Chapter 33
Su Ran opened his eyes wide: "Melt?"
This was a situation he had never encountered before.
When we were in the wild rainforest before, Elder Rose only said that glaciers melt because the temperature is high and they turn into water.
But what is this melting that happens to living things?
Si Chengyan: "When did it start?"
"During the few days since the evacuation of Xincheng, changes have quietly begun," the old man said. "By the time we discovered it, it was already too late."
"You mean..."
The old man's voice deepened a little: "You guys follow me."
Su Ran and Si Chengyan exchanged a glance before following the old man to the nearest building. It was a typical four-story building, built in the same style as the old city. The brickwork had peeled off, revealing faint traces of dark red.
To be honest, Su Ran doesn't like this gloomy environment.
His many years of experience in the wild gave him a subconscious bad feeling.
"There used to be a family here...we were very close friends," the old man said. "But...when I visited two days ago, it had become like this."
He said, and opened the door.
With a creaking sound, the iron door was pushed open without any resistance, and the environment inside appeared before his eyes.
After seeing everything clearly, Qiao Ran exclaimed: "Oh my God..."
At the entrance, there were two unknown puddles of water, and countless suction cups accompanied by an unknown red blood-like substance, which had become a sticky round mixture. The red sunset in the distance fell in, lengthening the shadow of the thing.
The most important thing is that this mass of things kept squirming and crawling out of the window - until Si Chengyan fired a gun, the mixture was finally broken up and stopped moving.
Obviously, it was left by an unknown creature.
"It should be dissolution." The old man said, "I don't know what it is that sneaked into this room."
"But I'm not going to show you this." He limped in and reached out to turn on a dim yellow light. "This is where my friend disappeared before."
After he finished speaking, Su Ran's gaze fell forward.
As far as their sight could see was a bedroom, with a wardrobe and ordinary cupboards on the right. The damp moisture gave everything a rotten smell, and the sour water of the wood kept dripping down.
There was an unknown tentacle creature floating on the round teacup. It had more than twenty round compound eyes, which were red and densely packed on its head and suction cups. When it saw Su Ran and the others coming, it flipped over the teacup with a clang, then climbed up the wall and slipped away in a sticky manner.
Following the direction the creatures fled, three pools of unidentified black water appeared on the ground. They started from the cupboard and spread all the way to the window...
Under the marks of the wood, Su Ran vaguely distinguished that they had twelve branches, three circular shapes, mixed together through rectangular marks.
After just a few seconds, Su Ran realized something and looked at Si Chengyan: "Could it be..."
"Um."
Si Chengyan said: "These are three melted humans."
Su Ran took a small step back.
The old man nodded and reached out to push the window open a little.
But just after pushing it out, he frowned - a little skin on his finger was torn off, and a little flesh and blood fell down.
"This is where they disappeared." The old man put away his hands. "When I came here, they were gone."
"I can even still hear those screams, just floating in the air, and haven't dissipated yet...but all this happened so strangely and illogically."
As soon as the words fell, the whole room fell into silence.
A few seconds later, Si Chengyan's voice rang out: "Contact the Medical Department and the Strategic Department."
His voice was devoid of emotion; it could be said that he was becoming increasingly calm. "First, check the conditions of all residents in Area C and provide them with treatment and shelter."
Qiao Ran and Anna said almost in unison: "Got it!"
"Anna, take Su Ran and stay in the medical department," he said. "Qiao Ran, contact Triana and transfer personnel from the Support Research Department to investigate the cause in Area C."
…
Following Si Chengyan's calm command, Su Ran stayed aside and used the healing power again.
With his efforts just now, he luckily turned back into his original rose form. Amidst the constant clatter of the intercom, he focused on the leaves, trying to help the old man recover a little.
Unlike plant treatments, human recovery is always slower.
This mysterious "ablation" makes the healing process slower, and can even only help alleviate the elderly's symptoms a little.
Seeing this, Su Ran used more strength, but the effect was still not good.
"I can't afford it."
Su Ran sat down on the ground, her flower bud drooping as she said, "I've tried my best..."
"It's okay." The old man touched his leaves gently. "I'm used to this symptom."
Su Ran rolled up the leaves and looked at him without saying anything else.
After about ten minutes, they evacuated from the house.
When Su Ran was taken away by Anna, Si Chengyan was just finishing a call.
Their brief eye contact was just like every night they spent together before, but Su Ran saw a slightly different emotion in those blue eyes.
In just a few seconds, Si Chengyan withdrew his gaze and put a small black object on Su Ran's root.
This was specially made for him by Si Chengyan, a very small microphone - it used the base's wires and could connect to all the base's channels, and it also came with a button battery-sized flashlight.
"If anything happens," Si Chengyan said, "press this to contact me."
"Yeah."
Su Ran dialed it a few times and said, "It feels amazing."
Si Chengyan: "If you like, you can add a few more when you get back."
Su Ran waved the leaves: "No, no, this one is more than enough."
After he finished speaking, he saw Si Chengyan curl the corners of his mouth and smiled faintly.
So Su Ran patted the back of his hand again, imitated humans, waved the leaves and said, "I'll wait for you to come back!"
*
Under Si Chengyan's command, the existing Area C was evacuated in an orderly manner.
All residents are divided into two categories: those who have not undergone ablation changes will go to Area A for observation; and those who have undergone ablation will go to the medical department for emergency treatment.
But all this is just a temporary measure.
The ablation continues.
Su Ran held a small electronic screen and watched Anna register the names of the people who had undergone ablation today.
Compared with before, there are more than twenty people.
Anna sighed: "We still have to find the reason..."
Su Ran also lowered her small flower bud.
This isn't to say that such a situation should be avoided, because in such a world, it's impossible to avoid it. Whether it's for this little rose or for the humans who have now accepted the distortion.
"But don't lose heart, baby," Anna said. "We'll find out why."
Su Ran: "Really?"
Anna smiled faintly: "Yeah."
"Maybe the truth is slow to come out, or it may take some time to find out." Anna said, "But we have to trust the military and Si Chengyan."
After hearing this, Su Ran felt relieved.
His previous worry subsided a little, and he followed Anna, tied the small white bandage again, and followed the medical team with a small roll of gauze.
As soon as he arrived at the temporary medical point, Su Ran saw many residents lying on the ground.
They all had more or less symptoms of "melting". Some might have only one finger, but for some, the part had already become a shapeless pool of rotten flesh, like plasticine mixed with water, seeping out of the edge of the bed.
So Su Ran didn't say hello to the other team members too much and started treating them directly.
Since Colonel Si and the others are working hard.
Then, as a little rose, he must also work hard.
After a morning of treatment, Su Ran finally came to his senses and sat down on the ground.
"Baby, you've worked hard." Anna took him into her palm and said, "Go and rest for a while. The team members who will be taking over the afternoon shift are here."
Su Ran: "When will you come again?"
"I'll have them bring you over after the team finishes their morning break."
After she finished speaking, Anna took Su Ran into the military camp.
Many team members were getting their meals, and when they saw them coming, they nodded in greeting.
"This is Su Ran, who possesses the power of healing," Anna introduced. "He will now join our medical department."
Su Ran waved the small leaf: "Hello."
The gentle tone caused a sigh.
But compared to this, more team members were curious about the relationship between the colonel and this little rose.
So, when several medical team members were taking a break, they saw Su Ran sitting there resting and came up to him and started talking to him.
"Baby, you've worked hard." A team member followed Anna's call and saw Su Ran sitting on the table, suppressing the urge to rub him.
Su Ran waved the small leaf: "It's not hard."
After all, she is the colonel's little rose.
"We're all curious about one thing." The team members sat down, holding Puppy Ball Juice in their hands, "It's about the Colonel."
Very curious indeed.
They all wanted to know a little more about the story. After all, it was Si Chengyan, and his coldness and indifference were well-known in the base. So they couldn't wait to ask, "Colonel Si, what kind of person is he in private?"
"He's so nice and gentle!"
Su Ran was instantly won over by the juice and answered the team members' questions without hesitation.
He was busy all morning, and the distortion effect of "ablation" was no less severe than that of "fusion". He was thirsty and tired, and even his roots could not stand up straight.
"Do you want to hear the story of me and the colonel?" Su Ran climbed to the water cup, stretched out his small leaves, and kept scratching the bark floating on it. "I can tell you!"
Just like Si Chengyan tells stories.
He can learn it too.
Just as he said the first syllable, the little leaf couldn't be held back and fell into the juice with a plop.
The team members exclaimed.
They seemed to know why the colonel liked this cub.
Su Ran is not a little rose of the Sheniu family, but when he talks about the colonel, he can make a book called "Collection of Stories about the Colonel and His Adventures".
So Su Ran told how he met the colonel and how he was rescued.
When talking excitedly, Xiao Ye Zi waved his hands and accidentally pressed the small button hanging on his body, connecting to a channel of the base.
It may be a short break, so gossiping is the best way to relieve stress when facing such a cute baby.
"Then I have another question."
A team member paused for a few seconds and asked, "Are you living in the colonel's house now?"
After all, it is common knowledge that plant deformations will be placed by the military in flower pots or any place where plants can be grown.
It seems that Su Ran should also live here.
Maybe... next time when I pass by the colonel's residence, I will look up and see this lovely little rose in the window.
Su Ran was completely unaware of what was happening. He started to think, "Of course I'm at home."
"A flowerpot?"
"No, no, it's not there."
The team member asked again: "Where did you grow up?"
Su Ran fell into thought again.
It is understood that roses should grow in soil.
But he was a deformed rose and had not returned to the land for a long time. After all, for so much time, his roots had never stopped moving, clacking and running in various places.
Seeing the curious looks of his teammates, Su Ran felt that he should give an answer.
Logically, the place where he grew up should be a place that provides rest, just like the soil.
In this case, the nearest resting place should be...
So he stood up straight, and in a gentle tone, with a hint of dazed cuteness, he said to the team members: "I... grew up in Colonel Si's bed!"
The author has something to say:
Enterprise-level understanding of a small rose (?
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