The Temptation of the Spiritual Fruit

In the dead of night, a rapid alarm suddenly blared in the warm bedroom. Cao Shutong jolted awake, realizing this was a synchronized signal from the external warning system. Although she had previously found it troublesome, her fear of an animal riot disaster made her decide to keep this feature enabled.

She sat up, rubbing her throbbing temples to regain her composure. Grabbing her phone, which was vibrating violently under her pillow, she saw the screen display: "Danger will reach the town in 3 minutes, possibly accompanied by tremors. Please do not panic."

Cao Shutong turned off the alarm, feeling uneasy about being awakened in the middle of the night. She slipped on thick socks and cotton slippers, then walked toward the window. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time, wanting to witness with her own eyes the event that would end her days of living in constant anxiety and suspense.

Drawing back the heavy curtains, she saw only a pitch-black night outside, without a single star. Since she had cleared all the trees around her house, her field of vision was very limited. She used her phone to observe from a distance. The light from the screen illuminated the pure white petals emitting a strange aura, with small fruits nestled in the center.

The fruits, which were originally dark green, had now turned a beautiful, translucent light green, looking enchanting. Cao Shutong unconsciously swallowed, feeling as if she could see the sweet juice inside the skin. A fierce desire welled up, urging her to taste its pure sweetness. The ripe fruit seemed to glow, acting as an irresistible invitation in the middle of the eternal night.

An urge to go outside and harvest the fruit flashed through her mind. But immediately, she shuddered and snapped back to reality. "What am I thinking? Going outside at a time like this?" She hurriedly let go of the curtain and returned to bed to calm her mind. She blamed herself for being so easily tempted by a wild fruit, especially when her Space did not lack spiritual fruits. She wondered if humans would lose their minds or become as violent as wild beasts if they ate it.

At the same time, in the N City Research Institute, a fruit tree laden with fruit was the center of attention in Research Lab 6. After the previous experimental tree had been completely eaten, they had relocated this tree. The researchers discovered a strange phenomenon: although the concentration of the new substance had exceeded the threshold, the animals had not yet rioted.

Researcher Xiao Liu, who was in charge of observation, noticed that the color of the fruits faded day by day, even though the value of the new substance remained stable. Although he usually didn't like eating fruit, every time he looked at these fruits, Xiao Liu felt an irresistible craving. He had to force himself to look away to suppress the urge to smash the glass case and seize them. That craving was so intense that it made him salivate constantly; a terrifying temptation was silently spreading.