Chapter 89

Tao Shushu studied all morning, completed several sets of practice problems, not only finishing all her weekend homework but also previewing some upcoming material.
Meanwhile, on Nan Yuan’s end, several matters were progressing simultaneously.
The Second Legion’s armory was located deep underground. Fortunately, Zhou Yan, being a high-ranking officer in the Second Legion, had no trouble acquiring the weapons.
The armories of the battleships and spacecraft were promptly replenished.
The surviving humans, seeing the abundance of weapons and equipment, felt a surge of confidence. At the very least, humanity’s current combat strength was sufficient to stand against the artificial intelligence.
After explaining the usage of various weapons, Zhou Yan smiled and said, “From here to Red Ore Planet, we’ll pass through five jump points. Before each jump, we can replenish our weapons. I know the locations of several strategic reserves.”
Zhou Yan marked the strategic reserve depots he knew on the map.
Nan Yuan, however, fell into thought. “Every planet with a strategic reserve is occupied by zombies.”
Tao Shushu immediately understood that this was no coincidence.
“You’re right,” Zhou Yan said as he marked the map. In the past, the legions were not united, and they often tried to uncover each other’s intelligence, which was how he knew the locations of other legions’ strategic reserves.
Chu, on the other hand, had connections with every legion and was involved in nearly every human decision, allowing it to easily access all information.
But Zhou Yan still couldn’t figure it out. “What exactly is Chu’s strategy?”
Currently, the artificial intelligence’s forces were concentrated in the central part of the C1 star system. The periphery was occupied by zombie-infested planets, along with some planets where humans and artificial intelligence were evenly matched.
“Deploying the zombie virus on strategic reserve planets is the fastest way to destroy the energy gathered by the zombies,” Tao Shushu said.
“Mm,” Nan Yuan reassured Zhou Yan. “It doesn’t matter. Humanity only needs the outcome of victory, not to guess the artificial intelligence’s thought process.”
Tao Shushu carefully examined the map of surviving humans. “The planets that haven’t been zombified might be meeting the conditions for authenticity.”
From her countless struggles with the Academic Genius System, Tao Shushu had realized that when a world’s energy becomes highly concentrated in a few individuals, the world loses its authenticity and is treated as a book, with its energy reclaimed.
Nan Yuan gazed thoughtfully at the Bloodsucking Grass.
The Bloodsucking Grass could split and multiply into a vast expanse of plants or merge back into one.
The zombies, who competed with the Bloodsucking Grass for energy, were the same. They had lost their individual consciousness, were unafraid of energy, and every zombie shared the same goal, energy. In other words, they were like freely dispersible Bloodsucking Grass.
"Chu is truly not to be underestimated." Tao Shushu frowned. Fortunately, she had first gained experience from the weaker Academic Genius System, had she faced Chu from the start, she might have been deceived as well.
Nan Yuan nodded. "Luckily, Shushu, you uncovered the truth."
Taking advantage of the remaining daylight while the zombies were still dormant, Nan Yuan sent the robots to collect more zombie blood.
After just two days on Deepwater Planet, many of the robots' exteriors had already corroded, their surfaces pitted with small holes.
The blood-devouring grass also looked listless, refusing to take root and grow in the soil any longer.
Even the environmentally sensitive golden-maned lion remained inside the spacecraft, showing no desire to venture outside.
Deepwater Planet could only be described as lifeless and dreary.
As the setting sun skimmed the horizon, the second night on Deepwater Planet descended.
The zombies emerged in unison, and the spacecraft, set on autopilot by Nan Yuan, circled the planet's surface.
Wherever they flew, they saw hordes of frenzied zombies.
They chased after the spacecraft, roaring hoarsely from their throats.
Their mindless appearance sent chills down the spine; even Zhou Yan nearly felt sick watching them.
Seated in the spacecraft's control room, Nan Yuan calmly reviewed the zombie count tallied by Cheng Feimao.
Occasionally, he glanced away, looking into Tao Shushu's world.
She was in the kitchen, peeling a bright red apple.
Nan Yuan recalled their time on the barren planet, when she, unaware that the red fruits were bitter and unpalatable, had mistaken them for delicacies and kept offering them to him.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted toward him.
Several fruits appeared out of nowhere beside his hand, sweeter than the specialty fruits of Deepwater Planet before the apocalypse.
Tao Shushu smiled warmly. "Nan Yuan, staring at zombies all the time is hard on the eyes. Have something to eat. I heard these are specialty fruits from Deepwater Planet, I’d love to try them."
She picked up a piece of apple and popped it into her mouth.
Her eyes narrowed in enjoyment, her cheeks puffed out as she savored the taste.
Nan Yuan smiled and, not wanting to disappoint Shushu’s kindness, picked up one of the fruits she had specially bought and took a bite.
It was fresh, sweet, and juicy, leaving a lingering sweetness on his lips and teeth.
Tao Shushu asked, "Is it good, Nan Yuan?"
Nan Yuan nodded. "It’s delicious."
"If you like it, I’ll buy some more." Still munching on her apple, Tao Shushu tapped on her phone and ordered a few more fruits for Nan Yuan.
The control room filled with the gentle, sweet aroma.
The zombie hordes, Dr. Xie, Chu’s schemes, all the grim and dark matters felt distant, shut out by the warmth within the room.
Before Nan Yuan’s eyes, Tao Shushu’s smile was radiant.
He said softly, "Yes, I really like it." He liked how Shushu always cared for him, and even more, he cherished the feeling of doing things together with her.
"That’s good." Tao Shushu continued eating her apple.
She had a habit of stuffing whole pieces into her mouth, eating quickly, like an adorable little hamster storing food.
Nan Yuan watched her for a while, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

During the day, Nan Yuan had readjusted the communication equipment’s mounting, sacrificing some signal strength, but this time, the zombies did not attack the devices as foreign energy sources.
Seeing the successful communication test, Cheng Feimao exclaimed excitedly, "Great! As long as we visit a few more planets, we can establish communication links between them."
"It’s not that simple," Nan Yuan said. "Chu can still block the signal frequencies through gravitational fields."
Nan Yuan carefully examined the communication device, jotting down the tasks for the next day. After tomorrow, they would move to the next jump point, and they had to ensure no loose ends were left behind.
He worked busily until late at night before finally resting.
Tao Shushu felt sorry for him, but she knew that given Nan Yuan's personality, even if she urged him to sleep, his mind would still be preoccupied with various matters.
She bought a few energy balls and Health Potions for Nan Yuan and then continued with her own studies.
Nan Yuan paused for a moment.
At first, Shushu had treated him like a child, accustomed to taking care of his daily needs. Later, when she realized he wasn’t a child, he always made an effort to prove he was an adult. Yet Shushu still worried about him, whether he had slept or if he had encountered any danger.
He loved her concern but also secretly felt frustrated, as if he didn’t appear strong enough in her eyes.
Recently, however, Nan Yuan clearly sensed that Shushu had started treating him as a trustworthy partner. She no longer fretted over every little thing but instead worked alongside him, hand in hand. She understood he had responsibilities to fulfill and always supported him in doing so.
He liked this newfound ease.

After resting for a while, Nan Yuan woke up just as the sky began to brighten on Deepwater Planet.
He improved the communication device, collected enough blood samples, and left behind some robots to periodically transmit images. Then, he prepared to set off.
The initial forces deployed by Chu increased, but Nan Yuan and his team were equipped with ample firepower. After a fierce battle, their warship jumped to a supply planet.
There were still four jump points left to reach Red Ore Planet.
With overwhelming combat strength, Nan Yuan’s team completely wiped out the artificial intelligence on the supply planet, gained the trust of the surviving humans there, and even luckily found a plant guidebook.
Knowing that Tao Shushu would begin a closed training session the next day, Nan Yuan wasted no time. After installing the communication device, he immediately set off for the next jump point.
Perhaps Chu hadn’t anticipated that Nan Yuan wouldn’t linger longer. This time, they encountered almost no attacks and repelled the patrolling artificial intelligence in the star system within just a few rounds.
Following Zhou Yan’s markings, Nan Yuan chose to stop at a zombie planet this time. They arrived during the daytime when the zombies were dormant. Nan Yuan collected some serum samples, cleared the communication markers left by Chu, replenished their weapons, and then they plunged back into the vastness of space.