Chapter Twenty: The Effects of the Phantom Mushroom

“Heavenly King? And that Du Lili is a woman?” The earlier inquiry by the river had been rushed; now, with the other’s words, Shen Lie’s curiosity was truly piqued.

“Ahem.” Li Cheng cleared his throat awkwardly, then forced a smile and explained, “Heavenly King is a nickname the survivors gave these awakened ones. After awakening, their strength became overwhelming, completely beyond the realm of ordinary humans. Even firearms can barely threaten them now. For some reason, guns have lost much of their power. My old 54 pistol’s bullets can’t even kill a pig—it’s hardly better than an air rifle these days.”

As he spoke, Li Cheng glanced at Shen Lie’s waist, where his own firearm was tucked. Though guns had lost their former might, they were still much more useful than knives.

Shen Lie ignored Li Cheng’s expression and, lost in thought, said, “Go on—tell me about the other two. What abilities do they have? What are their personalities and morals like?”

“The other two: one is Xiao Gang, a former teacher at Central Primary School. After awakening, he could turn water into ice, and launch icicles. His power isn’t the weakest, but not the strongest either. The last is Wang Qingshan, supposedly a villager who came to town for market day on the morning the red mist appeared outside the town. Once the mist rolled in, he couldn’t return home, and later awakened as an ability user. He’s incredibly fast—his power is super speed.”

“Of the four, Wang Qingshan is the most timid, Ma Zhanlin the most domineering, Xiao Gang the most ruthless. As for Du Lili, she neither fights nor contends, but her strength is unmatched—nobody dares provoke her.”

Unexpectedly, even in this tiny town, the survivors had carved out their own little world, Shen Lie mused, somewhat speechless. What were these people thinking? Did they truly believe this tiny place was a paradise, never considering what would happen if a horde of monsters descended?

Regardless of others’ thoughts, Shen Lie listened carefully to Li Cheng’s explanations, gaining a basic understanding of the four who might threaten him. As for the other faction in town, he didn’t pay much mind. After personally testing the power of his 54 pistol, he finally understood how these four awakened could dominate the area. Thanks to the black mist from another world, firearms might one day vanish from history entirely.

“But all these awakened have undergone some degree of bodily mutation.”

“Mutation? What sort of mutation?” Li Cheng’s words surprised Shen Lie, who questioned him with a frown.

“Physical mutation. Ma Zhanlin’s skin has mutated; his body is covered in something like scales. That’s why, even in the hottest weather, he always keeps himself tightly wrapped up. Xiao Gang’s neck became unusually long, and his eyes turned blue. Wang Qingshan is even stranger: after awakening, he can never straighten his back, always walking hunched over like a hunchback.”

“And what about Du Lili?”

“Her body hasn’t changed, but ever since awakening she always wears a patterned mask. Most likely something has grown on her face.”

“Good heavens!” Shen Lie was genuinely shocked by this revelation. No wonder Li Cheng had knelt in awe the moment he saw Shen Lie’s hand turn golden—this was the reason. Every awakened person’s body mutates, turning them into monsters of a sort.

As long as he didn’t use the mysterious energy within him, his own body showed no golden transformation, so Shen Lie had never worried much about such changes. He looked just like a normal person most of the time. But after hearing Li Cheng’s explanation, a trace of anxiety crept into his heart. If he became someone covered in scales or with an abnormally long neck—a “non-human”—what would he do then?

But soon Shen Lie dismissed this concern. In the world before the apocalypse, perhaps he would have cared, but now, in a world where death could come at any moment, anyone would choose mutation if it meant survival. After all, to mutate was to become a superhuman, gaining the power to protect oneself and control the fate of others. Such temptation was hard to resist, even if the body suffered some minor flaws.

After chatting a while longer, Shen Lie sent the two away, but not before instructing Li Cheng to keep an eye out for the spider monster’s crystals. Since the townsfolk had fought the spider monster, there was a chance they might possess some.

Once they left, Shen Lie checked his injured leg and was delighted to find the swelling had subsided—the mysterious energy in his body had unexpected healing properties. What he wanted most now was to talk with other awakened ones about bodily mutations, but with the town in its current state, such a hope was nothing but a fantasy.

After rebandaging his leg, Shen Lie planned to retrieve his packs from the riverbank. His backpack was nearly empty, and it wasn’t safe to leave his supplies there—that was his food for the foreseeable future.

But it was still only midday. The place he’d hidden his things was well concealed; it was safer to wait until dusk. Besides, he couldn’t carry everything in one trip—he’d need a vehicle.

He asked Zhang Jing to find Li Cheng and see if they could get a working car. Then Shen Lie returned indoors and took out the phantom mushroom. After his recent discoveries, he was fairly certain of its effects and decided to give it a try. If it proved useful, he’d hire others to collect more with the supplies in his bag.

Time was pressing; there was no opportunity for careful research. Shen Lie locked the door, sat in a chair, glanced at the mushroom, and without hesitation, swallowed it in one gulp.

Heat!

The moment the mushroom hit his stomach, it felt as if his insides were on fire. Heat surged through him, as though he could breathe out flames. In the next instant, the scorching current rushed through every corner of his body, making him feel like a boiled shrimp. A tingling pain, reminiscent of using a monster’s crystal, swept over him.

The sensation didn’t last long—about half a minute—before slowly fading away. When Shen Lie checked his condition, surprise lit up his face. In that brief span, the mysterious energy within him had increased!

He didn’t know how the others’ mutations worked, but his own strength depended largely on this energy. Only with it did his body take on a golden hue; without it, he was merely a bit stronger than a normal person.

The mushroom had effects similar to the monster crystals—Shen Lie was instantly excited!

Though its effects weren’t as potent as a crystal, it made up for that in abundance. There were apparently plenty of these mushrooms just outside town, and he didn’t have to risk his life to gather them—he could simply trade supplies with ordinary people. No wonder the awakened ones vied for power so fiercely! Whoever controlled more resources could command others to venture out, thus growing stronger even faster.

No, he had to retrieve his supplies immediately. His old plan must change. If he wanted to trade for these phantom mushrooms, lying low was no longer an option. The moment word got out, his identity as an awakened would be exposed—after all, ordinary people couldn’t use such things.

Since that was the case, there was no reason to keep hiding. As long as he didn’t have to face more than one awakened at a time, he believed he would be safe enough. With a flash of resolve, Shen Lie made up his mind.

“Not good, Brother Shen! A group of hostile people has arrived outside! Brother Li went out to negotiate and was badly beaten!” Just as Shen Lie was about to leave, Zhang Jing ran up, knocking frantically at the door and shouting in panic.

“Calm down!” Shen Lie’s eyes flashed. As he opened the door, his voice remained steady.

Perhaps Shen Lie’s composure gave Zhang Jing some confidence. As they walked outside together, she quickly explained what had happened.

It turned out the trouble had started because of Shen Lie himself. His presence had been exposed—not that this alone mattered, as the informant didn’t know he was an awakened. The real reason they’d come was that he had crossed the river from the opposite bank.

A man who had come from across the river, carrying a backpack full of food—this was enough to cause a sensation among people whose supplies were running dangerously low. Since the retreat, almost no one had crossed the river safely. Everyone knew there was food on the other side, but no one dared risk it; those who tried had all perished.

Just as people were giving up hope of the far bank, someone appeared, having crossed the river with food. How could those who heard this not be tempted?

Since he’d already chosen not to hide, Shen Lie didn’t care whether the news had leaked out. But the person who betrayed him was unforgivable—someone right here in this compound, eating and drinking his share, then stabbing him in the back at a critical moment. No amount of excuses could absolve such a person; punishment was inevitable.