As a Charming Mushroom, I Fell into the Apocalypse (MUSHROOM)
Whether Yu Zhenxin truly welcomed a new human stronger than himself, they couldn’t know.
At the very least, he put on a good show.
They were assigned to a rather high-class residence.
Though called a residence, it was actually a former shop that had been converted, but it had basic tables, chairs, and equipment, along with a bed that looked quite comfortable.
Such conditions weren’t just good for a Shelter—even in a large base, this would be considered a well-appointed temporary dwelling.
If they could clear out such a temporary residence so quickly, it was either because they had ample resources or because they had prepared in advance.
Yu Zhenxin, following behind them, never lost his smile, maintaining a scholarly demeanor: "Please rest for now. Later, join us for the dinner I’ve prepared for you."
Gu Wang didn’t speak, only nodding.
Whether in height or presence, he seemed more like the leader here than Yu Zhenxin.
Just standing among the crowd, he seemed separated from everyone by an invisible barrier, his unique aura making others hesitant to approach.
Yet Yu Zhenxin showed no dissatisfaction with his aloof attitude, exchanging a few more polite words.
Wang Xiaojun, with Fang Xiangxiang trailing behind, looked somewhat confused and asked, "Then where will we stay?"
Someone replied with a hint of dismissiveness: "Follow me. New humans in the Shelter have different treatment from ordinary people. You won’t have to squeeze in with them."
Even though Wang Xiaojun was only D-Class, he was still a new human, and besides, he had Fang Xiangxiang, a C-Class, to accompany him.
Even in front of Gu Wang, they made no effort to hide their emphasis on class distinctions.
Their words showed no regard for the feelings of ordinary people, as if such hierarchies were natural.
Gu Wang frowned slightly.
It was an extremely subtle gesture, but Yu Zhenxin noticed it immediately.
He smiled and said, "Sorry to make you witness that, but it’s for the sake of better management."
Anyone can spout pretty words.
By allowing his subordinate to speak this way in their presence, he wanted to see whether this Super A-Class new human shared the same ideals as him.
Ordinary people naturally only deserved the bare minimum of resources, while all central resources should be concentrated on those with ability.
This world had long become a massive pyramid structure, where only the strong could stand at the pinnacle.
If their views aligned, all would be well. If not...
Yu Zhenxin’s smile remained perfectly intact, completely masking his true thoughts.
Hui Gu secretly watched this human from inside the pocket, feeling both bored and unwilling to look at such a hypocritical face.
His patience finally ran out, and he began to fidget inside the pocket.
Rolling over and over.
If Gu Wang hadn’t emphasized it earlier, he would have already started grumbling.
Though the mushroom was small, new humans possessed keen observation skills. Gu Wang had to slip his hand into his pocket, pretending to retrieve something while gently stroking Hui Gu’s head with his fingertip.
Soothed for a moment, Hui Gu quieted down temporarily.
Only after everyone had left and Gu Wang had inspected the room to ensure it was safe and free of risks did he finally let Hui Gu out.
Hui Gu immediately shot out like a little cannonball, landing on the newly laid bedding and creating a small, round dent.
After struggling on the soft quilt for a while, Gu Wang finally took pity and reached out to scoop him up.
Hui Gu showed no embarrassment at all. Like a young lion, he began patrolling his territory, quickly exploring the entire room before sprawling on the bed like a boss: "Squeak!" Human! Serve me!
Gu Wang ignored him and headed to the bathroom in the room to prepare for a bath.
Though the space was a bit cramped, at least he could wash away the grime accumulated over the past few days.
The lack of hot water wasn’t an issue for him.
As Gu Wang was halfway through undressing, he suddenly sensed an intense gaze.
"..."
He turned his head and, sure enough, saw the Grey Mushroom standing on the sink, staring at him intently.
Hui Gu was curious: "Squeak?" Why aren’t you taking off more?
He had never seen a human naked before.
He really didn’t understand why humans had to wear clothes—he himself was always openly bare!
Before Hui Gu could see what he wanted, a large hand picked him up, plunging him into darkness as the sound of running water filled his ears.
Hui Gu: ?
Before he could react, he was placed in a basin filled with water.
A faint smile tugged at Gu Wang’s lips: "Perfect timing to give you a bath too."
The man revealed a hint of hidden mischief with a straight face.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!!"
The mushroom, who had never experienced a bath before, was utterly panicked.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!"
After a few moments of flailing, his lightweight body began to float on the water’s surface.
Hui Gu’s eyes widened in amazement, as if discovering a whole new world.
Wow!
So much fun.
Instantly, he forgot all other thoughts, consumed by playfulness.
Seeing that the mushroom wouldn’t sink, Gu Wang changed his originally poised, ready-to-scoop posture and gently scrubbed Hui Gu’s body.
Despite the gentle motion, the rough texture of his fingertips caused slight discomfort, making Hui Gu shake his head like a child resisting a face wash.
He muttered grumbling protests under his breath.
Gu Wang didn’t force it. Once he confirmed the mushroom wasn’t dirty, he withdrew his hand.
Leaving Hui Gu to play in the water on his own.
A small basin of water was more than enough for a mushroom.
Hui Gu swam around leisurely, showing no concern about submerging himself.
While Hui Gu was giggling foolishly on the water's surface, Gu Wang quickly took off his clothes, wiped his entire body clean, and rinsed vigorously with cold water until he was completely spotless. He then swiftly put on the new clothes he had dug out from the closet.
The size was already large, but for someone nearly 1.9 meters tall with well-built muscles like him, it was still a bit tight, making his chest appear somewhat constricted.
Gu Wang didn't pay attention to these details. He scooped up the soaking wet Hui Gu, wiped him dry with a piece of paper, and placed him by the pillow, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Sleep."
Tired from playing, Hui Gu didn't bother with the Incubator's audacious act of insolence just now. He voluntarily rolled over twice, snuggled up against the man's neck, let out a soft hum, and began to drift off to sleep.
Sleeping near the carotid artery, the faint, peculiar scent on the man's body grew stronger.
It was truly something a mushroom would love.
Gu Wang's pupils contracted slightly, and a vein on his arm twitched.
He wasn't used to having anyone close to his vital spots.
Especially since this was a mutant creature.
But after a while, he ultimately suppressed his instincts and didn't shoo away the little Grey Mushroom, slowly closing his eyes.
...
Gu Wang was awakened by a soft, fluffy sensation stepping on his face.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the Grey Mushroom standing proudly on his face with a haughty little expression.
Seeing him wake up, Hui Gu showed no awareness of having disturbed someone's peaceful sleep and casually greeted him.
"Squeak." Hey, human.
Gu Wang's eyes quickly regained clarity, his dark pupils so calm they didn't seem like those of someone who had just woken up.
He glanced at the time, his expression unchanged, but inwardly, he felt surprised.
Even the toughest person needs a bit of sleep.
But he never expected that he actually managed to sleep soundly for four or five hours without any nightmares.
Ever since his pollution level was about to reach the critical point, he had to wake up every half hour; otherwise, he would be trapped in nightmares.
In his dreams, there was always a voice trying to make him completely lose his rationality and turn into a beast, starting to kill.
Whether it was mutant creatures or humans, as long as it was fresh flesh and blood, it could soothe this broken soul.
Had he overlooked something? Had his pollution level decreased?
Before Gu Wang could think too much, Hui Gu, who received no response, stepped on his face repeatedly in dissatisfaction.
"Ji!" Human, wake up.
He was hungry.
The delicate little mushroom couldn't bear hunger.
It had been twenty hours since his last meal.
So the first thing Hui Gu did upon waking was to rouse his "servant."
Gu Wang didn't mind at all having a mushroom step on his face—the pressure felt no different from a tickle.
It was somewhat like a kitten kneading his heart, leaving soft traces bit by bit.
He understood what he meant and sat up, catching the mushroom as it rolled down.
Before Hui Gu, lying in his palm, could react, his little belly was poked.
Just as he was about to get angry and bite the man's finger, he heard Gu Wang's affirmative voice.
Gu Wang said with a serious expression, "Hmm, it really is flat."
If he didn't feed him soon, he would throw another tantrum.
To be precise, he had already started.
The man lifted him onto the pillow. "Stay here quietly. I'll go get you some food."
He recalled their first meeting when the little guy had eaten all the energy bars in his pocket.
This meant he could accept human food.
That was the best scenario.
Generally, after processing, human food had a lower pollution level, especially the food meant for ordinary people.
Hui Gu stopped fussing, looked up at him quietly, and obediently nodded.
Since arriving at this Shelter, he had become much more well-behaved.
Gu Wang lowered his gaze and thought to himself.
Perhaps the abundance of human scents here had frightened him.
After all, he was just a mushroom, and a young one at that.
But as long as he didn't harm anyone, Gu Wang could protect him.
There was nothing to be afraid of.
Gu Wang didn't voice his thoughts aloud but instead reached out and tapped the round Mushroom Cap once more before turning to finish washing up and leaving.
With no other living beings in the room, it became very quiet.
A few minutes later, certain that the man had truly gone far, Hui Gu immediately changed his demeanor.
Stay quietly?
Impossible!
The Grey Mushroom slipped off the bed in a flash, quickly found the room's ventilation duct, and climbed out through the pipe.
His size was too small to confine him.
"Ji!"
Hui Gu looked around with curiosity.
This was the first time he had seen a living environment other than the wasteland.
There was no ever-present killing here; everyone was doing tasks that were hard for a mushroom to understand.
Seizing the right moment, he jumped precisely into the hood of a little boy's sweatshirt.
"Huh?"
Noticing something, the boy reached back to feel his hood, but Hui Gu deftly avoided the grubby hand.
The boy, unwilling to give up, tried to probe further.
Just as he was about to touch it, the woman walking ahead turned back. "Xiao Bao, keep up!"
"Okay." The boy called Xiao Bao quickly withdrew his hand and jogged forward.
The woman chattered on, "I'm going to do cleaning in District One later. You go with the other children to crack nuts in exchange for flatbread. Don't run around everywhere."
Xiao Bao responded with a displeased grunt.
The woman worriedly added another reminder, "I heard a very powerful new human has arrived. You must be careful not to offend them."
Xiao Bao looked up and shouted, "I know!"
Not wanting to hear more nagging, he turned and ran in another direction, his thin legs carrying him so swiftly that he disappeared from sight in an instant.
The woman sighed, dragging a large collection of cleaning tools as she hunched over and trudged toward District One where the new humans resided.
...
Hui Gu was being jostled so violently in the hat that his spores were nearly shaken loose. Only then did he understand how qualified Gu Wang was as a mount - at least when in his pocket, it was always stable.
When the boy finally reached his destination, he stopped, panting heavily.
This was a crude workspace set up with small tents, where five children all sat inside, the youngest looking only about seven years old.
Malnourished, each of them appeared top-heavy with large eyes set in skinny faces.
A middle-aged man placed several large baskets filled with black fruits and called to them, "Kids, this is your task for today. Remember to crack each one properly and cleanly scoop out the pulp."
Hui Gu peeked out slightly to look, then withdrew again, uninterested.
He recognized these fruits - they felt almost as hard as stones and carried a faint milky fragrance.
Out of curiosity before, he had made his loyal mutant creature fetch some for him. When cracked open, they revealed white pulp.
Unfortunately, while they smelled pleasant, the fruits were actually dry, bitter, and extremely unpalatable.
Their nutritional content was also very low.
Eating these was hardly different from eating dirt.
Moreover, they were fruits from a very common Mutated Plant that scattered them everywhere, making them easy to collect.
Almost no mutant creature would consume such nutrient-deficient things.
These fruits were too hard for the children. Even without proper tools, they had to struggle to crack them open using stones.
Only by doing so could they exchange for a single dry flatbread as their daily meal by day's end.
Each of their hands had become rough and calloused, completely lacking the tenderness expected of children's hands.
Some even bore scars that appeared bumpy and uneven, with dried black blood caked under their fingernails.
But his retreating movement was too abrupt and was noticed by a sharp-eyed little girl.
The girl opened her mouth wide and exclaimed, "Brother Xiao Bao, there's something in your hat!"
Xiao Bao suddenly remembered and grew alert, reaching back to grab.
This time, caught completely off guard, Hui Gu was unexpectedly seized.
Frightened, he let out a chirping sound.
"Cheep!"
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