Chapter 90

The walls of the medical pod were still humming, and the rune array was unstable due to the energy changes of 237, rippling like the surface of a lake being blown by the wind.

237 opened his eyes, and two layers of texture were reflected deep in his pupils: one was the warm black of a human, and the other was like tree rings, slowly rotating and radiating an ancient light.

The air suddenly became heavy. He raised his hand, and his previously weak, tendril-like fingers stretched slightly, revealing a thin wisp of light. The wisp of light fell to the ground and quickly transformed into roots, penetrating the alloy floor of the medical pod as if searching for underground water veins.

Sprout 12 suddenly held his breath: "...You have already connected with the afterimage of the Mother Tree."

237 nodded slowly, his voice low but firm: "I felt the entire base tremble. The thickness of every wall, the heartbeat of every guard... even the coldness and heat of the voices in the conference room, are all within my roots."

He paused, then added in a low voice, "I also heard the call from afar. The third force is watching."

Sprout 12 narrowed his eyes, the fragments of the blade trembling slightly: "They've sensed you're growing. Next time, they won't just send out avatars."

237 remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand. The light threads receded, the patterns slowly disappeared, and he returned to the appearance of an ordinary patient. He looked at Sprout 12, his tone extremely calm:

"So we have to hide. At least for now—let them think I'm still imprisoned in this small 'isolation chamber'."

A glint flashed in Sprout12's eyes: "You plan to use their cages to cover up the spread of your roots?"

“That’s right.” 237 tapped the bed with his fingertip, and the moss-green patterns quickly spread, forming an almost invisible ring mark that embedded itself into the circuit of the rune array. The surface of the rune array suddenly stabilized, seemingly returning to normal, but it was secretly altered in the shadows.

“Now, the monitoring data will show that I am gradually stabilizing and my energy is trending towards a low point.” 237’s voice was calm, but sharp. “In reality, I have already extended my roots right under their noses.”

Sprout12 looked at him, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, her smile still sharp: "Heh... you're starting to resemble a real tree. Not a domesticated potted plant, but the kind that's going to tear apart the stone slabs and break through the roof."

Footsteps approached outside the hatch. The metal door was about to open.

237 and Sprout 12 exchanged a glance, both knowing in their hearts: from now on, they were not playing the roles of patient and guard, but "hunters" in a cage.

Behind the facade of tranquility, the roots have quietly seeped into the very fabric of the entire base.

—And in the farthest reaches of darkness, the whispers of the Third Force suddenly paused briefly, as if realizing the danger of some “accidental sprouting.”

The metal door clicked heavily as it unlocked, and light streamed in through the cracks, making the air inside the medical pod feel even colder.

Several high-ranking officers in dark military uniforms entered with guards, their footsteps precise and imposing. The officer at the front held a monitoring chip in his hand, his cold gaze sweeping over 237.

237 remained half-reclined on the bed, his breath heavy and his eyes vacant, like a weak seedling that had been transplanted and lost its moisture. Beside him, Sprout 12 silently bowed its head, its branches drooping without wind, like withered twigs.

"The energy curve has dropped." The official raised his hand and pointed to the projection device. The data lines fed back by the rune array were indeed stable, as if the storm had been completely suppressed.

The other person nodded, his expression slightly relaxed: "It seems the isolation pod plan worked. He is no longer a threat that could erupt at any moment."

The guards remained silent, with only the sound of their boots scraping against the metal floor echoing in the cabin.

237 slowly closed her eyes, as if she had lost the strength even to listen.

However, unnoticed by anyone, a thin, almost invisible root was quietly spreading beneath the bed, extending outwards like tentacles along the gaps between the alloy and the rune array, weak yet resolute.

Sprout 12 turned to the side, using the leaves to conceal the curve of his lips. He heard a whisper flowing in 237's heart:

"They can't see anymore."

"Very good." The official closed the chip and coldly ordered, "Maintain monitoring. If the data fluctuates again, report it immediately."

The group turned and left, the door lock closed again, leaving behind a heavy silence.

The lights flickered again.

Sprout 12 slowly raised her head, looked at 237 who was still pretending to sleep, and chuckled softly: "You fooled them."

The seeds on the bed trembled slightly, as if an invisible sprout was breaking through the soil in the darkness.

The real counterattack is growing from the illusion of "stability".

The lights in the medical pod flickered like a heart.

237 remained dormant on the surface, its branches and leaves drooping, its breathing gentle. But beneath the alloy bed, tiny roots had already quietly broken through the walls.

They were as thin as hair, yet emitted a faint glow, extending little by little along the patterns on the ground. The suppressive light of the rune array attempted to cut off this penetration, but the roots did not forcefully resist; instead, they flexibly bypassed it, like a drop of water flowing silently along a crack in the stone, yet impossible to stop.

Sprout 12 sat quietly on the edge of the bed, like a withered branch keeping watch at night. Only he noticed that a barely perceptible low-frequency vibration was permeating the air. It wasn't an alarm, but rather the resonance between the energy within 237's body and something else.

—The roots have touched the energy core of the base.

It was a huge crystal hidden deep within, a "secondary heart vein" split off from the remains of the mother tree, which was the foundation for the entire base's operation.

At that moment, a bluish-white pulse flashed across the crystal surface, like breathing.

237's consciousness was instantly pulled into an endless void.

He saw a web woven from countless roots of light, covering the entire world. They broke, withered, and then struggled to flicker in the cracks of darkness.

Deep within the net, a "mother's heart" larger than the stars is slowly beating.

The sound boomed from the virtual realm, deep yet gentle:

"Come back... my seed."

The branch of 237 trembled violently, and a burning pain, both familiar and strange, surged in his heart. He wanted to answer, but the immense force suppressed his voice, and he could only use his roots to hold it back tightly, preventing himself from being completely swallowed up.

At the same time, the energy core in reality flickered violently, the lights throughout the base went out briefly, and alarms blared.

Bean Sprout 12 immediately reached out and pressed on 237's shoulder, a low hum flowing from the branches and leaves, as if to steady his pulse.

"Hold on, don't give in completely... otherwise you won't be yourself anymore."

Outside the medical pod, the higher-ups also noticed the sudden energy fluctuations, and footsteps were rapidly approaching.

—And at the point where the roots meet the crystal, a new rune is quietly growing.

Outside the medical pod, heavy footsteps suddenly approached.

"Activate the sealing protocol!"

The cold, stern command was accompanied by the roar of the alloy door, and several rune arrays lit up instantly, as if to burn the entire cabin to ashes.

The air was sucked out, the light was blinding, and the suppression patterns surrounding the cabin walls instantly transformed into a cage-like structure. The runic light converged and turned into a heavy, imprisoning chain.

However, they did not know—

237's roots have long been deeply embedded in the energy core of the base.

As the sealing array suddenly pressed down, the crystalline heart meridian trembled, like an ancient behemoth awakened from its slumber. A bluish-white pulse flowed upwards, pouring into 237's body along the roots.

"hiss--"

Sprout 12 was suddenly jolted. He saw 237's branches twist and tremble under the dual energy of light and darkness, but they did not break. The pulsation surged in like a tide, pushing back the suppression of the sealing array little by little.

The bulkhead rune array began to crack, and the runes scattered sparks of light in the air.

"How is this possible?!" The high-ranking official outside exclaimed in shock and anger, "The isolation array... is being swallowed up in reverse?!"

Inside the medical pod, 237 slowly opened its eyes, a strange double-layered radiance shimmering deep within its pupils.

He murmured softly, as if responding to some higher call:

"...A mother's heart will not be used as fuel for your prison."

The roots suddenly tightened.

--boom!

The entire base's power system was paralyzed, and the core crystal emitted a deafening roar. The confinement array was instantly shattered, instead flowing back to the high-level control console like broken chains, leaving scorch marks.

Sprout 12 stretched out its branches to protect 237, and whispered, "You weren't just resisting, you were... trying to reclaim some of the mother tree's authority?"

237's breathing was still rapid, and his face was covered in beads of cold sweat. He didn't answer, but simply looked up at the metal door that had been pushed open.

A group of fully armed law enforcement officers rushed in, but were immediately intimidated.

Because they saw that the plant warriors in the medical pods were no longer just morbid hosts, but rather like... a "new source" that had merged with the heart of the base.

In the oppressive atmosphere, 237's cold voice rang out:

"If you want to lock me up... first look at the roots under your feet, or who is in control."

—The battle situation took another turn at this moment.