The mushroom in Lin Juan’s hand struggled even more forcefully.
No matter how hard it struggled, Lin Juan’s hands—which looked like they could be easily shaken off—clamped down on it like iron hoops, firmly restraining it.
“This, this Mr. Lin, anomalies can’t be eaten…” A baby-faced young man in the team stammered.
Anomalies were difficult to deal with not only because of their mysterious and unpredictable powers, but also due to their powerful pollution.
Ordinary people would suffer severe pollution just from getting close, like the people Lin Juan had brought. Only ability users could resist it to some extent.
Someone like Mr. Lin, who was completely unaffected by anomalies, was one in a million.
No one understood this better than Zhuang Yufeng.
In his previous life, even though Huaguo had more than one s-rank ability user, no one could ignore anomaly pollution to the extent Lin Juan did.
“Can’t eat it, huh.” Lin Juan sounded somewhat disappointed as he shook the mushroom. “Then I’ll just kill it.”
The long-haired young man looked gentle and harmless, as if he had said something utterly ordinary. Only the [Fantastical Mushroom] up close sensed the intense killing intent.
“If Mr. Lin doesn’t mind, you can hand it over to us for processing.” The Anomalous Affairs Bureau had specialized methods for handling subdued anomalies.
“No rush.” Lin Juan did not hand over the large mushroom in his hand. Instead, he said, “First, have Doctor Zhuang treat the people I brought.”
“But…” Doctor Zhuang’s ability was already depleted.
The baby-faced young man hadn’t finished speaking before Zhuang Yufeng interrupted him. “Sure.”
He walked toward Lu Mingxuan and the others.
Lu Mingxuan instinctively shrank back behind Lin Juan.
He was already half-mutated, with a mushroom sprouting from his head, and he naturally feared higher-ranked ability users like this one.
Zhuang Yufeng activated his ability. Pale white light enveloped the group. Lin Juan curiously poked at the white glow in front of him. It felt very warm.
“My ability is insufficient right now. I can only temporarily suppress the pollution in their bodies. For complete purification, I need to recover first.” The pale light faded, and Zhuang Yufeng’s face was deathly pale.
“Got it.” Lin Juan could tell his complexion was truly awful and did not push him.
With his last breath of forced endurance released, Zhuang Yufeng’s body went limp, and he toppled backward.
Sheng Tianzong, who was not far away, caught him.
Zhuang Yufeng clung to that final breath and looked toward Lin Juan, warning him. “The thing in Mr. Lin’s hand is a c-rank anomaly [Fantastical Mushroom]. It has very powerful camouflage abilities. Mr. Lin, you must not be fooled by it!”
“Got it. Just kill it outright, right?” Lin Juan said. Then he squeezed hard, snapping the mushroom glowing with pale blue light in two.
He had originally thought that the large mushroom protected at the center by the mushroom wall might reverse Lu Mingxuan and the others’ conditions and restore them to normal. But no matter how he threatened or cajoled it, the large mushroom lay there like it was dead, showing no response.
Since it was so useless, he might as well kill it.
As soon as the large mushroom broke, the blue glow flowing around them gradually faded. Without the [Fantastical Mushroom]’s hallucinatory power, the massive mushroom wall revealed its original form.
Pitch-black, indescribable rotten flesh spread out in large patches, reeking of putrid stench and fishy odor. White bones peeked out from within. The mushroom in Lin Juan’s hand also turned into a disgusting lump of rot.
Disgusted, Lin Juan tossed away the thing in his hand and covered his nose with his other hand. “No wonder this stuff can’t be eaten.”
The Vanguard Squad members stared in stunned silence. Before they could say anything, they saw Lin Juan effortlessly deal with a c-rank anomaly that even their full strongest force couldn’t handle.
They had already been shocked when Lin Juan took down the mushroom wall earlier, and grabbing the [Fantastical Mushroom] had shocked them again. They thought nothing he did would surprise them anymore—until he casually killed a c-rank anomaly.
That was a c-rank anomaly!
The kind their captain had to squeeze every last drop of life force and overdraw his ability just to handle!
Everyone looked dazed.
Were they still trapped in the illusion created by the [Fantastical Mushroom]?
“Little Uncle, I feel a bit dizzy…” Lu Mingxuan swayed, seeing double images before his eyes.
“The smell is toxic!” Zhuang Yufeng struggled to stand. “Everyone, be careful!”
No one had expected that the anomaly’s death would still pose a threat to them.
“It should be the [Fantastical Mushroom]’s final strike.” Sheng Tianzong pondered. “Everyone, put on your protective masks.”
His teammates, still in a daze, reacted faster than they thought. At Sheng Tianzong’s command, they quickly donned their masks and handed mutated ones to Lu Mingxuan and the others.
They stood amid the massive fragments of rotten flesh. The surroundings were empty and deathly silent, as if they were the only ones left in the world.
A wordless sorrow enveloped them.
They did not notice that their emotions were spiraling out of control.
Zhuang Yufeng, who had returned from the apocalypse, was the first to sense something wrong. He shouted loudly, “Masks can only protect us a little. We need to leave quickly and call in Tailwing to handle this.”
With that, Zhuang Yufeng unleashed his ability one last time, shielding everyone from interference. Then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
He had reached his limit.
Lin Juan quickly checked Lu Mingxuan and the others. Lu Mingxuan’s recovery was better; the mushroom mutation on him had receded. The rest had lighter mutations but had all fallen unconscious.
With protective masks on their faces, they showed no immediate reaction.
“Mr. Lin doesn’t need to worry. The coma is a form of protection for their subconscious, preventing further control.” Seeing him frown, Sheng Tianzong explained proactively.
“I killed this mushroom, but they still can’t recover?” In games, wasn’t it always like that? Kill the monster, and the debuff lifts.
“Unfortunately, unless an ability user with purification ability activates their power, once humans are polluted, they can’t return to their original state.”
Sheng Tianzong paused, his expression grave. “From what we see now, after the [Fantastical Mushroom] died, it still had a final strike. We don’t know if it’s a unique skill of the [Fantastical Mushroom] or a common trait of c-rank or above anomalies.”
If it was the latter, it was definitely bad news for them.
“My bad for being careless.” Lin Juan hadn’t expected that killing the anomaly wasn’t the true way to resolve it.
“I’ll try if my ability can burn all this stuff.”
Lin Juan looked around and stopped him. “What if the smoke from burning it is toxic too?”
Toxic smoke drifting everywhere would be even more troublesome.
“Let’s leave first.” Sheng Tianzong decisively reported the situation upward.
The higher-ups took it seriously and replied soon after.
“This area will be sealed off. We leave now.” Staying longer would push their internal pollution over the limit.
With Zhuang Yufeng unconscious, an out-of-control ability user would spell disaster.
Soon, the roar of helicopters arrived. Soldiers in special combat gear descended from them. Lin Juan, Sheng Tianzong, and the others boarded a helicopter.
Lin Juan learned from the rescuers that the girls who had come with them had been found and sent out first. They were lucky and hadn’t encountered any anomalies.
They arrived at First Hospital again, but this time they went straight into the inner building.
“This is where patients polluted by anomalies are treated.” The head nurse was a capable woman and also a Tailwing member.
Lin Juan noticed that the building’s defenses were much higher than the outside. Armed security personnel were everywhere—perhaps ability users as well.
Lin Juan did not need hospitalization, but Lu Mingxuan did.
Old Master Lu and Lu Mingxuan’s father from the Lu Family rushed over upon hearing the news.
Looking at their grandson/son lying in bed, they felt both angry and heartbroken. “You went out for a simple outing, how did you end up like this?”
Lu Mingxuan had quite a few bruises, injuries from fighting the mushroom people. As one of the only two conscious ones, he had signed a confidentiality agreement with Lin Juan.
“I accidentally rolled down a hill. Good thing Little Uncle saved me.” Lu Mingxuan grinned.
His injuries could barely pass as from tumbling down a slope.
Fortunately, his mutation had faded, or with a half-human half-mushroom appearance, he would have been isolated.
Just like the others.
Their family members had also arrived, though Lin Juan hadn’t seen them yet.
“Good thing Xiao Juan was there.” Old Master Lu’s intuition told him the situation wasn’t as simple as Lu Mingxuan described, but he didn’t press.
Lu Mingxuan’s father and stepmother spoke with him. Lin Juan and Old Master Lu stepped out.
“Xiao Juan, Mingxuan, he…”
“Uncle, don’t worry. Everyone’s fine. We were unlucky and ran into a patch of toxic mushrooms. The doctors have a way to fix it.”
Hearing Lin Juan say this, Old Master Lu knew his grandson would be okay and didn’t inquire further. Instead, he asked, “You weren’t hurt, right?”
“I’m fine.”
Lin Juan was unhurt, and his pollution value was low, so there was no need for him to be admitted. That evening, under Lu Mingxuan’s reluctant gaze, he left with Old Master Lu.
“Little Uncle, you have to come see me tomorrow.”
Lu Mingxuan’s father patted him. “Isn’t it enough with me and your mom here?”
“I was joking.” Lu Mingxuan clutched his head. “I’m fine here, Dad. You and Mom should go back with Grandpa.”
He still had pollution in him. It wouldn’t do for his parents to get infected.
Throwing tantrums and trying every trick, Lu Mingxuan finally persuaded his parents to leave.
If he hadn’t, the hospital wouldn’t allow ordinary people to stay anyway.
After all, it housed polluted humans. It wasn’t safe for normals inside.
Back at Lu Garden, Lin Juan changed clothes and had dinner. Knowing he was worn out from the day, Old Master Lu didn’t keep him and sent him home to rest after the meal.
Lin Juan had expended a lot that day. Sitting on the bed’s edge, he looked at the man lying peacefully there and joked, “Speaking of which, you wouldn’t let me go out today. Did you know I’d run into an anomaly?”
Naturally, there was no response.
Lin Juan chuckled instead. “What am I thinking? You’re still in a coma.”
“Huh?”
Was it an illusion?
Lin Juan seemed to see the man’s eyes twitch.
He leaned down for a closer look.
His long hair draped down like fine silk, falling onto the man’s chest.
A thumb-sized transparent mushroom slid down along a strand of hair.
“Huh?”
Lin Juan instinctively reached for it, but the little mushroom had already landed on the man’s chest and began vanishing bit by bit.
Lin Juan quickly yanked open the man’s shirt.
On the slightly raised chest muscle, there was nothing.
No transparent mushroom.
It was as if the man had absorbed it.
Lin Juan touched it.
It felt really good.
Wait, no—this wasn’t the time to think that. Lin Juan pressed again but felt no foreign object.
Where had the little mushroom gone?
Had he seen too many mushrooms today and started hallucinating?
“What are you doing?”
A low male voice came from above his head. Lin Juan froze, then slowly looked up into a pair of pitch-black eyes as deep as ink.
Critical!
Those eyes were open!
No way?
Lin Juan wailed inwardly.
Why did he have to wake up right now?
What had he just done?
Seeing the man’s disheveled clothes and recalling how he had just groped and pressed around, wasn’t this straight-up molestation?
Lin Juan’s hand on the man’s chest muscle curled slightly. Could he withdraw it now and pretend nothing happened?
Or maybe knock him out again?
