Target: Amazon

Zhang didn't understand what "over a hundred bucks a liter for air" meant, but now he realized the air in the shop was indeed anything but ordinary.

Every breath was incredibly comfortable.

"Is this... all thanks to these plants?"

Zhang's jaw dropped in disbelief:

"Plants do improve air quality, but this efficiency is just ridiculous!"

The shop's windows were open, meaning in a non-sealed environment, these plants were purifying the air as effectively as an air purifier!

What really got him was that he didn't feel any wind at all!

If all plants had this kind of efficiency, wouldn't the air purifier manufacturers that had been making a killing lately just go bankrupt on the spot?

"These are special breeds I developed. They're still in the experimental stage, with limited yield, so I just put them out as potted plants in the shop."

Oaks pointed to rows of seemingly ordinary plants on the shelves:

"They look just like common indoor greenery, but their air-purifying efficiency is dozens of times higher.

It's not just about absorbing particulate pollutants like PM2.5—formaldehyde purification and oxygen regeneration efficiency are the same."

"So, even though this is just a small plant shop, it's gained a bit of a reputation in some circles over the past year."

Zhang was already trembling—the customers coming in to buy potted plants had no idea what groundbreaking scientific achievement they were getting their hands on!

"Ah, time's getting away..."

Patting his stomach, Oaks realized it was already five o'clock. After all that trouble, he hadn't even had lunch yet.

And today, Goose was moving in, so he still needed to buy cans and freeze-dried food.

As for cat litter...

Are you insulting a Flerken's intelligence?

"Let's go, to Eighth Avenue. That's the nearest Chinatown. It's my birthday today, so I'm treating you to Chinese food."

"Your birthday... today?"

"What about it?"

"...Nothing."

Zhang swallowed hard.

September 22, the last day of Virgo.

They say children born on this day have particularly severe OCD.

A week passed, and Zhang's life as an international student turned a new page.

"Meeting Dr. Lin is the greatest luck of my study abroad experience!

Dr. Lin is a true genius—not only incredibly strong in research, but also witty, approachable, and, well, way better-looking than me!"

Posting a photo with Oaks online, Zhang unsurprisingly got a flood of likes and comments from his parents, relatives, and a crowd of seniors, juniors, and even professors.

This god-tier start—envy and jealousy all around!

"Zhang, I'm heading out. The shop's in your hands."

Oaks's voice came from downstairs, and Zhang quickly closed his laptop—bought at a discount through the education channel. As a scientist, Oaks's personal computer obviously wasn't something Zhang could just use freely.

The laptop could handle both watching the shop and schoolwork, and its specs, condition, and price were all a good fit.

The new laptop and phone ate up two months of Zhang's salary in advance.

When Zhang found out he could get an advance on his pay, he grinned like an idiot, practically floating on air.

"Don't worry, Mr. Oaks!"

Zhang carried the laptop downstairs. Oaks, dressed in a hoodie and casual wear, was saying goodbye to Goose.

"Mr. Oaks, aren't you bringing any luggage?"

"Just preliminary prep work. I already shipped the instruments, tools, and supplies ahead."

Oaks adjusted his sunglasses, whispered a few words to Goose, then straightened up and nodded:

"See you in a week."

"Yes, Mr. Oaks. Have a smooth trip."

Zhang picked up Goose—by now, he was completely unafraid of her and had even leveled up to being her dedicated poop-scooper—

Except Goose's high intelligence meant she used the toilet here more skillfully than Zhang did, making his title as poop-scooper a bit of a misnomer.

Oaks waved, opened the door, and stepped out. He glanced left and right, then headed toward a quiet alley.

A moment later, a small bird shot into the sky, piercing straight through the clouds.

Swift, the fastest bird on Earth in flight—that was the aerial form Oaks had chosen.

Average flight speed 170 kilometers per hour, maxing out at 352—basically arrow speed.

And at such a tiny size, even the most sophisticated military radar couldn't detect it.

If it were merely a transformation into a Swift, the speed would naturally be limited to the animal's upper ceiling.

But Oaks's Swift form was clearly not that simple.

A hazy emerald glow enveloped the tiny bird, and as Oaks flapped his wings, his speed suddenly skyrocketed.

A small sonic boom rang out, and in the next instant, Oaks's flight speed had already surpassed the speed of sound!

In this state, though, his defenses were very weak—if he slammed into something, well, that'd be a problem.

"This is the unscientific side of magic..."

Oaks was already above the ocean in an instant:

"Target, the Amazon Rainforest!"

As a Druid, there was hardly any place on Earth that could make Oaks yearn for it more than the Amazon Rainforest.

To humans, the depths of the Amazon Rainforest were an extremely dangerous forbidden zone, but for Oaks, who possessed the Wild Heart and affinity with nature, it could be considered his home turf.

Back when his flight speed couldn't reach supersonic a few years ago, Oaks had already visited several times, bringing back some of the shop's special tropical plants from here.

Known as the "Lungs of the Earth," the world's largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon Rainforest plays a vital role in Earth's ecosystem.

And as a training ground for a Druid...

It was undoubtedly the most suitable place on the planet.

The rainforest was fraught with peril—strange plants, fierce beasts, bizarre insects, and countless other threats—making it impossible for even the most elite modern expedition team to guarantee safety during exploration.

So, if he wanted to conduct some large-scale magical experiments here, he had no worries about being discovered.

High-altitude descent, land into a box... no, transform into a cheetah form—though not as suited to the rainforest environment as a jaguar, it was no big deal.

He traveled along the Amazon River, touring this vast rainforest, sensing the endless natural energy with his nature magic.

Over these few days, Oaks would continue deepening his connection with this immense rainforest, further enhancing his nature magic cultivation.

In this rainforest, Oaks would gain a powerful natural boost, and this was also an extremely important factor in his plan to pursue environmental protection.

The richer and more complete the ecosystem, the stronger Oaks became.

Riding the global wave of environmental consciousness, when Oaks's nature magic mastery could harness the power of Earth's ecosystem, he would have the capital to leap toward cosmic-level strength...

"Hm?"

His train of thought abruptly cut off, Oaks froze and stopped in his tracks.

The cheetah form possessed a special perception ability—detecting humanoid creatures.

And the saying "the forest is my domain" wasn't much of an exaggeration for a Druid.

Now, in Oaks's perception, enhanced several hundred times over, there was a human in the distance!

"So deep in—how?"

This was already far into the rainforest. Who was so bold, and coming alone at that?

"Whoosh—"

His form vanished, and Oaks activated Stealth, slowly approaching the target.