I told you to plant peas, and you summon Mordekaiser?

Rios Trauss.

The current commander of the Central Military District.

He was one of the nine successful test subjects in the human gene modification project fifty years ago.

That insane experiment that attempted to merge plants and humans cost the lives of 100,000 participants, with only nine surviving.

The other humans either failed to merge and lost their lives.

Or, although they are still alive, their central nervous system is completely destroyed, turning them into monsters that are neither human nor ghost, stripped of their ability to think, and only able to act on instinct.

Of the 100,000 participants, Rios was the only one who was not a migrant.

Many people couldn't understand why Rios, who had become a second lieutenant at such a young age, would make such a life-or-death decision.

But only he himself knew that he was ambushed by the Corpse Cult back then, his body was partially zombified, and he continued to transform into a zombie.

This experiment gave him a second life.

He became a human who successfully fused with the genes of the giant mushroom.

When news of the experiment leaked, although the lives of displaced people were sacrificed, the project was still met with strong social resistance due to its extreme inhumanity. Under intense public pressure, the human-plant fusion experiment was forced to end.

But few people know that, in fact, after Rios successfully came to power and became the commander-in-chief of the Central Military District, he secretly restarted the human-plant fusion project.

To this day, the project is still progressing steadily.

"Relax... After several years of research, the project's survival rate has reached ten percent."

"You are a hero of the Mondlair family, believe in your own strength."

The white-haired man led Oken down the elevator, offering quiet words of comfort.

Oken, however, seemed dazed.

He was one of the few people who knew about the existence of this underground laboratory.

At the same time, he also knew the fate he was about to face.

The elevator felt like it was taking them to hell. They spent a full five minutes inside before it finally came to a slow stop with a 'ding'.

This is the underground laboratory that Rios secretly built, specifically for the human-plant fusion project.

The elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a brightly lit space with pristine white laboratory walls that gleamed with a cold light.

Dozens of researchers in white coats were busy at work, some recording data and others adjusting equipment on the experimental platform.

Several people gathered around a container soaking a strange creature, in which a half-human, half-fire dragon grass creature could be vaguely seen floating silently.

The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

"Rios, you've finally arrived."

An old man with an afro came up to them, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Rios nodded slightly, pointed to the old man, and said to Oken, "Let me introduce you. This is the most senior scholar in this laboratory and one of the founders of the human-plant fusion project."

Then, he turned to the old man and added casually, "These are today's volunteers."

The old man squinted, looked Oken up and down, and smiled broadly: "Very good, looks to be in excellent physical condition."

As he spoke, he picked up a tablet from the side and handed it to O'Ken.

On the screen are pages of plant illustrations.

“We respect every volunteer’s choice,”

The old man's tone carried an almost fanatical joy, "Pick a plant you like. According to our incomplete statistics, choosing a plant that you 'desir' will greatly increase the success rate of fusion."

O'Ken swallowed hard and took the tablet.

His fingers trembled slightly as he slid across the screen.

The plants in the encyclopedia are all distinctive: there are giant roses covered in sharp thorns, as well as lilies of the valley and golden vines that emit a ghostly glow.

A variety of exotic plants are included in this atlas.

His gaze swept across the plants one by one until it settled on one plant.

"Blood Feather Sunflower".

He whispered the name, his fingertips pausing slightly.

"That's it."

"Ok?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face. "A sunflower branch? You're the first person to actively choose this plant. Can you tell me why?"

Oken looked up, forcing a smile: "There's no particular reason, we just hit it off."

At times like this, he doesn't have the energy to carefully select plants, so he simply leaves the choice to his sixth sense.

The old man squinted, took the tablet back, and muttered, "First impression? Shouldn't that be taken into account as an influencing factor?"

After saying that, he turned around and instructed the two nurses, "Take him to get ready."

The young nurse smiled and stepped forward, taking Oken's arms on either side and leading him deeper into the laboratory.

Behind me, I could hear the old man and Rios talking in hushed tones, seemingly discussing experimental parameters.

But for Okun, these voices have become blurred.

His eyes were fixed on the heavy metal door in front of him.

Stepping into a huge operating room, surrounded by cold metal walls, the bright white light of the operating lights filled the entire room, almost blinding one.

Several staff members in protective suits were already standing aside, coldly watching him, the equipment in their hands gleaming with an icy light.

A large operating table stood in the center of the room, like the open mouth of a giant beast, waiting to devour his soul.

"Lie down."

One of the nurses spoke up.

Oken hesitated for a moment, but still walked step by step toward the operating table.

The cold metal touched my back.

"Relax, it won't be long."

The nurse bent down and gently adjusted the position of his arms and legs.

"Give him a sedative."

The old man with the afro walked in at some point, looking down at his tablet and glancing at Okun.

"He injected a little too much; he seemed too nervous."

The nurse nodded, picked up a syringe from the side, and the liquid inside emitted a pale green glow.

As Oken watched the needle slowly approach his arm, a wave of intense fear washed over him.

He instinctively tried to struggle, but his shoulders were held down.

"do not move."

The nurse gently comforted him as the needle plunged into his vein without pause, and the cold liquid quickly flowed into his body.

A bone-chilling cold spread through his blood, his limbs gradually lost their strength, and his vision became blurred.

"Goodbye."

In his hazy consciousness, Ouken didn't know whether his farewell was to the world or to himself.

The final image is a blinding white light under the operating lamp.

Then, his world was plunged into endless darkness.

......

......