CHAPTER 29
The severed head split into four pieces, and bl*od splattered everywhere.
This scene strangely brought a sense of calm to Xiang Chenxi. War was a display of gory v!olence, and its cruelty was immediately apparent. What she feared was not the gruesomeness itself but the chilling thoughts that followed, the kind that crept up on her from behind like a feather brushing against her spine, piercing her vertebrae.
The bl*od vines emitted hoarse screams as the fractured heads multiplied and transformed into new heads. All the heads twisted in unison, densely packed together, staring at her. After firing a few shots and crushing one of the heads with her boot, she managed to break free from the gruesome corridor. Following the plea for help echoing in her ears, she pressed on.
As she moved forward, she suddenly stopped. The pleas in her ears ceased, and she glanced at her wristwatch.
Mental value: 33.
Good.
In front of her was a door she recognized as the automated control center of every outpost. Inside, various models of circulation machines would be housed. Each machine had a different power output. The one before her emitted a buzzing sound, intermingled with agonizing gasps, as if someone were trapped within.
At this point, Xiang Chenxi was no longer stingy with her mental value. To be honest, she still had mental supplements stored in her wristwatch. If this outpost were to drive her to madness, she would bring it down with her.
Was it still displaying midnight on her wristwatch? Bullsh*t!
She entered the room, the bl*od vines writhing aimlessly behind her but not crossing the threshold. She turned around and pointed her flashlight inside.
Each circulation machine consisted of a core and a network of densely packed pipelines. Just like a heart, it controlled the outpost, regulating various areas. It served as the central hub for energy and resource conversion, like a garbage bin that maximized the transformation of post-war remnants into usable energy.
However, Xiang Chenxi had never anticipated seeing a living heart here.
It was beating.
Thump, thump, thump.
Each beat accompanied by intense gasping, as if it were exhausted, exerting all its efforts to pump energy throughout.
Embedded in the center of the heart, amidst the maze of bl*od vessels, was a person.
This person seemed to be in agony, their arms raised as if nailed to the heart, wrists and ankles deeply embedded within it. Veins intertwined with their flesh, merging their body with the heart. The flesh and tendons clung together like a net, barely revealing scraps of clothing through its gaps.
Mental value: 30.
The woman was speaking, and Xiang Chenxi confirmed that it was indeed the plea for help.
The plea for help originated from the core of the outpost, from this woman embedded within the heart.
"New... Normal... Normal..." The person murmured softly. Xiang Chenxi approached and saw her clothing, a white coat like that of a researcher, similar to He Ran. There seemed to be a badge on her chest.
She tore off the badge, wiping away the bl*od stains.
Research Director Wei Huaiyi
"Are you calling for help?" Xiang Chenxi looked at the person within the heart, the plea for help indicating that she was about to die.
Wei Huaiyi was a pale woman with short hair, resembling He Ran to some extent, but Wei Huaiyi appeared more delicate, without any signs of training from head to toe.
Wei Huaiyi's gaze was cast down, as if looking at her. Then her eyes turned, and Xiang Chenxi heard her own voice through the earpiece.
Mental value: 28, whether to ad—
She didn't listen to the rest because Wei Huaiyi spoke.
"Everyone is dead, only I... came back."
Mental value: 26.
"I can't leave... The outpost is doomed..."
"I can't leave..."
"Save me... He—"
Suddenly, the door swung open. Xiang Chenxi turned around, and the severed head on the ground rolled over, followed by its pursuer, covered in bl*ody vines. At this moment, Xiang Chenxi finally rubbed her eyes and countless worms fell out with a fluttering sound. They were like earthworms, like bl*od vessels, sticking to her eyeballs, impossible to clean off. She couldn't see anything clearly.
The head emerged from the ground, followed by a twisted, blurred figure in dark red.
Xiang Chenxi closed her eyes, but the person walked past her, shouting with joy. She could even hear it in his voice: "Director, I've grown it, I've grown it..."
Grown it. Xiang Chenxi tugged at the bl*od threads in her eyes, enduring the pressure of decreasing mental value, determined to see what this person had done.
Wei Huaiyi could only mutter, "I can't get out... I'm going to die... New... Normal..."
The bl*ody figure was extremely disappointed. Suddenly, a leaf-like blade extended and, like a knife, severed his neck. The leaf and vines held the gushing head and forcefully brought it towards Wei Huaiyi's mouth.
"Director, eat, eat..."
Numerous heads burrowed out from underground, each begging Wei Huaiyi to eat.
Wei Huaiyi's lips were bl*od-red, and bl*od dripped from the corner of her mouth. She stopped murmuring and closed her eyes. The enormous circular machine seemed to open its mouth, suddenly engulfing her and wriggling as if digesting her.
Xiang Chenxi numbly watched everything and finally pressed a switch on her wristwatch.
Her wrist stung, and it felt as if a knife was stirring in her head. Her mental value was forcibly pulled back.
Mental value 30, mental value 35, 39, 40...
"He Ran, eat."
The pile of severed heads at her feet suddenly shifted their attention, and Xiang Chenxi turned around and saw He Ran.
He Ran was still wearing a white coat, but she had changed her boots and tightened her belt. Xiang Chenxi realized that He Ran looked a bit thin, with sunken eye sockets, leaning heavily against the door. She lifted her hand and pressed down on one of the heads, her eyes filled with crazily growing bl*od vessels.
There was an exhaustion on He Ran's face that Xiang Chenxi had never seen before. She held a gun in her right hand and a military dagger in her left, walking straight over. "Close your eyes."
Xiang Chenxi realized that she couldn't move.
Mental value 40, 30, 20...
He Ran covered her eyes, and in her hazy consciousness, He Ran seemed to have her arm draped over her shoulder.
She saw it—a giant eye opened on the wall behind He Ran.
It stared at her, to the point where she couldn't move at all, her mind filled with thoughts of running away.
But her body wouldn't budge. Forcing her mental value to rise would naturally slow down her physical reactions, and just now, she was indeed in fear.
This outpost drew her here, made her turn around, and when that eye opened, even the string of severed heads on the ground fell silent.
She realized that He Ran was still carrying her forward. She struggled to open her eyes and saw He Ran reaching into the circulation machine, trying to grab Wei Huaiyi.
But she only managed to grab one hand. Though He Ran exerted all her strength, Wei Huaiyi was completely swallowed by the heart.
"Don't look back." she warned He Ran in a low voice. She felt ridiculous, warning a pollutant to be careful.
But this pollutant always gave her a sense of comfort, as if everything could return to normal by He Ran's side. She slowly closed her eyes, thinking about her mission. She had taken this world too lightly.
Suddenly, a strange sound reached her ears. It sounded like a man, yet also like a young girl. The voice was incredibly chaotic, as if two voices were competing to speak. "Now, come down immediately for a meeting!"
Xiang Chenxi struggled, but it seemed like she was being pulled by many hands, separated from He Ran.
Before long, she heard a voice, "Who is the pollutant? Let's vote."
She opened her eyes and found herself sitting in the middle of a meeting room.
No eyes, no vines, no bl*odshot eyes.
There was a long table with three display screens facing different directions, illuminating the faces of different individuals, each with their names in front of them.
Mechanic, Zhao Xinyan. Zhao Xinyan held a screwdriver and a bl*od-stained logbook, with a gloomy expression on his face.
Researcher, Lin Buxiu. Lin Buxiu had a bl*ody hole in her chest and skillfully braided her hair with ten fingers.
Researcher, Lu Xun. A transparent jelly-like person who quickly developed flesh and revealed a round girl's face, but soon turned transparent again.
Researcher, Gao Tong, sewed himself into a giant doll, his eyes filled with terror.
Logistics officer, Zhan Yicheng, bl*od continuously gushed from his neck, the person who severed his own head on the fourth floor to feed Wei Huaiyi.
Communications officer, Shen Ling, one hand covering an earpiece, the other ear exposed, looking at her with a panicked but desperately calm smile.
Research director, Wei Huaiyi. The seat was empty.
Commander of the facility, Wu Wang.
The commander's nameplate was held down by the pale and fragile hand of a young girl. The nameplate was pushed down.
For some reason, Xiang Chenxi felt as if something was blocking her from raising her head to look directly at the girl's face. She could only see the girl's arm wearing a golden bead string, with disheveled long hair hanging to her chest.
She flipped her own nameplate, stunned.
Researcher, He Ran.
If she was sitting in He Ran's position, then where was He Ran herself?
The girl suddenly spoke, "Who is the pollutant? Let's vote."
In that instant, all the heads turned sharply.
Snap.
Except for the commander, everyone's heads almost turned 180 degrees, staring at her intently.
Each of them said, "He Ran is the pollutant."
"He Ran is the pollutant."
The voices grew louder, almost turning into shouts. Everyone, in unison, shouted that He Ran was the pollutant.
Xiang Chenxi felt like she had become He Ran herself. In this situation where she was being accused by her companions, she subconsciously wanted to stand up and defend herself.
Mental value 19, 18.
That commander, even though Xiang Chenxi couldn't see anything above the commander's shoulders, felt like the commander was looking at her.
But just as she was about to stand up, a hand pressed on her shoulder.
All the heads tilted down from their shoulders, as if scrutinizing the situation.
There was a person standing behind her.
This person slowly said, "I am the pollutant."
She realized that the hand was tightly gripping her shoulder but not pushing her down, as if carrying a bag, ready to lift her away at any moment.
"Who is the pollutant?" The commander's voice was crisp, without the previous mix of male voices.
He Ran repeated, "I am the pollutant."
"The pollutant deserves to die." the commander said.
The table suddenly moved back, and He Ran grabbed Xiang Chenxi's arm. "But this person is a supply officer... Li Haohao, she is a supply officer, and she brought a lot of delicious food."
The commander paused, seemingly contemplating something.
He Ran said, "After the supply officer leaves... we will have a meal."
Xiang Chenxi saw the commander's hand, the golden bead strings trembling slightly in mid-air. The commander's hand pressed on the table, seemingly exerting a lot of force.
"I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry!!!"
The commander suddenly screamed, and Xiang Chenxi fearfully covered her ears. Even so, the scream pierced through the earpiece, causing her mental value to plummet.
"You can just eat me." He Ran calmly said as she pushed Xiang Chenxi up, took a few steps back, opened the room, and quietly told her to close her eyes.
But the girl in the room refused to give up and screamed, "No, not you, I won't eat, I won't eat—"
Xiang Chenxi realized bl*od was flowing from her ears, and she could no longer hear clearly what was happening behind her. He Ran pulled her up the stairs, walked to the door.
One door, two doors, opened. It was still dark outside.
She realized that He Ran wasn't wearing protective gear, and she herself hadn't injected the medication in advance.
He Ran stuffed her into the car. "Go. In the wilderness, there might still be a glimmer of hope."
At this critical moment, He Ran unexpectedly left a signed handover list by her control lever.
"I didn't expect her to wake up tonight. Hurry, go."
Xiang Chenxi looked at He Ran, gritted her teeth, and started the car. "Are you coming with me?"
How could she say such words to a pollutant?
He Ran paused, smiled faintly, "I can't leave."
The last time she heard those words was from Research Director Wei Huaiyi's mouth.
Can't leave, what does that mean?
But before she could say anything, the control lever suddenly transformed into a hand, a hand reaching out from the car, desperately grabbing towards her, as if emerging from hell, trying to pull her in.
He Ran no longer urged her to leave, but turned her head and looked at the girl standing at the entrance.
"I want to eat her." the girl said calmly.
"Li Haohao!" He Ran's voice carried a reproachful tone. Li Haohao, perhaps that was the girl's name.
"Why won't you let me eat my fill? Why do you always have things and not let me eat? You just leave them there... He Ran, I'm not happy..." The girl muttered to herself, and Xiang Chenxi felt like she was being swallowed up.
But in the end, she didn't.
The severed fingers were completely swallowed up, most of her legs were gone, fatal wounds appeared on her chest and arms. He Ran dragged her out and carried her on her back.
"We've never had a precedent of letting a supply officer die here at our outpost. This is not good."
"I'm so hungry."
"Aren't I here already?" He Ran said.
"Why didn't you leave?" Li Haohao's voice was also full of sadness, "You could have left."
"Ah, you figured it out." He Ran's tone surprisingly carried a smile.
"I know everything now that has happened at the outpost."
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