7: The human body is like the universe

After eating a few acorns, Xu Jingzhe felt a slight warmth in his abdomen, and in a short while, it not only solved his hunger but also quenched his thirst.

With energy in his body, Xu Jingzhe sat up, surveying his surroundings and the woman sitting by the fire.

He was no longer by that small puddle; through the moonlight filtering in from the west, this appeared to be an abandoned building.

"What's your name?" Xu Jingzhe asked.

"Zhang Manyue, and you?"

"Xu Jingzhe."

"Thank you for saving me."

Zhang Manyue held a chicken leg in one hand and toyed with a ladybug in the other, responding indifferently, "You're welcome."

"However, you must be new to the Pollution Zone, right?"

Xu Jingzhe nodded.

"Then what's your serial number? Before a pollution core appears in your body, don't reveal your name."

Xu Jingzhe's expression froze.

A pollution core, appearing in his body?

Don't reveal his name?

"You want to ask what a pollution core is, right?"

Zhang Manyue looked at Xu Jingzhe's bewildered face, applying a little force to her hand, and with a "pop," the intricate electronic ladybug became useless parts.

At the same time, Old Peter's left eye could no longer receive any information.

"Yes," Xu Jingzhe said.

"A pollution core is a black bead that condenses within the body of organisms that can survive in the Pollution Zone, because the Pollution Zone contains many radioactive substances, such as Uranium-235, Uranium-238, Plutonium-239, graphite, and so on."

"These radioactive substances can cause our human bodies to decay, such as rapid aging, blindness and mouth rot, heart damage, male and female infertility, etc."

"Of course, some people will mutate due to radioactive substances, growing tails, gaining immense strength, incredible speed, bodies as hard as iron..."

"Some even develop special abilities!"

"And humans who can survive in such harsh conditions, adapting to the environment and absorbing these pollutants, will have these substances condense three fingers below their navel, eventually forming a pollution core for our use, allowing us to survive long-term in the Pollution Zone."

"You mean... as long as one survives and a pollution core forms in their body, they will become very powerful?" Xu Jingzhe was astonished; this overturned his understanding.

The human body is very fragile; a rope, a stone, or even choking on food can lead to the end of life.

Yet, in the Pollution Zone, someone told him.

Humans can survive in the Pollution Zone!

How could this not shock him?

He had always thought that, apart from some tenacious animals, humans couldn't survive more than half a year in the Pollution Zone.

"You can... understand it that way, although it's very superficial."

"However, the human body is like the universe; its mysteries are endless. Perhaps, only when humanity understands cosmic civilization will we truly comprehend the secrets of the human body."

After saying this, Zhang Manyue yawned and leaned against the wall, falling asleep.

Xu Jingzhe, however, tossed and turned, unable to sleep again.

System: "Ding, I have good news for you."

"What?" Xu Jingzhe lowered his voice.

"Actually, when I appear and communicate with you, I can know what you want to say just by you thinking about it in your mind."

Xu Jingzhe: "..."

He's just spouting useless nonsense. He wasn't without a phone in the orphanage, he read novels, he watched short videos, but he'd never seen a system in any novel like this.

Garbage, it's too garbage.

The host is about to be doomed, and it doesn't say a word.

Better not bind this system.

"Can I unbind you? I don't think you're the number one system on Blue Star; you're more like the last one," Xu Jingzhe thought in his mind.

System: "Ding, perhaps, maybe, possibly, probably not."

"Damn it!"

"How about we sign a contract? When I encounter life-threatening danger, you grant me some powerful energy?"

System: "Ding, no. Didn't the girl who just saved you say, the human body is like the universe, and you have to rely on yourself to survive?"

"Otherwise, if I crash one day, how can I save you?"

"Let me die," Xu Jingzhe was on the verge of collapse. What kind of thing is this?

Crashing every day, crashing every day, you crash more than the computers in the orphanage's computer room!

If Windows 2110 doesn't work, just switch to the most advanced 2123 system.

Look at how stingy you are! Even if you're a public system, you shouldn't be so stingy, right?

Could it be that the system also has a girlfriend?

So it's stingy?!

System: "Ding, however, although I cannot grant you energy, I can make you powerful. Are you interested?"

Xu Jingzhe squinted at the already brightening sky, a little disbelieving, but still tentatively asked, "Really?"

System: "Ding, absolutely genuine."

"Alright, our relationship is solid," Xu Jingzhe's face changed like turning a page.

"But how do I become powerful? Do we start training today? Running? Horse stance? Or endurance training?!"

System: "Ding, none of those. Eat."

"Eat?"

System: "Ding, devour bacteria, change your physique."

Devour... bacteria...

Xu Jingzhe's face darkened; he'd rather eat shit than that.

Who would dare to casually eat bacteria?

"Aren't bacteria everywhere? There are millions of kinds of bacteria living in the human mouth alone. How do you expect me to eat them?"

Xu Jingzhe felt that he had been tricked by this stingy system again.

System: "Ding, if you don't know how to eat, I know how to eat. Just eat whatever I tell you to eat."

"Ugh... but you are really too ugly. Being ugly to the extreme is also a disease, it needs to be cured. So, let's start by eating bacteria to change your appearance, otherwise, I might often crash from your ugliness."

Xu Jingzhe: "......"

Nǐ Mǎ, this is too much!

He reached out and touched his mask, it was fine.

"So what bacteria were in the acorns I just ate, and what can they change about me?"

...

"Damn it, it crashed again..."

It was daylight, still hazy, and Zhang Manyue woke up.

Xu Jingzhe looked at her and said, "Good morning."

Zhang Manyue coldly glanced at Xu Jingzhe, letting out a cold snort from her nostrils: "Hm."

Xu Jingzhe's heart skipped a beat. Ah? This...

How is this different from earlier this morning? Such a quick change in attitude?

Zhang Manyue came to the collapsed wall, lightly leaped up, and stood on the gray bricks, her fair, long legs attracting attention, with firm muscle lines and well-proportioned legs. If she appeared in the Seed Zone, she would definitely captivate a large number of men.

If she also wore black stockings from Paris VG, it would be absolutely stunning.

"Don't run around during the day. I'll bring food back for you."

After saying that, she pushed off with her feet, landing on a windowsill about five meters across. Then, with a few leaps, her graceful figure disappeared.

Xu Jingzhe walked over and looked down, his pupils contracting.

The height he was at was at least a dozen stories above the ground, and Zhang Manyue just went down like that?

"How many years has she lived in the Pollution Zone..." Xu Jingzhe mumbled.

"Grrr..."

"Grrr..."

Just then, his stomach growled from hunger, and he felt pain in his chest as well.