After much thought, he decided that finding a woman was the best solution.
Compared to men who were simply looking to satisfy their carnal needs, Ye Fei’s own needs were far more legitimate. It was a genuine necessity of life; having an intimate woman to take care of him would make things much more convenient.
Ye Fei keenly sensed Luo Zai’s true intentions.
As a normal man, the suggestion made his heart skip a beat.
But if someone were to live with him day in and day out, it would be almost impossible to keep up the act of being blind. Living behind a mask all the time would be exhausting.
He immediately wanted to end the conversation.
But as his gaze swept past Luo Zai, his heart sank. He quickly tried to cover for him, saying, "You illiterate oaf, stop misusing words. Sister Liu might be a few years older than us, but she’s far from being just some ’woman.’ She’s gentle and beautiful, elegant and poised—an absolute beauty by any standard."
"Right, right! You’re much better with words. Gentle and beautiful, elegant and poised."
Ye Fei breathed a sigh of relief at Luo Zai’s sudden flash of wit.
But his next sentence made Ye Fei want to sew his mouth shut.
"But have you ever wondered? Liu Ru is so beautiful, so why hasn’t there ever been any gossip about her? Why doesn’t she have a boyfriend?"
Luo Zai grinned confidently. "There’s only one truth. Either she’s a lesbian, or she’s a cranky old maid. Which one do you think it is?"
Faced with such a no-win question, Ye Fei’s scalp tingled.
Seeing Liu Ru’s expression, which had just softened, turn icy cold again behind Luo Zai, Ye Fei could only offer Luo Zai his respect and best wishes.
"Could it be that Liu Ru is the mine director’s daughter? She has everything she needs, so she probably looks down on most guys."
Ye Fei tried one last, desperate effort.
Luo Zai had only ever been a miner, so he naturally wouldn’t know about such things.
"That’s true."
Luo Zai nodded, then muttered to himself, "Hey? In that case, do you think..."
"Think my ass! I need some peace and quiet."
Ye Fei panicked and quickly cut him off. Heaven only knew what unbelievable nonsense the unlucky bastard would spout next.
He could see that Liu Ru, standing behind him, had already pulled out a huge needle—the kind used for pigs!
Just then, Luo Zai also noticed the movement behind him. He turned his head, saw her, and let out a few dry chuckles, quickly trying to greet her.
Liu Ru didn’t even glance at Luo Zai. Instead, she walked up to Ye Fei and said in a heartfelt tone, "Ye Fei, you should spend less time with certain disgusting people."
"What the hell..."
Luo Zai felt like crying but had no tears. As if recalling some terrifying experience, his hand subconsciously moved to his butt.
...
Startled by Liu Ru’s sudden threat, Luo Zai grew worried about his rear end and instantly lost all interest in strategizing for Ye Fei.
And so, Ye Fei was once again left alone.
Peeking through the crack in the door, he could see Liu Ru crouching amidst the mushroom patch. ’Is she collecting samples?’
An idea struck him, and a red glow appeared at the edges of his vision...
As he connected with the mushrooms, that familiar urge to devour flesh and blood surfaced. Ye Fei quickly tore his gaze away from Liu Ru.
The empty, ravenous hunger from the mushrooms was growing stronger. He couldn’t delay any longer.
He needed to choose a type of flesh to devour in order to complete his Evolution.
Ye Fei had devoured flesh and blood many times before. The mushrooms themselves would even occasionally get a meal, as anything that fell into the patch could potentially become their food.
But this time was very different.
This craving had appeared after the last surge of heat, and it was completely different from simply absorbing nutrients.
Ye Fei could clearly feel the mushrooms’ desire. It was like a primal impulse, an influence originating from deep within its genes...
Currently, Ye Fei had four choices for his devouring:
A mutated rabbit, the size of a beagle, with claws sharp enough to disembowel a person.
A Two-headed Monster Bird. It flew very slowly, but its two heads allowed it to observe its surroundings in 360 degrees, and it was incredibly strong.
An earthworm. It excelled at burrowing, was much faster than before, and possessed a formidable regenerative ability. If cut in two, each half would grow into a new worm. This had gradually made it the most important food source for the Shelter after the mushrooms.
A Mutated Wolf, which possessed Metalization on its claws and had extremely tough fur.
The first three were samples of flesh Ye Fei had collected using the mushroom patch. The last one was a portion of Cultivation Resources allocated to him by the hunting party.
’If this devouring is the final step to completing my Evolution, then maybe it’s about devouring genes...’
Ye Fei analyzed.
It sounded incredible, but anyone who had studied biology knew that Devouring Evolution was actually quite common. The source of this chapter is g.com.
A classic case from middle school biology class was the origin of mitochondria in cells. It came about when a fungus devoured another primitive bacterium. This bacterium didn’t die inside the fungus; instead, they gradually achieved a symbiotic state. It eventually evolved into the mitochondria we know today. The human body contains vast numbers of these, acting like tiny power plants that continuously provide Energy to our cells.
On a macro level, there was also a Devouring Evolution process that everyone enjoyed: drinking yogurt.
Yogurt contains a large amount of lactobacillus. After drinking it, these bacteria multiply in the human intestinal tract and form a symbiotic relationship with us. Their presence can significantly improve the digestive function of the human gut.
’Devour yogurt, evolve a more robust digestive tract, Digestion Ability +1.’
So, what kind of Ability would the mushrooms evolve by devouring flesh and blood?
Of course, this was just a guess Ye Fei was making based on his existing knowledge, so he needed to carefully observe the changes that followed.
’Which flesh should I devour?’
Ye Fei’s gaze swept over the four types of meat. He had actually already decided to devour the flesh of the Mutated Wolf, for the simple reason that it was the strongest creature.
But as his Fungal Hyphae spread out to envelop the four different types of flesh, the sensations they transmitted back made him hesitate.
The "flavors" were all different. The one that felt the most "comfortable" to the mushrooms was, surprisingly, the earthworm.
’Is it because the earthworm is the least mutated and therefore easier to digest and absorb?’
After a moment of conflict, Ye Fei decided to follow his biological instincts. It was his first time, after all; better to play it safe.
Just then, he noticed Liu Ru had stopped what she was doing. She turned and crouched down behind a cluster of mushrooms.
’Huh? What’s this...?’ Unfortunately, the mushrooms had now grown to over half a meter tall, and with the slight incline of the ground, Ye Fei couldn’t see her at all from his position.
Fortunately, through his Perception via the Mushroom Spores and the vibrations in the surroundings, Ye Fei could still perceive Liu Ru’s movements.
Soon, a strange expression appeared on Ye Fei’s face.
’Holy crap... Is she pooping in the wild?’
’So, even the most beautiful women have to take a dump...’
As Ye Fei was lamenting this fact, the situation suddenly changed. After Liu Ru gently pulled down her pants and squatted, she didn’t poop. Instead, she took something out of a medical kit and began fiddling with it down there.
Soon after, she even used a trowel to dig a small pit and buried something in it.
Fungal Hyphae