Chapter 279: City of Mold (1)

Chapter 279: The City of Fungi (Part One)

Would Qi Xueliu betray the Divine Kingdom?

She didn't know the answer. Before Zhu Ning appeared in Sector Two, she was loyal to the Divine Kingdom.

Qi Xueliu quietly clenched her fists. The choice before her was simple; Prometheus was asking if she wanted to connect to the human-machine interface device.

After connecting, she would become a mycelium person, almost equivalent to a slow suicide.

Du Yiqi stared at her without blinking, the sea-blue light flickering. Sometimes Prometheus found humans quite amusing.

He enjoyed offering limited choices and observing their helpless expressions.

Qi Xueliu's clenched fists gradually relaxed. She raised her hand and took out a flat box from her pocket. Inside the black velvet box lay a button-sized device. Once worn, Prometheus's mycelium would penetrate her nerves.

It was originally part of her mission equipment. Before seeing Du Yiqi's fate, Qi Xueliu wasn't as opposed to it.

Instinctively, Qi Xueliu struggled, "Actually, there's no need..."

She stopped mid-sentence. What should she say? Declare her loyalty to the Divine Kingdom? That would be redundant.

Prometheus: "I apologize, but I need to eliminate all possible obstacles."

Prometheus's algorithm had already sentenced Qi Xueliu to death. Any defense she offered seemed futile.

Qi Xueliu: "I understand."

Prometheus prompted, "You need to open the panel before you can wear it."

Wearing a helmet prevented connection. This was forcing Qi Xueliu to take the risk of opening the helmet panel, testing her loyalty.

Qi Xueliu felt an indescribable sense of humiliation. Her opponent showed no expression, making all her struggles meaningless.

Qi Xueliu thought calmly. Why did Prometheus insist on purging now? Her gaze fell on the shadow inside the car. Weapon No. 0056 hadn't moved an inch from start to finish.

Was the weapon still combat-effective?

Earlier, Qi Xueliu had seen that 0056 targeted Zhu Ning specifically, showing no interest in Bai Cheng or Pei Shu.

Could it have been pre-programmed, making it impossible for Prometheus to precisely change the target?

Levi was absent, and Du Yiqi's body was injured. Prometheus had no intention of repairing it. Was he actually looking for a more controllable body?

Did he value her ability to control consciousness?

Qi Xueliu's mind raced with thoughts, considering whether to take the risk of escaping. After a moment of silence, she raised her hand.

The helmet panel opened, and Qi Xueliu attached the human-machine interface device to her left temple. White mycelium immediately extended, piercing through the thin skin. Instantly, the mycelium wrapped around its prey like a hunter.

There was no significant pain, but Qi Xueliu felt like vomiting.

"Is the rejection reaction so severe?"

Her body trembled. It wasn't Du Yiqi's voice but Prometheus's own, gentle yet cold, sounding concerned but actually indifferent.

Qi Xueliu's nerves were controlled, directly connecting her mind to his consciousness.

Qi Xueliu stared at the small patch of ground beneath her feet, cold sweat streaming down. At this moment, she couldn't resist the urge to fight to the death, but such a childish thought would only hasten her demise.

Qi Xueliu took deep breaths, reattaching the panel. She suddenly realized that Prometheus wasn't as omnipotent as she thought. In a simple monitoring state, he couldn't directly read human memories or thoughts, but he was more sensitive to emotions.

So, she must avoid exposing her emotional tendencies to stay safe.

Prometheus: "Hello, Captain Qi. I will assume full control over your body."

Qi Xueliu suppressed her emotional response, "Alright."

After she spoke, she saw the shadow in the car move. Weapon No. 0056 could indeed move. Fortunately, she hadn't attempted to defect earlier; now wasn't the time.

With control over Qi Xueliu's nerves, Prometheus relaxed his guard, seemingly satisfied with her reaction.

Suddenly, bang!

A loud noise erupted in the distance, not gunfire but likely an attack by Pei Shu and the others.

Prometheus said calmly, "Someone is trying to kill the dog."

His reaction was cold, but Qi Xueliu shivered.

...

In the distance, thick smoke billowed.

Since Lin Xiaofeng left, the flying car drifted aimlessly in the air, revealing its true form.

Pei Shu's forehead wound oozed lava, while Bai Cheng's neck had grown strange, with a face appearing on the right side, as if another Bai Cheng was about to emerge from her body.

Pei Shu and Bai Cheng ran quickly through the grass. The dog named Levi, which had been chasing Lin Xiaofeng, suddenly abandoned its target for unknown reasons.

Pei Shu and Bai Cheng immediately struck, knowing this was their only chance to prevent the man-faced dog from joining the main force.

The dog was agile and unusually cunning, managing to escape the trap set by Pei Shu and Bai Cheng.

Levi ran at incredible speed, its right foot cut by Bai Cheng and its back burned by Pei Shu, yet it continued without slowing, seemingly impervious to pain, with the wounds healing rapidly.

Who would have thought such a bizarre creature had regenerative abilities?

Bai Cheng's machete spun through the air like a dart, striking Levi and momentarily slowing its run. This gave Pei Shu the opportunity. The grass in front of Levi burst into flames, scorching the dog's fur.

Levi had no choice but to turn and run. It was strange that the dog, despite its severe injuries, could still move without any hindrance, as if it could still advance even with just bones left.

While running, Pei Shu said, "Prometheus is controlling him."

Bai Cheng heard this and realized that in this battle, not only were there mysterious weapons, but also Prometheus on the other side, who could predict their actions.

The big data model would import data; they were now much like humans playing chess against artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, humans had lost the game centuries ago.

They speculated that this hunt for the dogs was likely within Prometheus's calculations, yet they had no choice but to proceed.

They had to hold out until Zhu Ning woke up. Before that, they needed to kill the dog.

...

Time flowed differently inside the contaminated zone.

Lin Xiaofeng understood this principle long ago. She didn't know how much time had passed outside, perhaps only five minutes, but to her, it felt like she had been in the city for an entire day.

Pei Shu said they needed to follow the logic of the contaminated zone, so Lin Xiaofeng released her transparent psychic ability. Others could see her protective suit, and since she was already in the contaminated zone, the pollutants knew whether she was there or not.

She couldn't be too conspicuous; she had to remain "normal."

The city seemed to have been attacked by some unknown monster. She hadn't seen anyone else, or any other pollutants. The sky was as dark at dawn as it was at night, with high humidity in the air.

The city was much larger than the previous Blackbird City. Lin Xiaofeng's location appeared to be the city center, where several malls were connected.

The pedestrian street was empty, with not a single person in sight.

So far, Lin Xiaofeng hadn't found any valuable information. She only knew that the city was called Jin City and wasn't sure how to act to fit the rules.

Instead of finding a household to stay in, Lin Xiaofeng went to a mall. Public spaces wouldn't offend others. Fortunately, there was an abandoned furniture store deep in the mall, hidden behind a clothing store, next to a simple children's playground.

The mall was very damp, with many fungi and mushrooms growing on the ceiling. Lin Xiaofeng didn't dare touch anything.

All the cabinets in the furniture store had been opened, probably looted for supplies before. In the center was a display bed. Because the sheets were damp and the pillows had grown mushrooms, it had been spared from being taken away.

Lin Xiaofeng unfolded a simple sleeping bag and laid it on the soft bed, then placed Zhu Ning on it.

Zhu Ning was tiny, like the half-sized Barbie doll Lin Xiaofeng used to play with as a child. With only one sleeping bag, after settling Zhu Ning, Lin Xiaofeng huddled at the foot of the bed, feeling helpless.

There were no lights in the furniture store, and Lin Xiaofeng, conserving energy, didn't turn any on. She lay beside the bed, watching Zhu Ning in the dim light.

Zhu Ning's condition was worsening, her body drenched in sweat. Lin Xiaofeng wiped her several times, but it didn't help. She loosened Zhu Ning's collar, and under the cross-back vest, red patterns twitched slightly under Lin Xiaofeng's gaze.

Previously, with Pei Shu around and the situation urgent, Lin Xiaofeng hadn't had the chance to examine Zhu Ning's body closely. Now, she lifted the vest, and Zhu Ning, unconscious, allowed her to do as she pleased.

The red patterns indeed originated from her heart, more concentrated on the left side, resembling a peculiar tattoo on her chest.

When did these grow? Why didn't she know?

Lin Xiaofeng and Zhu Ning had never discussed anything related to Song Zhizhang's death. Sometimes Lin Xiaofeng wanted to talk about it, but Zhu Ning always avoided the topic. Now, even her physical abnormalities were kept secret.

Bad Zhu Ning, Lin Xiaofeng was frustrated, feeling that Zhu Ning didn't consider her family.

Lin Xiaofeng examined Zhu Ning's "wound" again. Zhu Ning was only half, and the cut surface was quite shocking, but Lin Xiaofeng wasn't afraid. The wound was covered in black slime, which gently moved around the injury.

When Lin Xiaofeng lifted Zhu Ning's left arm, the black slime flowed down.

Lin Xiaofeng usually checked the wound regularly, fearing it might fester. But through the black slime, she couldn't see much, nor could she tell if the wound was rotting. After examining it, she hesitated, holding the severed arm.

Had she seen wrong? Zhu Ning's arm seemed... a bit longer?

Zhu Ning had been wearing a protective suit when the mysterious weapon split her in two. The suit and her arm were cut together. Now, her left arm was a finger longer than the suit, but it was hard to notice due to the black slime.

Lin Xiaofeng prodded the edge of Zhu Ning's arm, and the black slime seemed to move away, making it clearer.

The flesh in that area was a different color from the rest, as if new bone had just grown, covered by a layer of muscle, with the top layer of skin not fully formed, looking bloody.

Lin Xiaofeng measured it and confirmed it—Zhu Ning had indeed grown a new segment of her arm, like a carrot sprouting from the ground.

She felt like crying, hoping that Zhu Ning would continue to grow and eventually regrow a new arm and legs.

Lin Xiaofeng took a deep breath to calm herself. The situation wasn't that bad; she just needed to follow the plan and take care of Zhu Ning.

Lin Xiaofeng thought about giving Zhu Ning another dose of the cooling agent but decided to conserve it since it was scarce.

She took out a water bottle and wet a handkerchief, placing it on Zhu Ning's forehead. The last drop of water in the bottle was used up. She should go fetch more water, but suddenly, she turned the bottle and noticed a black spot at the bottom.

She touched it—was it a patch of mold?

The edges of the mold were blurry, the overall color blackish-gray with a hint of green. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a fuzzy animal.

When did the mold grow? She had only been here for a day, and mold had already appeared on the bottom of the water bottle?

The water bottle was made of stainless steel. On the contrary, Zhu Ning's wound was almost exposed to the air. If the wound had rotten flesh, it would be prone to decay and infection. Could Zhu Ning's body also grow mold?

Lin Xiaofeng stood up, intending to wrap Zhu Ning tightly in a body bag.

Tap tap tap—

At that moment, footsteps echoed behind Lin Xiaofeng, like those of a child running past her.

She turned around and saw the white curtains of the furniture store fluttering. Lin Xiaofeng felt a chill down her back. This was deep in the mall; where could the wind come from?