Seeing this, Naia hurriedly used his ability, and an invisible barrier instantly opened, blocking all the minced meat and blood from escaping. From a distance, it appeared as if the flesh and blood were suspended on a transparent glass.
Painful screams echoed in Bai Lixin’s mind, accompanied by the sudden writhing of the rhythmic tendons.
Numerous muscles rapidly proliferated from the fracture, and in an instant, the circular gap that Naia had blown out earlier was filled again.
Bai Lixin clutched his temples and finally ceased his search.
He looked at the strange creature before him with complex eyes, and there was a hint of tremor in his voice, “I found him… I believe he’s the one we’ve all been looking at.”
Everyone: “…”
———————-
In the live broadcast room.
[As far as the eye can see, he… ah, so this is what happened to the person who asked God Xin for help?]
[When Naia exploded those things just now, the blood and flesh that came out… damn, fuck, does that mean the tendons in this room all grew from that person?]
[And what’s growing on them are crystal cores, the unique crystal cores of zombies. What the hell are these guys doing with these biological experiments?]
[To be honest, I wasn’t scared when I saw the monster, nor when I saw the zombie. I was truly frightened when I witnessed this scene. It’s not the grotesqueness that scares me, but what lies behind this event. It’s too terrifying.]
[I understand what you mean.]
[So, why are zombie crystal cores appearing here, and how were zombies created? I have serious doubts.]
[Maybe the Zombies were runaway experiments from this laboratory!]
[Damn.]
————————–
Because of the explosion, the unconscious zombie awakened.
Initially, it recoiled in fear, but upon seeing the crystal cores within, instead of showing excitement, it screamed in fright and repeatedly retreated. The zombie huddled in the corner and even resorted to self-harm by slamming its head against the wall, displaying insane and peculiar behavior.
Seeing the zombie’s strange actions and the horrifying scene in the room, Bai Lixin muttered two words under his breath, “Petri dish.”
All eyes turned to Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin pointed to the zombie hitting the wall and explained the details. After hearing this, everyone stood in shock, exchanging complicated and conflicted glances.
A Petri dish… What is growing in it? Could it be crystal cores?
When they entered this laboratory, they anticipated astonishing discoveries, but they never expected that this revelation would shatter their previous understanding.
The long-haired ability user swallowed nervously and looked blankly at the bearded man, asking, “Boss, what should we do now?”
Even the usually vigorous and decisive bearded man appeared dazed, standing there seemingly lost.
At that moment, a foot stepped into the ward.
The shoes made a strange “squeak” sound as they pressed against the sticky blood and minced meat. The bearded man instinctively blurted out to the seemingly weak youth, “What are you doing?”
The youth simply looked at him indifferently and explained, “The voice asked me to save him. I believe his original form must be among these tangled things.”
After speaking, Bai Lixin disregarded the objections of others and strode toward the entangled tendons that were compressed into hairballs.
The bearded man wanted to rush forward but was blocked by Dr. Sang’s hand. Dr. Sang held his beard with one arm and calmly looked at the youth, saying, “Let him search. The voice only asked for his help; maybe he possesses something special.”
With Dr. Sang’s words, the bearded man ceased his agitation, no longer concerning himself with the matter.
He took a few steps back, clearly demonstrating his decision not to proceed any further.
Bai Lixin observed the tangled tendons for a while before finally grabbing two of them and pulling them apart from the middle.
The screams was nearby, even if it was transmitted to his mind through brainwaves, he could vaguely pinpoint the location of the sound.
In the blink of an eye, he entered the mass of tendons, and his body completely disappeared within the dense formation.
Several people watched anxiously, but Dr. Sang, who appeared the calmest, secretly clenched his fists hidden within his cuffs.
Though he had opened the spiritual realm to ensure the safety inside and confirm that the life form meant no harm to Bai Lixin, he couldn’t help but worry.
Even with the knowledge that it was safe, his concern remained deeply rooted.
Why was he so worried and yet unable to control it when there was clearly no danger?
Emotions and rationality constantly battled in his mind, relentlessly attacking each other.
Just as his “emotions” were about to overwhelm reason, the wriggling tendons suddenly trembled simultaneously, swaying like seaweed in the sea.
The crystal nuclei hanging from the branches also swayed, and with a series of cracks, they fell to the ground.
As the crystal nuclei fell, everyone noticed that the tendons in front of them began to visibly shrink.
At that moment, a slender white arm stretched out through the layers of tendons.
Before anyone could react, a figure rushed out.
Dr. Sang, who was usually composed, grabbed Bai Lixin’s hand immediately and forcefully pulled him out of the pile.
The youth, carried by momentum, threw himself directly into the man’s arms.
And in the youth’s other hand, he held onto something.
It may be impolite to refer to it as a “thing”; it was, in fact, a person.
Although the current “person” possessed only a head, the human structure could still be vaguely recognized.
Bai Lixin was holding a meatball with a head on top of it.
Thin, dense circular protrusions covered the meatball, resembling octopus suckers. The raised incision was smooth, with traces of fresh blood still seeping from it, indicating recent cutting.
The peculiar shape attested to the immense pain this person had endured.
The struggling “person” managed to open their eyes, looked up at Bai Lixin, and strained to speak, “It’s futile… My genes have been completely altered, and the auxin has fused with me. It will start growing uncontrollably. As long as I live, I will become someone else’s daily sustenance. Killing me would truly be a mercy.”
The bearded man gazed at the abundant crystal nuclei, and though he was reluctant to admit it, he nodded in agreement, saying, “He’s right. You can’t bring him back to the ark; it will only harm him. Those on the ark will see his ability to produce crystal nuclei and exploit him like a cash cow. There would be no difference between him there and here.”
Hearing the voice, the man turned his eyeballs to look at the bearded man. Like the zombie just now, most of his eyes was white, but the middle of the eyeballs still had a black spot.
The man nodded, “I think you should have a lot of questions. As a reward for helping me, I am willing to tell you everything I know. I don’t know how many years have passed, so I will only use the years I know.”
“In S3009, I was arrested in this laboratory and became one of the experimental materials. Many people were also arrested.”
The man glanced at Bai Lixin, “There were many of our kind.”
Players…
Bai Lixin’s eyes were gloomy, and the man continued to speak: “Those people come from several countries, and their research purpose was to secretly develop biological weapons.”
“They were very confident that they could complete this experiment. According to their description, they had captured a powerful alien creature. That creature didn’t resemble any creature on the Blue Star. It was powerful and terrifying, but its genes were similar to human beings. It was very close, almost reaching 99.99%. This creature was invincible and had incredibly strong cell activity and combat effectiveness. In the eyes of those researchers, it combined human genes and corrected human genes at the same time. It was considered the most perfect creation.”
“So those researchers began to extract various tissue cells from this creature and conduct inhumane biological experiments through cultivation and fusion experiments. Of course, they claimed to be following the principle of biological evolution, but it was just a pretense.”
“But they underestimated the horror of that creature. After numerous experiments, the scientists did achieve some success by creating abilities compatible with humans. However, the disaster they unleashed was beyond their control.”
The man closed his eyes in pain, “The ability I was given is regeneration. I am like a cancer cell, multiplying and growing continuously. After they saw that my fusion was successful, they started using my body as a culture medium to cultivate this ability in large quantities. The final transformation of this ability is those crystal nuclei.”
Even through the gas masks, the ability users couldn’t conceal their pale faces.
The ability to regenerate does exist in ability users, and they have also seen it in zombies.
They looked at each other with flickering eyes, and shock flashed in the depths of their eyes.
Could it be that the appearance of zombies and ability users has something to do with this experiment?
What the man said afterwards answered the doubts in everyone’s mind.
The man continued, “That day, I was locked up in the ward.”
He suddenly rolled his eyes and looked around the ward, mocking himself, “It is called a ward, but it’s actually a hotbed for cultivating abilities. Then I heard a cry from outside. There was an explosion, and then the sirens sounded, and all the researchers evacuated in a hurry.”
“Several medical staff passed by my room, and I vaguely heard them mention ‘escape,’ ‘virus spread,’ and ‘irreparable.’
The bearded man hurriedly asked, “Was it the nuclear power plant that had exploded?”
The man nodded, “I don’t know if it was a coincidence or planned, but the explosion of the nuclear power plant caused a brief power outage in this basement laboratory. The mother embryo woke up from a coma, angrily smashed the glass container, and escaped. The researchers got lucky. When the nuclear power plant exploded, they were worried about exposure to nuclear radiation, so they evacuated quickly.”
“For a long period of time after that, no one came back here.”
“Some experimental subjects escaped through the gap, some fled into the sea. As for me, I couldn’t leave because I had become a petri dish. I wanted to die, but I could only live. The imperfect genes interacted with other creatures and eventually mutated, giving birth to the current zombie virus.”
Bai Lixin looked at the man, “Afterwards, has anyone been here?”
The man’s eyes were filled with disappointment, “Yes, but when those people returned, this place was deserted. Many people were dead. Even though I was still alive, they didn’t notice me because of my appearance. They thought I was dead. I listened to them talking about the outside world, the impending doomsday, their repentance, and their determination to continue studying without remorse. I could have spoken at that time, but I chose to remain silent. If they knew of my existence, I would be subjected to endless experiments.”
“Those people hastily packed up some experimental data and left. From what they said, it seems they have found a new laboratory and are about to start new experimental research.”
The bearded man’s head was buzzing, and his voice was trembling uncontrollably:
“You mean the zombie virus is actually man-made?”
“Damn it!”
He punched the ground hard, creating a deep pit. “People died and the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers disappeared.”
“Just because of those blindly arrogant and conscienceless biological experiments, now we can only hide and scurry around like street rats?”
“Fuck!!”
Bai Lixin looked at the panting “person” beside him with a frown, but didn’t know what to say.
He wanted to save this man, but his strange genes had completely transformed his body. Just as he had said, as long as he was alive, he would continue to live in that way.
The Mermaid Heart couldn’t help him either. He wasn’t even like the other zombies.
He was completely genetically modified, and even if he was injected with an antidote, he would not revert to being a human.
Seeing Bai Lixin’s hesitation, the man smiled calmly, “Listen, don’t try to save me. Killing me is the greatest help you can provide. You can see that it’s the best choice for me, right?”
Bai Lixin tightly pursed his lips, looked at the man, and asked in a low voice, “Is there anything I can do for you? For example, deliver a message or something. Your real family, or your friends.”
The man hesitated for two seconds, and his eyes instantly became eager, “If you can, go and see my girlfriend for me! When I entered the game world, we were about to get married. But at that time, I had no money, and I was desperate for face. I was afraid of being looked down upon by others, so I completely ignored my girlfriend’s concerns. All I could think about was how to make money. It was my greedy desire that pulled me into that terrible game. If I had listened to my girlfriend and accepted reality honestly, this wouldn’t have happened. I regret it, but regret is useless.”
“I remember the system said that once we die, everything about us will disappear from the real world.” The man suddenly chuckled, “Actually, that’s fine. At least my girlfriend will forget me, and can have a fresh start. She won’t have to worry about the anger caused by my affairs every day.”
“I’m just sorry,” the man’s eyes gradually filled with loneliness, “If I had known that day was the last time we would meet, I would definitely not have quarreled with her. I would have hugged her and kissed her.”
Bai Lixin’s voice slowed down, “Do you remember her name and where she lives? Do you want to send her a message or something? What’s your name?”
The man smiled wryly, “No need to send a message, just see how she’s doing. And if you can, buy some paper money and burn it for me.”
After conveying his final wish, the man finally heaved a long sigh of relief, “I have a crystal nucleus implanted in my head. Removing it will set me free. I’m counting on you.”
The other people in the room couldn’t make sense of “game world” or “system”, except for Dr. Sang, who stared at Bai Lixin with deep dark eyes.
Seeing this, Naia hurriedly used his ability, and an invisible barrier instantly opened, blocking all the minced meat and blood from escaping. From a distance, it appeared as if the flesh and blood were suspended on a transparent glass.
Painful screams echoed in Bai Lixin’s mind, accompanied by the sudden writhing of the rhythmic tendons.
Numerous muscles rapidly proliferated from the fracture, and in an instant, the circular gap that Naia had blown out earlier was filled again.
Bai Lixin clutched his temples and finally ceased his search.
He looked at the strange creature before him with complex eyes, and there was a hint of tremor in his voice, “I found him… I believe he’s the one we’ve all been looking at.”
Everyone: “…”
———————-
In the live broadcast room.
[As far as the eye can see, he… ah, so this is what happened to the person who asked God Xin for help?]
[When Naia exploded those things just now, the blood and flesh that came out… damn, fuck, does that mean the tendons in this room all grew from that person?]
[And what’s growing on them are crystal cores, the unique crystal cores of zombies. What the hell are these guys doing with these biological experiments?]
[To be honest, I wasn’t scared when I saw the monster, nor when I saw the zombie. I was truly frightened when I witnessed this scene. It’s not the grotesqueness that scares me, but what lies behind this event. It’s too terrifying.]
[I understand what you mean.]
[So, why are zombie crystal cores appearing here, and how were zombies created? I have serious doubts.]
[Maybe the Zombies were runaway experiments from this laboratory!]
[Damn.]
————————–
Because of the explosion, the unconscious zombie awakened.
Initially, it recoiled in fear, but upon seeing the crystal cores within, instead of showing excitement, it screamed in fright and repeatedly retreated. The zombie huddled in the corner and even resorted to self-harm by slamming its head against the wall, displaying insane and peculiar behavior.
Seeing the zombie’s strange actions and the horrifying scene in the room, Bai Lixin muttered two words under his breath, “Petri dish.”
All eyes turned to Bai Lixin.
Bai Lixin pointed to the zombie hitting the wall and explained the details. After hearing this, everyone stood in shock, exchanging complicated and conflicted glances.
A Petri dish… What is growing in it? Could it be crystal cores?
When they entered this laboratory, they anticipated astonishing discoveries, but they never expected that this revelation would shatter their previous understanding.
The long-haired ability user swallowed nervously and looked blankly at the bearded man, asking, “Boss, what should we do now?”
Even the usually vigorous and decisive bearded man appeared dazed, standing there seemingly lost.
At that moment, a foot stepped into the ward.
The shoes made a strange “squeak” sound as they pressed against the sticky blood and minced meat. The bearded man instinctively blurted out to the seemingly weak youth, “What are you doing?”
The youth simply looked at him indifferently and explained, “The voice asked me to save him. I believe his original form must be among these tangled things.”
After speaking, Bai Lixin disregarded the objections of others and strode toward the entangled tendons that were compressed into hairballs.
The bearded man wanted to rush forward but was blocked by Dr. Sang’s hand. Dr. Sang held his beard with one arm and calmly looked at the youth, saying, “Let him search. The voice only asked for his help; maybe he possesses something special.”
With Dr. Sang’s words, the bearded man ceased his agitation, no longer concerning himself with the matter.
He took a few steps back, clearly demonstrating his decision not to proceed any further.
Bai Lixin observed the tangled tendons for a while before finally grabbing two of them and pulling them apart from the middle.
The screams was nearby, even if it was transmitted to his mind through brainwaves, he could vaguely pinpoint the location of the sound.
In the blink of an eye, he entered the mass of tendons, and his body completely disappeared within the dense formation.
Several people watched anxiously, but Dr. Sang, who appeared the calmest, secretly clenched his fists hidden within his cuffs.
Though he had opened the spiritual realm to ensure the safety inside and confirm that the life form meant no harm to Bai Lixin, he couldn’t help but worry.
Even with the knowledge that it was safe, his concern remained deeply rooted.
Why was he so worried and yet unable to control it when there was clearly no danger?
Emotions and rationality constantly battled in his mind, relentlessly attacking each other.
Just as his “emotions” were about to overwhelm reason, the wriggling tendons suddenly trembled simultaneously, swaying like seaweed in the sea.
The crystal nuclei hanging from the branches also swayed, and with a series of cracks, they fell to the ground.
As the crystal nuclei fell, everyone noticed that the tendons in front of them began to visibly shrink.
At that moment, a slender white arm stretched out through the layers of tendons.
Before anyone could react, a figure rushed out.
Dr. Sang, who was usually composed, grabbed Bai Lixin’s hand immediately and forcefully pulled him out of the pile.
The youth, carried by momentum, threw himself directly into the man’s arms.
And in the youth’s other hand, he held onto something.
It may be impolite to refer to it as a “thing”; it was, in fact, a person.
Although the current “person” possessed only a head, the human structure could still be vaguely recognized.
Bai Lixin was holding a meatball with a head on top of it.
Thin, dense circular protrusions covered the meatball, resembling octopus suckers. The raised incision was smooth, with traces of fresh blood still seeping from it, indicating recent cutting.
The peculiar shape attested to the immense pain this person had endured.
The struggling “person” managed to open their eyes, looked up at Bai Lixin, and strained to speak, “It’s futile… My genes have been completely altered, and the auxin has fused with me. It will start growing uncontrollably. As long as I live, I will become someone else’s daily sustenance. Killing me would truly be a mercy.”
The bearded man gazed at the abundant crystal nuclei, and though he was reluctant to admit it, he nodded in agreement, saying, “He’s right. You can’t bring him back to the ark; it will only harm him. Those on the ark will see his ability to produce crystal nuclei and exploit him like a cash cow. There would be no difference between him there and here.”
Hearing the voice, the man turned his eyeballs to look at the bearded man. Like the zombie just now, most of his eyes was white, but the middle of the eyeballs still had a black spot.
The man nodded, “I think you should have a lot of questions. As a reward for helping me, I am willing to tell you everything I know. I don’t know how many years have passed, so I will only use the years I know.”
“In S3009, I was arrested in this laboratory and became one of the experimental materials. Many people were also arrested.”
The man glanced at Bai Lixin, “There were many of our kind.”
Players…
Bai Lixin’s eyes were gloomy, and the man continued to speak: “Those people come from several countries, and their research purpose was to secretly develop biological weapons.”
“They were very confident that they could complete this experiment. According to their description, they had captured a powerful alien creature. That creature didn’t resemble any creature on the Blue Star. It was powerful and terrifying, but its genes were similar to human beings. It was very close, almost reaching 99.99%. This creature was invincible and had incredibly strong cell activity and combat effectiveness. In the eyes of those researchers, it combined human genes and corrected human genes at the same time. It was considered the most perfect creation.”
“So those researchers began to extract various tissue cells from this creature and conduct inhumane biological experiments through cultivation and fusion experiments. Of course, they claimed to be following the principle of biological evolution, but it was just a pretense.”
“But they underestimated the horror of that creature. After numerous experiments, the scientists did achieve some success by creating abilities compatible with humans. However, the disaster they unleashed was beyond their control.”
The man closed his eyes in pain, “The ability I was given is regeneration. I am like a cancer cell, multiplying and growing continuously. After they saw that my fusion was successful, they started using my body as a culture medium to cultivate this ability in large quantities. The final transformation of this ability is those crystal nuclei.”
Even through the gas masks, the ability users couldn’t conceal their pale faces.
The ability to regenerate does exist in ability users, and they have also seen it in zombies.
They looked at each other with flickering eyes, and shock flashed in the depths of their eyes.
Could it be that the appearance of zombies and ability users has something to do with this experiment?
What the man said afterwards answered the doubts in everyone’s mind.
The man continued, “That day, I was locked up in the ward.”
He suddenly rolled his eyes and looked around the ward, mocking himself, “It is called a ward, but it’s actually a hotbed for cultivating abilities. Then I heard a cry from outside. There was an explosion, and then the sirens sounded, and all the researchers evacuated in a hurry.”
“Several medical staff passed by my room, and I vaguely heard them mention ‘escape,’ ‘virus spread,’ and ‘irreparable.’
The bearded man hurriedly asked, “Was it the nuclear power plant that had exploded?”
The man nodded, “I don’t know if it was a coincidence or planned, but the explosion of the nuclear power plant caused a brief power outage in this basement laboratory. The mother embryo woke up from a coma, angrily smashed the glass container, and escaped. The researchers got lucky. When the nuclear power plant exploded, they were worried about exposure to nuclear radiation, so they evacuated quickly.”
“For a long period of time after that, no one came back here.”
“Some experimental subjects escaped through the gap, some fled into the sea. As for me, I couldn’t leave because I had become a petri dish. I wanted to die, but I could only live. The imperfect genes interacted with other creatures and eventually mutated, giving birth to the current zombie virus.”
Bai Lixin looked at the man, “Afterwards, has anyone been here?”
The man’s eyes were filled with disappointment, “Yes, but when those people returned, this place was deserted. Many people were dead. Even though I was still alive, they didn’t notice me because of my appearance. They thought I was dead. I listened to them talking about the outside world, the impending doomsday, their repentance, and their determination to continue studying without remorse. I could have spoken at that time, but I chose to remain silent. If they knew of my existence, I would be subjected to endless experiments.”
“Those people hastily packed up some experimental data and left. From what they said, it seems they have found a new laboratory and are about to start new experimental research.”
The bearded man’s head was buzzing, and his voice was trembling uncontrollably:
“You mean the zombie virus is actually man-made?”
“Damn it!”
He punched the ground hard, creating a deep pit. “People died and the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers disappeared.”
“Just because of those blindly arrogant and conscienceless biological experiments, now we can only hide and scurry around like street rats?”
“Fuck!!”
Bai Lixin looked at the panting “person” beside him with a frown, but didn’t know what to say.
He wanted to save this man, but his strange genes had completely transformed his body. Just as he had said, as long as he was alive, he would continue to live in that way.
The Mermaid Heart couldn’t help him either. He wasn’t even like the other zombies.
He was completely genetically modified, and even if he was injected with an antidote, he would not revert to being a human.
Seeing Bai Lixin’s hesitation, the man smiled calmly, “Listen, don’t try to save me. Killing me is the greatest help you can provide. You can see that it’s the best choice for me, right?”
Bai Lixin tightly pursed his lips, looked at the man, and asked in a low voice, “Is there anything I can do for you? For example, deliver a message or something. Your real family, or your friends.”
The man hesitated for two seconds, and his eyes instantly became eager, “If you can, go and see my girlfriend for me! When I entered the game world, we were about to get married. But at that time, I had no money, and I was desperate for face. I was afraid of being looked down upon by others, so I completely ignored my girlfriend’s concerns. All I could think about was how to make money. It was my greedy desire that pulled me into that terrible game. If I had listened to my girlfriend and accepted reality honestly, this wouldn’t have happened. I regret it, but regret is useless.”
“I remember the system said that once we die, everything about us will disappear from the real world.” The man suddenly chuckled, “Actually, that’s fine. At least my girlfriend will forget me, and can have a fresh start. She won’t have to worry about the anger caused by my affairs every day.”
“I’m just sorry,” the man’s eyes gradually filled with loneliness, “If I had known that day was the last time we would meet, I would definitely not have quarreled with her. I would have hugged her and kissed her.”
Bai Lixin’s voice slowed down, “Do you remember her name and where she lives? Do you want to send her a message or something? What’s your name?”
The man smiled wryly, “No need to send a message, just see how she’s doing. And if you can, buy some paper money and burn it for me.”
After conveying his final wish, the man finally heaved a long sigh of relief, “I have a crystal nucleus implanted in my head. Removing it will set me free. I’m counting on you.”
The other people in the room couldn’t make sense of “game world” or “system”, except for Dr. Sang, who stared at Bai Lixin with deep dark eyes.
