Chapter 5

Lin Juan muttered softly under his breath, shifted his position on the bed, and tugged. As expected, it didn’t budge.

Lu Mingxuan waited outside for a while. When no one came out, he curiously poked his head in. “Little Uncle, not ready yet?”

“I’m ready ages ago. It’s your little uncle who’s holding onto me and won’t let go.”

Lin Juan’s helpless voice came from inside the room.

“How could Little Uncle…” Midway through his words, Lu Mingxuan realized something. He froze abruptly, then jumped up and rushed into the room. “Little Uncle woke up?!”

This was huge news!

Little Uncle’s complexion had improved day by day, and the previously gloomy atmosphere in Lu Garden had eased considerably. Everyone had been hoping for Lu Yanzhou to wake up.

“He’s not awake,” Lin Juan said as Lu Mingxuan entered. He prepared to pry Lu Yanzhou’s hand away. “It’s about the same as last time. He just grabbed my clothes.”

“Wait!” Lu Mingxuan stopped Lin Juan’s movement. “Little Uncle, I’ll go call Grandpa. Can you not move for now?”

Lin Juan: “?”

“Grandpa doesn’t say it out loud, but I know he’s been really worried about Little Uncle’s condition. If Grandpa sees for himself that Little Uncle is responding to the outside world, he can finally relax a bit.” Lu Mingxuan knew his request was a bit odd, so he quickly explained.

Lin Juan didn’t quite understand, but the Lu Family had given him too much. He didn’t refuse.

Old Master Lu was urgently summoned by his eldest grandson. He thought something bad had happened, but Lu Mingxuan’s expression didn’t look like it.

Various guesses swirled in his mind until Lu Mingxuan proudly pulled back the bed curtains like he was offering a treasure.

“This…” Old Master Lu was utterly shocked.

On the exquisitely crafted large bed, a long-haired young man sat cross-legged on the outer side. That wasn’t the main point. The key was that his youngest son, who had shown no reaction to the outside world at all, had his hand stretched out, firmly gripping the young man’s clothing.

“Yanzhou, he…” Old Master Lu was so excited he could barely speak coherently. “Has Yanzhou woken up? Did he say anything? What’s the situation now?”

“Don’t get too worked up, Uncle,” Lin Juan said, worried that Old Master Lu might excite himself into the hospital. He soothed him. “He’s not awake. Just now, I told him I was going out for a bit, and he grabbed my clothes.”

“Not awake…” Old Master Lu’s excitement was doused like a bucket of cold water, but he quickly adjusted and comforted both himself and Lin Juan. “Not awake is fine too. At least he’s responding to the outside world now. That’s good news, good news.”

Compared to before, his youngest son’s condition had improved tremendously. Previously, Lu Yanzhou could only be sustained by IV nutrition fluids, and no amount of top-tier equipment could stop his life from slowly slipping away. Now it was different—no equipment needed. His body had miraculously stabilized, no longer wasting away, and his complexion had improved by more than just a little.

The doctors had checked him over and over, concluding that all of Lu Yanzhou’s bodily functions were recovering. At this rate, there was no need to worry about his life being in danger.

For Old Master Lu, who had faced despair time and again, this was extremely good news.

“Did he grab you on his own?” Old Master Lu leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if afraid to disturb something.

“Yes,” Lin Juan tugged at his own hem to demonstrate. “And with considerable strength.”

Old Master Lu looked at his youngest son’s hand. Having not seen sunlight for a while, Lu Yanzhou’s skin had paled somewhat. Lin Juan’s jacket was light-colored, and the hand gripped the fabric tightly, the strength evident.

Tears shimmered in Old Master Lu’s eyes.

Even though he had heard from Lin Juan last time that his youngest son was responding to the outside world, without seeing it himself, Old Master Lu had always felt uneasy. Plus, during this time back at Lu Garden, Lu Yanzhou showed no new reactions. If not for Lin Juan’s personal account, he might have suspected it was his own wishful thinking creating illusions.

This time was different. He saw it with his own eyes. When Lin Juan tried to pull away the hem, his youngest son gripped tighter, refusing to let go of the fabric.

“How about letting him hold on?” Old Master Lu suggested cautiously.

After all, it was Lin Juan’s clothes, so he had to ask Lin Juan’s opinion.

Lin Juan had no objection. “He can hold on for a bit.”

It didn’t delay anything.

Lu Mingxuan pulled out his phone, aimed it at his little uncle, and snapped several photos, focusing on the hand. He even secretly recorded a video.

“What are you doing?” Lin Juan was sensitive to gazes and noticed Lu Mingxuan’s actions.

“Heh heh.” Lu Mingxuan let out a creepy chuckle. “I’m taking a few photos. When Little Uncle wakes up, I’ll show them to him so he can see how clingy he was while unconscious.”

He really wanted to see Little Uncle’s reaction.

Old Master Lu was also curious about his youngest son’s response. He gave a mild scolding, but since his tone wasn’t stern, Lu Mingxuan knew his grandpa didn’t object.

In the end, Lin Juan changed into a different jacket before heading out with Lu Mingxuan.

With the butler’s support, Old Master Lu watched them leave. Once they were out of sight, he slowly said, “Lin Juan truly is a blessing from heaven, a lucky star bestowed upon our Lu Family.”

The outing spot chosen by Lu Mingxuan’s club was a small hill on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, in a newly developed park. They were among the first batch of visitors to enter.

The club had eight people in total. Two others came from prominent families like Lu Mingxuan, while the remaining five were from more ordinary backgrounds.

Lu Mingxuan introduced everyone.

He didn’t mention Lin Juan’s identity, just said he was an older brother from home.

Lu Mingxuan was popular at school and often brought friends along, so everyone was used to it. Soon, they all warmed up to Lin Juan.

Lin Juan wasn’t much older than them. In his previous life, he had just graduated from university around their age, so there was no generation gap. His personality was easygoing, and he was good-looking too. He quickly hit it off with the group.

The mountain scenery was beautiful, with all sorts of flowers blooming vibrantly. The girls from the club brought prepared food and set up a barbecue.

The boys handled the heavy lifting: pitching tents, setting up tables and chairs.

“This mountain is only half-developed so far. Most of it hasn’t been opened yet. Everyone, be careful not to wander too far,” the club president instructed during free time.

“Got it, President!” everyone replied in unison.

The president was surnamed Qi, from a more ordinary family background, but he was well-liked and great at organizing. Everyone in the club respected him.

The two from prominent families were a lively girl named Chu Yuexi and a quiet, bookish boy named Suo Shuheng.

Lin Juan had spent most of his previous life living in the mountains with his master, so he was very familiar with mountain environments. He led Lu Mingxuan’s group to find plenty of edible wild fruits and mushrooms.

“Brother Lin, you’re amazing!” The group of pure-hearted college students looked at him with starry eyes.

“I used to live in the mountains. Look at these—the brightly colored ones, best not to touch,” Lin Juan said, pointing to a patch of vibrantly colored fruits.

“So not just colorful mushrooms are poisonous,” Chu Yuexi sighed.

Lin Juan: “In the wild, if you don’t have someone experienced leading you, it’s best not to touch things randomly.”

“Got it, got it.”

At a fork in the path, President Qi asked, “Should we split up?”

“We’ll go that way,” Chu Yuexi spoke first. “You guys do your thing, we girls stick together.”

“Sure,” President Qi agreed. “Everyone stay safe.”

The boys and girls split up, with Lin Juan’s group taking another path.

“Have we wandered into the undeveloped area?” President Qi sensed something off.

The deeper they went, the denser the trees became. The narrow path barely wide enough for people narrowed further, with branches growing into the middle of the trail.

“Probably not,” Lu Mingxuan said, looking into the distance. “The undeveloped areas are blocked off.”

They hadn’t encountered any barriers along the way.

“Then let’s go a bit further. If it’s not right, we’ll head back.”

After a few more minutes, the trees on either side grew shorter. The weeds on the ground vanished, replaced by a field of mushrooms that refracted dazzling lights.

The mushrooms varied in size—some as big as human heads, others only fingertip-sized. Blues, golds, pinks… colors interwoven, stretching out like a shimmering satin tapestry.

“My god…” Lu Mingxuan stopped unconsciously. “Such a huge patch of mushrooms—why isn’t it in the park brochure?”

He leaned closer and whispered, “Little Uncle, are these mushrooms poisonous?”

“I don’t know.” Lin Juan stopped. He had never seen mushrooms like this. Strangely, his intuition told him they shouldn’t look like this.

They shouldn’t be so beautiful, so glossy, so fantastical.

Yes, fantastical.

The patch of mushrooms made it feel like stepping into a fairy tale world, forgetting all worldly troubles, wanting only to immerse oneself in it.

Lin Juan: “Something’s wrong.”

“No way, they’re just some pretty mushrooms. I want to pick a few to take back…” Lu Mingxuan’s voice grew faint, his gaze turning dazed. With a creepy smile, he crouched down unconsciously and reached for a roadside mushroom.

“Stop!” Lin Juan sensed danger and yanked Lu Mingxuan back.

But he couldn’t pull him away on the first try.

It was as if double gravity weighed Lu Mingxuan down. Lin Juan had to use more force to drag him back.

Unfortunately, glowing mushrooms lined both sides of the path. Under the pull, Lu Mingxuan fell backward into another patch.

Lin Juan could only drag him to the center.

Lu Mingxuan sprawled on the ground. The moment Lin Juan let go, he started crawling toward the mushroom patch.

With no choice, Lin Juan chopped the side of his neck with his palm. If that didn’t work, he’d have to tie him up somehow.

Fortunately, the knocked-out Lu Mingxuan went limp on the ground and stopped moving.

Lin Juan looked around. It wasn’t an illusion—the mushrooms were swaying slightly. Nearly invisible, translucent spores drifted toward them on the wind.

Some larger mushrooms that should have been in the middle were inching closer.

Moving mushrooms, like living creatures.

Lin Juan had a bad premonition.

Sounds came from behind. He turned to see the others wearing dazed smiles, stiffly walking into the mushroom clusters.

Damn it.

Now Lin Juan was certain these mushrooms were the problem.

Considering the world’s peculiarities, he guessed they had encountered weird phenomena again.

No time for deep thought. Lin Juan moved swiftly, knocking out the others and piling them in the middle of the path.

Standing in the center, he eyed the encroaching mushrooms, picked up a hiking pole from the ground, and prodded the largest one.

Tough.

Lin Juan used more force. With a “puff,” the big mushroom burst, spilling pale blue liquid that other mushrooms absorbed.

Visibly, the absorbing mushrooms grew a size larger.

Perhaps intimidated, the mushrooms stopped advancing.

They didn’t cross their original positions and began crowding together layer by layer.

This stalemate couldn’t last. Lin Juan considered taking everyone back.

That way, they would be found when help came. He turned back, but at some point, gray mist from who-knows-where blocked the view. The path vanished into the fog, hiding whatever lay beyond.

If it were just him, Lin Juan could risk it. But he had several unconscious ordinary people with him.

He had to deal with these mushrooms first.

Lin Juan weighed the hiking pole in his hand. Time to test it.

Lu Mingxuan felt a sharp pain in his neck and woke from the daze.

So heavy.

He wiggled his fingers, feeling something heavy pressing on him, his neck throbbing especially.

“Hiss.”

Hearing the sound, Lin Juan, who hadn’t gone far, turned back.

Lu Mingxuan saw Lin Juan too.

Lin Juan stood with his back to him not far away, hiking pole in hand. One swing sent a wave of mushrooms flying.

Under Lin Juan’s cold, emotionless gaze, Lu Mingxuan shivered and swallowed his cry of pain.

Oh god, what the hell happened? Little Uncle’s look was terrifying, like he was ready to whack him with the pole anytime.

Lu Mingxuan gulped and whispered, “Little Uncle, wh-what’s going on?”

“You’re clear-headed?”

Lu Mingxuan nodded stiffly, neck still hurting.

Lin Juan didn’t dare take chances. He observed for a bit, unsure if he was truly awake. “Stay put for now. I’ll deal with these mushrooms first.”

“Okay, okay.” Facing the menacing Lin Juan, Lu Mingxuan didn’t dare say another word.

In that short time, Lin Juan realized that to deal with these mushrooms, he had to destroy them before they fully absorbed the liquid from the burst ones.

Simple enough, as long as he was fast enough.

For the next ten minutes, Lu Mingxuan witnessed a one-man show.

Lin Juan moved at extreme speed, exploding the surging mushrooms with the central spot as the base.

Meanwhile, five kilometers away, Zhuang Yufeng’s group was under fierce assault from a mushroom horde.

The C-Rank Anomaly [Fantastical Mushroom] was the most powerful anomaly they faced at this stage. Zhuang Yufeng, who had returned from the apocalypse, knew clearly that if they did not eliminate it while it was still weak, the Imperial Capital would suffer a massive catastrophe once it grew.

The [Fantastical Mushroom] appeared harmless, yet it possessed spores that were impossible to guard against. Its spores could drift anywhere on the wind, infect humans, and use human flesh and blood as nutrients to form new anomalies: D-Rank Anomalies [Mushroom People].

In addition, the [Fantastical Mushroom]’s hallucinatory ability was extremely powerful. It could silently drag people into illusions, causing the bewitched individuals to lose all sense of friend or foe. Not only would they desperately attack their own comrades without regard for their lives, but they would also harm themselves at any cost.

Zhuang Yufeng and his group were all injured.

Zhuang Yufeng covered his bleeding arm and used his purification ability to treat his teammates.

“Brother Zhuang, don’t waste your supernatural ability… Hiss…” The teammate who had awakened from the illusion saw Zhuang Yufeng’s pale face and wanted to stop him from continuing the treatment, but he was forcefully patted on the back.

“What are you saying? Isn’t my role to let you fight without any worries at your back?”

Zhuang Yufeng did not show it on his face, but his heart felt very heavy.

In his previous life, by the time they learned of the [Fantastical Mushroom], it had already occupied a vast region north of the Imperial Capital. Nearby small cities had been utterly annihilated, and thousands upon thousands of Mushroom People roamed about. They had only won that battle at an extremely heavy cost.

Especially… Zhuang Yufeng tilted his head slightly, his gaze gently falling on the man at his side.

Sheng Tianzong, the former captain of the elite squad in the Special Action Team’s first unit, had perished together with the [Fantastical Mushroom] in this very campaign.

After his rebirth, Zhuang Yufeng did not dare delay. He applied early for the Mushroom Extermination Operation, hoping to avoid Sheng Tianzong’s fated death. Unexpectedly, the team leader was still him.

At first, everything went smoothly.

What they never expected was that they had still underestimated the cunning of the [Fantastical Mushroom].

It gave them the illusion of victory, then surrounded them right in the center. Beneath the swaying giant mushrooms layered densely around them, their combat strength was rapidly depleted.

They were trapped within a high wall constructed by the mushrooms.

Everyone was seriously injured, including Sheng Tianzong.

Although the [Fantastical Mushroom] was not as powerful as in his previous life, they were also far less experienced than before. This battle was no easier than the one in his previous life.

Sheng Tianzong gazed ahead, the hand hanging at his side clenched tight. “Wait a moment. I will use Starfire. You all take the chance to leave.”

Starfire, an A-Rank Ability—a spark from the stars that could set the prairie ablaze. When burned to its extreme, it could incinerate all existence. In his previous life, Sheng Tianzong had forcibly catalyzed the A-Rank Ability Starfire into the S-Rank Ability Starflame at the cost of burning his own life, perishing together with the World-Exterminating Mushroom that had evolved into an A+ Rank anomaly.

Even after advancing the timeline by so long, could they still not escape fate?

Despair filled Zhuang Yufeng’s heart.

Realizing what Sheng Tianzong intended, the teammates’ eyes all turned red.

“Captain, there must be another way. Don’t…”

“There’s no time left.” Sheng Tianzong said.

Everyone understood that he spoke the truth. They could not resist the infection of the [Fantastical Mushroom]. The longer they stayed in the heart of the anomaly, the greater the chance of mutation.

Even so, they could not accept trading the captain’s life for their own survival.

The [Fantastical Mushroom] layered and fused into giant mushrooms, closing in from all directions.

Its patience had run out. It was eager to devour this food that had harmed it.

“Now!” Sheng Tianzong said in a deep voice.

He raised both hands. Red flames burned upon them. Under the extreme heat, the surrounding air distorted as the flames gathered around him into a massive fireball.

“Don’t!” A scene similar to his previous life replayed. Zhuang Yufeng’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He activated his ability and rushed forward without thinking.

“Brother Zhuang!”

“Boom!!!”

With a massive explosion, the largest mushroom was smashed backward by a tremendous force.

The fireball halted midway.

The sorrowful atmosphere froze. Everyone stared dumbfounded at the passage that had been forcibly smashed open.

The Mushroom Wall had a gap smashed through it. Beneath the blinding light, a tall and slender youth strode in slowly.

Long hair fluttered lightly behind him. The youth’s voice rang out like heavenly music.

“Eh? The mushrooms here can spit fire?”