BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1245: Rescue trip (1)

Erik woke at dawn, his mind already clear despite the early hour. It had not been a particularly peaceful night for him. He spent most of the night debating if leaving to search for the others was the right thing to do, and in the end, he decided. Sleep didn't find him easily. He found Rick preparing their morning meal, using meat from the previous day's hunts.

"You're up early," Erik said to the clone, accepting a portion of the heated meat.

"The eggs needed checking," Rick said. "They started getting darker during the night."

If their color changed, it meant the eggs were growing well. Erik nodded, and the two sat at the table, eating in silence.

"I also went to check the crops," the clone said. "The mushrooms are growing nicely, and so are the vegetables," Rick said.

"That's good to hear. I would be confused if that didn't happen, given how much mana I poured into them."

Erik could grow them instantly, but there was no point, since there would be no one to eat all of that. The best thing was to make everything grow slowly and use mana just to give them nutrients that would make everything bigger and more nutrient. The only thing Erik instantly grew were the fruit trees, but aside from sprouting some peaches, Erik didn't do much else.

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Erik stopped talking and just stared at his plate while picking at his food. Rick could tell from Erik's face that he had made up his mind about what they had discussed yesterday.

Erik set down his plate.

"I've made my decision," Erik said.

"Let me guess. You are going to leave."

Erik was slightly surprised by the fact that the clone knew he had made up his mind. After all, he saw him sleeping the whole night, or so it seemed.

"I will. I'm going west today."

Rick nodded.

"Why aren't you surprised?"

"You were restless all night, master."

"Was it so obvious? I thought you were sleeping."

"Of course it was! Only an idiot wouldn't have understood. I'm certainly not an idiot, and I also am one of your clones." Rick said.

"Besides, after you told me you had the idea, I knew what was going on in your mind, because it would have been the same as it was going in mine. That meant you would make your decision in a night. The fact you stirred the entire night only gave me proof. You kept tossing and turning in your bed, mumbling in your sleep, and every time you woke up, you'd go to the door before heading back to bed and trying to sleep again. I'm surprised you got any rest at all."

"Yeah… It wasn't a peaceful night. Hopefully, it will be a better day."

Erik sighed.

"I guess I can't hide anything from you clones."

[It is not just the clones,] the system said. Erik could swear there was a mischievous smile on its non-existent face. Erik ignored it but didn't hide the annoyed look on his face at the clone. He knew the system talked, so he would only assume the system said something annoying to his master.

"Anyway," Erik said, "I need you to focus on different things while I'm gone." Erik paused to eat a bite. "The hunting should be secondary. Your main task is protecting the eggs and making neural links."

"And the thaids? They will reclaim the area if both you and I do not keep them in check. It would make all our past hunts pointless."

"That is true only for those on the east," Erik said. "As for those on the west, I will still be there hunting; it's just that I will go farther."

He paused. "Engage the thaids that get too close to the base for comfort, but avoid everything else if it is not to get meat. No more extended hunting trips or wearing down the stronger ones. We need you at full strength in case something goes wrong with the eggs or with Amber and the others. If they really are dead, then it's just you and me until we have the new clones ready, and since we have little time before the blackguards become unstoppable, we will need to focus on training, and so will the new batches of clones."

The clone considered this, then nodded. "I'll only kill what threatens our immediate security then; the rest can wait until you return." He gestured toward the chamber where their newest batch of clone eggs was developing. "I won't let anything happen to them."

"Good. And Rick?" Erik's voice softened. "Don't be a hero. If something too powerful shows up, get the hell out of whatever situation you are in."

"Yes, master. They won't be able to follow me with invisibility." However, while the clone was ready and wanted to fulfill Erik's wish and obey his orders, he was not entirely pleasant about one thing.

"But what about the pair of predators I've been wearing down? They're already wounded..."

The idea of letting those two fuckers live after all the time and effort he spent to bring them to that point irked the clone to no end.

"Leave them. If they don't approach the base, they're not worth the risk. Focus on your neural links—that's more valuable than any single kill right now. Besides, when you are strong enough, you will be able to kill them easily."

Rick didn't hide his disappointment, but at the same time, he knew that playing it safe was the right thing to do.

Hunting the thaids had become special to him, as it was the only thing he had to do that would not force him to sit for hours inside this place.

Being alone in this place was boring, but hunting gave him something to do. He felt proud whenever he killed one of them, and he enjoyed coming up with new ways to hunt them.

Rick spent his time making maps of where the predators lived and learning how they behaved. For him, hunting wasn't just about staying alive anymore.

It gave him a sense of purpose and achievement while he had to wait and watch over their shelter. Fighting helped him feel less stuck in their situation and gave him a way to measure his progress.

Yet hunting was done to clear the area and make it safer for when Amber, Emily, June, Mira, and the others returned.

If it wasn't for that, Erik would have never suggested hunting around.

But Erik was right—now that he was going to leave, he couldn't risk his life like that anymore. The safety of their base and the developing eggs had to come first.

Rick straightened. "I understand. Protection, neural links, and minimal engagement."

Erik gathered his supplies as they spoke—meat and water were the only things he took, since he could create everything with the Verdant Architect.

He only needed to change the plants' material composition to create pots, pans, and even toilets.

Erik chuckled, thinking about the blackguards, Amber, Emily, June, Mira, and the Chimaeric Demons stumbling upon toilets scattered throughout the forest.

He couldn't help but smile, imagining how funny it would be to see their shocked faces if they found modern toilets in the middle of the forest.

<That would be funny.>

[You and your stupid ideas…]

<Shut up.>

Rick noticed Erik's expression. "What's so funny?"

"Just thinking about what others would make if..." He realized he was going to say something embarrassing. It was already bad with the system reading his mind. He couldn't tell the clone this. "You know what? It doesn't matter."

Then Erik turned to leave. Climbing the wooden steps that led up through the massive tree's roots, he quickly reached the entrance.

Everything was silent around their base—there were no animal sounds or movements in the bushes, just the gentle sound of wind moving through the trees. The sun barely filtered through the canopy, which created a dark area around the base.

Thanks to all their hunting, this dangerous part of Mur's wilderness had become much safer.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said. "Hopefully not alone."

"Stay safe, Master," Rick said. "And bring them here—all of them."

Rick was both hopeful and worried. After spending time in Mur, they knew how dangerous this place could be, especially for their friends out there. Hopefully, they were not alone. Some Chimaeric Demons had to be alive; otherwise, they would not have gotten there at all.

Erik silently hoped his friends were still alive. He worried he might be too late to find them, and the thought of that filled him with dread. Still, he refused to give up hope. He knew Amber, Emily, June, Mira, and the Chimaeric Demons were tough—surely they had found a way to survive.

Erik nodded and started walking west through the forest. Above their camp, the enormous tree stretched its branches up into the morning sky. Rick stood at the entrance, watching until he couldn't see Erik anymore through the trees. Then he went back down into their safe underground home to start his guard duty.