Chapter Thirty-Three: A Shocking Transformation

Nearly everyone here seemed to have lost their minds. Shen Lie, witnessing Wang Laoben's ferocity and the spectators' numb indifference, could only sigh inwardly. The advent of the apocalypse would change far too many things; this place was likely just the tip of the iceberg.

Wang Laoben's furious roar sent shivers through the bodies of several men and women, especially the girl he singled out, who trembled as if caught in a violent storm.

"Little girl, what's your name again? Oh right, Huang Xiaoxue, isn't it? Today, your Uncle Wang will show you what a real man is like, ha ha ha..."

Wang Laoben laughed wickedly as he strode quickly to the girl's side, grabbing her arm and dragging her away without another word. The girl, already frail and weak, pleaded incessantly as she was pulled across the ground.

"Uncle, please let me go! Uncle, I'm begging you!"

"Ha ha, that's it, call me uncle, that's what I like to hear!" The more pitifully the girl cried, the more arrogant Wang Laoben became, and his followers joined in with their obscene laughter.

"Hey, Brother Shen, isn't that Wang Qingshan over there?" Just as Shen Lie was about to intervene, Zhang Jing's comment beside him made him pause.

"Wang Qingshan? It really is him. There's a debt I haven't settled with this guy—let's resolve it all today." Shen Lie followed Zhang Jing's gesture and saw Wang Qingshan; his features were so distinctive now that he could be recognized from a mile away.

Shen Lie pulled Zhang Jing's hand, and the two quickly concealed themselves behind a mutated plant whose original species he couldn't identify. He wanted to see what Wang Qingshan's purpose was in coming here.

Wang Qingshan was not alone; behind him walked a girl of about a dozen years. She clearly had not suffered much hardship; her body was well cared for, and her clothes were spotless.

"Who is that girl?" Shen Lie asked instinctively.

"Wang Qingshan's daughter, I think her name is Wang Lingling," Zhang Jing replied without hesitation. She was evidently well acquainted with the survivors in this town.

Perhaps noticing Wang Qingshan's arrival, Wang Laoben immediately released his grip and changed his demeanor, plastering a fawning smile on his face. "Heavenly King Wang, what brings you here, sir?"

Not only Wang Laoben, but everyone else bowed and nodded nervously, greeting Wang Qingshan with trembling voices. Wang Qingshan didn't even look at them, simply extended his withered hand and said in a commanding tone, "Give it here!"

Wang Laoben was momentarily stunned, not understanding what Wang Qingshan meant. He blurted out, "Give it here? Give what?"

"Heh, you’ve got guts, daring to talk back to me?" Wang Qingshan's dry voice was laced with malice, tightening the atmosphere.

Wang Laoben panicked, quickly waving his hands in denial. Then, as if suddenly remembering, he glanced at the plastic bag in his hand, reached in, and pulled out a Phantom Mushroom. "Heavenly King Wang, do you mean this?"

As soon as the mushroom appeared, everyone, including Shen Lie, brightened their eyes. This mushroom was obviously larger than a normal Phantom Mushroom, its color unusually vivid. Shen Lie also noticed its flickering frequency was much faster, and its energy fluctuations were stronger, even faintly resonating with his own internal powers.

If Shen Lie could sense it from this distance, Wang Qingshan, standing closer, certainly could as well. His eyes lit up, and he reached out without hesitation. But he didn't expect Wang Laoben to instinctively pull his hand back, causing the mushroom to slip and roll onto the ground.

"You must be tired of living! Looks like if I don’t show my strength, no one in this town will take my family seriously!" Having failed to grab the mushroom, Wang Qingshan was furious and moved to strike Wang Laoben.

It was as if Wang Laoben heard the call of death; in desperation, he yelled in his nasally voice, "Mercy, Heavenly King! I’m Ma Tianwang’s nephew!"

He finished just as Wang Qingshan’s hand clamped around his neck, so frightened he wet himself, urine trickling down his legs.

"What’s Ma Zhanlin to you?" Wang Qingshan’s face flickered with uncertainty, but he ultimately held back.

"Heh... Ma... Ma Tianwang is my uncle, my real uncle," Wang Laoben stammered, staring at Wang Qingshan’s shriveled hand.

"Ma Zhanlin, Ma Tianwang—such arrogance. Fine, I’ll let you off today. Get lost!" At first, Wang Qingshan seemed ready to kill, but then his eyes shifted, as if he thought of something. He flung Wang Laoben to the ground impatiently, waved him away, and turned to pick up the Phantom Mushroom.

Just then, Huang Xiaoxue, still crouched on the ground, suddenly grabbed the mushroom at her side and, to everyone’s astonishment, stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed it whole!

"You little bitch, you’ve got a death wish! Spit it out, now!" Before anyone else could react, Wang Qingshan was the first to panic. The mushroom was clearly extraordinary; if he used it, it might have strange effects, at the very least increasing his abilities more than a common mushroom. Now this filthy woman had eaten it, and even if they forced it out, it would never be the same.

Wang Qingshan’s fierce tone only made Huang Xiaoxue swallow faster. She chewed and gulped it down in just a few bites. But what shocked everyone most was that, after swallowing the mushroom, her body began to swell like a balloon!

"Another madwoman dreaming of awakening." Zhang Jing commented coolly beside Shen Lie, though her eyes were filled with anticipation. Perhaps she hoped this girl would succeed, opening a path to awakening for ordinary people.

Though awakening often meant physical mutation, in this era, what use was beauty? The prettier you were, the greater the disaster. Only great strength could guarantee safety.

Shen Lie understood the girl’s feelings. In such circumstances, survival meant facing cruel torment; better to take a chance, leaving life and death to fate.

He watched intently, for it was his first time witnessing an ordinary person consume a Phantom Mushroom. He’d only heard stories before, but now he could observe directly.

Under everyone's gaze, Huang Xiaoxue’s body grew larger and larger, swelling into a spherical form more than a meter in diameter.

But at that point, her growth halted. She began to elongate, and countless black hairs sprouted from her body, shredding her clothes completely. In the blink of an eye, the once slender girl had transformed into a bloated, long-haired monster!

"Ah, did she... did she succeed?" Though Huang Xiaoxue’s appearance was terrifying, many in the crowd gasped in envy. The common belief was that awakened ones became half-human, half-monster. Huang Xiaoxue’s transformation seemed to fit, if only too extreme.

"Is this what happens to people who eat Phantom Mushrooms?" Shen Lie sensed something was off, but couldn’t say why, so he asked Zhang Jing beside him.

"No. I’ve seen ordinary people eat Phantom Mushrooms, and their skin bursts with blood and they explode on the spot. I’ve never heard of anything like this. Could it be she really awakened?" Zhang Jing’s tone was strange, tinged with hope and fear.

"Ah!"

Shen Lie was about to ask something more when Zhang Jing cried out. Similar cries echoed from afar. He quickly turned his gaze to Huang Xiaoxue, letting out his own gasp of shock.

Huang Xiaoxue, her body covered in black fur, stood up from the ground—not upright, but on all fours like an animal.

The black fur concealed every inch of her skin; not a patch of pale flesh remained, even her face was covered in fine black hair. Her ears had become thin and pointed, standing tall atop her head. And from her backside, a short, thick tail slowly emerged, making her look exactly like an oversized, long-haired dog.