Chapter 299: Giant Fungal Body

"That's the symbol!"

Kiki suddenly remembered: "So the research convoy Wu Shu and the others encountered before was from Deep Red Pharma?"

"It should be Deep Red World," Ningjing said now. "This isn't the Deep Red Pharma logo, but it's definitely this organization."

"Director Ding, scan it. Bai, check if there's any issue?" Lin Xian gestured toward the main building and spoke to the two.

"No, the mycelial mat outside is too thick—we can't detect anything inside," Ding Junyi said now, and Bai nodded.

"If it's been this thoroughly parasitized, can there still be any living people?" Ningjing frowned. The entire building was completely wrapped in mycelium; if not for its shape, it would have become a giant fungal plant, covered in all manner of fungal fruiting bodies and tumor-like growths, looking utterly bizarre.

"Proceed with caution."

Scritch-scratch-scratch!

After speaking, Lin Xian immediately created two drones. He could now remotely control them—his small drones required no remote device to operate. He then sent the drones ahead while he led the group toward the main building.

Above, countless white downy mushroom caps rained down, accompanied by a haze of brownish-yellow spores that gradually blurred the vision. The revolving entrance door was completely blocked by mycelium; the automatic glass door had been glued open by fungal threads. Kiki instantly used telekinesis to seize it and ripped the entire door off with a crash.

"Get inside—don't touch those mushroom caps!"

Swish-swish-swish! As the group rushed into the dark main lobby, a series of hissing sounds erupted behind them on the ground. The mushroom caps landing on the fungal tumors clinging to the building's surface instantly triggered white mycelium to spread. The zombie corpses encased within writhed as if revived, letting out piercing screams while tumor-like fungal growths erupted across their bodies and their skin peeled away in patches.

Upon entering the outer lobby, Lin Xian instantly created a large lighting unit that rose into the hall, illuminating the entire space. Once a grand and majestic lobby, it was now in ruins—everywhere were human-fungal hybrids: some running, some climbing, all parasitized and frozen in place. When the light appeared, these human-fungal hybrids began trembling violently, crawling toward the light.

"Find their lab—quick and decisive!"

"Understood."

Lin Xian no longer cared if he alerted the human-fungal hybrids—he kept creating lighting units along the way to clear a path, while the two drones sped through the corridors, scanning for suspicious targets.

"Pharmaceutical companies like this usually have core labs covering many disciplines—if we're searching, it could take forever," Ding Junyi said, following behind Lin Xian. The sterile corridors were now overrun with mycelial mats in many corners, everywhere showing signs of mold. She rapidly captured the building's regional map using her Black Hawk armor's visual system, then after zoning and scanning, said: "It's in Building C. Take the central elevator down."

Zzzzzz

Lin Xian's palm erupted with electrical surges; the corridor lights flickered on and off along the team's path, forming a temporary lighting system.

The deeper they went, the more fungal root systems clung to the walls and floors—some corridors were entirely seized.

Boom!

Ningjing punched through a wall of fungal roots, clearing the passage. To avoid triggering explosions, the task of clearing paths fell solely to Ningjing and Kiki—Bai and Huo Ge's abilities were too flammable and explosive, so they could only follow silently.

"Something's coming!"

At that moment, Bai and Ding Junyi spoke almost simultaneously.

Lin Xian and the others halted. They were in a narrow corridor; under Lin Xian's mechanical ability, only one section was brightly lit—the rest vanished into fungal darkness.

Sssssss

A rapid crawling sound echoed through the silent corridor. Lu Xingchen immediately gripped fire in one hand, ready to strike—but Lin Xian raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't act rashly. There's mycelium everywhere—if you ignite it, none of us will escape."

"Let me handle it." Ningjing stepped forward, staring straight into the darkness. Of the entire team, only she and Kiki were suited to strike. Hearing something speed toward them from the dark, she clenched her fists.

But just as the sound was about to burst from the darkness, it suddenly stopped. The corridor fell utterly silent—only the twisting mycelium under the light remained.

"It ran?"

Gurglegurglegurgle.

Then, a rolling sound arose behind them. Lin Xian waved his hand—two drones shot forward and backward into the darkness. Soon, the source became visible: a flood of human-head fungi rolled in from the far end of the corridor, each with greenish, decaying faces, tangled in mycelium, terrifying beyond words.

"Run!"

Lin Xian immediately led the group forward. The drones' lights drew in swarms of human-head fungi and twitching human-fungal hybrids from across the building—but thankfully, they were all slow-moving and posed no real threat.

As the group prepared to cross a lab zone, Luo Yang suddenly spotted a shadow rapidly approaching him from a side corridor.

In the next instant, a grotesque fungal corpse—hunched, blue-skinned, covered in claws, still wearing a sterile lab suit—lunged from the darkness straight at him.

Aaahhh!!

The zombie moved with terrifying speed, its claws scraping the ground like a beast, reeking of strong laboratory disinfectant.

Luo Yang's pupils contracted—he instinctively prepared to use his ability—but Lin Xian suddenly stepped in front of him and snapped: "Watch out!"

Hum!

A semi-transparent AT force field unfolded before Lin Xian. The lunging fungal corpse slammed into it, instantly exploding into a spray of black-gray substance that splattered the walls. Closer inspection revealed the black-gray matter was still wriggling—splitting like spiders, spawning sticky mycelium that quickly coated half the wall, utterly bizarre.

"Hey!" Kiki immediately launched a telekinetic wave, slamming the creature backward—boom boom boom—crushing it into thick black mist.

"Don't touch these things! Ningjie, don't attack either!" Lin Xian's face darkened. He'd brought so many powerful people, yet every encounter grew stranger and more impossible to handle.

Ningjing frowned: "Judging by the uniform on that corpse, it was probably an experiment confined in a lab."

"We've encountered too many fungal traits with limited data. Best not to act rashly," Ding Junyi said, watching the anomalous air parameters on her holographic display. "We should find Deep Red World's people—they must know a lot."

"In this state, there may not even be any survivors left," Lin Xian said, watching the scene, his feet never stopping as he led the group toward the building's atrium.

From the regional map, Deep Red Pharma's upper levels were mostly administrative and business zones. The core cryo-labs were underground, accessible only via the central elevator. Aside from there, the building had virtually no other valuable search areas.

"It's just ahead. Kiki, shield us with telekinesis—ignore anything you see along the way!"

Lin Xian gave orders while running, but something strange happened: the closer they got to the atrium, the fewer fungal threads appeared—as if suppressed by some special force.

Simultaneously, the lighting grew brighter—no need for his mechanical ability. The once filthy floors and walls became spotless. A high-end, luxurious pharmaceutical company interior now unfolded before Lin Xian.

Wide, bright floors. Holographic ads along the corridors displayed Deep Red Pharma's corporate culture. A bald, middle-aged man in a suit, wearing smart glasses, appeared on screen, speaking with passionate energy.

"Deep Red Pharma is dedicated to reshaping the infinite possibilities of life through gene technology… We've pushed CRISPR gene scissors beyond the dimension of 'editing'—through AI-driven quantum base-folding, we can not only repair faulty genes…"

"Professor Warren, a leader in federal biology, once said: humans are the apex biological template in reproduction. Disease, viruses, defects—all are inevitable in biological evolution, even external disasters. Someone asked: has gene editing crossed the boundary of life? My answer: when a mother, thanks to our mitochondrial regeneration therapy, watches her daughter with congenital metabolic defects run for the first time; when our cancer-screening AI reduces mortality by 90%, saving millions of families from terminal illness… we are not touching a forbidden zone—we are touching the Guanghui that civilization rightfully deserves."

Lin Xian passed through the corridor. Ahead, a vast, brilliant atrium appeared—like a major tech building. Wuuu—countless administrative drones buzzed through the air, bustling with activity.

A cylindrical central elevator stood ahead, surrounded by a circular information desk. Surprisingly, a young woman in uniform stood there—like a lobby manager. Otherwise, the entire atrium was empty. Lin Xian could hear only his own footsteps.

The woman was stunning—early thirties, smiling politely as she looked at Lin Xian.

"Hello," the woman seemed to say to Lin Xian.

Lin Xian said nothing. He scanned his surroundings, then turned back. A familiar sensation washed over him—everyone was gone. Only he and the woman remained.

Click-click-click.

Lin Xian's eyes narrowed. His Mechanical Heart rapidly expanded, scanning for anything usable to determine his current state.

But the woman in uniform merely watched him calmly, smiling.

"I understand. Your escape has been exhausting—danger lurks everywhere, death Suishi possible. Now, seeing this clean, bright, modern scene untouched by apocalypse, you must think you've come to the wrong place—or entered a hallucination."

Click-click-click.

Lin Xian's eyes glowed with ability. His Mechanical Heart expanded further.

"Have you ever considered your understanding of death might be wrong?" the woman continued, watching his movements. "If what you see, touch, sense, or smell isn't apocalypse or death, then what does the form of life matter?"

As she finished, a clamor of footsteps erupted through the atrium. Lin Xian looked up—people poured from every corridor. Men and women, all naked, all with flawless, beautiful features and bodies—perfect human creations.

These pale, naked bodies approached him. Lin Xian stepped back. As his gaze shifted, he noticed the men in the crowd dwindled, staying behind or leaving—only women surged forward. These women varied in height, build, skin tone, hair color—even breast size.

As they drew closer, it felt like rapid filtering: slender, fair-skinned women became dominant. Their body hair, bone structure, and hair color gradually shifted into types Lin Xian found most appealing. Most bizarrely, the faces of the selected women slowly transformed into those of Chen Sixuan, Kiki, Ding Junyi—even Mo Nika—the women he remembered vividly.

Soon, hundreds of exquisite replicas of "Chen Laoshi," "Kiki," "Mo Nika"… surrounded him, forming a circle. These beauties were completely naked, their skin glowing with the seductive aura of reproduction and lust. Their eyes fixed on him—smiling, stern, sly, shy—invading every one of his senses.

Simultaneously, the crowd parted. Naked women behind them carried platters of food: steak, roast duck, hot pot, fresh fruit, tempting desserts, exquisite, fragrant wine.

They said nothing—only continuously offered food, posed in lustful stances, or expressed willing submission.

Instantly, more men appeared, kneeling in a ring around the women, bowing before Lin Xian as if in homage.

Before Lin Xian now swarmed food and scent, writhing nude female bodies, and a dense sea of kneeling men—a grotesque arena of human desire, violently pulling at every sense and psyche.

Click.

At last, Lin Xian's Mechanical Heart detected something. He exhaled sharply, raised his left hand to summon an AT force shield, and clenched his right fist.

Hollow!

A massive sound echoed through the hall. The woman in uniform's face twisted grotesquely. Simultaneously, the writhing women around Lin Xian reacted in chain—some contorted too far, their joints reversing, shattering normal human perception, turning the once sensual scene into something horrifying.

The women seemed unaware. As Lin Xian's ability tore at them, their movements grew increasingly unnatural—like AI-generated images glitching. Some grew extra arms. Others sprouted seven or eight fingers. Some displayed grotesque genital misplacements—like a female body hell.

"Eternal living beings… are the ultimate solution to life's reproduction. Hello, hello… I understand you. Your escape has been exhausting. You must be tired. Don't be afraid…" The woman in uniform still spoke incoherently, her logic twisted.

Hiss-hiss! Hiss-hiss!

Lin Xian's ability surged. The elevator doors behind the woman began to open under his influence—but the process slowed drastically, as if meeting immense resistance. He pushed with all his strength; the elevator motors groaned. Then, in the next instant, the doors seemed to tear something apart.

At once, all the twisted female horrors vanished. His retinas cleared.

Instantly, the stench of rot and mold flooded his nose. In his vision, his two drones lay fallen atop a monstrous fungal mound like a small hill. The lights flickered. Before him, the central atrium elevator was entirely covered by a vast mycelial mat—vividly colored, grotesquely growing, resembling a naked human organ, alive.

Simultaneously, thick white mycelium had already spread from his feet up his body, creeping toward his genitals. Stimulating energies pulsed constantly. The alarm from his TRP armor grew from faint to sharp.

Beep-beep-beep-beep

【Pilot's heart rate abnormal warning】

【Pilot's brainwave signal abnormal warning】

"This thing causes hallucinations—gas masks won't help!"

Crack—just then, Ding Junyi, clad in the Black Eagle battle armor, walked over and yanked the fungal vines from Lin Xian's feet. Seeing him turn to look at her, she said at once, "You're awake?"

Ding Junyi, clad in Black Hawk armor, stepped forward and ripped the fungal vines from Lin Xian's legs. Seeing him turn to her, she said: "You're awake?"

"How long?" Lin Xian asked immediately.

"That long?" Lin Xian exclaimed. "I felt like only five minutes passed."

"That long?" Lin Xian exclaimed. "I felt like only five minutes passed!"

Ding Junyi replied instantly: "Your brain underwent 200% overload. All your senses and dopamine reward signals were activated. The hallucination was your brain rendering it."

"The Black Eagle armor's vital signs monitor told me. If you feel dizzy, that's normal. Incontinence is normal too— we just don't have time to change your pants."

"The Black Hawk armor's vital sign monitor told me. Dizziness is normal. Incontinence is normal. We just don't have time to change pants."

Ding Junyi turned and walked toward Kiki and the others. All of them stood frozen, their bodies covered in thick white mycelium, just as Lin Xian had been.

"When did we get hit? Why don't I remember anything?" Lin Xian, shaken, rushed over to help Ding Junyi free them. Kiki, Ningjing, Bai, Luo Yang, Huo Ge—all had their eyes shut, eyeballs moving rapidly beneath their lids—clearly trapped in intense hallucinations.

Lin Xian first tore all the mycelium from Kiki's body. He checked her—no injuries. He sighed in relief. Just as he prepared to wake her, he noticed her lips moving—muttering something in the hallucination. He frowned, leaned close to listen.

【101】 "Yes! Kneel before this young lady! Say you're wrong!"

"Lin Xian, sing me a song and put on a show!"

"Don't you dare laugh—slap your own mouth!"

"Who do you think you're calling 'little girl'? You must address me as Her Majesty!"

"You dare touch me? Come here—Chen Jiejie isn't around, let this young lady kiss you once~"

"Come on, come on, take off your pants, let this young lady…"

"Wake up!" Lin Xian grew increasingly uneasy as he listened; he reached out and pinched Kiki's nose shut, forcing her awake.

Kiki gasped in sudden pain, her eyes snapping open. Seeing Lin Xian before her, her big eyes blinked in shock, then slowly registered reality. She panicked immediately:

"How can this hallucination feel so real? W-we already got back on the vehicle and escaped the Polar Night, right? Why are we still here?"

Lin Xian glanced at her: "You alright?"

"I-I'm fine."

"Ow~"

Seeing Lin Xian's gaze, Kiki suddenly remembered something—her face turned pale. She clutched her head and looked around frantically: "Ow~ My head hurts so much!"

Seeing Kiki was unharmed, Lin Xian exhaled slightly. The others were in similar condition—the mycelium induced hallucinations that continuously generated intense desires, activating the body's pleasure responses and escalating until the victim became completely frozen in place, entirely covered in mycelium.

In just two hours, the mycelium had nearly engulfed half her body—it was utterly terrifying.

"Holy crap, what's going on?" Luo Yang kept scratching his head, feeling as if his skull would split open.

Ningjing and the others also wore strange expressions, but Huo Ge merely frowned slightly, his face a mix of lingering Huiwei and self-reproach.

"This hallucination is vile—it made me walk an entire path to godhood and immortality! Sigh… it seems my attachment was too deep..."

Lin Xian glanced at them, then said sternly: "Everyone, pay attention—we must move faster. Some things our gas masks can't block. Stay more alert."

"Is this thing alive!?" Kiki was furious now. She glared at the massive fungal mass above, gritted her teeth, and used her telekinesis to tear it apart—suddenly, the entire floor of mycelium trembled as if pulled by the same force.

Gurgling, gurgling~

At that moment, the corridor echoed with the sound of fungal heads rolling, alongside a soft rustling as fungal roots spread relentlessly.

Outside the hall, countless fungal heads began tumbling in.

"Hurry, this thing has territorial instincts—kill the big ones, and the small ones come!"

"Kiki, tear open the fungal carpet ahead."

Seeing more and more fungal heads rolling toward them from the corridor, Kiki obeyed Lin Xian immediately—she used her ability to rip apart the thickest patch of mycelium. At that moment, the massive fungal cluster shuddered as if in agony, spraying out clouds of spores. Lin Xian seized the moment and used his Mechanical Heart to open the elevator doors.

"Get in!"

Everyone rushed into the elevator. As the doors closed, the hall outside was flooded by a tidal wave of fungal heads, their interiors pulsing with crimson light.

(End of Chapter)