Chapter 584: Private Deal

Consciousness is chaotic......

So, does that mean Lin Xin still has a chance of being saved?

【Customer Service 117: No hope left.】

While Yang Yixie was still pondering the situation, a pop‑up window suddenly sprang up.

501 is a homophone of Mu Linyuan, so this one... can only be Yang Yixie.

【Ying Duo: Didn't we say we couldn't contact?】

【Customer Service 117: We don't even exist in the same world at the same time.】

You should know that Yang Yixie is also adept at exploiting bugs.

【Customer Service 117: I asked 501 to have someone slightly meddle with the world's laws; a brief contact with you is still no problem.】

【Customer Service 117: He was experimented on; his soul was directly linked to that clump of black sludge. It's a blessing his brain wasn't completely devoured by the Mutation.】

If other Aberrant Species that retained human form did so because they once connected with the "God" in that bizarre space, then a fleeting glance could allow them to preserve their original shape.

But Lin Xin, who had been linked with a deity for a long time, had long since become a half‑dead vegetative patient; physically, he is indeed a vegetative patient.

【Customer Service 117: The life force of the aberrant plant is extremely tenacious; if it were other Aberrant Beasts, they might never wait for you here—Eternal Silent Abyss has already caused enough commotion.】

That may be why Fang Zhiyan chose Lin Xin as his experimental subject.

Ying Duo, idle, poked Lin Xin's face with a finger; Lin Xin showed no reaction, and the feel was no different from a human face—not really like a mushroom spirit.

Qi Junyi watched Ying Duo's small gesture from beside, and honestly, from the start he felt Ying Duo was much livelier than when he'd seen it before.

Not that it can cause more trouble, but... more humanlike?

【Ying Duo: So you contacted me just to talk about this?】

【Customer Service 117: Of course not.】

【Customer Service 117: Want to make a deal?】

Yang Yixie narrowed his eyes at the words, "The Yang Yixie message really came at a convenient time, right after they dealt with Lin Xin."

Is there some other plot they have, or did something unexpected happen elsewhere?

【Ying Duo: What kind of deal?】

【Customer Service 117: A deal that satisfies both sides.】

What Yang Yixie wants is simply stability in the real world, at least no more dangers can reach reality.

And Mu Lingxiao wants to preserve humanity's civilization in this world to the greatest extent.

Human civilization includes many things—knowledge, culture, heritage... and the most important of all is simply humanity itself.

Why are they willing to pay any price to connect with another world? Simply to leave an escape route before this world is completely destroyed.

And the threat to both worlds is the Mutation.

"He" wants to make a deal with him.

Ying Duo crouched beside Lin Xin, eyes fixed on him, but had long lost focus.

To be precise, it never had.

Qi Junyi watched for a while, and after seeing Ying Duo repeatedly poke Lin Xin's face like a robot, he also looked away.

One by one, they all widened their hollow golden eyes, staring unblinking at something, making Qi Junyi feel a physiological discomfort in his forehead.

The scene was absurdly eerie, so Qi Junyi decided to step back for now and go back to check on his own brother.

【Customer Service 117: Looks like we've reached a consensus?】

Communicating with oneself is still hassle‑free, even if the upbringing differs greatly; a slight twist of the hips and you can roughly guess what the other is thinking.

Both went through a round: setting a trap for oneself, discovering the pit one dug, then slamming oneself, and finally they both reached agreement.

【Customer Service 117: After the deal is completed, I'll transfer all Aberrant Arts and abilities on Ying Duo to you; likewise, the Mutation and deity fragments that Ying Duo has fused belong to me.】

No matter how you look at it, for Yang Yixie, who wants to eliminate every hidden risk of the Mutation, this is a sure‑profit transaction.

The only issue may come later: he'll need to strip the fused Aberrant Species fragments and give them to "me."

But before that, he must first find out where Fang Zhiyan is and what he's doing.

【Ying Duo: Do you know Fang Zhiyan's location?】

【Customer Service 117: We can only locate where you are, after all Ying Duo's composition now includes some of my Aberrant Arts.】

【Customer Service 117: I can only see everything Ying Duo can see; for example, if you keep poking like that now, you could poke a hole through the mushroom person.】

Having reached the current level, even without massive strength points, Ying Duo's strength attribute has greatly increased; after being poked for so long, Lin Xin's face already shows obvious bruising.

Yang Yixie finally snapped back to his senses and withdrew the finger that was tormenting Lin Xin.

Looks like he'll have to do it himself......

Ying Duo slowly rose, preparing to rejoin the main force; looking up, he saw something stirring in the shadows, slowly moving toward them.

Golden eyes fixed on the shadow behind Luo Jinyou, at the recessed part of the rock wall to his left‑rear, as if something was churning there.

Ying Duo's finger immediately tapped a string of commands; the mech that Ying Duo had just inspected for damage instantly activated, ejecting a blast of scorching airflow, though the thing moved swiftly.

Realizing its camouflage had been exposed, it abandoned stealth and burst violently from the shadows.

It was a silvery‑white tentacle, its surface covered with dense suction‑cup protrusions; at least half a meter thick, it shot out from a crack in the rock wall toward an undefended target.

Luo Jinyou turned his head sideways; even knowing his non‑human nature, he faced no hostility from acquaintances. Qi Junyi took the initiative to speak with him, and happened to bring up Professor Luo De'an's recent situation.

Luo Jinyou listened, a slight curve lifting the corner of his mouth; although their current environment and circumstances were far from optimistic, hearing news of his adoptive father was still good for him.

"You could also try contacting him; you might have to take a few detours, but it should be fine."

"Got it," Luo Jinyou said, "When we get back—"

Before he could finish, Qi Junyi's gaze swept over his shoulder and saw the silvery tentacle rising behind him.

The black mech had already sliced in from the opposite side of Luo Jinyou; aided by the auxiliary thruster on its left arm, the mech's whole body thrust into the gap between Luo Jinyou and the tentacle at an almost horizontal angle, the armor on its left arm blocking forward, stubbornly withstanding the tentacle's strike.

Fang Zhiyan gave them no time to recover.