Chapter 183: 2 Transformation Paths
Chapter 183 Two Paths of Transformation (2300 words added!)
Besides, won’t water evaporate when exposed to sunlight?
At night, it can absorb moisture and restore vitality.
Moreover, pollution manifests itself on campus in the form of fog, and fog itself is part of water!
Also, abnormal weather is not scary when it first comes, but once it starts to rain, that is the abnormal weather that really makes people terrified.
So that kind of "rain" is a stronger pollutant?
Everything seems to fit right!
Nocturnal species actually have the characteristic of "water"!
As expected, Jia Baoyu was right. Everything made of water is extremely dangerous!
Lin Yi spoke out all his conjectures in one breath. Tian Bufan smiled after listening and said, "You have thought so much about the formation of the alien sculpture? However, conjectures are conjectures, don't jump to conclusions..."
"As for the concept of nocturnal species being "super", I think it's very interesting, but I don't think the pollution sources on campus are as good as nocturnal species. Unless they can really change from quantitative to qualitative, no matter how many ants there are, they will just be a large ant group when they gather together."
"Just imagine, a lift box filled with nocturnal species is enough, right? What if an entire campus is filled with nocturnal species? Even though there are a lot of them, no matter how many there are, they will still die in the sunlight."
"Things like this that cannot stand the sun have a very low-level life form... I even think that if we are talking about pollution sources, conceptual sculptures are more suitable."
"Conceptual sculpture..." Lin Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded, "That's right. Let's get back to the point. Did you get a few athletes to carry mirrors to shine on the nocturnal species, trying to drive them out of the elevator?"
Tian Bufan sneered: "I originally thought I could drive them out of the elevator, but the interesting thing is that they kept shrinking back into the elevator."
"Maybe they think that the outermost layer of nocturnal species can become a protective film after being dried by the sun."
"I had to break their naive ideas, so I asked an enthusiastic sports student to use a baseball bat to smash the surface of the nocturnal species when they were dried up, so that the fresh bodies of the nocturnal species can be exposed again..."
"In the end, we killed an entire elevator car of nocturnal creatures, and I successfully entered the elevator."
"What does the elevator look like inside?" Lin Yi asked curiously.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed if I tell you this." Tian Bufan shook his head slightly. "There's not much difference between the interior of the teaching building elevator and the dormitory building elevator. The only difference is the button panel."
"The floor panel of the teaching building elevator shows that the teaching building has a total of 8 floors. On the 8th floor, there is an '↑' button covered by a red glass cover. There is also an '×' on the glass cover, just like the button panel in the dormitory elevator."
"It's actually safe to enter the elevator. As long as you don't press the floor button, the elevator won't move. Or if you step on the edge of the elevator, the door won't close. I have enough time to observe the situation inside the elevator."
"I think the reason why the student code prohibits trial students from taking the elevator is partly because they are worried that the floor buttons will not match the floor numbers written in the code. Such a self-contradictory phenomenon will easily cause cognitive conflicts among trial students, causing them to doubt the code..."
"You should know that once you doubt the code, it's no different from courting your own destruction."
"Another reason is that when an ordinary trainee presses the elevator button, the door opens to reveal a whole elevator of rotten meat-like nocturnal creatures. It's easy to cause a mental breakdown."
If the san value is instantly reduced to zero, it would be no different from dying on the spot.
Lin Yi was silent for a moment. He had imagined many environments inside the teaching building's elevators, and even more outrageous scenes, but he did not expect that the teaching building's elevators would be so reasonable and unexpected.
"That means... the elevators in the teaching building and the dormitory building are the same type of elevator, so they can go to and from the art building. Even their operating principles may be the same."
"However, it seems that the elevator in the teaching building can only be used in abnormal weather conditions..."
Tian Bufan guessed, "If the reason why the teaching building elevator is prohibited is because of the two points I mentioned, it means that as long as we have sufficient knowledge, we can also use the elevator freely, but the premise is that we only use the 1st to 4th floors in the elevator. In abnormal weather, once the layers begin to stretch, we can use the elevator to reach the 5th to 8th floors."
"Of course this is just my guess. In principle, I don't recommend that any of us try it... Because so far we don't know more information about the elevator, and it's hard to say whether the 1st to 4th floors that the elevator arrives at are still the 1st to 4th floors of the normal lower campus."
Lin Yi thought about it for a while, then nodded. Exploration requires a gradual and cautious approach. For the same place, if you have enough information and knowledge before entering, the risk factor will be greatly reduced.
"In addition, the transformation direction of nocturnal species can not only turn into sculptures, but also turn into non-human classmates." Tian Bufan said slowly, "Today I had dinner with Wei Shan. After dinner, we left the cafeteria and returned to the teaching building at about 16:30."
"So early?" Lin Yi was a little surprised. At that hour he was still circling the student cafeteria looking for the location of the canteen.
Tian Bufan said: "Because I want to confirm what the nocturnal species in the elevator will do before the sun sets completely."
"Because according to the rules for art students, we can infer that the elevators in the teaching building must be empty at night so that art students can leave by elevator. In other words, they will leave the elevator at an appropriate time."
"You've caused trouble for another nocturnal creature in the elevator?"
"It doesn't count this time. It's just observation."
"So what did you see?"
"Wei Shan and I were squatting outside the elevator corridor. We didn't notice anything at first, until I saw a non-human classmate walk past us in a hesitant manner and then open the elevator."
"That time point was around 17:50, when the sun completely set and the layer of the campus began to fall."
Tian Bufan described the scene at that time slowly and unhurriedly. An inhuman classmate opened the elevator, and the nocturnal species that looked like rotten meat began to wriggle out of the elevator, and then began to twist and separate from each other, turning into independent pieces of clay-like humanoid matter.
"Some of them still retained the appearance of shapeless rotten meat, while others began to take shape and became something with a human form. After 18:00, as the lights on the floor turned on, they became 'non-human classmates'."
When Lin Yi heard this, he immediately thought of the changes that occurred when the human-shaped sculpture came out of the mist and into the light, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath: "The human-shaped sculpture can also become a non-human classmate!"
Tian Bufan nodded: "I saw it too, they are almost the same type of life. I got some information about this when I was chatting with the sports students at the barbecue. I will tell you in detail later."
"The nocturnal creatures who were unable to transform into non-human classmates slowly crawled like leeches to the outside of the stairs of the teaching building before 18:00, hiding in the darkness away from the light and away from the street lamps."
Lin Yi thought of the alien unit that he encountered on the way back to the dormitory building. It had no human form but was still keeping its eyes on his back. It seemed that it was most likely this kind of nocturnal species.
He asked, "However, why can some nocturnal species transform into non-human classmates, but some cannot? What is the reason for this difference? Is it related to identity anchoring?"
"You are right. Only nocturnal species with fixed identities can become non-human classmates." Tian Bufan said, "In other words, any nocturnal species with fixed identities can become non-human classmates."
“After the non-human units are separated from the sculptural form, they can move like humans under the light, but their mobility is greatly affected by the intensity of the light.”
"Ordinary nocturnal species do not have the 'right' to enter the light and can only hide in places away from light."
"According to the information I got from the sports students, before daytime arrives, all non-human units need to leave the light range to avoid being burned by the sun."
"When evacuating, they will hide in the elevators nearby. If they don't have time to hide in the elevators, they will flee the teaching building area and hide in the green belt."
"It is said that deep in the green forest is a gray world that is shrouded in mountain fog all year round and where even sunlight cannot penetrate."
"When day comes, the non-human students at the edge of the green forest will transform back into human sculptures, while the nocturnal species hiding in the elevator will remain in mud because they are not exposed to sunlight."
"I see." Lin Yi showed a look of sudden enlightenment. After knowing the differences between the nocturnal species, the non-human classmates and the humanoid sculptures, and seeing with his own eyes the scene of the humanoid sculptures transforming into non-human classmates, many details came to his mind at once.
"By the way, have you asked how the nocturnal species came about?" Lin Yi asked. He actually wanted to ask Xu Shunkang, but Xu Shunkang and the others were vague. They only mentioned the concept of nocturnal species without going into too much detail.
Tian Bufan nodded and continued, "In fact, the nocturnal species can be divided into different levels based on life and death alone. One type is transformed from the living, and the other type is transformed from the dead."
"The transformation of the dead is easy to understand, it's the kind of little genius."
"After being contaminated, the bodies of the killed people were transformed and mutated, transforming into white powder particles and reborn in another form. However, this type of nocturnal creature does not have many thoughts, only an almost pure instinct and a strong desire for an 'identity'."
"There is a type of inhuman classmates in the classroom. They have empty eyes and devilish smiles on their lips. These are the inhuman classmates who were transformed from the dead."
"They will gradually lose the ability to maintain their human appearance and turn into a kind of humanoid slime-like substance like plasticine... but if they can obtain an identity anchor, they can maintain their human form."
"I prefer to call this kind of people 'dead non-human classmates'. They have no possibility of transformation back. Their only ending is to be killed by sports students or cleared by security guards when they wander around the campus."
"The transformation of living people is easy to understand, but the concept is a little more complicated. Let me give you an example, like Li Huiyuan."
"The experience students lost their student ID cards for various reasons. After losing their identity anchors, they were affected by various strange phenomena on campus. They also had self-doubt and other problems due to the fluctuations in the layers, which led to their own instability. They absorbed a lot of pollution from the white powder particles and transformed into nocturnal species."
"After they complete the transformation, their appearance is almost like a human sculpture. If the pollution worsens, they will degenerate into nocturnal species."
"But this doesn't mean that after losing their student ID, the trainee will become a nocturnal species. Although there is a sense of the same destination, there are still some subtle differences in essence."
"The nocturnal species transformed from living people...will have higher intelligence, while the nocturnal species transformed from dead people will only have instincts." "There is a type of non-human classmates in the classroom who are more gloomy and can look at people. They are this type of people. I call them "non-human classmates who have not died yet." "
"Not dead yet, but already on the road to death. The chances of being able to transform back are slim."
"So even nocturnal species are different, just like using dead fish to cook soup and using live fish to cook soup, they look the same, but they taste obviously different." Lin Yi suddenly thought of this analogy, "Emmmm... that is, the difference in the 'freshness of the ingredients themselves'?"
"Yes." Tian Bufan was a little surprised by Lin Yi's metaphor of the madman's diary. After a pause, he continued, "Moreover, according to the description of the sports student, a human sculpture transformed from a living person has a chance to be transformed back."
"Oh?" Lin Yi's eyes lit up, "What do you mean?"
"Just find your student ID card in time." Tian Bufan said, "It looks simple, but it's not simple at all, right?"
Lin Yi fell silent for a moment.
It sounds really good, Jiebao, it’s simple, just get back the lost property!
But once it's lost, it's basically eaten by the nocturnal creatures, the humanoid sculptures, and the green-bibbed chefs. How do you get it back? Do you have to dissect it?
What you need to consider when doing so is not whether it is possible, but whether you can do it. Your student ID has been snatched away, and you still go to them, hoping to become a repeat customer and order an extra dish for them?
Unrealistic.
If it were Wei Shan, he might be able to violently tear the non-human classmate's mouth apart, but for most people it is simply not practical.
Tian Bufan continued, "However, no matter whether they are transformed from living people or dead people, they all have the ability to absorb white powder particles to complete their broken bodies."
"Even if they become human-shaped sculptures, as long as they are not broken into pieces, they can be restored. But because of this, I said that even the "non-human classmates who have not died yet" have little chance of being transformed back. The pollution will only absorb more and more, and there is no place to vent it. What do you think the final outcome will be?"
Lin Yi frowned, and suddenly said in a deep voice: "Hearing your words, I immediately thought of us... The Russians are absorbing pollution continuously and distributing it to us. Sooner or later, we will also become inhuman classmates, right?"
Tian Bufan fell silent, and suddenly the only sound in dormitory 1414 was the sound of the pendulum clock.
About ten seconds later, Tian Bufan said, "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless we leave S University before we are transformed, or... find a way to use pollution."
Lin Yi narrowed his eyes: "You want to become a sports student or... an art student? But in that case, you need to give up your existing identity anchor."
"That's why we have to find a way to transform back..." Tian Bufan corrected, "Also, I guess, there is a very strict rule for the path from experience student to sports student or art student - 'no overnight stay'."
"Intern students who mistakenly swiped someone else's student ID card need to find their homeroom teacher to register before staying overnight; Intern students who lost their student ID card also need to report to their homeroom teacher before staying overnight..."
“There is a subtle connection between the ‘identity anchor’ and the sensitive time point of ‘sleeping overnight’.”
"I think if someone who has lost their student ID card can't get into one of these pathways before the sleepover, they will become a subhuman classmate."
"Your class teacher kept Li Huiyuan here, and he must be helping her embark on one of these paths, and it is very likely that it is the path of a sports student."
But after the two of them talked about this, they basically analyzed two logically clear transformation paths.
The first one is:
"Experience student" - (killed) - (continues to absorb pollution) - "Nocturnal species" - (obtains identity anchor) - "Non-human classmate".
The second article is:
"Experience student" - (Lost student ID) - (Continued to absorb pollution, stayed overnight) - "Inhuman classmate" -
[1. (Continuously Absorbing Pollution) - "Nocturnal Species"]
[2. (Take back your student ID) - "Experience student"]
Of course, there is also a third one: "Experience student" - (lost student ID) -
[1. (???) - "Art Student"]
[2. (???) - "Sports Student"]
The question marks on both sides represent their own unique conditions.
But the third one is unclear and can only be explored in the future.
Regardless of which path the nocturnal species and non-human students take, they will lose the pollution and turn into human-shaped sculptures after being exposed to sunlight, and will turn into nocturnal species or non-human students after reabsorbing the pollution.
Therefore, another key factor that determines whether the unit can be converted back is whether it is alive or dead before the conversion begins. If it is alive, it can still be dealt with, but if it is dead, even the gods cannot save it.
Lin Yi seemed to be thinking: "So... with this information and the origin of the nocturnal species, the real reason why the little genius sculpture appeared in the green forest belt has been found."
After the little genius was killed, his body was dragged into the green forest by his inhuman classmates who escaped from the teaching building. After being infused with pollution for a night, it was transformed into a mutilated human-shaped sculpture by the sunlight the next day.
Then it was a cloudy day, and he encountered clouds floating across the sky when he returned to the teaching building. The little genius "Broken Humanoid Sculpture" should have encountered this situation as well. In addition, the green belt itself was gathering huge pollution, so it absorbed a large amount of white powder particles, gradually completing its body, and then embarked on the road leading to the non-existent ocean. In the afternoon, he who fell through the layers happened to encounter it!
The loop is closed!
Perfect closed loop!
"Knowing this now is not of any particular significance." Tian Bufan shook his head slightly. After understanding the transformation methods between nocturnal species and non-human units, he could effectively avoid many problems. Even if someone like the little genius turned back into a human-shaped sculpture, they would not be afraid.
"Come to think of it, I didn't expect the athlete to tell you so much." Lin Yi's expression was a little strange, with some ambiguous meaning, "Could it be that you discovered it yourself and then pushed the blame onto the imaginary athlete?"
Tian Bufan smiled and said, "Both. They keep their mouths shut when it comes to matters of principle, but they can still talk about this."
Lin Yi did not waste any more time on this question. If he asked, it would be what the athlete said. If he asked again, it would be that Tian Bufan slowly "decompressed" more information as time went by and his cognition deepened.
"Oh, by the way, I found that nocturnal species exist not only in the elevator, but also in places in the teaching building that are not directly exposed to light, and in the toilet... I met nocturnal species disguised as Liangzi and Li Huiyuan in the toilet. They seem to be more intelligent than ordinary nocturnal species."
"This is normal. Nocturnal species will run wherever they can. Those that don't have time to squeeze into the elevator will flee to the corners of the building." Tian Bufan said slowly, "And those in the toilet are most likely transformed from nocturnal species after the pollution from the "non-human classmates who haven't died yet" deepened."
Since they were talking about the transformation methods, Lin Yi couldn't help but think of the human-shaped sculpture disguised as Nie Yun and Ge Qing, trying to attack them.
But what impressed him most was not the attack itself, but the other party's strange posture of facing the wall.
"Not only Ge Qing and Nie Yun in their non-human classmate forms, but also Zhou Yuting in her non-human classmate form who I saw later seemed to be facing the wall, as if she was licking the paint number with her tongue..." Lin Yi tried hard to recall the details, "And I don't know if it's my illusion, but I always feel that the street lights today seem to be dimmer than usual, and the paint number has also become much lighter."
"I don't know if it was affected by the mist, or... licked off by an inhuman classmate."
Tian Bufan said, "Since you've come up with a conjecture, let's try it out."
"If the dimming of the street lights was caused by fog, then this problem should have occurred on the day we entered the school and yesterday. However, it is obvious that when the abnormal weather began to intensify, the illumination range of the street lights was indeed suppressed, but the light was not affected."
"So, the dimming of the street lights is most likely related to the non-human classmates."
"Considering the 'emergency plan' given by the head teacher, I highly doubt whether this is a full-scale invasion of the campus by an inhuman unit guided by some strong pollution source."
"For example... an invasion driven by that conceptual sculpture!"
"And Lao Lin, you seem to have forgotten something very crucial."
Lin Yi was puzzled and asked: "What's the matter?"
Tian Bufan narrowed his eyes, lowered his voice, and said in a deep voice: "From the situation on the first night, the conceptual sculpture can be seen outside my class in Building C and your class in Building B. Lao Lin, what do you think this means?"
When Lin Yi heard this, the pupils in his dark eyes shrank instantly: "You mean... that kind of conceptual sculpture is not unique?"
When he said this, Lin Yi felt a chill down his spine, as if a chill was swirling around his body.
Added 2300 words for the leader "Mountains and Seas Separate the Nine Provinces", and still owes 5700 words!!
Thanks to the book friend "usjdnshhs" for the reward!!
PS: When you and I see that I have included the few hundred words I added on weekdays into the extra words, you will know that I will probably not be able to finish it by Wednesday this time. Woohoo, wow ...
(End of this chapter)