Chapter 454.2: Bro... We Haven't Met For A Few Days... Why Are You Wearing A Skirt?

The only thing certain was that the player could no longer log into that body, and the shelter had already begun cultivating a new clone for Falling Feather.

So...

Is this now a completely new individual?

With that thought, he looked at the creature surrounded by players.

“Can you hear me?”

“

Yi... wu

?” ‘Falling Feather’ blinked his big watery eyes, curiously studying the iron giant in front of him.

Realizing the creature could hear him, Chu Guang thought for a moment, then spoke. “From now on, you’ll be called... Feather...”

...

To make it easier to tell apart and raise, Chu Guang gave the artificially synthesized Mother Body a new name.

Perhaps because fragments of memory still held that syllable, the little guy seemed to like it. Its response carried a hint of joy, and the small worms floating behind its head waved like seaweed.

Still, no one could say whether the harmlessness was genuine or just an act.

To prevent history from repeating itself, Chu Guang temporarily housed the strange creature at the exit of level B6 and regularly sent food.

Though small in size, Feather’s appetite was surprisingly huge. It was capable of devouring a Creeper much larger than itself.

The toxic black blood that would be deadly to players without the Iron Stomach talent was like fine wine to it.

Watching the little critter feast so happily, Chu Guang leaned against the elevator door, muttering to himself. “Eat more, grow up fast... Damn, you’re making me hungry just watching.”

“

Yi... wu

?” As if it understood, Feather stopped eating, grabbed a lump of black fungus, and handed it over, seemingly trying to share the delicacy.

Seeing those innocent big eyes, Chu Guang quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I don’t eat that... just make sure you’re full.”

“

Yi... wu

!”

Feather nodded, ignored him, and happily resumed munching on the half-eaten Creeper on the ground.

It seemed to see him as a father.

Which was also what confused Chu Guang the most.

If memory serves him well, the first thing it should have seen when waking up was not him, but a noisy crowd of players.

Could it be that he carried some special aura that gave it a sense of familiarity?

The thought chilled him. Once the little one finished its meal, he hurried to the medical bay for a checkup.

“... Didn’t you just have one a few days ago?” Hyrja frowned.

Zipping his jacket, Chu Guang glanced over the fresh report she handed over.

“I suddenly felt like doing it again, is that not allowed?” Chu Guang growled before reading over the report.

She sat on a chair nearby and muttered, “Of course it is... By the way, your genetic sequence development hasn’t progressed at all. You better work harder.”

Chu Guang chuckled. “Aren’t you worried I’ll keep evolving until I turn into a monster?”

“Doesn’t matter. You already have the physique of a monster. With over 30% sequence development, natural reproduction is nearly impossible anyway. Maybe you should consider test-tube babies in the future?” A soft chuckle escaped her lips at the very end.

Chu Guang coughed lightly. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry. The kind of situation you are afraid of won’t happen. Sequence development just re-activates dormant genes. It won’t turn you into another species. You still have 23 pairs of chromosomes, and all your indicators are within the human range.” She paused, then reaffirmed him, “Without a doubt, you’re human.”

His face didn’t change, but relief welled in his chest.

Barely two seconds later, her teasing came again. “

Mm...

but honestly, while studying your genetic data, I did find something interesting.”

Chu Guang gasped, “What did you find?”

“There are segments of DNA that look artificially designed. They are not recorded in any existing gene banks. And it’s not just you. All your clones in the shelter, or ‘players’ as you call them, have some. I’ve been trying to extract these codes into a separate library. Maybe I’ll discover something new.” As she spoke, her face lit up with excitement at the challenge.

Chu Guang couldn’t decide if he should feel relieved or worried about the crazy lady staring at him.

Still, knowing he was still human lifted a great weight from his heart.

Three days passed.

Perhaps from all the food, or maybe from his talent, Hive Mind, that was pretty much an intelligence aura, the half-Slime Mold critter, actually began babbling.

But its first word nearly made Chu Guang spit out his dinner of the day before.

“

Baba

?”[1]

Those innocent eyes blinked up at him. Coughing twice, he quickly clarified, “...I’m not your dad. Your dad should be a guy called Dove.”

But the immature Feather clearly didn’t understand such a complex statement, only tilting its head in confusion. “Ba?”

Chu Guang’s eyelids twitched slightly. “...”

Weird.

He hadn’t taught it that word!

Where had it learned it from?

Aside from talking, Feather also began showing other changes. It started mimicking human behavior, and displaying boundless curiosity about its surroundings.

After several feedings, Chu Guang realized it was totally attached to him. If he disappeared for even a short while, it would cry nonstop, refusing comfort from anyone else.

It gradually gave him a headache.

Not because of he was impatient, but because he was far too busy.

The New Alliance’s growth and construction needed him. The war in the west wasn’t finished, and the harvest in the East Coast awaited.

He was the administrator! How could he have time to be a nanny?

But leaving Feather to cry alone felt cruel.

Besides, hard-won cross-species trust could easily collapse if Feather turned to the dark side.

The next second, he recalled something else. Falling Feather, the actual player, had already been revived!

Analyzing rationally, Feather had been modeled after Falling Feather. The Slime Mold even contained his DNA.

Wouldn’t that blood connection be even stronger than his own?

“... How the hell did I forget about him?!” Chu Guang smacked his head and immediately gave the order. “Little Seven, drag Falling Feather to level B6. I’ll meet him there.”

“Got it, Master!”

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

...

Meanwhile, on level B3.

After countless trials, Falling Feather finally logged back in. Climbing out of his pod, the first thing he heard was an AI speaking to him.

“Player Falling Feather, please proceed immediately to level B6 to speak with the administrator and trigger a mission.”

“What the fuck?!” Holding his breath, he clenched his fists in excitement.

A hidden quest!

Bug compensation!?

“Wuuuuu... Big Brother Light didn’t forget me!” He scrambled out of the pod, rushed to the door, and realized he was naked. Embarrassed, he dashed back, grabbed a blue coat, and hurried out again.

Without speaking to anyone, he sprinted straight for the elevator, tapping on the panel rapidly.

When the doors opened, and he saw the azure exoframe, Falling Feather instantly straightened his back, pressing a fist to his chest with a look of utmost loyalty. “Honored Administrator, is there anything I can do to serve you?”

“Indeed. You came just in time.” Turning around, Chu Guang shot him the most serious look he could muster. “The body you previously used was infected by Slime Mold, leading to some unexpected results...”

As the core NPC of the shelter, Chu Guang knew the players’ resurrection mechanics, so he cut straight to the point, explaining Feather’s current situation.

When Luoyu heard the Slime Mold had used his body as a template for a Mother Body, his eyes bulged.

“I... Fuck?!”

“... Fuck?” Feather tilted its head curiously.

The Slime Mold skirt writhed as it shuffled closer, studying the human who gave off such a familiar scent. The tendrils behind its head reached toward him.

Falling Feather froze, almost retreating back into the elevator.

Watching him blurt curses, Chu Guang coughed lightly and warned, “You... You better control yourself. Try not to teach it weird words. Its mind is like a two or three year old human child. It can’t understand much, nor should it.”

He paused, then continued sternly, “In short, this Mother Body born from you is vital to our research. You’re the closest thing it has to kin in this shelter. I want you to represent us and form a bond with it. Become more than friends with it.”

“Specifically...” Falling Feather swallowed nervously, glancing at the wriggling tendrils floating around him. “... What do you need me to do?”

Seeing how well they already interacted, Chu Guang smiled.

It seemed his plan was working.

Finally, he could offload the critter onto someone else.

“Your task is simple. Spend more time with it daily, teach it to talk. When the time comes, take it outside the shelter and show it how to hunt.”

“But... I have other things to do too...” Falling Feather’s face was twisted with reluctant helplessness.

Reading his thoughts, Chu Guang feigned hesitation, coughing again, “According to the New Alliance researchers, Feather has the greatest growth and adaptability potential among known mutants. Raised properly, it could become a formidable force...”

He put on a hesitant look and mumbled, “... Though I wonder if this might be too much for you.”

At that, Falling Feather stopped breathing for a second.

Wait!

Wasn’t that the same as saying the creature was the strongest battle pet on the server?!

No wonder the administrator hesitated.

Falling Feather was a T3 player... T2 if they really got technical while adding his skills into the mix.

Suddenly gaining such a powerful pet would obviously affect the balance of the game! Surely, the forums would explode with nerf cries.

But understanding that, Falling Feather’s hesitant eyes now burned as he looked at Feather again.

It wasn’t a tentacle monster!

The creature was an SSSR-tier god pet!

He might even teach it to fly planes!

“Please leave it to me, Lord Administrator!” Afraid Chu Guang would change his mind, Falling Feather put on his most reliable expression and swore, “I won’t disappoint you!”

Inside, Chu Guang chuckled. On the outside, he acted reluctant, nodding slowly. “... Since you insist, then I’ll leave it to you.”

...

The task of feeding Feather was handed over easily.

As for Hyrja, Chu Guang tasked her with analyzing whether Feather could consume and replace the Hive on level B6, and what risks that might carry.

The Shelter System gave no hints on how to use Feather, leaving the decision to him.

Chu Guang decided to let Falling Feather raise it for a while.

Once they had bonded and could communicate, Feather could be sent to devour the Hive on level B6, testing Researcher G-13’s theory.

If proven viable, the New Alliance wouldn’t just gain a powerful weapon, it might even accomplish what the Post-War Reconstruction Committee failed to do, retake the center of Clearspring City!

At that point, the city’s resources would all belong to the New Alliance.

And not just Clearspring City... Every city conquered by Slime Mold would fall in turn!

1. DADDY in CN ☜