Chapter 287: The City of Mold (9)

Chapter 287: The City of Mold (Part Nine)

Lin Xiaofeng's ankle tightened, almost twisted off by Aunt Lan.

The moment she was caught, a guillotine blade descended from the sky, but the mold quickly healed after being severed, even growing new colonies at the cut.

The mold fermented in the air, with Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu each grabbing one of Lin Xiaofeng's legs. The ground was slippery, and her center of gravity was behind her, making her half-body dangle as Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu dragged her down.

In the nick of time, Zhu Ning grabbed the edge of the rooftop. The advantage of the white body bag became evident; no one knew how it was tied, but Zhu Ning and Lin Xiaofeng were tightly connected. With Zhu Ning's grip, they barely avoided falling.

But this position brought her into an intimate contact with Xiao Wu, who clung to the underside of the rooftop like an inverted spider. Due to inertia, Lin Xiaofeng's forehead collided with Xiao Wu's head.

Aunt Lan's body was incredibly flexible, the severed parts re-fusing, attempting to envelop them.

With one hand hanging onto the rooftop edge, Zhu Ning pressed the other firmly against Xiao Wu's face.

Behind the protective mask were mycelium, with hair and facial features covered in fuzz. Mycelium is soft and highly regenerative. Zhu Ning used such force that her palm sank into Xiao Wu's brain.

From Lin Xiaofeng's perspective, it was a bizarre scene. Half of Zhu Ning's arm had sunk in, and logically, a child's brain shouldn't have so much space, yet it seemed like a bottomless pit, swallowing Zhu Ning's entire arm.

This arm was newly grown, covered in mold, appearing to be fusing with Xiao Wu, becoming part of the monster.

Lin Xiaofeng was very anxious but didn't know how to help. Her two abilities were useless here. Pei Shu also saw the situation and wanted to report the new development to Zhu Ning, but when he turned around, their leader was being consumed by the mold.

Pei Shu's psychic ability was the most useful here. He rubbed his fingers together to create a small flame, intending to free Zhu Ning and Lin Xiaofeng, but he heard Zhu Ning shout, "Don't come over!"

Pei Shu stopped in his tracks, seeing black slime spreading across Zhu Ning's body. The mold on Xiao Wu and Aunt Lan increased, and so did the black slime on Zhu Ning. It was like a "parasite growth competition," where the winner was whoever grew the most.

This wasn't a pollution source; the black slime didn't like ordinary pollutants, finding them unnutritious and unpalatable.

Zhu Ning's arm sank deeper, and she closed her eyes to read Xiao Wu's memories. Wall-outer pollutants easily go mad, lacking any pattern, making reading memories extremely dangerous.

Indeed, when Zhu Ning activated her skill, she understood why the mind is called the "sea of thought." Her mind suddenly became a deep, chaotic ocean, flooded with massive, noisy information—irregular, terrifying whispers.

The world before her eyes distorted into countless fragments, reassembling and breaking apart again, like glass being repeatedly shattered.

There was no logic; it wasn't just one person's memory but the memory of an entire city, of countless passersby.

They mixed and fused without reason, calling out to each other.

Zhu Ning only touched for a second, but the memory fragments pierced her brain like shards of glass, causing excruciating pain that nearly drove her mad.

If given another chance, she would never read the mind of a wall-outer creature.

Zhu Ning's eyes were covered in black slime, her face gradually contorting as mold grew on her cheeks.

Lin Xiaofeng could do nothing but hang there, anxiously looking at Pei Shu, who squatted at the edge of the rooftop, holding a protective mask, silently waiting beside Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning's hand turned inside Xiao Wu's body, feeling quite sticky, as if stirring porridge with her arm.

Her fingers moved upward, and two digits emerged, touching Xiao Wu's forehead from within.

Zhu Ning felt the chaotic memory fragments sink deeper, the glass shards thick, even causing blood to drip from her brain's surface.

Finally, Zhu Ning grasped a fragment, a bloody shard reflecting a pinpoint of light.

On the rooftop of an unfinished construction site, a little boy wearing a gas mask reached out and pushed hard, causing a little girl to lose her footing and fall with a thud.

"Apologize!" In the next scene, Aunt Lan grabbed Xiao Wu's arm and shouted, "You will apologize to me!"

Xiao Wu looked at Aunt Lan like a stubborn bull, his expression dark. Suddenly, as if he had seen a ghost, he took two steps back.

Boom—

Zhu Ning's head felt like it was about to explode. She gritted her teeth and quickly withdrew her hand before her incomplete system collapsed, having seen only that much.

"Pei Shu!" Zhu Ning shouted, using the rooftop edge to flip herself back up.

As she moved, the mold followed, and Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were no longer recognizable as human. The giant mold twisted, with countless faces trying to pull Zhu Ning back down.

Pei Shu had been waiting for this moment. As soon as Zhu Ning spoke, flames shot out, stopping the mold from surrounding her. The mold, like cotton candy, quickly collapsed.

The burning mold emitted a foul smell, and the mold throughout the building seemed to respond, writhing wildly. Pei Shu then created a ring of fire, enclosing the three of them.

Earlier, Pei Shu had speculated whether there was a pollution source here, but now it seemed there wasn't.

Zhu Ning's face was pale, mold growing under her eyes. She hadn't rested well, and this ordeal had nearly cost her half her life.

Pei Shu: "What were you doing?"

Zhu Ning, supported by Lin Xiaofeng, sat up. The mold on her face made her look extremely cold. "I read his memories."

"..." Pei Shu paused, objectively commenting, "You're insane."

He didn't know how to describe Zhu Ning's actions. From this, it seemed Zhu Ning might be even more insane than the pollution source.

Those are wall-outer pollutants; no one knows what's in their minds. If she read the memory of some so-called evil god, Zhu Ning might end up here, and Prometheus wouldn't even need to hunt her.

Zhu Ning breathed deeply, her arm completely covered in mold, like a tattooed sleeve, with no clean skin left.

Zhu Ning: "Prometheus is best at gathering information. If he can cheat, why can't I?"

When Zhu Ning said this, her head throbbed, as if still filled with glass shards. Prometheus's progress was definitely faster than hers.

Pei Shu was speechless. This was a battle between two players with cheats, and he couldn't interfere.

Pei Shu: "Why did you read now?"

Previously, I've encountered the mother and son a few times, why didn't I try to look into their memories before?

Zhu Ning: "I don't know if each mother-son pair has different key memories, but it could increase the chances."

She could only do this once; she never wanted to see the mind of a pollutant again unless absolutely necessary. It was too terrifying, nearly driving her to the brink of collapse.

Zhu Ning adjusted her breathing, "Tongtong was pushed down by Xiao Wu."

Pei Shu: "I guessed as much, there were gas masks scattered all over that side."

Under the pile of abandoned building materials, eyes peered out from among the steel bars, like countless heads buried beneath. This was the situation Pei Shu had intended to report.

When he first saw Xiao Wu wearing a gas mask, he thought Aunt Lan was afraid something might happen to her child. But according to Zhu Ning's memory reading, Xiao Wu had been wearing one for a long time, indicating they had them early on.

Lin Xiaofeng asked, "Why?"

She couldn't understand why a child would push another without any reason.

Zhu Ning: "I don't know, maybe we'll never have the chance to find out."

So many years have passed, the details of the truth have become blurred. It could be a naturally evil child, a whim, or simply a curiosity-driven act.

Including why they went up to the rooftop, why Tongtong trusted Xiao Wu, how they met, and how Xiao Wu managed to escape blame, none of these questions have answers.

This is no longer important; what matters is the pattern of pollution.

Pei Shu: "Is the source of the pollution in the mother and son's home?"

They had ruled out the crime scene, leaving only two possibilities.

Zhu Ning neither confirmed nor denied, but after catching her breath, she stared at the burning mold on the ground. Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were killed again.

It really wasn't very lethal; professionals could handle it easily, but why did it keep recurring?

Zhu Ning asked, "What do you think they're doing?"

Doctor Sheng is Tongtong's mother, living on Moon Street. Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu always said they were going to Moon Street for treatment, but it always seemed like they were circling around, unable to get close.

Pei Shu didn't understand; he had no parents, and many of the Federation's artificial humans lack traditional family values.

Beside him, Lin Xiaofeng suddenly said, "Apologizing?"

If she were in such a situation, regardless of whether Lin Xiaofeng was responsible, Su Qingqing would definitely take Lin Xiaofeng to apologize.

Both being single mothers, if your child died and mine survived, an apology is needed, even if just for show.

Zhu Ning nodded, "What if everything we've experienced is from the doctor's perspective?"

Lin Xiaofeng's face twisted, as if it made sense.

Perhaps Aunt Lan felt guilty, so she took Xiao Wu to seek forgiveness from the doctor.

The doctor refused to accept it, outright rejecting them, but Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were relentless, appearing at every bus stop and every intersection.

A mother and son, big and small, always visible, with Xiao Wu holding a flashlight, idly fiddling with it while waiting, showing no intention of apologizing.

That child was a murderer, a devil, and his mother, powerless to control him, indulged him. Why should they seek her forgiveness? Did her child deserve to die?

"Please forgive us."

"The child doesn't know better, you are a good person."

The doctor didn't want to forgive, and others even criticized her moral character, but in the doctor's eyes, Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were devils incarnate.

Devils everywhere, constantly recurring, waiting for her at the hospital entrance after work, in the parking lot when she drove, at traffic lights, and at intersections where she'd turn her head to see Aunt Lan leading Xiao Wu.

She opened the window and found Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu waiting downstairs.

"We need to find Doctor Sheng."

She went to work as usual, called the next patient, and Aunt Lan led Xiao Wu inside.

"You are a saint, please forgive us."

Online, there was widespread criticism of irresponsible parenting, gradually pushing the doctor beyond her limits, driving her nearly insane.

Later, whenever she saw a mother and child, the doctor felt fear.

She turned around, and the child pointed at her and shouted, "Mom! There's someone here!"

The doctor stepped back, unable to imagine why a child would use such an innocent tone, looking at her as if he had discovered something new and exciting.

Aunt Lan chased after, apologetic, patting Xiao Wu's arm, but it did nothing to stop him.

Apologize, apologize, in this world, apologies are the most meaningless thing.

Zhu Ning: "Initially, the mold spread through the air conditioning system, but Xiao Wu's family was poor and didn't have one installed."

This information was mentioned when Lin Xiaofeng first encountered Aunt Lan, and it seemed to be true.

During the global pollution outbreak, the doctor, to avoid the omnipresent mother and son and the media, stayed indoors every day, not even daring to go online.

Takeout boxes piled up at home, and the bowls in the sink had long since molded. During the global pollution outbreak, her mental breakdown became the source.

Everything Lin Xiaofeng experienced in the city of mold was an exaggerated version of what the doctor went through. Recalling carefully, Aunt Lan spoke gently, and Xiao Wu looked innocent. She could picture Xiao Wu sitting on the table, swinging his legs, and pointing at the shadow on the wall.

They seemed like good people, but something always felt off. Indeed, whenever Lin Xiaofeng exposed her back, she would be attacked.

Zhu Ning: "Everything is just speculation; we may need to visit the doctor's home again to find real evidence."

Zhu Ning had less information and hadn't reached a conclusion.

Lin Xiaofeng thought for a moment and asked, "Did the doctor get her revenge then?"

After the pollution spread, everyone in the city died, including Xiao Wu and Aunt Lan. The question was too laden with humanistic concern for Pei Shu to answer. In his eyes, everyone was a victim of the pollution. The case from years ago had long been buried in history, overshadowed by the fungal logic that now dominated. It didn't seem important anymore.

Lin Xiaofeng asked again, "Did the doctor orchestrate all this? Can we leave if we resolve her grudge?"

"No," Pei Shu replied, "The pollution only captures a segment of the logic."

Pei Shu corrected their understanding of the pollutants outside the wall. The orchestrator wasn't a specific person. Unlike the pollutants inside the wall, the source here could only be considered an origin point, devoid of any grudges.

The city of fungi had developed its own complete ecosystem, and they were merely repeating a pattern of pollution.

Pei Shu said, "To put it another way, humans initially derived principles from birds to invent airplanes, applying them to the field of flight manufacturing. But airplanes and birds are two different things. Especially with the latest technology of the Federation, only a segment of the principle is similar. Birds cannot understand what an airplane is exactly."

Pei Shu lived up to his role as a teacher; his example was quite apt. Zhu Ning also found it enlightening.

Lin Xiaofeng asked, "Why wasn't it like this when you came last time?"

When Pei Shu came here last time, there were only fungi and no living beings. He answered, "This is outside the wall. It might have been in a dormant state last time. Another possibility is that it was invaded by an external species, which borrowed the logic here. What you saw as Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were actually other forms of life."

Lin Xiaofeng got goosebumps; the bodies of Aunt Lan and Xiao Wu were still before her eyes.

Pei Shu said, "The Mother and Child Home and Moon Street—only these two places. I speculate that the latter is the source of pollution, and the former is the way out."

If this was a horror story from the doctor's perspective, this logic would indeed be useful. The place she least wanted to go to would be the home of the mother and child, making it the safest spot.

Pei Shu asked, "Are we running away?"

Having found the way out, the next step should be to evacuate the contaminated area.

Zhu Ning said, "Run? I need to eat."

Pei Shu: "..."

There were only two locations. It was unclear how Prometheus interpreted this story and where he would choose to wait. Zhu Ning was searching for the truth here to find a way to counterattack.

Prometheus hadn't wasted time at the abandoned construction site; in this race, Zhu Ning was already behind.

Pei Shu looked at the mess on the ground and asked, "I've always wondered how you plan to make your move."

If she were to act, what position would he and Lin Xiaofeng be in, and what roles would they play?

Zhu Ning was only half there; her lower limbs couldn't grow back quickly, and half of her face was already covered by fungi. She wouldn't last more than two more times.

Zhu Ning paused and said, "That paper figure ambushed me."

Last time, Zhu Ning didn't know about the existence of such a thing and stood there like a post, getting cut in half. This time, Zhu Ning could ambush him instead.