After leaving the classroom.
Shen Heng matched the approximate location from which the sound came with the school map.
"What are those two doing running off to the administration building instead of staying in the classroom during class?!"
Shen Heng frowned slightly and quickly ran downstairs towards the administration building.
The voices continued to drift into his ears on the gentle breeze.
" Monkey, don't scare me! Why are you turning greener and greener? Should I call the police or an ambulance?"
"Hey, did you hear me? If you did, answer me!"
"..."
"Or... I should go out and find a teacher to help take a look at you. You look a bit creepy right now!"
"Well... I'll be going now! I..."
"Puff..."
Something seemed to move suddenly.
"Hey! Monkey, don't scare me! Did you move?"
Tap, tap tap...
The person speaking cautiously approached the object that had just made the noise.
Shen Heng frowned, quickened his pace, and looked toward the administration building not far away.
Is it in the restroom on the fifth floor?
"Hey, Monkey, you didn't...?"
"Ah, uh..."
A muffled, painful sob, as if it were being blocked, reached Shen Heng's ears.
He had already arrived at the administration building. Without hesitation, he quickly climbed the stairs.
Ten seconds later, Shen Heng slowly stopped about ten meters away from the bathroom.
It was too late. The person who had spoken earlier had disappeared halfway up the stairs. He didn't know if they had been killed or knocked unconscious...
At that moment, a slightly heavy footstep came from inside the bathroom, heading towards the outside.
Shen Heng pulled out the pistol from his waistband.
Load, raise, aim.
If he wasn't sure before whether it was Calamity Beast, now he doesn't need to think about it anymore; it's definitely Calamity Beast.
One potentially useful piece of information after another swirled through Shen Heng's mind: the unexpected situation, his body turning green, and the fact that an ordinary person wouldn't be harmed if they were near the Calamity Beast for two or three minutes during that time...
Is it some kind of parasitic Calamity Beast? Judging from the speed at which it parasitized the ordinary person just now, it should be around First Tier, at most Second Tier...
Tap, tap tap...
The footsteps approached the door step by step.
Finally, a slightly tall figure appeared before Shen Heng.
It was a figure entirely black and green, its head no longer in the shape of a normal person, but rather bulging outwards like a mushroom cap, and the entire figure exuded an aura of decay.
The moment Shen Heng saw the figure, his pupils contracted slightly, then his eyes narrowed, and his finger swiftly pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet was fired.
Blood splattered from the mushroom cap, and the figure fell heavily to the ground.
Shen Heng put down the pistol and walked towards the bathroom without a look of joy on his face.
One good news and one bad news.
The good news is that this thing does indeed match Shen Heng's expectations; it's only a First Tier, and a relatively weak one at First Tier. The bad news is...
Shen Heng stopped at the bathroom door, glanced down at the figure lying on the floor, and then looked into the bathroom.
A figure stood silently in the bathroom, his hands crossed over his chest and placed on his shoulders. His exposed skin was gradually turning blackish-green, and a faint smell of decay emanated from it. It was clear that he was turning into the same kind of person that Shen Heng had just shot.
" Decaying Spore...?"
Shen Heng identified the Calamity Beast in front of him, then raised his hand and lightly pressed the earpiece that was hanging on his ear on the road.
Soon, Wang Hai's voice came through the call first.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Captain, traces of Decaying Spore have been found at Linhai No. 2 High School." Shen Heng walked towards the restroom.
" Linhai No. 2 High School? Your school?"
"Yes, I just killed an infected Spore Person, and now there's another one being transformed into Spore Person right before my eyes!"
Shen Heng glanced up at the figure whose head was slowly spreading out like a mushroom.
If someone is infected by the Decaying Spore and is discovered before they begin to transform into Spore Person, there is still hope. However, once the transformation begins, there is no hope at all, because the spores lurking in their bodies will kill the infected person first before starting the transformation.
"What level?" Wang Hai asked.
"The transformed Spore Person are First Tier, while the original body should be Tier 3!" Shen Heng recalled the contents of the Calamity Beast Illustrated Guide. "Then, considering that this Decaying Spore transformed the parasitized people below into Spore Person, it should be trying to break through to Fourth Tier and wants the Spore Person to help it accumulate energy faster."
"Okay, I understand. We'll head over there as soon as possible. You can see if you can evacuate all the teachers and students from the school!" Wang Hai said.
"Yes, I understand!" Shen Heng replied.
After the two finished their conversation, Wu Cheng, who had somehow entered the chat channel, took a light breath.
"This is the second Tier 3 Calamity Beast attack this year, isn't it? It's only been half a year, and the Calamity Beast invasions are happening faster already?!"
"It seems so, but of course, it's also possible we're just unlucky!" Han Ling's voice also came through the headset.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, clearly not believing the second half of Han Ling's statement.
After a long while, another voice came through the earpiece.
"It seems our world is slowly sinking into an abyss..."
Shen Heng did not reply; he stood quietly in front of the figure that was about to turn into Spore Person, waiting.
Before successfully transforming into Spore Person, this is still a corpse in front of you. Unless you tear him apart, he is unkillable.
Only when he successfully transforms into Spore Person does his body regain the characteristics of life and acquire a core, making it impossible to kill him by shooting through his head.
As Shen Heng waited, he recalled relevant information about the Decaying Spore in his mind.
The Decaying Spore resembles a dark green mushroom-shaped miniature person, perhaps not even reaching the calf of an adult male. It prefers quiet environments and rarely moves...
Its physical combat ability is relatively weak; it can only release some thorns and emit some hallucinogenic gas to affect people's minds...
It can create multiple guardians First Tier lower than itself, and transform into even more spore-like creatures two rank lower than itself through spore parasitism...
While Shen Heng was pondering, the figure who had been standing quietly in the bathroom suddenly stirred. His hands, which were crossed in front of him, trembled slightly, as if he wanted to move.
Shen Heng's gaze gently fell upon the figure, landing on the face that was stretched and somewhat distorted.
He sighed softly, raised his gun, and aimed it at his former classmate's head.
Bang!
Blood splattered everywhere!