In the Infirmary on level B3.

Chu Guang, who was sitting on the side of the scanning bed, read the panel with his upgraded attributes through the tablet handed to him by Hyrja.

[ID:

Chu Guang

]

[Genetic sequence:

Administrator (Second Stage)

]

[Level:

LV17→LV18

]

[Attributes]

[Strength:

]

[Agility:

12→13

]

[Constitution:

]

[Perception:

13→14

]

[Intelligence:

]

He was surprised, as he did not expect that this upgrade would add 2 attribute points.

"... Unbelievable, your DNA is even more miraculous than I imagined. Is Shelter 404 the gene bank of the Federation of People? How much improved DNA do you have in reserve?"

Hyrja was sitting in the chair opposite him and had been babbling about her amazing discovery for a while now, with an expression of disbelief on her face.

However, Chu Guang, a complete layman in this regard, couldn’t understand her at all. "I don’t know."

"You don’t know?!" Hyrja looked at him in surprise, "Didn’t the previous administrator of the shelter tell you the nature of this shelter when he handed over the authority?"

"That old riddler only told me that this is the last hope of human civilization." Chu Guang couldn’t remember anymore if he had read that from the previous administrator’s papers or not. Since he often compiled the short stories and background settings of the Federation of People on the official website, he sometimes found himself confused as to which events actually happened in this world and which pieces of information were headcanon that he had invented to improve his world view.

But did it matter? Not much.

He was a pragmatist. As long as it works, it will do.

As for the secrets hidden in this shelter and what happened 200 years ago, Chu Guang admitted that he was curious, but he also clearly understood that it was not his first priority.

After zipping up his jacket, Chu Guang stood up from the scanning bed.

"I have to tell you some bad news. Thanks to the clearance I have, I learned that the concentration of spores in the air is rising in the northern suburbs, and something bad may happen in the coming 2 weeks."

Hyrja’s expression gradually became serious. "Regarding this, I actually have something I want to report to you as well."

"What is it?"

"When your residents were exploring the tunnel, they discovered a strange phenomenon..." Hyrja grabbed a nearby tablet and swiped the screen with her index finger.

Soon, a 15 second video appeared on the tablet in Chu Guang’s hand.

It was a room colored a particular shade of red. It was the color of flesh.

At first Chu Guang thought that the slimy stuff on the walls and floor was blood and flesh, but after zooming in, he found that things were completely opposite to what he imagined. ℞₳Ɲö𝐁Èș

Layers of tiny flesh-red cilia were evenly attached to the concrete structure, and lumps of refrigerator-sized flesh-red fruiting bodies were attached to the wall, pulsing gently like they were breathing.

Players’ voices could also be heard in the video.

"Shit... What the hell is this?"

"Maybe it’s that Slime Mold shit."

"Not necessarily... It feels a bit like a trap to me. Look at the cilia, they look like tentacles, but they are a little shorter."

"Where’s the captain? Hurry up and take a picture, it’s sure to blow up on the forum!"

"Take more, take more!"

Chu Guang frowned slightly and looked at Hyrja.

"This is…?"

"The creep formed by the mutant Slime Mold," said Hyrja with a serious expression, her arms folded across her chest. "According to my research, the mutant Slime Mold grows on objects in the form of a plaque and comes in three colors, black, brown, and black-green."

"However, when the thickness exceeds 2mm, it will give birth to a fourth form... which is what you see now."

Chu Guang frowned. "I mean… What does it do?"

Hyrja added, "It hatches the fruiting bodies."

Chu Guang’s expression turned slightly serious. "Which means that all those Crunchers came out of rooms like this?"

He had once heard that in addition to Hives, there were also things called Incubation Rooms distributed throughout the city, which produced spores in batches by simulating the environment of a Hive to breed fruiting bodies. Although their efficiency was far inferior to that of a Hive, the production volume was incredible.

This was also the reason why those Slime Mold Mutants couldn’t be eradicated no matter what.

"Not just the Cruncher, but also those others that you discovered. Creepers, Suicide Bombers, Tyrants… Theoretically, it’s possible to produce them with something like this. When I was researching the creep components, I found that in most cases, the fourth form of Slime Mold has a strong self-limiting property. Usually, after filling a room, it will stop expanding, and increase the creep thickness and the number of hatching units instead.”

"However, under certain circumstances, this self-limitation can be lifted."

Chu Guang asked immediately, "What are those circumstances?"

"I don’t know." Hyrja shook her head. "Maybe when the environment is favorable, or maybe when it thinks it’s necessary to expand the population, the creep will recover and recycle some of the fruiting bodies previously released to hunt, then expand rapidly until the area completely engulfs the original environment, forming a larger hatching chamber... their color will also change at this time, turning a dark red."

Chu Guang’s Adam’s apple twitched. “They’re making a Hive..."

Hyrja nodded. "I think so too."

The increase in the concentration of spores in the air was one of the important indicators for monitoring the Tide.

However, what Chu Guang couldn’t understand was why the First Administrator would know about it.

Isn’t the appearance of Slime Mold a post-wasteland thing?

According to the initial information obtained by Chu Guang, the shelter had been sealed for more than a century, whereas the mutant Slime Mold seemed to have started spreading after the initial Little Ice Age of the Wasteland Era.

As far as he knew, the First Administrator never left the shelter, even until his death, which was why that person chose to pass on the responsibility and research results to his successor.

Unless…

Were there Slime Mold Mutants in the pre-war era?

Or maybe this mutant Slime Mold was some kind of weapon that brought about the apocalypse.

Not knowing what Chu Guang was thinking at the moment, Hyrja spoke softly with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"The environment of the city is too conducive to Slime Mold growth. Concrete has strong thermal insulation properties, and with sufficient nutrients, sewers, subways, abandoned buildings... They are natural petri dishes. I’m afraid the Slime Mold is more suited to thrive in the city than plants are, and that’s probably the real reason for the Tide.” Hyjra paused for a moment before she continued, “Sometimes, the more I research, the more powerless I feel... Maybe like what Mr. Seven said, this planet may not be saved. The only thing we can do is to preserve the achievements of the former civilization, engraving it and our story on a tombstone, for the benefit of whoever next inherits the planet."

Seven was the administrator of Shelter 117.

It was clear to see that, as a believer in the tomb guardian philosophy, Hyrja had profound respect for the steadfast and benevolent administrator.

However, Chu Guang disagreed. "My opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. I don’t care about what happens after I die, and I don’t really want to think about whether it can be saved."

Hyrja looked at him in surprise, and Chu Guang looked back, saying succinctly, "But since I’m still alive and standing here, then I have to do something about it."

...

The sideline of the fifth ring.

On the messy street, a strong wild boar was shaking its mane after getting through the broken window of the shop along the street.

The snow had melted, and sprouts were emerging from the cracks in the concrete. Just as the boar was looking for delicacies hidden in the soil, a gunshot suddenly came from afar.

The wild boar stiffened and fell, lying motionless on the ground. It had been shot in the head.

"Clean shot!" Crouching behind the half-collapsed billboard, Li Gou pumped his fist excitedly.

This was his first time out hunting.

Before this, his elder brother Li Niu was always the hunter in the family, but since Li Niu joined the factory a few months ago, he was the only one who could do the job.

Not far away, Yu Hu took a deep breath, put away the shotgun on his hand, and urged his companion, "Drain the blood quickly, or the meat will turn sour after a while."

"Okay!" Li Gou walked excitedly to the wild boar with a dagger in his hand, and Yu Hu followed, his shotgun strapped to his back.

Since their Big Brother Chu had driven away the old mayor’s family, every household of the hunters had replaced their hunting tools with cheap and easy-to-use rifles.

It was much easier to hunt with these than with bows, javelins, and slingshots.

Especially if they encountered a Marauder. At least they wouldn’t be helpless.

A few months ago, it was unimaginable for them to have a rifle of their own.

"

Hngg

... this wild boar is quite heavy, maybe 80 kilograms!"

"Let me help you."

The two turned the boar over, and just as Li Gou was about to cut open its artery to let the blood out, Yu Hu frowned suddenly. "Wait a moment."

As he spoke, Yu Hu stretched out his hand and turned over the wild boar’s ear, only to find a festering scar at its base.

The scar was small, barely as long as a little finger, and it was covered by the boar’s fur, so it was easy for some people to miss it if they didn’t look carefully.

"What is this?" Li Gou asked curiously.

Yu Hu combed the sparse hair behind the wild boar’s ears with a dagger, then used the dagger to open the wild boar’s mouth. "Cruncher scratch marks, mild infection..." he muttered as he observed the teeth carefully. "This is incredibly rare."

With the sluggish speed of the Cruncher, it was basically impossible to catch up with the wild boar.

Unless…