Chapter 346: The Two Thrown Out as Bait

"I won't listen."

"This doesn't conflict with your Field Operations Department."

"If I won't listen, I won't listen."

Hongling's reply was as clean as chopping a melon or slicing vegetables, leaving no room for negotiation.

Jiangdu hadn't figured out what the two were saying at all, and didn't even know why Lin Xin knew Hongling's name, so he could only speak up quietly from behind.

"Hongling, he's a teacher; you can't treat a teacher like that..."

"Shut up," Hongling said without turning his head, "He's stinky."

Jiangdu: "......"

Stinky?

He instinctively sniffed, but smelled nothing.

What kind of standard is that, anyway?

Lin Xin's expression didn't change; only the eyes hidden behind his bangs narrowed slightly.

"Honestly, considering we're kind of fellow sufferers, I don't want to fight you."

Hongling gave no reply, merely shifting his stance a little to block Jiangdu more firmly.

Her movement was slight, but Lin Xin saw clearly the "protecting food" posture.

Jiangdu watched Hongling's back; although the method was so crude it was baffling, she was protecting him.

And although the teaching assistant Lin Xin wore a white lab coat and spoke politely, Hongling's reactions constantly told him that this person was dangerous.

"Hongling," he whispered, "How about I go with him? Just ask a few questions, it won't cost any meat—"

"Shut up."

Hongling's response remained concise.

Jiangdu: "........"

Fine then.

Lin Xin sighed.

"No choice; this time it's a direct order from our minister."

His hand slipped out of the white coat pocket, fingers slightly splayed.

Jiangdu hadn't had time to react to what was happening when the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way—

No, it wasn't the ground.

It was the mushrooms that had sprouted from the flowerbed edges, beneath tree roots, and in the cracks of stone tiles, at an unknown time.

The mushrooms ranged from nail‑cap size to fist‑size, grayish in color, indistinguishable from ordinary mushrooms, yet at this moment they were expanding, growing, and spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What is this—?!"

Before Jiangdu could finish his exclamation, the mushrooms suddenly burst, spewing a massive cloud of gray‑white spore smoke.

The smoke instantly enveloped the small area where the three stood, so thick it was almost impossible to see each other's silhouettes.

The mycelium, as if alive, shot up from the ground and coiled around his ankle.

Jiangdu was just about to use Aberrant Arts to cut the mycelium when he was suddenly yanked underground by the threads.

Hongling reacted much faster than he did.

Before the mycelium could wrap her ankle, she leapt high, flipped in the air, and landed steadily atop the nearby streetlamp.

But the moment she steadied herself, her complexion changed instantly.

Those mushrooms weren't just growing.

They were also releasing something else.

A faint gray haze drifted from the wildly growing mushrooms, shrouding the area.

This is inside the Academy; taking action would surely draw the teachers' attention. How could he dare to strike them outright in broad daylight?!

Lin Xin watched Hongling try to regain consciousness under the spores' effect, but she only shook her head.

He was the earliest operative sent undercover to Tianmian City, having stayed here for nearly ten years; every crevice of Mitra Academy had been infiltrated by his spores, slipping in wherever there was a gap.

He only briefly interfered with the surveillance, ensuring that no issues could arise in the short term.

Since they're leaving anyway, it's fine to be a bit bolder in their actions.

————————————————

Jiangdu, dragged underground by the mycelium, had no idea how many layers of earth he passed through; darkness filled his sight, and only the sound of soil and stones grinding against each other reached his ears.

When he finally saw light again, his whole body had been "spat" out.

He lay on the ground, gasping heavily, his body covered in dirt and grass clippings.

Then, as soon as he lifted his head, he was stunned.

This isn't the Academy.

Around him lay a completely unfamiliar neighborhood, with low, dilapidated houses in the distance and tangled weeds up close.

"Is this… Tianmian City?"

Tianmian City has only a handful of such rundown streets, so were they dumped outside the Academy?

He hadn't had time to think further when a muffled thud sounded behind him.

Jiangdu whirled around sharply and saw Hongling, not far behind him, also spat out.

Her body trembled slightly, hands braced on the ground, head lowered so her expression was unclear, but Jiangdu could see her back convulsing violently, as if enduring immense pain.

"Hongling?!" He rushed forward instinctively, but as soon as his hand touched her shoulder, a strong force flung him back.

Hongling lifted her head; her eyes were no longer the vibrant emerald green they had been.

Her pupils elongated vertically, and the irises shimmered with an eerie dark‑gold, like the gaze of a large feline stalking prey in the dark.

The brown‑black pattern on her face had already spread to the corners of her eyes, revealing a beauty full of wildness.

Jiangdu's breath stopped for an instant.

He had seen that look before, on those out‑of‑control Aberrant Species.

"What… is this…?" Jiangdu's voice trembled.

Hong Ling gave no answer; her nails elongated, turned black, becoming sharp claws that raked deep scratches into the ground.

A long tail slipped out from beneath her skirt hem, twitching irritably.

Jiangdu stared at it all, his mind a blank.

Hong Ling ignored him; after the suppressed Mutation Feature emerged, she immediately reached for her own neck, where a thin chain had hung, bearing a thumb‑sized Rune Stone, which now hung empty.

Her hand halted.

It was something he had made especially for her.

"My thing was taken," she said hoarsely.

Jiangdu was stunned, "What thing?"

Hong Ling gave no explanation.

She simply inhaled deeply, closed her eyes; the pattern on her face kept spreading, but she clenched her teeth and forced it back down.

"The Supervision Bureau's agents will arrive soon; they should be able to sense my aura, and within ten minutes at most this area will be sealed off."

Jiangdu was completely bewildered.

What disguise? What Supervision Bureau? What on earth is she saying?

Hong Ling looked at his foolish expression and suddenly felt a tickle in her fist.

This person losing his memory must have truly smashed his own head.

"Idiot."

She whispered, then her body swayed, and she almost fell straight to the ground.

Jiangdu finally reacted, rushed forward and held her up.

"Hey… are you okay?"

"Escape first, then explain."

Hong Ling knew this was the side effect of the spores she had just inhaled from the forest mushrooms; she grabbed Jiangdu's wrist and turned, sprinting toward the deeper part of the alley.

Jiangdu, being pulled by her, staggered forward.

He didn't know where to go, didn't know what had happened, didn't know what was chasing from behind, he only knew—

Hong Ling's hand was tight.

Tight as if she feared he would get lost.