Chapter 63: Selfish Survival or Destruction
In the desolate and silent wasteland, Pioneer 517 was like a stubborn stone, lying quietly on the ground covered with gravel and rubble.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions, and his gaze was fixed on the vague shadow not far away.
Compared to himself, who was wearing a full set of protective clothing and had a bloated body, in the night, the humanoid creature's clothes looked very light and thin, almost just adding a layer of decoration to the torso.
Even in the dim light, it was not difficult to see that large areas of smooth skin on his two strong arms were exposed to the air without any cover. The pervasive radiation pollution on the surface did not seem to have any effect on him.
In this so-called wasteland world, how many unknown secrets still exist...
Looking at this absurd and weird scene in front of him, 517 once again began to doubt himself, the mother nest and even the entire wasteland world.
This is the eleventh surface mission carried out by 517 in this era.
Ever since he heard 503's confusing words last time, a strange seed seemed to have been planted in his barren heart. The throbbing roots of the budding plant had penetrated deep into his blood, making his boring work even more unbearable.
From then on, 517 would always collect information from the wasteland intentionally or unintentionally.
However, in the overall environment of the mother nest, humans in other departments always seem indifferent to such topics, because in their opinion it is completely meaningless.
The vast majority of humans just hurried back and forth between the various work areas that had been designated by the mother nest since birth, repeating mechanical operations day after day to maintain the survival of the tribe, and had no time to think about other things.
This cramped underground base is like a giant beehive, where everyone is just a worker bee doing their job according to the routine. They abandon thoughts and curiosity, and only hope to survive in this wasteland world for a long time.
In desperation, 517 could only pin its hopes on other pioneers, trying to find some breakthroughs from this group of equally "knowledgeable" colleagues.
Finally, his hard work paid off. After some effort, he finally found some clues among the people who returned to the nest with him.
It turned out that in the past three months, in addition to himself, two other pioneers had also encountered the mysterious "chalcedony trap".
One of his colleagues even inadvertently revealed that he vaguely saw the guy who set the trap. According to his recollection, it was a humanoid creature!
"But, so what?"
Seeing 517's somewhat overly excited expression, the blurred-looking pioneer appeared unusually calm. His numb tone was filled with mechanical, straightforward narration, "517, don't do unnecessary things. The things you pursue could lead to your own death, or even the death of all of humanity... Just live a peaceful life, isn't that good enough?"
At that time, they were standing in the dark and narrow corridor of the mother nest. The friction sound of mechanical operation came continuously from all directions, lingering on 517's increasingly tense scalp.
The light above my head flickered, like a candle in the wind, and it seemed that it would go out at any time. The air around me was filled with a dull and decadent smell.
As he spoke, the other person's voice gradually overlapped with that of other humans in the hive. His thin, gray face looked like something printed out on an assembly line, becoming all the same.
Just living like this...?
After hearing these words, the burning curiosity and desire to explore in 517's heart seemed to be completely extinguished as if by a basin of cold water. He felt cold from head to toe, and his original passion turned into ice-cold.
The young pioneer's lips moved a few times, and he wanted to say: Are we destined to be a shackled osprey forever, cowering in this small space and quietly waiting for death?
He also wanted to say: The mission of the pioneers is not just to repeat simple collection work. If they do not look for ways to truly free mankind from the predicament, but just live in a daze like they are now, what is the difference between them and the walking dead?
But he looked at his colleague's early white hair and increasingly hunched posture, and in the end said nothing.
After this incident, 517 was really confused for a while, but the "hemp rope" around his neck was getting tighter and tighter, which did not give him too much time to worry about it.
Whether out of active willingness or passive survival pressure, this group of pioneers will once again embark on the journey to the surface.
And now, this strange intelligent creature before us is undoubtedly the biggest breakthrough in exploring the truth of the world.
Not knowing what he was thinking about, 517 finally made up his mind. He slowly stood up from the ground and approached the figure cautiously.
As the distance gradually shortened, 517 could see the humanoid creature's specific appearance more clearly.
This "person" had his back to him and seemed to be dealing with the spoils at hand.
His appearance looked completely different from other wasteland creatures. Instead, he was closer to an adult human male with a lower pollution level. Not only did he not look deformed or rugged, but he could be called superior.
In any case, this is rare good news for us.
In the darkness of the night, his slender back stood straight, the half of his shoulders exposed under the black cloth were broad and plump, and his jade-white skin even emitted a faint glow in the darkness.
The most eye-catching thing was undoubtedly his dazzling golden hair, a rare sight. This flowing metallic hue resembled precious energy extracted from a smelting furnace, and just looking at it could make one feel a full, primordial, and pure warmth.
Not long after, 517 stopped about twenty meters away from the humanoid creature. He didn't dare to move forward rashly.
Time passed minute by minute, and this mysterious creature seemed to be unaware of his existence and continued to deal with its prey. Only the sound of a sharp weapon cutting flesh continued to echo in the silent air.
Finally, 517 could no longer contain his inner torment and was the first to speak, breaking the suffocating silence: "Hello?"
His voice came out muffled through the pipes of his protective suit, with a hint of trembling and uneasiness.
Before he finished speaking, the "person" finally stopped moving his hands. He slowly turned his head, revealing a perfect face that was so exquisite that it was almost terrifying.
His facial features were extremely standard and symmetrical, but the overly profound details instead revealed a strange inhumanity, appearing quite terrifying, like a sculpture from the old ages that had come to life.
At this moment, under the gaze of those ice-blue eyes that were as bright as lasers, 517 subconsciously held his breath.
Facing this mysterious and powerful humanoid alien, his brain was almost blank at this moment. All his thoughts seemed to be dispelled by these magical eyes, leaving only pure shock and fear of the unknown.
Afterwards, 517 was somewhat desperate to find that his body could not move at all.
This feeling is like encountering an extremely powerful natural enemy. The mortal body cannot produce the slightest resistance and just instinctively enters a state of suspended animation, trying to gain a chance of survival in this way.
He didn't know what would happen next, and all kinds of chaotic scenes kept appearing in his mind: would it be a one-sided massacre without any suspense, and he would be torn to pieces by this powerful alien in an instant; or would he finally be able to uncover the mysteries that had troubled him for a long time?
But the next second, 517's eyes widened, his eyes full of disbelief.
He saw this "person" actually pull out a handful of chalcedony from his body and place it on the ground. Then he spread his magnificent wings and left without looking back, leaving 517 standing there in a daze...
[Host! What are you doing? That's a human, why are you running away—]
At this moment, this mysterious humanoid creature, Bombubell, was rapidly waving its two pairs of broad wings in the air, flying towards the hive with a clear goal.
Hearing this, he blinked and replied innocently in a low voice: "I know."
[Then why do you…]
As 030 was speaking, when he saw the slightly guilty and embarrassed expression on the host's face, he seemed to have a sudden inspiration and slowly closed his mouth.
Then he heard Bombbery stammeringly defending himself in a slightly uneasy tone:
"He, he should be here to find his fellow pioneers and go back underground, right? But you see, Huai Mi hasn't recovered yet, which means it's not the right time yet... Ahhhh, okay! Actually, it's just my own selfish desire. I don't want to..."
After hearing what Bombber said, the system felt like its brain was about to explode. However, it was not easy for it to directly reveal Huai Mi's true identity. It could only hint vaguely and ambiguously:
"What if they're here to find you? Humans are social animals. Whether it's to complete your mission or for your pregnancy, you shouldn't be so withdrawn as you are now. You should actively engage with humans."
Hearing this, the pair of furry tentacles on Bombbel's head drooped down little by little, as if he had suddenly wilted, but he quickly cheered up.
Looking at the small nest so close before him, Bombber calmed himself down and said with a sharp gaze, "You're right... Then I'll go back and discuss it with Huai Mi!"
…
"I'm back—"
In the warm and humid beehive, as soon as Bombbell stepped into the living room, someone suddenly jumped on him.
"Welcome home, dear..."
Feeling the familiar force wrapped around him, Bumblebee tilted his head uncomfortably. After so many days, he still wasn't quite used to the overly intimate contact.
But Bombber still held Huai Mi's thighs firmly. He walked and said, "Sorry for the long wait. Today's food is your favorite - um!"
Before he could finish his words, Huai Mi silently and forcefully sucked his tongue, and then his whole body was pressed heavily to the ground.
By the time Bombber finally remembered what he wanted to say, all the food he brought back had been divided up.
At this time, there was a sticky mass between the two people's lips, on their faces and even on their chests, and a large pool of pink sticky liquid flowed on the ground. If you didn't know, you would think it was a murder scene.
Another animal hide wasted...
Looking at his human companion nestled quietly on him, the bumblebee thought helplessly, but he didn't care too much.
After cleaning up the entire "battlefield", Bombbel gently stroked Huai Mi's soft hair, listened to the comfortable snoring coming from his throat, and couldn't help but yawning loudly.
"By the way, guess who I met when I just came back..."
Before falling asleep completely, Bombber buried his face in Huai Mi's neck. He muttered vaguely, "It's your pioneer companions. They seem to be looking for you..."
Before he could finish his words, Bombubelle fell asleep, and the interior of the cave suddenly became extremely quiet.
After a long while, a slightly hoarse and strange voice sounded from somewhere: "Really..."
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