The bug that never existed
The winged sword cut through the bulging follicle, and the follicle immediately deflated like a deflated ball, and the hair wrapped in liquid gushed out. Mu Xiao parted the hair, and the severed forearm inside was exposed in front of the two people.
"There are no insect patterns on the inside of the forearm, so the owner is a male insect." Mu Xiao put on gloves, picked up the forearm and looked at it from left to right.
"Except for this forearm, the other organs and limbs should have been digested by the follicles. Why do you think the vines only caught us?" Alred asked, but received no response for a long time. He looked down at the female insect staring blankly at the stump and asked, "Is there anything special about it?"
Mu Xiao rubbed the red birthmark on his forearm with his fingertips, but it couldn't be wiped off... The strange thoughts that suddenly emerged in his mind made him feel a chill from the soles of his feet.
Seeing no response, Alred patted Mu Xiao's shoulder. A cold blade flashed, and he swiftly turned sideways, grabbing Mu Xiao, who had unknowingly pulled out the dagger. "What's wrong with you?"
Mu Xiao came to his senses and realized that he had almost stabbed his companion. He quickly put away the dagger: "Sorry... I..."
Alred guessed that Mu Xiao might know the owner of the arm. Seeing that Mu Xiao had no intention of speaking, he shook his head and asked the same question again: "Were we both captured by the vines on purpose?"
The answer is obvious. They are caught without showing any aggressive tendencies. They are used as nutrients for the follicles, hoping that they can search for or see something.
The two of them were in perfect sync with each other, and when they exchanged glances, they were sure that the other person was thinking the same thing as themselves.
But what exactly did he want them to search for or see? Mu Xiao looked around the enclosed space. Apart from the hanging follicles, there was nothing special. He and Alred groped the walls of the cave, searching for hidden mechanisms.
Mu Xiao suddenly pressed on a piece of soil that was too soft. With a little force, the soil collapsed, revealing a dark passage. He tried to crawl into it. There was only enough space for an adult female insect to enter. He turned around and wanted to ask Alred to follow him in, but the light behind him suddenly disappeared and the entrance was blocked by soil again.
Alred clenched his fists and pounded the mud wall, calling the female insect's name, but no insect responded.
Mu Xiao understood that there was no turning back now and he could only crawl forward along the passage. He had always been casual and decided to take things one step at a time.
He didn't know how long he had been climbing, his hands were sore, and just then he saw a little light ahead. He gritted his teeth, quickened his pace, and finally climbed out of the cave.
The sudden bright light made him blink uncomfortably, but the scene before him made him even more uncomfortable.
Numerous organs and decomposed limbs were suspended in the huge follicle, so that the muddy white liquid gradually turned into turbid red. A purple-blue duct extended from the top of the follicle and was transporting blood to the tree roots at the top of the cave.
"Are you here?" A clear voice sounded from behind the follicle, and Morse walked towards Mu Xiao with a smile on his face.
Mu Xiao held the winged sword in his hand and without hesitation pressed it against the male insect's heart. He asked expressionlessly, "Who are you?"
"What do you think? Ruowen's lover..." Morse showed no fear. He pondered for a few seconds, as if he was really thinking about this problem.
"What about the real Morse? Or did the real Morse never exist in the first place?" Mu Xiao interrupted him and answered the question for him.
The owner of the severed arm inside the follicle is Morse. Judging from the degree of absorption, he should have been dead for a long time.
Morse wasn't surprised by being exposed. A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes. He tapped the punishment ring around Mu Xiao's neck and said, "I can help you break free from your shackles and return you to yourself. Join us. Instead of being a controlled tool, it's better to be a free tool."
"It's impossible for me to join you, so you are a member of the Toad Clan." Mu Xiao understood that the other party wanted him to betray the Zerg, but he couldn't let his original body become a traitor to his own race.
Morse didn't say anything. He smiled gently as usual, and then, while Mu Xiao was not paying attention, he took the tip of the wing sword and stabbed it into his chest.
Mu Xiao stared at what happened suddenly in astonishment, his head in a mess.
"Morse!" A sharp and piercing shout came from behind him. Mu Xiao turned his head and saw Ruo Wen.
Ruowen's eyes were bloodshot when he heard this. He pushed Mu Xiao away with all his strength and hugged Morse who was lying limp on the ground.
Mu Xiao was at a loss. He looked at the sword in his hand, then looked around in confusion. The original cave follicles disappeared, replaced by a green forest filled with smoke.
Zeyu and Andrei, who rushed over after hearing the noise, were also stunned when they saw this scene. They quickly grabbed the furious Ruowen and said, "What's going on? Mu Xiao, why are you here? And..."
"I'm clearly in the cave, and Morse is also..."
Ruowen refused to listen to any explanations, only aware of what was happening before his eyes. He struggled, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Mu Xiao: "Let me go! What I saw with my own eyes, could it be false? You've always stood by Mu Xiao, and now the only person who cared about me has been killed. What else do you want from me?"
Ze Yu injected the tranquilizer he carried with him into the back of Ruowen's neck. The female insect twitched for a few seconds and then fell asleep.
The two insects placed Ruowen in the shade of a tree, glanced at Morse's body, which had cooled to the ground, and asked, "What happened?"
It's not that they are protecting Mu Xiao, but there are too many suspicious points. How did Mu Xiao, who was swept away, meet Morse, who was suddenly lost, and even have a fight? And how did he pick up the unconscious Alred while looking for them?
Mu Xiao told them both what happened in the cave.
Zeyu fell silent after hearing this. This matter was too difficult. There were no other witnesses, and no one knew where the cave that Mu Xiao mentioned was. Even if they believed it, what about Ruowen? Seeing a loved one die at the hands of a friend's sword was not something that could be easily overcome.
Mu Xiao sat by the river, holding the winged sword. The red color at the tail of the sword showed that everything was not a dream. He looked at the rippling river water, and saw a familiar face on the water. Perhaps everything he had experienced was a dream.
He caught a glimpse of a dark shadow appearing behind him out of the corner of his eye. He did not resist and was grabbed by the hair and pushed into the river by the insect. Everything was silent underwater except for the sound of water flowing in his eardrums. The strong feeling of suffocation gave him a rare sense of security since he came to the insect tribe.
I'm sorry, Mu Xiao, I've tried my best to live...
Just when Mu Xiao thought his life was about to end, a force pulled him out of the water. Then the sound of a heartbeat like a drumbeat next to his ear and the faint scent of gardenia between his nostrils made him recognize who it was.
Alred hurriedly wiped the moisture off the female insect's face with his sleeve. Seeing that he was fine, he increased the strength in his hands and held him tightly in his arms as if protecting a cub.
Mu Xiao looked at Nuowen who was suppressed by Andre, and closed his eyes weakly, but the pain on the other side was hard to ignore.
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