Wasteland Online, on the official website.

Unlike the tense atmosphere inside the briefing room, the game’s forums were absolutely buzzing.

Ever since the new expansion dropped, players had been eagerly waiting to see what kind of chaos the doggy developers would cook up this time, and, as always, they didn’t disappoint.

The previous Tides were just hordes of Slime Mold sub-entities charging brainlessly straight ahead. But this time? These things were moving tactically, coordinating attacks, and even managing to kidnap three newbies right under Spring Water Commander’s nose.

No one had seen that coming.

Quit Smoking: Holy crap, that’s nuts!

Battlefield Cheerleader: Even our dog commander got smacked? That’s not possible! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Spring Water Commander: Screw off! I didn’t get smacked, I brought back a specimen, that’s a major achievement, thank you very much!

Irene: By the way, what happened to the rest of the corpses? Wasn’t there another mutant left? O.O

Spring Water Commander: When the fog cleared, it was already gone, probably dragged back, or eaten by the rest.

Ample Time: Eaten... damn.

Night Ten: Tsk... This new Mother Body has got some serious tricks up its sleeves.

Makka Pakka: So what about the bros who got kidnapped? Have they not respawned?

Pig Hoof: That would be me... and I think I actually saw the Mother Body!

The moment that line appeared, the entire thread exploded.

Quit Smoking: No way! Are you serious?!

Elf Wang: Tell us what it looked like, bro. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Pig Hoof: Hard to describe... It’s kinda like Little Feather’s form back then, just bigger, and a lot uglier.

He hadn’t seen Little Feather in-game himself, but plenty of players had posted pictures on the forums. Comparing them, the resemblance was there, only this new creature had rounder contours and darker coloration.

To put it bluntly, the Mother Body, nicknamed Thea, looked like a bloody shark that’d scare children into crying, while Little Feather was more like a dolphin. It might still be predatory, but somehow cute enough to fit human aesthetics.

Spring Water Commander: You remember where you saw that thing?

Pig Hoof: Not exactly... But it felt like we were underground somewhere. Looked kinda like a subway station.

Sideline Slacking: Subway station, huh? That’s a pretty broad target.

Spring Water Commander: Still, that confirms it, both the Hive and the nursery are underground... No wonder all these new types are showing up.

Ample Time: @Pig Hoof So that Mother Body ate all three of you?

Bowed Starving: Yeah, it swallowed my wife in one gulp... right in front of me. Boohoo.

Starving Force: Bruh what the fuck? Can you not say it like that?! >:(

Bowed Starving: Sorry.

Pig Hoof: ...

Spring Water Commander: And? Did you notice anything else, anything at all?

Starving Force: Uh... it seemed to respond to our voices.

Spring Water Commander: Voices?

Starving Force: Yeah. I thought it was gonna eat my wife first, but when I shouted, it turned and ate me instead. I don’t think it actually understood what I said, since I don’t speak the federation language.

Bowed Starving: Now that you mention it, I was the second one to talk, and I got eaten right after you.

Starving Force: So you’re saying... It hunts by sound?

Spring Water Commander: Doesn’t seem like it. I think it’s possible it mistook you for a commanding human, like the alpha of a wolf pack.

Starving Force: Wait, I got alpha energy?!

Bowed Starving: What the hell, my husband’s an alpha?!

Spring Water Commander: I can’t say for sure, but from its perspective, maybe that’s how it interpreted it. Most mammals rely on vocal cords to communicate; maybe in the Hive’s cognition, sound functions like a biological pheromone.

Pig Hoof: Now that you mention it, I noticed something weird too, not sure if it’s important... After it ate those two, it looked confused.

Spring Water Commander: Confused?

Pig Hoof: Yeah. Like it ate the wrong thing. I saw it mulling for a while before spitting out their clothes and shoes.

Ample Time: Interesting.

Quit Smoking: Uh, interesting how?

Ample Time: Think about it, maybe, from the Slime Mold’s perspective, all other organisms are autonomous ‘mushrooms’. But our clone bodies lack true self-awareness, so it’s confused where our consciousness even comes from.

Spring Water Commander: Seems we’re thinking along the same lines.

Ample Time: If that’s true, this Mother Body might be completely different from any we’ve faced before. It’s not just eating prey, it’s selecting some to assimilate, turning them into its own.

As the thread buzzed with speculation, a system announcement suddenly popped up on the official site.

[The Returning Tide Expansion Update (New Feature): Assimilated Forms]

[Description: According to New Alliance Biological Research Institution data, “Thea” consciously captures intruding organisms within her territory, assimilating them into her command. These Assimilated Types retain aggression and fragments of self-awareness while being forcibly modified with biological augmentations.]

[Known Assimilated Types]

[Slime Mold Beasts: Possesses strength comparable to monsters, with regenerative and defensive abilities enhanced by Slime Mold. Stronger than standard beasts.]

[Slime Mold Deathclaw: Retains the speed and agility of a Deathclaw while enhanced with regeneration and damage resistance. No biological samples recovered, combat footage suggests power comparable to an Evolved Type.]

[Slime Mold Suicide Bomber: A suspected twice-assimilated sub-entity with no known biological prototype. Detonates itself to release a corrosive toxic mist. Other sub-entities throw them as living explosives.]

[Further updates pending]

...

Quit Smoking: HOLY SHIT!

Eye Owe Money: 6666! We were just talking about assimilation, and the patch adds it!

Night Ten: Confirmed, Doggy Light reads the forum! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Ample Time: At least this announcement proves we’re on the right track. There are two key takeaways: The first, Thea now creates ‘Assimilated Fighters’, using its prey’s combat experience, it’s better at micro-control than any previous Mother Body. Secondly, the Hive is studying us, consciously observing, analyzing, and learning from us. Though limited by knowledge, their understanding of humanity may be deeply flawed.

Spring Water Commander: Exactly. That’s critical intel! Our opponent isn’t like the dumb swarms from last time. If the nature of the Tide has changed, sticking to old tactics could be fatal.

Sideline Slacking: You mean they might not attack head-on this time? Maybe they’ll flank past the northern defense line?

Spring Water Commander: Highly likely. Our old trick, predicting attack direction from spore-cloud density, could fail completely this round!

Spring Water Commander: In fact, I think the Tide has already started. They’re just biding time, letting us follow our own assumptions. Once we’re comfortable, they’ll throw cannon fodder at the front like before, then send a small elite detachment through our weakest flank and swallow our entire line whole!

Falling Feather: Holy crap, you’re saying they can plan now?!

Construction Boy: You sure you’re not overthinking this...

Spring Water Commander: I’ve heard that slime molds can plot the shortest route to food sources. These creatures are way smarter than any real-world entity, I’m certain they’re capable of something like that.

Ample Time: Agreed. Anything can happen on the battlefield. Underestimating them would be a grave mistake.

Midnight Pubg: So what now? You two got a plan?

Ample Time: After hearing what those newbies went through... I actually do.

Sideline Slacking: Oh? Let’s hear it.

Ample Time: Well, as everyone knows, someone who’s a bit smart but not smart enough is easier to fool than a total idiot. This Mother Body is smarter than any before, sure, but that also means we can use that against it.

Sideline Slacking: How exactly?

Ample Time: Simple. Think WWII intelligence warfare. If it believes we communicate through ‘sound-based channels’, then all we need to do is fake a commanding Mother Body of our own and stage a nice, convincing performance of our weaknesses right where it can see them.

...