Chapter 1640 - 627: Shi Lin’s Obsession

Chapter 1640: Chapter 627: Shi Lin’s Obsession

"Eat these things."

In a separate room, Ren Zhong pointed at the basin on the table.

The basin wasn’t large; it looked like an ordinary wash basin. A light green mist rose from within, appearing highly toxic, but this mist was actually a faint light released as a result of electronic emissions from excessive concentration, ionizing reactions with the molecules in the air.

What’s contained in the basin is exactly the meaning of existence for the Velvet Mustache 331 people, capable of being used to produce high-energy biological electricity green gel.

Standing before the basin was a cockroach man, namely Hmm Wei Wu.

Though reluctant to admit, it had indeed accepted Ren Zhong’s "peace offer," deciding to live on.

It did not agree with many things Ren Zhong said and continued to harbor doubts deep down, subconsciously suspecting that the cunning imperial humans were trying to deceive it.

However, there was one thing Ren Zhong mentioned which did shake its resolve.

That was the fact that it was essentially betraying the Mother Empress whether it chose to live or die, whether it abolished the evolution of the new Velvet Mustache people or maintained the previous evolutionary state.

In the face of betrayal, a tiny speck of selfishness deep within ultimately became the last straw that broke the camel’s back; it chose to live, even if it meant merely surviving.

Immediately, it was confronted with another dilemma.

Hmm Wei Wu stared wide-eyed at the basin on the table, occasionally twitching its mouthparts, and engaged in an inner battle.

Two contradictory instincts emerged within its body simultaneously.

All the Velvet Mustache 331 people knew that the green gel secreted from their bodies was both a treasure and a forbidden fruit, a step towards the next life stage.

Upon reaching a certain stage of evolution, no organ within any organism becomes entirely useless, no matter how redundant it might seem; everything has some degree of use, including the human appendix.

It’s the same for the Velvet Mustache 331 people. The Ascenders designed Velvet Mustache people with a need to synthesize green gel, succeeding infinitely close to perfection on the 331st genetic match incubation after 330 failures.

The reason it was infinitely close to perfection was because Velvet Mustache people too had a need for the gel.

Ascenders used another large organism to avoid possible internal theft, established a management system, held Velvet Mustache people’s desire for gel in check with predators-like managers, and engraved the warning effect into Velvet Mustache people’s genetic memory through generations of painful lessons. These insect humanoids instinctively feared consuming the gel, knowing that while it was good, eating it meant certain death; much like domestic fowl’s instinctive fear when first encountering the similarly-sized lynx it had never seen.

Afterwards, it was said an individual in Velvet Mustache people thought of a method: it carved a small groove within its abdominal shell using its limbs. Whenever the groove was filled, it scratched its belly open, letting the gel flow into its body through the wound.

This guy was like Adam and Eve sneaking a bite of forbidden fruit.

Later, this Velveteen Mustache individual revered as the most cunning became the Commander of the Seventh Star Cluster garrison, took over management of the Pegasus Star System’s predator organisms, and added a task for predators—to inspect other Velvet Mustache people’s bellies to prevent others from evolving along its path to become competitors. Sadly, it eventually died silently in a first-tier Mother Empress’s self-destructive escape.

Now, Ren Zhong had long slaughtered the velvet Mustache’s predators in the Pegasus Star System. Those large animals were worthless, merely gel transporters whose function could be fully replaced by machinery; their meat was unpalatable as well.

So now Hmm Wei Wu primarily had to overcome the instinctual fear encoded in its genetic memory.

After a long hesitation, it turned and ran.

Even with Ren Zhong trying to grab it, it preferred breaking its limbs to escape.

Ren Zhong had no choice but to put the coward back in the Dome Prison.

Ren Zhong suspected that if he forcibly poured the gel into it, it could use active control over its organs to kill itself.

Back at the Dome Prison, Hmm Wei Wu resumed its former life.

Its fellow Velvet Mustache people started to become active again.

The insect society’s atmosphere within the Dome Prison became lively and harmonious once more.

Under Hmm Wei Wu’s lead, the Velvet Mustache people’s collection of cursed words saw yet another update, expanding in variety.

However, Ren Zhong wasn’t satisfied. He had to find a way to get Velvet Mustache people to advance to the next stage.

Anyways, outside affairs remained normal, everything was under control, and there was no need for him to set out in the Starry Sky Red Blade Armor to lead a charge; he had idle time to spare.

Ren Zhong decided to have a good talk with Hmm Wei Wu.

Months passed once more, and Hmm Wei Wu regained its courage, approached the Dome Prison again amidst the embrace of another batch of just-coming-of-age offspring, waving its upper limbs fiercely to signal an agreement with Ren Zhong.

This was the agreed signal between it and Ren Zhong.

"Aside from crafting more curse words to attack you, I can’t accomplish anything else. I tried to learn like you, using tools similar to hoes to cultivate land, plant some essential plant-based food; all taught by your subordinates. I understood these concepts, but whenever I attempted inventing some tools, my mind would suddenly freeze... crash... well, crash. Thus, I couldn’t find a way to kill you. So, I want to try again."

This was the original words of Hmm Wei Wu.

Yet, after Ren Zhong took it out, it stood before the table hesitating for a long time before ultimately screaming and running away again.

Ren Zhong sighed terribly, giving the opportunity was of no use!

Moreover, Ren Zhong soon received more bad news from the Academy of Sciences, as the team specializing in Velvet Mustache 331 people’s research released their latest report.

The report indicated that though Hmm Wei Wu’s active consciousness had begun to waver, wanting to overcome its genetic instinct and become the first Velvet Mustache person gorge on the gel, its attempt would ultimately fail.

At this time, Ren Zhong’s one subordinate who had periodically unfrozen and regularly taken activity breaks, specifically Shi Lin, who inherited Bai Feng’s Mistletoe abilities, got involved.

Shi Lin did something that made Ren Zhong chuckle bitterly.

This guy fell into prolonged inferiority since visiting Shi Xuan’s grave on the Source Star Ship.

He felt he disappointed his father’s expectancy, failing to become Ren’s right-hand man.

He could see the increasingly marginalizing situation of armored soldiers within his kind but didn’t want to forcefully push other individuals with potential onto this arduous path.

He only thought of one method to change the armored soldiers’ condition—becoming stronger himself thus attracting the ambitious to willingly embark on this no-return path.

So, upon waking, he devoured a clone of a first-tier Mother Empress giant reproductive cell and took a bold step, nearly losing half his life and narrowly surviving, yet basically without any harvest.

Ren Zhong decided to summon Shi Lin to the Third Planet for a stern talking to this reckless fellow.