Chapter 117: The Transformation of the Mushroom Head (Third Update)

While the north of Lain was engulfed in blood and fire, giving birth to an epic saga worthy of legend, the eastern forests of Lain remained serene, as if a fairy tale were unfolding there.

“Ah, ah, ah...”

Among the dense thickets, eight mushroom-headed creatures emitted adorable low-pitched sounds as they steadily climbed toward the top of a tent in the Hundred-Men Camp.

After nearly three weeks of growth, these mushroom heads had undergone significant changes.

Spurred by the curiosity of a young deer, these little beings no longer had just two nostrils.

They had finally grown small eyes that could perceive light and tiny toothless mouths to taste the dew.

At the same time, their white, tender bodies—resembling mushrooms—had sprouted small human-like hands, while their lower halves still bore two forked root-like feet.

Holding hands, they nudged and leaned curiously toward the side of the tent, moving with a charming independence even under the watchful eyes of several humans.

Watching these mushroom creatures, each no taller than twenty centimeters, several young women from the Hundred-Men Regiment showed expressions of excitement, nearly overwhelmed by their cuteness, and began commenting animatedly.

“These little guys are just too adorable! I feel a tingling all over; I simply can’t handle it—they’re just too cute.”

“I want to scoop them up and play with them.”

Deng Ziya, a twenty-seven-year-old newcomer from the National Research Institute, voiced her longing with an eager cry.

Seeing her friend so enthused, Lin Ling smiled wryly and teased, “I’ve realized something—Ziya, your name really doesn’t match your personality.”

Lin Ling laughed, and the three other women nearby nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, Ziya is such an elegant, literary name. I imagined someone quiet and refined would bear it. But look at the Ziya before us! Haha.”

“Exactly! I think the name Lin Ling suits Ziya perfectly. What do you all think?”

“Agreed!”

The playful banter didn’t offend Deng Ziya; instead, it made her laugh.

“Okay then, from now on I’ll be called Lin Ling, and Lin Ling will be Deng Ziya. Haha, let’s switch names, sisters.”

As she spoke, Deng Ziya bumped Lin Ling’s shoulder and made a cheeky face.

Lin Ling responded with a gentle smile.

“All right, Ziya, don’t be so wild.”

“Our purpose isn’t just to watch these little fellows at play,” Lin Ling said seriously, “but to meticulously record their development.”

At her words, a female researcher beside her immediately chimed in thoughtfully.

“Indeed, their changes are astonishing.”

“At first, these creatures were scarce throughout the forest, lacking hands, eyes, or even tiny mouths.”

“We can attribute their bodily transformations to the blessing of the divine deer.”

“But in such a short time, their numbers seem to have doubled. Walk a little distance, and you’re bound to find several.”

“I can’t figure out how they reproduce.”

“That’s not hard to guess,” Deng Ziya said thoughtfully. “Since they resemble mushrooms, maybe they reproduce through spores, like fungi do.”

“That’s possible, but without concrete evidence or instrument data, it’s hard to confirm.”

Lin Ling replied, then added, “Most of these little creatures stay rooted in the soil. Maybe they reproduce by dividing their bodies, like how potatoes sprout from pieces.”

“Perhaps they use their root-like legs to propagate.”

“I’m not just speculating—look at that one among the eight mushroom heads; one of its legs looks a bit damaged.”

Deng Ziya pointed to the mushroom head in the middle.

Indeed, its root-like leg was noticeably shorter than the others’.

At that moment, all five researchers present felt this hypothesis held considerable weight.

Still, it was only conjecture; those limbs might have been injured by deer trampling.

With that, the five began deeper discussions and speculations.

Just as they were engrossed, Professor Qin suddenly emerged from a nearby tent.

“Professor!”

“Sir!”

They greeted him eagerly.

But Professor Qin merely nodded slightly, his gaze not lingering even on the eight charming mushroom heads, his face clouded with worry.

Sensing something was amiss, one of them spoke up first.

“Professor, what’s wrong?”

With a sigh, Professor Qin did not conceal his concerns.

“The northern front is not going well. Just last night, there were heavy casualties. The Parliament is already in uproar.”

Hearing about military losses, the group’s expressions grew somber.

Unlike ordinary people, they were privy to all the secrets of Lain.

If the Parliament was arguing, it meant many had perished.

“Do we know how many died?”

Deng Ziya’s earlier playful demeanor vanished, replaced by unease.

Professor Qin exhaled slowly, then shook his head with a faintly reassuring smile.

“Not too devastating—about 483 soldiers were lost in last night’s battle.”

“Only?”

Though he spoke lightly, his mood was far from easy.

Nearly five hundred military deaths in peacetime was no small matter.

And this was despite Lain being prepared, with concentrated firepower.

Such losses were unacceptable, especially since the alien creatures had no firearms and were mostly limited by dimensional boundaries.

As a result, Parliament was debating granting the northern military temporary authority to deploy nuclear weapons.

Many lawmakers even advocated unrestricted expansion of nuclear arsenals, to be deployed immediately whenever dimensional rifts appeared.

Thus, the Parliament was embroiled in endless discussions and disputes.

“All right, don’t dwell too much. The northern rift revealed nothing but an ocean. Even if we win the friendship of Ling Xiao, it won’t help us much.”

“Our main priority now is to establish effective communication with Ling Xiao. Even if it can’t help us fight the Black Sea Rift directly, we must at least try to get it to enhance our soldiers.”

“It’s frustrating—we have no idea when we’ll break through the communication barrier. Language difficulties and interference from the deer herd leave us at a loss.”

“We can only hope to find a chance to approach the two human infants Ling Xiao somehow acquired.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t take too long. Otherwise, Parliament might resort to extreme measures...”