Chapter 18

“Please input your name to activate the system.”

“Please input your code to access the task assignment page.”

“Please record your fingerprint, voiceprint, iris, and DNA information to bind to the system.”

The silvery block continued to emit a cold, icy voice, its light flickering.

The pink flesh ball  had already climbed out of the pit, staring down below with wide eyes, filled with alertness. After a few minutes, the icy voice disappeared, the small block still glowing but motionless.

The pink flesh ball , naturally drawn to light, determined that the object posed no threat. It immediately slid down and picked it up again. The light illuminated its face, shining into its eyes. Unsure where to press with its large pincers, a round face suddenly appeared on the block.

Startled, the pink flesh ball  let out a small gasp.

The round face on the block widened its eyes, opened its mouth, with its slender, forked tongue hanging halfway out, looking rather silly.

“Chirp?” The pink flesh ball  lifted the other pincer, scratching its head in confusion.

It didn’t recognize the round face but did recognize its own tongue. Every few minutes, it would stick out its tongue to smell various scents. Seeing this thing with its big eyes, it felt oddly familiar.

The slender tongue trembled, causing the tongue inside the small block to tremble as well.

As the slender tongue licked, the tongue inside the small block also licked.

“Chirp, chirp!” The pink flesh ball  emitted an extremely excited low hum. It had realized that the round face inside the small block was itself, how it had grown to look.

For many children, the first understanding of the concept of “self” occurs when looking in a mirror. Creatures without “self-awareness,” even after looking in a mirror a thousand times, still cannot comprehend this feeling.

Joy, curiosity, boundless exploration. The pink flesh ball  lifted the small block, capturing its entire appearance from a higher vantage point.

A round fleshy ball, tender pink, semi-transparent, resembling a large dewdrop. Its eyes, black and bright, watery, situated in the middle of its head.

“Chirp, chirp!” The pink flesh ball  continued to chirp incessantly, its voice filled with jubilation.

While it might not yet understand the concept of “cuteness,” it didn’t hinder the emergence of a sense of self-admiration. It raised its large pincers, gently touching its chubby cheek.

The round face inside the small block was also touched.

“Chirp!” The excited sound rose even higher, the emotion of joy drifting in the air.

The pink flesh ball  quickly climbed out of the pit, finding a clean spot to place the small block. As the block toppled, the round face inside vanished, the image flickering and transforming into a gloomy sky.

Frantically, the pink flesh ball  picked up the block again, its large eyes peering closely.

The round face reappeared.

Whenever the block was tipped or moved away, its own reflection would vanish. Understanding this, the pink flesh ball  found a rock and set the block in front of it.

This time, its image appeared vividly within the small block. As it moved back, the pink flesh ball  inside the block moved back too. It crossed its arms, tilted its head, wiggled its rear, stuck out its tongue… and the pink flesh ball  in the block mimicked every move.

“Chirp!” The excited and joyful sound lingered, startling a few crows into flight.

The pink flesh ball  spun happily, then, seeming to have an idea, glanced at its two large pincers, took a deep breath, and blushed deeply as it focused. The pink round face grew red with the effort, clearly straining.

Gradually, the two pincers shrank into small round hands, like Doraemon’s hands. After a while, a finger emerged from each ball, followed by a second, a third…

After some time, the pink flesh ball ‘s two large pincers transformed into two small chubby hands, each with ten plump, round fingers.

This transformation, without DNA information as a template, relied solely on mental control, leading to a significantly high energy expenditure. Exhausted, the pink flesh ball  kept going, forming two chubby short legs.

It attempted to stand up, sprinting through the forest like a bizarre giant insect. In its understanding, this form embodied the greatest strength and agility, surpassing all insects it had encountered thus far.

Unfortunately, its small chubby legs lacked a crucial component—bones. Without human DNA, it couldn’t conjure up such elements out of thin air.

Lacking the support of bones, the two short legs were unable to stand. Wanting to reach the small block and see its new form, the pink flesh ball  could only crawl on the ground, digging clumsily.

Fortunately, its two small hands were quite nimble, allowing it to crawl at a decent pace, albeit appearing somewhat comical and awkward.

Seeing its reflection in the small block, and reflecting on the grand insect it envisioned, the pink flesh ball  felt embarrassed. It clenched its fists and pounded the ground in frustration.

Undoubtedly, this transformation was a failure.

Yet, the pink flesh ball  never understood the concept of giving up. After a moment to compose itself, it got up, sat on the grass with its short legs apart, and used its chubby hands to massage its head. With each rub, a thin strand of hair grew.

Patiently rubbing for over an hour, the pink flesh ball ‘s previously bald head was now covered in a layer of curly, messy, pink soft hair, resembling a bird’s nest.

Examining its reflection in the small block and ruffling the soft hair with its hands, the pink flesh ball  emitted a satisfied low hum.

With the successful experience in mind, it reached between its legs with its hands and formed a small bulge.

The drive for strength is inherent in intelligent beings. To the pink flesh ball , this was the image of a strong individual, with no part missing.

Repeatedly admiring its reflection in the small block, its large eyes curved with a smile. Once again, the pink flesh ball  held its breath, its face quickly flushing red.

Its mimicry was not yet complete.

In an instant, its plump body split in the middle, dividing into two, with the missing arms and legs gradually growing back, becoming complete individuals. Clearly, this method of division was also inspired by that peculiar large insect it was imitating.

It yearned to manifest a doppelganger to fight alongside itself, like a loyal wingman by its side.

Two pink flesh ball s appeared in the small block, identical in short arms, short legs, and round plumpness.

With their size and weight halved, the small short legs were now able to support the weight.

The visual field split in two, senses divided, four extra limbs appeared, and consciousness became extremely confused. The left fleshy ball took two steps forward, attempting to guide the right fleshy ball to follow closely. However, the right fleshy ball stumbled and fell back, sitting on the ground, struggling to get up.

The left fleshy ball rushed to assist the other, while the right fleshy ball held the left fleshy ball’s hand to stand up, spinning in place.

In the small block, the two fleshy balls twirled, twisted, and posed, dancing gracefully.

The scene was beautiful.

In reality, the two fleshy balls uncontrollably collided, limbs entangled, exchanging harsh words and blows, creating chaos. Exhausted of patience, the left fleshy ball, frustrated, opened its mouth and swallowed the right fleshy ball.

It was a disastrous experience. The pink flesh ball  lay on the ground, looking defeated, with no light in its large eyes.

The small block faithfully recorded this scene.

After some time, the pink flesh ball  finally adjusted its mood, getting up and transforming into a round, chubby snake, slithering towards the small block. Walking in the form of a snake seemed much more convenient than having legs without bones.

The small snake, with its messy bird’s nest head, and two odd-looking arm-like appendages on its sides, held the block high. Accidentally brushing a finger against a key on the screen, the camera angle shifted, and the round face and large eyes vanished, replaced by a swirling, moldy-gray sky reminiscent of wallpaper.

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out, “Detected an accessible instance. Do you wish to enter?”

The pink flesh ball  didn’t understand the words, still holding the block towards the sky, using a different perspective to view the world.

Three seconds later, the unchanging icy voice stated, “Selection timeout. The intelligent assistant will automatically begin the instance for you.”

The pink flesh ball  continued to play with the block, like an inquisitive child. Unless faced with a life-threatening danger, it was unwilling to part with its sole toy.

After three seconds, a horizontal bar appeared on the block, sliding up and down.

The cold voice continued evenly, “Please scan the instance.”

The pink flesh ball , clearly not inclined to cooperate, followed a group of crows flying by, its arms moving along with these tiny black dots.

However, this playful behavior didn’t affect the work of the intelligent assistant.

The screen displayed a sky filled with swirling vortexes, one of which was highlighted in red by the intelligent assistant. As the camera passed over this marked vortex, even if just for 0.01 seconds, the assistant accurately imprinted it.

The imprinted vortex shrank proportionally and was projected in front of the pink flesh ball , resembling a black hole that appeared out of nowhere.

Gazing into the seemingly bottomless black hole, the pink flesh ball  retreated in fear. Even though it didn’t understand what was happening, it could sense the imminent danger. A chill ran through its body, causing a slight tremble.

However, with the instance already activated, there was no escape. The black hole began to rotate, generating a powerful suction force that engulfed the pink flesh ball .

After a tumultuous experience, the pink flesh ball  dropped from midair, its chubby body bouncing on a hard stone surface, producing a dull thud.

“Who?” A sharp voice echoed from nearby.

The pink flesh ball  didn’t comprehend the words but immediately became alert. It quickly got up, hiding in a dark corner, holding its breath.

Peeking out cautiously, it realized it was still clutching the small block, its screen now dark without any glow.

Did this thing bring it here?

With its large black eyes wide open, the pink flesh ball  looked up, down, left, and right, its expression one of astonishment.

Only now did it realize it was no longer in the forest. Soft grassy lawns, bushes with poisonous thorns, towering ancient trees, the pervasive mist, along with the dark sky and swirling vortexes, had all vanished.

Instead, it found itself in an area covered with stone slabs, within a structure. The ceiling soared several meters high, supported by massive pillars. In front of it, there were layers of steps leading up to a slightly ajar door, where the stern voice originated.

The pink flesh ball  didn’t understand what a structure or a door was. It simply knew it had arrived in a very strange place.

This place, like a cave, was enclosed, with no view of the forest or the sky.

A faint light seeped through the crack in the door. The pink flesh ball , naturally drawn to light, gazed at the bright spot. After a while, seeing no other creatures approaching it, it cautiously crawled towards the light.