Chapter 229
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Chapter 229: Give Me Back My Toy!
Despite the late hour, Zhou Zhuo displayed a swiftness that belied his age, quickly making his way to the communicator in the command room.
After a brief exchange to confirm identities, Zhou Zhuo posed several pre-prepared questions.
These questions were designed to assess the logical coherence of the respondents. Once satisfied with their responses, Zhou Zhuo focused on the critical issue at hand: the life pod.
"Life pods manufactured in Hope City feature a laser-etched code on the side of the hatch. Please locate it and report back to me," he instructed confidently.
Zhou Zhuo was certain that the empty life pod was a product of Hope City, yet puzzled by its presence in what was supposed to be an unmanned exploration rocket.
To clarify, the rocket was not just unmanned but devoid of any life forms, ruling out the possibility of it carrying creatures like monkeys.
Then, Zhou Zhuo received an unexpected yet plausible response:
"We couldn’t find the etched code."
"Hmm," Zhou Zhuo mused for a moment before inquiring,
"Are you certain? Could it have been missed? If it’s unopenable, I could…"
Zhou Zhuo’s skepticism was justified; his recent frustrations with the communicator team’s competence had left him wary.
"Impossible. The life pod of our team member, ‘Puppet Master,’ has a similar structure. We opened the hatch from the front and found no such code," came the reply.
Zhou Zhuo recognized the voice as that of Beacon, a woman whose tone betrayed a hint of exasperation at his persistent doubts.
The Deputy Director paused, then after a moment of reflection, asked,
"Can the superpowered individual known as ‘Undead’ manage to carry an empty life pod? If so, I’d like you to bring it back."
"This is crucial for Hope City. If this life pod isn’t from Hope City, it suggests the existence of significant human settlements beyond our walls.
"Our technologies share a common origin, but differ in model and manufacturing, leading to variations in codes and structures. This is vital information for us."
The team on the other end had anticipated this request. After confirming that Wang Xiao could handle the additional load, they agreed to Zhou Zhuo’s demand, planning to return at dawn.
Unbeknownst to them, Lin Qingliu was covertly observing the entire scene. For the first time, he experienced the thrill of surveillance, and it sparked new thoughts in him.
Unlike Zhou Zhuo, who was hundreds of kilometers away, Lin Qingliu had a clear view of the situation.
He noticed black granular substances at the base of the life pod, whose origin was unknown.
Was the viewing window shattered from within or without? What became of the creature inside the life pod?
Lin Qingliu pondered these questions, deciding it was essential for Ji Yongxing to examine the item closely upon the team’s return to Hope City.
Suddenly, he detected an unusual fluctuation.
Despite being one hundred fifty kilometers away and relying on Fulan’s senses, Lin Qingliu identified the fluctuation as a biological field.
The biological field surrounding the Fresnel team was undergoing rapid changes.
Roots, one after another, emerged from the soil, filling the void left by the extracted life pod.
In the still air, these roots swayed in all directions, as if in search of something.
The mycelium grew denser, weaving a web-like structure in the hollow formed by soil and humus.
The cylindrical space was segmented into numerous sections, and then the roots began to transform anew.
The roots, which initially bore some characteristics of plant root systems, began to evolve in another direction. In just a few seconds, they transformed from roots into mycelium and started to move rapidly outward.
At the same time, a rustling sound began to echo through the sparse jungle, reminiscent of a baby who had just lost its pacifier, expressing its dissatisfaction in the simplest and most primal way:
"Give it back! Give it back! Give me my things!"
An illusory signal appeared in Lin Qingliu’s mind, without any spoken language. He felt the biological field around him pulsating, as if a stagnant pool of water had been disturbed by a large stone, making the air around the team feel slightly thick.
"Return immediately."
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice resonated in Wang Xiao’s ears. He paused for a moment, recognized the owner of the voice, and then, driven by ingrained trust, made a swift decision:
"Captain, we need to retreat now!"
"What?"
Fresnel instinctively replied. For most superpowered individuals, even if their abilities were powerful, it was difficult to sense the existence of the biological field without specialization in that area.
Thus, the violent winds and towering waves of the biological field had gone unnoticed by Fresnel and the others.
"Snap."
In an almost inaudible sound, a piece of mycelium landed on the edge of the life pod that was placed on the ground.
"I found it! I found it! That’s my thing!"
Lin Qingliu felt a surge of excitement and joy once again.
At the same time, Fresnel noticed the undisguised seriousness on Wang Xiao’s face.
"Take the life pod and evacuate immediately!"
The others did not ask questions and quickly entered combat mode.
Fresnel swiftly closed the life pod and inserted it into the fixed docking point on Wang Xiao’s armor.
At the bottom of the life pod, several mycelium that had come in response were severed; the strands, thinner than a hair, fluttered in the wind generated by Wang Xiao’s running, relentlessly sending out their locations with the remaining energy they had.
Almost the moment Fresnel reacted, he felt the soil beneath his feet becoming soft, as if it suddenly displayed a rare liquefaction phenomenon.
He moved his feet one after the other and saw a milky white liquid oozing from the footprints he had just left.
"Retreat to the south!"
He calmly issued the order while gathering the nearby moonlight to illuminate the area around him for dozens of meters.
In the pale light, every tree, every bush, and every blade of grass in the forest moved slowly and silently.
This movement was almost impossible to notice unless one carefully observed; however, if attention was diverted for a few seconds and then returned, significant changes could be felt.
