Free Web NovelChapter 63: Chapter 63: The Mushrooms in the Prison
"Ah, what is this?"
Mu Tangfeng yelped and grabbed at his head. He squinted, staring at the green mushroom wriggling its bottom in his hand. "What the hell? It can move?"
The green mushroom instantly made him think of his mirror. He looked over—the mushroom that was usually an eyesore on his mirror was gone. ’Could it be this one in my hand?’ he wondered.
The green mushroom couldn’t speak. It could only sense the distress signals sent by the parent mushroom. As offshoots, they weren’t as perceptive as the main body, but they possessed some level of sentience.
Getting anxious, it wriggled its body free from Mu Tangfeng’s grasp. It easily slipped through the cell’s barrier and began hopping frantically outside the containment door.
Mu Tangfeng didn’t understand what was happening. He just saw his little source of amusement about to escape and was reluctant to let it go. "Come back."
He commanded. Seeing that he completely misunderstood its intentions, the little mushroom was almost frantic enough to cry.
From his cell across the way, He Hanshi watched as the mushroom on his own wall scurried down. In a matter of moments, a total of five mushrooms had gathered from the various cells. They all hopped around in front of Mu Tangfeng’s cell, doing who-knows-what.
"Hey, how did the mushroom escape?"
Jiang Xia asked in astonishment. The mushroom in his snowfield—the one he could never manage to pull out—had just jauntily hopped out of the cell.
Ye Ming walked to the containment door, his green eyes filled with confusion. "The mushroom from my room is out too."
Only Yan Huoshui, having noticed an abnormality with the locator, had no mind for any of this.
He Hanshi had always assumed the mushrooms were some strange lifeform native to Black Star, but he never expected them to be mobile.
Witnessing this strange scene, he pondered for a moment before saying, "It seems they want to lead you somewhere."
At the same time, Yan Huoshui, who had just finished checking the master locator, suddenly spoke up. "Lanlan is in danger!"
"What?!"
"The locator I gave her has activated. She’s still on Black Star, but the signal is erratic and constantly moving. The situation doesn’t look good."
At these words, the others in the prison paled. He Hanshi’s gaze locked onto the green mushrooms in front of the opposite cell. His expression was cold and calm as he remained composed and repeated the name, "Lanlan." He could clearly sense the five mushrooms grow even more agitated, their hopping becoming more frantic.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at his chip. It was five minutes to ten. Mu Tangfeng would be able to get out soon.
He immediately said, "Mu Tangfeng, it’s almost ten. I’m leaving Lanlan to you."
"Okay."
Mu Tangfeng was also frantic. He paid the mushrooms no mind, wishing he could leave that very instant. But he didn’t dare use his Invisibility Skill yet, worried the duration wouldn’t be long enough to safely bring Shi Lan back to the prison.
After all, his Talent Skill couldn’t be used indefinitely.
"Follow these mushrooms. They might know Lanlan’s exact location."
Hearing He Hanshi, Mu Tangfeng’s anxious expression faltered. "What do you mean? Vice Admiral He, are you saying these mushrooms have something to do with Lanlan?"
He Hanshi said, "I can’t be absolutely certain, but they definitely know Lanlan."
Just then, as if to prove they did indeed know Shi Lan, the mushrooms stacked on top of each other, forming a big, bold, green number "1." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Seeing this, He Hanshi, who had been somewhat uncertain, was now convinced. ’It’s just as I thought.’
Mu Tangfeng stared at the mushrooms, and a thought struck him. "So, you want me to go save Lanlan?"
The mushrooms once again stacked themselves into a "1."
There were five men in the prison, each with powerful spiritual power, but the mushrooms had their reasons for choosing Mu Tangfeng.
They had seen him leave his cell before, while the others couldn’t get out. That was why they had unanimously chosen him.
They may have just been offshoots, but the mushrooms weren’t stupid.
Yan Huoshui had no objections to Mu Tangfeng going for the rescue. He was busy contacting his own people.
Since he was the one who dared to give Shi Lan a locator, he naturally had his own rescue channels.
As a former interstellar pirate captain, he naturally knew plenty of Star Thieves. When he accepted the Empire’s amnesty, many of them were assigned to work on the Space-Time Battleship. Others, who were capable but unwilling to serve under anyone, chose to continue roaming space.
Around the time he acquired the locator, he had hired them for a three-month contract.
They had become Star Thieves to survive and make money, and that hadn’t changed. He had them patrol a fixed route near Black Star for a hundred thousand Star Coins per person, per day, with no restrictions on them earning extra money in the area.
Being an interstellar pirate wasn’t easy. On a good day, you might catch one or two big scores. On a bad day, you’d not only fail to make money, but you might also take a bullet. It was a deadly line of work, but one where risk and reward went hand in hand.
Yan Huoshui had made his fortune this way long ago. He later chose to accept the amnesty, partly because Mr. Lu Sr. was a decent man, and partly because he’d grown tired of the unstable life.
However, not everyone could boast double-S-level spiritual power and an awakened Talent Skill. The hired men were more than willing to take his offer—partly for the money, but mostly out of respect for their former boss.
At that moment, on a spaceship near Black Star, two men were staring out a viewport while another eight were gathered around a table playing cards. One of them, counting his money, sighed, "It’s been a while since we had a gig this cushy."
"Still, Third Brother, aren’t we a little *too* idle? Is it really right to be earning Boss Yan’s money like this?"
As a veteran member, Fourth had witnessed Yan Huoshui’s days as an interstellar pirate. Back then, the mere mention of their crew struck terror in people’s hearts. They were known as the Netherworld Ship; anyone who crossed their path would hand over their money without a fight. Money flowed like water—it was the good life, no doubt about it.
That was exactly why they were even more unwilling to accept the Empire’s amnesty and live a life of rules and restrictions.
Unfortunately, the good days were over. Their new boss, Guan Du, was S-level, but he wasn’t as strong or ruthless as the old boss. Everyone was a bit tight on cash these days, so this hundred-thousand-coin job was a godsend.
Fourth sighed. Guan Du didn’t mind their chatter, just adding his own lament, "Sigh... I told him not to join the Empire. Now he’s slaving away for them only to end up in prison, with no way to even spend his money."
Fourth and Third sighed. Ain’t that the truth.
That’s why they wanted to avoid amnesty even more. Life as an interstellar pirate was the only free life.
Just as they were on the topic, Guan Du received Yan Huoshui’s notification. He jolted upright and threw down his cards. "We’ve got a job! Descend to Black Star, now!"
Pirates like them didn’t care about landing permits. When the military patrols caught them, it was either a fine or detention. They were used to it. As long as they didn’t mess with the precious females, they wouldn’t be killed outright.
The Netherworld Ship eagerly began its descent toward Black Star. Yan Huoshui uploaded the master locator’s data to his chip, sending the real-time coordinates to both Mu Tangfeng and Guan Du.
Once that was done, he sent a message to Shi Lan, telling her help was on the way.
For the rest, all he could do was pray she would be okay.
The moment it turned ten, Mu Tangfeng went invisible, spread his wings, and shot out of the prison at top speed, snatching up one of the mushrooms as he went.
The bird and the mushroom left, completely unimpeded.
Once again faced with this situation, the men left behind could only wait anxiously in their cells, feeling the familiar, desolate pang of being unable to protect Shi Lan themselves.
At this moment, their desire to have their spiritual power healed became more intense than ever.
