Chapter 254: Test Crystal

Hearing the sudden severity in Bai Liqing's tone, the researcher in the heavy protective suit immediately grew tense; Yu Sheng could even see beads of sweat forming on the other's nose tip through the transparent visor.

"At present, that is the case," came the researcher's somewhat muffled voice from beneath the protective suit, "but not all substances are affected. We have only confirmed that one type of rock undergoes this strange transformation near the Mother Crystal."

Bai Liqing's face remained taut: "... So, it spreads this way? Do the 'secondary crystals' generated by assimilation possess this property as well?"

"It seems there is no need to worry for now," the researcher finally relaxed a bit while saying this, "the 'secondary crystals' generated by assimilation have not exhibited similar assimilative effects. At least up to now, we have only observed this phenomenon around the Mother Crystal, so this should not become a 'chain reaction' that gradually devours the entire world."

The tension on Bai Liqing's face finally eased a little—Yu Sheng felt quite proud; he could now even discern micro-expressions on the face of that iron-faced stoic.

"Then what is the range of this crystal's influence?" Yu Sheng asked casually.

Upon hearing Yu Sheng speak, the researcher hesitated first, then turned his gaze toward Bai Liqing, his expression carrying a question.

"Just speak, no need to look at me," Bai Liqing said, "He is Yu Sheng, and this one here is Erin. Regarding information on the Dark Angels, they enjoy the same access clearance as I do."

"Ah, ah, okay!" The researcher clearly knew some inside information; upon hearing the name "Yu Sheng," his eyes changed, brightening with a spark of alertness as he quickly spoke up, "We have not yet measured a very precise range, only roughly confirmed it does not exceed twenty meters; it is a spherical area centered on the Mother Crystal."

"Then that range is not large," Erin muttered, "How to put it... it's a bit like a... 'well-behaved child'? I mean, compared to the other Dark Angels."

Bai Liqing nodded slightly and then asked, "Anything else? Have you discovered anything more?"

"There exists some resonant connection between the Mother Crystal and the secondary crystals. We observed them emitting a low-frequency oscillation alternately within a range of about one hundred meters, but we currently cannot determine if this 'resonance' holds any 'meaning'—it might just be a natural phenomenon, or it might involve some 'life activity' we cannot understand."

"Additionally, we observed complex changes in the crystal structure within the secondary crystals. They rearrange their lattice approximately every 33.3 seconds, which we term 'reorganization.' This reorganization does not alter their surface physical characteristics, such as hardness, transparency, or color, but internally, it is equivalent to the secondary crystal becoming a new individual every 33.3 seconds—yet no such change occurs within the Mother Crystal; the Mother Crystal's structure remains consistently stable."

"These are our main findings at this stage. Further testing plans are undergoing careful evaluation because, considering the preciousness of the samples, we must avoid causing damage to the Mother Crystal, so any testing methods that could cause physical destruction cannot be used lightly."

"Hmm, necessary caution," Bai Liqing nodded slightly, acknowledging the other's cautious attitude, "This is the first time in history that humanity has collected debris after an Angel fell; we must be careful."

Yu Sheng had been staring at the crystal on the platform since the beginning; his gaze gradually grew eager. The small puppet on his shoulder was the first to notice the change in his eyes: "Hey, what do you want to do?"

"Ahem," Yu Sheng cleared his throat, turned his head to look at the researcher, and asked, "How many 'Mother Crystals' are there in total right now?"

"The recovery team sent over four in total," the researcher said casually, "Is there a problem?"

"... Then can I touch this one?" Yu Sheng raised his hand and pointed at the round platform, "But I'm afraid I might break it for you, so I'm asking in advance. After all, you just said the samples are quite precious."

The researcher's expression instantly froze, and he turned to look at Bai Liqing again—he dared not agree to this casually.

As it turned out, Bai Liqing's expression was also a bit dazed.

Yu Sheng scratched his head: "If you don't allow it, then forget it."

Bai Liqing took a light breath; she didn't know how many rounds of internal struggle had occurred in her mind in that instant before finally speaking with a taut face: "I guess what you mean is definitely not the kind of 'touch' an ordinary person would do?"

Yu Sheng also felt a bit awkward: "If possible, I also want to smear some blood on it."

The faces of several researchers nearby instantly began to sweat; Yu Sheng even suspected that if Bai Liqing were not present, these people would either have pounced on him or fainted right then.

But after a long period of weighing the options, Bai Liqing finally nodded.

"Go ahead and try," she said with a solemn expression, "But... be careful."

"I must emphasize, this is not part of the normal laboratory procedure," a researcher whispered from behind, "Putting a hand on it violates seven or eight regulations in one go..."

Yu Sheng pretended not to hear. Amidst the tense and conflicted gazes of everyone around, including Bai Liqing, he stepped forward and placed his hand on that "Mother Crystal."

Cold, silent, like an bottomless, tranquil deep pool, it made no response to Yu Sheng's touch.

No "Dead Talk" phenomenon occurred—to be honest, Yu Sheng felt a bit disappointed at that moment.

Anka Ela was truly gone.

Then he steadied himself, took a small knife from his pocket, and slashed his hand once—the skin didn't break; he slashed again, and it still didn't break.

The atmosphere at the scene seemed a bit awkward; Yu Sheng couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth: "Uh, I've used it to cut my hand quite a lot recently; it seems a bit dull."

"That's not dull, it's got serrations!" Erin stared with wide eyes, "Just how thick-skinned and tough are you now?"

Yu Sheng said nothing, merely continuing to saw with the knife. After great effort, he finally managed to create a wound, then gritted his teeth, squeezed blood out forcefully, and leaned toward the Mother Crystal.

The people nearby were dumbfounded; the shock this scene caused them even exceeded their concern for the crystal. One researcher muttered there, "That's a ruthless person... That was sawed open with sheer force, right?" "People who can fight the Dark Angels are extraordinary," another researcher muttered along, "I was originally thinking of finding a painless blood collector..."

While Yu Sheng was squeezing out blood, he heard these words, turned his head, and his eyes nearly popped out: "If you have such a thing, why didn't you say so earlier? Just stood there watching me saw with my bare hands?!"

"Don't even think about it," Erin poked his head, "Even with a blood collector, it probably couldn't pierce your skin and flesh now."

As she spoke, a drop of bright red blood fell onto the Mother Crystal.

Everyone's gaze instantly fixed upon that drop of blood.

Even Yu Sheng himself grew nervous, watching his blood slowly flow down the crystal's surface.

Then, the blood was silently absorbed by the crystal.

"Did you feel anything?" Erin asked immediately.

"... Nothing special," Yu Sheng frowned, but immediately added, "But that's normal too. Establishing a connection via blood often takes delayed effect, especially for those without life or with bizarre life forms. Remember, the blood I smeared on the frame for you back then took so long to work..."

"Yes, yes, oh..." The small puppet nodded blankly, but immediately realized, "Wait! Who are you calling bizarre?!"

No mistakes, one sentence, one chapter, one content, one read!

The researchers nearby, upon seeing the blood being absorbed, all showed expressions of shock; a moment later, one of them exclaimed in a low voice: "It absorbed it?!"

Immediately, the surroundings became lively; the researchers were like they had been injected with stimulants: "New anomaly! It can absorb blood!" "Get the equipment, get the equipment! Turn on the comprehensive analyzer, quick, quick..." "Retrieve the data! Platform data!"

Hearing the commotion of the researchers, Yu Sheng was startled, then looked around awkwardly: "Well, this isn't a property of the crystal; it's my property. My blood is a bit special..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent, and several gazes turned and focused entirely on him.

Yu Sheng: "..."

It was the first time he had encountered such a gaze.

But he understood quickly.

"You better manage them," he turned to look at Bai Liqing, "These people seem to be planning to cut me up."

Bai Liqing also felt a bit awkward; she cleared her throat twice, said nothing, and those researchers quickly shifted their gazes away.

But Yu Sheng was one hundred percent certain that what these people shifted away was only their gaze; their attention hadn't shifted at all...

However, he didn't mind. Researchers, strong curiosity is a very normal situation.

Afterwards, he poked the puppet on his shoulder again: "Do you want to try too?"

Erin looked puzzled: "Try what?"

"Those threads of yours; since you previously used them to touch many things within the Ankaera dreams, you've essentially established a connection with Ankaera itself. You should give it a try too, and see if the crystal reacts to you."

Irene felt Yu Sheng's spur-of-the-moment reasoning made little sense, yet his suggestion to "give it a try" remained, as always, irresistibly appealing.

"Then I'll give it a try," the little puppet said, rubbing her hands together and adjusting her seated position on Yu Sheng's shoulder. "If it doesn't work, don't blame me..."

As she spoke, her small face tightened with seriousness, and then, under Yu Sheng's expectant gaze, she extended her right hand toward that "Mother Crystal."

Wisps of pitch-black "spider silk" spread from her fingertips, cautiously reaching toward the crystal.

The eerie, chilling aura caused the two researchers standing closest to involuntarily step back half a pace.

Then, when those threads were still a dozen centimeters away from the crystal, Yu Sheng heard a distinct humming sound.

The black threads seemed to collide with a vibrating barrier; they instantly rebounded, snapping apart inch by inch.

"Ah, damn!"

Even Irene herself was struck by the impact and fell directly off Yu Sheng's shoulder.

(End of Chapter)