From the Abyss Invasion to the Blasting Star.

Anhe Institute of Botany.

This is an institute under the Academy of Sciences, and one of the institutes specifically responsible for studying bioluminescent plants.

The fluorescent plant samples were distributed to several zoological and botanical research institutes for experiments, with the Anhe Institute of Botany being the first to provide results.

Lu Heng wanted to check on the growth of the fluorescent plants, so he came to this plant research institute with Qi Jinghui.

Professor He Yuhong, the head of the research institute, led the two into the plant greenhouse to see the fluorescent plants that had been grown.

"These fluorescent plants grow much faster than plants on Earth. We conducted more than a hundred planting experiments."

"Some experimental data has been obtained, but from a rigorous scientific perspective, to draw accurate conclusions, a control group comparison is still needed."

"However, since you require experimental data as soon as possible, I can only give preliminary conclusions."

"First of all, this plant does not need sunlight to grow, or rather, its need for sunlight is not high."

"Based on the ten control group experiments, the plants exposed to sunlight were slightly more lush, but the difference was not significant."

"I speculate that this fluorescent plant can obtain energy from sunlight to aid its growth. However, more control group experiments are needed to confirm the specific conclusions."

"The fluorescent plants are also growing very well even without sunlight."

Looking at the fluorescent plants in the petri dish, Lu Heng continued, "The world in which these fluorescent plants were born has only one red dwarf star, and the dust in the planet's atmosphere forms a ring that blocks the light of the red dwarf star. Therefore, the environment in which these plants grow lacks the light of a star."

Professor He Yuhong continued walking forward, introducing the next set of experiments:
"This group completely simulates the environment of Earth, conducting experiments on different soils and different river waters."

"The results were not significantly different, indicating that this plant does not have strict requirements for soil and water."

Looking at the fluorescent plants growing in the experimental dish, Lu Heng found that these plants were indeed growing very well.

However, the most crucial aspect lies in its fluorescence properties.

"What about fluorescence properties? Have you noticed any decrease in fluorescence properties?"

He Yuhong shook his head and replied, "The time is too short. Even if the fluorescence properties are weakened, it will be difficult to analyze them in just a few days."

"Our laboratory tested the content of the fluorescent substance according to your requirements."

"Current test data shows that the fluorescent plants grown have little difference in the content of fluorescent substances."

"Compared with the original plant, the difference in fluorescent substance content is between 1% and 2%."

"We compared multiple original plants and found that the content of fluorescent substances varied among the different original plants."

"Therefore, this 1% to 2% difference cannot be used as evidence of fluorescence degradation."

Lu Heng considered for a moment and asked, "How long will it take to conclude whether the fluorescence properties will weaken?"

He Yuhong pondered for a while before replying, "Based on our current experimental progress and the growth rate of the fluorescent plants, it will take at least six months to draw preliminary conclusions."

"It would probably take two years to produce a paper-level conclusion."

Let alone two years, we can't even wait six months.

The astral merchants have now taken the Reincarnation Essence, but they have not brought it back to their original world.

In other words, the astral merchants must have other motives.

If fluorescent plants can actually grow on Earth and their fluorescent properties don't diminish, then things are serious.

If this assumption holds true, it means that the goal of the astral merchants must be to conquer Earth.

The Astral Merchant civilization has been wandering for thousands of years, and the race is on the verge of extinction.

If they found a world where they could grow fluorescent plants to sustain their species, what would they do?
It's hard to say what the astral merchants will do.

If humanity were to face a crisis similar to that faced by the Astral Merchant, Lu Heng would choose to conquer the target world, striving to secure the hope of continuing the flame of human civilization.

Therefore, to know the astral merchants' goals, it is necessary to find out whether Blue Star is suitable for the growth of fluorescent plants.

……

Astronautical merchants have certainly already conducted experiments regarding whether fluorescent plants can grow on Earth.

This is beyond doubt.

Because the Astral Merchants created the Creator Organization in the human world, this organization was likely responsible for conducting experiments for the Astral Merchants.

The Creator Organization first appeared two and a half years ago.

Two and a half years is enough time for the astral merchants to obtain accurate experimental conclusions.

In other words, the astral merchants knew the answer.

While in the ecosphere, the fluorescent phantom left by Galmawi once said: The human world is not suitable for the growth of fluorescent plants.

At the time, Lu Heng didn't think that far ahead. Now, looking back, the information described by the illusory figure of Garmavi might have been false.

A sudden thought flashed through Lu Heng's mind, and he remembered something else.

About half a year ago, I first saw the astral merchant in person in the incubation room of 013 Black Raven.

Before leaving, the astral merchant set fire to the 013 Black Raven's incubation chamber, reducing it to ashes.

Looking back now, it might not have been so simple that he burned down the culture room.

Thinking of this, Lu Heng bid farewell to the Anhe Botanical Research Institute and headed to Michel State in the White Eagle Federation to find the 013 Black Raven Cultivation Room, which had been burned to ruins.

The incubation room was built in an uninhabited area. After being burned down by fire and weathered for six months, it has been completely reduced to ruins.

Lu Heng stepped into the ruins and observed the condition of the incubation room.

This breeding room was indeed used to breed black crows; at the time, the floor and walls were covered with heterozygous eggs.

After that fire, all the black crows' eggs were burned, and all the organic matter was completely incinerated.

Lu Heng squatted down, dug out a bag of soil, and brought it back to the Academy of Sciences for analysis.

Because this event concerns the very survival of human civilization, analysis was initiated immediately.

Three hours later, Lu Heng reached a conclusion.

The presence of components containing traces of fluorescent plants in the soil indicates that fluorescent plants were once grown in the cultivation room of the 013 Black Crow.

The logic behind the astral merchant's decision to burn down the entire incubation facility suddenly became clear.

His aim was not to eliminate the black crows, but to cover up evidence of experiments with fluorescent plants.

The more this is the case, the more likely the conclusions of the fluorescent plant experiment point to the worst possible outcome.

……

The time for my rebirth in my previous life is drawing ever closer, with only two days left.

Lu Heng felt a strange pressure pressing down on him, but he wasn't sure if it was due to the secret of his rebirth or something else.

By evening, there were still 36 hours left until the time of rebirth in the previous life.

The white light of the Zero Civilization reappeared.

Bai Guang: "We tried to investigate the history of the astral merchants, but we found very little information and no information related to the Reincarnation Source."

Lu Heng: "Then why did you come to me?"

Bai Guang: "Time is running out. I hope you can find the Reincarnation Source Essence as soon as possible."

Lu Heng considered for a moment and asked, "I need experimental results on fluorescent plants, but given the pace of human biological experiments, it will take at least six months. Can you speed things up?" Bai Guang replied, "Yes, it's not difficult. Bringing fluorescent plants and the Blue Star environment to our world, we can get results in just a few hours."

Hearing this, Lu Heng decided, "Alright, then I'll bring the fluorescent plants and Blue Star environmental materials over there and start the experiment immediately."

Bai Guang pressed further, "Will this experiment help in finding the source of reincarnation?"

Lu Heng: "If there's no help available, you're not planning to help, are you?"

Bai Guang remained silent for a moment, then agreed without asking any further questions. "Alright. Prepare the experimental materials, and I'll teleport you into the Zero World."

……

Half an hour later, Lu Heng, holding an incubator simulating the environment of Earth, was transported by white light into the Zero World.

This time, we entered not a weightless space, but a true zero-gravity world.

My first impression upon entering the Zero World was... this world wasn't as big as I had imagined.

Yes, the world is not as big as we thought. The size of the celestial body is about the same as the moon, with a diameter of about three thousand kilometers.

Three thousand kilometers is a considerable distance for humans, but on a cosmic scale, it is nothing more than a speck of dust.

Lu Heng floated above the Zero World, looking down at it, but found no living beings.

No living organisms were found, at least not with the naked eye.

On the surface of the zero-point star, there is a layer of light.

Only with the vision of a demigod can one discover that these lights are formed by the convergence of beams of light.

These beams of light travel along the surface of the star, accumulating layer by layer to form a curtain of light that covers the star's surface.

Beneath this luminous barrier, closer to the celestial bodies, a layer of dark energy spreads, filled with the aura of the abyss.

Clearly, that is the source of the abyss pollution.

These abyssal energies continued to grow, spreading upwards and beginning to devour the beam of light.

Lu Heng exhaled, and when he inhaled, he breathed the exhaled air back in.

A spatial membrane surrounds Lu Heng, its purpose being to isolate mass exchange.

The Zero Civilization allowed Lu Heng into their world, but still needed to prevent mass exchange.

Lu Heng finally saw the true world of zero and exclaimed, "I have long suspected that you have no living entities, or rather, no living species."

Zero Civilization: "If you mean life, it must include organic bodies, then that is true. Our civilization does not have any organic life forms."

Lu Heng asked curiously, "So are you a single entity, or are you composed of multiple individuals?"

Zero Civilization: "Either is fine, as different tasks need to be performed. Different numbers of individuals can be created, or, to use a more easily understood term, 'threads'."

The term "thread" is a computer science term used by humans.

In fact, it is difficult to find an accurate word in the human language system to describe the form of a zero-based civilization.

Since the Zero Civilization is not something that exists in the human world, there are naturally no words to describe it.

The concept of a zero-based civilization needs to be described through language translation, using words with the closest meaning within the human language system.

In his view, the term "thread" is more appropriate to describe the "individuals" of their civilization.

Upon hearing the word "thread," Lu Heng roughly understood the true form of the Zero Civilization.

To put it simply, the Zero Civilization is very similar to a computer civilization, but it is not an ordinary computer. Instead, it is a computer-like civilization composed of photons.

In other words, the Zero Civilization operates at the speed of light, which is why their civilization can complete a cycle in sixty years.

Therefore, the Zero Civilization can be viewed as a whole, but it can also be divided into multiple "threads" when performing different tasks.

Lu Heng hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit. He picked up the incubator and said, "Let's begin."

A beam of light shot up, lifted the incubator, and sent it into the beam layer.

Zero Civilization: "I will simulate the environment of the human world and conduct the experiments you need. You can see the changes in the fluorescent plants."

As soon as he finished speaking, a holographic image appeared before Lu Heng's eyes.

The video shows the growth process of fluorescent plants, and at a speed several hundred times faster.

The fluorescent plants grow in the incubator, splitting into new plants, continuing to grow, split, and reproduce generation after generation.

Three hours have passed.

The fluorescent plants have reproduced for seven generations, and the holographic images show that they still contain fluorescent substances.

Seeing this, Lu Heng's heart began to race; he had already guessed the outcome.

Three hours later, the incubator floated up from the beam layer and returned to Lu Heng's hands.

Originally, there were three fluorescent plants in the incubator, but now it is full of tiny plants. If the incubator were big enough, three hours of propagation would be enough to grow a large fluorescent forest.

Zero Civilization: "The experimental conclusion is that the environment of Blue Star is suitable for the growth of fluorescent plants, and they will not lose their fluorescent properties. You can take the experimental samples back for testing."

Lu Heng's breathing became heavier. Although the experimental samples had not yet been tested, the answer was already obvious.

This means that the worst thing is about to happen.

The astral merchants have been lying; their experiments with fluorescent plants on Earth were a success.

They found a world where fluorescent plants could be grown, a second world suitable for their species to thrive.

In other words, the true purpose of the astral merchants is to conquer Earth.

However, there are still some doubts surrounding the whole incident.

That's why the Astral Merchants haven't made a move yet.
Based on the current level of human biotechnology, preliminary conclusions can be drawn within six months.

Then the astral merchants will surely be able to determine within six months whether Earth is suitable for their race to inhabit.

In other words.

Logically, the astral merchants should have launched their invasion six months after discovering the human world.

That point in time was roughly a year after the abyss descended.

However, the astral merchants did not do that. They delayed for two years and then paid the price of their lives to compete for the Reincarnation Essence.

Why is that?
There must be some factor that prevented the astral merchants from occupying the blue planet immediately.

Perhaps not all of the information revealed by Karmavi is false; much of it may be true.

The highest level of lying is finding a single crucial piece of false information amidst a large amount of true information.

So, it might be true that, as Galmawi said, only two people remain in their tribe.

Even if there are more than two people, the group size certainly won't be too large.

It is indeed impossible to invade a world when the population is insufficient.

Although human civilization is at a very low level, the nuclear weapons they possess are enough to destroy Earth, even if they can't take down the Astral Merchants.

Following this logic, what the astral merchants need to do now is restore their population size, at least to a level sufficient to conquer a planet. (End of Chapter)