Luo Yu: "Three days! Resurrection. I haven't moved for three days! Do you know how I got here in the past three days! TT"
Edge scratching; "The bug hasn't been fixed yet?"
Ye Shi: "Surprised! (Funny)" Luo Yu: "Cracked..."
Fang Chang: "Danding, you only have three days. Jun Jun was disconnected as soon as he left the shelter, and he missed several versions in a row. You haven't made it through yet."
Luo Yu: "Several versions?! Damn it, no way? QAQ
Kuangfeng: "That's not called a bug, right?"
Fang Chang: "Yes, it's true after all. (Squints and smiles)"
Crow Crow: "Huh? It's already September already, and winter is coming soon. (*"Female)"
Teng Teng: "Yes, I can obviously feel that the weather is not so hot these days when I go online, and there is even a hint of coolness in the autumn breeze."
Garbage Picking Level 99: "Shivering."
Lao Bai: "Brother Trash, why don't you consider moving south while you can still move? (Baring teeth)"
Trash Picking Level 99: "I'll think about it."
The banquet in the palace has not yet come to an end. Chu Guang has returned to the Heart of Steel and ordered the crew to prepare to return home.
The carrier-based aircraft on the airship were piloted by pilots from the Goblin Corps, and they all landed on the temporary runway north of the royal capital.
They will be responsible for protecting the airspace of the royal capital and supporting the army on the northwest side of Oasis No. 9
Although the commander of the Goblin Corps was sent south to perform a mission by him and should have returned to Qingquan City by now, it doesn't matter whether he has that guy or not.
Unlike other corps, the corps leader of the goblin corps is only responsible for raising money and does not want to put in the effort to command, and sometimes he dies too quickly and has no chance to command.
The purpose of the Corps is that those who want to fly planes can fly planes, those who want to fire cannons can fire cannons, and the shooting points are calculated by yourself. Ask friendly troops for the coordinates of air strikes and artillery bombardments. If you are embarrassed, retreat by yourself.
In Mosquito's own words, this is called strategic breaking up into parts. It seems that every battle is just soy sauce, but in fact it maximizes the potential of each player, which coincides with the intention of the administrator to launch the corps system.
.
Regardless of the purpose of the Goblin Corps, the pilots who can land the plane on the deck of the airship have impeccable driving skills. With the anti-aircraft guns and radio guidance of the ground forces, the safety of protecting the Lion City is not a big problem.
King Edward was naturally extremely reluctant to leave Chu Guang.
But in comparison, those who were even more reluctant to part were the officials in the palace.
Many princes and nobles heard at the banquet that the managers of the alliance were not yet married, and their minds suddenly became hot. They were looking for connections, and they wanted to compete with the female members of the clan to enter the palace, whether it was to warm the bed or serve tea.
.
Even before the banquet was over, King Edward himself didn't know that the servants in the palace he had prepared for Chu Guang had been completely changed.
Even the servant who cleaned the bookshelf was replaced by the youngest daughter of a certain Duke's family.
That fragile look really makes people worry about whether they can hold the ladder steady.
And the reason why it became like this is just because of a rumor that is unknown whether it is true or not——
The managers of the alliance like to read books and have collected many of them.
However, the development of things was beyond everyone's expectation except the old king.
Almost everyone did not expect that the administrator of the alliance did not go to the palace prepared for him by King Edward.
I didn't even stay in the area for a whole night. I went back to bed before the meeting was over. I just realized that I didn't even stay here for a whole night. I had a cake with me before the meeting was over.
, leaving only a group of self-centered and sentimental nobles.
The clan masters are messy in the wind...
On the Heart of Steel. Inside the bridge.
Looking at Commander Quan Shui, Chu Guang explained to him the next arrangements.
"Although we have achieved a staged victory, the war is far from over. Now the battle line has been pushed to the westernmost side of Oasis No. 9. The farthest bunker is even 1,500 kilometers away from Dawn City. Whether it is defense or future offense,
, it will be a severe test for our logistics."
"This war cannot rely on us alone. I will give you two tasks."
"The first is to consolidate the existing defense line and ensure that the autumn harvest of the Lion Kingdom can proceed smoothly. This is not only related to the food supply for the residents of No. 9 Oasis, but also related to our food reserves."
"The other is to train our friendly troops and arm them with our equipment and military concepts. I will arrange for the officers of the First Corps to cooperate with you in this task."
There is a language barrier between players and NPCs. Although there is no problem in daily communication with experienced players like Quan Shui, the efficiency of training will definitely be affected to a certain extent.
At this time, it is necessary to add NPC cooperation.
During the long war, the Alliance has evolved two completely different command systems.
One set applies to players, the other to NPCs.
Commander Quan Shui loyally placed his right fist against his chest and said with bright eyes.
"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
Chu Guang nodded in approval, paused for a moment, and continued,
"Remember to promote more young officers without noble backgrounds and give them more opportunities to make meritorious deeds."
According to his observation, there are two main factions in the power class of the Lion Kingdom.
One is the Edwardian faction loyal to the royal family, which controls the palace and civil service system. Its guiding ideology is that the teachings of the Sand Sea Spirit and the laws of the ancestors are immutable.
The other is Prince Winter's faction, which is mainly in the army and consists of some generals who hold military power. It advocates conservatism in internal affairs and innovation in military affairs.
The former tries to introduce an alliance to check and balance the latter while driving away foreign enemies, achieving the goal of "killing two birds with one stone", while the core goal is to maintain its own dominance.
The latter hopes to introduce the alliance's military technology, strengthen its own strength while suppressing the former, and establish a kingdom with a constitutional monarch and co-governance by the nobles.
Although the two sides have differences on some issues, they are consistent in uniting the nobles.
Under such circumstances, the grassroots officers who were born as civilians in the Lion Kingdom had almost no room for promotion, because they were not the ones to be united from the beginning to the end.
What Chu Guang had to do was to cut a piece of the cake that originally belonged to the king and nobles and give it to these young men.
They can accept new ideas, are dissatisfied with the status quo, and are willing to make changes
Isolated in both the army and the court, they had no choice but to ally themselves with the Alliance, which was the only way to express their political ambitions.
The loyalty of these young officers to the alliance will far exceed their loyalty to the king and nobles.
This ideological bond is stronger than the rule maintained by blood.
Any country that exists in this world is ultimately composed of ordinary people.
After explaining the next stage of work to the officers who stayed behind, Chu Guang immediately gave the order to set sail.
The anchor chain and elevator were slowly retracted, the majestic Heart of Steel turned around, and the output power of the propeller increased.
With a full speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the nearly 1,000-kilometer voyage from Lion City in the east of Oasis No. 9 to Dawn City in the Alliance only took one night.
As the sun rises in the sky, the outline of the city cluster and a hint of whiteness in the distance are printed on the floor-to-ceiling windows of the bridge.
Looking at the growing settlement of survivors located on the edge of Qingquan City, Chu Guang couldn't help but smile like an old father at the corner of his mouth.
There are dozens of newly built houses on the commercial street to the north.
From the north of the trading post to the freight train platform, there was originally a wasteland, but now there is a stretch of colorful sheds.
People are no longer satisfied with just one "North Street". A second unplanned market has been formed through people's spontaneous actions. With the increase in cargo throughput and trade volume, merchants traveling from north to south no longer
They are only content to do business with the alliance's trading posts, and they also exchange their needs with each other.
Not just a business boom
The achievements of the Alliance in the field of infrastructure can also be described as miracles. Originally, there was only a railway connecting the two survivor settlements in the north and the south. Now not only are roads connected, but high-voltage power towers have also been erected.
The energy generated by just one controllable fusion reactor is enough to supply the consumption of the entire alliance.
The most direct impact of these changes has been the rapid rise of industries with strong energy demands, such as building construction, and a large number of factories and workshops have sprung up on this land.
More than thirty tanks that have just been transported from Dawn City New Industrial Zone are waiting to be loaded and unloaded on the platform of the freight train station. Behind them, there are trucks lining up on the rear half of the carriages, and some of them will be sent to the front line.
, organized into the logistics force, and the other part will be sent to the trading station for buyers to choose from.
Of course, the most fascinating scenery for Chu Guang is Jiang Lake and the farmland on the north bank.
The tracks left by the Pioneer's tracks have been covered by golden ears of rice, and the overgrown wasteland has been driven to the edge of the forest.
And all this has only happened in one year
"Xiaozi."
"What's the matter? Master." The energetic voice floated to Chu Guang's ears like a string of light and sweet wind chimes.
However, he did not have any orders or instructions to issue this time, and everyone completed the work at hand very well.
I was just moved by the scene, and I couldn't find anyone to share my emotions for a while.
"It's nothing, I just feel that time flies by so fast sometimes, and a year passes in the blink of an eye, and sometimes it feels so slow, and it feels like a lot of things have happened in a year."
Chu Guang didn't expect Xiao Qi to understand this sentence
However, what he didn't expect was that Xiao Qi actually imitated his tone and sighed, and sighed in an old-fashioned way.
"Yes, it always feels like time flies so fast when I'm with my master. Every second when we're not together feels like a year."
Hearing this, Chu Guang glanced at the little guy sitting on his shoulders and swaying his feet.
Ever since he got this new toy, this guy is almost obsessed with him.
"I didn't leave you alone for long, right?"
"Yes!" Xiao Qi gave a thumbs up with a confident look on her face, her eyes shining like light bulbs, "The master is the best!"
""
With a slight cough, Chu Guang turned around and left the side of the floor-to-ceiling window. "It's time to get off the boat. Okay!"
Reaching out to grab the floating drone, Xiao Qi obediently jumped off Chu Guang's shoulder and wandered into his pocket.
Chu Guang specifically told it not to be too conspicuous when there are people around.
The rumors and rumors about myself are already outrageous enough.
He doesn’t want to be misunderstood by the melon-eaters anymore that he has some strange hobby...
In order to avoid disturbing the lives of the residents, Chu Guang ordered the crew to drive the airship directly into the boundaries of Qingquan City and hover over the Genghu Wetland Park.
Under the nervous gaze of a pair of eyes on the giant wall, Chu Guang took the elevator and landed at the base on the surface of the shelter.
Before he even stepped out of the elevator, the sharp-eyed mosquito spotted him and immediately ran up to him, asking for credit with a smile.
"Dear administrator, the traitor 'Luo Yu' has been captured and returned!"
"In order to prevent him from going wild, we imprisoned him in the small dark room next to Nico... It's just a pity that this guy doesn't seem to be to your mount's liking.
Chu Guang's brows twitched, but he didn't blame this guy.
Currently known clues indicate that Luo Yu's remains were "seized" by the mutant slime mold in No. 7 Oasis.
When you are not sure whether the anomalous individual is safe, letting Nija look at it is indeed the best choice. The powerful breath of life exuding from the Death Claw is also a deterrent in itself.
"......I understand, go ahead and do your business."
"So young!"
The completion of the task was confirmed through V, and the mosquito disappeared in a flash.
The agility system is indeed not that fast.
Ignoring this guy, Chu Guang went straight to Ni La's den.
However, what surprised him was that brother "Luo Yu" was not suppressed by Ni Zang's momentum. Instead, the latter had a fearful expression on his face, staring dangerously at the cell next to him, with his teeth bared.
exposed dangerously low
"Luo Yu" standing in the cell had a dull expression on his face and looked harmless.
After all, it's not very smart, so even if it's harmful, it's hard to imagine how bad it could be.
but--
After all, the thinking mode and perspective of beasts are different from humans. Maybe Nizo smelled something bad from him.
Chu Guang patted Nico's head.
The latter made a purring sound and rubbed his arm. The aggrieved expression on his face seemed to be begging him to keep that guy away, and also seemed to be complaining about leaving him alone for so long.
Yin Fang and He Ya were standing in front of the iron fence of the small black room nearby, looking at Luo Yu standing inside as if they were inspecting a product.
"It's strange..." He has everything a person should have, and he also has things he shouldn't have, but why can't he feel the sense of autonomy?"
Yin Fang had a confused expression on his face.
Hea stood aside with his arms folded, his expression seemed to be deep in thought.
"Hmm... - It's really strange. The cells formed by the slime mold seem to have become a part of him. I don't know if it is by changing the receptor or something. It actually deceived the immune system and did not cause any rejection reaction. It even worked.
The efficiency is higher than that of normal body cells."
Yin Fang looked at her and asked.
"I don't know much about mutant slime mold... I just want to know what's the difference between this and what happened to that guy Butch?
Hea thought for a while and said.
"The difference is still very obvious, one is parasitism and the other is symbiosis."
Stock owner: "In any case, they are all replaced by slime mold?"
Hea nodded, but then shook her head.
"Yes, and no...for example, if you replace your arm with a bionic prosthesis, are you the same person as you were before undergoing the transformation surgery?"
Yin Fang replied matter-of-factly.
"Of course. Replacing the mechanical prosthetic body is just a more efficient tool, not a change of brains."
Hea nodded and continued
"His situation is the same, except that the replacement tool is an organism. His genetic information has not been changed. Even if all the body cells are replaced with slime mold, he can still retain his original consciousness...at least in theory."
A look of astonishment appeared on Yin Fang's face
However, he did not rush to refute, but fell into deep thought.
"Well...what you said makes sense."
But this is only theoretical.
The existing theories cannot provide a reasonable explanation as to why this guy still looks stupid.
Walking next to the two of them, Chu Guang asked.
"Has the research produced any results?"
Hea shook her head.
"It's a pity that I don't have it...Although life science is my research direction, I always feel that the issues involved are beyond the scope of my subject."
After a pause, she looked at Chu Guang and continued.
"However, based on my observations over the past few days, I discovered a very interesting phenomenon."
Chu Guang asked immediately.
"What phenomenon?"
Hea then spoke.
"The mutant slime mold at the No. 7 Oasis site is fundamentally different from the slime mold in Qingquan City in terms of genetic information structure. Although we use the same term to call them, in fact they have evolved into two completely different species.
.”
"For example, the most prominent feature is that the mutant slime mold in Qingquan City transmits information through spores, and the fruiting body of this No. 7 slime mold - let me call it that, does not have the function of transmitting information. The fruiting body and the
Communication between fruiting bodies requires the same sound waves as humans."
Chu Guang nodded thoughtfully.
"My subordinates also discovered this situation...the slime mold fruiting bodies will become significantly more aggressive after hearing the mother's roar..."
Yin Fang suddenly seemed to have thought of something, his eyes lit up and he said.
"Could it be because of the lack of water and organic matter in the desert? So spores cannot be released on a large scale, and the environment of the valley is convenient for echo transmission of information..."
"That's what I think!" Hea nodded, with a hint of excitement in his tone, "Slime molds are extremely adaptable to the environment, which in turn means that their evolution is extremely susceptible to environmental influences. Short
In just two hundred years, their populations have differentiated to the point where they cannot recognize each other, which is good news for us anyway!"
Yin Fang was thoughtful.
"To put it simply, wouldn't two slime mold mother bodies merge into a larger one?"
"Correct!" Hea snapped his fingers and continued with a smile, "Although there are some differences in details, this is roughly what it means. And more than that, when the differences between these mutant slime molds reach a certain level, intraspecific struggles will occur.
It will even evolve into a species competition! The two sides will no longer exchange genetic information harmoniously, but will fiercely compete for living space until one side completely replaces the other... But this part is just my guess, and there is not enough evidence.
That’s it.”
This is indeed good news and provides a new way of thinking about solving the problem of mutant slime mold.
If nuclear weapons can't destroy these nasty guys, maybe they can actively introduce benign strains to compete with malignant strains for living space.
As for how to make benign strains have stronger species competitiveness, that is a question that requires researchers from the alliance to think about.
"Are there any other clues?"
Hea shook her head in shame.
"No more...that's all for now."
Chu Guang nodded and comforted the two of them,
"Don't be depressed, you have done a good job.
Four days have passed since Luo Yu was transferred to Qingquan City.
There has been no research progress for four whole days, and now he can only trust the wisdom of the first generation of managers.
After a pause, Chu Guang ordered.
"...Inject him with slime inhibitors and anesthetics, and transfer him to the conveyor belt on the B1 floor of the shelter."
Hea asked quickly.
"Where will he be sent?"
"The Vault's sample library? Probably."
Chu Guang gave an ambiguous answer.
To be honest, he didn't know what he was dreaming about under the shelter. The manager didn't even tell him about the last incident, or even explain it to him.
I haven't even seen his face,
There was a regretful expression on Hea's face, but she didn't say anything.
She understood that Chu Guang would make such an arrangement.
After all, leaving this guy outside is always a hidden danger.
"——Can I go to the ruins of Oasis No. 7?" Hea said in a soliciting tone, "I want to find out what's going on with the slime mold there."
Chu Guang shook his head.
"Until it is confirmed that slime mold No. 7 is harmless, I cannot agree to your request. What's more, now that the No. 7 oasis site has been physically blocked by the people who occupied it, we cannot risk causing changes in the situation in Luolu Province."
The risk of going there to collect samples.”
After a moment of pause, Chu Guang looked at Lin Ya who looked slightly disappointed and continued,
"What I say is not that we should leave the building alone, but that we need to wait until the time is right before we do it."
"I promise you that."
After being injected with the inhibitor, "Luo Yu" rolled his eyes and was lying on the ground in an instant.
Even the anesthetic was omitted.
Most of the tissue in this guy's body was destroyed in the nuclear explosion, and the remaining functioning tissue was basically reshaped by slime mold.
And this was what surprised Chu Guang the most. He was still the same person.
But why can’t the resonance of the morphogenesis field be formed?
This is so strange!
Throwing the corpse of "Luo Yu" onto the conveyor belt, Chu Guang watched as the open hatch slowly closed, and three lines of blue pop-up windows soon appeared in front of his eyes.
【Emergency mission completed!】
[Mission reward: Unlock the 86th floor of Shelter 404!]
[Additional reward: Gene sequence +4000]
The moment he saw these three lines of pop-up window, Chu Guang's face immediately flashed with joy.
Good guy!
I crashed a plane and got 4,000 closed beta qualifications!
And the one that fell was someone else’s!
However, there is no rush regarding the qualifications for the closed beta test. According to the release rate of 20 to 50 accounts per day, the batch of qualifications unlocked last time have not been released yet.
After standing on the elevator, Chu Guang stretched out his index finger and touched the touch screen, selecting the button for the B6 floor, which was an empty space away from the B4 floor.
Looking at the descending floor, excitement and anticipation continued to surge in his heart.
Skip B5 and unlock the B6 layer directly!
I don’t know what kind of surprise the first-generation manager left him on this floor——
The elevator arrived soon.
However, when the elevator door opened, Chu Guang was stunned on the spot, and then subconsciously glanced at the touch screen, thinking that he was in the wrong place.
Completely different from the spotless conditions of other floors when they first opened, the condition of the B6 floor can simply be described as a mess.
The air quality here is quite bad, and there is even an unsettling smell.
Judging from the floor map printed on the wall, this place is different from other floors and should be a research facility.
What the elevator faces is not a floor lobby, but a buffer car equipped with a series of systems such as air shower, positive pressure, dust removal, sterilization, etc.
All the configurations here are the same as the buffer room at the entrance of the shelter, which can prevent slime mold and spores from invading the interior of the shelter.
But now it seems that this system is installed at the entrance of the floor to "exclude" the entire floor from the shelter.
Chu Guang frowned.
What's suspicious is not what's going on here, but why it's like this.
As we all know, slime mold cannot exist independently from its mother's nest or mother body, and this is why slime mold has stopped in the suburbs of Qingquan City.
Beyond the coverage range of spores, the slime mold's viability will suddenly decline and it will soon be decomposed by other microorganisms.
Therefore, it is theoretically impossible for slime mold to invade a completely isolated system.
unless--
An independent mother body or wing hole has been formed here?!
"Open the internal circulatory system..."
The helmet's visor is closed, and the power armor's internal circulation system begins to operate, exchanging absolutely safe air at the expense of increased energy consumption.
Chu Guang pulled out the hammer behind him, passed through the alloy door that opened to both sides, and stepped into the activated buffer zone.
The inside of the buffer is still intact and the device is still working.
However, behind the flat door facing the B6 floor, as the forbidden light expected, there was a shocking scene.
elephant.
The silver alloy walls are covered with assholes, the air is filled with a musty smell, and there are unrepaired bullet holes in the walls.
The traces of battle can be seen vaguely in the scratches.
The air purification system for the entire floor was turned off and had been for many years.
But even so.
Still hasn't completely killed the slime mold here.
Even in an environment without external oxygen input, they still survived, and relied on the little organic matter to maintain dormancy with minimal energy consumption, and survived until now.
Several unprocessed bodies were lying at the entrance of the buffer zone.
They wore guard uniforms and damaged "Type 5" light cavalry exoskeletons.
Apart from the shocking plaque, there was not even a piece of flesh to be found on the moldy skeletons, and even the bones were riddled with holes.
As he could imagine how brutal that battle was, Chu Guang's Adam's apple moved and he tightened his grip on the warhammer in his hand.
At the same time that the air pressure in the buffer chamber was adjusted, the speaker above his head suddenly played a broadcast recorded at an unknown time.
It seemed to be a quarrel between several people.
"The B6 floor has fallen... - the experimental subjects have spread outside the isolation room! The samples are getting out of control - damn, we must evacuate immediately!"
"Wait! The data on the experimental equipment has not been backed up to the server, at least let me -"