People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Absolute organization and the ability to devour companions as nourishment will slowly alter the geological features, soil structure, and topography of the occupied areas, making them more suitable for their own survival."

"It has to be said that if such a creature really exists, it would truly be a miracle in the history of evolution."

Levy couldn't help but sigh.

I've only ever heard of natural selection, survival of the fittest, and life evolving and being eliminated by adapting to the natural environment. I've never heard of directly and brutally modifying nature, forcing it to its knees, and molding it into a shape suitable for reproduction.

Scientists experienced a strange, tinged resonance.

Elena couldn't take these words lightly. She immediately stood up, wanting to draw her rapier, only to find it left outside the door. She could only call out:

They were about to rush forward, shouting things like, "You admire Hai Si! You really are an Agorian!"

Even Ernst didn't expect her reaction to be so intense. Before he could stop her, Eleanor had already rushed in front of Levi.

Ernst had witnessed the physical prowess of the Super Terrans, and given that Elene was a girl selected as an Inquisitor's Apprentice, her combat strength couldn't be underestimated just because she was cute. Ernst made a snap decision and was about to call on Yeragand to freeze the little bird and calm her down, but before he could even speak, in the next instant, a pitch-black, ferocious, and twisted Originium tentacle suddenly burst out from the box covered by a black cloth next to Levi, unexpectedly and easily wrapping around Elene's legs, hanging her upside down.

Ernst slowly lowered his raised hand, staring in astonishment at the scene before him. Before he could speak, Levy adjusted his glasses, revealing his chilling smile, and offered an explanation to Ernst:

"I haven't had a chance to introduce my little surprise to you yet—the Originium exoskeleton device. What do you think?"

The temperature suddenly dropped significantly today, and I woke up with a fever, sore throat, and a dull headache. I really don't have the energy to update anything today.

So I'm sorry, I have to take the day off today. I'm going to take some medicine and go to bed early. Dear readers, please take care of yourselves too. Wear more clothes to keep warm in this weather; it's so easy to catch a cold, it's really annoying.

Go to bed early, goodnight everyone.

Chapter 307 Kal'tsit: So you've finally set your sights on me? Ernst!

Kelsey noticed that Ernst had been contacting him unusually frequently lately.

She didn't dislike studious people, and many of the questions Ernst asked were quite valuable. If spending some time answering them could prevent a country from going astray and provide a guarantee for the future of Terra, Kal'tsit wouldn't mind sacrificing her rest time.

But she also has to go to work.

In the agreement reached with Ernst, she was to serve as a tour guide at the World's Fair. This position was both the "price" she paid and the "reward" she gained. Through the World's Fair platform, she could come into contact with many national leaders who no longer recognized her name Kal'tsit in this era, understand their policies, assess their personalities, make reasonable arrangements based on their political inclinations, and at the same time, secure more expedient measures for Rhodes Island—such as one or two large national-level pharmaceutical orders, assistance with emergency response strategies for infected individuals (the services Rhodes Island provided to Lungmen in the main storyline were essentially mercenaries targeting infected individuals; judging from Wei Yanwu's subsequent use of this as a bargaining chip, this business was very profitable), and permission for Rhodes Island to establish an office in the area.

These benefits are only available to Kelsey if she goes there; if Ernst keeps her in the office, she naturally won't get them.

Therefore, Kelsey felt it necessary to give Ernst a slight reminder: although she had said that the consultation was free, she couldn't keep taking advantage of her like that forever!

In my past lives, I was known as a "prophet." Do you know how much those divine beings and ancestors had to pay to see me and ask me a question? Even then, they weren't guaranteed to get their wish!

So, be rational in your exploitation; don't overwork the lynx. I have children too; I can't stay here with you all day long. What would Amiya think?

Having made up her mind and prepared her explanation, Kelsey knocked on Ernst's office door. After hearing a "Come in" from inside, she turned the handle and pushed the door open.

"Mr. Ernst, please allow me to remind you..."

Kal'tsit's voice suddenly stopped. She looked up, and the shadow of the lamplight fell on her face, making it look like a towering pillar.

She opened her mouth in a daze, the sound stuck in her throat, and she couldn't help but swallow. Looking at the huge, pitch-black, long and thick "giant snake" or "tentacle" in the room, which was composed of layers of Originium crystals, her poker face, which claimed to remain unmoved even if Kalan Peak collapsed in front of her, finally showed a slight change.

Hmm... finally, that word might not be quite right, considering Kal'tsit had only been in the office for less than five seconds.

She stared at the massive Originium Creature before her. Before she could give any command, the next moment, an Originium Creature radiating a deep green light burst out from her backless dress, which she hadn't changed even in Kjerag. It was so fast that Ernst and Levi didn't even have time to notice the beast's origin.

"Roar!"

The suddenly appearing Originium behemoth let out a terrifying roar, jolting Kal'tsit out of her shock. She immediately ordered her men to stop mon3tr, who was trying to rush towards the [Originium tentacles].

"mon3tr! Come back! That's not your wife!"

"Woo-hoo!" Another roar rang out, but this time, Ernst seemed to sense a hint of disbelief and sorrow in the roar of the Originium Beast.

mon3tr gazed longingly at the Originium tentacles stretching out in the room, but finally obeyed Kal'tsit's command, slowly retreating and returning behind Kal'tsit, letting out a few aggrieved whimpers.

Seeing this, Kal'tsit could only reach out and gently stroke the small, exquisite head of the Originium behemoth, which was several times her size, to soothe it:

"It's okay, it's normal not to find a wife. Look, I don't have one either."

"What do you mean by 'we're different'? What do you mean by 'it's normal that I can't find someone with my temper'? Say it again and see."

"How can you slander someone out of thin air? Theresa... Theresa isn't, we're comrades-in-arms; Heidi isn't either, I only see her as a capable kid! Amiya?... I think you really need to go back to school and get some serious retraining. Your thinking is too outdated, and you'll run into problems if you continue like this."

"What, you thought I came here to set you up on a blind date? Of course not! Meeting the parents is out of the question. You asked me what that 'same kind' is?"

Kal'tsit looked up at Ernst and Levi in ​​the room, then at the [Originium Tentacle] that was slowly stretching its body. She sighed, lowered her voice, and said to mon3tr beside her:

"Putting aside whether that thing is the same kind as you, even if it is, it clearly doesn't have its own consciousness. It's at most a doll. Do you really like that kind of thing?"

"Ouch!"

As if to refute Kal'tsit's slightly mocking provocation, mon3tr quickly shook his head, turned his head away, and pretended not to look at the [Originium Tentacle] anymore. However, his restless scythe feet, which swayed from time to time, revealed his inner thoughts.

Kal'tsit could only shake her head helplessly.

After the interaction between the human and the beast was over, Ernst spoke:

"Kal'tsit, I won't ask about your monster business yet. What were you trying to say when you came in?"

Kal'tsit was slightly taken aback.

What was I trying to say?

Oops—I've forgotten a bit, but I definitely didn't mean to suggest that Ernst should reduce his consulting activities and give her more time.

Ernst always manages to come up with something new! Kal'tsit hasn't been here for long, less than a day, and in such a short time, look what kind of weird stuff Ernst has come up with this time.

Kal'tsit didn't understand mon3tr's aesthetics, but she knew that being judged as "of the same kind" by mon3tr's judgment mechanism was unprecedented!

What does "of the same kind" mean? You should know that although it has never been made public, mon3tr is not an ordinary infected creature. It is fundamentally different from life forms like Originium Bugs, which are also covered with Originium spikes. Originium Bugs only live in symbiosis with Originium, while mon3tr is a true Originium life form!

Since he considers the tentacle in front of him to be of the same kind, it means that the Originium tentacle in front of him, which has no self-awareness, has at least reached the level of mon3tr in the most basic life structure—it is also an Originium life form!

Mon3tr is a creation of a pre-civilization, a guardian and proxy for AMA-10, a life form that is like an avatar of hers, involved in the soul realm, and seemingly identical yet not quite. So what about this Originium tentacle? Whose avatar is it?

Before figuring this out, Kal'tsit knew that she was definitely firmly tied down by Ernst.

So, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and her eyebrows rose slightly, making a beaming expression. Her mind raced, and she cleverly blurted out:

"What I meant to say is, Mr. Ernst, please allow me to remind you, you call me far too infrequently! I miss you terribly!"

Ernst looked at Kal'tsit with some surprise, his eyes seeming to say, "Is once a day really too little?"

But obviously, given Ernst's emotional intelligence, even if he wanted to complain, he wouldn't actually say it out loud.

The snow leopard simply smiled politely, shrugged at Levi, and then acted as the middleman to introduce them:

"Levi, this is Kal'tsit, whom I told you about. She's the number two person on Rhodes Island, a bigwig in Terra's scientific community who has published many academic papers on Originium research in Tremont's scientific journal. She's also an immortal and knows a lot of secrets about the Terra world. I learned about the three major crises from her."

As Ernst finished speaking, Levy stepped forward, extended his hand, and gave a somewhat chilling smile:

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Kal'tsit."

“I’m more used to people calling me Doctor.” Kal’tsit extended her hand in return. “Dr. Levi, I’ve heard so much about you. I often heard your name when I was completing orders in Columbia… May I ask what your race is?”

Levi's glasses reflected the light as he didn't answer directly, but instead asked with interest, "What a coincidence, Miss Elene just asked me the same question. So, Dr. Kal'tsit is also interested in this matter?"

Kal'tsit shook her head calmly: "Not really, just pure curiosity. If Mr. Levy doesn't want to reveal it..."

"It's not that I don't want to reveal it, I'm just very curious, what kind of answer does Dr. Kal'tsit hope to get from me?"

Levi interrupted bluntly, his expression somewhat amused, as if he had already guessed what Kal'tsit wanted to say and was waiting for Kal'tsit to reveal the already predetermined answer.

Kal'tsit's eyes flickered, she silently pursed her lips, but did not continue the topic, instead asking:

"How long have Mr. Ernst and Mr. Levy known each other?"

“We’re friends despite our age difference, and the story of how we’ve known each other is a long one.” Levi replied listlessly, seemingly bored that Kal’tsit had changed the subject.

Ernst nodded: "It's been some time."

Kal'tsit pondered for a moment, then nodded as if she understood, and said, "So, if I'm not mistaken, this... creature is also Mr. Levi's invention?"

When talking about his invention, Levi's tone was also filled with pride: "That's right, I named it the Originium Exoskeleton. With the help of Originium's ability to store, link, and shape and change according to thought, it can basically move and change at will. It is still in the experimental stage, and the results are quite good. There have been no accidents."

"but......."

He paused, then looked at Kal'tsit, his gaze slightly aggressive.

"You seem to have someone better, Dr. Kal'tsit?"

Kal'tsit took a small half-step back, her gaze passing over Levi and landing on Ernst, who stood in front of the desk, looking on with an air of amusement.

So they've finally set their sights on me?

No, I should say, so they've finally set their sights on me? A collector's obsession!

Chapter 308 Kal'tsit: Stop asking, I'm drenched in sweat.

From the day Ernst began to reveal his collection of XP, Kal'tsit had foreseen this day.

No, perhaps it should be said that Ernst had already tried to collect himself long ago.

Kelsey clearly remembered that not long ago, Ernst had seriously invited her to take a sinecure as an advisor in Sherag, and even offered her a salary as a lure.

Is Kal'tsit the kind of person who is greedy for money?

Of course not!

Even when Ernst threatened Rhodes Island with phrases like "You don't want to see Rhodes Island go bankrupt, do you?", Kal'tsit still said that Ernst wasn't giving enough!

So she chose to refuse at the time. This was to maintain Rhodes Island's reputation as an absolutely neutral company among nations, and to avoid getting too close to any one country.

She immediately suspected that Ernst wouldn't give up so easily. However, she hadn't expected that Ernst's carefully prepared sweet-talking tactics wouldn't materialize; instead, he came up with a convenient alternative!

Levi, and the Originium tentacles.

Both are quite knowledgeable in the field of Originium. In fact, aside from the overly advanced and confidential information left by previous civilizations that Kal'tsit knew, Levi's achievements in Originium research and application alone have surpassed Kal'tsit's.

Putting aside other factors, Kal'tsit couldn't possibly have obtained a position in Rhine Lab's department based on just a few papers in scientific journals, while Levi was the undisputed head of Rhine Lab's Originium Life Science Department. Kal'tsit had to work odd jobs and even take on debt to keep Rhodes Island afloat, while Levi had already achieved financial freedom; in Columbia, every patent he sold was enough to earn him unimaginable wealth.

Even regarding the secret weapon mon3tr, Kal'tsit didn't know where Ernst obtained this information from. Perhaps it was from the Beast Lord Gawain, or perhaps it was provided by Yeragand. In any case, he actually managed to get Levi to create a fake version.

Although the Originium exoskeleton clearly lacks the autonomy of the Mon3Tr, which can automatically perform tasks such as protecting its owner, working, and coordinating attacks, it's important to remember that the Mon3Tr is undoubtedly a product of a previous civilization, while the Originium exoskeleton is not.

Kal'tsit didn't see any trace of technology left over from the previous civilization. Its workmanship was very rough, and the details were far from meeting the production standards. In that era, it would have been an absolute counterfeit product. But precisely because of this, it could not possibly have been produced by the previous civilization.

Products from a bygone era are guaranteed to be of the highest quality!

Therefore, the truth can only be as Levy himself said: this was just an experiment, still in the process of being tested.

When did Terra produce such a genius scientist?

Kal'tsit certainly suspected Levi's identity. His appearance, devoid of any racial characteristics, coupled with an untraceable biography, made Kal'tsit wonder if he was just another old coffin that had been lifted from its coffin. But he never dared to be truly certain, because all the characteristics Levi displayed highlighted one word—ambiguous.

He was intelligent, and his perspective on problems differed from that of the Terrans, but not by such a wide margin. He was clearly still confined to this planet and very basic scientific laws, which did not align with the mindset of the ancient civilization that had long since entered the interstellar age and begun large-scale interstellar colonization.

His scientific abilities are indeed exceptional. Kal'tsit has never seen a Terran person explore the nature and properties of Originium so quickly, so profoundly, and so incisively. After all, most Terrans still use Originium as a convenient resource. However, to say that his level is as high as that of the ancient humans of the previous civilization is not necessarily true. After all, as mentioned above, if Levi had that level of scientific ability, even without the aid of instruments from the previous civilization, he would never have created such a flawed exoskeleton.

Most importantly, his attitude.

Kal'tsit was not unfamiliar with survivors of previous civilizations; her serial number [ama-10] was that of a human servant. She had also encountered the ghost [Doctor] from the past during Rembitox's [Legacy Operation], which unearthed the Rhodes Island landship before the Kazdel Civil War.

At that time, the Doctor, Kal'tsit, and the Rhodes Islanders during the Babel era all had a meaningful codename for him: "The Evil Spirit of Babel".

He is not unfriendly. In fact, in the eyes of Rhodes Island elite operators, including Scout and Ace, the Doctor is a kind and approachable person. In the eyes of Amiya and some elite operators, the Doctor is often seen as a mentor. As for Amiya alone, the Doctor is even her savior, allowing her to survive the attack in 1090 that killed her parents.

But only Kal'tsit knew what kind of kindness that kindness was.

Humans also have a kind of gentleness towards cats and dogs.

Humans are complex beings. They provide pets with food, water, a warm bed, and all the necessities for survival, even including entertainment. Some people are even willing to step forward to rescue their pets when they are in danger, even if such an action may seem risky in retrospect. They also enjoy playing the role of teacher, teaching parrots to speak, mynahs to talk, cats to do backflips, and dogs to fetch frisbees. When they are feeling compassionate, they treat animals even more kindly than their own kind.

But this kindness is always reserved for pets. When will the awakened doctor treat these adorable cats and dogs—now the humans of Terra—as equals?

When the war became critical and everyone hoped he would make some changes, he complied with that expectation.

Liking something is liking something, playing chess is playing chess, education is life, playing chess is work. The doctor keeps these two separate things. So when he calmly sends batch after batch of young people to the battlefield to carry out missions that are destined to end, and at the same time smiles at the children on Rhodes Island, using fresh, blood-stained battlefield data as children's teaching materials, he makes people feel so contradictory, to the point that people think he is somewhat schizophrenic.

He was always high and mighty.

Kal'tsit was almost misled by the Doctor's benevolence until the very end, when she realized the Doctor's true attitude, she made the decision to send the Doctor back to the sarcophagus.

She was confident that she would never make the same mistake twice.

Therefore, she was quite certain that, at least with Levi, she couldn't see the kind of attitude that belonged only to pre-civilized humans that the Doctor possessed.