Nightmare Points +56

Nightmare Points: 525

Robots, drone armor, and a few pitiful elite agents—after removing the worthless drones, Lin Feng completed all the mission objectives.

A short while later, Hong Linggui cautiously peeked out from the cliff, scouted the area outside, and quickly retreated. As expected, the agents brought high explosives and placed them around the fallen boulder.

Just then, Lin Feng, who was in a good mood, suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and abruptly checked his status.

"Mutant E virus (Phase 1): The mutant mold is obtaining nutrients from your cells, preparing for secondary transmission."

"Mutant E-virus Infected: You have gained special regenerative abilities."

"Mutant E-virus consciousness: Mold is taking over your nerves, and it's eager to spread."

"The Curse of the Unformed Coprophagite: Feeding..."

"Don't come any closer!" Lin Feng immediately stopped the Taoist priest from approaching: "Viral infection."

The Taoist priest was startled and checked his own condition. However, in the blink of an eye, he saw the Taoist priest take a few steps back and create an illusory protective barrier around himself.

He is not infected yet.

Lin Feng understood the meaning in the Taoist's eyes, and then he saw the Taoist point forcefully at the destroyed drone mech on the ground.

He shone a light in the direction of the drone and saw several mycelia wriggling like earthworms emerging from the drone's chest, constantly spitting out tiny spores into the air. Several of these spores drifted toward his uninfected skin and visibly pierced into it.

"Whatever, this thing seems different from the last one." The Taoist priest walked over, his protective aura easily isolating all the powder. He leaned closer and looked at the raised roots under the skin of Lin Feng's hand.

"It's a new virus." Lin Feng could clearly feel the wriggling sensation under his skin, like insects tearing through his flesh, trying to further take over his body.

"Hongling!"

Lin Feng retreated from the spore area, and Hong Linggui's sinister claws burrowed into his arm along the growth of the virus.

With an invisible roar, Lin Feng looked at the fungal hyphae that had been torn from under his skin, his eyes red.

The remaining nanomedical robots in his body appeared on the wound along with the blood. After a brief healing, these nanomedical robots expelled particles that were growing into hyphae through the wound.

“It’s no use…” Lin Feng stood at the end of the first level of the mine pit, feeling the slight wriggling inside his arm, a shadow falling over his heart.

They were all wearing filter masks. The Taoist's mask was mechanical, shaped like a half-sphere. His mask, however, was a supply provided by Louis; it was highly effective at filtering out impurities in the air and could also be connected to an oxygen cylinder, providing oxygen for two hours.

Based on previous data, they had taken precautions, but reality was completely different from the predictions. This virus could invade cells on its own and no longer needed to enter the human body through the respiratory system.

Moreover, in that short time, Lin Feng saw the viral strains spreading on the wall. They could even draw nutrients from the soil to reproduce, and in their lush areas, tempting mushrooms grew.

This... is at least a mutated virus that combines the characteristics of three or four different superviruses.

"We're retreating."

Lin Feng's arm began to tremble involuntarily, and within those few seconds, a lingzhi-like growth appeared on the back of his hand.

Suppressing his discomfort, Lin Feng slashed open the flesh and tore the mycelium out along with its roots.

"Mutant E virus (stage two): The mutant mold is thriving in your body after it has obtained enough nutrients."

"Mutant E-virus Infected: You have gained a very special regenerative ability."

"Mutant E-virus consciousness: Mold has taken over your nerves, and they are forming an independent consciousness."

"Unformed Curse of the Coprophageater: Consuming the mutated E virus complete. Current effects: Stamina +1, Spirit +1, Virus Adaptability +1"

Viral adaptability...

In other words, he had become a breeding ground for the virus.

Lin Feng looked down at the moldy roots protruding from his arm. Compared to the fleshy Ganoderma lucidum that had just sprouted from his skin, it seemed more pleasing to the eye now.

Without saying a word, Lin Feng arrived at the second level of the mine. As soon as he had a firm footing, he abandoned the idea of ​​activating the demon curse.

Both demonic curses and dark rituals involve sacrificing physical strength in exchange for power. If he does this, it will cause his physical condition to decline, and he may instantly lose his resistance, giving the virus an opportunity to take advantage.

As a result, he was unable to effectively use the amplification until the mission ended.

"Taoist..." Lin Feng had just opened his mouth when the Taoist priest who had been following him interrupted him, saying, "This humble Taoist has three plans to save you."

Lin Feng was speechless, but he patiently waited for the Taoist to speak one by one.

"The best course of action is to alter fate, using the power of cause and effect to temporarily suppress the virus." The Taoist priest raised his chin high, then suddenly lowered his head and sighed, "But this method has many requirements; it requires the birth dates and times of two people."

"So, you probably don't know your own birth date and time, right?"

Lin Feng nodded. His family didn't believe in these things, and he only remembered that his elders said he was born in the morning.

"Then the second strategy, hehe~ the Great Art of Disintegration, which achieves liberation by destroying the physical body and letting the primordial spirit leave the body... cough cough, this humble Taoist can protect your soul and free it from the shackles of the physical body, so it will naturally not be bothered by this little virus."

"What is the third strategy?" Lin Feng asked directly, accompanied by the sound of an explosion overhead.

The Taoist shrugged, dodging the dust falling on his head, and said with a hint of helplessness, "The third strategy is not very technical. I see that your head has not been infected yet, so why not abandon your lower body and go back to get a new body after the mission is over?"

"Whatever. In my opinion, you should choose the method of disintegration. Whether you are resurrected or rebuild your ghost path, it is a good option. If that doesn't work, you can find someone to cultivate a clone that is exactly the same as your current one."

The Taoist priest's words did make some sense, but Lin Feng did not make a choice immediately.

With 12 hours left until the mission ended, he didn't know if he could make it through, but he was prepared to give it a try.

Regardless of whether the Taoist priest can protect his soul, Hong Linggui can also protect his soul from dissipating in the remaining time, so this body can be utilized before it is ruined.

As the virus penetrated deeper, the upper cave was opened by the robots. Lin Feng heard footsteps approaching, propped himself up, and twisted the limbs within his flesh and blood as he walked towards the ambush site on this level.

The first to come down was still a drone armor, but before it could take more than a few steps, the gravity trap destroyed its legs.

Then more than ten drones flew in, forming a long line, with one left at the elevator for communication relay, as they explored the cave.

This time, the Taoist priest was in charge, with Hong Linggui as his assistant. After the other side used machinery to scout out the traps, they retreated together to a wall that was about to collapse.

Lin Feng detonated the last few grenades to destroy the wall and followed the Taoist priest to the next floor.

The mine has four levels. This time, the collapse was not caused by a huge rock at the entrance, but by a large amount of rubble and soil blocking the passage.

Furthermore, since it's underground, it's impossible to clear a path with explosives for the time being.

"Whatever, how are you feeling?" The Taoist squatted down beside Lin Feng, looking at the large and small wounds gouged out on the other's arm, as well as a few black mycelia peeking out, and felt quite physically uncomfortable.

Ignoring everything else, Lin Feng dug a clump of mycelium from his thigh and spat out a mouthful of black blood: "I'm fine!"

"You call this nothing?"

The Taoist priest shouted and pointed to the several mycelial clumps on Lin Feng's other arm that he hadn't had time to remove. At that moment, the mycelial clumps seemed to sense the new seedbed and actively extended their tentacles, as if attracted, and reached towards the Taoist priest's palm.

The Taoist priest quickly stopped, and with a chill running down his spine, he chuckled awkwardly, "Whatever, how about I extract your soul right now?"

"No need, I'm fine now." Lin Feng continued to remove a few more tangled clumps of mycelium, stood up nimbly, revealing a cluster of mycelium that snaked up from his neck and covered his jaw.