Lin Dao reached into his fingerless gloved hand and rummaged through his pockets, finally pulling out a bag of high-protein chocolates, which he tossed into his arms: "Eat this."
Bretta took the bag, the unidentified, transparent liquid that had been rapidly forming in his eyes quickly receding. He blinked, holding the chocolate wrapper, and asked curiously, "What's this?" As he spoke, he honestly tore open the wrapper, hesitated for a moment looking at the black chocolate pieces inside, but then quietly leaned down to sniff them; there was a faint fragrance.
Lin Dao crossed his arms and glanced at him, knowing that the child had never eaten before.
"chocolate."
Before he could finish speaking, Bletta stuck out her tongue and tentatively licked it, then her eyes widened and she exclaimed happily, "So delicious!"
Lin Dao looked at the child's appearance and chuckled almost imperceptibly through his nose. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "You... do you have a white mouse electronic bionic pet?"
Bretta, who was happily licking the food, exclaimed, "!"
"Huh?" He tactically pretended not to hear clearly, his quick-witted little brain busy analyzing the situation. A second later, he nodded emphatically, "Yes, yes!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Dao became alert, his aura suddenly dropping. He asked seemingly casually, "Oh? What functions does it have?"
“…functions,” Bretta replied after a slight frown and careful consideration, “It can be eaten! And it can run on a wheel!”
"Can you speak human language?"
Bretta shook his head cautiously. He didn't understand many human languages yet, but he was learning.
"Can I record a video?"
Britta shook his head with absolute certainty; he wasn't that good.
Lin Dao looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Suddenly he understood. He had the mentality of a child. Buying such expensive luxury toys, no wonder he couldn't afford to eat and was so poor that he cried from hunger.
Many residents entered the elevator one after another, and the two were pushed aside by the crowd. Bretta quickly hid his treasured food, preparing to savor it slowly. Lin Dao saw him hiding the food through the gaps in the crowd and couldn't help but chuckle. Even if high-protein chocolate was a luxury at the base, it was definitely cheaper than his electronic pet.
Thinking of the electronic pet that kept him up all night, Lin Dao, an insomniac, frowned.
The elevator doors opened with a "ding," and after Lin Dao stepped out, thinking about his sleep quality, he turned back: "According to the 'Base Residents' Convention,' no noise is allowed after 10 PM, especially on the running wheels..."
"..." The residents of various races, white, black, and yellow, looked at him with slight confusion, then quickly walked past him and scattered to go to work.
Lin Dao subconsciously looked up and saw that Blata, the treadmill enthusiast, had already sprinted to the end of the alley. He suddenly stopped and turned to greet him with a surprised yet enthusiastic voice: "Sir, aren't you going to hurry up? You're going to be late!" After saying that, he disappeared in a flash.
"..."
A dozen minutes later, Bretta, who arrived at work precisely on time, stood obediently in front of her boss, having just handed over all of yesterday's sales figures.
West, a middle-aged, overweight man nicknamed "Boss Bear," who had received the fifty contribution points, looked suspiciously at the handsome blond boy in front of him and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad. You're a clever kid. Keep him for a trial."
Under Bretta's expectant gaze, he chuckled and returned the ten contribution points he had earned the day before: "Payment is settled daily, ten points."
Seeing the ten donation points in her balance, Bretta paused, then asked in confusion, "What about my original ten donation points?"
Boss Xiong choked for a moment. This kid wasn't stupid, was he? He changed his expression and said fiercely, "You've been late for one night. This is the fine!"
Bretta still didn't understand: "But according to the Mixed Base Labor Code, the employer has no right to deduct wages when the work is completed..."
"Ding-dong—"
A crisp sound interrupted him; a call from the base's security department suddenly popped up on Bretta's wrist.
Bleta blinked and reached out to answer the call. Immediately, a handsome young man with fair skin, wearing a blue and white Asia Alliance work uniform, appeared in front of his wrist in a half-body, three-dimensional virtual projection.
Standing next to Blaita, Boss Xiong seemed to recognize the political affiliation of the man's uniform, and his expression turned somewhat displeased.
"Hi, Tata, do you remember me?" came a warm greeting with an electronic voice.
Bretta remembered him; he had received guidance and assistance from him during his time at the base. He nodded politely. "Mr. Josh Son, I remember you. May I ask what brings you here?"
Qiao Song gave a professional smile: "It's like this, given that you unfortunately had close contact with the alien yesterday, you need to undergo a full-body examination today to prevent the risk of being infected and deformed."
Upon hearing this, Boss Xiong's expression changed: "What? You encountered a mutant yesterday?!" He looked at the kid, Blaita, suspiciously, but didn't see any signs of infection on him.
"Don't worry, there haven't been any mutations after more than 12 hours, so the probability of infection is almost zero." After explaining, Qiao Song noticed the portly man next to Bretta and politely asked, "And you are?"
Bryta whispered, "This is my boss."
Boss Xiong subconsciously smiled broadly at the public officials.
“We were just discussing the base’s Labor Code regarding whether I should have ten contribution points deducted from my pay,” Bretta replied earnestly.
"..." Boss Xiong's face stiffened.
"A labor dispute?" Qiao Song was a shrewd person, and quickly caught the trick in the matter. He squinted at West.
Seeing this, Boss Xiong hurriedly wiped away his cold sweat and explained with a forced smile, "No, no, there's no dispute at all. It's just that the accounts were miscalculated just now, I'll make up for it for our little Britta right away." As he spoke, he quickly transferred ten contribution points to Britta's account.
Bryta looked at the exact number on the balance sheet, a smile playing on his lips; his obsessive-compulsive disorder about being a guinea pig had vanished.
He thought about going back to the security office for testing, then looked up and asked, "How long will my adaptation test take? I need to ask Mr. West for leave."
Qiao Song glanced at Boss Xiong, who was stealing glances at him, and maintained his professional smile: "The workflow is still uncertain. It may take half a day or a day, depending on your specific situation."
Boss Xiong was afraid of the little guy, so he quickly said, "Go ahead, go ahead, as long as you want." Anyway, it's unpaid leave.
After saying that, he made an excuse and left in a hurry. He was a very busy man with thousands of dollars flowing through his account every minute, and there was a lot of messy things waiting for him to take care of in the underground boxing arena.
With the annoying guy gone, Qiao Song instantly switched to power-saving mode and said lazily, "Hey Tata, I'll send you the map. Hurry up, I'm going to have breakfast and then take a nap. Bye~"
"Ah, okay." As soon as Bretta finished speaking, the other party's virtual image disappeared and the video call ended.
Speaking of breakfast, Bretta was also a little hungry. She took out the chocolate that Mr. Lin Dao had given her that morning, took a small bite, chewed it contentedly, and then quickly put it back in her pocket, afraid that she would finish it without being able to resist.
As he walked, he used the tip of his tongue to savor all the sweetness in his mouth, secretly relishing the taste. Suddenly, he felt a little wet at the corner of his mouth, so he quickly wiped it to prevent the corrosive liquid in his saliva from dripping onto his clothes and ruining them.
Bleta was filled with worry.
"The results for those two bags are in." Xiang You walked out of the laboratory and spoke directly to the man who was leaning against the wall, resting with his eyes down and hands in his pockets.
After he finished speaking, assuming the other person was asleep, he leaned forward slightly to take a closer look. Just as he noticed the dark circles under the man's eyes, the man suddenly opened his cold eyes, warning him of his curiosity, and said in a deep voice:
"I heard you, continue."
Xiang You shrugged, consciously took two steps back to maintain basic social distance, and said, "That bottle of medicine can basically be inferred to be something from an alien research laboratory. We can call it 'alien essence.' This is probably what's circulating on the dark web in various bases now."
"Preliminary assessment suggests that small injections can achieve effects similar to improved mental alertness, sensory acuity, muscle strength, and cellular self-healing and regeneration capabilities, and may even stimulate different evolutionary directions of ancient genes within the human body..."
"Doesn't that mean we have superpowers?" Cheng Cheng exclaimed excitedly. "Give each of us brothers a dose and we'll all become superheroes in no time, hahaha!"
Xiang Youchao Chengcheng rolled his eyes at the husky: "Okay, if we manage to collect one dose, I'll apply to give you an injection right away. I guarantee you'll be even more impressive than that giant mantis from yesterday."
"Really?! Then I don't want to be the praying mantis, that's too green." Cheng Cheng was quite annoyed.
"..."
Xiang You sneered, "Don't worry, when that day comes, Klin can slice you off with one stroke."
Cheng Cheng imagined the scene, then looked at the long sword behind the silent and aloof captain, and shuddered in fright. He pouted and muttered, "If you can't control yourself and maintain your human consciousness, what's the difference between you and a monster? I think I'll pass."
"Maintain human consciousness?" Xiang You raised an eyebrow. "These people who are researching heterologous substances probably really do have this intention."
The usually silent captain, Lin Dao, looked up at him upon hearing this: "?"
Cheng Cheng exclaimed excitedly, "Really?!"
Xiang You poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "Even if it really happens that humans can maintain their self-awareness after being infected by alien species, I still believe that the savage nature of alien species, especially animal-type alien species, which is amplified dozens of times after mutation, will eventually completely erode all human reason; it's just a matter of time."
"So you think you can fight against aliens with a brain like that? I advise you not to have any wishful thinking," Xiang You said, giving Cheng Cheng a sharp tap on the head.
"The ultimate fate of those infected is to become monsters." Behind Xiang You's smiling face lay a cold rationality and unwavering determination.
Lin Dao, who had been listening with his back against the wall for a long time, lowered his eyes in thought, his thin lips slightly pursed: "...Is that so?"
Xiang You sensitively noticed the fleeting change in his emotions and said in a joking tone, "But even knowing the danger, what does it matter? In this era of great catastrophe, fraught with crisis, extreme scarcity of resources, and the coexistence of hunger and desolation, the benefits it brings to humanity are just too... tempting." His voice deepened at the end.
"This is a test of humanity. Is it to gradually lose humanity and reason, sliding into the abyss of monsters, or to become a pitiful human being who doesn't know whether death or tomorrow will come first, completely surrounded by unknown fears?"
As Xiang You finished speaking, he gave a cold laugh, his eyes devoid of any warmth behind the delicate silk-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
"After all, there will always be people who think that taking just a little bit won't kill them and will even make them stronger, so it's a good deal."
"Little did they know that when the monster's venom seeped into their lungs, complete mutation would happen in an instant."
Lin Dao listened quietly.
Cheng Cheng fell silent at this point. The temptation was simply too great.
"And what about the other bag? What's in it?" Lin Dao asked.
"Well, the initial assessment is that it was caused by a highly corrosive substance," Xiang You said.
Cheng Cheng retorted sarcastically, "What else? Do you think I can't tell?"
"..."
Lin asked, "What substance is it?"
Xiang You: "I don't know."
"..."
Lin Dao turned to leave without hesitation, but Xiang You called out to him with loving eyes:
"Kling—"
Lin Dao stopped in his tracks, frowned, and turned back. He saw the other person eagerly clinging to his shoulder, looking into his slightly dark eyes, and winking, saying, "Don't say your father doesn't care about you. I specially got you some good kidney-tonifying and aphrodisiac stuff..."
"...No need, I just have some insomnia." Lin Dao pushed his hand away expressionlessly and said coldly, "If you really care about me, why don't you give me some rat poison?"
Xiang You: "...?"
Lin Dao, too lazy to explain, turned around to leave, but was surprised to see Blaita standing in front of him and stopped in his tracks.
When Bryta, who had come for testing, heard this, her face turned pale, and she stammered in disbelief:
"...Old...rat poison?"
Lin Dao paused, seeing the boy's terrified appearance, and felt a strange sense of guilt for bullying a child. Just as he was about to explain, the boy suddenly looked up at him with teary eyes, pleading cautiously:
"...Sir, it won't do it again. Could you...please don't buy rat poison?"
Author's Note: Klindall: As we all know, electronic bionic mice are not stupid enough to knowingly eat poisonous food.
Britta: Sir, this is so delicious! Mmm! ...Waaah, what happened to my lips? QAQ
If you're super enthusiastic with your favorites and comments! And if you give me tons of nutrient solution, maybe I can write a new chapter tonight QvQ Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or gave me nutrient solution between 2022-01-08 14:39:13 and 2022-01-09 14:24:50!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Xueyue (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: QwQ 5 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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