CHAPTER 600: CHAPTER 303: FAREWELL, BROTHER HUO!

"Brother Huo, where are you!"

In the communicator, Lin Xian’s voice rang out. Standing on the rooftop of Yijin City, Lu Xingchen heard Lin Xian’s voice, sighed long and deeply, and then picked up the communicator and said, "Brother Lin, I sense some disturbances in the city, perhaps related to the changes in that Mushroom Tower. It is an ominous sign; you must prepare yourselves, for these days, the sky is bound to change."

At this time, both KIKI and Lin Xian in the ascending elevator had somber expressions.

"What is this guy doing, why didn’t he tell us earlier about being parasitized by the mycelium, does he want to act as some hero on his own?!" Though usually joking about Lu Xingchen’s second youth syndrome, KIKI’s expression was now filled with anxious worry upon hearing this news.

Lin Xian’s face was solemn: "Director Ding said the survival pod at the Zero Element Center has a mycelium isolation device; if there’s still time, this might be the only solution to save Brother Huo."

"Yeah." KIKI nodded, "He is a Superpower User; he should... have more resistance than ordinary people."

This too was just her guess, but in such a situation now, there was no other way. The two could only risk bringing Brother Huo back first.

Bang.

The floor of the vault opened once more, and without a word, KIKI grabbed Lin Xian and flew out immediately.

"My communication relay is only set up around this building, he shouldn’t be too far away."

"Good!"

The two rushed rapidly; as soon as they exited the bank’s doorway, the human heat-sensing radar on Lin Xian’s Lone Wolf S Power Armor immediately captured the direction of the rooftop.

"He’s over there!"

Whoosh.

The two immediately ascended all the way, quickly reaching the rooftop of Yijin Bank’s high building and saw Lu Xingchen standing on the edge of the roof.

At this moment, he bore a proud yet slightly desolate expression, as if he had long been prepared to sacrifice himself.

Lu Xingchen saw Lin Xian and KIKI arriving, and his expression shifted slightly, instantly raising his hand to stop them from approaching, saying

"Brother Lin, don’t come closer. The mycelium on me is all-pervasive, and the flames cannot harm me. If I implicated you, I would die with regrets."

"Hey!"

KIKI stepped forward first and angrily reprimanded, "Don’t you have great aspirations of becoming immortal and divine? How can you just end it all on your own when facing a problem? Aren’t you going to ask us, ask Director Ding? Maybe we have a way; we still have the all-purpose Medical Cabin!!"

"What exactly is going on now, how serious is it?" Lin Xian immediately asked.

Lu Xingchen sighed slightly upon hearing and stood with his hands behind his back, saying

"I am not someone who’s afraid of death. I have seen the dreadful states of those who are infected by the mycelium. No medicine can cure it; rather than having my entire body covered by mycelium, rotting like dead wood, I might as well..."

"Might as well what?" Lin Xian furrowed his brow and said, "Just now, there was a woman at the Zero Element Center who woke up from the mycelium infection. She’s just an ordinary person; are you even less than a woman?"

"Exactly, hurry, come back with us. Maybe Sister Ding has a way!" KIKI said anxiously.

Lin Xian’s words made Lu Xingchen’s eyes flicker, but soon he spoke with a rebellious expression

"No need. I’ve investigated; the mycelium on me grows from within. Even if I use Fire Power, I cannot eradicate it."

Speaking, he looked towards the towering crown afar and said, "I already know of the crisis; the city has already begun to stir. If I’m connected by the mycelium, our position on the Infinity and escape route, perhaps all will be detected by that ominous creature. I don’t want to see such a situation happen, so..."

Lin Xian looked at him, "What are you going to do?"

Lu Xingchen’s eyes focused, shouting, "I already have a foolproof plan!"

"What foolproof plan?" KIKI furrowed her brow and said.

Lu Xingchen pointed remotely towards the Heavenly Mushroom Tower, his eyes revealing a grand intention, and said

"Brother Lin, rest assured to lead the convoy out. As you withdraw from Yijin City, I will use the Fire of Destruction to burn down that Demon Tower, completely igniting the entire Filthy City. It can attract the abnormal bodies within the territory to aid your retreat, and it can simultaneously annihilate the mycelium network that harmed hundreds of thousands of people. With the inferno of my death, calling upon the Heavenly Flame to purge the demons, how exhilarating! Hahahahaha!"

Lin Xian was moved upon hearing this, looking towards Lu Xingchen and said

"Have you really decided?"

"Lin Xian!" hearing Lin Xian’s tone, KIKI thought he was going to give up on Brother Huo like he did with Tang Yun, and she was instantly anxious.

Lu Xingchen nodded, turned to look at Lin Xian and KIKI, and then his face slightly darkened, speaking to Lin Xian in an unusually serious tone.

"Brother Lin, walking this path with you all, since the apocalypse, was the time I slept most peacefully and lived most freely. No matter how many life-and-death crises we encountered, as long as there are people who need me, I feel it worth dying a thousand deaths. So I am very grateful that you let me ride your train, considered me a partner, respected my habits, and even specially made a tea brewing machine for me..."

"To be honest." Lu Xingchen’s gaze turned towards Lin Xian, and his expression shifted emotionally, "There’s a secret I’ve never told anyone else; actually, I too escaped from an Abnormal Power Lab in an underground facility in the Deep Red World, just like Xiao Qing Ah Bai. I don’t know how many floors I was kept on, maybe a hundred meters underground, or two hundred, nor do I remember how many days I was confined. Those experiments were more terrifying to me than the apocalypse, so ever since I escaped, I never wanted to enter any enclosed space or underground again. Now... I’m really going to die, I only wish not to be buried underground after my death. Maybe after this darkness burns away, I can still bask in the sun..."

Lin Xian listened, his expression darkened. He finally understood why Lu Xingchen liked sunbathing, why he was unwilling to enter the underground research facility in Qingshui Town, why he behaved so unusually when the Joint Train entered the underground tunnel.