Evolution

"Sometimes, I really envy the residents of Ideal City... They were born with silver spoons in their mouths, with endless free time to idle away, while it feels like I've been rushing from one chore to the next since the day I was born." Dusk had fallen over the Highway Town Inn. Watching the tourists who had arrived from Ideal City, Zhou Nan took a sip of rich, mellow beer and sighed with heartfelt wistfulness. He could tell where those people were from at a single glance. The unmistakable aura they carried made them far easier to spot than blue jackets or androids. Sun Shiqi, seated across from him, smiled. "What's so great about that? Instead of envying them, you'd be better off envying the people from two centuries ago. Back then, not only did they have time to idle away, they even had the leisure to spin yarns about us." "Spin yarns about us?" "Put another way: envisioning the future." "Hahaha!" Laughter washed away the lingering melancholy. Sun Shiqi clinked his glass against his drinking buddy's. Having made a modest fortune in the steel trade, he could no longer be considered a mere traveling merchant; he was now an Alliance factory owner. Most of his net worth was tied up in Alliance industries. If not for his past as a merchant—which kept him from earning the trust of the Frost Spear Tribe, former refugees whose representative hadn't yet agreed to his courtship—he might well have tied his family down in the Alliance too. That said, although he believed in the Alliance's future, taking these steps had required a fair amount of resolve. A long time ago, he had harbored an anxious guilt, terrified that the Alliance Administrator might send the loyal Guards Corps to silence him forever once he realized Sun Shiqi knew the truth—that the silver coins had originally just been a pile of game tokens. Only later did he realize his worry had been completely unfounded. That man didn't care in the slightest. Come to think of it, why would he? Even if someone knew, so what? Would people refuse to eat rice grown with manure just because they knew where the fertilizer came from? In the entire River Valley Province, no one doubted the value of silver coins anymore; even the scavengers roaming along the Great Rift Valley accepted them. Lately, the bulk trading price of corn had officially fallen below the one-silver-coin threshold, driven down to 0.9 by the autumn harvest flooding in from Sunset Province. Just a year ago, that number had stood at 1.5. Not even the cheapest green wheat or ram horn potatoes had ever been that affordable! Nowadays, Dawn City's residents didn't just eat their fill—steaming, boiling, and frying it—they even fed the surplus to their pigs and cattle. The bar at the Highway Town Inn had recently introduced a corn liquor distilled by the shelter residents. However, the liquor was fiercely strong, burning like fire down the throat. Apart from those chasing novel trends and the shelter residents themselves, few people genuinely enjoyed drinking it. "Speaking of which, there's another celebration coming up." "Isn't that a good thing?" "With celebrations all the time, who's going to work?" Zhou Nan asked with a worried frown. "Your factory's taking time off too, right?" Sun Shiqi chuckled. "It doesn't matter. It's not like we're on holiday every day; the last festival was months ago. I heard that back in the Human Alliance era, they had over a hundred holidays a year. The Alliance has only had four or five so far, which isn't bad at all." Zhou Nan shook his head. "How can you compare the two? The productivity and efficiency of the Human Alliance era were in an entirely different league. Even if they didn't work, they wouldn't starve." Sun Shiqi replied at an unhurried pace. "You're right, but you're also wrong. The Alliance's productivity may not be sky-high, but it's certainly not weak, and it can definitely afford a few celebrations. There are no bloated bureaucracies here, nor any aristocrats to support. Even if people were forced to tighten their belts, nobody would benefit. Goods produced must be used to have any meaning—what, should we cram them down the throats of academic researchers like the Academy does?" At that point, he laughed aloud at his own remark. "Too bad that even if the Alliance wanted to grant special privileges to scholars, there aren't that many venerable academics around to pamper. It's much better to give the residents more days off, let everyone enjoy themselves, and let them spend their wages. That way, the factories are happy, the shops are happy, and the people are happy too." Wasn't living all about being happy? A man with a scowl on his face never achieved great things; and even if he did, it would mostly just scare everyone around him half to death. "I still think being this lavish right from the start isn't wise... Even if they want to treat the residents well, waiting a bit longer might—" Sun Shiqi shook his head. "Things that must be waited for never arrive." "What about later, then? Even if there are no nobles now, there will be later. Isn't Boulder City the best proof? The original inner-city residents were all supporters of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee. Who even remembers what that committee was supposed to do anymore?" To prove his logic sound, Zhou Nan searched for examples, and Boulder City was undeniably the best one. A century and a half ago, it was said that noble survivors had lived there as well; had they not opened the great wall's gates, there would be no outer city today. How would the Alliance be any different? Governor Luka was at an age where he probably couldn't father children and likely had no heirs. Old Charlie was reportedly an old popsicle; people from that era tended to hold progressive views, and he probably didn't want to bring children into this wasteland to suffer. Yet others inevitably would. Wrench, commander of the First Corps, and Liu Ding, commander of the Second Corps—those men were in the prime of life, highly capable, and had carved their reputations from real battlefields. Their loyalty, from beginning to end, might belong not to the Alliance, but to the Administrator personally. It was hard to say how far their ideals could endure, or how far their children could follow in their footsteps. Sun Shiqi knew what Zhou Nan's hesitant expression implied, but he merely grinned with nonchalance. "Let the future take care of itself. Our Administrator isn't even old yet." Zhou Nan stared blankly, then broke into a helpless chuckle. "Good grief... You already consider yourself one of the Alliance, don't you?" No wonder the fellow kept speaking up for them! Sun Shiqi answered proudly. "What else? If not for the Alliance, I'd probably still be hauling grain for slave masters and brokers in Red River Town, playing their futures game with red and blue slips. The moment I bought my first warehouse here, I decided to become a resident of the Alliance." Looking back, it was quite something to ponder. At first, he had bought a warehouse in Dawn City merely intending to hoard grain come autumn, buy a few trucks, take over the trade route from the Alliance to Red River Town, and become the biggest ore and grain merchant on the wasteland. Yet soon after, war erupted between the Alliance and the Legion. Swarms of shelter residents marched to the battlefield with rifles in hand, causing the demand for iron and copper smelting to skyrocket. Seeing a new business opportunity, he promptly opened a steel mill next to the mines in Qingshi County. His hometown, on the other hand, had not changed a bit; it remained the same old dump. A while ago, Red River Town had supposedly renamed itself the Red River Alliance, but after pondering it, he realized it was merely a change of name—the same old wine in a new bottle. Ever since the Alliance took those arrogant fools for a ride in that copper ore trade, he had realized the wealthy slave owners were far from clever. They were just fat hogs lucky enough to be sitting atop a pile of treasure. Pitifully, the treasure they took such pride in would soon be worthless. Ever since the railway connecting Qingquan City to Xizhou City had been completed, the Alliance's coal, copper, iron, sulfur, and other resources were not only self-sufficient, but also exported elsewhere. It had been quite some time since he last bought goods from that garbage heap. "...Speaking of which, my friend, why do you look so gloomy? Have you run into some trouble?" Seeing Zhou Nan's downcast demeanor, Sun Shiqi gave him a look of concern. Zhou Nan hesitated, sighed, and set down his beer mug. "Yeah, something happened back home. In a little while... I might have to make a trip back." Sun Shiqi remembered he hailed from Jinchuan Province, from a place called Hope Town. "What happened?" "Na fruit." "What?" Seeing Sun Shiqi's utter confusion, Zhou Nan explained. "Something more potent than spirit leaves. Like hallucinogenic mushrooms, it makes you see all kinds of bizarre visions, but it doesn't leave you weak. Instead... it adapts to weakness." "What does that mean?" "For example... if you're sick and supposed to be lying weakly in bed, taking na fruit won't cure the virus; instead, the virus fuses with you, reaching a reconciliation and making you stronger. From then on, neither fever nor pain will torment you. They transform into pleasure... and make you stronger in the process." "Plea... sure?!" "Twisted, isn't it?" Looking at his speechless drinking partner, Zhou Nan sighed. "Only mutants, who are just as twisted, remain free of side effects. Those green-skinned brutes not only love eating it, but it also rouses them further, amplifying their urges to kill and breed." If it was that awful, couldn't people simply not eat it? Suddenly, Sun Shiqi seemed to realize something. "Could it be..." "Yes, it's addictive." Reading his expression, Zhou Nan nodded. "...And not a mild addiction like tobacco or spirit leaves. It's a physiological dependency. The moment you stop taking it, the virus that reconciled with your body will swiftly devour you. And that process is no longer pleasure... but lethal agony. Yet even that isn't the worst part. The worst part is that soil where it has grown turns green, and the dung from animals that eat it turns green as well." Green... Sun Shiqi's Adam's apple bobbed. He took a sip of beer to wet his throat. "Weeds grow?" "Not that sort of thing," Zhou Nan lowered his voice. "A stark, visible green... It spreads like a plague. Once contaminated, the soil gradually becomes incapable of growing anything else, and people and animals slowly become unable to live without it. Nobody knows why; they only know it drifted from the south, from the Death Coast. Some say it originated from the even more distant Southern Archipelago." Sun Shiqi remarked in disbelief. "Why would anyone plant something like that... Have those farm owners lost their minds?" Zhou Nan shook his head with a bitter smile. "They had no choice, really... You've noticed it too, haven't you? Ever since the railway reached Luoye City, grain just isn't worth that much anymore." *** Dawn City First Hospital. Waiting outside the operating room, Fang Chang paced back and forth with mixed emotions, his chest tight with anxiety and nervous tension. Just then, the nearby door clicked open. He immediately strode forward, meeting the masked doctor who stepped out. "Doctor—" Anticipating his question, the doctor answered with practiced ease. "The surgery was a complete success. However, strenuous exercise should be avoided over the coming days so recovery isn't disrupted. Keep her diet light on spice and grease, and eat more meat if possible..." Listening to the doctor's instructions, Fang Chang turned on his VM's recording function, committing every word to memory. "Got it. Thank you." The doctor took an extra look at him. Plenty of shelter residents came here for surgery, especially those from Shelter 404, some of whom were practically regulars. Those fellows never took his warnings to heart; a few unlucky bastards had even brought themselves back on stretchers the very same day, hemorrhaging profusely. Upon reflection, however, the doctor understood. Perhaps it was because he wasn't the one on the operating table... Patting Fang Chang on the shoulder, the doctor hurried off to his next shift. Fang Chang quickly entered the operating room and found Dolly sitting on the operating table, her eyes wide with a dazed innocence. She wore a thin shirt, only half-awake from the anesthesia, staring blankly at the mirror held by a nurse. Gazing at the left arm, smooth and pale as porcelain, she reached out cautiously and pinched it lightly, as if afraid it might shatter. The texture felt soft, just like real flesh, its warmth indistinguishable from body heat. Even where it met her shoulder, there was not a trace of a seam. It was practically real! Including her left eye... Tears welled in her eyes, moistening their corners. Sniffling softly, she covered her mouth and nose with her right hand, weeping softly despite herself. After being "discarded" by the Dragon Blood Potion, she had never imagined a day when she could live like a normal person—free from the burdensome iron that weighed on her like shackles, and free from the self-loathing bred by her deformed body and the strange looks of passersby... "It's very pretty," the nurse holding the mirror said with genuine envy. Occasionally, people brought bionic prosthetics from Ideal City here for fitting, but shelter residents almost always pursued functionality, raw power, and distinctiveness. Hardly anyone ever prioritized comfort and aesthetics above all else. "It feels... almost like it was custom-made just for you." "Mm..." A blush crept over Dolly's fair, youthful face. She raised her arm and gently wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes. Supported by the nurse, she slid off the bed, slipped her shoes back on, and caught sight of Fang Chang standing in the doorway. Fang Chang, who had remained quiet until now, asked with concern, "Don't you want to lie down a bit longer?" Seeing the anxious boyfriend, the nurse smiled warmly and answered on the patient's behalf. "It was just minor surgery. If she wants to lie down, she can use the ward next door, but she's recovering quite well. Going straight home to rest will be fine." As expected of the wasteland. Replacing an entire arm counted as mere minor surgery. Thinking of his real-world self, who would linger in the clinic just after having a tooth pulled, Fang Chang couldn't help feeling a bit sheepish. Still uneasy about heading straight back, he looked at Dolly with concern. Reading the worry in his eyes, Dolly nodded with a blush, her lips moving softly. "I'm fine... Let's head back." "If anything feels uncomfortable, you have to tell me," Fang Chang said, gazing at her intently. "By the way, does it fit well?" "Mm... It feels as if it grew right out of me." Saying this, Dolly looked at Fang Chang in confusion. "Come to think of it, how did you know the measurements of my arm?" Her previous mechanical arm had lacked any symmetry, the left arm noticeably longer than the right. This new one, however, was identical in length and even matched her skin tone perfectly. The strange thing was, she had never seen him measure her. Had he sneaked a measurement while she was asleep? "You don't always need a ruler," Fang Chang said with a smile, looking at his bewildered girlfriend. "Did you forget? We compared hand sizes." Dolly's eyes widened in surprise. "You can do that?" "Mm. Looks like my memory didn't fail me." "But we never compared arms..." Seeing the lingering haze of confusion in her eyes, Fang Chang coughed softly. "...Do you really want me to explain that here?" Dolly blinked. At first, she didn't grasp his meaning, but when her eyes met the mischievous glint in his, comprehension struck, and her cheeks instantly flushed crimson as an apple. She headbutted the infuriating fellow with fierce indignation, then leaned into his shoulder and bit down to vent her embarrassment. "Hiss... Are you part cat? Biting people whenever you feel like it!" Though she hadn't bitten hard, Fang Chang obligingly winced and grimaced to help her let off steam. Not meaning to actually hurt him, Dolly sheepishly let go, huffing twice and averting her blushing gaze. "Who told you to be... so wicked." Fang Chang put on an innocent look. "I didn't say a thing... Why'd you suddenly bite me?" "You... you know full well!" Lowering her head in embarrassment, she remained silent for a moment before speaking up in a soft, shy whisper. "Thank you..." Fang Chang smiled. "You're welcome." Seeing Dolly accept the gift graciously, he felt a weight lift from his chest. He would never tell her why he had been so uneasy outside the operating room. Apart from worrying about the one-in-a-million chance of surgical complications, he had also worried that she might overthink the gift's implications. For instance, suspecting he disliked the smell of engine oil on her. He had never cared about such trivial things; he simply felt the mechanical arm was too heavy... It was fine for a rough brute like Kuang Feng, but for her slight frame, hauling it around every day was sheer misery. Had he not struggled to find a suitable replacement and required time for a custom order, he would have swapped it out long ago. "I should thank you!" Dolly looked at him earnestly, asking in a low voice, "Tell me honestly... how much did it cost?" Fang Chang looked at her helplessly. "Why ask that? Are you planning to pay me back?" "Yes!" Dolly nodded firmly, speaking with absolute seriousness. "I—I have a job too... The pay might not be huge, but I'll work hard!" Seeing the determination in her eyes, Fang Chang knew she wasn't joking or merely being polite, which gave him a bit of a headache. To be frank, this was far trickier than the misunderstanding he had feared earlier. No matter how casually he acted or how lightly he downplayed the process, nothing could change the fact that this gift was exorbitantly expensive. It wasn't something simple like a scarf or a dinner; it was a priceless treasure that even millions of chips couldn't buy. To some people, that might mean little. To Dolly, it meant everything. What had sustained her up to this point wasn't a family she had never known, but her self-respect... deep down, that was perhaps the only thing she had left. She would accept payment for intelligence without hesitation, even driving a hard bargain with clients... That was her livelihood, the fruit of her labor. Even after joining the newspaper, she had never been shy about asking Hal for remuneration and bonuses. Yet if something came as an act of pity or charity, even if she accepted it on the surface, she would find another way to repay it. He could sense her deep-seated sensitivity and inner conflict, especially after learning his true identity. And that was precisely what he feared most—that she might view this lavish gift as pity or alms. He had never harbored such intentions, nor did he want her to feel indebted to him, constantly striving to repay this "favor." An unequal relationship would eventually collapse under one party's perpetual tiptoeing. He didn't believe she owed him anything. "Well, I told you, it's a gift I went to great lengths to find... Bringing money into this hurts our feelings." Fang Chang put on a troubled expression, his mind racing. "But—" "How about this?" His gaze fell upon the mechanical arm beside the operating table, and an idea struck him. A smile broke across his face. "That thing... belongs to me from now on." "That?" Dolly stared blankly at the mechanical arm, speaking timidly, "That... how could that compare to this?" Even without visiting Ideal City, she could guess: one was an item unobtainable even with mountains of chips, while the other was mass-produced Boulder Military surplus. "True," Fang Chang rubbed his chin, nodding thoughtfully in apparent agreement. "One can be bought with a pile of points, while the other is a limited-edition keepsake brimming with countless memories... To me, the latter is infinitely more precious." "...Precious?" "Mm. After all, it saw you through a very long time. Without it, life would have been terribly inconvenient, right?" Seeing Dolly's bewildered expression, he reached out, patted her head, and offered a gentle smile. "You might not quite understand, but that's alright. I just mean that whether they're happy memories or painful ones... your past, your present, and your future—I intend to take them all. To me, that is the most precious thing of all." A misty layer of tears welled in her eyes. The nurse standing by didn't want to disrupt the tender atmosphere, but she had to prepare for the next operation. Clearing her throat gently, she offered a friendly reminder with a smile. "Sir... may I ask how much longer you'll be staying?" Snapping back to the realization that they were still in the operating room, Fang Chang smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'll take her out right away." Dolly's face burned red as well—half from shyness, half from embarrassment over disturbing someone else's work. Tugging gently at Fang Chang's sleeve, she whispered, "Let's go." The two hurried out of the ward. Just as Fang Chang was pondering where to head next, an acquaintance approached from ahead. "Luo Yu?" Hearing his name called, Luo Yu stopped in his tracks and looked over, his solemn expression giving way to surprise. "Ah, Fang Chang... You're back already?" "Yeah, just got back." Fang Chang smiled, taking Dolly's small hand in his, and introduced her. "This is Dolly, my girlfriend." Dolly nodded politely. "Hello." "Ah, hello," Luo Yu forced a friendly smile onto his preoccupied face, offering a greeting in halting Human Alliance language before turning back to Fang Chang. "By the way, have you seen my Xiao Yu?" "Xiao Yu?" Fang Chang blinked. "What happened to it?" "I don't know," Luo Yu shook his head, looking baffled. "...It suddenly ran a fever yesterday, so I brought it here. The doctors didn't know what to do either, so they notified the Scientific Expedition. A researcher came by later, talked about keeping it for observation or something... Anyway, they told me to come back today. But I've been looking all day, and I can't find that NPC anywhere." "Could they be busy?" "Maybe... I just hope it's not another bug." Speaking of bugs, Luo Yu looked thoroughly dejected. He had no idea why, but it felt like the server had it out for him, throwing every single bug his way. Fang Chang gave him a sympathetic look. "Need a hand?" "...No need, no need!" Luo Yu shook his head like a rattle. "Don't worry about me. I'll search on my own. You two go do your thing." Muttering under his breath, he walked toward a nearby office, intending to find a knowledgeable doctor to ask. As luck would have it, several members of the Guards Corps approached, entered the office, and escorted him away toward another area. Fang Chang recognized the man leading them. It was Lyu Bei, the young fellow who often followed behind Chu Guang. Her invisible gossip antenna twitching, Dolly's journalistic instincts told her there was more to this than met the eye. She looked curiously at Fang Chang. "Did something happen?" Fang Chang wore a nuanced expression. "Maybe... a hidden quest was triggered?" "Hidden quest?" "Nothing to do with us," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Come on, let's grab some dinner." *** Shelter 404. Warehouse on Floor B3. Fully armed, Chu Guang stood with furrowed brows, staring intently at the bizarre creature before him. It resembled an overgrown humanoid, its conical skirt fused to the floor, while slender tentacles danced behind it like the hair of Medusa. Even more astonishingly, transforming from its original appearance into this form had taken merely a single night... "...Ee-woo." The cry was faint and feeble, forming a stark contrast to its robust physique. Watching the tentacles sway forward, the guards flanking Chu Guang grew tense, tightening their grip on their weapons. If this monstrosity dared threaten their supreme leader, they would gun it down without hesitation. Chu Guang, however, raised a hand, signaling them to lower their muzzles and step back. Perhaps because he was the first person it had seen upon being born, a lingering thread of trust remained in its memory, believing he would not harm it without reason. He could tell that the feeble voice carried no hostility whatsoever; it was merely pleading for help. Chu Guang turned toward Heya, who stood nearby. "...What does evolution mean here?" "A transition from a progenitor to a broodmother!" Unlike the soldiers, Heya showed no fear. Her trembling voice brimmed with excitement and thrill, sweat beading in her clenched fists. At this moment, she looked like a classic villain straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster—a mad scientist obsessed with biological experiments. Her fanatical aura was so intense that even Chu Guang couldn't help stealing an extra glance at her. If this were a doujinshi, someone like her usually met an unfortunate end. Completely oblivious to Chu Guang's odd look, Heya continued with wild fervor. "...I don't know whether the Academy or the Enterprise have conducted similar research, but for us, this is the very first time! You might not realize what this means... We are about to witness the complete life cycle of a mutant slime mold progenitor, from early development to maturity, and finally transitioning into a broodmother!" She rambled on, reciting a cascade of obscure, technical jargon. It sounded like a witch chanting incantations; Chu Guang couldn't understand a single word. Though confident in her expertise, he cut her off, fixing his gaze on those feverish eyes and speaking with measured emphasis. "Right now, I only want to know two things: what happens if we leave it alone, and what we should do if we want to keep the situation under control." He had no desire to see Floor B3 turn into another Floor B6; having an accident like that once was more than enough, especially since many players' incubation pods were stored here. Taking a deep breath, Heya recovered a measure of her usual composure. "Apologies, I got a little carried away... To answer your question: leaving it alone means allowing it to undergo autonomous evolution." "As for controlling the situation... I don't know what qualifies as 'under control,' but we do have ways to intervene in the evolutionary process. Those are your two options, and both carry an element of gambling... It depends on what outcome you want." Chu Guang asked immediately, "What does autonomous evolution entail?" Heya answered concisely. "Without any intervention, it will develop on its own, just like most broodmothers. First, it will enter a prolonged dormancy, during which it will slowly metamorphose into a new lifeform. The upside is that we can gather fascinating data; the downside is that the outcome is uncontrollable. It might not remember anything that happened before." Puzzled, Chu Guang asked, "Why is that?" Heya replied briskly. "There is no why. This is a deduction based on previously gathered data and experimental records from Floor B6. Just as a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, most of its cells are broken down and digested into nutrients during the pupal stage to feed the imaginal disc cells... The metamorphosis from progenitor to broodmother functions similarly. It's an inevitable biological process: sacrificing the past self to forge a stronger one." Chu Guang's brows knit tightly. "And the intervention?" "Borrowing a chrysalis," Heya answered bluntly. "In plain terms: let it devour the broodmother on Floor B6 that has already completed its pupal stage. That creature will have walked the path this one needed to tread." Chu Guang was taken aback. "Is that even possible?" "Of course. That's the nature of mutant slime mold—they devour everything, extracting and analyzing genetic secrets, and that includes their own kind." Pausing, Heya continued in a grave tone. "However, it's not without risk. The chance of being devoured instead exists, and it isn't low. After all, having a toddler that just learned to walk defeat an ancient monster that has lived for who knows how many years—you understand how difficult that is, don't you? Even if we assist it, such as by injecting inhibitors, it's by no means an easy feat... I'm explaining this as simply as I can. Try to grasp the gist." "I understand," Chu Guang looked toward Xiao Yu, asking in a low voice, "Which option gives it a higher chance of retaining its sense of self?" If it lost its memories and identity during the evolution, all of Luo Yu's efforts over this period would be wasted. At least, that was how Chu Guang saw it. The reason he was willing to take a measured risk and allow Luo Yu to move freely with Xiao Yu wasn't because he had time to kill; it was because he needed a mutant slime mold capable of understanding humans, viewing them as partners rather than prey. Since this species could not be eradicated from the natural world, domesticating them was the logical alternative. It wasn't impossible. Before dogs were domesticated, they had competed with humans on the food chain just the same. Facing Chu Guang's solemn gaze, Heya sighed. "Since this has never happened before, I can't give you exact odds. If that White Dove—the fellow from Lost Valley—were here, he'd probably have plenty of experience. But searching for him now would be too late." "And even if we found him, he wouldn't necessarily help us." Chu Guang shifted his gaze to Xiao Yu. He could sense its bewilderment at its own condition, along with its yearning to hold on to who it was. Yet, according to Heya, both choices were gambles, and neither offered high odds. Just then, an exoskeleton-clad guardsman strode up beside him, pressing his right fist to his chest in a crisp salute. "Lord Administrator." "The person you asked for has arrived."