Mated to the Beast of the Wasteland novel Chapter 210

Chapter 210 Dormancy

Chapter 210 Dormancy

Gillian didn’t restrict the parasite’s movement. She let it crawl on its own.

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The second it touched the core, it tried to scramble right back out. Scared or stubborn, it would not go deeper.

She yanked it back, smacked it twice on the head, and shoved it down again. It still fought her. Frustrated she hauled it up and was about to burn it with the purge when Merrick stopped her.

“Gillian, hold on. Let me handle this.”

She stepped aside, not wanting blood on her.

Merrick flipped his metal blade in his grip. His eyes went cold and sharp. Then he hacked into the parasite with everything he had.

Sparks flew. Steel bit down over and over. The thing shrieked. He kept chopping like he was breaking down a tough cut of meat, and the parasite finally spun around and fled straight into the taint core.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Merrick muttered. “Not so tough now, are you? You think you can mess with my wife?”

He slid his blade back into place with a smooth motion, a smug little smile tugging at his mouth.

Don’t smile. Keep it together. Gillian’s definitely mentally singing my praises right now.

Gillian just stared.

The parasite was already flimsy to begin with. Now it was basically thinner than paper. It flopped once and sank into the taint core.

She kept her focus locked on it and didn’t drop the connection. Her psionic power stayed clamped onto its

tail.

The parasite dragged her power behind it as it scrambled deeper, fleeing for its life. But its pace was slow. It wasn’t just blindly bolting. Something down there was making it cautious. Which meant these things were truly intelligent. No wonder they could take living hosts.

A soft whimpering sound came from inside Gillian’s suit. She opened it, startled.

“What’s wrong?” Merrick leaned in, eyes on the two pups. “Are they giving you trouble?”

“No, I think they were just short on air.”

She let some fresh air into the suit, and the pups quieted down immediately, curling up against her again.

Poor little things. They’d lost their mother the moment they were born.

As she wrapped them back up, a thought surfaced.

“Merrick, what if that isolation soil wrapped around the blackstone is actually the leftover residue from

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Chapter 210 Dormancy

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refining the taint with some special energy? Should we dig down into Wilder Peak and see what’s underneath?”

Merrick shot her a look of open admiration. “I was thinking the same thing. It’s worth a shot. But I’ve got a feeling whatever can mix with the taint and refine it is probably rare as hell.”

Gillian reminded him that the odds were only 5%-they shouldn’t get their hopes up.

Merrick watched her with quiet approval. At least she wasn’t letting the possibility go to her head.

“Knowing one more option is always better than knowing none,” he said. “The White Griffin now is a completely different beast from what it used to be. We might be able to dig up way more.”

True. It was burning through blackstones like water, and it was starting to eat into Gillian’s reserves.

When it came to handling the taint core, Merrick shot down the second option immediately.

“Option two is off the table until our cubs are born. I’m not sticking my pregnant wife in a hole for twenty four hours.”

Gillian’s temple twitched. She didn’t want to be stuck in a hole either. But occasional shifts wouldn’t hurt. They could at least collect the purge.

“We can prep for option three right now,” Merrick said. “At least it lines up with how Wasteland City normally deals with taint cores. It’s been the only reliable method for the past hundred years.”

“Fine.”

No sooner had Gillian said it than the parasite stopped moving. It had reached a mud wall and gone still. Disappointment settled in.

Where is the taint inside this core actually coming from?

The parasite hadn’t crawled far. The White Griffin’s scan showed it had maybe gone thirty feet down.

The surrounding environment was just black dirt and black mist. But compared to the taint above, the taint down here was calmer. The White Griffin flagged it as being in a dormant state.

Merrick’s jaw tightened. The phrase seemed to hit him hard.

“That’s interesting,” he said. “Dormancy is a term used for living organisms. Are we saying the taint is alive?”

Gillian shook her head slowly.

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