Chapter 59: Fellow Pathfinders (Xiao Xiu) Life will find its own way out...

"Um, what were you saying just now? I didn't quite hear it."

In the beehive where it was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard, Bombber moved closer to Huai Mi in a daze, but he only saw his lips opening and closing slightly a few times, and did not catch any sound.

So he rubbed his ear in confusion, and the diamond-shaped earring hanging on his earlobe swayed slightly with his movement, making a crisp sound in the darkness.

"Nothing—I mean, my name is Huai Mi."

In the blink of an eye, Huai Mi calmly returned to her harmless and well-behaved appearance, as if the strange smile just now was just an illusion of Bombbel himself.

"Huai Mi? Such a cute, ahem... I mean, what a cute name—"

Hearing this, Bumblebell's attention was instantly distracted. Two bright little flames instantly ignited in his ice-blue eyes. Fortunately, he remembered to swallow the word "mouth" that was about to come out.

"Do you like sweets too?"

After seeing the other party nod, Bombbel immediately threw away the inexplicable creepy feeling he had just felt, and he happily grabbed the hand of this "comrade".

"That's great—" He smiled with his eyebrows curved, his dimples shallow, and his two pointed little fangs faintly visible. The tentacles that were originally lying in his hair couldn't help but sway slightly.

"I know there's a great place nearby where you can not only eat nectar but also find a lot of energy stones! Shall we go together now?"

"Okay." Huai Mi's gaze stayed on the two people's clasped hands for a second, and then she slowly stood up following Bombbel's movements.

The animal skin that was half covering his body slid down gently, revealing a large area of ​​pale skin in the air.

"Ah, your clothes..."

It was not until this moment that Bombber suddenly realized that Huai Mi was almost naked.

His body was covered with an almost invisible layer of transparent mucus, which made the muscles underneath appear moist even in the dark, just like the shimmering surface of a lake under the moonlight, revealing an indescribable ethereal texture.

The damaged pioneer uniform had only played a marginal role in being torn by the tentacle monster, and now it no longer had even the slightest effect of covering up the truth.

Seeing this situation, Bombbel felt a little distressed. He hesitated for a moment, but still took off his coat reluctantly.

It's not that he is stingy, it's just that the Nest Cleaner uniform is one of the few insect nest items he has.

This uniform is like a silent documentary, and every scratch on it carries the sweat and hard work of the army bugs along the way...

But Bombber still chose to hand it to Huai Mi, because he knew that someone needed it more than himself at the moment.

"If you don't mind, wear this. It's pretty good at keeping warm." Junchong said sincerely, without a trace of hesitation in his tone.

At this time, Bombbel was only wearing a sleeveless tactical vest, and his exposed upper arm muscles were full and powerful.

The dark fabric fits tightly against his sleek body, and the muscular outlines of his chest and abdomen are faintly visible under the vest, exuding a wild and powerful beauty that is simply impossible to look away from.

Looking at those bright and sincere eyes, Huai Mi felt her scalp tingling and even her teeth couldn't help but tremble.

He murmured a thank you and then reached out to take the clothes.

This is a peculiar windbreaker made of an unknown material. Although Huai Mi does not know its origin, he can feel its preciousness as soon as he touches it——

Whether it is the ability to protect against the cold outside or the comfort of wearing it, it can be said to be impeccable.

After putting on the clothes, Huai Mi was almost instantly captivated by the pleasant warm fragrance. It felt like he was being gently embraced in the arms of the owner of the windbreaker, making him want to sigh out loud.

The smell that remains on the fabric is like the fragrance of flowers in spring and the warm sunshine in winter.

Under the steaming heat, a rare hint of red appeared on Huai Mi's black and white, cold and lifeless face, which made his dark and chaotic eyes add a bit of lively and vivid charm.

[Drip—Follower +1.]

[I am truly convinced... Host, I wish you good luck.]

Suddenly, the system quietly popped up like a clock in, and then quickly disappeared.

[030?] Bombbell was completely confused by the sudden mechanical prompt, but the system didn’t provide any further information. He really couldn’t figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

So, Bombubbel took his new friend's hand and happily prepared to go "collect nectar".

…

underground.

517 is riding on an elevator like a mine elevator, slowly sinking into the depths of the Eternal Night Wasteland. It has to go down ten thousand meters to reach the last home built by the surviving humans - the Mother Nest.

During this long descent, the small space was pitch black and silent. Only the faint friction sound of the elevator echoed in the air, like a whisper from the endless abyss.

After numerous tests, with a crisp "beep", 517 finally arrived at the eighth underground floor. This is the first place every pioneer enters after returning.

Without needing any instructions, 517 deftly laid himself down inside a cocoon-like device. Then, a thick tube was firmly inserted into the feeding area of ​​his protective suit, like the umbilical cord connecting a mother to her child, methodically draining all the energy from his "throat sac."

After an unknown amount of time, the dense cold sweat on 517's head had dried up again and again, and he finally felt a lightness in his throat - the protective suit was unbuttoned.

Every pioneer has experienced this kind of "repaying the debt" countless times. It has been a part of their lives since birth, but 517 still has a feeling of escaping from the gates of hell and surviving a disaster.

So he lay there motionless, just breathing heavily, enjoying this hard-earned moment of freedom.

In his daze, 517 heard a faint noise coming from a nearby engine room. He shifted his eyes with difficulty and looked closely. It turned out to be another Pioneer, No. 503.

This senior came out of the cocoon earlier than him and was now sitting on a chair next to him, quietly recovering his strength.

Like 503 and 517, she belongs to a group of pioneers whose numbers begin with the number 5. Among this group of people, she is the oldest member still alive.

She was not yet thirty years old, but her temples had already turned gray prematurely. However, her lead-gray eyes had become sharper after being polished by the years, almost like knives, and no one dared to look down on them.

The accumulation of years has endowed her with incomparably rich experience. In front of these young juniors, she always answers questions and teaches them everything she knows.

The fact that intelligent life appeared on the surface of the earth is simply too unbelievable... But if it's Senior 503, will she really believe me? Perhaps she knows more information...

Just as 517 was wavering and struggling with his thoughts, 503 spoke first: "Haven't you figured it out yet? You've been looking at it for a minute."

She didn't even raise her head, but just said calmly: "If you have anything to say, please say it now. If you don't ask, I will leave."

"How do you know..." Upon hearing this, 517 forced himself to sit up in surprise. After all, the hatch on his side had not been opened yet.

"Based on the average speed of your fellow pioneers, it would take you at least seven days to successfully return to the nest. This time, you arrived so early, so you must have encountered something unusual out there..."

503 patiently explained briefly, then raised her head and stared at 517 with her hawk-like eyes, a look that showed a keen insight.

"Besides, you can't hide things in your heart. Or rather, you never thought about hiding it at all."

"517, don't you realize? Your subconscious is asking me for help."

"When you discovered me, your supposedly steady breathing, pulse, and heartbeat all fluctuated violently. If I couldn't see such an obvious reaction, then all my years as a pioneer would have been in vain."

"Okay, I'm done, it's your turn—"

After answering, 503 folded her arms across her chest, quietly awaiting the other party's response. Her undisguised gaze held a hint of undeniable authority, but this also gave 517 a great sense of security.

"Senior, do you know...how the Eternal Night was formed?"

After saying the first word, 517 seemed to break free from some restraints. He poured out all the doubts in his heart like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube:

"Did all humans have to move underground back then? What about now? Is it true that there are no intelligent creatures left on Earth?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure, and I don't understand."

503 responded to these questions extremely quickly, so quickly that it seemed as if the answers came out of his mouth without any thought in his mind.

After she finished speaking, she gently touched her throat again, a strange expression of half-smile appeared on her face, and then she said slowly:

"As for the last question, I can only say this: over two hundred years have passed. To survive, anything is possible on Earth. Life will find its own way."

"Wisdom has never been a unique quality of human beings. We are just born underground now, but we can't really sit in the well and look at the world, becoming short-sighted—"

“Ignorance is not the obstacle to survival, arrogance is.”

After saying these confusing words, she waved her hand naturally as if nothing had happened, and walked out of the cabin, leaving 517 alone in deep thought.

"A way out..."