Chapter 521 Devour and Choice

   "... Kohane?"

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

This is…

what's the situation? !

   "Blanch!"

   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 is your situation?"

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

   Hiss—

  It's so hot!

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

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

  Chu Guang looked at Heya.

   "Tell him about the situation."

  Heya nodded, looked at Luo Yu with an anxious face, 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 brood 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 it succeeds. The latter exists to be destroyed. The risk of being devoured in turn, 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, Heya nodded seriously.

   "Yes, just like the birth, aging, 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 reproach.

   "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 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 like humans. The genetic material is in the It's only a small part of its evolutionary path, more... I think it might 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 what it does."

  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 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... Ten minutes, no, five minutes will be enough."

  Chu Guang waved his hand towards the guards, and then he led Heya and his party out of the warehouse and came 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, Xiaoqi can monitor every corner of the shelter, even if any accident happens, he can 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.

  In this world, there is no choice for the best of both worlds, not to mention that Xiao Yu's problem is unprecedented on this planet.

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

   The alliance can go to today, it is not all due to 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 came 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 a hundred years, even if that guy is already very weak."

   "Well..." 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 becoming a completely new life, it is better to take a gamble and use a brand new body to pass on the memories.

   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."

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

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

   "Target server room! Go!"

   "Aww!"

  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 twenty people quickly rushed into the corridor.

   The dozen or so gnawers that were killed before have been recovered by the nest 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.

  B6 floor has no reactors.

  The mother nest 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 and opening the way ahead.

  Catching the metal round pipe, Lao Bai skillfully pulled out the fuze, 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 was too late.

  White mist sprayed out from the metal round tube. When 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.

   Tapping the helmet with his index finger, Lao Bai said calmly.

   "The brood is under control... Luo Yu, what's going on 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 illusion.

   The moment Xiao Yu arrived at 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 complaining 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 the 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's eyes couldn't help but a hint of worry floated up, 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 mean...don't worry me?"

   "Eep!"

   Kohane nodded.

   The abstract outline can't see its expression at the moment, but Luo Yu can feel the unwavering confidence in its heart.

   Not wanting to live up to that courage, he took a deep breath and showed a serious expression on his face.

"come on!"

   Xiaoyu nodded happily.

   "Blanch!"

   After the voice fell, the creep that was dragged on the floor squirmed forward, dragging the body that had 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—"

  A trace of pain appeared in the abstract facial features, and the tentacles that penetrated into the door trembled violently like an electric shock.

   Standing aside and watching, Luo Yu 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 by looking at it, you can feel how difficult it is.

  Ye Shi and Guafeng exchanged glances.

   "Can this guy do it?"

"…How would I know."

  Guang Feng looked at the struggling Xiao Yu expressionlessly.

  No one can help you with this kind of thing.

  Only by itself.

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

  The fierce competition has temporarily come to an end.

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

  Xiao Yu 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 somehow 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."

"Can't."

"Why???"

   “Because…they matter too.”

   The boundless darkness was silent for a long time.

   After an unknown amount of time, the 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.

   "It's all the same anyway..."

  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 may be a senior, or ancestor, older than his father and mother.

   But it has no regrets.

  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?

  Compared to becoming 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 Xiao Yu was still alive, and the bond between the blood vessels had not been cut.

   It is difficult to describe this intuition.

  This is too 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." Kuangfeng 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 doesn't seem to hear what I say."

   "Maybe it has entered a dormant period."

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

"Um…"

  Luo Yu nodded silently.

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

   "Aww!"

   "Get off work get off work!"

   "Damn, it's all over!"

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

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

   "You don't understand, this is to keep you from getting too far away from the society... Stop beeping, 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, the three witnessed the whole process of the whole operation through monitoring.

   "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 to the mutant slime mold, he is more concerned about the relics left by the pre-war civilization, and that is the real priceless thing.

   Heya said happily.

   "I can't be sure yet, but my intuition tells me that it should be successful."

  According to various indicators, the life activities of the brood have weakened. If Xiao Yu was swallowed by the brood, the life activities of the brood should have increased.

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

   Xiaoyu is the mother body formed based on his clone.

  Although there is no reliable theory that can explain this phenomenon, various experimental evidences show that 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 completely 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... Counting the biological laboratory branch of Vault 79, you have two research facilities."

   "Hmm." Heya was in a good mood, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly triumphantly.

   Seeing Yin Fang staring straight 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 useless to be anxious about this kind of thing.

  All he can do is to do the things at hand 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 asked immediately.

"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 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 memories.

  Chu Guang raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

"you know?"

"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 mutant slime mold, not an expert in relics... Hey, how strange." Yin Fang suddenly scratched the back of his head.

"strangeness?"

   "Well..." 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. After eating, I felt hot all over my body for a while, and then felt cold, and then I had a headache. I opened my eyes at night and didn't know if I slept. , Woke up in the morning with sore joints... The last few days were all 8K, and today I only have 5K words, I have to lie down for a while, I'm really sorry.)

  (end of this chapter)