"Discomfort"

As a satellite of a gas giant twice the size of Jupiter, Pandora's night sky is graced by more than just a single moon.

The ground itself is teeming with countless plants, flowers, and even creatures capable of bioluminescence.

Looking out across the landscape, Pandora seems to consist solely of rainforests and grasslands with a tropical climate; there is not a desert or a patch of barren soil to be found.

Setting aside other factors, this place is truly more fantastical and resplendent than Earth.

Yet, deep within the rainforest, a raging fire is burning.

Zooming in, one can see a gargantuan tree that should have stood a thousand meters tall now lying crooked on the ground, its roots and the surrounding flora being continuously scorched by the flames.

It appears to be the aftermath and ruins left behind by a low-to-medium intensity bombardment.

Moving about ten kilometers to the north, one can overlook another giant tree, this one standing roughly a hundred meters tall.

Unlike the scorched titan, this tree lacks any green; its branches and twigs resemble those of a willow tree on Earth, albeit a "glowing" version.

The willow-like tendrils hanging toward the ground emit a bright pinkish-purple light, and unlike the branches and roots of a plant, their material is more akin to fiber optics or light cables.

Gathered beneath this peculiar giant tree are hundreds of humanoid creatures.

Zooming in once more.

It is clear that these hundreds of humanoids have slender builds, ranging from two to three meters in height, with some individuals even taller.

Their ears are pointed, though they lack the delicate beauty of the elves found in human fantasy; they possess four fingers, azure-toned skin with dark blue stripes, and hair styled like dreadlocks. Their facial features and physical characteristics do not align with standard human aesthetics.

These blue-skinned humanoids are the sentient lifeforms of Pandora: the Na'vi.

At this moment, the Na'vi look solemn and remain quiet, focusing their gazes on a group of "leaders" at the base of the giant tree.

One of these "leaders" possesses five fingers, and his pupils are remarkably similar to those of a human. Suddenly, this individual speaks:

"Though I am Toruk Makto, I will never forget that you are all my brothers and sisters! So we must act now! Follow me!"

The individual is actually speaking in a human language, and as he speaks, a Na'vi beside him helps translate.

"Two days ago, those Sky People burned our home! But tomorrow, we will show those Sky People that they cannot do as they please! Ah!!!"

As he reaches the end, he raises his voice to its peak.

"Woo! Woo!"

"Oh! Oh!"

This "impassioned" speech immediately draws a chorus of agreement from the Na'vi, who raise their hands and shout, venting their emotions.

However, none of them notice the drone hovering high above, invisible to the naked eye, recording everything.

Beyond the "stealth" drone, there are two "invisible men" located one kilometer to the south.

Looking around, it is impossible to observe where anyone might be.

But at the top of a giant tree growing on higher ground—the most lush one in the area—are two scouts equipped with special combat suits and mechanical exoskeletons.

If they were to deactivate the "stealth" provided by their suits, one could identify them as belonging to Atlas through the red "Λ" shoulder patches.

The so-called "stealth" is actually optical camouflage that mimics the surrounding environment to achieve invisibility.

Meanwhile.

A hundred kilometers away, the terrain is a notch higher than the area where the Na'vi are located.

The average height of the trees here is also around a hundred meters, making it impossible to observe the ground beneath the canopy from the air, let alone spy on ground movements—unless one were to use military satellites in low Earth orbit to detect heat signatures.

However, this place is a bit too... "square."

From a distance, it looks similar to the surrounding environment, but upon closer inspection, it reveals sharp angles, clearly not naturally formed but man-made.

Beneath this "square" forest, the natural scenery is gone.

What should have been dense trunks and vegetation is now replaced by clean, level roads and numerous buildings.

On the easternmost side of this area, there is even an 800-meter-long airport runway; it is, for all intents and purposes, a medium-sized military base.

In the very center stands the 14x14 meter space gate, which also represents Sui Yang and Atlas Corporation.

In reality, forty full days have passed since the space gate was opened.

The time in the main universe has shifted from July 23, 1994, to September 1, 1994, while in Universe 02, it is the same month and day, but the year is 2154.

Over these forty days, the Atlas Engineering Department first erected optical camouflage tarps covering the entire area, along with heat-shielding measures to avoid detection by the RDA satellites deployed in low Earth orbit, followed by the perfection of the forward base construction, up to this very moment.

A hundred meters north of the space gate stands a two-story building, which serves as the command center for the forward base.

At this moment.

Inside the command center.

Dozens of staff members sit behind their respective control consoles, obtaining the latest information through countless display screens, aggregating it, and then uploading it.

On the second floor of the command center, beside the central console.

Sui Yang, dressed in his seemingly permanent casual business attire, grips the edge of the console to support his upper body, his gaze fixed on the three-dimensional holographic map displayed on the console.

Furthermore, this map, scaled and detailed, is marked with dense annotations, such as "1052/Ground/Large number of Hammerhead Titanothere-Thanator appeared in the east/High Risk," and "1101/Air/Large number of Banshee harassing aerial units/High Risk."

At the same time, numerous holographic screens appeared above the map, several of which were broadcasting the giant tree featuring "Fiber Optic Willow" and the mobilizing Na'vi from multiple perspectives and angles.

Seeing this, Sui Yang understood that the other side had completed their first wave of assembly, expanding their numbers from hundreds to two thousand.

That Fiber Optic Willow and the surrounding area were the Tree of Souls and the Sanctuary of the Na'vi.

As for that guy with five fingers who spoke human language, he was an Avatar pilot named Jake Sully, the protagonist of the film.

Jake Sully had been chosen by Eywa to become the "savior," successfully taming a Leonopteryx—a creature more than four times the size of a standard Banshee (flying mount)—to become the Toruk Makto, and was inciting all the nearby Na'vi tribes to rise up against the RDA.

If left unchecked, their numbers would grow to twenty thousand within one Earth week. To ensure its own survival, the RDA would launch a preemptive strike against the Na'vi's Tree of Souls and Sanctuary tomorrow morning.

Knowing the timeline, Sui Yang prepared to have Atlas enter the fray at the opportune moment while the RDA and the Na'vi were locked in conflict, so as to maximize his gains.

"Father, if I may be so bold..."

Sanguinius, who was standing beside the central console with Sui Yang, stared intently at Jake Sully, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust as he spoke, "Why does that fellow's speech give me such a strong sense of discomfort?"

Atlas's activities on Pandora had not yet been sensed by Eywa.

There will be a more detailed explanation in tomorrow's chapter; it is not a bug, hahaha~

Finally, thank you all for your support, and thank you for your recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and tips!