Surprise on Floor B6

Official forum. Luo Yu: "Three days! My respawn cooldown hasn't budged for three whole days! Do you know what kind of hell I've lived through these past three days?! T.T" Brother Edge: "The bug still isn't fixed?" Ye Shi: "Shocking! (funny)" Luo Yu: "I'm falling apart..." Fang Chang: "Relax. It's only been three days for you. Back in the day, Scavenger disconnected the second he walked out of the shelter and missed several whole versions in a row. He pulled through just fine, didn't he?" Luo Yu: "Several versions?! Holy crap, no way, right? QAQ" Kuang Feng: "I wouldn't call that a bug, would you?" Fang Chang: "Fair point. It is realistic, after all. (smirk)" Yaya: "Huh? Come to think of it, it's already September. Winter's around the corner again." Teng Teng: "Yeah! Logging in these past few days, you can clearly feel it's not as hot anymore. There's even a faint chill in the autumn breeze." Scavenger Lv99: "Shivering." Lao Bai: "Brother Scavenger, why don't you consider migrating south while you can still move? (grin)" Scavenger Lv99: "I'll think about it. T.T" *** Before the royal banquet had even drawn to a close, Chu Guang had already returned aboard the Heart of Steel and ordered the crew to prepare for the return voyage. The carrier-based aircraft aboard the airship, piloted by players of the Goblin Corps, had all landed on the temporary airstrip north of the royal capital. They would be responsible for defending the capital's airspace while supporting the army on the northwestern flank of Oasis No. 9. Although Chu Guang had dispatched the commander of the Goblin Corps down south on an assignment, and the fellow had likely returned to Qingquan City by now, his presence or absence made no practical difference. Unlike other corps, the Goblin Corps commander only cared about providing funds. He had zero desire to waste energy directing battles—not to mention he often died too fast to issue commands anyway. The corps' guiding philosophy was simple: fly planes if you want to fly planes, fire artillery if you want to fire artillery, calculate your own firing coordinates, ask friendly forces for strike markers, and quit on your own if you embarrass yourself. In Mosquito's own words, this was "strategically breaking up into smaller units." It might look like they were just goofing off in every engagement, but in reality, it maximized the individual potential of every player—which coincided perfectly with the Administrator's original intent behind introducing the corps system. Regardless of the Goblin Corps' so-called philosophy, any pilot capable of landing an aircraft on an airship flight deck possessed undeniable skill. Supported by the ground forces' anti-aircraft guns and radio guidance, keeping Lion City secure wouldn't pose much of a problem. King Edward was naturally extremely reluctant to see Chu Guang leave. Yet compared to him, the ministers and nobles of the court were even more loath to part with him. Many aristocrats had learned during the banquet that the Alliance's Administrator was still unmarried, and their ambitions flared up immediately. They scrambled for connections and racked their brains trying to squeeze female relatives from their clans into his temporary palace—whether as bed-warmers or humble maids serving tea and water. Things escalated so rapidly that before the banquet even concluded, unbeknownst to King Edward himself, every servant attending to the living quarters he had prepared for Chu Guang had already been replaced. Even the maid tasked with dusting the bookshelves had been swapped out for some duke's youngest daughter. The girl looked so frail and delicate that one could only worry whether she could even steady a stepladder. All of this had transpired simply due to a rumor of unverified authenticity— That the Administrator of the Alliance loved reading and owned a vast collection of books. Yet events defied everyone's expectations—except for the old king's. Hardly anyone foresaw that the Alliance's Administrator wouldn't set foot in the palace King Edward had prepared for him at all, refusing to linger even for a single night. He had returned to the airship before the banquet was even over, leaving behind a crowd of conceited, flustered aristocrats shivering in the wind... *** Aboard the Heart of Steel. Inside the bridge. Looking at Commander Spring, Chu Guang laid out the upcoming arrangements. "Although we have achieved a phased victory, the war is far from over. The frontline has now pushed to the westernmost edge of Oasis No. 9. The farthest bunker is fully fifteen hundred kilometers from Dawn City. Whether for defense or future offensive operations, this will pose a severe test to our logistics. "We cannot shoulder this war alone. I have two tasks for you. "First, consolidate the existing defensive lines to ensure the Lion Kingdom's autumn harvest proceeds smoothly. This affects not only the food supply of Oasis No. 9's residents, but our own grain reserves as well. "Second, train the armed forces of our allies. Equip them with our gear and military doctrines. I will arrange for officers from the First Corps to assist you in this endeavor." A language barrier existed between players and NPCs. While veteran players like Commander Spring had no trouble with routine communication, training efficiency would inevitably take a hit without native support. That was where NPC coordination became essential. Over long periods of warfare, the Alliance had evolved two distinctly different command structures. One applied to players, while the other applied to NPCs. Commander Spring faithfully pressed his right fist against his chest, his eyes shining with resolve. "Consider it done, sir!" Chu Guang gave an approving nod, paused for a moment, and continued. "Remember to promote more young officers who lack noble backgrounds. Give them ample opportunities to earn merits." According to his observations, the ruling class of the Lion Kingdom was divided primarily into two factions. One was King Edward's royalist faction, which dominated the court and civil bureaucracy. Their guiding ideology centered on the teachings of the Spirit of the Sand Sea and the conviction that ancestral laws must never change. The other was Prince Winter's faction, primarily rooted in the military and composed of generals holding real martial power. They advocated conservative domestic policies paired with military modernization. The former sought to bring in the Alliance to counter the latter while driving out foreign invaders, killing two birds with one stone, with the core objective of safeguarding their own reign. The latter, meanwhile, hoped to import the Alliance's military technology to bolster their own strength and suppress the royalists, establishing a constitutional monarchy where nobles ruled collectively. While the two factions disagreed on certain issues, they remained completely united in defending aristocratic privilege. Under such circumstances, grassroots officers born as commoners had virtually no room for upward mobility, because from start to finish, they had never been considered part of the ruling coalition. What Chu Guang intended to do was take a slice of the pie that had originally belonged to the king and nobles and hand it to these young men. They were receptive to new ideas, dissatisfied with the status quo, and driven to make a difference. Isolated and without backing in either the military or the court, their only recourse was to lean toward the Alliance. That was also their sole path to realizing their political ambitions. The loyalty these young officers felt toward the Alliance would far outstrip any loyalty to their king or nobles. This ideological bond was vastly more durable than rule maintained through mere bloodlines. Any mortal realm, in the end, was composed of ordinary people. *** After outlining the next phase of duties to the officers staying behind, Chu Guang immediately gave the order to set sail. The mooring cables and elevators were slowly hoisted up. The towering Heart of Steel swung around, its propellers ramping up to maximum output. Cruising at a full speed of one hundred kilometers per hour, the nearly one-thousand-kilometer journey from Lion City in eastern Oasis No. 9 back to the Alliance's Dawn City took only a single night. As the morning sun crested the horizon, the silhouette of the urban cluster merged with a pale morning mist, reflecting off the bridge's floor-to-ceiling observation windows. Gazing down at the burgeoning survivor settlement nestled on the outskirts of Qingquan City, Chu Guang couldn't help but smile with the satisfaction of a fond father. Dozens of newly constructed buildings had sprung up along the northern commercial street. What had once been barren ground between the northern side of the trading post and the freight train platform was now blanketed by a sea of colorful awnings. People were no longer satisfied with just one "North Street." A second, unplanned marketplace had formed through spontaneous initiative. With cargo throughput and trade volume surging, merchants traveling north and south no longer traded solely with the Alliance's post; they bartered and dealt among themselves as well. Nor was prosperity limited to commerce. The milestones achieved by the Alliance in infrastructure were nothing short of miraculous. Originally, only a single railway had connected the northern and southern survivor settlements. Now, not only were highways paved, but towering high-voltage transmission pylons stood tall across the terrain. The energy generated by a single controlled fusion reactor was enough to power the entire Alliance's consumption. The most immediate result of these changes was the rapid rise of energy-intensive industries such as metallurgy, with countless factories and workshops springing up across the land like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Over thirty tanks, fresh from the new industrial zone of Daybreak City, sat waiting on the freight station platform to be unloaded. Behind them, lines of trucks stood queued on flatcars. Some would be sent to the front lines and integrated into logistics units, while others would be delivered to the trading post for prospective buyers to choose from. Naturally, the sight that captivated Chu Guang the most was the farmland sprawling along the northern shore of Ling Lake. The deep ruts once carved by the treads of the Pioneer land fortress were now blanketed in golden ears of rice, and the weed-choked wasteland had been pushed all the way back to the forest edge. And all of this had taken merely a single year. "Xiao Qi." "What is it, Master?" A spirited voice floated into Chu Guang's ear like a cheerful, melodic wind chime. This time, however, he had no orders or directives to give. Everyone had executed their tasks admirably. It was simply that the scenery stirred his emotions, leaving him with a fleeting wave of sentiment he had no one else to share with. "Nothing. Just thinking about how time can feel so fast, gone in the blink of an eye. Yet other times it feels so slow, as if an eternity of events packed itself into a single year." Chu Guang didn't expect Xiao Qi to grasp the sentiment. To his surprise, however, Xiao Qi mimicked his tone and let out a sigh, offering an old-mannish reflection of its own. "Indeed. Whenever I'm with Master, time always seems to fly by so fast, but whenever we're apart, every single second feels like a whole year." Hearing that, Chu Guang glanced down at the little creature sitting on his shoulder, dangling its tiny feet. Ever since obtaining that new toy, this little fellow had practically taken up permanent residence on his shoulder. "I haven't left you alone for that long, have I?" "Nope!" Xiao Qi gave a firm thumbs-up, its sparkling eyes glowing like lightbulbs. "Master is the best!" "..." Clearing his throat softly, Chu Guang turned around and stepped away from the observation window. "Time to disembark." "Alrighty!" Reaching out to catch the drifting drone, Xiao Qi obediently hopped down from Chu Guang's shoulder and wriggled into his pocket with a quick shimmy. Chu Guang had explicitly instructed it not to draw undue attention whenever people were around. The rumors and gossip circulating about him were already absurd enough. He had no desire to give onlookers another reason to suspect him of harboring bizarre proclivities... *** To avoid disturbing the residents' daily lives, Chu Guang ordered the crew to pilot the airship directly into the borders of Qingquan City, bringing it to a hover above Wetland Park. Under the tense, watchful gaze of the guards atop the towering walls, Chu Guang rode the elevator down to the surface base of the shelter. Before his front foot even cleared the lift, the sharp-eyed Mosquito spotted him and rushed over, grinning ear to ear to claim credit. "Respected Administrator, the traitor 'Luo Yu' has been apprehended and brought to justice! "To prevent him from going berserk, we locked him in the solitary cell right next to Neko... It's just a pity that the guy didn't seem to whet your mount's appetite." Chu Guang's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't reprimand the fellow. Based on current clues, it was safe to deduce that Luo Yu's remains had been taken over by the mutant slime mold from Oasis No. 7. Without knowing whether this abnormal entity was safe, having Neko keep watch over it was indeed the best choice. The overwhelming life aura radiating from the Deathclaw served as a natural deterrent in its own right. "...I see. Go attend to your business." "Right away, sir!" Confirming the quest's completion on his VM, Mosquito darted off and vanished in the blink of an eye. Agility-types truly were absurdly fast. Leaving the fellow to his antics, Chu Guang walked straight to Neko's den. To his surprise, however, the esteemed "Luo Yu" had not been suppressed by Neko's imposing aura at all. Instead, it was the Deathclaw who wore a guarded expression, glaring dangerously at the adjacent cell with low, menacing growls rumbling through its bared teeth. Standing inside the cell, "Luo Yu" wore a vacant expression, looking completely harmless to man and beast alike. After all, with that utter lack of wits, even if he meant harm, it was hard to imagine how much damage he could possibly do. Still... A beast's thought process and sensory perception differed from a human's. Perhaps Neko had picked up some foul scent from him. Chu Guang patted Neko on the head. The Deathclaw let out a soft rumble and rubbed against his arm, its aggrieved expression seeming to plead for the stranger to be moved away, while also reproaching Chu Guang for leaving it behind for so long. Yin Fang and Heya stood before the iron bars of the adjacent cell, examining the Luo Yu inside as if scrutinizing a manufactured product. "How strange... He has everything a human ought to have, and everything a human shouldn't have, but why can't I detect any autonomous consciousness?" Yin Fang's face was etched with bafflement. Beside him, Heya crossed her arms, looking lost in thought. "Mm... It really is bizarre. The cells formed through the slime mold's mimicry seem to have become part of him. I can't tell whether it altered receptor pathways or did something else, but it managed to trick his immune system completely without triggering any rejection. In fact, they function at an even higher metabolic efficiency than normal somatic cells." Yin Fang turned to look at her. "I don't know much about mutant slime mold... I just want to know how this differs from what happened to that Baki fellow." Heya pondered for a moment. "The distinction is quite clear: one is parasitic, the other is symbiotic." Yin Fang pressed, "In short, both are replaced by slime mold, aren't they?" Heya nodded, then shook her head. "Yes, and no... Take this example: if you replaced your arm with a bionic prosthesis, would you still be the same person you were before the surgery?" Yin Fang replied as a matter of course, "Naturally. Swapping in a mechanical prosthetic is merely changing to a more efficient tool. It's not like you replaced your brain." Heya nodded and continued, "His situation is the same, except the replacement tool is organic. His genetic information hasn't been altered. Even if all of his somatic cells were replaced by slime mold, he would still retain his original consciousness... at least in theory." A look of astonishment crossed Yin Fang's face. Yet he didn't rush to object, falling into contemplation instead. "Mm... You have a point." However, that was only in theory. Current theories could not reasonably explain why this fellow remained in such a comatose daze. Walking up beside them, Chu Guang spoke up. "Have your studies yielded any results?" Heya shook her head. "Unfortunately, no... Although life sciences are my specialty, I get the distinct feeling that the questions involved here have already exceeded the boundaries of my field." Pausing, she looked at Chu Guang and continued, "However, based on our observations over the past few days, I did notice a very intriguing phenomenon." Chu Guang asked immediately, "What phenomenon?" Heya explained, "The mutant slime mold from the ruins of Oasis No. 7 possesses a fundamentally different genetic structure compared to the slime mold in Qingquan City. Although we use the same term to describe them, they have in truth evolved into two entirely distinct species. "For example, the most prominent trait: Qingquan City's mutant slime mold transmits information through airborne spores, whereas the fruiting bodies of this Oasis No. 7 strain—if I may call them that—produce spores devoid of information-carrying capability. Communication between its fruiting bodies relies on sound waves, much like humans." Chu Guang gave a thoughtful nod. "My subordinates noticed that as well... Those fruiting bodies became noticeably more aggressive upon hearing the roar of the mother organism." As if struck by an idea, Yin Fang's eyes lit up. "Could it be because of the scarcity of water and organic matter in the desert? It couldn't release spores on a large scale, while a canyon environment is naturally suited for sound waves to bounce and echo..." "That's exactly what I was thinking!" Heya nodded, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice. "Slime mold possesses extreme environmental adaptability, which conversely means its evolution is exceptionally susceptible to environmental pressure. In a mere two hundred years, their populations have diverged to the point where they can no longer recognize one another. In any case, this is fantastic news for us!" Yin Fang pondered this aloud. "Simply put, two chunks of mother organisms won't fuse together into a single, bigger chunk?" "Correct!" Heya snapped her fingers, continuing with a smile. "Though there are nuanced differences, that is the general idea. What's more, when the disparity between these mutant slime molds reaches a certain threshold, intra-species friction will escalate into inter-species competition! The two sides will no longer harmonize and exchange genetic information; instead, they will fight fiercely over living space until one completely supplants the other... Of course, that part is merely my hypothesis. I don't possess sufficient proof just yet." This was indeed good news, offering a fresh angle for solving the mutant slime mold problem. If nuclear weapons couldn't destroy these wretched things, perhaps they could deliberately introduce a benign strain to compete against the malignant strains for living space. As for how to grant the benign strain superior competitive strength, that was a question left for the Alliance's researchers to unravel. "Any other clues?" Heya shook her head with a self-conscious look. "None... That's all for now." Chu Guang nodded, offering them a word of reassurance. "No need to be disheartened. You've already done remarkably well." Four days had passed since Luo Yu was transferred back to Qingquan City. With zero breakthrough after four full days of research, he could only place his faith in the wisdom of the first-generation Administrator. Pausing, Chu Guang gave an order. "...Inject him with slime mold inhibitors and anesthetics, then transfer him to the conveyor belt on Floor B1 of the shelter." Heya quickly asked, "Where will he be sent?" "The shelter's specimen repository? Probably." Chu Guang gave an ambiguous reply. To tell the truth, he had no idea what was hidden beneath the shelter either. The previous Administrator had never explained a thing to him; Chu Guang hadn't even seen his face. A look of regret flickered across Heya's face, but she held her tongue. She understood why Chu Guang made this choice. Leaving this entity out in the open was an enduring hazard after all. "...May I travel to the ruins of Oasis No. 7?" Heya asked in an inquiring tone. "I want to get to the bottom of what that slime mold really is." Chu Guang shook his head. "Until we confirm that the 'Oasis No. 7 slime mold' is harmless, I cannot grant your request. Furthermore, the ruins of Oasis No. 7 have already been placed under physical quarantine by the forces occupying the area. We cannot risk destabilizing the situation in Sunset Province just to collect samples." Pausing briefly, Chu Guang looked at Heya's slightly crestfallen expression and added, "I'm not saying we will ignore that ruin forever. We merely need to wait until the timing is right. "You have my word." *** Upon receiving the inhibitor injection, "Luo Yu's" eyes rolled back, and he collapsed instantly to the floor. They didn't even need to use the anesthetic. The vast majority of this fellow's original biological tissue had been incinerated in the nuclear blast; whatever tissues were still functioning had essentially been reconstructed by the slime mold. That was precisely what puzzled Chu Guang the most. The body was still the same person. So why couldn't morphogenetic field resonance be established? It made no sense! After dumping the limp "Luo Yu" onto the conveyor belt, Chu Guang watched as the hatch slowly sealed shut. Before his eyes, three lines of pale blue notification text immediately materialized. [Emergency Mission Complete!] [Mission Reward: Shelter 404 Floor B6 Unlocked!] [Bonus Reward: Genetic Sequence +4000] The moment he saw those three lines, a flash of delight crossed Chu Guang's face. Good heavens! Crashing a single plane had yielded four thousand closed-beta slots! And it hadn't even been his own plane! Still, the distribution of beta slots was in no rush. At their current rate of releasing twenty to fifty slots per day, the previous batch hadn't even been fully handed out yet. Stepping into the elevator, Chu Guang extended his index finger and pressed the touch screen, selecting the button for Floor B6—skipping an empty slot below Floor B4. Watching the floor counter descend, excitement and anticipation surged through his chest. Floor B6, unlocked directly past Floor B5! Who knew what kind of surprise the first-generation Administrator had left for him on this level... The elevator arrived shortly. Yet the instant the doors slid open, Chu Guang froze in his tracks. Subconsciously glancing back at the touch screen, he wondered if he had arrived at the wrong place. Unlike the pristine, dust-free state of other levels when first unlocked, Floor B6 could only be described as an utter catastrophe. The air quality here was abominable, laced with an unsettling, foul stench. Judging from the floor plan printed on the wall, this level differed from the others; it appeared to be a dedicated research facility. Facing the elevator was not an open lobby, but a decontamination buffer workshop outfitted with air showers, positive pressure systems, dust collectors, sterilization units, and a suite of related equipment. The setup was identical to the decontamination buffer chamber at the shelter's main entrance, designed to prevent slime mold and spores from breaching the shelter's interior. Now, however, it seemed this system had been deployed at the entrance to this level specifically to "quarantine" the entire floor from the rest of the shelter. Chu Guang's brow furrowed. What was suspicious wasn't the present condition, but how it had come to be. As was widely known, slime mold could not exist independently of a broodmother or parent organism—the very reason its spread had halted at the outskirts of Qingquan City. Beyond the perimeter of spore coverage, the slime mold's viability decayed precipitously, and it was quickly broken down by other microorganisms. Thus, theoretically, slime mold could never breach a fully isolated, airtight system. Unless... An independent parent organism or broodmother had already taken shape here?! "Engage internal circulation..." The visor of his helmet locked shut, and the powered armor's internal life-support circulation engaged, sacrificing energy efficiency in exchange for completely safe air. Chu Guang unslung the warhammer from his back, stepped through the parted alloy doors, and entered the activated buffer zone. The interior of the buffer zone remained intact, its machinery still operational. Yet behind the door leading directly into Floor B6, the scene was every bit as shocking as Chu Guang had feared. The silver alloy walls were overrun with patches of mold, the air thick with the rancid stench of rot. Unrepaired bullet holes and claw gouges marred the surfaces, bearing clear testament to a fierce battle. The entire floor's air filtration system had been shut down—and had remained offline for centuries. Even so... It had failed to wipe out the slime mold here completely. Even in an environment devoid of external oxygen replenishment, they had managed to survive. Sustained by whatever meager organic matter remained, they had maintained a state of minimal-energy dormancy, stubbornly clinging to life right up to the present day. Several corpses lay uncollected near the entrance of the buffer chamber. They wore security guard uniforms over damaged Type 5 Light Cavalry exoskeletons. Those moldering skeletons were covered in shocking patches of mold, devoid of even a shred of flesh, their very bones riddled with porous decay. Imagining how gruesome that battle must have been, Chu Guang's Adam's apple bobbed, and his grip tightened on the warhammer. Just as the buffer chamber finished equalizing pressure, the speaker above his head suddenly crackled to life, playing a recorded broadcast from some long-forgotten moment. It sounded like a frantic argument among several people. "Floor B6 has fallen... The test subjects have breached the containment chambers! The specimens are out of control... Dammit, we have to evacuate immediately!" "Wait! The experimental data on the consoles hasn't been backed up to the server yet! At least let me—" "There's no time! Run!"