Looking directly at the ancient gods for a whole year

Chapter 2363 The Disappearance
Professor Akai is really diligent.

It hasn't been long since I served as technical support for Operation Ark, and yet two days ago, new tests were already being prepared.

When he disembarked, he wasn't in very good condition.

The news brought by Professor Rob made Fu Qian deeply appreciate the power of hard work.

"Shanzhou Temple? Is Akai still there recently?"

However, his first curiosity was about the office location, and he looked out the window into the distance.

Although it's not quite a dilapidated building yet, the once magnificent Shanju Institute suffered considerable damage during the Ark Incident, and Kai is still holed up there.
"Yes, that's right... He said his office wasn't affected much, and it was even quieter this way."

And judging from Rob's answer, it was indeed true.

Even before the accident, most of the instructors at the Shanju Institute were already conducting research at their residences, but Professor Akai still chose to persevere despite the ordeal.

"I see. Take me to see it."

Shaking his head slightly, Fu Qian had already stood up.

what?
This overly decisive action seemed to surprise even Rob, but he quickly became excited.

There could be many reasons why someone goes missing, and no matter how worried we are, it's just speculation.

However, Professor Fu did not question this concern at all and set off immediately.

……

"Any recent developments?"

However, during the journey to Shanzhou Temple, Professor Fu suddenly spoke up at one point, but the question left everyone somewhat bewildered.

"...The lab?"

Rob paused for a moment, then couldn't help but confirm.

"Right, you didn't just provide materials for Akai once during this period, did you?"

He casually confirmed before paying, expressing his earnest expectations.

"That's not all, but after I got Dean Li's forgiveness last time, I haven't done anything against the rules again..."

Upon confirming that Professor Fu was serious, Rob felt a little strange for a moment, but he still cautiously declared that he had absolutely not done anything reckless during this time.

"They didn't do it again? What a pity... Tell me, did anything interesting come out?"

However, to his astonishment, Professor Fu shook his head slightly after hearing this, seemingly regretting that he hadn't acted recklessly.

However, no further illegal instructions were given, and he was quickly signaled to continue.

"It's not exactly interesting, but it's definitely a change we haven't seen before..."

Professor Fu not only remembered his own things, but also seemed genuinely interested in the progress.

If it weren't for the Shanju Temple that was already so close, Rob would have almost forgotten about his friend's safety.

"I added divine flesh again before, making the swarm even stronger, which also increased the mushroom spawn rate. But after the number increased, some of them actually started floating..."

While leading the way, Rob also explained the specific details of the project.

"Oh? How exactly does it float up?"

Although Professor Rob modestly claimed he wasn't that interesting, he was quite interested in imagining the possible scenarios before he went to work.

"It's completely suspended in mid-air, with no connection to other mushrooms, yet it doesn't float around; it's as if it grew out of thin air."

Rob himself clearly found the scene he described with a frown quite strange.

Is this so...

Although he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, Fu Qian was still lost in thought, recalling the scene when he encountered the Fungal Emperor—those mycelia lurking beneath the mundane dimension, seemingly representing the reality of the world. Of course, for the realm of the extraordinary, compared to the previous mimicry, levitation wasn't exactly a rare effect, which explained why Rob hadn't thought of communicating with him earlier.

However, the last experience was truly unforgettable.

So much so that anything interesting in the project Rob was in charge of was worth considering beforehand, including what was happening now—

The door was even open. As they followed Rob into the familiar room, Fu Qian's gaze immediately fell on the floor.

……

Professor Akai's diligence is evident to the naked eye.

Even in the already somewhat messy office, manuscripts can still be found scattered in various places.

In the middle, in a relatively clean empty space, you can see some familiar props.

For example, there's that classic black cone, a pool of liquid formed from something melting, a complete silver-gray insect shell... but the most eye-catching of all is an overly sprawling fungus.

It is indeed Professor Rob's work; for most people, it is easy to tell just by the taste.

These four items are arranged into a pattern that is not a square, but is still regular.

It seems that Professor Akai not only conducted theoretical research here, but also carried out practical work on the spot, and made use of all the borrowed materials.

Furthermore, the description of the mushroom as excessively "stretched out" is not an exaggeration; it is no longer in its original shape, and at a glance, it seems as if all the mycelium that makes it up has lost its restraint.

After being completely separated, it formed a structure almost like a spider web, and even climbed onto the manuscript not far away.

……

It has to be said, it was quite a magical scene.

This seems to prove that Professor Akai's research has indeed made some progress, and the materials borrowed from Rob have indeed come in handy.

But as the latter said, the person involved has vanished without a trace.

On one hand, there were props left on the ground, and on the other hand, there was no one there.

Even from the perspective of the King of Abandoned Prisons, there was nothing unusual on his radar.

It looks like they just left as soon as the clock struck midnight.

But for someone like Akai, who would rather eat, drink, and relieve himself in his room, it's hard to imagine him following such a schedule.

also--

Fu Qian stretched his hand towards the center of the graphic, and after two seconds indicated that there was nothing unusual.

Professor Akai didn't seem to recklessly plant a seed of death just because the building was already dilapidated.

But if it didn't go wrong this way, how else could it have gone wrong...?

"I remember you mentioned that even picked mushrooms can still have some kind of connection with insect swarms... Was there anything unusual happening in your lab just now?"

Turning his head to look at Rob, who was holding his breath and afraid of disturbing him, Fu Qian casually asked.

"Yes, actually I only came over after noticing something was wrong, and that's when I found these things."

“I also tried looking in other places, but I didn’t find anything. Professor Fu, do you think something happened to Akai?”

Nodding earnestly, Rob proved that Professor Fu's memory was correct, and it suddenly made more sense why he would suddenly think of Akai's side.

"Try to look on the bright side; at least you're likely to have noticed something was wrong as soon as it happened."

Fu Qian nodded, showing no unwarranted optimism.

"Take me to your place and let me have a look."