I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 20

Seeing Li Luo’s confused expression, Station Head Liang sighed and explained, “These are Theseus Cells, also known as Anti-Cells.”

“Theseus Cells?”

“Anti-Cells?””

“What are those?”

Hearing the name, Li Luo picked up her electronic screen and began searching.

Mo Ling also quickly looked at the information on the screen.

……

Theseus Cells.

This is a type of organism people only discovered recently.

Why was it only found after so many years of Abyss exploration?

Because it’s incredibly well hidden.

It’s always existed, but no one ever noticed, until something strange happened at the Seventh Monitoring Station.

For a while, researchers noticed that in a certain area of the Abyss First Layer, all the biological samples Hunters brought back tested as the same species.

At first, the researchers thought the Hunters were faking it, and even produced evidence.

They thought the Hunters were messing with them.

But the Hunters were indignant, argued their case, and produced their video footage.

In the videos, the Hunters really did kill those creatures.

After discussion, they suspected the samples had been switched.

So they checked the station’s surveillance but found nothing unusual.

Next they suspected a Relic phenomenon, but after a large-scale investigation, the area was perfectly normal.

No one was found using Relics for mischief in the station.

The investigation stalled.

So the Seventh Monitoring Station sent out a special team, including researchers and Hunters.

They went deep into the area together and hunted several creatures.

The samples were sealed at every step, watched by the researchers, and brought straight from the area to the lab’s microscope.

Yet even so, the tested organisms were still all the same species.

This bizarre phenomenon brought the investigation to a halt.

Until a researcher discovered that even if they were the same species, individuals inside the area and those outside had completely different cells.

With a breakthrough, the researchers continued to study the area.

Finally, they figured out the cause of this strange phenomenon.

It was because of a type of cell.

It can mimic any organism, and from birth to death, all its normal offspring are also made of these cells.

That’s why all the creatures in that area were made of this cell.

Creatures made of this cell don’t show any abnormalities-they eat, drink, and live as normal.

They also don’t infect other normal creatures.

But individuals made of this cell mix into the population and gradually spread.

When they reproduce with normal individuals, the offspring will have these cells in their bodies.

Then, one by one, these cells will replace the normal cells in the offspring.

Until the entire offspring is made up of these cells.

While the individual is alive, even the most precise instruments can’t distinguish these cells from normal ones.

Only after death do they revert to their original form.

After learning about these cells, the Monitoring Station treated it as a major threat, and researchers nearly wanted to slice up everyone in the station.

In the end, to prevent panic, the station drew blood from everyone under the pretense of a full medical exam.

Fortunately, no one in the station had been replaced by these cells.

Because of these strange traits, researchers named them Theseus Cells.

If all the cells in an organism are replaced by another kind, and these cells can perform all functions and don’t affect the organism’s self-awareness,

Is it still the same organism?

Theseus Cells aren’t harmful, which makes them extremely stealthy. But their bizarre trait makes everyone uneasy.

When an entire species is replaced, is that species extinct?

If a people discovered their entire race was made of Theseus Cells, and their existence was just so these cells could persist,

“How desperate would they feel?”

Mo Ling read this and felt a chill all over.

He looked again at the screen, at those slowly moving, seemingly normal cells, and suddenly understood why the researchers were so afraid.

Station Head Liang walked to the screen, back to Li Luo.

His voice trembled,

“Theseus Cells, also called Anti-Cells. Imagine, if one day, a world is filled with creatures made of Theseus Cells, and you, with only normal cells, are discovered by them.”

“They’ll catch you, study you, and come to a conclusion.”

“You’re the anomaly!”

When Anti-Cells become the majority, normal cells become the outlier.

Then what is right and what is wrong?

Li Luo was so shocked she couldn’t speak, frozen in place.

Station Head Liang comforted her, “Luckily, these cells can only spread within a population.”

He stared at the screen, his face full of worry.

“At first, some researchers wanted to use these cells to develop drugs.”

“We extracted Theseus Cells from newborn offspring, before they started replacing.”

“They can replace any organ, regrow limbs, even substitute for the brain.”

“Do you know what that means?”

“Humans could use Relics with powerful abilities at no cost!”

“You know the ‘Enchanted Pickaxe’-the one that can mine any ore you imagine, but costs the user’s hands?”

“Theseus Cells would let you use that Relic infinitely!”

“But use of these cells was strictly banned-no one dared risk humanity being contaminated by Theseus Cells.”

Station Head Liang sighed.

“That area was sealed off, but now Theseus Cells have appeared elsewhere.”

Now, Mo Ling realized he’d underestimated the seriousness of the situation.

Outside the sealed area, in the Oscillation Beasts’ habitat, Theseus Cells had appeared!

No wonder Station Head Liang had kept confirming things with Li Luo.

“I’ll send people to re-investigate the Oscillation Beast habitat. You two go back for now,” Station Head Liang said wearily. “Still, thank you, Li Luo, for discovering such a huge risk.”

“It’s nothing.”

After a brief farewell, Li Luo returned to her room, but she still seemed lost in thought about the Theseus Cells.

Mo Ling was full of questions.

The biological samples they brought back were obtained when they first entered the valley.

Mo Ling hadn’t noticed any difference in the Red Rope Worms in other Oscillation Beasts.

He didn’t know how many Red Rope Worms were made of Theseus Cells, but in any case, all the Red Rope Worms had vanished.

But why would Theseus Cells, which never change an organism’s behavior, suddenly replace Red Rope Worms and then break the rules by infecting on a massive scale?