Chapter 1030: Conqueror of the Jungle!

Chapter 1030: Conqueror of the Jungle!

Stonewall City.

Inside the prosthetic surgery room of Stonewall Military Industries, a naked girl lay on the operating table, surrounded by multi-axis machining arms.

Her skin was smooth and delicate, like flawless suet jade, and her serene, beautiful sleeping face was like a meticulously carved work of art, exuding an irresistible charm that made it hard to look away.

In fact, it truly was a work of art.

This new bionic skin combined the Academy’s most cutting-edge technology with the engineering prowess of the corporation, and was installed using the Alliance’s masterful prosthetic surgical techniques, perfectly replacing the original skin that had been nearly completely destroyed by neutron radiation, leaving not a single intact cell.

From a visual, tactile, and sensory perspective, this new skin was flawless compared to the original—indeed, it could even be said to surpass it.

If one had to find fault, it would only be the trivial point that “being too perfect makes it seem less real.”

That was not all.

This bionic skin also emphasized enhancing the user’s soft tissue defense capabilities.

When longitudinal cuts or puncture damage caused the skin’s elasticity limit to reach a certain threshold, the bionic skin would automatically trigger a hardening effect, forming a protective layer as strong as titanium alloy in a short time, resisting cuts and puncture damage that would penetrate the dermis.

Combined with titanium alloy bones and shock-absorbing components, it was not a major issue to withstand kinetic damage from light weapons like pistols and rifles.

Beyond these built-in armor features, Jiang Xuezhou went a step further and customized it with DIY modifications.

For instance, to adapt to outer space activities and various complex special situations, she requested that Stonewall Military Industries implant temperature-regulating, anti-negative-pressure, and positive-pressure control modules under her subcutaneous tissue during the skin graft surgery.

This way, she could function normally in a vacuum without wearing a protective suit.

This system was her own design, and it was also an improved version of the system on Ye Shi’s body.

With the support of numerous buffs, her body had indeed reached the realm of art.

And it was the pinnacle of prosthetic art achieved through technological prowess!

As the prosthetic surgery ended, the multi-axis arms hanging like an octopus above the operating table retracted into a large sphere.

At the same time, vaporized liquid nitrogen sprayed from beneath the table, and Jiang Xuezhou opened her eyes, awakening from the white mist.

The moment she regained consciousness, a line of pale blue loading pop-ups projected onto her prosthetic eye’s retina.

【Server logged in… Executing prosthetic integrity check protocol…】

【Check complete… All components functioning normally.】

The pale blue text and loading data dissipated instantly, as if they had never appeared.

Jiang Xuezhou took a deep breath, tested the temperature regulation and positive-negative pressure balance functions one by one, then pushed herself up with both hands and jumped off the operating table.

Standing before the full-length mirror, she admired her renewed body for a while, feeling a surge of refreshment.

“Not bad, not bad… It’s got about seventy or eighty percent of the charm of my peak looks!”

Though she didn’t know what competition she was entering, she felt she had already won from the start.

She could even imagine someone’s jaw dropping in shock.

Of course, if that didn’t happen, she wouldn’t mind taking matters into her own hands and punching that guy’s jaw off.

“Heh heh heh…”

The more she looked at herself in the mirror, the more she liked it. Jiang Xuezhou’s lips curled into a smile she couldn’t suppress, almost on the verge of laughing out loud with her hands on her hips like a villain.

At first, she was a bit reserved, shyly twisting a strand of hair around her finger a few times, hesitant and embarrassed.

But perhaps realizing there was no one else around, she soon grew bolder, first flicking her bangs back lightly, then striking several poses in vanity.

It wasn’t until she saw a medical robot rolling toward her on wheels that she blushed, hurriedly stopped her preening, and grabbed the clothes the robot handed her to put on.

The silky robe flowed like a gentle stream, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.

The friction seemed to vanish.

Fully dressed, Jiang Xuezhou stood before the mirror again, and this time, both her appearance and demeanor were much more composed.

Raising her restored wrist, she gazed at the skin as smooth and soft as silk, as delicate and white as jade. After the initial excitement, a sudden wave of uncertainty washed over her.

Was this…

Really herself?

Standing before the mirror, she was undoubtedly still her original self. Every smile and frown carried the same charm as before, and the professional knowledge in her mind went without saying—it had always been her greatest pride.

The only difference, perhaps, was this art-like prosthetic body…

Everyone loves beauty.

She was no exception.

But what unsettled her was the feeling that everything from head to toe didn’t belong to her, and had replaced what was originally hers…

Am I still me?

Perhaps—

The real me is already dead, and what stands here is just my replica…

A chill suddenly surged through Jiang Xuezhou’s heart. Her hands clenched into fists involuntarily, but soon relaxed as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

First, such a thing was impossible.

Second, her existence at this moment was utterly real, and she could feel it.

In the face of rigorous logic, paranoia was meaningless.

Yet perhaps she was too sensitive; soon, another question arose uncontrollably in her mind—

Where is the boundary between a bionic human and a human?

Or rather—

Starting from which specific part is replaced does a person cease to be a person and become a thing?

At that instant, standing in the same position, she suddenly understood the loneliness Ye Shi had silently endured, and the expression on his face when he seemed to want to say something but held back.

“So that’s how it is…”

She used to think that guy was ungrateful.

She had gone to so much trouble to save his unconscious self, given him the best prosthetics, yet he was still unsatisfied, even thanking her reluctantly and half-heartedly.

Only now did she gradually empathize with the emotions he had once experienced…

Thinking of this, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly felt her eyes grow warm.

It wasn’t just him who was immature.

It was her too.

“You’re feeling regret.”

A leisurely voice suddenly came from the side. Ibes had somehow appeared at the door of the operating room.

“No…”

Jiang Xuezhou quickly composed her slightly flustered expression, sniffled hard, lowered her raised wrist, and looked at the flawless reflection in the mirror.

“I just feel… that part of what’s on me has been replaced. Though it looks like me, it’s not me.”

“Would you like me to put it back for you?” Ibes said gentlemanly. “Though it’s a bit troublesome, it’s no great difficulty for me.”

“No need at all.” Jiang Xuezhou almost blurted out without hesitation.

Ibes laughed out loud.

Hearing that unabashed laughter, Jiang Xuezhou felt a bit annoyed and muttered a complaint under her breath.

“What are you laughing at…”

“I’m sorry, my laughter has caused you displeasure.” Ibes cleared his throat, yet his smile showed not a trace of genuine apology.

Jiang Xuezhou murmured softly.

“No need to apologize… Thank you for performing the surgery on me.”

“You’re welcome,” Ibes said politely, then suddenly a meaningful smile crept onto his face as he continued, “I roughly know what’s troubling you. Suppose all the components of an object are completely replaced—is it still the same object? Am I right?”

“…” Jiang Xuezhou said nothing, but her silence was itself a kind of answer.

Seeing he had guessed correctly, Ibes’s smile turned to delight as he continued unhurriedly.

“Actually, there’s no need for you to dwell on such things. The cells in your body renew themselves in cycles—long as seven years, short as a hundred days. For some, the cycle is even shorter. Yet even so, in my view, some things remain unchanged.”

Jiang Xuezhou was about to ask what that was, but Ibes, as if anticipating her question, went on of his own accord.

“The soul.”

“I’ve stayed in this city for a very, very long time, and thanks to that, I’ve acquired eyes that can see what others cannot. Before me, some people are nothing but flesh, only emitting a spark of something real at the moment of death. Others possess priceless treasures I covet—their souls burn like torches, never tiring to behold.”

Jiang Xuezhou couldn’t help but retort.

“I think you’ve simply passed your expiration date…”

“Perhaps so,” Ibes said with a smile and a nod. “But unfortunately, I’m not a bionic produced through normal channels, but a special product of a special era…”

Before Jiang Xuezhou could respond, this madman suddenly fell into self-pitying lament.

“How sad… My master’s master designed the final death for my master, but my master forgot to design my end. Perhaps I should find a corner to squat in and draw a few circles.”

“…” Jiang Xuezhou stared at him speechlessly, unsure what to say.

But thanks to him, she supposed.

With this interruption, all the tangled thoughts in her heart vanished like smoke…

…

[…The above is the result of our negotiations.]

[The Tree of Life has expressed willingness to establish a closer symbiotic relationship with us, including restoring the damaged ecosystem of the wasteland, providing technical services such as establishing biospheres for our extraterrestrial development zones, and promoting agricultural yield increases.]

[In exchange, it has indicated that it hopes we can supply it with some fertilizer or similar nutrients that promote plant growth. Of course, it would be even better if we could arrange for a few rangers skilled in nutrition and psionics.]

Dawn City, Alliance Tower.

Chu Guang sat at his desk, reading Ye Shi’s report from beginning to end. His face showed three parts satisfaction and seven parts approval.

“Not bad, that kid has really grown. He handles things much more reliably than before.”

Xiao Qi happily blew a rainbow fart.

“Hehe, it’s mainly because of your excellent guidance, master.”

“Haha, that’s true—look who I am.” Chu Guang chuckled, feeling pleased for a moment, then left a 【Read】 on the report, set the tablet aside, and attended to other matters.

At the same time, at the southernmost tip of the Zhongzhou Continent, in Fries Port of the Baiyue Strait.

Ye Shi, killing time in the hotel’s executive lounge, finally received the administrator’s reply.

But when he saw that single-character response, he nearly spat out his cola.

“Damn! I wrote so many words, and the reply is just one ‘Read’?!”

Seeing his cluelessness, Lao Bai laughed heartily.

“You’re still young, you don’t understand the weight of that one word.”

Ye Shi: “…What do you mean?”

Fang Chang, sitting across, smiled faintly and said.

“Simply put, the administrator thinks it’s fine, telling you to keep it up and continue your efforts.”

He paused and continued.

“Based on my past experience, the fewer words in his reply to a mission brief, the higher the evaluation. If there’s a long-winded paragraph, it means he’s anxious.”

Fang Chang himself had never encountered such a situation, but he heard from Old War that he used to run into it often, until he became a thousand-man commander and gradually stopped seeing it.

Ye Shi scratched the back of his head, his expression not dissatisfied but a bit regretful.

“I thought it would be more ceremonious.”

Lao Bai teased.

“Like giving you a big red flower?”

Ye Shi: “That wouldn’t be bad.”

Lao Bai: “Hahaha.”

Seeing Ye Shi acting smug after getting what he wanted, Fang Chang couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“That’s enough. The rewards you’ve gotten are already enviable enough. What more do you want?”

Ye Shi smiled sheepishly.

“Well… the more the merrier, right? Who’d complain about too many rewards?”

He didn’t dare say it out loud.

Just as he was complaining, the dog-like planner seemed to hear his grumbles and a series of pop-ups flashed on his VM screen.

[Congratulations, player “I Get Up Ten Times a Night” for completing the “Explore the Baiyue Province Hive” mission!]

[Mission Completion: 100%]

[Rating: S]

[Rewards: Limited title “Jungle Conqueror,” 10,000 contribution points, and 1,000,000 silver coins!]

[Server Announcement: The Baiyue Province Hive has evolved into the Tree of Life, with faction relations with the Alliance set to “Ally.” Hostile actions without permission are prohibited. The Tree of Life’s guardian beast “Dragon Lizard” is also a friendly unit; hostile actions without permission are prohibited. Dialogue can be triggered after awakening “Psionics.”]

[Server Announcement: The map level within a 100-kilometer radius of Fries Port has been downgraded to 0, incorporated into the safe zone. The recommended level for areas beyond 100 kilometers is set to 30…]

The subsequent announcements scrolled by, and Ye Shi didn’t read them carefully, only confirming his mission rewards.

Overall, Ah Guang had given quite a lot.

The 10,000 contribution points were negligible compared to his seven-figure total; his contribution point level had long maxed out.

But the 1,000,000 silver coins and the “Jungle Conqueror” title were quite tempting.

Especially the latter—he could use it to mock Chicken Killer.

Setting down his coffee cup, Kuang Feng, sitting at the table, suddenly remembered something and looked at Ye Shi.

"Speaking of which, after this trip ends, are you really planning to go looking for those so-called precursor civilization ruins?"

The news of forming an extrasolar exploration team didn't cause much of a stir on the official website, but in the world of NPCs, it was a hot topic of debate.

Especially among the residents of the most avant-garde Ideal City, many even took planes to the southern seas or even Fries Harbor, asking around where to sign up.

These folks were indeed homebodies, but their initiative was anything but ordinary.

Facing Gale's questioning gaze, Night Ten also dropped his joking and clowning expression, nodding seriously.

"Yes, I've made up my mind."

Saying this, he paused for a moment, then continued.

"Sometimes I think... this game is like a real world. Actually, from the very beginning, there was no so-called main quest; the main quests are all things we discovered ourselves as we progressed in the game. Remember the very beginning? When we were burning cement together."

Hearing Night Ten suddenly bring up things from long, long ago, Old Bai couldn't help but smile with nostalgia.

"Of course I remember... Speaking of which, we've been playing this game for so long."

"It's been quite a while, for me it feels like... another life, completely different from the one in reality."

Night Ten nodded and continued.

"Actually, from back then, I've been searching for the meaning of this game for me, just like thinking about my own life in reality, including why I came into this world, and what the other people in this world mean to me... Although I might not have realized it myself, thinking carefully, maybe from that point on, I no longer saw the people in this world as mere NPCs."

The turning point for all this might have been the death of an old man named Jixiang.

Of course, not just Jixiang, but many, many others, NPCs whose names he could recall.

He would rather sacrifice himself than let them suffer even a single scratch.

Seeing the rare serious expression on Night Ten's face, Gale raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So, did you find it?"

"Sort of," Night Ten smiled sheepishly, "I can't pinpoint exactly which day I found it, but by the time I realized it, everything was already decided... including what to do next, including where to go from here."

He wanted to see the distant world.

Of course, the important thing was to go with the person he had promised.

"Congratulations," understanding his feelings, Fang Chang reached out and patted his shoulder, "And I support your choice."

"Haha, don't make it sound like I'm going far away. It's just that I won't be able to game together for a while. Besides, I'm not leaving right away; we still have one more mission."

Night Ten smiled awkwardly, then looked seriously at his good brothers.

"Thank you... for always putting up with the immature me."

"Haha, don't make it sound like you're going far away—we can still meet offline," Old Bai laughed, slapping him on the shoulder, throwing his words back at him, then said solemnly, "Come back and visit when you can. The Burning Legion will always have a place for you."

Night Ten nodded firmly, moved.

"Yeah!"

Gale rubbed his nose.

"I won't say anything sappy, but if you find the edge of the map, let me know... that'll satisfy my curiosity."

Fang Chang said with a smile.

"Why don't you go with him? That way you'll have company on the road."

"I haven't decided yet, and..."

Gale sighed softly, about to say something, then suddenly changed his mind as if struck by a thought, looking at Night Ten with a half-joking tone.

"If I really go with you, you won't mind me being a third wheel, will you?"

"What weird things are you saying? It's not like only Jiang Xuezhou and I will be on the ship," Night Ten said with a laugh, "And we're planning to kidnap a few scientists on board. You're welcome to join! How about it? Want to come? If you're shy, just nod, and I'll tie you up and bring you along."

"No need to tie me up."

Seeing that Night Ten wasn't joking, Gale didn't directly answer the question, just laughed heartily.

"We'll talk about the future later. It's not too much to ask for a berth, is it?"

"Granted!"

Night Ten thumped his chest.

"I'll take care of it!"

While Night Ten and his buddies were chatting and boasting, a group of clueless newbies stood by the sacred tree in the northern outskirts of Fries Harbor, pointing and gossiping at the giant lizard with a cockscomb head.

Actually, calling them all newbies wasn't entirely accurate; there were a few unreliable veteran players among them.

For example, [Squirtle], who had already joined the Jungle Legion.

As a level 30 player, though he couldn't compare to the T1 or T0 hardcore veterans, he was still a solid backbone in the Wasteland OL server.

But Squirtle wasn't content with that.

Like most players, even if his strength didn't allow it, it didn't stop him from wanting to become a strong player.

With that thought, he started eyeing the dragon lizard crouching beside the Tree of Life.

Although the server had listed it as a friendly unit and prohibited hostile actions, and he really couldn't beat the thing, the server hadn't said he couldn't lure it away, right?

If he could make this thing his mount, who in the entire server could stand against him?

Even the admin would probably get squashed into paste under its feet!

Gah gah gah...

At that thought, his mind quickly Pal-world—oh no, became active.

"Say, a lizard this big... how much does it eat in a day?" Rubbing his chin, Squirtle felt more and more like it was possible, suddenly muttering out of the blue.

Standing nearby, [Blastoise] and [Torkoal] were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.

"No idea."

"Why do you care how much it eats..."

Squirtle immediately said.

"I want to raise one."

The two brothers beside him were shocked.

"Whoa?"

"Are you serious?!"

Squirtle glanced at these two dreamless guys.

"Look at you, no ambition. The server said no hostile actions, but it didn't say no feeding! If I get this thing used to me, and it recognizes me as its dad and insists on following me, could the GM really break us up?"

"Come on—" Blastoise looked at him, laughing helplessly, "Bro, have you ever raised a lizard?"

"Yeah... uh, the palm-sized kind, but that's not important!" Squirtle looked at him seriously, putting his hands on his shoulders, regaining his momentum, "Just tell me one thing: do you want to be a dragon knight?"

"Yeah..."

"Then go grab two buckets of nutrient paste. Once I tame this thing, we'll take turns riding it!" Patting his shoulder, Squirtle then looked at Torkoal, who stood there dumbfounded, and slapped his arm too, "You too, move it!"

"Don't let some other bastard beat us to it!"