The Sample's Anomaly

This was a large house with a garage.

The room was clean and tidy, comfortably laid out, and the curved glass window on one side even offered a view of the jungle outside.

The room was fully furnished with all sorts of furniture, giving it a lived-in feel, making it hard to believe this was a room within a hunter monitoring station.

But why was there a swimming pool?

Were they here to explore the Abyss or on vacation?

If it weren't for the need to explore the Abyss, Mo Ling would have even wanted to just slack off here forever.

It's good to be rich.

Li Luo opened the refrigerator, which was already full of food.

"What do you want to eat?"

Saying that, she took out the food and placed it one by one in front of the cube.

After Mo Ling selected the food, Li Luo took out an electronic screen and placed it on the table, asking, "You should know how to operate this, right? You do in the Dream Realm."

Mo Ling took the electronic screen inside and wrote a word on it: "Yes."

Li Luo looked at the transmitted electronic screen with delight.

"Then we can communicate through this!"

Li Luo took out another electronic screen and tried to get Mo Ling to send information outwards.

Then Mo Ling discovered that the metal shell of the cube seemed to block all signals.

Using the electronic screen inside, he couldn't receive or send information; he could only communicate with Li Luo by writing.

Mo Ling suddenly realized that his plan to take Li Luo's wristband for controlling the small vehicle inside and use it was ruined. He had previously thought he could control the small vehicle and go for a spin.

But at least they could communicate now.

Through the electronic screen, Mo Ling told Li Luo about the abilities he currently possessed, but from the perspective of a relic.

After communicating, Mo Ling realized how big Li Luo's previous misunderstanding of the cube was.

Up until now, Li Luo still believed the cube was a relic, a relic with self-awareness.

Therefore, Mo Ling still concealed part of his situation and did not tell Li Luo the fact that he was actually trapped inside the cube.

She can't know that I'm not a relic.

Their cooperation was still quite pleasant for now, and they could maintain it temporarily. He still had to continue hiding for a while longer.

After learning the principle behind Mo Ling's abilities, Li Luo seemed very happy.

Mo Ling was also a little confused.

Were there many relics that could communicate?

Mo Ling did not ask Li Luo this question, fearing it would arouse suspicion. It seemed he had to find the answer himself.

After talking about abilities, Li Luo was extremely curious about the price of using the cube.

"What do you like to eat? Can you write it down?"

Mo Ling wrote down a few foods he liked on the electronic screen.

"So little?" Li Luo was full of confusion. "Then will eating these upgrade your abilities?"

"Also, what flavors do you like?"

"Where do you throw the trash from eating?"

"Can you eat a bit more? Will you be able to teleport further?"

"..."

Looking at Li Luo, who was incredibly enthusiastic about food, Mo Ling seriously doubted if she was the same cold girl he had first met.

Time passed quickly.

During these few days at the monitoring station, Li Luo was very obedient. She didn't take on any more tasks and didn't even leave her room.

She leisurely vacationed in her room, and when she was hungry, she just had others deliver food.

The girl's only daily routine was to browse information about various relics and Abyss Creatures on the electronic screen.

Then, she would tirelessly talk to the Cube, mostly about various foods.

Compared to the Cube's ability principles, she was clearly more interested in the price.

Mo Ling really wanted to press the girl about when she would take on another task.

"Aren't you in a hurry to go to the Abyss Second Layer! What about the points!"

Soon, Mo Ling was proven wrong.

In the past few days, the data and biological samples uploaded by Li Luo were reviewed one after another, and the electronic screen kept refreshing with information.

Shock Beast Image Data review complete, reward: 300 Monitoring Station points.

Red String Worm Parasite Image Data review complete, reward: 500 Monitoring Station points.

Dream Qilin Image Data review complete, reward: 500 Monitoring Station points.

Dream Qilin Biological Sample review complete, reward: 500 Monitoring Station points.

The electronic screen popped up with all sorts of miscellaneous information, and Mo Ling watched Li Luo's points soar.

Finally, after all the data was reviewed, Li Luo's points reached 5000.

Li Luo herself seemed not to have expected this result. Every time it refreshed, she looked at the electronic screen with uncontrollable joy.

Mo Ling was also very surprised.

It seemed that obtaining Monitoring Station points was not limited to tasks. The various data obtained during tasks were the main source.

The rarer the data, the more points, as the monitoring station was established specifically for researching the Abyss.

The reason for so many extra points this time was simply because the data Li Luo uploaded filled significant data gaps.

After all the task data was settled, Li Luo seemed to be planning to take on new tasks.

She opened the electronic screen to check the latest tasks.

At this moment, a message suddenly came through.

Station Master Liang: "Li Luo, please come to the Research Institute if you have time. There's a problem with the Red String Worm parasite sample you sent last time."

After receiving the message, Li Luo took her small cart and headed towards the Research Institute.

Inside the Research Institute, Station Master Liang was explaining the strangeness of the biological sample to Li Luo.

"You might not be able to see it clearly on a macroscopic level."

"But our Research Institute tested these cells and found a big problem."

The Station Master led Li Luo to a monitor, which was displaying the microscopic parasite sample.

Mo Ling looked for a long time and didn't see any problems.

Li Luo also looked very confused.

Station Master Liang quickly found some pictures and explained:

"These pictures are of normal Red String Worm cells and Shock Beast cells, but the cells currently displayed on the monitor are neither of the two."

"Within the entire parasite sample, we found two types of cells: one is from the Shock Beast, and the other is this unknown cell you are seeing."

"And it is not a Red String Worm cell."

Station Master Liang asked seriously, "Li Luo, are you sure the sample you sent is from a Shock Beast that died after being parasitized by a Red String Worm?"

Li Luo nodded affirmatively.

"Then the problem is significant. I remember you mentioned in the data you uploaded that the reason for this Shock Beast anomaly was a large-scale Red String Worm parasitism?"

Li Luo nodded again.

After getting the answer, Station Master Liang thought for a moment and said:

"Red String Worms don't usually parasitize on a large scale. This was also a point of doubt you mentioned in your data, but if this is the case, it can be explained."

Station Master Liang led Li Luo to a piece of equipment in the Research Institute and pointed at the screen, saying, "We researchers are very familiar with the type of unknown cell in the sample. Look, it's this kind."

Mo Ling looked towards the screen. On it was a swarm of constantly wriggling transparent cells.

They lay quietly in the culture apparatus, looking nothing out of the ordinary.

Mo Ling compared this type of cell with the unknown cells in the previous parasite sample and found that they were indeed the same type.

Why would this happen?

He had personally watched Li Luo wrap the infected Slime in a capsule.

That capsule had also been kept in the storage box, within Mo Ling's sight, with no possibility of being swapped.

Could it be that they were this unknown cell from the beginning?