Commander, How Did We End Up Here?

"The Cannibal Fungus (Mutated Variant)"Classification: Plant, Fungus, VirusCombat Resistance: 1580Regenerative Ability: 2150Movement Speed: 89Mental Will: 4520

Biological Traits:[Underground Root System] – Its roots can penetrate to the deepest parts of any planet, extracting nutrients from the planet's crust. This gives it a remarkable regenerative ability, though its speed is hindered by the complexity of its root structure.[Collective Consciousness] – All Cannibal Fungus in a certain radius share a single soul consciousness. They are a collective entity, with no individual traits. This grants them powerful coordination and enhances their mental will.[Frenzied Regeneration] – Through exposure to a special energy, it accelerates its growth and enters an evolutionary stage prematurely (giantization). While it becomes physically larger, its current evolutionary state is incomplete due to the mismatched energy.

Hidden Information:[Soul Plague - Mother] – After killing the original Soul Plague mother, it has replaced her and become the new Soul Plague source. It now receives mysterious energy from the ancient gods, but is fully controlled by them, severing its connection to the collective consciousness. It loses its autonomy and gains the five effects of the Soul Plague.

Mike's gaze flickered over the data of the massive Cannibal Fungus. His eyes locked onto the line that read [Soul Plague - Mother], and in that instant, everything clicked into place.

He and Jiang Xiaoci had both been wrong. The true mastermind didn't control the fixed infection mother—the first one had been randomly created!

But someone had managed to control the first mother and deliberately fed her to the Cannibal Fungus, making it the second one. What a twisted move!

If the first mother had still been a human survivor, she would have been bound by the shelter. No matter how powerful the mother, once the shelter was destroyed, all the mechanisms tied to her would vanish. The shelter was the cornerstone and greatest weakness of all human survivors.

The mastermind clearly anticipated this. While humans had weaknesses, the Cannibal Fungus had no such shelter to protect it. The Soul Plague attached to the Fungus could never be purged!

Who would have thought?

While Mike and Jiang Xiaoci had been trying to figure out which human was the mother, the true mother had been the Fungus all along!

This was beyond absurd.

Now, Mike knew too much—but it was too late.

The giant Fungus before him was about to be killed by Chen Dafeng! The final strike had already been launched.

"It's over!"

"I've lost everything!"

Mike slumped onto the couch, staring blankly at Chen Dafeng's perspective.

The moment Mike had realized the Fungus was the true mother, Chen Dafeng's black blade had already buried deep into the largest wound of the Fungus, spewing dark green fluids everywhere. The fatal blow had been struck!

Mike's head spun as a deep sense of helplessness overwhelmed him.

"Was I too foolish? Or have I been set up?"

He felt a surge of confusion, but fought to suppress the overwhelming negativity.

Now wasn't the time to give up. Even if things were falling apart, he had to hold on. As a leader, he couldn't be so easily defeated!

If it were that easy to take him down, how could he face Xiaoci's efforts to plan and guide him?

"Chen Dafeng has been infected. The mastermind's unexpected plan worked, and Chen Dafeng killed the second mother."

"Chen Dafeng will become the third mother. I need to think of something fast to suppress such a powerful third mother!"

"Wang Shi... yes! He's already in Xinchang. He might still be able to do something!"

"Even though Chen Dafeng might be strengthened by the Soul Plague and resistant to Wang Shi's magnetic control... it's worth trying!"

"And my contract mechanism! My control mechanism—how does it compare to the Soul Plague? Can they oppose each other?"

A flood of thoughts raced through Mike's mind. He was getting used to anticipating and planning before a crisis erupted.

Just as the images of Chen Dafeng rampaging through Xinchang and Jinling, with his troops and Wang Shi's forces surrounding him, flashed in his mind...

Mike suddenly heard Chen Dafeng's voice in his ear, full of confusion.

"Uh... Sir, what's over? How'd you lose?"

Huh?

Why is he still calling me 'Sir'?

Mike snapped back to reality, staring at the view from Chen Dafeng's perspective. The feed was still clear—meaning Chen Dafeng was still under his command.

The black blade was still lodged deep in the Fungus's wound, the hilt barely visible. But the Fungus was still moving!

It was trembling slightly. Its enormous body quivered, and it hadn't truly died yet!

"Chen Dafeng!"

Mike's voice cracked with excitement, a shiver of hope rising in his chest. "You haven't killed it yet!"

"If you hadn't shouted 'Sir' just now... I think it would've been dead," Chen Dafeng said, scratching his chin. "I heard you mention 'Mother,' so I figured I'd wait a little longer... and here we are."

Chen Dafeng flicked the hilt of the black blade, making a sharp sound as it quivered. "See? It's still alive."

The Fungus's body trembled in pain, and Mike's own body shook with anxiety.

"Hey! Hey! Chen Dafeng! Stop messing around! It can't die yet!"

Mike shouted urgently, finally realizing that Jiang Xiaoci had forgotten to remove Chen Dafeng's earpiece.

Normally, Mike would contact each person individually through his connection skills. But with Jiang Xiaoci's broad plan involving multiple forces in Xinchang, Chen Dafeng had been an emergency addition to the team.

To make communication easier, Jiang Xiaoci had set up a temporary three-person action group.

The earpiece had worked wonders.

Just as Mike was about to scold Chen Dafeng for nearly making a fatal mistake, he felt a wave of relief. The Fungus still hadn't died!

"Don't worry, Sir," Chen Dafeng said lazily. "I haven't used my combat skills yet. A regular attack won't kill this big guy."

"Even if this blade goes all the way through, it'll still be kicking."

Chen Dafeng was a seasoned warrior who knew his enemy well. He was confident the Fungus couldn't die so easily.

But as for what came next...

"Xiaoci!"

Mike jolted, nearly shouting in panic. "Quick! We need a plan! What do we do now?"

If they didn't act fast, the mastermind would catch on. They couldn't afford to let the situation stall here!