Chapter 43: Mushroom Girl

How did Fatty Wang die?

Asking the person themselves should be the most convenient way to solve the problem.

Of course, with the precedent of Zhou Qingqing, who didn’t even know how she died, Lin Ran was also prepared to get nothing.

“No, bro, I killed myself. You saw it too. I have a resurrection ability. Tomorrow’s the third wave, right? I just offed myself to boost my stats for tomorrow.”

“After all, even if us fatties aren’t as strong as you, bro, we can’t drag you down.”

Fatty Wang said this, stretched his limbs, and went to grab his warhammer.

Lin Ran smiled as well, getting another unexpected answer.

Fatty Wang obviously didn’t know who killed him.

He did it on purpose, so he naturally didn’t care who finished him off.

Sure enough, Fatty Wang wasn’t that easy to kill.

But using a resurrection chance like that also made Lin Ran see him in a new light.

While Fatty Wang was getting ready, Lin Ran quietly slipped away.

He still had another place to explore.

Qi Xiaoyu’s cabin.

At such a critical time, this guy Qi Xiaoyu went missing, which was also one of the reasons for the suspicion against him.

If there’s a traitor, that’s even more unsettling than the upcoming undead army.

Lin Ran returned to the cabin.

To avoid suspicion, he opened a portal to Qi Xiaoyu’s cabin directly inside.

And this time, he brought almost everyone.

Rimvela, with a horde of little slimes and dolls, stepped through the portal together.

The next second, they appeared inside Qi Xiaoyu’s cabin.

Unlike Fatty Wang’s clean and simple cabin, Qi Xiaoyu’s dormitory… was damp.

A wave of earthy, corroded smell hit them.

Lin Ran was so shocked by the scene before him that he couldn’t speak for a while.

The entire cabin, from floor to ceiling, was densely covered with all kinds of mushrooms.

Colorful, big and small, some glowing, some not.

Considering he himself was someone who grew weeds in the dorm, it wasn’t that hard to understand Qi Xiaoyu.

Growing mushrooms to ensure food supply in the apocalypse—pretty normal.

Just don’t hallucinate and lie on the boards.

Lin Ran carefully stepped inside, looking around, trying to find any useful clues.

But aside from the Cauldron in the center, it was mushrooms, mushrooms, and more mushrooms.

But since they were food, Lin Ran planned to take some back.

In the apocalypse, any extra food security was good.

Just as he reached out to pick a grayish-looking mushroom, a voice cried out—

“Ah~”

It sounded like a shy girl’s voice when being touched…?

Lin Ran turned around and looked at his group of monster girls.

Hmm, no reaction.

Was he hallucinating?

Looks like he’d need Vela to make some medicine for mental disorders later.

He reached out again to pick the mushroom—

“Ah~”

“Damn it! I knew my body wasn’t the problem!”

Lin Ran jumped back several steps, a sniper rifle materializing in his hands.

If the other side showed any hostility, he’d shoot instantly.

“Don’t… don’t shoot…”

“I… I’m Qi Xiaoyu… In a sense, I’m Qi Xiaoyu…”

“?”

Huh?

Not a bro?

This voice was completely feminine.

Mushroom girl…? Or mushroom boy-girl?

Lin Ran stepped closer and took a careful look.

It was entirely gray-white, emitting a soft glow, with faint gray spots on the cap.

The most crucial part…

The just-praised [Eye of Love Detection] actually reacted.

[Target: Gray Mushroom Girl]

[Love Potential: 55 (Due to the unique biology of mushroom species, love potential cannot be high. Very unfortunate)]

[System Evaluation: As long as the mycelium is connected, mushroom species share consciousness.

Falling in love with one is like falling in love with countless mushroom girls. Too many ‘strategists’ among the enemy; host, you can’t handle it.]

“…”

Lin Ran was speechless.

Had Qi Xiaoyu fully embraced femininity?

Impressive.

While he was thinking, the mushroom suddenly swayed slightly.

She struggled to turn around, and under the mushroom cap, a small, teary face slowly appeared.

It was Qi Xiaoyu.

But not entirely.

The female traits were even more obvious, with all the right curves in all the right places.

He… or rather, she, looked timidly at Lin Ran.

“Help… help me…”

“I’m Qi Xiaoyu. My main body was destroyed. Now I’m surviving by parasitizing the mushroom colony. This entire cluster shares my consciousness!”

“Big Brother Lin Ran! Help me! I’ll do anything! Even with this new body…”

A mosquito-thin voice came from the mushroom.

Lin Ran nodded.

It made sense.

Everyone here was an adult.

To survive to the third stage of the apocalypse, you needed a certain mindset.

Having a backup plan was normal.

Just like Fatty Wang’s Heart of Nirvana, which he’d never mentioned to anyone—not even to Lin Ran.

But—

“…Be honest.”

This mushroom was very similar to Qi Xiaoyu.

But it definitely wasn’t him.

Since they’d met, Qi Xiaoyu had shown intelligence and ability.

He wasn’t stupid enough not to explain how his main body was destroyed to earn Lin Ran’s trust.

Remember, in Qi Xiaoyu and Fatty Wang’s eyes, he only had the ability to control monsters because of the Demon King’s power.

They didn’t think he was into monster girls.

At these words, the mushroom Qi Xiaoyu’s pupils contracted sharply.

“I…”

As if making a decision, he took a few deep breaths and continued.

“I am a part of Qi Xiaoyu.”

“This morning, my body was controlled and I unconsciously jumped into my own Cauldron.”

Lin Ran nodded; the Cauldron did look like something had dissolved in it.

“At the last moment before death, I toppled the Cauldron and used my body to nourish these mushrooms.”

“Some of my memories entered the mushrooms, so I called out for help. I wasn’t trying to deceive you! I’m sorry!”

Lin Ran nodded again.

It was a lot of information, but not hard to process.

Simply put, Qi Xiaoyu really was dead.

But in a last-minute move before dying, he split himself into a mushroom girl.

The enemy was tough, no doubt about it.

At least another rare friend of his had died.

“Who took his body?”

Lin Ran pressed.

“I don’t know much. Not all my memories remained. I only know it was a woman—a human—with the ability… yes, occupation! She used her occupation ability to cross the cabin boundary!”

The mushroom girl Qi Xiaoyu in front of him racked her brain, obviously less sharp than when alive.

“Why target him?”

Lin Ran still didn’t get it.

If the other person was human, why harm Qi Xiaoyu?

And so many others had been attacked for seemingly no reason.

“I don’t know. Before the apocalypse, when I went to the student council for something, my body felt off. I passed through the first and second waves almost unconsciously, as if someone else was controlling me.”

Student council?

Lin Ran caught onto this key term.

At least, the clues were starting to branch out.