"Don't take off your shoes, and don't remove your mask and gloves."

Jack whispered a reminder, then crouched down and used his knife to cut off a piece of the fungus carpet, observing it carefully in his hand.

Normal fungi, like mushrooms, are extremely quiet and peaceful species. They often cannot be observed growing or moving with the naked eye.

But this pink fungal carpet squirmed visibly, and upon closer inspection, you could even find that its surface appeared to have countless tiny, toothpick-like tentacles, constantly wavering and attaching to Jack's gloves, as if they were leeches sucking the blood of their prey...

"What... what is this thing?"

Feeling the slippery sensation in his palm through the glove, Jack's eyebrows almost knitted into a straight line.

"The diary previously said that the fungal carpet can absorb human body tissues, and even devour prosthetic silicone eyes..."

"Thinking about it, Wu Ming, the blood splattered on the walls you mentioned earlier should have been digested by this thing, so the blood appears almost dried."

Speaking of which, Jack turned and asked, "Frost Moon, can you find out details about this thing?"

"Can't find anything."

Frost Moon gently shook her head and answered, "It's not any known type of fungus we're aware of, maybe it's an insect affected by radiation? Anyway, the database has nothing on this."

The two then looked at Yun You, hoping Apprentice Death God could provide an answer as before.

But this time, the little girl also shook her head.

"I don't know either."

This was the truth.

Because through the chip scan, she only received one strange message.

[Information analysis complete]

[The essence of this type of fungal carpet organism is "inorganic", specific type unknown]

"Inorganic..."

Staring at this word, Yun You fell into thought.

She wasn't well-versed in chemistry, but she knew that pure inorganic substances generally do not possess life in the usual sense, nor are they organisms.

If the pink fungal carpet is inorganic, why can it move and behave like an insect?

This is obviously irrational.

"Hey! Don't focus on the fungus now, look at the ceiling!"

Just as Yun You and Jack pondered this, Frost Moon suddenly spoke, interrupting their thoughts.

They looked up, using the purple light from Hacker's electronic eye, to see a faint layer of red gas floating on the mine ceiling.

This thing looked like a thick cloud, covering the entire mine passage, and slowly sinking over time.

Looking at the smoke, the three couldn't help recalling the diary's mention of a certain "mysterious scented gas," its effects seemingly capable of causing hallucinations.

Fortunately, the protective suits were tightly wrapped, and none of them ever smelled its scent, nor did they experience hallucinations.

At least not yet...

However, whether it's the red smoke cloud or the fungal carpet, they seem consciously to gather together, and form a guide path that grows from sparse to dense.

Following this path, Yun You and the others instinctively looked over.

Its end led to a deep shaft where not even light penetrated.

Narrow, enclosed, completely dark... nothing visible, not even any sound, only the "woo" of the wind echoing within.

"Nothing there?"

The three instinctively thought, but soon realized something was wrong.

"Woo—"

"Woo..."

"Woo woo..."

The wind carried other sounds within.

Listening closely, it seemed a bit like... someone was crying.

Without a second thought, Jack took out his powerful flashlight and directed it down the shaft at full power.

The blinding light shone forth, piercing the layers of darkness, and when it reached the location of the sound, it was already reduced to the brightness of a mere candle.

But nonetheless, the three could still rely on the faint light to see the "thing" making the sound.

It wasn't something, but a...

person.

Or rather, a creature with a human form.

He leaned against the wall, using a tool resembling a shovel to tap on the rock wall repeatedly, emitting low growls and sobs simultaneously.

Due to the distance, Yun You and the others couldn't make out his appearance, only barely discern the outline of his body.

A cyan-blue outfit, a red construction helmet, work boots... this was his attire, looking quite similar to a regular mine worker.

But if you looked a few times, you'd find this "worker's" arm was unnaturally long.

It grew from the shoulder all the way to nearly the ankle, then extended at a 90-degree angle forward, its overall length even exceeding the person's height.

This bizarre length made it appear as if it had no bones, able to complete rock tapping movements at angles a normal human limb couldn't achieve.

And the worker's neck tilted back nearly 180 degrees, his head glued to his back—the tears from his eyes flowed down his spine, a sight that made one's blood run cold...

Seeing this eerie scene, Yun You felt her heart jolt and instinctively drew her knife.

But just in that moment of being distracted, the worker suddenly vanished.

He was completely gone.

The blue-clothed worker, along with his whimpering, evaporated on the spot, leaving no trace.

This left the three, whose nerves were already taut, stunned.

"Was it an illusion?"

They simultaneously thought of this possibility. After all, people in Mine 21 experiencing hallucinations was frequently mentioned in the diary.

Hallucinogens cause mental confusion.

Under its influence, seeing things that don't exist... is very normal.

Very normal...

But just as the three were considering whether they might have succumbed to hallucinations, a breeze suddenly swept over their bodies.

Yun You and the others instinctively closed their eyes.

And when they opened them again...

A blue silhouette, seemingly generated from thin air, instantly appeared in the darkness before them.

It was dressed in a wide blue outfit, wearing a worn red hat, wielding a rusty shovel, looking like a regular worker.

But its whole head tilted at an eerie angle, glued to its back... facing away from them, hammering the rock wall with the shovel, yet displaying a twisted expression that seemed cry-like while smiling at them.

"Are you... here... to save me...?"

"Woo woo woo... woo woo..."

It laughed madly, with blood tears in its eyes, muttering in a slurred voice...

"Help me, please help me..."

"I'm in so much pain... I beg you... please help me..."

"Hee."

"Hee hee..."

"If you really can't help, you could come, play a game with me."

"But if you lose..."

"Then become a part of me."

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