As a Charming Mushroom, I Fell into the Apocalypse (MUSHROOM)
The man's wounds weren't limited to one place; the most severe was a deep penetrating injury in his abdomen, where a sharp weapon had sliced through, leaving the cross-section bloody and flesh torn apart.
This made the wound Hui Gu was standing on seem trivial in comparison, and his weight—less than that of an egg—couldn't cause any harm.
Mushrooms tend to prefer damp, shady environments, and human blood didn't carry the strange fishy smell of other mutant species.
For the first time, Hui Gu didn't feel repulsed; instead, he was somewhat curious about this soft sensation.
He lowered his head to get a closer look when suddenly, a powerful force gripped his Mushroom Cap, and he watched as the ground abruptly rose beneath him.
"Gooji Gooji!"!!"
Human! Let me down!
Like a startled kitten suddenly grabbed by the scruff of its neck, the little gray mushroom began writhing wildly, trying to break free.
The noise was incredibly noisy, somewhat resembling the squeaky toys children used to squeeze.
And utterly lacking in combat prowess.
Gu Wang fell silent again for two seconds, as if using up a year's worth of confusion in that moment.
How did such a weak little thing survive in the wasteland…?
A faint curiosity didn't linger long. Accustomed to life and death, and countless experiences dancing on the edge of a blade had taught him not to pity any mutant creature.
Mutant creatures and humans were never meant to stand on the same side from the very beginning. The craving for blood and the desire to devour flesh were innate instincts after mutation.
Even an insignificant, ugly mushroom like this was an enemy.
The curiosity in Gu Wang's eyes vanished, replaced by icy coldness.
Whoosh—a perfect arc traced through the air.
Hui Gu was tossed out just like that.
Hui Gu: ???
He landed on the ground and even rolled a couple of times before lifting his head in confusion to look at the man.
It took him a few seconds to realize that he had been thrown away like a piece of trash.
The world fell into dead silence once again.
Only the heavy, labored breathing from his injuries and the faint sound of a heartbeat remained, as if isolating all signs of life.
The next moment, the invisible barrier was broken.
"Guji guji!!"
Gu Wang: "..."
The man opened his eyes again.
His dark eyes held a trace of helplessness that even he himself hadn't noticed.
This time, the little gray mushroom grew even more furious, leaping up like a tiny cannonball and landing squarely on his shoulder.
It let out a completely non-intimidating chirp right by his ear.
The human froze.
Hui Gu felt a bit proud, thinking the man had been intimidated by his "ferocious" cry.
He scrutinized Gu Wang up and down when suddenly, the man raised his hand.
Assuming he was about to be grabbed again, the little gray mushroom instantly shrank back, its white stem nearly disappearing, leaving only a round Mushroom Cap.
A few seconds passed, and nothing happened.
Hui Gu cautiously peeked out again.
A slender, well-defined hand was extended toward him. It should have been a beautiful hand, but the fine scars and calluses from gun practice made it slightly rough.
Yet, its owner seemed unusually patient at this moment.
Instead of roughly plucking him off and tossing him away, Gu Wang waited quietly.
Like a newborn animal leaving its nest for the first time, Hui Gu warily eyed the large hand before him and tentatively sniffed at it, much like a small creature.
He had no nose, but his sense of smell was sharp.
The man carried a unique scent, and his hand held a faint trace of metallic rust, giving Hui Gu a strange, unfamiliar feeling.
He shook his Mushroom Cap like a kitten shaking its head, then cautiously hopped onto the palm.
The palm was soft, warm, and dry.
It was the unique warmth of a human body.
Hui Gu felt a sense of novelty and couldn't resist bouncing a little.
A faint tickling sensation spread, but Gu Wang's expression remained frosty. In contrast, his movements were gentle as he cupped the wildly bouncing little mushroom and set it back on the ground before giving it a slight nudge forward.
He sighed imperceptibly in his heart.
It really seemed to be a dumb mushroom that had failed its mutation.
No normal mutant creature would willingly jump into a human's palm.
With his strength, a light squeeze would be enough to crush this mushroom into dust.
Gu Wang's gaze toward Hui Gu grew complicated.
There had been similar cases before—a very small number of creatures, after failing their mutation, wouldn't immediately explode and die. Instead, they would lose their craving for flesh and survival, drifting through life in a daze.
In simpler terms, they turned into "fools."
Could a creature stripped of all its instincts still be considered alive?
Such existences were exceedingly rare, and even if they did appear, they would quickly become food for other mutants or humans in the early days of the apocalypse.
Somehow, this mushroom had managed to survive. Perhaps it was because it looked too ordinary and unremarkable, hiding in the soil all along and going unnoticed.
He had no penchant for bullying the weak.
Besides... he didn't have much longer to live anyway.
Gu Wang lowered his head to glance at the wound torn open by his companion's betrayal, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
As the chief of Dawn Base, the only Super S-class mutant in all of humanity, and the backbone who led the human side to victory in the war against tens of thousands of undead just a month ago...
To think that one day he wouldn't die under the fangs of mutant creatures, but would instead be betrayed by his own kind.
How ironic.
Gu Wang lowered his eyelids to conceal those deeply complex emotions. His shadowed expression resembled a wraith ready to drag someone into the boundless abyss of hell at any moment, every breath carrying a bone-chilling, barely restrained killing intent.
A suffocating silence spread through the air, clutching at people's throats with a pain that robbed them of any ability to make a sound.
Amid this atmosphere so intense it bred anxiety and unease, something soft suddenly brushed against his cheek again.
Hui Gu, who had been chased away repeatedly, not only hadn't left but instead grew more determined with each rejection. This time he became even bolder, pressing directly against the man's face and bumping against it with a mix of curiosity and provocation.
"Ji?"
Seeing that the man showed no reaction, Hui Gu immediately puffed up with confidence.
Indeed, even intelligent humans couldn't escape the charm of the Great Mushroom King!
All living creatures would bow before the Great Mushroom King!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Hui Gu threw his head back to laugh triumphantly at the sky, but accidentally tumbled down again. In his dazed and disoriented state, he seemed to see the man staring at him.
The look in his eyes was far too complex for a little mushroom like him to comprehend.
But his luck was incredibly good—he had actually managed to fall right into the open pocket at the man’s side.
This time, he was finally not driven away again. The man seemed to ignore him, forcing himself to stand and walk deeper into the wasteland.
After the apocalypse, nights had grown longer than before.
In another two hours, it would be dark.
Gu Wang knew all too well that the direction he was heading in was the territory of an S-Class Titan Arum.
In the past, this wouldn’t have posed a threat to him, but ever since he was severely injured a month ago while protecting the base, he had been unable to fully unleash his supernatural ability—let alone now, with his injuries compounded.
Even if he were to become nourishment for a Mutated Plant, he would never turn back and fall into the hands of the Vice-Chief and his followers.
Shen Yi, Ji Nianwen…
Gu Wang’s fingers began to twitch unconsciously. A damp, chilling intent to kill slowly spread through his heart, his consciousness grew hazy, and the bones in his body seemed to creak along with his teetering awareness at the edge of hell.
Kill.
The simple two characters, as if exaggerated by cinematic techniques, were stained a deep crimson by blood, materializing and densely flooding his mind in an instant.
Even the simplest breath carried the metallic tang of blood.
A side effect of becoming a new human.
Some extremists also called it the same instinct as mutant creatures.
This time, it came with overwhelming force. Before his eyes, there was only a field of blood-red.
Gu Wang’s fingers trembled slightly as he reached into his pocket.
Inside was a specially formulated sedative, developed specifically for new humans experiencing mutation-related episodes.
His dosage was more than three times the normal amount. If not for his high level, an ordinary mutant would suffer terrifying side effects from just one injection.
He had to inject it every time he went out, and these toxins had long seeped into every blood vessel in his body. He had already used today’s dose; using it again would increase the strain on his body.
But now was not the time to worry about such things. To survive, he had to use every resource available.
Before his chaotic thoughts could settle, his fingertips brushed against something incredibly soft.
Hui Gu in the pocket: ?
Poked on his Mushroom Cap, he looked up in confusion and let out a soft “gu.”
Gu Wang paused briefly. In his blurred vision, he could only see a mushroom left in his pocket, along with the energy bar he kept for emergencies.
The bullets and sedative that should have been there were long gone.
Even the energy bar… only half remained.
Some grain fragments were stuck to the mushroom’s body.
The culprit was now looking up at him innocently, completely unaware of the trouble he had caused.
Hui Gu, spoiled rotten, had long developed a bad temper. Even though he had insisted on squeezing into this pocket and refused to come out, he still had the nerve to complain about the lack of space.
So, he had just tossed out everything else in the pocket that he didn’t like.
Weird metal things? Tossed.
Liquid that didn’t smell good to drink? Tossed!
Hui Gu had just finished happily clearing himself a comfortable new nest when he was discovered.
He looked blankly at Gu Wang, utterly unaware of the mess he had made.
“You…” The man’s voice was low and hoarse. He didn’t finish his sentence, but instead used some force to lift the mushroom out.
His mind was slowly losing reason, leaving only a desire to destroy everything.
He gradually tightened his fingers, as if intending to crush this fragile little creature, as weak as a fledgling bird.
The concept of any existence once again faded from his mind.
"Chirp!"
Hui Gu felt a sharp pain and instinctively released his spores.
The spores carrying pheromones spread toward the surrounding living creatures, a peculiar sweet fragrance seeming to penetrate skin and bone.
A moment of clarity flashed through, like lightning splitting through layers of terrifying thick clouds, the sudden brightness bringing transparent clarity as all consciousness returned.
The burning bloodlust that constantly tormented his heart was now replaced by rationality.
Gu Wang regained his vision, but the softness transmitted through his fingertips made his heart tremble slightly. He rarely came into contact with such soft beings, so he instinctively loosened his grip.
The round little gray mushroom fell back into the pocket again.
Hui Gu didn't know he had just brushed shoulders with death, only that he had been pinched painfully.
"Gugu jiji!"
You stupid thing! Bad thing!
Though he couldn't understand, it was probably quite vulgar.
Gu Wang watched the chubby mushroom struggling in his pocket but unable to jump out, a strange feeling flashing through his heart.
He didn't remember what had happened in those brief minutes, but now his eyes were completely focused on this little mutant creature throwing a tantrum.
Gu Wang's thin lips moved: "So small, yet quite temperamental."
After speaking, he couldn't resist poking it with his finger.
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