The Host Emerges! An Unexpected Turn!

"It looks like it's under control," Mike murmured, his eyes glued to the battle between Chen Dafu and the giant man-eating fungus. Chen Dafu was clearly gaining the upper hand. Despite the size of the monster, it was nothing more than a toy in his hands—its death was inevitable, just a matter of time.

"According to what Xiao Ci said earlier, with the tools provided by Chen Dafu, we've already pinpointed Liu Wenbo's hideout."

"All we need to do is wait for the right moment and send someone to destroy it."

Mike pondered the plan that Jiang Xiao Ci had laid out for them, though a vague sense of unease tugged at him.

"Is something wrong?" Mike muttered, running over the details in his mind again. He checked the plan and confirmed it was nearly flawless. To avoid drawing suspicion in Xinchang, Xiao Ci had discreetly deployed a special team, led by Wang Shi, from Jinling. This team included no fewer than twenty survivors, all B-A grade combat talents, each with unique and potent abilities.

Their mission: to infiltrate and destroy Liu Wenbo's hideout.

Once the team arrived at Liu Wenbo's sanctuary, Lu Nianxin, stationed at the Yongren Alliance base, would use her psychic abilities to control Liu Wenbo. If they could hold him for 30 minutes, the team would have the time to destroy the hideout.

Even if Liu Wenbo had set traps in his hideout to fight back, other survivors would be ready to step in. If any of them were infected during the operation, it wouldn't matter—they might even become the new host for the soul plague. Jiang Xiao Ci had considered every possible contingency.

She had ensured that her team wasn't the last line of defense. If anything went wrong, backup would be available at their own safehouse, where destroyers would be on standby. The moment the mission failed or the host was not taken down, the safehouse would be destroyed.

Mike's mind whirred as he considered the intricacies of the plan. It was a foolproof setup, and there was no room for failure. "We can't lose," Mike muttered. "This is already a victory. Xiao Ci's plan is solid."

His thoughts shifted back to the events unfolding before him. The outbreak of the man-eating fungi had been a coincidence, sure, but it was a natural part of the apocalypse's cycle. The fungus had absorbed enough energy from Earth over the past month—it was only a matter of time before it grew out of control.

"If it weren't for the fungus..." Mike mused, "Would I still be worried? Is it Chen Xun? Or is it this Wuqing?"

He thought about it, but no matter how he examined it, he couldn't find a flaw in his calculations. Chen Xun was being monitored by Lu Nianxin, along with several soldiers at the Yongren base. As for Wuqing... that poor guy was lucky just to be alive, especially with Chen Dafu there. One gesture from Chen Dafu, and Wuqing would be eliminated.

Of course, Mike wasn't about to let Chen Dafu kill Wuqing. There was still the possibility that Wuqing might be the host, and as long as the host was alive, Mike wouldn't allow any suspect to be killed. If Chen Dafu turned out to be the host... the consequences would be catastrophic. A madman completely controlled by the enemy? Mike feared even Wang Shi wouldn't stand a chance then.

"Never mind, let's not overthink it. Let's just see how things unfold," Mike reassured himself. He observed the battlefield, where it seemed Chen Dafu was on the verge of finishing off the giant man-eating fungus.

How long had it been? Not even twenty minutes, it seemed.

The fungus's injuries were so numerous that its body was almost entirely obscured. The dark green fluids it emitted were drying up, and its massive form was shrinking, appearing limp. Even its thrashing tentacles seemed sluggish—its end was near.

"Seems like it's not that scary after all," Mike chuckled. "Despite being a monster, it couldn't withstand someone as powerful as Chen Dafu. He's like Ultraman, just smashing monsters."

A thought suddenly crossed Mike's mind.

"Wait a minute, with how strong Chen Dafu is, could there be hidden data on him?"

In the system of the vassal alliance, there was no way to detect hidden attributes through a simple vassal relationship. But something felt off now. Chen Dafu had stopped moving and was leisurely circling the fungus, as if savoring his imminent victory.

"Let me see what you've got." Mike activated his skill.

But just as he did, Chen Dafu's figure vanished in a blur. He was already launching his final attack on the fungus.

"Damn! This guy's too fast!" Mike cursed.

His skill now had a new limitation—it could only work if he could see the target. Chen Dafu was moving so fast that Mike could no longer track him.

"I'll deal with this later. For now…" Mike's voice trailed off.

Suddenly, he froze. A new notification popped up before his eyes.

Skill successful. 10,000 survival points deducted.

"What? My skill worked?"

He blinked, stunned. Why had it consumed three times the usual amount of points?

Mike stared, his heart racing. He hadn't aimed at Wuqing—he hadn't even seen him. So... who did he hit?

His eyes widened as he scanned the battlefield, only to realize something shocking.

"I hit the fungus? But... it's not a survivor. How can my skill detect it?"

Mike was in disbelief. His skill only worked on survivors, and the fungus was a monster from the apocalypse.

"Is there a bug in the system?"

His mind spun as the data on the giant fungus began to appear in front of him.

Mike's face turned pale. His entire body went cold as he leapt off the couch.

"The host! It's the host!"

"Shit! It's the soul plague's host!!"

His voice trembled with shock. "How could this be... I get it now! We've all been played!"