Chapter 459

Chapter 459: "Private Property"

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away, another "biomass factory" gradually fell into a routine.

In Lachesis’s domain, a massive cylinder was slowly growing upwards.

This entity was unlike any tissue or organ; it possessed no special abilities or purpose. The only evidence of its vitality was its constant division and growth.

This was the split consciousness that Lachesis had cleansed of thought.

Without the ability to think, it had devolved to the level of a single-celled organism, with growth being its sole life activity.

This was precisely what Lachesis desired.

He made his tall grass generate crystallized substances to limit the growth space of the split-off part.

After a period of reproduction, this entity that could barely be called a living being finally "discovered" a fact: its space was limited.

Surrounded by an inorganic material that could not be assimilated, it found itself unable to break through or continue to spread.

But life always finds a way.

Perhaps because the upper part was not blocked by Lachesis, or perhaps due to the effectiveness of the plant genes within the assimilation,

In any case, this organism seemed to become a potted plant for Lachesis, continually drawing nutrients from the underground space while growing upwards.

And whenever it grew a little, attempting to cross the barrier of inorganic material, Lachesis would timely raise the barrier.

Thus, this consciousness, which could only grow, became a massive object resembling a cylinder.

Its outer layer was made up of crystallized outer shell from Lachesis, and inside the shell was a body full of biomass, eroded but still intact.

This enormous object appeared in Lachesis’s view like a dish that consolidated all the deliciousness of the world.

However, the rationality belonging to the Supreme Will still prevented him from choosing to enjoy it all alone; this massive biomass belonged to every consciousness and every strand of mycelium.

Yet, as he gazed at the ever-growing Giant Tree, Lachesis couldn’t help but ponder in his consciousness:

This planet’s biomass was nearly inexhaustible, so if he took a tiny bit to replicate this attempt, would it not lead him to acquire a biomass mine of his own?

If this plan succeeded, then the realm he controlled would not be limited to the current one, and his ability to erode would be enhanced.

But the premise of all this was—he needed a biomass mine that belonged solely to him.

—

“Ding ding ding…”

As the sun disappeared behind the city walls, a rapid ringing suddenly sounded.

This sound echoed throughout every factory in Hope City and the outer city, loud enough for workers wearing noise-canceling headphones to notice.

The days in July were always longer than those in spring and autumn, allowing the workers leaving the factory to still catch the last glimmer of dusk.

Although the city walls blocked the majority of the sunlight, the current work hours were at least better than last year.

With the ringing, the assembly line in front of them began to slow down.

Though it was just a slight decrease in speed, it was noticeable enough for the experienced workers.

There were hundreds of workers on a single production line, so it couldn’t stop immediately.

The recent ringing and the changes on the assembly line were merely the prelude to finishing work; it would completely shut down in two minutes, and by then the workers could end their day.

But human laziness clearly craved a bit of sloth; in the last two minutes, some workers eagerly began to prepare for the end of their shift.

Taking advantage of the slowdown in the production line, they started adjusting their jackets, and some even took off their ear protection, as if the noise for these last two minutes didn’t matter.

“Want to eat something nice?”

One worker nudged his colleague with his elbow:

“I heard the chicken production in the inner city has increased lately. Maybe we can eat it once a week.”

His colleague shook his head in response:

“I heard that chicken is all synthetic.”

“Synthetic?”

The suggester couldn’t help but laugh:

“Come on, man, are you saying nutritional paste grows on trees? We’ve been eating synthetic food all our lives; why are you raising your standards now?”

The more he laughed, the darker his colleague’s expression became, until his face turned icy, and the laughter finally stopped:

“What’s wrong? Don’t you find that funny?”

“I mean, maybe that chicken is ‘synthetic.’”

He emphasized certain words and looked at his colleague with a meaningful gaze.

The suggester pondered for a long time before finally understanding what he meant:

“No way?”

His face turned pale, as if recalling a rare dinner with real chicken from last week. He felt nauseous but ultimately failed to vomit.

“Where did you hear such nonsense to gross me out? You can eat it if you want, but spreading rumors is a crime now.”

“I didn’t, I just… heard it on the way to work.”

The man looked a bit guilty and turned his gaze away, yet his words didn’t sound completely like a lie; rather, it felt like he was hiding something.

“Fine, I’ve lost my appetite; let’s just leave it at that for today.”

He gagged a few times but ended up feeling worse without bringing anything up. Finally, he had to sulk back to his position.

Just then, a softer ringing sound was heard—the real end-of-shift bell.

Upon hearing this bell, all the workers on the production line smiled with satisfaction.

No matter how long they worked, people’s ultimate ideal was always not to work. Lin Qingliu understood this well, so he didn’t expect these workers to smile while on the job; as long as they maintained the quality of work, he would do his best to help them with their working hours.

The year 53 of the New Era had already passed its halfway mark, and the workers gradually became accustomed to Hope City.

Due to a rumor that had no basis whatsoever, two workers ultimately chose not to eat chicken together and instead turned in different directions at the factory entrance.

At that moment, the last rays of the sun disappeared on the horizon, and the young worker who had spread the unfounded rumor turned left and right, finally arriving beneath a narrow, low building.

The building’s shadow covered him, and the musty smell from the stagnant air in the corner of the low building entered his nostrils.

At that moment, a voice echoed in his heart:

“Ah, I’m so exhausted.”