CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 349 [SHELL]

Chapter 349 [Shell]

Let’s be real, there’s no need to be that scary!

What is this place? After his rebirth, Chen Nuo had encountered the biggest pitfall of all: the Antarctica mission.

This damned Red Circle base had explosions, an unexplained onset of extreme low temperatures, a mysteriously missing Controller boss, suddenly emerging underground monsters, and enemies that could silently mutate people into monsters...

In such a place, a big BOSS suddenly appeared, capable of communicating with Chen Nuo through thoughts.

If you said you were the Mother or another Seed, I could accept that. But you’re telling me you’re human?!

"Anderson? What’s the matter? Did you find something?"

The Captain’s voice came from afar, interrupting Chen Nuo’s thoughts. Although the Captain was also searching, he was actually always paying attention to Chen Nuo and, despite the search, he cautiously maintained a distance that wasn’t too far from Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo took a deep breath, raised his head, and replied, "Nothing, continue the search!"

After gesturing to the Captain, the Captain could only obediently walk further away.

Chen Nuo took a few steps forward, walked around a discarded boiler, and stood behind it. Once he was sure his figure was blocked, he stopped.

Human? That’s quite a coincidence, I’m human too, Chen Xiaoguo quipped internally, his mind racing.

"A coincidence?" The voice sounded nonchalant. "I don’t think it is."

"Then tell me, if you’re a human, how can you be in a godforsaken place like this?"

"Aren’t you also in a godforsaken place like this?" the voice countered.

Stop! Chen Nuo called out in his mind, trying to converse with the other party with a calm attitude. This bickering is pointless... If you chose to communicate with me, you probably don’t want to argue, right? What exactly are you... a human? What are you doing here? Did you cause all the accidents here?

After a few seconds of silence, the voice seemed to consider before responding.

"You have too many questions, which is very unfair. How about we each ask one? One question in exchange for one question, how about that?"

"Alright, deal—consider that my answer to your proposal. Now it’s my turn."

Chen Nuo was being cheeky again.

The other party didn’t seem to get angry. "...Alright, you ask."

Chen Nuo immediately asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Colo, full name Maximus Didier Colo. A human Controller—well, I was when I was alive."

When he was alive? Does that mean this guy is a ghost? Tsk. A spirit?

Chen Nuo frowned. At the same time, he felt something strange. The name Colo seemed familiar...

Suddenly, a lightning-like thought struck him!

Chen Nuo remembered where he had heard the name Colo. After obtaining the "Ancestral Master Sword," also known as the "Sword of Killing Intent," and opening the box, he had seen a "memory fragment."

Back when the Ancestor of the Qingyun Sect and two other Controllers were exterminating a Mother in Africa, one of the Controllers was named—wasn’t it Colo?

Is it... a coincidence? Just a common name?

"Now, tell me, how did you become a Chosen One?"

After hearing the other’s question, Chen Nuo thought for a moment and slowly said, "Actually, I have no idea what being a Chosen One means."

This response was somewhat opportunistic—but not exactly a lie.

"...Well, that’s reasonable enough. Indeed, some people don’t even know they’ve been chosen," the one called Colo said, accepting Chen Nuo’s response.

Chen Nuo took a deep breath. "My turn to ask... Did you cause everything that happened here?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Chen Nuo pressed.

"No, no, no, it’s my turn now," Colo’s voice was calm. "What are you here for?"

"Because of the Octopus Monster’s commission." Chen Nuo quickly summarized the Octopus Monster’s commission, then added, "That’s our mission: to search for and investigate the cause of the accident at this base. If we find any enemies, we are to eliminate them and bring them back."

After saying this, Chen Nuo immediately added, "It’s my turn to ask a question, right?"

"...Go ahead."

"Since you’re human, why are you causing all this trouble here?"

"No, no, no, you cunning little fellow. Your question is very sly, encompassing multiple questions, like why a human like me would be here and why I would cause all this trouble... You’re too cunning," Colo said.

Chen Nuo pondered for a moment. "Then just answer the latter: why are you causing all this trouble?"

"To protect," Colo’s reply left Chen Nuo stunned.

"Protect?" Chen Nuo said, dissatisfied. "No, that’s not an answer! I’m not satisfied with that response; you need to be more specific!"

After several seconds of silence, Colo responded once more.

"The Octopus Monster’s survey of this base had progressed to a point where it posed a threat, so I had to destroy it. And your arrival will continue to pose a threat."

"What threat?" Chen Nuo asked, then quickly added, "This is still one question! You need to be more specific!"

"If the things here were to spread, it would cause catastrophic damage to this world," Colo answered.

Chen Nuo was taken aback.

Spread... Destruction? So the barrier is...

"So you created the barrier? Did you create this barrier to prevent things from here from escaping? Like those monsters?"

"A barrier? That’s an interesting name, but I prefer to call it a ’low-temperature energy field’."

Colo said this, seemingly unconcerned by Chen Nuo’s shock, and slowly continued, "Now, it’s my turn to ask a question. Where was the last place you saw a Mother?"

Chen Nuo hesitated. "How do you know..."

"You started by asking me if I was a Seed or a Mother, which shows that you are aware of these things and have certainly encountered one."

"Alright, the last time was in... Neon Country," Chen Nuo gave his answer.

Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie. That Seed, although very close to being a Mother, hadn’t started evolving yet, so it wasn’t a true Mother.

"So, Neon Country did have one after all... It just hadn’t been found before." Colo’s voice carried a hint of a sigh. "Clearly, you encountered a Mother there and then became a Chosen One."

Chen Nuo was actually somewhat baffled. During his encounter with the Mother in Neon Country, he had actually killed one. How he had become a Chosen One was something Chen Nuo had never really understood.

"What are those monsters here?" Chen Nuo asked. "It’s my turn to ask, isn’t it?"

Colo seemed to chuckle. "For a Chosen One, you possess very little information indeed."

After a pause, he continued, "Alright, but I’m willing to answer your question. Those monsters you’ve seen are just tools."

Chen Nuo sighed softly.

Cargo or life pods, genetic "trademarks" or "brands"... Tools, huh? I should have thought of this already.

"Explain in detail."

"The Mother’s arrival on this planet was to escape the catastrophe of the Mother’s civilization and rebuild that civilization here. The Mother itself does not need one, but the offspring It nurtures do require physical bodies to inhabit. When fleeing, the Mother carried a vast number of biological samples, intended for creating ’shells’ for its offspring to inhabit once it found a new home and rebuilt its civilization.

During the escape, the Mother could not possibly have known that its new home would be our planet. It was an escape without a clear destination.

Therefore, to be prepared, it carried a variety of genes for incubation. These genes were biological samples from star systems controlled by the Mother’s civilization during its era. And it brought all these things here.

The so-called ’monsters’ you’ve seen are just one kind of these. Of course, the creatures that escaped from the cargo hold Octopus Monster first discovered were also another kind."

Shells for nurturing offspring? Those monsters?

Chen Nuo could roughly understand.

The Mother is a pure Spiritual Life Form. But there is only one such pure Spiritual Life Form—the supreme one. However, the Mother’s civilization could not possibly consist of just the Mother as a solitary leader. It gives birth to many offspring, who are slightly lower-level Spiritual Life Forms. These offspring need shells. This was reflected in the vast amount of information Chen Nuo had received during his interaction with the Mother in Neon Country.

But the universe is diverse, and so are planets. Most planets are lifeless, absolute wastelands. Therefore, the Mother made extensive preparations before fleeing, bringing ’monsters’ that could utilize various planetary environments, to serve as shells for its future offspring. Much like Seeds. The Mother gave birth to Seeds on Earth, and the Seeds, in turn, would seize the shells of Earth’s indigenous creatures to survive.

"But these monsters have consciousness, right?"

"They are merely lower organisms without advanced intelligence. However, they are very convenient as shells for Body Seizing," Colo smiled. "This is the system of the Mother’s civilization. One Mother gives birth to countless offspring. These offspring perform Body Seizing on various cosmic creatures, living on planets suitable for their physical forms, all while remaining under the Mother’s rule."

At this point, Colo’s tone grew somber. "But these things, if released on Earth—they would be an apocalyptic disaster for Earth’s indigenous life!

The kind of monsters you’ve seen are small and have tentacles. Their reproductive capabilities are very strong; they are highly adept at burrowing, prefer to live in groups, and communicate using ultra-low-frequency sound waves. Due to their sturdy bodies, their physical destructive strength is extremely high, capable of easily tearing through steel plates. Their life systems are sophisticated; they have a high affinity for oxygen environments, can survive in extremely low temperatures, and are omnivorous carbon-based life forms.

Such creatures make excellent shells for the Mother’s offspring.

But without the Mother’s offspring possessing them, these beings are merely pure beasts!

If they were to be hatched in massive numbers, it would create a terrifying sea of monsters, potentially capable of wiping out all indigenous life on a planet!

If these creatures were to get out, I can assure you that within a year, all of Antarctica would be overrun with them!

And their respiratory systems can fully adapt to underwater environments, meaning the oceans wouldn’t stop their spread.

Once they fill Antarctica, they will spread to the continents inhabited by humans...

Regarding Earth’s environment, their only weakness is their affinity for low temperatures; they dislike heat. Once Earth’s temperature reaches about ten degrees Celsius or higher, they will fear and detest it.

If they were to escape from here... you can imagine...

All of Earth’s cold regions would be swarming with these things. Even the warm temperate zones would face attacks from these monsters every winter.

The only places that might be safe are the tropics near the equator! And that’s only on land!

Don’t forget, they can adapt to underwater survival... the oceans would also become their breeding grounds!

They can inhabit the deep waters, where temperatures in many areas are below ten degrees Celsius!

They would fill every part of this planet with temperatures below ten degrees Celsius, on land and in the ocean."