Boulder.

In the prosthetic operating room of the Boulder Military Industry, a naked girl lies on the operating table surrounded by multi-axis machining cantilevers.

Her skin is smooth and delicate, like flawless mutton fat jade, and her quiet and beautiful sleeping face is like a finely carved work of art, exuding a magic that makes people can't take their eyes off it from the inside out.

In fact, it is indeed a work of art.

This new set of biomimetic skins combines the most cutting-edge technology of the academy with the engineering power of the enterprise, and is installed by the alliance's miraculous prosthetic surgery skills, which perfectly replaces the original set of original skin that has been destroyed by neutron radiation to the point that almost a single intact cell remains.

From the perspective of a series of senses such as sight and touch, this new set of skin is simply flawless compared to the original skin, and it can even be said that it is even better.

If you have to find fault, I'm afraid there is only a trivial point that "too perfect seems not so real".

And that's not all.

The biomimetic skin also focuses on strengthening the user's soft tissue defenses.

When the longitudinal cut and puncture damage cause the skin elasticity to reach a certain threshold, the biomimetic skin will automatically trigger the hardening effect, thus forming a protective layer with a strength comparable to that of titanium alloy in a short period of time, resisting cuts and puncture injuries deep into the dermis.

With titanium alloy bones and cushioning elements, it is not too much of a problem to resist the kinetic damage of pistol and rifle-level small arms.

In addition to the armor that comes with these skins, Jiang Xuezhou also made DIY modifications on this basis without doing anything.

For example, in order to adapt to outer space activities and various complex special situations, she asked Jushi Military to implant a series of plug-ins such as variable temperature, anti-negative pressure and positive pressure controls in her subcutaneous tissue while performing skin graft surgery.

This allows her to move normally in a vacuum without wearing protective clothing.

This system was designed by herself, and it was also an improved version of the system on Ye Shi's body.

With the blessing of many buffs, her body has indeed reached the category of a work of art.

And it's the pinnacle of prosthetic art achieved with technical prosthetics!

With the end of the prosthetic modification surgery, the multi-axis cantilever hanging above the operating table like an octopus contracted into a large sphere.

At the same time, vaporized liquid nitrogen erupted from the bottom of the operating table, and Jiang Xuezhou also opened his eyes at the same time and woke up from a white mist.

At the same time as she came to her senses, a line of pale blue loading pop-ups was projected onto the retina of her prosthetic eye.

[The server is already logged in...... Prosthetic Integrity Check Protocol ...... Ongoing

[Tested Completed...... The components are functioning normally. 】

The pale blue text and loaded data instantly dissipated as if they had never appeared.

Jiang Xuezhou took a deep breath, successively tested the temperature adjustment to balance the positive and negative pressure, and then jumped off the operating table with both hands.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror and admiring his rejuvenated body for a while, Jiang Xuezhou's heart was refreshed.

"Not bad...... There is probably seven or eight points of charm of this girl's peak appearance! ”

I don't know what I'm competing in, but I feel like I've won at the starting line.

She had even thought of someone's jaw dropping stupidly.

Of course, if she didn't, she wouldn't mind taking matters into her own hands and punching the guy off the jaw.

"Cool Cool ......"

The more he looked at himself in the mirror, the more he liked it, the corners of Jiang Xuezhou's mouth couldn't close anymore, and he almost laughed out loud with his hands crossed like a villain.

At first, she couldn't let go, and she pinched the hair of her sideburns in a reserved way around her fingertips a few times, twisting and embarrassed.

But perhaps realizing that there was no one else here anyway, she soon gradually became presumptuous, first gently flicking her bangs back, and then stinky and beautiful posed several times in a row.

It wasn't until she saw the medical robot spinning on wheels coming this way that she hurriedly stopped stinky with a red face, hurriedly grabbed the clothes handed by the robot and put them on.

The satin-like robe flowed over her shoulders like a light stream, falling like a waterfall.

It was as if the friction was gone.

Jiang Xuezhou, who was neatly dressed, stood in front of the mirror again, and this time both his appearance and demeanor were much more serious than before.

Raising her restored wrist, she looked at the silky smooth and soft skin, as delicate and snow-white as jade, and suddenly there was some gain and loss after the excitement.

This......

Is it really herself?

Standing in front of the mirror, she is undoubtedly the same person she was, and her smile does have the same charm as before, not to mention the professional knowledge in her head, which has always been what she is most proud of.

The only difference is probably the prosthetic body that looks like a work of art......

People love beauty.

She's also not exempt from vulgarity.

It's just that what makes her uneasy is that she always feels that the thing from head to toe does not belong to her, and replaces the existence that originally belonged to her......

Am I still me?

Perhaps—

The real me is actually dead, and all that stands here is a copy of me......

Jiang Xuezhou's heart suddenly swelled with a chill, and his hands involuntarily clenched into fists, but they quickly let go again, and calmed down with a deep breath.

First of all, this kind of thing is impossible.

Secondly, her presence at the moment was very real, and it was something she could feel.

In the face of rigorous logic, there is no point in being suspicious.

However, perhaps she was too sensitive, and another question soon and uncontrollably appeared in her heart-

Where exactly is the boundary between androids and humans?

Or -

From the specific replacement of a part, a person is no longer a person, but a thing.

At this moment, standing on the same position, she suddenly understood the loneliness that Ye Shi had been suffering silently, and the expression that wanted to stop talking.

"I see......"

She used to think that guy didn't know what to do.

He obviously worked so hard to save him from being unconscious and replaced him with the best prosthetic, but he was still not satisfied, and even thanking her was a reluctant and desperate look.

It was only then that she began to empathize with the emotions he had experienced......

When he thought of this, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly felt that his eyes were slightly hot.

He wasn't the only one who was immature.

also have their own.

"You're in pity."

Suddenly, a voice came from the side, and Ibers was already standing at the door of the operating room.

"No ......"

Jiang Xuezhou quickly put away his slightly out of shape expression, sniffed hard, put down his raised wrist, looked at the flawless self in the mirror and said.

"I just feel ...... Some of the things in my body have been replaced, and although they are like me, they are not me. ”

"Do you want me to put it back on for you?" "It's a bit of a hassle, but it's not too hard for me. ”

"Not necessarily." Jiang Xuezhou blurted out almost without hesitation.

Ibs laughed out loud.

Listening to the undisguised laughter, Jiang Xuezhou was a little annoyed and complained in a low voice.

"What are you laughing at......"

"I'm sorry I made you feel bad with my laughter." Ebbs cleared his throat, but there was no hint of genuine apology in his smile.

Jiang Xuezhou muttered in a low voice.

"I don't need to apologize...... Thank you for the surgery you gave me. ”

"You're welcome," said Ibs politely, and suddenly with that funny smile on his face, he continued, "I probably know what you're confused about. Assuming that the constituent elements of an article have been completely replaced, is it still the original item...... Am I guessing right? ”

"......" Jiang Xuezhou didn't speak, but the silence was not an answer.

Seeing that he had guessed correctly, Ibers's smile turned into a pleasant one, and he continued slowly.

"Actually, you don't need to worry about this kind of thing at all, the cells in your body are as long as seven years or as short as hundreds of days, and they will automatically complete a round of metabolism...... And for some, the cycle will be shorter. But even so, it seems to me that some things will not change. ”

Jiang Xuezhou was about to ask what it was, but Ibs continued to speak to himself as if he had guessed what she would ask.

"It's the soul."

"I've been in this city for a long, long time, and thanks to it, I have eyes that can see things that others can't. Some people are just a piece of meat in front of me, and only the moment of death will burst out with a little spark like that. And there are people who have priceless treasures that I covet, and whose soul is like a burning torch that will not get tired of watching it for a long time. ”

Jiang Xuezhou couldn't help but complain.

"I think you're just past the end of your life......"

"Maybe." Ibs smiled, "But unfortunately, I'm not a normal android, but a special product of a special era......

Without waiting for Jiang Xuezhou to answer, the madman suddenly sighed with self-pity.

"How sad...... My master's master designed the final death for my master, but my master forgot to design my ending, maybe I should find a corner and squat and draw a few circles. ”

"......" Jiang Xuezhou looked at this guy speechlessly, not knowing what to say.

But it's also thanks to him.

was interrupted like this, and all the little entanglements in her heart disappeared......

……

【…… That is the outcome of our negotiations. 】

[The Tree of Life expresses its willingness to establish a closer symbiotic relationship with us, including restoring the damaged ecological environment on the wasteland, providing technical services such as establishing a biosphere for our extrastellar development area, and promoting the production of agricultural products.] 】

[In exchange, it expresses the hope that we will provide it with some fertilizer or similar nutrients that can promote the growth of plants.] Of course, it would be nice to have a few rangers who are proficient in nutrition and psionics. 】

Aurora City Alliance Building.

Chu Guang, who was sitting at the desk, saw Ye Shi's report from beginning to end, with three points of relief on his face and seven points of appreciation.

"Yes, this kid has indeed grown a lot, and he is much more reliable than before."

Xiao Qi happily blew a rainbow fart and said.

"Hehe, the main thing is that the master is well trained."

"Hahaha, that's true, don't look at who I am."

Chu Guang smiled, felt proud in his heart for a while, and then left a [read] on the report, put the tablet in his hand aside, and went to deal with other things.

At the same time, in the southernmost part of the continent of Middle-earth, the port of French fries in the Baiyue Strait.

Sitting in the hotel's executive lounge to pass the time, I finally waited for the message from the manager.

However, when he saw the one-word reply, it almost didn't squirt the coke out of his mouth.

"Gan! Lao Tzu wrote so many words, how can he read the reply letter?! ”

Looking at this guy's uninformed appearance, Lao Bai said with a smile.

"You're still young and don't understand the gold content of this word."

Night Ten: "...... What does it mean? ”

Fang Chang, who was sitting opposite, said with a faint smile.

"To put it simply, the manager thinks there is nothing wrong with it, let you continue to keep it up, and keep up the good work."

After a pause, he continued.

"In my experience, the fewer words he usually gives to his mission briefs, the higher the rating of completion. If there is a long paragraph in it, it means that he is in a hurry. ”

Fang Chang himself had never encountered this situation, but he heard from the war brother that he seemed to encounter it often before, and it was not until he became a commander that he slowly encountered it.

Ye Shi scratched the back of his head, and the expression was not dissatisfied, but a little regretful.

"I thought it would be more focused."

Lao Bai said teasingly.

"Like bringing you a big red flower?"

Night Ten: "It's not impossible. ”

Lao Bai: "Hahahaha." ”

Looking at Ye Shi, who was cheap and well-behaved, Fang Chang couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Almost, the reward you kid got is enough to make people blush, what do you want?"

Ye Shi smiled embarrassedly and said.

"This ...... The more the merrier, who would be afraid of more rewards? ”

Actually, he was embarrassed to say it.

At the moment when he complained just now, the dog planner seemed to hear his complaint, and swiped a series of pop-up windows on his VM screen.

[Congratulations to the player "I got up more than a dozen times in one night" for completing the task of "Exploring the Brood of Baiyue Province"!] 】

[Quest Completion: 100%]

[Evaluation: S]

[Rewards: Limited title of "Conqueror of the Jungle", 10,000 contribution points, and 1,000,000 credits!] 】

[Server Announcement: The Hive of Baiyue Province has evolved into the Tree of Life, and its relationship with the Alliance's forces is "allies", and unauthorized hostile behavior is prohibited. The Tree of Life Guardian Beast "Dragon Lizard" is also an allied unit, and unauthorized hostile behavior is prohibited...... Awakening "Psionic Energy" can trigger dialogue. 】

[Server Announcement: The map level of the 100-kilometer area around the French Fries Harbor has been lowered to 0 and included in the safety zone. The recommended level of the map for areas beyond 100 km is set to level 30......]

The announcement at the back swiped the screen, and Ye Shi didn't look at it carefully, only confirmed his mission income.

In general, Ah Guang still gave a lot.

10,000 contribution points is dispensable compared to his seven-figure contribution points, and he has already capped the level of contribution points.

However, the two rewards of 1,000,000 silver coins and the title of "Conqueror of the Jungle" are quite good.

Especially the latter, you can use it to laugh at the chicken killer.

Putting down the coffee cup in his hand, the wind sitting at the table suddenly remembered something, looked at Ye Shi and said.

"Speaking of which, when this trip is over, are you really going to look for the ruins of that pioneer civilization?"

Although the news of the establishment of the extrasolar exploration team did not cause a particularly big storm on the official website, it was noisy in the NPC world.

In particular, many residents of the avant-garde Ideal City even took a special flight to the southern sea and even the port of French fries, asking around where to sign up.

These people are indeed real houses, but their action is not ordinarily strong.

Facing the wind's inquiring eyes, Ye Shi also restrained his expression of joking and playing treasure, and nodded solemnly.

"Yes, I've thought about it."

At this point, he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Sometimes I feel ...... The game is like a real world. In fact, from the beginning, there is no so-called main line, and the so-called main line is discovered by ourselves in the course of the game. Remember the beginning? When we burned cement together. ”

Hearing Ye Shi suddenly talk about something a long, long time ago, Lao Bai's face couldn't help but support a nostalgic smile.

"Of course I do...... Speaking of which, we've all been playing this game for so long. ”

"It's been a long time, it's like ...... to me Another life is the same, a completely different life from reality. ”

Ye Shi nodded and continued.

"Actually, I've been looking for what this game means to me ever since, just like thinking about my own real life, why I came into this world, and what other people in this world mean to me...... Although I may not have realized it myself, if I think about it, I may not have regarded the people of this world as simple NPCs since then. ”

To say that the turning point of all this may be the death of an old man named Jixiang.

Of course, not only Jixiang, but also many other NPCs that he could name.

He would rather sacrifice himself than suffer any harm to them.

Looking at Ye Shi, who rarely showed a serious expression on his face, Tempest raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So, you found it?"

"Sort of," Yashi smiled sheepishly, "I can't say exactly when I found it, but by the time I realized it, everything was already in mind...... Including what to do next, including where to go in the future or something. ”

He wanted to go to a distant world.

Of course, the important thing is to be with the person you have made an appointment.

"Congratulations," understanding his feelings, Fang Chang reached out and patted him on the shoulder, "Also, I support your choice." ”

"Haha, don't make it look like I'm going to a far place, it's just that I won't be able to go black together for a while. Besides, I'm not leaving right away, we have another mission. ”

Ye Shi smiled embarrassedly, and then solemnly looked at the good brothers and said.

"Thank you...... You've been with me who isn't mature. ”

"Haha, don't make it look like you're going to a far away place, and it's not like you can't meet offline," Lao Bai smiled and patted him on the shoulder, returned what he said, and then said solemnly, "Come back when you have time, the Burning Corps will always keep your place." ”

Yashi nodded vigorously with emotion.

"Hmm!"

Tempest touched the bridge of his nose.

"I won't say anything sensational, but if you find the map border, let me know...... It also satisfied my curiosity. ”

Fang Chang said with a smile.

"If you don't go with him, you can have a companion on the way."

"I haven't thought about it yet, and ......"

Tempest sighed softly, and just wanted to say something, but suddenly changed his mouth as if he had thought of something, and looked at Ye Shi and said in a half-joking tone.

"If I did go with you, you wouldn't think I would be a light bulb, would you?"

"What strange things are you talking about, it's not just me and Jiang Xuezhou on the ship," Ye Shi said with a smile, "And we're planning to tie up a few scientists on the ship, it's just right that you want to come!" What do you think? Not together? If you're embarrassed, nod your head, and I'll tie you up then." ”

"You don't have to tie it up."

Looking at Ye Shi, who was not joking, Tempest didn't answer the question directly, but just said with a smile.

"We'll talk about it later, so it's not too much to leave me a bed first, right?"

"Accurate!"

Night Ten slapped his chest.

"I'm in charge of this!"

While Ye Shi and a few good brothers were talking, laughing and bragging, a group of dumbfounded rookies were standing next to the sacred tree in the northern suburbs of French Fries Harbor, looking at the giant lizard with a cockscomb head and pointing and talking.

In fact, if you want to talk about rookies, not all of them are rookies here, and there are also a few old players who are not very reliable.

For example, the [Jenny Turtle] who has joined the Jungle Corps.

As a level 30 player, although he can't compare with the hardcore players of T1 and T0, he can be regarded as the backbone of the "Wasteland Online" server.

However, Jenny Turtle was not content to be settled.

Like most players, although his strength does not allow it, it does not prevent him from having a heart that wants to be strong.

Thinking like this, he couldn't help but think of the dragon lizard crawling next to the tree of life.

Although the server listed it as a friendly unit and prohibited hostile behavior, and he really couldn't defeat this thing, the server didn't say that he couldn't kidnap this guy, right?

If he uses this thing as a mount, who can be his opponent in the entire server?

I'm afraid that even if the manager comes forward, he will have to be trampled on!

Quack Quack ......

At the thought of this, his mind quickly became active—oh no, active.

"You say it's such a big lizard...... How much do you have to eat in a day? Rubbing his chin, the more Jenny thought about it, the more he felt that there was a play, and his mouth suddenly muttered coldly.

The [Blastoise] and [Han Eight Turtle] standing next to him were stunned for a moment, and said with a blank look

"I don't know."

"You don't care what it eats and what it does......

Jenny Turtle said immediately.

"I want to get one."

The brothers next to them were shocked when they heard this.

"?"

"Are you serious?!"

Jenny glanced at the two guys who had no dreams.

"Look at your unproductive appearance, the server said that hostile behavior is forbidden, and feeding is not forbidden! If I feed this guy well, he will recognize me as a father, and if he has to follow me, can GM still beat mandarin ducks? ”

"Isn't it—" Blastoise looked at him, laughing and crying, "Big brother, have you ever raised a lizard?" ”

"Raised...... Well, the palm-sized kind, but it doesn't matter! Jenny Turtle looked at him solemnly, put his hands on his shoulders, and regained his momentum, "You just need to tell me one thing, do you want to be a dragon knight?" ”

"Want to ......"

"Then bring me two buckets of nutritional paste, and when I tame this thing, let's ride instead!" patted him on the shoulder, Jenny Turtle then looked at the Dumba Turtle who was standing in place, and also patted the latter's arm, "You go too, move fast!" ”

"Don't let other Dogecoin get ahead of you!"

(End of chapter)