Zhang Zhen gave a mysterious smile. Ignoring Ye Fei, he remarked, "You’ve definitely gotten dumber since you came back from the dead. If ghosts were real in this world, I’d suspect you’ve been possessed."
"You were the first person to discover the mushrooms’ hallucinogenic effect. You brought back that rabbit, dazed by the mushrooms, which allowed them to start propagating in the caves. Do you know what that means?"
"Food?"
Ye Fei was taken aback.
"Heh..."
Zhang Zhen gave another mysterious smile. "That’s just the surface level. Remember what I told you last time? The Superpower Users and us regular people are drifting further and further apart. They already don’t see us as people. We’re just the dregs that got filtered out. But the arrival of the mushrooms changes the situation. We ordinary folks have our own kind of wisdom for survival."
"With the mushrooms, ordinary people no longer need to depend on Superpower Users for food, so they won’t be as obedient."
Ye Fei quickly realized there was more to it.
"Exactly. A class structure was about to solidify in our Shelter. Once that happened, we ordinary people would’ve been done for. But you brought a new variable into the equation. The mushrooms grow so fast. They’re rapidly changing our environment and the relationships between people. It’s happening so quickly that before anyone could even realize a change was underway, the mushrooms had already swept through the entire Shelter. The time for change has come. By the time certain people realize something is wrong, it will be too late."
"Tomorrow, you’ll see that the new hunting squads are empty. Who’s going to risk their life and limb out there when there’s plenty of food, and you can even get some animal meat?"
"Once the hunting squads lose food as their primary means of control, their only remaining threat is brute force. But they need mushrooms, too. Ordinary people can grow mushrooms, and potentially even develop more uses for them. The conflict between the two groups will dissolve. The relationship won’t deteriorate and will instead shift back toward cooperation."
"So, all of us have you to thank. Without you, we would have either starved to death or been killed by the monsters outside."
Zhang Zhen said with a serious expression.
"The environment changes people; the environment shapes people."
Ye Fei couldn’t help but sigh. A casual remark he’d made before had been proven true in reality with astonishing speed.
The next day, just as Zhang Zhen had predicted, no one from the Shelter went out.
The Superpower Users were madly focused on their Cultivation using the mushroom soup. Since they still had a supply of Mutant Beast flesh, there was no reason for them to go out.
Most of the ordinary survivors were also unwilling to leave. The few who still wanted to risk their lives in hopes of awakening a Superpower knew that going out alone was a death sentence. They had no choice but to stay behind and grow mushrooms with the rest.
This change caught everyone by surprise. The situation had shifted so rapidly, it was as if they had woken up one morning to find everything had completely changed.
The survivors all felt they could contribute to the Shelter by growing mushrooms, and at the same time, they could try drinking the mushroom soup to awaken.
More critically, because of the mushrooms, they no longer had to depend on the Superpower Users for food. Not only were the mushrooms rich in all sorts of nutrients, but people could also occasionally find rabbits and birds within the mushroom patches.
This greatly improved the survivors’ living conditions. Although they still lacked fire and electricity and were exposed to radiation, these were not the most pressing issues at the moment.
However, Ye Fei was still worried that when Qin Jiezhou saw what was happening, he would forcibly restrict everyone’s food supply to compel them to "push forward."
This was obviously not in Ye Fei’s interest. The more people who used the mushrooms, the more it benefited him. Whether they were a Superpower User or not didn’t make much difference.
But right now, let alone Qin Jiezhou, even the other Superpower Users would at most listen to his suggestions. If he tried to command them, they probably wouldn’t obey. You are reading on novelping dot com, the official source.
After all, his lack of Power was clear for all to see. In this apocalypse, you ultimately needed Power to make people listen.
Over the following days, Ye Fei continued to brew mushroom soup and vigorously promote mushroom cultivation.
In just a single day, the entire 301 Mine Shelter underwent a massive transformation... and Ye Fei himself was given a nickname by Wang Gang: the Mushroom Immortal.
Out of the 156 people in the entire Shelter, 76 had already come to Ye Fei to have him brew mushrooms. All by himself, Ye Fei had obtained the optimal ’Hallucinogen’ dosage data for half the Shelter’s population.
"Rabbit and mushroom hot pot, personally proportioned and certified by Ye Fei! Come and get it!"
"I planted all the mushrooms in this area using prime rabbit meat as fertilizer! From now on, only I get to harvest them. Anyone who breaks the rules will have to deal with me!"
"The Mushroom Squad is forming! We need a few fast runners with guts! Bring your shovels to plant mushrooms and pick up rabbits!"
Watching these scenes unfold, Ye Fei felt as if he had transmigrated again, this time to a world made entirely of mushrooms.
If even Ye Fei felt this way, a first-time visitor would definitely assume the Shelter was abandoned and completely overgrown with mushrooms.
But in reality, the mushrooms weren’t blocking the passages. They were just growing along the mine walls, and in the trenches, they only grew on the very bottom.
Ye Fei watched all this with delight. It was all thanks to the hallucinogenic toxins the mushrooms gained after their Evolution!
Just two days ago, Ye Fei had been racking his brain about how to persuade the Shelter’s Superpower Users. Now, everyone was scrambling to plant mushrooms. The big ones with lots of slime were especially popular.
It was clear that mushrooms had become the hard currency within the Shelter.
Now, the mushrooms could not only be eaten, but also used to defend against enemies, and even more so, for Cultivation.
Their practical uses were maxed out.
Because of this, even though Liu Ru still opposed mass cultivation, the mushrooms rapidly took over the entire Shelter and, with the help of the newly formed ’Mushroom Squad,’ began to expand into the surrounding areas.
What was even more ridiculous was that people had invented a long-range throwing method. For areas that were difficult to reach or too dangerous due to poor visibility, the members of the Mushroom Squad wouldn’t go there directly.
Instead, they would mix mud with wood chips and minced meat, coat it with Spores, and launch it with a slingshot.
SPLAT!
A glob of mud stuck to a tree trunk. After a few dozen minutes, a cluster of mushrooms would sprout from it.
Once the mushrooms grew, the Fungal Hyphae would spread out. Not only could they absorb the nutrients from the original mud ball, but they could also slowly corrode the tree to obtain the necessary nourishment.
Thanks to the Mushroom Squad’s various clever tactics, the number of Ye Fei’s mushrooms exploded.
The number of mushroom patches over 10 square meters in area reached six. The largest patch, near the trash heap, had expanded to over 700 square meters. At a glance, it already looked like almost half a soccer field. Read the latest chapters at novelping dot com.
Moreover, as the number of mushrooms expanded, the Gigantification Ability was still in effect. Ye Fei observed carefully and found that the largest mushrooms could now grow up to 40 cm tall. With their caps spread open, they looked even bigger, just like mushrooms from a fantasy forest.
’If they keep growing like this, will the mushroom patches turn into a Mushroom Jungle? And after that, a forest?’
’Wouldn’t I be able to build houses inside the mushrooms then?’
’A Shelter based entirely on a mushroom environment...’
Just the thought of it made Ye Fei look forward to the future.
As the mushroom patches expanded, the frequency of the warm currents he felt also increased. Soon, the warmth accumulated to a critical point. Ye Fei could clearly sense that the mushrooms were about to have a breakthrough.
He whispered softly, "’It’s time to evolve...’" He didn’t stop the searing heat from spreading. Instead, he relaxed, allowing the scalding torrent to sweep through the mushrooms and wash over his body.
BUZZ—
Ye Fei felt a sudden emptiness in his mind, as if part of his nervous system had gone numb. But soon after, a flood of much clearer perceptions poured into his brain, making him dizzy.
’One Perception, two, three... a total of thirteen Perceptions!’
’That’s one more than before!’
Ye Fei couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
This meant the mushrooms had evolved a brand-new Ability.
Immediately, Ye Fei looked at a nearby mushroom.
Huh?
But then Ye Fei grew puzzled, because this newest Perception... the information it gave him was empty, unlike all the others.
If he focused on the other Perceptions, he could sense things like how much slime was being secreted, the temperature, the humidity, and even the strange tactile sensations from the Fungal Hyphae.
But this newly evolved Perception... it felt very empty.
’It’s like... the final Evolution isn’t complete?’
’I need to devour some fresh flesh and blood.’
After focusing on the new Perception, this bizarre thought surfaced in Ye Fei’s mind. Looking at Luo Zai, who had just walked up, he couldn’t stop his mouth from watering.
’So fucking twisted...’
Ye Fei couldn’t help but swallow, quickly cutting himself off from the detailed sensations being transmitted by the mushrooms.
’Then again, it is a mutated mushroom organ. Just being able to vaguely receive information is already pretty incredible. It’s understandable if the content is a little horrifying.’
"Bro, some good fortune is coming your way."
Luo Zai walked over and said excitedly, the dim light of the mine preventing him from noticing anything unusual about Ye Fei.