98: mushroom

Dark, damp, with only the beam of the headlamp cutting moving spots of light on the moss- and stain-covered pipe walls.

Underfoot was ankle-deep, slow-flowing sewage, the air thick with the pungent odor of humus and rust mixed together. Lu Jianchuan led the way, followed closely by several fully armed GUPA members, cautiously advancing deeper along the wide main pipe.

The beeping from the detector sounded particularly clear in the enclosed space, the pointer steadily pointing straight ahead.

"Stay alert, the signal source is very close," Lu Jianchuan reminded in a low voice through the communicator. Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, the tactical flashlights on their muzzles cutting through the darkness ahead like sharp swords.

Turning a corner, the sight before them made everyone instinctively hold their breath.

On a relatively dry, slightly elevated maintenance platform ahead, the scene was eerie yet dazzling. Large patches of pale Mycelium, like some living fabric, covered the platform and the pipe walls on both sides. They wriggled unnaturally and emitted a disquieting faint blue-green phosphorescence, illuminating this underground space like a ghostly realm.

And on this Phosphorescent Fungal Carpet, dozens of peculiar "Mushrooms" grew in clusters.

They had completely deviated from the common form of Mushrooms, their caps mutated into short, thick, angular coral-like or crystal cluster structures, colored in extremely vivid gemstone red and amethyst purple. Under the flashlight's beam, they even reflected a cold, mineral-like crystalline luster. They stood there quietly, beautiful yet exuding a deadly silence.

"What... is this?" a team member couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. The sight before him exceeded the scope of most anomalous incidents he had dealt with.

"All units, halt!" Lu Jianchuan immediately ordered, his voice steady and decisive. "Establish Level One biological isolation perimeter! Fall back twenty meters, mark the safety line!"

The well-trained team members hesitated not at all, immediately retreating and setting up conspicuous fluorescent warning tape along their path. Simultaneously, two members carrying special equipment quickly stepped forward, setting up transparent Blast Shields in front of Lu Jianchuan.

"Reporting to Command, highly anomalous fungal colony discovered in underground drainage System B-7 zone.

Morphology does not match any known species, exhibits strong energy reactions and unknown biological structures. Requesting rear technical analysis and Research Team support, repeat, requesting Research Team intervention!"

Lu Jianchuan reported rapidly via the encrypted channel.

"Command received. Research Team is on standby, currently accessing your carried real-time environmental sensors and high-definition video feed," came the calm response from the other end of the channel.

Soon, the team member responsible for technical support opened the portable analyzer, remotely transmitting the scanned images and data back to the surface in real time. The instrument performed non-contact multispectral scans on the fungal colony.

"Readings show... these 'crystal' structures contain extremely high biochemical energy internally, with highly unstable structures. The mycelial network detects continuous weak bioelectrical signals, patterns are anomalous... Preliminary assessment suggests their reproduction mechanism may not be conventional," the technician said gravely, staring at the data on the screen.

"Can the trigger conditions be determined?" Lu Jianchuan asked, his gaze fixed intently on those beautiful "Crystal Mushrooms." His intuition told him these things were far more dangerous than imagined.

"Cannot be precisely determined, but any form of intense physical contact, or energy stimulation at specific frequencies, could potentially act as a switch to detonate them," the technician shook his head. "Recommend absolutely avoiding any form of direct contact or energy interference until further instructions from the Research Team are received."

Lu Jianchuan nodded, signaling everyone to maintain silence and distance. The entire squad stood like frozen statues in this dark underground space, locked in a tense standoff with that phosphorescent fungal colony exuding deadly beauty.

What they needed to do now was wait for the experts' assessment, and... pray these things wouldn't suddenly be triggered by some unknown factor.

Soon, movement came from above. A team of researchers in fully enclosed white protective suits, carrying various precision instrument cases, cautiously descended along the ladder, escorted by more armed members.

The lead expert observed the glowing fungal colony in the distance through his visor. Even through the protection, one could sense the shock and focus in his eyes. He exchanged a few quick words with Lu Jianchuan.

"Comrade Yin Hai, we have a preliminary understanding of the situation. The primary task now is to obtain live samples for analysis, assessing their biological structure, energy patterns, and potential threats," the expert spoke rapidly but clearly. "We will attempt remote collection. Everyone, prepare protective measures and be ready to respond to unknown reactions."

A technician immediately retrieved a small tracked remote-controlled robot from the equipment case. It was compact, agile, with a multifunctional robotic arm and collection tools installed at the front.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the robot emitted a faint hum, slowly driving toward that gorgeous yet deadly "crystal jungle." The operator controlled the robotic arm, extending it extremely slowly toward one of the amethyst-colored "Mushrooms," preparing for minimally invasive sampling.

Just as the metal fingertip of the robotic arm was about to touch the smooth crystal surface—

Bang!

A sound, not loud but exceptionally crisp, suddenly rang out!

The top of that amethyst Mushroom instantly exploded—not into flying fragments, but into a dense cloud of shimmering purple-black powder!

Simultaneously, several sharp crystal fragments, originally part of the cap, shot out as if imbued with immense kinetic energy, like bullets, "thwacking" against the robot. One piece directly pierced its more fragile sensor module!

The robot wobbled, emitted a small burst of electrical sparks, then tilted over to the side, losing signal.

"Fall back! Everyone fall back! It's aerosol dispersal of explosive Spores!" the research expert shouted sharply, his voice somewhat distorted through the visor.

No Command was needed. The moment the explosion sounded, the well-trained tactical squad members simultaneously took steps back, quickly donning the Gas Masks they carried. The researchers also immediately tightened the seals on their protective suits.

The instant that amethyst Mushroom burst, Lu Jianchuan's pupils contracted. There was no time to think whether the Spore cloud was toxic; his body reacted before his mind.

His left hand clamped onto the armband on his right wrist, his index finger pressing hard on the central crimson gem.

Hum—!

A low, deep hum, as if originating from the very Origin of life, vibrated from within him!

In the next second, silvery-white biomass fluid surged instantly from all his pores, rapidly covering his body surface like living metal—decomposing, devouring, Fusing with his clothing, and recording, temporarily storing its structural information.

The entire process was silent and swift, taking less than a heartbeat. Streamlined silvery-white armor now completely covered his body, the helmet visor lighting up with icy blue light.

Armor·Silver Skeleton, deployment complete!

The built-in life support and filtration Systems activated simultaneously, completely isolating the air that might contain lethal Spores.

"Fall back! Establish an isolation zone! Collect edge Spore samples!" Lu Jianchuan's voice transmitted through the armor, resonating with a metallic timbre as he issued steady Commands.

After the initial shock, the tactical squad and researchers quickly executed the orders, using Blast Shields and portable equipment to construct a defensive line. At the edge of the spreading Spore cloud, they rapidly collected the drifting glowing powder with vacuum samplers.

Everyone watched tensely at the glowing fungal carpet that seemed "awakened" by the explosion, and the beautiful yet deadly Spore cloud slowly spreading in the air.