Armed Train in the Apocalypse

The flames extinguished, but the lightning grew even more intense. The fungus carpet on the ground was flooded by the thunder liquid, instantly leaving a large empty area, and the sky was also covered by it. Everyone felt like they were walking between two mirrors.

The Thunder Pool covered an area with a radius of two kilometers, enveloping Wen Biao and the others behind as well.

All around them, countless tiny lightning arcs shuttled between the two Thunder Pools, with occasional explosive chains detonating in the air.

If it weren’t for Yu Yue constantly suppressing the sound, the noise alone could have deafened the group.

The front of the train ventured into the wilderness, and finally, they could see what lay beneath the mist that reached hundreds of meters high.

”Stop the train.”

Su Huan said calmly, tilting his head up.

The entire world in front of them was dominated by huge umbrella mushrooms. The stalks were as sturdy as Roman columns, and the caps merged at a hundred meters high forming a dark red canopy of a sky. At the top of the canopy, spore-bearing bodies hung like countless slowly pulsating hearts, casting vein-like shadows.

Even the massive train seemed like a tiny caterpillar before these colossal mushrooms.

The road ahead meandered into the depths of the mushroom cluster, as if leading to a fairyland.

”How did Donghuang Heavy Industry traverse such a terrifying Spore Zone?”

Lin Jin couldn’t help but exclaim.

”Perhaps it’s a matter of timing, like the tides in the Flood Zone or the black storms in the Storm Zone. The Spore Zone might also have periodic eruptions, which they have learned to predict.”

Director Xu’s voice relayed through their shared communication to each one present.

The main experts were currently gathered at the front of the train, observing this mushroom-formed world together.

Su Huan’s demeanor was very calm, his eyes held only appreciation and curiosity for this magical world.

Despite already being listed among the top powers, neither Black Kite nor Donghuang Heavy Industry could have less information than the train; perhaps they were all waiting to see the train ”pay the tuition fees”.

To travel farther, one must pay a greater price.

The Thunder Pool in the air grew much quieter, only occasionally emitting a flash explosion, and Su Huan hesitated for a moment, gradually reining in the Thunder Pool.

A bright yellow small mushroom floated in mid-air, its stalk was of translucent agate quality, with luminous liquid fungal pulp flowing inside. Its cap gently fanned a few times, and the entire mushroom would float high, emitting a faint glow to illuminate this mushroom world.

When the last bit of lightning was withdrawn, the group’s vision recovered, and they realized that although the mushroom world was now dimmer, it was not as dark as they had imagined. These floating small mushrooms were suspended in the thousands under the giant umbrella mushrooms, like little lanterns providing light.

There were also various kinds of bioluminescent fungi that together constructed this marvelous and vibrant mushroom world.

Soldiers jumped off the train, collecting various mushrooms as needed by Director Xu and others.

The hive at the front of the train opened, and drones and mechanical spiders shot out, quickly darting through the fungi, but never more than thirty meters from the train.

Su Huan reached out for a small mushroom floating in mid-air. The mushroom twisted slightly, and fine tendrils began to extend from its base, attempting to embed into Su Huan’s palm and take root; yet after many efforts, it could not pierce the skin’s surface, only extending more hyphae to wrap around Su Huan’s hand, forming a cocoon over his fingers before long.

Stopping Yu Yue, Su Huan observed the mushroom on his finger, soothingly said, ”The mushroom’s invasiveness isn’t that terrifying.”

Yu Yue frowned with concern, ”Why not hand it to Director Xu and the others? They could understand it quickly.”

”Too slow.” Su Huan let the mushroom root on his finger, ”Has Miao Qi’s signal been restored?”

Professor Ma spoke, ”Just utilized communication amplification, briefly captured Miao Qi’s location, approximately northeast, distance unclear, signals here are still heavily suppressed.”

Su Huan noticed the small mushroom starting to inject liquid fungal pulp into his finger, implying that the defensive surface layer had been breached.

Such a breach happened silently, without any sensation.

Once the fungal pulp injection was complete, Su Huan casually pulled off the mushroom, drawing out a vivid red blood line, which was a hyphae over three centimeters long.

”How do you feel?”

Yu Yue asked, worried.

Su Huan flicked his finger, sensing for a moment before saying, ”Not feeling it yet, let’s move.”

The train resumed, and soldiers climbed back on.

Director Xu’s voice reminded Su Huan, ”The fungus carpet here has good support, can even uphold soldiers in power armor, but can’t possibly support the train’s weight, could very likely get stuck.”

The tracks gently rolled forward, nearly without any bumps thanks to the buffer of the fungus carpet.

”Isn’t this place a plain?”

”But it has undergone alienation, and nobody knows what’s underneath; the thinnest fungus carpet here is a meter thick. If the terrain variance is too large, it could damage the train.”

With the train’s enormously enhanced defense capabilities, very few things could damage it now.

Terrain variance was one of them.

Weight was both the train’s advantage and its most fatal flaw.

”We have to proceed eventually, let’s investigate ahead more thoroughly first.”

Su Huan said.

The train moved through the Mushroom Kingdom, avoiding whenever possible, if unavoidable it crushed directly through, accompanied by creaking sounds as a giant umbrella mushroom toppled. Lu Xiao led soldiers to cut portions to transport to the lab inside.

This giant umbrella mushroom was among the few nontoxic mushrooms, with its sheer water content alone offering great research value.

The train collected various mushrooms along its path.

The entire mushroom world, despite some sounds, showed no signs of life besides the mushrooms, leaving them to be harvested freely.

However, the train moved very slowly, covering just over a kilometer in half an hour.

The train’s body was covered in mushroom goo, and the soldiers’ power armor was drenched as if pulled from water; in some hidden areas, small mushrooms would parasitize, requiring periodic cleaning.

Initially, Su Huan tried using ”Pan-energy Perception” to investigate, but after realizing all areas returned pan-energy feedback, he abandoned this method.

He chose instead to use his body as a petri dish to describe the sensation of being parasitized by mushrooms.

”During the erosion process there’s no pain, senses are enhanced, energy flow accelerated...”

Director Xu inside the train urged subordinates to note it down, continuing to ask, ”Will hallucinations occur?”

Su Huan thought for a moment, shook his head, ”No, my spiritual power has been amplified too, but this state is receding.”

”This isn’t right, there’s a bit of addiction, this mushroom’s fungal pulp makes me feel slightly addicted.”

Director Xu’s expression tightened, glancing at the ”mild addiction” written by subordinates, reprimanding them to change it to ”severe addiction” before saying, ”These mushrooms are highly valuable, we should gather more.”

”Still no exact signal from Miao Qi?”

”No, but the northeast direction used to be a lake, not very large, with several meters of variance.”

Just as Su Huan was about to speak, he suddenly turned his head to look into a shadowy area.

The fungus carpet there was very thick, estimated over three meters, with particularly dense gray fog, maybe due to sensing Su Huan’s gaze, the corner fell silent.

Only a cyan mushroom was incessantly nudging its cap, radiating cyan halo.

Other mushrooms remained as usual.

With no warning, Su Huan silently slipped from the front of the train, a step on the springy fungus carpet and he leaped several meters away.

To an evolver, if there’s a ”feeling” of issues.

Then it’s certain something’s amiss!

Su Huan had no intention of checking, Hong Wen gathered on his bare skin, flames erupted in an instant.

A colossal spear of fire swept across the area within ten meters in an instant.

The surrounding giant umbrella mushrooms began spraying water, gray fog converging here, Su Huan’s flame, less passive than Lin Jin’s, was instantly extinguished, white mist billowing.

Soldiers noticed the anomaly here, rushing over swiftly.

But their heavy power armor clung to the ground, slowing their speed.

Su Huan stood calmly amidst the swirling gray-white mist, his pitch-black eyes already enveloped in lightning.

As a mushroom quietly twisted, trying to escape.

Thin lips parted slightly.

”Thunderstorm.”