Chapter 57 Fusion

What Wang Biao said was the truth, and it was also the biggest problem faced by all towns in this era.

Without a smooth trade network, you can only stay in self-sufficiency and barely maintain the standard of food and clothing. If you want to get more, you must exchange your own output with the outside world.

Transportation is the biggest problem.

Although the road left behind from the old era is incomplete, it is the most direct way to connect various settlements. However, various mutated creatures spreading in the wilderness have become the biggest obstacle to trade and transportation.

The last time I bought salt, more than one-third of the food carried on the transport truck was snatched away by the radiation ghost. If Lin Xiang had not joined the escort team accidentally, there would have been more materials.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiang nodded seriously: "You make a detailed list of the required materials. I'll think of a solution to how to do it."

As he said that, he took out a disinfection test tube that had been prepared from his pocket: "Also, there is something you need to help."

"What's up?"

"Give me some of your blood. Don't need too much, a few drops are enough."

The burning coal radiates sufficient heat in the fireplace. The red coal heart makes people unable to help but bring the frozen body closer. From time to time, burning ash falls off the surface of the coal chunks, and along the loose gaps, a layer of thicker and thicker embers accumulate at the bottom of the furnace.

Sitting in front of the table made of thick wooden boards and steel bars, Lin Xiang opened the suitcase from Hausen, filled with various biological samples, took out a test tube labeled "Ruins of the Remaining Water, Target No. 16", used a disinfectant straw to remove a drop of almost black viscous liquid, carefully dripped it on the prepared slide, diluted it with his own configured nutritional agent, and slowly placed it under a microscope erected in the center of the tabletop.

This is one of the essential items he bought from Emma Auction House with his guns. The heavy brass base at the bottom of the frame is left with a line of blurred words "Made in Henan Optical Instruments Factory No. 2". That means that this sophisticated scientific research instrument was not imitated by humans in the new era, but one of the few remaining items in the old era.

The cells with nutrients appear extremely active under the lens. The oval-shaped surface is covered with sharp spikes, wandering back and forth in the liquid environment. Once you capture any alien cells entering the range, you will immediately pierce the other person's body with the sharp spikes, sucking the fresh sweet and sweet slurry in big mouths, making yourself stronger.

This is the cell of the mutant. In Fang Yujie's laboratory, Lin Xiang once looked at the same blood sample. Acupuncture is the most direct way for them to prey and invade their opponent's body. Nearly a century has passed, and this terrifying mutant creature is still continuing to use ancient and barbaric methods to maintain its own transmission and reproduction.

Change it to another slide. This time, he dripped Hausen's blood into the nutritional agent and added an additional drop of blood obtained from Wang Biao.

The light red cells slowly floated in the liquid. Their surface was smooth, their shape was flat, and they were slightly sunken in the middle. When they noticed that outsiders who were not of their own kind were entering, they immediately swarmed forward and surrounded the strange cells. Using the power generated by swimming, they collided desperately, squeezing invaders with the same appearance as themselves. Until they tore them apart, burst, crush them, and turn into pieces of sediment that cannot be seen by the naked eye, they returned to their original stable state and floated up and down in the liquid environment like swimming fish.

Lin Xiang frowned.

This cell state is exactly the same as the information known in the old era. The viruses injected into the parasite's body only accept blood cells that match their genes. If there is a slight abnormality, it will trigger a strong rejection reaction. Even viruses that have been dissolved into the parasite's body and have completely stabilized cannot be matched with ordinary people. Their only change is that they have gone from the appearance of infectious spike-shaped cells to the appearance of smooth red blood cells that no longer have diffuse properties. They can only stay in the body of the only host forever, refuse to join any outsiders, and will not look for another parasite, and start new infections and reproduction again.

Looking at the drop of red liquid under the camera, he felt countless question marks flying through his mind.

There is no doubt that the Knights of the Skeleton have the most advanced research equipment and the largest virus database. This has not changed in the new and old eras. But why do they still try their best to find new blood samples?

All the parasites encountered in the old era, and Hausen, who was killed by themselves, were doing the same thing.

Suddenly, Lin Xiang's mind flashed and he suddenly remembered what Chris had said to him in Kunming City.

"It's really rare, you're an evolutionary parasite."

Evolutionary?

Is this the key to the problem?

Lin Xiang silently looked at the densely packed cells under the lens, took out a new slide, and injected a little nutrient into the smooth surface.

This time, he dripped his own blood.

Fang Yujie once conducted a systematic analysis of his blood. However, he had never seen his own cells under a microscope.

The smooth and flat shape is no different from the cell shape of Hausen. The moment Wang Biao's blood was injected into it, they also surrounded these outsiders who were different from themselves. The only difference is that they did not force unfamiliar cells, but instead tightly fit on each other like glue, slowly dissolved each other's cell walls, making the two groups of cytoplasm into a whole of the same nature, and then split and reproduce...

assimilation.

This word subconsciously appeared in Lin Xiang's mind.

They are also parasitic, rough forced infection and slow assimilation can achieve the effect of reproduction and transmission. However, the ultimately generated host form is completely different.

There is another question - why can Hausen and other evolved people not detect their existence, but they can sense their special aura?

Could it be because of the level of strength of parasites? Hausen is only in the early stage of two-stars, but he has reached the level of two-star high and is about to break through three-stars. However, according to the experience of the old era, this does not seem to make much sense.

Perhaps because of boredom or because of some sudden idea in his brain, he suddenly pulled out the test tube containing Hausen's blood, took out a drop from it, and injected it into the slide containing his own assimilated blood below the lens.

The two cells with exactly the same shapes started a new round of war again. The squeezing and collision of Hausen's blood failed to cause any damage to Lin Xiang's blood. They were closely attached, and after a brief fusion, the foreign cells were completely assimilated, and the regenerated reproduction, regardless of shape and appearance, had previously become thicker, larger, and stronger.

I see.

Another test tube containing Hausen blood was pulled out of the suitcase, and for a long time, Lin Xiang's face showed unexpected surprise and unprecedented solemnity. A few minutes later, he opened the lid of the medical device bag, took out a light yellow rubber tube from it, tied his left elbow tightly, picked up the syringe, and sucked all the Hausen blood in the test tube, aimed at the high bulge on his arm, and stabbed the blood vessels twisted like a tree root.

The snow in the wilderness is dazzlingly white, and there is a kind of melancholy gray in it.

The sunlight shines directly from the sky, drying out the soft stacked surface of snow, and the melted liquid slowly falls along the gaps of the snowflakes, quickly filling all tiny spaces. The weight added invisibly compresses the height of the snow layers, but makes them have a greater density and a strong strength that is not easily destroyed. This cold and hard state will remain in the consolidation of the severe cold until next spring.

Three dark green painted medium-sized armored vehicles were lined up in the middle of the highway. The top of the two front cars was rearward, and the 12.7mm machine gun was raised high, releasing a daunting breath of death. The roof of the last one was replaced by a heavy turret, with a thick 105mm howitzer extending from the center of the tower, aiming straight ahead, ready to release a metal roar with violent flames at any time.

This is the "Strick" wheeled armored vehicle that has been preserved from the old era to the present. On the tilted armored walls on both sides of the body, there is no white five-star logo unique to the US military. Instead, it is a black skeleton with grinning teeth and a smile of fear emanating from its huge eye sockets.

More than a dozen fully armed white soldiers wearing gray combat suits were scattered on both sides of the road. Each of them was in a group of three, divided from different directions, with the location of the armored vehicles as the core, radiating to the surroundings, carefully searching for any tiny traces that might remain on the ground.

On the edge of the broken roadbed, a middle-aged man in his forties stood. His body was straight and stuck there like a saber. His exquisitely textured black cloak was blown by the wind, and his short brown hair stood upright on his head like a needle. His simple contour lines were cut into pieces, making the whole face look full of yin and indifference.

If Lin Xiang was present, he would definitely feel the extremely powerful four-star parasitic aura emitted from him.

His eyes were staring at the ground more than ten meters ahead - there was a wreckage of a car that was burnt beyond recognition. Hausen, which had long been frozen into ice, leaned against the charred car body, and snow piled up several centimeters thick. The other three bodies fell in the snow not far from the wreckage. Except for the inadequate burning wounds on his body, there was only a terrible hole on everyone's shoulders that was supposed to be occupied by the head.

"Captain Osvid, we have carefully checked that all warheads come from the same launch source. In other words, there is only one attacker." A middle-aged medical officer wearing a gray combat suit, without any weapons on his body, and with a prominent red cross on his chest walked to him and said respectfully.

"How did Hausen die?" Osvid's eyes flashed with a cold breath, but his voice was as hoarse as a burner.

"Mr. Hausen's wound is in the heart of the left chest. But this is not a fatal cause. According to the results of the autopsy, Mr. Hausen had a large amount of alcohol residue in his body, and many parts of his body were forcibly twisted, and his nerves and muscles were broken. In addition, some burns and bruises left by impacts, it was initially judged that the injury was too severe and caused natural death."

Speaking of this, the medical officer in charge of the autopsy raised his head and carefully added: "We have surveyed the surrounding ground and found no traces of fierce fighting. As for Mr. Hausen's chest wound... it should have been left after his death."

Osvid's eyes suddenly released a hint of fierceness, and soon replaced by a strong desire for anger: "How is the search result? Are there any lost goods found?"

"No." The medical officer shook his head: "I believe that he has been taken away by the attacker. Perhaps, this is the other party's real purpose."

"There is no trace of fighting, and he will die naturally... This idiot Hausen will die in the hands of a mere evolutionist. Perhaps, he is just an ordinary person without any supernatural powers. He knows the importance of this batch of goods, but he still has to drink so much wine. Idiot - waste -"

"Captain Osvid, what should we do next?" The medical officer stepped closer and waited for the order.

"Half left behind to collect the wreckage and transport the bodies of Hausen and the rest of the dead back to Crescent City. The combat troops followed me to Emma City, and I'm going to see what kind of clumsy performances Gliffiz, a guy who was as fat as a pig, would have—"

Ten minutes later, the engines of the three armored vehicles burst into deafening roars. Osvid stood at the top of the front one, and released a cruel and bloody smell in his cold and sharp eyes.

Lin Xiang chose another route and entered Emma City from the northeast. Although he had gone around dozens of miles of mountain road, he could completely hide his whereabouts in the hidden snow.

Hausen's blood injected into the body caused an unexpected effect. The expanded cells stimulate the nerves wildly, and the rebirth that rapidly reproduces transforms into larger muscle fibers. The most direct reflection in the body is that it is more violent and more powerful. Although the physical abilities that evolved into a Samsung parasite were not sensed, in terms of strength, it has far exceeded the Samsung standard.

For a long time, Lin Xiang has been thinking about a question repeatedly - how should we break through the existing capabilities of parasites?

No one can tell him the answer. Even the Skeleton Knights, which have the most advanced biotechnology, seem to have no cracks. Otherwise, parasites like Hausen would not have remained in their original state during the long alternation of the old and new eras. The Knights desperately collected various biological samples, which may be related to this.

If Lin Xiang hadn't had the fusion of cells under the microscope enough inspiration, he would never have done such a horrifying and dangerous move. He even regretted why he hadn't taken a blood sample from the parasite he first encountered for injection? In this way, his ability would have become stronger.

Guess, this is just a guess without any basis.

He has never been as eager to meet a parasite as he is now, using the other party's blood to verify his ideas.

The map of Emma Auction house is marked with the location of the Skeleton Knights. Enter the city from the opposite direction and look for a new road to go there.

The streets of Emma City are as dirty as ever.

The roads left over from the old era pass straight through the entire city. The countless branches extending continuously from this main road are hidden in tens of thousands of sheds and alleys like spiders. You can see piles of feces and yellow urine and dirt frozen into ice at any time on the roadside. From time to time, people run out of the shed, take off their pants as if no one is around, and urinate towards the road without restraint.

They seem to have no concept of cleanliness and hygiene. They can meet the most basic needs and do whatever they feel comfortable.

This is what Hausen called the "new generation" of human beings. While inheriting the civilizations of the old era, their barbaric and rough sides also coexist. Without the possibility of ensuring the most basic food and clothing, it is entirely possible that they will retreat from their current state to the original period millions of years ago.

Along the way, people looked at Lin Xiang with curious eyes from time to time. According to their fixed thinking, people with large-caliber guns and fine cloth sewn clothes will only sway in the so-called "forbidden zone" and should not appear in the dirty and dark slums. Perhaps it was because of some encouragement from Lin Xiang's overly beautiful face! More and more greed began to appear in the snooping eyes. They whispered, looking for any possible opportunity, and planned to turn the young guy on the ground, peel off the jealous clothes, search for all the weapons, and after venting on his white and plump butt, they sold him to a human meat buyer for colorful banknotes.

A woman with a not-so-good figure but barely able to pass, jumped out of the shack beside the road and blocked her in front of Lin Xiang.

"I like a handsome and cold man like you." Her eyes were burning with a blazing flame full of desire, and her tongue licked her dry lips slightly: "Come on! It only costs ten dollars, I am yours."

This kind of thing is very common, especially in Emma.

In this violent and barbaric era, women are absolutely weak compared to men due to their innate differences in body shape and physical strength. Many women can only rely on their bodies in exchange for food and water necessary to maintain their lives. This is almost their only way to survive.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time and money." Looking at the woman who quickly took off her clothes and was almost naked, Lin Xiang frowned slightly.

He was not looking down on the other party, but he was really not interested.

"Time is squeezed out. As for money... it doesn't matter if you don't give it. Jojojo--" The flames in the woman's eyes burned even more hot. She rushed over like a lioness in heat, her arms separated and sealed all the way Lin Xiang was going. Her mouth was covered with yellow stains, and the dirty saliva continued to overflow along the corners of her mouth, dripping onto the wheat-colored skin on her chest, emitting a disgusting odor.

No, she has a problem.
Chapter completed!