Chapter 54: Whose Gift is This?

Chapter 54: Whose Gift Could This Be?

There was no pond nearby that fit the description better than this one. Moreover, Bai Shengkai himself admitted that this pond indeed matched his preferences and his principle of seeking solitude and mystery.

The official staff quickly became fully equipped and thoroughly searched the mini pond.

Unlike Bai Shengkai, who could casually fish out 'good stuff,' the staff had to search inch by inch after draining the water.

Old, empty mineral water bottles, scattered hemp ropes, broken tree branches...

After retrieving a lot of debris and several river clams, each slightly larger than a matchbox, the staff successfully found the target in the mud.

After rinsing it off with mineral water, the original appearance of the box was revealed.

A wooden box with a pink base, accented with light yellow and blue, and the lid carved with an image of a fairy holding a mushroom. The craftsmanship was intricate.

It perfectly matched the description of the box in the story, even the slightly peeling paint matched exactly.

The staff carefully held the box and placed it into a specially designed small case. Besides being made of special materials, the case had an intricate internal design that, after adjustment, could snugly hold the box, preventing it from opening even slightly.

Not to mention smooth transportation, but even if the case were thrown down a staircase from a high building and tumbled down the stairs, the box wouldn't budge open.

After successfully securing the box in the case, ensuring that it couldn't pop open midway, they sealed the lid and locked it tight.

Only then did the staff breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" As for what to hurry, he didn't say, but the surrounding staff all understood.

When Sheng Qingquan got the news, the box had already been sent at the fastest speed to accompany the earliest space ring, which was also the culprit of the apocalypse crisis.

Since then, every time the officials developed new technology, as long as it was usable, they would continuously apply it to reinforce the sealed space ring.

Now, the box also enjoyed this treatment.

Originally, they planned to destroy the box along with the spores.

For example, by melting it in boiling steel, destroying the box while ensuring that any spores that flew out would be enveloped by the steel and burned to ashes.

After all, Sheng Qingquan's inner thoughts had mentioned that a few people had hallucinations from eating mushrooms.

These people couldn't have eaten them raw.

Whether stir-fried, boiled, or even in hot pot, the mushrooms were indeed cooked. That is to say, they were not heat-resistant.

It was entirely possible to attempt high-temperature destruction. If burned to ashes, it was believed that the spores could no longer spread.

However, Sheng Qingquan saw in the plot some related content.

"The sudden increase in spore content in the air, and the small mushrooms everywhere, were not unnoticed. The spores were somewhat obscure, and unless one was specifically researching this field, few would notice. But the small mushrooms, unless one was blind, who wouldn't see them?"

"However, everyone considered these as good things. Not only did no one think too much or reject them, but some even specially transplanted small mushrooms into flower pots at home, finding them delicate and cute, believing they could improve the home environment."

"When a resident's home 'caught fire,' the mushrooms were indeed burned along with it."

"But after the fire, the spore content around the resident's home significantly increased."

"The fire site was not dealt with, and soon it was occupied by more mushrooms."

"Whether it's the high temperature or destruction that plays a role here, the result is a significant stimulation of mushroom growth," concluded Sheng Qingquan.

Realizing this, who would dare mess with the box?

What if the box, which was perfectly intact and the spores peacefully contained inside, ended up spreading the spores because of their actions?

Better to lock it away.

In fact, Sheng Qingquan had hesitated about whether to attempt to manipulate the spores.

After all, mushrooms are a type of plant, and spores are the seeds of mushrooms.

Theoretically, he should be able to control them.

But given the gravity of the situation, Sheng Qingquan didn’t dare to suggest it casually.

What if the spores got out of control and spread everywhere? Wouldn't he be personally opening Pandora's box?

Plunging the whole world into chaos.

Thinking about how people infected by spores suffered in the story, and seeing how the survivors, upon regaining consciousness, were as vengeful as they were shattered afterward.

Every day, people leaped from skyscrapers. Not to mention other methods of self-destruction.

Some even brutally killed themselves to atone.

"If only we could give it a shot safely. If it doesn't work, we can just lock it back up," Sheng Qingquan couldn’t help but sigh.

After hesitating, he ultimately decided against making the request.

The risk was too high; he couldn’t take the chance.

And the leader, too, dared not easily make the request.

The slightest mistake could lead to disaster.

If it worked out, fine, but if it didn’t, the guilt could drive someone insane. Especially with Sheng Qingquan's usual temperament, the guilt could drive someone mad.

Forget about rewarding the hero, but certainly not pushing the hero into a deadly situation.

Both sides silently agreed to drop the matter. No one mentioned it.

The box was sealed and stored away.

"Qiankun Coin +8888."

Seeing concrete proof again that could change the course of things, Sheng Qingquan felt differently this time; he felt no joy.

He just couldn't feel joyful.

Even though the novel produced a merchandise gift, which somewhat confirmed his earlier guess about merchandise gifts, Sheng Qingquan’s spirits didn’t improve.

Until he saw the merchandise gift.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"It’s just another box!"

All his gloom and despair disappeared in an instant.

He leapt off the sofa in a flash, staring intently at the box, more thrilled than if he'd spotted a mouse in his living room.

The box floated in front of Sheng Qingquan.

Sheng Qingquan dodged but couldn’t avoid it; the box moved with his actions, positioning itself in front of him again, as if it were determined to stay.

"A pink wooden box, adorned with blue and yellow, carved with a fairy holding a lingzhi mushroom."

Having just read such a description in a novel and having seen a real photo from the leader, how could he not recognize it?

"How did this box get here?"

That was his immediate thought, and then Sheng Qingquan realized something was off by the box's vivid colors.

"Is this another box?"

"Holy crap, one box is already a headache. Now another one? Are they worried Tianlan Star might still be around?"

"Sending two nukes at once—one's a dud, but the other might blow?"

Sheng Qingquan was fuming.

"Who in their right mind gives something like this as a gift?"

"This isn't a gift—it's a disaster waiting to happen!"

Sheng Qingquan was both angry and anxious.

"Should I be grateful you didn't just drop a mushroom cloud on me?"

He dared not reach out to take the box, afraid it would latch onto his hand and never let go. Nor could he leave it floating in the air, worried it might crash and spill its contents.

Caught in a dilemma, Sheng Qingquan was nearly frantic, like a monkey scratching its head.

Before he could decide, he watched the box hurtle toward him, hitting him and popping open. The spores inside exploded outward.

"Aaaaaah!"

Sheng Qingquan screamed internally.

In a flash, his body sprang into action.

He had no time to curse the box's sneak attack, channeling all his mental energy to rein in the tiny spores.

Like scooping up spilled water, the spores streamed back into the box in an orderly line.

Sheng Qingquan closed the box, clutching it tightly to make sure it stayed shut.

After triple-checking to make sure no spores were left behind, he finally slumped onto the carpet, exhausted.

"That scared the life out of me!"

Thankfully, it all worked out.

But upon reflection, Sheng Qingquan found that controlling the spores wasn't that difficult.

Not to mention his vision, enhanced by genetic fluid, could clearly see the trajectory of each spore.

And as his power spread out, each spore seemed alive, almost screaming in response.

It's hard not to notice, each one more eye-catching than the last.

Most importantly, once controlled, they become incredibly obedient.

If told not to fly around, they stay put.

Unlike ordinary plants, once the control is withdrawn, the connection breaks. To continue controlling them, you’d need to reconnect.

These spores, Sheng Qingquan could clearly feel that some of his energy had been drained.

But at the same time, he found that even after withdrawing his power, he could still sense what the spores were up to.

It's like now, the spores were chattering and hopping around, complaining, protesting his cruel move of locking them up in a dark box.

Sheng Qingquan extended a finger, tapped the box, and the spores fell silent, as Sheng Qingquan wished, all falling quiet.

But after a while, some spores couldn’t resist speaking up, hesitantly saying they didn’t want to stay in the box.

Sheng Qingquan could even feel that, rather than playing around or being confined, they’d rather be inside his body.

If it weren't for the fact that these spores, with a terrifying hallucinogenic effect, were indeed the same as those in the plot, Sheng Qingquan might’ve thought they were a whole different species.

Sheng Qingquan even had a vague feeling that if these spores were nurtured, they’d become even more powerful.

And the easiest way to nurture them was for him, their master, to absorb them into his body.

Sheng Qingquan didn’t hesitate much before making a decision.

He was all alone, just his name on the family register. If something went wrong, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone grieving.

However, Sheng Qingquan was also afraid that his belief in the spores’ obedience might just be a hallucination-induced illusion.

If he were 'turned', the chaos he could unleash on Tianlanxing, now possessing many good things, was something he was well aware of.

Glancing back at the leader’s earlier advice,

Sheng Qingquan, who had initially wanted to act immediately, silently contacted the leader.

Half an hour later, too scared to keep piloting the mech, Sheng Qingquan, wearing a mask, finally absorbed the subdued spores into his body under heavy guard.

The entire process was calm, without a single ripple. It was as calm as if he’d just sipped tea instead of doing something risky.

After waiting for most of the day, the on-edge army finally let their guard down.

Even so, Sheng Qingquan didn’t dare to leave.

After observing for half a month, with no incidents occurring and the spores in his body obeying him like they were part of him, even the mushrooms grown from them, when mature, did not release spores unless allowed, remaining in a state of not shedding spores. They were surprisingly well-behaved.

Moreover, whether they were hallucinogenic or not, the effects could now be controlled.

Everyone decided to conduct an experiment.

The staff brought two chickens, and Sheng Qingquan sent the spores into one of them. The staff then placed a worm, which the chickens usually ate, in front of them.

The spore-infused chicken, upon seeing the worm, melted in expression, its eyes even looked loving, soft as water.

When the ordinary chicken noticed the worm on the ground, a fat and large one, and lowered its head to peck at it, the spore-infused chicken suddenly rushed over, flapping its wing to push the ordinary chicken away.

It was so angry that the feathers on its neck stood up, spreading its wings and instantly entering a combat stance.

The spore chicken's sharp beak and claws relentlessly attacked the ordinary chicken, its wings flapping vigorously.

It looked as if the ordinary chicken was out to kill its dream lover.

The ordinary chicken, just wanting to eat a worm: completely baffled???

What the heck are you doing?

Instead of eating that plump worm, you go and attack me.

The ordinary chicken took a few steps back, trying to distance itself from the apparently crazy spore chicken.

As the spore chicken relentlessly pursued and the ordinary chicken defended itself, Sheng Qingquan took control of the spores within the spore chicken.

The hallucination state could be stopped after being induced, unlike in the plot where one had to wait for the hallucination effect to wear off on its own.

Sheng Qingquan stopped the spore chicken's hallucination.

The once aggressive spore chicken suddenly forgot what it had just done and immediately noticed a fresh, wriggling worm nearby.

The spore chicken dashed over, quickly pecked at the worm, and ate it. It then looked at the other chicken that hadn't gotten the worm, raised its neck, and let out a triumphant cluck, "Cluck-cluck!"

The ordinary chicken wasn't provoked or impressed; it was just more confused: So it was just about fighting over food, just a worm, albeit a plump one, but was it really worth going all out?

The staff put both chickens back into their cages and brought in new ones.

After several experiments, the results were quite successful. The spores were very obedient, doing exactly what they were told and nothing more.

However, everyone was still a little on edge.

A volunteer decided to let Sheng Qingquan test it on them.

With a human subject, Sheng Qingquan didn't dare to use any extreme scenarios.

So, the brave volunteer, upon coming to after more than ten minutes, found everyone avoiding eye contact, not daring to look directly at him.

What happened?

Did I lose it?

It doesn't seem like it.

If I had really gone berserk, this place would have been in chaos. And I know my limits; I wasn't restrained and could move freely. I couldn't have gone berserk.

So what happened?

The volunteer freaked out, but soon remembered what had just occurred.

Just moments ago, he had poured out his feelings to each of his comrades present.

"Qiangzi, I've actually been into you for a long time, ever since you first stood next to me in formation..."

"Heitan, you're the darkest among all of us, your dark skin is super masculine, I..."

"Langge, I know you have a partner and have applied to get married. I wanted to control myself, but I didn't realize my feelings for you were this deep. I just couldn't help myself, I'm so jealous..."

"Datou, even though your feet smell bad, I still like you..."

"Banzhang, your marksmanship is the most accurate, not only hitting the target but also right through my heart, I..."

"Pfft!" Laughter erupted throughout the scene.

We’re highly trained professionals; no matter how funny it gets, we won't laugh—unless we can't help it!

Now, facing the continuous snorts of laughter, the volunteer felt even more panicked.

I can't stand being in this team for another day.

Can someone tell me how to get off Blue Star? Leader, I want to wander off into space alone!