In the transparent house, the hydrogen-based being scratched its head: "Cultivator, am I going to move to Mars to live?"

"No."

Zhou Yi told it: "Your task is to retrieve the data in the Transparent Castle over there."

On the surface and underground of Mars, a lot of information has been stored in the form of the Salt Library, clearly left for the hydrogen-based beings over there. After all, the Seeder itself decided to flee for 7 billion years, and after such a long time, Mars likely no longer exists.

"As for what the Seeder said, whether hydrogen-based beings should devour each other, that's something you need to decide for yourself. I will not interfere."

Qing Liu immediately assumed a saluting posture: "I guarantee the mission!"

No one knows where it learned it from.

Qing Liu said with determination: "I am not the Seeder, I am the hydrogen-based person you cultivated. I will not devour my kind for my own growth."

"I will coexist peacefully with it, teach it the principles of the world, and let it learn to survive by relying on intellect and intelligence, rather than plundering its kind."

Two days later.

Hei Fu returned to report: "Chairman, there's been a little trouble on Mars..."

"Qing Liu has killed the hydrogen-based life over there."

Zhou Yi: "..."

What happened to teaching it principles?

Hei Fu began to explain.

"When Qing Liu arrived over there, I helped it connect the container to the Transparent Castle in the sky. The native hydrogen-based life of Mars is also at the Skywalker level, so we weren't particularly worried about safety issues."

"Initially, everything seemed fine, and we couldn't discern the situation inside, and Qing Liu didn't say anything. We could only see Qing Liu and the Martian counterpart engaged in some form of exchange. Their exchange method was somewhat unique, resembling a snowball fight."

"It seemed like they were using parts of themselves, throwing them at each other, exchanging remotely and retrieving each other's physical information."

"Later, the situation grew increasingly intense, and they began changing forms, the pressure inside the Transparent Castle became stronger and turned into a mirror-like reflective silver."

"They began madly colliding, trying to pierce each other and vaporize each other..."

"Only then did we confirm that the two solid hydrogen-based beings were fighting."

Hei Fu said: "So I called Mao Dali and gathered the company brothers to prepare to rush in and support Qing Liu; the company's hydrogen-based beings can't lose out."

"Mao Dali stated that we couldn't do that, as there's a fight going on over there, the internal pressure is enormous, and some special mechanism is shielding it from the outside. The electric cats can't get in."

"Even if forcing the Transparent Castle open could be achieved, it would lead to internal pressure flooding which could result in the death or dispersion of both hydrogen-based beings."

"Later, Mao Dali contacted the local elder generation of Mars Electric Cats and found a way. We provided continuous power supply externally to Qing Liu's Transparent Castle, channeling in half of the Mars Affairs Department's power generation."

"This method was highly effective!"

"With the company's support, Qing Liu grew stronger as the fight went on, while the enemy grew increasingly weary until eventually, Qing Liu completely eliminated it, turning it into a silver tomb."

"Qing Liu is also somewhat damaged now, so it's still recovering and unable to communicate with us. It may take some time for it to fully recover."

Zhou Yi felt a bit relieved after hearing this.

It's fine as long as Qing Liu didn't lose out.

The saying goes, rely on your parents at home and friends when you go out.

The opposing hydrogen-based life lost out as a lone wolf, while Qing Liu, backed by the company, could receive unlimited power supply. If it couldn't swiftly defeat Qing Liu, a stalemate situation would spell its inevitable defeat.

A week later.

Hei Fu brought the recovered Qing Liu to the top floor of Jade City.

Qing Liu's appearance had changed dramatically, turning completely into a liquid metal person, entirely silver, reflecting the various furniture in room 3101 like a mirror.

On its face was a slowly rotating vortex, just like its catchphrase "flowing flowing."

Zhou Yi laughed: "Changed your mind in the end?"

"Cultivator, I originally wanted to get along well with it, but that fellow took advantage of the relaxing moment in our conversation to launch a sneak attack, attempting to devour me."

Talking about this, the vortex on Qing Liu's face accelerated, looking very angry.

"I took quite a hit, so I fought back."

"That fellow was utterly reckless and crazy, absolutely uncommunicable, and ultimately, I killed it."

Saying this, Qing Liu couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened: "I really didn't want to kill it... I just felt, I finally found a living kind. But it was traditional-minded and wanted only to eat me."

"Originally, I thought I could find a friend."

"No wonder we can only live alone because meeting our kind potentially leads to mutual devouring... Hydrogen-based life might be inherently unable to coexist peacefully."

"Cultivator, if it hadn't been for the help from the Mars Affairs Department, I might have been eaten by it. I felt the fear of death for the first time; unexpectedly, the one who most wanted to kill me was my kind."

Qing Liu appeared a bit confused: "Why is it like this? I don't understand."

Zhou Yi collected his smile: "Qing Liu, persist in what you believe is right, don't give up."

"I don't know if we'll have such luck next time..."

Clearly, the blow and fright Qing Liu had this time were significant, causing it to doubt itself.

"Don't be afraid."

Zhou Yi softly said: "The company is behind you, I am beside you, we are your support. Next time, the time after next, when you meet the same kind, continue to try. Nothing can succeed in one go; the next time you encounter such a matter, you'll have more experience. Life can have more choices, I believe you are not wrong."

"Don't be frustrated by a single failure; let's try again."

"Cultivator, you're right."

Qing Liu seemed finally to regain its composure, and it said: "The Seeder also imparted to that fellow the idea of devouring its kind, so it turned out that way."

"But I didn't eat it."

"I can feel that if I devoured it, it would accelerate my own development and growth... But I don't want to do that, I am not a monster, I am a hydrogen-based person! I am an employee of the Wasteland Development Company, I do not eat my kind!"

"Cultivator, I'm afraid that if I eat it, I'll become unable to turn back and will become a monster that eats its kind. Does this make me cowardly?"

"No."

Zhou Yi gave a thumbs-up: "On the contrary, I think you have great ambition."

Receiving praise, Qing Liu finally seemed a bit happier: "Actually... I also think I am quite brave."

It waved its fists: "I will not follow the Seeder's path. That kind of fellow, is not impressive. I want to become a reliable hydrogen-based person, I want to find other hydrogen-based life. Together we can create a community, chat and play like in Jade City!"

"That's a good idea, I support it."

Zhou Yi nodded in agreement.

"Ah, sorry, got a bit carried away."

Qing Liu was much more cheerful, gesturing with both hands: "Cultivator, I discovered some intelligence in the Transparent Castle above the Mars Base."

"The hydrogen-based life forms cultivated there were different from my approach. Its internal structure was for high-pressure and high-energy training, meant to cultivate it into being adept at combat and attack, just like a professional warrior."

"On Earth here, it leans more towards collecting and experiencing various consciousnesses, I resemble more of a thinker. I reckon Jupiter's moon must be following another direction."

"These are all results chosen based on the different planetary environments. Earth, with its old human consciousness, can obtain more experience and consciousness fragments from them. Mars possesses stronger energy, able to absorb energy dozens of times that on Earth within a unit of time, which can be used for high-intensity body tempering."

Zhou Yi listened patiently.

Qing Liu said: "I discovered some special records in the Transparent Castle over there."

"The company has always been perplexed with the Mars Flying Stick. Actually, they are a kind of Energy State Life, in terms of Earth, evolved from Condenser."

Zhou Yi was stunned.

Mars Flying Stick, it turns out, is the next stage of the Condenser?