Minaret Experimental Base, inside a level five biosafety laboratory.
A dozen researchers stood in the command room, silently looking out the window at the two delta-level experimenters lying on the experimental table.
The two experimenters were injected with a large amount of sedatives and had already fallen asleep. Moreover, they did not wear any protective equipment and were completely exposed to the air in the laboratory.
Of these two people, one had been infected with protoplasmic fluid before, while the other was transported into the laboratory for the first time and had not been infected before.
This experiment request was sent personally by X-111. The request came from the person with the highest authority for the Spire Experiment—His Excellency Chen Chen.
Although he didn't quite understand Chen Chen's intention of doing this, the director of the laboratory still planned to fulfill Chen Chen's request faithfully.
"Follow the instructions above and put the infected person into the isolation cabin."
In the command room, the research director ordered, and several androids immediately followed the instructions, clearly dividing the work and sending the infected delta-level experimenter into the isolation cabin.
The so-called isolation cabin is a kind of closed sleeping bag made of soft plastic that can fit into a person's sleeping bag. There is an oxygen device next to it, which can automatically supply oxygen to the interior.
After doing all this, the supervisor continued, "Now release a conscious infected person and let him enter the laboratory, and let all the androids exit at the same time."
These orders were followed one by one by the androids, and then a delta-level experimenter with a somewhat frightened expression was released. This was an Owambo tribesman. He first looked around in horror and saw the androids holding him hostage. After leaving, he started pacing around in confusion.
However, he could only see a large number of instruments in the laboratory and two stretcher trucks in the center of the laboratory. As for the people behind the observation window on the second floor, he could not see them at all.
Because the observation window is just a mirror when viewed in the laboratory.
On the experimental platform, two of his companions were lying, one of whom was completely exposed, and the other was enclosed in an isolation cabin.
The experimenter who had not been infected before and was completely exposed to the laboratory environment was labeled No. 1, while the experimenter who was enclosed and infected was labeled No. 2.
However, when he saw Experimenter No. 2 in the isolation cabin, his expression suddenly stiffened, and his face was slightly distorted, as if he was struggling with something.
This entanglement only lasted for a moment. Gradually, his eyes became stiffer and stiffer, and at the same time, he began to walk step by step in the direction of the two stretchers.
Seeing this scene, all the researchers standing in the command room immediately understood that the infected person had activated the fusion state at this time.
Sure enough, the infected person ignored No. 1. He went straight to the test bed No. 2, which was already infected but was sealed in the isolation cabin, and roughly tore open the isolation cabin. When the other person was completely exposed, At this time, the infected person suddenly showed a look of satisfaction, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and at the same time, he lay down on the other person's body...
Crunchy…
With a sound of flesh and blood crawling, the two infected people slowly merged together under the gaze of many researchers...
"Very good, next is the control group. The unconscious No. 1's position remains unchanged. Clean out the fused body and replace it with the next group of No. 2!"
Following the supervisor's order, another experimenter who was also infected, also sedated, and unconscious was lifted up and put into a new isolation cabin.
But this time, No. 1 was injected with dozens of milliliters of protoplasmic liquid.
According to the infection rules known to everyone, No. 1 has definitely been infected at this time.
Afterwards, everyone waited for about three hours, trying to eliminate errors before letting in a conscious infected person again.
In everyone's thinking, since a conscious infected person is released, then according to the principle of priority, this infected person will inevitably fuse with No. 1 first. Although No. 1 was not infected before, but now he is being injected After drinking the protoplasmic liquid, he was definitely infected.
But what is surprising is that in the end, the infected person still chose No. 2.
"What's going on? Shouldn't No. 1 be infected already?"
The director of the laboratory suddenly looked puzzled, "Is it because the infection is not deep enough?"
To answer their questions, they waited another three hours and then repeated the experiment.
However, the newly infected person still chose No. 2, as if No. 1 did not exist...
"Could it be that No. 1 was not infected?"
Everyone in the entire laboratory looked surprised and uncertain, "But, how is this possible..."
…
A few hours later.
This experiment was carried out more than ten times. At first, many people thought it might be an error. However, every time the fusion occurred, the infected person chose the No. 2 in the isolation cabin, while the No. 1 on the other side was always exposed. No infected person chose to fuse.
In the end, the supervisor even withdrew the choice of No. 2 directly, and then let in a conscious infected person, but the result was still the same. All the infected people were still unwilling to merge with No. 2.
"What is going on? Even if a comatose person comes into contact with a large amount of alien protoplasmic liquid, he will not be infected by this liquid?"
Some people suddenly asked in surprise.
"How can it be… "
Many people started arguing in a chaotic manner.
But they didn't know that somewhere deep underground, Chen Chen had completely revealed his expression. He stood up as if he had grasped something, and walked around again, "So this is really the case? I actually saw it a little before I didn’t even think of it…”
"Your Majesty the Godfather?"
The voice of Little
"Yes, the infected want to fuse, but they ignore No. 1 without any protective measures. Instead, they have to fuse with No. 2 in the isolation cabin. What does this mean?"
Chen Chen asked rhetorically, "Doesn't this mean that unconscious people cannot be infected? Because there is no infection, the infected people will not choose comatose people as fusion targets at all?"
"Then the question is, why is it that as long as you are in a coma, you will not be infected even if you drink the protoplasmic liquid directly? What is the difference between comatose people and ordinary people?"
"The answer is simple, they are unconscious!"
As Chen Chen talked to himself, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, and felt his heart pounding. He couldn't tell whether it was excitement or fear, "After abandoning all the impossible, no matter how absurd the remaining option is, it will be is the final answer... In other words, this kind of protoplasmic liquid from the sky does not infect our bodies, but our consciousness!"
"This is an infection of consciousness!"
"Conscious infection?"
Little
At this moment, all the clues emerged like cocoons. Only this explanation can explain why some people were clearly not isolated, but the infected ignored them, and instead selected those comatose people isolated in the isolation cabin for fusion. .
However, Little
"No, it shouldn't be possible."
But Chen Chen shook his head with great confidence, "It's not a meme. How can you be infected by observing it from the outside? This phenomenon of fusion death is absolutely impossible to rely on visual communication. Only ghosts like memes can do it. It is transmitted through visual and auditory means, so in my inference, at least two conditions need to be met to cause infection of protoplasmic liquid!"
"First, it must be conscious contact."
"Second, it's distance!"
Chen Chen concluded, "No matter how powerful the infection ability is, there will be a distance limit, whether it is a virus or a bacterium, so of course the protoplasmic liquid that can infect human consciousness is also the same... Do you understand? Whether it is seen or heard, , touching or coming into contact with those infected dead bodies, or even touching the protoplasmic liquid will not lead to infection. The real cause of infection is consciousness and distance. Only when these two are met, can you be infected by the protoplasmic liquid. ! ”
"It's actually the distance?"
Little Even if they are conscious, the protoplasmic liquid and those fused corpses cannot infect humans, otherwise the scientists who are researching in the command room in the Spire Experimental Base would have been tricked!"
"Yes, the reason why I judged that distance is a factor is because consciousness is difficult to define."
Chen Chen nodded and said with emotion, "Human consciousness is divergent. What a person sees with his eyes, hears with his ears, and touches with his body is also contact at the level of consciousness. If there is no distance limit, then the infected person There is definitely more than this amount, so the limited distance for infection is definitely not far away. I think the same as you, the distance is between one meter and two meters."
After deducing all this, Chen Chen only felt that his thoughts were getting smoother and smoother. Under his order, the Spire took action again and began to use more delta-level experimenters to conduct distance tests. After dozens of experiments, more than a hundred deltas died. A senior experimenter finally tested that the infection radius of this protoplasmic liquid was 118.36 centimeters!
In other words, as long as this distance is exceeded, it is completely safe even if you stand nearby and watch the corpses!
"But why are there viruses that infect consciousness? Can consciousness also affect the body?"
Until now, Little
"You mean supernatural?"
Chen Chen raised his head from his thoughts, "No, this is not supernatural. It's like the power in my mind - field energy. Although field energy is invisible and qualityless, it can affect matter and make me perform actions beyond Newton's laws. .”
"If I'm not wrong, this protoplasmic liquid may also have strange forces similar to field energy. Even if it is supernatural and beyond the scope of science, it is just nature beyond our human understanding and science beyond our human understanding. …”
"Humans often use terms such as supernatural and miracles to describe things they don't understand. But are all these really beyond science? Even memes are within the scientific system, not to mention this fusion Dead."
Chen Chen concluded, "So, the protoplasmic liquid we are facing is just an unknown science, and what we have to do now is to find countermeasures to stop everything that is happening! X, the information we derived Send it to the Black Light Foundation and let all continents in the world get this news. As long as we master this rule, this disaster may be suppressed."
"Understood, I have sent the message."
Little It loses its activity, but every time it infects a human, it will cause that person to become a new source of infection."
"Currently, the world has suspended shipping routes, blocked ports, and even blocked similar comments on the Internet. However, ordinary people have also noticed that something is wrong, especially many cities and regions have been closed down. According to the investigation, According to the model established, the entire society is likely to collapse in half a month, and we must seize the time to find ways to suppress it."
"And, even you..."
Xiao X suddenly stopped talking, with a bit of frustration in his tone.
Chen Chen just shook his head. He himself was infected with this ghost thing. Although it is still in the incubation period, this is because he has not encountered a second infected person. Once he leaves here, he is likely to become unconscious immediately. Controlled fusion, by then, he would be dead.
But, do I want to stay in such a dark place for the rest of my life
Not only that, Chen Chen found that every time he fell asleep, he would continue to have weird nightmares. It seemed that there was a will in the dark constantly urging him to merge with other infected people. However, Chen Chen's will was stronger. It won't have much impact for the time being.
But as time passed, he could feel that the will was getting bigger and bigger, becoming more and more irresistible.
Chen Chen suspected that as more and more people died, their consciousnesses became the nourishment for that will, making it stronger and stronger...
Although this conjecture sounded too fantastical, and even Chen Chen himself did not want to believe it, he secretly sensed that his worries were about to become a reality.
Something that modern science cannot understand is gradually awakening using human life as nourishment...