After the "bell toll," many people voluntarily took in some frequencies that were certified to be safe. Some people grew wings, while others obtained the ability to photosynthesize. Of course, some people experienced harmless rejections, and there were even a rare few who obtained nothing despite fusing.
But Lu Feng refused such things.
Of course, the reason was not at all like what the doctor said, with Lu Feng having an obsession with bloodlines and not allowing the makeup of his own species to be contaminated by other monsters.
The true reason was very simple.
Lu Feng felt that those monsters, or xenogenics, were all very ugly.
Having him peacefully coexist with the humans at the research institute who had fused with other creatures' genes? Fine. Having him also try to grow some other things? Not a chance.
He hated it.
An Zhe put the communicator aside and looked up at Lu Feng's face. His point of view was just right for seeing all the details.
Lu Feng had an unforgettable face, but few would dare to look directly at him, and even fewer would carefully examine his features.
An Zhe felt that his eyes were the most good-looking point about him, as distinctive as the crisp, biting wind at the top of the mountains in the Abyss. He reached up to touch the Colonel's thin eyebrows. When he was making the mannequin, there was a time when Mr. Shaw had repeatedly admired the blank mannequin head that only had eyebrows and hair, clicking his tongue in admiration. Well done.
Further down were long and narrow deep green eyes half-covered by eyelashes, their appearance cold and lonely. Within those eyes, it was possible to dimly see one's own reflection.
An Zhe thought that if a human looked like this, they indeed had the qualification to disdain other things for being ugly.
He looked at the communicator again, and there was another message from the doctor.
"So what you mean is that I'm not good-looking either?"
The Colonel did not reply.
He turned back again to look at Lu Feng and burrowed even deeper into his arms. For some reason, he just wanted to do so right now, and he strangely felt a little lethargic.
Lu Feng pulled him closer and asked, "What is it?"
An Zhe shook his head, having suddenly thought of a problem.
He looked at Lu Feng but said nothing.
An Zhe was a mushroom who often slept early and woke up early, with eyes that were usually clear and bright, but now it was like they were fogged over with a layer of wetness.
Lu Feng lowered his head, getting a little closer.
An Zhe said in a small voice, "I'm also a xenogenic."
"Mm-hm," Lu Feng said. "Little xenogenic."
An Zhe asked, "Do you think mushrooms are also ugly?"
"Not you. You're fine," Lu Feng said. "The color white is pretty.”
"Then what if I were a gray mushroom?"
"It'd be all right."
"What about a black mushroom?"
"That's fine too."
"What about a rainbow mushroom?"
"Hmm." Lu Feng looked at him expressionlessly. His voice was flat as he said, "I'd give you a white mushroom to eat."
This man had a trait where his expression would look more serious the more he teased others.
So An Zhe also expressionlessly said, "I'll eat you."
With a soft laugh, Lu Feng scooped him up and changed their positions so that they went from a horizontal hold to facing each other.
An Zhe flopped forward as though he were boneless and just happened to bump his forehead against Lu Feng's. It was unusual, for he normally did have bones. But right now he was feeling lazy down to the marrow of every single bone, so he did not draw back. The rubbing from Lu Feng's high nose bridge was a little ticklish, so he rubbed back, then buried his head in the hollow of Lu Feng's shoulder.
Lu Feng encircled him, and he unconsciously continued rubbing against Lu Feng.
Seeming to smile, Lu Feng held him a little tighter.
The communicator lit up and went out, then lit up again as Dr. Ji continued tirelessly sending slanderous messages. Lu Feng glanced at the doctor's irate words, thought of the conversation from earlier, and turned to An Zhe.
He asked, "Are my moral standards very high?"
"Huh?" For a while, An Zhe did not understand what he meant. After some thinking, he said, "You're a good person."
"Oh."
Feeling that perhaps his answer was somewhat perfunctory, An Zhe added, "You're very good to us."
Lu Feng asked, "What about to you?"
"To me…" An Zhe pondered it. "Sometimes you aren't very good."
"You can give your answer one more time," Lu Feng said.
An Zhe stubbornly said nothing, which made Lu Feng laugh again. When he laughed, his chest vibrated a little, and they were so close that An Zhe could feel it.
Lu Feng said nothing else.
So An Zhe began to think.
Of course, Lu Feng was good to him. Getting wounded while in the Abyss was inevitable. Sometimes only a trickle of blood would ooze from his arm, but the way Lu Feng treated his wounds would make him feel like his arm had been broken with the amount of care he took to do so. If An Zhe wished to do something, he would not stop him. If An Zhe did not wish or agree to do something, he would not demand it of him either, although such a thing seldom happened.
However, this man often bullied him over some small matters. Starting from the chaotic prison disaster, when they had just gotten to know each other, this man had revealed his true nature.
Lu Feng was quite good to Dr. Ji as well, although it appeared that the two of them were exchanging cutting remarks every day.
Then others—
Of course, there was nothing to nitpick in the way Lu Feng treated them.
Supposing the research institute encountered a calamity, no matter who shared a room with Lu Feng, Lu Feng would inevitably make that person leave first while he himself faced the danger alone. If someone asked for help, Lu Feng would definitely not refuse them either.
But that was all. If not for essential and work-related interactions, he would not communicate more than necessary with anyone other than Pauli.