36 Chapter 36

Leaving the accommodation area with its central temperature control system, Mark and Landry were met with the unique winds of the northwest.

The howling cold wind carried sand and gravel from the desert, hitting their faces like sharp blades.

Mark and Landry instinctively pulled their coat hoods over their heads, trying to shield their faces from the wind.

Thankfully, the winds in the northwest were straightforward, just like the people here. Wearing their coats was enough to keep the elements at bay. It was unlike the winds in the southern regions, which carried moisture that would leave you soaked and sapped of warmth.

After silently walking in the wind for a while, they arrived at another closed building.

Using their researcher ID cards, they swiped them at the door, and it opened for them.

They rushed inside and quickly closed the door behind them.

"Ugh, what kind of demon from nowhere is causing this wicked wind day and night?" Landry complained, pointing in the direction where the wind was coming from.

Mark replied, "If you have the guts, go stand outside and complain. Let's see if it showers you with sand."

"I'll go if you go," Landry retorted, standing his ground.

"I'm not going. I'm not capable of taming that demon," Mark replied, shaking off the sand from his clothes and playfully patting Landry's, "Aren't you the rising star and future academician in soil studies? Let's leave the task of conquering that sandy land to you."

Landry thumped his chest, saying, "Absolutely, watch how I'll turn all the deserts on this Earth into habitable oases!"

"Then what will we call you in the future? The Green Wizard or the Sand Sorcerer?" Mark chuckled.

"Get lost! Those names sound terrible!" Landry pushed Mark playfully.

After shaking off the sand, they continued walking through the passage towards the living area.

The living area was like a simulated small town marketplace.

There were some small shops selling food and clothing, giving the place a lively atmosphere.

But honestly, they didn't serve much purpose.

Among the researchers, apart from Mark and Landry, who were in their early twenties and had just arrived, the rest were in their thirties or older and had been working here for some time. They were all workaholics, spending most of their time in the research institute on the other side, either controlling Mars rovers or studying Martian topography through space telescopes. They rarely visited this area.

The central point of the living area was the canteen.

Mark and Landry, being familiar with the place, ordered their meals and swiped their cards. The base provided them with living expenses every month, so they were well-fed in the canteen.

Although Mark's body had been strengthened, his strange appetite hadn't changed.

Perhaps this "primitive" energy intake method wasn't satisfying his genetic needs, only giving him a sense of physiological fullness.

Eating a nutritious and tasty meal, Mark felt as if he were chewing on wax.

At this moment, he began to miss the particle collider of Kingpin.

The energy in the particle stream was truly "delicious."

The feeling that came with consuming that energy made every cell and gene in his body rejoice.

'Strange, I didn't have this feeling before when I was there,' Mark pondered.

He had eaten biscuits and pastries at May's place and had a delicious lunch at Miles' home, fully savoring the taste of food.

Thoughts quickly surged in Mark's mind.

'Could it be because I'm not hungry?'That was the first guess.

Considering the time, he had indeed just had lunch at Miles' place, so it had only been about two hours.

He had come out this time merely to accompany his friend.

But even if he wasn't hungry, it shouldn't have caused him to lose his basic perception of food.

'Then it must be something else.'

Mark silently crossed out that guess.

'What's the biggest difference between there and here?' An idea emerged in Mark's mind.

It was energy!

It was the energy within him!

Traveling through parallel universes, he relied on the mysterious power stored in his genes, or rather, his space-time energy.

'Could it be that traveling back consumed the energy within me, and now my body needs to replenish that energy instead of the calories in this basic food, resulting in the current situation?' Mark felt like he had found the key to the problem.

Then, looking at the food on his plate, he couldn't help but wryly smile, 'So, am I indirectly developing an aversion to food?'

"What's wrong with you?" Landry looked at Mark, who had hardly touched his meal, with a puzzled expression. "Don't have an appetite?"

Mark neither nodded nor shook his head.

Landry sighed and comforted him, "I know you're feeling guilty, but who would have thought there would be a spider in the lab? It was just an accident. Dr. Harper also said later that it was an accident, and you aren't primarily responsible. You'll be back to work after a while."

'Spider? Yes, a spider!'

Landry's words didn't provide any comfort because Mark had already analyzed Dr. Harper's intentions.

But his words pointed Mark in a direction.

It was that spider that bit him!

That spider unexpectedly bestowed upon him the abilities of a Space-Time Spider-Man, granting him not only the powers of Spiderman but also the ability to traverse the multiverse.

What kind of spider was this exactly?

Mark was certain that this was an astronomical research institute, focused solely on studying Mars. There were obviously no practices related to some mystique arts, and there were no additional underground laboratories for biological experiments.

As for why he was so certain, it was quite simple.

The Mars research base was located hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest town and about one hundred and seventy to one hundred and eighty kilometers away from the nearest airport.

All the supplies came and went through a single convoy.

Anyone could see exactly how much supplies the convoy delivered each time. There was no room for hiding anything.

Moreover, among the thirty-plus researchers at the base, Mark might not have known all of them, but he had acquainted himself with a fair number.

The majority of them were astronomers like him, and a few specialized in other fields like Landry.

But there was absolutely no one with a background in biology or something.

Of course not, where would living organisms come from on Mars? What use would biologists have here?

This was the consensus of the entire human race.

However, right now, an idea had formed in Mark's mind, and it was growing like a plague, gradually occupying his entire thoughts.

Was there a possibility?

That spider.

The spider that bit him!

Perhaps it didn't accidentally wander into the well-sealed research room because of the negligence of a janitor or researcher.

Perhaps, it was already there!

Inside that clump of soil samples that had been painstakingly brought back from Mars through a space rocket!

When Mark extracted the soil sample, preparing to observe it on the research table, it woke up!

°°°

A/N: Since we got a lot of stones this week. We will have a bonus chapter.

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