His emotions erupted like a long-suppressed volcano! The violent thorn pheromones once again escaped uncontrollably, assaulting Xu Shuangyao's senses with a sharp, stinging sensation! The tooth marks on the side of his neck seemed to be reignited, sending a burning pain through him!
"Enough!" Xu Shuangyao interrupted him harshly, her voice suddenly rising with an unquestionable majesty, even overwhelming Pei Du's out-of-control aura! She didn't rely on the volume of her voice, but rather on all her spiritual will, mixed with a desperate determination from the depths of her soul, fiercely piercing Pei Du's chaotic consciousness! "Look at this! Look at something you don't remember!"
She suddenly pulled the cold sclerotium from her pocket—the mark of the Crown of Obliteration reflected a cold luster in the dim light! She slammed the sclerotium hard on the cold ground between them!
"This is what the commander left behind! She looks exactly like the 'shadow' in the corner of your memory! They're both creations of the Fungal Dome! They're using you! Using the pain in your memory to control you! To destroy you!" Xu Shuangyao's voice was like a tempered blade, cold and sharp. "Now! Look at me! Tell me! Besides the 'me' on the operating table who implanted the program in you, besides the 'shadow' in the corner that gives you nightmares! What else is in your mind, in your body?! What did that surgery do to you?! Where is that damn 'compliant sclerotium' buried?!"
"Obedience... Sclerotia..." Pei Du felt as if struck by lightning, his furious eyes frozen in an instant, replaced by a deeper, soul-deep confusion and fear. He subconsciously raised his hand and covered the back of his neck—the site of the neural interface, the same spot that had been opened during surgery. His lips moved as if trying to recall something, but only a confused, sharp, and painful blank came out. "Sclerotia... no... no... I don't know..." He clutched his head in agony, his voice fragmented.
"He doesn't know." Qingluo's ethereal voice echoed again, a hint of insightful compassion. "The seeds of darkness are buried deep, covering all traces of their existence. To unearth them, we must journey deep into the mycelial network of memory. That place... is extremely dangerous. His consciousness, yours, could be pierced by thorns and devoured by darkness. Are you... sure?"
Xu Shuangyao looked at Pei Du, huddled in agony, his memory tainted and distorted. Then she glanced at the sclerotium on the ground, emitting the icy aura of the fungus dome. The last trace of hesitation in her eyes vanished, leaving only a rock-hard resolve. She took a deep breath, and the cold air, tinged with the smell of rust, filled her lungs.
"I'm sure." Her voice was eerily calm. "Tell me what to do."
"Connect." Qingluo's voice flowed like a clear spring. "Use trust as a bridge, and will as a shield. Touch him, and also... touch me."
Xu Shuangyao didn't hesitate. She stretched out her left hand, her cold fingers trembling imperceptibly as she pressed firmly against the back of Pei Du's hand, which was clutching his head. His skin was burning hot, his muscles hard as iron, brimming with resistance.
At the same time, she raised her right hand and reached out to the giant root emitting a soft glow. Her fingertips touched the surface flowing with emerald green and silver-white light.
It wasn't as hard or cold as imagined, but instead felt as smooth and warm as jade, brimming with vitality. A gentle yet powerful torrent of will instantly flowed through her fingertips!
Buzz——!
Xu Shuangyao's vision suddenly went dark! Then, countless bizarre fragments of color and sound exploded into her consciousness! She felt herself being pulled by a gentle yet irresistible force, falling into a tunnel composed of countless flowing lights and data streams!
The next second, both feet landed on the "ground".
What she saw before her was no longer the cold underground laboratory, but a familiar scene that made her soul tremble - the core operating room in the early stage of the Higanbana Project!
The cold, smooth, spotless alloy walls reflected the pale light of the operating light. The air was filled with the distinct, cold scent of disinfectant and precision electronic equipment. On the operating table in the center, a young man lay pale, his eyes tightly closed—it was Pei Du!
Beside the operating table, clad in a pristine white sterile suit, a mask, and goggles, revealing only a pair of focused eyes tinged with a subtle hint of nervousness and pity... was none other than young Xu Shuangyao herself! She was carefully inserting a silver nerve connector into the gleaming metallic nerve port exposed at the back of Pei Du's neck.
Everything was exactly the same as the most precious fragment deep in Xu Shuangyao's memory! Every detail was vivid!
"No... don't look..." Pei Du's anguished voice echoed through Xu Shuangyao's consciousness. He, too, had been forcibly drawn into this memory scene, his consciousness focused beside her, still clad in the same blue and white striped hospital gown, but now in his adult form. He stared at himself on the operating table, at the young Xu Shuangyao, his eyes filled with immense pain and resistance. His body trembled violently in the illusion, as if on the verge of collapse.
"Hold him steady!" Qing Luo's ethereal voice resonated like a stabilizing force, resonating throughout the realm of consciousness. He didn't reveal himself, but Xu Shuangyao could sense a pliant yet resolute force entwining Pei Du's volatile consciousness like a vine, forcibly anchoring him in this scene. "The seeds of darkness are taking root in the corner. Look there!"
Following Qingluo's guidance, Xu Shuangyao's gaze suddenly turned to the inconspicuous corner of the operating room where several auxiliary monitoring devices were placed.
In the shadow of those devices, there stood a figure!
She was wearing the exact same white sterile gown as Xu Shuangyao, who was standing beside the operating table! She was the same height and build! But on her face… there was no mask or goggles! The half of her face that was exposed had delicate skin, and the contours of her eyebrows and eyes… were surprisingly identical to Xu Shuangyao's! Like a reflection in a mirror! But her eyes were hollow and cold, like polished obsidian, devoid of any human warmth! And the other half of her face… was a wriggling, scarlet mass of mycelium! The barely concise outlines of her facial features made her look hideous and eerie!
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