This game is too real.

Chapter 520 Evolution
"Sometimes I really envy the residents of Ideal City... They are born with golden spoons in their mouths and have a lot of time to do nothing, but I seem to be doing this thing and the next thing all my life."

Evening, road town hotel.

Looking at the tourists from Ideal City, Zhou Nan took a sip of the mellow beer and let out a sigh of emotion.

He could tell where those people came from at a glance.

The distinctive temperament on them is easier to identify than the blue coats and bionic people.

Sun Shiqi, who was sitting opposite him, smiled.

"What's the matter? You envy them more than you envy people 200 years ago. At that time, they not only had time to do nothing, but also had time to arrange us."

"Schedule us?"

"In other words, imagine the future."

"Hahaha."

Laughter dilutes the melancholy.

Sun Shiqi clinked glasses with the drinking buddy sitting across from him.

He made a small fortune by trading in steel. He is no longer a merchant, but a factory owner of the alliance. Most of his net worth has been invested in the industry of the alliance.

If it wasn't because of his previous status as a merchant, he was not trusted by the Frostspear tribe who was once a refugee, and someone had never agreed to his pursuit, he might have tied his family to the Alliance.

But having said that, although he is optimistic about the future of the league, he actually took some determination to do these things.

A long time ago, he had been carrying a certain "original sin" in his heart—that is, he was worried that the managers of the alliance would send loyal guards to silence him because he knew the truth that the silver coins were only a pile of game coins at first.

It was only later that he realized that his worries were completely unnecessary.

That person doesn't care at all.

In fact, think about it, so what if you know?

Will people stop eating rice from manure because they know where it comes from?

No one in the entire River Valley Province would doubt the value of silver coins, even the scavengers active on the edge of the Great Rift Valley recognized it.

Especially recently, the bulk transaction price of corn officially fell below the 1 silver coin mark, and was suppressed to 0.9 by the influx of autumn grain from Luoxia province.

And just a year ago, this figure was 1.5, even the cheapest green wheat and croissants were never so cheap!

Now the residents of Aurora City not only eat by themselves, but also eat by steaming, cooking, frying, and even feed the pigs and cows with excess food. The bar of the road town hotel has added a refuge resident Bread wine produced.

But the wine was too strong, pungent in the throat, and not many people really liked it except the hipsters and the shelter residents themselves.

"Speaking of which, it's time to celebrate again."

"Isn't that bad?"

"There are celebrations every day, who will do the work?" Zhou Nan looked worried, "Your factory will also be on holiday."

Sun Shiqi said with a smile.

"It doesn't matter. It's not a holiday every day. It's been several months since the last celebration. I heard that there are more than 100 festivals a year in the Renlian era, and the alliance has only about four or five festivals so far. It's actually not bad."

Zhou Nan shook his head.

"Can it be the same? The productivity and efficiency of the People's Federation era are completely different from those of the present. Even if they don't work, they won't be hungry."

Sun Shiqi said slowly.

"You're right, but you're not right. The alliance's productivity isn't very high, but it's definitely not weak. A few celebrations can definitely be held. There are no complicated bureaucrats here, and no nobles to support. Even if people are allowed to tighten their belts, no one will benefit, and the things produced must be used by someone to be meaningful, can they be forced to be handed over to those scholars who do research like the academy?"

When he said this, he himself laughed out loud.

"It's a pity that even if the alliance wants to provide academic preferential treatment, there are not so many master scholars who can give preferential treatment. It's better to give the residents more holidays, so that everyone can be happy and spend with their wages, so that both factories and shops will be happy. They I am also happy."

Aren't people living just to have fun?

A person with a frowning face can't do big things. If he really does it, he will probably scare the others around him.

"I still don't think it's good to be so extravagant at the beginning... Even if they want to treat the residents better, I think it might be better to wait—"

Sun Shiqi shook his head.

"What needs to be waited on never comes."

"What about after that? Even if there are no nobles now, there will be in the future. Isn't Boulder City the best example? The earliest residents of the inner city were all supporters of the post-war reconstruction committee. Now who remembers what the committee was going to do. "

In order to prove that there is no problem with his logic, Zhou Nan tried to find some arguments, and Boulder City is undoubtedly the best example.It is said that a group of noble survivors also lived there a century and a half ago. If they hadn't opened the gate of the huge wall, there would be no outer city as it is today.

What is the difference between alliances?

Luca, the city lord, probably won't be able to give birth at that age, and probably won't have any offspring. Old Charlie heard that he was an old Popsicle. Most people who came from that era were avant-garde, and probably didn't want to send their children to this wasteland to suffer.

But there will always be others.

Spanner, the commander of the First Corps, and Liu Ding, the commander of the Second Corps, are in their prime of life, not only capable, but also killed on the battlefield with real knives and guns.

Their loyalty may not be to the alliance from the beginning to the end, but to the individual managers. It is difficult to say how far their ideals can go, and how far their children can follow them.

Sun Shiqi knew what he wanted to say with that hesitant look, but he just grinned indifferently.

"Let's talk about the future, our managers are not old yet."

Hearing his words, Zhou Nan was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Good guy...do you already regard yourself as a member of the alliance?"

No wonder this guy has been speaking for the league!

Sun Shiqi said proudly.

"Otherwise? If it wasn't for the alliance, I would probably still be transporting grain to the slave owners and brokers in Honghe Town, and playing with them the futures game of red tickets and blue tickets. Since I bought the first warehouse here, I have Decided to become a Union resident."

It is also emotional to say.

At first, he bought a warehouse in Dawn City, just planning to stock up on some grain in the fall, and then buy a few trucks to set up a trade route from the Alliance to Red River Town, and become the largest miner and grain merchant in the wasteland.

But it didn't take long for the alliance and the legion to start a war. A large number of shelter residents went to the battlefield carrying guns. The demand for smelting steel and copper mines suddenly skyrocketed, which made him see new business opportunities, so he immediately opened a mine next to the mine in Qingshi County. a steel factory.

But his hometown has not changed at all, it is still the same.

Some time ago, it was said that Honghe Town had been changed to Honghe Alliance, but after thinking about it for a long time, he realized that it was actually a name change, and it was still the same old practice of changing the soup without changing the medicine.

Since the last time the Alliance cut off those arrogant guys in the copper ore trade, he discovered that the rich slave owners were not smart, they were just a group of lucky ones lying on a pile of treasures. Poor pigs on the road, soon their proud treasure will be worthless.

Since the completion of the railway from Qingquan City to Xizhou City, the coal, copper, iron, sulfur and other resources of the alliance can not only be self-sufficient, but can even be exported.

It's been a while since he's gone to that dump to stock up.

"...Speaking of which, my friend, why do you have such a pessimistic look? Did you encounter any difficulties?" Looking at the sullen Zhou Nan, Sun Shiqi cast a concerned look at him.

Zhou Nan hesitated, sighed, and put down the beer glass in his hand.

"Ah, something happened in my hometown. After a while... I might have to go back."

Sun Shiqi remembered that he was from Jinchuan Province, a place called Hope Town.

"whats the matter?"

"Nago."

"What?"

Looking at Sun Shiqi who was confused, Zhou Nan explained.

"It's something more effective than the spirit leaf. Like hallucinogenic mushrooms, it can make people see the grotesque world, but it won't make people weak, but... will adapt to weakness."

"What do you mean?"

"For example...you are sick, and you should lie on the bed weakly to rest, but now you eat Naguo, the virus is not cured, but it will merge with you, reach a reconciliation, and make you stronger. From then on In the future, whether it is fever or pain, it will not make you uncomfortable, but will be transformed into pleasure...and make you stronger in the process."

"Happy... Happy?!"

"It's very distorted, isn't it?" Zhou Nan sighed as he looked at the drinking buddy who was so surprised that he couldn't speak. It will also make you more excited, whether it is the hope of killing or the hope of reproduction will increase."

Wouldn't it be better not to eat such a bad thing?

Suddenly, Sun Shiqi seemed to realize something.

"Could it be..."

"Yes, addictive."

Seeing his expression, Zhou Nan nodded.

"...And it's not the mild addiction of tobacco and spirit leaves, it's physiologically inseparable. Once you stop eating, the virus that has reached reconciliation with your body will quickly engulf you, and this process is no longer pleasant... It is fatal pain. But this is not the most troublesome thing, the most troublesome thing is that the land where that thing is planted will turn green, and the excrement pulled by the animals that eat it will also be green."

green……

Sun Shiqi's Adam's apple moved, and he took a sip of beer to moisten his throat.

"Does it grow weeds?"

"It's not that kind of thing," Zhou Nan lowered his voice, "it's green that's visible to the naked eye... It's like a plague, once you get it, the soil will slowly become so that it can only grow that kind of thing, and people and animals will gradually become green. It became inseparable from it. No one knows why, only that it came from the south, that is, from the coast of death. It is also said that it came from the farther southern islands."

Sun Shiqi said in disbelief.

"How could anyone grow something like that...are those farmers crazy?"

Zhou Nan shook his head with a wry smile.

"Actually, they can't help it... You've also noticed, since the railway in Luoye City, food has become less valuable."

……

Dawn City First Hospital.

Fang Chang, who was waiting outside the operating room, was pacing back and forth in a complicated mood, both apprehensive and nervous.

At this time, the door on the side suddenly opened, and he immediately walked forward, just in time to meet the doctor who came out wearing a mask.

"doctor--"

Guessing what he was going to ask, the doctor answered skillfully.

"The operation was successful, but it is best not to exercise strenuously these days to avoid affecting postoperative recovery. The diet should be less spicy and greasy, and eat more meat if possible..."

Hearing what the doctor said, Chang Fang turned on the VM recording function and took notes carefully.

"I remember."

The doctor took a second look at the guy.

There are quite a few shelter residents who come here for surgery, especially the residents of shelter No. 404, and some of them are even his regular customers.Those guys never took his advice seriously, and some unlucky ghosts were even carried back the same day they bled profusely.

But after thinking about it, he understood.

Maybe it's because the person who did the surgery wasn't me...

Patting Fang Chang on the shoulder, the doctor left for the next shift, and Fang Chang walked into the operating room quickly, looking at Dolly who was sitting on the operating table with dazed eyes.

She was wearing a thin shirt. She had just woken up from anesthesia and was still not quite sober. She was staring blankly at the mirror in the nurse's hand.

Looking at the left arm that was as smooth as porcelain, she carefully stretched out her hand, as if afraid of breaking it, and squeezed it lightly.

The touch is as soft as real, and the temperature is exactly the same as the body temperature, and there is not even a trace of connection on the shoulders.

It's almost like the real thing!
including the left eye...

Tears filled her eyes and moistened the corners of her eyes. She sniffed lightly, covered her mouth and nose with her right hand, and sobbed uncontrollably.

After being "eliminated" by the dragon's blood potion, she never imagined that one day she would be able to live like a normal person, without having to carry heavy steel like shackles, let alone feel inferior because of her strange body and the strange eyes of others... …

"It's beautiful." The nurse holding the mirror said enviously.

Occasionally, someone would come here to assemble the bionic prosthetic body of Ideal City, but most of the residents of the shelter would pursue function, strength, and being different.

Few people regard comfort and beauty as the first reference.

"It feels...as if it was specially made for you."

"Um……"

Her fair and immature face flushed slightly, Dolly raised her arms, and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

With the support of the nurse, she got up from the hospital bed and put on her shoes again, when she happened to see Fang Chang standing at the door.

Fang Chang, who had been silent all this time, asked with concern.

"Will you not lie down for a while?"

Looking at the eager boyfriend, the nurse smiled and answered for the "patient" beside her.

"It's just a minor operation. If you want to lie down for a while, you can go to the next ward, but she's recovering well, so just go back and rest."

It is indeed a wasteland.

Changing an arm turned out to be a minor operation.

Thinking of himself in reality, he would have to stay in the hospital for a while to pull out a tooth, and Fang Chang couldn't help but blushed for a while.But just going back like this, he still couldn't feel relieved, so he looked at Dolly worriedly.

Seeing the worry in his eyes, Dolly blushed and nodded, moving her lips softly.

"I'm fine...let's go back."

"You must tell me if you feel uncomfortable." Fang Chang looked at her seriously and said with concern, "By the way, does it fit?"

"Hmm...it looks like it grew out of me," Dolly looked at Fang Chang in confusion while speaking, "By the way, how do you know the size of my arm?"

Her previous mechanical arm was not symmetrical at all, the left arm was slightly longer than the right arm, but this one was not only the same length, but even the color was exactly the same.

The point is that I haven't seen him measure it.

Could it be that he secretly measured it while he was asleep?
"It doesn't have to be measured with a ruler." Looking at the confused girlfriend, Fang Chang couldn't help smiling, "You forgot, we compared the size of hands."

Dolly's eyes widened in surprise.

"This is also possible?"

"Well, it seems I remember correctly."

"But we haven't compared arms..."

Looking at those eyes that were still confused and confused, Fang Chang coughed lightly.

"...Do you have to say it here?"

Dolly was slightly taken aback.

At first she didn't understand, but when she met the pair of malicious eyes, she came back to her senses in an instant, and her cheeks turned red into apples.

She bumped the nasty guy with her forehead aggressively, then moved closer to his shoulder and bit him in frustration.

"Hiss... Are you a cat? You always get your teeth on."

Although he didn't bite very hard, in order to relieve her anger, Fang Chang still made a cooperating grin.

Not expecting to bite him, Dolly let go of it embarrassingly, hummed a few times, and looked away with a blushing face.

"Who wants you... to be mean-spirited."

Fang Chang made an innocent expression.

"I didn't say anything... let's talk about why you suddenly bit me."

"You...you know it in your heart!"

She lowered her head in embarrassment, and after a while, she suddenly whispered embarrassingly.

"thanks……"

Fang Chang said with a smile.

"you are welcome."

Seeing that Dolly accepted the gift generously, he was actually relieved.

He would not tell her why he was so nervous in front of the operating room.

In addition to worrying about the one in ten thousand accident that might happen during the operation, he was also worried about whether she would think too much because of this special gift.

For example, he misunderstood that he disliked the smell of motor oil on her body.

He didn't care about such insignificant things at all, he just felt that the mechanical arm was too heavy... Forget about the rough man of the wind, it's a pain for her to wear it every day with such a small body, if she didn't find a suitable one, It takes time to order, and he has already replaced it for her.

"Yes!" Dolly looked at him seriously and asked in a low voice, "Tell me honestly...how much did you spend?"

Fang Chang looked at her helplessly.

"Why do you ask that? You still want to pay me back."

"Yeah!" Dolly nodded vigorously, and said seriously, "I, I also have a job... Although the salary is not that high, I will work hard!"

Looking at the serious eyes, Fang Chang knew that she was not joking or being polite, so he couldn't help feeling a bit of a headache.

To be honest, this is more troublesome than the misunderstanding he was worried about before.

Even if he pretended to be relaxed and described the process lightly, it would be difficult to change the fact that this gift was too expensive.

It's not just a scarf or a meal, it's something that a million chips can't buy.

For some it might be nothing.

But with Dolly it's completely different.

It's not the family she never had that keeps her going until now, but her self-esteem... deep down in her heart, that may be the only thing she has left.

She will not hesitate to accept the payment for buying information, even if it is to knock the client hard... That is the way she makes a living, and it is also the fruit of her labor, even if she later went to the newspaper office and asked Hal for payment She has never been polite when it comes to bonuses.

But if she gave it out of pity, even if she accepted it frankly, she would return it in another way.

He could feel the sensitivity and entanglement in her heart, especially after knowing her identity.

And this was what he was most worried about—she might interpret this overly expensive gift as a kind of pity or charity.

He didn't mean this at all, and he didn't want her to feel owed to him because of this, always thinking about repaying this "kindness".

Unequal feelings will one day be out of balance in the carefulness of one party, and he doesn't think she owes him anything.

"Well, I said it was a gift and I found it with great difficulty... Talking about money is too hurtful." Fang Chang showed a embarrassed expression on his face, thinking quickly in his heart.

"But--"

"Well," his eyes fell on the mechanical arm next to the operating table, his heart suddenly moved, and a smile appeared on his face, "That thing... is mine from now on."

"That?" Dolly stared blankly at the mechanical arm, and whispered without confidence, "That...how could it be the same as this one."

Even if she has never been to Ideal City, she can guess that one is something that cannot be bought with a pile of chips, and the other is mass-produced by Jushi Military Industry.

"Indeed." Touching his chin, Fang Chang nodded thoughtfully in agreement with her statement, "One is something that can be bought with a bunch of points, and the other is a limited-edition prop that carries countless memories... in I think the latter is much more valuable than the former."

"……precious?"

"Well, after all, it's helped you through a long period of time too, and life would be inconvenient without it."

Looking at Dolly who was confused, he reached out and touched her head with a soft smile on her face.

"You may not understand, but it's okay. I just want to say, whether it's a happy memory or a painful memory... your past, present, and future, I plan to accept them all. Words are the most precious thing."

Those eyes were gradually covered with mist of emotion. Although the nurse standing aside didn't want to disturb the atmosphere between the two of them, she had to prepare for the next operation.

With a slight cough, she reminded her kindly with a smile on her face.

"Sir... May I ask how long you will stay here?"

Suddenly came to his senses and realized that he was still in the operating room, Chang Fang smiled embarrassedly.

"Sorry, I'll take her away now."

Dolly's face blushed unconsciously, half from embarrassment, and half from embarrassment for disturbing other people's work.

Gently tugging on the long square cuffs, she whispered.

"gone."

The two left the ward in a hurry.

Just as Fang Chang was thinking about where to go for a while, he suddenly saw an acquaintance walking towards him.

"Falling feathers?"

Hearing someone calling his name, Luo Yu stopped in his tracks and looked at the two of them, with a surprised expression on his calm face.

"Ah, Fang Chang...you're back already?"

"Well, I just came back." Fang Chang smiled, took Dolly's little hand, and introduced, "This is Dolly, my girlfriend."

Dolly nodded politely.

"Hello."

"Ah, hello," with a friendly smile on his preoccupied face, Luo Yu greeted in an unskilled couplet, and then looked at Fang Chang, "By the way, have you seen my Xiao Yu? "

"Xiao Yu?" Fang Chang was slightly taken aback, "What's wrong with it...?"

"I don't know," Luo Yu shook his head and said with a puzzled expression, "...it suddenly had a fever yesterday, I brought it here, and the doctor here didn't know what to do, so he notified the scientific research team Over there, a researcher came later and said that he was staying in the hospital for observation or something... In short, I was asked to come back today, but today I searched all day and couldn't find that NPC."

"Could you be busy?"

"Maybe... I hope there won't be another BUG." When talking about BUG, ​​Luo Yu looked depressed.

I don't know why.

He felt that he was targeted by the server, and he encountered all kinds of bugs.

Fang Chang gave him a sympathetic look.

"Do you need me to help you?"

"...No, no, no," Luo Yu shook his head like a rattle, "Don't worry about me, I'll look for it myself, you go and do your work."

As he spoke, he muttered to himself as he walked to the next office, intending to find a doctor who knew the situation and inquire about the situation.

Coincidentally, at this time, several members of the Guards came over, entered the office, and took him to another place.

Fang Chang knew the leader.

It was the young man named Lu Bei who often followed Chu Guang.

The invisible gossip antenna above her head moved, and the reporter's intuition made Dolly feel that things were not that simple, so she looked curiously at Fang Chang.

"Did something happen?"

Fang Chang had a delicate expression on his face.

"Maybe... a hidden mission was triggered?"

"Hidden mission?"

"That has nothing to do with us," Fang Chang continued, squeezing her hand lightly, "Let's go, let's go have dinner."

……

Vault 404.

Warehouse on the B3 floor.

Chu Guang, who was fully armed, was frowning and staring at the strangely shaped creature in front of him.

It is like an overgrown human figure, the tapered skirt is glued to the floor, and slender tentacles flutter behind it, just like Medusa's hair.

What's even more surprising is that it only took one night to change from its original appearance to its present appearance...

"...Eep."

The voice was weak, in stark contrast to its strong body.

Seeing the tentacles dancing forward, the guards standing around Chu Guang showed nervous expressions and clenched their weapons tightly.

If the monster dared to threaten their supreme leader, they would not hesitate to shoot it.

But Chu Guang raised his hand, signaling them to put down their guns and retreat.

Perhaps because he was the first person it saw after its birth, its memory still retained its trust in itself, believing that it would not hurt it for no reason.

He could feel that there was no threat in that weak voice, it was just asking for help.

Chu Guang looked at He Ya who was standing aside.

"...What does evolution mean?"

"Transition from mother to brood!"

Completely different from those soldiers, Heya was not afraid, instead, there was a hint of excitement and excitement in her slightly trembling voice, and sweat was dripping from her clenched fists.

At this moment, her image is just like the classic villain image in Hollywood blockbusters-a scientific madman obsessed with biological experiments.

Even Chu Guang couldn't help but look at her twice more with that fanatical aura.

If it was in the book, this guy's fate would probably not be very good.

Not paying attention to Chu Guang's strange gaze, He Ya continued to speak with a frenzied expression.

"... I don't know if colleges and companies have done similar research, but this is the first time for us! You may not know what this means... We will witness the mother of the mutant slime mold, from the development The complete process from the early stage to maturity, and then to the transition to the brood!"

As she spoke, she babbled on a lot of obscure technical terms.

It was like a witch's spell, and Chu Guang couldn't understand what she was saying at all.

Although he believed in her professional level, he still interrupted her, stared at those fanatical eyes seriously, and said one sentence at a time.

"I just want to know two things right now, what happens if you let it go, and what to do if you want to get it under control."

He didn't want the B3 floor of the refuge to become like the B6 floor. It would be fine if the same accident happened once. There are many training cabins for players here.

Taking a deep breath, Heya slightly recovered her usual calmness.

"Sorry, I was a little too excited just now... To answer your question, leaving it alone is to let it evolve on its own."

"As for how to control the situation...I don't know how to control the situation, but we do have a way to interfere with the evolution process. These are two options, no matter which one you choose, there is a gamble...It depends on what you want result."

Chu Guang asked immediately.

"Self-evolution is?"

Heya said succinctly.

"Without any intervention, it will develop on its own, like most broods do. First it will go into a long, long period of dormancy, during which it will slowly metamorphose into a new life, the advantage is that we can collect Some interesting data, and the downside is that the outcome is uncontrollable, maybe it won't remember what happened before."

Chu Guang asked puzzledly.

"why is that?"

Heya replied briefly.

"There is no reason, this is my speculation based on the data collected before, including the data recorded in the B6 layer experiment. Just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, most of the cells in the pupa stage will be decomposed and digested into nutrients, becoming The nourishment of the imaginal disc cells... and the way the mother transforms into the brood is similar. This is the life process that it must go through, sacrificing the past self, and then forging a stronger self."

Chu Guang frowned.

"What about interference?"

"Borrow the chrysalis." Heya replied bluntly, "in plain language, let it swallow the mother nest that has passed the chrysalis stage on the B6 floor, which is equivalent to that guy walking the path that it was originally required to go. .”

Chu Guang was stunned.

"Can such a thing be done?"

"Certainly, slime molds are the kind of thing that devours everything to extract and interpret the secrets of genetics, including their own kind, of course."

After a pause, Heya continued to speak in a serious tone.

"However, this is not without risk. The probability of being devoured also exists, and it is not low. After all, you should understand how difficult it is for a toddler to defeat an old monster who has lived for an unknown number of years? Even if we It is by no means an easy task to help it, such as fixation inhibitors, etc... I tried to explain it in terms that you can understand, try to understand."

"I understand," Chu Guang looked at Xiaoyu, and asked in a deep voice, "Which option makes it more likely to keep itself?"

If it lost its memory and self in the process of evolution, then Luo Yu's efforts during this period of time were probably in vain.

At least in Chu Guang's view.

The reason why he was willing to take a certain risk and allow Luo Yu to move freely with Xiao Yu was not because he was free, but because he needed a mutant slime mold that could understand humans and treat humans as partners rather than prey.

Since it is impossible to eliminate this species from nature, try to domesticate them.

It's not impossible.

Dogs were also humans' competitors in the food chain before they were domesticated.

Seeing Chu Guang with a serious expression, He Ya sighed.

"I can't give you an accurate probability for this kind of thing that has never happened before. It would be great if that white pigeon... is the guy from Lost Valley. He should be very experienced, but I'm afraid it's too late to find him now." That's too late."

"And even if we find him, he may not help us." Chu Guang turned his attention to Xiaoyu.

He could sense its confusion about its own condition, its desire to preserve itself.

However, according to Heya, both options are gambles, and the probability is not very high.

At this time, a guard wearing an exoskeleton strode up to him, his right fist pressed against his chest, and he nodded slightly.

"Master Manager."

"We brought the person you were looking for."
-
(Thanks to the leader of "Daikameng" for the reward!!!)
(End of this chapter)