Chapter 173
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Chapter 173: Fusion Slime
Fusion Slime.
“An inhuman Core Operator. Not bad.”
Bai Yan gazed at the fifth Core Operator he had summoned. His previously sour mood improved instantly. The excess Operator Fragments were automatically converted into Source Energy Points, each fragment granting 50 points.
Fusion Slime was one of the inhuman Core Operators.
Its primary roles were that of a tank and a controller. This slime, specially enhanced through “sage” reconstruction, was notoriously hard to kill. Destroying it by conventional means was almost impossible; as long as a single fragment remained, it could regenerate completely.
Moreover, Fusion Slime possessed peculiar abilities. The stronger it grew, the stranger—and more effective—these abilities became. Often, it could perform miraculous feats, overwhelming enemies far stronger than itself.
The illustration showed a deep blue, undulating, liquid-like creature. At its center lay a red, fiery spherical core that seemed to burn ceaselessly.
On the screen, the slime wriggled and emitted soft chirping and chattering sounds.
“Hmm, so that’s its exclusive line… ‘Gulu gulu gulu,'” Bai Yan mused.
After a moment of contemplation, he grinned mischievously and modified the slime’s exclusive line:
“Look at me, look at me, look at me again! I’m going to eat you up!”
Fusion Slime also had the ability to learn. It wasn’t that it couldn’t speak human language—it simply chose not to.
Bai Yan found it adorable when it delivered such lines.
Of course, to an enemy, it would likely be terrifying.
Night Union, Tree City
Tree City—a massive metropolis—was the domain ruled by the Nine Trees Foundation.
At its core was the “Nine Trees System,” an all-encompassing entity governed by 50 “sages.” These sages controlled every aspect of life in Tree City, from birth to death. The lives of its citizens were intricately tied to the Nine Trees Foundation.
Unlike the vertical high-rises of Ring City, Tree City was built in a spiral vortex shape, radiating outward from the center. The closer one lived to the center, the more prosperous their environment.
Tree City had no concept of family. From birth, individuals were raised, educated, and classified by the Nine Trees System into value ranks ranging from 1 to 10 by the time they turned 20.
Those in the outermost zones lived perilously close to the lawless wilderness, holding a value rank of 1. Survival here was a daily struggle. Desperate individuals often applied to become test subjects for the Nine Trees Foundation. For others, the only way to move toward the city’s center was by accumulating 100,000 points.
In Tree City, points governed everything. From food and water to breathing rights—even the right to reproduce—everything required points.
For those with an abundance of points, life could be as luxurious as that of an ancient emperor. But for the impoverished, it was a relentless struggle.
The Inner Zones and the Sages
In the city’s outer regions, citizens with a modest point balance held stable jobs and saw themselves as privileged compared to those in the periphery.
The inner zones housed the elite—individuals ranked at value level 10 or higher. These were the chosen few tasked with managing critical societal functions. They prided themselves on their status and moral superiority, viewing the Nine Trees System as a godlike entity, even above the Rainbows.
At the very center of Tree City stood the Nine Trees Headquarters, a heavily fortified facility. Entry without authorization was punishable by death.
The sages—renowned experts in their respective fields—lived and worked here. However, their status was conditional. A sage who failed to contribute meaningfully for ten years would lose their title and be demoted to the elite inner zones. They could regain their status by proving their worth again, though this was exceedingly rare.
Laboratory 32: The Birthplace of R21
Inside Laboratory 32—a vast, futuristic facility—stood a massive cultivation vessel surrounded by intricate machinery and countless pipes.
Professor Bai Lan, a strikingly beautiful woman with white hair tinged with blue highlights, stood before the vessel.
Her masterpiece, a deep blue slime with a glowing red core, writhed inside.
The Heart of Nuclear Fusion.
Bai Lan’s tenure as a sage was nearing its ten-year limit. If she couldn’t produce significant results soon, she would be expelled from the headquarters—a fate she couldn’t bear.
“Huang,” Bai Lan called coldly.
A petite woman with black hair—nearly identical to Bai Lan—approached. Huang was a clone, created as an organ backup for Bai Lan but later granted human rights due to her intellectual success.
“Bring in Subject 313223. We’ll attempt direct contact between R21 and a human today.”
Huang nodded and departed. Moments later, a man in a white hospital gown, trembling with fear, was ushered in.
The Experiment Begins
Subject 313223 begged for mercy.
“Please, let me return to the outskirts! I don’t want to be food for this… thing!”
Bai Lan frowned. “You sold yourself for points and enjoyed the benefits. Now, you refuse to fulfill your obligation?”
Huang observed calmly. “Peripheral residents are always so greedy and unreasonable.”
Bai Lan sighed. “You’re right. Their moral evolution is still lacking. I shouldn’t have expected more.”
She pressed a button on the console. Immediately, Subject 313223 was forced forward, his movements controlled by the Nine Trees System.
Inside the container, the deep blue slime shifted. Tentacles extended toward the man as he screamed.
“Please! My daughter just turned one… spare me!”
Bai Lan’s voice was cold and clinical.
“R21 is non-toxic and has minimal aggression. Tests on animals have confirmed this. As a pure-blooded human, you should be fine. Just don’t provoke it.”
The man, drenched in sweat, reluctantly entered the chamber. R21 loomed above him, radiating intense heat.
Bai Lan spoke through the intercom. “R21, can you hear me? I know you understand. You’ve learned so much.”
The slime wavered as if acknowledging her. Tentatively, it extended a tentacle.
But then, without warning, R21 went berserk.
Bang!
The cultivation vessel shook violently as the slime thrashed and pounded against its confines.
Something—or someone—was influencing it.
