At this moment, Qian Bufei finally decided to attack the mushroom forest, as he was ready. Before the battle, he had simulated the course of the battle many times. Then, Qian Bufei took a deep breath and said to Shen Feng, "Mr. Shen, it is time for you to make the first move. Carry out the demolition in the depths of the mushroom forest."
Shen Feng waved his hand and said, "No problem, it's a piece of cake. I'll take my men and set off. You guys get ready too."
To directly attack the mycelial nucleus, one crucial step is to expose it from underground. It is estimated that the mycelial nucleus in the forest is tens of meters deep from the surface. Soil layers this deep would filter out almost any kind of bacteria. To attack it, the mycelial nucleus must be exposed.
Shen Feng led a group of soldiers composed of evolved individuals, carrying their equipment, and set off. This was a significant mission of demolition deep behind enemy lines. Among those present, Shen Feng was the strongest, so such an important task was entrusted to him.
Next, Qian Bufei, along with Chang Haojie and Qu Zhaoqian, departed as the second wave. Before leaving, he instructed Chu Chaoyan and other leaders in the camp, "After we leave, the camp will inevitably attract the firepower of mutated beasts. This mutated fungus is cultivating its brood, so the creatures that emerge from the mushroom forest will definitely be powerful mutated beasts. Your pressure will be the greatest. Although four thousand people have been parasitized and immobilized, you must use the remaining personnel to defend the camp."
After being parasitized by the fungus, the four thousand people initially retained their consciousness. However, once mushrooms grew on their heads, they completely lost their awareness and had to be bound. If they were not bound, these parasitized soldiers would cause trouble. Although the casualties were severe, they had been recuperating for two months, and the soldiers' morale had been restored.
Chu Chaoyan said, "Don't worry. They failed in the mushroom forest before because it was the mutated fungus's home ground, filled with parasitic spores. But now, we are outside the mushroom forest; this is our home ground. Offense might be difficult, but defending against the mutated beasts' attack is quite simple."
Chu Chaoyan had fought alongside Shen Feng for a long time and possessed basic judgment. Defending at this time was not a major issue.
Then, Qian Bufei, along with Chang Haojie and Qu Zhaoqian, boarded the helicopters. There were over thirty helicopters, each equipped with bacteria selected from the laboratory, specifically designed to act against the fungus.
The plan was simple: the front camp needed to hold its ground. Once the battle began, Shen Feng and his group in the mushroom forest would be less of a target and escaping would not be difficult. Moreover, helicopters would later rendezvous with those in the mushroom forest. The controlled mutated beasts would inevitably focus their attention on the camp, and the camp would ultimately face the greatest pressure. However, as long as the camp could hold on, victory would be easily achieved in the end.
The crucial part of the plan was for Shen Feng to successfully lead his men in demolitions at suitable terrain within the forest.
Fortunately, over the past two months, Shen Feng had not been idle but had thoroughly mapped the terrain of the mushroom forest and identified low-lying areas.
Shen Feng led a group of people wearing protective suits through the forest, with various equipment on their backs. Shen Feng said seriously, "The underground mycelial nuclei likely sense our location through their hyphae. Therefore, during our advance, we must avoid one thing: direct contact with the hyphae. As long as we don't touch the hyphae, the underground mycelial nuclei will find it difficult to detect us."
The soldiers quickly replied, "We will avoid the hyphae. We will definitely complete this mission. Please, Lord Fengshen, give us your instructions."
Shen Feng led the soldiers, taking detours through the mushroom forest, avoiding areas where mutated beasts had been previously spotted. They ventured twenty kilometers deep. After the rainy season arrived, the weather conditions were not good, and it rained frequently. Shen Feng and his group endured the falling rain as they made their way.
With the arrival of the rainy season, the mushroom forest became much darker. The increased rainfall caused many mushrooms to rot. Although new mushrooms could grow back at a faster rate, the decaying mushrooms became the biggest obstacle to their advance, making rapid progress difficult.
Shen Feng thought to himself, "What terrible weather. However, it's also fortunate that the weather is bad. If the weather were good, the plan wouldn't be feasible."
The long-awaited rainy season had finally arrived, and the plan was formulated around it. Therefore, even though the group was trudging through the mushroom forest, they did not complain.
The demolition mission could only be carried out by soldiers on foot because the mushroom forest reacted to the presence of helicopters. Once a helicopter approached from the sky, the mushroom forest would become alert, and mutated beasts would attack soon after. Therefore, to avoid attracting the attention of the mushroom forest, Shen Feng had to lead his men on foot into its depths.
Finally, Shen Feng and his group arrived at a low-lying area in the mushroom forest, where there was already some accumulated water. Thirty meters below this point was the mycelial nucleus, and this was the demolition site chosen by Shen Feng.
"Let's get to work. I'll keep watch around here. You hurry up and dig the passage and plant the explosives," Shen Feng quickly instructed everyone. He then used "As the Wind Follows" to maintain vigilance for any anomalies in the surroundings. The soldiers, understanding the urgency, immediately put down their equipment and began assembly.
The soldiers carried high explosives on their backs, but not in large quantities. More of their load consisted of machines for digging soil.
These machines were diesel-powered. After assembly, support frames would be used to stabilize them, and the drill bit would bore downwards quickly. Such equipment was used in geological surveys, and using it for demolition was not too difficult.
"Boom..." As the diesel engine started, the ground in the forest began to vibrate. The hyphae, which were crisscrossed throughout the ground, immediately reacted to the vibration. The hyphae in the surrounding area began to spread towards the source of the vibration, like writhing snakes.
Seeing this scene, Shen Feng could no longer afford to remain hidden. He immediately unleashed his superpower, "Eye of the Hurricane." A whirlwind appeared in the mushroom forest, gradually forming a tornado. The hyphae were inherently fragile, and with the formation of the powerful tornado, Shen Feng directly tore apart the extending hyphae.
The mushroom forest region itself did not experience strong winds, which allowed for rapid growth. However, now, with a tornado appearing in the forest, the strong winds caused the unstable mushrooms to instantly fall. A surrounding area was temporarily cleared.
Upon witnessing this, the soldiers could not help but cheer, "Lord Shen Feng is truly powerful! To possess such strength is truly amazing."
The center of the tornado was surprisingly calm. The group was unaffected by the whirlwind, though Shen Feng's complexion showed signs of fatigue. "Eye of the Hurricane," when fully unleashed, could evolve into a tornado, which was Shen Feng's most familiar move. However, this move had a drawback: it consumed a great deal of stamina.
"Stop your chatter. Finish the mission within half an hour. I can't hold on much longer. After half an hour, prepare to retreat," Shen Feng said irritably.
At this moment, Shen Feng did not want to hear any flattery. The most important task was to plant and detonate the explosives. Maintaining a tornado of tens of meters in scale for half an hour was already an extraordinary feat for Shen Feng.
The soldiers also realized that now was not the time for boasting or admiring the heroic presence of Lord Fengshen; they still had an important mission. Thus, they hurried to dig the hole.
Meanwhile, in the sky in the distance, a formation of helicopters had taken off. They did not approach rapidly but hovered in the air. Qian Bufei saw a black pillar suddenly appear in the mushroom forest, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, and exclaimed, "As expected of Fengshen! He can casually create a tornado. He is truly powerful. This scene is truly spectacular."
Chang Haojie was also quite proud at this moment and said, "Of course. My brother-in-law is the strongest in the world. Who can compare to him?"
Chang Haojie had always believed Shen Feng to be the strongest, and this was what he was most proud of. Hearing Qian Bufei's exclamation, Chang Haojie felt very pleased. Qu Zhaoqian, however, was more rational.
Qu Zhaoqian said seriously, "The City Lord is the fastest in the world, but in other aspects, he might not be comparable to other ability users. For instance, his destructive power is not as great as Gong Changfa's, and his ability to alter terrain is not as good as Europe's Andorf. It is said that the strongest ability user in North America has the best defense globally..."
Before Qu Zhaoqian could finish, Chang Haojie interrupted, "In martial arts, speed is paramount. If you are the fastest in the world, you are invincible. Do you still want to argue?"
Qu Zhaoqian fell silent. He knew Chang Haojie's status in Yuzhou and that he should not contradict him, as he was the City Lord's brother-in-law.
Qian Bufei watched the two youths bicker and sighed inwardly, "Can these two ability users truly help me? Is Shen Feng joking? And what kind of ability did Qu Zhaoqian obtain? Why does Shen Feng seem so confident about Qu Zhaoqian?"
Just as Qian Bufei was feeling perplexed, a loud "Boom" suddenly echoed from the distant forest, sending countless clods of earth flying. At this moment, the tornado had also disappeared. Seeing this signal, Qian Bufei quickly shouted, "Hurry up and move closer. Prepare to pick up Mr. Shen and the others. After picking them up, immediately spray the bacteria."
This was Qian Bufei's third attack on the mushroom forest. His previous two attempts had failed due to underestimation. After two months of preparation, Qian Bufei had gathered sufficient information, and the offensive had now begun.