MTL - How to Feed an Abyss!-Chapter 40 their courage

The Queen of Purple Lantern Bugs infected by Abyss 0 was named "Black Queen".

Its whole body is made of black crystals, and it is as tall as a small building. The purple lantern insects it breeds also have the characteristics of resurrection from death.

After the "Black Queen" was severely damaged by space-based weapons, she was contained in the bottom floor of the laboratory. Once it is resurrected, it will be pierced through the head by a laser weapon, then reborn, and then killed-the research center is very careful not to give it any chance to grow.

Other researchers are studying whether it can be restrained with high-efficiency anesthetics or cold storage.

"This is not the way after all." Professor Guan said, "It took us two space-based weapons to subdue it, and the containment would take a lot of energy. Even if there is one more creature like this, we may not be able to withstand it. "He rubbed his eyebrows, "I only have one question, is the 'Black Queen' the infection before the disappearance of Abyss 0, or after? Where did Abyss 0 go? Why can we still monitor its infection wavelength?"

No one could answer his question.

The night was deep, the research center was brightly lit, the researchers in white were running around, and the green data flowed across the huge screen. This was destined to be a sleepless night.

At the same time, the infection wavelength of Abyss 0 reappeared.

Its data is like a fish, swimming through thousands of data torrents, everything it passes is hellish red.

— Shi Yuan left the city again.

He took advantage of the night to come to the wilderness and stepped into a tall forest.

The monsters are still afraid of him and dare not approach him. Now he knew why: he could override their infection, kill them physically, become his own infection. While they fear death, they instinctively yearn for that kind of supreme power.

Infection, distortion, ascension. Evolution, which takes tens of thousands of years, can happen every minute; time, which imprisons all species, was broken by him.

if he wants to...

He can create legions of undead monsters. Perhaps in the distant future, after the Legion occupies this planet, it will be able to launch an expedition to a wider universe.

The battle never stops.

The bright moonlight was cut to pieces by the branches and fell on the shoulders, and the insects with light tails flew slowly, just like the night Xie Qianming died.

Shi Yuan crossed the stream, climbed up a short slope, and sat on a dead tree trunk lying on the ground. The shoes were wet with mud and uncomfortable to wear. He took them off and set them aside, just touching the cold stream with his toes.

He took out the black crystal, and the blue butterfly exuded a dreamy light. Unlike before, the crystal cracked.

Shi Yuan could feel that in this restless night, the butterfly wanted to flap its wings and fly.

He waited for a while, and half an hour or an hour later, the crystal sounded crisply, and a butterfly with black crystals on its wings flew up.

it lives.

Blue and black complement each other, it happily shuttles through the forest wind, chasing an insect, and its six legs gently land on it——

The blood exploded.

Sharp crystals protruded from its toes, piercing the insect. The butterfly flew back to Shi Yuan with the **** insects, rejoicing, and wanted to offer its prey to Shi Yuan, just like a loyal minister paying tribute to the king, and a believer offering sacrifices to the gods.

"No, I don't want it." Shi Yuan said, "This doesn't look delicious."

Blue Butterfly didn't quite understand, but finally understood what he meant. It swallowed the insects in small mouthfuls, and caught a three-headed bird.

"I don't want this either." Shi Yuan hugged his tail sadly, "I like bean sprout soup, the bean sprout soup at the restaurant in front of the theater."

For the next half hour, the blue butterfly flew around, catching transparent rabbits, half tentacles, human-faced spiders and a fluorescent green turtle. It tried its best to give Shi Yuan the best thing, but Shi Yuan didn't want it.

Shi Yuan stretched out his hand, and it landed gently on his fingertips. Shi Yuan looked at it and said, "Can you stop killing humans and monsters?"

The butterfly didn't understand and shook its wings gently.

It only desires endless predation and killing, and will not stop.

Shi Yuan remained silent.

Another gust of forest wind blew in the fragrance of the trees, and insects danced with lanterns. A boy with black scales at the end of his eyes and devil horns on his first head sat on a tree trunk, stepping barefoot in the stream, his eyes lit up by the fluorescence of butterflies on his fingertips. The monsters were watching him secretly—not daring to get close, but looking at him with a little curiosity. He is the absolute protagonist here.

If a lost person sees this scene, he will definitely regard him as a **** from the wild.

This is his inseparable and closely related hometown.

"You go." Shi Yuan said to the blue butterfly, "The farther the better, don't come back."

He shook the butterfly off, and the butterfly flew back again. After going back and forth several times, it flew away reluctantly.

Shi Yuan was stunned for a while, hugged his tail, and fell asleep leaning against the tree trunk.

Dream is a bright stage. The sound of the insect's wings flapping was still there, and this time he saw the other party clearly—

The "Black Queen" hovered below the stage, watching him tenderly and fanatically.

Blue butterflies danced, and they all fought for him. Looking around, the audience is full of monsters, they fear him, respect him, longing to walk in the eternal wasteland of time; they want a good show to start, a gorgeous performance that will not end.

"Okay," Shi Yuan said, "It seems that I'm still a monster."

The shattered light in the forest fell on his forehead, and the city was in the distance, trying his best to emit light that pierced the long night.

…

Shi Yuan started working at the food distribution place again.

The whole city is under martial law, no one can go out without a permit. All cultural and entertainment activities were suspended, the curfew was advanced to 9 o'clock, electricity and water were limited, and the hot water supply time was reduced from 6 hours to 4 hours.

There are fewer and fewer dishes at the distribution point. At the beginning, there were cabbage, potatoes, watercress, lettuce, etc., and they were arranged and combined in different ways to make different dishes. At the end, there were the same mixed vegetables, and there was no meat at all. I heard that meat is exclusively for the army.

He heard about the recent situation of Cheng Youwen and Qin Luoluo.

Cheng Youwen went to a shoe factory to manipulate machines to make military boots; Qin Luoluo went to the hospital to learn how to treat simple wounds.

No one knew where Xia Fang had gone, Lu Tinghan only told Shi Yuan that he was definitely not in Gleaming City anymore. And Wolfgang went to the main city to join the army and fought several battles. It is said that he served long ago, until his brother died outside the city.

Tracy was sent to the Star Welfare Institute and placed in the care of the dean, Martha Firth.

She drew pictures, acted, and read fairy tales in the orphanage, and gained a lot of loyal fans.

When Shi Yuan saw her again, it was in the hospital.

Wolfgang couldn't come back, Dean Martha still had a lot of children to worry about, and Cheng Youwen and Qin Luoluo were so busy that they could only entrust Shi Yuan to take care of her.

Tracy was very sick, sicker than ever.

Every night, the sequelae of the infection ate her up, and the pain spread from the spine to every inch of her soul. Painkillers are scarce, and the doctor will only give one tablet in three days. She curled up into a ball with a needle, and Shi Yuan held her hand to comfort her.

"...Shi Yuan," she said softly, "Where did Xia Fang go? I haven't seen him for a long, long time."

No one told her that Xia Fang stole the money and ran away.

"He went to a very far place," Shi Yuan replied, "it might be another city."

Tracy: "Is it Fengyang City? Or the main city? Will he come back?"

"I don't know." Shi Yuan said honestly.

Tracy thought for a while: "I think it's Fengyang City. His mother and Ms. Isabella are both there. Maybe they can meet."

Shi Yuan said, "Well, maybe."

That night, Tracy's indicators plummeted. Shi Yuan called for a doctor, and a group of people hurriedly pushed her into the emergency room before her heart rate returned.

Qin Luoluo came over the next day, guarded Tracy for a day, and then had to call Shi Yuan to come over. When Shi Yuan came, he took the last blooming sunflower from the living room, rolled it with its tail all the way to the hospital, and gave it to Tracy.

Tracy rejoiced and was happy for several days after seeing it.

After that, she was hospitalized intermittently, and Shi Yuan went to the shelter several times.

In mid-July, Wolfgang returned.

He was brought back on a stretcher.

He also returned with many wounded and jars of ashes. I heard that Admiral Su Enqi's command made a mistake, which caused heavy losses to their army.

All of a sudden, everyone was talking about Admiral Su.

"It seems that he is really old...Why don't you let the land general take command."

"Yeah, I heard that he made several small mistakes before."

"Time is not forgiving. I think he was often called 'General Changsheng' when he was young. You said that if we make such mistakes next time, what should we do?"

"Wait, wait, is there anything that can prove that he made a mistake? I think it's okay. This is just a defeat. Who can guarantee eternal victory? We must have confidence in Admiral Su!"

Shi Yuan never understood military affairs.

Besides, there are all kinds of rumors and rumors, and I don’t know if they are true or not.

He didn't care about that either, he was only responsible for taking care of Wolfgang.

Wolfgang was injured by the infected deer. His right arm, abdomen, and calf were covered with large open wounds. He needed dozens of stitches and had a high fever for five days before subsiding.

The only consolation was that he and Tracy's hospital room were so close together that he could see Tracy on crutches.

Tracy was very happy and pestered him with stories every time. Wolfgang was not in good spirits, and fell asleep after listening to the story for a while, and refused to go back after leaning on the bedside and fighting with his eyelids.

Shi Yuan wanted to use his tail to drag him back to the ward so that he could rest earlier, but the usual Wolfgang was a hill, and the injured Wolfgang was an injured hill. Angrily scolded him back.

After all, Wolfgang is physically strong, and the serious injury is getting better day by day; opposite him is Tracy, who is getting weaker and weaker.

Tracey was rescued a few more times.

Shi Yuan stood by her hospital bed, looked at her increasingly pale face, and thought, she might not survive the day of surgery.

Wolfgang often sat at the head of her bed for most of the day. He has always been a taciturn man, and it is the same at this time, his silence is like an old, stubborn stone of resistance, only his eyes are soft.

Once, by chance, Tracy woke up. Wolfgang said: "When I first met you, you were sitting in the window reading aloud, playing different roles. What were you reading?"

"I don't really remember, maybe it's "Mr. Fox." Tracy smiled. "You and Ms. Isabella both said that I would definitely be a good actor."

"Yes, you will be the best actor in the world."

"I was not very good at performing on stage before, and I forgot my words when I went up."

Wolfgang stroked her hair: "It's normal. You're too young, all you need to do now is grow up." He lowered his head and kissed her cheek lightly, "You just need to grow Big."

Three days later, Tracy closed her eyes forever.

Wolfgang did not close his eyes for several days, the wound worsened and the fever returned.

After the fever, he fell into a drowsy sleep. Shi Yuan took care of him, helped him get medicine, and changed the wet towel on his forehead all night. After surviving the worst night, Wolfgang's body temperature stabilized in the early hours of the morning.

Shi Yuan carried the washbasin to change the water, and when he came back, Wolfgang had already woken up. He lay flat on the bed, stared at the pale ceiling and said, "There is no savior."

Shi Yuan washed the towel, wrung out the water, and folded it into a square piece. He put the towel on Wolfgang's forehead, a stream of water flowed down, passed the corner of the man's eyes, and soaked the collar of his shirt.

The sun rose, alive with brilliant golden light, and embraced them through the glass window, a shriveled flower at the head of the bed.

Shi Yuan said, "Well, there is no savior."

…

Tracy's funeral took place a week later, with flowers, fairy tale books and stuffed animals in her honor. It's a pity that I couldn't buy a few flowers, so I spread a shallow layer and turned them into ashes in the fire.

Wolfgang left Gleaming City again, ready to return to the army and continue fighting.

When Shi Yuan returned home, he lay on the sofa watching "Waiting for Godot" given to him by Cheng Youwen, and fell asleep.

He was woken up by Lu Tinghan shaking his tail and screaming.

Lu Tinghan went to Fengyang City for half a month, and only came back today, and patted Shi Yuan's head skillfully.

However, no matter how much he rubbed, Shi Yuan was only wagging the tip of his tail, without making a snoring sound.

This looks like a bad mood.

Gotta coax.

"What happened?" Lu Tinghan asked him, "Tell me about it."

Shi Yuan told him about Tracy.

Lu Tinghan was silent for a while, then said, "Let's go to the balcony to get some fresh air."

The air on the balcony is very good. Looking around the city, a few buildings have collapsed, but most of them are still there. Shi Yuan hugged Lu Tinghan and buried his head in his arms. After a long time, he said in a muffled voice: "...I'm not a savior, I can't save them."

This sentence was unexpected, Lu Tinghan paused, and said: "Shi Yuan, the script is just a script."

He thought that Shi Yuan was just touching the scene and getting emotional, and he was too deep into the drama.

Shi Yuan hugged Lu Tinghan's waist tightly, and kept silent. He had thousands of words, and it took him a long time to hold back a sentence: "I thought, I thought it was meaningful for me to come to the city."

—The kind of more special meaning besides the human being who found him, such as saving a city.

That's how it's played in the script, obviously a hypocrite can become a real hero, but it won't work for him.

Seeing Shi Yuan's posture, he felt wronged and wronged, and he would definitely not be able to coax him all night.

Lu Tinghan lowered his eyes, stroked his head, and stopped trying to refute that the scripts were all fake, so there was no need to substitute himself. He just said, "Maybe it makes sense, but not in the way you think."

Shi Yuan looked up at him, with a question mark on his tail: "Huh?"

Lu Tinghan didn't answer his question and changed the subject: "Did I tell you the story of Xie Qianming?"

Shi Yuan shook his head. Neither Lu Tinghan nor Cheng Youwen mentioned Xie Qianming to him. He knew very little about that man, only the mace pendant on his neck could prove that they had traveled together.

Lu Tinghan said: "I said that Xie Qianming was my old boss, and he took good care of me when I was a private first class. He likes stage plays, and tried to pull me and other subordinates to watch them several times. We all love art. Not interested, in the end he was the only one who persisted.”

Shi Yuan listened silently.

Lu Tinghan: "After I became a second lieutenant, I proposed to be an abyss watcher. Everyone opposed me, friends, comrades, teachers, relatives...Only Xie Qianming supported me against all odds and helped me go through many procedures , withstood a lot of pressure and convinced many people. He told me later that firstly, he believed in my decision, and secondly, he felt that life always has to do something bold.”

He continued: "Xie Qianming has always been a very bold person. I have heard stories about him one after another. When he was a child, he climbed a very tall tree and climbed on it to enjoy the scenery. He almost scared his mother to tears; The rat's tail, and knock them out one by one; it's his daily routine to contradict his superiors, and when he encounters something that he thinks is wrong, no matter who it is, he will scold him all round."

Shi Yuan: "Oh..."

Lu Tinghan: "He often told me that the most precious thing in the world is courage—the courage to face everything and challenge everything. So he..." He paused, "He is very brave in pursuing his wife. Call him a toad for wanting to eat swan meat, but in the end he actually ate it."

Shi Yuan asked: "Is this kind of smelly and shameless?"

Lu Tinghan: "...Where did you learn the words, you can also say that." He stroked the black scales at the corners of Shi Yuan's eyes, "Later I became an abyss watcher and returned to the city after ten years. Xie Qianming is here Sudden resignation in February last year, and then disappeared."

"Where did he go?" Shi Yuan's tail became even more bent, and he felt that this time was very familiar.

"I went to the wasteland." Lu Tinghan said, "His son disappeared outside the city, and he said he wanted to find him. He is always very brave, and he will definitely do what he wants to do." He looked at the time Yuan, "Before he left, Xie Qianming took the wolf tooth pendant. It was his birthday present for his son. Shi Yuan, if his son is still alive, he should be about the same age as you."

—At this moment, everything became clear.

Shi Yuan realized that Xie Qianming failed to find his son, but was infected by the purple lantern bug instead.

Then, Shi Yuan met him.

Xie Qianming let him into the car, gave him food and drink, advised him to go to the Wild Rose Theater in the city to have a look, and on a night full of stars, on a night when he knew he was going to die, he gave the Spike Fang Pendant to Shi deep.

Perhaps at that moment, Shi Yuan's face overlapped with that of his son;

Or maybe at that moment, Shi Yuan was Shi Yuan, the weird and dumb kid he wanted to protect.

Although the ending is not happy, this is Xie Qianming's story.

Lu Tinghan added: "Based on what I know about him, he must have left decisively."

"How decisive?" Shi Yuan asked.

Lu Tinghan: "The kind you won't regret."

It was a foggy morning when Xie Qianming left. He handed in his resignation, packed his bags, and put the mace pendant in his left breast pocket.

He drove across the street looking at the place he had protected and stopped for a few seconds as he passed the Garcia Theater.

Xie Qianming looked deeply at the marble statue, and glanced at the various advertisements on the wall of the theater. Cheng Youwen must have not gotten up yet, and he didn't intend to tell him, but just whistled at Cheng Youwen's office: "Wait for me to come back!"

After thinking about it, he added: "Or don't come back!"

It was a bad joke, but somehow he made himself laugh. He smiled all the way and drove out of the city.

Of course he knew how dangerous it was outside the city. But there are some things you have to muster up the courage to do.

【courage】

This word has run through the long civilization of mankind.

From a soldier who defends his country to a researcher who seeks the unknown, from a firefighter who extinguishes a fire, to an artist who insists on himself... The commander is brave, and every decision bears the lives and fates of countless soldiers who trust him Chess games; the mother is brave, endured the pain and bitterness of October, and brought the loved one to the world; everyone on the street, the sloppy uncle, the hunchbacked old man and the fat aunt, may have been in a certain place Moments, have been brave heroes.

Lu Tinghan looked at Shi Yuan: "In my opinion, we never need a savior. Such things don't exist, and don't need to exist."

Shi Yuan was still confused: "Ah, why?"

Lu Tinghan said: "Because all along, human beings have saved human beings. We have come step by step for thousands of years, and there is no fluke."

“They often say that with my gifts I can break the deadlock and bring hope. But I can do so because of the sacrifices and blood of my ancestors. Without them, I would not have come into this world at all, nor would I I have the opportunity to talk to you like this; if there are no soldiers who have gone through fire and water, and those researchers and workers, I would not be able to defend the city."

He said: "We have piled up the cornerstones to achieve today. We are one, and we live and die together. In this world, there has never been a perfect savior, and there has never been a lonely hero, only a group of brave people."

Shi Yuan stared at him blankly.

Lu Tinghan: "Shi Yuan, you came from the wilderness, you have never been in contact with the city, you are very afraid of people but you still learned so many things, and even performed on stage. Perhaps, you still have many stories that I don't know."

—For example, muster up the courage to confess your identity, muster up the courage to save the city.

Lu Tinghan said: "So if you want to ask what is the meaning of your coming to the city, then my answer is, maybe you are here to witness."

"... What are you witnessing?" Shi Yuan asked.

"We've all seen you brave." Lu Tinghan smiled, "Now it's your turn."

"There is no need for a savior. Shi Yuan, it's your turn to witness our courage."

In the past, Xie Qianming embarked on the journey of no return alone, and everyone in the shelter saw a blooming flower, and Xing Yifeng and the mutants were willing to die.

At this moment, Cheng Youwen walks through rows of roaring machines on crutches, and countless people work day and night to make sturdy military boots and clothes; Qin Luoluo is still taking care of the patients in the hospital, and they are trying their best to see tomorrow; Wolfgang got on the last bus to the main city. He had sealed his grief deeply in his heart, piled his luggage on the seat, and his firm face was outlined by the headlights.

Their figures blend into the crowd of millions.

Tomorrow, the sun will rise as usual.