Nest Building

Chapter 34: Nest Building

"How is it? What's the Corruption Value?" Huangfu Miaomiao had been watching Feng Ling's expression the whole time and already sensed something was wrong. "Is there a trait conflict? Is it over 20%? Say something!"

Feng Ling hadn't expected to mess up.

Eight consecutive 1% results had made her careless.

Gambler's mentality really did a number on people.

She rubbed her nose awkwardly and replied, "It's a little over."

The moment Huangfu Miaomiao heard the Corruption Value was over, she instantly jumped eight feet away from her, her face full of terror!

"Then how do you feel right now?" Huangfu Miaomiao stood far off, extremely wary as she pressed on. "Any rage, agitation, unease, or abnormal emotions? How's your heartbeat? Blood pressure? Any auditory or visual hallucinations?"

Feng Ling, taking a responsible attitude toward herself, carefully assessed her condition.

"Nothing special," she said, then paused. "Maybe because I'm in a decent mood right now. Just don't provoke me later."

Huangfu Miaomiao wished she could cry herself to death, thinking: I wouldn't dare provoke you. I want to go my separate way!

Is it too late to say the cooperation doesn't count anymore?!

(T_T) Would that trigger the Boss?

Feng Ling was also worried about herself. She remembered what Huangfu Miaomiao had said before—

Once the Corruption Value exceeds 20%, there's a risk of losing control.

Over 30%, it's hard to maintain sanity, with symptoms like auditory and visual hallucinations.

Over 50%, you're basically a madman, completely impossible to communicate with.

At 60% or 70%, either the body rots and collapses, or you drop dead on the spot.

Feng Ling adjusted her mindset quickly, thinking, It hasn't reached 30% yet.

There were still troubles, of course... She needed to hurry and find that so-called maze, that statue.

Just then, the text in her mind changed again—

[You are the Source of Life, you are the Mother Nest, you possess a robust physique and inexhaustible power. As long as a thread of vitality remains, it is nearly impossible to kill you. You can bring new life, and you can bring destruction—life is your authority.]

Feng Ling was slightly stunned.

This explanatory text had one more sentence than before.

"You can bring new life, and you can bring destruction—life is your authority..."

Feng Ling murmured to herself, feeling lost. Her thoughts were shrouded in a fog of confusion, and the information from the text wasn't enough for her to immediately grasp its true meaning.

Life is authority?

What does that mean?

But when she saw the cards floating quietly, everything suddenly clicked. She understood in an instant—this was the Hive's advanced ability!

Like an innate talent, it would automatically appear once she grew to a certain stage!

For example, spiders know how to weave webs, frogs hibernate, swallows carry mud—no teaching needed, she already knew what to do.

Feng Ling reached out toward a card, her mind filled with only one thought:

Nest Building!

Beside her, Huangfu Miaomiao was about to be driven crazy by Feng Ling. She couldn't suppress her panic and shouted, "You're already over 20% and you're still taking a card?!!"

The next second, Huangfu Miaomiao was dumbfounded.

She saw Feng Ling actually grab that card!

The card didn't melt or enter her body. Instead, it slowly flowed and changed in Feng Ling's hand, eventually turning into a silver ring!

What was going on???

Feng Ling didn't explain. She just focused entirely on holding the ring, holding it tightly.

Only when an eye was branded onto the ring by some force did she finally let out a breath and slip the silver ring onto her wrist.

Then, she repeated the trick, grabbing another card, turning it into a ring as well, and creating another eye.

These two simple actions seemed to drain a lot of her energy, because Huangfu Miaomiao noticed Feng Ling's complexion change and sweat start to form on her forehead.

She wanted to ask Feng Ling what she was doing, what was happening.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but before she could ask, her virtual screen suddenly popped up with a system message—

[Announcement: The Hidden Boss Mother Nest has advanced to Sub-adult Form. Danger level unknown. Players are requested to locate the Mother Nest and eliminate it as soon as possible!]

Huangfu Miaomiao was left speechless.

The first time she saw the announcement of the Hidden Boss's birth, aside from a bit of fear, she hadn't felt much—because she thought it had nothing to do with her.

But who would have thought that at this very moment, she was standing right next to the advanced Boss...

Huangfu Miaomiao looked at Feng Ling with an extremely complicated mood.

The Boss's Corruption Value exceeding the limit—how terrible.

The advanced Boss's Corruption Value was off the charts—couldn't get any worse...

She didn't even dare to think about who could stop Feng Ling if she went berserk.

Feng Ling, having Nested twice in a row, slowly exhaled, her hands hanging limp as she turned and trudged out of the cave.

The two rings with eye patterns attached to her wrists occasionally flashed silver in the dim cave light.

Feng Ling felt right now like she'd been starving for three days and three nights.

She grumbled inwardly: Nesting just twice is this brutal—hopefully the results won't disappoint.

Huangfu Miaomiao followed Feng Ling from a distance.

At first she was nervous and tense, but after trailing her for a while and seeing no signs of Feng Ling going crazy, she mustered the courage to catch up.

The two left the cave and made their way back above ground through the passage that used to be the parking lot.

Zhou Diao and the Special Forces members had already been sent to the hospital for treatment, leaving only Su Yuqing directing personnel on site.

Su Yuqing was shocked when he saw Feng Ling and Huangfu Miaomiao.

Earlier, his team had been singing Feng Ling's praises nonstop—how incredible she was, how she'd turned the tide, how killing Contaminants was easier than peeling potatoes for her.

But now, Feng Ling looked like she was on the verge of death???

Su Yuqing furrowed his brow, straightened his crisp uniform, and strode over to Feng Ling.

"Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked.

Feng Ling shook her head weakly, her voice barely a whisper: "I know what you want to say—you need me to cooperate with the investigation so you can write your report, right? But can it wait until I've eaten... I'm really starving right now..."

"..." Su Yuqing opened his mouth, then closed it. He did have a ton of questions he wanted to ask.

Feng Ling, utterly exhausted, leaned against the petite Huangfu Miaomiao and asked Su Yuqing, "Where's the nearest restaurant?"

Su Yuqing sighed helplessly. "There's a good Private Kitchen nearby. I'll drive you there."

Feng Ling parted her lips and slowly breathed out two words: "...Hurry up."

She was genuinely afraid she'd starve to death on the way.

How private the Private Kitchen was, Feng Ling didn't know.

Because she ate in Su Yuqing's car.

The emergency evacuation of Jiangkou City had drawn a swarm of reporters, and the area was crawling with people. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Su Yuqing had Feng Ling stay in the car while he packed up dishes from the restaurant and brought them back for her to eat.

Feng Ling polished off seven or eight dishes, even asking Huangfu Miaomiao for two packs of jelly snacks along the way, before she slowly recovered.

She hadn't expected the aftereffects of Nesting to be this severe. As she ate, drowsiness crept in, and she fell asleep leaning against the car seat.

In the car, Su Yuqing and Huangfu Miaomiao stared at each other.

An awkward silence spread...

Finally, Su Yuqing pressed his temple in frustration and headache, and asked, "What exactly is going on with you two?"

Huangfu Miaomiao was at her wit's end.

She wanted to find someone to ask too—what the hell was going on right now!