Chapter 78: Your Brain, I'll Take It

The Mining Tunnel is very large, and there are path branches underground dug according to the trend of the Coal Mine.

Coupled with the impact of the disaster, parts of the tunnel structure are not stable.

When the Mountain Ghost fled, it kept knocking down rubble with its tail to create obstacles for those pursuing it.

The things it swiped over were kicked back by Liu Mu, all aimed at its transparent head.

What was even more impressive was that they were almost all aimed at the same spot; even Liu Mu herself was surprised that her aim was actually so good.

She hadn't touched a gun many times, yet she could shoot accurately; now, even when throwing stones, she hit exactly where she pointed.

Although the Mountain Ghost had left the water, it was likely not having an easy time. Liu Mu could even see the water sloshing around inside its transparent head.

However, the opponent's stamina was truly good; it ran continuously in this complex tunnel for a full hour before its speed finally slowed down.

Liu Mu followed behind, also panting heavily; she even suspected that this thing was clearly lost, otherwise how could it still not have run out after so long.

But she soon changed her mind; it wasn't that the Mountain Ghost couldn't find the exit, but that it felt danger every time it approached an exit.

Perhaps it was its sense of smell, or perhaps something else, but it definitely knew there was a Niu Boyi outside, and it would be killed in seconds if it went out.

After Liu Mu realized this, she also understood why the opponent suddenly turned away several times when approaching an exit, yet wouldn't give up, constantly testing various exits.

However, once the Mountain Ghost's speed slowed down, Liu Mu knew it had taken effect.

Those corpses had all been injected by her with the White Mycelium collected earlier as system research samples, the same kind as in the cave where Yang Pingxi and the others hid people.

This kind of mycelium could grow as long as there was water; she had stuffed a clump into each corpse before they entered the Mining Tunnel. Although the Mountain Ghost only ate two, such a long time was enough for the mycelium to grow inside its body.

Taking advantage of the gap when the Mountain Ghost realized something was wrong and slowed down, Liu Mu changed her direction, and one minute later, she suddenly appeared in front of the Mountain Ghost.

Without a word, she slashed down directly at the top of the Mountain Ghost's head.

The tunnel was truly too narrow compared to its body, and its tail, which served as its main attack weapon, could not be whipped to the front of its head in time to protect it.

Having no choice, the Mountain Ghost could only retreat to dodge.

This time, Liu Mu did not pursue at a leisurely pace; she kicked off the rock wall, knocking down a few coal fragments, and slashed at the Mountain Ghost in a reckless posture.

The Mountain Ghost, which was already unable to maneuver due to the environment, became even more anxious; it panicked while retreating and soon entered a pitch-black dead-end tunnel.

After discovering there was no way to retreat, the Mountain Ghost let out that cry like a baby wailing again. Perhaps realizing the outcome, while its tail struck the Mining Tunnel, its forelimbs exerted force, and it rammed its head toward Liu Mu.

This time Liu Mu saw clearly that a layer of White Mycelium had already grown inside that transparent cover, and she could even see the mycelium piercing into the Mountain Ghost's best-protected head, secreting a viscous liquid.

She believed that if she just waited a while longer, the White Mycelium would be able to decompose the Mountain Ghost directly from the inside.

Previously she had been afraid that the Mountain Ghost's digestive ability or other capabilities would kill the mycelium, but now it seemed everything was going smoothly.

However, she could not wait until then, because there was something inside the Mountain Ghost's body that she wanted, or rather, an idea she wanted to verify.

As the Mountain Ghost rammed toward her, Liu Mu did not dodge, but met the impact head-on with her blade.

Boom—!

The huge sound in the cramped tunnel made one's ears ache, yet neither side retreated.

The Mountain Ghost probably didn't expect a human to dare to collide with it head-on, and it let out a threatening cry.

Liu Mu was actually also holding a "try it and see" attitude, wanting to see if her physique and the bonuses from various stats could withstand this blow.

Besides, the opponent had lost the tail it used for attacking, like a tiger without teeth; the opportunity was rare.

The mycelium probably also affected the Mountain Ghost's judgment; the transparent protective shell developed cracks under the blade, but it had no intention of retreating at all, and instead, its strength grew greater and greater.

"Little thing, you're quite amusing!"

Liu Mu smiled triumphantly, "The big glass ball is just right to take back for my sister to grow vegetables!"

So she couldn't break it all; the blade moved, emitting a harsh screeching sound, which seemed to irritate the Mountain Ghost, and its body began to tremble.

For the sake of this transparent container, Liu Mu switched to pressing on it with one hand, wrestling with the Mountain Ghost.

At this close-up distance, she could see even better that the mycelium inside was like roots grown from a Seed in a transparent container, fast and dense, having almost occupied half of the sphere.

Liu Mu thought that the Mountain Ghost's brain had probably been digested quite a bit, and she worried that if this continued, the ball would burst directly, which would be troublesome.

Therefore, she exerted force with one hand to resist, while the other hand felt for the large hole she had made earlier and reached her arm inside.

While groping, she pulled aside the obstructive mycelium and saw a patch of dense, long Bone Thorn covered in barbs.

The Bone Thorn originally used for stripping meat was already covered in mycelium; perhaps it hadn't dissolved yet, but it was like a gear that had lost its lubrication after rusting, unable to move a fraction, only trembling back and forth within a tiny range.

Liu Mu stabbed her blade into these Bone Thorn, pried hard, and pulled it away; sure enough, she saw the Brain Core that had been vaguely visible before.

The surface of the Brain Core was crisscrossed with gullies and already had some tiny mycelium on it.

No wonder this thing's combat power and intelligence had suddenly dropped significantly, only able to use brute force; it turned out its brain had developed a problem.

However, there was also something wriggling inside that Brain Core, secreting a nearly transparent liquid that continuously dissolved the mycelium growing out.

Looking at the details, she realized that both sides were very fast, just like a tug-of-war for territory, one waning as the other waxed, neither compromising.

"Let me help you." Liu Mu's eyes were bright; she pressed against the transparent bubble, spat into her palm, and reached back in.

Her calloused, slender fingers gripped the two walnut-sized brains hard; upon touching her hand, the mycelium scattered as if avoiding a natural enemy.

The transparent liquid secreted by the brain also surged and multiplied, but it still didn't stop Liu Mu's iron-pincer-like hand.

Plop—

The touch was icy; it was actually not soft, but rather like smooth jade, and coupled with the lubrication of the transparent liquid, it was slippery and hard to grasp firmly.

"Want to run? Where are you running to!"

Just like chasing a small fish, Liu Mu's hand was actually chasing and scooping up the Mountain Ghost's brain matter inside the transparent bubble.

And the Mountain Ghost, which had been almost paralyzed by the mycelium, was jolted awake by the pain in its vital spot.

Ying-ying—

Ying-ying-ying!

In extreme pain, the Mountain Ghost twisted frantically in the tunnel.

Liu Mu was carried along as it rolled, slamming into the rocks several times, and a fishy taste welled up in her throat.

She simply stopped resisting, clinging to the transparent bubble like a gecko, only protecting the arm she had reached inside, not letting this shoulder get hit.

"You can't escape! Little thing, I want your brain!"

A hard brain is good, it won't shake apart, and it finally smashed directly into Liu Mu's palm.

With this grab, she held it tight with her fingertips and pulled with all her might.

Ying—!

Amidst a desperate shriek, Liu Mu felt something snap, and she withdrew her hand, clutching the hard Brain Core.

It was also after this sound that the Mountain Ghost's body, restricted by the pit, suddenly lost all strength, twitched a few times, and sprawled out limply.

Liu Mu happened to be pressed against the pit wall; enduring the pain in her chest that felt like it was about to explode, she pushed the Mountain Ghost's corpse away with force.

"Cough, cough, cough... Hiss, ptooey!"

Spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, she clutched her chest and walked a few steps, sliding to the ground against the pit wall, yet a triumphant smile bloomed on the corner of the woman's thick-browed mouth.

After panting for a while, her ribs throbbed with pain with every breath, and the system had already begun automatic repairs.

【Third rib fractured, repairing...】

To avoid causing greater pain with her movements, Liu Mu gradually slowed her breathing.

"Thanks, Heitao A, you finally showed some initiative for once."

While repairing, Liu Mu took out her phone, turned on the flashlight function, and filmed while examining the Mountain Ghost's Brain Core.

"Mountain Ghost, unknown creature, suspected to be a brain, died after removal. Texture is hard, visually looks like it can be handled. Hehehe, damn, this wouldn't be a Crystal Core, would it?"

Liu Mu looked at it against the light for a long time; it really did look a bit like a jade-carved walnut. But it was completely different from the Crystal Cores previously taken from Mutated Rats; the former were common in mutated creatures including Zombies, but this jade brain...

She had lived two lifetimes and truly had never seen one.

Heitao A's treatment ended quickly, and out of the 'repayment' of the Anti-matter Engine, it still did not charge for supplies.

"This kind of creature isn't in the Earth directory either?"

【No such creature found in the animal directory, three possibilities: First, no one discovered it before; second, it mutated recently; third: non-Earth species.】

"It's almost impossible that no one discovered something this big, as for whether it mutated recently, that's uncertain, an alien species... perhaps?" Liu Mu stretched her body, and only after there was no pain at all did she stand up.

"Just find someone to ask."

Stowing the Mountain Ghost's corpse along with the White Mycelium on it into the system's isolation space, she carried her blade and headed toward the deep pool used for sacrifices.

Black Rain, dark sky, the crowd was divided into two groups, shivering as they were drenched by the rain, their skin stinging.

Cai Hongfa hid by Niu Boyi's leg; most of his body hadn't gotten wet, but he was terribly cold.

"Boss Niu, do you think the Boss will be alright? I won't lie to you, if I could fight, I'd really want to go up and help."

Originally, the fear of this giant dog was still there, but Cai Hongfa, an old street-smart drifter who had spent half his life mixing with others, knew how to be familiar; he could win over even a dog with his flattery and sycophancy!

"Woof, woof, woof," Niu Boyi didn't care about these ants at all; he didn't scare him only because the other party kept speaking well of Liu Mu.

As for him getting close, Gouzi didn't mind even more. Never mind one old man, even this whole group, Niu Boyi could kill them all within ten seconds!

Cai Hongfa naturally couldn't understand the dog's words, but he discovered that he could actually understand the dog's expression.

The expression was that there wasn't the slightest bit of worry, and it was even despising him for being timid?

Old man Cai highly suspected he was over-interpreting, so he asked again, "That Boss is truly tough, Boss Niu, you must all be big shots with great reputations outside, right?"

Niu Boyi raised his head and gave Cai Hongfa an arrogant look. They were the first to undergo Mutation, and they even possessed a Scrap Station large enough for it to run laps in, and Master even said they would dominate a region in the future... how could they not be big shots?

Cai Hongfa discovered he understood again; this dog had probably become a spirit. Not just in size, but in intelligence, it was basically a dog demon.

Thus, he started chatting with Niu Boyi, and he soon discovered that although this dog's intelligence wasn't low, it was inexperienced in the world and very easy to extract information from.

"Boss Liu is so capable, does she have someone above her? The leaders in the Barrier wouldn't be her relatives, would they?"

"Of course, the head of the Haicheng Barrier is my Uncle Yang."

Upon hearing this, Cai Hongfa smiled until his face wrinkled and nodded repeatedly, "So that's how it is, I just said, how could a pretty girl like her... Boss Liu, you, you're out!"

Realizing that it was a human voice answering him, it was already too late; Cai Hongfa's smile stiffened on his face like a mask.

"If you want to ask anything else, just say it," Liu Mu carried a large wooden box, placed it into the pocket of Niu Boyi's raincoat, and looked back at the crowd, "Let's go, go back and get a good rest, we have to start work tomorrow."

Seeing that she didn't hold onto it, Cai Hongfa immediately felt relieved, "Going back, everyone watch the road!"

The sky was already dark, fortunately, the Mine was piled full of burnt coal slag, and the road surface was still fairly easy to walk on.

Returning to the temporary station, Liu Fugui had already returned, a thick stack of contracts in his hand, which he handed to Liu Mu.

The townspeople had just experienced a life-and-death situation, and were tired and hungry; their skin also stung from the rain, but because they had seen the scenes of killing and the Mountain Ghost eating people, they didn't have much of an appetite.

In the evening, the miners from out of town helped boil porridge, eaten with large loaves of bread, and there was actually some left over.

Liu Mu looked over the contracts and pulled out thirteen of them, "These people died in the line of duty, report them as work-related deaths to the Barrier."

When these words were spoken, even someone as seasoned as Liu Fugui felt his face twitch; doing it this way, would it not be... too shameless.

However, "Can the Barrier give us subsidies? After all, it's only now..."

He didn't finish, there were others around.

"Why wouldn't they? We're doing things for them, if they aren't even willing to pay this bit of compensation, how can we cooperate in the future?"

Liu Mu didn't feel there was any problem with the thickness of her face at all, "When the time comes, I'll go talk to Uncle Yang, and mention other things while I'm at it."

Originally, even if they started work the next day, it would be impossible to produce coal, but the out-of-town miners led by Zheng Tian mentioned a place where coal was stored, and they actually managed to dig out over ten tons, enough to fill a Truck with some left over.

Liu Mu left the remaining two tons or so for the miners to use; she drove the coal-laden Truck herself, He Qizheng drove another, and they left first with the out-of-town miners.

Liu Fugui and Li Gang stayed behind first, with Niu Boyi in charge of security, setting about establishing new order at the Mine and preparing the Coal Mine for production.

The return journey was even smoother than the trip there; they didn't return to the Scrap Station, but went directly to the Haicheng Barrier.

Upon arriving, Liu Mu handed those out-of-town miners over to Luo Sanlin, and went directly to see Yang Shuo herself.

The Urban Base was currently managed by the Special Operations Team for security and order, and Xing Tianyang was presiding over the establishment of a new Laboratory and team; these two would not be able to return for a short time.

Liu Mu discussed two issues with Yang Shuo, one was coal procurement, the other was steel procurement; as a benefit for reaching these two items, she gifted the Base four Water Purifiers.

The Haicheng Base should have received a supply replenishment; upon learning that she had the two things that determined the lifeline of the Barrier in her hands, Yang Shuo immediately made the decision to provide supplies, provide Contribution Value, and even promised that when the Barrier was completed, he would let Liu Mu be the first Barrier-sponsored Merchant, and she would be engraved on the first line of the Hero Monument in the future.

This monument engraving at the end had no practical significance for Liu Mu, so she proposed another request, "I need to have a piece of land carved out in the main commercial district of the Barrier for me to do business."