MMB Chapter 353 Does it possess consciousness?
Chapter 353 Does it possess consciousness?
In order to avoid danger,
Lin Fan had no choice but to remain at the nuclear power plant.
After all, no one knows what a seed will grow into after it sprouts.
To be fair, Miller's execution was very swift. After Lin Fan made the arrangements, the temporary cultivation area was almost completed in just two days.
Bruce has been spending almost all his time in the lab and the cultivation area under construction these past two days, and his notebooks are already quite thick.
The following evening, he took the latest parameters to Lin Fan, who was idly lounging around.
"Boss, the breeding area will be completed tomorrow, but there's something I need to tell you in advance."
"What is it?"
"Boss, the seed is growing much faster than I expected after it sprouted."
Bruce turned to a page in the notebook and handed it over.
Lin Fan didn't reach out to take it: "Just tell me directly. You know I can't understand your scribblings."
"Well……"
A look of embarrassment flashed across Bruce's face, then he explained:
"This is my observation record over the past 48 hours, measured every six hours. You can see the growth rate curve."
Lin Fan glanced at it subconsciously.
The curve shows an upward trend, and the slope becomes steeper towards the end.
"This is... growing faster and faster?"
"right."
Bruce nodded.
"And it's not just the stems, the root system is expanding as well. I dug it up yesterday and saw that the root system is spreading faster than the above-ground parts, and it has already extended nearly 20 centimeters into the bottom of the wastewater pool."
Lin Fan handed the notebook back to him: "Is it absorbing radiation?"
"Yes, I measured the radiation levels in the surrounding soil."
Bruce's tone was a little strange.
"But this speed was a bit beyond expectations; the radiation readings within a 30-centimeter radius around it dropped by 12 percent in 48 hours."
A 20% decrease in 48 hours?
Lin Fan raised his eyebrows.
Even someone like him who doesn't do scientific research knows how outrageous these figures are.
If things continue like this, it probably won't be long before the entire wastewater pool is free of radiation.
"This isn't absorption, it's like eating it!"
"...That's one way to understand it."
Bruce swallowed hard.
"Boss, the radiation absorption efficiency of this thing is beyond our understanding. We currently have no reference point for comparison."
If it continues to grow at this rate, once the cultivation area is completed, I will need to introduce more radiation sources, otherwise the nutrients will not keep up.
Lin Fan thought for a moment, then turned to look in the direction of the nuclear power plant.
"Could some of the radiation from the nuclear power plant itself be diverted to the cultivation area?"
"Theoretically, it's possible, but Miller's side needs to cooperate in modifying the pipeline."
"Okay, I'll go talk to him."
Lin Fan turned around and took two steps, then stopped and looked back at Bruce.
"Also, you previously said that the surface texture of this seed resembles a genetic map."
"Um."
"Will those patterns still be there after it sprouts?"
Bruce paused for a moment, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.
"Yes." He paused. "Not just on... those lines, now they've extended to the stem."
Lin Fan didn't say anything, turned around and left.
Bruce watched him walk away, then glanced down at his notebook. At the very end of the latest research page was a sentence:
"The lines continue to extend, which may indicate an information transmission or growth regulation mechanism, requiring further observation. My intuition tells me that if this thing grows up, it may not just be a plant."
……
Time flies, and another day has passed in the blink of an eye.
The construction of the breeding area is also nearing completion.
To be fair, Miller's team is quite efficient.
In just two days, a small, enclosed breeding area was transformed from an abandoned warehouse.
Bruce was the first to go in and moved the small tree, which had already grown to several tens of centimeters, into the soil along with it.
Then he had Miller's men increase the radiation dose.
Half an hour later, he looked at the little sprout inside through the observation window and fell silent.
Helen walked in and glanced through the window.
"How much has it grown?"
"Within twenty minutes, the stem grew nearly two centimeters."
Helen: "..."
"And the leaves are starting to unfold," Bruce pointed. "Look at the veins, there are patterns too."
Helen leaned closer to the observation window, squinted, and her expression changed slightly.
"Is it the same pattern as the one on the seed coat?"
"The arrangement patterns are highly consistent."
Bruce nodded.
"I'm becoming increasingly certain that the patterns on this thing's surface aren't decorations; they're some kind of...core component of this plant. What their function is, we don't know yet."
The two remained silent for a while.
Helen spoke first: "Should we inform Lin?"
……
By the time Lin Fan received the notification and arrived at the cultivation area, the sapling had already grown to nearly half a meter tall.
He looked through the observation window for about five seconds without saying anything.
Bruce said from the side:
"Boss, I misjudged. If it continues to grow at this rate, he could be several meters tall in another 24 hours."
Upon hearing this conjecture, Lin Fan showed no outward change.
After all, he had seen much larger trees before; however, what concerned him was...
"Have you noticed that it's aggressive?"
"Not yet. The root system is expanding outwards, but it's not trying to penetrate the ground or walls of the cultivation area."
"Not at the moment?"
Lin Fan repeated the sentence, his eyes fixed on the small tree, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Bruce, standing to the side, didn't explain anything. After all, since the seed sprouted, its growth had completely exceeded his comprehension.
Lin Fan stared at the plant for a while. The veins extending to the stem and leaves shimmered faintly under the lights of the cultivation area, connecting the leaf veins back to the stem and back to the soil.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what that feeling was.
It's not a sense of threat, nor entirely a sense of security, but something in between... a kind of gaze.
It's as if that plant is also looking out through the observation window.
Keep an eye on it.
Report the growth status hourly. If you notice anything unusual, call me immediately, no matter what time it is.
"clear."
Lin Fan took one last look at the plant, then turned and walked out of the cultivation area.
He paused at the door, turned back, and gave the instructions:
"Oh, and lock the door to the breeding area. Keep only two keys, one for you and one for Helen. No one else is allowed in without my permission."
Bruce responded with a "yes".
After hearing this, Lin Fan left without lingering.
After the door closed, Bruce was left alone in the breeding area.
He turned to look at the plant in the observation window; the veins were still glowing, quietly and regularly.
"What exactly are you?"
He said it softly.
Plants, of course, will not answer.
But Bruce always felt that the light in those patterns seemed to brighten a little bit after he spoke.
He wrote another line in his notebook:
"At the 72nd hour, the plant was about 50cm tall, and the veins extended to the entire plant, which may be a light intensity response, pending verification."
After pausing for a moment, he hesitated for a second before adding more.
"...I always felt that this plant was different from ordinary mutated plants, as if...it possessed consciousness..."