Tribal migration is nothing new for the inhabitants of this world, who have fully adapted to this life and become nomads. Since small and medium-sized tribes only breed chickens, they can only be regarded as nomads, and large tribes with more than 500 people are qualified and able to raise cattle and sheep and become shepherds.

According to the provisions of the contract, Li Ben and Zhou Haomiao were to serve the tribe for at least half a year. This time the tribe moved, and the two of them became pioneers.

"It's unceremonious to really arouse, oh, as soon as you come up, give the most dangerous job, don't you want to recover the cost of this year within half a year?"

Li Ben ignored Zhou Haomiao's nonsense, carefully observed his surroundings, and new things always made him pay full attention.

It is a millennia relic, the product of a compromise attempt to re-establish order after the Great Collapse - the City of Annihilation.

Why is it a compromise product?

This is evident in the fact that it has two very different looks from the magnificent high-tech city ruins that it has seen before.

The place was filled not with metal composites, but with giant-like pale bones and black flesh and skin fat that had long since dried up.

The city was built with blood and bone.

They know from past histories that after the population of tens of billions of people plummeted to less than five billion, most of humanity realized that the technology of the past could no longer save them, so they turned to Chaos for help, and developed many different branches.

The symbiote is one of them. Unlike today's Chaos Hunters, who require a variety of selections, training, sacrifices, rituals, and other complicated and demanding cultivation processes, the so-called symbiote is an existence where anyone can obtain the power of Chaos.

People have found a parasitic life form created by the influence of the forces of chaos, the Shame Worm, and cultivating this life form and letting it live on themselves is the only condition.

And the price is - give up being human.

Humans who are parasitized will become extremely strange in appearance, even terrifying.

One of its characteristics is the loss of skin and hair, which exposes its own fat and muscle fibers.

The second is the alienation of the mouth, nose, eyes and ears, the whole face is covered by a layer of transparent and tough mucous membrane, which will be filled with a colorless liquid similar to amniotic fluid, and there is no need to breathe anymore, and the eyeball loses its pupil and turns white completely, but it seems that there is still vision.

The third is the growth of the exoskeleton, and part of the bones in the body grow out of the body and become armor or blades.

Fourth, the loss of gender.

After these mutations, it's hard to say that the creature is human.

The only thing that is the same is the soul, and the consciousness and will of the human being are preserved, just like the Chaos Hunters of today.

The symbiotes who paid the price gained very strong power, and their individual wisdom was also improved to varying degrees. Such beings are more than capable of surviving in a world infested with chaotic creatures, so more and more people who are unwilling to die become symbiotes, and they gather together to embark on a completely different path of development, and establish cities one after another, which are called the Cities of Annihilation.

In the beginning, the City of Annihilation welcomed normal humans and would provide them with shelter, as many symbiotes gave up their human bodies to protect their families. During that time, the symbiotes were loved and revered by humans, and they were regarded as glorious.

However, the good times did not last long, not everyone could accept the monster-like symbiote, and not all symbiotes with human consciousness had a strong enough heart to face their ugliness and horror every day. The name "stigmatizing worm" of parasitic life also comes from the verbal disparage of some people at that time.

The scourge began with a decision - the use of symbiotic clones.

The cloning method is used to make the cloned human babies parasitized from the beginning, and they are grown and used as tools of enslavement. A "Gene Disintegration Potion" is made and embedded in the cervical spinal cord of the clone, and if there is an abnormality such as resistance, it will immediately detonate, causing it to decompose into various basic organisms that make up life under the effect of the potion.

As a result, the status of the symbiotes plummeted, becoming spurned by everyone, they were no longer seen as human beings, and they never considered themselves human.

Arrogance became the source of human destruction.

The symbiotes are stronger and smarter than humans, and humans rely on the protection of the symbiotes to survive, but they enslave the symbiotes.

This is a chaotic phenomenon that does not conform to the rules of order.

The first rebellious symbiote soon appeared, and people blew up his spine, the potion infiltrating the genes in every cell of his cell. At first, as one might expect, the flesh of the symbiote began to melt like a candle, and the bones became weaker than dry crumbling earth, eventually disintegrating into a disgusting puddle of slime in a roar of pain and rage.

People spit on him, spit on the slime, pee on him, and think they are great like flies with carrion, buzzing triumphantly around the corpses of unconscious warriors.

What these people didn't expect was that the key to the symbiote's strength, the Shame Worm, did not die. Under the stunned, suspicious, and panicked gaze of a crowd, the puddle of slime quickly regathered, bringing the symbiote back to life.

This time, no one could stop him.

The awakened symbiotes did not kill all the human beings, but used them as stepping stones for their development and guinea pigs in the laboratory, deliberately captive them. Sometimes, for entertainment, some humans will be extracted to implant shame bugs for them, and they will be thrown into the arena to fight each other. Such a person is called a dishonored person, and after completing the task of pleasing the symbiote, they are thrown into a high-temperature furnace and burned to death, and due to their strong vitality, the screams before death will also become another spiritual disappropriation for the symbiote.

Since then, humanity has completely parted ways with the symbiosis and the city of annihilation, becoming mortal enemies.

Now, of course, the symbiotes are destroyed. The exact cause of the destruction is unknown, but according to some investigations, it is speculated that it was caused by some kind of experimental accident.

"The degree of chaos erosion in this place is relatively high, and there will be some risks from borrowing from here. Li Ben judged based on his own perception.

"That's it, it's not as oppressive as the vicinity of Flamin's lair, and it shouldn't be a problem to pass through this quickly, and it's not the first time this kind of road has been taken. If you take a detour, you don't know what kind of situation you will encounter. Zhou Haomiao said.

The ground was covered in black substance, and they felt like they were standing on the corpse of an animal, with a touch under their feet, and a slight elasticity in the hardness of the dryness.

Li Ben couldn't help but touch those giant white bones, knocking and knocking, and found that their solidity was far greater than that of normal animals, and it might be stronger than his own sword. He picked up a small piece of bone from the ground, and judging its density by its weight and volume, a rough calculation turned out to be more than 30 grams per cubic centimeter, which was already far more than the densest metal of osmium he had ever known.

According to what I learned, the city of annihilation in front of me was actually just a small town outside the main city, and the houses made of bones and flesh were only a hundred meters tall, and the momentum alone was definitely not as good as the former science and technology city. But this strange atmosphere is the first time I have experienced it.

"It's not like a city, it's more like we're in the body of some giant creature and walking in its veins, and it's a bad feeling. Li Ben said.

"You make me feel very uncomfortable when you say that, but so far, I haven't seen anything strange, what should I do?

"Let's go in and have a look. ”

"Isn't it? You're going into those houses? Not into the houses, but into those big lumps of meat? We don't have to go over there, we just have to go outside. Are you a scientist?"

"Aren't you curious?"

"Curiosity is curiosity, the main thing is that there is no need for this, it is so panicked outside, and I am afraid that it will be more disgusting inside. ”

"Then you go back and report the situation first, I'll go and see it alone, and when you come over, I'll almost come out." ”

"What if you're in danger?"

"That's Andre's thing. ”

"Okay then, come on, I'll withdraw first. ”

Xiao Zhou, who was familiar with Li Ben's personality and abilities, simply went back to report the situation, leaving him alone to ask questions about the ruin.

It is said that flesh and bones are intertwined to build the city, but in fact, there are also metals, but most of them are wrapped in rich muscle fibers, so they can't be seen. Lee Ben entered the city through a broken metal door.

When Zhou Haomiao and the tribe's team arrived, as he said earlier, he was already waiting on the road.

But the leader of the group did not dare to approach him, because there was an extra creature around him, the symbiote who should have disappeared in the historical records.

"Damn, what's going on?" asked Jeffrey.

"I don't know, I'll go take a look, shall I?"

"Don't act rashly!"

"It's okay, let him go. The Prophet, who was supposed to be in the middle of the procession, walked up to the front of the group and said.

As a prophet of the tribe to clear the fog and guide the people forward, Andrei is undoubtedly the leader of the tribe, and his words are the highest command.

The symbiote sat on the ground, his knees folded on his curled legs, and buried his head deep in it, as if afraid to face the world.

Li Ben dragged him out of the City of Annihilation, he was not particularly heavy, and it was obvious that the bone density of his body was different from the one that Li Ben had weighed before.

Zhou Haomiao walked five meters in front of Li himself and asked him loudly: "Li Ben, don't mess around! Is that thing still alive?"

Li Ben replied, "Alive, but crazy." ”

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know. He spoke a lingua franca that I couldn't understand. ”

Zhou Haomiao pulled out his silver sword and approached Li Ben vigilantly, ready to escape into another space at any time.

"Brother, what the hell are you trying to do, where did you find him?"

"An egg... Or rather, it was found in a biological device that resembled a human womb, where there was a lot of organ mucus..."

Zhou Haomiao interrupted him and said, "OK! Understood! Understood! No need to go into so much detail." I asked what you were doing with him, don't tell me you want to leave this thing in the tribe. ”

Li Ben was silent.

"Damn, what are you thinking? Who dares to let him in?"

"You. Li Ben stared at him.

"No kidding, get serious!"

"I can't understand the full meaning of what he said, but I can still understand a few fragments - 'Go to another world, space beyond.' ’”

Zhou Haomiao frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Go home. Obviously, Li Ben is referring to returning to the original world.

"Shhhhh You want to say that this guy has a way back?"

"At least there's a clue, don't you want to go back?"

"Of course, but I don't have much hope. Anyway, why do you think I can keep him in the tribe? And what did you see inside?"

"Most of the passages inside were blocked, I couldn't go very deep, and many of the sights were the same as what I saw outside, just a little more like electronic equipment. Lee ignored the question in front of him.

Zhou Haomiao didn't ask much, and walked over to the symbiote to observe him.

As recorded in the classics, his appearance is composed of bones, red muscles, and white fat, and the distribution of joints in his hands and feet is indistinguishable from that of a human. Now the guy was making some strange syllables, quiet, and staccato sounds, and judging by his current posture, it didn't seem to be threatening other than uncomfortable to look at.

"I don't think he's a symbiote. Li Ben said.

"What else could it be... Oh, you guess he's a disgracer?

"His weight, if he has grown up symbiotic with the Shame Insect since he was a child, his bone density should be very high, and his weight will increase, even if it is not as good as these construction buildings, it will not be much worse, but this one is only not much heavier than the average person. ”

The symbiote needs time to grow after completing the parasitic change, and the one in front of him is in an adult posture, and the bone density is not large, which means that he is a normal adult human parasitic become, and he has lived to the present with something similar to a hibernation warehouse, which has caused no changes in the bones.

Zhou Haomiao thought for a while and said, "I'll go back and talk about it, of course, we have to keep it secret if he has clues about going home." ”

He turned around and walked towards the tribe's ranks, and after explaining to Jeffrey and the others that the guy was not a threat for the time being and that Li Ben's spirit was normal, he pulled the prophet aside and whispered.

As a result, the unknown symbiote was brought into the tribe under Geoffrey's strong displeasure, and it was the one-armed Brian and Hooks who were assigned to guard him.

"So, do you have any plans for this symbiote?" Zhou Haomiao asked Li Ben after the team moved away from the City of Annihilation.

He replied, "His sanity is not one in ten, and in order to get more information, he must concoct potions that will sober him, and if he can't, he will interrogate his soul directly." ”

"With black magic, when did you become an evil warlock?"

"Hunter is a multi-disciplinary profession, you have to know a little bit about everything. ”

"No, the point is where did you learn it? don't share it with me!"

Li Ben took out a thin booklet from his chest and said, "I picked it up on the road." ”

"Damn, what kind of luck is this?" Zhou Haomiao snatched the booklet and flipped through it.

After reading a few pages, he said, "Well, it's still not right, our abilities are different from ordinary Chaos Hunters, let's make a medicine OK, but we can't use magic." ”

"Go to the next shelter and ask someone for help. ”

People who are not united with Chaos cannot use the power of Chaos, but Li Ben knows that he may have been infected by Chaos and can use magic, but he can't expose himself at this time.

"Okay, let's start with potions, which prescription are you going to use?"

"Aksi. ”

Yakxi potions can be used to restore order and relieve people who have fallen into a state of insanity due to the erosion of chaos.

"Well, the ingredients are cocktail feathers, pure soil, hemp fruit, chaos vines, and..."

"And clean water. ”

Regarding water purification, Zhou Haomiao has some bad memories of it.

Purified water is a colorless and odorless liquid, its function is to eliminate odors, hide its own chaotic or orderly atmosphere, and to some extent resist the erosion of chaos, which is a must-have for all people in this world.

However, the process of making clean water is very unacceptable. Wizards believed that the cleanest things were to be refined from the filthiest things. So in fact, the raw materials for water purification are human or other animal feces and urine.

Of course, Zhou Haomiao, who first came into contact with clean water, didn't know this, and after the instructor Jeffrey handed him the clean water and told him the attributes, he licked it out of curiosity and tasted it. This behavior immediately attracted everyone to watch, and they all asked him how it tasted, and said something like it was not poisonous and could be tasted with confidence.

After knowing the reason, Zhou Haomiao had a serious rejection of this thing, if it weren't for the fact that clean water was a must, he would definitely not want to see it again.

"Okay, these things are in stock in the tribe, and I'm familiar with Jack, who is in charge of preservation, so it shouldn't be a big problem to get a little bit. ”

"There's no need to hide from anyone else, just make an excuse, restoring the symbiote's rationality is good for studying what happened in the past, and we must have a purpose in keeping him, Jeffrey will keep an eye on that. ”

"yes, go back and hand that guy over to the Vault to study, they'll be interested. ”

Basically, as Lee Ben said, after informing Jeffrey of their request, the instructor only said that he knew, which was a tacit approval.

The potion was quickly concocted, and Yakxi was a more common potion, after all, being eroded by chaos was already a common disease like a cold, and it also had an upgraded version of the formula, but it required a lot of rare materials, and the tribe obviously couldn't get it, and even if it could, it would never agree.

Mixing the potion does not mean that it is enough to take it directly, and it is necessary to recite a message and ask for the protection of the gods before it can take effect. And if the potion concocted by the same formula is protected by different gods, the final effect will be completely different.

The principle of this is actually the same as that of sacrifice, except that the sacrificial item is just a medicine, and the effect of the medicine is actually the feedback of the gods.

The god of Yaksi's potions is the god of wisdom and reason in the legends of this world, also known as the immortal Taon-Weston, and is represented as an old man who manages the library.

Since the symbiote's mouth is practically unusable, the form of material exchange with the outside world is through direct contact, which requires the symbiote's active control.

Therefore, in the face of the commutant who has become mentally disordered and demented, it is up to God to make him successfully receive potion treatment.

"The potions became less, and he absorbed them. Zhou Haomiao placed the potion on the symbiote's back and watched as the liquid seeped into his body.

There were still many onlookers, and people were very interested in this guy who had lived for a thousand years, and even Jeffrey, who had always been dissatisfied, couldn't help but come to watch with curiosity, in the name of preventing accidents.