Biological Modification (Part 1)

After three days of sleepless migration and enduring countless dangers, the exhausted Cable Tribe finally arrived at Gao Gong's secret base, the Old Metal Recycling Station.

Tribe members with remaining strength were sifting through the garbage heaps, searching for suitable steel bars to build shelters and establish their temporary encampments.

The strong and robust Fat Xiang was repeatedly transporting supplies from his own dwelling.

Some tribe members had initially harbored fear towards this giant, but his enthusiastic assistance gradually dispelled their wariness.

Many young women, their faces flushed, flocked to his side. They had a favorable impression of this strong yet unaggressive little giant.

In the perilous Iron Sand Desert, aesthetics always leaned towards big, strong, and powerful. Aside from lacking brains, Fat Xiang possessed all these qualities.

"Brother Xiang, you have such a great physique! Did you train since you were young? What kind of girls do you like?"

Women in the desert were always bold, and after a few pleasantries, they got straight to the point.

Fat Xiang scratched the back of his head, recalling scenes from the virtual machine, and answered honestly, "I like women who aren't wearing clothes."

"What a coincidence! I like men who aren't wearing clothes too, hehe. Let's exchange notes sometime."

"Okay."

On the other side, Tin Can, squatting by a large pot, watched Fat Xiang, surrounded by young girls, with evident jealousy. He stirred the pot vigorously and shouted, "Dinner's ready! Everyone come line up!"

The eating, drinking, and defecation of nearly two hundred people was a significant issue. If nothing else, even just the Nutrient Paste required astronomical amounts.

Fortunately, Tin Can, a seasoned second-hand dealer, had the skill to boil Nutrient Paste into porridge. He had prepared three large pots, which barely satisfied the hunger of the tribe members.

Meanwhile, Gao Gong and Huang Yuanli were discussing the future of the tribe.

Staying here was merely a temporary measure. While it was hidden, it was quite close to the center of the Oasis. Gao Gong alone was fine, but with more people, there was a risk of exposure.

These were all undocumented individuals. If discovered, they would undoubtedly be expelled.

"To the Scavenger settlement, no!" Gao Gong rejected Huang Yuanli's suggestion.

"Why? We're scavengers too. Can they still drive us away?"

"That's not what I mean," Gao Gong shook his head and pointed to the war log, which updated the combat situation daily.

"The new Radiation Zones are increasing, and the intensity of the wars will also escalate. In my opinion, sooner or later, the Radiation Beast leaders will reach a consensus and attack the Oasis."

"At that time, the outermost Scavenger settlements will be the first to be abandoned," Gao Gong said meaningfully. "Do you still want to go there?"

Huang Yuanli's face turned pale.

Seeing that the young woman was frightened, Gao Gong shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about that for now. It's truly beyond my expectations that your tribe managed to survive."

He looked towards a specially cordoned-off area where eight young Reapers were swaying their heads, their eyes greedily fixed on the 'food' not far away.

And whenever they tried to sneak out, Huang Yuanli would unhesitatingly rush over and curse at the monsters, who were nearly two meters tall.

Even though her height was less than a third of theirs.

Her short legs would even jump up and kick their knees.

Strangely, when those monsters saw the young woman, they acted like sons seeing their mother, becoming dejected and losing all their Reaper temper.

Gao Gong would occasionally visit. Relying on the halo of 'Humanoid Reaper,' he finally managed to contain them.

In their 'stupid brains,' their 'mother' had found them another father.

Although this father looked a bit strange, he exuded the strongest aura of their kind.

They recognized him as their father at first sight.

He wondered when he would gain a brother.

Seeing the young woman holding a basin of nutrient porridge and a pile of metal scraps, feeding the monsters like dogs, Gao Gong touched his chin, finding it inexplicably amusing.

A moment later, Huang Yuanli walked over with an empty plastic basin—metal basins wouldn't work, as they would be directly gnawed to pieces.

She saw Gao Gong's strange gaze and immediately blushed, placing her hands on her hips and saying fiercely, "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen someone raising pets before?"

Gao Gong retorted sarcastically, "I never expected that big brain to help you. It seems the brain-computer interface wasn't made in vain."

Huang Yuanli was furious.

The primary reason the Cable Tribe suffered less than ten casualties was that the 'Brain in a Vat' had intervened.

Its method was simple and brutal: a mental storm forcibly brainwashed them, instantly altering the Reapers' 'cognition.'

After the cognitive transformation, Huang Yuanli became their 'mother.'

The new loli queen was thus born.

As if thinking of something, Huang Yuanli worriedly said, "Given these guys' appetites, I'm afraid the first thing to be eaten up will be the scrap metal in this place. What will we do when there's no food?"

Gao Gong was also speechless. This was the stronghold of the Mechanical Hunters. They couldn't let the Reapers go out hunting, or they would be beaten to death by a mob.

"We'll take it one step at a time. Perhaps at a certain point, the problem will no longer be a problem."

Gao Gong's words seemed irresponsible, but a plan was vaguely forming in his mind.

"By the way, what is the Brain in a Vat doing now?"

"I'm not sure. It seems to have turned into a super-giant Mech-Bio Beast, migrating with its tribespeople across the desert."

The 'Collective Consciousness Entity' is a troublesome existence, not because they are powerful fighters, but because if you're not careful, they can proliferate like locusts.

This kind of 'proliferation' can even sweep across the intelligent species of an entire planet.

The 'Brain in a Vat', as the lowest-level Collective Consciousness Entity, is not as powerful, but if it expands wildly, the number of its subordinates will quickly approach that of a Beast King tribe.

Gao Gong rubbed his chin. Perhaps this was also an opportunity.

The reason why the later Beast God Soldiers were so difficult to deal with, and why even multiple Mechanical Legion expeditions couldn't completely wipe them out, was that the entire desert was their radiation zone, and their eyes and ears were everywhere.

The 'Brain in a Vat' might be a good opportunity to plant a nail in there.

Gao Gong thought for a moment and gave Huang Yuanli an address, asking her to find a way to notify the 'Brain in a Vat'.

If it wanted to recover its strength faster, it should go to that place.

"What is it, so mysterious? Old Copper Mountain 314, where is that?"

"An abandoned mine to the south. Just tell it that. I guarantee it will only benefit you, with no downsides."

Old Copper Mountain, on the surface, was an abandoned mine, but in reality, it was an unmanned factory where the Knight Order manufactured 'Beast God Soldiers'.

According to the plot, at this point in time, the Beast God Soldiers should have entered mass production.

These level 20 flesh-and-metal soldiers, which had not yet been infused with the 'Knight Template', were indeed a great supplement for the 'Brain in a Vat'.

He also knew of several other such unmanned factories.

"Alright, I'll leave this to you. Don't bother me if there's nothing important."

"Who would want to bother you!"

Huang Yuanli spat a few times at Gao Gong's retreating back.

Gao Gong's previous 'deluxe metal shed' had been given to Huang Yuanli, serving as the residence for the new tribal chief.

As for himself, along with the manufacturing equipment he had purchased earlier, he moved into an abandoned building nearby.

This building was now also the stronghold for Gao Gong's team.

As soon as they entered the building, two Head-Dogs greeted them enthusiastically.

These two mechanical dogs had been upgraded again. It was clearly visible that a special groove had been added to their backs, and beside the wires, living flesh and blood writhed.

These flesh and skin cut from the 'Reaper Queen' had a special vitality that allowed them to be transplanted onto mechanical bodies and form a symbiotic system with the mechanical body's energy.

The result of the transplant was a +100 increase in the Head-Dogs' health, and they gained a prosthetic interface.

Of course, this transplant surgery, while seemingly simple, was actually very difficult.

It was so difficult that Gao Gong could only assist. The one truly performing the modifications was Professor Han.

In addition to [Invasive Neural Modification], Professor Han had at least three max-level professional knowledge bases in his mind.

And more importantly, he possessed extensive experience in biological experiments.

That was the most valuable asset.

Gao Gong went up to the second floor and entered a cleaned-up conference room.

As soon as he stepped inside, a strong smell of blood assailed him.

On the operating table lay a corpse about two meters fifty centimeters tall.

Professor Han, dressed in white and wearing a mask, was dismembering it.

It was evident that although he wasn't a Prosthetic Doctor, he could operate this surgical table.

On another table were sterile incubators of various sizes, containing the organs of this Reaper Queen.

Professor Han would use his professional eye to determine if this organ had strong biological rejection properties and if it could be transplanted and integrated symbiotically.

Gao Gong's gaze fell upon a claw. This metal claw seemed to still be 'alive', opening and closing within the glass case.

"How is it?" Gao Gong asked.

Professor Han didn't speak. He simply handed over a piece of paper.

The paper listed the size and components of the corpse, divided into three categories: discarded organs, transplantable organs, and modifiable systems.

Discarded organs were definitely untransplantable.

Of the latter two categories, modifiable systems were more difficult than transplantable organs.

Gao Gong found a chair and sat down, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

According to the paper, there were five types of transplantable organs: Blade Limb, Bio-Armor, Electronic Tentacle, Subdermal Blood Pump, and Sensory Knee.

The modifiable systems were three: Circulatory System, Reproductive System, and Digestive System.

When Gao Gong looked up, he saw Professor Han gazing at him with a complex expression.

"You don't seem to hate me?"

In the past two days, apart from Gao Gong, even the usually boisterous Huang Yuanli had looked at Professor Han with a complicated expression.

Everyone else avoided him whenever possible.

After all, there's no such thing as a foolproof plan, and Professor Han's scheme has become more or less known.

Putting hundreds of living people into his own head.

Who wouldn't be scared of that?

According to the theories of the previous civilization era, this person was definitely a template for a mad scientist.

Professor Han wasn't surprised by this. What surprised him was Gao Gong's attitude.