60 Alienation
◎Naturalization of the ground and blocking of the observation room◎
"…April 21st, 17:43. Research subject B798856, Shu Chi, gender differentiation guide. Research method: dissection and preservation. Disposition of the body will be determined based on the research results. This study has been approved by the Federal Supreme Court, the Federal Police Department, and the Federal Center. Principal researcher A69421 Jian Lun, research assistants A74450 Qi Jin and B623651 Li Zhi, and Sun Yesuo, stationed at Baita S1549, has been specially approved to conduct this study."
Yan Xunzhi was outside the laboratory, squatting with his back against the wall, staring intently at the broadcast screen hanging on the wall.
There were many researchers around, men and women, young and old, high and low in rank, sentinels and guides... She had rarely seen such an inclusive moment underground.
Her B-level looked quite ordinary inside, and as she stood there, more people cast their eyes on her face.
Yan Xunzhi knew what they were looking at.
In the past, she might have thought that her rank was too low and she was out of place, but now she just leaned her head back.
Anatomy research is semi-private. Entering the laboratory is like entering an operating room in the medical department. Only qualified researchers can enter. She didn't expect Kong Wei to not even be qualified to enter, so he could only stand outside and watch with her.
"Was it possible to enter before?" The preparations before the research were lengthy, and she asked Kong Wei to pass the time.
There were so many people around, Kong Wei didn't answer directly. Instead, he said something irrelevant, "Priority research qualifications allow you to get into basically anything."
As expected, someone interrupted and said, "Priority research qualification! That only comes to generals!"
Kong Wei hummed a sound. Ning Yue, who was enthusiastic and fond of causing trouble, jumped in and said meaningfully, "Right! Just be the commander-in-chief."
Yan Xunzhi raised his eyelids slightly, as if he wanted to look at her, but was too lazy to look up.
Commander-in-Chief. Under the Chief Leader is the Commander-in-Chief.
She didn't know what to think. Being noticed by such an officer, she should be grateful no matter what. She didn't know.
How did she get to such a high-ranking officer? Was it just this face? The officer had seen so many people, was she really so stunning? She didn't know.
Yan Xunzhi let out a deep breath.
Kong Wei thought she was nervous, so he held her hand and squeezed it gently.
At 17:43, as the words fell, Jian Lun's blade slashed across Shu Chi's chest.
Yan Xunzhi had met Shu Chi many times. They had grown up together, been together since they were raised together, entered the White Tower together, been divided together, and been graded together. They were the people in the world who had been by his side the longest.
She thought back to the last time she saw Shu Chi. She couldn't remember what she was wearing, or her expression. She only remembered her squatting next to her, tilting her head, and saying, "I didn't expect you to leave even faster than the experimental class."
Today was completely over. The last photo I took showed her lying on the research table, eyes closed, skin pink. Her entire body was propped up, with no visible skeletal contours, like a leather puppet filled with lead and overpainted with color.
Yan Xun's eyes swept across her body inch by inch, her mind tense, yet relaxed and blank. He tried hard to remember her and etch her into his mind, but the overexposure made it impossible to develop any color.
She felt numb again, but this time the numbness lasted longer and was more tangible, as if a piece of her life had been taken away.
Joy, anger, sorrow and happiness are all immersed in this emptiness.
"Did she become alienated on the ground?" She asked Kong Wei unconsciously.
Kong Wei hesitated for a moment and didn't give her a definite answer, "It seems like."
Yan Xunzhi stared at the screen, feeling dry. She blinked, her chin itching. She reached out and touched it; the back of her hand was damp.
On the broadcast screen, Shu Chi's skin and flesh were exposed.
Yan Xunzhi's eyes suddenly widened and he stared at the screen in shock.
Her skin broke apart the moment the blade touched her, and her flesh and blood seemed to have been squeezed for a long time and finally found an outlet, rushing out and immediately forming a pool around her.
There was no blood or flesh. The blood-red pool looked like it had been chopped finely and densely, piled up like minced meat, mottled with yellow and white lines.
Jian Lun used the tip of the knife to poke it twice, then picked up a small piece of meat paste while wearing gloves.
Yan Xunzhi followed her movements closely, his fingers pinching unconsciously.
It doesn't feel like meat paste when you twist it open.
It feels sticky and has a noticeable grainy feel.
Jian Lun looked up at the surveillance camera. Everyone outside the broadcast screen was also looking at her. Then she made a pause gesture to the surveillance camera, and the broadcast screen went black for a moment.
The corridor was silent for two seconds before a commotion erupted. The entire hallway was instantly engulfed in the clamor of discussion, the volume threatening to burst open.
There was only a vacuum beside him.
Yan Xunzhi turned sharply to look at Kong Wei. She had a calm expression, sensing her gaze, and looked back.
At that moment, she was sure that Kong Wei had seen this before. Something like this must have happened in her previous life, and she knew what was going on better than anyone else.
Kong Wei said softly, "It has become natural."
What is naturalization?
Kong Wei said, "I can't say for sure...naturalization is random. Even in the future...at least before I die, it will all depend on research. Judging from what happened just now, I can only guess that Shuchi may have undergone desertification followed by vegetative transformation, or it may have happened simultaneously. I can't tell with my naked eyes."
Her flesh turned into quicksand, her blood vessels became roots, and her dense neural network tightened and arranged like grass grids in the desert that prevent wind and sand from breaking, together maintaining the stability of her body.
Yan Xunzhi thought of the strange creature he encountered on the ground in the northwest when he led the team.
That alien creature must have evolved into a plant-based form after its second evolution, its entire body turning into wood. It was so ferocious that it almost wiped them out. Why did Shu Chi die in the exoskeleton when it was his turn?
Even if she is like Pu Sui... Yan Xunzhi was shocked.
"Didn't she die from mental radiation?"
This is a state of alienation. The reason the Earthlings can live freely on the surface is largely because they have undergone alienation, undergoing a double renewal of both their bodies and their spirits. The radiation from the surface no longer poses any threat to them.
Shu Chi was already in a state of alienation, so how could he die from mental radiation?
The muscles around Kong Wei's eyes tensed and twitched slightly. Yan Xunzhi got a little anxious and stood up to pull her, "You know!"
Kong Wei didn't answer, and pushed her away after a moment, "I'll go check it out."
Then he raised his hand and called out to a young researcher in the distance, "Qi Jing!"
A researcher wearing black-framed glasses trotted over. Kong Wei pointed at Yan Xunzhi and said, "This is my sentry. I'm going out to ask something. You take her around the institute and introduce her. This is her first time here."
Qi Jing nodded vigorously and looked at Yan Xunzhi in the direction of her finger, "Hello, Commander!"
It was the first time in Yan Xunzhi's life that he was addressed as "Commander". The fake Yan Xunzhi trembled a little and hummed in a weak voice, appearing to feel very guilty.
After Kong Wei left, Qi Jing diligently completed the assigned task, calling him "Commander" all the time. The little sentry Yan's legs were still numb, and he had to carry a dozen commanders on his shoulders.
She was a little overwhelmed. "Just call me Yan Xunzhi. I'm not a high-ranking person."
Qi Jing said coyly, "Officer Kong will punish me if he hears."
"She won't, she doesn't care." Yan Xunzhi paused, "Just don't call her by her full name, I'm fine."
In fact, if Kong Wei hadn't been here, Qi Jing might have been her superior...
The young researcher was conscientious and responsible. He not only introduced every room, every instrument, bottles and jars, and various experimental reagents, but also gave her an extremely detailed analysis and explanation of the decoration materials.
But Yan Xuezha felt sleepy when he heard long nouns, and his eyelids drooped after walking for a while. He forced himself to stay awake, feeling dizzy and a little ashamed of all his hard work.
She silently complained in her heart, Kong Wei was not on guard against her at all, who could say there was no reason for this...
But one room in the corridor was skipped.
It was a very ordinary-looking room with a sign hanging in front of the door that read: Observation Room.
When Yan Xunzhi listened to her talk about these things, it was just like a student who failed math learning calculus from the textbook. The key was to follow along. Although he couldn't remember the formulas, he could still find out what was not explained.
She hesitated for a moment and suppressed her curiosity that was about to pop out and look around.
She must have her own considerations for skipping it. Qi Jing is not Kong Wei, and the most important thing for underground people is to keep to themselves and not ask too many questions.
Unexpectedly, after talking for a while, Qi Jing led her back to the door of the observation room.
"I don't have permission to enter." Qi Jing had already noticed her little movements. "I just got an application approved by Officer Sun, so I can enter now."
The great guide Kong had been running amok and flouting the rules quite often. When sentry Yan heard he had no authority, he became a little nervous. "Is this place important? I don't have to go in. Kong Wei was just talking..."
Qi Jing waved his hand. "It's okay! It's not an important place, but I need approval before I can enter. As soon as I told Officer Sun that Officer Kong wanted to take me there, she approved it immediately. It's okay!"
Officer Sun?
"Sun Yesuo?"
Qi Jing nodded, and Yan Xunzhi realized that it was a backdoor.
The approvals have been granted, and it's legal and compliant. Of course, we should make the most of our connections while they're still there. Yan Xunzhi didn't refuse anymore, nodded, and followed Qi Jing inside.
The room is very large, divided in the middle into areas A and B, with countless small rooms separated in between.
Area A simulates the ground environment of the South District, and the temperature is close to the feeling of wearing an exoskeleton on the ground. Area B is arranged like an ordinary dungeon room, simulating flowers, plants, breeze and sunshine, with everything you need.
Qi Jing entered Area A first, introducing it to her as he walked in. "The observation room is paved with special building materials, and the surrounding area uses an infinite mental cycle for protection. So once you enter here, any mental influence will be blocked."
"Observation rooms are only built in the South District and the Central White Tower. There are two in the South District and eight in the Central White Tower. They were originally built to study the impact of mental power on the body. Currently, the most frequent use is to observe whether semi-alienated sentinels will continue to mutate within the observation rooms..."
She walked into the small room in Area A, and Yan Xunzhi followed her in and closed the door.
The moment the door tongue clicked shut, my heart was shaken!
She suddenly couldn't hear what Qi Jing was saying.
A sharp alarm sounded in her ears, and her stomach and intestines twitched, as if someone was squeezing them tightly into a ball. Bitterness surged out, burning her entire esophagus.
Her chest ached and she felt breathless, and her emotions rushed into her mind like a floodgate. Her dam, which had been loose and unrepaired for a long time, was already shattered.
Yan Xunzhi's legs went weak, and he fell straight down without any preparation or response!
【Author’s words】
Kipper: ...Emma!
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