Chapter 552: Appearing Voluntarily
Whether it was hunting or imitation, it was just a fungal instinct, which could be understood as its mutated nature. There was no need to overthink it. Besides, no matter how it mutated, it was still a fungus. It couldn’t possibly imitate human thought, let alone leave its own nest and walk out of the Mist Forest.
“Maybe we should just go out,” Siming said with a frown. “This place is too eerie. If we keep going, who knows what dangers we’ll face. I’d rather give up on clearing the instance.”
“It’s no longer about clearing the instance or not,” Zhuo Wangsun said. “Can we even leave here?”
The crevice they had passed through earlier was now filled with mycelium. The area they were in now didn’t have as many suspended stone paths, and there was no exit upward either.
As he spoke, he kept glancing at Xu Huo.
Zhuo Wangsun had already cleared the instance. He knew that the reason Siming and the female player hadn’t cleared it wasn’t because they hadn’t found the right place, but because they hadn’t killed ten Blue Camp soldiers along the way.
This wasn’t hard to understand. Those two had probably killed ten people at the start, thinking they had completed the first task, and then rushed through the canyon to the Mist Forest, avoiding dangers whenever possible. That’s why they still hadn’t killed ten people by now. Of course, no matter where they planted the flag, they couldn’t clear the instance.
But Xu Huo could clear it at any time.
Since he could leave whenever he wanted, Xu Huo wasn’t in a hurry to go. He agreed with Siming’s suggestion to find an exit. Since the original path was blocked, and there was no ready-made exit, he simply started setting fires and pushing forward.
Mycelium wasn’t easy to burn, but opening a path for them to pass through wasn’t difficult.
The four of them wandered aimlessly through the cave, going wherever they ended up.
Xu Huo led the way, ignoring Siming’s suggestions several times. Siming exchanged a glance with the female player, and seeing that Zhuo Wangsun remained silent, he gradually calmed down.
About two hours later, they once again discovered “corpses” wrapped in mycelium, and this time there were quite a few.
By now, the nest was no longer as spacious as where they had descended. It was only about twenty meters wide, but the stone walls were covered with over a dozen “corpses.” These “corpses” looked incredibly realistic, with limbs and bodies that were nearly complete.
Continuing forward, they encountered similar nests.
“These look like individual incubation pods,” Zhuo Wangsun said thoughtfully. “Could the fungus really be creating humans?”
Xu Huo cut open one of the “corpses.” Unlike the hollow mycelium that had imitated Siming earlier, this one was solid. When it fell to the ground, it rolled, and its weight seemed similar to that of a real head.
He turned the head over and saw that it was packed with dough-like mycelium, making it a solid mass.
The neck and interior of the “corpse” were the same.
The four fell silent, but then Xu Huo suddenly looked toward a side tunnel in the nest. The mycelium inside trembled, as if something was struggling to break free.
Zhuo Wangsun and the others immediately went on alert, but as the mycelium tore apart, a familiar face emerged.
“Xin Hui!” Zhuo Wangsun exclaimed in surprise.
Xin Hui on the other side also showed a surprised expression, followed by a look of relief.
“You know her?” the female player asked.
“A player I met on the road,” Zhuo Wangsun introduced them, then asked Xin Hui, “How did you suddenly disappear?”
“I saw a shadow in the woods and chased after it. I didn’t expect to step into a hole and fall down. I’ve been wandering around ever since. Did you guys fall down too?” Xin Hui said.
“Have you found an exit?” Xu Huo asked.
Xin Hui shook her head and asked if they had any leads.
Zhuo Wangsun was wary of her and didn’t say much, only briefly describing the eerie things in the nest.
The “corpses” were right in front of them, and Xin Hui looked worried. “Some of the places I passed through were filled with spore dust floating in the air. I wonder if these fungi are toxic.”
“Nothing would be surprising,” Siming said, asking Xin Hui if she had cleared the instance.
Xin Hui glanced at Xu Huo and the others, shook her head in denial, and brought the conversation back to finding a way out.
“Actually, I have a crude idea,” Xu Huo said slowly. “Burn this underground nest to the ground.”
“That would effectively remove the mycelium and destroy these human-like things,” he said. “Whether or not these things can move, letting them continue to grow can’t be good. Eliminating these fungi might even earn us points for clearing the instance.”
“That makes sense,” Zhuo Wangsun immediately agreed. “Even if we can’t get rid of all of them, we can start burning from here upward. We’ll definitely burn out an exit.”
“That might not be a good idea,” the female player hesitated. “What if it provokes these fungi?”
Xin Hui pursed her lips, then said, “These fungi have already mutated. If provoked, might they release toxic mist? The protective suits can’t guarantee complete safety.”
“Let’s wait until we find an exit before discussing it,” Siming said. “There are so many soldiers in the Cleanup Zone carrying explosives. Even if we can’t burn all the mycelium, we can blow up the entrance.”
Before they had even gotten out, they were already discussing destroying this underground nest. After a moment, Xin Hui said, “At least let’s get out first.”
The group of five returned to searching for an exit, but before long, the female player said with some confusion, “Do you hear that?”
“It’s the sound of mycelium moving,” Xu Huo said, cutting off a piece of membrane. The mycelium inside was unusually active, writhing like flesh worms.
Xin Hui stared at the mycelium on the ground, then suddenly sidestepped. With a “plop,” a puddle of black liquid splashed onto the ground, accompanied by a “hissing” sound.
Their expressions changed, and they looked up to find that the mycelium on the stone walls had unknowingly contracted and gathered. The hanging parts were drooping heavily, and black liquid slowly dripped from the twisted, accumulated mycelium.
“Poison!” Xin Hui immediately covered her mouth and nose, then put on a gas mask.
Xu Huo and the others had been well-protected all along, so they skipped that step and fled forward just before the black liquid began to fall in large quantities!
Within seconds, the toxic liquid was falling like rain, nonstop. The group ran with their heads down, not caring if the passage was full of mycelium. Whenever they encountered a fork, they would put their backpacks in front and charge straight through.
At one point, Zhuo Wangsun got stuck in a narrow stone passage. The others behind him couldn’t get through and had to turn toward another path. After running frantically for a few rounds, all five of them ended up separated.
Xin Hui rushed out of the toxic rain zone in one breath and ducked into a low cave passage. The cave was a bit like a dog hole, and it was hard to tell how deep it was. But she crawled in desperately and soon came out the other side, which led to a relatively clean cave. There was no accumulated toxic liquid on the stone walls, and no colorful fungi or “corpses” in sight.
She stood up, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and picked up her backpack to leave. But just as she took a step, she suddenly stopped and spun around, only to find Xu Huo standing right behind her!
(Chapter End)