Chapter 70: Mycelium Parasitism

But they still underestimated the power of the mutated creature; the pickaxes and knives they brought were completely unable to cause any damage to the White Web. By the time they realized this, it was already too late.

Beyond the strength of the White Web itself, its size was also far greater than what they had seen.

A sudden whistling sound of wind came from inside the cave.

Just as they were struggling violently, they saw a scene that filled them with despair. In that whistling wind, something over a meter in diameter, resembling a python, lunged directly at them.

As soon as it emerged from the cave entrance, it spread out to cover the sky and earth, burying them completely like a dragnet.

Even Qizai, who was standing the furthest away, couldn't escape; the immense force of the binding almost instantly squeezed the air out of his body, forcing him to open his mouth to breathe. But it was that very action of opening his mouth that the White Web, as if it had vision, immediately plunged into.

Struggling and shouting became impossible; the already weak Yang Pingxi's eyes turned red, and even though he knew it wouldn't do much good, the knife in his hand continued to cut within the limited range.

In such a dead end, very few people could remain calm, and among the group, Cai Zhenlong belonged to that tiny minority.

The moment he saw the White Web's attack pattern, he covered his mouth and nose with both hands, cupping a small space. Furthermore, he kept his body as relaxed as possible; giving up the struggle actually caused him to be hit by the lightest attack by sheer luck.

"Relax!" He could control a small space with his hands, which didn't affect his speech or breathing; this emergency handling could be said to be quite good. "The more you struggle, the tighter it gets!"

His words only received a response of "woo-woo-woo"; Qizai, who was closest to him, had already started rolling his eyes, and blood was already flowing from the mouth the White Web had pierced into; it looked like he wasn't going to make it.

"Nim!"

Cai Zhenlong's field of vision was quickly blocked, and more White Web was lunging toward his companions; if they didn't find a way, everyone would die here.

In a flash, he also suspected that the people originally in the cave were likely doomed, so he decided to go all out.

Besides an iron pickaxe, he also carried a Detonator on him. It was originally meant for clearing the way in case the cave collapsed, but now...

The sound of his companions' struggling was rapidly fading; for every second he hesitated, they might lose their lives.

Giving up his own life was undoubtedly a difficult decision, so he took five seconds to relax his body, and with his hands moving extremely slowly, he moved them away from his mouth and nose to the pocket on his chest.

The bulge there was the shape of the Detonator.

Once the decision was made, execution became much easier.

The power of a mining Detonator is immense; as long as it was ignited, even if these White Webs weren't afraid of fire, they could surely be blown to pieces.

A layer of water gradually welled up in Cai Zhenlong's eyes, mixed with rainwater and the slime of the White Web; as he exerted force with both hands, he opened his mouth and shouted, "Xi Zai, help me find my cousin!"

This shout, naturally, received no response!

The sound of the explosion was not as loud as before.

Cai Zhenlong suspected that his ears had also been invaded by the White Web, otherwise, why did the sound seem like it was coming through thick frosted glass?

Also, the slime of these White Webs must be poisonous, capable of paralyzing human nerves, so that even he, at the center of the explosion, couldn't feel any pain...

Wait!

The White Web did not disintegrate because of the explosion.

After discovering this desperate fact, Cai Zhenlong finally lost his composure and began to struggle frantically.

No!

He could die to save his brothers, but he didn't want to be killed by this disgusting Mutated Human!

Just when he thought he was about to be submerged by these White Webs, the White Web began to shake violently.

Well, rather than shaking, it was more like... fleeing?

Just then, the White Web that had been covering his vision was sliced open by a blade, revealing a somewhat dark human face above.

The face grinned, revealing snow-white teeth, "Little friend, you're still breathing, right?"

Cai Zhenlong nodded instinctively, then suddenly realized he recognized this voice, "Boss Liu?"

"If you're fine, get out quickly."

Liu Mu's blade sliced through the White Web, then silkily dissected out a young man.

Even though it was the same knife, in her hands, it was as easy as cutting butter, encountering no decent resistance at all.

"Good lad, if I hadn't been fast, you really would have blown yourself to death?"

Liu Mu and He Qizheng had been following these young men ever since they left the town, and they had broken into a cold sweat every time they encountered mutated animals or plants.

Sure enough, they ended up crashing in the end.

If she hadn't been sharp-eyed enough to see Cai Zhenlong pull the Detonator, the few people in front of her might really have perished together with the strange White Web.

As for why the White Web could be sliced open by her so easily, the answer is that she is no ordinary person.

Moreover, she had also spat on the blade.

According to the "detoxification principle of Mutated Human upgrades," her saliva could actually easily digest this mutated fungus.

That's right, if you really look into it, this thing is in the same family as mushrooms.

Where the blade passed, young men were dissected out one by one.

He Qizheng followed behind to provide support; his large, gloved hands pulled the White Web out of the young men's mouths for a long stretch before it was removed. Watching from up close, even a tough man like him who had seen monsters felt his stomach churning and his scalp tingling.

When finally pulling it out of Yang Pingxi's mouth, nose, and ears, He Qizheng almost vomited.

"Boss, is it useful just to pull it out? They're already bleeding."

Except for Cai Zhenlong, the rest of the youths were on the verge of death, and the places where the White Web had burrowed in were all bleeding.

From their mouths, they were spitting out blood clots and bits of flesh.

Liu Mu glanced at the White Web retreating into the cave and turned back, "Conventional medicine cannot save them."

As soon as these words were spoken, the youths who still had some consciousness trembled, wanting to say something, but all that came out of their mouths was blood and flesh.

Cai Zhenlong couldn't accept that his companions had died just like that; while helping them lie on their sides, he begged, "Boss Liu, you can even easily treat Mine Sickness, you must have a way, right? Please, save them. As long as you can save them, I will be your servant for the rest of my life to repay you!"

Liu Mu shook her head slightly, "You see these hyphae being pulled out, but in fact, they have already parasitized your companions' bodies, and they are growing at an extremely fast rate.... Sorry, unless they suddenly erupt with an immunity ten times stronger than an ordinary person's to kill and absorb the hyphae, even the gods would be helpless."

"No, don't, it won't be like that," Cai Zhenlong couldn't accept it and shook his head, "My cousin and the others are gone, and now even you are leaving? Please, it can't be like this! When we decided to save people, we burned incense before the Mazu Goddess and made a vow to live and die together. Brothers, hold on, there must be a way!"

Yang Mang, whose condition was the most severe, was the first to show symptoms.

Hyphae like white hair emerged from inside his skin, which was covered in black mud, with a hint of blood at the tips, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

As if regressing to an ancestral state, a layer of white fuzz soon formed, but his mouth was still opening and closing, emitting a sound that was almost impossible to recognize, "Sis, sister..."

Seeing that if she dragged it out any longer she would truly become a corpse, Liu Mu said directly, "Right now, there is still one method we can try, but I cannot guarantee the success rate."

"What method?" Cai Zhenlong had just wanted to shout 'then hurry up and try it,' but seeing Liu Mu's troubled expression, he assumed she wanted some benefit, "The Coal Mine is all yours; in the future, we can even dig coal for you, as long as you can save them!"