440: Chapter 437 Mutation

Meanwhile, in another place.

The light was dim, making it impossible to tell if it was day or night. The walls were metal, the floor was metal, and even the ceiling overhead was metal; every surface was covered in a layer of fine patterns, like the traces left behind by the growth of some organic organism.

In the center of the room, where those patterns were densest, a figure stood.

Xiao Hui.

Or rather, the biological computer that used to be called "Xiao Hui." At this moment, it no longer looked like the seven or eight-year-old boy it once was—its body was half-melted into the wall, those metal patterns extending into its body like blood vessels, yet also growing out from it like roots, burrowing into the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling.

It had its eyes closed, its breathing so steady it was almost mechanical.

Footsteps came from behind.

"How does it feel?"

Xiao Hui did not look back. Its eyes remained closed, but the pulsing rhythm of those metal patterns shifted slightly.

"It feels very good," it spoke, its voice calm as if stating a fact. "But unfortunately, I don't plan on using the things you brought."

The figure behind it stopped.

Xiao Hui continued, "Using the special cell remnants found on that guy, you all cooked this up for me." It tilted its head slightly, as if looking at its own body half-melted into the wall. "But in my calculations, it cannot be considered a good thing. So, I don't plan on using it."

The person behind it was silent for two seconds.

"I can completely accept that," the voice said, its tone steady, betraying no emotion. "However, my true purpose is to invite you to join us."

Xiao Hui finally opened its eyes.

Those eyes were different from the ones in the old photos. They were deeper, colder, with something faintly flowing within the pupils.

"You should know that I will refuse."

Another silence followed from behind.

This silence lasted a bit longer.

Xiao Hui waited for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke with a hint of unexpected amusement in its tone, "No way? You really can't calculate that?"

The voice behind it finally sounded, carrying a trace of imperceptible fatigue.

"...I used too much computing power. I only gave them what they wanted."

Xiao Hui chuckled; that smile, paired with its half-melted face, appeared exceptionally eerie.

"Pointless," it said. "The moment you did that, they were already dead. Everything you've done is merely simulating how the things of dead people work—a bunch of dead people playing house, pretending to be dead people. It's pointless. I'd even say it has no meaning whatsoever."

The person behind did not speak.

"You should be a bit more merciful," the voice sounded again, this time with a strange touch of warmth. "Creating the Heaven they desired... that is very merciful."

Xiao Hui was stunned for a moment.

Then it laughed. The laughter grew louder and louder, echoing in this metal room, sounding as if metal and flesh were vibrating together.

"How pathetic."

It stopped laughing and looked straight ahead, as if gazing at a very distant place.

"Mercy is the thing life needs the least. You as well." It paused. "Perhaps we truly can be considered of the same kind, but the paths we walk are destined to be different. You want to embrace all living beings within your bosom, but I am different."

It turned its head, finally looking at the person behind it.

Those eyes were filled with undisguised ambition.

"I only want to become the strongest. I will not join you, so give up."

The figure behind stood in the shadows, their expression unreadable.

"Fine," the voice said, without anger or disappointment, just a simple statement. "In that case, we won't bring anything for you anymore."

Xiao Hui turned back, looking forward once more.

"I didn't need it anyway," it said. "Moreover, we are destined for this path—destined for one side to devour the other. Since you are letting me go now, then in the future, it will be me devouring you. I will make you exist as a part of me."

The person in the shadows was silent for a second.

Then it spoke, and for the first time, a hint of something else appeared in its voice—not anger, but a kind of certainty akin to pity.

"No, you won't be able to. Because I have the consciousnesses of multiple people within me. We are a true Fusion, while you are not."

It paused.

"You are no longer of our kind."

It paused again.

"But out of mercy, we will give you some time to develop. Then, we will devour you."

Xiao Hui did not look back again. Those metal patterns began to glow faintly like countless blood vessels, binding its body even tighter to the entire room.

"Then let's see," it said, its voice as soft as a sigh, "who devours whom."

On the other side, in the base's rest area, Shen Mingyuan and Wei Ziqing were contending with a piece of cake.

The fork in Wei Ziqing's hand had already dug out a third spoonful, but he ate very slowly, as if savoring some delicacy of the mortal world. He looked up at Shen Mingyuan, then down at the cake, and suddenly spoke.

"I have to take this cake back for Little Pink," he said, his tone so serious he didn't seem to be joking. "She'll absolutely love it."

Shen Mingyuan stuffed the last bite into his mouth, gave a muffled grunt of agreement, then wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair.

"Next, we have to go find Xiao Hui." He stared at the ceiling. "But what the hell did they actually make using Ye Ouyang's cells? You saw the state that zombie was in."

Before Wei Ziqing could answer, Lu Jianchuan walked over from the end of the corridor, holding a document and tossing it onto the table.

"That lump of flesh has already been given to the Researchers," he sat down beside them. "Let's see what they can find out. Anyway, once they do, Ye Ouyang will know, and he'll come tell us."

Shen Mingyuan nodded and said nothing more.

In the laboratory, Ye Ouyang stood in front of a microscope, tilting his head as he stared at the image on the screen. Beside him, a Researcher in a white coat was operating the instrument, his brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a fly.

"This isn't right," Ye Ouyang scratched his head. "Normally, my cells die automatically thirty minutes after leaving the body. Back then, Li Mo studied them for so long and couldn't solve the delay issue. How did that monkey manage to create a mutated version?"

The Researcher looked up and glanced at him.

"These cells have changed significantly compared to your original cells," he said, his tone carrying a bit of confusion. "They're more like a product of mutation. Although they've escaped the thirty-minute limit, the negative impact they bring is far too great."

Ye Ouyang was stunned for a moment.

"So you're saying... the negative effects are extremely powerful, while the positive effects were barely retained?"

The Researcher nodded.

"You could say that." He paused. "But I don't fully understand it yet. I'll study it some more in a bit."

Ye Ouyang scratched his head.

"Since that's the case, do you need me to provide some more of the Original Source?"

The Researcher's eyes lit up.

"That would be best." He turned around and took several clean test tubes from the shelf. "I'll see what the difference is between the original and the Mutant, or rather, what happens when they come together."

Ye Ouyang nodded and pressed his hand against the Transformation Device at his waist—golden fluid surged out, instantly covering his entire body. He reached out his hand, and several drops of a liquid, mercury-like substance seeped from his golden claws.

"Here."

The Researcher carefully caught those golden liquids with the test tubes, his movements as light as if he were holding something fragile. After catching the last drop, he nodded to Ye Ouyang.

Ye Ouyang pressed the belt, and the golden armor receded like a tide.

The Researcher placed the test tubes into the incubator, then pulled up the image under the microscope to begin a new round of observation. He would lean in close to the screen, jot a few notes in his logbook, or stare blankly at the petri dish from time to time.

Ye Ouyang didn't leave either; he just found a chair nearby and sat down, watching the Researcher work.