When Lin Xi pushed open the door to the medical room, Bryce was fiddling with the new auxiliary system.
It was a single, virtual landscape wall that could connect to the probes on the Helios spacecraft, synchronously simulating real-time external scenery. It was said that this virtual, open landscape could effectively alleviate the depression experienced by non-field crew members in prolonged confinement. However, judging from what Lin Xi actually saw, the projected scenery was hardly beautiful—it looked more like a plus-sized version of real-time external surveillance footage. The brightly colored, occasionally wriggling "plants" on this unknown asteroid seemed less like a source of relaxation and more like some kind of mental pollution.
"Wow, what the heck is this?"
Lin Xi was caught off guard by the terrifying scene. He stared at the virtual wall and gasped. It took him a moment to realize what it was. Bryce would occasionally use this to try and alleviate his space sickness on the way to Sunu. (Though these attempts all failed in the end).
"Lin Xi? What brings you here?"
When Bryce turned around and saw that the person who had come was Lin Xi, he was stunned and his eyes widened.
It was clear that he was quite surprised by Lin Xi's arrival. He immediately dropped the virtual wall editor in his hand and charged straight at Lin Xi.
"Has something happened?"
He grabbed Lin Xi's wrist and asked, his voice tense.
This time, it was Lin Xi who was startled. He shook his head in surprise: "It's nothing... Well, although something happened, I'm fine, I'm okay... Good heavens, why do I feel like you're scared of me? Am I really that scary?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Lin Xi couldn't help but mutter a complaint under her breath.
Bryce paused slightly, seemingly realizing that his reaction had been a bit excessive. He quickly released Lin Xi and took a step back.
“Unless something serious happens, I don’t think my dear brother will come to me on his own initiative—after all, he always hates my nagging.”
Bryce muttered in a half-joking tone.
He seemed a little more relaxed, but not completely unguarded. Lin Xi could sense that he was still being observed from the shadows. Then, he saw Bryce wrinkle his nose and silently take a few steps back.
"Wait, what's that smell on you? Good heavens, what did you do? You smell like you just crawled out of a septic tank..."
Bryce asked with unusual disgust.
"Well, that's exactly what I wanted to tell you."
Lin Xi raised his arm, sniffed his clothes, and then shuddered at the stench. He was certain that this was the smell he had picked up while he was in the Ando couple's room.
"It's about Liz... To be honest, I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but I need your advice, provided you swear you won't tell Elisa what I'm about to say."
"Liz? Mrs. Ando?"
The moment Liz was mentioned, Bryce's expression, which had just relaxed a little, instantly turned serious again.
He glared at Lin Xi with unusual sternness, and there seemed to be a subtle sense of fear in his questioning voice.
Lin Xi frowned slightly; Bryce's reaction seemed to indicate that the latter also knew something.
"Yes, it's her. Actually, this whole thing started with Professor Ando; he contacted me before—"
Just as Lin Xi was about to continue explaining, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past the corner of his eye.
He subconsciously turned his head and looked to the side.
It's that virtual wall. All the images come from the spacecraft's probes, making it a virtual wall that broadcasts the exterior scenery in real time.
But now, on that virtual wall, countless dark shadows are flying wildly.
What is that?
For a moment, Lin Xiwan forgot what he had wanted to say. He pointed at the virtual wall and murmured a question.
Bryce followed his finger to the virtual wall and then froze.
"This is……"
He took a few steps toward the virtual wall, then stopped.
"Is it an insect?"
He said in a shocked tone, as if incredulous.
Lin Xi had actually seen the shapes of those dark figures clearly, but the scene was so far beyond common sense that it was hard to believe it was real.
Those shadowy figures were all insects.
From tiny creatures acceptable to Earthlings to enormous, unbelievable behemoths, bizarre insects swarmed toward the spaceship as if they had gone mad.
In just a short while, the previous scenery was covered by swarms of insects.
Countless tentacles, segments, and wings covered the probe's lens. It looked as if they would burst through the lens and flood the spacecraft at any moment. Even knowing that what they were seeing was merely an image projected onto a virtual wall through pipes, the scene still sent chills down their spines and made them tremble.
"Perhaps there's something wrong with the virtual wall's program," a voice whispered in Lin Xi's mind.
The surface of the Helios was always protected by a plasma shield, which, though inconspicuous, was enough to keep most life forms (whether from Earth or other planets) out of the spacecraft.
In fact, during the time the Helios was stranded, plasma protection remained active even when fuel was running low. This is why those annoying, fragile little bugs only bothered the exploration team members; they never disturbed the crew inside the spacecraft—they were burned to ashes by the plasma protection layer the moment they touched the hull.
But now the situation has taken a shocking turn.
The plasma protection that had provided a sense of security during this period seemed to have lost its effectiveness. Even though they knew that the entire outer shell of the spacecraft would be destroyed upon contact, the little insects still swarmed toward the Helios like moths to a flame.
"Buzz—"
With a soft sound, the entire virtual wall suddenly flickered, the outside scenery disappeared, and the virtual wall abruptly turned gray, indicating it was not in use.
Lin Xi and Bryce exchanged a glance, both seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes.
This is bad...
“There are too many of those things, and the ashes of the insects will pile up at the bottom of the ship, blocking the launch port,” Bryce said coldly. “If this continues, the ship’s plasma generator will be overloaded.”
Lin Xi stared blankly at Bryce's lips as they opened and closed.
The other person's voice could be clearly heard, but Lin Xi found that he was completely unable to give the other person any response.
His soul seemed to have been forcibly pulled out of his body by someone. Everything around him was so real, yet at the same time, so illusory.
"Hiss..."
"Hiss... hiss... King..."
“Our…King…”
...
Countless tiny sounds... no, they weren't sounds, but some kind of thought, began to gather little by little, and then slowly eroded Lin Xi's mind.
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