The group walked on the Flesh Fungi Blanket, which was as sticky and slippery as a swamp.

"No need to turn off the flashlights."

In the darkness, Alfonse said in a low voice without looking back, "Keep them on. The creatures here don't have photoreceptors."

The Stonemason hesitated for a moment, then turned his flashlight back on and asked, "Can the Origin of Life not hear us talking?"

"Her?"

Alfonse shook his head. "She doesn't possess autonomous consciousness in the human sense. She won't actively interact with the outside world. Even if we stand in front of her plotting her destruction, the Origin of Life won't make any move."

That was actually good news; at least the group didn't need to communicate using sign language. Li Ang knew a thing or two about sign language. When he was a child messing around with Wang Congshan, even when she sealed his mouth with tape, he could still taunt her with lightning-fast sign language, like Naruto forming hand seals. Though that would usually result in Wang Congshan, who couldn't understand sign language at all, unleashing her Farmer's Three Punches.

The group navigated the winding corridors, making numerous turns and detours, and witnessed the thriving side of the Mycelium Carpet.

Insects, birds, beasts, vegetation... most of the life forms here, though composed of flesh and blood and vastly different from Earth's, could still form a complete ecosystem.

"After the disaster, mutants began appearing everywhere, eventually gathering above the lab to form the Mycelium Carpet. These Mycelium Carpets extended downwards like tree roots, reaching the third sub-level where the Origin of Life was located, forming a complete ecological chain there."

Perhaps because he hadn't had anyone to talk to for so long, Alfonse spoke almost non-stop.

"After being infected by the Mycelium Carpet and becoming a mutant, I also gained some special abilities, such as night vision, no need for sleep, and insensitivity to pain... At first, I tried to commit suicide, but the Mycelium Carpet would restore me every time. Even if I was decapitated, my head would reattach."

Alfonse caressed his tattered suit and said calmly, "The path to the surface was blocked by mutants, so I had no choice but to wander here. The first few years were tough; I went mad many times. Fortunately, my rationality as a former biochemist saved me. I began studying the mutants themselves, utilizing their special abilities..."

As he spoke, Alfonse bent down, picked up a fleshy plant resembling the aerial roots of a banyan tree, tore off its tip, and used the tendrils inside to pierce his own nape.

Blood splattered. Alfonse shuddered and said wistfully, "This thing also contains hallucinogens. If you master the trick, it can bring back the most beautiful memories of your life. You can even freely program it to create any dream you desire. The only cost is that the banyan tree will extract the user's blood, so you must control the duration of use; otherwise, you'll bleed to death. This thing is the only reason I haven't devolved into a speechless beast."

With a SLURP, Alfonse pulled the banyan root free. It bounced on the ground a few times before slowly retracting towards the main banyan plant.

The others marveled at this but had no intention of putting such things into their inventory—who knew if taking a mutant back to the real world would cause an infection.

There were many more wondrous creations like the hallucinogenic roots, such as 'tongue lice' that could replace one's tongue if placed in the mouth, or 'intestinal worms' that, when inserted into the navel, could function as a second stomach.

Li Ang surveyed the surrounding environment with a stern expression, sighed deeply, and said, "It feels alien, twisted, yet brimming with vitality—like the dawn of creation itself."

"So, uh..." Wanli Fengdao, walking behind him, couldn't help but speak up, "Brother Li, can you stop playing with the rats? You're freaking me out."

"Really?"

Li Ang, his expression unchanging, held a skinned giant rat in each hand. He swung their meter-long tails back and forth like yo-yos. While performing various moves, he also muttered softly, "Magic Gloves! Wandering in the Starlit Sky!"

Find this chapter's source on *.

These two mutant rats, which had tried to attack him from the start, not only had extremely long tails but also possessed some uncanny connection; manipulating one would cause the other to mimic its actions, which he found quite amusing.

"You're right. Playing with food isn't a good habit." Li Ang nodded, tied the rats' tails together, and carried them in his hand like a string of sausages.

"...Don't tell me you're actually planning to eat those things." Wanli Fengdao muttered with a sidelong glance, genuinely suspecting Li Ang might impulsively decide to have an impromptu barbecue.

"Hahaha, how could I?" Li Ang laughed heartily and shook his head. "I didn't bring any cumin with me this time."

So, you're saying if you *had* brought cumin, you'd actually be considering a barbecue?

"We're here." Alfonse stopped in front of a massive alloy gate.

The gate was half-open. Shining a flashlight inside revealed several giant, dust-covered generators resting on the Mycelium Carpet.

Stonemason looked around, not rushing inside. Instead, he turned to Alfonse. "Where's that troublesome mutant you mentioned?"

"Over there." Alfonse pointed to a shadowy corner of the room. Illuminated by the flashlight, a black, human-sized cocoon could be seen growing on the wall. The cocoon was spindle-shaped and semi-transparent. Through its shell, an unformed lepidopteran insect could be vaguely seen floating inside.

"It will attack any living being that enters the room," Alfonse said softly. "It has killed me many, many times."

Li Ang's brows furrowed. Standing outside the door, he swung the two rats by their tails a few times before flinging them hard into the room.

Before anyone could react, two slender, thread-like filaments shot out from the cocoon's surface, accurately impaling the airborne rats and pinning them firmly to the wall.

TWANG—

The sound of the filaments slicing through the air arrived belatedly, mingling with the rats' terrified squeals.

Everyone looked uneasy. No one had clearly seen the cocoon's actions. If they had carelessly walked in, they would likely be the ones pinned to the wall now.

SQUEAK—

The rats' piercing squeals abruptly ceased. The filaments extending from the cocoon's surface suddenly split at their ends, curling like a large net. They ensnared the rats, pulling them back into the cocoon to be enveloped in the mass of black threads.

"So, that's how it hunts, huh?" Stonemason frowned and pulled out an assault rifle from his backpack. After signaling his teammates to step back, he stood in the doorway and opened fire on the cocoon.

A dense barrage of gunfire erupted, but the bullets flying into the room were shredded by a maelstrom of threads before they could even get close to the cocoon, each one pinned to the wall.

Stonemason lowered his rifle and took out an Individual Rocket Tube. However, even the rocket was easily pierced through—the powerful explosion it caused failed to damage the threads in the slightest.

"Let me." The Black Holy Son signaled Stonemason to step aside. He then took a Flamethrower from his inventory and sprayed towards the cocoon from a distance.

A pillar of fire, tens of meters long, bypassed all the filaments. The fuel accurately drenched the cocoon, causing it to erupt in raging flames.

The cocoon immediately emitted a shrill wail, like that of a pipe organ, as it writhed and collapsed towards the generator units. Zhuang Pengpai quickly stepped forward, removed his Anti-chemical Gloves, and with a beckoning gesture of his palms, drew the excess flames from the cocoon into his hands.

Li Ang, observing secretly from the side, suddenly narrowed his eyes. In that Flint Stone of an instant, he had seen Zhuang Pengpai's palms.

This man is terrifyingly powerful! He actually has two lifelines on his palms!