Mutated People, Still Human?

When the convoy returned to the campfire camp, it was already 12:21 pm.

On this trip, we successfully eliminated a large cockroach that had reached level 2 mutation and killed about 400 ordinary cockroaches of different sizes. For a team of 150 people, this is a very good record.

Due to the disruption caused by the mutated cockroach, the defending convoy was temporarily in chaos. The besieged group of cockroaches attacked, resulting in 26 deaths and 68 injuries. However, only 17 of them were seriously injured, while the rest were minor injuries, which did not affect the upcoming battle.

On the contrary, 5 trucks were lost, 4 armored vehicles were damaged, and 7 armed pickup trucks were used. These cannot be supplemented at the moment, so we can only make do with them.

The injured should be taken back for treatment, while the deceased companions should gather their bodies and, after repeated confirmation, sprinkle alcohol on them to ignite the burn.

People who shrink will mutate if eaten by other creatures, so according to the rules, the bodies of comrades who died in battle while performing missions outside will be burned and buried to prevent other creatures from eating and causing mutations.

The campsite has also been attacked sporadically, with only a few cockroaches, as well as flying insects such as mosquitoes and flies. However, the team quickly shrank in defense, surrounded by a radius of 40 centimeters from the brazier, and the mosquitoes dared not approach.

There were actually two mice running over, but these ordinary mice naturally couldn't take advantage of firearms and missiles. On the contrary, it was because it was not mutated that the remaining bodies provided the team with a free night snack.

Peeling and breaking bones, the rat meat was strung together and directly grilled on the fire. With cumin added, the fragrance quickly spread, making the people of the returning convoy cry with envy.

As the hero of the first battle, Tom naturally got a huge piece of rat meat, but at this moment, Tom had no appetite and refused directly.

Tom didn't sleep well that night.

The next morning, the team withdrew the campfire and packed all the packaging trucks to reach the escalator leading to the negative second floor.

The vanguard not only installed wooden boards on the escalator above, but also on the escalator leading to the negative second floor. According to the account of the 23rd, the one who participated at that time was an awakener who could make the wooden boards "grow" together, which can be considered as a weakened "metal shaping" ability of the wooden version.

What about when we reach the Jinrui Hotel, which also requires layers of wood to climb?

On the 23rd, it was announced that they will bring new equipment next time. The canvas will be rolled up and lowered from the height of the stairs to tighten and secure it, forming a slope for the vehicle to move up and down. This type of canvas roll takes up little space and is easy to carry and install.

The convoy descended unimpeded to the negative second floor, where there were two lanes. After they got off, they were guided by the subway station master Lu Chen to the middle section, where the campfire camp was set up.

Many people in the city have eagerly awaited the arrival of the subway train they had chosen, and then lined up to enter the carriage through the glass isolation door. Arriving at one's destination in a burst of rapid movement, and then squeezing out of the bustling crowd at the subway station, heading towards one's own work and money seeking direction.

But now, only a portion of those who were once busy have survived, constantly striving to survive.

Everyone looked at the huge glass isolation door through the searchlight and remained silent. At this moment, people once again realize how small they have become. The once bright and comfortable subway station has become a terrifying underground dungeon for them.

The cold and gloomy wind poured in through the cracks of the isolation door, and the sound of loud cries could still be heard in my ears, like the desperate cries of ghosts and spirits.

Faced with this huge isolation door, Zhao Xin couldn't help but ask, "Isn't the Tianlong supposed to be installed on the subway track? We can't open this isolation door."

On the 23rd, he explained, "The lower part of the isolation door is made of metal. With the ability to shape it with metal, you can make an opening by inserting a crystal bomb inside."

"Oh, yes," Zhao Xin suddenly realized and slammed his forehead with one hand. "Why did I forget? Then let Tom play now?"

The 23rd shook his head and said, "If we start now, the wind will be too strong. We need to wait until we leave here to do this step."

"That's right," Zhao Xin looked at the big truck in front of him. Tom was standing in the carriage wearing the Jade Rabbit Type 3 No.1 armor, and couldn't help but ask, "Instructor, why is Tom strange?"

"Tom had a brief spiritual communication with the mutant before, which may have been affected. Number 5 once believed that Tom's mental state was not suitable for participating in the mission, just small... The general manager said there was no problem, so Tom was allowed to participate in the battle. However, now it seems that his mental state does not affect his performance in the battle."

Zhao Xin sighed and could only shake his head helplessly. Then he took out a small piece of chocolate from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth, and the silky and strong fragrance suddenly bloomed in his mouth.

Once again, the brazier was placed and wooden strips soaked in inert combustion aids were placed in a zigzag pattern. Then, the fire was ignited, and everyone's bodies were shivering with the cold air poured into the subway tunnel before warming up.

Tom was still silently doing the work assigned to him, appearing a bit out of place, but there was no interference from the 23rd and 17th, and it was Yuan Feipeng, as a shareholder, who was thoughtful.

The remaining two nests are located on this level, one of which is a dead corner under the eastern escalator, marked as Nest 2. The other place is still a miscellaneous room, which is mostly used to store various subway maintenance parts, many of which are said to be iron tools.

At the time of the micro scale disaster, this industrial station was undergoing rectification and adjustment. In addition to Lu Chen and others, there were more than twenty workers working on the construction. If it's normal, there are only duty personnel here. The resulting biological variation was not as significant, and after the disaster occurred, the workers in the negative second layer had no time to escape. They all fell into a deep sleep and shrunk, and no one could wake up. They were all killed by the cold in the shrunken sleep.

This also caused the organisms near the negative second layer tunnel to nibble on it, leading to mutations.

According to previous reports from reconnaissance soldiers who also possess stealth abilities, there were several human corpses that died before being shrunk in the 2nd nest, making it a place for surrounding creatures, especially mutated creatures, to feed.

This time, the team dispatched 67 soldiers from the security department, 13 from the special investigation department, and the foreign mercenary group remained at 10. I didn't originally plan to send Tom on the 23rd, but Tom insisted on a mission and he allowed it.

Surprisingly, as a shareholder, Yuan Feipeng was originally only accompanying the team for inspection and evaluation, without the need for the next battle. However, he also requested to come with him, naturally because he was evaluating the danger of the mutated creature's nest.

I originally thought that Nest 1 was the simplest, but I didn't expect to encounter a second level mutation where even bullets and missiles wouldn't work.

When they cautiously arrived at Nest 2, ants, flies, and other creatures that lived here rushed towards them. Although there were many, there was no danger.

It has been over six months since the Miniature Cataclysm, and the body has decayed without being eaten away. At this point, what remains is a forest of white bones, as if being in a giant's graveyard in a fantasy movie. Especially the skeleton of the body, which is as high as two floors, accompanied by the cold wind poured into the tunnel, and the swaying lights on both sides, it is truly eerie and full of fantasy.

However, at this moment, insects emerged from all corners, and they didn't have much leisure and elegance to appreciate. The firearms in their hands frequently opened fire, eliminating these insects who wanted to eat their flesh and blood one by one.

The flamethrower is the best weapon against these insects of all sizes, and among them, awakeners wearing full body alloy armor are the most suitable for use.

Tom and Zhao Xin were like this, walking slowly between the scattered huge bones, their flamethrowers pointing at the swarms of ants and mosquitoes rushing towards them. As soon as the insects were swept by the flames, they immediately caught fire, including the mutated ant, which is a very good ignition material. However, there were still bugs being pounced on, but the hard alloy protected them completely from harm, and a simple punch could blow the insect's head out.

Behind them, the convoy slowly followed, and the soldiers kept changing their targets, shooting the larger insects one by one.

Perhaps it was a mutated and powerful creature that went elsewhere. In short, the cleaning of the 2nd nest went smoothly unexpectedly, with no other losses except for a few soldiers who suffered minor injuries.

Tom took off his helmet and sat back on a human shaft, mesmerized by a skull in front of him. The helium headlights of the truck behind him shone brightly, pulling his shadow long and extending into the hollow eye sockets of the skull, making him appear so lonely.

Knowing that he was in a bad mood, Zhao Xin and others did not step forward.

However, in no time, a figure blocked the light, and then the shadow gradually decreased, indicating that the person was walking towards him step by step.

Tom didn't turn around and someone stuffed a cigarette in front of him, saying, "Do you want one?"

Tom hesitated for a moment, then took the lit cigarette butt.

Collect a cigarette before the disaster, they will open it, break up the tobacco inside, and repackage it. Except for being too small, it must be done very carefully to fit into the mouth. For a person who is 7 centimeters tall, the nicotine content in cigarettes also needs to be reduced, otherwise they will die minute by minute.

Wine blended with essence, cigarettes rolled again, and freshly slaughtered meat are luxuries in shelters. Compared to the first two, the last one is even more scarce, and it's not a problem. Even if there are contributing votes, it's difficult to buy them.

Tom took a strong puff and the thick smoke choked him, causing him to cough straight. This amused the newcomer, with a deep smile.

"First time smoking?"

Tom nodded and said, "Yes."

As a homeless child, Tom is actually very restrained. He won't do things that harm his body like smoking.

Nowadays, there are distractions and irritability, so let's give it a try.

"There's always a first time in everything, and just get used to it. It's like... we're like this now. At first, when we got smaller, I felt very fresh and excited. I used to make models so big, it was really exciting."

Tom gave a bitter smile, and he felt the same way, after all, those Gundam models were all his favorites. Just right away, he thought of the ant nest that was like hell.

"Yuan Shao, do you think mutated people can still be considered human?"

The person who came was Yuan Feipeng, and Tom had already realized it was him before he spoke.

Yuan Feipeng smiled and instead asked, "What is mutation?"

Tom was taken aback and said, "No, it's just... you don't have to rely on crystals to use abilities, and it also eats people, like that..."

"Yue Zhenghui, yes, mutated person. But Tom, do you think we can be considered mutated compared to the deceased in front of us?"

"We?"

"We have all become smaller, and some people have failed in the process of becoming smaller and died. What do they call this kind of person? Oh, microscale losers. There is also a type where they even die before they can shrink, and the R&D department calls them microscale unqualified people. But why do those damn bugs become terrifying and deadly when they eat our meat? On the contrary, it is these unfortunate people who die before they even cross the threshold of becoming smaller, and their meat is eaten by the bugs but nothing happens?"

Tom thought for a moment, and there was indeed a point.

People who successfully become smaller will mutate when eaten by other organisms.

The meat of people who fail in the process of shrinking will also mutate when eaten by other organisms, and most of them will condense blue, transforming crystals in their bodies.

On the contrary, the body of a person who died from the beginning and did not shrink at all would not mutate if eaten by any living organism.

Yuan Feipeng took a puff of smoke and said, "It must be that we have some extra things in our bodies, which have caused those damn bugs to mutate. Only the unfortunate ones in front of us have none in their bodies, or their bodies cannot absorb them, so they are directly 'poisoned' to death. So... Tom... I think compared to these unfortunate ones, we are actually mutated people."

"We are all mutated?" Tom felt an indescribable barrier in his heart, because of Yuan Feipeng's words. This barrier was like a paper window being pierced open, and his originally chaotic thoughts suddenly became clear.