pjbooks Chapter 282 Radiation-feeding algae
Chapter 282 Radiation-feeding algae
Chapter 282
The blue light from the cooling tower flashed rhythmically.
In the surveillance footage, the light flickered on and off, looking just like the tail of a firefly.
Helen stared at the screen, her face grave, and said:
"This is definitely not a equipment malfunction. The cooling tower's lighting system has been without power for a long time."
"Okay, I'll go take a look."
After Lin Fan finished speaking, he turned around and walked outside.
Helen opened her mouth, as if to say something, but in the end she only managed to squeeze out, "Be careful."
"Don't worry, I dealt with that huge lump of meat just now, what do I have to fear from a third wheel?"
Soon Lin Fan left the administration building and walked along the road on the west side of the nuclear power plant toward the cooling tower.
The night breeze carried lingering heat and an indescribable, sweet-smelling odor.
Then Miller's voice came through the intercom again:
"Mr. Lin Fan, you need to be careful. My men have observed it with binoculars. There's something attached to the outer wall of the cooling tower. And it's quite large, but we can't see its exact shape."
"receive."
Lin Fan replied once and then fell silent.
After walking for about three minutes, the outline of the cooling tower became clearly visible in the intermittent light.
When he got closer, Lin Fan stopped and looked up.
As the light flickered, he instantly saw the glittering object.
The shape of that thing is difficult to describe accurately in words.
When it lights up, it looks like a large jellyfish, sometimes turning off and sometimes emitting a transparent pale blue light. Its texture is similar to that of some kind of fungus, and its surface is covered with tiny pores.
As the light flickered, each pore opened and closed rhythmically.
It feels like breathing.
The regular blue light was released from these pores as they opened and closed, and there was also pale green powder floating in the air.
The entire spore biofilm covers an area of about 20 square meters and adheres tightly to the outer wall of the cooling tower.
Several translucent roots have penetrated the concrete and embedded themselves inside the cooling tower.
Lin Fan went around to the side and found that the ends of those roots were soaking in the water at the bottom of the cooling tower.
It absorbs residual substances in the coolant like algae or other plants.
"Another one who eats radiation?" Lin Fan frowned. "They're trying to poach my guys!"
Upon seeing this, Lin Fan no longer cared what it was.
Anyone who wants to get their hands on a nuclear power plant is going against Lin.
Thinking of this, he immediately raised his hand, and the power of calamity gathered in his palm.
No matter what species you are, if you're not a friendly force, you'll be wiped out.
However, just as he was about to make his move...
A familiar wave of consciousness suddenly surged into my mind.
"Lord Prisoner, have mercy."
Lin Fan paused.
He didn't expect that Da Wu would suddenly speak at this moment.
"Hmm?" Lin Fan asked, puzzled. "You have an idea?"
"Yes, yes, yes, that's perfect!"
Without hesitation, Da Wu quickly said, "Big Brother, that thing is useful to me, I want it, I want it, I want it..."
With the help of Da Wu's spiritual power, Lin Fan could clearly feel the creature gesturing wildly within his spiritual sea...
"You want it? What's the use of this thing?"
"I don't know, I want to eat it...to evolve..."
Upon hearing this answer, Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.
This was the first time since he and Da Wu had been tied together that the other party had expressed his thoughts so clearly.
He couldn't help but look up again at the strange creature...
This thing? Eating it will make you evolve?
Could you explain more clearly?
"This sporophyte... does not exist in your human understanding. But in a more ancient system, it is called 'radiative algae'."
"It can convert radiant energy into a special kind of spiritual energy medium."
"I need it."
Ok? ? ?
Lin Fan, who hadn't expected to get any answers, was shocked when he heard that Da Wu actually gave an explanation.
Of course, what shocked him wasn't the "radiation-eating algae" itself, but rather the unexpected expressive ability of the giant crow...
Suddenly, he realized that he hadn't experienced the same difficulty communicating with Da Wu as before.
And the other person's expression was no longer as fragmented as before...
"You've evolved?"
"Yes, it's only a small part of the evolution."
Big Crow's answer was brief, and then he continued,
"Big Brother, I want this. I can sense that I'll evolve after I eat it..."
"Alright, then it's up to you. Do it yourself!"
The evolution of the Great Crow was definitely a good thing for Lin Fan, and he immediately prepared to open his spiritual sea without hesitation.
However, Da Wu suddenly expressed himself.
"A large prison won't do."
"My spiritual body cannot metabolize this medium directly. It must be absorbed through my physical body."
Lin Fan was stunned for a moment.
"Huh? So you mean...?"
"Come here, my true form."
Lin Fan did not answer immediately.
The Great Crow's true form is currently still in the Pacific Ocean. Lin Fan doesn't know its exact location, but that's not important; what matters is its size…
"How long will it take for your main body to arrive?"
"It took about a day to get here from where we are now."
"Just one day?"
Lin Fan thought for a moment,
"Okay. But you need to tell me clearly where this radiation-eating algae comes from. Shoggoth's clone just died, and this thing popped up. Could it be related to Shoggoth?"
"I don't know, but I sense that they are not related."
Da Wu's tone was very certain: "Radiant algae is an extremely ancient symbiotic organism. It is not aggressive and only feeds on various substances."
"It's just a coincidence that this nuclear power plant leaked a large amount of radiation and was attracted to it."
"coincide?"
Lin Fan stared at the blue spores that were rhythmically breathing on the cooling tower, pondering for a few seconds.
"Alright, then I'll leave it here for now. But let me make this clear from the start: you can come over in your true form, but don't you dare cause any trouble. I still have a use for this place."
"Don't worry, I'm very obedient."
Having received his approval, Da Wu repeatedly assured him in his spiritual sea of consciousness.
"I promise not to destroy anything, and my main body can even help you deal with that fused slime."
"Alright, I'll keep it for you then."
Lin Fan smiled, then turned and left the cooling tower, while simultaneously contacting Miller via intercom.
"Miller, that thing on the cooling tower isn't a threat for now. Just keep monitoring it."
"I understand. But what exactly is it?"
"A type of mushroom that eats radiation."
"...What? Such a thing exists in this world?"
"Don't ask, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
In fact, he himself was not sure, so Lin Fan had no choice but to hang up the call and then quickly return to the administration building.
The crisis at the nuclear power plant was temporarily averted, and Helen was able to rest.
She was sitting in an office chair, holding a bottle of water and sipping it slowly.
Upon seeing Lin Fan return, she immediately stood up.
"How is it?"
"It's not a big problem, that thing isn't aggressive." Lin Fan pulled up a chair and sat down. "Now let's get down to business."
How much do you know about the systems at this nuclear power plant?
Helen was taken aback, wondering why he asked that, but she still answered truthfully:
"I'm the on-call engineer for Reactor No. 2. I'm familiar with the main systems, auxiliary systems, and emergency systems. What's wrong?"
"If you were given enough manpower and resources, could this nuclear power plant resume generating electricity?"
Helen's eyes widened slightly. She paused for a few seconds, then answered seriously:
"Reactor 1 and the turbine hall are completely destroyed. However, the core of reactor 2 was not damaged, and it can theoretically be restarted after the cooling system is restored."
How many people are needed?
"The minimum requirement is at least fifteen to twenty technicians with experience in nuclear power plant operation."
How many technicians are still alive today?
"...Just me."
Lin Fan nodded, not pursuing the matter further. The human element could be addressed later.
"Is the communication system at the nuclear power plant still usable?"
Helen shook her head:
"The main communications tower was destroyed by that thing. Now only the emergency radio is left, and the communication range is still unclear."
After hearing this, Lin Fan contacted Miller using a communicator, and then had the other party try to contact Raccoon City using a military radio.
After adjusting the frequency several times, the call finally connected.
"Night Owl, respond if you hear me."
The radio was filled with static, but the owl's voice still came through.
"Young Master Lin? You've arrived?"
"Of course, how could I contact you if I didn't get there?"
"Alright, write down the coordinates."
As he spoke, he recited the location of the Kalove Nuclear Power Plant.
"Bring a team of people and a batch of supplies. Try to bring as many engineering personnel as possible."
"No, Young Master Lin, you're not planning to take over a nuclear power plant, are you?"
After hearing Lin Fan's request, Night Owl's voice noticeably rose.
"Yes. The threat here has been eliminated, and the second reactor of the nuclear power plant is still usable. I plan to turn this place into a branch base."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the radio.
"Are you serious?"
"When have I ever joked with you?"
"...Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
Night Owl paused, then said, "By the way, boss, the first batch of people from Xia Yanshan have arrived."
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow slightly: "We've arrived? How many people?"
"Three hundred and twenty-seven people, including military personnel and technicians. The leader is a colonel named Howard."
"How is the situation?"
"How should I put it..."
Night Owl's tone was somewhat subtle, "Their expressions after seeing our defensive wall were quite interesting."
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