Chapter 531.2: Beta 0.5 Version Update!

[Hidden Quest Complete]

[Description:

The Hive on level B6 was completely consumed by an anomalous lifeform’s Mother Body. Triggered Flag 6.2. B6 Biological Incident concluded.

]

[Note:

This may be an unexpected outcome.

]

[Reward:

18,000 gene sequences.

]

...

In the library on level B4.

Staring at the faint blue hologram before him, Chu Guang sat on the couch with a strange expression on his face, having just returned from the celebration.

Three days ago, after coming back from the frontlines, he was complaining about the lack of beta access.

Less than 72 hours later, the very problem he had been bitching about was completely solved.

It wasn’t just solved... He gained a windfall!

With 18,000 helmets, releasing 40 to 50 slots a day would easily last him through the whole year.

Maybe he should... make another wish while he was at it?

But the thought stayed for less than a second before he dismissed it.

He believed everything, like the admin logs, genetic sequence release speed, trigger conditions, and other things like that were preconfigured.

Even if he lit incense to pray for the First Administrator, it probably wouldn’t help.

What caught his attention was the mention of Flag 6.2. When he first unlocked B6, the trigger was Flag 6.

That meant that aside from the branch he triggered, there had to be Flag 6.1, or even 6.3, 6.4... There could be a whole range of outcomes!

“Another possible path...?” he murmured, staring at the screen, deep in thought.

He was curious about what those other outcomes would have been, but the quest was over.

Too bad he didn’t have a save or load feature. Only a version of himself in a parallel world would know how the other paths ended.

Still, he believed this path held promise.

He and the players had made the choice together. Even if it was full of hardship, neither Falling Feather, Little Feather, nor himself would regret it.

After all, it was their decision.

With a flick of his finger, he closed the blue holographic window. Just as he was about to head back to his room, a message came through from Hyrja.

“Little Feather is showing new signs...”

“It’s fully awakened?”

“You already know? Oh, right, you have access to the monitors. Yes, it’s awake, and from the looks of it, it wants to talk to you.”

Seeing Hyrja’s excited face on screen, Chu Guang nodded. “I’m coming over now.”

Ending the call, he immediately set off for level B6. When he reached the lab, Hyrja was already waiting at the door of the airlock room.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“Hurry.” She waved at him and eagerly led the way toward the main chamber.

Chu Guang followed behind, and soon enough, he saw the fully awake Little Feather.

It sat in the center like a crowned empress. The vast, ocean-like red Slime Mold carpet was its gown. Its facial features were growing increasingly human.

10 small humanoid sub-entities stood quietly in front of it, their lower bodies fused into its skirt-like Slime Mold. They were like its children.

In a sense, it truly had absorbed part of human culture, including the intellectual side of human nature.

For instance, its current empress-like form was a manifestation of its self-awareness and aesthetic judgment. Even its once-menacing tendrils had evolved into round, almost cute shapes.

Moreover, when it learned from researchers how important the metal lumps in the server room were, it didn’t act like a wild beast and take over. It courteously made space for them.

It was also delighted to receive help implanting headphones in its sub-entities, and quickly adapted to using microphones in its room.

Chu Guang could feel a clear surge of emotion the moment he stepped into view.

Its dolphin-like ‘Yiwu’ cries was filled with joy and warmth.

“It seems to see you as a father... Or maybe a mother,” Hyrja teased. “Should I say congratulations?”

Chu Guang rolled his eyes at her and walked into the room alone. He stood near Little Feather and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

His voice echoed through the chamber, sinking into the soft pink ocean.

He expected a familiar chirp in return, but to his surprise, it spoke.

“... I feel good. Thank you.”

What was even more surprising was that it was using Mandarin.

Because Falling Feather always communicated with it in the player’s language, that was what it had learned.

Soon, Chu Guang planned to have the researchers teach it the standard Federation language, so it could converse freely without needing translation.

Little Feather spoke slowly, its voice hoarse yet calm. "I have learned... but language... is inefficient. Still... for communication, I am willing to learn."

Chu Guang tried to understand her meaning from a linguistic perspective.

In any language, the less uncertainty, the lower the entropy, and the less information it carried. Simply put, to describe the same concept, a low-entropy language uses more characters or syllables. It was more precise but also more verbose. High-entropy languages needed fewer syllables. They were more concise, but less accurate.

Humans used language to communicate with greater precision and ease. But for a Hive like Little Feather, information typically flowed one-way from it to its sub-entities. For them, speaking wasn’t needed. A single varying-frequency hum could replace countless words, immediately instructing each sub-body on what to do.

Of course, that was only Chu Guang’s assumption, and anything he deduced in three seconds was likely incomplete.

"I'm glad you think that way," Chu Guang said with a gentle smile. "Your language is simply too abstract. For most of us, it's genuinely difficult to understand."

Little Feather took a moment to think it over.

Perhaps that was a benefit of its evolution.

Chu Guang could clearly sense that ever since Little Feather had transformed into a Hive. There was a new glimmer of wisdom in its eyes.

Even if it was only a faint one...

"Respected... Human Hive, I can feel their trust in you. So, you are their Mother Body? Are they your sub-entities... Can I understand it like that?"

After Little Feather finally finished assembling that sentence, Chu Guang shook his head.

"Not at all. I wouldn’t recommend that interpretation."

"Then... what are they?"

"They're simply people who trust me. Each one is an individual, with their own thoughts and behaviors."

"Then... How should I speak with all of you?" Little Feather’s voice carried a note of confusion and uncertainty.

Chu Guang understood her unease. The same thing had happened when the New Alliance’s diplomats first arrived in Ideal City.

The Highest Council didn’t have a single leader. So a message meant for one had to be adapted to reach many.

Thankfully, Shu Yu had strong adaptability, and the Enterprise had prior experience dealing with wasteland survivor factions, which kept the conversation flowing.

However, Little Feather was bewildered because humans were not a unified hive.

"Do you trust me?" Chu Guang asked, looking at her.

"Of course. Without question," Little Feather’s voice rippled with emotion like waves through the Slime Mold ocean. "You... were the first person I saw when I awoke. You gave me the chance to grow, even though I was immature... You are like a kind father and mother." Its voice lowered slightly as it continued, "But sometimes I worry... I worry whether you or Falling Feather will still be around. Some memories... one day, they might be things only I remember."

"You don’t need to worry about that. Let the future take care of itself, we only talk about the present." Chu Guang looked at Little Feather, seated casually at the center of the room, and continued, "All I need to know is that you trust me."

"That... is enough?"

"Yes." Chu Guang nodded. "You and the others already share at least one belief. Since you all trust me, then none of your concerns are real problems. If you ever need anything, just speak to me directly... Use the microphones we installed for you and call my name."

Little Feather instantly seemed more at ease. It lowered its gaze slightly. "Thank you..."

Chu Guang smiled gently, his tone soft as he spoke. "No need to thank me. We’ve already set foot on an unforeseen path, and communication is the best way to resolve any differences."

"If you ever have doubts in the future, be sure to tell me!"

...