"I'm listening, go ahead," Cen Yemeng leaned in and said.
"A Thousand-Eyed Garlic has defected and is willing to cooperate with us," Huang Bingyan stated. "I've temporarily detained it and am seeking your instructions."
"Defected? How did it defect?" Cen Yemeng was taken aback.
"It first used a signal to infiltrate one of our display screens and then released text on the screen to communicate with us," Huang Bingyan explained. "It said it could help us locate all the Thousand-Eyed Garlic on the planet through their communication network, provided we don't drive it away and allow it to continue living on Meteorite Star."
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded. Selling out its teammates for self-preservation, was this a garlic traitor?
"Agree to it and have it reveal the locations of the other Thousand-Eyed Garlic first," Cen Yemeng instructed. "Deploy troops to guard it closely, increase vigilance, and if there's any unusual activity, blast it."
"Yes!"
The call ended.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng exchanged a look. The tacit understanding of their many years as a couple immediately conveyed their intentions, and they walked towards the wardrobe to change clothes.
Such a significant matter naturally required them to go to the scene.
...
Three hours later.
Meteorite Star, First Military Research Institute.
The institute was built underground, with immense space; a normal subway station would be like a small toilet in comparison. Bright white lights were on without restraint, illuminating laboratories and corridors as if it were noon. kAnshu伍.ξà
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng, accompanied by a group of military officers, traversed the brightly lit passages and arrived at the end of the institute.
In a space resembling a zoo's panda enclosure, they looked through the glass. A massive Thousand-Eyed Garlic stood imposing, like an intercontinental missile. Its leaves undulated rhythmically, and its pineapple-like base was covered in dense eyes. Some eyes were closed in sleep, while those that were awake all looked upwards, meeting Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng's gaze.
A screen was attached to the glass. The Thousand-Eyed Garlic pressed a tendril of its leaves against the screen, and text immediately appeared.
"Esteemed Commander."
Jiang Ye's eyes shifted slightly. This plant was truly intelligent. He hadn't informed it of his impending visit beforehand, yet it had likely deduced the arrival of a high-ranking official from the large entourage.
Jiang Ye raised his hand and wrote on the screen.
"Why are you willing to reveal the locations of other Thousand-Eyed Garlic? What would the other Thousand-Eyed Garlic think of you if they knew?"
After a few seconds of waiting, the Thousand-Eyed Garlic's reply popped up.
"Humans have gained the upper hand on this planet, and our complete eradication is only a matter of time. Rather than face total annihilation, it is better to preserve me to continue our lineage. Other Thousand-Eyed Garlic may resent me, which speaks to their vulgarity and narrow-mindedness. Some Thousand-Eyed Garlic may understand me and feel relieved, as at least the Thousand-Eyed Garlic will persist on this planet."
As Jiang Ye was reading, another message appeared.
"I would rather betray the world's garlic than let the world's garlic betray me."
The military officers erupted in a commotion.
This garlic was truly ruthless.
Jiang Ye typed, "You wish to continue your lineage on this planet? This point was not mentioned before; it only stated that you would be allowed to survive on this planet."
As Jiang Ye finished the first half of his sentence, the Thousand-Eyed Garlic suddenly reacted violently.
Half of the eyes on its pineapple-like base, which had been closed in sleep, now opened collectively, staring intently at Jiang Ye.
However, they lacked facial features, making it impossible to discern any emotion in their gaze. Jiang Ye simply felt goosebumps from being watched by so many eyes.
After a long wait, the Thousand-Eyed Garlic finally replied.
"We can refrain from engaging in war with humans, and even assist humans with their tasks. We still hope to reproduce and thrive on this planet as ordinary plants. If you are not at ease with us, once we have reproduced more Thousand-Eyed Garlic, you can attach remote-controlled bombs to each plant and detonate them immediately if anything seems amiss. Commander, we are willing to be your loyal servants; do we have this honor?"
Jiang Ye typed:
"You do not have this honor."
All of the Thousand-Eyed Garlic's eyes suddenly closed simultaneously.
The military officers became as if facing a formidable enemy. Several of them automatically moved in front of Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng to provide protection. Someone began shouting into a walkie-talkie, ready to detonate the Thousand-Eyed Garlic immediately if any problems arose.
After a considerable pause, some of the Thousand-Eyed Garlic's eyes reopened. "Why?"
Jiang Ye typed, "You initiated a beast tide on Meteorite Star, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, completely destroying the planet's ecological environment, and causing the extinction of numerous animal species. With such a criminal record, how can I allow you to spread across the globe again?"
The Thousand-Eyed Garlic remained silent for a long time, then lowered its conditions:
"Six plants."
"What do you mean?"
"We wish to maintain a population of six Thousand-Eyed Garlic on this planet. If you agree, I will immediately provide you with the detailed locations of the other Thousand-Eyed Garlic."
"Six is too many," Jiang Ye typed. "Two plants, not one more. And these two must be kept together, not separated. Furthermore, they must accept 24/7 continuous monitoring by my troops."
"Your attitude is too inflexible," the Thousand-Eyed Garlic began to express dissatisfaction. "This does not seem like an attitude of cooperation."
"This is not a cooperation," Jiang Ye replied.
A long silence ensued.
The surrounding military officers were all tense.
They had not expected their commander to be so resolute.
The number of Thousand-Eyed Garlic on Meteorite Star was still considerable, and they still possessed formidable resistance. Their current willingness to cooperate and submit was already more than they could have hoped for. The commander's firm stance made many officers worry that this relationship might be severed.
"You have one minute to consider. I will leave after one minute," Jiang Ye typed.
"I agree," the Thousand-Eyed Garlic replied. "A maximum of two Thousand-Eyed Garlic will be preserved on this planet. I can help you with reconnaissance; if alien Thousand-Eyed Garlic or other high-dimensional plants arrive, I can point out their locations. I hope humans will keep their promise."
"As long as I am alive, this promise is valid," Jiang Ye replied.
"How long can you live?"
"Theoretically, indefinitely."
"Very well, please provide a larger screen, and I will tell you the locations of all the Thousand-Eyed Garlic on this planet."
Jiang Ye waved his hand, and immediately a military officer ran off.
A few minutes later, a team of mechanical soldiers carried a screen ten times larger and quickly replaced the original smaller screen.
The Thousand-Eyed Garlic pressed its leaves against the back of the screen, and large strings of latitude and longitude and location descriptions scrolled out.
[At latitude 34° North, longitude 135° East, approximately ten meters deep in the silt at the bottom of a lake, there is a juvenile Thousand-Eyed Garlic.]
[At latitude 12° North, longitude 103° East, in the large material pool of an abandoned factory, there is a Thousand-Eyed Garlic.]
[At latitude 37° South, longitude 22° West, in the center of a coral reef, there are two conjoined Thousand-Eyed Garlic, their surfaces covered by coral.]
The military officers became busy, constantly taking notes and then deploying their respective forces to capture the Thousand-Eyed Garlic.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng stood in place, silently calculating the remaining number of Thousand-Eyed Garlic.
Three hundred, five hundred, eight hundred!
One thousand, two thousand, three thousand!
They had completely lost count; there were thousands of them!
Jiang Ye was utterly shocked. This planet had practically become a nest for the Thousand-Eyed Garlic, no wonder they could launch a global beast tide!