Chapter 35

A figure appeared ahead, blocking her path. It was a human. Mushroom Man did not stop running. She could feel her reason fading. Something was eating away at her day and night, causing unbearable pain while her consciousness grew hazier by the day. Time was running out. She had to hurry, hurry even faster.

So-

Please stay out of the way!

Several thick fungal threads lashed toward the human with tremendous force, only to veer sharply just before striking him, brushing past his body. She rushed through the opening as he leaped aside.

With nothing blocking her, she continued running forward. Suddenly, however, a towering curtain of fire blazed up ahead. Mushroom Man stopped abruptly, but could not halt in time. Only a few of her fungal threads struck the flames, burning through with a sizzle.

[Skree!]

Her shrill screech startled birds into flight in the distance.

She was a little angry now. Growing more irritable by the day, her temper flared easily, and the urge to kill rose with it. More fungal threads shot out, thrashing wildly as they attacked the human with ferocious force. He dodged clumsily from side to side, his face deathly pale-producing such an enormous curtain of fire was a considerable strain on him.

But what else could he do?

This was an S-rank Polluted. What good would a few little fireballs do?

Zhao Yi gritted his teeth.

With several leaps, he evaded the snake-like fungal threads and reached a spot in front of Mushroom Man, behind the curtain of fire, taking a brief rest under its protection.

The Polluted's threads had not struck him during that attack, but the contamination from an S-rank Polluted left him struggling to breathe. The blood in his veins seemed to boil. His skin split, oozing thick, black, filthy fluid.

In theory, a B-rank ability user was not even qualified to fight an S-rank Polluted. Simply standing here made breathing difficult, and he was also maintaining a curtain of fire that overdrew his ability.

Despite his utterly wretched state, Zhao Yi did not back down.

"Sorry, but I can't let you through here."

Behind the curtain of fire, the strongest B-rank ability user twisted the corner of his mouth, attempting a wickedly arrogant smile. In reality, the smile he produced could not have looked worse.

Across from him, Mushroom Man stepped forward, only to be driven back by the flames, squeaking angrily. Zhao Yi could tell: she feared fire.

What an unexpected bonus.

His hands trembling, Zhao Yi continued pouring out power, exhausting himself for all he was worth.

He was only a B-rank ability user. He could not kill an S-rank Polluted. All he could do was hold it back as best he could.

Opposite him, being unable to cross the curtain of fire made Mushroom Man even more irritable. Fungal threads writhed wildly across the sky, as though a demon had descended. Yet even this state was the result of her desperate restraint. Had she not restrained herself, the human would have been dead the moment he blocked her path, never mind attacking her.

Dense black contamination writhed madly, radiating oppression, pain, and despair. Zhao Yi gave a muffled grunt, his body bending slightly.

Suddenly, Mushroom Man screeched. Countless fungal threads shot out at once, piercing straight through the curtain of fire to attack Zhao Yi behind it, carrying murderous intent!

For the first time, she felt the urge to kill the human blocking her way.

In the end, she had lost her patience.

Some threads burned through, but more surged forward in an endless tide. Countless threads pierced the flames. Zhao Yi's pupils contracted, and he rolled across the ground. The next second, the threads hammered like bullets into the spot where he had just been, sending shattered stones flying.

That was close!

Having escaped death, Zhao Yi clutched his chest and panted heavily. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the curtain of fire had receded. In that instant, he had instinctively withdrawn his ability to support himself.

His expression stiffened. He hurried to raise the curtain again, but it was too late. The moment the flames receded, Mushroom Man ran forward. This time, she was even more irritable, attacking Zhao Yi with fungal threads as she ran and leaving him no opportunity to use his ability. Mushroom Man engaged him in a battle of attrition. Zhao Yi was worn down little by little, and before long, he no longer had the strength to summon the curtain of fire. His face pale, he lost focus for an instant and was left far behind by Mushroom Man.

By now, his Ability Control Bureau uniform was in tatters, and his arms were too weak to lift. He could only watch helplessly as Mushroom Man ran into the distance. Seeing that he was completely spent, Mushroom Man actually stopped attacking him, interested only in the distant city.

Mushroom Man ran unhindered once again. The wind stirred by her movement brushed her face, dispersing her anger and murderous intent little by little. She grew a little calmer again.

Suddenly, her enormous body faltered. A few seconds later, she stopped.

She hesitantly lowered her head. Below, the human was hugging one of her feet tightly, gripping several fungal threads on it, using his own flesh and blood to stop her from leaving.

She was enormous, and the human was so tiny. Clinging to her foot, he was like an ant hanging from an elephant's toe. Mushroom Man felt no resistance at all, while the human's skin burst open the instant he touched her body, spraying red-black fluid like popping corn.

What was he doing?

A question surfaced in Mushroom Man's muddled mind.

She lifted her foot. The human's body swayed high in the air like a fallen leaf on the verge of rotting.

The human hung on to her with both hands, his mind dazed. Though he was still alive, a white film like that of a dead person had appeared over his eyes.

Mushroom Man's writhing fungal threads went limp, spreading softly across the ground. She crouched, silently observing the human with her featureless face.

After a long while, she shook her foot, trying to shake the human off, but even after losing consciousness, he did not let go.

She severed those few fungal threads, and the human finally lay on the ground again.

Mushroom Man kept her head lowered, staring at the human. Only after a long while did she rise and start running again.

She ran slowly. Her already muddled mind seemed stuffed with questions, making her movements sluggish. It took a very, very long time before she regained her speed.

The distant city gradually grew clearer. It was getting closer and closer.

An emotion called joy welled up in Mushroom Man's mind. Her fine, soft, drifting fungal threads curled around a fallen flower in the wilderness. She stopped, gently gathering fallen flowers as though preparing a gift for someone.

For...

For...

Her little sister.

Those words flashed through her mind.

Ah, she remembered.

She had a little sister.

An adorable little girl.

She had disappeared. That child must be very sad.

She wanted to see her. She wanted to see her little girl.

A surge of sorrow rose in Mushroom Man's heart.

"...What is she doing?"

Two humans arrived, one wearing suit trousers and a white shirt, the other a black uniform. The one in black looked utterly bewildered. They were none other than the captains of the City A branch's two operations teams. After discovering something unusual about Mushroom Man's movements, both had independently put aside their current operations and set out to stop her, buying a little time for the civilians to evacuate. Though it was like throwing eggs against a rock, someone had to do it, didn't they?

The two met at the city gate and proceeded together. What they had not expected was that, when they

arrived before Mushroom Man, this would be the scene they saw.

Mr. Mobster wore a cold expression. His neatly combed hair had long since become disheveled, falling loose and partially covering his eyes.

...Was this Polluted gathering flowers?

An S-rank Polluted, like Stormbringer, had unleashed a dark storm in City S the moment it appeared, instantly taking countless human lives. Footage of its frenzied slaughter was still kept at the Ability Control Bureau, chilling anyone who watched it.

Yet compared with Stormbringer, Mushroom Man, who was of the same rank, was truly... exceedingly gentle.

Zhao Yi had once used the word "strange" to describe Invisible Man, who had appeared some time ago. Qin Daichuan felt that the word applied equally well to Mushroom Man before them.

"Do we attack now?" the second team's captain asked hesitantly. Clearly, he too had noticed something unusual about this Polluted, which left him wavering.

Qin Daichuan's gaze was deep.

"No. Don't attack first."

He watched Mushroom Man and finally made his decision. "Wait until she makes a move... focus on holding her back. Try not to anger her."

As his words fell, a voice of agreement came from behind them.

"Yes, I think so too."

Startled, the two quickly turned and saw a woman in her thirties walking toward them. She was tall and athletic, her clothes in tatters. Her exposed muscles looked immensely powerful, though she herself seemed both languid and listless.

"It's you."

The second team's captain recognized the newcomer. His eyes held both surprise and a sense that this was only natural. He smiled in greeting. "Captain Xiao."

Everyone at the branch knew that the Ability Control Bureau's former chief captain had opened a small eatery in City A. Some could not understand it, while others saw things clearly. Qin Daichuan and the second team's captain belonged to the latter group. In their positions, they could more deeply appreciate the despair of being a protector yet being powerless.

But Xiao Pei had come. Having resigned from her position, she had appeared here again now. The second team's captain smiled inwardly. This woman, the strongest A-rank ability user, could not bear to see human suffering after all.

Inside the city.

By the time Ye Jiang reached the marked location, the crisis there had already been resolved. Another team had happened to pass through and helped deal with the Polluted before Ye Jiang arrived. Thanks to their timely aid, there had not been many casualties. The two teams had now merged into one and were taking a brief rest where they were. Seeing this, Ye Jiang did not approach. She used her phone to contact the Ability Control Bureau member who had entrusted her with the task, informed them of the situation, and received their thanks.

The Ability Control Bureau member thought Ye Jiang would travel with the two teams, but she did not. She had other things to do.

She headed toward the city gate.

Mushroom Man was already very close to City A. Her enormous body towered into the clouds. Her sheer size alone was frightening enough, but Ye Jiang did not feel that way. She felt nothing at all.

With luck on her side the whole way, she reached the city gate without difficulty. She looked up, then slowly walked onto the city wall.

Her footsteps were light. The observer on the wall was watching Mushroom Man intently and did not notice her arrival.

Click.

At the faint sound, the tightly wound observer shuddered and turned around in alarm.

Ye Jiang paused in the act of unscrewing her water bottle cap and raised her eyes to look at him.