Chapter 57: I Want Lots of Beautiful Mushrooms

In the midst of the torrential rain, swarms of giant rats gathered densely upon the mountain, digging through the earth as if searching for something. Now and then, human bones would be unearthed, gnawed upon for a few bites before being washed away by the rain. The slope was littered with countless white bones, a sight so ghastly it chilled the soul.

Among the rats, beetles a meter long scuttled back and forth. Whenever a rat uncovered something, these beetles would pounce without hesitation, tearing the rats apart and devouring them. Perhaps the rats' relentless digging and their fierce battles with the beetles triggered another mudslide, burying many rats and beetles beneath the earth. Yet, the survivors paid no heed, continuing their search undisturbed.

A closer look revealed even more bizarre insects and creatures. But these, too, were swiftly devoured upon appearing.

Su Miao quietly drew the curtains, clutching her M416 as she crouched, trembling with fear. She had no appetite for breakfast.

"Sister, what's outside?" Xia Xiao'an asked, puzzled. She wanted to peek out the window.

"Don't look," Su Miao shook her head, shivering. "You'll have nightmares."

About thirty minutes later, Xia Xiao'an's stomach rumbled, bringing Su Miao back to herself.

"Let's have bread for breakfast," she said, retrieving a loaf from her magical space to give Xia Xiao'an. She herself had no appetite. Hugging her M416, Su Miao went to the front window and took a glance outside.

The two villas outside, blown apart, now smoked no longer under the pounding rain. The water was littered with corpses, and occasionally a rat or two could be seen swimming toward them. At almost the same moment, some disaster survivors, forks in hand, eyed the fat rats hungrily, ready to pounce like birds of prey.

Yesterday was a disaster, but to survive, hunting rats was still necessary.

By the rope bridge, corpses were piled high, blocking the rainwater, unable to be washed away for the moment. Most were disaster survivors, a few belonged to the company's combat squad. They had perished in last night's explosive blast. Because these bodies lay within Su Miao's firing line, no one dared to retrieve them. Of course, it was possible no one wanted to do it anyway.

"Sister, those people have all left," Xia Xiao'an said, approaching. "They've gone to the parking lot."

"Mm," Su Miao relaxed a little. At last, she could cease fighting for now. She hadn't rested properly these past days and longed for a good sleep, but still dared not. The enemy had only retreated temporarily; it didn't mean they wouldn't attack again. If someone took advantage of her relaxed state and snuck over with explosives to blow up her villa, it would be over.

All she wanted was to live quietly in this apocalyptic world—why was it so hard?

Gazing toward the parking lot, Su Miao fell into thought. These people had guns, explosives, and could build a catapult with a range of three hundred meters in such a short time. They even had ways to drive the mutant rats into frenzy—far too dangerous.

Especially the frenzy of the mutant rats; Su Miao silently gave thanks for last night’s mudslide. Without it, the mutant rats might have gathered beneath Villa 36. The thought alone made her shudder.

She needed a way to eliminate these villains; otherwise, she’d never sleep soundly or enjoy a peaceful hotpot again.

But if they didn’t come to her, and she didn’t want to go out, how could she make them die?

Su Miao blinked. If only she could get that sniper rifle. Then her attack range could extend from eight hundred meters to sixteen hundred, maybe even over two thousand if the rifle was good enough.

"Sister, someone’s coming—it’s the security team captain, Chang Jieming," Xia Xiao'an said. "He seems to want to thank you for saving his life..."

Saving his life?

Su Miao blinked in confusion. She hadn’t saved anyone from the security team, had she?

While she pondered, Chang Jieming arrived downstairs. He knocked politely on the cabinet blocking the door. "Miss Su Miao, I am Chang Jieming, captain of the security team, and I’ve come to thank you for saving us."

"Last night, we triggered a mudslide to assault the company’s group at their mountain camp. We nearly got wiped out. At the critical moment, your explosive saved us."

Explosive?

Su Miao was even more bewildered. Last night, she had only detonated the explosives at the catapult site below the mountain, nowhere else.

What she hadn’t expected was that Chang Jieming and his team had triggered the mudslide to attack the company’s camp, unwittingly doing her a great favor.

"To show our gratitude, we’ve prepared some mutant catnip for you. Burn it and the mutant rats will fall into a state of suspended animation; it’s also effective against some mutant insects."

"I’ll push the mutant catnip through the window."

This mutant catnip sounded promising.

Su Miao recalled the mass of rats on the mountain and couldn’t help trembling; it was utterly disgusting.

"We also have some mushrooms picked from the mountain. They taste great—do try them, but remember to cook them well," Chang Jieming added, pushing a bag of mushrooms through.

Su Miao had intended to refuse. She already had plenty of mushrooms, more than she could ever eat. But hearing the word "mushroom," she remembered something important and temporarily forgot to decline.

Chang Jieming continued, "Miss Su Miao, we’ve received some intel—the company’s group has withdrawn for now, but they’re recruiting new survivors and may attack again soon."

"If there’s anything you need us to do, just let us know. We can arrange it."

"I’ll wait for three minutes; after that, I’ll leave."

Chang Jieming waited quietly at the door. After about two minutes, Su Miao asked, "When you were picking mushrooms, did you see any beautiful ones?"

"Yes, many beautiful mushrooms," Chang Jieming replied, a little surprised. "But Miss Su Miao, most beautiful mushrooms are poisonous—best not to eat them."

"Pick as many beautiful mushrooms as you can for me—the prettier, the better. I have a use for them," Su Miao said. "And spread the word: anyone with a sniper rifle, come here. I can trade an M416 and twenty pounds of rice for their rifle. If they don’t come, that’s fine."

She spoke quickly. Because the door blocked her view, Su Miao could keep calm and speak normally. But if the cabinet were gone, Chang Jieming would see her aiming an AK47 at his head, ready to shoot at the slightest movement.

If Chang Jieming tried to fight back, it didn’t matter; Su Miao had already deployed a magical space array in front of her as a precaution.

"Understood, Miss Su Miao. I’ll get right on it," Chang Jieming said, departing briskly.

Once he’d left, Su Miao used her water spell to retrieve the mutant catnip and fresh mushrooms he’d brought, glanced at them, and stored them in her magical space.

She could test the mutant catnip downstairs.

The mushrooms Chang Jieming brought could be given to others another day, depending on the situation.

Right now, Su Miao only wanted the beautiful mushrooms. She intended to use them to brew a pot of savory seasoning potion.

In this apocalypse, supplies were scarce—salt, MSG, soy sauce all but vanished.

She believed no one could resist such deliciousness.