As the troops at the base began their breakout, Jun Tesi and Tang Xiao, who were mixed into two different teams, immediately followed the crowd and ran for their lives.
They fled in completely opposite directions—Jun Tesi was responsible for drawing the most firepower, joining the troops heading toward the coast, which was the very direction the King of Mushroom and the massive beast horde had chosen to attack. Meanwhile, Tang Xiao carried a body on his back and ran alone toward the volcano.
Once the groups had gained some distance, Jun Tesi abandoned his motorcycle, relying solely on his legs to run. His speed quickly surpassed even the vehicles, and he gradually veered off from the main force, breaking out at a slight angle.
The troops escorting the civilians were momentarily stunned. Before they could even react, they saw the massive horde of aberrant beasts completely ignoring their large group and instead, under the King of Mushroom’s command, charging straight after Jun Tesi.
As expected, this was the right direction.
The moment Jun Tesi activated his ability to accelerate, the King of Mushroom sensed the familiar energy fluctuations. Feeling reassured, it did not recall the other pursuit teams as a precaution but instead led the main force of aberrant beasts to chase after Jun Tesi.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Tang Xiao, carrying a corpse on his back, blended into the crowd, drawing puzzled looks from the other desperate refugees. However, no one had the time to ask questions. Taking advantage of the moment before the mutant beasts reacted, they swiftly crossed the craters left by the Apollo blasts. The heat from the explosions hadn’t dissipated yet, but thanks to the soldiers with coolant guns clearing the path ahead, the vehicles could pass through, and the civilians weren’t reduced to charred husks.
Luckily, the mutant beasts pursuing their group were the fewest in number, and the escorting troops could still manage for now. However, the bad news was that they were heading into an open wilderness with no safe zones. Their only option for survival was to take a detour through dangerous terrain and regroup with the other teams.
Tang Xiao took a deep breath and adjusted the ropes binding his load, ensuring the body wouldn’t slip off.
Jun Tesi’s body was now wrapped in white cloth and strapped to his back. From a distance, it looked just like he was carrying a corpse. The surrounding people instinctively kept at least two meters away from him.
His behavior was certainly strange, but in this apocalyptic world, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Without much effort, Tang Xiao successfully integrated into the breakout team.
At this point, half of his plan had already been completed.
Jun Tesi was merely bait, successfully luring away the King of Mushroom and the bulk of the mutant beasts. Only a small number still pursued them, and the armed forces escorting the civilians could barely hold them off.
Tang Xiao’s plan was actually quite simple. First, he used his blood to inform the King of Mushroom that he was still inside the base. As expected, the King of Mushrooom instinctively reacted by gathering all nearby mutant beasts to lay siege.
This gave the Apollo warheads a chance to shine. Tang Xiao had contacted the Third Eye and struck a deal. The Third Eye coordinated with the base’s higher-ups: once the mutant beasts outside reached a critical mass and showed signs of attacking, the base would immediately send a signal and launch the Apollo missiles. At the same time, the defending troops would break out along the three impact zones.
Naturally, these three breakout points had been prearranged by Tang Xiao and the Third Eye.
Now, all he needed to do was find an opportunity to slip away toward the volcano alone and complete the final stage of his plan.
The team advanced one kilometer, then two.
Due to the uneven terrain, the motorcycles soon became useless, forcing many people to abandon their vehicles and continue on foot.
To everyone’s surprise, they had expected Tang Xiao—who was carrying what looked like a dead body—to be the first to collapse and become the initial casualty. Yet, despite the long distance, his pace remained steady, and even his breathing barely grew heavier.
Constitution: 99. Body in peak condition. Lifespan: 120 years.
He was no longer the weak, frail university student who could die at any moment.
In the game, he had completed advanced evolution and stat allocation. Now, he was someone who could carry over a hundred pounds and run a dozen kilometers cross-country without breaking a sweat.
But at that moment, the mutant beasts that had been tailing them finally lost patience. A long wolf howl echoed from the rear.
As if responding to the signal, the avian mutant beasts circling in the sky suddenly dove toward the fleeing crowd.
“Aah!”
A man running with his head down was snatched up by the sharp beak of a black raven. Before anyone could react, he was flung high into the air— Then plummeted back down.
Smack!
His head shattered like a watermelon, red and white splattering everywhere.
At that moment, the other civilians instantly panicked. The armed troops raised their guns and fired into the air, but their shots had difficulty hitting the airborne targets. Desperate to survive, most people started running in all directions, and the team showed signs of collapsing.
Opportunity.
A sharp glint flashed in Tang Xiao’s eyes. He gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the urge to act, and instead seized the chaos to sprint toward the volcano without looking back.
In this disorder, no one had the attention to spare for someone slipping away from the group, and the mutant beasts were drawn to the larger crowd.
No, wait—there’s one.
Tang Xiao looked up and saw a gigantic vulture that hadn’t been lured away with the others. Its sly eyes remained locked onto the humanoid bundle on Tang Xiao’s back, as if it had set its sights on his cargo.
His heart sank slightly, and he quickly dashed into the forested area.
As expected, the forest was eerily silent, devoid of the usual vibrancy of spring. Most of the mutant beasts had been mobilized by the King of Mushroom, creating a temporary safety vacuum.
The bad news was that the giant vulture was still circling above, clearly unwilling to give up on its prey.
Still, this deviation was within acceptable limits.
Tang Xiao glanced at the rewards he had drawn in this round:
Blue-tier items: Luck Card, Healing Agent, Substitute Doll, Small Bomb; Purple-tier item: Gene-Edited Hybrid Potato Blueprint; Gold-tier item: Aegis Shield – 30 minutes of invincibility; Junk items: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Laundry Detergent
A ten-pull never disappoints. Though four of the items were practically useless, the blue and gold-tier ones were perfectly suited for this situation.
Tang Xiao took a deep breath and used a Luck Card on himself. Then, without paying any further attention to the vulture stalking him from above, he focused all his strength on running toward the volcano.
Just as he was sprinting through a sparsely wooded area, he suddenly tripped over a tree branch and fell to the ground. A gust of wind rushed from above—he looked up just in time to see the vulture’s talons slashing toward him in an ambush.
The attack missed. The vulture flapped its wings and retreated back into the sky, its eyes still greedily locked onto Tang Xiao, filled with hunger and desire.
“...” Tch, still not giving up?
Tang Xiao first checked his knees to confirm he wasn’t injured. Then, he shifted Jun Tesi from his back into a horizontal carry in his arms. The posture was far more inconvenient for running, but there was no other choice—he had to ensure that Jun Tesi wouldn’t be snatched away by the vulture.
Struggling, he continued running forward while keeping the vulture in his peripheral vision, remaining on high alert.
Should I use the gold-tier item? Thirty minutes of invincibility—it was cutting it close. The volcano was still nearly nine kilometers away. With his current agility stat of 99, if he pushed himself, he might just make it in time.
Stopping to fight or changing direction were both out of the question. He had no idea how long Jun Tesi’s body could survive under the King of Mushroom’s relentless pursuit. If Jun Tesi died now, the King of Mushroom would immediately realize the decoy was a puppet and launch a full-scale search for them.
Time. That was what they lacked the most.
Tang Xiao exhaled sharply, shifting his gaze away from the gold-tier item and instead focusing on the blue-tier Substitute Doll and Small Bomb.
Maybe it’s time to take a risk.
By relying on his near-superhuman agility, Tang Xiao dodged several more vulture attacks, gradually picking up on a pattern. The vulture was highly cunning—it targeted areas where the forest was sparse or when its prey showed an opening before launching its strikes.
That means its next attack will be—
Tang Xiao looked at the small hill ahead, gritted his teeth, and quickly redeemed the Substitute Doll and Small Bomb. Taking advantage of a blind spot, he stuffed the bomb into the doll’s body. Then, using the hill’s elevation, he leaped into the air.
For a brief moment, his body was suspended mid-air.
The vulture, having locked onto its prey, saw this as the perfect opening and dived down without hesitation.
Tang Xiao cleared the hill. As soon as he heard the sound of wings flapping overhead, he threw the Substitute Doll high into the air without looking back.
The doll’s unique trait instantly captured the vulture’s full attention. Its target shifted in an instant—it spread its beak wide and swallowed the doll whole.
The next moment, an orange-red glow erupted from the vulture’s abdomen. With a faint explosion, the massive creature barely had time to let out a miserable screech before plummeting straight from the sky.
Tang Xiao didn’t turn back to check his handiwork. What he hadn’t expected was that the other side of the hill was covered in rocks. When he landed, his foot accidentally stepped on a smooth stone, causing him to slip and fall hard to the ground.
The humanoid figure in his arms was flung out. Ignoring his own pain, Tang Xiao scrambled up from the pile of rocks, crawling over to check on Jun Tesi.
Fortunately, Jun Tesi was still clutching the white cloth and didn’t have any visible wounds. Only the lower half of the cloth had been torn by the rocks, making it unusable.
Tang Xiao finally took a moment to assess himself and quickly realized that his right ankle was most likely broken.
At least there were no open wounds or bleeding.
His expression remained unchanged as he checked his HP. Determining that he could still make it to the volcano, he immediately activated Pain Suppression, then tore off a strip of Jun Tesi’s white cloth. He found a sturdy branch, secured his injured foot, and re-tied Jun Tesi’s body to his back before continuing toward the volcano.
Jun Tesi couldn’t help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
At this moment, the scene felt eerily similar to when he had once carried Tang Xiao, desperately fleeing outside the Third Eye base—except now, the danger was even greater.
There were more mutant beasts, and he was far weaker than before.
Jun Tesi didn’t even know what he was doing anymore. He had been hiding within the crowd, waiting for the armed troops to weaken the beasts before making his move—that would have been the best way to last longer.
But the thought of Tang Xiao fighting so desperately to protect the last surviving humans in this apocalyptic world made Jun Tesi act on instinct. He had deliberately drawn away the King of Mushroom and the mutant beasts’ attention.
Now, with only one arm and one leg left, Jun Tesi silently focused on regenerating his right leg first. But this time, his healing was noticeably slower.
This sub-body is reaching its limit.
But not yet.
Jun Tesi thought of Tang Xiao, still fighting his way toward the volcano from another direction.
I need to lead them farther away. Even farther.
The more distance he could create, the safer Xiao Xiao would be. Jun Tesi firmly believed that Tang Xiao would make it to the volcano.
Forcing every last drop of energy from his body, Jun Tesi’s right leg finally regenerated, forming a structure similar to a cheetah’s. He squeezed the remaining oxygen from his abdomen, instantly converting it into raw power. His speed soared, and in a final burst, he broke through the encirclement of beasts.
Not far away, the King of Mushroom watched this unfold and let out a cold smile. Pointless.
It was precisely because Quintus was fighting so desperately that the King of Mushroom had no doubts this was his real body. After all, it understood its own offspring’s potential better than anyone. By forcefully pushing Jun Tesi into an accelerated evolution state, it had deliberately placed an insurmountable barrier within his evolutionary path. His body was already on the verge of collapse.
At first, the King of Mushroom hadn’t wanted to push too hard, in case Jun Tesi panicked and swallowed the key in desperation. But after watching his repeated attempts to flee, the King of Mushroom finally understood.
Though I do not know why, it seems you hold an unnatural attachment to food.
A deep, ancient voice suddenly echoed in Jun Tesi’s mind.
Jun Tesi stiffened, instinctively suppressing the urge to respond. Without looking back, he dodged attacks from the sky and the swarming beasts behind him, remaining silent.
The King of Mushroom didn’t mind. Victory was already assured.
“Why struggle so hard?” the voice continued. “If you truly wish to live, why not devour that human? Your instincts should have already told you what to do.”
A razor-sharp wind blade sliced through Jun Tesi’s knee, sending him crashing to the ground. He tried to stand. But his body’s regenerative ability had finally reached its limit. He couldn’t heal anymore.
Is this… the end?
The mutant beasts gradually formed a tightening encirclement, with the King of Mushroom walking toward the center at a steady pace.
Before Jun Tesi could stand, brown mycelium shot up from the ground, piercing through his body and pinning him in place.
"Cough, cough..." Jun Tesi struggled, but the brown mycelium dug in deeper, locking his joints in place like blades slicing through his chest cavity, precisely seizing the very thing the King of Mushroom desired.
The King of Mushroom’s expression changed. The mycelium withdrew from Jun Tesi’s chest, pulling out a blood-soaked piece of cloth.
‘Heh... Haha…’
It instantly understood—it had been tricked again. Enraged, yet laughing in cold amusement, it sneered, ‘Let's see how long you can keep running.’
“You wouldn't understand,” Jun Tesi murmured, lifting his gaze to meet the King of Mushroom’s. “I won't be ruled by instinct, because I’ve found something more important—something you will never have.”
The King of Mushroom knew Jun Tesi was answering its earlier question. As it ordered the remaining beasts to turn back, it let out a mocking chuckle. “You mean... love?”
Jun Tesi said nothing.
“The humans' research has scrambled your mind.” The King of Mushroom’s gaze swept over Jun Tesi—disheveled, but still stubbornly maintaining a human form. “You imitate them, trying so hard to be one of them, but no matter how much you pretend, you will never be human. We will never understand their obsession with sacrifice, just as they will never understand our way of survival.”
“This is the divide between our species.”
“No matter how much you disguise yourself as human, you will never truly become one.” The King of Mushroom’s voice was calm, almost pitying. “A lion may resist eating meat, but that doesn't change the fact that its diet is meant to include flesh.”
“I pity you, my child.”
Jun Tesi’s drooping mycelium trembled slightly. Then, using the last of his strength, he snatched back the blood-stained cloth from the brown mycelium——and detonated the miniature explosives inside his body.
This was Tang Xiao’s final contingency plan.
Hmph. You don’t get even a single drop of Xiaoxiao’s blood.
Jun Tesi thought with certainty. They will make it. They will reach a happy ending. Even if it means going to the underworld together.
When Jun Tesi opened his eyes again, he saw Tang Xiao’s back in front of him. The man was standing ahead, bending down to roll up his pant leg.
The wind atop the mountain was fierce, but Jun Tesi didn’t immediately process his surroundings. Instead, his gaze was drawn to Tang Xiao’s ankle—swollen, bruised purple and blue, standing out sharply against his pale skin.
“Xiaoxiao…” Jun Tesi’s heart clenched. He instinctively tried to stand. “You’re okay—?”
But the moment he moved, he collapsed, his body completely unresponsive.
…Is my body this broken already?
No—something’s off.
Jun Tesi blankly stared at the small puncture marks on his wrist—marks he knew all too well. They were the traces of an inactive agent injection.
“You’re awake.” Tang Xiao turned his head, his black hair disheveled and tousled by the wind. His glasses were long gone, revealing sharp, striking features beneath. “You really held on for a long time. You did great, Jun Tesi.”
“Xiaoxiao…” For some reason, a sense of foreboding crept into Jun Tesi’s heart as he looked at Tang Xiao’s face.
Something is wrong.
And then he noticed— He couldn't smell the sulfurous stench of rotten eggs that should have filled the air near an active volcano.
Jun Tesi knew volcanic terrain better than anyone—he had once leapt into a volcano to escape the King of Mushroom and nearly died in the process.
Something’s not right.
Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, Jun Tesi lifted his head. Just that small movement drained him completely. But at last, he saw the inside of the volcano. And there——was nothing but solidified, cooled lava.
This was a dead volcano.
Jun Tesi stared blankly at Tang Xiao. He didn’t understand.
Tang Xiao’s gaze followed Jun Tesi’s to the inside of the volcano.
Getting here had not been easy. Fortunately, after dealing with the giantized vulture, he didn’t encounter any more mutant beasts. Meanwhile, Jun Tesi had been focused on controlling his sub-body to lure the King of Mushroom away, so he hadn't noticed anything unusual about the volcano.
Jun Tesi had done everything he could to stall for time—until Tang Xiao arrived. That was when he finally regained consciousness.
And just as Tang Xiao had expected, the volcano… was exactly as he had anticipated.
“Xiaoxiao… what’s going on?” Jun Tesi’s voice trembled slightly. He had a feeling—a dreadful suspicion—but he refused to believe it. His eyes locked onto Tang Xiao’s, stubborn and desperate.
“…I’m sorry,” Tang Xiao said calmly. “That newspaper report… was from a few years ago. This volcano has already died. It’s a dead volcano now. It won’t erupt again.”
“That’s fine,” Jun Tesi said immediately. “Then let’s find another place. Right, that base—the one with human equipment. A crematorium or something. Maybe the temperature there would be high enough to burn everything away.”
“We can’t go back,” Tang Xiao replied, voice steady. “The King of Mushroom is already on its way.”
He turned, limping toward Jun Tesi. Seeing the confusion in Jun Tesi’s eyes, he gently took his wrist between his fingers. “An inactive agent takes thirty minutes to fully activate. It’s only been ten. No matter how much you struggle, it’s useless.”
“No one understands your body better than I do.”
Because it had taken countless experiments to achieve—cold, precise results.
“Xiaoxiao…” Jun Tesi knew now. His golden-orange eyes locked onto Tang Xiao, overflowing with sorrow and pleading for the first time.
Tang Xiao’s hand faltered. He couldn’t help but lift one hand to cover Jun Tesi’s eyes, while the other reached into his pocket——and pulled out a dagger.
“Jun Tesi,” he said, forcing his voice to remain steady, “devour me.”
“No.”
Tang Xiao sighed softly. Then, without hesitation, he cut a piece of flesh from his own arm——and forced it into Jun Tesi’s mouth.
“...” Jun Tesi immediately felt the foreign object. And the moment he realized what it was, his mind went completely blank.
But his body pushed to the brink of collapse, betrayed his will. Tang Xiao pried open Jun Tesi’s mouth and saw it—fine, hair-like mycelium, instinctively extending to absorb nutrients.
Of course he had noticed it before. During all their time on the run together, Tang Xiao had seen it. Whenever Jun Tesi was severely injured, whenever he was on the verge of breaking down—his body would desperately crave sustenance and nourishment.
And every time, Jun Tesi had suppressed it through sheer willpower. He had never let himself show a hint of aggression before Tang Xiao.
Except in bed.
But now, under the effects of the inactive agent, he could no longer suppress his instincts. The mycelium moved on their own, consuming whatever entered his mouth.
Tang Xiao deactivated his pain receptors. Expression calm—almost cruelly so—he cut into himself again. And again. Forcing the pieces into Jun Tesi’s mouth.
Then, suddenly— Tang Xiao felt something wet against his hand. He pulled back instinctively, eyes widening slightly.
Tears. Jun Tesi’s tears.
…But mushrooms weren’t capable of crying. No matter how perfectly Jun Tesi mimicked human form, he had never shed a single tear. Not even once.
Tang Xiao had always assumed Jun Tesi simply hadn’t imitated that function.
But now, tears traced the contours of his face, mingling with the blood at the corner of his lips. His inhuman, golden-orange slit pupils gazed at Tang Xiao—overflowing with love, and the hatred and despair that inevitably followed.
He did not want to devour his beloved. But his beloved had given him no choice. Even his own body had given him no choice.
Tang Xiao’s lips trembled slightly. But there was no turning back. He hardened his resolve——and drove the dagger into his own chest.
A crimson bloom blossomed across his torso. And with it——Jun Tesi’s last hope was shattered.
He watched as his beloved took his own life before his eyes.
Deep, consuming despair surged up from the depths of his soul, creeping through every inch of his being. All their past moments—their joy, their sweetness—all of it twisted into nothing but pain.
“Jun Tesi…” Tang Xiao, watching his own HP rapidly drop, leaned in close——whispering into his ear. “…I’m sorry. I broke my promise. I didn’t want you to die”
If this world were truly real— If he were not just a player.
Maybe he really would have been moved by the idea of a lovers' suicide.
But he had another world. He couldn’t bear the thought of Jun Tesi dying, of everyone in this world perishing—leaving only himself alive in reality.
I’m sorry. If this were truly just a game, if he hadn’t realized that it was real.
Maybe he really would have chosen a lovers’ suicide ending.
But there was no if.
“Devour me… don’t be afraid. You have a world.”
“This world is so beautiful.”
Your world is no longer confined to that tiny laboratory. You have walked through mountains, crossed rivers, and seen an endless sky.
And so, the world has unfolded before you.
Your life as a mushroom is no longer defined by love alone.
That dark, suffocating little laboratory—just treat it as a nightmare. One that you never have to return to.
The world will crown you. You will become the new King of Mushroom—stronger than any before you.
“Xiaoxiao…”
Jun Tesi murmured, voice trembling. Before his consciousness was completely swallowed by instinct, he instinctively pulled Tang Xiao into a tight embrace—just like he always had.
But the mycelium—the ones beyond his control—began to weave over Tang Xiao’s body, enclosing him. The two human figures vanished. In their place——stood a massive golden-red cocoon.
The King of Mushroom, having arrived at full speed, let out a piercing shriek at the sight. Its brown mycelium surged forward, attacking the cocoon with reckless abandon, desperate to consume it—Only to crash against a golden barrier.
Aegis Shield – 30 minutes of invincibility.
A golden item Tang Xiao had been reluctant to use before— Activated just before his death. A final defense, blocking the King of Mushroom’s attack.
Lovers' suicide, burning a body—it takes time. Evolution—it takes time too.
Tang Xiao had told Jun Tesi: luring the King of Mushroom away, buying time, was to burn his body. But in truth—It was to buy time for Jun Tesi to evolve.
Tang Xiao remembered— Back when Jun Tesi first hunted him, he had been afraid of external interference. So he had kidnapped him from the Third Eye before attempting to devour him.
Maybe some things… had been destined from the very start.
The King of Mushroom howled in fury, its attacks hammering against the golden shield. Mutant beasts under its control relentlessly threw themselves at it as well—But the golden shield stood firm, immovable as a mountain. As time passed—The mutant beasts suddenly began to tremble. Even under the King of Mushroom’s orders, they whimpered and hesitated, too afraid to attack. Sensing something was wrong, the King of Mushroom tried to flee— But its body refused to obey. It froze in place, its outer layers splitting apart, inch by inch.
At some point— A crimson fungal carpet had spread across the ground surrounding the cocoon. Like a sacrificial altar. Any mutant beast that stepped upon it—any part of the King of Mushroom itself—melted into blood, sinking into the earth.
From within the cocoon— A human silhouette began to take shape.
[You have unlocked CG: Birth of a New King.
Description: The old king has perished. The new king has ascended.]
[Congratulations on completing the main storyline.]
[Warning: The King of Mushroom, Jun Tesi, is losing favorability towards you. Azzzz…]
The game interface stuttered—then flickered with new lines of text. The screen glitched—then refreshed with another notification.
[Warning: The King of Mushroom, Jun Tesi, is experiencing an increase in corruption.
For your safety, the game is temporarily shutting down. Save and load functions have been locked. Main storyline rewards will be issued upon the next game session.]
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