On Jade Avenue, Sun Chonglai was driving towards Building 5.
Zhou Yi was sitting in the back seat.
Next to him were two White Smoke Mushrooms huddled together, afraid to come closer.
At this moment, they appeared uneasy and stiff-bodied.
If the Black Hand Mushroom resembled a child, then the White Smoke Mushroom had entered adolescence. They had a strong sense of self, rebelliousness, liked challenges, and had a smoker's trait.
Zhou Yi took the initiative to talk with them, "You are right, I lean towards humans. Because I am human myself, I understand humans, and I know humans can achieve great things. The prehistoric human civilization buried by the Dead Sea is proof."
"If you think you are stronger, then let the facts speak for themselves. As long as you demonstrate enough ability, the company will provide corresponding resources favorably, just like the Bone Laboratory and the courier center."
Bai Yi and Bai Er remained silent.
The driver, Sun Chonglai, sternly said, "The chairman is talking to you, don't you know the rules?"
Then Bai Yi spoke up, "It's not that we think humans are bad or anything… We want to do other jobs, we're tired of breeding platforms and growing mushrooms."
This seemed to be their real demand.
Zhou Yi asked, "What job do you want to do?"
The two White Smoke Mushrooms responded in unison.
Zhou Yi thought for a moment, "I can approve your request this time. However, inside the Scavenger Team, you must follow the leader's command, as it's a team job that requires mutual trust and support. Can you do that?"
Zhou Yi said, "Then follow A Jin. He is in charge of the Scavenger Team at Building 7, but you must follow orders and not act on your own. If you're kicked out due to violations, don't complain. Remember?"
The two White Smoke Mushrooms suddenly became happy: "Thank you, Chairman! Long live the Chairman!"
The car soon reached beside Building 5.
This building was patrolling next to the port of Sand Port City.
After getting off, Zhou Yi, accompanied by Bone Man, entered the building and reached the top floor via a stone elevator platform.
Sun Chonglai walked up to room 3306, and the door opened inward.
Inside, wooden boxes filled with soil were stacked, each planting a type of mushroom.
In the center was a long table, laid out with various glass bottles containing soil, liquids, and powders, as well as some metal box-like Energy Packs. Under the table were hessian bags of fertilizer and various shovels and hoe tools piled up.
It looked like a botanical laboratory.
Zhou Yi looked around, "So you were doing mushroom experiments here in Building 5?"
Bone Man grinned, "Chairman, the Mushroom Forest is easily affected by natural conditions like strong winds and insects, and the Black Hand Mushroom kids would curiously touch everything."
"It's quiet and stable here, plus the enclosure of Building 5 makes it safe from outsiders."
"After consulting Mr. Bi Qi and Doctor Da Vinci, I modified this place based on their advice. Bai Yi and Bai Er are my assistants, although I hoped they would also take charge of the mushroom experiments here, sadly they don't prefer indoor work."
"Now in this Mushroom Laboratory, there are 34 types of mushrooms under further research and development. Typically, most have no use for various reasons. But all it takes is for one to be useful, and that makes it worthwhile."
"Before becoming a Bone Man, during my flesh and blood life stage, I researched mushrooms and also have related scroll records. Now it feels like I'm back on familiar roads, knowing easily what to do."
Zhou Yi felt reassured.
The Mushroom Forest was also actively engaging in independent R&D.
Mushrooms are currently one of the company's core competitive strengths.
Sun Chonglai walked into the innermost room, where an impressively large Stone Bag Mushroom lay on the floor, with nothing else around.
"This one, Chairman."
This Stone Bag Mushroom was about 1.6 meters tall, with layers of spiderweb-like white fiber structure on its surface, and some slight cracks.
In the [Alert] perspective, the Stone Bag Mushroom overall appeared green.
It was roughly a C-level life form.
It indeed harbored life within.
Sun Chonglai said, "Chairman, it has grown larger than any Stone Bag Mushroom I've seen, with life moving inside."
"Initially, I just wanted to study Stone Bag Mushrooms because they can evolve into explosive mushrooms in sedimentary environments. I wanted to change the environment to see if a new variant could be produced."
"After being relocated to Building 5, it kept growing, eventually stabilizing at a height of 160 centimeters, so I called it 160. Although its size hasn't increased further, the energy density continues to rise."
"Its strength has now exceeded expectations, so I'm preparing to report to you to avoid losses due to my personal misjudgment."
Zhou Yi surveyed the large Stone Bag Mushroom, "It started growing rapidly after arriving here?"
Bone Man said, "In the Mushroom Forest, the Stone Bag Mushrooms can grow up to a diameter of 70 centimeters, less than half of this one."
"After moving here, it broke through the existing limits, growing from 36 centimeters to this size within two months."
"I fed it over 500 Light Seeds; normal Stone Bag Mushrooms cannot absorb Light Seeds, but it can, and slowly it also became fuller."
"Now, 160 still needs Light Seeds, just not as desperately as before. I now feed it one in the morning and evening each day."
Sun Chonglai spoke about his mushroom breeding policy: "One day I came over and found it detached from the previous wooden box, sticking to the floor of Building 5. No matter what I did, I couldn't move it, as if it had fused with the floor."
"I suspect it was absorbing energy from Building 5. But because it was so small, perhaps Building 5 didn't care."
Zhou Yi, however, listened with a focused gaze.
He remembered something.
"Red Kestrel, bring Nemo here."
During this brief time, Zhou Yi also inquired about Jade City.
Jade City responded: "Commissioner, it is indeed absorbing energy, just like the parasitic mushrooms in the Mushroom Forest in the past."
"It is quite special; it can connect with some of the consciousness entities of Building 5, which is somewhat similar to the public areas."
"The exact reason and outcome are still uncertain."
"Because it is not very large, it currently seems to have a minor impact, so Building 5 does not care."
Various thoughts flashed through Zhou Yi's mind.
Soon, a drone brought the electromechanical mouse over to this location.
"Chairman, you called for me."
"Nemo, I remember you mentioned before. The Angel of Death, it was born from a large stone that grew on the surface of the Alien."
"Yes, Chairman, the sand rats all saw it. I am the only one who has lived to this day."
"Then look at this stone, does the one that birthed the Angel of Death look similar?"
The electromechanical mouse walked around the large Stone Bag Mushroom twice, its red eyes constantly flashing.
"This is it, exactly the same."
"The same stone shell, covered with white mycelium."
"However, I remember that the stone structure at that time had these white mycelia in a very regular and massively sprawling pattern, now there are too few mycelia, it needs further growth."
Zhou Yi's eyes brightened upon hearing this.
The conditions for the birth of the Angel of Death are not just the Mushroom Forest as an incubation ground.
The core is Building Life.
They depend on parasitizing Building Life to evolve and be born. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel•fire.net
So the departed Angel of Death, it must have thought new ones of its kind would appear here again, but it didn't tell Sun Chonglai the real secret.
However, Jade City had sunk underground due to geological changes, and with insufficient energy. The Stone Bag Mushrooms that grew on the surface lost their normal parasitic hosts and were never able to complete the most critical step of transformation.
Zhou Yi shared this deduction with several employees.
Bone Man Sun Chonglai was taken aback: "So that's it... No wonder the Stone Bag Mushroom always seems to lack something, ultimately only cracking open, unable to complete life reconstruction and evolution."
Zhou Yi said: "However, it is still in the gestational period, so spend more time observing and recording. Anything abnormal, report to me immediately."
"Old Sun, the incubation of the Angel of Death is entrusted to you. If lacking Light Seeds come to me, the experiment itself should be costly, and the company will reimburse the expenses in full."
"Chairman, I will definitely fulfill the mission!"
Bone Man was suddenly invigorated.
The outbreak of war is a momentary affair, but the end of a war has a delayed effect.
Although Zhou Yi had already announced through Red Kestrel to the whole company that the war had ended.
But because the agreement was confidential, the specifics were not disclosed.
The Sand River Region, especially Sand Port City and several other towns, still maintained a sense of tension.
The new humans would scatter at the slightest sound of wind, suspecting an aerial attack, and hide far away at any noise in the wild snowy areas, fearing the reappearance of explosive puppets.
This area, being less affected by the war, the frontline cities like Shell City and Steel Refining City were even more severe.
The residents suffered from post-war syndromes, being very sensitive to any sound in the air, nervous at the sight of small toys or similar puppets, and the normal luminescence in the Dead Sea would make them jumpy.
Duke Destructive, with deep expertise in the field of war, knew how to instill fear into people's hearts.
Zhou Yi only realized its prowess after the war.
Lord Sand Sea, however, said: "This situation is already quite good."
"In the past, a big war would cause many people to flee, a war could set a place back at least ten years... but as long as the city returns to order and continues its previous rapid development, letting the citizens earn money, all these issues can be resolved."
Its judgment was very accurate.
Half a month later, as Mechanical City released news of a ceasefire in the Shuanghe Region and Development Alliance, the disturbances decreased.
With Lord Sand Sea opening up the port expansion, officially constructing the city's first dock, and expanding recruitment for farming groups, a plethora of job opportunities immediately gave the residents a direction for the future, and they quickly engaged in the new infrastructure labor.
On a quiet late-night, two transport ships without flags arrived at the pier of Dragon Bay.
After confirmation from Red Kestrel: "Zhou, the Tamed Bull Tribe has been sent over."
Zhou Yi rubbed his hands.
"Let's go, let's take a look at the bulls."