CHAPTER 550: CHAPTER 290: MYCELIUM HUMAN HEAD_2

"Let’s go up and take a look," Lin Xian pointed to the sky.

"Alright." KIKI released her telekinesis, tossing away the humanoid mushroom. With a crack, the mushroom’s head broke off from the neck, rolling across the ground with its mycelium and caps, like rotten old wood.

Soon, KIKI enveloped them with a telekinesis shield and they swiftly ascended into the sky.

Before long, they reached several hundred meters above ground. The fierce wind whipped mycelium debris against their anti-toxic masks. Lin Xian tightened the cable, lifted his head, and his pupils contracted sharply as he gazed down; the once bustling Yijin City was now eerily silent, completely shrouded in strange fungal growths. What used to be a prominent western tourist city had turned into a domain of mushroom spores. Fungal networks flowed like glowing rivers on the surface, and spore clouds rolled slowly among the buildings. Lin Xian felt a subtle shock in his heart seeing this scene. He started to agree with KIKI; if it weren’t for those eerie humanoid mushrooms, this place might indeed resemble some kind of alien landscape, filled with an unusual beauty.

But they couldn’t look too closely. As soon as they got nearer, they saw brownish-yellow fungal vines, like spider webs entwined intricately, covering the buildings and the ground in layers. Water droplets on the inside of the mask slid into Lin Xian’s collar, sending a chill down his spine. Those bioluminescent mushrooms seemed to flicker slightly, brightening and dimming. The entire mushroom nest city resonated in a rhythmic contraction, like the tightening of a womb, causing a visceral discomfort.

"I remember before Apocalypse Day, Yijin was a trending spot for online posts, where many people would come for tourism, participate in the western bloom festival, and ride a steam train through the salt marshes and canyons. Oh right, there were also many casinos here, a bit like the Las Vegas of Dragon Country, and they always said the roasted lamb and rose pies were delicious..."

KIKI started to ramble while gazing at the city silhouette in the dark, then suddenly turned to Lin Xian and asked, "Do you think the Extreme Night covers these cities just to grow these little mushrooms?"

Lin Xian used the reconnaissance radar and air detection system on his power armor to investigate, and then said directly to KIKI,

"Alright, let’s go back. The air is fine, but we must be wary of these tiny spores in the air, and the dark onslaught during the Extreme Night could be a big problem too."

"You’re right."

The two returned to the Infinity carriage, where Lin Xian first checked the Heterogeneous Rubik’s Cube. After confirming no dark onslaught inside the carriage, he felt relieved with the double assurance.

"Everyone stay in the carriage, I’ll form a temporary team to go into the city and collect materials, Dragon Mountain No.1 prep the track-laying machine in advance."

"Captain Lin, I’ll go with you, taking Ah Bai along," Ning Jing spoke up immediately after hearing Lin Xian’s plan.

"Count me in too!" Luo Yang shouted, "Captain Lin, my night vision is excellent, take me along."

Lin Xian considered for a moment and said, "Prepare your power armors, and if they’re not fully enclosed, make sure to wear anti-toxic masks."

Ever since the experience in the pseudo town, Lin Xian felt that having a few masters guarding him was the right decision. The 15-kilometer-long train was parked there, and those giant night rats posed no threat to it, so he might as well bring more people for safety.

As for Lin Xian’s team, KIKI was naturally going. Surprisingly, Brother Huo was also eager to join this time.

"Aren’t you fond of guarding the train? Why do you want to come with us this time?" KIKI looked curiously at Lu Xingchen.

Lu Xingchen flashed a charming smile, "In Extreme Night, we can’t face the darkness with gentleness, we need fire."

Lin Xian found it momentarily hard to argue with Lu Xingchen’s words but understood the real reason was this guy was utterly crushed in Xilan City. Being an outstanding superpower user of Frenzy Level, never mind striving for the first S-Class kill, he was chased around the city by giant bugs and massive sea urchins, needing two others to carry him while flying. This was unacceptable for Lu Xingchen, who considered himself the Fire God. From earlier to now, Lin Xian noticed he seemed a bit downcast, but the mention of a team expedition instantly perked him up.

"Then it’ll be the six of us..."

"Plus me," Ding Junyi suddenly emerged from the back of the crowd, hands casually tucked in pockets, and before Lin Xian could speak, she said, "Fungal beings differ fundamentally from plants, lacking chloroplasts, obtaining energy through decomposing organic matter (heterotrophy), and relying on secreted enzymes to decompose and absorb dead/live organic matter. I’m very interested in these dark fungi living in the Extreme Night, and I can now sense the Dark Mark on me directly. Is there any reason not to include me?"

"Doesn’t seem like it." Lin Xian exhaled a long breath upon hearing this, realizing Ding Junyi was indeed very suitable. She could even directly absorb the dark onslaught, converting it into pure energy for herself. It was astonishing, and this peculiar fungal city certainly needed Ding Junyi’s assistance in research.

"Teacher Chen," Lin Xian said to Chen Sixuan, "then you guard the train. With so many people coming with me, it should be safe."

"Hmm." Chen Sixuan nodded, "You all be careful."

Soon, a team comprising Lin Xian, KIKI, Ding Junyi, Brother Huo, Ning Jing, Ah Bai, and Luo Yang assembled successfully. The goal was simple: assist Lin Xian in entering the city, devouring materials, and then constructing tracks for escape.

The rest of the larger team remained quietly guarding the train. Meanwhile, the engineers of Dragon Mountain No.1 had discreetly begun their operations, utilizing temporary tracks and cranes to complete the installation of the track-laying machine, removing a train head separately. Concurrently, other teams also sent several people to assist, all clad in power armors and anti-toxic masks, while Shi Deyuan, Teacher Chen Sixuan from Infinity, Monica, Qian Deli, Li Yi, and others focused on defense tasks.