Little Mushroom

Summer in the Abyss had arrived.

Looking down from the Highland Research Institute, the vast dark green land with highs and lows was like an ocean connected with the light blue sky. In the distant mountains, a group of black-winged monsters were circling, making long cries.

The cries and the wind reached the top of the mountain. In the corridor, the leaves of the vines were swaying and white petals streamed to An Zhe from the end of the vines. He raised his hand to catch one, holding it in his left hand while using his other hand to fiddle with the end of the vine.

Lu Feng reached out to help remove the petals from his collar and hair. An Zhe felt this man's actions and turned around, pulling the vine in front of Lu Feng. "Look."

He had just found a new white flower bud on the vine. Of course, the fact that there was a new flower bud, whether the flower bud was large or small, black or white, wouldn't arouse Colonel Lu's interest. The colonel just leaned down indifferently to kiss him on the forehead.

"Che." Dr Ji opposite them made a sound in a tone similar to admiration. He was leaning against the window sill, his left hand shaking a reagent bottle while his right hand was hanging by his side.

In the final battle to guard the Northern Base, Dr Ji had lost his entire right arm and right leg. The conversation with the Highland Research Institute had been completed by him while he was in terrible pain. As for why he survived and didn't die of excessive blood loss, it could only be attributed to God's mercy.

Later, Dr Ji lost part of his body and applied to the HIghland Research Institute. His brain wasn't affected but in this era without prosthetic limbs, a missing arm and leg were enough to bury a scientist's life. He didn't come here to continue his research. He came due to his admiration for Polly Joan and his willingness to contribute his body for new research. With the help of dozens of volunteers like him, the institute measured six safe frequencies for transmission, one of which was the ability to regenerate limbs.

In short, Dr Ju was now like a new person, although he hadn't fully adapted to his new limbs.

An Zhe turned his head to look at Dr Ji, wanting to see what he was doing at this time. Dr Ji was watching Lu Feng while at the same time, he held out his hands and clapped for the two of them.

"I saw it, Colonel Lu." He stated. "If I hadn't seen it, I really thought you were going to be a gentleman and a qualified father all your life. Oh, you're too young. Then a qualified brother."

Lu Feng took off the last petal from Lu Feng's neck and glanced at Dr Ji with a flat expression. "Ji Balan," he said. "I overestimated your personality."

"Fine, fine." Dr Ji raised his hands in surrender. "It is my fault. I underestimated the moral standards of the Judge.'

Lu Feng didn't say anything.

"I was wrong, I admit it. It isn't that your personality is too noble. It is that my moral standards are indeed relatively low." Dr Ji continued to beg for mercy but he rolled his eyes. He saw Lu Feng holding his wrist and started looking for safety.

"If I was given such a little baby…" He grinned, extending his hand and making a gesture. "I would tie him to the bed and then…."

Lu Feng sent him a cold look.

"…Then dissect him." Dr Ji shut his mouth when he was done.

"Dr Ji's brain is out of order." Lu Feng lowered his head to look at An Zhe. "You can consider treating him with mycelium."

"It isn't necessary!" Dr Ji was shocked. "I'll just go."

Lu Feng's proposal of murdering Dr Ji didn't arouse any interest in An Zhe. An Zhe just stood on tiptoe and kissed the side of Lu Feng's face.

Dr Ji repeated again, "Che."

Lu Feng told him, "You can go."

"Are you treating your best friend like this? Colonel Lu." Dr Ji protested.

"Yes."

"I don't even have the qualifications to watch you play house?" Dr Ji's voice was mixed with a hint of heartbreak.

"No."

The words 'play house' aroused An Zhe's interest and he looked up at An Zhe.

"So cute." Dr Ji looked at him with eyes shining with a strange light. "You will cry for a long time after dissection."

An Zhe always felt that Dr Ji was possessed by something. Perhaps it was Boss Shaw.

Dr Ji sighed and turned his attention back to the pale blue reagent bottle.

"Colonel Lu, you really won't try this?" He asked. "Extract 1014 has no side effects. In combination with the small magnetic pole frequency modulation, one of the three subjects had perfect night vision after being injected with it. You were the one who brought it back from the Abyss a month ago."

Sunlight penetrated through the gaps in the vine leaves and touched the slender glass tube, causing the reagent to sparkle. Lu Feng just glanced at it.

Facing the doctor's expression of anticipation, An Zhe replied for Lu Feng, "He doesn't want to."

"Tsk." Dr Ji turned away with his reagent and fiddled with the communicator. "Polly is calling me. Goodbye."

An Zhe replied, "Goodbye, Doctor."

Lu Feng really didn't want the extract, An Zhe knew. Moreover, the colonel didn't need these strange enhancements or skills. He came and went from the Abyss at ease. An Zhe thought for a long time while his mycelium wrapped around the green vine that he had coveted for a long time.

"Don't eat anything." Lu Feng saw his movements.

"This one can be digested." An Zhe defended himself.

He stretched out a strand of mycelium to show Lu Feng. The mycelium crawled to the colonel's black uniform cuff and a green new leaf was formed on the silver cufflinks, trembling gently in the wind.

This was An Zhe's latest fun. He had tried many things since discovering he could safely merge with all living and non-living things—except those ugly things. On one successful occasion, he turned himself into a room of catkins and almost choked the colonel.

However, fusion wasn't always safe. As Lu Feng had explained a long time ago, polymorphic monsters sometimes made mistakes when changing shape. Not long ago, he had drunk potato soup. Out of his love for it, he went to the laboratory to fuse with a small tuber of potato and unexpectedly fell unconscious, waking up three hours later. Polly said that it was because the mushroom and potato were so different in frequency that they repelled each other. This was also the case when fusing with other things. Although the result was always good, the process was full of uncertainty. It was just like how a piece of sodium would dissolve in water, but the process of dissolving in water would cause an explosion.

Since then, Lu Feng prevented him from eating indiscriminately. However, An Zhe wanted to eat this small piece of vine. This behaviour wouldn't harm the life of the vine itself and the vine was nothing unusual, just a quiet, beautiful flowering vine.

An Zhe gently scraped at the skin and liquid oozed out.

It was… quiet. As the mycelium dipped into the pale green juice, the wind of the Abyss blew through the icy sky. The vine attached to the institute, the sun, the moon, the stars, everything in the sky shone. An Zhe closed his eyes and his body seemed to stretch out as well. Lu Feng was right beside him and he didn't have to worry about anything. He let Lu Feng half carry him to sit down on the long wooden bench in the dark green corridor.

Perhaps his condition was normal and the vine was normal. Lu Feng didn't allow him to eat this vine but Lu Feng didn't stop him either. It was the default.

He lay in Lu Feng's arms, clutching this person's hand. His thoughts scattered like he was soaked in warm water.

"It has been growing here for many years. It used to be a vine that didn't blossom." An Zhe stated. "Then some winged animals came with pollen and it had white flowers. It felt very beautiful and was very happy."

He whispered the emotions he felt from the vine while reaching out to hug Lu Feng's shoulders. He drilled into this person's arms, his head rubbing against Lu Feng's neck, his cheek against the slightly cold silver spies of the chest tassels. It was very comfortable.

Lu Feng made a 'hmm' to show he was listening.

The emotions and memories of the vine were simple things and some couldn't be described with human language. An Zhe searched for some words. "It also wants to have blue flowers. Then… I also hope that there will be birds, butterflies or bees coming over again, pollinating it and then it will bear fruit."

After that, there was nothing to say.

Lu Feng rubbed his hair. At this time, Lu Feng's communicator turned on. He picked up the communicator and An Zhe also looked at the screen. It was a message from the doctor who had already left. "You really won't consider Extract 1014? Your friend really needs you. He needs a guinea pig."

The doctor hadn't given up on his extract. An Zhe smiled as he watched Lu Feng touch a button on the communicator and reply, "No."

The doctor replied, "Why is your attitude so indifferent? Isn't night vision a good thing? Don't you need it? Every time you go to the Abyss, I'm worried about your safety. If you are injected with Extract 1014 then I'll be able to relax."

He was speaking the truth.

Lu Feng wondered, "Aren't infrared glasses easy to use?"

"Then you can consider Extract 1015. It is pure black membrane wings. The average wingspan is 4.3 meters. You can fly and it is very handsome. I sincerely hope you can experience the feeling of gliding in the air."

"Are you considering it?"

Lu Feng answered, "No."

The doctor responded quickly and the resentment in his rapid typing could be felt across the screen. "Times have changed, Mr Judge."

"You have to forget the theory of human lineage, let go of the stereotypes in your heart and embrace foreign genes."

Lu Feng's response was still simple and indifferent, "Thank you."

"You aren't right. Do you need psychological counseling?"

"There is no need."

"You're hopeless!" The doctor even issued an exclamation. Then came the message, "When will you be cured of your bloodline and moral cleanliness? You once banished yourself but you haven't come back yet? I want to pour extract on you."

Obviously, the doctor was in a bad temper. He was always like this after the promotion of his extract failed.

Lu Feng still looked calm as he replied, "I am normal."

"Choose one of 1014 and 1015 and I will believe you."

Lu Feng, "……"

"Look, you are hopeless."

Lu Feng frowned slightly. After a long time, he typed out one word on the interface and sent it. "Ugly."

There was a brief silence.

The doctor, "……"

The doctor, "……"

The doctor, "……"

The doctor told him, "You're truly good."

Lu Feng let go. An Zhe held the communicator and watched with a smile. He thought the doctor should've known—he had already guessed it a long time ago.

After the 'Bell', many people voluntarily accepted some certified and safe frequencies. Some people grew wings, some people gained the ability of photosynthesis and of course, some had harmless rejections. A few sporadic ones got nothing despite fusing with the frequency.

However, Lu Feng refused this type of thing. Of course, the reason wasn't what the doctor mentioned. Lu Feng didn't care about the pedigree of his bloodline being contaminated by monsters. The real reason was simple.

Lu Feng thought that these monsters, or heterogeneous species, were very ugly. He could coexist peacefully with the humans in the research institute who had fused with other genes but letting him grow something else was impossible. He was disgusted.

An Zhe put the communicator aside and looked up at Lu Feng's face. The angle was just enough to see all the details. Lu Feng had an unforgettable face but few people would look carefully at his facial features. More people didn't even dare look directly at this face.

An Zhe thought that his eyebrows and eyes were the best. They were beautiful and bright, like the cold and clean wind on top of the mountains in the Abyss. He reached out to touch the colonel's long, thin eyebrows. When making the doll in the past, Boss Shaw would repeatedly look at the blank head of the doll with only the eyebrows and hair implanted in it and would sigh admiringly.

Further down, there were the narrow and long dark green eyes half-covered by eyelashes. The shape was clear and cool and An Zhe could vaguely see his own reflection inside. An Zhe felt that if a human looked like this, he really had the qualification to abandon all things ugly.

Looking down at the communicator, the doctor's latest message was, "Then do you mean I don't look good?"

The colonel didn't reply.

An Zhe turned back to look at Lu Feng and leaned into Lu Feng's arms again. He didn't know why, he just wanted to do this. He was a bit groggy. Lu Feng drew him closer and asked, "What's wrong?"

An Zhe shook his head. Then he suddenly remembered a question. He stared at Lu Feng and didn't speak.

An Zhe was a mushroom who often went to bed early and woke up early. His eyes were black and white, bright and clear. Now it was different from its usual peacefulness. There was an extra layer of fog and wetness.

Lu Feng bowed his head and got closer. He heard An Zhe whisper, "I am also a heterogeneous."

"Yes." Lu Feng stated. "A little heterogeneous."

"Do you think mushrooms are ugly?"

"You are fine." Lu Feng replied. "White looks good."

"What if I was a grey mushroom?"

"It's good."

"What about a black mushroom?"

"Also good."

"What about colourful mushrooms?"

"Hmm." Lu Feng looked at him with no expression. "I'll give you a white mushroom to eat."

This person had a characteristic. The more he made fun of people, the more serious he looked. Thus, An Zhe was also expressionless as he said, "I'll eat you."

Lu Feng laughed softly and picked him up, changing An Zhe's posture. Lu Feng was originally holding him sideways and now they were facing each other.

An Zhe fell forward like he was boneless, just barely touching Lu Feng's forehead. It was unusual. He still had bones but at this time, there was a feeling of laziness in every bone. He didn't back away. Lu Feng's nose was high, causing him to feel a bit itchy. Thus, he rubbed against it before burying his head in Lu Feng's shoulder.

Lu Feng hugged him and rubbed his head. He also seemed to smile as he hugged An Zhe tighter.

The communicator turned one and off, on and off again. Dr Ji was still tirelessly sending out messages of slander. Lu Feng glanced at the doctor's angry words, remembered the previous conversation and turned to An Zhe.

He asked, "Are my moral standards high?"

"Eh?" An Zhe didn't understand for a while. He thought about it and answered, "You're a good person."

"Oh."

An Zhe felt that his answer might've been a bit perfunctory and added, "You're very good to us."

Lu Feng asked, "How about to you?"

"To me…" An Zhe mused. "Sometimes you aren't so good."

"You can answer it again."

An Zhe couldn't speak and Lu Feng laughed again. His small laugh caused his chest to tremble slightly. An Zhe was very close to him and could feel it. Lu Feng didn't speak anymore, so An Zhe started to think.

Naturally, Lu Feng was good to him. He would inevitably get injured in the Abyss. Sometimes, he only had a bit of blood on his arm and Lu Feng's attitude when treating it made him feel that he had broken an arm. If An Zhe wanted to do something, he wouldn't stop it. If An Zhe didn't want to do something or didn't agree to do something, even if this rarely happened, Lu Feng wouldn't ask for it.

However, this man often bullied him regarding small matters. This man had revealed his essence from the moment when he arrested An Zhe.

Lu Feng was also good to Dr Ji, although the two of them seemed to sarcastically argue every day. Then what about other people? Naturally, there was nothing to be picky about the way Lu Feng treated them.

If the institute encountered danger, no matter who was in the room with Lu Feng, Lu Feng would inevitably let that person leave first and he would face the danger alone. If someone asked for help, Lu Feng wouldn't refuse.

Still, it was limited to this. He wouldn't have any superfluous conversation with anyone other than Polly if it wasn't for work. The relationship between people in the institute was actually very harmonious. It was common to tease and make fun of each other. There were also many peaceful conversations and cooperation. However, the Judge obviously didn't join in.

An Zhe thought that the colonel had been standing at a distance to protect people for so long that he had forgotten how to integrate with them, or he had never learned it at all. An Zhe told Lu Feng, "You can also lower your requirements for yourself a bit."

"How to lower it?"

An Zhe knew what Lu Feng wanted to lower and replied, "I'll think about it."

"Okay."

Lu Feng's voice was cold but seemed to have a laugh in it. It was a very young voice.

An Zhe thought that he was a mushroom who had just joined human society to a certain extent and still had a lot to learn. However, the same was true for Lu Feng. That's why An Zhe said, "For example, if you want to be friends with people at the institute, you can eat with everyone and bring them fruits when you come back from the outside."

This method might not be suitable for Lu Feng. He was just giving an example that Lu Feng would understand.

"I don't want to." Lu Feng stated. "I eat with you and bring you fruits."

"That's different."

"Huh?" Lu Feng used the nasal tone that was common when teasing An Zhe. "How is it different?"

An Zhe didn't want to talk to this person so he bit Lu Feng's neck. It seemed to hurt so he gave a kiss after the bite to make up for it.

Lu Feng's voice contained laughter. "You're right."

An Zhe always felt that he and the colonel had been talking about different things from the beginning. He wanted to raise his upper body to rub against Lu Feng's face. Thus, he placed his hands on Lu Feng's shoulder and leaned back a bit.

At this moment, his body softened for no reason. He almost couldn't stabilize himself and he planted forward. He planted himself on Lu Feng's body.

Lu Feng supported him. "What's wrong?"

An Zhe shook his head. He couldn't describe how he was feeling now. Lu Feng reached out to touch his forehead but found nothing. An Zhe held onto his shoulders, gasping for breath and unable to use any strength. He muttered, "I am uncomfortable…"

"Where are you uncomfortable?"

An Zhe wrapped himself around Lu Feng. It was difficult to describe his current feelings in human language. It was like… like being called by the season, waiting for something to happen. The last time he had this feeling was when the spore left. Still, this time it was different.

Was he going to make a new spore again and start a round of withering and rebirth? No, that wasn't right. Currently, he just wanted to be close to Lu Feng. Lu Feng took this hand. The colonel's hand was very cold but the next moment, An Zhe realized something. Lu Feng's body temperature was normal while he himself was very hot.

He rubbed against Lu Feng's shoulder, shaking his head and closing his eyes. Then he saw some blurry scenes in front of him.

Wind. The summer wind blew from the south of the Abyss. The jungle was a dark green sea that undulated in the wind. The new leaves of the vine also shook gently this summer. Summer was its flowering period. In the gap between the leaves, the snow-white flowers grew like mushrooms emerging from the soil after the rain. The petals dotted the sky.

Then wait. What was he waiting for? Waiting for the birds, waiting for the butterflies. What would the birds and butterflies do?

An Zhe grunted uncomfortably. The source of the problem was the vine. He had ignored Lu Feng's warning and ate the juice from the fresh vine, causing these strange symptoms to appear. It was just like how he fell unconscious for three hours after eating the potato's genes.

Lu Feng raised An Zhe's head and patted his cheek gently. "An Zhe?"

An Zhe was sober but he couldn't control his body. Lu Feng lifted An Zhe slightly away to check his condition, making An Zhe very uncomfortable. An Zhe continued to lie on Lu Feng while whispering, "The vine…"

"Does it hurt?"

An Zhe pulled done the soft vine hanging from the corridor to in front of him. "The vine."

Lu Feng held An Zhe and was slightly relieved. An Zhe's present appearance didn't seem like he was in pain. Lu Feng patted An Zhe's back. An Zhe hummed and thrust himself back into Lu Feng's arms.

Lu Feng glanced at the flowering green vines hanging down like a waterfall. Beyond the vines were the white institute buildings. Fortunately, it wasn't far from their residence. There was a faint floral fragrance in the wind that was always present. At this moment, there was also a fresh, almost scentless smell. It was like the small of grass and white flowers after the rain. It was like a growing mushroom. After a few rainy seasons, it became the mushroom's own breath.

The Judge let out a rare sigh. He held An Zhe's shoulder and made An Zhe look at him. Fingers tightly clenching the fabric of Lu Feng's sleeve, An Zhe raised his eyes, wet eyelashes covered with tiny drops of water.

"You are a mushroom," Lu Feng told him. "You can't just eat anything."

An Zhe looked at the vine. There was no vine more normal in the world than this but it still made him very uncomfortable. Only being close to Lu Feng could relieve it, just like the vine waiting for a butterfly.

He frowned and glanced back at Lu Feng. Lu Feng also looked down at him. Then he was picked up.

"Will you remember this time?"

The author has something to say:

He will really remember it this time.

Then I strayed into ABO setting and turned off the lights. That's all for tonight.

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