Chapter 80: Mushroom
Su Xiao stored the transforming [Wood Spirit] into his storage space. As the saying goes, things are unpredictable. He originally thought this equipment would be phased out, but unexpectedly, during the Demon Sea incident, the equipment was so thoroughly refined by the curse power that all its characteristics disappeared, making it an excellent carrier.
Even an Immortal Rank max-rated piece of equipment couldn't compare to [Wood Spirit] in bearing the Blood of Fate. The two were a perfect match.
Interestingly enough, [Wood Spirit] was obtained by killing Senju Hashirama. If you think about it, in the history of the Naruto World, Brother Pillar could actually be considered a World Child. He was the previous generation's World Child before Naruto appeared, and before him was Ashura (the Sage's Body).
What attributes [Wood Spirit] would transform into was too specific to analyze, but one of its characteristics was definitely lightning attraction.
Crack!
Another muffled sound came from above. The Cyan Steel Shadow Energy within Su Xiao's body was released, forming a crystal layer that climbed onto his shoulders and cheeks, spreading upward.
With a crackling sound! Lightning struck down. The crystal layer on Su Xiao's body detached. He didn't feel much—this was just ordinary lightning. Getting struck by lightning was refreshing, helping with blood circulation.
The night was not peaceful. When the first rays of dawn rose on the horizon, Deer Flower Manor had been reduced to scorched earth.
"Cough, cough~"
Tide Hunter coughed, her face bearing traces of scorch marks. Her hairstyle was particularly unique. Beside her, Bubu Wang had green smoke rising from his head, his fur standing on end like a hedgehog's quills.
Baha crouched on a charred wooden stick. As long as he didn't move, it was hard to notice his existence.
Su Xiao sat on a pile of rubble, his gaze somewhat dazed. He had been sleeping when suddenly a massive thunderbolt struck down.
After being struck by lightning once last night, the sky had gone quiet. He thought at the time that the lightning-attracting characteristic of [Wood Spirit] had become controllable through its transformation.
But who would have thought that wasn't the case at all? The reason lightning didn't continue last night was that the thunder stored in the sky was building up a big move. After half the night, just as the first rays of dawn rose, it struck Deer Flower Manor, leveling the entire castle.
Since [Wood Spirit] began its transformation, no other benefits had been seen, but Su Xiao's lightning resistance had slightly improved. Not by a full point, but it was still an improvement.
Su Xiao took out the transforming [Wood Spirit]. After sensing it, he confirmed that the equipment's lightning-attracting characteristic was now controllable, meaning no more lightning strikes.
Gathering Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Tide Hunter, Su Xiao first returned to the Mechanism Headquarters. After washing up and changing clothes, Su Xiao's team assembled in the office on the seventh floor of the headquarters.
"Boss, still can't contact Beini?"
Baha spoke with concern in his eyes. Bubu Wang beside him was also worried.
"Still no contact."
Su Xiao was actually puzzled too. Where had Beini gone? Logically, even if she had drifted at sea, she shouldn't have been adrift for this long.
"Moo."
Amu rarely expressed himself, meaning they should change the subject.
Tide Hunter placed a map on the table. It was a map of the Eastern Continent, covered in red lines. Among them, over a dozen red lines intersected at one point: Eastern Continent, Kodu.
Kodu in the Eastern Continent was geographically as important as Gaman City in the Southern Continent. It was the capital of arts, where many famous writers, painters, musicians, and others had settled.
Fourteen death warriors had gone to Kodu, meaning there was a decent chance the host body of the Supreme Insect was in Kodu.
Although it couldn't be confirmed, it was necessary to investigate there. After deciding this, Su Xiao picked up the phone on the table and dialed a four-digit number. The operator's voice came through.
"Lord Legion Commander, what are your orders?"
"Connect me to the Eclipse Organization."
Su Xiao was calling the Eclipse Organization to inform them in advance that he would use their teleportation array to go to Kodu.
"Please wait a moment."
After the operator said this, she paused for a few seconds before speaking:
"Lord Legion Commander, where are you going?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He just gave a signal to Bubu Wang beside him. Bubu Wang quickly ran out of the office.
"Lord Legion Commander, do you believe in the existence of gods in this world?"
The operator's voice was no longer as sweet, taking on a hint of stiffness.
"Of course I do."
"Oh? You actually believe in the existence of gods? Why?"
"Because I've killed many."
"Heh... heh... heh... liar. Lord Legion Commander, may I ask you for one thing?"
"Speak."
"Could I ask you... to die? Hehehehehe, hahahahaha..."
A hoarse, sharp laugh echoed.
"..."
Su Xiao moved the phone receiver away from his ear. A few seconds later, a gunshot came from the other end of the line. Hearing this, he put the receiver down.
A few minutes later, Xili quickly walked into the office and placed a stack of photos on the table.
The operator's face was no longer recognizable. Her entire head had been blown apart by a bullet. Among the bone fragments and blood on the wall were thin, hair-like black threadworms.
If this had nothing to do with the Supreme Insect, Su Xiao absolutely wouldn't believe it. The Supreme Insect had already discovered that someone was looking for it and was launching a counterattack.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came at the door. Vice Officer Belock walked into the office. As soon as he entered, he sensed the tense atmosphere. Everyone was staring at him.
"Belock, how do you prove you're you?"
Xili held a short shotgun in his hand. Hearing this, Belock looked at Xili as if he were an idiot.
"Is it an enemy that infiltrates and parasitizes? My full name is Belock Hearth Wilge, 32 years old, divorced 6 years ago, currently has one daughter, 7 years old, both parents alive. This is a photo of my whole family..."
Belock pulled out his wallet and showed the photo inside. There were five people in the picture: an adorable little girl, a gentle wife, a still-elegant elderly woman, and the handsome, maturely charming Belock himself. The handsome man, beauty, and adorable little girl weren't the main focus. The key point was Belock's father. This person's appearance... hmm, how to put it... like a curly-haired old gorilla sitting among a crowd.
Having an unusual appearance wasn't a big deal, since it was natural. But Belock's father was extremely confident. Not only did he stand in the C position, but the way he looked at Belock clearly showed he was wondering if Belock was actually his biological son, since he hadn't inherited his unique and majestic looks.
Seeing this photo, Baha was a bit dazed. Just one look at Belock's father's face was unforgettable. It was even a bit intoxicating. The contrast between him and his wife was enormous.
"With all due respect, your father is the most successful toad I've ever seen. A role model for our generation! Is he a Transcendent?"
"Ahem~, yes. My father's ability is... a bit special."
Belock closed his wallet. He hadn't seen his father in a while. Not to mention others, even he himself, whenever he looked at the photo in his wallet and saw his father's face, felt intoxicated. Looking too long made his head buzz.
"Commander, if that's not enough, I also have..."
Before Belock could finish, Su Xiao raised his hand to signal him to be quiet.
Su Xiao's gaze swept around. He vaguely sensed something, or maybe not. The feeling was too vague.
Seeing Su Xiao like this, the others became alert, looking around and sensing their surroundings. Nothing was wrong.
Not far from Su Xiao, Amu raised his hand to scratch his forearm. At that moment—
Pfft!
The blade flashed. Dragon-Slaying Flash traced an upward arc, cutting through Amu's armpit, severing his entire left arm.
With a thud, Amu's thick arm hit the ground, blood splattering. Everyone stepped back, away from the arm.
On the forearm of this arm, several shallow scratch marks gradually appeared. These marks began to fester, eventually forming several grooves in the flesh. It was caused by spores.
Countless black threadworms emerged from various parts of the arm, densely packed. They quickly devoured the arm down to the bone. A rustling sound continued, and eventually, even the bones on the ground were gone. The black threadworms on the ground turned into black water and finally evaporated.
What caused Amu to lose an arm was a spore containing insect cells. If this thing landed on you, it would initially feel itchy. As long as you scratched the itch with your hand, you would immediately be invaded by the spore with insect cells.
The most terrifying thing about this was its ability to shield perception. Even with Su Xiao's perception, he could only vaguely sense something was there, very vague. As for a sense of danger, there was none at all.
"Not good. My scalp is very itchy."
Belock had also fought on the front lines, dealing with various dangerous things. Of course, he realized that the tingling sensation on his scalp was caused by the enemy's ability. If the arm was hit, cutting off the arm could solve it. But what if the head was hit? Cut off the head?
Belock took the short knife thrown by Xili and pressed it against his neck. As long as he felt something drilling into his brain, he would immediately commit suicide.
"Is this it? Just this?"
Belock's eyes were full of unwillingness. He couldn't understand why the enemy chose to target him. It didn't make sense.
Under Belock's somewhat desperate gaze, the sensation on his head became more and more obvious.
"Ah!"
Belock's eyes widened, and he was about to slit his throat. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his head, as if something was pressing down on it.
"Belock, what's on your head?"
Xili swayed his upper body left and right, looking at Belock's head from different angles, with an expression of "I've lived long enough to see everything."
At this moment, on top of Belock's head, a mushroom had grown, several times larger than his head. This mushroom was very angry. Yes, angry, because it hadn't parasitized Su Xiao. Its target was Su Xiao.
The front of the mushroom began to anthropomorphize. The simulated eyes indicated that someone was controlling this mushroom. It could be confirmed that this wasn't the Supreme Insect, but one of its subordinates.
This Brother Mushroom clearly had a very serious expression, but seeing that resolute gaze inexplicably made people want to laugh. After all, it was now a thick, fat mushroom.
Belock reached up and touched the mushroom on his head. He tried to pull it off but failed. Just as he was about to smash his head against the wall, the Brother Mushroom on his head grew over a dozen arms, each half a meter long. Although not thick, they had quite a bit of muscle, looking very strong.
"Not good."
Belock swallowed his saliva. The Brother Mushroom on his head took a deep breath, and all its arms clenched into fists.
Brother Mushroom had to kill Belock before it could transfer. Otherwise, it would be in danger. Forcibly breaking free would expose its weakness, and then Brother Mushroom would die very miserably.
"Ah-da-da-da-da-da-da..."
Brother Mushroom unleashed a flurry of wild punches from all directions. Belock covered his face with one hand and the back of his head with the other. Judging by the situation, in a few more seconds, Belock's head would be pounded to pulp.
Brother Mushroom and Belock were now in a symbiotic relationship. In this state, if Brother Mushroom died, Belock would definitely die. But if Belock died, Brother Mushroom could break free.
"Go!"
Xili and Silver Dog charged forward together. Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha also joined in.
Xili executed a sweeping leg kick, knocking Belock down. Then he raised his foot, a strange smile on his face, and stomped toward the big mushroom on Belock's head.
Bang, bang, bang...
Xili, Silver Dog, Amu, Baha, and Bubu Wang formed a circle and began kicking Brother Mushroom.
"Wait... wait! Pain is linked! Don't kick my head!"
Belock's shout made everyone gradually stop. Belock got up from the ground. Now both he and the mushroom on his head were bruised and swollen.
"Speak. Who sent you?"
Xili glared at the Brother Mushroom on Belock's head. Brother Mushroom's mouth shape changed, and then it:
"Ptui!"
Brother Mushroom spat out brownish-yellow saliva, like a small arrow. Xili quickly dodged. The saliva landed on the wall behind, corroding it with a hissing sound. Soon, a few mushrooms grew out.
"Oh ho! You dare spit on me? I'll fuck you up."
Xili had learned well from Baha's teachings. He slapped Brother Mushroom hard across the face. Brother Mushroom grunted. Its stubborn gaze made it look not very smart.
Xili's slap didn't do much to Brother Mushroom, but Belock below almost died.
"Xili, handle this here. Bubu, Baha, we're going to Kodu to deal with the Supreme Insect."
Su Xiao spoke as he walked toward the office door.
"You will... die."
Brother Mushroom spoke in not-so-fluent language. Su Xiao stopped.
"Oh? I will die? So that means the Supreme Insect really is in Kodu?"
"Hehehehehe."
Brother Mushroom laughed coldly, with an expression of calm indifference.
Su Xiao took out a communicator from his bosom and dialed. After a dozen seconds, Kingsley's voice came through. Kingsley asked, "What's the matter?"
"The Supreme Insect's location is confirmed. It's in Kodu."
"Accurate?"
"Accurate. One of its subordinates, a mushroom, leaked the information."
"Mushroom? Got it."
Kingsley hung up the communicator. Hearing their conversation, Brother Mushroom's expression twisted. It knew it was finished. It had made a big mistake this time.
Su Xiao glanced at Brother Mushroom and said, "Xili, treat it well. We have it to thank this time."
Su Xiao's words thoroughly stimulated Brother Mushroom.
Brother Mushroom was furious to the limit. It roared, "You cunning, shameless, despicable human! My master will kill you all! You will all die in Kodu!"
Hearing this, a different light appeared in Su Xiao's eyes. His gaze became piercing.
"You just said... Kodu, didn't you?"
Su Xiao's words made Brother Mushroom's body tremble, its pupils rapidly contracting.
Ignoring Brother Mushroom, Su Xiao dialed the communicator again. This time, Kingsley answered instantly.
"Confirmed?"
"Confirmed. It's in Kodu. Move everyone there. Immediately. Right now."
After saying this, Su Xiao strode out of the room. Brother Mushroom on Belock's head stared wide-eyed, blankly watching Su Xiao's retreating figure.
"Thank you, Mushroom. We've been looking for the Supreme Insect for so long and couldn't find its exact location. Thanks to you."
Baha left these words before flying out of the room. This made Brother Mushroom's already not-so-bright mind suffer even more damage.
"Ah!!"
Brother Mushroom's shout echoed through the headquarters. Numerous Mechanism members rushed out of the headquarters. Target: Kodu.