Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 550 Let’s Leave Together

When the lights were turned off, the fungi in the passage automatically emitted a faint glow, forming an exceptionally clear path.

"I have never seen mutated fungi before. I always thought that even with evolution, the changes fungi like these could undergo were extremely limited. It seems I still have much to learn," Zhuo Wangsun remarked, approaching a green fungus to try and take some with him.

"Snap!" At that moment, the female player slapped the light switch, and the bright light shone directly on his face, "How many copies have you been to? There’s so much you haven’t seen yet. Many of these things can even build their own nests underground. I think it’s better not to take any with us."

Shielding his face with his hand, Zhuo Wangsun turned back and said, "These can be taken back for experiments; it’s better to know and be prepared early."

Siming stood beside the female player, "Actually, it’s not quite right for us to come in here. There are many types of fungi, some of which might attach to us on the outside. You all have seen the mycelium everywhere here, which shows their strong reproductive power. If we accidentally bring them back to our world, who knows if it will cause a new disaster."

All three present turned their heads to look at him.

The female player was somewhat speechless, "Why didn’t you say that earlier? If you had, we wouldn’t have come down!"

Siming looked helpless, "Anyway, we’ve already gone through the Mist Forest, and it would probably be the same if we did it again. Just make sure not to touch the fungi underground carelessly to avoid unnecessary complications."

It was at this point that Zhuo Wangsun dismissed the idea of taking some fungi back for research.

"A Cleansing Potion should be able to handle it," said Xu Huo. "Let’s try to see if we can get through first."

The female player and Siming each took out their flags and then shook their heads.

Xu Huo sighed gently, shining the light ahead, "We’ve come this far, so looking ahead shouldn’t be a problem."

With that, he took the lead and walked down the passage.

Zhuo Wangsun watched his retreating figure and followed without saying more.

The four traversed the winding passage and, after walking for a few minutes, a tremendously large underground labyrinth appeared before them. The intertwined mycelium, hanging like silk ribbons on the stone walls and soil, formed paths under their feet and dangled into the dark depths below. The mycelium and surrounding area were covered in colorful fuzzy fungi, which resembled gemstones embedded in silk under the glow of light.

Xu Huo took a quick glance at the mycelium; most of it was hanging in the air, with roots that could not absorb nutrients curving back into the mycelium. These long strands were intact, meaning they could grow tens or even hundreds of meters in length.

A breeze came up from the abyss below, and he carefully listened, detecting a faint sound of water.

These mycelium were reliant on a water source for growth, and he pondered whether this was the same place mentioned in the notebook about the underground fungal world. If so, there should be defensive types of mycelium here.

"Look what I found!" exclaimed the female player, picking up an old water bottle in a corner. "There must have been people here, look at these stone paths, with bridges and piers—it’s clear they were deliberately crafted."

This was an underground world. Besides the narrow pathways along the rock walls, the only means to cross over were the bridge-like stone paths weaving through the middle. The stone paths were layered over one another, intersecting and descending—seemingly the very pathways leading into the depths.

"What could be so worthwhile down there to deliberately construct a road?" Siming wondered.

"Humans can evolve players, fungi can most likely serve other purposes," Zhuo Wangsun said. "Not to mention anything else, those sticky mycelium are really useful, and many fungi are poisonous—those toxins are valuable research material."

Trying her flag again and still not clearing the level, the female player simply stuffed her belongings into her bag and tightened the straps. "I want to go down and take a look; might find something good," she said.

Xu Huo was the first to agree, while Siming was cautious, and Zhuo Wangsun also seemed to waiver.

"Do you think this underground passage could connect to Clown City?" Xu Huo suddenly asked.

Siming responded with surprise, "Why do you say that?"

"The Cleansing Area used to belong to Clown City; this underground nest is quite vast and filled with passages—it could very well have extended under Clown City," Xu Huo said off the cuff. "The cleansing task is strange, to say the least. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense to sacrifice so many lives just to reclaim this bit of land. Could it be that Clown City can’t obliterate the Alien with heavy firepower because of these fungi?"

"Or maybe reclaiming the Cleansing Area isn’t important anymore. If fungi are everywhere, indeed there are no conditions for reconstruction."

This theory, of course, didn’t hold water; at least, the clear-eyed would see that the mission of the Cleansing Area and the underground nest had nothing to do with one another. If this underground nest really extended under Clown City, Clown City would either cut through to the underground or seal off the passages completely. In any case, it wouldn’t be so laissez-faire as it is now.

Only things without value are left ignored.

However, Xu Huo had already conceived a good reason. "Fungi can use the corpses of animals and plants as nutrients. Since the cleansing task isn’t important, could it be that so many people herding here are all feeding the mushrooms?"

Putting it this way made the logic seem to flow. The female player clapped her thigh, "That’s it! There’s no need for so many deaths. And since Clown City doesn’t want to waste high-level players and real elites, it’s probably using these people as fertilizer. These fungi must have significant uses!"

Zhuo Wangsun was also tempted, "Then let’s go down. We might even score extra points for clearing it."

The higher the rating when passing a copy, the better the items received; there’s no doubt about that. Moreover, the higher the rating, the fewer copies needed to level up. The sooner they leveled up, the better the items they would get after clearing—a tangible benefit all players were willing to take risks for.

Siming clenched his teeth, "Alright!"

So, the group of four made their way down the stone paths, descending about thirty to forty meters. As they went lower, the temperature decreased, and frost-like fungi began to emerge from the cracks in the stone walls. Occasionally snowflake-like substances were released from above, occupying a space about ten meters high.

Continuing the same journey downward for about a hundred meters, Xu Huo finally halted, "Stop, we need to find another way."

The lower they went, the more complicated the varieties of fungi, but the overall environment was the same as above, and they gradually started to see no signs of those who came before. Therefore, whether they were looking for a different exit or something truly valuable, this was not the right way.