I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

One of the Iron Guard soldiers next to Wolf dashed forward, drawing his short sword from his waist.

A heat wave erupted.

The deep red color, from the half-extinguished quenching, covered the entire blade.

stab.

When the short sword struck the crawler, it failed to penetrate immediately.

The extremely high temperature instantly left a charred mark on the crawler's body.

But the crawler did not die.

It hissed and crawled back.

The other crawlers were clearly startled by what they saw, and their instincts caused them to crawl back a few steps, widening the distance between themselves and the group.

"The captain is no good; he's really hard to kill."

The man sheathed his short sword, his brow furrowed slightly, and spoke to Wolf.

"Since there's no immediate threat, shall we ignore it and continue on our way?"

Wolf asked Lu Yuan a question.

"Yes, turn on two more lamps."

As the group moved through the crawler area.

The figures on the ceiling followed the group all the way to the edge of the area, then stopped, stuck there, and watched the group disappear into the distance.

Continue down.

The passageway began to slope towards the water collection room, and the sweet smell in the air grew stronger and stronger, so strong that it could be clearly smelled even through a scarf.

[Environmental awareness: Strong pollution source detected... We recommend staying away...]

Lu Yuan tightened his mask.

coming soon.

At this moment, both walls were completely covered with a thick layer of gray-green mycelium.

The Iron Guard Battalion's front rank was finding it increasingly difficult to clear the way.

The dark red patterns on the short sword began to fade as it was continuously consumed, and the area of ​​carbonization from each cut shrank from half a meter to twenty or thirty centimeters.

The density of mycelia is increasing exponentially.

Wolf glanced at the state of the four people in the front row.

"Change."

The four people in the back row stepped forward to clear the way, and a new round of dark red patterns lit up on the short sword.

The cutting continued, but the speed slowed down significantly.

The mycelial layer was so thick that you could see something slowly wriggling inside. Waves of it surged rhythmically from the depths to the surface, then flowed back out, like blood circulating in a vein.

Beren stared at the fleshy walls for a long time, then suddenly stopped, took a copper probe from his toolbox, and stuck it to the wall.

A faint blue-white light flashed along the probe for a moment.

The old man's expression changed drastically.

"These hyphae are living conductive structures." His voice tightened.

"What do you mean?" Bol asked.

"It's mimicking the function of copper conduction channels." Buren withdrew his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"Conduction, transport, distribution... it functions exactly the same as a copper pipe network, except the carrier has changed from copper to mycelium."

"It is building its own network."

Kai'er squatted down beside him, her pen flying across the notebook as she drew, recording the direction and density of the mycelium on the wall.

[Target for detection: ?]

[A bizarre layer of fungus, transcending the realm of the living and existing in a state of eeriness, seems to be undergoing another evolution?]

[Taboo Studies - Seeker of Knowledge: +0.4…14.8/100]

Lu Yuan looked at the rhythmic wriggling mycelium on the wall.

The mycelium is not just parasitizing, not just spreading, it's actually learning?

Study the structure of copper pipe networks and replicate a conduction system using your own organization.

If completed, it will completely replace the copper pipe network and become the city's underground "new blood vessels".

What's the point of sealing off a water collection chamber by then?

Lu Yuan suppressed the thought.

"Speed ​​up!"

The team sped up.

After walking for about ten more minutes, the passage ahead suddenly widened.

It is a water collection chamber.

The second group of the Iron Guard Battalion stopped at the entrance.

The density of mycelium suddenly increased here. When the dark red lines on the dagger cut in, it could only carbonize the surface layer to a depth of less than ten centimeters. Almost simultaneously, the mycelium below began to regenerate, filling in the carbonized part.

It was obvious that this was no longer something that could be easily cut open with a few short swords, and the team didn't have that much time to waste here.

Wolf stopped at the entrance, and the Iron Guard soldiers behind him also stopped.

Heinrich walked to the entrance and glanced inside.

The holy light inscriptions on the silver-white armor lit up briefly, then dimmed again.

He turned to look at Lu Yuan, his lips pressed into a thin line, and said nothing.

Lu Yuan walked to the entrance.

The water collection room is completely different from when I last came here.

Last time, the dark green vines only spread out from the right-hand passageway, and were mostly blocked by the copper frame.

Now, the entire water collection chamber is completely covered by vines and mycelium.

Ceiling, floor, walls—no exceptions.

The grayish-green mycelium forms the base layer, while dark green vines climb and intertwine on top, the two intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish which is the mycelium and which is the vine.

The copper frame is still there, but it's so entangled that only a portion of its copper-colored outline is visible, like a skeleton that has been mostly devoured by vines.

Buren stared at the exposed outline of the bronze frame for a few seconds.

"The framework is still there," he said in a low voice. "Once I clear away the surface vines, I can carve."

The gray-green eyeballs at the tips of the vines all opened, more than ten times more numerous than last time, densely packed, all facing the entrance.

But these are not the most noteworthy aspects.

Right in the center of the water collection chamber.

These weren't there when I came last time.

A spherical structure, about two meters in diameter, hangs in the center of a network of vines between the ceiling and the floor, as if it were being supported by countless vines from all directions.

The surface of the sphere is covered with countless eyeballs and hyphae.

The eyeballs vary in size, the largest being the size of a fist and the smallest only the size of a fingernail. They are all open and moving, as if observing all directions at the same time.

The sphere is bouncing.

Like a heart.

With each jump, the sphere expands and then contracts, its surface eye blinking in sync. The vines and mycelium throughout the water chamber undulate in rhythm with it; the walls move, the floor moves, the ceiling moves.

Lu Yuan could feel the pulsation rising from the soles of his feet.

Beren stood behind Lu Yuan and saw the thing. His cane paused on the ground.

"The source of the pulse," Berren's voice held a hint of urgency. "This is the rhythm!"

[Detection target: ? (mycelial core)...highly dangerous...]

[WARNING: It is recommended to stay away from... extremely high pollution levels...]

[You have witnessed a completely new kind of? Taboo Studies - Seeker: +1.0...15.8/100]

It increased by 1.0 in one go?

Lu Yuan stared at the pulsating sphere.

What didn't exist a few days ago has grown into a "heart" with a diameter of two meters in just a few days.

And this is just the core?

Wolf stood to the side, looking inside the water collection room, remained silent for a few seconds, and then turned to look at Lu Yuan.

Should I just start burning it? But I feel like this thing in front of me is dangerous.

"The plan remains unchanged," Lu Yuan said. "Burn the vines and seal off the passage."

He glanced at the sphere.

"We'll burn this stuff too, even if it's dangerous."

He took a can of mithril from his waist, and Bor took one as well.

Wolf nodded and turned to face the Iron Guard Battalion.

This time, it's not just the front row.

The twelve people simultaneously pressed their right hands to their chests, and a dark red light shone from their fingertips at the same time.

Everyone's state of mind changed dramatically at this moment.

His pupils contracted slightly, his breathing slowed, and a wave of heat surged up at that moment.

Dark red lines of varying degrees appeared on the skin of the twelve people.

The short sword was drawn.

Heinrich's armored troops were arranged in a semi-circle, with Buren and Kel encircled on the inside of the arc.

All the Holy Light runes were activated, and the silvery-white light illuminated the entrance.

The Iron Guard Battalion deployed on both flanks of the Holy Armor Army.

"Three." Lu Yuan unscrewed the cap of the mithril bottle.

"Two." Bor unscrewed the other can.

"one."

Two canisters of mithril were thrown into the collection chamber at the same time.

The glass shattered.

Silvery-white flames suddenly exploded in the water collection chamber.

Both canisters of mithril shattered simultaneously.

The silvery-white alchemical fire suddenly exploded in the water collection room, burning from the ground to the ceiling, covering every corner.

The dark green vines withered and curled in the silver flames, and one after another, gray-green eyeballs burst open, splattering slime that hissed and smoked onto the walls. The large network of vines was reduced to ashes within the first few seconds.

However, the mycelium at the bottom layer was not completely dead.

The silver flames burned away the vines, but only scorched the surface of the mycelium; the deeper, grayish-green tissue continued to slowly wriggle.

However, it has become much thinner, exposing a large area of ​​the copper structure. The copper frame is almost intact.

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the sphere.

The instant the silver flames enveloped the sphere, all the eyeballs on the sphere's surface closed simultaneously, rather than being burned.

They were actively closing in, clearly triggered by the creature's instinct.

The mycelium and vines on the outer layer of the sphere were peeled off by the silver flame, carbonized and fell off, but the sphere itself only shrank by one size.

The frequency of his heartbeat actually increased, and it beat faster and faster.

Then the entire pipeline network began to vibrate violently.

It's calling for backup.

Lu Yuan did not hesitate.

"Iron Guard Battalion, go in! Clean up the copper frame!"

"Holy Armor Army, establish a defensive line at the right-hand entrance!"

Wolf led the Iron Guard into the water collection chamber. The silver flames hadn't completely died down yet, and they stepped over the embers to get in.

The dark red patterns on the twelve short swords were fully exposed, and the cleaning radiated outward from the copper frame as the core. The residual mycelium was carbonized by the furnace fire, and the copper frame was exposed section by section.

The two cans of mithril that the Iron Guards brought with them were also opened and poured onto the thickest areas of mycelium on both sides of the copper frame. The silver flames and the furnace fire burned the mycelium layer off in patches.

Heinrich led his armored army to form ranks at the entrance to the water collection chamber and the right-hand passageway, the holy light inscriptions on their silver-white armor reaching maximum brightness, forming a curtain of light.

Wolf glanced at the half-dead sphere, then turned to look at Lu Yuan.

"Before it recovers?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

Wolf charged toward the sphere with two Iron Guard soldiers, followed by two Holy Armored Soldiers from the flank, the holy light inscription illuminating the sphere's gray-black surface.

Wolf drew the dark red patterns on his short sword to their brightest point and pierced the outer shell of the sphere with a single blow.

The sphere trembled violently the moment the blade made contact.

Then the sweetness came.

It wasn't the faint sweetness from the previous pipe network; it was an overwhelming, almost tangible, intense sweetness.

It was like someone had poured a whole bucket of honey onto a scalding hot iron plate, so sweet it was nauseating.

No blood or mucus flowed from the punctured spot; instead, a pale blue gas came out.

As the gas surged out, the remaining vines around the sphere underwent a dramatic change. The gray-green eyeballs, which had been burned to empty shells by the silver flames, suddenly burst open from the inside.

Pale blue petals unfolded one by one from the shell of the eyeball, like some kind of deformed flower, silently blooming on the charred remains of vines.

One flower.

Two flowers.

A dozen or so flowers.

Within seconds, flowers bloomed at the tips of every remaining vine in the water collection chamber.

Then, the woman became unfaithful and gave birth to a child.

The speed was so fast it was like pressing the fast-forward button.

Thumb-sized, grayish-green fruits emerged from the center of the flower, one after another, densely packed, like bunches of deformed grapes hanging on withered branches.

The sweetness reached its peak at this moment.

It was so sweet it didn't smell like it; it was like it was poured directly into my brain.

[Detection Target: Extremely Strong Pollution Source... Stay Away! Stay Away Immediately!]

[Sanity: -2...118/120]

Lu Yuan took two steps back; the scarf couldn't hide it at all.

But the five people standing next to the sphere—Wolf, two Iron Guards, and two Holy Armor soldiers—were too close.

Lu Yuan saw that Wolf's hand stopped.

The dagger was still stuck in the sphere, but Wolf's body was frozen, his fingers trembling as if resisting something.

His dark red patterns flickered violently, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, like a furnace fire tug-of-war with some kind of force.

The two Iron Guard soldiers were in even worse condition.

The dark red patterns went out instantly, and the short sword slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.

Their eyes lost focus, their pupils dilated, and their mouths were slightly open.

Holy light runes flashed wildly on the armor of the two Holy Armored Soldiers. One of them was still holding on.

The other one's holy light suddenly went out.

It didn't gradually dim, but went out in an instant, as if someone had snapped the wick.

Holy Light Inscription and Will are linked.

Unyielding will, eternal holy light.

His will was crushed.

The Holy Armored Army, stripped of its holy light, stood there, their expressions blank, then reached out and grabbed at the nearest bunch of fruit.

"Don't touch it!" Heinrich shouted sharply from behind.

But that hand had already grasped the fruit.

The peel cracked the moment it was touched, and the grayish-green juice seeped into the gaps in the glove, spreading upwards along the wrist.

Grayish-green patterns began to appear on the surface of the soldier's silver-white armor, like mycelium spreading from the contact point of the sap to the whole body.

His mouth opened even wider, as if he were laughing, or perhaps screaming silently.

Lu Yuan did not hesitate.

The thought sank into my chest. Click.

[Time synchronization acceleration (enabled)]

[Rationality: -1...-1...]

The world has slowed down. The sweetness is still there, but it has become something tolerable under the accelerated pace.

Lu Yuan drew his bronze sword and charged in.

The first, the armored army that seized the fruit.

The gray-green stripes have already spread to my forearm, and in a few seconds they'll reach my shoulder.

The bronze sword flipped over, its spine slamming heavily against the back of the neck.

The force was so great that a normal person would never use it against friendly forces.

But Lu Yuan knew that if he was too gentle, he wouldn't wake up. If the mycelium completed its parasitic infestation through the sap, he wouldn't be one of his own when he woke up. He had to completely lose consciousness before the mycelium spread to his brain.

The vibration in his cervical spine was transmitted to his brainstem, causing the soldier's eyes to roll back and him to collapse.

The second one, another Holy Armored soldier, was still flashing with holy light. His will had not completely collapsed, but his body was out of control, and his hands were reaching for the fruit.

The spine of the sword swept across the temple from the side.

A muffled thud, and he fell to the ground.

The third and fourth, two more Iron Guards. They were closer to the fruit, their fingers almost touching it.

Lu Yuan kicked one of them over, and another was hit on the back of the head by the spine of the sword.

Four people collapsed on the ground.