A drastic change
After the low, rumbling sounds from underground dissipated, the environment in the main workshop began to deteriorate rapidly.
The stagnant water, which had been still and stagnant, was no longer calm. Tiny bubbles began to rise from various parts of the surface, and the sounds of movement hidden underwater became denser and clearer. The cement crack in the center of the factory was no longer just a simple node where Mycelium gathered; countless transparent threads continued to overflow and climb along the edge of the crack, spreading rapidly along the dry ground.
These Mycelium, which originally existed only in mental perception, began to exhibit physical invasiveness.
The slender threads crawled along the patterns on the ground, moving slowly but with a clear purpose, heading straight for Lu Heng's ankles to wrap around them, attempting to restrict his movements.
The fighting in the rear is also intensifying simultaneously.
The regeneration frequency of the Mimetic Organism increased dramatically, and the cycle of breaking, reorganizing, getting up, and attacking was forcibly compressed. The Bone Demon remained stationed in the waterlogged area, repeatedly swinging its blade to shatter the constantly regenerating Puppet. The continuous high-frequency hard collisions caused subtle scratches to appear on the surface of the skeletons, and the originally clean and crisp slashes began to carry a sense of sluggishness from a prolonged battle.
It was completely tied down by the endless cycle of fighting, unable to leave the flooded area and unable to provide any support.
The danger level of the entire workshop is escalating at a visible rate, with no room for maneuver whatsoever.
Lu Heng stared at the Mycelium that was constantly approaching from beneath his feet, knowing that he could not continue to passively stalemate.
The Mycelium network on the ground is a constant threat; passively attriting it will only make the situation more and more passive. To break the deadlock, we must strike at the root of the core crack.
He gripped the Deboning Knife firmly in his palm, his steps slightly heavy, his body leaning forward, and took a straight step. He aimed the blade at the densely interwoven main vein Mycelium inside the crack and suddenly chopped down with force.
The moment the blade cut into the Mycelium, it immediately felt extremely strong physical resistance.
The delicate surface Mycelium snapped instantly, scattering tiny strands of filament, but the main Mycelium, deeply rooted in the cracks, were far more resilient than the surface strands. The thick bundles of Mycelium instantly tightened and hardened, clamping down on and locking the cutting edge, like countless tough rubber bands firmly holding the blade.
Lu Heng pulled back with his wrist, attempting to withdraw the blade.
Just as the blade trembled slightly, a very low, faint yet clear tremor came from the entire concrete ground beneath their feet.
The vibration originated from beneath the rock strata, not from inside the workshop. It was a systemic response caused by the disturbance of the massive root system buried deep underground.
At this moment, all remaining hope vanished completely.
He was completely certain that the main vein of the cracks on the ground was not the true source of the Mycelium network.
This is merely a relay hub exposed on the ground, equivalent to an external port of the entire network. The truly massive, complete root system, which supports the rebirth of all Puppet and the spread of Mycelium Global Region, is all vertically rooted deep underground in the sewage treatment plant.
Before the thought even finished, the injured main meridian instantly triggered its ultimate defense mechanism.
A mental shock far stronger and more violent than before surged into his mind from the blade, a sharp pain exploding instantly, and a brief dizziness assaulting his brain. Lu Heng's vision distorted slightly, his mental perception became briefly disordered, and the Mycelium throughout the entire workshop went completely berserk at the same moment.
The stagnant water all around was churning and surging, no longer a single location nurturing the Puppet.
Mud mounds simultaneously rose in several areas of the flooded factory, with silt and Mycelium coalescing and shaping in sync. Within a few breaths, three grayish-white Mimetic Organism took shape one after another, rising abruptly from the floodwaters.
Multiple Puppet were created simultaneously, breaking the previous single-cycle combat pattern.
The three Mimetic Organism moved in unison, two of them restraining the Bone Demon, while the remaining one bypassed the flooded battle zone, stepping through the murky water and rushing straight towards Lu Heng to attack.
The Bone Demon was instantly restrained, unable to spare any more time, and could no longer block all attacks.
Lu Heng sidestepped the Puppet's charge, raised his sword to parry, and met the impact of the hardened mud arm head-on. A dull thud resounded, and he used the force to retreat half a step, his thoughts racing during the brief exchange.
He saw through the dead end of this trap completely.
Destroying the main vein on the ground not only fails to eliminate the hidden dangers, but each injury stimulates the Mycelium network, triggering higher-level defenses and spawning more combat Puppet. The more damage is done, the more enemies there are; the more entangled the fighting, the heavier the self-consumption. Staying on the ground will only lead to being worn down to death by the endless stream of newly spawned Puppet.
Taking advantage of the brief lull in the fight, Lu Heng forcibly suppressed his mental dizziness and used all his senses to penetrate the crack beneath his feet, probing into the space beneath the rock strata.
Countless fine sensory lines extend along the root system, breaking through the surface cement structure and probing into the dark underground.
Beneath the crack lies a large, abandoned underground maintenance tunnel, a network of interconnected tunnels extending downwards, linking to the city's underground pipe network and sewer labyrinth. The Mycelium roots of the entire sewage treatment plant spread, take root, and extend deep along the tunnel structure, forming a giant network covering the ground.
At the same time, a heavy, silent, and extremely oppressive aura steadily lingered at the deepest part of the passage.
Lu Heng's mind suddenly tightened.
He finally pieced together all the long-standing doubts.
The unified management of the unclaimed Aberrant in the factory area, the combat power suppression of the Bronze Tier Poisonwater Lizard, the centralized disposal of the corpses of alien beasts in the outer perimeter, and the orderly zombie horde attack encountered by the military base in the distance.
From beginning to end, the Mycelium lacks independent thinking and coordination capabilities.
It is merely a biological medium that passively responds to stress and transmits commands, much like a neural network that extends underground.
The entity that truly controls all the mutated creatures, remotely commands the zombie horde, and coordinates the hunting rules of the entire area is that unknown entity hiding deep within the underground passage.
Mycelium is a tool, an eye and ear, and a shackle.
That dark shadow hidden deep underground is the true source of all disasters.
His initial goal in venturing deep into the sewage treatment plant was to track down the mastermind behind the zombie horde. After many twists and turns, navigating numerous Puppet traps and Mycelium mazes, he unexpectedly stumbled upon the true source of the problem.
After a brief moment of shock, Lu Heng quickly calmed down and rapidly analyzed all the advantages, disadvantages, and possible escape routes.
The Bone Demon was already tightly restrained by multiple Mimetic Organism, the pressure of the battle was at its peak, and the time for maximum restraint was extremely limited. The true aura of its original body deep underground was steadily moving upwards, slowly but firmly approaching the surface, and the window of opportunity it had left on the ground was now in its final countdown.
If they choose to retreat, the Mycelium network will remain intact, and the underground entity will remain dormant, able to mobilize zombie hordes and Aberrant at any time in the future, continuously threatening all survivor outposts. The hidden danger can never be eradicated.
If they remain on the ground to fight, they will only be trapped in an endless cycle of exhaustion, eventually becoming overwhelmed, attacked from both sides, and facing certain death.
The only way to break the deadlock and completely end the threat of the zombie horde is to actively delve underground, confront the true form, and sever the root of the chaos.
Once the idea was formed, Lu Heng instantly finalized his tactics.
He ignored the oncoming Mimetic Organism and completely abandoned the ground battle. The Bone Demon stayed behind in the workshop to keep all the Puppet occupied and slow down the surfacing of the underground main body, buying him time to investigate further and eliminate the source.
Lu Heng dodged the Puppet's attack with a swift movement, then leaped into the cracked underground passage beneath his feet.
The moment his body plummeted through the air, the sounds of fighting in the enclosed workshop were instantly shut out from above, leaving only the echoing, dark, and deathly silence of the airflow in the passageway.
At that very moment, the immense aura of the original entity deep underground suddenly paused.
Like a hunter who has been dormant for many years, suddenly noticing a stranger who has intruded into its lair.
After a brief pause, the immense aura that had been pressing down on the entire underground space suddenly accelerated, rushing upwards along the crisscrossing maintenance passages.
In the dark and deep underground labyrinth, the true source of the chaos plaguing the entire city is already approaching.