When Qian Bufei received the doctor's report, he was in the midst of discussing with the camp leaders how to accelerate their progress. They had a crucial mission to capture the port, and if they couldn't quickly clear the path, their subsequent strategies would be affected.
Qian Bufei spoke gravely to the assembled leaders, "Our understanding of this mushroom forest is still too limited. If we knew more, we wouldn't be in such a panic. However, helicopters in the sky can't get a clear view of the forest's conditions. It's hard to say if anything else is hidden within the forest."
In warfare, intelligence is paramount. Without sufficient intelligence, it's difficult to cope with unexpected situations once the battle begins.
Just then, a doctor from the makeshift hospital arrived at the command post and recounted what had happened.
Upon hearing this, Qian Bufei could only respond helplessly, "You should go back now. Tie up these infected soldiers and find a way to treat them, but be careful they aren't completely taken over. For now, tying them up will prevent them from doing harm."
The doctor replied, "The brain has a blood-brain barrier, making it difficult for most drugs to be effective. I can't guarantee the extent of their recovery. I can only say I'll do my best, and the final outcome will be up to fate."
Among the organs and tissues in the human body, the brain is the most vital. Once the brain is damaged, death is certain, without a doubt. To protect the brain, not only is there the skull, but also the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier means that the transport of substances between the blood and the brain is not arbitrary; there is a barrier. Generally, lipid-soluble substances can enter the brain more easily.
The existence of the blood-brain barrier is also to prevent various substances in the blood from entering brain tissue. However, this barrier is not perfect. If a lesion occurs in the brain, it is not easy for drugs to enter.
At this moment, mycelia are growing in the brains of the infected soldiers. If this continues, the fungus's reproduction will be almost unstoppable.
Because of this problem, the doctor has no solution for the fungus in the brain. Antifungal drugs are not unavailable; current technology has many targeted drugs for fungi. However, the affected area of the patient is critical, located in the brain where drugs are difficult to penetrate. Furthermore, the fact that mushrooms are growing from their heads at this moment proves that treatment is very difficult.
After the doctor left, a leader looked at Qian Bufei and asked, "We've reached this point, shouldn't you use your ability now? If you use your ability, you can surely resolve the crisis caused by the mushroom forest."
Qian Bufei smiled wryly and said, "Enough. My ability can only be used as a last resort. More importantly, this environment is not suitable for me to use my ability. Unless the rainy season arrives early, the effect of my ability won't be very good."
"The rainy season is still months away. If only this year's rainy season would come early." Everyone felt helpless. With over thirty thousand people blocked outside the mushroom forest, their advance was hindered. Waiting for the rainy season would mean wasting several more months.
Qian Bufei stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go find Fengshen now and see what's going on. Logically, there shouldn't be any danger in areas where mushrooms haven't grown, but this situation is truly strange."
The leaders nodded and continued to handle their documents, while Qian Bufei quickly went to Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan's tent. He didn't enter directly but cleared his throat softly, "Ahem, Mr. Shen Feng, are you available? I need to see you about something."
Shen Feng was indeed awake. He had heard a voice approaching him without any attempt at concealment. Living in the wilderness, Shen Feng was highly vigilant. Especially after hearing the other party's voice, he knew that the person must have encountered a difficult situation.
"What is it? Do you have to find me in the middle of the night!" Shen Feng gently moved Chu Chaoyan, who was resting on his arm, and then went outside.
Being woken from his sleep, Shen Feng was deeply displeased. After all, he had been fighting in the mushroom forest all day, and they wouldn't even let him rest at night. This was clearly excessive.
Qian Bufei quickly said, "Mr. Shen Feng, I have a serious matter to discuss with you. We've discovered people being parasitized by fungi. Under these circumstances, we must rely on your strength to investigate this matter, so I apologize for the inconvenience."
Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and said, "Let's go. Take me to see the place. I'll see what's unusual."
Qian Bufei then led Shen Feng towards the eastern area the doctor had mentioned. It was a valley. Due to its lower latitude, spring had arrived here, and many flowers had bloomed on the ground. Shen Feng and Qian Bufei were fully equipped in protective suits, so they couldn't smell the flowers.
Shen Feng looked up at the sky. In the mountains, there was no light pollution, so the stars were twinkling in the sky, creating a beautiful scene. If he could have nestled with Chu Chaoyan here to watch the stars, it would have been a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, Qian Bufei was beside him, and Shen Feng lost all interest.
Qian Bufei squatted on the ground and dug, finding nothing. Logically, within the mushroom forest, mycelia should be growing underground. However, there were no mycelia here, indicating that this was not within the mushroom forest's range. This location was two kilometers away from the mushroom forest, a considerable distance that should have been quite safe.
Shen Feng closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something. Seeing Shen Feng's actions, Qian Bufei quickly asked, "Mr. Shen, have you discovered anything?"
A few minutes later, Shen Feng slowly opened his eyes and replied, "I have indeed discovered a problem. Most people might not feel it, but at night, there's a west wind. This wind has passed through the mushroom forest, carrying spores from the forest. Spores are very small and can travel long distances when carried by the wind. Therefore, when those infected soldiers came here, whether they ate wild fruits or smelled flowers, they ingested the spores."
Qian Bufei's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. "If that's the case, then nothing around the mushroom forest can be eaten. But we've been eating wild vegetables for the past few days... this..."
Hearing this, Shen Feng's face also changed. "I ate wild vegetables before too. Could there be spores on these vegetables? Could it be that I've also been infected?"
Shen Feng hadn't thought about it carefully before, only believing that things in the forest were inedible, whether plants or animals. But at this moment, Shen Feng suddenly realized a problem. The mushroom forest couldn't move, but the spores could. Wind is formless and shapeless. Who knows where the spores in the forest have been carried? It's possible that the wild vegetables he ate contained mushroom spores.
Upon realizing this, the two quickly returned to the camp. Without a word, they began scanning their own heads. Shen Feng also woke Chu Chaoyan from her sleep and had the doctor scan her head. Ultimately, nothing was found.
However, almost everyone in the camp had eaten wild vegetables. Now, even if they had to check the crowd, they had to check everyone. Although it was late at night, Qian Bufei couldn't afford to wait. He immediately instructed everyone to scan their brains. Indeed, mycelia were found in the brains of a few people, though not severely. During this time, they had only felt slight headaches, which they had previously attributed to mild altitude sickness. Now, it seemed their brains had been parasitized by mycelia.
Qian Bufei said gravely, "Since we've discovered that spores can fly everywhere with the wind, then all food in the surrounding areas is inedible. This time, no major incident occurred because the wild vegetables were cooked thoroughly, and any spores were killed. From now on, all food must be transported from Tengchong, and all food must be stored in sealed containers. Raw food is strictly prohibited."
Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan also felt a sense of lingering fear. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. If they had truly been infected by spores, it would have been too tragic. Even for ability users, the brain is an absolute weakness. Once the brain is attacked, they would likely be in trouble. Fortunately, nothing happened at this time.
Chu Chaoyan couldn't help but say to Shen Feng, "Ah Feng, this place is too bizarre. I want to leave now."
Just thinking that she could be parasitized by fungi at any moment, with a large, colorful mushroom growing from her head, and then, most terrifyingly, being controlled to kill indiscriminately, Chu Chaoyan felt an inexplicable fear.
Shen Feng felt the same way. Previously, even when facing hundreds of millions of zombies or numerous mutated beasts in the mountains, Shen Feng hadn't felt as troubled as he did now. This was because previous enemies were generally visible and tangible. Now, it was different. The mushroom forest was visible and tangible, but the spores within it were indistinguishable. Once ingested, they would parasitize the brain, eventually turning them into something like the wild yaks.
Shen Feng frowned and pondered, saying as he thought, "The mushroom forest can't be without any weaknesses. There should be ability users who can deal with this mushroom forest. Can we set it on fire? No, these mushrooms are not easily ignited. Mushrooms have high water content, and the area is too vast."
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan remembered something important and quickly said, "Right, didn't you say that insects can eat these mushrooms? I heard you say that Long Qian, the captain of the Tianlong Bureau in Yanjing, can control insects. He can control all the insects in Yanjing City, so his ability must be very powerful. Why don't we find him?"
Long Qian was indeed the captain of the Tianlong Bureau, but that was in the past. Shen Feng had been too ruthless before, colluding with ability users from the Qinghong Gang to kill more than twenty people. In the end, only three people from the Tianlong Bureau successfully escaped. Under these circumstances, the Tianlong Bureau had to declare dissolution, and Long Qian's whereabouts became a mystery.
Shen Feng thought this was a good idea and immediately told Qian Bufei about it, saying, "Use insects to destroy the mushroom forest. The insects can reproduce continuously after eating the mushrooms, and eventually, the mushroom forest can be dealt with. Even the mycelia underground have ants that can burrow into the ground."