The Three Rings celebration ceremony concluded with Yu Lian eating four times his usual meal size. He wasn't alarmed by his increasingly abnormal behavior. The evolution of spiritual energy users always involved unscientific phenomena; compared to that, just eating a lot wasn't a big deal.
Yu Lian returned to his hotel without alarming anyone, intending to sleep, but found himself unable to do so due to drinking too much wheat soda earlier. After a moment of thought, he retrieved a specially made transparent test tube from a hidden pocket close to his body.
The sealed test tube was filled with a special nutrient solution, containing a soft, worm-like creature about half the length of a pinky finger. At first glance, it looked like a slug specimen preserved in formaldehyde.
However, this thing was indeed alive. Yu Lian's extraordinary perception told him so.
He had reached Three Rings. His mental shield was sturdier, he possessed a Soul Labyrinth, and he had even mastered a powerful ability called Source of Life, which he had never heard of in his previous life. Estimating from this, his mental resistance should still be quite considerable.
So, he decided to give it a try. Anyway, with the ambush set by the Soul Labyrinth, even if it had malicious intent, he would still have time to retreat.
Yu Lian locked the room's doors and windows, prepared various small mechanisms to warn himself, then sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let his perception enter the small test tube, attempting to communicate with the creature.
“Hello, my name is Yu Lian.” Although it wasn't their first meeting, it was his first attempt at communication, so he felt it was best to display the demeanor of an excellent young man from Earth, one with proper values and a friendly disposition.
Thus, Yu Lian believed the emotions he conveyed were very gentle.
Then, he indeed felt fluctuations of soul and emotion. This creature was not only alive but also awake.
“Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Yu Lian. Don't worry, I have no ill intentions.”
The other party's emotions flickered vaguely but offered no response.
“So, can we talk? I'm not a cultist, nor am I some shady secret society. I'm a respectable person with proper identification, so you really don't need to worry about your safety.” Yu Lian said, opening up a part of his memories to help the other party understand him more quickly.
“Parasitic primal worms think and store memories using dense neurons, not a brain. Their concept of information differs from that of mammalian intelligent beings, and they do not have a concept of spoken language. To achieve convenient and efficient communication, the first step is information exchange.
We must acknowledge that primal worms' ability to analyze and process unfamiliar information surpasses that of traditional intelligent beings. Expressing sincerity first is the most efficient approach.”
The above content is excerpted from “Slug Worm Rearing Handbook” published by Berenkaster in 848 common era.
In short, according to her, rather than humans trying to understand the primal worm's neural signals, it was better for them to first understand human language.
Yu Lian thought this made a lot of sense and acted accordingly.
As a result, the tiny emotion was retreating, as if about to faint.
“You should have just woken up, right? This world has changed a lot. Aren't you curious? Aren't you going to try to understand this world better? You should be very interested in knowledge and information, right?” Yu Lian said softly, as if holding a lollipop.
“Come with me to see this universe. United, we can rule… we can understand this universe faster!”
“Parasitic primal worms have an inherent nature to collect and share knowledge and information, which is akin to the appetite and sexual desire (meow) of mammals; it is part of their biological instinct. If one can demonstrate the diversity and novelty of the information they possess, it will be more effective in establishing trust and mutual understanding.”
The above content is also excerpted from “Slug Worm Rearing Handbook.”
Then, the other party's emotions gradually quieted down, and the mental connection with Yu Lian also wavered, threatening to be forcibly severed at any moment.
Yu Lian sighed, then grinned, revealing a wild smile: “Aqua regia or fluoroantimonic acid, you choose! Hmm, no… dissolving you instantly would be too easy. It would be much better to dilute it carefully and let you scald for a few more hours!”
“However, remember, primal worms are intelligent beings, capable of understanding pain and death. But also remember, they are ultimately just fragile soft-bodied animals. Never abandon the advantages that mammalian intelligent beings should possess!”
The above content still came from Ms. Berenkaster's “Slug Worm Rearing Handbook,” and it was also the sentence Yu Lian found most reasonable.
Yu Lian picked up the test tube. Just as he was about to act, he finally sensed a strong emotional fluctuation and, at last, perceived readable information from it.
“Stop, stop!” It said.
Indeed, whether it's humans, animals, or anything else, they learn fastest when they feel a sense of crisis.
“Heh, isn't it too late to say that now? I wonder what a parasitic primal worm tastes like roasted with cumin…”
“S-sorry, I just received too much information and couldn't process it all at once. I was trying to figure out how to communicate with you. I believe, based on my previous thoughts, we can definitely exchange ideas frankly and amicably.”
“Very good. It seems you still have normal cognition and judgment, which will save a lot of effort later.” Yu Lian nodded in satisfaction: “Then, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Yu Lian. My name, you know what that means, right?”
“…I understand. You upright-walking mammals build societies through different individuals. First there are individuals, then there is society, so the name representing the individual is more important, hehe.”
It seemed to try to simulate the concept of a friendly smile within its emotions, but it always felt a bit awkward. If Yu Lian wasn't a broad-minded and refined young man from Earth, he would definitely have felt that this guy was mocking him.
“My designation in the Creator's laboratory was XV*&… Uh, if I were to be described in your language, please call me AA10. Oh, right, if you want to be more intimate, Shi AA is also fine.”
It paused: “When I was working with the previous unlucky collaborator, I also took the opportunity to learn Earthling culture and language. I probably understand the preferences of your cultural background.”
This guy learned really fast, but Yu Lian always felt somehow offended.
“So you've also learned to speak to people as people and to ghosts as ghosts, huh?”
“No, I, as an individual, believe this is a survival instinct of intelligent life!” It said earnestly:
“In short, please do not misunderstand. We are indeed laboratory products, and we are indeed different from you upright-walking mammals, but we truly have no ill intentions. Our Creators created us to explore another path of biological evolution. We were indeed artificially matured, but our genes are complete, self-consistent, and full of the perfect embodiment of nature and science… Therefore, please treat us as a normal intelligent species! We should enjoy the basic humanitarian treatment due to civilized beings!”
“I've never heard of intelligent beings reproducing through mitosis.”
“Oviparous, thank you! We are oviparous!”
How could that be more advanced than mitosis?
“No, no, no, whether it's advanced or not isn't about the reproductive mode, but about the pursuit of life and the understanding of universal truth! We even think that your mammalian obsession with the false pleasure before reproduction, and your behavior dominated by hormones and dopamine, is a meaningless, low-level taste!”
“…You really don't even deserve diluted sulfuric acid! I'll just find some vinegar and rice wine to soak you in. Maybe a year or two will be enough to soak you through, and then I can sell you by the gram.”
“W-we weren't discussing the differences in biological concepts, were we? Don't be so hasty! You can't be hasty!”
In short, according to Shi AA's introduction, they were indeed experimental creatures created by a great ancient civilization. Of course, perhaps because the creation of “intelligent beings” had already entered the forbidden zone of the gods, this great civilization no longer existed. Shi AA and its kin had been dormant in cold storage facilities for countless years. When they awoke, the entire galaxy was no longer the galaxy it once was.
The Creators had vanished into the long river of nature; the world had changed drastically, and it was unknown whether they had perished or ascended. But no matter how Shi AA and its kin prayed, communicated, or wailed, they could never get a response from their Creators.
“The Alliance? Oh, the Alliance excavated a batch of B-class corpses. Their genetic sequences are incomplete. The neurons carrying information, cell activity, and adaptability to spiritual energy and the environment are far from perfect, much worse than our A-class complete specimens. More importantly, their… uh, emotions are not very stable. Our only purpose, besides seeking the essence of life, is to assist our Creators' research. However, unstable assistants are bound to become a hidden danger. Thus, the Creators left certain defense mechanisms in their genes. If they… hmm, if they are too 'naughty,' they will self-destruct.”
Shi AA thought for a long time before finally using the word “naughty.”
So, that was the origin of the Slug Worm Flu. Yu Lian nodded.
“Then you were so naughty before, weren't you afraid of divine punishment from your Creator?” Yu Lian sneered.
Truly an animal that thinks with its nerves; its “brain” moves fast. It reacted in just two or three seconds, and its emotions immediately showed obvious arrogance and smugness: “We are A-class, the perfect offspring of the Creators, blessed and favored by them, and we are destined to live a fulfilling and natural life!”
Yes, it was like, “I'm so well cared for and happy by the pig farmer that even if I'm made into braised pork, my life will have been worth it.” What was there to be arrogant about?
Yu Lian was about to mock it, but then he heard the primal worm say: “However, the previous situation was truly not my intention. I am also a victim! I can contain spiritual energy, but I only serve as a node for spiritual energy transfer with my body. I am actually very fragile. If infected with sub-zero temperatures, the activity of my neurons will decrease, and then if mentally infiltrated, we are completely defenseless and will become tools for mind control…”
At this point, it sighed with lingering fear, even though this creature had no heart.
“I also have to thank you for freeing my poor previous collaborator. He was truly pitiful, completely used by that evil person. That green-eyed evil person constantly stimulated his brain through my neurons, amplifying all his negative emotions, which led to the tragedy. You freed me, and you also freed him.”
The “poor collaborator” should be Brigadier General Morey, then.
Yu Lian nodded inwardly.
All of the above information was known to him, largely from the research reports of the boneless, one-eyed goddess of Wisdom from the Alliance in his previous life, and a small part from his own deductions. At least from this perspective, Shi AA was not deceiving him.
Additionally, according to Ms. Berenkaster's research, this type of primal worm was originally an experimental subject and research assistant of that ancient civilization and inherently had no concept of lying.
Of course, Yu Lian had always been skeptical of this. He felt that this explanation was too metaphysical.
“Of course we understand the concept of lying! But there's no need for it.” Shi AA said: “Our biological nature is to collect knowledge and share knowledge, just like your obsession with low-level pleasures dominated by hormones and dopamine…”
Yu Lian turned to grab the vinegar, and the other party quickly said: “Of course, we don't lie, but we do conceal things.”
Heh, it felt like these worms would have a lot in common with the Shared Foundation.
“When I woke up, you had heard of that organization.”
Then, tell me something I don't know.
“So, who dug you up? When were you dug up? How many of this A-series are left? And why did you fall into the hands of the Wanling Sect?”
A very clear struggle, even fear, flashed through its emotions.
“We awoke 180 years ago. The first person we saw… was a nobleman of the Galactic Empire, a Count Salwen.”
It's you again, damn it! Yu Lian almost couldn't resist rolling his eyes.
“He was truly terrifying. In his mind, a heavy abyss was suppressed, yet his soul seemed to be brewing a flame that could devour the universe… However, he was also a pure and persistent person. He released us, but he also confined us. He told us that he needed to liberate his nation, his universe, and thus needed our help.”
Shi AA's emotions calmed down a bit; the fear from earlier slowly turned into a sigh of regret.
“I could tell he wasn't deceiving us. And compared to those other adventurers who only cared about money, helping a true scientist with research indeed aligned with our values. It's just… it's just that later, he used the neural networks of some of our kin to form spiritual energy cages to bind Void Realm beasts, and that wasn't very good. Those compatriots made into spiritual energy cages were actually very painful.”
Yu Lian blinked, feeling as though he had suddenly grasped something.
“Also, freezing the rest of us again, that's not good either! We had all woken up and were waiting to study this new world. Why treat us like this? He was indeed a pure and persistent person, just too calculating. If I had the chance, I would really like to talk to him again.”
Whether Count Salwen was a pure and persistent person, I don't know, but you guys were definitely gaslit by him!
“Then, a while ago, you were dug up by that green-eyed villain, and you found out another hundred years had passed. Right?”
Shi AA “nodded.”
“Are your remaining compatriots currently in his hands?”
After Shi AA “nodded,” it then “shook its head.”
“He only dug up a portion, but most of them are still frozen in the secret base left by Count Salwen. I can sense everyone's condition.”
“Oh. Why? Don't tell me you're some Queen Worm or something from a classic trope.” Yu Lian sneered.
“Because I was mentally invaded by the green-eyed villain's spiritual energy, my cellular activity was activated earlier than my kin, so I am now at the upstream of the neural network!” Shi AA's emotions once again expressed a condescending arrogance: “I know that once mammals form a civilization, it's easy for differences to arise, forming hierarchies. But I must explain, this is truly a very inefficient social attribute! Our Creators were like this back then. I also expressed my opinions on this to them, and I don't know why, but they suddenly got angry…”
Yu Lian opened the test tube and dripped a drop of vinegar into it. He stated that he was truly not acting out of anger, but simply wanted to observe the creature's environmental adaptability.
He listened with satisfaction for a while to Shi AA's screams, then said: “Alright, now tell me, how many of your compatriots are left… Also, what are your requirements for living conditions?”
