I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Lu Ban searched around and found that all the equipment had been destroyed, leaving only a computer in the corner.

He followed the same procedure and started the computer.

Most of the data inside was unreadable; Lu Ban only found a few videos.

The video is titled "Experiment Log".

He opened one of the videos.

The screen remained completely black for a few seconds, after which the scene of the incubation chamber appeared.

In the center, a woman lies down.

The woman was in her early twenties, with delicate features. She lay on the bed without anesthesia, her eyes open and full of anticipation.

The woman's hair had been cut short, and she wore a helmet with cables attached to it. Next to her was a metal container, like a safe.

"First consciousness upload begins."

A voice spoke from the side.

With a starting sound, Lu Ban saw the light on his helmet turn on.

The next moment, the woman's whole body convulsed. She was only held to the bed by the straps. Her trembling body caused the whole bed to shake slightly. Her fingers twisted and her toes stretched out as if she had been electrocuted.

Then, the box next to her was opened with a bang.

A twisted, filthy, mud-like monster slowly crawled out of the box.

The monster had many eye-like objects on its body, which were scanning its surroundings.

Then, all eyes turned to the girl.

The monster slowly, bit by bit, climbed onto the convulsing girl's body.

Chapter 500 Mud Monster

The monster swiftly seized control of the girl's limbs, then its muddy body covered her, and the convulsions quickly turned into spasms, causing the girl to let out a painful and shrill scream.

At that moment, all emotions turned into pain, gushing out from his throat.

The hoarse voice clearly came from her torn throat. She was muttering incoherent cries, and without even needing to understand them, Lu Ban knew that they were curses and regrets.

This process lasted ten minutes.

The girl remained conscious throughout those ten minutes.

She was devoured completely, leaving nothing behind.

After the monster ate its opponent, it quickly shrank and turned into a lump of rough dough.

Something seems to be brewing within.

That's probably why this place is called an incubator.

Lu Ban looked at the mud-like monster and suddenly felt that it looked familiar.

It's like the flesh and blood that transformed from the tower in the dry town of the Night Kingdom.

Like that cement monster in the culture tank at Nanhua Private Renji Hospital.

It's like a golden retriever blooming with mud flowers in the sewers of a ruined city.

*Pfft*

The video suddenly shook, and from the muddy monster, a sharp, insect-like leg emerged.

Suddenly, the mud burst open, and countless insects crawled densely onto the bed, the floor, and the walls.

These insects seemed to be directed by something, scouting around to find out what was going on.

Then, they seemed to have found an exit and gathered towards the safe-like container from which the monster had just crawled out.

It disappeared very quickly.

"The experiment is over, and it was a great success."

This concludes the video.

Lu Ban looked at the other videos, and they were almost all the same.

In the video, humans callously offer their fellow humans to be devoured by monsters, turning them into insects and leaving.

Just like the machines on a pig slaughtering production line, meticulous in every detail.

"...Consciousness fusion?"

Lu Ban thought about it carefully.

He was fairly certain that the mud monsters in his world, the Night Kingdom, and the ruined capital were the same kind, just possibly at different stages of evolution.

The most perfected one in the ruined capital has completely mimicked humans or animals and has mastered their thinking.

The Nanhua Private Renji Hospital is relatively primitive, but because of its integration with architecture, it has developed the ability to explore different spaces.

As for the Kingdom of Night, Lu Ban felt that this might be the original form of the monsters, but considering the legend of Dry Water Town, even the monsters there might have come from another realm.

The monsters in this wasteland seem to be somewhere between the Night Kingdom and the Land of Bonds.

After such a monster devours a human, it merges with the human's consciousness, gaining the memories and thoughts of the devoured person. Therefore, it is normal for it to be able to manifest the consciousness of a human.

Lu Ban even considered a terrifying possibility.

Is it possible that the consciousness uploading discovered by people in the old era was just wishful thinking?

It wasn't that they successfully uploaded human consciousness into these monsters and controlled them; rather, these monsters pretended to be controlled by human consciousness, thus deceiving the desperate humans.

Whether it's consciousness uploading, human modification, or the bridge, it's all a conspiracy.

Lu Ban even suspected that the initial disasters and seeds of madness in this world might have been planted by the chosen ones from another realm.

Given the advanced technology of the ancient humans in the wasteland, simple monster attacks might not be effective. Only by using a combination of various methods to gradually lead those humans to the answers they have now could this place be completely destroyed.

Even after such persecution, those suffering from crystallization disease have continued their civilization for hundreds of years on this desolate land. If, when disaster strikes, people are not swept up in madness and despair, but instead join hands to find a way out, perhaps the wasteland will become a world that, though dilapidated, still holds the promise of life.

Those supreme and great beings, the ancient rulers, naturally disdain to participate in such matters. However, there are many civilizations in the alien realms that are inherently expansionist and aggressive, such as Fog City, Twilight City, and regions like the Deep Sea that have already waged several alien wars.

It's like watching several ant colonies fighting downstairs one day. Since you don't know any of them, you just let them fight. If you're in a bad mood one day, you can just pour a bucket of water down on them and they'll all be finished.

If some ants manage to spell out your name, you might find it amazing. Take a closer look at them, or even catch a few ants to examine them. If you don't use the right amount of force, you might just crush them to death.

But after looking at these ants, you still can't see anything wrong, so you lose interest. By the next day, you can't tell which group of ants spelled out your name. You step over them, maybe stepping on some, but it doesn't matter.

Lu Ban left the incubation room, unaware of what the outcome would be if he told Shuang Xin and the others about these things.

He arrived at the edge of the ruins, where the three native inhabitants of the wasteland were stunned, staring blankly at the industrial park in silence.

As night fell, the four returned to Future City.

At the entrance of the ecological park, a robot girl awaits their return.

"...Is that so? The power cannot be restored."

Lin felt somewhat disheartened after hearing Lu Ban and the others describe the state of the industrial park.

Of course, Lu Ban did not tell these robots the truth about the world's destruction.

"But it's okay, the end of the year is just one more day away. This year we will light a bonfire to welcome the new year. There is a saying among humans, 'out with the old and in with the new.' As long as the new year comes, there will definitely be a way to solve it."

The robot girl smiled warmly, like sunshine.

"Ah."

Shuangxin nodded, looking haggard and weak.

After dinner, Lu Ban went outside into the windswept wasteland and saw Shuang Xin gazing at the starry sky.

"We need to organize what we've seen here and report back. Although we didn't find any insect swarms this time, we've obtained even more valuable information."

Shuangxin met Lu Ban and said.

What are you going to do with these robots?

Lu Ban asked a question.

At this time, Lin was still telling stories to the singer and Shana in the ecological park. These were stories that had been passed down for thousands of years in the old world and originated from the most beautiful imaginations of mankind.

"I don't know. Even if we can bring them back, the lack of energy will eventually render them unable to move, and..."

Shuangxin hesitated.

Bringing Lin and the other robots back to the city-state would undoubtedly tell them that the world they knew had been destroyed, which was rather cold-hearted to Frostheart.

While humanity in the old era chose alienation, these man-made robots retained humanity.

Frostheart cannot simply regard it as a tool.

Lu Ban does have a solution.

He could actually send a robot like Lynn into the "Strange Amusement Park" to become part of the eerie world and bring her back to his own.

However, in doing so, Lin would be completely corrupted and become a monster.

Lu Ban wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing for the robot.

He was still thinking.

"We'll go to the industrial park again tomorrow to look for any information about the swarm. Since humans once controlled the swarm, there must be a way to contain it."

Shuangxin added.

"I've figured it out. Even if we're discarded and defective products, we still have the right to survive."

"This is the reason why we are still here."

Chapter 501 Three Rules

Dawn breaks.

As dawn breaks, the barren desert takes on a beautiful golden hue under the sunlight. This golden hue, with its mineral-like brilliance, is different from the gentle shimmering of the sea in the early morning. It has a cold, hard texture, like a blade, making one want to squint.

After a good night's sleep, Lu Ban felt refreshed and full of energy.

I opened my eyes to a world filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.