This game is too real.

Chapter 521 Devour and Choice

"...Xiaoyu?"

In the warehouse on the B3 floor of the refuge, Luo Yu froze on the spot when she saw Xiao Yu whose volume had swelled by more than a circle.

This is……

what's the situation? !

"Boiled!"

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's going on with you?"

Luo Yu walked forward, ignoring the tentacles floating beside her, 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.

"Hey..." Xiaoyu let out a weak cry, and that pitiful look made people feel distressed.

Chu Guang looked at Heya.

"Tell him about the situation."

He Ya nodded, looked at the anxious Luo Yu, and repeated to him what she had just said to Chu Guang.

Especially about those two options.

"...There are only two options now, let it evolve autonomously, or let it swallow the mother nest on the B6 layer. The former has a higher success rate, but the randomness is greater, and there is a high probability that it will lose the current memory after success. The latter exists The risk of being swallowed back, but if the evolution is successful, the result is relatively controllable, and there is a high probability that it can retain its current self."

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

"...Does it have to evolve?"

He suddenly felt.

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

For him, Xiao Yu has become his partner, and even saved him on the battlefield before.

If the price of becoming stronger is to sacrifice those irreplaceable memories, he would rather it be as stupid as it used to be.

Looking at Luo Yu, He Ya nodded seriously.

"Yes, just like the birth, old age, sickness and death of a person, 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 her head with a little remorse.

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

"Yes and no."

Luo Yu raised his head in confusion.

"What's the meaning."

Heya said.

"Mutated slime mold... is a very special kind of creature, and Ni's Xiaoyu is the most special kind. It does not rely on spores to transmit information, but uses vocal cords to generate and communicate with sound just like humans. Genetic material It only accounts for a small part of its evolutionary path, more... I think it may be memory."

"memory?"

"Well," Heya nodded, "a creature's habits, experience, knowledge, etc., together constitute its understanding of evolution and the next stage of self. When these memories accumulate to a certain extent, the memories from the depths of life Instinct tells him it's time...and he moves on to the next stage of his life."

"That's its mission."

Luo Yu was silent for a while, then looked up at Chu Guang
"I want to talk to it."

He Ya also looked at Chu Guang.

"My suggestion is also 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... 10 minutes, no, 5 minutes will be enough."

Chu Guang waved his hand towards the guard regiment, and then took Heya and his party out of the warehouse, to the outside of the B3 floor.

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

Anyway, Xiao Qi was able to monitor every corner of the refuge, and even if any accident happened, he could control the situation immediately.

While waiting, He Ya looked at Chu Guang.

"Is it okay to let him choose?"

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

There is no best of both worlds option in this world, not to mention Xiao Yu's problem is unprecedented on this planet.

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

The league's success today did not depend entirely on him doing multiple-choice questions alone.

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

"I've decided." Staring at Chu Guang intently, Luo Yu said in a serious tone, "The second one... let it devour the brood on the B6 floor."

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

"Have you figured it out? It's not easy for a baby who has just learned to walk to defeat an old monster who has lived for more than 100 years, even if that guy is already weak."

"Hmm..." Luo Yu nodded, and glanced at Xiao Yu behind him, "It's not just my idea...it's also its decision."

Instead of losing all memories and turning into another new life, it's better to take a gamble and pass on the memories with a brand new body.

As he said, this is not his decision alone.

After hearing his confession, Xiao Yu 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."

With Luo Yu making the final decision, the operation to transfer Xiao Yu to the B6 floor soon began, 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 soon formed a queue outside the buffer workshop.

"Team A follows me! Team B covers fire!"

"Target server room! Move!"

"Ouch!"

Accompanied by a neat clicking sound, the LD-47 rifles and LD-47j light machine guns were loaded one by one, and the team of 20 people quickly rushed into the corridor.

The more than a dozen gnawers that were killed before have been recycled by the brood to resynthesize new fruiting bodies.

However, the general fruiting entities are not the players' opponents at all, and they are quickly wiped out in a burst of flames.

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

Level B6 has no reactors.

The brood is hosted on the server of the biological laboratory, and the tentacles have replaced the lines and cooling pipes connected to the chassis.

"Give me the inhibitor."

"Ouke." Quit took out a metal round tube the size of a soda can from his backpack, and threw it to Lao Bai who was wearing power armor to open the way ahead.

After catching the round metal tube, Lao Bai skillfully pulled out the fuse, and threw it in the moment he opened the movable door of the computer room.

The moment the metal tube came into contact with the wriggling creep, it was quickly swallowed by the creep indiscriminately, but not long after, the brood seemed to realize that it had eaten something that shouldn't be eaten, and suddenly felt like an electric shock There was a trembling like a conditioned reflex and spit it out.

But it's too late.

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

This concentrated biopheromone is like an anesthetic for the slime mold.

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

Pointing his index finger on the helmet, Lao Bai said calmly.

"The brood has been controlled... Luo Yu, how is it going with you?"

"...I just got off the elevator and will be there soon."

"Okay, better hurry up."

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

I don't know if it was his delusion.

The moment Xiao Yu reached the B6 floor, Lao Bai could clearly feel that the brood in front of him seemed to become more irritable.

soon.

Xiaoyu, which 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 making complaints in a low voice.

"I'm giao... this guy looks more and more like a tentacle monster."

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

From the perspective of size, it is obvious that Xiaoyu is much weaker than it.

Luo Yu couldn't help but feel worried, but at this moment, a tentacle landed on his shoulder.

"Eep."

Slightly stunned, Luo Yu looked at Xiao Yu who was watching him from the side.

"You want to say...don't worry me?"

"Eep!"

Kohane nodded.

The abstract outline couldn't see its expression at the 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!"

Kohane nodded happily.

"Boiled!"

After the words fell, the creep blanket that was dragging on the floor squirmed forward, dragging the body that swelled more than a circle forward.

Before entering the dormant period, devouring the brood that has completed its metamorphosis is the only way for it to retain its self-awareness in the process of transitioning to the next life stage.

Tentacles shot into the open door like lightning, and got into the sea of ​​slime that rolled like waves.

The intrusion process went smoothly.

Just as Xiao Yu felt that she was slowly devouring that huge consciousness aggregate, the magnificent information suddenly hit like a sea wave.

"Eep—"

There was a trace of pain in the abstract facial features, and the tentacles that penetrated into the door shook violently like an electric shock.

Luo Yu, who stood watching from the side, felt his heart tighten for a moment, and his heart reached his throat.

The blood connection allowed him to feel its pain at the moment, but apart from watching it suffer, he couldn't help it at all.

The players standing aside also sweated for it.

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

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.

Only by itself.

Not long after, the trembling tentacles seemed to stabilize, and Xiaoyu's expression was no longer twisted, but tended to a gentle state.

The fierce competition has temporarily come to an end.

The two sides could not do anything to each other, and the biological instinct made them choose a temporary truce, and thus started negotiations.

Xiaoyu could feel that she had established a deeper connection with the brood in front of her.

An invisible bond is maintaining between them, and it has heard the call from the depths of the sea of ​​consciousness.

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

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

"Mission? What's that?"

"Swallow, evolve, surpass all life, dominate the entire planet and even the universe...that is our mission."

"No."

"why???"

"Because...they matter too."

The boundless darkness was silent for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, that hoarse voice was tinged with fatigue.

After more than two centuries, it does get tired, too.

"It seems that 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 drifted away in the boundless darkness.

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

The brood didn't 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 consciousness group that talked to it had completely disappeared from this world.

like never before...

"Eep..."

It suddenly felt a little lonely.

Just now, it may have killed one of its kind.

That guy might be a senior, or ancestor, older than his father and mother.

But it doesn't regret it.

There are too many things in this world that it cannot give up, whether it is those interesting people, delicious candies, or nice voices.

That is absolutely impossible to have by itself.

So why kill them all?

Why can't we be together?

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

There are those funny guys.

It's never lonely...

……

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

Just a few minutes ago, Xiaoyu walked in, and then completely merged with the slime mold that boiled like sea waves.

And then--

There's no after that.

He didn't even know who actually won.

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

It's hard to describe this intuition.

This is so mysterious.

"It's over?" Staring at the brood behind the door, Ye Shi blinked in confusion, with a bewildered expression.

"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 don't know too well... I can feel that it is still alive, but it can't seem to hear me."

"Maybe it's entering a dormant period."

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

"Um……"

Luo Yu silently nodded.

Lao Bai glanced at the mission completion sign on the VM, then turned to look at his teammates and waved.

"Mission complete, close the team!"

Hearing that the mission was over from the boss, the brothers breathed a sigh of relief, put away the weapons in their hands, and yelled a few words in a lively atmosphere.

"Ow!"

"Get off work, get off work!"

"Damn it, it's all over!"

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

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

"You don't understand, this is to keep you from being too far away from society... No beep beep, brother, let's go first, see you on the forum!"

at the same time.

The browsing room on the B4 floor.

Chu Guang, He Ya, and Yin Fang, who was called to join in the fun, witnessed the whole process of the operation through surveillance.

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

Biology is not his area of ​​expertise.

Compared with the mutant slime mold, he cared more about the relics left by the pre-war civilization, and that was the real priceless thing.

Heya said happily.

"It's not sure yet, but my gut tells me it should be a success."

According to various indicators, the life activities of the mother nest have weakened. If Xiaoyu was swallowed by the mother nest, the life activities of the mother nest should have increased.

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

Xiaoyu is the mother body formed based on his clone.

Although there is no reliable theory to explain this phenomenon, according to various experimental evidences, there is a special bond between them.

Looking at the proud Heya, a trace of envy floated in Yin Fang's eyes.

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

"That's right, after Xiaoyu has fully assimilated the brood, the laboratory on the B6 floor can be put into use again."

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

"Chu Guang has already promised to give it to me, so I don't need to do research in that small room on the B3 floor in the future."

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

"Hmm." He Ya was in a good mood, and the corners of her mouth slightly curled up triumphantly.

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

"It's useless for you to look at me...it's not up to me to decide."

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

But it's no use rushing this kind of thing.

All he can do is do the job well.

"Okay, I know it's useless to urge you...By the way, I want to ask you something." Yin Fang looked at Chu Guang and continued to ask curiously, "Did you meet the people from the academy this time?"

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

Yin Fang immediately asked.

"Who?"

Chu Guang thought for a while and said.

"The one who negotiated the ceasefire agreement with us was named Li Ke, and the one who explored the No. 0 shelter was named Yang Kai...but he didn't come out of the long shuttle-shaped aircraft the whole time."

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

Chu Guang raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

"you recognize?"

"How is it possible? I'm a D-level, so I can't possibly know that kind of big shot," Yin Fang smiled and shook his head, 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 mutated slime mold, not an expert in relics... Hiss, how strange." Yin Fang suddenly scratched the back of his head.

"strangeness?"

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

-

(Thanks to the leader of "Natural Disasters and Man-made Disasters o" for the reward!!! I didn't know whether it was food poisoning or typhoid fever last night. I felt hot all over my body after eating, and felt cold again, and then had a headache. I opened my eyes at night and didn't know how to sleep. No, I woke up with sore joints in the morning... I was 8K for the past few days, but today I only have 5K words, I have to lie down for a while, I'm really sorry.)
(End of this chapter)