352: White-haired little loli

Twenty-four hours earlier, in the core command center of Honeycomb Experimental City, Security Department Director Layton gravely reviewed the analysis report submitted by his subordinates.

Communication blackouts, personnel in comas, abnormal seismic wave readings... These seemingly isolated incidents, when sorted by the analysis algorithm, gradually pointed to a conclusion that somewhat defied their understanding.

The 3D spatio-temporal distribution map of all anomalous events slowly rotated before Layton's eyes, all correlation lines converging on the Nova People and the Trisolarans, or on the lines connecting Honeycomb to these two.

“So, the source of the problem lies with these two groups of aliens?”

Layton approached the holographic projection, his hands clasped behind his back.

“It seems if we need answers, we can only get them from them.”

He turned to his deputy, “Immediately send encrypted orders to all patrolling units outside, expand the reconnaissance range, and focus on monitoring any abnormal activities that might be related to the Nova People or the Trisolarans.”

Cole was one of the teams that received this order...

“What they are collecting is you.”

“Humans.”

Cole’s calm words echoed in the command tower, like a giant stone thrown into a still lake, stirring up ripples.

The Commander’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, finally settling into an unspeakable fear.

“This, this is impossible!” the Commander’s voice trembled slightly. “Are you saying these monsters aren’t waging war, but hunting us?”

Cole nodded, a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

“Based on the battlefield footage and post-battle traces we have recorded so far, this is already certain.”

He rotated his wrist, and an image appeared in the middle of the command tower. The recorded footage clearly showed that after the monsters struck down soldiers, they did not continue to attack other targets, but instead gathered the incapacitated individuals, who were then transported underground by specific transport units.

“Just like predators take their prey back to their dens,” Cole added softly.

“However, this process generally only happens behind the front lines they have crossed, and in such situations, I imagine you wouldn’t be able to verify the specific circumstances of missing or fallen personnel one by one.”

“And their behavior clearly shows a strong intention to hide their actions.”

“So, it’s normal that you don’t know yet.”

The Commander felt a chill rise from his spine. He recalled previous battle reports, the missing personnel, the battlefields where not even bodies remained—everything suddenly made sense.

“I must report this intelligence to headquarters immediately!” the Commander said urgently, then realized the problem. “But our communications…”

Cole made a gesture, signaling him to calm down. “We can provide limited communication support, but we also need you to provide us with some intelligence we need.”

“I think, at your level, you should have the authority to contact your President directly.”

The Commander didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed to Cole’s request.

After the deal was struck, Cole connected to the patrol boat’s communication system. After a slight static sound, a clear signal came through the communication channel.

“This is B-21 Military Base, urgent intelligence needs to be reported directly to the President!” the Commander shouted into the microphone.

After a brief wait, President Cain’s voice came from the other end: “This is Cain, report the situation.”

The Commander took a deep breath, reporting Cole’s findings, his own deductions, and Cole’s requests as calmly as possible.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, then Cain’s voice sounded again.

“Immediately escort the company representative back to Barrier City. We need to exchange intelligence face-to-face and discuss countermeasures.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Commander was about to say something to Cole, but Cole raised his hand to stop him directly.

“I know what you’re going to say. Just come with us. Time is pressing; there’s no room to waste.”

“Get on board.”

The Commander was a bit embarrassed but quickly adjusted and boarded the company’s spaceship.

While B-21 Base was engaged in tense communication, a major event was taking place in the core area of Honeycomb Experimental City.

In the enormous cultivation chamber, Pexito’s evolution entered its most critical phase within a container made of high-strength transparent material.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of high-concentration life milk, urgently allocated by the company, were being injected into the container through a complex pipeline system.

Originally, this experiment was scheduled for half a month later, but due to a series of unexpected events and a conversation between Pexito and Xia Er, the experiment was moved up to the present.

“Energy input stable, data monitoring normal,” the technician reported, eyes fixed on the charts on the screen.

Xia Er watched the center of the container, observing the light cocoon that emitted a soft glow. He could feel that the injected life milk was being assimilated, and the liquid was undergoing a qualitative leap.

The fluctuations grew stronger and stronger, but also more and more stable.

“Is this what they call ‘shapeshifting’ in fantasy novels? Haha,” Xia Er murmured to himself, feeling both anticipation and a hint of worry.

He was sure Pexito was a good person, the kind of good person that most people recognize. This wasn’t just his assessment, but the collective assessment of everyone in Honeycomb who knew of Pexito’s existence.

But the unknown power she had displayed earlier was undoubtedly an uncertain factor.

Suddenly, the light cocoon in the container erupted with dazzling light, illuminating the entire cultivation chamber as if it were daytime.

Before the researchers could even gasp, the light gradually diminished, and the scene in the center of the container became clear.

A body in the form of a human girl, about ten years old, floated quietly in the life milk.

She had pure, flawless white long hair, fair and translucent skin, and beneath her closed eyelids, stars seemed to be contained.

What astonished those present was that this body was not made of flesh and blood, but it was no longer in the form of life milk.

According to the instrument readings, it was a mimetic substance formed by highly concentrated life milk, reorganized by an unknown energy source through unknown means.

It possessed both the stability of a physical form and the special properties of an energy body.

Biologists and material scientists exclaimed almost in unison, their voices filled with disbelief, “This is simply a miracle!”

“Oh my goodness!? How was this done? Why did this change occur?”

“This is completely proton-level material transformation, isn’t it? Amber King hasn’t mastered this level of technology yet, has he?”

(Chen Hao: Who says I haven’t? Since resources are free now, is there any need to release this technology?)

Of course, what these exclaiming researchers didn’t know was that Chen Hao was currently wiping non-existent sweat from his brow in high-dimensional space.

“Ah, I really worked hard.”

“It’s quite a struggle to create a Star God Body, but fortunately, it’s not mature yet, so the difficulty is much lower.”

“Alright, done for the day. For the sake of being on the same side, I’ll take a service fee from you.”

“Thirty percent authority, that’s enough.”

“I truly am a great benevolent person.”

...A few hours later, Pexito slowly opened her eyes.

They were incredibly clear eyes, with galaxies seemingly swirling in her pupils. She curiously surveyed her surroundings, then raised her hand and examined it closely.

“It worked!” She tried to speak; the syllables produced by her vibrating vocal cords, though a bit rough, were clearly discernible.

Xia Er softly asked, “Pexito, how do you feel?”

The girl turned her head, her gaze piercing through the thick glass and landing directly on Xia Er. She smiled slightly, a smile that held both the innocence of a child and wisdom beyond her years.

“Real, more beautiful than in my memory,” she said softly. Her tone was calm, but one could also sense her joy.