Chapter 495 The Ending That Can't Be Chosen(8200 words)
The green train shuttles through the clouds and travels extremely fast.
Feng Qi sat by the window, overlooking the central area that occasionally flashed through the clouds.
He was not surprised as to why the vine track was set up above the clouds. After all, the world had changed, and there were many realm creatures in the outside world.
If the track is set on the ground, it will be easily damaged in various ways.
He even felt that it was not safe above the clouds. After all, there were so many flying creatures in the realm, and it was easy to destroy the trajectory of the green plants.
Feng Qi is very curious about how the humans in the central region deal with this problem.
The doubts in his heart were soon answered.
He only heard a sharp cry coming from above his head. Feng Qi immediately looked up. Through the gaps between the branches and leaves, he saw a strange bird with brown feathers. Its wings were spread out to be five meters long, and a pair of sharp claws were shining in the sun.
Flashing sharp light, it was grabbing the green train at an extremely fast speed.
Seeing this scene, Feng Qi's eyes turned cold.
The magic knife floating beside him was held in his hand.
But just when he was about to take action, he saw the green train suddenly began to disintegrate.
Except for the platform under their feet, the entire frame of the green train was pulled away, and the branches were twisted together like ropes, turning into several vines that instantly entangled the strange bird.
The strange bird bound by the vines began to struggle violently and screamed harshly.
But the struggle was completely useless, the vines tightened extremely quickly, and the sharp head penetrated into the strange bird's body, drawing out the blood.
Just like a straw, it draws out all the blood from the strange bird's body.
The strange bird, whose blood was finally drained from its body, was thrown off the clouds by the vines. The swaying vines quickly decomposed, twisting and re-weaving into the train frame.
There is just a touch of red flowing in the branches and leaves that form the train.
As the green train speeds along, the red color is absorbed and dissipated, and white flowers bloom in the carriage, emitting a refreshing fragrance.
After the episode, Feng Qi finally understood why this green orbit on the cloud could exist safely.
He suspected that not only this green train, but also the entire green track had the ability to fight back.
There is no need for manual guarding at all. The entire transportation system is full of weapons, and there is no fear of harassment by domain creatures.
This made Feng Qi curious about the development of civilization in the central region.
What kind of novel civilization can be born from the combination of the power of plants and human wisdom?
The green train continued to run, and the strong wind flowed into the car through the gaps in the car body, as if flying freely among the clouds.
During this period, Feng Qi told Xiaoyou and others to stay close to him and not to stay away without authorization.
One thing that is clear is that the elves, who have integrated with human civilization, have evolved the ability to identify humans.
Xiaoyou and others can be protected from attacks by elves in the area covered by their own aura, but once they leave a distance of ten meters, they will inevitably be strangled by the elves like the strange bird that suddenly attacked.
Their current location is high in the sky.
A battle here would be very troublesome, and more importantly, they might have to fight not just the green train, but the power of the entire track.
This journey took most of a day.
When the sun disappeared, the bright starry sky emerged, and the green train began to dive downward.
A strong sense of weightlessness came over me, as if I had fallen from the clouds.
But this level of pressure was insignificant to Feng Qi, and his expression didn't even change at all.
The train passes through the thick clouds, and the scene that appears in front of you is like a fairyland.
Looking down at the earth, at the end of the sight is a majestic city covered in green plants.
The city exudes a hazy green light at night, and a layer of cloud-like mist-like gas diffuses in the sky. The closer you get to the city, the aura content in the air begins to increase significantly.
The train passed through the sky above the city gate and continued to dive in the direction of the stopping platform.
Sitting by the window, Feng Qi glanced at the scene in the city.
The streets of this city are neat and tidy. The street lights along the way are made up of strange-shaped trees. They grow one every eight meters. The fruits hanging from the top emit a soft and hazy light in the night, illuminating the streets.
The ground of the street is covered with moss of various colors.
These moss seem to have the function of absorbing spiritual energy, constantly extracting the spiritual energy floating between heaven and earth, improving the quality and content of the spiritual energy in the entire city.
There are also criss-crossing green tracks over the city.
There are no modern vehicles, only rail cars woven with green plants shuttling around.
Five hundred years after the catastrophe, this place seems to have lost the metallic texture that technology should have, but in exchange for it is another form of vigorous vitality.
To be more precise, humans in the central region have mastered a novel plant technology.
Every corner of the city can see the changes this novel technology has brought to human civilization in the central region.
The green city seems to have a spiritual formation that covers the entire city.
This is not a domain world, but the aura content and quality here are no worse than some domain worlds.
If he hadn't heard the old man talk about the potential dangers of the elves, he would have felt that humans in the central region had mastered a new system that was more powerful than the cultivation system.
But after knowing the answer, he understood that the prosperity in front of him was like a mirror, and it did not belong to human beings in essence.
All this belongs to the Elf King.
When the Elf King chooses to abandon humans, the civilization built by humans with the power of elves in the central region will fall apart, and humans will not have any chance to resist.
This symbiotic model breaks away from the basis of cooperation and is more like a kind of dependence.
While admiring the prosperity of the green city, Feng Qi also saw the root of evil buried deep beneath civilization.
The green train passed through the city and arrived at the central area of the southern district of the city, stopping at a quiet and deserted platform.
After getting off the bus, the lights on the platform were soft and there were many tribute slogans posted on the surrounding walls.
Look up to the left side of the platform, where there are stairs leading down from the platform.
A guide board with a faint green light hung above the stairs, with a line of words printed on it:
Southern District Front Line: Forward Station-Subsequent Station.
It can be seen that this is the terminal station for veterans.
Coming here proves that life is about to reach the end of being assimilated by the elves.
Once you step onto the front line, you will never return.
At the end of his life, he did not just return to his roots as a fallen leaf, but dedicated himself to the front line and became part of the wall barrier against invasion.
Without thinking too much about this problem, he led Xiaoyou and others to the stairs leading down from the platform.
The stairs are made of green plants.
The moment he stepped on it, the stairs seemed to come alive and began to crawl downwards. He didn't need to walk at all, just stepped on the steps under his feet and reached the next floor.
Following the guidance signs, they walked out of the platform area.
The scene before your eyes is like a magical world.
Flowers were blooming along the way, and the lantern fruits hanging from the trees made Xiaoyou exclaim. If the broken armor hadn't grabbed Xiaoyou's feet to prevent her from being impulsive, Xiaoyou might have swooped over and taken a big bite.
Continue walking along the road for some distance.
There are many green carriages parked in front.
The bottoms of these carriages are connected to vine-woven tracks and are the city's main means of transportation.
But before he could get in the car and let it take them to a densely populated area of the city, the hanging fruit above his head changed color.
I saw a huge fruit split open and turned into a trumpet shape. It spread upwards and made a harsh sound.
This scene made Feng Qi a little puzzled.
But he soon understood what was happening.
They saw a team wearing green vine armor approaching them quickly with floating plants shaped like clouds at their feet.
When they came not far from Feng Qi, they all jumped off the floating plants.
When they looked at each other, there was doubt in the eyes of these soldiers guarding the city, and the leading man took two steps forward and asked sternly:
"Are you being held hostage by a domain creature?"
After hearing these words, Feng Qi subconsciously glanced at Han Piyou, who had a cute look on his face, then at Lei Lei who was scratching his crotch, and finally turned his eyes to Taihang at his feet.
Feng Qi:......
Finally, he looked back at the leading law enforcement man, shook his head and said:
"Don't get me wrong, they are my partners, and I am an expeditionary warrior from the Eastern Region: Feng Qi!"
"Eastern District?"
Feng Qi's answer obviously exceeded the expectations of these law enforcement soldiers. He looked briefly surprised and then waved:
"Don't resist, come back with us first."
"good!"
Feng Qi nodded decisively in response.
Next, the law enforcement men came forward and put green rings of green plants on their wrists and ankles.
Even Taihang is no exception.
With the green ring on his body, Feng Qi could clearly feel that his perception of spiritual energy was weakening. The green ring continued to release some mysterious radiation, trying to isolate him from the spiritual energy.
"Give me the weapons!"
After the processing was completed, the leading law enforcement man looked at the magic knife in Feng Qi's hand and said.
"I don't want this anymore, you can't carry it." Feng Qi explained sincerely.
"Give it to me!" The man had no doubts and reached out to hold the handle of the knife.
When Feng Qi saw this, a smile appeared on his face, then he let go of his hand, and then grabbed the magic knife before it fell to the ground.
The weight of the magic knife pulled the leading law enforcement man staggering forward, with an expression of disbelief on his face.
If Feng Qi hadn't grasped the magic sword again, the law enforcement man would have fallen to the ground with the magic sword.
If you were hit by the magic knife, it would be very difficult for you to survive.
"This... this knife is so heavy."
"I said, you can't lift it. Trust me, I will cooperate with you."
Feng Qi understands that these law enforcement soldiers are responsible for the city's security by being vigilant against him.
Just like if a human from the Central District suddenly stepped into Star City with domain creatures, Star City's law enforcement warriors would make the same choice, instead of giving him various preferential treatment just because he is a human.
The expression of the law enforcement man changes.
There are regulations in the city that require the confiscation of weapons carried by detainees.
But with the weight of the magic sword he had just experienced, he knew that he could not lift the weapon at all.
After a brief hesitation, he nodded and said:
"Come with us."
Next, Feng Qi took Xiaoyou and others to the floating plant.
Xiaoyou and others took the lead in flying up, but when it was Feng Qi's turn to step up, the leading man immediately shouted:
"Wait a minute, Yunmian can't bear your weight."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen." As he said this, Feng Qi used the body control technique and stepped onto Yunmian with the magic knife in his hand.
In the body-controlling state, the weight of the magic sword was completely borne on his body, and his body was in a semi-suspended state, so there was no scene of the law enforcement man trampling Yunmian to pieces as he imagined.
The law enforcement man who saw this scene didn't seem to understand why, but he didn't ask any more questions. He saw a green tentacle growing out of his left foot and connecting to the cloud cotton under his feet. Suddenly the cloud cotton floated into the air, carrying them flying towards
the sky.
After a long time, Feng Qi came to a hall covered with green plants.
Many figures could be seen walking back and forth in the hall, including some who also wore green rings and had unlucky expressions.
This is apparently one of the areas where law enforcement is located in the city.
Following the law enforcement man into a spacious room at the back of the hall, Feng Qi and others were arranged to sit down. Then the law enforcement man said:
"I will report your situation to my superiors. You stay here and wait. I will arrange for someone to prepare food for you."
"Thank you." Feng Qi nodded politely.
"Thank you." Xiaoyou nodded politely, imitating Feng Qi, with a serious expression.
After the law enforcement man left, Feng Qi began to think about what would happen next.
It is inevitable to investigate his identity and origin, and then inquire about the current situation in the Eastern District.
This will inevitably involve a topic.
Why come?
How to answer this question requires careful consideration.
While waiting, a tall woman with a delicate face arrived holding a food box.
Feng Qi could tell that she was very curious about the origins of him and others, but he didn't ask anything. He put down the lunch box, couldn't help but rub the back of cute little You's head, and left in a hurry.
"Eh, it tastes so bad."
Xiaoyou suddenly interrupted Feng Qi's thinking. He turned around and saw that Xiaoyou was chewing on the outer packaging of the lunch box, which was a layer of green hard shell.
"This is not edible. Open the box and eat what's inside."
Seeing Xiaoyou's disgusted expression, Feng Qi laughed in his heart.
Xiaoyou has always been exposed to all kinds of food that can be eaten directly, and has no idea about the packaging boxes in human civilization. When the woman who just arrived said that this was food, she instinctively thought that she could eat it if she bit it.
After hearing his words, Xiaoyou looked puzzled, and then tried to open the box.
Feng Qi also opened the box at this time.
There are three kinds of food in the box. On the left are finger-sized red fruits, with thinly sliced meat piled in the middle. On the far right is what appears to be a purple drink, packaged in a translucent green film.
He reached out and picked up a fruit and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing, the rich aroma burst out in his mouth.
The spiritual energy content of this fruit is not high, but the taste is excellent.
Seeing that Feng Qi and Xiao You had already started eating, Po Jia, Lei Ting and Tai Xing also opened the lid and started eating.
The food was quickly eaten up.
Although I was not full, I was very satisfied with this meal.
Especially Xiaoyou, clamoring for another portion.
After waiting for a long time, the door was pushed open and a middle-aged man with a beard walked into the room.
He was wearing a white shirt, with a green spiritual pattern on his forehead, and strong spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from his body.
The middle-aged man came to the opposite side of the table, then leaned forward and extended his right hand towards Feng Qi, and said with a smile:
"Hello, my name is Xie Yuanli, and I am the first person in charge of the law enforcement department in the southern district of Elf City."
Feng Qi stood up at this moment, shook hands with Xie Yuanli, nodded and said:
"My name is Feng Qi. I come from Star City in the Eastern District. I am an expeditionary warrior."
After everyone sat down, a puzzled expression appeared on Xie Yuanli's face:
"May I ask, which city in the Eastern District was the name of Star City after it was renamed? I have read some history before the disaster and have a certain understanding of the Eastern District, so I have never heard of Star City."
Facing the inquiry, Feng Qi shook his head and said:
"Star City is a city that appeared after the Catastrophe. It is a large city composed of many small cities. There is no city in the entire Eastern District that still uses the old city name. It is like the Elf City in your mouth. It was obviously not the same in the past.
This name."
"Understood. What I'm curious about is why you, as a human from the Eastern Region, came here, and what do you mean by the expedition?"
"We in the Eastern District have always been curious about what the outside world has become, and whether there is still human civilization that continues, so the expedition plan was born. And I am one of the warriors exploring the outside world. This time I came to the Elf City.
To understand the human condition here.”
How to answer this question? Feng Qi already had the answer in his mind.
No matter what, he can't show his desire to change the status quo here.
This behavior is undoubtedly a provocation to the Elf King. Before he understands the social structure of humans in the central region, he feels that it is better not to act rashly.
Otherwise, there is a high probability that he will become the public enemy of mankind in the central region.
Judging from the development of human beings in the central region, the Elf King's strength should be stronger than what he is now.
As for the idea of establishing a space teleportation array in the eastern and central regions, he felt that now was not the time.
Before knowing the details, everything should be done safely.
During the questioning and answering, Xie Yuanli gradually understood the situation in the Eastern District. When he learned that the Eastern District had developed a cultivation method growth system, he was obviously very curious about it.
After detailed inquiries, I learned that the practice method is not perfect and there are a series of hidden dangers.
For example, imperfect cultivation techniques can shorten people's lifespan and even cause the body's functional organs to decline. He feels very sorry for this.
In fact, these problems are not problems in Feng Qi's eyes.
After all, there are already many perfect exercises in the Eastern Region.
But now is obviously not the time to say this. When the Elf King learns that humans can have better choices, in order to stabilize the human civilization under its control, it must eliminate unstable factors.
Telling your shortcomings will help you better integrate into the current civilization of the Central District.
Time passed, Xiaoyou was already dozing off, and the communication between Feng Qi and Xie Yuanli continued.
When Xie Yuanli talked about the bitterness encountered in the development of civilization, Feng Qi felt something in his heart.
Although the situation in the eastern region is not as desperate as the beginning of the central region, a large number of soldiers died every moment before the establishment of the five major cities in the early stages of the disaster.
Even after hundreds of years, these historical imprints have not faded away.
Being prepared for danger in times of peace, no matter where you are, is the direction that modern humans in a stable society will think about.
After chatting for a long time, Xie Yuanli looked at Xiaoyou, who was lying on the table and had fallen asleep, and then glanced at Lei Lei, Pen Jia, Tai Xing, and said with a curious expression:
"Are they the companions you found while exploring the Realm?"
"Yes, they have been with me for decades. Without them, I might have died on the road."
After hearing these words, Xie Yuanli nodded naturally to show his understanding.
From this point of view, humans in the central region are not surprised or angry about cooperating with realm creatures.
After all, the post-catastrophic human culture in the central region was born from the cooperation with the field plants "elves".
So compared to humans in the eastern region, humans here are obviously more accepting of cooperation with domain creatures.
Different cultures and customs lead to different ways of thinking about problems.
This is not only reflected between humans and domain forces, but also between humans in different regions.
Feng Qi could now understand why old fans said that time would allow two forces of the same race in different regions to give birth to completely different cultures and civilizations, which would eventually lead to two completely different racial forces.
Fortunately, it has only been 500 years, and the humans in the central region still have a strong sense of belonging to the human race and have not been completely assimilated by the elves.
Although the development paths of civilizations have gone in different directions, the sense of racial identity is completely the same.
During the chat, Xie Yuanli's eyes glanced at the magic knife hovering next to Feng Qi.
"What is this weapon?"
"The magic knife, my weapon, was once a living being. It turned itself into a weapon by forging flesh and blood..."
After hearing Feng Qi's explanation of the magic knife, Xie Yuanli looked very shocked.
Obviously, the matter of forging a knife from flesh and blood was beyond his common sense.
After talking about the magic knife, Xie Yuanli continued to ask:
"You can survive in a densely populated area for decades and pass safely. You must be very strong. I want to know where your strength ranks in the Eastern Region?"
"Excluding domain power, judging from a human perspective, I am the strongest."
After hearing Feng Qi's answer, Xie Yuanli showed a true expression.
Next, Feng Qi gradually turned the topic to the Elf King.
Faced with his inquiry, Xie Yuanli began to tell the details of the Elf King.
According to Xie Yuanli's description, the Elf King is one of the very few intelligent beings in the Elf race, and he is also the only controller of the Elf race since its birth.
Unlike the leaders of human civilization, the Elf King will die due to his limited lifespan and needs to be constantly replaced as the history progresses.
The Elf King is originally a special spiritual plant. It has been an independent existence since its birth, without any clansmen.
The emergence of the elves was created by the elf king himself as he grew up.
As for the Elf King's lifespan, even the Elf King himself doesn't know where the limit is.
Using human standards of measuring time, the Elf King said that he had lived for at least 3,000 years.
In the domain world, the early development of the elves was full of difficulties and there was no improvement.
It was not until they came to the human world and formed an alliance with humans that the development of the elves ushered in a real moment of rise.
The Elf City beneath their feet now has many components from the Elf King standing in the center of the city.
Feng Qi also inquired about the Elf King's strength.
This topic may be a bit sensitive, but Xie Yuanli still gave an answer after a brief thought.
According to his description, the Elf King's growth rate after coming to the human world is far from what it can be compared to in the realm world.
When in the realm world, the Elf King only dares to grow in its own small world and does not dare to extend its tentacles outside, because it knows that it is weak and greed will bring destruction to it.
But after coming to the human world, the Elf King, who lost his domain, changed his mind.
In the years of cooperation with humans, the Elf King's roots have spread along with the expansion of human territory, and his spreading body can absorb more spiritual energy.
In addition, the Elf King also has a green furnace inside his body.
The rune crystals obtained by humans from killing domain creatures will be thrown into the furnace in the Elf King's body, burned and transformed into part of the Elf King's power.
Xie Yuanli said that he could not give an accurate answer as to how powerful the Elven King was, supported by all mankind.
During the years when the Elf King formed an alliance with humans, he took action several times.
But these attacks generally occurred in the early stages of the alliance between humans and elves.
At that time, humans were in the exploratory stage of developing the power of the elves. The overall strength was weak, and the Elf King was not considered strong, but after all, it was the strongest combat power of the two races.
Facing the war, the Elf King had to stand up and was seriously injured.
As humans gradually developed many uses for the elves, and after their combat power soared, the Elf King took action less and less.
The last time it took action was more than a hundred years ago.
At that time, mankind encountered an unprecedented crisis of foreign invasion. The Elf King's action allowed mankind to see a completely different combat power than what was recorded in history.
The entire city trembled with the Elf King's attack, and countless branches spread across the sky, forming an indestructible defensive barrier.
Under the protection of the barrier, human beings have escaped the bombardment of foreign magic.
When the world before human eyes returns to clarity, the war will be over.
Outside, there were corpses of foreigners pierced by branches and drained of blood.
This battle made humans realize that the Elf King's strength had already reached an unimaginable level.
As for how strong the current Elf King is, Xie Yuanli said he had no idea.
But one thing is certain, the Elf King is still growing.
This guess is not made out of thin air. The most intuitive manifestation is that the aura content of the air in the city is increasing over time, and the elven species given to humans by the Elf King are becoming more and more powerful.
The Elf Seed is the power seed of the Elf King, and can also be said to be its child.
The stronger the growth potential of the elves born is, it proves that the strength of the main elf king is also getting stronger.
Hearing this, Feng Qi felt a little more worried.
Judging from Xie Yuanli's description alone, the Elf King is stronger than he imagined.
I thought that his arrival might be a dimension-reducing blow, but I didn't expect that the Elf King was so terrifying, and even had the record of repelling an entire clan on his own.
As the top combat power, the Elf King is like a protective umbrella, standing in this world.
After so many years of development, he guessed that the Elf King might be more powerful than Jian Ji.
The development model of the Elf King is very similar to that of the Sword Clan.
They are all resource exclusive modes.
But the Elf King's talent is unmatched by Jian Ji.
The seed from which the Elf King was born is a source of power. He is strong and can also bring about an increase in the growth potential of the human race with "alliance" forces.
What’s even more terrifying is that as the Elf King’s territory expands, the range of spiritual energy extracted will also increase.
If the Elf King really intends to protect humans forever, it will be equivalent to humans forever gaining a super strong man with unlimited growth potential and an endless lifespan.
But what Xie Yuanli said next shattered Feng Qi's inner speculation.
I saw Xie Yuanli saying with sadness on his face;
"Actually, I have always been worried about whether the Elf King will abandon humans one day in the future."
After hearing these words, Feng Qi immediately realized that his worries at the time were unnecessary.
Apparently many people in the central region are aware of this problem, and it is not a state of being completely controlled by the Elf King or being brainwashed as he imagined.
"You mean the Elf King might abandon humans?"
Facing his inquiry, Xie Yuanli nodded sadly:
"The Elf King's strength is getting stronger day by day, and the elves he gave birth to are becoming more and more powerful, but the physical fitness of humans has not improved much, which has also caused the life span of humans to continue to decrease after combining with elves."
"After the early ancestors of the alliance combined with the elves, their life spans can generally reach more than a hundred years. In the new era, we breathe abundant spiritual energy every day, and our physical fitness is more than doubled when nourished by spiritual energy. But our average lifespan
But it has been reduced to about 70 years old. If the Elf King continues to grow, the lifespan of humans living on the parasitic Elf species will be further shortened, and one day our bodies will not be able to carry the Elf species."
Speaking of this, Xie Yuanli couldn't help but sigh:
"Do you know what this means?"
Feng Qi thought briefly and said:
"Two possibilities. The Elf King thought of the years of growing up and struggling together, and chose to protect humans forever. Even if humans can no longer carry the elves, they can survive as the people under his protection."
"Or be abandoned, driven away, or even killed, but no matter what the second option is, it means the destruction of human beings. Human beings without elves cannot survive outside."
Xie Yuanli nodded:
"Our future is no longer in our hands. The Elf King's choice will lead us humans to two different paths."
"Have you ever communicated with the Elf King on this issue?"
"Yes, the Elf King said that it will always protect human civilization and continue to develop. This is its promise to those warriors who have fought together."
"Do you believe it?" Feng Qi continued to ask.
"Besides believing, do we have any other choice?"
In Xie Yuanli's eyes, Feng Qi saw helplessness. He could understand the pain of leaving one's fate in the hands of others and not being able to make one's own decisions.
Whether the Elf King finally achieved this or not, he could not find the answer.
Every time he goes to the future dream line, he appears in the Star City area, an unknown distance away from the central area where the Elf King is located.
It is also impossible to record relevant information about cities in the central region in the Star City database.
He would rather find the answer in the future.
But Uncle Hei is not a decoration, and it is impossible to give him decades to travel across mountains and rivers in future dreams to find answers.
After thinking about it, his eyes suddenly turned to Xiaoyou who was dozing off.
An inspiration came to his mind.
Can I give this task to Xiaoyou and let her bring the answer to another him in 1500 years?
As if she noticed his gaze, Xiaoyou opened her eyes blankly:
"Boss, okay."
"Keep sleeping."
"Oh." Xiaoyou obediently closed her eyes again.
Feng Qi has not made a decision in his mind whether he should ask Xiaoyou to take on this task.
After all, Xiaoyou is really unreliable.
If you show off, you really show off.
He decided to try to contact the Elf King next, and at the same time, he could stay here to learn more about the development of human civilization in the central region, and even the distribution structure of racial forces in this area.
This information is very important to him.
Regardless of whether the Elf King lied to humans or not, the unity of humans in the central region and humans in the eastern region is the inevitable direction in his eyes.
No one can stop this.
He will kill anyone who blocks it!
------Digression-----
Continue tomorrow.
Recommend a book by a friend, the title is: "The Last Gentleman"
Introduction: A diseased book is growing and spreading in the most inconspicuous corner of the library. It is waiting for someone to flip through its swollen cover and touch its squirming words...