Doomsday Traveler

Chapter 378 The House of Mushroom Eaters

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei continued eastward, leaving Donghai City and entering Jiannan City. However, upon arriving here, they noticed something different.

Surprisingly, the people here no longer avoided them as they had before.

This led Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei to suspect that their ability to conceal their aura had improved, until those who neither hid nor avoided came into their view.

They then realized that those people were swaying and staggering, some standing and some lying down, all looking like they were living in a drunken stupor, as if they had been drinking fake alcohol. They were not normal people at all, so it was no wonder that they were unmoved by their aura.

"Dog, can you take a look and tell me what's going on?"

Lu Xi'an continued his fine tradition of consulting Gouzi when in doubt.

The dog scanned the area and immediately gave its answer: "A large amount of fungi has been found in this area, which have hallucinogenic effects."

Fungi?!
Yunnan has moved to the coast?!
Upon closer inspection, Lu Xi'an discovered that all sorts of things of different sizes and colors were growing in the nooks and crannies of the place—red umbrellas, white stems, green, blue, purple, and floral patterns, you name it.

In the corner, someone was grinning foolishly while chewing something, probably mushrooms.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei exchanged a glance, neither of them getting out of the car, and carefully drove through this "mushroom paradise".

Under the eaves and in the corners of the walls beside the abandoned streets, one can occasionally see fungi of various shapes and sizes. Some emit a faint glow, while others ooze viscous juice. The air is filled with a sweet, humus-like smell.

Someone was gnawing on a rock while calling out for his wife, while another person, drooling, pointed at the clouds in the sky and said to the wall next to him, "See? This dog can talk. I wasn't lying to you."

There was another person who laughed arrogantly at a tree, saying, "I am a dignified Type A new human, how could I be afraid of an ordinary person like you?" Then he started punching and kicking the tree trunk, but he looked like an ordinary person after all.

Some had already decayed and died by the roadside, their rotting bodies turning into the ground and becoming nutrients for fungi.

"Excessive spore concentration detected in the air. We recommend holding your breath and evacuating immediately!"

The dog's barking suddenly came through the RV's stereo. Seeing this, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei didn't dare to linger and quickly sped away from the area.

"Dog, give me a heads-up once we're out of this area."

Lu Xi'an said something to the dog again.

The dog indicated that it understood.

However, once they drove the car out of the area, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei could tell with the naked eye that it was there, without needing the dog to remind them.

The unpleasant smell was gone from the air, and there were no more fungi to be seen. The frenzied, rotting people were also gone, which was enough to show that this place was safe.

However, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei still habitually checked with Gouzi to confirm, and only after Gouzi confirmed that everything was alright did they feel completely relieved.

"I never imagined there would be a place like this here..."

Lu Xi'an glanced back through the rearview mirror, let out a soft breath, and said.

"Ah."

Yao Wei nodded, then suddenly lowered her head and touched her lower abdomen, asking worriedly, "Won't this affect the baby?"

Lu Xi'an said, "It shouldn't be. Let Gouzi take a look."

The dog immediately replied: "Tests confirm the fetus is stable and there have been no adverse effects."

That's good.

Lu Xi'an thought to himself, "As expected of a dog, you really have to rely on it in crucial moments. This dog is practically a human ultrasound machine."

Or even more powerful than an ultrasound machine.

"Hey dog, can you tell if the baby is a boy or a girl?"

He couldn't help but ask. The dog replied, "Due to factory restrictions, this question cannot be answered. Please understand."

Lu Xi'an: "????!!!!!"

Gan!
How bored must the person who created this dog have been to set up such restrictions?! This is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, how could they possibly be sexist?!

……

Oh well, if we can't get an answer, we can't get an answer. It's the same whether it's a boy or a girl.

Lu Xi'an thought this to himself, but in reality, he still wanted a girl. He always felt that if he had a boy, he might resort to corporal punishment later on, but with a girl, he would absolutely not be able to bring himself to lay a hand on her.

Do you want a boy or a girl?

He asked Yao Wei a question.

"I don't know, that's fine."

Yao Wei's answer was as usual, just as Lu Xi'an expected.

However, after thinking for a moment, she added, "But I don't know why, I always feel that if it's a girl, I'll be very strict, but if it's a boy, I can't bear to discipline him."

Lu Xi'an laughed: "Then let's switch roles. How about this, if it's a boy, I'll discipline him, and if it's a girl, you'll discipline her. We can't just let the kids run wild."

Yao Wei blinked, puzzled: "Isn't it good to have sheep grazing there?"

"..."

Lu Xian's mouth twitched.

Generation gap.

The car had slowed down, and the things in front of them caught their attention, ending their conversation about the children.

It was a house, actually quite ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about its architecture.

However, the room was so clean and tidy, like those on the East Island, that it had clearly been cleaned up.

—To be precise, I was dealt with by someone before.

Now this place is covered in dust and overgrown with grass, but there is less dust than elsewhere, and the weeds are growing shorter, so it must have been a place where someone once lived, but no one lives here anymore.

Lu Xi'an stopped the car, exchanged a glance with Yao Wei, observed carefully for a while, and then listened carefully, but could not hear any movement inside.

If they can't detect any movement with their current sensory abilities, then they can basically confirm that there's no one inside.

But Lu Xi'an, following custom, had Gouzi check again. Only after Gouzi confirmed that no one was inside did she discuss with Yao Wei: "Should we go in and take a look?"

Yao Wei said, "Okay, let me see."

The two got out of the car and walked through the low weeds outside the house. When they arrived at the house, they saw a wooden plaque hanging on the roof, nailed in place. Because the craftsmanship was not very good, both the wall and the plaque were cracked.

The signboard was also poorly made, covered in dust, making the text illegible.

Lu Xi'an reached out and brushed away the dust, only then did she see that the characters on the plaque were also carved with some unknown tool, crooked and not very attractive.

There were only five words on it: "Home of Mushroom Eaters".

It seems that someone who used to live here also ate mushrooms?
Was he not affected by fungal hallucinations?
Or perhaps he was severely affected later, went to that area overrun by fungi, and couldn't get out?
Unable to guess, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei pushed hard and opened the door.

But instead of rushing in, they held their breath, took two steps back, and observed carefully for a while.

(End of this chapter)