Chapter 33

Chapter 33

After arriving at the building where An Zhe lived, as he got out of Lu Fen's car, An Zhe said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lu Fen replied. "How do you usually eat?"

"I cook for myself," An Zhe answered.

"Potato soup?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is that what you like?" Lu Fen asked.

An Zhe pondered seriously for a moment.

"Yes," he said. "But I don't have money to buy anything else."

"I can tell," Lu Fen remarked. "Let me treat you to something different tonight."

An Zhe: "Why?"

Lu Feng replied coolly, "Thank you for leading me to discover the anomaly."

The statement made sense. It was because of An Zhe that Lu Feng had noticed Si Nan in the first place.

Thus, An Zhe got the chance to pick and choose his ingredients. Consulting the base's menu, he eventually settled on tomatoes, potatoes, and frozen beef. The beef was exorbitantly priced, with a notice beside it indicating its imminent discontinuation. He hesitated for a moment over whether or not to buy it, but before he could make up his mind, Lu Feng had already swiped his card. The balance displayed on the card reader highlighted the disparity between people.

Next to the ingredients were simple cooking instructions. As An Zhe didn't know how to do anything else, he still decided to make soup.

As he cooked, An Zhe realized something.

He stood there, silently observing the gently bubbling surface of the pot.

The soup had already become rich and flavorful, while the potatoes had completely softened. The tangy sweetness of the tomatoes and the aroma of the beef mingled together, creating a taste distinct from a potato soup, yet incredibly savory.

However...

Lu Feng looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"I..." An Zhe lifted his gaze to meet him.

But Lu Fen's green eyes, veiled by a thin layer of mist, didn't appear as menacing.

"I..." An Zhe continued, "I think I might have added too much."

"Too much?" Lu Fen approached him, leaning slightly to peer into the pot.

Indeed, An Zhe was aware that he had overdone it.

He had added excessive ingredients and water.

When making potato soup, he liked to add ample water to make the potatoes softer and the broth thicker, gradually reducing the abundant liquid into a concentrated soup.

However, the current soup seemed to defy the principles of potato soup—any further cooking would break down the ingredients, turning them into an indistinguishable mixture.

He estimated that this quantity could easily serve three people.

Lu Fen confirmed, "Yes, it is too much."

An Zhe pondered diligently and finally came up with a solution: "I can invite Colin up to share."

Lu Fen turned his head and gave him a casual glance.

From that fleeting look, An Zhe keenly sensed a hint of Lu Feng's mood. It seemed he had made a grave mistake by cooking too much soup.

Lu Fen said, "Selan lives in 3202. Send a portion over to him."

After ringing the doorbell of 3202, Selan promptly answered the door.

"It's you?" He appeared slightly surprised.

An Zhe handed him the thermos. "I made some soup, so I brought you a serving."

"Wow." Selan replied. "Thank you. I was just about to head out for dinner."

An Zhe passed the soup to him and said, "You're welcome."

Selan continued, "Why did you... give it to me? Maybe the colonel would like it."

For a moment, An Zhe was at a loss for words.

Eventually, he said, "The colonel did too."

Selan chuckled. "I figured as much. So the colonel told you where I live?"

An Zhe nodded.

Selan led An Zhe inside and placed the thermos on the living room table. Then, from a drawer, he pulled out something wrapped in pink packaging—it appeared to be a snack from human civilization.

He stuffed it into An Zhe's hands and said, "Here, have some candy."

An Zhe replied, "Thank you."

Selan asked, "How are you finding life in the main city? Which floor are you on?"

An Zhe answered, "I'm on 3702."

"Wow," Selan smiled. "What a coincidence."

The wind howled fiercely outside, and the sound of air rushing through pipes echoed in Selan's room.

An Zhe looked toward the source of the noise.

"The ventilation ducts are usually closed, but during summer when the winds are strong, they're opened for a while to prevent moisture buildup inside. It makes noise, and it can be quite loud. Sometimes even those who've grown up in the main city find it hard to sleep. But there's no need to worry," Selan said gently. He smiled afterward and added, "I suppose Colonel has already reassured you."

An Zhe felt puzzled.

Firstly, he wasn't scared and didn't need any comforting. Secondly, Lu Fen hadn't comforted him at all.

"I don't recall that," An Zhe said.

Selan responded, "Perhaps he forgot."

An Zhe thought Selan was attributing too much kindness to Lu Fen and imagining their relationship to be better than it actually was.

He returned to 3702, only to find that the colonel, in an unusual display of humility, had personally set the table with utensils – though unfortunately, there was still too much food left, even after giving some away.

Those cold green eyes of the colonel's regarded him. "You may."

An Zhe: "I can't."

Lu Fen: "You can't waste the base's resources."

An Zhe scooped up a small piece of beef with his spoon and forced it down. After finishing his portion, he was coerced by Lu Fen to face the remaining food in the pot, which he had now halved.

With an even tone, Lu Fen said, "Keep going."

An Zhe swallowed another chunk of potato and a spoonful of soup.

He felt it was unbearable.

There was a limit to human consumption, no matter how delicious this soup was.

He was going to break.

He looked up at Lu Fen.

Only to see the man gazing at him, his eyebrows slightly raised, a subtle hint of pleasure hidden in his expression.

An Zhe: "..."

He should have known. Lu Feng's goal had nothing to do with conserving resources for the base; his pleasure derived from bullying him.

Frowning, he felt a slight irritation. This time, he was firm and said, "I'm not eating anymore."

Lu Feng: "Wasting food is a crime."

An Zhe retorted, "Then you're guilty too."

Crossing his arms, Lu Feng looked at him, seemingly appraising him from head to toe before commenting, "You've learned."

An Zhe understood the implications.

He swore that next time this person came to eat, he would add a piece of his mycelium to poison him. He didn't plan on acknowledging this person again and put down his spoon.

But Lu Feng only smiled. Reaching out, he moved the remaining soup in front of himself. It seemed the judge was going to absolve himself. Watching his actions for a while, An Zhe decided to reduce the amount to half a piece.

After dinner, he accompanied Lu Feng out as the colonel still had a teleconference to attend in the evening.

Arriving at the door, Lu Fen seemed to suddenly remember something.

He took out a small translucent box from the pocket of his uniform and threw it to An Zhe.

"Use it if you can't sleep," he said.

After returning to his own room, An Zhe opened the box. It contained a pair of white, umbrella-shaped rubber earplugs for noise reduction.

After much deliberation, he was still unsure whether Lu Fen was good or bad; eventually, he labeled him as an unpredictable person for the time being.

The wind outside continued to strengthen, and the echoing sounds within the cave grew sharper, reaching a pitch that would indeed make sleep difficult for humans – but An Zhe had no intention of using the earplugs, at least not yet.

Standing by his bed, An Zhe spent the entire afternoon pondering one thought.

If he couldn't roam freely in the lighthouse, then when would he ever find the spores?

Once, he believed this to be an insurmountable problem, but now he saw a way forward – all the buildings in this city were interconnected through ventilation ducts.

He turned his head to look at the window in his room.

The window was tiny, only as wide as two textbooks placed side by side. Next to it were two metal sliding doors. He walked up to the window and pushed the doors inward with force. With a click, they sealed tightly, ensuring that no one from outside could see into the room.

Mycelium.

It spread out from An Zhe's body. His clothes and the bullet shell pendant around his neck fell to the ground with a soft thud. At the same time, a cluster of pristine mycelium emerged from his collar, rolling under the bed and gazing silently at the dark hole.

When he was in mushroom form, An Zhe had a vague sense of the outside world. His sight and hearing blended together, while his sense of smell and touch became indistinguishable. It was no longer a matter of images or sounds; rather, it was an extraordinary sensation that defied description in human language.

There were fine metal grids covering the hole, three layers thick, enough to deter any insects, whether small or large.

But they couldn't stop a soft, pliable mushroom.

Author's Note: The Marvelous Mushroom Adventure