Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

After leaping across numerous fissures and traversing deep into the treacherous, ravine-filled terrain, Su Chen finally found another incubation site for the bizarre fungus.

'There's no mistake.'

The iconic, purplish, hallucinogenic mushroom caps.

Beneath the lingering mist of scarlet spores, the fungal carpet looked as if it were covered in countless flesh-and-blood roots and pulsating blood vessels, greedily sucking up residual blood and decomposing bone fragments.

'I'm too late.'

What was most concerning were the five empty, collapsed, egg-shaped incubation sacs. Their inner walls were still coated in a slimy, amniotic fluid. The modified humans had successfully hatched, but there was no sign of them anywhere.

Under his `Resonance Perception`, there wasn't a single powerful presence of life here.

Even the ground beneath his feet had clearly been forcibly shifted. The rock strata were displaced, and the mycelial tendrils that should have interwoven through it had all been torn out, leaving behind a network of furrows and fissures.

There was also a depression, as if some kind of `Heavenly and Earthly Treasure` had been dug up from it.

In any case, the potent `Life Force` lingering in the soil reminded Su Chen of treasures like the `Jade Lingzhi`.

'They've retreated.'

'The enemy completely chickened out.'

Whether out of fear or to find a place to regroup and grow stronger, the enemy hadn't sought revenge. Instead, they had chosen to withdraw.

And finding them in this vast forest wouldn't be easy.

Half an hour ago, `Xiaolin` could no longer bear soaring under the hot sun and had been unsummoned.

He had encountered other mushroom patches before, but their threat level had been negligible.

Just then, Su Chen's `Telekinesis Perception` detected people approaching in the distance.

'Not the modified humans.'

"Hey handsome, you're pretty brave to be out here alone. Hold on, just to be safe, how about a free `Purification Skill`?" A fully armed team of four men and two women approached, led by a burly man clad in armor that shimmered with the light of `Runes`.

"Alright. Thanks."

Su Chen didn't mind, calmly allowing his body to be bathed in the brilliant radiance.

"I saw you from the air a while ago. Man, you're really reckless, charging into a `Bloodthirsty Fungus` nest all by yourself." A jaunty guy wearing a scarf spoke in a muffled, gravelly voice, his tone raspy but teasing.

As a `Two-Star` `Summoning` `Warlock`, he could share the vision of his soaring `Summoned Pet`, a Thunder Eagle. Through its sharp eyes, he had naturally watched Su Chen charge into the nest alone.

He was perched on the back of an Earth Bear, sitting in a saddle. A shimmering `Bright Butterfly` rested on his shoulder—it was this pretty little butterfly that had cast the purification moments ago.

"He's clear!"

Seeing nothing abnormal about Su Chen, the team, which had been on high alert, finally relaxed a little.

"Nothing here. The `Bloodthirsty Fungus` `Parasite Bodies` all got away. But what is this disgusting incubation chamber? Don't tell me it's some kind of place for stitching freaks together." Several of them scouted the area but found nothing else out of place.

Besides the bloody mist, they didn't see a single zombie insect. Such a deathly still scene was a rare sight.

'`Bloodthirsty Fungus`.' Su Chen figured this must be the official name for the bizarre fungus.

Since the campsite personnel had almost completely evacuated and the broadcast room was no longer in operation, the flow of information had slowed to a trickle. He really had no way of staying synchronized with important official intelligence.

'However...'

'There are some risk factors they probably aren't aware of yet.'

He decided to warn them. "This nest incubated modified humans. They don't have any obvious signs of being stitched together on the outside. Their key features are human brain tissue embedded inside their heads, hearts, and lower dantians. Three `Seas of Consciousness`, corresponding to three core fungal nuclei."

"This effectively bypasses the limits of soul-hosting capacity and gives them much greater `Life Force`. Just destroying the head won't be enough to kill them."

"Also, their `Rune Level` is higher."

Su Chen conveyed the facts as concisely as possible so they would understand the new situation.

But it was clear they had never actually seen one for themselves.

The heavily-armored man in the lead frowned, his expression skeptical. The others exchanged glances, feeling that the creature Su Chen described was nothing like the deformed freaks they had encountered before.

"In any case, thank you for the intel."

Although the team leader was initially unsure if Su Chen was just spinning a scary story, after a moment of thought, he was inclined to believe him. There was no reason for Su Chen to make up such a lie just to make himself seem important.

As for whether he was exaggerating the strength of these so-called modified humans, that was another matter.

'He is just one man, after all.'

"First, let's burn this fungal carpet."

At his command, two team members in heat-resistant combat suits stepped forward. Cylindrical pressure tanks shimmering with the light of `Runes` were strapped to their backs, and each held an `Enchanted Flame Sprayer`.

The moment they pulled the triggers, two jets of crimson flame erupted like `Fire Dragons`, instantly setting the entire writhing, blood-red fungal carpet ablaze. The cloud of spores floating in the air rapidly evaporated in the intense heat.

'`Enchanted Flame Sprayers`.'

'Flamethrowers like these were quite popular back in World War II.'

'In a way, they're the perfect weapon for dealing with `Parasite Bodies`.'

'However, it might not be as effective against the modified humans, who don't expose their internal mycelia.'

In less than two minutes, the entire mushroom grove was reduced to fiery ash. The blaze even began to spread, igniting the surrounding woods.

It was worth noting that the trunks of these ancient trees, many of which towered a hundred meters high, were unusually fire-resistant. Their bark was too tough to burn through easily, and their leaves, with their high water content, also acted as a natural flame retardant.

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