After a moment of stunned silence, Lin Dao looked down and carefully examined Blaita, whose cheeks were slightly flushed and who was fast asleep.
He had never realized he could secrete venom before, but that mouth-to-mouth method was indeed hasty. Fortunately... he reached up and touched his lips; there shouldn't be any venom there. So it must be in his blood?
Lin Dao reached out and gave Bletta, who snuggled even tighter into his arms, a comforting hug. But even though he seemed to be in much better shape, his "atavistic" tendencies didn't seem to be under control.
He looked down at him with concern, recalling the mutation he experienced when he was first infected. He would often revert to a dazed black snake, and only gradually regained control of his body through repeated struggles of consciousness.
“Tata…” he whispered in Bleta’s ear, hoping he would stay alert.
He watched as white downy hair gradually sprouted on Bleta's body and arms, his worry and suspicion growing stronger. He knew that many people, after being infected and mutated, would awaken the primitive genes within their bodies, but how could Bleta, who was infected by him, grow such white downy hair?
Just then, Bretta uncomfortably turned her head, tilting her entire face towards him, her swollen lips exhaling slightly. Suddenly, to Lin Dao's astonishment, she completely transformed, from a tall, long-legged boy into a tiny white mouse no bigger than the palm of his hand!
Lin Dao was stunned for two seconds, then suddenly sat up in bed, his gaze a jumble of emotions as he stared at the little guy whose belly was bulging and rising and falling with his breath, whose face was slightly pouting with a soft, curved cheek pressed to one side, and whose little black eyes were closed.
He had an excellent memory and instantly remembered the little white mouse that had broken into his room in Mix—wasn't that the one in front of him?
After experiencing his own infection and mutation, and then encountering the alien Wei Tang, Lin Dao quickly calmed down in the face of the surreal fact that Bretta had suddenly turned from a teenager into a white mouse, and a strange sense of relief overcame his previous self-blame.
At least the little guy survived.
But soon, Lin Dao remembered what Wei Tang had mentioned, and the doubts that had flashed through his mind countless times resurfaced at this moment. He recalled the moment he saw Bretta in the Easton laboratory a year ago, and the name he had glanced at in the culture chamber—Bretta Easton.
A thought he had never considered suddenly appeared in his mind—could Bryta be the Easton test subject that had been secretly searched for all along?
He was shocked by his own idea and looked down at the still-sleeping white mouse. If this was true, then Bryta's naiveté about society, his initial complete ignorance of human language, and his blank slate past seemed to have an answer.
So, was he a human who was infected and mutated into a white mouse from the beginning, or was he a white mouse participating in the experiment from the beginning?
As Lin Dao thought of this, he stared intently at the little guy. As he looked at him, a strange feeling suddenly arose. The feeling of wanting to eat him as soon as he touched him before returned, and it was stronger than ever before.
Lin Dao immediately clenched his hand, and even when the veins on the back of his hand bulged, he dared not turn his head to look at it again.
He immediately stood up, turned his back to the bed, and stood to one side for a long time before he could barely suppress the boiling, awakening instincts in his blood.
If his guess is correct, then Blaita is the Easton test subject itself. The person who posted the exorbitant bounty on the dark web must have known this, and had been searching for him since the Mix base, eventually focusing on Blaita.
Lin Dao was unsure whether the other party had already confirmed the existence of the Sugar Team, but the existence of Blaita itself might have extraordinary significance and effect on those people's human xenobiotic experiments.
To verify this hypothesis, West, who was in such a hurry to capture Bryta, may have had a crucial clue.
Lin Dao's heart was filled with a mix of emotions, some churning and some settling.
He stood by Blaita's bedside all night, thinking about many things.
He looked at Bryta, his biggest worry now being whether the little guy could withstand the snake venom in his body.
Fortunately, Bretta was sleeping much better in the early morning. The little white mouse, which was no bigger than his palm, rolled around on the bed a couple of times and then turned its snow-white belly up to the top without any regard for anything else.
After covering it with a thin blanket, Lin Dao got up and went to the kitchen in Rudolf's house to cook a simple meal with the only food available.
When Blaita woke up, it was a little dazed when it opened its eyes. It blinked its bright black eyes and rolled them around, not realizing for a moment that it wasn't in the room it shared with Chu Hui. It wasn't until it rolled over to stand up that it belatedly realized—it had turned back into its original form.
This startled Bleta. To revert to his original form so unexpectedly in the human world was no different from sleeping naked!
It's both shameful and audacious!
He hastily transformed into human form in a split second, pulled out a set of clothes from his spatial storage, and hastily put them on. Then he quickly jumped off the bed, barefoot, wondering why Chu Hui hadn't arrived yet—but then he remembered!
This...this isn't his and Chu Hui's room, this is Mr. Dao's! Memories from last night flooded his not-so-large brain, and Bretta hurriedly reached up to touch his lips—"Ouch!" Not only were they swollen, but they also hurt!
Mr. Lin Dao's big black snake is really venomous...
Last night, the feeling of being invaded by toxins all over my body was really unpleasant, but it seemed to get better slowly afterwards, as if the toxins were dissolved and neutralized by something in my body.
“Hmm…” Bleta stood by the bed, pondering why.
"Awake?" Lin Dao pushed open the door, and was taken aback when he saw the boy standing by the bed. Ignoring that the boy was not originally wearing the same clothes as the one provided by the Suburban Sugar Team, he suppressed his doubts and handed him the nutrient solution with feigned composure: "Drink this."
When Bleta suddenly saw the culprit who had "poisoned her," she flinched, instinctively took a step back, and cautiously looked up at him.
Lin Dao: "Don't worry, it's not poisonous."
Bretta: "..." It seems Mr. Lin Dao also remembers everything that happened last night.
But what could he do? How could he explain that he was still alive after being infected by his toxin?
And how can you pretend not to know that Mr. Lin Dao is a venomous snake?
Lin Dao quietly looked at the child whose face was full of struggle, and suddenly said, "Finish it, don't waste it. The food here is at least ten times more expensive than Mix's."
"!" Bleta immediately took it, lowered her head, and gulped it down. This nutrient solution had little taste; it was simply meant to supplement the nutrients the human body needed. Of course, for Bleta, this little white mouse, it only served to alleviate her hunger.
Bleta missed those delicious alien essences. As he thought about it, he secretly looked up again at the fragrant and delicious alien essence in front of him.
At that moment, Lin Dao suddenly understood the look in Bleta's eyes that he often stole glances at him and swallowed hard—this little guy actually dared to covet him, just like last night.
This feeling made Lin Dao's whole body a little restless. He didn't even know if Bleta was originally a white mouse or a human, but for the first time, he felt excited and struggled at the same time.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he stared intently at Bryta, his eyes warning, "Little one, don't look at me like that."
Bryta: "!" He chickened out and quickly lowered his head to drink the nutrient solution that was already empty.
He looked down, thinking: He called me little guy? Little guy? How do I look little?
However, Blaita, who had tasted the "forbidden fruit" (?) for the first time last night, was now biting the rim of the nutrient solution bottle. Although he could completely control his saliva from secreting corrosive liquid, he couldn't quite control the saliva dripping down and sticking to the rim of the bottle. He secretly reminisced: Mr. Lin Dao's arm was delicious, and his mouth was delicious too.
However, within the boundaries of human behavior, this is considered an intimate act between lovers, namely, "kissing".
From an academic perspective, the first act is particularly special and is also known as the "first kiss".
He shared his first kiss with Mr. Lin Dao.
Lin Dao saw him staring blankly and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Bryta: "...First kiss."
Lin Dao: "—!"
He wanted to say that didn't count, but he opened his mouth and then strangely closed it.
Fortunately, Xiang You called him from outside the door, ending the conversation. Since yesterday, Rudolf and Wei Tang had never brought up the matter of the aliens, nor had they mentioned it in front of Xiang You and the others.
Out of a desire to keep it a secret, Qiao Song avoided any topics related to Wei Tang, even though the other party would occasionally come to the mechanical room to ambush him.
He was particularly annoyed by this person's stubbornness. Even though his appearance, voice, and body had all changed, and even his memories had been formatted, and the other party was fully aware of this, it didn't affect him. He still kept appearing in front of him.
Their conversations were also repetitive and repetitive.
Qiao Song: "I really don't remember you, and I don't want to be gay now."
Wei Tang: "I am not a chicken, I am an eagle."
Qiao Song: "...I don't want a human-demon relationship even more."
Wei Tang: "You..."
Qiao Song, perhaps anticipating his thought process, quickly interjected, "Robots are people too. Okay, I admit, you're not exactly a demon, but..."
Wei Tang stared at him intently: "I know I'm a monster. But, can you... be my Qiao Song again?"
Qiao Song was taken aback by those words. The seemingly aggrieved lines, delivered by his aloof expression, sounded rather odd. He didn't really believe any emotion could transcend time and death, especially not just species. Most importantly, even Wei Tang himself felt he wasn't the same person he used to be. So what was the point now?
Lin Dao had secretly spoken with Qiao Song, confirming Wei Tang's mutant identity and expressing doubt about Rudolf's motives for helping them. Qiao Song, unaware of Lin Dao's other identity, was surprised by his captain's suspicions but also understood. Having spent over twenty years in various dangers, Qiao Song stated that he would handle the entire process of deciphering West's brain memories and would keep it a secret from his mentor Rudolf and Wei Tang.
The commission to mechanize Chu Xiang fell to Rudolf. Strangely, on this day, someone delivered a pile of valuable and precious weapons and resources to Rudolf in Chu Hui's name, as payment for all of Chu Xiang's mechanization work.
Lin Daohe and Xiang You immediately became alert, remembering the large sum of money that the boy from the slum had taken out that day.
Facing everyone's gaze, Chu Hui clenched his fists, about to speak, when the man who had brought the weapon—the one with the cold and taciturn face—speaked: "Mr. Chu Hui is a good friend of Mr. Donovan, and his assistance is also to express his regret for what happened to Miss Chu Xiang that day."
Bryta stared at the seemingly insignificant man and suddenly remembered that he was Apa, Mr. Donovan's bodyguard.
Upon hearing the name "Donovin," Lin Dao and Xiang Youcheng and the others became alert and quickly turned their gazes to Chu Hui. After all, Donovin looked gentle and gentlemanly, but he and Klindall had always been at odds in the political and military circles.
Chu Hui met their gazes, gritted his teeth, and finally said stiffly, "I haven't done anything to wrong any of you." After saying that, he subconsciously glanced at Blaita.
Bretta was taken aback. He seemed to vaguely understand that Mr. Donovan and everyone else were not quite on good terms, but he thought that Mr. Donovan was indeed a good person and had helped him in the past.
He then spoke softly, "I can testify that Chu Hui does indeed know Mr. Donovan. He happened to be there the day Chu Xiang had her accident... but he may have left early, so..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but what he meant was that the other party might have helped Chu Hui out of acquaintance with him and out of pity for Chu Xiang.
The atmosphere became tense for a moment. No one thought that in the apocalypse, someone would go to such lengths to do good deeds for a slum boy they only knew, providing so many precious weapons and resources.
Even though Donovan was indeed known throughout the empire and other major political entities and bases for his "philanthropy, kindness, and gentlemanly conduct," Xiang You and others believed it was merely a politician's political maneuvering.
After speaking, Bretta noticed the various expressions on everyone's faces. She pursed her lips, looked at Chu Hui who was clenching his fists with his head down, and approached him with some concern: "Chu Hui..."
"Stop talking." Chu Hui suddenly spoke in a low voice, his head lowered and some bangs covering his eyes. "Actually, you have no obligation to believe me. After all, you are the high and mighty citizens of the base, while Xiang Jie and I are just dispensable, worthless slum dwellers. Once Xiang Jie wakes up, I will take her away."
Everyone fell silent.
After leaving his things, Apa left without saying anything and went straight away.
Rudolf observed all of this, while Wei Tang shifted his gaze to Qiao Song's face before returning it to Chu Hui.
Bretta and Chu Hui returned to the room. He hesitated, unsure what to say to comfort her. Chu Hui spoke first: "Are you curious why Donovan helped me?"
Bryta was taken aback; in truth, he was just worried about him.
Chu Hui continued, talking to himself, "Actually, I've had a guess, maybe it's because of you, Britta." He looked up at Britta.
Bryta asked in confusion, "Because of me?"
Chu Hui nodded: "Since joining this team, I haven't heard anyone say anything, but don't you really think you and Donovan look a lot alike? At first glance, the similarity makes people feel like you're from the same bloodline."
Bryta paused, then nodded: "Actually, someone else has said that too."
Chu Hui looked up and stared straight at him, as if looking at another person through him, and suddenly exclaimed, "You two really look alike."
Bretta reached out and touched her face, somewhat bewildered.
Chu Hui stared at him blankly, then suddenly said, "Wasn't that falcon that kidnapped you back then Wei Tang?"
Bretta: "How did you know!?" After asking, he remembered that Chu Hui hadn't come back last night, "You guys..."
Chu Hui's gaze suddenly lit up strangely as he turned around and said, "What do you think about me becoming one of those mutants like him? He told me that there's a hidden Easton test subject that can combine humans and mutants. And it's already been successful at the Arctic Snow Fortress base laboratory in the north. This could be humanity's new hope."
Bretta was startled; her mouth gaped slightly when he mentioned Easton's experimental subject. Did he really have that ability?
Ignoring his surprise, Chu Hui continued, "Do you think Xiaobai is a product of the Easton experiment? It can give plant species a human-like consciousness? That day, it seemed to talk to me."
Bretta was completely shocked when she heard this. Is that so? Xiaobai did indeed become a mutant because of his blood, and was even able to develop independent thinking... So, could he also successfully combine humans and mutants, just like Mr. Lin Dao?
That's why the people in those labs kept pursuing him.
Bretta was immediately terrified. He was afraid of being captured and taken to a laboratory for further experiments. He was also afraid of creating more strange creatures through his own actions.
But he himself was a product of that.
Chu Hui looked at his expression, his mind racing with mixed feelings. He had been observing Blaita the whole way, but hadn't seen anything about him that was supposedly an Easton test subject.
Last night, at a mansion somewhere in Mechanical Sky City, he met the blond man. Faced with the man's casual questioning, he could only clench his fists, stare intently at the aloof man, and grit his teeth as he answered, "No, there is no Easton test subject on Bretta."
"So, you don't need to keep staring at him. He just looks a bit like you."
“Heh,” Donovan looked at the boy standing below, his beautiful eyes cold and devoid of even a trace of disdain. He simply picked up the glass of red wine that Apa handed him, swirled it, and parted his thin lips slightly, “Do you know that the Easton Experiment initially used my genes as the raw experimental data?”
"The moment I saw him, I knew my experiment had succeeded. Humanity could finally regain control of the Earth in a more powerful way."
Chu Hui suddenly looked up at the madman who was elegantly sipping red wine, and was also struck by his words that resonated with what he had been thinking.
He stared intently at the handsome, elegant blond man, a secret, excited, possessive desire rising within him to drag him down from his high seat.
It turns out they were the same kind of people.
Following her memories, Chu Hui shifted her gaze from the face of that noble and elegant man back to the face of Bretta before her.
Suddenly, Blaita reached out and grabbed his wrist, as if she had made a decision, and asked seriously, "Chu Hui, are you really going to give up being human and become a mutant?"
Chu Hui was taken aback, looking down at his clenched hand, puzzled.
Bryta then looked him in the eye and said, “I have read a brief history of human development and know a great deal about humanity, including the technology and civilization we have created.”
"I think that humans are definitely not weaker than any other species. Their existence is a miracle in itself. They have intelligence and emotions, and compared to those alien species that live in chaos and do not understand life and survival, I feel that it is really great to be human. It is really great to be able to experience these feelings."
Chu Hui: "You..." Hearing Bretta's words, Chu Hui could hardly believe that he would say such things. He admitted that for a moment, he was actually swayed by what Bretta said. His mouth stiffened, and he asked in a muffled and somewhat angry tone, "What do you know?! Don't you know that this world is a dog-eat-dog world?! If I were a little stronger, Sister Xiang wouldn't have..."
Someone knocked twice on the door, then pushed it open and stood there with their arms crossed, their voice indifferent: "If you really want to become a mutant, I'm ready for you anytime. But be prepared to be mutated into a monster that only knows how to eat and get your head blown off by me in the next second."
Bryta turned around abruptly upon hearing the sound.
I saw Wei Tang speaking.
"..."
The other person raised the specially made gun in his hand, looked at Chu Hui with cold eyes and said, "If you don't want to be human, I'll grant your wish, but you really underestimate humanity."
Chu Hui's face stiffened. He was just an eighteen-year-old boy, and he turned his head away with his neck stiff.
Bryta gave a friendly smile.
Wei Tang continued, "Qiao Song asked me to pass on a message to you: Chu Xiang's brain chip has been activated. Also, luckily, Rudolf's technology has improved over the past ten years, so she hasn't lost her memory."
Upon hearing this, Chu Hui suddenly looked up.
Wei Tang's expression was indifferent: "I suggest you go see her before you turn into a mutated monster and I blow your head off. She wants to see you."
Upon hearing this, Chu Hui's expression darkened, and she abruptly stood up and ran past him.
Bryta followed him to the door, stared at the gun in his hand, and said awkwardly, "I think he was joking."
Wei Tang: "Yeah, I was just trying to scare the kid." After saying that, he put away his gun.
Bryta: "..."
As Britta took a step, the other person suddenly cut to the chase and asked, "So, you are Easton's test subject? Britta Easton."
When Bryta heard someone call her by her full name for the first time, she froze.
Wei Tang, oblivious to the danger, continued to look down at him and talk to himself: "Last night, your body was invaded by Klindall's snake venom and alien liquid, yet you are still standing here unharmed. It seems that the memory fragments extracted from West's brain were correct; you do indeed have the ability to purify alien substances."
"For example, in a memory fragment, there is a mutated cricket that was purified by your devouring, thus reversing its transformation and turning back into a small cricket that was not infected."
Upon hearing this, Bleta vaguely recalled that there was such a thing, and was stunned. He himself didn't even know he had this ability.
"I……"
"Tata." Lin Dao walked over from the other end of the corridor, interrupting him as he didn't know what to say.
When Wei Tang turned around and saw him, he looked at Blaita without any hesitation, and then at Lin Dao.
Bretta's face paled as she watched Mr. Lin Dao approach, her heart filled with unease.
After Wei Tang turned and left, Lin Dao walked up to him, noticed his pale face, and guessed what was wrong. He glanced at his still swollen lips and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
"Come inside." As soon as Bretta nodded, Lin Dao pulled him back into his room.
Bretta's mind was still filled with Wei Tang's words, and he was afraid that Lin Dao would ask him something.
Lin Dao didn't ask anything, but just looked down at his lips, touched them with his index finger, and Blaita immediately hissed in pain.
"Open your mouth. Let me see." Lin Dao looked down at him and commanded.
Bleta instinctively obeyed, cautiously opening her mouth.
"Does it hurt inside?" Lin asked gently in a rare tone.
Bryta shook his head, thought for a moment, and then nodded. He felt a little pain in his tongue as well.
Lin Dao lowered his dark eyes and inserted his index finger into his mouth. The soft, wet touch traveled up from his fingertip. Blaita opened his eyes and looked up at the man in front of him. He didn't know where the fingertip had touched him, but suddenly his eyes stung with pain and his eyes became a little wet.
"Does this hurt too?" Lin Dao frowned and asked, his probing pressure becoming lighter. "Will you dare to bite randomly again next time?"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Britta shook her head in grievance.
Lin Dao suddenly found his little appearance somewhat amusing, his chest trembled slightly, and he let out a short, low laugh. Then he stretched out his index finger, and Bretta suddenly felt that the places he touched were a little cold. Just as he was thinking about it, he looked down and found that the other person was scraping some transparent ointment from a small box with the pad of his thumb, and then carefully applying it to his lips.
Bryta: "This..."
"Don't move." Perhaps because they were too close, Bryta could hear his voice, which was low, magnetic, and slightly trembling.
Perhaps it was just his own imagination due to his nervous heartbeat.
He stared blankly at Mr. Lin Dao, who was so close to him, and thought: When did it start that he wasn't so afraid of him anymore? Even though his lips were swollen from the poison last night, it wasn't as terrible as he had imagined.
As Lin Dao applied the medicine to his wound, she suddenly looked down into his eyes and asked, "Did you already know?"
Bretta froze, her mouth opening but unable to speak: "I..."
Lin Dao suddenly lowered his eyes, his voice lonely and low: "No wonder you've always been so afraid of me."
“…I’m not so scared anymore.” Bleta subconsciously bit her lip and explained, forgetting her injury, and hissed in pain.
Lin Dao was taken aback by his clumsiness, and chuckled softly, a rare occurrence for him. He gently rubbed his swollen lips with his thumb and said to him in an ambiguous tone, "Many people used to be afraid of me too."
"After all, I am Klindall."
Bryta was taken aback, not understanding what he meant.
It was rare for Lin Dao to lower his eyes like this, staring at someone with his captivating, deep gaze. He asked in a deep voice, "Tata, do you understand what 'like' means now?"
Bleta felt as if he were sinking into his deep, ocean-like eyes. He had thought about this question, but couldn't figure it out, yet he couldn't look away from his gaze.
Lin Dao met his clear, bright eyes and told him, "Even now, knowing it's impossible, I still want to get closer."
“Mr. Lin Dao…” Bryta felt that she understood a little.
"Call me Klindall."
“…Mr. Klindall,” Bretta said softly, her face flushing slightly.
Colonel Klindall lowered his head and, knowing it was impossible, kissed the young man, Britta, on the lips.
"Tata, don't be afraid. I'll teach you."
"Your mechanical lab rat is gone. Nobody knows what I am."
Nobody knows what you are.
Author's Note: This chapter is really long.
After learning that Tata was immune to him, Klindall began his teaching mode. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-02-10 21:40:55 and 2022-02-11 23:48:51!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Rain Master 30 bottles; Ashang Lala Lala 10 bottles; Vine 3 bottles; Alice 2 bottles; I'm living longer than the author, Liu A Liu A Liu 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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