Free Web NovelChapter 385: Chapter 286: Serious and Fiery, an Intense Contrasting Charm
"On my way home from the airport this afternoon, I heard from the taxi driver that things in Rongcheng haven’t been peaceful lately. Some Mutant Beasts have crossed into the safe zone and are causing trouble. Do you know what’s going on?"
Liu Jialin had personally delivered the corpses of those strange Mutant Beasts to the Spiritual Energy Research Institute before. Hearing Lin Li’s question, she thought for a moment and shared what information she was allowed to disclose.
"We don’t have a definitive conclusion on the specific cause yet, but let me tell you this! We can confirm that the Mutant Beasts crossing into the safe zone and causing trouble are all... a bit abnormal."
"Abnormal?" Hearing Liu Jialin say the Mutant Beasts were abnormal, Lin Li thought to himself, ’I really did ask the right person. I’d never find this kind of information just by searching online.’
"From what I understand, these Mutant Beasts seem to get provoked very easily and then lose all reason. How should I put it... they’re overly emotional.
A normal Mutant Beast will almost always choose to flee if it encounters an enemy it can’t defeat.
But these ones that broke into the safe zone will basically fight to the death upon meeting an enemy. They never choose to run," Liu Jialin said.
"Is that so? These Mutant Beasts are really hard-headed then..." Lin Li remarked.
"Also, after these Mutant Beasts are killed, their corpses will grow a bunch of red mushrooms within just a few hours..." Liu Jialin added.
"You’re saying that after they’re killed, red mushrooms grow out of their corpses?!!!" Lin Li’s face showed his astonishment at her addition.
The things Liu Jialin mentioned earlier—the Mutant Beasts being hard-headed, easily angered, losing their minds, and never retreating—were strange, but they seemed almost ordinary compared to this detail about red mushrooms growing on their dead bodies.
"Yes, red mushrooms really do grow on their corpses. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a strange phenomenon..." Liu Jialin said to the stunned Lin Li.
Liu Jialin didn’t tell Lin Li that both the red mushrooms and the strange Mutant Beast corpses contained a special substance that could accelerate plant growth.
This was a very recent discovery by the researchers at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute, and it was not yet cleared for public disclosure.
Although Lin Li was her friend and had helped her out a great deal, Liu Jialin, as an Investigator, had to uphold her professional ethics. She couldn’t just tell an outsider everything.
If she carelessly told an outsider everything, it would be a leak of classified information.
If an Investigator leaked information and the Superpower Administration Bureau found out, they would be fired.
"Those red mushrooms that grow on the Mutant Beast corpses... can you eat them?" Lin Li asked curiously, his expression of surprise fading.
"Uh..." Liu Jialin was taken aback when Lin Li asked if the red mushrooms growing from the Mutant Beast corpses were edible.
Ever since the Mutant Beasts started crossing into the safe zone and causing trouble, some of her friends and family had asked her about it.
Liu Jialin had even told them about the red mushrooms growing on the corpses.
But after hearing all this, none of them ever asked if the mushrooms were edible, because no one would even think of eating strange mushrooms that grew on the bodies of strange Mutant Beasts.
"Are the red mushrooms poisonous? You can’t eat them?" Seeing Liu Jialin’s stunned silence, Lin Li assumed the mushrooms were inedible.
"That’s not it. The researchers at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute have studied them. They’re non-toxic. Not only are they edible, but they’re apparently quite delicious..." Liu Jialin said after a moment of silence.
After speaking, she added a thought silently to herself, ’Besides being delicious, the red mushrooms contain a special, unknown substance that can be extracted to promote plant growth, making them extremely valuable.
If humans just cook and eat the mushrooms, they can’t directly absorb that special substance. So eating them is a huge waste.
That’s why the researchers at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute don’t recommend that anyone who gets their hands on them just eat them.’
"Delicious?!!!" Hearing Liu Jialin say the red mushrooms were delicious, Lin Li was immediately struck with the idea of getting some to try.
Of course, when it came to actually cooking them, a total rookie in the kitchen like him wouldn’t even think of trying it himself. He would have to ask Su Yue, whose cooking skills could rival a master chef’s, to do it.
"You’re not actually thinking of getting some red mushrooms to try, are you?" Liu Jialin asked, seeing the determined look on Lin Li’s face.
"Yes, I am. Do you know anywhere that sells those red mushrooms?" Lin Li nodded and asked.
"Some Exotic Beast Hunters in the wilderness have killed these kinds of Mutant Beasts, but the mushrooms were quickly bought up by high-end hotels.
And the Spiritual Energy Research Institute isn’t short on money, so they won’t be selling the ones they use for research.
As far as I know, there’s nowhere on the market you can buy them..." Liu Jialin said.
’If there’s nowhere to buy them, then I’ll just take a stroll out into the wilds of the South District Suburbs and hunt one of those strange, mushroom-sprouting Mutant Beasts myself...’ Lin Li mused to himself, planning to map it out when he got home after dinner.
Liu Jialin had been on duty with her colleagues all afternoon. She came straight to their dinner spot after getting off work and was now starving.
She eyed the mountain of food on the table. If Lin Li hadn’t been asking questions, she would have dug in long ago.
"I’m starving! Let’s eat. We can talk while we eat..." said Lin Li, who was also getting hungry.
"Okay." Liu Jialin nodded and picked up her chopsticks.
...
After dinner, Lin Li and Liu Jialin left the buffet restaurant.
By this time, the sky had already darkened. The streetlights were on, and brilliant neon signs glowed with multicolored light.
With such a beautiful streetscape, there should have been plenty of people out for a stroll.
But because it was so hot today, with the temperature not dropping much even at night, there were far fewer people out walking than usual.
As Lin Li stepped out of the cool restaurant, he was hit by a wave of heat that left him feeling stuffy. He turned to Liu Jialin beside him and asked.
"Jialin, I checked the weather forecast this afternoon. The temperature in Rongcheng is going to be extremely high for the next few days. Since it’s going to be this ridiculously hot, haven’t you guys considered making it rain artificially to cool the city down?"
Liu Jialin thought for a moment and said, "It’s true, the temperature these last few days has been unbearably hot. A lot of citizens have been calling the relevant departments’ hotlines, hoping for some artificial rain to cool the city down.
As far as I know, the heads of the relevant departments are meeting to discuss it right now. The general consensus is supportive, so we should have a decision on creating artificial rain for Rongcheng in the next day or two..."
"That’s good... If they do decide to make it rain, will there be an advance notice?" Lin Li asked.
"That I don’t know, but you should keep an eye on the weather forecast.
I think if they’re going to do it, the relevant information should show up there," Liu Jialin replied, based on her experience.
After leaving the restaurant, the two of them walked together for a while, chatting, until they reached an intersection and said their goodbyes.
...
