Daily News: Insect Girls' Heavy Dependence

The commotion outside the mine had just subsided when the atmosphere inside the camp began to ease.

Richard sat in his tent, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table as he pondered the strangely appearing essence worm fluid deep in the mine and the Forest Lord's malicious warning.

Suddenly, a terrified scream and chaotic running sounds came from outside the tent.

What's going on? Richard frowned, got up, and lifted the curtain.

Not far away, the two miners who had been ordered to enter the narrow side passage and retrieve the essence insect liquid were standing.

They were being dragged and pinned to the ground by several of their companions.

But the miners holding them down were filled with fear, because the two men were behaving in an extremely strange manner.

Beneath the skin of those two people, pustules-like bumps were visibly rising at a rapid pace. These bumps burst open quickly, and clusters of brightly colored hyphae emerged from them!

Then they swelled into blue mushrooms, writhing like living things, and poured out wildly from their eye sockets, nostrils, ears, and even their gaping mouths!

Even more terrifying, as the mycelium grew, large amounts of pale blue mist gushed out from their pores and mycelium clusters, quickly spreading throughout the camp.

"Get back! Stay away from them!" Captain Barton roared, but he was the closest and was the first to be enveloped by the blue mist.

Fortunately, Richard's fourteen-winged Killer Knight belt shot out a long tongue, pulling him out of the mist and restoring his senses.

The other miners who came into contact with the blue mist noticeably slowed down, and the anger and fear on their faces were gradually replaced by a blank, empty look.

Someone's pickaxe clattered to the ground, and he stared blankly at the sky.

Some people began to sob softly, muttering to themselves, "It's meaningless...life is so boring..."

Even worse, some people collapsed to the ground, their eyes glazed over, as if they had lost all vitality.

A young miner suddenly grabbed a sharp piece of ore from the ground and was about to slash his own neck!

Fortunately, a companion who hadn't been completely affected reacted quickly and snatched it away. The two wrestled, but the one who took the ore moved slower and slower, and his eyes began to dart around.

The blue mushroom-like mist! It can affect mood! It can cause extreme depression! It can even induce suicide!

Richard's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted sharply:

"Everyone! Put on your gas masks immediately! Quickly!"

He had long been accustomed to hanging the matching gas mask on his waist, and at this moment he quickly put it on his face to filter out any possible inhalation of spore mist.

The pioneers were well-trained and immediately took out masks from their equipment and put them on.

Although the miners were in a panic, they scrambled to find their masks under the repeated urging of Barton and Richard. The essential equipment for going down into the mine had become their lifeline.

In the chaos, the two blue mushroom people, completely covered by mycelium, their bodies twisted and swollen, were almost unrecognizable.

They struggled to their feet, letting out inhuman growls and waving their arms, which sprouted fleshy mushrooms, as they staggered toward the crowd, their blue mist growing even thicker.

"Hold them down! Don't let them get close to the crowd!"

Richard calmly gave the order, but did not step forward himself. He kept his eyes fixed on the two mutated miners, carefully observing the pattern of mycelial growth and the method of mist spraying.

The pioneers and a few miners, who had put on masks and regained some of their senses, mustered their courage.

Using long-handled tools and ropes, they lassoed the hands and feet of the two mushroom men from a distance, pulled them to the ground with great effort, wrapped them in layers of thick waterproof cloth, and then tied them tightly with ropes.

The two mushroom-men struggled violently beneath the cloth, making muffled thuds, but the blue mist was temporarily blocked. They fell to the ground with a thud, forming a large puddle of powder.

The disturbance was gradually brought under control, but the oppressive atmosphere and panic that permeated the camp lingered.

Several miners who had inhaled a lot of the mist collapsed to the ground and were dragged to a ventilated area by their companions. Their eyes were still vacant, and they needed to be watched over to prevent them from doing anything rash.

Captain Patton, mask in hand, ran breathlessly to Richard's side, his voice tinged with fear and anger:

"Young Master! What...what happened? How...how did they become like this?!"

Richard did not answer immediately. He checked that his mask was properly sealed and walked over to the two mushroom-men who were bound like dumplings.

I observed them carefully from what I considered a safe distance. The mycelium was still wriggling beneath them, but its pace seemed to have slowed. Wisps of blue mist seeped out from the cracks, but they were no longer present in large quantities.

"They only went into that cave twice; the second time they just brought the bottle out..."

Richard muttered to himself, his eyes sharp:

"The contact time was short, and there was no injury... Was it the mycelium? Or the bottle itself? Or... the air in the cave?"

He recalled the scene described by the miners:

Piles of bottles, glowing stones, patterned stone slabs, and colorful mycelium coiled into shelves supporting the bottles. Everything exudes an eerie, meticulously arranged atmosphere.

"That cave is basically a petri dish, or... a transformation field."

Richard felt a chill creep up his spine. A less-than-ideal guess:

The essence insect fluid is the bait, but the mycelium, or something else permeating the cave, is the real trap? Those who come into contact with it will be slowly eroded and transformed into fungus people... The essence insect fluid they bring out may also be contaminated.

He immediately turned around and gave the order to Patton:

"Immediately inspect everything brought out from the depths of the mine today! Check for any mycelium or other abnormalities! Especially those bottles of the essence insect fluid! Isolate and observe anyone who has been in contact with them! Also, these two... things..."

He pointed to the two mushroom-men bound on the ground:

"Keep a close watch and don't let anyone get close again. Once the fog clears, find boxes, seal them completely, and transport them back to Stormwind to be handed over to Yekaterin for further arrangements..."

"Yes, young master!" Barton's face turned pale, and he hurriedly went to make arrangements.

Richard walked back to his tent, removed his gas mask, and took a deep breath of the relatively clean air, but the unease and vigilance in his chest did not diminish in the slightest.

The situation in the mine was even more bizarre and dangerous than he had imagined.

The Lito family's petty squabbles are nothing more than a minor ailment.

The real threat lies in the mycelium and transformation traps hidden deep within the mithril mine, which are related to the fifth-order ultimate form of the forest lord.

"Actively introduced insect essence...mycelium induced for transformation..."

Richard rubbed his temples. "What exactly does that so-called Lord of the Forest want? To cultivate an army of mushroom people? Is he targeting me? Or... does he have some other purpose?"

He glanced at the box of essence insect liquid in the corner, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Are these things still usable now?

He needs to return to Stormwind as soon as possible to discuss the matter with Yekaterin and find Grolo to investigate... and find out the truth behind it all.

What's in this mine is beyond his control!