"Whoosh—"
The metal doors of the greenhouse opened smoothly in front of Lin Xi.
However, this time Lin Xi stood at the door for a while before stepping inside.
He still had a blanket draped over his shoulders, but he still felt very cold—a coldness that seemed to emanate entirely from within his body.
The interior of the greenhouse was just as Lin Xi remembered it. The deformed pupa shell of "Number One" was piled up in the corner of the insect culture tank, just like the last time he saw it.
Lin Xi opened the glass tank and went inside. He squatted down next to the cocoon and examined the ugly thing in front of him with unprecedented seriousness and care.
The thin membrane was still there in the cracked pupa shell, but "Number One" seemed to have changed its posture, and Lin Xi could not see its eyes this time.
Under the bright light, the pupa shell rose and fell slowly and rhythmically, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, a sign that "Number One" was growing vigorously.
"call……"
After witnessing the perfectly normal appearance of the "Number One" pupa shell, Lin Xi finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Really."
He couldn't help but mutter to himself as his previously tense muscles relaxed.
"...I'm practically like a mental patient, don't you think?"
He said to himself, then rubbed his slightly throbbing forehead. Once he had confirmed with his own eyes that "Number One" was normal, and recalling his previous guesses that had made him extremely nervous, Lin Xi even felt that all his behavior had become both ridiculous and neurotic.
Heaven knows why he fell to the ground feeling that the Sunu Star Butterfly he had raised with his own hands would eventually turn into that half-human, half-insect monster, and why he was so terrified about it for so long.
At this time, "Number One" was probably still in hibernation, and there was no unusual wriggling coming from under the membrane.
This left Lin Xi somewhat disappointed.
For a moment, he even wanted to squat down and gently poke the membrane of "Number One" like a child raising a pet for the first time, but at that moment his personal terminal rang at an inopportune time.
Lin Xi was taken aback, then opened her personal terminal.
Bryce's slightly exasperated voice immediately came from the other end of the terminal.
"Are you alright?! What happened—wait, where are you?"
Lin Xi was still a little confused by Bryce's tense and alarmed look, but he quickly realized what the problem was. Bryce must have missed his message.
“I, I’m in the greenhouse… I just wanted to come and see what was going on here.”
Lin Xi quickly explained.
Bryce on the other end of the terminal looked genuinely angry; Lin Xi could almost see the bulging veins throbbing beneath the skin of Bryce's forehead.
"Damn it, do you even know what's going on?! That madman named Sam is probably wandering around the spaceship, waiting to cause you trouble! Until this is settled, you should at least be careful about your own safety—what else is in your greenhouse besides that ugly, maddening bug? You should be more concerned about yourself than worrying about that thing!"
Lin Xi shrank back amidst Bryce's rapid-fire roars, not daring to refute him at all.
“I’ll go back right away… I swear I won’t run around again.”
He said in a low voice.
Then he wrapped the blanket tightly around his shoulders and left the greenhouse.
Lin Xi will never know what happened after the metal door of the greenhouse closed behind him.
"Tick-tock..."
Dark red blood mixed with mucus dripped out from where the pupa shell had been.
Immediately afterwards, the pupal shell, which had appeared normal in Lin Xi's vision, began to fade and become distorted.
If Lin Xi could see the true appearance of the pupa shell, he would probably be shocked—the pupa shell was completely broken, shriveled up, and looked like a crumpled, rotten blanket piled on the ground. And "Number One's" battered body lay sprawled on top of the now-ineffective pupa shell.
It maintained a very awkward posture so that its wings, which had several holes, could be spread out. Everything Lin Xi had seen before was a mimicry that appeared on the surface of those wings.
However, beneath that mimicry, its newly formed body was already covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.
"Bang……"
It persisted until Lin Xi's steps were far away, and then "Number One" fell heavily from above the pupa.
It couldn't get used to its new body at all, even though it had made the choice itself from the very beginning.
That soft, sensitive skin caused it far more trouble than it benefited.
It felt excruciating pain; the wounds felt like burns, almost making it want to howl. It was a sensation it had never experienced before—if it were still the same as before, the gun in Lin Xi's hand would never have been able to truly harm it. But now, it had fused with human genes, growing delicate, sensitive nerves and an incredibly fragile outer shell. While the wounds weren't fatal, the unprecedented pain caused "Number One" immense agony.
It tried to get up by bracing itself on its forelimbs, but the thick, warm blood made it slip repeatedly. "Number One" fell into its own pool of blood, which aggravated its wounds once again. It twitched on the floor for a while before gathering its strength to try again.
But generally speaking, species like it always have a natural talent for adapting to new bodies. After a few attempts, "Number One" had successfully mastered the knack and sat up halfway—it was a bit comical to make such a movement in its insect-like form, but its joints were finally more comfortable in this position.
"Waaah..."
A sound that even he himself found unfamiliar came from "Number One's" throat.
Human vocal cords are strange; the sounds they can produce are very limited. At least to "Number One's" own ears, those low hums were practically grating. But when it came to Lin Xi, the sounds emanating from his lips were incredibly beautiful.
The thought of Lin Xi caused a strange, dull ache to rise in "Number One's" chest.
The newer the feeling, the better.
Perhaps it was the thing called a "heart" that formed on its chest, mimicking the human body's layout, that was causing the trouble... Some vague thoughts drifted through "Number One's" mind.
It was only after the bodies and part of the brains of two humans were combined that these strange and complex thoughts inexplicably emerged. "Number One," with its insect-like instincts, felt panicked and helpless about these constantly changing thoughts.
It looked down at its wound.
Those were all blasted out by Lin Xi using a pulse gun.
Although the pulse gun's destructive power was far less than the ion gun's, the pulse beam still left several large holes in its body. However, within just a few hours, those holes were filled by black and red muscle fibers and connective tissue. New flesh continued to grow beneath the thick mucus, while the blood that had gushed out from its injuries was squeezed out from the gaps between the flesh as it moved.
"Number One" tentatively stretched out its forelimb and touched the wound.
A fresh, electric-like pain surged through its brain. That excruciating pain reminded it once again that perhaps this time it had indeed emerged from its chrysalis with a failed body.
...What else is in your greenhouse besides that horrifyingly ugly bug...?
The words that Bryce had roared into Lin Xi's personal terminal seemed to echo once again.
This is not the first time that humans have described it like this to its face.
So... even if he made great efforts to modify his body on a large scale, is his body still "ugly"?
The moment this thought flashed through Number One's mind, the growing heaviness in its chest once again confused it.
It will take it a long time before it learns the word to describe that feeling.
"sad".
“Lin Xi…Lin…Xi…”
For "Number One" at this moment, the only thing it can do is keep repeating that name.
It was so attached to that fragile yet warm human being, from the moment it first gained consciousness in the void.
Then, it tried to imitate the things Lin Xi did in the cabin.
He stared at the flash of light that suddenly appeared in the corner of the wall, tears welling up in his eyes—"Number One" had followed Lin Xi's example.
As scalding liquid gushed from its eye sockets, it was almost terrified by the strange sensation. The complex organs that had absorbed the human body and forcibly spliced into its own brought an utterly unfamiliar feeling.
"Waaah..."
A strange, hoarse whimper rolled out of the terrifying monster's throat.
It was just imitation at first, but strange things happened.
"Number One" found himself unable to stop the burning liquid from rolling down his cheeks.
"Waaaaah...waaah...Lin...Xi..."
Even if it keeps repeating the name that makes him feel at ease and happy, it's the same.
The pain of the wound, the repeated use of the word "ugly," and most importantly... on this night, Lin Xi's cold, ruthless gaze as he stared at it, and his decisive firing...
Countless chaotic fragments piled up together, weighing heavily on the chest of this young "Star Butterfly".
It sobbed and stroked its aching wound, crying incessantly in fear and confusion.
...
"Hmm?"
Lin Xi made a puzzled sound. He looked up from Bryce's desk and then gazed thoughtfully toward the door.
"Lin Xi?"
Bryce looked up from the enormous polyethylene box on the table and asked somewhat nervously, "Is something wrong?"
The box was filled with various odds and ends, all from Lin Xi's previous living quarters. The ship's mercenaries and security personnel inspected the now-ruined house and then sealed it off. Bryce had left the medical bay earlier to go there and help Lin Xi gather up the unnecessary personal belongings.
The cabin that Lin Xi was assigned next was smaller and more dilapidated than the previous ones (probably because there was no mission supervisor from the Earth-Moon Joint University present when cabins were assigned this time). Now, Bryce and Lin Xi are busy tidying up those maddening daily chores.
"Did you hear anything? It sounded like someone was crying?" Lin Xi turned her head to listen carefully to the surrounding sounds and then said, "The sound was very faint, but I think I heard it—"
"When did you become someone who cares so much about what's going on outside?" Bryce turned his head in the direction Lin Xi was looking. He listened carefully for a while and then shook his head. "No, I didn't hear anything."
Upon hearing Bryce's reply, Lin Xi could only frown and put the matter aside—after all, when he noticed it, the ethereal weeping seemed to have vanished. Even if he listened carefully, all he could hear was the noise of the spaceship itself.
"Okay, maybe it's just my imagination..."
Lin Xi said wearily.
Although the faint sobbing sound was like a tiny hook, making his heart tremble involuntarily, Lin Xi had no mood to investigate further at this moment.
"If you need, I can give you another check-up."
Bryce said.
"...No other meaning, just in case. After all, even Elisa mentioned this before, she felt that you have had this or that little problem ever since that accident."
"You mean those delusions and nightmares, right?"
Lin Xi sighed and then answered. He glanced up at Bryce, the man standing next to him looking exhausted, tense, and agitated. It had taken Lin Xi quite some time to calm him down after returning from the greenhouse.
Lin Xi was unwilling to let all her previous efforts go to waste.
He paused for a moment, then added an extra explanation: "So much has happened in this whole affair; maybe it's just my old habit acting up again that makes me so paranoid—"
For example, he even had the wild idea that "Number One" might be that terrifying half-human, half-insect monster.
"Of course, it would be great if you could give me some more calming gel sticks."
Lin Xi added.
"You'll never get the chance."
Bryce rolled his eyes at him.
His tone sounded serious, but Lin Xi knew that her last words had worked, and Bryce seemed more relaxed than before.
They then began the arduous cleanup work.
Bryce, like a competent housewife, helped Lin Xi categorize and organize all the miscellaneous items.
"...Books, books, antique record players, game consoles...Hey, buddy, can't you put something useful in your luggage?" he complained as he packed.
Lin Xi could only listen to Bryce's nagging with a terrible headache.
However, he stopped talking abruptly when Bryce took a small but old metal cube out of the box.
Lin Xi sensed something was wrong and looked at what he was holding. Then, Lin Xi's expression changed instantly.
"Oh, no—"
He snatched the telephoto recorder containing Savile's images directly from Bryce's hands.
The small instrument was now covered in traces of acid corrosion, and even the projection lens had become cloudy. Knowing it was impossible, Lin Xi still pressed the switch involuntarily, and naturally, the instrument in his hand was as cold and rough as a Martian rock, completely unresponsive.
Although this thing had been malfunctioning for a long time, Lin Xi never imagined that it would be damaged to this extent.
Lin Xi stared at the instrument in his hand in shock, his mind blank for a long time.
“Maybe, once we get back to Earth, we can find someone to repair it.” Bryce, of course, knew how important the recorder was to Lin Xi. He said this dryly beside Lin Xi, then paused briefly before quickly changing his words, “Or, we can find some time to talk to someone in the engineering department; maybe they can fix it too…”
"Um."
Lin Xi couldn't say a word; he had to bite his lip tightly to prevent himself from making any strange noises due to extreme frustration and pain.
His face was extremely pale, and although he tried to control it, his appearance still frightened Bryce.
"Oh, right, I remember I have a repair robot here, used for adjusting medical devices. Maybe it can fix this recorder—"
Bryce frantically searched for the miniature repair robot, and in the process, he accidentally knocked over a large stack of documents on the table.
The scene immediately became somewhat chaotic.
Lin Xi quickly composed herself and started packing up the documents with Bryce.
Jerry Edwin's intracranial AV117 neuro-assisted component malfunction
Lin Xi inadvertently saw the handwriting displayed on a piece of electronic paper.
He paused, and involuntarily reached out and picked up the electronic paper.
This is actually Jerry's medical report.
Since that accident, this once kind-hearted man has been in a deep coma, so much so that no one can understand why he would deliberately lead the wrong way, or why he would lead the surviving members of the exploration team directly to the aircraft that had been hidden underground for hundreds of years.
Although she didn't show it, Lin Xi still finds Jerry's strange behavior that morning particularly troubling.
At this moment, he received Jerry's medical report. Although he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but look at it carefully. The neuro-assistive device had overloaded inside his brain, and the heat it emitted was almost cooking Jerry's brain. It was a miracle that Jerry was still alive.
“It’s horrible, isn’t it?” Bryce snatched the report from Lin Xi’s hand and gave her a wry smile.
"Jerry has always been worried about his age, so he applied for a neuro-assisted device a long time ago. This thing is said to help people improve their cognitive and computational abilities in various aspects. Who would have thought that it could also turn a person's brain into a pot of porridge?"
"Your analogy is disgusting."
Lin Xi glanced at Bryce and couldn't help but say something.
At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Wait... to help improve human cognitive abilities...
He seemed to have heard similar words before...
Oh, right, it's Unnie. Unnie once complained that she wished she had one of those expensive chips in her brain like Dr. Ando.
Shizuo Ando also had that kind of device installed in his brain.
Lin Xi suddenly grabbed Bryce's hand as he was packing up the documents.
He stared straight at him and then said urgently, "Shizuo Ando—Professor Ando, did you also have something similar installed? Those high-level researchers must have had things installed in their brains to better conduct their research!"
"Ah, yes, I remember Professor Ando did have some chips installed, but they were just very basic auxiliary chips, purely for storing information—"
"And what about John Bronson?"
Lin Xi suddenly interrupted Bryce.
If Bryce had seemed quite bewildered by Lin Xi's seemingly nonsensical questions before, the moment the name John Bronson was uttered, he seemed to have already sensed something.
Bryce remained silent, his fingers flying across his personal terminal.
Soon, all the personal information John Bronson had stored on Lewyth's computer while he was still alive was revealed—from details like how he had his teeth fixed to his own death investigation report.
After quickly reviewing John Brunson's information, Bryce looked at Lin Xi in shock.
“I really don’t understand why I missed this… John didn’t have an assistive chip implanted in his brain, but he did have a miniature therapeutic device that periodically releases microcurrents to stimulate the brain, thereby slowing down or stopping the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It was thanks to this device that John passed the screening and boarded the Helios at that age to participate in this exploration mission.”
After saying that, Bryce's face tightened.
"You think... the problem lies with the auxiliary components of those three people?"
He asked.
"I have no evidence."
Lin Xi said dryly.
“But I feel there’s definitely something wrong with them. John’s dead, Ando’s gone mad, and Jerry’s been in a coma for a long time.” He paused, then continued, “Lina mentioned something when Jerry was having an episode, something I didn’t pay much attention to at the time: she mentioned that her grandmother had also experienced similar symptoms to Jerry, and the cause of the electronic components malfunctioning was a large military communications station near the hotel. Those electronic components received too much junk information, and then the chip in her brain malfunctioned…”
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