Quadruple split.

Chapter 2525 Genetic Defect

The Highlanders are deeply flawed.

Mo Tan, who had originally had such thoughts due to the physiological phenomenon of [decline], was almost certain of this judgment after going deep into [Ancient Ruins: Purple Night], which is the seventh experimental base of the special zone code-named [War Puppet].

Reality is not a story. Not to mention the players who have watched countless movies, comics, novels, TV dramas and other cultural creations on this subject in the real world, even in the Realm of Innocence, where the overall world view is "sword and magic", there are a large number of extremely imaginative bardic stories. So whether it is players like Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge, or natives like Yaya, Jadka, Burge, and Klaus, unless they deliberately pretend to be stupid, it is difficult not to have some speculation about the existence of the "Highlander" group.

And it was a guess with an astonishingly high accuracy rate.

In fact, although there was no time to discuss these things in depth with Largo and Peschi in the ruins, on the way from the Savage Highlands to the Principality of Freya, Mo Tan and others had discussed this somewhat sensitive topic with Birger several times.

Of course, neither Mo Tan nor Ji Xiaoge were the kind of people who liked to criticize their "background" in front of their friends. In fact, even Wang Badan, who was a bit of a bad mouth, had never intentionally or unintentionally provoked this Highland boy with whom he had a good relationship.

The person who took the initiative to bring up the essence of the Highlanders' existence was Birger.

This boy, who seemed to have matured a lot overnight but was actually smart and mature, was not immersed in sadness. Although he would be awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, although he would hide away and cry silently, and although he had not yet come out of the "loss", he had not been depressed for even a second.

Perhaps it was because of the unique open-mindedness of the Highlanders when facing death, or perhaps it was Birger's innate responsibility and clarity, but even though he was visibly surrounded by sadness, he was not slowed down.

Mo Tan noticed that Bilge had not thought about inheriting his uncle's legacy and striving to become the leader of the [King of Destruction Mercenaries]. He simply tried to understand his own origins and the predetermined fate of countless people in his tribe as a mature mercenary, a member of the Loya tribe, and a highlander.

"Brother Mo."

So, one sleepless midnight, the young man asked the half-dragon knight who was watching the stars with him by the campfire: "In your opinion, how did we Highlanders come from?"

"We have already told you everything that happened in the ruins. You have also read all the information that can be understood and translated by Miss Harley in a short time. You even got the rubbings from the Archaeologists Association."

Mo Tan did not directly answer Birger's question. He just looked seriously at the boy next to him who looked much taller and stronger than him, but still had a hint of childishness between his brows. He said in a soft tone: "Now that you ask me this question, you have actually made your own judgment, right?"

Bilge hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently and said, "Yes, Brother Mo."

"But you think you are not ready yet, so you prepare to face reality in a more relaxed way, such as... talking to 'Brother Mo' who you think is very reliable, and let him reveal the truth that now seems to be no longer a secret."

Mo Tan smiled, then patted Bilge on the shoulder and said in a slightly more serious tone than before: "I am not a qualified life coach, Bilge. In fact, my life has been in a mess for a long time, but at this moment, I think Bilge's thoughts are much more important than Brother Mo's judgment."

The young Highlander, who had not expected such an answer, was stunned for a moment. After a long while, he smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Too harsh, Brother Mo."

"Since you've asked the question, it means you're ready to face the answer."

Mo Tan shrugged, picked up a piece of dry wood and threw it into the bonfire in front of him. The smile on his lips was as warm as the fire in front of him. "I personally think that if I still choose to beat around the bush in this situation, it is an offense to you. Or do you want me to treat you like a child?"

Bilge lowered his head somewhat weakly and muttered softly, "Sorry, Brother Mo."

"You've done very well. I feel 'harsh' about you, but that's because I know you can do better. Note that I say 'know' rather than 'hope'. I actually quite approve of you."

Mo Tan shook his head, then chuckled and said, "So... can that person over there stop glaring at me?"

Bilger: “Huh?!”

"I just think you're too serious!"

With a pleasant sound of 'reproach', the girl with white wings pouted and slowly walked out of the woods. She sat down beside Mo Tan with her knees hugged and made a cute face at him: "People tend to become more emotional at night. Since you also know that Little Bill wants to 'relax' a little, why are you still pestering him?"

Mo Tan raised his hands very obediently and said meekly: "You are right."

"Of course I'm right."

Ji Xiaoge stuck out her tongue, no longer pretending to be angry, and gently pinched the back of Mo Tan's hand: "But what you did was definitely more right."

"I thought so too. Brother Mo actually did it for my own good."

Seeing that Ji Xiaoge was not really angry, Birger breathed a sigh of relief and said to her with some emotion: "Thank you, Sister Yege, for your concern."

Ji Xiaoge shook her wings and said awkwardly, "I was just worrying about nothing. I just hope you...are okay."

"I'll be fine."

Bilger did not try to be brave, but promised to get rid of the haze. He then took a deep breath and said to Mo Tan in a serious tone: "I think that we Highlanders are different from other highly intelligent creatures, such as humans, elves, orcs, half-orcs, lizardmen, dragons, etc. We did not evolve into our current form through normal evolution, but..."

Mo Tan narrowed his eyes and asked, "And what?"

"It's... some kind of artificial life."

Bilger used up all his strength to say this sentence which was heavy enough for the Highlanders. He gritted his teeth and said, "We are most likely the experimental subjects of a certain force dozens of centuries ago. Among the many possibilities, I think the probability of 'mass-producible weapons' is the highest."

Ji Xiaoge pursed her lips and subconsciously tightened her hand that was holding Mo Tan's wrist.

The latter nodded slightly and said to Birger seriously: "Ye Ge, Xiao Lu and I have the same guess."

"And I."

Wang Ba, who had woken up at some point while Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge leaned on him, said timidly, "This couldn't be more obvious."

"The plan must have failed in the end, or simply did not reach the final stage."

Now that he had made a start, Bilge's reasoning became smoother and smoother: "Based on your experience in the ruins, Brother Mo, I think what those people want is an existence that can be perfectly controlled at the spiritual level and has strength similar to that of the legendary monster."

Ji Xiaoge pursed her lips and muttered softly, "My mentor said that mass-producing epics is just a fantasy, not to mention legends. There is no possibility at all."

"I hold the same view." Mo Tan echoed, saying seriously: "I think that what Master Lu Wei can't do, those forces conducting extreme research can't do it either."

Bilge thought about it and finally asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time: "Brother Mo, Sister Yege, in your opinion, what exactly is the monster trapped in the ruins?"

Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge exchanged a glance, then tilted their heads to signal the other party, the disciple of the chief engineer of Tianzhu Mountain, to speak first -

"It's the Highlanders."

Ji Xiaoge did not refuse and stated his conclusion directly: "I wanted to say this before. Compared to a monster, I think that guy is an out-of-control Highlander. Although I have no talent in bioengineering and my instructor has only taught me the most basic knowledge, even if he has not taught me, I can see that he is definitely a Highlander, and the kind of... uh... well..."

"A very standard Highlander?"

Mo Tan reminded uncertainly.

"Yes, yes, that's right, a very typical Highlander!"

Ji Xiaoge clapped his hands lightly and said seriously, "If I were a painter whose goal was to draw a hundred different original Highlanders, I would definitely design a 'blueprint' first, and then keep modifying it. For example, the one with darker skin, clearer lines, and a taller stature would be 'Highlander Largo'; the one with shorter stature, whiter skin, longer eyelashes, and a rounder face would be 'Highlander Burge'."

Burge's eyes lit up, and he immediately drew inferences: "So the 'Highlander' you saw is that prototype?"

"Yes, I think the one in the ruins is the so-called blueprint, or a 'prototype'-like existence."

Ji Xiaoge nodded vigorously and said seriously: "In most cases, the 'prototype' is the most expensive and the most powerful. It is the 'initial canvas' on which any extreme ideas can be put into practice. Of course, there are exceptions. I remember that Cordova's prototype was an engineering creation called 'Alpha Dog'. Its main function was to be cute, although I don't know what's so cute about the dog-headed man..."

Seeing Ji Xiaoge start to go off topic, Mo Tan quickly coughed and took over Ji Xiaoge's words, saying, "Ye Ge's meaning should be that the one we saw looked exactly like a Highlander, and his physical strength was completely at the Legendary level. He was very likely the 'first Highlander'."

"The first Highlander..."

Bilger repeated in a low voice, and after a long while he revealed a subtle expression: "I suddenly realized that I have complicated feelings towards that 'legend'."

Mo Tan was not surprised by this. After all, if it was true as Ji Xiaoge said, that the Highlander in the ruins who had completely lost his mind and only had the instinct to attack was the so-called 'prototype', then in a sense he was the 'ancestor' of all the Highlanders.

It was this 'ancestor' who directly caused the deaths of Largo and Peschi.

"Sorry, I might be overthinking this a bit."

Before Mo Tan and Ji Xiaoge could say anything to comfort him, Bilge, who had regained consciousness after patting his cheek, continued to speculate: "So, based on the information we have collected, when the ruins were still a research facility, the main project was... us?"

"Yes."

Ji Xiaoge sighed and said softly, "Although it's just a guess, I think those people most likely conducted a large number of biological experiments to create an existence that feels very much like a prototype, and then after countless optimizations and modifications, they turned it into their ideal appearance."

Bilger was stunned for a moment: "Ideal appearance?"

"To put it simply, it is a physical strength of legendary level."

Ji Xiaoge's face looked a little ugly, but he still told his speculation truthfully: "If those people's purpose is to manufacture weapons, then even if it is for the convenience of mental control, they will definitely restrict the consciousness and thinking of the experimental subject, or even directly create a 'mentally retarded'. In this case, naturally, they can only pursue physical strength."

Since he knew nothing about scientific research, Birger could only nod stiffly and continue to ask, "What happened next?"

"I'll state in advance that I'm just guessing."

Ji Xiaoge scratched his head and said hesitantly, "First of all, the mass production 'prototype' project branch must have failed. In addition to the fact that the cost has probably been piled up to an astronomical figure, the main problem is probably the uncontrollability... You should also know that the first thing that guy did after 'waking up' was to give Mo a hard beating. If it weren't for Sister Xiaole's quick reaction, your brother Mo would be almost a month old now."

Mo Tan said nothing, but turned around and glared at Wang Badan fiercely.

Wang Badan: “?”

"I don't know if they have come to the conclusion that Legendary and Epic games cannot be mass-produced, but I'm afraid that the final research direction of those guys is to go the 'lightweight' route."

Ji Xiaoge shook his wings and said seriously, "It's my guess as well. This route should have failed. The first generation of Highlanders who smashed the petri dish, killed people in the entire research base, and eventually died out of 'decline' without leaving any trace are the best evidence."

Bilger clenched his hands and finally asked the question that concerned him the most: "So what is the decline that causes our entire race to die painfully in middle age?"

"There's a high probability that it's a 'genetic defect'."

Ji Xiaoge looked Burge straight in the eye and said honestly, "It is very likely that the researchers deliberately ignored the defect because forty years of service is long enough for a 'weapon'."

"Then we are not good at mysticism, we can hardly sense the existence of elements, and we feel pain when we concentrate too much outside of combat. That's also..."

"Genetic defect."

……

[So, using the field will accelerate the arrival of the [Decline Period]. Is this also a flaw that the Highlanders are born with...]

Looking at Bilge and Haroni who were staring at each other not far away and refusing to give in, Mo Tan sighed silently.

In this all-too-real game, even the tragic proportions are so realistic that they are uncomfortable.

The difference is that compared to the real Mo Tan, the "Mo" in the game seems to be able to do a little more.

Chapter 2516: The End