in a mud pit.

The iron bump lying on his stomach suddenly twitched like an electric shock.

His hands were on the ground, and before it could get up from the ground, a gun was already pressed against the back of its head.

"Don't move."

Xu Shun stared at this guy intently, ready to fire at any moment.

"How to get there...... Northern suburbs. A muffled voice staccato floated out from under the armor, making one wonder if he was all he could say.

"What the hell is this guy?" Staring at this strange man covered in steel plates, Yu Xiong frowned, "Is he human?" ”

"I don't know."

Xu Shun squatted down and checked the person's armor and found that the helmet was actually welded to the breastplate.

Not only that, but the joints of the cuirass plates were riveted, and a neat row of hexagonal rivets were tied, and there was no open mechanism to be found.

So here's the problem.

What to do with?

"I can't take it off." Shaking his head, Xu Shun stood up, glanced at VM and said, "Let's leave it to the manager to judge." ”

If you are a manager, there must be a way.

Yu Xiong nodded, found two guards to come over and look at this guy, and then went to the captive.

A total of four captives.

A total of fifteen people were killed in the melee, except for six who ran.

Including their leader, the man named Wu Qiu.

After interrogation, it was learned that these people were all mercenaries from Boulder City, but they were not from the mercenary group, they were all temporary workers who usually couldn't get serious jobs.

As for why they can't get a job, there are different reasons.

Yu Xiong didn't care about this, but just ordered people to tie them hand and foot, rush to the wall and squat, and wait for the manager to come and leave.

The situation on the player's and guard's side is quite optimistic, and due to the timely arrival of support, there is no major damage except for a few minor injuries.

Including the guy who got shot in the leg.

The bullet was lucky enough to pass through his leg and did not hurt the bones or arteries, and it is unlikely that he would fall disabled.

But.

Injured like this, and an ordinary person who has not awakened, the rest of his life probably has nothing to do with the mercenary profession.

Coming out of the small alley, Roshan Da Bun buried his head in shame, eager to find a crack in the ground to get into.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I'm scared as soon as the gunshots go off......"

"It's okay, it's okay, it's a small problem." Si Si patted the big white bear on the shoulder and said comfortingly.

Tail touched his chin and analyzed: "Could it be because there is something missing on his back?" I feel like the last time I was in the experimental base, Rourou was quite brave. ”

Si Si was slightly surprised, then seriously recalled, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh, it's possible."

"Don't be discouraged! It's too small to be able to do it, so I'm sure I'll ride you next time! ”

Meat: "Wait, wait, I always feel that something is wrong-"

Siss: "Delusion. ”

Tail: "That's right! It's definitely your delusion! ”

Meat: "??? ”

On the other side, with the help of rattan vines and sesame paste, the crows, who were stuck in half of the wall, finally broke free from the pile of broken concrete.

"Abominable ......"

Laboriously removing the helmet stuck in the breastplate, Raven shook his groggy head and muttered, "That was the bad thing for me just now." ”

"Does it really matter to you?" Fujito looked worriedly at the breastplate that had almost been smashed in, and whispered, "Or...... You'd better go back and save a file. ”

"No, no, don't worry, I'm fine!"

Shaking the head of the slammed Qiwu, Crow put on a smile that she thought was reliable, and gave a thumbs up, "Don't worry, Fuji Teng, I will definitely send you safely!" ”

Fujito held his forehead with a headache.

"How can you reassure me like this......"

Raven: "Wow! You're a woman, aren't you a little moved? ”

Fujito subtly looked away.

"A little bit."

What do you say?

Although it's an MMORPG, it feels pretty good to be protected.

Looking at the two people who had a good relationship, Sesame Paste interjected in a low voice: "By the way, who was the person who helped us just now?" ”

Raven was stunned.

"yes, I remembered it as soon as you said it."

Fujito: "Probably...... Is it Boss Xia? ”

Raven looked at her in surprise.

"Boss Xia?!"

"Well, I guess."

Fujito silently pointed to the street corner not far away.

A blue-painted power armor and a sturdy figure are walking from the end of the street, gilded by the setting sun.

I saw that behind Boss Xia, he was carrying an LD-47s with a scope - a "long sickle" semi-automatic rifle.

The cat's ears moved slightly, and a surprised expression appeared on the sesame face.

"Managers?"

"Hmm."

Fujito nodded, a hint of curiosity written in his eyes.

"It seems to have triggered the plot."

……

Qian Lai, who had been hiding next to the two-headed cow, walked out of the alley with the ashes on his clothes, and happened to bump into Chu Guang who was coming from the west.

Qian Lai's face showed a surprised expression, obviously he didn't expect to meet this big man in the northern suburbs here.

"Manager...... My lord? ”

Chu Guang looked at him and said.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks to your men, otherwise we'd probably lose more than a cow today."

Qian Lai admitted that he was reckless before.

The strength of these people is not weak.

Although they seem a little unreliable, they are much stronger than he imagined in terms of insight and combat effectiveness.

"You should say that to them."

Chu Guang nodded and walked towards the strange man in armor.

Next to the armored man, there were Xu Shun and two guards watching.

Until Chu Guang walked in front of him, sitting against the wall, his mouth was still repeating that sentence like a repeater.

"How to get there...... Northern suburbs. ”

"This is the northern suburbs, and I am the manager here," Chu Guang said as he looked down at it, "explain your intentions." ”

Reacting to this remark, the man in the armor slowly raised his head and hugged the helmet with both hands.

Chu Guang caught a glimpse of scarlet from the net-like mask.

I don't know if it's an illusion.

He always felt that these eyes looked a little familiar.

At this moment, there was a sudden "click", and the strange man in armor removed the helmet from the cuirass.

Seeing his face clearly, Chu Guang was slightly stunned.

Xu Shun and the guards who were standing on the side changed their faces wildly, and quickly raised the rifle in their hands and aimed it at the rotten head.

"It's a creeper! My lord! ”

"Wait a minute!"

Raising his hand to stop the guards who were about to shoot, Chu Guang stared at the scarlet eyes and rotten face with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Your name?"

It's a surprise.

Slime bacteria can actually speak human language?

The rotten face gasped softly, and the color of reason was not visible in the scarlet pupils.

Chu Guang was slightly disappointed in his heart.

However, just as he was about to give up on this meaningless thing, the rotten face suddenly opened its mouth.

"Ba ...... Bucky. ”

Seeing this guy spitting out, the guards standing around were shocked.

Including Xu Shun.

Although the outpost also has some human-speaking xenomorphs, in his perception they are all Vault technology, blue coat pets.

And a wild xenomorph like this—and it's still a slime mystery—actually opened his mouth to say human words, he had never heard of such an outrageous thing!

"Bucky?" Chu Guang stared at him and asked, "Your name is Bucky?" ”

The man nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Chu Guang frowned.

The name......

Sounds familiar.

……

"The results of the analysis are in."

Vault 404, Level B3.

Medical Laboratories.

Heya, who came out of the laboratory, skillfully handed a screen converted from a VM to Chu Guang's hand, which was full of a series of test results, including blood tests.

As the most vocal expert on xenomorphs in the Vault, the only person who can hope to find out what happened to this "Bucky" dude is probably this silver-haired SSSR.

However, Chu Guang couldn't understand what was written on the tablet at all.

"What the hell is going on with him?" After pretending to look at it twice, Chu Guang returned the tablet to Heya.

Hea patiently explained.

"Variant slime bacteria infection, and the erosion is as high as 67%. This is quite rare because, according to my research, there should be a predatory relationship between slime xenospecies and other organisms. As you remember, creepers are the fruiting bodies of slime molds. ”

Chu Guang nodded, indicating that he still remembered.

"What about him?"

Hea: "Symbiosis. ”

Chu Guang was slightly stunned.

“…… Symbiosis? ”

Hea sighed, her hand around her chest resting on her forehead.

"I don't really want to popularize common sense...... Anyway, he's about half human now, and half slime mold. Initially, slime molds ate most of his organs, but for some reason, they suddenly decided to keep him alive, so they evolved into fruiting bodies with similar organ functions, replacing his original organs. ”

The Slime Mutant has evolved fruiting entities that mimic the behavior and characteristics of devoured creatures, such as Eaters, Creepers, Martyrs, and even Tyrants.

However, after eating the organ, it is rare to form a symbiotic relationship with the host instead of the original organ.

Even Xia Yan, who relates to urban legends, is unheard of.

Chu Guang pinched his eyebrows.

"So he only has one brain?"

"Maybe three-quarters?" Hea hesitated for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "The slime fungus infection stops after reaching the cerebellum, and at least half of the spinal cord has been replaced by the fruiting body formed by the slime fungus. ”

Chu Guang: "How long can he live?" ”

Hea: "I don't know, maybe I can live forever." ”

Chu Guang was stunned for a moment.

"Stay alive?!"

Hea nodded.

"Hmm...... Because according to my findings, there is no Hayfrick limit for the slime mold variant, and even over time, the organ function of those fruiting bodies will be further refined and more powerful than before. Of course, there is another possibility, when the slime mold 'senses' that the host is no longer necessary, it may also eat the rest of the brain. ”

"Wait a minute," Bucky, who was sitting next to the scanning table, slowly raised his steel-covered hand and said in a weak voice, "Is there any salvation for me like this?" ”

Chu Guang glanced at this guy unexpectedly.

"Are you awake?"

He thought this guy could only say one word.

"I injected him with an inhibitor that inhibits the activity of slime molds that invade the nervous system," Hea looked at Bucky sitting on the scanning table and continued, "I don't know if it's saved or not, if you want to completely restore it to its original appearance, it's probably impossible, but if you can accept the prosthetic modification, you can completely remove the xenogeneous organ and replace it with a biomimetic prosthesis." ”

She is like that herself.

Biomimetic prosthetics not only prolong lifespan, but are also far more reliable than the original organs of living organisms. But Heya also knew that replacing the vast majority of parts with technology was not acceptable to everyone.

Chu Guang coughed lightly.

"Vault 404 does not have a black box for biomimetic organs...... In fact, if you think about it from another angle, isn't the organ in your body also a kind of biomimetic organ? And it's still able to evolve actively. ”

Heya looked at Chu Guang in surprise, and after thinking for a while, she nodded and said.

"That's a bit of a thing."

Bucky's face showed a pained expression.

"It's not a good feeling at all."

Chu Guang: "Does it hurt?" ”

Bucky shook his head: "That's not true, don't say it hurts, I've lost my sense of pain, I don't even feel like I'm alive." ”

Chu Guang: "What happened to you?" ”

Bucky was silent for a moment and sighed softly.

"That's a long story......

That was in the winter of Wasteland Era 211.

Bucky, who is far away in Ideal City, has just received his graduation certificate and is planning a graduation trip, but at this moment, he receives a letter from a good friend from afar.

Luo Hua described in the letter that in the far west, in the middle of the Central Continent, there is a good place called Qingquan City.

There's a nice bunch of people living there, from Vault 404, which has just been lifted from lockdown, and who have recently become permanent partners of the business.

Of course, the bottom line was that there was a surprising cuisine and culture, and the blue coats had mastered many cooking methods he had never seen before, and could even turn hard-to-swallow xenomorph meat into delicacies.

In Bucky's cognition, food should be linked to technology, and those wastelanders are already commendable for being able to cook food, and they can't eat enough to know what delicious it is? Not to mention any culture.

Still, the letter piqued Bucky's interest, as he happened to be bored in Ideal City to the point of getting moldy. Life here is as orderly and regular as code on a holographic screen, but it is precisely because of this that there is a lack of necessary errors.

So, at the instigation of a good friend, he set the destination of his "graduation trip" in the middle of the river valley province, and stepped into the western wilderness with the idea of exploring the unknown.

However, what he didn't expect was that the trip was full of accidents from the beginning......

“…… My father was a wine merchant, and I first followed the caravan sponsored by my father to the western part of the province of Yunjian, and since then I have been on the road alone. I hired guards, guides, doctors, and was prepared to follow the Trailblazer's tracks, and everything went as smoothly as planned, but as I passed through Yongdong City, there was an accident. ”

"There's no one there, it's like a dead city. The survivor colonies that were supposed to appear on the map have no idea where they have gone, and out of an abundance of caution, we plan to withdraw from the city. But at this moment, we were suddenly besieged by thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of gnawers. ”

Bucky took a deep breath.

"I thought I was dead when I was pounced on by the predators, but when I woke up, the predators around me were gone...... Including my teammates. I always thought it was a nightmare, and it wasn't until I found a mirror that I realized that the real nightmare had just begun. ”

Bucky's Adam's apple moved, and he continued.

"That's what I've been like since then."

Heya and Chu Guang glanced at each other and couldn't help but say.

"It's also bizarre."

Chu Guang nodded.

"Indeed."

When he heard the first half, Chu Guang had already figured out the identity of this Bucky, who was Luo Hua on the Liberator before, and said that he would introduce it to his engineer friend.

However, for the second half of this Bucky's words, Chu Guang still had some doubts in his heart.

It's not uncommon for players to occasionally die in the tunnels, but he's never heard of a player being parasitized by slime xenomorphs.

As Hea said, the fruiting body of slime molds has the first reaction to eat their prey and turn it into nutrients for the production of spores.

It was the first time he had heard of someone who had been turned into "his own" by slime molds.

Bucky smiled bitterly and continued with his head down.

"Anyway, since then, the xenos seem to have lost interest in me, the slime bacteria treat me like one of their kind, and the mutant hyenas, if they are not very hungry, will not bite me, and even if they do, they will only eat my hand at most...... It could also be the legs. But it doesn't matter, because I don't feel any pain at all, and the hands and legs that I lost will slowly grow back after a week or two, and they will be stronger than before. By the time the hyena had stopped biting me, I had become what I was now. ”

Regeneration of severed limbs?!

Regenerate Limb Evolution?!

the groove.

This ability is a bit awesome.

After listening to this guy's description, Chu Guang's face was full of surprise.

He bets that if there is a choice, he is afraid that many players will be willing to exchange "lives" with him. In addition to the ugliness of this "sequence", he can hardly think of any weaknesses, as long as his head is not broken, won't he be able to live forever?

"Aren't you envious?"

"That's not ......"

"No, I can feel it," Bucky shook his head, continuing with a bitter expression on his face, "you don't understand the feeling, I haven't been to a human survivor colony since, and when I see people have to stay away, they don't believe I'm human, and even if I tell them it's an accident, they'll chase me away." ”

Chu Guang: "...... Then you can't make this armor yourself, right? ”

Bucky: "I ran into slave traders when I entered the province of River Valley. ”

Chu Guang: "Slave traders? ”

"Well," Bucky nodded, "that guy was the only good guy I've met along the way who was interested in me, and he said he was going to take me to the swamp and sell it to the academy people for research." I wondered if the academy could really figure out what was going on with me, and that it didn't seem good to be sold to the academy, so I followed him. ”

"The man got a blacksmith and made me a set of steel armor so that I could easily enter the survivors' colony without attracting attention, however...... The plan could never catch up with the change, and his slave rioted because of something and hanged him from a tree. ”

"I didn't know how to get to the academy at all, and when I asked the slaves, they didn't know, they just wanted to go home, and I had to go the rest alone. At this time, I suddenly remembered that there was a place called Vault No. 404 in Qingquan City, which Luo Hua told me, so I continued to walk westward, but as I walked, my physical condition suddenly began to deteriorate, and my consciousness began to be in a trance...... It's hard to describe the feeling, it's like there's a rope between my soul and my body. ”

Hea interjected.

"It should have been at that time, slime bacteria have invaded the nervous system, and I can give you a small operation to stop the slime bacteria from continuing to spread to the nervous system."

"Thank you," Bucky took a deep breath and looked at Chu Guang with pleading eyes, "I only remember the northern suburbs of Qingquan City after that, and then I came all the way here...... That's all I've experienced. I don't know what to do now, can you help me? ”

"Of course I will help you, your friend Luo Hua is also my friend, he has helped me a lot. What's more, you had this kind of thing happen on the way to me, and I couldn't have left you alone. Chu Guang then looked at Heya, "Is there a way to restore him to his original state other than replacing the bionic organs?" ”

Biomimetic organs are too expensive.

If you just change your eyes, hands and feet, if you change the whole set from blood vessels to skin, I'm afraid that few rich people in Ideal City can stand it.

Many things are non-renewable resources, and like nuclear fusion, there is more than a dimension between the words "usable" and "able".

Hea shook her head.

"His immune system has been completely replaced by the fruiting bodies of slime molds, not strictly speaking, he has accepted them, but the slime molds that have allowed him to keep his brain and dominate his body that has become a xenomorph. In fact, I recommend directly replacing the body instead of replacing the bionic organ...... How about putting the head in a petri dish first? ”

Bucky clutched his head in pain.

"Then I might as well die......"

Heya's eyes lit up, and she was about to instigate a few words, when Chu Guang, who saw her thoughts on the side, coughed lightly, interrupting the words that had almost reached the mouth of this guy.

"I don't think it's going to be better than the current situation. Anyway, you should live here for a while, you don't have anywhere else to go. ”

After a pause, Chu Guang continued.

"By the way, you just talked about graduation trips...... What are you majoring in? ”

Budge: "Materials Science Engineer. ”

Chu Guang was pleasantly surprised: "Materials science engineer? Specifically? What are you researching? ”

The expression on Bucky's face was a little subtle.

"Carbon nano direction...... But don't expect too much from my expertise, I probably know more about wine and food. ”

His diploma was mixed up.

This situation is not uncommon in Ideal City, especially for people like him who have no intention of engaging in this business at all, and they don't have to worry about goofs.

Bucky originally planned to go back to inherit his father's wine business after the trip and open up markets outside Yunjian Province, but now he didn't even dare to let his father know that he had become this ghost.

He was sure that his father would not spend that unjust money to exchange him for a mechanical prosthesis that could not reproduce, but would not hesitate to choose another one.

"It's okay, everything is from unskilled to skilled, all you lack is a little experience, and I can just provide you with an internship opportunity," Chu Guang patted him on the shoulder excitedly, "As for wine, don't worry, we don't just have wine here, there's more to it than that...... By the way, can you still drink when you become like this? ”

"Of course, my sense of taste is still normal...... "Bucky whispered in a weak heart, "what are you going me to do?" ”

Chu Guang didn't answer, he stretched out his hand and pressed it on the VM, and not long after, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, and Yin Fang walked in from outside.

"What's the matter with me? I'm busy. ”

Yin Fang, who was standing at the door, had an obviously impatient expression on his face.

Recently, his players have recovered a lot of valuable information from the ruins, and he has been analyzing the valuable clues in those materials.

This guy was in the lab even eating when he was busy, and he probably hadn't taken a shower in a while, and not only did his hair be messy, but he hadn't shaved his beard.

But Chu Guang didn't care about this.

"I'll introduce you to a new employee, this is Bucky, though...... It's scary, but he's a good guy. ”

Yin Fang stared at Bucky for a moment.

"Creepers?"

Bucky had a bitter expression on his face.

"It was an accident, I ...... Is it really like a creeper? ”

Yin Fang nodded with a strange expression.

"Sort of."

Looking at Bucky, who was in frustration, Chu Guang coughed lightly.

"Don't judge people by their appearance...... In addition, this is a D-class prospector of the Academy. Haven't you been looking for an academy for a long time? He is the man of the Academy, albeit in the past. ”

"Hello Mr. Bucky," Yin Fang still stretched out his right hand, the bionic prosthetic leg from the academy, "what is your specialty?" ”

"Winemaking, and...... I know a little bit about materials," Bucky slowly raised his bulky steel arm, grudgingly shook his hand, and added cautiously, "but I only know a little." ”

Yin Fang's eyes lit up.

"Material? That's great! ”

Chu Guang looked at him.

"Do you have any new discoveries?"

"Of course! It's part of the information about Zhongzhou Aerospace, some data about aerospace external equipment needs to be repaired, and I just need an expert in materials science, which will greatly speed up the progress of my work. Yin Fang looked at Bucky happily, "Can I trust your professional ability?" ”

Bucky actually wanted to say no, because he didn't really believe in his own level, but the look in his eyes full of anticipation made him unable to say anything.

Ever since he became this ghost, everyone he met wanted him to get away, and the farther he went, the better.

This is the first time that someone has ignored his face and said that they need his help......

Nodding, Bucky said cautiously.

"Although I would say that winemaking and doing business are more suitable for me, ...... I can give it a try. ”

"Great!"

Chu Guang happily patted the old man's shoulder.

"Don't worry, you'll have a lot of time. In addition to work, you can of course also try those things that interest you. In the meantime, we'll do our best to find a way to get you back in. ”

Bucky laughed wryly.

"I hope so."

Originally, he had intended Vault 404 to be the starting point of his journey.

But now it seems that his graduation trip ended early......

The Academy, the Enterprise, the Legion, and the old popsicles of the Vault...... The NPC lineup in Vault 404 is getting bigger.

Just when Chu Guang settled this friend who had come from afar, the ten Iron Horse 60 pot camel machines that he bought from Boulder City were finally sent to the industrial zone of the outpost.

Eight of them were sent to Steel Plant 81 and two to Goblin Technologies.

According to the task received.

Steel Plant 81 needed to convert four of these units into large tractors capable of delivering 60 hp and complete a trailed four-row subsoiler planter within two weeks.

In addition to this, there is Linghu. The irrigation canals on the north bank, and the mechanized mill needed for the granary, will each be used for two.

Looking at the compact and tightly designed equipment in front of him, the lone wolf who happened to be helping at the No. 81 steel plant showed a surprised expression on his face.

"Is this a pot camel machine?"

Brother Toilet and Brother Levine glanced at each other and looked at him suspiciously.

"Any questions?"

The lone wolf shook his head.

"Nothing...... I just think it's rare. ”

The pot camel machine consumes a lot of wood, which has been largely phased out in the seventies, and is only used in a few rural and remote areas.

In his impression, the more common power is 8~12 horsepower, and there are few more than 20, let alone 60 horsepower, which is comparable to a monster of fuel engines.

But......

It's a wasteland, too.

"I'm afraid the wood consumption of this thing is not small."

Brother Levin smiled and said: "It's okay, the most important thing here is wood, it is everywhere from the city to the outside of the city, and when the wasteland is cleared, a pile is chopped, just a little bit is consumed!" ”

Brother Suo chimed in: "That's right! But we've been working on internal combustion engines lately. ”

Lone wolf was surprised.

"There's oil here?"

Brother Levine: "There's a crop that produces oil. ”

Brother Toilet Suo: "That's right! Although we didn't plant it, the manager said he could help us borrow some from a neighbor's house! ”

It's okay to borrow a little.

The lone wolf looked at the pot.

"Can I take it apart and study it?"

Brother Levine said cheerfully.

"It's okay! Originally, we also took it apart to study the structure inside. ”

"That's right!" Brother Toilet nodded excitedly, "The manager said that it can be disassembled, as long as it can be installed back!" ”

There was a hint of excitement in the lone wolf's eyes.

He was curious.

How true can the developers of this epoch-making MMORPG be in terms of details?