The iron knot lying on the nest suddenly twitched as if it had received an electric shock.
He put his hands on the ground, and before it could get up from the ground, a gun was already pressed against the back of its head.
"do not move."
Xu Shun stared at this guy intently, ready to fire at any moment.
"How to get to... the northern suburbs." A dull voice floated out from under the armor intermittently, making people wonder if he could only say this sentence.
"Who is this guy?" Yu Xiong frowned as he stared at this strange man covered in steel plates, "Is he a human?"
"have no idea."
Xu Shun squatted down and inspected the man's armor, and found that the helmet was actually welded to the breastplate.
Not only that, the connection parts of the breastplate steel plates are all riveted, with a neat row of hexagonal rivets, and there is no mechanism to open it.
Then here comes the problem.
What to do if you poop?
"I can't take it off." Xu Shun shook his head, stood up, glanced at VM and said, "Let the judgment be left to the manager."
As a manager, there must be a way.
Yu Xiong nodded, asked two guards to come over and look at this guy, and then went to the prisoner's side.
There were four prisoners in total.
Except for six who escaped, a total of fifteen people were shot dead in the melee.
Including their leader, a man named Wu Qiu.
After interrogation, it was learned that these people were all mercenaries from Boulder City, but they were not from a mercenary group. They were temporary workers who could not usually get regular jobs.
As for why you can't get any jobs, everyone has their own reasons.
Yu Xiong didn't care about this. He just ordered people to tie their hands and feet and rush them to squat by the wall, waiting for the manager to come and be relieved.
The situation on the players' and guards' side is quite optimistic. Thanks to the timely support, there are no serious injuries except for a few minor injuries.
Including the guy who got shot in the leg.
Fortunately, the bullet passed through his leg and did not damage any bones or arteries. It is unlikely that he will be disabled.
but.
He was injured like this, and he was still an unawakened ordinary person. He probably had nothing to do with the mercenary profession for the rest of his life.
Emerging from the alley, Roshan Big Momo buried his head in shame, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl in.
"Yes, I'm sorry, I get scared when the gunshots sound..."
"It's okay, it's just a small problem." Sisi patted the big white bear on the shoulder and said comfortingly.
Taili touched his chin and analyzed: "Could it be because there is something missing on the back? It felt like Rourou was quite brave last time at the experimental base."
Sisi was slightly surprised, then recalled it carefully and nodded thoughtfully.
"Hey, maybe it's really possible."
"Don't be discouraged, Rourou! The place here is too small for me to use my skills. I will definitely ride you next time!"
Rourou: "Wait, wait a minute, I always feel like something is wrong."
Sisi: "Illusion."
Tails: "That's right! It must be your illusion!"
Rourou: “???”
On the other side, with the help of vines and sesame paste, Crow Crow, who was stuck in half of the wall, finally broke free from the pile of broken concrete.
"hateful……"
After struggling to take off the helmet stuck on the breastplate, Crow Crow shook his groggy head and muttered, "That incident just now actually caused my network to go bad."
"Is it really okay with you?" Teng Teng looked worriedly at the breastplate that was almost dented by the smash, and whispered, "otherwise... you should go back and save a file."
"No, no, don't worry, I'm fine!"
Shaking her battered head, Yawu put on a smile she thought was reliable and gave a thumbs up, "Don't worry Teng Teng, I will definitely deliver you safely!"
Teng Teng held his forehead with a headache.
"How can I feel relieved when you look like this..."
Crow Crow: "Hey! You woman, aren't you touched at all?"
Teng Teng subtly averted his eyes.
"Just a little bit."
What to say?
Although it is an M-type RPG, it feels quite good to be protected.
Looking at the two people who were very close to each other, Sesame Paste interjected in a low voice: "By the way, who was the person who helped us just now?"
Crow Crow was stunned for a moment.
"Yes, I also remembered it when you told me."
Teng Teng: "Maybe... it's Boss Xia?"
Crow Crow looked at her in surprise.
"Boss Xia?!"
"Well, I guessed."
Teng Teng silently pointed to the street corner not far away.
A blue-painted power armor and a strong figure were walking towards this side from the end of the street that was turned golden by the setting sun.
I saw that behind Boss Xia, he was carrying an LD-47s "Long Scythe" semi-automatic rifle with a scope.
The cat's ears moved slightly, and a surprised expression appeared on Sesame's face.
"Manager?"
"Um."
Teng Teng nodded, a trace of curiosity written in his eyes.
"It seems to have triggered a plot."
…
Qian Lai, who had been hiding next to the two-headed cow, patted the dust off his clothes and walked out of the alley. He happened to bump into Chu Guang coming from the west.
Qian Lai had a surprised expression on his face, obviously he didn't expect to meet this big shot from the northern suburbs here.
"Manager...sir?"
Chu Guang looked at him and said.
"are you OK?"
"I'm lucky, thanks to your men, otherwise we might have lost more than one cow today."
Qian Lai admitted that he had been rash before.
These people are not weak in strength.
Although they seemed a bit unreliable, their insight and combat effectiveness were much stronger than he imagined.
"You should say this to them."
Chu Guang nodded and walked towards the weird man in armor.
Next to the armored man, Xu Shun and two guards were watching.
Until Chu Guang walked up to him, sitting against the wall, he was still repeating that sentence like a repeater.
"How to get to...the northern suburbs."
"This is the northern suburbs, and I am the manager here," Chu Guang said, looking down at it, "explain your purpose here."
Reacting to these words, the man in armor slowly raised his head and hugged his helmet with both hands.
Chu Guang caught a glimpse of scarlet from the leaky mesh mask.
I don't know if it's an illusion.
He always felt that these eyes looked familiar.
At this moment, there was a sudden "click" sound, and the weird man in armor removed the helmet from the breastplate.
Seeing his face clearly, Chu Guang was slightly startled.
Xu Shun and the guards who were standing aside changed their expressions wildly. They quickly raised their rifles and pointed them at the rotting head.
"It's a creeper! My lord!"
"Wait a moment!"
Raising his hand to stop the guards who were about to shoot, Chu Guang stared at the scarlet eyes and rotten face with a trace of curiosity in his eyes.
"your name?"
It's really strange.
Can slime mold mutants actually speak human language?
The rotten face gasped gently, and there was no rational color in the scarlet pupils.
Chu Guang felt a little disappointed.
However, just when he was about to give up on this meaningless thing, the rotten face suddenly opened his mouth slowly.
"B...Butch."
Seeing this guy talking nonsense, the guards standing around were shocked.
Including Xu Shun.
Although there were also some alien species in the outpost that could speak human language, in his mind they were the shelter's technology and blue-coated pets.
And such a wild mutant, and a slime mold mutant, actually opened his mouth and spoke human language. He had never heard of such an outrageous thing!
"Baqi?" Chu Guang stared at him and asked, "Is your name Baqi?"
The man nodded slowly.
"yes."
Chu Guang frowned.
This name...
It sounds a bit familiar.
…
"The analysis results are out."
Floor B3 of Vault 404.
Medical laboratory.
Heya walked out of the laboratory and skillfully handed a screen modified into a VM into Chu Guang's hand, which was filled with a series of test results including blood tests.
As the most knowledgeable expert on alien species in the shelter, the silver-haired SSSR is probably the only one who hopes to figure out what happened to this "Bucky" guy.
However, Chu Guang couldn't understand what was written on the tablet at all.
"What's going on with him?" After a pretentious look, Chu Guang returned the tablet to Heya.
Heya explained patiently.
"Variant slime mold infection, and the erosion rate is as high as 67%. This situation is quite rare, because according to my research results, there should be a predatory relationship between slime mold mutants and other organisms. Do you remember, crawlers are slime molds
The fruiting body of.”
Chu Guang nodded, indicating that he still remembered.
"What about him?"
Heya: "Symbiosis."
Chu Guang was slightly stunned.
"...Symbiosis?"
Heya sighed and held her forehead with her hands across her chest.
"I don't think much about popular science... In short, he is probably half human now, and half has turned into a slime mold. At first, the slime mold ate most of his organs, but for some reason, it suddenly decided to let him live, so it evolved
It became a fruiting body that functions like an organ, replacing his original organ."
The fruiting bodies evolved from mutant slime molds can imitate the behavior and characteristics of the organisms they eat, such as gnawers, crawlers, bombers and even tyrants.
However, after eating an organ, it is rare to replace the original organ and form a symbiotic relationship with the host.
Even Xia Yan, who is fond of talking about urban legends, has never heard of it.
Chu Guang pinched his eyebrows.
"Does that mean he only has one brain left?"
"Maybe three-quarters?" Heya hesitated and thought for a moment before saying, "The slime mold infection stopped after reaching the cerebellum, and at least half of the spinal cord has been replaced by the fruiting bodies formed by the slime mold."
Chu Guang: "How long can he live?"
Heya: "I don't know, maybe I can live forever."
Chu Guang was stunned for a moment.
"Stay alive?!"
Heya nodded.
"Well... because according to my research results, there is no Hayflick limit in mutant slime mold. Even as time goes by, the functions of the organs formed by those fruiting bodies will be further improved and their functions will be more powerful than before. Of course, there are also
Another possibility is that when these slime molds 'feel' that the host is no longer needed, it might also eat the remaining part of the brain."
"Wait a minute," Bach, who was sitting next to the scanning bed, slowly raised his steel-covered hand and said in a weak voice, "I'm like this, can I still be saved?"
Chu Guang glanced at this guy in surprise.
"you're awake?"
He thought this guy only knew one sentence.
"I injected him with an inhibitor to inhibit the activity of the slime mold that invaded the nervous system." Heya looked at Bach, who was sitting on the scanning bed, and continued, "I don't know whether to save him or not. I don't know how to answer this question. If
It’s probably impossible for you to completely return to your original appearance, but if you can accept prosthetic transformation, you can completely remove the xenogeneic organs and replace them with bionic prosthetics.”
That's the way she is.
Bionic prosthetics can not only extend lifespan, but are also far more reliable than the original organs of living organisms. But Heya also knows that replacing most parts with technology is not acceptable to everyone.
Chu Guang coughed lightly.
"There is no black box for producing bionic organs in Vault 404... Actually, if you think about it from another angle, isn't the organ on your body now considered a bionic organ? And it can still evolve actively."
Heya looked at Chu Guang in surprise. After thinking for a while, she nodded and said.
"When you say that, it's quite a bit."
There was a pained expression on Butch's face.
"This feeling is not good at all."
Chu Guang: "Does it hurt?"
Bucky shook his head: "That's not true. Don't say it hurts. I have lost my sense of pain. I can't even feel that I am still alive."
Chu Guang: "What exactly happened to you?"
Bucky was silent for a while and sighed softly.
"Then it's a long story..."
That happened in the winter of 211 in the Wasteland Era.
Butch, who was far away in the ideal city, had just received his diploma and was planning a graduation trip. But at this moment, he received a letter from a good friend from afar.
Luo Hua described in the letter that in the far west, in the middle of the Central Continent, there is a good place called Qingquan City.
There is a group of nice people living there, from Vault 404, which has just been released from lockdown, and they have recently become permanent partners of the enterprise.
Of course, the most important thing is that there is amazing food and culture there. Those blue coats have mastered many cooking methods that he has never seen before, and can even turn unpalatable exotic meat into delicious dishes.
In Bach's opinion, food should be linked to technology. Those wastelanders are already worthy of praise if they can cook the food well. How can you know what delicious food is when you can't even eat it? Let alone What kind of culture is that?
However, this letter still aroused Bucky's interest. He happened to be bored to the point of mold in Ideal City. Although the life here is orderly and regular like the code on the holographic screen, it is precisely because of this that it lacks the necessary errors. .
So, at the instigation of his good friends, he set the destination of his "graduation trip" in the middle of the River Valley Province, and stepped into the western wilderness with the idea of exploring the unknown.
However, what he didn't expect was that the journey would be full of surprises from the beginning...
"...My father is a wine merchant. I first followed the caravan sponsored by my father to the western part of Yunjian Province. From then on, I started traveling alone. I hired guards, guides, and doctors, and took all precautions I made preparations and followed the track tracks of the Pioneer. Everything went as smoothly as planned. However, when I passed by Yongdong City, an accident happened."
"There was no one there, it was like a dead city. No one knew where the survivors' settlement should have been on the map. Out of caution, we planned to evacuate from the city. But at this moment , we were suddenly besieged by thousands or perhaps tens of thousands of gnawing predators."
Bucky took a deep breath.
"I thought I was dead when I was knocked down by the Eaters. However, when I woke up, I found that the Eaters around me were gone...including my teammates. I always thought it was a nightmare,
It wasn't until I found a mirror that I realized the real nightmare had just begun."
Butch's Adam's apple moved and he continued.
"From then on, I became like this."
Heya and Chu Guang looked at each other and couldn't help but say.
"This is too bizarre."
Chu Guang nodded.
"really."
When he heard the first half, Chu Guang had already figured out the identity of this Bach, who was Luo Hua who was on the Kuaishou before, and he wanted to introduce it to his engineer friend.
However, Chu Guang still had some doubts about the second half of Bachi's words.
It was not unusual for players to occasionally die in the tunnel, but he had never heard of a player being parasitized by a slime mold variant.
Just as Heya said, the first reaction of the slime mold's fruiting body to the captured prey is to eat it directly and turn it into nutrients for the production of spores.
This was the first time he heard that someone was turned into "one of his own" by slime mold.
Bucky smiled bitterly, lowered his head and continued.
"In short, the alien species seem to have lost interest in me since then. The slime mold alien species regards me as the same kind. And those mutant hyenas will not bite me unless they are extremely hungry. Even if they bite, they will only eat me at most.
A hand... maybe a leg. But it doesn't matter, because you can't feel the pain at all. The lost hands and legs will slowly grow back in a week or two, and they will be stronger than before. To the hyena later
It can no longer bite me, and I have become what I am now."
Regeneration of severed limbs?!
Regenerative limb evolution?!
Damn it.
This ability is a bit awesome.
After listening to this guy's description, Chu Guang's face was filled with surprise.
He dared to bet that if there was a choice, many players would be willing to exchange "lives" with him. Apart from being a little ugly, he could hardly think of any weaknesses in this "sequence". As long as the brain is not broken, wouldn't it
Can you live forever?
"Are you envious?"
"That's not true..."
"No, I can feel it," Bucky shook his head and continued with a bitter expression on his face, "You don't understand this feeling at all. I have never been to a human survivor colony since then, and
When I see people, I have to stay away. They don't believe that I am a human being. Even if I tell them that it was an accident, they will drive me away."
Chu Guang: "...then you can't possibly have made this armor yourself, right?"
Butch: "I met slave traders when I entered the Vale Province."
Chu Guang: "Slave trader?"
"Well," Bucky nodded, "that guy is the only good person I met along the way who was interested in me. He said he would take me to the Wandering Swamp and sell me to people at the academy for research. I thought about it.
Maybe if the academy could really figure out what happened to me, it seemed good to be sold to the academy, so I followed him."
"That man found a blacksmith and made me a set of steel armor so that I could easily enter the survivor settlement without attracting attention. However... the plan could never keep up with the changes. His slaves rioted because of some things.
Hanged him from a tree."
"I didn't know how to get to the academy at all. I asked the slaves and they didn't know. They just wanted to go home. I had to walk the rest of the way alone. Then I suddenly remembered what Luo Hua told me.
There is a place called Shelter No. 404 in Qingquan City, so I continued walking west, but as I walked, my physical condition suddenly began to deteriorate, and my consciousness began to drift... It's hard to describe the feeling, just
It's like there's a rope between my soul and my body."
Heya interrupted.
"It should be that time, the slime mold has invaded the nervous system. I can perform a small surgery on you later to prevent the slime mold from spreading to the nervous system."
"Thank you," Bach took a deep breath and looked at Chu Guang with pleading eyes, "In the end, I only remembered the northern suburbs of Qingquan City, and then walked all the way here... This is my entire experience. I am now
I don’t know what to do, can you help me?”
"Of course I will help you. Your friend Luo Hua is also my friend. He has helped me a lot. What's more, this happened to you on the way to my place. There is no way I can leave you alone.
." Chu Guang then looked at Heya, "In addition to replacing the bionic organs, is there any way to restore him to his original state?"
Bionic organs are too expensive.
If you just replace the eyes, the hands and feet are fine, but if you replace the whole thing from blood vessels to skin, I'm afraid not many rich people in the ideal city can bear it.
Many things are non-renewable resources, just like nuclear fusion. There is more than one dimension difference between the words "can be used" and "can be made".
Heya shook her head.
"His immune system has been completely replaced by the fruiting bodies of slime molds. Strictly speaking, it is not that he accepted those slime molds, but that those slime molds allowed him to retain his brain and control his body that has become a heterogeneous species. Compared to
To replace the bionic organs, I actually recommend changing the body directly... How about putting the head in a petri dish first?"
Butch held his head in pain.
"Then I might as well just die..."
Heya's eyes lit up, and she was about to say a few words of encouragement when Chu Guang, who saw her thoughts from the side, coughed slightly, interrupting what the guy was almost saying.
"I don't think that changing to a machine body may be more optimistic than the current situation. In short, you should live here for a while. You have nowhere else to go."
After a pause, Chu Guang continued.
"By the way, you just mentioned your graduation trip...what's your major?"
Budge: "Materials engineer."
Chu Guang said in surprise: "Materials engineer? Specifically? What do you study?"
The expression on Butch's face was a little subtle.
"In the direction of carbon nanotechnology...but don't put too much hope in my professional abilities. I may know more about wine and food."
His diploma was faked.
This kind of situation is not uncommon in Ideal City, especially for people like him who have no intention of engaging in this industry, and there is no need to worry about being involved in gangs.
Bach originally planned to go back after the trip to inherit his father's wine business and expand the market outside of Yunjian Province, but now, let alone going back, he didn't even dare to let his father know that he had become like this.
.
He can be sure that his father will not spend that wasted money to replace him with a mechanical prosthetic body that cannot reproduce offspring, but will choose to regenerate one without hesitation.
"It doesn't matter, everything comes from unskilled to skilled. What you lack is just a little experience, and I can just provide you with an internship opportunity." Chu Guang patted his shoulder excitedly, "As for the wine, don't worry.
We don’t just have wine here, there are more interesting things than that... By the way, can you still drink when you’re like this?”
"Of course, my sense of taste is still normal..." Bucky whispered guiltily, "What are you going to ask me to do?"
Chu Guang didn't answer, but reached out and pressed on the VM. Soon there were footsteps outside the door, and Yin Fang walked in from the outside.
"What do you want from me? I'm busy."
Yin Fang stood at the door with an obviously impatient expression on his face.
Recently, his players have recovered a lot of valuable information from the ruins, and he has been analyzing the valuable clues in those materials.
When this guy got busy, he even ate in the laboratory. He probably hadn't showered for a while. Not only was his hair messy, but he also hadn't shaved.
But Chu Guang didn't care about this.
"I would like to introduce you to a new employee. This is Bucky. Although... he looks a bit scary, he is a good person."
Yin Fang stared at Bach for a while.
"crawler?"
There was a bitter expression on Butch's face.
"This is an accident. Do I...really look like a creeper?"
Yin Fang nodded with a strange expression.
"kind of."
Looking at Bach who was in depression, Chu Guang coughed lightly.
"Don't judge a book by its cover... Also, this is the D-class prospector of the academy. Haven't you been looking for the academy? He is from the academy, even though it was in the past."
"Hello Mr. Bach," Yin Fang still held out the bionic prosthetic leg on his right hand produced in the college to show dignity, "What is your expertise?"
"Wine-making, and...know a little bit about materials," Bucky slowly raised his heavy steel arm, barely shook his hand, and added cautiously, "But I only know a little bit."
Yin Fang's eyes lit up.
"Materials? Great!"
Chu Guang looked at him.
"Have you discovered anything new?"
"Of course! It's some information about Zhongzhou Aerospace. Some data about aerospace external equipment need to be repaired. I just need an expert in materials science. This will greatly speed up the progress of my work." Yin Fang looked at Bach with joy.
, “Can I trust your professional abilities?”
Bach actually wanted to say no, because he didn't really believe in his own level, but the look in his eyes full of expectation made him unable to say anything.
Ever since he turned into this ghost, everyone he met wanted him to get away, as far away as possible.
This was the first time that someone actually didn't care about his face and said that he needed his help...
Nodding, Bucky said cautiously.
"Although I would say brewing and doing business are more suitable for me, but... I can give it a try."
"Very good!"
Chu Guang happily patted this old man on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, you will have a lot of time. In addition to work, of course you can also try the things that interest you. At the same time, we will do our best to find a way for you to change back."
Bucky laughed bitterly.
"hope so."
Originally, he planned to use Vault 404 as the starting point of his journey.
But now it seems that my graduation trip has ended early...
Colleges, companies, legions, and old popsicles from the shelter...the NPC lineup in Vault 404 is getting bigger and bigger.
Just as Chu Guang was settling down his friend who had come from afar, ten iron horse 60 pot camel machines purchased from Boulder City were finally delivered to the industrial area of the outpost.
Eight of them were sent to No. 81 Steel Plant, and two were sent to Goblin Technology.
According to the tasks received.
No. 81 Steel Plant needs to convert four of them into large tractors capable of providing 60 horsepower within two weeks, and complete a set of trailed four-row subsoil seeders for it.
In addition, there are irrigation canals on the north bank of Linghu Lake and mechanized mills needed for the granary. Two of these will be used each.
Looking at this compact and well-designed equipment in front of him, the lone wolf who happened to be helping out at the No. 81 Steel Plant had a surprised expression on his face.
"Is this a pot camel machine?"
Brother Wusuo and Brother Levin met each other and looked at him doubtfully.
"Any questions?"
The lone wolf shook his head.
"It's nothing... I just feel it's rare."
The pot camel machine consumes a large amount of wood and was basically eliminated in the 1970s. It is only used in a few rural and remote areas.
In his impression, the more common power is 8 to 12 horsepower, and rarely more than 20 horsepower, let alone a 60 horsepower monster that is comparable to a fuel engine.
but……
This is pretty wasteland.
"I'm afraid this thing consumes a lot of wood."
Brother Levin smiled and said: "It doesn't matter. The most indispensable thing here is wood. It is everywhere from the city to the outside of the city. I cut a bunch of it when we opened up wasteland, which just consumes a little!"
Brother Wusuo echoed: "That's right! But we have also been studying internal combustion engines recently."
Lone Wolf said in surprise.
"Is there oil here?"
Brother Levin: "There is a crop that can produce oil."
Brother Wu Suo: "That's right! Although we don't have any seeds, the manager said he can help us borrow some from our neighbor's house!"
It's okay to borrow a little.
Lone Wolf looked at the pot camel machine.
"Can I take it apart and study it?"
Brother Levin said cheerfully.
"It doesn't matter! We originally planned to take it apart and study the structure inside."
"That's right!" Brother Tousuo nodded excitedly, "The manager said it can be dismantled, as long as it can be put back together!"
There was a hint of excitement in Lone Wolf's eyes.
He is very curious.
How realistic can a developer of this epoch-making M-RPG be in the details?