This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 454: Big Brother, Why Are You Wearing a Skirt After a Few Days?

Chapter 454: Chapter 454: Big Brother, Why Are You Wearing a Skirt After a Few Days?

The holographic image was lengthy, but the bulk of the information was concentrated in the opening few minutes of dialogue.

Afterward, the G-13 researcher scurried about planning projects and inserted a series of sub-projects into the original research plan on Floor B6, which included induced mutation and retrograde restoration among others.

Until the end, the experimental subject that had evolved into the mother entity suddenly went berserk, and the entire floor of B6 succumbed to the erosion of the slime fungus.

Although the G-13 researcher called for reinforcements in time, it was clearly too late.

An armed assault team entered Floor B6, but they quickly retreated in the face of the mucosal entities surging like a tide.

In fact, from the images on the experimental log, the G-13 researcher had the chance to escape, but for the sake of taking the experimental data and research results, he missed the last window of escape and was brutally killed in the laboratory’s engine room by the mother entity.

At the end of the footage, Chu Guang noticed a very interesting detail.

Although the G-13 researcher ultimately failed to take the experimental data, and most other researchers died in the disturbance, according to the narrative of the one who held the experimental log, a few researchers still managed to stand on the elevator under the cover of the assault team.

In addition to that, a briefcase was also taken away, inside which was a set of reagents named "Inductive Evolution Liquid."

And that set of reagents was the root cause of the collapse of Floor B6.

However, regrettably, the person in the holographic image didn’t reveal where the briefcase went; the final image faded to black as the lights in the floor went out one by one, and the air purification system shut down one after another, ending in a curtain of despairing silence...

What surprised Chu Guang was not entirely this secretive history, but that this startling experiment was just the tip of the iceberg of all the secrets of the entire refuge!

He became more and more curious about what was written in the First Generation Manager’s Administrator’s Log.

As the holographic image played to its conclusion, the former Academy prospector standing beside him suddenly let out a sigh.

"I suddenly have this feeling... your predecessor was quite terrifying."

Chu Guang glanced at Yin Fang.

"Hmm?"

Yin Fang continued to ask.

"Did he always monitor others like this?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"Then I don’t know. He’s been dead for so many years."

"Are you sure?"

Honestly speaking, Chu Guang wasn’t sure.

Previously, he just subjectively thought that a normal person couldn’t live that long, so he assumed the First Generation Manager must have died.

But after encountering so many ancient monsters, he suddenly realized that two centuries might not be that difficult to endure.

If it wasn’t cryogenic hibernation, then it was replacing bionic prosthetic bodies, or other methods, but as long as one wanted to live, there were always ways to hang on to a breath of life.

And if all else failed, one could even upload their consciousness to the cloud.

However, even if his inherent beliefs were overturned, Chu Guang still felt that the person in question was most likely no longer in this world.

As for the reason...

"He doesn’t seem like someone who’s very good at lying... and besides, I don’t think he had any reason to lie."

"Why?" Yin Fang raised his eyebrows, looking at Chu Guang with interest. "Didn’t you say you’ve never even met him?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"I don’t know, but I rarely feel so certain about something without reason... just consider it my intuition."

Yin Fang didn’t continue to press the matter.

It wasn’t really an important issue after all.

The only reason he asked casually was just due to professional habits from digging up the past; his interest in antiques was second only to coffee machines from the Era of Prosperity.

"But now that I think about it... it feels even more terrifying," Heya sighed, changing her posture and folding her arms, her eyes full of deep emotion beneath her silver bangs, "He knew everything and allowed it all to happen... It feels as if even the betrayal of his own people was within his calculations."

Whether it was that minor character called the Guard or the researcher with the G-13 identifier.

Yin Fang nodded in agreement.

"Right? I was just thinking about this. If Floor B6 was left out of control under his direction... then what was his purpose in doing so?"

Chu Guang leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, before saying,

"A primitive mother entity from the three-year War, evolving under control in a resource-depleted environment... Maybe that’s what he needed."

Yin Fang continued,

"And then what? What does he plan to do with it? Use it to defeat the Lair in Qingquan City? Excuse my frankness, but even if it could do that, the newly born Lair might not listen to us."

"I don’t know... Maybe he didn’t know what use it had either, so he didn’t use it himself, but left it for me instead."

After saying that, Chu Guang fell into deep thought.

And it was at this moment, Heya, who had been holding her arms, suddenly looked up and said,

"That technique of artificially engineering the library to induce the sub-entities to reverse into a mother entity... it worked?"

Chu Guang was taken aback for a moment then nodded,

"It should have... otherwise where did that Lair on Floor B6 come from?"

A mixed expression flickered in Heya’s eyes, half envy and half jealousy.

"Incredible..."

She had studied the slime fungus for so long, and had only managed to clarify the evolutionary principles and societal habits of those organisms on a theoretical level.

Yet a scholar from two centuries ago, the G-13 researcher, had accomplished such remarkable research results in a closed refuge with just limited experimental samples and resources.

Behind the envy and jealousy, she also couldn’t help feeling a slight sense of defeat.

No wonder her mentor, Karen, always told her the best of times had passed.

An ordinary researcher who didn’t even leave behind a name had far surpassed her in academic prowess.

Sure enough, she had a long way to go...

Sensing the discouragement behind that flicker of envy, Chu Guang was about to comfort her, to not compare herself with the ancient monsters of the Prosperity Epoch, when suddenly three lines of pale blue pop-up windows flashed before his eyes.

[Pre-processing program complete.]

["Aberrant Individual" has been injected with Inductive Evolution reagent set, mother entity creation complete.]

[Would you like to accept? (If not, or if no choice is made within thirty days, the synthesized mother entity will be subjected to the execution of the erasure protocol)]

When he saw the last line of text, a flash of surprise crossed Chu Guang’s eyes.

"...Mother entity creation?"

Good grief!

Was the shelter system planning on using "Symbiotic" Luoyu as material to create another mother entity!?

He felt like he was starting to understand something.

Yin Fang and Heya looked simultaneously at Chu Guang, who was talking to himself, and cast puzzled glances at him.

"What?"

Chu Guang did not answer but lightly swiped his index finger forward, selecting the "Confirm" button on an interface only he could see.

He stood up from the sofa, walked over to the powered armor parked in the corner of the browsing room, and after suiting up, hung the warhammer on his back.

Facing the two, who were completely baffled, he said tersely,

"...A new host body."

"Come with me to Level B1."

...

At the same time Chu Guang pressed the confirm button, the area next to the conveyor belt was already surrounded by a dense crowd of players.

"Holy shit? Falling Feather?"

"You... You’re one of the Luoyu Brothers, right?"

"Big bro, haven’t seen you in a few days. Why are you wearing a skirt?"

Surrounded by a group of players, the "Falling Feather" standing next to the conveyor belt remained silent, merely watching them quietly.

The so-called skirt was, of course, not a real skirt but rather a train of scarlet fungal blocks trailing on the ground like the hem of a dress.

It concealed not just the legs.

The flesh-colored fungal mass nearly enveloped its entire body, with only a few human-like features remaining. Even its facial features had melted away like ice cream, leaving only an abstract outline.

However, this appearance wasn’t as ugly as one might imagine. The tiny worms floating behind its head weren’t as ferocious-looking as the hosts that had emerged during the previous Tide.

At least from a human aesthetic perspective, those round, big eyes and the soft curves of its body seemed surprisingly cute.

Moreover, the dumbfounded look it once had was gone; it still appeared somewhat confused and unaware of the situation.

"Eee... um?"

It let out a puzzled murmur, which prompted the surrounding players to howl like ghosts and wolves.

Some pretended to be on the verge of throwing up, while others found it cute.

"Damn it, don’t act cute!"

"Wake up! You’re a boy, ahhhh!"

"Crap... I actually think this thing is kind of cute."

"It feels like a dolphin."

A female player curiously stepped forward to touch its head.

"Falling Feather" showed no hostility. Instead, it made a happy sound and rubbed her hand, inciting a flood of maternal instincts among the players who couldn’t help but pet it.

Witnessing "Falling Feather" surrounded by everyone, Mosquito and a group of other players had envy and jealousy written all over their faces.

Especially Trash Lord, who was nearly murderous with envy.

We’re all Variants, so why the hell are you so popular!

"Let’s just kill it."

Standing by the side, Silver Daddy nodded in hearty agreement.

"Agreed... It’s getting a bit unbalanced!"

The Sterling Silver Brothers nearby also shouted in endorsement.

"+1"

"No problem!"

We all entered the Game around the same time, so why are you so lucky!

Dark curtain!

It’s definitely a dark curtain!

Crow, who was also in Level B1’s lobby, didn’t join the crowd but instead shuddered and took a few steps back.

"Eek! A humanoid Leech!"

Standing by her side, Teng Teng looked at her with a subtle expression,

"Falling Feather would be sad if he heard that."

Regardless, it’s quite different from a leech, right?

How did they even connect the two?

Quit Smoking scratched the back of his head: "What the hell is going on with this guy?"

Night Ten shook his head.

"Who knows... I just want to know if this thing is now a player or an NPC."

If only Fang Chang were here.

He’s the one who understood the Game best.

Several Y-2 drones hovered nearby, their hanging guns aimed at "Falling Feather" by the conveyor belt, ready to fire syringes containing inhibitors at any moment.

All the players failed to notice that this area had been subtly taken over.

Just then, a commotion came from the elevator entrance. The Manager, clad in power armor, was striding towards them with Yin Fang and Heya in tow like a shooting star.

"...What’s going on here?" Yin Fang, shocked by the scene before him, swallowed.

"The Residents of the refuge who were symbiotic with the number 7 "Mutated slime fungus" have been transformed into a host!"

Heya, her eyes sharp, stared in the direction of the conveyor belt.

She was beginning to understand and preempted Chu Guang’s explanation.

Yin Fang’s face sported a big, confused "?".

"So, this guy right now, is he considered human or a host?"

"Half and half, I suppose."

Chu Guang tersely replied, staring at that "Falling Feather," also a bit bewildered by the refuge’s tactics.

The only thing he could be sure of was that his player could no longer log into this body, and the refuge had already begun to cultivate a new clone for Falling Feather.

So...

This should be considered a completely new individual?

With that thought, he looked at the host surrounded by players.

"Can you hear me?"

"Eee um?"

"Falling Feather’s" Kazlan’s big eyes moved up and down, curiously sizing up the iron lump before it.

Realizing it could hear his voice, Chu Guang thought for a moment before saying,

"From now on, you’ll be called... Yu, okay?"

...

For differentiation and ease of raising, Chu Guang gave the artificially synthesized mucosal host a new name.

Perhaps because its brain retained fragments of memories that included this syllable, the little fellow seemed to like this name very much. The response came with a hint of joy, and the small earthworm-like creature floating behind its brain undulated like seaweed.

However, nobody could be certain whether this harmlessness was an act or truly its nature.

To prevent history from repeating itself, Chu Guang temporarily placed this uncertain factor at the exit of the elevator on Floor B6 and even regularly brought it food.

Despite its small size, it had a surprisingly big appetite—it could even devour a Crawler much larger than itself.

The poisonous black blood was lethal to the average player who hadn’t unlocked the "Iron Stomach" talent, but for it, it was like nectar and ambrosia.

Watching the "little fellow" gobbling up with gusto, Chu Guang, leaning against the elevator door, muttered to himself,

"Eat more, grow up fast... damn, it’s making me hungry just watching it."

"Yi wu?"

It seemed to understand his words. Yu stopped eating, reached out to grab a lump of dark, black fungal mass and handed it over, seemingly wanting to share the delicious food with him.

Looking at those innocent big eyes, Chu Guang quickly waved his hands.

"No, no need, I don’t eat this stuff... just eat your fill."

"Yi wu!"

Yu nodded its head and ignored him, continuing to happily gnaw on the half-eaten Crawler on the ground.

It seemed to consider him its father.

And that was exactly what puzzled Chu Guang the most.

If he remembered correctly, the first thing it should have seen upon awakening wasn’t him, but a bunch of chatty little players.

Could it be the presence of some special scent on him that gave it a sense of déjà vu?

This discovery sent a shiver down Chu Guang’s spine, and as soon as the little guy had polished off its prey, he hurried to the medical room for a check-up.

"Didn’t you just have one done a few days ago?"

Chu Guang, who had pulled up his jacket’s zipper and put on his clothes, glanced over the fresh-off-the-press medical report that Heya handed him.

"Can’t I just remember to have another one done?"

Heya sat down on a chair nearby.

"Well, it’s not like there’s a problem with that... Just so you know, there’s been no progress in the development of your Gene Sequence lately; you need to put in more effort."

Chu Guang said smilingly,

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll evolve into a monster if I continue to progress?"

"It doesn’t matter, your physical condition is already not much different from a monster, isn’t it? With the development progress exceeding 30%, it’s basically very difficult to procreate through normal means anyway. Have you thought about in vitro fertilization in the future?" Heya’s voice carried a hint of jest toward the end.

Chu Guang coughed lightly.

"That’s not what I’m concerned about."

"I know what you’re concerned about, don’t worry. The situation you’re worried about doesn’t exist. The development of the Gene Sequence is just reactivating certain genes in the DNA that aren’t expressed; it won’t turn you into another species. You still have 23 pairs of chromosomes, and all indicators are within reasonable ranges..."

She paused for a moment, then continued with certainty,

"Undoubtedly human."

Chu Guang’s expression remained unchanged, but inside he let out a sigh of relief.

However, he had relaxed for less than two seconds when Heya’s next sentence tensed him up again.

"Hmm... But to be honest, while researching your genetic information, I indeed found some concerning things."

Chu Guang immediately asked,

"What did you find?"

"There are several segments of DNA that seem to be artificially designed and are not included in the current gene bank. Actually, not only you, but all clones—or as you call them, ’residents’ of the refuge—have this to some extent. I’ve been trying to isolate these codes to build a separate database, maybe there will be some new discoveries."

As she spoke, Heya’s excitement grew, seemingly pleased with the challenge that the topic presented.

Chu Guang’s mood, however, was neither solely pleasure nor burden.

However, knowing with certainty that he was indeed human, the stone weighing on his heart finally lifted.

And so, three days passed.

Perhaps due to a large intake of food, or perhaps because of his "Intelligence Aura" that buffed this half-human, half-mucosal little fellow, "Yu" had started to babble.

But the first word that came out of its mouth nearly made Chu Guang spit out yesterday’s meal.

"Papa?"

Looking into those innocent big eyes, Chu Guang coughed twice and quickly clarified,

"...I’m not your dad, your dad should be a guy named Pigeon."

But Yu, with its immature mind, clearly didn’t understand this overly complicated monologue, simply tilting its head in confused innocence.

"Papa?"

Chu Guang: "..."

How bizarre.

He was pretty sure he hadn’t taught it that word.

Where on earth had it learned it?

Besides beginning to talk, there were a series of other changes taking place in it.

These included mimicking human behavior and developing a keen curiosity about its surroundings.

After a few feedings, Chu Guang realized that this fellow seemed absolutely determined to stick with him. The moment he was out of sight, it started calling out "yi wu yi wu," and no one else’s attempt to soothe it worked.

Chu Guang gradually realized the problem and felt a headache coming on.

It wasn’t that he lacked patience; he was just too busy.

The growth and development of the Alliance needed his attention, the battle in the west was not yet over, and the leeks in the east were waiting for him to harvest.

He was the Manager—how could he have the time to play "daddy"?

But if he ignored it, letting the little guy wail pitifully, Chu Guang felt a pang of guilt.

Moreover, having just established a bit of cross-species trust, if he made the little guy turn to the dark side, it would all be for naught.

It was then that Chu Guang suddenly remembered that the little player named Luoyu seemed to have revived.

A rational analysis suggested that "Yu" was mimicry based on "Falling Feather," even containing his DNA in the slime fungus’s substitute cells.

Wouldn’t this "blood connection" feel more direct than oneself?

"...How did I forget about this guy."

Chu Guang slapped the back of his head and immediately gave an order to Xiao Qi.

"Xiao Qi, have the player Falling Feather go to the elevator on Floor B6, I’ll wait for him there."

"Okay, Master!"

Xiao Qi, having received the command, immediately set off to find someone.

Meanwhile, on Level B3 of the shelter.

Having overcome countless obstacles to finally log back into the Game, Falling Feather had just crawled out of the cultivation chamber when he heard an electronic voice overhead.

"Player ’Falling Feather’ is requested to take the elevator to Floor B6 for a conversation with the Manager to trigger a mission upon awakening."

"Holy shit!?"

After hearing the announcement, Falling Feather held his breath momentarily, clenching his fists in excitement.

A hidden quest!

Compensation for a BUG!?

"Whimper... Brother Guang actually didn’t forget!"

Falling Feather, who had just emerged from the cultivation chamber, immediately rushed towards the door, only to realize he couldn’t open it because he had forgotten to get dressed. He then awkwardly went back to find a Blue Jacket to put on before hastily exiting the room.

Without interacting with anyone else, he headed straight for the elevator, his index finger selecting the number 6 on the touch panel.

When the elevator doors opened again, Fallen Feather, upon seeing the azure power armor, immediately stood up straight with excitement, his right fist touching his chest as he began his performance in a display of loyalty.

"Respected Manager, may I inquire if there’s anything I can assist you with?"

"Of course, your timing is perfect," said Chu Guang as he turned around, regarding him with a serious expression. "The body you were using before has been infected by ’Mutated slime fungus,’ resulting in some unexpected complications..."

Considering that the core NPCs of the shelter were aware of the player’s resurrection mechanism, Chu Guang didn’t bother beating around the bush with a bunch of background settings that might be misunderstood and instead laid out the situation with "Yu" straight to him.

When Falling Feather heard that the mucosal entity used his body as a template to create a mother creature, his eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn’t help but blurt out, "Holy crap."

"...Crap?"

Xiaoyu tilted her head to the side, standing nearby.

The edges formed by the fungus undulated slowly as it moved next to Falling Feather, curiously examining this human who exuded a sense of familiarity, with the tentacles floating behind its head also drawing closer.

This movement instantly tensed Falling Feather’s nerves, making him almost retreat back into the elevator in nervousness.

Observing Falling Feather involuntarily swear, Chu Guang cleared his throat and reminded him.

"You... try to restrain yourself a bit and avoid teaching it any strange vocabulary. Its mind is only at the understanding of a two or three-year-old human child, hard to grasp many things and problematic to explain."

Pausing for a moment, he continued in a more serious tone.

"In any case, this entity, born as a template of you, is critical to our research. As the resident most closely related to it by blood in this shelter, I hope you can represent us and establish a relationship with it that goes beyond friendship."

"What exactly?" Falling Feather asked, looking at the thin tentacles hovering around him and nervously swallowing, "What... do you need me to do?"

Seeing how "cozy" Falling Feather was with Yu, Chu Guang’s face broke into a pleased smile.

It seemed his guess was correct.

He would finally be able to shake off this encumbrance.

"Your task is simple, just spend a little more time with it each day and teach it to talk. When the time is right, you can take it outside the shelter to learn how to hunt."

"But... I have other stuff to do too," remarked Falling Feather with an expression that couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry, clearly reluctant.

Seeing through his thoughts, Chu Guang felt a slight stir in his heart and continued after clearing his throat.

"According to the analysts from the Alliance, ’Yu’ is the variant with the most outstanding growth and adaptability we know so far. If nurtured properly, it could become a very powerful force..."

He hesitated as he spoke, his expression uncertain.

"Hmm... I’m actually somewhat hesitant. This might be too difficult for you."

At that moment, Falling Feather held his breath.

Wait a minute!

Does this mean... this creature is the strongest battle pet on the current server!?

Given that, it made sense for the faction boss, the Manager, to hesitate.

After all, his Sequence Level wasn’t that high, hovering only between T2 and T3.

Suddenly having such a powerful battle pet would undoubtedly affect the game’s balance.

Certainly, a bunch of jerks would once again take to the Forums calling for a nerf.

Realizing this, Falling Feather’s eyes, previously filled with hesitation, turned fiery as he looked back at Xiaoyu.

What tentacle monster?

This was clearly an SSSR Level Divine Pet!

Perhaps he could even teach it to fly a plane!

"Please rest assured and leave it to me, Manager!" Falling Feather hastily put on a reliable face, assuring solemnly to avoid any second thoughts from Chu Guang.

"I definitely won’t let your hopes down!"

Chu Guang was secretly amused but showed none of it outwardly, instead feigning hesitation before nodding lightly.

"...Since you put it that way, I’m handing it over to you!"

...

The task of feeding Xiaoyu was temporarily assigned to Falling Feather.

As for Heya, Chu Guang had her try to technically analyze the feasibility of using "Yu" to eat and replace the lair on Floor B6, as well as evaluating the potential risks.

The shelter system didn’t provide any further hints on how to use "Yu," seemingly leaving the decision to him.

Chu Guang planned to let Falling Feather nurture it for a while.

Once they had formed a bond, preferable one that allowed normal communication, he’d then have it try to consume the lair on Floor B6 to see if it could take the place of the slime fungus there, validating some of the hypotheses posed by Researcher G-13.

If this plan proved to be feasible, not only would the Alliance gain a formidable force, but they might even achieve what the Post-War Reconstruction Committee couldn’t—the retake of Qingquan City Center!

At that time, all the resources from Qingquan City would fall into the hands of the Alliance!

And perhaps not just Qingquan City—

All the other cities occupied by the mucosal entities wouldn’t be out of reach either!

—

(Thanks to "World Hall" and "Step back, I’m about to show off" for the generous rewards!!!)

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