Chapter 521 Swallowing and Decision (1/2)

"...Xiaoyu?"

In the warehouse on the B3 floor of the shelter, Luo Yu froze on the spot when he saw Xiao Yu's size expanding more than once in front of him.

This is……

what's the situation? !

"Blank!"

Seeing Luo Yu appearing at the door, Xiao Yu called out excitedly. Although his voice was still weak, Chu Guang could clearly feel that the little guy had regained some energy.

"I told you not to imitate that strange cry...what exactly is going on with you?"

Luo Yu walked forward, ignoring the tentacles floating beside him, and reached out to touch Xiao Yu's smooth and delicate head.

hiss--

So hot!

This guy's body temperature must be at least sixty or seventy degrees.

"Uh-huh..." Xiaoyu made a weak cry, and his pitiful look made people feel distressed.

Chu Guang looked at Heya.

"Tell him the situation again."

Heya nodded, looked at Luo Yu who looked anxious, and repeated to him what she had just said to Chu Guang.

Especially regarding those two options.

"...There are only two options now, let it evolve independently, or let it devour the mother nest on the B6 floor. The former has a higher success rate, but is more random, and there is a high probability that it will lose its current memory after success. The latter exists There is a risk of being swallowed in turn, but if the evolution is successful, the outcome is relatively controllable, and there is a high probability that it will retain its current self.”

After listening to Heya's narration, Luo Yu fell into silence and said after a moment.

"...Does it have to evolve?"

He suddenly felt.

In fact, there is no need to become so strong.

For him, Xiaoyu has become his partner and has saved him on the battlefield before.

If the price of becoming stronger was to sacrifice those irreplaceable memories, he would rather it remain as silly as before.

Looking at Luo Yu, Heya nodded seriously.

"Yes, just like a person's birth, old age, illness and death, this is something that will inevitably happen in its life cycle... Even if you leave it alone, it will eventually reach that point."

Luo Yu lowered his head with slight remorse.

"Is it because I took it to hunt alien species and fruiting bodies?"

"Yes and no."

Luo Yu raised his head in confusion.

"What's the meaning."

Heya said.

"The mutant slime mold... is a very special creature, and your little feather is the most special one. It does not rely on spores to transmit information, but uses vocal cords like humans to communicate. Genetic material It only plays a small part in its evolution, more... I think it may be memory."

"memory?"

"Well," Heya nodded, "a creature's habits, experience, knowledge, and so on, together constitute its understanding of evolution and the next stage of itself. When these memories accumulate to a certain level, the memories from the depths of life will Instinct tells it it's time...and it will naturally move on to the next stage of its life."

"That's its mission."

Luo Yu was silent for a while, then looked up at Chu Guang

"I want to talk to it."

Heya also looked at Chu Guang.

"My suggestion is that its owner should communicate with it...but we'd better make a choice within an hour. I'm not sure how long it can maintain its self-awareness."

Chu Guang nodded and looked at Luo Yu.

"You heard me, you have an hour."

Luo Yu nodded.

"It won't take that long...ten minutes, no, five minutes is enough."

Chu Guang waved to the Guards Corps, and then led Heya and his party out of the warehouse and outside the B3 floor.

He thought it would be better to leave Xiao Yu and Luo Yu alone for a while.

Anyway, Xiaoqi can monitor every corner of the shelter. Even if something unexpected happens, he can control the situation immediately.

While waiting, Heya looked at Chu Guang.

"Is it okay to leave it to him to choose?"

"No problem, I believe he has his own judgment." Chu Guang answered simply.

There is no best of both worlds in this world, not to mention that Xiaoyu's problems are unprecedented on this planet.

Since it's all a gamble, it's better to leave it to the parties involved to make the decision.

The alliance's success today was not entirely due to his multiple-choice questions.

One person and one mother communicated for a while, and the time was shorter than Chu Guang expected. Only three minutes had passed before Luo Yu walked out of the room.

"I have decided." Staring at Chu Guang intently, Luo Yu said in a serious tone, "Let's do the second one... let it devour the mother nest on the B6 floor."

Chu Guang looked at him and reminded him in a calm tone.

"Have you thought clearly? It's not easy for a baby who has just learned to walk to defeat an old monster that has lived for more than a hundred years, even if the guy is already very weak."

"Well..." Luo Yu nodded and glanced at Xiao Yu behind him, "This is not just my idea... but also its decision."

Rather than losing all memories and completely becoming a new life, it is better to take a gamble and pass on the memories with a brand new body.

As he said, this was not his decision alone.

After hearing his confession, Xiaoyu took the initiative to choose option B...it also didn't want to give up those precious memories.

Chu Guang nodded.

"I respect your choice."

As Luo Yu made the final decision, the move to transfer Xiao Yu to the B6 floor began quickly, and it was still the same team as last time.

A group of heavily armed players, led by Lao Bai, took the elevator down to the B6 floor and quickly formed a queue outside the buffer workshop.

"Team A is following me! Team B is covering fire!"

"Target server room! Action!"

"Ouch!"

With a neat clicking sound, LD-47 rifles and LD-47j light machine guns were loaded, and the team of twenty people quickly entered the corridor.

The dozen or so gnashers that were killed previously had their organic matter recycled by the mother nest and re-synthesized into new fruiting bodies.

However, the ordinary fruiting bodies are no match for the players. They were quickly eliminated in a sudden burst of fire.

Under the leadership of Lao Bai, the senior players of the Burning Corps quickly rushed to the door of the server room and controlled the entrance.

There is no reactor on level B6.

The mother nest is hosted on the server in the biological laboratory, and the tentacles replace the lines and cooling pipes connected to the chassis.

"Give me the inhibitor."

"Oak." Quitting took out a can-sized metal round tube from his backpack and threw it to Lao Bai, who was wearing power armor and opening the way in front.

After catching the metal round tube, Lao Bai deftly pulled out the fuse and threw it in the moment he opened the trap door of the machine room.

The moment the metal round tube came into contact with the squirming carpet, it was quickly swallowed indiscriminately by the carpet. However, not long after, the brood seemed to realize that it had eaten something dirty that it should not have eaten, and it suddenly seemed to be electrocuted. It seemed to tremble for a while, and reflexively spit it out.

But it's too late.

White mist sprayed out from the metal round tube. The moment the mist came into contact with the mother nest, the mother nest became sluggish at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This concentrated biopheromone acts like an anesthetic to the mutant slime mold.

However, the mother nest is different from ordinary fruiting bodies, so the anesthesia may not last long.

Lao Bai tapped his helmet with his index finger and said calmly.

"The Brood is under control... Luo Yu, how are you doing over there?"

"...I just got off the elevator, I'll be there soon."

"Okay, better hurry up."

The sound of the elevator door came from the other end of the communication channel.

I don't know if it was his imagination.

The moment Xiaoyu arrived at the B6 floor, Lao Bai could clearly feel that the nest in front of him seemed to be getting more violent.

soon.

Xiaoyu, who occupied half of the corridor, appeared in everyone's sight, and the tentacles flying behind its head were like pythons.

Looking at that guy, Ye Shi couldn't help but complain in a low voice.

"I giao...this guy is looking more and more like a tentacle monster."

There was no complaint from Ye Shi. Luo Yu's attention at the moment was completely focused on the nest in the computer room.

Judging from the size, it is obvious that Xiaoyu is much weaker than it.

Luo Yu couldn't help but have a trace of worry in his eyes, but at this moment, a tentacle fell on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh."

After being slightly stunned, Luo Yu looked at Xiao Yu who was watching him.

"You want to say...let me not worry, right?"

"Ugh!"

Xiaoyu nodded.

The abstract outline couldn't tell what its expression was at this moment, but Luo Yu could feel the unwavering confidence in its heart.

Not wanting to live up to that courage, he took a deep breath with the same serious expression on his face.

"come on!"

Xiaoyu nodded happily.

"Blank!"

After the words fell, the carpet dragging on the floor squirmed forward, dragging the body that had expanded more than one circle forward.

Before entering the dormant period, devouring the mother nest that has completed its transformation is the only way for it to retain its self-awareness as it transitions to the next stage of life.

Tentacles shot through the open door like lightning and penetrated into the sea of ​​slime mold that rolled like waves.

The intrusion process went smoothly.

Just as Xiaoyu felt that he was slowly swallowing up the huge collection of consciousness, a huge wave of information suddenly came in like a wave.

"Uh-huh——"

A hint of pain appeared on the abstract facial features, and the tentacles that penetrated into the door began to tremble violently as if they were electrocuted.

Luo Yu, who was standing aside and watching, felt his heart tightening for a moment, and his heart rose to his throat.

The blood connection allowed him to feel its pain at the moment, but apart from watching it suffer, he could do nothing to help it.

The players standing aside were also sweating for it.

This small body wants to swallow such a big nest, and you can feel how difficult it is just by looking at it.

Ye Shi and Kuang Feng exchanged glances.

"Can this guy do it?"

"……How would I know."

Kuang Feng looked at the struggling Xiao Yu expressionlessly.

No one can help with this kind of thing.

It can only rely on itself.

After a while, the trembling tentacles seemed to stabilize, and Xiaoyu's expression was no longer distorted, but approached a gentle state.

The fierce battle has come to an end for the time being.

Both sides couldn't help each other, and their biological instincts made them choose a temporary truce, and thus started negotiations.

Xiao Yu could feel that she had established some deeper connection with the mother nest in front of her.

An invisible tie is maintaining between them, and it hears the call from the depths of the sea of ​​​​consciousness.

Intermittent sounds came from the depths of the sea of ​​consciousness.

"Kill them all...eat them all...give your body to me...I'm going to continue my unfinished mission..."

"Mission? What is that?"

"Devouring, evolving, overcoming all life, dominating the entire planet and even the universe...that is our mission."

"Can't."

"Why???"

"Because... they are important too."

The boundless darkness remained silent for a long time.

I don't know how much time passed, but the hoarse voice was filled with a hint of fatigue.

After more than two centuries, it is indeed tired.

"It seems you have found another way... then try it."

"Are you going to give it to me?"

"Yes."

Another long silence followed.

After an unknown amount of time, the decaying voice gradually faded away in the endless darkness.

"Anyway...it's the same."

The Brood did not explain the meaning of this sentence. It loosened its grip on control and gave up everything it had.

At first Xiaoyu suspected it was a trap.

It wasn't until it completely took over the body that it realized that the collective consciousness it was talking to had completely disappeared from this world.

It's like it never happened...

"Uh-huh..."

It suddenly felt a little lonely.

Just a moment ago, it might have killed one of its kind.

That guy might be a predecessor, or ancestor, who is older than his father and mother.

But it has no regrets.

There are too many things in this world that it can't part with, whether it's interesting people, delicious candies, or nice sounds.

That's something it can never have on its own.

So why kill them all?

Why can't we be together?

Rather than becoming the master over all life, it wants to be with that person... and those people.

There are those interesting guys.

It will never be lonely...

…

Luo Yu looked straight at the computer room in front of him.

Just a few minutes ago, Xiaoyu walked in, and immediately became one with the slime mold that was boiling like ocean waves.

And then--

There's no after that.

He doesn't even know who won.

However, a deep feeling told him that Xiaoyu was still alive, and the ties between bloodlines had not been severed.

It's hard to describe this intuition.

This is too mysterious.

"Is it over?" Staring at the nest behind the door, Ye Shi blinked in confusion, his expression completely confused.

"It looks like it's over." Kuang Feng glanced at Luo Yu, who was standing there motionless, and asked, "Do you have any clues?"

Luo Yu shook his head.

"I'm not sure... I can feel that it's alive, but it seems like it can't hear what I'm saying."

"Maybe it's entering a dormant period."

Lao Bai patted the brother on the shoulder and comforted him, "Maybe it is still adapting to the new body, give it some time."

"Um……"

Luo Yu nodded silently.

Lao Bai glanced at the mission completion sign on the VM, then looked back at his teammates and waved.

"Mission accomplished, close the team!"

After hearing the boss say that the mission was over, the brothers breathed a sigh of relief, put away their weapons, and shouted a few words in a lively manner.

"Ouch!"

"Get off work and get off work!"

"Damn, it's already this time!"

"Damn! It's time to get up and work."

"Still working?! Didn't you make enough from the last auction?"

"You don't understand. This is to avoid being too far away from society... I won't beep anymore. Brother, go ahead. See you on the forum!"

at the same time.

B4 floor browsing room.

Chu Guang, He Ya and Yin Fang, who was called to join in the fun, witnessed the entire action through surveillance.

"So was it a success or a failure?" Holding a cup of coffee in his hand, Yin Fang blew it lightly and asked casually.

Biology is not his area of ​​expertise.

Compared to mutant slime mold, he cares more about the relics left by pre-war civilization, which are truly priceless things.

Hea said with a cheerful voice.

“I’m not sure yet, but my intuition tells me it should be successful.”

According to various indicators, the life activities of the mother nest have weakened. If the young feathers were swallowed by the mother nest, the life activities of the mother nest should be enhanced.

Of course, the most critical thing is Luo Yu's reaction.

Xiao Yu is a parent modeled after his clone.

Although there is no reliable theory that can explain this phenomenon, various experimental evidences show that there is some kind of special bond between them.

Looking at the proud Heya, Yin Fang had a trace of envy in his eyes.

"Speaking of which, floor B6 is a biological laboratory, right?"

"That's right, after Xiaoyu completely assimilates to the mother's nest, the B6 floor laboratory can be put back into use."

Heya had a happy expression on her face, and then added something later.

"Chu Guang has promised to hand it over to me. I finally don't have to do research in the small room on the B3 floor."

"That's great...including the biological laboratory branch of Vault 79, you have two research facilities."

"Hmm." Heya was in a good mood and raised the corners of her mouth slightly proudly.

Seeing Yin Fang staring straight at him, Chu Guang coughed lightly.

"It's useless for you to look at me... This is not something I can decide."

Of course, he also wanted to unlock all the floors of this shelter. His intuition told him that the "answer" he wanted was hidden on a certain floor of this shelter.

But there's no point in rushing this kind of thing.

All he can do is do the job well.

"Okay, I know it's useless to rush you... By the way, there's something I want to ask you," Yin Fang looked at Chu Guang and continued to ask curiously, "Have you met anyone from the college this time?"

"Well," Chu Guang nodded, "I saw two B-levels."

Yin Fang asked immediately.

"who?"

Chu Guang thought for a while and said.

"The person who negotiated the ceasefire agreement with us was named Li Ke, and the one who later explored Vault 0 was named Yang Kai... But he stayed in the long shuttle-shaped aircraft throughout the whole process."

"Those two." Yin Fang's eyes seemed to be lost in memories.

Chu Guang raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

"you know?"

"How is that possible? I am a D-level person, how can I know such a big shot?" Yin Fang smiled and shook his head, then paused for a moment and continued, "But those two, I often heard their names when I was in the academy... …Especially that Yang Kai.”

"oh?"

"His research direction is mutant slime mold. He is not an expert in ruins... Hey, that's weird." Yin Fang suddenly scratched the back of his head.

"strangeness?"

"Well..." Yin Fang nodded, looked at Chu Guang who frowned and continued, "I remember what you told me, before you went down, you probably didn't know there was slime mold there, right?"

——

(Thanks to the leader of "Natural Disaster o" for the reward!!! I don't know if it was food poisoning or typhoid fever last night. After eating, I felt hot all over and felt cold again. Then I had a headache. At night, I kept my eyes open and I didn't know whether I fell asleep. No, my joints are sore when I wake up in the morning... I wrote 8K words in the past few days, but today I have only 5K words. I have to lie down for a while, I’m really sorry.)