As a Charming Mushroom, I Fell into the Apocalypse (MUSHROOM)
He had moved the man to safety, and the environment was secure enough, but the most critical issue remained unresolved.
Hui Gu lay on Gu Wang’s chest for a while, feeling the man’s body temperature rising steadily. Anxious, he paced around the room.
He managed to find a clean cloth, dampened it with water, and began meticulously wiping the man’s body.
He swallowed hard at the sight of the nearly dried bloodstains. Fortunately, his stomach was full and warm, and he could still suppress his craving for Gu Wang’s blood.
The cloth gradually turned crimson with blood. Hui Gu changed the water several times before finally cleaning away the blood mixed with Explosion Dust from the man’s body.
During this process, he caught a glimpse of his current appearance in the small mirror above the simple washbasin.
His platinum hair seemed to shimmer faintly in the air, dazzlingly bright. His face was petite, no larger than a palm, yet his features were strikingly exquisite—especially those sapphire-blue cat eyes, round and innocent in shape but naturally upturned at the corners. When he looked at others, it was like an invisible hook; a single glare could make one’s bones melt.
He was as beautiful as an elf from a game’s character creation screen or a mixed-race heartthrob straight out of a manga.
By human standards, this was undoubtedly a face that could be described as a "disastrous beauty."
But to Mushroom, this form was anything but attractive.
Hui Gu found humans strange—or more accurately, he thought all creatures besides mushrooms were odd.
If he had to pick one human who was acceptable, it would undoubtedly be Gu Wang.
After all, he was the human he had picked up; he couldn’t very well disdain him.
But why did his transformed appearance differ so drastically from Gu Wang’s?
Feeling somewhat frustrated, Hui Gu secretly pinched his own soft cheek—the fair skin was fine and smooth, a rarity even before the apocalypse.
The human form was so ugly.
He raised a hand and patted the top of his head.
His height was insufficient too… Compared to Gu Wang’s nearly 190 cm, he stood at most 175 cm tall.
If he had ears on his head, they would definitely be drooping limply right now.
The more Hui Gu thought about it, the unhappier he became. He tossed the freshly cleaned cloth onto Gu Wang’s face and snapped, "It’s all your fault! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have turned out so ugly!"
Naturally, Gu Wang couldn’t respond.
In less than two seconds, Hui Gu picked the cloth back up, gently wiping while muttering, "But if you wake up this time, I’ll forgive you."
After cleaning the man, Hui Gu lay down on his chest again to listen to his heartbeat.
If one didn't listen carefully, it would almost seem as though he were already dead.
As if blocked by something, his heart—which should have been vigorous and powerful—could no longer beat steadily, unable to continue providing adequate blood supply to his body.
The most critical issue was that Gu Wang's Mental Power could not circulate, preventing his internal injuries from ever truly healing.
The man was now trapped in a vicious cycle: continuously healing external wounds while his internal injuries kept worsening, causing further deterioration.
The situation had deteriorated to the extreme. Hui Gu knew he had to find a way to eliminate the strange presence blocking all of Gu Wang's abilities, with no room for error and no time to hesitate.
Mushroom didn't understand what Mental Power was, let alone Mental Shackles. He could only help using the one ability he knew.
Hui Gu gently placed his hand on the man's chest, releasing a dense concentration of pheromones from his palm.
These pheromones seeped into the deepest parts of the body through the exposed wounds, quickly spreading throughout the man's entire system.
Hui Gu closed his eyes and began seizing control of the body.
He had expected Gu Wang to instinctively resist the foreign pheromones, but surprisingly, Gu Wang cooperated, relaxing his mental defenses and exposing his vital points.
Hui Gu was momentarily startled but soon understood.
He thought to himself that it must be because Gu Wang was in a deep coma.
Soon, he discovered the artificially placed Mental Shackles on the blood vessels of the heart.
For mutant creatures and humans alike, this was undoubtedly an extremely advanced form of Mental Power. The person who had executed this technique must have been an S-Class New Human.
Supernatural abilities related to Mental Power were already rare, let alone high-level ones. There were no more than three individuals in the entire world capable of such feats.
And for Gu Wang, an ultra-S-Class New Human, it would have taken a prolonged period of mental invasion to successfully implant such shackles.
The conditions for activating them were also exceedingly stringent.
It was clear that the betrayal was not the result of persuasion or a sudden change of heart—it had been premeditated from the very beginning.
Only someone with utterly sinister intentions could lie in wait like a venomous snake, biding their time just to deliver a fully poisoned strike.
Yet Hui Gu didn't understand any of this. He didn't even know what it was; he only found it extremely obstructive, like a stone blocking the source of power.
As long as it was removed, all problems would be resolved.
Lost in thought, Hui Gu's pheromones, infused with his unique Mental Power, aggressively surged forward.
"Scram!! Disappear!!"
Hui Gu revealed a "ferocious" expression, unconsciously wrinkling his small nose. Like a kitten hissing, he bared the tips of his sharp canine teeth before they quickly vanished.
If this Mental Power was a venomous snake, Hui Gu's pheromones were a lion patrolling its territory, crushing it underfoot in an instant.
The snake didn't even have time to bare its fangs before it was snuffed out, utterly devoured by the "lion."
Any mental-type supernatural ability became a joke under Hui Gu's absolute Charm Skill.
Nothing could resist his Enchantment, and no Mental Power could exert "control" in his presence.
Control was what mental types did, but what Hui Gu could achieve was "possession."
He was the one and only faith of all mental powers.
Hui Gu opened his eyes. His sea-blue pupils, when his ability was activated, showed no emotion. The godlike indifference, however, was accentuated by his extreme beauty, like icy blue gems that evoked an unattainable longing.
As the pheromones slowly receded, Hui Gu let out a slow, relieved sigh.
He curved his eyes, finally restoring warmth in his gaze, looking somewhat happy. "Done!"
That S-class Mental Shackle, under the influence of his pheromones, was like dust that could be flicked away at any moment. It was effortlessly wiped clean without much difficulty.
Hui Gu once again lay on Gu Wang's chest. Mushroom's thoughts were simple, unaware that such an action was overly intimate between humans. He simply liked this position, and by turning his ear, he could carefully listen to the heartbeat.
The previously obstructed heartbeat began to gradually recover, slowly growing strong and powerful.
Gu Wang's self-healing ability remained unnaturally superhuman. Once the Mental Shackles disappeared, his entire body began to function normally again, and his internal injuries started healing at a terrifying rate.
Listening to the gradually stabilizing heartbeat, the exhaustion from a whole day of struggle finally surged forth now that he was safe. His eyelids grew heavy, and just like that, lying on Gu Wang, he slowly drifted into dreamland.
Mushroom: zzz.
At the same time.
A voice filled with delight rang out within Dawn Base. "The Mental Shackle I placed has completely severed its connection with me."
"Oh? What does that mean?"
Another voice, clear and refreshing like a gentle breeze, spoke with an elegant and calm tone.
Ji Nianwen looked somewhat shyly at the man sitting beside him, who was reading a book. "It means he's truly dead."
Who "he" referred to was self-evident.
"Up to now, no one has been born who can erase my mental attacks. Even if an S-class Mental Power new human descended from the heavens, it would be impossible to erase the restraint I've painstakingly built for so long."
Let alone the billion-to-one possibility of an S-class mental ability user they had never heard of suddenly appearing.
Ji Nianwen had absolute confidence in his supernatural ability, yet he had always harbored fear toward Gu Wang's combat prowess and survivability, which were akin to a human-shaped weapon.
Now, with the link completely severed, it finally confirmed his death.
The invisible boulder in his heart finally lifted.
Gu Wang, you’ve finally met your end.
The adjutant chuckled softly, his long hair loosely tied with a hairband and resting over his shoulders. "Well done."
He was being praised.
Ji Nianwen blushed slightly, gazing at him with infatuation, his tone carrying a hint of playful reproach. "That Gu Wang’s fate was just too tenacious. Even injured like that, he managed to hold on for so long in the wasteland."
The adjutant carelessly set down the manuscript in his hand, adjusting the watch on his wrist as he spoke. "Even if he was still alive during that earlier period, the pollution level should have long since reduced him to a mindless beast."
First, mental death, and now confirmed physical death.
Whichever news it was, both were tremendously good news for him.
Lu Shenjun looked at him, his tone softening. "Nianwen, I want to thank you."
His pair of charming peach-blossom eyes seemed to hold a multitude of emotions.
With a start, Ji Nianwen stood up. "Shenjun, you don’t need to say those words to me. Everything I did was voluntary. Besides, if it weren’t for you back then, I would have already…"
Lu Shenjun’s lips curved into a smile, appearing gentle yet actually cutting him off. "Today happens to be the day of the base’s routine assembly. Gu Wang’s disappearance has now reached the conditions to be confirmed as deceased."
Everyone who goes missing in the wasteland has a time-limited protection on their identity tag in the base. Once that period expires, they are registered as dead.
The time limit wasn't set too long out of inhumanity, but because those who went missing in the wasteland for over a week almost never returned alive.
Lu Shenjun stepped out: "I will announce Chief Gu's confirmed death to the other executives at the base."
This wasn't his first time participating in meetings, but it was the first time he had obtained the right to preside over them as acting chairman.
The man's words scattered in the wind, carrying with them an intangible ambition.
...
Feeling completely refreshed as if reborn, Gu Wang slowly opened his eyes under a blinding white light.
No pain, no stickiness, and no chaotic surroundings.
What happened…
His muddled mind flashed with countless fragmented images in an instant, among which there seemed to be a glimpse of clear blue, but he couldn’t grasp any of it.
No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn’t piece together a complete memory.
Just as Gu Wang was about to sit up, he noticed a little mushroom sleeping soundly on his chest.
If mushrooms could drool, Hui Gu would definitely have left a wet patch on Gu Wang’s chest.
Gu Wang’s voice was hoarse from the fever, and he spoke with some difficulty: “Xiao Hui?”
He had heard Xiao Bao call him that before and had silently taken note of it.
It was cute, and more importantly, the mushroom liked it.
He instinctively restrained his initial urge to get up and gently moved Hui Gu from his chest to the palm of his hand.
Undisturbed, Hui Gu shifted into a new position and continued sleeping, splayed out comfortably.
Gu Wang used his other hand to rub his temples and casually caught the trench coat that had been draped over him for some reason. The depth in his brow gradually gave way to clarity.
He quickly scanned his surroundings and assessed his current physical state.
A rare look of astonishment flickered in his dark eyes.
“Did someone save me?” Gu Wang murmured, looking down at his body, now marked only by faint scars.
What truly puzzled him was the vibrant vitality coursing through him, restoring him to his previous normal state.
In the last second before losing consciousness, he had known he was reaching his limit.
Regaining consciousness was already a miracle, but now, not only was he free of any discomfort, he felt as if he had been reborn. The energy within him was brimming.
The constraints from the earlier ambush had vanished without a trace.
In a little while, he would be back to his peak condition.
No, perhaps even stronger.
The pollution level within him seemed to have significantly decreased, indicating that the upper limit of his supernatural ability had expanded once again.
It was unheard of for pollution levels to drop so noticeably.
This discovery was enough to shake the foundations of current human society.
Gu Wang’s expression grew complex.
Miracles didn’t just fall from the sky, and it was impossible for him to have been transported from that spider nest to this relatively safe room for no reason.
His gaze fell on a cloth nearby, stained with traces of blood and moisture from being used to wipe him.
Whoever had done it must have been quite clumsy, yet they had managed to clean him thoroughly from head to toe.
Gu Wang’s eyes slowly drifted downward, settling on the exhausted, sleeping mushroom: “Xiao Hui.”
He called out again, this time poking him gently with his fingertip.
Disturbed one too many times, Hui Gu opened his eyes with a grumpy expression and started chirping before even seeing who it was: “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!” So annoying, shut up!
Well, he seemed energetic.
A hint of amusement unconsciously surfaced in Gu Wang’s dark eyes, which had been swirling with intense thoughts.
He waited patiently for Hui Gu to finish venting his nanoscale temper and shake his mushroom cap awake.
Hui Gu glanced at himself, then at the man who had returned to his normal size in his perspective, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Though he didn’t know why, after a nap, he had turned back into a mushroom.
He didn’t want Gu Wang to find out that he had sucked his blood, thoroughly enjoyed it, and was still craving more.
As a mushroom capable of empathy, if the human he had picked up had “ulterior” motives—like wanting to eat him—he would surely be heartbroken too.
Hui Gu didn't want to see Gu Wang looking sad, so he decided to kindly conceal what had happened earlier.
I truly am a benevolent Mushroom King.
Watching the mushroom that was sometimes angrily puffing up in his palm and other times giggling foolishly to itself, Gu Wang sighed silently in his heart.
Still as silly as ever, so easily distracted. Probably gets lured away by any random dessert.
Gu Wang cleared his throat softly.
Only then did Hui Gu remember he had been woken up.
After venting his grumpy wake-up mood, he energetically hopped onto Gu Wang's shoulder and leaned in for a closer look: "Ji?" All better?
Gu Wang: "I'm fine now."
Hui Gu was about to nod when unexpectedly, he met a pair of deep, inquisitive black eyes.
"Little one, how did you move me from there to here?"
The cunning human didn't directly ask whether it was him who did it but instead posed the question with certainty in his tone, making it easy to overlook the trap within.
Hui Gu fell right into it without a second thought.
He ignored the impolite first three words, puffed out his small chest, trying to appear more imposing: "Ji!"
Pretty impressive, right?
He looked like he was begging for praise.
Gu Wang gently stroked him: "Thank you for saving me." These words were sincere, without any testing, only genuine gratitude.
No matter how he had saved him or what ability he had used, in the face of this long-lost purity, it all seemed secondary.
Gu Wang said again: "Thank you."
For being willing to stay by my side.
Hui Gu tilted his head in confusion: "Ji?"
Why say the same thing twice? Could it be a side effect of the high fever earlier?
He couldn't let the human he worked so hard to save end up burned out like this.
Hui Gu nervously hopped onto his palm and started bouncing around.
Gu Wang was somewhat puzzled but still lowered his head to get closer.
Then, something soft pressed against his forehead.
Hui Gu directly touched his own head to it, checking if his temperature was normal.
Due to the angle, he missed the fleeting shadow that passed through the man's eyes.
A familiar feeling... as if someone had gently touched his forehead to check his temperature while he was unconscious.
An illusion? There's no trace of another human having been in this room.
Gu Wang raised his head and looked at the chattering little gray mushroom for a few seconds: "Was it you who erased the Mental Power inside me?"
"Ji..." This mushroom doesn't understand what you're saying.
Hui Gu felt guilty, his beady black eyes darting wildly left and right, avoiding Gu Wang's gaze entirely.
Insisting that as long as there's no eye contact, the flaw won't be detected!
Gu Wang's gaze deepened: "Can't say?"
The mushroom lowered its head and started counting the lines on Gu Wang's palm, playing along.
Gu Wang said calmly: "Hmm, understood."
He reached out to straighten his clothes, quickly returning to his usual composed demeanor, then carefully tucked Hui Gu back into his pocket.
Hui Gu looked up in confusion: "Ji?"
That's it? No more questions?
He had thought Gu Wang would press further.
Even though they couldn't communicate through words, supernatural abilities could be demonstrated at any time.
Though it was just a slight questioning tone, Gu Wang understood once again and said in a low voice: "I respect you. In the apocalypse, everyone can have their own secrets—even a mushroom."
He couldn't harshly interrogate the one who had saved him.
The moment Gu Wang realized Hui Gu might also possess supernatural abilities, his first instinct wasn't vigilance or suspicion—contrary to his nature, what surfaced first was a protective urge.
He felt fortunate, even delighted, by this news.
It meant that even if one day the little creature were to leave him, in this world filled with death at every turn, the little creature could still have a hopeful path to survival.
And the fact that Mushroom was unwilling to reveal all his cards showed he possessed caution and wasn't as naive as he seemed.
For a moment, Gu Wang even felt a sense of relief.
But from a human perspective, he would maintain his observational vigilance, keeping a close watch on the little creature's true abilities to determine whether they were benign.
For now, at least, the possibility of him being an aggressive mutant creature could be ruled out.
Observation required time, and the mysteries surrounding Mushroom were only growing—so he needed to stay by his side.
He would take responsibility for the surveillance.
Hui Gu had no idea Gu Wang had contemplated so much in such a short time. He simply felt that the more information Gu Wang had, the more likely it was that his human form would be exposed.
Aside from the earlier empathy, he had another, more personal reason for not wanting to reveal it:
He thought his human form was too ugly.
It didn't match the majestic image of Mushroom the Great at all.
If even his Incubator was better-looking than him, where would that leave the dignity of Mushroom the Great?
He absolutely couldn't let that happen.
Hui Gu shook his head inside the pocket.
Just before stepping out of the room, Gu Wang asked one final question: "Do you know that monster?"
As perceptive as he was, he had sensed during the battle that the monster's primary target wasn't the humans—but the seemingly frail little grey mushroom.
And he was saying strange things... like a mentally deranged lunatic.
"Pfft pfft pfft!" At the mention of that damned White Spider, Gray Goo immediately spat out in disgust.
Know it? He was clearly being singled out!
Gu Wang raised one eyebrow, feeling somewhat amused.
It was the first time he had heard the Little Gray Mushroom make such a sound; it seemed he truly loathed being associated with it.
Then again, he had nearly died at its hands.
If he had arrived just a moment later...
At this thought, a shadow flickered once more in Gu Wang's eyes before quickly fading into calm.
He felt he was overthinking it. That White Spider had just taken over a human body—perhaps it didn’t truly understand the meaning of human language but had instead absorbed the most intense emotions from that body’s previous occupant.
There had been cases like this in the Shelter before. One mutant creature had first eaten a woman’s brain; she had been betrayed by her partner, and infected by that intense hatred, the mutant creature specifically targeted men to eat after that.
How could a mutant creature understand the meaning of love?
Those frantic, piercing screams were nothing but meaningless noise—they didn’t even understand what they were saying. A parrot mimicking speech would be smarter than this.
Still, one thing was certain: this little fellow was probably an incredibly delicious and nutritious existence in the eyes of other mutant creatures.
In fact, this priority surpassed even that of humans—rare enough to be sent to a research institute.
Troublesome.
He would just have to protect him himself.
Gu Wang tapped the Mushroom Cap with a bent finger. "From now on, you’re not allowed to run off anywhere unless you’re following me."
Hui Gu blinked his little black bean eyes twice: "Goo?"
This tone usually indicated confusion.
Gu Wang smoothly explained: "The outside world is too dangerous for you. They all want to eat you."
In the eyes of those monsters, such a small mushroom was just a little snack—something they could swallow without even chewing.
They all want to eat me... It sounds weird, but it’s not wrong.
It’s all because the Mushroom King’s charm is just too great.
Hui Gu sighed silently to himself, then obediently nodded: "Ji."
Alright, seeing as you, this servant, are so loyal to me.
Once again, the two of them had created a subtle misunderstanding due to their language barrier.
Fortunately, both parties were quite satisfied with the final outcome.
...
When he followed Gu Wang out, hidden as usual in his pocket, Hui Gu realized that the Shelter had been attacked by the recent explosion. Even though a night had passed, it still looked like a complete ruin.
It was a miracle it hadn’t completely collapsed, but many things were beyond salvage. Not only were the basic facilities utterly destroyed, but much of the ceiling had fallen, and rubble was scattered everywhere.
The most severe damage was to the power system, which had been completely destroyed. The backup power was unusable, and ninety percent of the Shelter’s electricity was cut off.
The only silver lining was that Gu Wang had earlier gathered everyone in an open space, so casualties among the others were not heavy.
But after such a blow, this place could no longer accommodate so many people, and the remaining resources would eventually run out.
Not to mention, long before the resources were exhausted, they would face the even more severe risk of being invaded by other mutant creatures at any moment.
Given the Shelter’s current combat capabilities, they wouldn’t be able to withstand even a moderate attack from mutant creatures.
Gu Wang's appearance sent massive ripples through the crowd that had nearly stagnated into dead water.
The direction of the explosion was toward the forbidden zone, and many had noticed when he went there.
Several of Yu Zhenxin's trusted subordinates were the first to jump out, their expressions agitated and tones fierce: "Where is our director!? What exactly happened?"
"Why are you the only one who came out?"
Seeing their threatening-on-the-outside-but-weak-on-the-inside demeanor, Gu Wang no longer concealed his original rank. An overwhelming aura of pressure, carrying the absolute suppression of a higher level, crashed down upon them.
The leader's face changed, and his legs nearly gave way in an instant.
The other new humans were also affected by this imposing presence. Whether willing or not, they all instinctively lowered their heads, like wolves submitting to their alpha, unconsciously exposing their vulnerable napes in a gesture of submission.
"You're not just A-rank!?"
The leading subordinate kept his head lowered, took several deep breaths, and finally squeezed the question out through gritted teeth.
Even inside the pocket, Hui Gu could hear the sounds of gasps all around.
He proudly straightened his little stem.
Even though it was still just five centimeters.
Gu Wang didn't answer his question, his tone indifferent as if declaring something: "Yu Zhenxin is dead. That monster absorbed him and gained enough strength to self-destruct at the moment of its death."
Everyone looked at each other.
For a moment, no one knew what to say.
If Gu Wang hadn't revealed his true rank earlier, his words might have been met with skepticism.
But now, regardless of whether anyone dared question him, skepticism had lost all meaning.
After all, given the chasm between S-rank and A-rank, if Gu Wang really wanted to kill Yu Zhenxin, he wouldn't have needed to take such great risks by using a mutant creature.
In the apocalypse, might makes right.
Absolute strength only needs to be demonstrated to make unnecessary words disappear.
Gu Wang: "Your arrival is timely. That mutant creature absorbed Yu Zhenxin so quickly that it left me unprepared. There's one thing I'm very curious about and would like to ask you all."
So fast that he couldn't react in time to detect what it intended to do. That one-second delay cost him the opportunity to eliminate it before it self-destructed.
The man's tone was casual, as if asking what they had eaten, yet every word he spoke was ice-cold: "Exactly how many new humans have you been feeding to it?"
As soon as these words were spoken, even the ordinary people watching from not far away were shocked.
Several of Yu Zhenxin's trusted subordinates immediately denied it: "We don't know what you're talking about!"
But such clumsy acting couldn't escape Gu Wang's eyes. To better establish base regulations, he had once served as a judge in the base, extracting countless truths that should have rotted with the bones from many people's mouths.
He didn't press them immediately, merely watching them quietly, observing the cold sweat trickling from their cheeks into their collars and their trembling hands.
The man's cold, almost inorganic gaze resting on them alone felt like a silent, oppressive interrogation.
The aura of death grew heavier and heavier. Finally, the lowest-ranked among them couldn't bear it any longer. He fell to his knees, covering his face as he broke down sobbing: "I was wrong, I was truly wrong! I shouldn't have aided such evil! I was blinded and followed along in framing so many comrades!"
This outburst undoubtedly flipped a switch.
Some knelt and begged for mercy, while others tried to flee, but a black sword instantly materialized like a ghost, resting against their necks.
Everyone promptly fell in line.
Framing their own companions?
Hui Gu was taken aback. His simple mind hadn’t even considered such a possibility.
He looked up at Gu Wang and realized the other had already anticipated it long before.
Gu Wang said, "Explain clearly, and I might spare your lives for now."
So, the group had no choice but to confess everything in detail.
The Spider had been found on the brink of death, with a massive hole torn in its abdomen. It was clear that a higher-level mutant creature had inflicted the fatal wound, leaving it with no chance of survival other than waiting to die.
The researchers proposed placing it in the Shelter to deter other mutant creatures from approaching. That should have been the end of it.
But human greed knows no bounds.
While trying to maintain the Spider in its half-dead state, they accidentally discovered that its level could still be elevated. By feeding it new humans with supernatural abilities, they could create an S-class "live specimen."
Yu Zhenxin was the first to agree to this plan.
Directly harming the existing new humans in the Shelter would have been too obvious, so they targeted innocent passersby instead.
Once these individuals were deceived by the Shelter’s façade of peace and chose to stay, they would let their guard down over time. Yu Zhenxin would then find various ways to make them "regret" their decision.
To the outside world, it was claimed that these individuals had chosen to leave for larger bases, abandoning the Shelter and their ordinary friends and relatives who remained. A few trusted subordinates would serve as "witnesses," rationalizing anyone’s disappearance in the vast, chaotic post-apocalyptic world.
This was why the number of ordinary people in the Shelter kept growing, while the number of new humans never saw a real increase.
Those ordinary people who were "abandoned," after undergoing Yu Zhenxin’s cult-like brainwashing, simply believed they had been deemed burdens. They thought the others had chosen to continue to larger bases, leaving them behind in the Shelter to fend for themselves.
In the post-apocalyptic world, such selfishness had almost become the norm, and for a long time, no one saw through the deception.
But the Spider remained dormant and unresponsive. Yu Zhenxin’s ambition grew insatiable, and he began ordering his other pawns to actively seek out high-level new humans to bring into the Shelter.
Wang Xiaojun and Fang Xiangxiang had approached them with precisely this intention from the very beginning.
They were among the first new humans in the Shelter’s early days. Though they weren’t fully aware of the utterly depraved core of this scheme, they had an inkling that what they were doing was wrong.
Yet, to survive in the post-apocalyptic world, they chose the most cowardly path—mindlessly obeying orders from above, becoming unthinking puppets.
To win Gu Wang’s trust, they even went so far as to stage a false hardship, allowing others to ostracize and attack them without cause, all to gain his sympathy and get closer to him.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work on him.
Gu Wang never let his guard down around the couple.
As the confessions poured out, the numb crowd finally stirred with emotion.
A woman screamed and charged forward. Though just an ordinary person, she mustered the courage to grab a blade: "So my man didn’t abandon me—he was framed by you!!"
She used all her strength to throw the knife, but it still missed its mark. Despairingly, she buried her face in her hands and wept.
In an instant, the overwhelming atmosphere of sorrow seemed ignited by her cries, spreading despair everywhere.
The apocalypse had already turned too many people into the same kind of man-eating monsters.
Hui Gu, nestled in the pocket, emitted a sound only Gu Wang could hear: "Squeak?" Are you going to kill them?
If others could be forgiven for lacking the subjective intent to harm, these close aides definitely had to be dealt with.
They knew the full story from beginning to end, yet still chose to continue sacrificing innocent people. They deserved to die, just like Yu Zhenxin.
Gu Wang paused, speaking both for Hui Gu and for the others to hear: "You are banished."
The faces of those men instantly turned deathly pale as they fell to their knees in disarray, begging for mercy.
Expulsion meant leaving with no resources, entering the wasteland empty-handed.
Their highest rank was only B-class, with no vehicle or protective gear to mask their scent. In less than half a day, mutant creatures would devour them until not even their corpses remained.
Hui Gu looked at them strangely.
They had caused others to be devoured by the Spider, and now their own end was to be eaten by mutant creatures in the wasteland—wasn’t that perfectly fair?
People always had to pay the price for their choices.
Gu Wang was even less likely to soften. He even channeled a trace of his supernatural ability to follow these few individuals. If they somehow managed to survive against all odds, his ability would instantly transform into blades, piercing their hearts to eliminate any future threats.
Only after dealing with these deeply sinful individuals did he have the energy to address the remaining survivors.
Those who had lived this long in the apocalypse weren’t foolish enough to miss that their only lifeline now was this S-Class New Human.
Before Gu Wang could even speak, the others crowded around him.
The cleverest among them brought Xiao Bao, who had just woken from unconsciousness, along with the other surviving children.
He looked at Gu Wang and said, "There are so many ordinary people here. If you don’t help us, we’ll surely die."
If it were anyone else, having just narrowly escaped death themselves, such a moral plea might have fallen on deaf ears.
But this was Gu Wang.
The one who had slain countless mutant creatures and always stood at the forefront of humanity’s defense.
He held unwavering principles.
He wouldn’t blindly rescue anyone, nor would he coldly watch companions in distress.
He stood on the side of humanity, but above that, he had his own bottom line.
Only this way could the heavy burden of leadership not completely crush one’s sanity.
Gu Wang: "I will help you, but only within the limits of my capabilities."
His tone brooked no argument, leaving no room for negotiation.
Those who wanted to say more fell silent at the sight of his stern expression.
Hui Gu gently nudged him through the pocket.
Gu Wang lowered his head and reassured him in an almost inaudible whisper, "We’re not taking anyone with us."
He wouldn’t easily trust anyone, and with Mushroom now in the picture, there were more considerations—many problems had to be cut off at the root.
Oh, and this meant he could fully claim that large vehicle for himself.
Hui Gu didn’t overthink it; hearing those words made him happy.
No matter what, as long as he could stay with the Incubator, that was enough.
Gu Wang: "Bring me a container."
Someone immediately handed over a bottle used for drinking water.
A small dagger appeared in Gu Wang’s palm. With a light flick of the blade—so sharp it was extreme—he sliced open his forearm. Blood immediately welled up and dripped into the bottle.
Hui Gu, caught off guard by the scent: ?
He uncontrollably swallowed hard: Gulp.
Tempting blood, stop seducing me!!
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