"Who's there? What do you want?"
A wave of intense self-loathing washed over Lin Xi—
He stepped into a trap.
That kind of attraction that comes from deep within his body, which he considers instinctive, or those suddenly appearing embryo-like monsters... are probably all the work of that guy who was hiding in the electronic brain before.
Heavens above! He actually thought that guy meant no harm and let himself be led here step by step by that person's scheme.
He should be more vigilant. Look at the current situation. Lin Xi felt like a well-fed, silly rabbit had walked straight into a trap.
And now, he was separated from Xavier and Arthur, and trapped alone in this biological laboratory.
"Who are you?!"
Lin Xi called out again.
However, after he finished speaking, there was still only silence around him.
Clearly, this time it's the same as before...
No one responded to him; at least, that "person" didn't intend to respond to him now.
Lin Xi listened to her own voice echoing in the desolate biological laboratory and the long corridor, forming a kind of lingering echo.
Although unwilling to admit it, Lin Xi could hear a hint of fear and panic in her voice.
Lin Xi took out the old-fashioned electronic pulse gun that he always carried on his back, and then held it tightly in his hand.
"Damn it—you're the one who led me here, so you have to tell me what you're up to?"
Lin Xi's voice was deep, and he shouted through gritted teeth.
At the same time, he couldn't help but stare intently at everything that resembled an electronic device within his field of vision. He had a feeling that at any moment, a strange ghost from 300 years ago would emerge from those electronic products and speak to him.
But after waiting for a long time, nothing in front of him changed.
Even those tiny, embryo-like things from before have fallen silent.
It's so quiet here, like being at the bottom of the deep sea or inside a coffin.
Lin Xi cursed under her breath again.
He turned his head abruptly and walked out of the biology lab.
He had absolutely no desire to continue the standoff with the person who had led him here. However, just as Lin Xi stepped out of the already damaged biological laboratory, two exceptionally sturdy isolation doors suddenly slammed shut at both ends of the passageway connecting the laboratory.
Lin Xi stopped abruptly.
The metal door slammed heavily onto the ground with an unusually heavy sound.
Lin Xi stood there dumbfounded at the door, the two metal partition doors with black and yellow trim blocking all his way.
Even without going up to examine it closely, Lin Xi could tell that the two metal doors were quite thick and sturdy. The only weapon Lin Xi had at the moment was an old-fashioned pulse gun (the energy of which might only last Lin Xi once or twice), so he had no way to open the two doors directly.
At this point, the intentions of the person hiding behind that electronic brain have become very clear.
He wanted Lin Xi to stay here, to stay in this biological laboratory that made people feel particularly uncomfortable.
"Okay...you like communicating with me this way, don't you?"
Lin Xi's face turned ashen, and then he said through gritted teeth.
However, after the two isolation doors were lowered and Lin Xi was trapped, the mysterious person made no further moves.
Lin Xi could feel his temples throbbing, but he eventually forced himself to calm down.
Now that things have come to this, it seems that if he doesn't do as that "person" says, the two of them will just be stuck in this stalemate. Considering the dwindling energy reserves of this underground facility, Lin Xi doesn't think a stalemate is a good idea.
Under these circumstances, Lin Xi could only tighten her nerves and carefully make her way back to the biology lab, inspecting the completely enclosed room.
Before this, Lin Xi was somewhat flustered and disoriented after being separated from Xavier and Arthur, and he didn't pay much attention to the scattered documents. In his view, they were just a series of biological experiments, including the capture and modification of native life forms on planet AS192. Some of the experiments even seemed to involve cloning…
[...The clones exhibited adult characteristics that deviated far beyond expectations; their brains were severely atrophied, making them almost completely unable to obey the commands of the special experimental subject S...]
Their reproductive rate is 325 times the normal level, and as a result, they have evolved to be even more...
[A request has been made to produce a third batch of special experimental subject S. The clones have exhibited unusual reproductive tendencies, causing irreversible damage to special experimental subject S...]
...
...
Lin Xi's gaze swept heavily over the reports and application forms.
He had a vague idea in his mind, but at this moment, Lin Xi didn't realize that these records would have anything to do with him...
It was just an experiment with some clones.
Lin Xi thought to herself.
These experiments are of course illegal on Earth, but this is AS192 after all. Lin Xi knows very well that in a behemoth like the Providence Project, there will always be some dark corners that the law and ethics cannot reach.
Not to mention, these experiments were permanently terminated three hundred years ago for some special reason—the humans who conducted the experiments and the experimental subjects they created have long since turned into humans and are now lying in the corridor outside the door.
But now, since something has been using various roundabout methods to keep Lin Xi here, it's clear that it hopes Lin Xi will find some other information...
Under these circumstances, Lin Xi had no choice but to pull herself together and carefully examine the documents once again.
"...This is too strange?"
Although she didn't pay attention at first, after carefully studying the remaining data in the laboratory, Lin Xi immediately realized that her previous judgment was wrong.
He discovered that the most abundant data in this biological laboratory was not about the modification and cloning of organisms, but rather...
Instead, it contains archaeological data that seem to have nothing to do with biological experiments.
Lin Xi found some ancient storage chips on the ground. On a whim, he stuffed the dusty chips into the small control center of the biological laboratory.
Judging from the interface, the control center also appears to be usable as an information reader.
This time, Lin Xi didn't even need to rack his brains to guess the password—the mysterious person skipped the process and the chip reading results automatically appeared on the distorted gray-blue screen.
Lin Xi frowned in confusion as she looked at the results.
"An Analysis of the Implications of Xia-Ya Insect Worship in Sunu Culture..."
"A summary of the relationship between the Star Butterfly and the Xia's Zerg..."
"Archaeological Discoveries at the Third Sacrificial Altar in the City of Sulu and Historical Research on the Xia-Ya Insect Race..."
Lin Xi murmured the words on the document repeatedly.
What exactly happened?
Why were so many Sunu archaeological documents found in the biological laboratory on planet AS192?
What's the deal with Char's Zerg...?
Lin Xi didn't even know what this so-called Xia-Ya insectoid race was, yet three hundred years ago, so many people were studying it.
Lin Xi kept flipping through the records with intense doubt.
He quickly went through the contents of the electronic chip, and after confirming that there was no more information, Lin Xi swiftly inserted another electronic chip into the reader.
He had expected to see more information about the Xia's insectoid race—his intuition told him that it was of great importance to him.
But to Lin Xi's surprise, after the electronic screen shook violently for a long time, what was displayed in front of him was no longer those inexplicable archaeological data.
This chip displays the top-secret medical examination report of Captain Scripps, the highest-ranking officer of the Providence.
How could Scripps' medical records be mixed up with some archaeological data?
This struck Lin Xi as odd, but she soon found out why…
His eyes quickly scanned the first few pages.
It's clear that Scripps is the perfect candidate to be captain. He's an orphan with no other ties, which allows him to perfectly carry out such a long and lonely mission. Moreover, he has extremely high intelligence and a physique far superior to other humans...
If you only look at his physical reports before the flight, you would think he was so perfect that he was not human—both mentally and physically, he was so outstanding, it was as if God knew that people were going to undertake an important task of expanding the human living space, so He specially created this man named Scripps for mankind.
However... just like Andre Quinn, all his perfect resumes came about after the Providence warp caused a warp gate tremor and lost contact with Earth.
Captain Streep's health problems flared up after the entire ship landed on AS192.
Lin Xi's eyes kept scanning the body data marked in bright red.
According to the ship's doctor's records at the time, Captain Scripps had a very severe allergic reaction to the new immigrant vaccine used on planet AS192, and this allergic reaction lasted for more than half a year.
As of this point, Captain Scripps's physical records remain under normal confidentiality.
As Lin Xi continued reading, he noticed that the document's security level had instantly been raised to the highest level...
After discovering this, Lin Xi couldn't help but stare at the data reader in front of her for a long time.
"You're here, right? Is this what you wanted me to see?"
Lin Xi couldn't help but ask.
He was certain that if it weren't for the mysterious "ghost" that kept appearing around him with the help of the electronic brain, an outsider like him would never have been able to see the top-level classified information from 300 years ago.
This made Lin Xi feel extremely agitated, and the feeling of falling into a trap became even stronger.
He even wanted to put down his notes and leave, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own, and he couldn't help but continue reading...
Soon, the appearance of a few pictures made him instantly forget all the other troubles.
Upon seeing those pictures, Lin Xi's pupils constricted, and she froze on the spot.
The photo comes from Captain Scripps's medical report on the Providence.
The subject of the photograph is, of course, Scripps himself.
"Scripps?"
Lin Xi stared in shock at the young man in the picture.
His thoughts were completely different from Lin Xi's...
In Lin Xi's mind, he always thought Scripps should be a disgusting guy who was as evil and gloomy as a viper, but now, what he saw in the photo was a man with a very pale face but an unusually beautiful face.
It's hard to say whether he's Eastern or Western; perhaps because of his mixed heritage, his face perfectly inherits the most beautiful features of different races. Moreover, his temperament is gentle yet not weak, calm yet not indifferent—just looking at his photos, a strange thought arose in Lin Xi's mind.
No one in the world would be more suited to be the captain of the Providence than Scripps. Even from a 300-year perspective, Lin Xi still felt that even if Scripps refused to be the captain of an immigrant spaceship, he could still live a comfortable and wealthy life as a celebrity on Earth—he could even drive people on Earth crazy.
However, while he looks breathtakingly beautiful in this photo, his body...
But it's not going to be good.
Because Scripps' body has undergone very obvious changes.
Lin Xi stared blankly at the photo of Scripps.
The man's upper body remained as beautiful as a marble sculpture, but his lower body had transformed into something else... a repulsive form.
Lin Xi's breathing became unusually heavy, and he turned his head to stare blankly at his own body.
That's right, just like Lin Xi, Streep's body underwent a severe mutation, and he has become a terrifying monster that is half human and half insect.
"..."
Lin Xi was completely speechless.
And if the information he was browsing wasn't a joke played on him...
Captain Scripps suffered a severe infection from the Char Aznable insectoids.
At least that's what they say according to the information.
This is why there are so many archaeological records about the Xia insectoid race in this biological laboratory.
Lin Xi straightened up in astonishment and looked around at himself once again.
This is not a biological laboratory... This is clearly a top-secret private hospital specially set up by the senior officers of the Providence to treat Captain Scripps.
But for some reason, Captain Scripps did not continue the treatment, and the entire medical laboratory, along with the entire underground facility, was abandoned by the USS Providence.
The treatment for Captain Scripps was abruptly stopped.
Lin Xi immediately realized how similar he was to Scripps back then. He was eager to see more data, but the already struggling reader started making strange noises as it struggled to keep up with the workload.
Immediately afterward, the tilted and shaky screen went dark under Lin Xi's gaze.
"Hey, don't do that!"
Lin Xi suddenly became anxious. He slammed his hand on the reader, trying to get the damn machine working again.
However, the reader completely stopped.
"Are you kidding me...?"
Lin Xi could hardly believe he was going to encounter such a thing, especially since he was clearly focused on the most important part.
Thinking of this, he could no longer contain his anger and kicked the data console of the connected data reader hard.
The unexpected happened...
"Creak—"
The next second, Lin Xi suddenly heard an unusually monotonous sound coming from behind the laboratory.
Lin Xi turned around abruptly, and then he was shocked to see that what he had thought was a wall was slowly sliding apart to both sides.
The biting cold air turned into a layer of white mist, which slowly flowed down the open metal door.
In the dim blue light, one after another cylindrical frozen dormant culture dishes stood in the vast, square-like cold storage warehouse.
In that translucent freezing liquid, the bluish-white flesh, due to long-term freezing, floated slowly like a floating corpse.
My God—
Lin Xi's breath hitched for a moment.
He didn't even know how he got into that cold storage warehouse.
It was so cold and deathly silent here, yet something here constantly tugged at Lin Xi's heart...
The moment Lin Xi stepped into the cold storage, his gaze fell on the nearest frozen dormancy culture dish.
He saw a familiar face there...
Just minutes earlier, he had seen this person's face in a photograph; it was a face unique to Scripps.
However, the man, whose body was curled up and hibernating in the cold freezing liquid, now only had a human face; the rest of his body had completely turned into a large, tumor-like mass of flesh.
Lin Xi slowly took a few steps forward. He wasn't surprised at all that he saw more similar things in other frozen petri dishes—the same Scripps face, and disgusting bodies that were beyond description.
Lin Xi held her breath and looked at the label below the frozen culture dish.
These frozen contents did not have their own names, but judging from the constantly changing numbers, Lin Xi could already guess that these terrifying creatures were all clones of Captain Scripps.
[Special Experiment Question S]
He suddenly remembered a word mentioned in the documents he had only glanced at earlier.
Lin Xi thought that after experiencing so much, his spirit was strong enough (after all, not everyone wakes up to find themselves abandoned on an alien planet, with all their companions dead and themselves transformed into a half-human, half-insect creature), but at this moment, looking at the numerous clones in front of him, he still felt like he couldn't breathe.
Just when Lin Xi thought this was the limit, he arrived at the center of the cold storage warehouse, where he saw something even more terrifying.
If Scripps' clone only made it hard for him to breathe, then what he was seeing now froze his body, rendering him completely immobile.
An enormous, deep and wide chilled water tank, resembling a swimming pool, stands there.
Among them, countless monsters, resembling giant insects, floated in the cryogenic liquid.
In that initial instant, the corpses of these monsters even made Lin Xi involuntarily think of Xavier—it was a peculiar feeling, and Lin Xi couldn't point to those disgusting things and say exactly how they resembled Xavier.
But whenever Lin Xi looked at them, Xavier would involuntarily appear in her mind.
This feeling was so strange that Lin Xi couldn't help but get goosebumps all over.
He just wanted to get away as quickly as possible and stop staring at these monsters, but he couldn't control his eyes.
His instincts...
"He" is clamoring inside his body.
Lin Xi could feel every cell in her body staring at the monsters in front of her.
Each one of them looked completely different. Some looked like enormous insects, with particularly grotesque appearances and repulsive faces. Others, however, resembled humans to some extent, but these human features, embedded in their bodies, only made them look more terrifying.
Oh, right...
Although these monsters look different, they all have one thing in common on their bizarre bodies: Lin Xi focused his gaze on the various columnar protrusions on their bodies.
As a half-human, half-insect monster, Lin Xi didn't need anything else to distinguish the characteristics of those monsters.
He knew very well that those enormous protrusions were...some kind of special organ of these monsters.
Yes, at this moment, Lin Xi could clearly distinguish the monster in the tank from his Xavier.
The special organs of these monsters have clearly developed to an illogical degree.
Those bumps... abnormal swelling and protrusions...
This makes the bodies of these monsters appear in completely abnormal proportions.
That's right, humans see all alien species as monsters, but even by monster standards, these things look far too abnormal.
Not to mention the aura emanating from these frozen corpses that Lin Xi found incredibly familiar.
They are not ordinary mutants, they are...
Lin Xi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine; a terrifying thought suddenly flashed into his mind.
If Scripps underwent physical mutations like him, does that mean that Scripps, like him, was gradually transforming into the Mother of the Alien 300 years ago?
"Oh, no..."
Lin Xi's face was completely drained of color, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Everyone knows that the birth of the Mother of the Alien Species is inevitably accompanied by the appearance of the Queen Insect, just like Lin Xi possessed his Xavier.
If Scripps was cloned so many times, then his Overlord would probably not have escaped a similar fate.
Lin Xi's pupils shrank to tiny points as he stared in horror at the contents of the glass water tank in front of him.
Every monster here is a clone of an Ohmu...
However, some kind of uncontrollable mutation has already appeared in these clones.
Just as Lin Xi was carefully examining the long-frozen creatures, his vision suddenly blurred, and he vaguely sensed that one of the monsters seemed to move.
Lin Xi suddenly felt a little nauseous.
He took several steps back to create some distance between himself and the chilled water tank.
"Sizzle..."
It was at this moment that he seemed to hear a faint hiss.
Lin Xi's expression suddenly changed, and he realized that he had not been seeing things.
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