Chapter 52: The Magma of Love Is About to Erupt!

Xie Jianxun stepped onto the dry yet soft sand, unable to imagine that such land could harbor water and shrubs, let alone nurture the bizarre spectacle of the Golden Fruit Forest.

Yes, a bizarre spectacle.

Purely golden shrubs, with branches and leaves uniformly shaded in the same color palette, distinguished only by light and shadow;

Golden fruits, plump and round, hung from the branches like they were exceptionally heavy, bending the twigs, while refracting brilliant streams of light as if pre-sliced.

They didn’t look edible at all—more like chunks of pure, translucent gold diamonds.

The Patrol Army Captain ordered everyone to stay put and scout the surroundings vigilantly.

Even without his command, no one dared venture inside recklessly.

Even if the golden shrubs dazzled their eyes, they hadn’t forgotten that this was likely guarded by insects.

Scout soldiers equipped with devices jumped down from the landship, fully armed.

The probes pointed straight underground, scanning bit by bit as they advanced a short distance into the fruit forest.

“Basically safe, Captain!” the scout reported into the comm buckle. “Some insect clan life signs detected, mostly underground.”

This meant the Golden Fruit Forest had indeed been discovered by the insect clan.

But… unguarded.

How was that possible?

If the insect clan had found the fruit forest, why would they so carelessly leave it exposed?

The thick fog surged like it was alive, but it didn’t encroach even an inch into the depths of the fruit forest.

After conferring with his deputy, the Patrol Army Captain still decided everyone should go around: “We’re not taking this risk.”

He said gravely, “Reporting back to Golden City is the top priority. This fruit forest doesn’t match the coordinates on the map. We need to survey the coordinates, correct the map markers, pinpoint the location, and come back next time…”

Before he finished, a gust of wind swept in from the side, blowing into the fruit forest.

The captain whipped his helmet around, looking to the other side.

Sure enough, one landship was missing from over there. Someone had defied orders and driven straight into the Golden Fruit Forest!

“Liya!”

“Hey! What are you doing?”

But that landship sped into the depths like the wind, heedless of whether they’d die inside.

Everyone turned to the Patrol Army Captain, tense as they awaited his next move.

Unexpectedly, the young captain said nothing. His helmet hid his expression.

He made no move, issued no curses or rebukes to the group.

He took a deep breath, selected crews from several ships to follow him in to retrieve her, and ordered the rest to block the Golden Fruit Forest entrance, staying vigilant within the fog-free zone.

Before leaving, he said coldly, “I’ve got some really bad luck.”

In the fog-free area, sunlight shone on the fruit forest’s outskirts.

Those special shrubs stood out even more under the light, drawing people to gather spontaneously and admire the beautiful plants.

Disappointingly, the fruits on the branches weren’t ripe enough; their skins were as hard as real gold, impossible to tear off by hand.

Xie Jianxun stood at the back of the crowd, waiting for people to disperse a bit before leaning in for a closer look.

A natural wonder sculpted by nature itself, beautiful down to every exquisite detail.

He couldn’t help pulling out his light brain from his chest pocket and snapping a photo.

“It’s like coral burning under the blazing sun in the sea…” Basero sighed beside him. “I’ve never seen the ocean, but it feels like it exists in my imagination.”

Xie Jianxun turned to him, gesturing. “Sir, how’s that lady doing?”

The merchant caravan captain fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

“She’s far more obsessed than I am when it comes to the insect clan.”

The young captain spoke slowly. “About a dozen years ago, during that insect clan invasion war, she developed psychological trauma. Her parents, husband, and young daughter all died to the bugs. After that, she quietly joined the Research Society, becoming a traditionalist and scoffing at the Insect God theory.”

“She knows the habits of every insect species we’ve encountered, their habitats, breeding patterns. She can even draw cross-sections of different insect clans by hand.”

Xie Jianxun shuddered at the thought of insects.

Insect cross-sections—how grotesque and complex must those be.

“Some I brought her, others she gathered venturing into the desert herself. There was a time she researched obsessively to the point of madness. The other members and I couldn’t stop her; we could only knock on her window before dawn to keep her from dropping dead from exhaustion.”

Basero mused, “But all that experience pales next to the King Insect. As long as the King Insect lives, no matter how many years pass, insect disasters will keep erupting. She’s always worried about it, but without seeing the King Insect, there’s no way to study it.”

Xie Jianxun: “So she just charged right in.”

Basero rubbed his temples in headache. “She dared because I was holding onto her data for her—no worries on that front. Best case, she detects the King Insect. Worst case, she dies. No big deal—that’s probably what she’s thinking.”

“Here.”

Basero pulled out a small hard drive and dangled it before Xie Jianxun’s eyes.

Xie Jianxun looked at him puzzled, and Basero grinned. “This is the drive with her data. Looks just like this.”

Seeing Xie Jianxun’s confusion, he shrugged without further explanation. “Nothing. Just showing you so you recognize it.”

The nearby golden fruits couldn’t be picked, and the distant ones required delving into the forest—no one dared.

Even though everyone coveted the golden fruits, they stayed put obediently this time.

Xie Jianxun searched everywhere for One.

In the time it took him to turn and chat with Basero, One had vanished!

He grabbed several people in succession, asking if they’d seen One. No one had.

Basero helped search, but they combed through the crowd without finding him.

Passing a familiar face, Gris poked her head out. “Hey, little repairman. What’s got you scrambling around like that? Lose something?”

Xie Jianxun greeted her tensely. “Hello, miss. Yeah, lost someone… Have you seen One?”

Gris stroked her chin and pointed in a direction. “I just saw him head that way.”

Xie Jianxun thanked her profusely and hurried off.

But that led deeper into the fruit forest, where patrol troops soon emerged to block him.

Xie Jianxun explained anxiously, “It’s not that I want to go in—it’s my friend… One!”

The mechanical puppet appeared out of nowhere, stating calmly, “I’m back.”

The patrol soldiers whipped around in disbelief.

When had this guy slipped past them? They hadn’t seen a thing.

Xie Jianxun let out a huge sigh of relief. “I thought the bugs ate you. Bugs don’t have teeth that good.”

They moved to a corner, stepping into the shadows of shrubs and sunlight.

This fruit forest oasis was refreshingly cool, with thick fog, trees, and shrubs working together to minimize stellar radiation, keeping the heat to a minimum.

Still, without wind, the skin felt slightly feverish.

One looked down at him. Xie Jianxun blinked, confused. “…Wh-what?”

The mechanical puppet spoke deliberately. “I brought you a gift.”

It slowly opened its hand. Its inorganic blue eyes flickered faintly, and in its palm lay… a ripe golden fruit!

Xie Jianxun looked up sharply. “You went inside?”

“…Shh.”

The mechanical puppet seemed amused, gesturing for quiet.

“Don’t make too much noise, or you’ll draw everyone and the bugs over here.”

It complained leisurely. “It was hard enough finding one—intact, ripe, untainted by bugs.”

“Have a taste.”

Xie Jianxun parted his lips to bite the fruit pinched between its fingers but snapped his mouth shut and pulled back at the last second.

He wasn’t as tall as One, so he always had to tilt his face up during conversations.

Suddenly perceptive, Xie Jianxun said, “Sir, I don’t know exactly what happened, but… you seem a bit off.”

The mechanical puppet raised a brow. Xie Jianxun clasped his hands behind his back and circled it.

The little repairman said seriously, “Did you do something bad behind my back?”

“Hm?”

Before he could press further, One pressed the golden fruit to his lips.

Xie Jianxun bit down instinctively, eyes still dazed as he gazed up.

The fruit’s abundant juice flooded his mouth. In a single breath, he’d forgotten what he wanted to say.

Unbelievable.

The thick, rich pulp carried a clear, sweet aroma—a flavor Xie Jianxun had never tasted.

He stared wide-eyed. “This taste…”

Suddenly, a rumbling echoed from deep in the fruit forest.

The search landship was back. The crowd surged forward as the Patrol Army Captain opened the wind shield.

Liya sat beside him, eyes closed. The other patrol soldiers were in the cargo hold.

“Everyone, board up. We’re heading back immediately.”

No shouting, no fuss—just stating a fact.

But his voice trembled, and everyone sensed something was wrong.

“Inside is the King Insect’s hive—a massive… insect hive cavern.”

The deputy, who’d been outside maintaining order, asked casually, “Captain, our firepower’s solid. Why not fight here, bomb it half to pieces!”

Young and inexperienced with King Insects, he was eager, rubbing his fists.

“Blow it up in the wild! No threat to the city then, right?”

The captain clamped a hand on his head and took a deep breath. “No good. Our shells would just fill its teeth gaps.”

The deputy gaped. “That big? Shells only for teeth gaps? How huge is it—landship-sized?”

“I suspect so. And most importantly…”

The Patrol Army Captain paused, then finally removed his helmet with difficulty. His lips were pale.

“The hive is empty.”

The deputy clamped his mouth shut, face turning grim.

Empty.

…Empty meant the King Insect had awakened, left the hive to hunt—possibly already nearing the city with its massive insect tide guards.

Just a few hundred meters into the fruit forest entrance lay a downward pit.

Enormous, plenty big.

The surrounding sand and stone had solidified into a tunnel.

A person could walk in upright and see the vast, empty hive.

The King Insect might not be that huge, but even one-third the hive’s size could stomp through Golden City’s gates.

Patrol Army Captain: “Enough said—you all know what to do. Load up.”

No one dared argue, scrambling aboard.

No one even asked for rest, single-mindedly racing back to the city.

Switch drivers when tired, nonstop day and night.

They soon caught up to the main convoy ahead, also en route to the city but slowed by numbers and tasks.

The Joint Group’s wounded were well cared for, wounds healing nicely.

Hearing the news they brought back, faces darkened one by one.

Xie Jianxun sat in the cargo hold of the Patrol Army Captain’s landship again, like before. Four people per vehicle, rotating drivers. Ten hours drained the energy, forcing a recharge stop.

“Faster… faster…”

Sweat beaded on the Patrol Army Captain’s forehead.

A native of Golden City, selected into the City Lord’s Mansion after adulthood, promoted after three years’ training to lead this patrol troop—he felt deeply for Golden City and the mansion.

He had no memory of the insect clan invasion ten-plus years ago, nor could he imagine his home ravaged by bugs.

The deputy crouched in the passenger seat, consoling him earnestly.

“Captain, easy. You’re too tense. Breathe deep… If not, let me drive.”

“The King Insect might not be at the city gates yet. Maybe it just left the hive temporarily to hunt.”

After the pep talk, the captain’s face improved somewhat.

“You’re right,” he said heavily. “The King Insect shouldn’t move that fast—faster than our landship.”

“…”

“I still think there’s something off about you.”

The two guys in the cargo hold whispered.

Xie Jianxun tilted his face up, gazing from One’s chin to its light blue eyes and then to its temples, but he detected no abnormalities in the mechanical puppet.

Yet he still felt that something was different from before.

He racked his brains, trying desperately to pinpoint the right word. “It’s like… like air pressure…? A magnetic field? Anyway, it’s just not quite right.”

The mechanical puppet tilted its head at him. “What kind of magnetic field?”

Xie Jianxun blurted out, “Like lava—the kind that’s about to erupt.”

The two stared at each other, plunging the car into an eerie silence.

The adjutant in the front seat turned around, and a voice drifted back from up front.

“What? Our Golden City has no lava—only lava mint water.”

From the other side, the Patrol Army Captain’s voice rang out cold and clear to both front and rear seats. “He’s talking about the lava of love about to erupt. Get over here—you’re driving now.”