Little Mushroom

On the communication channel, Polly Joan's voice was heard.

"The stable frequency has covered the entire world. Please don't worry about material distortion."

"The Underground City Base has received it." The operator's voice suppressed his excitement. "I might not know what you did but thank God, thank you."

The news kept coming.

"The Northern Base is still defending." It seemed that someone else had taken Dr Ji's position and it was a young voice.

Then there was news from the Underground City Base.

"The transport formation has landed."

"Asking the survivors of the Northern Base to indicate your location."

"Starting the break through."

They were still picking up the full moon in the water.

The sun gradually rose and in the howling cold wind, the winter sun was dazzling without any traces of temperature. On the test tube rack, the glass sparkled and there seemed to be another heartbeat in the still air.

The residents, the latecomers, the heterogeneous, the military officers—they just stood in front of the communication channel, waiting, waiting for news of the Underground City Base's rescue and the situation of the Northern Base. Even the vine that was guarding the institute stretched a branch through the window.

There were occasional whispers.

"How many people died?"

"Uncle Shu is dead. The body is downstairs."

"Where is Tang Lan?"

"I didn't see him."

The breakout and counterattack began. No one made any reports on the communication channel and everyone held their breaths while waiting.

In the quiet tension, Polly Joan got up from the computer. His steps faltered, whether it was because of his age or emotion. There was a squeak as he pushed open the door and first stared at the extinguished Simpson Cage. Everywhere outside was full of blood and corpses but the Simpson Cage was clean. Immediately, he shifted his eyes forward.

Outside the laboratory door, the black figure half leaning against the wall raised his head. The pair of eyes seemed empty, like a green ocean covered by 10,000 years of ice. They just saw each other and knew each other's identity.

Polly Joan's grey-blue eyes were full of sorrow.

"Child," he spoke gently.

Lu Feng didn't answer and looked down at the piece of paper that Polly Joan was holding. Polly's fingers trembled slightly and he flattened the paper with a few words written on it. An Zhe's handwriting wasn't beautiful but the points were simple and clear, like a lake in spring.

"Polly, thank you for your care. I'm the inert sample of the Northern Base and my frequency might help you. If not, sorry. Also, please remember our agreement."

Polly Joan asked, "Is he really that inert sample?"

"The sample is part of him." Lu Feng's fingers took the white note, his voice slightly hoarse. "What did you agree on?"

Polly replied, "If one day, the Northern Base's judges come here… just say that An Zhe has left."

Lu Feng's eyes turned red. Then heavy footsteps were heard behind him. It was a dark-skinned Indian man. Rum held An Zhe's backpack and silently handed it to Lu Feng. There were some things neatly packed in the backpack. The base's monthly magazine, a silver cross star badge and a black gun.

Lu Feng's fingers grasped the backpack and he lowered his head, staring at the contents inside but not seeing them clearly.

"He was picked up by our people on the Abyss… he was a good boy and did well here." Looking at the other person, Polly whispered, "I know the base couldn't hold him. Did you always know he was here?"

Lu Feng's eyes finally moved from the backpack to Polly Joan.

"I didn't know," he said.

Polly Joan's eyes were trembling and they closed in pain. "I'm sorry."

The unexpected reunion was the last farewell. There was such cold torture in the world. The cold wind blew through the top of the mountain. After a long silence, Lu Feng asked, "Where is he?"

"The Simpson Cage is a high-energy field and collider. Any matter entering it is blown to pieces by a stream of high-energy particles. I think you saw it."

The backpack fell to the ground and the barrel of the gun reached Polly's temple. Lu Feng's cold eyes stared at Polly.

"Where is he?" He repeated the question, all emotions erupting at this moment and there was a vague madness in the cold eyes. He was like a prisoner already sentenced to death, but he had to confirm his sentence over and over.

A sad smile appeared on Polly Joan's lips. His loving eyes stared outside the window and he knew that he needed to give a good faith lie, despite them both knowing everything. "His frequency was sent all over the world and he will save everything from distortion. He is right next to you, he is everywhere."

Lu Feng stared at him like this. They were deadlocked until there was a bang. Lu Feng's fingers trembled as he released the gun. Once the gun landed on the ground, it banged against the iron railings of the corridor and stirred a long metal buzzing.

"I'm sorry." Lu Feng's voice was hoarse. "I…"

He closed his eyes, clenched his fists and didn't go on.

"No need." Polly gazed at him with pity. "You can shoot me, you can vent your emotions at will, child."

"Thank you." Lu Feng spoke hoarsely. "If he was still here then I would."

This was the calmest and most desperate thing Polly Joan had ever heard.

They stood side by side in the corridor in the middle of winter until the bloody sunset swept across the mountains and the Abyss, until a voice was heard from the communication channel in the laboratory. Over the current sound, an excited shout was heard.

"Low tide—low tide!"

"The beast tide is dispersing."

"The breakout was a success."

Cheers of victory rang out from the channel. The words celebrating victory were mixed with sporadic messages. For example, the airborne troops of the Underground City Base sacrificed over 600 people. For example, the true number of survivors of the Northern Base was a few hundred. For example, there was a request asking what the institute had found.

Sadness and joy overlapped slowly, despair and hope went hand in hand. Everything was lucky, everything came with a price. There were the sacrifices of countless people, the sacrifice of one person.

A line of tears flowed slowly from Polly Joan's eyes. Suddenly a cloud of white floated over from Lu Feng's shoulders and fell on Polly's clothes. It stretched out white mycelium and touched him.

"What is this?" Polly held it and asked.

Lu Feng explained, "The inert sample. His most important thing."

Polly Joan naturally knew who Lu Feng was referring to. There was only one 'him' between the two of them. He stared at the white mycelium and reached out to touch, the mycelium gently wrapping around his fingers. Polly whispered, "Why did it take the initiative to come to me?"

"I don't know."

"This is an asexual spore, a fungal breeding body." Polly mused. "He never told us what species he was. So he is—"

Looking at the spore, Lu Feng said, "He is a mushroom."

His voice was hoarse but there was endless pity and tenderness. "He is just… a little mushroom."

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