“Do you know what you're saying?” ‘Tang Chen’ was taken aback by the revelation. His first instinct was to doubt it—after all, it sounded far too absurd.
Wait a minute. If this was true, and Tang Xiao was his counterpart's younger brother, then that meant…?
‘Tang Chen’: …No way.
So when he called him ‘brother’, it was literally just brother?!
Tang Chen kept his expression neutral, as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.
“My mind is perfectly clear. If you didn’t catch it the first time, I can repeat it. My younger brother, Tang Xiao, is the scientist you revere for cracking the zombie mushroom.” Tang Chen repeated himself.
He had his reasons for revealing this information. Cooperation with the local powers was already part of their strategy, and there was no better way to establish a connection than through Tang Xiao’s identity. Personally, if they valued Tang Xiao highly enough, there might even be a chance to organize a rescue mission.
Sure enough, after a minute of silence, a calm male voice came through the isolation chamber’s speakers: “We’re listening.”
Tang Chen slowly recounted the existence of players, how they discovered the ‘game,’ and gave a summary of their actions in response to the disaster in this world, including the full account of Tang Xiao’s disappearance.
To be honest, Tang Chen himself was nervous. He had no idea how this world's Human Alliance would react, but cooperation was essential—without local support, Tang Chen's squad wouldn’t be able to operate freely here.
Half an hour passed. Tang Chen forced himself to remain outwardly calm, but he couldn’t suppress his anxiety.
Finally, the other Tang Chen—who seemed to receive some kind of order—stood up from his seat. For some reason, his expression was extremely strange, a mix of dazed disbelief and the look of someone who just ate expired yogurt.
As he left, a mixed-race-looking man entered. Tang Chen immediately noticed his distinctive gray-blue eyes.
Xiao Bai, a scientist from Third Eye, and a well-known scientist even in the real world.
Tang Chen mentally reviewed the intel they had on Xiao Bai, his nerves easing slightly. Whether in reality or in this game-like world, Xiao Bai seemed to have a close relationship with Tang Xiao—as both mentor and friend. If he was the one stepping forward, it meant they truly valued Tang Xiao, just as they had seen throughout this journey.
And Xiao Bai’s first question confirmed Tang Chen’s assessment:
“Tang Xiao… Is he doing well in that world?”
“He’s doing fine. He has family and friends, just not much fame,” Tang Chen repeated the same answer.
“I see.” Xiao Bai’s expression softened slightly, his brows relaxing and the corners of his lips curving up just a little. “That’s good to hear.”
“Aren’t you curious why he’s not famous in that world?” Tang Chen asked.
“I can guess,” Xiao Bai said. “Research takes time and energy. No matter how exceptional he is, he couldn’t possibly manage both worlds at once.”
“But,” Xiao Bai continued, “he’s my student. As long as he’s alive, his future is limitless.”
Yes, as long as he was alive.
As long as death hadn’t come, nothing was truly over.
In the observation room, Aberk patted Lodge on the shoulder as he silently shook.
Tang Chen couldn’t help but smile. “My brother has a great teacher.”
“No,” Xiao Bai shook his head. “I have a great student.” Then he shifted the topic. “Let’s not dwell on that. Why did he come back?”
“Well…” Tang Chen rubbed his fingers together awkwardly. “I’m not entirely sure, but we suspect he found out that this world was in a dire situation. According to our intel, the new King of Mushroom went berserk and may have become a major threat to humanity here. Our ‘players’ also seem to have all died—they can no longer log in.”
“The King of Mushroom went berserk?” Aberk, still in the observation room, repeated in confusion. “I mean, sure, it took over our base, but the Human Alliance is still operating as usual.”
Lodge frowned as well, sensing that something wasn’t quite right.
“Players…” Xiao Bai murmured thoughtfully. He spoke a few words into the microphone, then pulled up some images on his tablet. “You mean them?”
The screen displayed recent cases of people in the Human Alliance who had suddenly fallen into a coma.
Tang Chen leaned in to look. “Yes, that’s them! They’re not dead?”
“No, just in a sudden coma, one after another. At first, we suspected a new infectious disease, but no tests have been able to determine the cause,” Xiao Bai said.
If they were ‘players’—people who could travel between the two worlds—then their sudden loss of consciousness…
Was it an intentional move to cut off all sources of intelligence from the other world?
Could the goal be…?
A terrible possibility formed in Xiao Bai’s mind. He couldn’t help but ask, “Other than that, is there any other reason he might have come back? Did Tang Xiao leave any messages before returning? Or… was he coming back for someone?”
“Well… he didn’t explicitly say why he came back,” Tang Chen hesitated. “But I did ask his friends. It seems like Tang Xiao might have… gotten into a relationship in the game world. I don’t know if you know them?”
“A relationship?” Xiao Bai’s expression turned odd.
“Yes, apparently he met someone in this world. Honestly, as his older brother, I was too busy with work to even notice when he started dating,” Tang Chen said with an awkward laugh. “But considering he found out about the crisis here, he was likely worried about all of you… and his partner. That’s probably why he took the risk to return.”
“But now, after arriving, Tang Xiao has disappeared without a trace. I’m very worried about his safety. Do you happen to know who my brother’s partner is? He might have gone to find them.”
For some reason, Tang Chen noticed that Xiao Bai’s expression had become even stranger. “What's wrong?” Tang Chen asked.
Xiao Bai's mouth twitched. “No, it's nothing.”
It seemed he had guessed the reason behind this entire chain of events.
If it was that person, then it was indeed possible…
But for Tang Xiao's family, this particular lover might be too much of a shock.
Tang Chen noticed Xiao Bai’s odd expression. His mind turned a few times before pinpointing the source of the emotional shift. “Is there something wrong with his lover’s identity? Don’t worry, our family is fairly open-minded. As long as Xiaoxiao truly likes them, we won’t oppose it. You can just tell me.”
Even if his little brother had fallen for a man, as long as it was his choice, Tang Chen could accept it.
Xiao Bai: “……Alright.”
If it were anyone else, maybe he wouldn't say. But this was Tang Xiao’s family. In the end, they did have the right to know.
He only hoped that after knowing the truth, Tang Chen could still maintain this attitude.
“…Tang Xiao’s lover is…” Xiao Bai closed his eyes briefly, then sighed. "The new King of Mushroom.”
Tang Chen: …?
He looked at Xiao Bai, searching his face for any sign of a joke. But Xiao Bai’s gaze and expression told him—he was completely serious.
Tang Chen's expression went blank for a second.
“But the King of Mushroom? He's human, right?”
Xiao Bai: “No. I'm 100% certain that, biologically speaking, he has nothing in common with humans.”
Tang Chen: …
He took back his earlier words.
Their family's open-mindedness… didn't quite extend this far.
“Memories?” Tang Xiao murmured, pupils slightly contracting.
“Yes.” Jun Tesi whispered softly, golden eyes trembling faintly. He took Tang Xiao’s hand and slowly pressed it against his own temple. “I have inherited Xiaoxiao’s memories, his wisdom, everything…”
“You are inside my body,” he smiled nervously. “I can feel everything about you… especially your warmth.”
“It’s just like you're still by my side.”
How was this possible? Jun Tesi had never shown such an ability before. Wasn't his nourishment DNA?
Could memories and intelligence be inherited through consumption? That wasn't scientific!
A foreboding feeling crept over Tang Xiao. He even wondered if Jun Tesi had lost control again—like he had back at the Threshold Tower. But Jun Tesi showed no signs of mycelium, nor any instability in his human form. Instead, all the sub-entities present seemed to have received some kind of command, as they slowly moved toward Tang Xiao, each pair of golden eyes filled with a familiar, burning emotion.
Tang Xiao instinctively backed away, nearly slipping off the edge of the lab table. But his retreat was blocked as he bumped into another chest. He turned his head—only to find that Jun Tesi had already surrounded him.
“But this warmth,” Jun Tesi continued, his voice sinking, “reminds me again and again of what I did wrong.”
“I'm sorry. But this isn’t your fault.” Tang Xiao couldn’t help but say.
Yet his words seemed unable to reach Jun Tesi. The golden eyes locked onto him. “I didn’t refuse you.”
His collapsing body hadn't been able to resist the primal instinct to survive.
When the perfect nourishment—one that fit him exactly—was delivered to his lips, Jun Tesi’s emotions shattered. He could feel every cell in his body rejoicing. Every mycelium hungrily drinking in the flesh and blood of his beloved.
At that moment, Jun Tesi felt as if he had split in two—his soul screaming in despair while his body surrendered without resistance.
He hated Tang Xiao. But he hated himself even more.
A trembling breath drew closer. Jun Tesi looked up, only to find that Tang Xiao had closed the distance between them once more. A soft kiss landed on his lowered eyelashes. “It's okay,” Tang Xiao murmured. “It was my mistake. It's over now.”
Holding the youth in his arms, Jun Tesi fell silent for several minutes, letting his emotions settle.
“And then, I evolved,” he whispered beside Tang Xiao's ear. “Before, I only extracted genes from the things I ate. Because I was incomplete.”
“Xiaoxiao, do you want to know my true species?” His voice carried a seductive lilt.
Tang Xiao remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod.
“My scientific name can’t be translated into human language,” Jun Tesi said, lifting Tang Xiao’s hand and tracing a symbol on his palm.
There was no reason for his palm to be sensitive. And yet, when Jun Tesi’s cool fingertips touched it, Tang Xiao almost jumped. His wrist trembled slightly as he forced his brain to keep up. He struggled to guess, “…Infinity?”
“Close. A mathematical concept.”
“Mbius Ring!” Tang Xiao blurted out.
“Xiaoxiao is so smart.” Jun Tesi curved his eyes in a smile, rubbing his face affectionately against Tang Xiao’s neck. “That’s my species’ name—Mbius Ring Mushroom.”
“Wanderers that exist across different dimensions of the universe.”
So it was true. Jun Tesi—and the former King of Mushroom—had never actually been mushroom.
They were something new. A higher, completely unknown intelligent species.
Tang Xiao’s mind buzzed. His eyes gleamed as he leaned in. “You came from space? So your drastically shifting genetic sequences were to adapt to extreme, ever-changing environments? What do you mean by wanderers? Do you come from a higher dimension? What are you capable of? Are there more of your kind? Are there other intelligent species like yours in the universe?”
A series of questions spilled out like a machine gun. As a biologist, Tang Xiao’s curiosity was at its peak, making him momentarily forget the strange and ambiguous situation he was in.
Jun Tesi couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile and coaxed him, “Xiaoxiao, do you really want to know?”
He reached out and tapped the corner of his lips. Tang Xiao thought this was a request for a reward, so without much hesitation, he leaned forward and gave Jun Tesi a quick kiss. However, before he could pull away, Jun Tesi cupped the back of his head and deepened the kiss.
What had started as a normal kiss suddenly sent unfamiliar images flooding into Tang Xiao’s mind.
It was… him, sitting on an experiment table, a white lab coat loosely draped over his arms, his face flushed…
ang Xiao was stunned and quickly realized that this was a memory from Jun Tesi’s perspective.
What was going on?
“Material carries information,” Jun Tesi’s husky voice reached him. “The true nourishment for my kind is the ‘life information’ contained in living beings. This includes DNA, the fundamental code of life that humans can detect, as well as things beyond human comprehension—memories, culture…”
“The more complex, long-lived, and intelligent a species is, the more information it carries. That’s our true sustenance.”
“When we kissed just now, Xiaoxiao, I could perceive exactly what you were thinking.”
It wasn’t quite mind-reading, but Jun Tesi could sense emotions in a vague yet undeniable way.
He deliberately said this, lowering his head to brush against Tang Xiao’s chin, licking away a stray drop of moisture.
“Xiaoxiao, are you afraid of me?”
Excitement.
Jun Tesi lifted his gaze and saw Tang Xiao’s eyes shining with curiosity, and he nearly burst out laughing.
Yes, this was exactly how it should be.
Keep looking at me like this.
A soft mycelium snuck beneath Tang Xiao’s clothing, entering that place with practiced ease.
Tang Xiao let out a quiet gasp but quickly noticed the multiple golden eyes surrounding him. Frustrated, he snapped, “Stop creating so many sub-bodies!”
“But they’re all me,” Jun Tesi murmured pitifully, pressing a kiss to Tang Xiao’s chin. “Why not?”
Tang Xiao’s breath hitched, his ears turning bright red. “Just… no.”
With a sigh of regret, the surrounding figures dissolved into white mycelium. Only then did Tang Xiao finally relax, biting down on his wrist to stifle any further sounds.
Jun Tesi replaced Tang Xiao’s hand with mycelium, ensuring he wouldn’t hurt himself.
“Now it’s your turn, Xiaoxiao,” Jun Tesi asked softly. “Why did you choose me in the beginning?”
Tang Xiao’s body stiffened, and he remained silent.
The soft white mycelium had spread across the entire experiment table, transforming it into a cushioned surface.
To answer or not to answer?
No—there didn’t seem to be an option to hide it.
Tang Xiao smiled bitterly. “Because of a game.”
The mycelium tightened slightly. Jun Tesi asked, “Xiaoxiao, you’re a player, aren’t you?”
“So… at first, you chose me because of a game mission?”
Tang Xiao’s eyelashes trembled as the mycelium teasing him left his exposed skin tinged with pink.
Water-like sounds filled the lab.
“…Yes.” Tang Xiao blinked, and a single tear slipped from his dry eyes. The mycelium’s movements faltered for a moment. Jun Tesi bent down, catching the tear. “It’s okay. I’m not angry.”
After all, in the beginning, they had been enemies.
If not for Tang Xiao’s mission, they wouldn’t have crossed paths at all.
It was because Tang Xiao had approached him, had fixated on him, that their story had even begun.
By now, Jun Tesi couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it anymore.
His hands gripped Tang Xiao’s waist, fingers sinking slightly into soft flesh as he leaned down to place a lingering kiss on his sensitive skin.
Tang Xiao’s pupils quivered, his breath growing unsteady.
“Xiaoxiao, did you see me as just an NPC at first?”
“Then, there was that period where you suddenly distanced yourself…”
“…Because I realized I had started to care about you,” Tang Xiao admitted, covering his eyes with his arm. “If this was real, I couldn’t treat you like just another NPC anymore. From that moment on, everything changed…”
Golden eyes narrowed like those of a feline, movements becoming more intense, neurons sparking with excitement.
The white mycelium reformed into humanoid shapes, supporting Tang Xiao as he nearly slipped off the table. But at this point, Tang Xiao had no energy left to care about anything else. His limbs trembled weakly, unable to hold himself up. He was fiddled with by the mycelium. The world around him seemed to spin and blur.
Reaching a critical point, Jun Tesi held him close, his arms wrapping securely around Tang Xiao’s waist.
The young man had gone completely limp, draped over Jun Tesi like a lifeless doll.
The lab’s ventilation system diligently worked to disperse the heat in the room, though in the grand scheme of things, it was entirely unnecessary. Jun Tesi didn’t leave behind any traces—not even a single molecule of scent.
As his breath slowly steadied, Tang Xiao murmured softly into Jun Tesi’s ear, “Since you already know everything about me, what about you? Is there anything you’re still keeping from me?”
Jun Tesi replied, “No, I haven’t hidden anything from you, Xiaoxiao.”
Tang Xiao closed his eyes and let out a soft hum.
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