Die Before the Masses

Chen Dafeng remained as swift and unyielding as ever. He charged forward alone, cutting through the crowds, his path guided by the command center as he headed toward the southern district where Qin Dashan was located.

Since Chen Dafeng had left the gathering zone, the city was overrun with man-eating fungi. On the streets, outside the buildings, and all around various structures, the once dormant dark-green fungi had sprouted thick vines. Countless tendrils lashed out like tentacles, thrashing wildly in the night. These vines seemed to be searching for nourishment, and the fungi that connected them had grown even larger than before.

The fungi coating the streets had become thick, soft, and treacherous, like snow in the far north. When Chen Dafeng stepped, it felt as though his foot was sinking into the deep, freezing snow. Unlike before, the fungi weren't rigid; they had become unusually pliable, almost as if waiting for him to step down.

With each step, Chen Dafeng could feel thousands of tiny, hair-like fibers wrapping around his leg, twisting and wriggling in an attempt to burrow into his skin and veins.

"Hmph!"

He sneered, unfazed by the mutated fungi. His physical strength was enough to withstand a missile, so a mere fungi was hardly a threat. However, his companion, Wu Qing, was stumbling along behind him, wincing in pain with every step.

Chen Dafeng glanced over at him. Wu Qing's calves were already covered in blood, and every step seemed like walking through a battlefield, pain evident on his sweat-drenched face.

"Useless," Chen Dafeng muttered under his breath, before turning his gaze to the distance.

At the gates of the gathering zone, several rescue teams had gathered, their first task being to clear the mutated fungi blocking their exit. Despite Wu Qing's struggles, he was an A-class fighter. To survive in this infected zone, one needed at least A-class strength. Anyone weaker would be walking to their death the moment they stepped onto the fungal streets.

"Move faster!" Chen Dafeng barked, then unsheathed his short blade with a sharp "clang." The blade, barely the length of his forearm, was black and glistening with an ominous sharpness—an A-class combat tool.

"Swish! Pfft! Pfft!"

Without a glance back, Chen Dafeng swung his blade, cutting down the attacking vines from the surrounding buildings. When facing these fungi, a blade was far more effective than fists.

The greenish fungal liquid splattered across Wu Qing's body. Before he could react, he felt a crushing grip around his neck, and suddenly his whole body was lifted off the ground.

"You're so slow!"

Chen Dafeng had grabbed Wu Qing and was now flying through the night, carrying him toward the southern district. With each step, Chen Dafeng launched himself several meters into the air, effortlessly traversing the high-rise buildings like Spider-Man, never once touching the ground.

The attacking fungi, trying to ambush them from all sides, were either crushed under his foot or sliced apart by his blade. They continued their pursuit, but Chen Dafeng cut a clear path through their ranks.

Wu Qing, who had lived most of his life on the ground, couldn't handle the altitude. His face was pale, trembling with fear, but he remained silent, gritting his teeth as he clung on.

"You're tougher than I thought, not screaming for help," Chen Dafeng remarked with a smirk, his tone still calm but with a slight hint of approval. "Keep it up. If you do well tonight, you might not have to follow me anymore."

Chen Dafeng had no tolerance for cowards, but he did appreciate those with grit. He thought Wu Qing's silence was a sign of bravery, unaware that beneath his calm exterior, Wu Qing's eyes flashed with resentment—stronger than before.

At high speed, they soared through the night, and in about ten minutes, Chen Dafeng stopped on a rooftop balcony. Wu Qing, still disoriented, was just beginning to look around when a deafening explosion shook the air.

"Boom!"

A surge of fire lit up the night sky, and thick white smoke billowed into the air. Wu Qing startled, quickly looking down and seeing a group of fully-armed soldiers in the southern plaza, gathered near a tank and several military vehicles. The explosion had come from the tank's cannon.

The target? A colossal plant occupying most of the plaza. Nearly a hundred meters tall, it was covered in massive vine-like tendrils that looked like serpents. It was a terrifying sight, its body so enormous that only its front half was visible above the darkness, towering over the surrounding buildings like a monster straight out of an anime.

"Is this something straight out of an animated series?" Mike muttered to himself, staring at the monstrous plant with wide eyes, unable to fully process the reality of the situation. "It's too ridiculous to be real."

The soldiers, led by Qin Dashan, were relentlessly firing, but the bullets barely left a scratch on the enormous plant. Only rockets and heavy artillery could inflict any visible damage, creating scorched marks along its thick body. Yet, the plant's rapid self-healing was undeniable, as countless tiny fibers began repairing its wounds almost immediately.

"We can't stop it with just this firepower," said one of Qin Dashan's officers, anxiety in his voice as he surveyed the plant with binoculars. "We should retreat. The reinforcements should be on their way."

Qin Dashan's response was cold, his grip tightening around the communicator. "Tank commander, switch to armor-piercing rounds, prepare to fire again."

He nodded briefly at the officer. "We can't leave. Don't forget what the chief said: we're here for disaster relief."

"If we retreat now, what happens to the people in the southern district? What happens to the civilians here?"

His tone was quiet but firm. "We know there are other regions with the same problem. We can't just wait for reinforcements. We need to deal with this ourselves, or we'll only add to their burden."

"Can we really handle this on our own?" the officer asked, doubt in his voice.

Qin Dashan remained calm. "It's slow-moving, and we've already drawn its attention."

He pointed off to the left. "There's an abandoned gas station, repurposed by the locals. They've stored enough oil there to last them a month. We'll use that to our advantage."

The officer's eyes widened with realization. "You want to use us as bait—"

Qin Dashan's expression remained stoic. "We'll set it ablaze. If the fungi can't handle the heat, then we'll have a chance. If not... we die here, protecting the people."

He paused, then added, "At least we'll have done our duty."

With a roar, the tank fired again, and a blast of fire lit up the night. The armor-piercing round struck the plant, leaving a deep wound, but it quickly began to heal.

"Fall back 500 meters!" The officer's voice rang out as the soldiers began to retreat in an orderly fashion, maintaining fire as they slowly moved toward the gas station.

Meanwhile, Wu Qing, staring at Chen Dafeng's back, growled through gritted teeth, his voice low and raspy.

"Chen, are you going to make a move or not?"