The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 193

A faint sound seemed to be coming from the left front of the forest.

Almost simultaneously, Lan Jing also turned her gaze in that direction.

By level 11, Han Ning's exploration ability had surpassed that of Lan Jing, who specialized in exploration.

Han Ning gestured for the bees to move in the direction from which the sound came.

About a hundred meters later.

Unlike the large purple mushroom behind it.

Before them appeared a lush, green forest of giant mushrooms.

They also have a height of ten to several tens of meters.

The color of the mushroom cap changed from purple to a lush green like grass.

Bright red stripes crisscross the lush greenery, creating a striking contrast.

Emerald green spores are spewed out from under the large green umbrella-shaped canopy from time to time, like sneezing.

Interspersed among the large green mushrooms are a few large purple mushrooms; green, purple, red... all sorts of colors mixed together, making one feel as if they are in a fairy tale world.

But that wasn't what surprised Han Ning the most.

Below the green mushroom forest, a bunch of people lay sprawled on the ground.

A group of people are surrounded by a huge swarm of mushrooms.

Seven or eight young men and women, dressed in tattered outdoor clothing with down jackets underneath, brandished homemade weapons, but could not withstand the tidal wave of attacks.

The mushrooms that attacked them had a very peculiar appearance.

One type resembles the large purple mushrooms that are found throughout the forest, but they are many times smaller, some only 30 centimeters tall, with a round purple cap on top and a pair of closed eyes peeking out below.

Han Ning wasn't sure if it was an eye or not; all he could see was that the eye-like part looked like this—︶_︶.

It was roughly two tightly closed slits.

Chapter 222 Mushroom Head

The round, purple mushroom cap and the plump, cylindrical stem make it look exceptionally cute.

Not far from the purple mushroom head, there lay a pile of green mushroom heads on the ground. They looked almost identical to the purple ones, except for the color of their tops.

Purple and green mushroom heads lunged at them from all directions, their small mouths splitting into exaggeratedly large jaws as they bit down hard.

Just as a tall boy smashed a mushroom-shaped object away, he was pounced on by another green-capped one. The mushroom-shaped object opened its mouth and swallowed the boy's arm, leaving only a bloody stump.

He let out a short, desperate scream, which was instantly drowned out by more mushroom heads.

A person nearby tried to escape, but the swarm of mushrooms covered them like a carpet and swallowed them up in the blink of an eye, leaving only a few muffled thuds and scattered pieces of cloth.

“These few people…”

Han Ning frowned slightly upon seeing the group of people being attacked by mushrooms in the forest.

He noticed that the faces of two or three people inside looked somewhat familiar.

"Right, they must be students from the Agricultural and Forestry University. Why did they come here?"

Han Ning thought for a moment. In fact, he didn't know these people. He just remembered their general appearance by glancing at their faces when he was at the Agricultural and Forestry University.

He stretched out his claws and made a grasping motion forward.

Huhuhu~

A fierce wind swept through the forest, whipping up a storm of spores that carried the attacking mushroom-headed creatures deeper into the woods.

Only a few survivors remained, standing there in a daze.

Han Ning leaped down from the treetop and transformed into human form.

"Thank you, brother, for saving our lives."

The leader of the survivors, who was also one of the few stronger Awakened in the group, quickly realized what was happening and thanked Han Ning repeatedly.

"Are you students from Bailu Agricultural and Forestry University? What are your names, and why are you here?" Han Ning began to confirm their identities.

“Yes, we are all students from the Agricultural and Forestry University. My name is Lan Qi.” The pale-faced boy nodded.

When he saw Han Ning's face approaching, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"You...you are the mysterious person who kidnapped...no, took Teacher Su away!"

Since Han Ning thought Lan Qi looked familiar, then Lan Qi must have seen Han Ning before.

"answer my question."

"Oh, oh." Lanchi's surprised expression faded, replaced by a bitter look. "We can't survive. We have to go out and find a new habitat and food."

At Han Ning's prompting, Lan Qi recounted their experiences of leaving the Agricultural and Forestry University and wandering along the way.

Putting aside his experiences before coming to the mountains, ever since Han Ning last caught a fleeting glimpse of the teachers and students of the Agricultural and Forestry University on the southwestern edge of the mountains.

They have been struggling to survive.

To Han Ning's surprise, they were not exploited by the military along the coast, but the military also did not provide them with any additional assistance.

Because most of the team members are ordinary people, survival in the apocalypse is extremely difficult, and they rely entirely on a few awakened individuals, led by Su Mingke, to keep going.

About ten days ago, the area along the water in the mountain range where they were located was attacked by aquatic monsters, and they had no choice but to move into the interior of the mountain range.

Many people have died along the way.

"Even Su Mingke has become a leader? And that male teacher of yours... who talked to me back then, his name was Zou Yu, right? He was pretty strong, is he dead?" Han Ning asked in confusion.

“He…” Lanqi’s expression became very complicated upon hearing this. “He thought we were a burden and left with some Awakened Ones.”

"Only Teacher Su and the others did not give up on us teachers and students who lack the ability to awaken."

"I understand..." Han Ning sighed inwardly.

In this environment, the complexity of human nature is most evident.

People like Zou Yu, who only act in their own self-interest, might actually live better lives.

"It's dangerous ahead, you should leave. Please tell your teacher, Ms. Su, when you get back..."

Han Ning turned his head and sent a mental message to Xiao Ba.

"Xiao Ba, give me a token that contains your aura, hmm... the purpose is so that when this group of people enters your territory, they won't be attacked immediately."

"Cuckoo~"

The clever little eight understood, and used its front to rummage through the fat belly, pulled out an exceptionally golden hair, and handed it over.

Han Ning handed Xiao Ba's fur to Lan Qi and said:

"If you can't survive, you can go to a place thirty kilometers southeast of this forest... There, someone will take you in, and your Professor Ye is there too."

He felt that Su Mingke was somewhat of a saint, which was not meant in a derogatory way.

From Lan Qi's account, Su Mingke has gone through so much, and she is only kind to those she cares about, showing that she has clearly grown a lot.

Since the gathering area is short of people, he wouldn't refuse if Su Mingke and his group wanted to join.

"Yes, brother, then we won't bother you any longer."

Lanchi was sensible; he took the fur, quickly called his companions, and left.

Han Ning watched Lan Qi and the others stagger and disappear into the woods, then turned to look at the mushroom-headed figures that were quietly gathering again.

After being scattered by the strong wind, these little creatures have now sprung up again from the thick layer of humus like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. They are covered with small purple and green umbrellas, gathered together, and make soft "popping" sounds, as if they are communicating.

"Goo?" Little Eight flew ahead, warily scanning the restless mushroom-headed creatures around it.

"Take two samples back for research."

Han Ning's gaze locked onto a large mushroom-shaped creature with an exceptionally bright green mushroom head, and another small creature with a deep purple, almost black, cap.

His fingertips shimmered with emerald light, and two slender yet resilient vines shot out like serpents, entangling the two targets.

"Jiji!"

The bound mushroom head struggled in terror, its short body twisting and turning, its cap opening and closing wildly, spraying out tiny, colorful spore powder, but it was kept out by the natural energy flowing on the vine.

Their ︶_︶-shaped eyes seemed to widen slightly, revealing a deep sense of fear.

"...They're quite good at pretending."

If Han Ning hadn't witnessed the horrific scene of them eating people, he would have been completely fooled by the innocent appearance of these mushroom-like creatures.

He used vines to firmly bind the two largest mushroom heads, and also collected some spores that were spraying everywhere.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual about the mushroom heads around, they left the forest without lingering.

Shortly after Han Ning and his group left the forest.

Outside the mushroom forest, in a relatively sheltered, narrow mountain valley.

A dozen or so wooden huts, built from tattered canvas, wood, and rotten plastic sheeting, stood close together, barely providing shelter from the cold wind and small hailstones.

Young people in tattered clothes huddled inside the wooden house, wrapped in quilts, shivering from the cold.

Most of them were pale and thin, with tired eyes.

"Lanchi! You...you guys are back?"

A similarly thin boy with several fresh scratches on his face suddenly stood up when he saw Lanqi and the others staggering in from the mountain pass and shouted in a hoarse voice.

But when he saw the scattered companions around Lanchi, the light of hope in his eyes quickly dimmed.

Chapter 223 Growing Mushrooms

Back in the settlement, Lanchi and his companions were exhausted, too tired to even stand.

Their clothes were torn in many places by tree branches, and their faces and hands were covered with small wounds. They looked ashen, and deep in their eyes, there was still the fear of witnessing their companions being devoured by mushrooms.

"Um... I'm back." Lanqi replied weakly, his eyes anxiously searching through the crowd. "Where's Teacher Su?"

"They haven't come back yet," one of the companions who stayed behind replied.

No sooner had they finished speaking than a series of rapid footsteps sounded behind them.