As a Charming Mushroom, I Fell into the Apocalypse (MUSHROOM)
Yellow Hair’s prolonged absence soon caught the attention of the others.
They exchanged knowing glances and winks, though some who disliked same-sex behavior showed expressions of disdain.
But no one, regardless of their opinion, thought to go out and look for him.
After all, they were long accustomed to such behavior and simply assumed he was off fooling around.
Only Gu Wang seemed to sense something, lifting his head and casting a fleeting glance in the direction Yellow Hair had initially left before indifferently lowering his gaze again.
He gently tapped Hui Gu, who was sulking in his pocket, trying to soothe him.
Hui Gu turned his head away stubbornly, still refusing to acknowledge him.
He felt this servant had truly overstepped his bounds.
Never before had a follower dared to treat him this way.
Restricting this, forbidding that—where was the dignity of the Mushroom King?
If not for the servant’s scent, which was so appealing to mushrooms, he would have abandoned him long ago.
This little one, still so temperamental.
Gu Wang chuckled softly under his breath, then stood up. "I’ll head back first," he said to Yu Zhenxin, his tone calm and matter-of-fact, as if delivering a notice.
Yu Zhenxin’s mind raced with calculations, yet he couldn’t penetrate that composed facade to discern any true thoughts. He could only nod and respond with feigned warmth, "If you encounter any issues, feel free to come to me."
He had sensed Gu Wang’s extraordinary strength and the ingrained habits of someone in authority, speculating that he might be a powerful figure from some base.
As for how he had ended up lost and alone in the wasteland, that was irrelevant.
What mattered was that what he desired was gradually coming within reach.
If successful this time, it would bring about a qualitative transformation for him.
Ambition flickered in his eyes behind the lenses, revealing a greedy gleam.
……
Hui Gu remained sulky all the way back to the room.
Gu Wang somehow produced a cookie and handed it to him, instantly diverting Hui Gu’s attention.
The mushroom, who had never tasted sweets before, hesitated at first, his gaze sweeping over the cookie before circling around it.
Gu Wang chuckled softly but resumed a calm expression when Hui Gu looked his way: "You’ll like it."
He had deliberately felt Hui Gu’s little belly earlier to confirm he could still eat a bit more.
Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because of this.
A mushroom isn’t that easy to fool.
Hui Gu eyed him suspiciously.
The man looked completely sincere, with no hint that he was trying to bribe the mushroom with a cookie.
Hui Gu leaned in and took a small bite.
The cookie suffered a minor surface injury.
But Hui Gu’s eyes instantly lit up: "Jee!" So tasty!
This cookie was made after the apocalypse. With seasonings scarce, the maker had no choice but to dump in sugar to ensure the cookie retained its flavor.
By sheer luck, it perfectly suited Hui Gu’s taste.
He immediately hugged the cookie and began munching away noisily. Not even as big as the cookie, he clung to it, unwilling to let go.
A clear smile finally surfaced in Gu Wang’s eyes.
He had specifically chosen this cookie, guessing from Hui Gu’s food preferences that he must have a sweet tooth.
Clearly, he wasn’t wrong.
The mushroom was easy to appease—a single cookie was enough to make him forget his anger.
And he didn’t eat much.
Keeping him around long-term was feasible.
His heart felt as if it had been gently poked by something soft. Gu Wang no longer hid the curve of his lips.
Unaware of what the man was thinking, Hui Gu finished the entire cookie, lay down contentedly, and then noticed the man’s dark eyes brimming with laughter.
The mushroom stared somewhat dazedly.
It was the first time he had seen this human look so happy.
He looked quite handsome when he smiled.
Alright, he had to admit that not all two-legged creatures were ugly. At least the Incubator he had chosen was fairly good-looking.
Though still far inferior to the mushroom.
Hui Gu hummed twice, somewhat bashfully hopping onto Gu Wang’s hand: "Jee." I forgive you.
Then his head was gently stroked by a thumb as the man’s voice turned low and husky: "So well-behaved."
……
Trouble had struck the Shelter.
Hui Gu watched the chaotic scene before him in a daze.
He had just woken up to find these humans frantically searching for something.
Not even their room was spared—Yu Zhenxin personally came to inspect it.
Gu Wang had no objections. He simply stood to the side, hiding the mushroom in his pocket, and coldly watched them ransack the room.
Yu Zhenxin forced a strained smile: "Sorry about this, but our Shelter has never had a mutant creature attack anyone before. We have to take it seriously."
Moreover, the mutant creature might still be hiding somewhere in the Shelter, waiting for its next prey.
For once, Yu Zhenxin’s face was no longer wearing its usual calculated and hypocritical expression, replaced by a rare hint of panic.
He knew something was slipping beyond his control.
He had a vague suspicion but didn’t dare voice it, so he could only pretend to be as anxious as everyone else.
Gu Wang asked calmly: "Who died?"
Among the searchers was someone on good terms with Yellow Hair. He glared furiously at Gu Wang, completely disregarding the other's rank: "Our Shelter has never had any incidents before. How come my brother died right after you arrived?"
Hui Gu scanned the crowd and noticed that among Yu Zhenxin's trusted aides, only the most vocal Yellow Hair was missing. He immediately understood.
The atmosphere grew tense with that one remark, carrying a subtle hint of gunpowder. Yu Zhenxin stepped in to play the peacemaker: "Enough. I believe Mr. Gu wouldn't do such a thing."
Gu Wang let out a scornful laugh, showing no intention of taking the out Yu Zhenxin offered: "If I really wanted to kill him, I wouldn't need to use a pollutant's help."
Hui Gu nodded in agreement from inside the pocket.
To his ears, Gu Wang's words made perfect sense.
Yet for some reason, the humans' expressions grew even angrier.
No one dared to confront him further though.
They all realized Gu Wang was an immovable steel wall, so after searching a while longer, they could only leave.
"Chirp?" Are there mutant creatures in the Shelter?
Hui Gu poked his head out from the pocket to ask.
Gu Wang seemed to have guessed his question, his eyes turning deep and mysterious: "Want to know this place's secrets?"
Hui Gu nodded.
He wasn't normally interested in such things, but the faintly familiar scent he'd detected in the air earlier had stirred a rare sense of unease in him.
"Then let's investigate." The man's tone was as casual as if discussing what to have for dinner.
He stepped outside.
The outside was more chaotic than expected, especially in the ordinary people's area, which had practically become a venting ground for the new humans who'd lost people.
Several well-built tents had been kicked to pieces by them.
The ordinary people stood in rows, undergoing body searches by the new humans.
Among them, Hui Gu spotted familiar figures and made a small sound: "Chirp."
It was those children.
He quite liked these human younglings.
Gu Wang looked up and happened to witness friction breaking out over there.
A boy of about nine with his eyes swollen from crying, was running toward Yu Zhenxin. When stopped, he refused to leave and shouted: "My mother's missing too! Please help me find my mom!"
The new human stopping him grew impatient and was about to kick the boy when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Looking back, he met Gu Wang's dark, penetrating gaze fixed on them.
He shuddered inexplicably and withdrew his raised foot, though his attitude remained hostile: "Get lost! What's your missing mother got to do with us? If we don't find that mutant creature soon, you might be next."
His tone was half impatient, half threatening.
Just as Gu Wang was about to approach, Fang Xiangxiang emerged from somewhere and pulled Xiao Bao back while Wang Xiaojun stepped forward: "What's the point of threatening a child?"
"Tch." The man cursed under his breath. Noticing Gu Wang still watching them, he felt increasingly unnerved and unwilling to stay any longer, turning to leave.
Hui Gu gently nudged Gu Wang, signaling him to go check on the situation.
The man understood immediately and approached. Before he could say anything, Xiao Bao tearfully explained how his mother had been missing since last night.
Hui Gu tilted his head curiously.
Even with his small mind, he could tell that his mother's disappearance and Yellow Hair's incident both happened last night—there must be a connection.
Yet those people wouldn't even let him finish speaking.
Gu Wang said, "Because the missing person is an ordinary person, they don't care."
His words instantly cleared up Hui Gu's confusion.
Wang Xiaojun thought Gu Wang was speaking to him and immediately grew indignant: "These people are too much. Aren't we all supposed to be companions?"
Xiao Bao wiped his tears, choking up for a long time without managing a complete sentence.
Fang Xiangxiang softened her voice to comfort him.
Gu Wang asked, "When was the last time you saw your mother?"
His tone was serious, devoid of any emotion, as if he weren't addressing a child but a responsible adult.
Paradoxically, this very tone made Xiao Bao stop crying. He struggled to steady his trembling voice and poured out everything about his mother.
His mother was responsible for cleaning the new human residential area—a heavy workload. She woke up early every day to handle the chores, and if she did poorly, her rations would be deducted.
A full day's work only earned enough food for one person, and she had to share some with him, making life extremely difficult.
So she never dared to rest, going every day and rushing back just before curfew.
But last night, she never appeared and remained missing until now.
Unless something had happened, how could she possibly disappear?
The Shelter wasn't all that large—if someone searched thoroughly, they could turn the place upside down in a day.
What pained Xiao Bao most was that he had already scoured all the areas where ordinary people could move freely and found no trace.
The only remaining possibility was the new humans' activity zone.
The Shelter's severely unequal hierarchy prevented him from approaching there.
Xiao Bao's words suddenly reminded Hui Gu of the woman Yellow Hair had bullied yesterday.
He wanted to tell Xiao Bao but couldn't communicate directly with humans, so he kept gently nudging Gu Wang.
The man soothingly patted his pocket, his calm tone carrying an inexplicable strength: "I can help you look for her."
Hui Gu nodded contentedly inside the pocket.
Yes, yes, exactly like that.
It would be best to find that harmful mutant creature! Then tear it to pieces! Beat it flat!
It had a feeling that mushrooms detested—both familiar and disgusting!
The little gray mushroom swaggered about in the pocket, relying on Gu Wang's power, and recklessly bumped around in a show of ferocity.
Completely unaware that the one being targeted was itself.
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