Chapter 19

Chapter 19

During his time as a mushroom, he had little sense of time. Daybreak and sunset were merely natural cycles, and he couldn't recall how long it had been since he'd shed his spores.

February 14th, according to human seasonal reckoning, was still in the depths of winter. Indeed, in his memories and dreams, the howling cold winds of that night still echoed.

There wouldn't be another mushroom shedding its spores in the same winter, and his encounter with Lu Fen had occurred much earlier than their meeting at the city gate. Or perhaps the judge himself, separated by only a wall, had personally removed the spores from him.

Pausing, he flipped through the workbook to the next page, February 20th, where Lu Fen returned to the base and wrote "Sample transferred to the Lighthouse."

Fixing his gaze on this line for three seconds, he then returned the journal to June 17th and placed the black ballpoint pen back on the page as if it had never been disturbed.

An Zhe shifted his attention away from the workbook, looking at the wall behind the desk. The judge wielded supreme authority within the base, with the power to shoot anyone or order all city institutions to cooperate. In emergencies, he could mobilize the garrison, as he had done at the supply station square. Despite his high position and influence, his quarters in the garrison were even more spartan and barren than An Zhe's own room, with thinly painted walls revealing the gray concrete beneath.

On this grayish-white wall, just above human height, were eight characters and a period, painted in red.

"Human interests above all else."

An Zhe shivered slightly, still feeling the chill of the dungeon. He shifted his gaze to the bed beside him, hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately climbed onto it.

His head sank into the pillow, too afraid to wrap himself up in the blanket as he usually did. Instead, he loosely draped it over his body and curled up. The blanket, pillow, and sheets were all standard issue from the base, no different from those used by the prisoners in the dungeon. Even the synthetic fiber scent was identical. But An Zhe's experience was far from ordinary—sleeping on the Judicator's bed with the faint sound of Lu Fen's brief conversation with someone else filtering through the wall, he felt an indescribable sensation, both perilous and safe.

Anyone would have trouble sleeping under such circumstances, let alone a mushroom like him.

—Yet, surprisingly, he didn't toss and turn for long. As he drifted off into thoughts, his body gradually warmed beneath the blanket, blurring the boundaries between reality and dreams.

An Zhe was roused by someone. He was certain that only a short while had passed since he fell asleep.

One moment, he was in the wilderness, experiencing yet again the feeling of his spores being harvested; the next, he felt a hand pat the pillow beside him.

Startled, An Zhe snapped open his eyes, meeting a pair of cold, green orbs—the very culprit who had taken his spores.

Lu Fen pulled back the blanket, speaking hastily, "Evacuate."

Even without his explicit words, An Zhe could feel the building trembling beneath him the moment he woke up, reminiscent of the dungeon—had worms appeared beneath this building too?

After a brief contemplation, a wavy alarm blared, signaling another evacuation.

With no time to waste, An Zhe quickly got out of bed and put on his shoes. Lu Fen's right hand gripped his shoulder, leading him out of the room. A cold gust of wind rushed in through the open door. The sudden shift from the warmth of the blankets to the chilly air made An Zhe shiver instinctively. In response, he sensed Lu Fen's hand on him pause for a moment.

A dark shadow enveloped him as a heavy weight settled upon his shoulders – it was Lu Fen, snatching a coat from a nearby stand and tossing it onto An Zhe. Before An Zhe could express his gratitude, he simply gathered the coat around himself. Without pause, Lu Fen swiftly grabbed the work manual and a ballpoint pen from the desk, stuffing them into the pockets of An Zhe's coat, then seized his wrist and strode hastily out the door. Two judges were already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Lu Fen, they immediately called out, "Colonel!"

In unison, the two judges cast a glance at An Zhe.

Lu Fen said nothing. The group descended through the nearest emergency exit. The stairwell was pitch black, the electrical system having been disrupted by the monster's attack; only green glow-in-the-dark indicators provided any light. The narrow, steep steps could barely accommodate two people side by side. Yet, the other three moved with incredible speed. After being pulled down one floor by Lu Fen, An Zhe stumbled several times, realizing that unless he transformed into mycelium, he not only couldn't keep up with their pace, but would also slow down Lu Fen.

Just as he was about to tell Lu Fen to let go and let him walk on his own, he felt a force on his shoulder. Lu Fen gripped his shoulder, twisting him to the side – still in motion from descending the stairs, An Zhe crashed into Lu Fen's back. His forehead had previously brushed against the badge on Lu Fen's chest, and now it bumped against his shoulder patch. Since the staircase sloped downward, An Zhe was positioned higher than Lu Fen. Instinctively, he reached forward to grab hold of Lu Fen.

And then, he found himself being carried on this man's back.

Hugging the judge's neck, An Zhe marveled at the chaotic yet seemingly logical sequence of events. What was most astonishing was how effortlessly Lu Fen carried him, leaping down the steps with ease, landing firmly, then sprinting, jumping out a second-story window, using the balcony below as leverage. All An Zhe could hear was the rush of wind past his ears. Somehow, Lu Fen had landed gracefully on the lawn below.

Despite lacking the visibly bulging muscles of someone like Fan Si or Howard, An Zhe could still sense through layers of clothing the terrifying power contained within Lu Fen's tensed body – a strength vastly different from the soft, pliable mycelium.

As Lu Fen landed, two more thuds followed closely behind – the other two judges had jumped down as well. For An Zhe, simply holding on to Lu Fen felt like an exertion, even though he too possessed a human body.

The disparity between humans could be greater than that between humans and mushrooms, he realized.

But three seconds later, he became aware that everyone in the courtyard was looking at him. It was early dawn, and the thin mist did little to conceal their gazes. Shopkeeper Xiao poked his head out from the nearest tent, casting a glance at Lu Fen before shifting his eyes to him, then started winking suggestively.

Lu Fen put him down, and An Zhe released his grip around his neck, landing on the ground.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Lu Fen replied coolly. "Go to the tent."

The tent was just a few steps away. An Zhe acknowledged him and turned, only to bump into Howard, who was approaching.

"What's going on?" Lu Fen asked.

"The situation has changed. Suddenly, there are many more of them. The Lighthouse people have arrived and activated their radar, showing that there are insects in the basements of all four buildings," Howard reported. "Not one or two, but a swarm. There's an insect nest beneath the city defense station. They've broken through the ground, attempting to attack the personnel inside the buildings."

"Full evacuation?" Lu Fen asked.

"Everyone evacuate, including you," Howard stated firmly.

Lu Fen said, "Show me the radar image."

"There's no point in looking. It's hopeless," the other replied.

Lu Fen responded sharply, "The dispersal device is right here."

Howard's tone turned cold as he shot back, "The dispersal device can't be saved. How many times do I have to tell you? After we evacuate, I'll immediately contact the Dispersal Center to increase the intensity of the other nine devices."

An Zhe turned his head and saw the icy expression on Lu Fen's face. Noticing that he had drawn his gun, An Zhe repeated firmly, "Show me the radar image."

"You!" Howard seemed to be angered, yet he was wary of the Arbiter's privilege to kill at any moment, so he gestured towards a direction.

A man in casual shirt approached from the other side, holding a black device. Lu Fen took the instrument from his hand, his gaze sweeping across the screen.

An Zhe watched, powerless, as the man's facial expression plummeted from zero to minus eighteen degrees, his voice so cold that it seemed to freeze the air into ice crystals.

"The target of the monsters isn't the people inside the building, but the dispersal device." He lifted his gaze to Howard, speaking rapidly. "There's a dispersal device in the atrium, and the foundation has been reinforced to the point it can't be breached. They'll have to emerge from the structures surrounding the building on all four sides."

Howard: "The lighthouse's report doesn't align with your conclusion, Colonel Lu."

"I spend half my year in the Abyss," said Lu Fen, his finger resting on the gunstock as his eyes narrowed slightly, his icy intimidation freezing everyone present. "Howard, I've seen more monsters than you've seen people."

Howard fell silent for three seconds, not speaking. Then, as if something suddenly dawned on him, his pupils dilated and his expression drastically changed. "What about the other dispersal devices—"

"Contact the Dispersal Center," Lu Fen instructed. "Now."

The judge behind him pulled out a communicator, dialed a series of numbers, and pressed the speaker button.

"Beep—"

A monotonous tone of anticipation rang out.

"Beep—"

"Beep—"

In the atrium, silence reigned.

After nine beeps, the communicator emitted a hurried busy signal. Three seconds later, the busy tone stopped, but there was no answer. The call automatically disconnected.

Howard promptly retrieved his communicator and, after swiftly pressing a few buttons, spoke into it, "This is Howard from the City Defense, patch me through to the Dispersal Center, any line will do, immediately."

"Please hold," came the operator's voice.

Following this, there was a long silence. It lasted a full three minutes before the operator's voice returned, tinged with a slight tremble.

"The Dispersal Center is out of contact."