., Update the latest chapters as soon as possible!
br>
"Roar--!"
Deafening roars echoed in the tunnels of the Blood Mountain, and the plague champion, covered in blood, walked forward with cumbersome steps.
Not far in front of him, four members of Task Force Alpha were waiting in full formation.
The high-intensity battle, which was like mincing meat, caused heavy losses to both sides. Nearly three thousand Plague Monks of the Bloodhoof Clan were killed. Most of the Alphas who entered the tunnels of Blood Mountain were also killed, leaving only about four hundred.
As for the number of damaged drones, there were countless, and the narrow holes were filled with metal fragments and muddy corpses.
It was impossible for just four people to withstand the attack of the Plague Champion, but no one retreated.
Their superiors issued an order to fight to the death without retreating.
Even when they were inoculated with the biological prosthetic body of unknown origin, they were already prepared to die.
The four of them looked at each other, had a brief exchange on the communication channel, and then took the initiative to launch an attack.
Two assault rifles and two Gauss rifles were set up at the end of the tunnel at the same time, emitting alternating yellow and blue firelights.
It seemed that these humans dared to come out of the bunker and open fire. The plague champion let out a roar of pain, stretched out his right arm forward and quickly imitated the shape of the barrel, and then a line of red smoke rushed toward them.
Alpha's stronghold.
The dense cloud of spores quickly exploded, glaring into the faces of the four Alphas like exploding grenades, and quickly burned through their gas masks.
Fortunately, they were all inoculated with Xiaoyu's biological prosthetics, and their specifically strengthened immune systems easily blocked the Alpha protozoa.
However--
The trouble doesn't end there.
The spreading thick smoke obscured the field of vision. Even if the thermal imaging of the tactical helmet was activated, only a lake-shaped heat source could be seen.
The footsteps that shook the tunnel were approaching quickly. An Alpha immediately took out a solid-state hydrogen battery and threw it out, and then fired an air-burst incendiary bomb in the general direction.
Thick flames instantly rose into the sky, forming a sea of fire that covered the entire tunnel exit.
The two Alphas fired towards the other side of the flames to suppress it, while the other two Alphas quickly retreated, trying to distance themselves from the plague champion.
However, this painless attack failed to stop the guy's progress. The three-meter-tall black figure ran over the dense wall of fire like a tank marching in a pothole, and went straight to the front of the four people.
Its left hand is a large shield, and its right hand is connected to a sword-like mallet, which is in sharp contrast to the Alpha Task Force's equipment, which is so sophisticated that it is almost science fiction.
However, when it comes to the technical content, it is indeed not bad at all compared to these Alphas.
Although Torch did not complete the Gestalt life system, it still achieved a breakthrough on the original basis——
That is, consciousness controls the life process, rather than the life process controlling consciousness.
These plague champions can select the required gene fragments from the designed organs for customized expression, thereby realizing the mimicry of weapons.
This is a singularity that has not been completed even in the prosperous era that has achieved "design evolution"!
It can be said that their existence itself is the crystallization of technology, an incredible miracle.
The two Alphas who continued to fire only felt like a train was crashing into them.
The black shadow that pierced through the flames was just a flicker, and it cut them into two pieces, and their broken organs were scattered all over the floor.
They couldn't even make a scream, and the two of them died on the spot.
The plague champion, who was covered in blood, let out a hearty howl. The devastated wounds on his body were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the new flesh that grew out was even more ferocious than before.
"monster."
"There is no doubt about the mother."
The two Alphas looked at this guy in fear, but no one retreated.
According to the battlefield situation analysis system, they have calculated that their chance of survival is less than 1%, and turning around at this time will only accelerate their death.
In this case, their death must at least be meaningful.
The two Alphas looked at each other and unanimously opened the safety of the self-destruct plug-in on the exoskeleton.
The moment their life signal disappears, the self-destruct plug-in will activate the battery that detonates the exoskeleton.
Although you may not be able to kill that guy, it shouldn't be a problem to cause some trouble for it.
Its recovery power is not unlimited, and you will die if the damage exceeds the healing limit.
The teammates who died previously have shared this experience, and all they have to do now is to use the last bit of life left to increase the possibility of survival for the teammates behind them.
The battle is about to begin!
Just when the Plague Champion was about to quickly execute these two guys and then search for the next target, a scorching flame passed through the two Alphas without warning and rushed towards its face!
It subconsciously raised its left arm to block, and the scorching flames were quickly swallowed up by the flesh-red spores on the shield. Although the flames did not cause fatal damage, it still caused a slight pause in its progress.
The two Alphas suddenly had surprised expressions on their faces and looked back.
They saw an exoskeleton warrior standing behind them, holding a large-caliber shotgun in his hand.
"Get away!"
Edge of Water roared, and the manual "Fire Dragon" shotgun continued to fire, spraying hot tongues of flames towards the guy holding the shield.
After sustaining the scorching damage continuously, the Plague Champion let out a roar of pain, used the shield of his left arm to hold up the blazing flames, and rushed straight up.
At the same time, a power player stood up with a ceramite shield, looked at the roaring right arm, and rushed forward without dodging.
"winter--!"
A dull sound echoed in the tunnel.
The strength player holding the shield dropped his knees, but that was all.
The plague champion's eyes widened in astonishment, looking at the intact shield in disbelief.
The simulated biomass battle ax on its right arm can tear even armored steel, but it failed to leave a single scratch on this thing!
Obviously it doesn't know that this thing is a structural material used on the space station.
Although the effect against armor-piercing projectiles is somewhat poor, the effect of "anti-impact with high-speed objects" is one of the best.
The player who received the blow immediately dropped his shield, rushed towards the plague champion with a short stature, and then with a roar, pierced the monster's thigh with the needle tied to his waist.
Type B strain has a significant inhibitory effect on type J strain. This inhibitory effect is not only reflected in the phagocytosis of J-type strains, but can also inhibit the proliferation of J-type strains.
The self-healing ability of the biological power armor of the Torch Church is provided by the Nagobacterium flora, and this is also the result obtained after the Alliance Biological Research Institute analyzed the remains of "Garn" last year.
So the Alliance used this technology to create a "J-type strain inhibitor", specifically used to limit the self-healing ability of the Torch's biological power armor.
The duration of the inhibitor can last for at least three minutes, and during these three minutes, the recovery efficiency of the biological power armor can be reduced by at least 90%.
Until it completely metabolizes the injected "toxin".
The plague champion who received the injection let out a roar of pain, suddenly raised his right leg forward, and kicked away the strength player holding the needle.
The player hit the rock wall and fainted with a groan. He seemed to have been disconnected.
The plague champion angrily tore off the needle stuck in his right leg, but was horrified to find that blood could not stop pouring out of the rice-sized needle hole, with no sign of healing at all.
Seeing that the attack was effective, another player who followed the edge into the hole looked happy, squatted on the ground and set up an RPG rocket launcher, turned on the safety and roared.
"RPG!!"
White smoke shot out from the launcher and hit the shield hard. The flames of the explosion flew in all directions, flying away large pieces of stone and almost sending away all the friendly troops in the hole.
He protected his head with his arms and took two steps back. He held the edge of the shotgun and looked up, only to see that the Plague Champion had been hit by a high-explosive shell and looked like he was fine.
The shield connected to the guy's left arm was blasted with a hideous wound, but the damaged area was still healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"What the hell?! Why is it useless?!" The guy carrying the RPG was suddenly shocked.
Bian Bian was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted and yelled at him.
"Right leg! The needle pricks the right leg! Aim for the right side of the body!"
His knowledge level is average and he doesn't really understand what biological power armor is.
But if you compare it to anesthesia, it seems that only the area where the needle is inserted is numb.
In the same way, it is likely that only the area hit by the needle is inhibiting recovery efficiency.
"Grass!"
Suddenly coming back to his senses, the player immediately inserted a new warhead into the launcher, continued to aim at the staggering retreating plague champion, and pulled the trigger.
"RPG!!"
Another streak of white smoke flew out, this time hitting the plague champion's right leg impartially.
The shrapnel from the explosion was like a raging storm, swishing into the right side of the big man's body.
The Plague Champion let out a roar of pain, looking at half of his body bleeding profusely with unbelievable fear in his eyes.
Its recovery power has lost its effect!
not only that--
The entire right half of the body seemed to have lost consciousness, and power was passing away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Without leaving any chance for it to breathe, I grabbed the edge of the Yanlong shotgun and rushed forward, emptying the magazine as it kept retreating.
With a series of bangs and bangs, the towering body finally fell heavily to the ground and stopped moving at all.
Seeing that the boss was finally killed, all the players cheered excitedly.
Looking at the friendly forces arriving for reinforcements, the two Alphas had a blank expression on their faces.
Edge paddled to the side of one of them and explained the situation concisely and comprehensively.
"On the edge of the leader of the Alliance Death Corps, just half an hour later, the Torch Church launched a surprise attack on almost all positions on our front line, especially the Weifu military base."
The Alpha looked at him and asked.
"Then...why are you here?"
"Because we are needed here," Bing glanced at the plague champion lying on the ground, grinned and continued, "Moreover, the enemy's attention at the moment must be on the Weifu military base, and now is the time to take down the blood
The best time to reach the Blood Mountain! The administrator asked us to take down the nest hidden deep in the Blood Mountain at all costs!"
"Understood." The Alpha nodded, and white mist floated out of the gas mask, "We will do our best to support you."
Edge Paddling asked with a smile.
"I've announced my identity, what about you? What's your name? Where is your captain?"
The man spoke concisely and concisely.
"Alfa 1006, our captain is everywhere, don't worry, just talk to me."
Edge Pad was stunned for a moment, then smiled and stretched out his fist.
"This name is too long...just call you Ah Liu."
The man nodded, bumped his fists with the edge, and reloaded the weapon in his hand.
"Tell me your plan."
Edge of water: "We plan to attack the main body of the Brood directly. As long as the source of the plague is solved, those mutants are not worth mentioning at all."
Ah Liu looked at him indifferently.
"You are carrying high-yield bombs?"
"There's no need to use that thing." With twenty gnawers that looked like mountains of meat, Big Debt Eyes came out from behind and said with a cheerful smile on his face, "It's enough to use them.
"
These are the smallest ones, and the fatter guys can't squeeze in at all.
I don’t know why, but Luo Yu’s brother’s fruiting bodies all know how to control their “shape”, but the guys he raises are like retarded people. They only know how to eat and turn themselves into balls all day long. In addition to helping
Moving things or building a bridge is of no use to the frontal battlefield.
But it's fine now.
Finally there is a chance for them to come in handy.
Seeing those fruiting bodies, Ah Liu immediately understood what they meant and nodded.
"Understood, I will protect you."
The two teams joined forces, reversed the previous decline, and launched another attack deep into the Blood Mountain.
There are fifty Plague Champions wearing biological power armor. Task Force Alpha has killed ten of them before, and there are nearly forty left.
These guys have different abilities. Just like those plague monks, they have twisted forms and unexpected fighting methods, and their tactics are so cruel that it makes your scalp numb.
However, for Task Force Alpha and the Death Corps, this level of fear is nothing more than drizzle.
Especially the latter.
They are a group of guys who don't even pay attention to the waves. They even dare to use the most primitive weapons to charge at fruiting bodies and evolved bodies that are hundreds of times larger than themselves.
Now that their equipment is no longer what it used to be, there is no reason to frown.
The bloody fighting continued throughout the tunnels, and the strong smell of blood even overshadowed the putrid smell emitted by the spores.
Both sides have beliefs they resolutely defend and reasons that they must never back down from.
It is precisely because of this that both sides also suffered huge casualties.
Soon only half of the forty remaining plague champions were left.
And most of the remaining half were panting, and their recovery and physical strength were on the verge of reaching their limits.
Standing in the "palace", Sodo's face gradually showed a trace of panic, and the previous excitement and shouting could no longer be seen.
It can feel the passage of life among believers and hear the lamentation of the Plague Lord.
The god it believed in was calling to it, urging it to stop those rude guys at all costs.
However, the group of rude guys seemed to be endless. Some people kept falling down, and others kept coming up from behind. Even the personal guards of His Majesty the Beast King could not withstand the continuous torture.
Its fat body trembled, its toad-like cheeks shook, and a grunt came out of its mouth.
"Dear Lord of Plague... Your servant cannot stop them with this weak body. Please give me a stronger body, and I will eat them all for you."
It muttered vaguely, its ugly face full of piety, but no one answered its prayers.
Not only the brood nest hidden in the deep pit, but also the "Beast King" who controlled everything tensed up and was stunned by the situation in front of him.
Especially the Beast King.
He originally thought that the Weifu military base was threatened, and the coalition forces would at least mobilize troops from various positions to return to defense, but he did not expect that they still did not intend to abandon the Blood Mountain position and the Alpha Task Force that was almost trapped in the mountain.
There are at least 3,000 troops reinforcing this mountain, and most of them are awakened ones.
Their fearless fighting style made even the plague monks who had castrated their sense of pain feel a bit of fear.
He originally didn't want to take action personally.
But if he doesn't get rid of these troublesome guys, he may not have a chance to get out of here and meet the manager.
His pale green eyes stared at the soldiers standing in front of him, and the Beast King, who directly controlled a plague champion, let out a mighty roar from his mouth.
"Step aside."
That voice carried a sense of spiritual pressure, just like the oppression of the lower ones by the upper ones in the food chain.
However, something even more shocking happened to him. After hearing his voice, those people not only showed no expressions of fear, but their faces were filled with excitement.
"Damn it, this thing can speak human language!"
"MMP! This time it has to be the real boss, right?"
Loading the shotgun in his hand, the outlaw howled excitedly.
"Brothers! Start a group!"
What responded to him was a loud scream.
"Oh oh oh!"
"???"
Seeing these guys whose emotions suddenly boiled over, the Beast King was stunned for a moment.
It wasn't until a rifle grenade exploded in front of him that he roared with an angry look and rushed towards the noisy group of guys.
His right arm was like a battle axe, and with just one sweep, the guy standing in front of him flew away with his shield and body.
However, what he didn't expect was that in the face of his violence and strength, those noisy guys became even more excited.
Those two holes burning with fighting spirit seemed to be eyeing some delicious prey.
It was this arrogant disrespect that made the anger burning in his chest boil even more.
These weak human things...
Are they all masochists?!
With unprecedented rage stored in his chest, the Beast King tried to calm his breathing, but found that his mind could not control the out-of-control emotions.
Brutal power flowed in his veins, unprecedentedly uncontrolled by his consciousness.
That feeling is just like the desire for food, it is also a biological instinct.
The reason why he was able to control his emotional ups and downs and make the calmest decisions before was simply because he was in the holy realm and did not have the physical entity to exist in the mortal world.
And he has been away from the mortal body for so long that he has long forgotten how to restrain his instincts.
"Roar--!"
Completely angered, he was like a runaway wild horse, killing the group of ants blocking his way.
But seeing his irritable and irritable appearance, those players only felt that this boss was realistic.
Especially the guy who was picked out first.
When he returned to the line, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and shouted excitedly while coughing.
"Brothers, try harder!"
"This BOSS is in a hurry!"
…
On the other side, deep in the underground rock mass of Blood Mountain.
Ah Liu, with edge paddling and debt eyes, continued to move forward.
The remaining forces of Task Force Alpha are basically here.
What is sad is that the team that originally had more than a thousand members now only has 112 members left.
As for the edge of the water, apart from a dozen brothers, there are twenty uniquely shaped "babies" that are supported by the big eyes of debt.
The passage under their feet at this moment was the road mapped and mapped by Task Force Alpha at the expense of nearly a thousand drones and hundreds of team members.
Based on the tracking of the bodies of the fallen members of the 13th Squadron, they have locked the approximate location of the nest.
Most of the Plague Monks of the Bloodhoof clan were pinned down near the palace of the prophet named Sodo.
This place should be heavily guarded, but instead there is not much defense force, only a few dozen plagues.
I guess there must be something wrong with the Bloodhoof Clan's command system. Otherwise, those guys have clearly deployed a careful plan to avoid flaws in such a critical place.
for example--
The plague lord must use the "Beast King" or the "Prophet" to communicate with the minions below. After all, those plague monks are not its real fruiting bodies.
If the Beast King and the Prophet are in a situation where they have no time to take care of them at the same time, it is very likely that the command system of his subordinates with primitive communication methods will be blocked.
In fact, let alone those mutants, their own command system does not always work in such complex tunnel terrain, and the signals are often intermittent.
Even if you don't consider the electromagnetic pulse trap hidden in the tunnel by the torch, the solid rocks themselves are natural barriers.
I don't know what method Alpha uses to maintain organization, but they do have to rely on the "offline regular contact" plug-in to pass on some important information.
"Any questions?"
Seeing the commander of the Death Corps keep glancing at him, Ah Liu cast an emotionless look at him and asked.
Seeing that he noticed his gaze, he didn't hide the edge of the water and simply asked.
"No, I'm just curious...how do you communicate with each other?"
Ah Liu: "It's very simple. Our thinking is shared, and everyone is a communication node."
Hearing this sentence, a strange expression appeared on his big-eyed face, and he couldn't help but ask.
"Then what should I do if I accidentally think of something strange?"
Perhaps because this was not a secret in the first place, Ah Liu did not hide it and spoke concisely.
"For us, there is no such concern. We have already removed some tissues in the cerebral cortex. Even the necessary thinking activities are carried out based on the Alpha Task Force as a whole."
Big Eyes of Debt: "Removal...but why do you have to do this step?"
"Why..." Ah Liu pondered for a moment, "I don't know what the higher-ups are thinking. Maybe it's to improve combat effectiveness, maybe it's to eliminate other hidden dangers, but even if you put these aside...don't you think this
Is it very convenient?”
Debt looked at him with big eyes in astonishment.
"convenient?"
Ah Liu nodded and said succinctly.
"Even from an individual standpoint, meaningless thoughts will only increase unnecessary suffering. Is our sacrifice meaningful? What will we get after victory, and why we can only eat four bowls of rice bowl at most in one meal
... Even if we get the answer, nothing will change. In this case, I don’t think there is anything wrong with saving this part of the computing power. At least we can enjoy the remaining time in the plan without any worries.”
After a pause, he continued.
"For this, I have to thank you. Our lives should have ended half an hour ago, but now it seems that we can still have breakfast tomorrow."
Looking at this guy, I didn't know why I felt a trace of sympathy in my heart, my Adam's apple moved and I said.
"...I'll treat you to as many bowls as you want when I get back."
Ah Liu nodded and said.
"I appreciate your kindness, but this is not a matter of money. However, we are still looking forward to seeing something new in the canteen tomorrow."
Looking at this rigid guy, he made a helpless expression.
"Then let's eat together at the head office?"
He can order a few more dishes, and these guys who always focus on one dish can also have a change of taste.
Ah Liu thought for a moment and nodded.
"no problem."
Their commanders didn't say they couldn't eat with friendly troops, but most people found them boring and didn't want to get close to them.
The target is getting closer and closer, and the rancid smell in the air is getting stronger.
Everyone was in high spirits and stopped talking to each other.
At this moment, a spacious underground space came into view.
In the center of the underground space, there was a deep pit more than a hundred meters wide.
Various wooden and iron utensils were placed next to the deep pit, decorating the entire cave into an altar with a mystical atmosphere.
In addition to the altar, there is also a group of plague monks with three heads and six arms, numbering over a hundred.
Their ugliness cannot be described in words, even the many-legged beasts with tentacles are much cuter compared to them.
Seeing the intrusion of the uninvited guests, the group of plague monks howled and rushed forward, trying to tear the intruders apart.
However, this small number is no different than cannon fodder to the Alphas who have completed their assembly.
They were already familiar with the unique fighting methods of these monsters and their almost metamorphic self-healing ability. With the firepower formed by alternating fire while keeping a distance, they easily pinned these hundreds of monsters to death in the tunnel.
middle.
The group of people came to the side of the deep pit. The dark red mist seemed to be floating out from here. Just standing on the edge of the pit and looking down, they could feel the threat of death.
The alpha protozoa around them are restless, and they cannot corrode these guys.
The call coming from the dark place seemed like the howl of a wild animal, and it also seemed to be begging for mercy.
The edge of the water gave the debtor a look, indicating that it was time for him to take action.
Although he was well aware of the content of the task and could not find any fault with the compensation given by the manager, he still felt a trace of intolerance in his heart if he really wanted to push down the baby he had raised by himself.
He is not really a newborn after all.
Looking at the fat boys with round bellies, he said nonchalantly.
"Xiao Hui, there are also little Xiao Hui, little Xiao Hui... Don't blame dad after you go down. Dad has no choice but to do it. It's all forced by the manager..."
Listening to his casual thoughts, Bing Shui couldn't help but roll his eyes.
If this bitch is so intolerant, why did he accept the task of selling his wife?
No one forced him.
There are a lot of gnawers in Qingquan City. Although not many of them are so fat, it would be better if they eat more.
Before the debtor's words could even be finished, the twenty fruiting bodies seemed to be unable to listen any longer. They called out "eh" as a farewell, and then jumped into the deep pit with their own legs.
They are just a "cell" in Xiaoyu's body. Xiaoyu has already given them orders before entering the hole. They don't need orders from the "keeper" to carry out the task to the end.
However, Debt Dayan looked deeply shocked when he saw this, his eyes widened and his mouth opened wide.
"What the fuck?! Is it so real?"
He didn't even get to say goodbye to his children properly!
The edge of the water: "People are originally fruit bodies and have no self-awareness. What do you think?"
The drum washing machine next to me couldn't help but complain.
"That's right! You just want to buy a wife for 100 silver coins. What do you want?"
"I'll blanch it!"
Ignoring the noise of those guys, Ah Liu walked to the edge of the pothole and looked down.
"Is this okay?"
Patting the big-eyed debtor on the shoulder, the roller shampooer said with a smile.
"Probably! Our work has been completed, and the rest is all up to Xiaoyu. If it doesn't work, we can still throw this guy down, he also carries Xiaoyu's seeds."
Big Eyes: “%￥#@!”
Ah Liu nodded, but frowned slightly when he looked at the deep pit.
The indicator on his helmet showed that the surrounding spore concentration was changing rapidly.
Obviously, those fruiting bodies were indeed poison to the nest named after Alpha at his feet.
However, toxicity is relative, and "Alpha" is not the same type as the mother nest in Qingquan City.
The latter shared most of the organic matter with its children, but this guy hoarded most of the organic matter on himself.
The two sides explore the path of evolution in completely different ways.
If the Brood in Qingquan City is a king who has conferred countless knights and lords, then this Brood is a wizard living in an ivory tower.
It is so stingy that it does not share its own material at all, but relies on the power of believers to expand its territory.
"...the concentration of alpha parasites is decreasing, and the spore concentration is increasing."
"The missiles have stopped launching and their aggressiveness has weakened...is it a judgment that the danger has been eliminated? Or is it just that there is no spare power?"
"If it's the latter, the spore concentration should decrease simultaneously."
"Is it 'certain of victory'?"
"Unpleasant."
"If the conclusion is drawn based on the number of fruiting bodies that have been invested... twenty fruiting bodies may not be enough to completely swallow this guy. It does not rule out other possibilities. The fruiting bodies alone are not enough to swallow this guy, and something else is needed.
thing."
"What is the assessment result of the possibility of mobilizing fruiting bodies from the rear?"
"0, it will take at least an hour to spread the news, and according to the information provided by friendly forces, the rear is in an emergency situation and may not be able to support us."
"If 'Alpha' is allowed to adapt to being swallowed by 'Xiaoyu', or if its genetic fragments are ingested for targeted evolution, I am afraid that this attack method will lose its deterrent significance."
In just a few breaths, the group of people completed the communication through radio waves.
And they already have a unified consensus in their hearts about what to do next.
The attack is effective.
But it's not enough.
After glancing at the friendly soldiers who were laughing and scolding, Ah Liu looked at the edge of the water and suddenly spoke without warning.
"I may have to miss my appointment tomorrow."
The edge stroke was stunned for a moment, and the big eyes that were holding the drum washing machine's head were also stunned.
Before the players could recover, Ah Liu had already taken off his exoskeleton, gas mask and helmet.
It was only now that I was paddling along the edge and realized that the guy turned out to be a girl with long hair.
I can't hear it at all just by listening to the sound...
Not just Ah Liu, everyone moved in unison, leaving their weapons and equipment where they were.
Although the battery of the exoskeleton can be the last bullet, what they want to do is not to destroy the nest, and that little damage is of no use to a creature of this level. Only strategic-level bombing can completely destroy it.
The little feathers on their bodies are the final bullet.
Between countless injuries and healings, that little guy has become a part of their body and grown.
Although they could feel that the guy didn't actually like them very much, just like other survivors in the military base.
But that kind of thing isn't important.
No one showed even a moment's hesitation. They calmly walked towards the bottomless abyss and jumped in...