The Only Player in ‘Child of Stardust’
Chapter 269 - 185 Mushroom Head

Chapter 269: Chapter 185 Mushroom Head

The world was enveloped in pitch-black darkness.

For Zhou Yuan, an extraordinary person from the Shadow System, it felt like being home, moving like a fish in water.

He stepped out from the darkness atop a building and looked down.

In the shattered ruins of the city, two Hunters were desperately sprinting down the road.

They were a man and a woman, dressed in tattered clothing, carrying compound bows on their backs. At a glance, they appeared no different from regular humans.

However, their speed and agility far surpassed that of normal humans, putting them in the category of enhanced humans.

Behind them were thirteen large monsters in relentless pursuit. These creatures stood about two meters tall, their bodies roughly cylindrical. Their heads were extraordinarily developed, giving them a swollen appearance, somewhat resembling mushroom caps. Their skin was pale and hairless, with bulging veins visible on the surface.

Below their heads was a large mouth filled with sharp teeth, with two flexible tentacles beside it to aid in feeding.

Their upper bodies had four arms: two slender ones for precise operations and two strong ones for physical activities and self-defense.

Their lower bodies had four legs, each with three joints and well-developed muscles, allowing them to move swiftly across various terrains.

[Mushroomhead Monsters, terrifying creatures that appeared after the Dark Age. Their vision has degenerated, but they have evolved a bat-like echolocation ability and possess super-hearing, able to detect faint heartbeats from a kilometer away.

They have strong defensive power and move extremely fast. Being social animals, encountering one Mushroomhead Monster means you’ve entered their territory.

Weaknesses: fear of light, fear of loud noises.]

Zhou Yuan continued to observe and noticed that several of the Mushroomhead Monsters had arrows lodged in them. However only a small part of the arrowheads had penetrated their bodies, a testament to their astonishing defensive power.

It was worth noting that compound bows had immense destructive power, capable of tearing through any flesh. Ordinary people could use them to hunt top predators, and these two Hunters were not only enhanced humans but their compound bows were also modified for greater power.

Even so, the arrows hadn’t pierced through the Mushroomhead Monsters’ bodies.

Furthermore, he saw another group of Mushroomhead Monsters approaching from the right front street, moving like a ravenous wolf pack.

If the two Hunters continued running straight, they would collide with that group of Mushroomhead Monsters in less than thirty seconds and be devoured in the blink of an eye.

The fact that these Mushroomhead Monsters could deploy such an encircling tactic indicated that they had a certain level of intelligence. Being social animals, they might have even developed an independent society or civilization.

On the road, the male Hunter drew an arrow from his quiver and shot it into the sky.

Bang—

A brilliant firework exploded in the air, illuminating the endless dark night. The fiery light reflected off the glass of tall buildings, creating a blinding sea of flames.

The Mushroomhead Monsters let out ear-piercing screeches, stumbling and falling to the ground in disarray. Instead of immediately getting up to resume the chase, they lay on the ground, avoiding the blinding light in the sky and using their slender arms to tightly cover the earholes beneath their heads.

The two Hunters did not take a moment to catch their breath; they continued to run for their lives. The firework had stunned the surrounding Mushroomhead Monsters, giving them a chance to escape.

Zhou Yuan had intended to intervene and rescue them, but seeing them escape on their own, he quietly followed, planning to find a suitable moment to make contact with the natives.

Half an hour later.

The two Hunters arrived at the edge of a canyon. Judging by the ruins on both sides of the canyon, it had once been part of a city but had been torn apart by some powerful force, creating a bottomless rift.

They shot special hook arrows, with the arrowheads embedding deeply into the walls of a building on the other side of the canyon. After pulling the ropes to ensure they were secure, they grabbed the ropes and swung over, crashing into the opposite cliff face before quickly climbing up.

Their superhuman physiques prevented serious injury, and they succeeded in climbing up in no time.

The Mushroomhead Monsters arrived late, only to stand at the cliff’s edge, emitting furious howls.

The two Hunters ignored them and hurriedly escaped.

Upon reaching a safe zone, their pace slowed considerably, and they finally had a moment to catch their breath.

"Summer, are you hurt?" the male Hunter asked, panting heavily.

"I’m fine, what about you?"

"I think I’ve broken a rib, but it’s nothing serious. Just being able to make it back from the danger zone alive is a blessing."

The male Hunter paused, then said excitedly, "What we found in the danger zone this time will absolutely blow everyone’s minds."

"Shh..." The female Hunter named Summer suddenly gestured for him to be silent. "There’s something moving."

They both tensed up, holding their compound bows, drawing and nocking arrows as they approached the source of the sound. Although they couldn’t see in the dark, they, too, had bat-like echolocation abilities and a unique chemical sense that allowed them to identify surrounding beings and avoid danger.

"Don’t shoot, I’m human..."

From a building ruin, Zhou Yuan emerged with his hands raised.

Unable to communicate verbally, he used his mental psychokinesis ability directly on the two Hunters, establishing a mental link and hypnotizing them into thinking they were conversing in a language, while actually communicating telepathically.

A look of obvious astonishment, shock, and disbelief appeared on the Hunters’ faces as they aimed their compound bows and questioned, "Who—who are you? Where did you come from?"

Zhou Yuan, with a solemn and serious expression, said, "You can call me Dao. I come from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, having traveled across mountains and valleys to find my kin."

Though his appearance was hidden in the darkness, his current charm was so influential that even just hearing his voice would involuntarily generate goodwill. Combined with the hypnotic and mental influence of his psychokinesis, the two Hunters quickly trusted Zhou Yuan’s words and lowered their guard.

"The Great Tang of the Eastern Land... What kind of place is that? Do you specialize in producing sugar?" Summer asked curiously.

"It’s a very distant safety zone, harmonious and peaceful, rich in resources. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by those damned Mushroomhead Monsters. I’m the only survivor. I traveled a long, long way to get here." Zhou Yuan sighed.

"No worries, you can join our family. I like the way you smell," Summer said bluntly.

"...Your family?" Zhou Yuan was somewhat incredulous.

"Oh, it’s normal that you don’t know. Different safety zones have different customs and habits. You’ll understand when you reach the safety zone." Summer smiled.