Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Testing the Crystal

Hearing Bai Li Qing’s voice turn suddenly serious, the researcher in a thick hazmat suit went tense, and even through the clear visor Yu Sheng saw sweat bead on the man’s nose. The researcher’s voice came muffled from under the hood as he answered: “So far, yes. But not every substance is affected. Right now we’ve only confirmed that one kind of rock shows this strange change when it’s near the Mother Crystal.”

Bai Li Qing kept her face tight as she pressed him: “So it spreads this way? Do the Secondary Crystals created by Assimilation carry the same trait?”

“For now, that doesn’t seem likely,” the researcher said, finally relaxing a little as he went on: “The Secondary Crystals produced by Assimilation have not shown the same Assimilation effect. At least up to this point, we’ve only observed the phenomenon around the Mother Crystal itself. So it should not trigger a chain reaction that slowly eats the whole world.”

Only then did the strain on Bai Li Qing’s face ease a bit. Yu Sheng felt oddly proud: [I can even read tiny shifts on this iron-faced statue now.]

“What’s the crystal’s area of influence?” Yu Sheng asked offhand.

The researcher hesitated at Yu Sheng’s voice, then glanced at Bai Li Qing for permission.

“Just say it, don’t look at me,” Bai Li Qing replied, nodding toward them: “He’s Yu Sheng, and this is Irene. They have the same intelligence clearance as I do on the Dark Angels.”

“Ah, understood!” The researcher clearly knew some inside stories. The instant he heard the name “Yu Sheng,” his eyes changed, and with a little spark of energy he answered: “We don’t have an exact range yet. Roughly, it should not exceed twenty meters, a spherical zone centered on the Mother Crystal.”

“That’s not very large,” Irene muttered, then added under her breath: “How to put it, it’s kind of a… ‘well behaved kid’? I mean compared to the other Dark Angels.”

After a small nod, Bai Li Qing asked again: “Anything else?”

“There’s a kind of Resonance link between the Mother Crystal and the Secondary Crystals,” the researcher said: “We observed that within about a hundred meters they take turns emitting a low, slow oscillation. We can’t yet tell if the Resonance has any meaning. It could be a natural effect, or it could be some kind of life activity that we don’t understand.

“In addition, inside the Secondary Crystals we’ve seen complex structural changes. About every 33.3 seconds the lattice rearranges itself. We call this ‘reorganization.’ The reorganization doesn’t alter surface physical traits like hardness, transparency, or color. But inside, it’s like every 33.3 seconds the Secondary Crystal becomes a new individual. The Mother Crystal, on the other hand, shows no such change. Its structure stays very stable.

“That’s the main set of findings for now. We’re cautiously reviewing further test plans. Since the sample is precious, we must avoid harming the Mother Crystal. Any test that might cause physical damage cannot be used lightly.”

“Prudent, as needed,” Bai Li Qing said with a light nod, approving his caution: “This is the first time in Human history that we’ve collected remains after an Angel Fall. We should be careful.”

Yu Sheng had been staring at the crystal on the platform since the start, his eyes slowly turning eager. The little Doll on his shoulder was the first to notice the change: “Hey, what are you planning?”

“Ahem,” Yu Sheng coughed, turned, and glanced at the researcher: “How many ‘Mother Crystals’ do we have right now?”

“The recovery team sent us four,” the researcher answered casually: “Why?”

“Then can I touch this one?” Yu Sheng lifted his hand and pointed at the Mother Crystal on the Floating Round Dais, then added, a bit sheepish: “I’m worried I might break it, so I’m asking first. You did say the sample is valuable.”

The researcher froze, then turned again to Bai Li Qing. He did not dare agree on his own.

Bai Li Qing also looked a bit stunned.

“If it’s not allowed, then forget it,” Yu Sheng said, scratching his hair.

Bai Li Qing drew a slow breath. For a moment, it looked like a dozen arguments ran through her head, then she spoke with a stiff face: “I guess you don’t mean a normal ‘touch,’ do you?”

Yu Sheng looked a little embarrassed: “If possible, I also want to smear a bit of blood on it.”

Several researchers began to sweat all at once. Yu Sheng suspected that if Bai Li Qing weren’t here, they would either have pounced on him or dragged him away.

After a long weighing of risks, Bai Li Qing still nodded. She said solemnly: “Try it, but be careful.”

“I must stress this isn’t in our standard lab flow,” a researcher muttered from the back: “Putting a hand on it breaks seven or eight rules in one go…”

Yu Sheng pretended not to hear. Under the tense, tangled stares all around him, including from Bai Li Qing, he stepped forward and laid his hand on the Mother Crystal.

It was cold and quiet, like a deep, still pool without a bottom, and it gave no response to his touch.

There was no “Conversation with the Dead.” To be honest, Yu Sheng felt a little disappointed at that moment. [So Anka Aila is really gone.]

He steadied himself, took a small knife from his pocket, and drew it across his palm. The skin did not break. He tried again. Still no cut.

The air grew awkward. Yu Sheng tugged the corner of his mouth and said: “Uh, I’ve used this blade on my hand a lot lately. I think it’s a bit dull.”

“That’s not dull, it’s serrated,” Irene stared: “How tough is your skin now?”

Yu Sheng didn’t answer. He kept sawing patiently until he finally opened a wound. He bared his teeth from the sting as he squeezed out blood and leaned toward the Mother Crystal.

The onlookers were stunned. The shock of this scene even beat their worry about the crystal. One researcher muttered: “Savage… he really sawed it open.”

“Anyone who can fight Dark Angels is not normal,” another researcher whispered: “I was just thinking of getting a painless blood collector…”

Still squeezing blood, Yu Sheng whipped his head around and glared: “You have that and didn’t say so earlier? You watched me saw?”

“Forget it,” Irene tapped his forehead: “A collector probably wouldn’t pierce your skin now anyway.”

While they spoke, a bright red drop fell onto the Mother Crystal.

Every eye locked on that drop.

Yu Sheng grew tense too, watching his blood roll slowly over the crystal’s surface.

Then the crystal silently absorbed it.

“Do you feel anything?” Irene asked right away.

“Not really,” Yu Sheng frowned, then added: “But that’s normal. Blood-based Establish Link often works with a delay, especially for things that aren’t alive, or for life forms tied to The Door in a twisted way. Remember when I smeared blood on your picture frame? It took a long time to kick in.”

“Right… right,” the little Doll nodded, then snapped back: “Wait! Who are you calling twisted by The Door!”

The researchers, shocked by the sight of the blood vanishing into the crystal, traded looks. A moment later, one of them gasped: “It absorbed it!”

The room burst into motion at once. People acted like they’d taken a stimulant: “New anomaly! It can absorb blood!” “Power up the equipment! Start the integrated analyzer, hurry!” “Pull the platform data!”

Startled by the sudden noise, Yu Sheng looked around, then said awkwardly: “That’s not a crystal trait. That’s me. My blood is special.”

Silence fell again, and several pairs of eyes shifted to him.

Yu Sheng: “…”

It was the first time he’d met those kinds of looks. He caught on fast. He turned to Bai Li Qing and said: “Could you manage this? They look like they want to cut me open.”

Bai Li Qing looked a little awkward too. She coughed twice. Without her saying a word, the researchers quickly looked away.

Yu Sheng was one hundred percent sure they only moved their eyes. Their attention did not budge at all. [Researchers are bound to be curious. Fair enough.]

He didn’t fuss over it. Then he poked the Doll on his shoulder and asked: “Want to try too?”

Irene looked puzzled: “Try what?”

“Your threads,” he said: “You used them on many things inside Anka Aila’s dreams. That means you built a kind of link with Anka Aila. You try it and see if the crystal reacts to you.”

Irene thought Yu Sheng’s jumpy ideas had no Reason, but his “let’s try it” offers were always tempting. She rubbed her hands, shifted her seat on his shoulder, and said: “I’ll try. If it doesn’t work, that’s not on me.”

She set her face, and under Yu Sheng’s eager stare reached her right hand toward the Mother Crystal. Fine, pitch black Spider Silk spread from her fingertips and crept toward the crystal.

The eerie chill in the air made the two nearest researchers step back without meaning to.

When the threads were still a dozen centimeters away, Yu Sheng heard a clear humming sound. The Black Threads seemed to hit a shaking barrier. They snapped back at once and broke, strand by strand.

“Hey what the heck!”

Even Irene got hit by the recoil and toppled off Yu Sheng’s shoulder.