Oh, so there are edible Anomalies too.
Ren Yi mused to himself.
Not only could it clear heat and detoxify, but it could also serve as a cheap source of nourishment. It was practically a godsend for wilderness survival.
It was just a bit unfriendly that the mushrooms would grow if you lied after eating them.
Ren Yi felt that Wang Zhixin would definitely be interested in this thing.
"Get in." B406 pushed Evans into the room.
After shoving Evans inside, B406 leaned against the doorframe, his blue mechanical prosthetic eye flickering in the shadows.
The youth sat on a sofa opposite the rotten wood, staring at the beautiful fungi through the glass.
Those translucent pink mushrooms seemed to sense the presence of a living being. The edges of their caps quivered slightly, like countless sensitive ears waiting with bated breath.
Inside the interrogation room, Evans turned his head in confusion.
His gaze wandered between the massive glass wall, the pale pink mushroom forest behind it, and finally settled on B406 guarding the door.
"Where is your leader?" the youth's voice was dry. "It can't be this pile of fungi, can it?"
"Watch your words." B406's blue prosthetic eye contracted slightly, the faint click of the focus ring sounding exceptionally clear in the silent room.
"Just now, we confirmed the information with your Tribal Chief and the other survivors."
"They admitted that things that cannot be explained by common logic did indeed happen that night. Your claims are basically true."
Evans's hands, resting on his knees, tightened slightly.
"But even so, with your current status, it's impossible to take you to see the doctor."
B406 added coldly, "However, the doctor will be watching this room in real-time through high-definition cameras. As for her will, I shall be the one to convey it."
At the mention of "the doctor," Evans's eyes flickered.
"This is the greatest concession we'll make." B406 took a step forward, his shadow looming over the youth.
"If you still refuse to speak, then there's no need for you to speak ever again."
"But after that, I'll make sure you and that old man you care about both die very, very slowly."
Evans remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slowly.
B406 didn't explain what the B-121 behind the glass were, nor did he make Evans ingest them as Ren Yi had imagined.
After all, as a containment staff member, he was well aware of B-121's lethality, and the youth before him couldn't die yet.
In any case, as long as Evans spoke in this room, those fungi—extremely sensitive to lies—would naturally serve as the most impartial judges.
"That night..." Evans began his story, his breathing quickening as a look of lingering fear crept onto his face.
"I don't remember exactly what happened. I have no memory of how I encountered the Stomach of Glat."
"It felt like my consciousness plunged into a thick soup of chaos in an instant. My memories are nothing but madness and confusion; even my soul felt like it had been shredded."
His fingers subconsciously rubbed the edges of his handcuffs.
"By the time I woke up, the Tribal Chief had already rescued me."
"But he, and the other tribesmen around him, all swore to me... that they saw me being spat out by the Stomach of Glat with their own eyes."
B406 frowned.
Behind the glass wall, the pale pink mushrooms remained wilted and still, showing no signs of abnormality.
Clearly, Evans was telling the truth—or at least, the "truth" as he perceived it.
"The description is too vague," B406's voice dripped with dissatisfaction.
Of course, for an ordinary or even weak youth like Evans, maintaining consciousness would indeed be difficult.
But this information had no practical value.
B406 paused, his tone turning dangerous. "Since so many of you witnessed it, why didn't it eat you?"
"The Tribal Chief said it didn't seem to notice us at all."
Evans shook his head, his expression dazed. "After it spat me out, it quickly merged into the soil and disappeared like some kind of liquid."
"Useless nonsense," B406 snorted coldly.
"I haven't gotten to the important part yet!" Evans countered quickly, his voice rising a few notches.
B406 stopped and adopted a cold expression that said, "I'm listening."
Evans hesitated for a moment, glancing neurotically at the camera.
He took a deep breath, gathering his courage for a long time before lowering his voice.
"I haven't told the Tribal Chief or anyone else about this... please, don't tell them either."
"After being spat out, I've always felt... like my body has undergone some changes."
Oh ho.
Ren Yi, who was secretly watching the drama, felt his spirit lift. Even the mist inside the sealed pod surged slightly.
He had just thought this kid was missing a cheat, and here it was, right on cue.
The coincidence was almost hard to believe.
"I'm always hungry."
Evans clutched his stomach, his eyes reflecting the daze and terror unique to a teenager.
"That hunger feels like it's grown into the marrow of my bones."
"No matter how much I eat, even if I swallow all the rations the Tribal Chief gives me, I can't feel full."
"And... even if I eat more, my body keeps getting thinner and weaker, as if a ghost that can never be satisfied has crawled into my belly."
He stole a glance at B406, finally showing the worry and confusion of a young boy.
He asked with a trembling voice, "Do... do you know what's happening to me?"
B406 didn't answer the medical question. His prosthetic eye was fixed on the mushrooms behind the glass.
Seeing that they remained as still as stones, he continued his interrogation:
"You still haven't explained why you are so certain that the Stomach of Glat is related to that white Anomaly you just saw?"
"You didn't just make that up to get our attention because both of them have such... indeterminate forms, did you?"
"Indeterminate forms?" Ren Yi felt a bit slighted inside the sealed pod. "That's called fluid aesthetics, you hear?"
"Of course not!" Evans stood up abruptly.
"But, if I have to say why, I can only say it's intuition."
"The moment I saw 'it,' an uncontrollable urge rose in my heart..."
"I just feel that I am similar to that creature."
"There's a powerful resonance, as if it's 'kindred.'"
Rate on N.U.
