Chapter 125: Fungi

"Eighth Sister!"

Wind-Ear was thoroughly startled, stumbling back two steps. "How... how are you here?"

"Is it not normal for me to be here? The real question is, why haven't you left yet?" Little Eight replied, clearly annoyed and harboring no affection for him.

"No... didn't you just come from the cemetery?" Wind-Ear asked hurriedly.

Little Eight looked at him, bewildered. "I have indeed been to the cemetery, but I returned from there a long time ago."

At these words, Wind-Ear’s brow furrowed deep. He knew Eighth Sister was fast, but there was no reason for her to play such a game with him. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. There was a hidden danger in that cemetery. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he decided to report the matter to Lin Dong.

...

Soon, Lin Dong, back at home, learned of the incident. He was not particularly surprised; it was normal for newly annexed territories to have some issues. However, the situation was strange—Wind-Ear claimed to have seen two Little Eights, while Little Eight insisted she had never seen him at the cemetery, implying Wind-Ear was just seeing things.

The two zombies were still arguing downstairs. Curious, Lin Dong decided to go take a look. With a mere thought, his figure vanished from the spot.

A moment later, he appeared on the street below. The bickering Little Eight and Wind-Ear went silent the moment they saw him.

"Boss, everything I said is true—every word of it. I swear I didn't lie to you," Wind-Ear quickly stepped forward to say.

"But I truly did not see him at the cemetery," Little Eight added.

Tank, a hulking figure, was watching the scene unfold from the sidelines, chuckling to himself. "I think... maybe you were possessed by something and didn't even realize you saw our little brother Ear."

"Do you think I'm like you?" Little Eight retorted with disdain.

"Let’s go. We'll know once we take a look," Lin Dong said, taking command.

The several Zombie Kings nodded repeatedly and followed him toward the cemetery at the edge of the territory. By now, the sky was growing dim. The sun had completely set, leaving the horizon murky. A chill wind began to rise, whistling through the Doomsday City. Terrifying zombies wandered the streets, but upon seeing Lin Dong, they bowed their heads in profound reverence.

They crossed the bridge over the river and reached the edge of the new territory. Before them lay a mountain range, thick with dense forests that appeared pitch-black in the fading light. Gusts of cold wind blew through, causing the branches and leaves to dance like a demon beckoning, emitting a dry, rustling sound.

Tombstones stood scattered before them—lonely, desolate, and giving off an aura of decay.

"Boss, it was right there!" Wind-Ear pointed toward the middle of the tombstones. "I saw it there this afternoon."

"But there's nothing here," Little Eight said, scanning the area with her fierce eyes.

Tank scratched his head. "Little brother Ear, could it be that you were possessed and saw it wrong?"

Lin Dong ignored the antics of these three, silently sensing the area. There was indeed no sign of any living breath; it was deathly silent. Yet, he felt as if something was truly lurking nearby.

Lin Dong walked forward to inspect the area and discovered two zombie corpses among the tombstones. They hadn't been dead long. Their state of death was bizarre: their bodies were perfectly intact, yet they were covered in tumor-like growths. These growths were dark red, bumpy, and rough, covering the bodies so densely that they were layered on top of one another—a sight enough to trigger trypophobia in anyone.

"What is this?"

Lin Dong waved his hand, conjuring a long blade, and flicked it to pierce one of the largest growths. To his surprise, there was no spray of black blood; instead, the inside was white, like the fibrous flesh of a mushroom.

"Fungi..." Lin Dong pondered. These zombies seemed to have died from parasitic infection. Fungi were neither animals nor plants, but something parallel to both.

Just then, a figure stumbled to its feet in the dark forest. It was thin, with messy short hair and a horrific face—but that face was identical to Little Eight's.

"Look! It appeared!" Wind-Ear pointed a trembling finger and retreated behind the other Zombie Kings in terror.

Little Eight tilted her head, her fierce eyes narrowing as she realized it truly looked exactly like her, down to the clothes.

"It really exists."

"Hrrgh—" The 'Little Eight' emitted a raspy sound and began to walk toward them, one step at a time.

"Oh my, look at you acting so tough..." Tank, who had not evolved the capacity for fear, remained indifferent. "Boss! I've never liked the look of her anyway—let me handle this!"

"Very well, go ahead," Lin Dong nodded.

"???" Little Eight stood nearby, full of confusion. What did he mean by that?

Tank lunged forward with his massive frame, throwing a heavy punch with great speed and formidable strength.

*Bang!*

The blow landed squarely on the 'Little Eight's' face, sending her flying far away. Surprisingly, the head did not shatter, nor did the bones break; it simply caved in like modeling clay.

"Eh? Pretty durable, aren't you?"

Tank charged again, pinned her to the ground, and began to pummel her as if venting his frustrations. It was clear that the imposter wasn't very strong—perhaps barely B-level—and it had no way to fight back against Tank. Wind-Ear could likely have defeated it himself, but his fear of the real Little Eight had kept him from acting.

Before long, Tank had beaten the figure beyond recognition. With one final, heavy blow, *bang*—the imposter's head finally shattered. There was no flesh or blood inside, only white, thread-like filaments. Tank showed no mercy, tearing it apart as if it were foam.

"Boss, it's finished!"

"Hmm." Lin Dong nodded.

Wind-Ear squinted, his fear replaced by intense curiosity. "What was that thing? Why could it turn into Eighth Sister's likeness?"

"Likely a mutated fungus," Lin Dong mused, though he wasn't certain. The source of the fungus wasn't the cemetery but the forest; perhaps the answers lay deeper within.

Tank and the other Zombie Kings scratched their heads. They had heard of mutated plants and beasts, but never fungi. Lin Dong felt that even if the creature wasn't powerful now, it was a hidden threat that needed to be addressed. However, unlike a creeping vine, this fungus had no visible roots to track, making it difficult to deal with.

"Forget it. Let's head back for now," Lin Dong said.

"Oh." Tank nodded, sounding slightly disappointed. "I hadn't had my fill of hitting it yet..."

Little Eight glanced at him sideways, a thought forming that made her feel uneasy. She lifted a sharp claw, and with a sudden *pfft*, she jabbed it into his waist...