Chapter 184: No. 7 Bacterium_1

The human-like form created by the No. 7 Bacterium resembled a grey silhouette.

It stood there quietly, and even though it had no eyes, Jiang Yu felt as if someone was watching him.

Bo Xiangdong put his hand on the glass cover, and the silhouette of the No. 7 Bacterium also reached out a hand, pressing against the inside of the glass as if to high-five Bo Xiangdong.

Bo Xiangdong explained, "Oh, you might not have heard yet, but during the construction of Mars City, a type of fungus was discovered.

"This fungus had been dormant for hundreds of millions of years, almost turning into a fossil, but unexpectedly, with water and nutrients, it was quickly revived.

"This could, from one aspect, prove that Mars originally definitely had water and a suitable temperature, otherwise the Mars fungus wouldn't have conditions to evolve and survive.

"As for whether it was an oxygen-rich environment, that's hard to say, after all, for many unicellular life forms at the beginning of life, oxygen is a poison.

"Mars fungus is an extraterrestrial life form, and PDC has strict orders not to bring it back to Earth. I had to go to a lot of trouble to smuggle back three Mars fungus samples."

Jiang Yu didn't know what to say; this was really dangerous!

Bo Xiangdong continued to speak, "Then I used them all in this experiment here, and these guys inside the glass cover are theoretically the offspring of those three Mars bacteria.

"Each No. 7 Bacterium is only one or two nanometers in size; they don't have eyes, but they can perceive our presence through bioelectric signals.

"Their cooperation process is also completed through bioelectric signals, which can transmit much more complex information compared to the pheromones of ants.

"However, they don't have brains or organs, only instincts.

"But we've found that they possess a kind of group intelligence, as well as a concept of cooperative behavior, such as taking a human shape when someone approaches.

"The reason for this is to deceive humanity or to make humans let their guard down, thereby completing their predation process.

"If it weren't for the glass cover in between, I would be nothing but a pile of bones by now."

The silhouette formed by the No. 7 Bacterium seemed to shift its target because it hadn't "caught" Bo Xiangdong, and it began to mimic Jiang Yu's action of crossing his arms.

Jiang Yu asked, "The bioelectric signals between No. 7 Bacteria, aren't they similar to the human nervous system?"

"Similar, but they can only transmit simple signals," replied Bo Xiangdong. "We once suspected that they took human form in an attempt to communicate with us.

"It's as if there's an extraterrestrial civilization where all the life forms on the planet share one consciousness, then to some extent, there's only one living organism on the entire planet.

"In the eyes of the No. 7 Bacterium, humanity seems like a collective of cells with shared consciousness.

"So far, we've only allowed lab rats to come in contact with the No. 7 Bacterium, and the rats were killed by the No. 7 Bacterium within three minutes, exhibiting complex emotional fluctuations before death.

"It is certain that those emotional fluctuations were not the kind of fear one would have in the face of death.

"The most puzzling thing was that after struggling for a while, the rats eventually started to cooperate with the No. 7 Bacterium, accelerating their own demise.

"I guess one might need to come in contact with the No. 7 Bacterium to complete a communication with them. However, those who come in contact with the No. 7 Bacterium also become its nutrients.

"I once spent a lot of money to recruit volunteers for contact experiments, but alas, I haven't managed to recruit any."

Bo Xiangdong waved to a camera on the wall: "The reason for setting up such a tight barrier for this fellow is because it's very dangerous."

A small hole opened at the top of the glass, and from this hole, a piece of meat and a cactus were dropped in.

The No. 7 Bacterium, as if startled, scattered in all directions, but quickly recognized the items as food.

Immediately, they pounced and covered the food, and both the piece of meat and the cactus quickly collapsed.

Bo Xiangdong introduced, "The No. 7 Bacterium can rapidly absorb almost all nutrients, then reproduce its offspring."

While they were talking, No. 7 Bacterium that had "consumed" the meat or cactus began to rapidly congregate. This congregation was not like the accumulation that had formed human-shaped figures earlier, but rather a dense concentration, quickly forming several structures that resembled black sea anemones.

In a matter of minutes, these anemones extended filaments resembling tentacles.

Bo Xiangdong said, "This is the fastest reproducing organism I've ever seen! Look at these filaments; tiny spores will emerge in no more than ten minutes.

"This is the method of reproduction for fungi, so we've defined it as a type of fungus.

"Once released, this thing could virtually devour all organic life and expand its population enormously.

"The key issue is its speed; once reaching a certain scale, humanity's rate of destroying it will not keep up with its rate of reproduction."

Jiang Yu reminded, "This thing is too dangerous. If we accidentally let them escape, the consequences would be unthinkable."

Bo Xiangdong nodded, "I'm aware, which is why we've built this special laboratory. Don't worry, they won't get out."

He continued, enthusiastically, "We've found a way to send instructions to cells using special bioelectric signals, based on No. 7 Bacterium's transition between animal cells and fungi."

As he spoke, the enthusiasm in his eyes gradually dwindled, "I'll show you in a moment."

As they talked, the filaments of the "jellyfish" inside the glass enclosure began to darken and abruptly turned white, then withered away.

The entire process took only a few minutes, and the meat and cactus that had been thrown into the glass enclosure were now reduced to nothing more than spines and bits of bone.

Bo Xiangdong said, "The process of spore reproduction is complete."

He pressed a button on the wall, and a colorless liquid flowed down the inside of the glass enclosure, generating a burst of white smoke upon contact with No. 7 Bacterium.

"This is strong acid," Bo Xiangdong said, "No. 7 Bacterium is even capable of withstanding it for half a minute.

"But it still has to obey the laws of the universe and will die under such assault.

"However, No. 7 Bacterium is different from other known bacteria, you see there."

Jiang Yu saw some black bodies of No. 7 Bacterium that the strong acid had washed away, leaving a dozen tiny black spheres on the ground inside the glass enclosure.

Bo Xiangdong explained, "These are the results of many No. 7 Bacterium sacrificing themselves to form a shell that can block sulfuric acid, thus preserving the seeds of their population.

"I don't know if the No. 7 Bacterium that survive inside the spheres will inherit some memories, memories of the fear from the strong acid, of being manipulated by the world outside the glass enclosure!"

Jiang Yu glanced at Bo Xiangdong, "You're getting a bit paranoid."

Bo Xiangdong laughed, "Don't worry, I've been tested, no mental issues. It's just..."

He looked at the black spheres inside the glass enclosure, "Have you ever thought about how fungi, distinct from animal and plant cells, came into being?

"Why are they so unique in nature? Are they really as insignificant as they seem?"

Seeing that Jiang Yu didn't quite grasp his point, Bo Xiangdong went on, "Earth's current environment has indulged microorganisms quite comfortably.

"Look at how formidable the descendants of Mars fungi are! They could likely be the greatest threat to our future colonization of other planets!

"What's more frightening is, what if they are conscious?"

Jiang Yu shook his head, "Their size limits their capabilities."

He paused before adding, "It's precisely because we know the danger they pose that PDC insists on prohibiting the transportation of Martian bacteria to Earth—to avoid adding unstable elements to our planet in the future. If you want to conduct such dangerous experiments, do them in space."

Bo Xiangdong spread his hands, "Regardless, No. 7 Bacterium could also be considered a weapon, a weapon to perish together with the enemy."