Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die! -
Chapter 549: Fungal World
Chapter 549: Chapter 549: Fungal World
Xu Huo found a hidden spot to stow away the "Oxygen Supply," then changed into a new set of protective suits, and gave Zhuo Wangsun one as well, instructing him to replace all his carried items, including his backpack, with those marked with the Blue Faction’s insignia.
This precaution was taken against Clown City.
The span of the Mist Forest was not small, and it was certainly impossible for two people to monitor the entire perimeter of the forest. However, just beyond this area of the Mist Forest lay a task area for cleaning up, a concentration point for Aliens. If Xin Hui were to go hunt Aliens, she would most likely head there, so Xu Huo positioned himself on the road leading to it.
Unexpectedly, instead of Xin Hui, they ended up waiting for two other figures—female player Ergou and Siming.
"They’re still alive," Zhuo Wangsun couldn’t hide his surprise.
Xu Huo scrutinized the two of them; their glasses were gone, there were no wounds on their bodies, nor any signs of infection, only white fungal strands clinging to their trouser legs, suggesting they had also come from the Mist Forest Area.
"Lucky we ran fast, or we would have tumbled into the pit," the female player complained. "What kind of cursed place is this, where even mushrooms can create caverns underground? No wonder so many people have died!"
Siming appeared very tired, "Clown City is not quite normal; we most likely fell into a trap."
"I’ve asked other warriors, and those dispatched from Clown City should all wear the same kind of glasses, differing only slightly in design as new models are released, but the color has always been the same. How could there be different-colored factions?"
"It’s clear as day that there are two groups; they might even be fighting each other."
"So what?" the female player leaned back on a rock to catch her breath, "Didn’t you see Yi Mao and his team get shot dead by the Clown City machine gunners? There’s no way we can return; our only option is to complete the mission and clear the game."
"But where exactly is the place to plant the flag?" Siming lamented, "We’ve tried in the task area and now crossed over the canyon to the outskirts of the cleaning zone, but still couldn’t clear the game, which means this is definitely not the right location."
The female player was also puzzled, "We’ve nearly crossed the entire cleaning area without finding the designated location, could we have already walked past it?"
"It shouldn’t be," Siming hesitated slightly.
At that moment, the female player slapped her thigh, "I’ve got it, maybe it’s that pit we just saw!"
"Look at the ground, Aliens are everywhere, like the Gobi Desert, but planting the flag didn’t work. These places are ostensibly indistinct from each other, the only difference being that underground cave. We haven’t seen such an underground cave anywhere else. Perhaps it is the designated location."
Siming frowned, "But the caves are full of fungi, which could be poisonous."
"Didn’t we find a cave that didn’t have fungal strands?" The female player believed she had grasped the trick to clearing the game, "When all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth—everyone says so."
Xu Huo walked out from behind the trees.
"Who’s there!" Siming exclaimed sharply.
"It’s me, Old Wu," Xu Huo responded, "Zhuo Wangsun is here too."
"You’re both still alive!" The female player was visibly delighted, "Have you found a way to clear the game?"
"If we had, would we still be here?" Xu Huo said rather helplessly, "Zhuo Wangsun and I circled back from ahead, with no findings."
The female player replied immediately, "It seems my guess was correct; the key to clearing the game is still in that cave."
"What cave?" Zhuo Wangsun played along with Xu Huo.
Siming recounted the events; they had stumbled into a forest filled with fungal strands. They lost all their belongings en route, lacking tools to determine direction, so they navigated by the growth pattern of the forest. However, the peripheral trees were disorderly, with branches growing differently at intervals, which meant they initially determined the east-west direction and headed east, only to find not long after that the state of the branches was completely reversed.
"We thought, even if the world’s climates vary, basic directions should remain constant. We didn’t expect to find such a magical forest, don’t they need sunlight?" the female player marveled.
Xu Huo was left speechless.
"Can these trees get any sunlight?" Zhuo Wangsun interjected, "With all that fog. But the crux is not the orientation issue; these are all mutated plants. It’s not surprising for any changes to occur. It’s impossible to judge using methods from other game zones."
"That being said, these trees also defy basic growth principles," Siming added.
"That’s not the issue," Xu Huo interrupted their digressions, "If the entire underground of Mist Forest is fungi with so much space, then the forest above could be considered floating. As you said, if these fungi can move, it wouldn’t be strange for them to shift the trees above, naturally leading to different growth patterns in the connected woodland."
Siming was astonished, "Fungi can support an entire forest?"
"It can also move; that’s not too strange." Xu Huo paused, then proposed, "Since none of us has any leads, why don’t we try the cave that you’ve found?"
"You really found a cave leading underground?" Zhuo Wangsun confirmed repeatedly, "Didn’t you say it was all covered in fungal strands?"
"I was lucky," the female player chuckled, "I stepped on nothing and happened to fall in. It seemed deep, but navigable."
"Usually the requirements for a game’s side mission seem simple but the background actually contains a lot of information. That fungal area might just be some hidden info from Clown City," Zhuo Wangsun suggested, "Since we’re here, might as well go inside and explore."
Among the four, only Siming was reluctant to enter. However, with the other three determined to go, he could only follow suit.
"You don’t need to worry too much. The underground has at most some fungal strands; it’s safe with a protective suit," the female player reassured, "Besides, no matter how much the fungi mutate, they can’t be faster than Aliens. Just run out if necessary."
Zhuo Wangsun also added, "At the least, we have four people."
Siming nodded, feeling a bit heavy.
They retraced their steps back to the Mist Forest and followed the footprints they had made coming out. They quickly found the cave the female player mentioned, located under a clump of white mushrooms about half a person tall. The mouth of the cave was already exposed. Zhuo Wangsun went over, pulled out two mushrooms that were close together, and a nearly two-meter-wide cave was revealed.
"There’s a path inside," he shone his light into it, "But there seems to be mould-like growths along the tunnel."
"Careful not to touch them," Xu Huo checked his protective mask again and was the first to descend.
He landed softly and slowly stood up, shining the light forward. The uneven tunnel surfaces reflected a variety of colorful halos. The cluster-like formations, resembling mould with fine filaments, upon closer inspection, appeared translucent like crystals, each with its own color, displaying a variety of splendid hues under the light.
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