strength and survival of the fittest, the violent elements of war still remain in everyone’s veins. When faced with threats to their interests, most planetary races initially consider taking aggressive action against the other party. 

Just like this. 

If the beings on Wild Planet 756 were not secondary intelligent beings but a group of primary intelligent beings, Zigmadar probably would not have proposed a direct confrontation to crush them. He would have assessed their strength and made a more appropriate judgment. However, with the other party being secondary intelligent beings, such considerations no longer applied. 

Perhaps among all the higher-level planets, no matter how peace is emphasized, survival of the fittest remains life’s dominant theme. 

Of course, not all planets are like this. For example, fourth and third level planets are more inclined towards seeking peaceful solutions. Among first and second class planets that lean towards war, Rong Shi’s proposal of only “defense” does seem somewhat out of place. 

Yet he seemed oblivious to the numerous doubts, his expression unchanged from normal. “Sometimes, force doesn’t necessarily solve all problems. Besides, do you think we hold absolute military superiority on Wild Star 756?” 

“Isn’t that so? We are intelligent, our combat capabilities are strong, and the others are just fast runners…” 

“How many enemies are there? Where is their nest? How strong are their combat forces? What do they look like?” Rong Shi calmly interrupted Zigmadar, not waiting for him to respond. He lifted his gaze and observed the group of aliens.. 

Despite most aliens in the Interstellar Alliance retaining warlike tendencies, unfortunately, they lack professional military training and education. As a result, they often rely on their impulses when making decisions, which can be hasty and misguided. 

As a professional in the field of combat, Rong Shi didn’t even need to explain his viewpoint. After calmly throwing a series of questions, one by one, the other aliens became disheartened. 

He continued calmly, “We only have fifteen people. Even if we have advantages in height and combat skills, remember, without high-quality, high-lethality weapons, fifteen fighters hold no advantage. Moreover, this is our most deadly disadvantage. If we neglect our own weaknesses and just rely on the title of so-called advanced beings to crush the opponent, then clearly, failure is inevitable.’ 

He tilted his mouth slightly and added, ‘I don’t like failure.’ 

Listening to Rong Shi’s words, Zigmadar found them quite reasonable. However, acknowledging something as reasonable and being open to it were different matters. At the moment, Zigmadar appeared less willing. He pursed his lips and turned towards Su Ge, gazing at her, hoping she might offer a different perspective. “Su Ge, is your support for defense also based on this reasoning?” 

Su Ge hadn’t expected to be singled out in this situation. She spread her hands and honestly replied, “I’ve never been a professional in battle planning. My thing is personal combat, in other words, brawling. So, my considerations are definitely not as detailed as Rong Shi’s. But my reason for advocating defense isn’t because of those.” 

“What is it, then?” 

“Because countless experiences and history have taught me that conflict is always challenging, especially when there’s a significant disparity between the sides. The minority always suffers, regardless of the outcome in battle,” she said, turning her head to gesture towards the pot on the stove, sighing, “It’s emotionally draining. Moreover, we haven’t even secured our safety yet, and we’re already discussing fighting. Is this what sensible people do?” 

The aliens were all stunned, then nodded, indicating they understood. 

Thus, despite some individuals warlike instincts stirring in their veins, the final decision regarding fighting settled on defensive measures. 

Though they ultimately chose what seemed like non-resistance, it wasn’t quite the case. 

Know yourself and your enemy, and you shall be victorious in a hundred battles. 

Despite not intending to fight, understanding the opponent was still crucial. After all, only by knowing everything about the opponent could they make adequate preparations. 

Rong Shi said, ” I’ll venture into the forest later to carefully investigate and probe the details of these secondary intelligent beings. ” 

Su Ge thought for a moment and raised her hand, ‘I’ll go with you.’ 

“You’d better stay at the camp,” Rong Shi rejected Su Ge’s proposal after a brief pause, shaking his head. “Right now, considering all aspects…” 

“Currently, every aspect has actually gotten on the right track. At this point, I feel my role in staying behind isn’t significant. It’s not that I’m trying to show off, but I believe I might be more familiar with and knowledgeable about the forest than you. Besides, the two of us can help each other out.” Su Ge analyzed calmly. She wasn’t someone particularly impulsive, so deciding to go to the forest with Rong Shi wasn’t a rash decision. 

Rong Shi stayed silent, observing Su Ge quietly for a few seconds. It seemed like he was thinking about whether her idea would work. After a moment, he nodded and said, “Let’s leave after we finish eating.” 

“Aren’t you going to rest for a while?” Su Ge was now energetic, having slept quite well last night, but she couldn’t help but worry since Rong Shi had stayed up all night. 

Rong Shi reassured her that he was fine. After all, staying up all night was nothing major for people like them who had been in the military; they were accustomed to it. 

They quickly finished their meal. Immediately, Yilan and Li Ya helped them pack their things: ropes, knives, flint, clean water, dry food, and some medicinal herbs for first aid, packed meticulously into their bags. Their attention to detail was no less than Rong Shi’s and Su Ge’s, and perhaps even better. 

After briefing the extraterrestrials staying at the camp on their tasks for the day, Su Ge and Rong Shi changed out of their school uniforms and back into their original dusty clothes. They left the camp and headed towards the forest. 

As they passed by the vegetable fields, Su Ge glanced sideways. The vast expanse of greenery wasn’t the fluffy, tender green from a few days ago when the sprouts had just emerged. In just a few days, they had grown remarkably fast. Now, one could even see these plants nearing maturity, with many already flowering and bearing small fruits. 

It was clear that within another two days, they would reach their final harvest. 

However, the cornfield in the northeast corner was a bit disheartening. The day before, it had been full of small corn cobs, but now, most of the fruit had been lost. Without a doubt, the culprits were likely these secondary intelligent beings. 

If it weren’t for the need to protect these vegetables and fruits, Su Ge thought, she probably wouldn’t have been so eager to venture into the forest. After all, in her view, the danger posed by these secondary intelligent beings was no less than that posed by highly aggressive creatures. 

If the expanse of trees ahead could be called a forest, then the forest near their initial safety zone could only be described as a small thicket. 

Having spent nineteen days travelling the entirety of Wild Star 756, Su Ge’s impression was closely tied to this forest. Roughly estimating, this forest likely covered about 50% of Wild Star 756. 

Faced with such a vast and densely packed forest, it would be unrealistic to claim that one felt no tension. 

Rong Shi seemed to sense something and gently patted Su Ge’s shoulder. “Let’s stick to the edge for now and avoid going too deep.” 

Two days ago, when they were chopping trees, Su Ge had noticed that the trees inside the forest were exceptionally tall and robust compared to those on the forest’s edge. Now that they were truly entering, she realized the forest was even denser than she had imagined. 

Straight and massively thick trees grew haphazardly on the ground. They weren’t planted with scientific spacing; some areas had wide gaps between trees, while others were densely packed. Su Ge even saw three or four large trees growing together, stacked and sprawling, giving off a somewhat imposing aura. 

These trees were so tall and densely packed that they blocked most of the sunlight from above, casting the entire forest in a gloomy darkness. 

Due to the scarcity of sunlight, the air inside the forest was damp, and the ground, covered with fallen leaves, felt exceptionally soft. Every step they took squeezed out hidden water, dampening their shoes to varying degrees. Soon, a mixture of moisture and the distinct smell of decomposing leaves filled the air around Su Ge and Rong Shi. 

The two were here to investigate, not for leisure, so they proceeded with great care. They not only marked their path meticulously but also placed highly visible markers at places prone to getting lost. 

However, nearly an hour into the forest, Su Ge and Rong Shi had not encountered any other intelligent beings. Instead, they had caught several small animals such as rabbits, wild chickens, and creatures that looked like weasels. 

“Are you sure about this direction?” Su Ge asked. 

Rong Shi nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. “While I’m not particularly sensitive to the primary directions on Earth, my sense of direction is pretty good. I won’t make a mistake.” 

Su Ge remained silent. If Rong Shi’s sense of direction was correct, it meant that these secondary intelligent beings were very difficult to find. Furthermore, this place was their home ground, where outsiders like them couldn’t gain any advantage. 

After almost three hours of trekking forward, Su Ge and Rong Shi finally decided to turn back rather than continue further. 

The further they ventured into the forest, the danger level increased noticeably. In the three hours of walking, Su Ge and Rong Shi came across four snakes. Despite dispatching them quickly, the snakes were quite large. They also encountered numerous spiders; had their torches not burned away the giant spider webs, they might have been surrounded by spiders by now. 

Apart from encountering these relatively dangerous creatures with toxins, Su Ge also noticed many unfamiliar plants along the way. Not being an herbalist, she naturally kept her distance from these plants. Faced with these challenging circumstances, there were actually very few paths remaining for Su Ge and Rong Shi to proceed. 

After walking along this scarce path for such a long time, besides the increasingly dark forest, they didn’t discover anything new. Su Ge and Rong Shi promptly decided to turn back. Clearly, choosing to stay overnight in the forest would be absolutely foolish; they needed to return to camp before nightfall. 

Around three o’clock in the afternoon, Su Ge and Rong Shi finally found a relatively quiet and safe clearing. They lit a bonfire and prepared to eat something. 

Besides dry rations and clean water, barbecue was the obvious choice in such a place. 

Yilan was concerned about them getting hungry, so she packed various condiments for Su Ge to take along. Just seeing those condiments made Su Ge feel like Yilan was actually packing for a picnic. 

There were no completely dry trees in the forest; even those fallen on the ground held some moisture. When these trees were burned, they produced thick smoke. Skinned rabbits and wild chickens were cooked slowly over these fires; the side facing the smoke and flames quickly changed color from pink to white, and then started to brown. 

The unique flavor of grilled protein mixed with the smoke rising from the trees in the forest, filled with dampness yet oddly refreshing, created an incredibly distinctive and potent aroma.  

Su Ge picked up the seasonings Yilan had meticulously prepared for her and sprinkled them carefully over the roasted meat. Instantly, the dominant flavor seemed to gain a subtle hook, stirring the senses deeply. Especially when Su Ge sprinkled a bit of cumin powder over it at the end, the already tantalizing aroma of the meat took on an inexplicable exotic charm. 

“What’s this?” 

During the delivery of supplies from Earth, the entire camp was setting up secure points. Because they had a fixed place to stay, the opportunity to eat barbecue was actually quite rare. So, from the arrival of supplies from Earth until now, it was Su Ge’s first-time roasting meat. Even the cumin powder was making its debut, and naturally, Rong Shi was experiencing this uniquely stimulating flavor for the first time as well. 

“Cumin,” Su Ge replied, eyes fixed on the meat as she sprinkled the cumin powder, ensuring every inch of the meat had it, enhancing every bite with its presence. 

“Is it a spice unique to Earth?” Rong Shi asked, realizing immediately how silly his question was after asking it. He chuckled, “It smells… very distinctive.” 

“Of course, the taste is equally distinctive.” As a cumin enthusiast, Su Ge couldn’t wait to share her favorite flavor with Rong Shi. 

Indeed, the taste was exceptionally unique. 

Rong Shi felt that if it was just this flavor alone, he would probably refuse it a thousand times. The taste was too intense, not like the sharpness of chili pepper, but something indescribable. Yet when this uniquely intense flavor mingled with the roasted meat, it seemed to undergo an unexpected chemical reaction. The meat’s fat embraced the intense flavor, softening its harshness, and produced a new, wonderfully rich texture on the meat. 

It had to be acknowledged that among the many races he had encountered across various planets, Earth stood out for its culinary excellence. Even before the Interstellar Alliance and the era of nutrient fluid consumption, records indicated that Earth’s cuisine was unparalleled. 

Chewing slowly aided digestion and allowed them to savor the rich and unique texture of the roasted meat. 

Rong Shi held a rabbit leg in both hands, eating it carefully and attentively. Suddenly, he seemed to hear a faint noise from the surroundings. It was incredibly subtle; if not for Rong Shi’s keen senses, he might have overlooked it. 

“Did you hear that?” Rong Shi looked up at Su Ge, who was still busy rotating the roast chicken, and asked seriously. 

Su Ge hesitated for a moment, her heart skipping a beat. “I didn’t.” She paused briefly, lowering her voice. “What did you hear?” 

Rong Shi squinted, listening intently for a moment before shaking his head. “Nothing. Probably just the sound of the wind, I must have misheard.” 

Su Ge’s heart, which had just begun to settle, seemed to tighten again. The leisure atmosphere from moments ago, during the barbecue, had completely vanished. She observed her surroundings while focusing what little attention remained on the roast chicken in front of her. Naturally, it ended up slightly overcooked, with parts even slightly burnt. 

Seven or eight minutes later, indeed, there were no more special sounds heard. This finally relaxed Su Ge. Facing the overcooked wild chicken she had roasted, she sighed and reached out to tear off the burnt parts, throwing them aside. She discussed with Rong Shi whether they should continue exploring the forest tomorrow. 

As the two of them casually discussed this issue, Rong Shi, who had originally worn a smile, suddenly froze completely. His face became as cold and rigid as a sculpture, emitting an intense aura of danger. 

Su Ge keenly sensed Rong Shi’s change. She blinked slightly and silently asked him with her eyes, “What’s wrong?” 

Rong Shi’s purple eyes flickered slightly in their sockets. He glanced at Su Ge first, then turned his gaze to her side. 

Although Rong Shi didn’t speak, Su Ge fully understood his meaning. She calmly transferred the skewer of meat from her right hand to her left and slightly lowered her head to glance towards her right hand side. 

Her movements were exceedingly subtle, almost unnoticed. Throughout this process, she maintained a casual chat with Rong Shi in a relaxed tone, as if nothing had been noticed or changed. 

A hand. 

Indeed, it was a hand, and a very small one at that, about the size of a three or four-year-old child’s hand. It was covered with a layer of grey-brown fur, looking fluffy, yet the five fingers were clearly discernible, even the nails were very distinct. 

When Su Ge saw this hand, her previously relaxed heart tightened once again. 

Actually, not lowering her head much and just using her peripheral vision to look was a bit straining on her eyes, but Su Ge didn’t have the luxury to care about such fatigue right now. Her entire attention was completely captivated by that hand. 

The furry little hand happily picked up the pieces of meat that Su Ge had tossed aside for being overcooked, retracting and reaching out again, busy and cheerful. It remained completely unaware of the dismal fact that it had been discovered. 

Upon spotting this strange little hand, Su Ge instinctively entered a state of readiness. She was constantly thinking about how to seize the other party in an instant without being noticed? 

However, regretfully, before she could act, she suddenly saw a hand appear out of thin air, grasping the furry little hand.