The originally plump and round pods became flat.

Researchers responsible for recording and observing the plant discovered the anomaly the next day.

They plucked the pods from the stems in confusion, opened them, and saw the shrunken original plant particles inside, as well as the long strip-shaped "edamame" that had been transformed from mycelium.

The shape of the seeds of legumes has mutated, which is not uncommon in the post-apocalyptic world. Not to mention elongated ones, researchers have also seen many ones that resemble the shape of human palms.

The question is, how did the pods that were full yesterday become empty overnight?

With doubts, the researchers sent the two samples to the laboratory for detailed examination.

The results of the DNA comparison came out quickly. The genetic sequencing of the two samples was completely consistent, and it was also consistent with the edamame plants from which they were picked.

But the strange thing is that in that flat bean, no plant protein was detected, while the other one was rich in protein.

This strange difference once again deepened the doubts in the minds of the researchers, and they called Xu Xuelin, the deputy director.

"It's strange. Judging from the test results, this edamame does not lack genes for protein synthesis, but no trace of protein can be detected."

"Coupled with the changes that occurred overnight, it's as if... the proteins that should have been present in its body were taken away by someone at some point!"

As soon as Xu Xuelin's guess came out, everyone was shocked.

"Professor Xu, is your idea a little too divergent? Who would rob protein from an edamame? And also in such a quiet situation?"

No one wants to believe this result.

Although after the end of the world, the genes and forms of animals and plants have mutated due to radiation, which is completely different from what was previously recorded, this kind of mutation is also in line with common sense and has scientific basis.

Xu Xuelin's conjecture is tantamount to telling others: Now, at this moment, there is a "supernatural" creature in the world that can plunder energy from other creatures out of thin air!

If this conclusion is true, then all the scientific theories they have studied so far will be overturned in an instant!

In fact, Xu Xuelin himself didn’t believe the conjecture just now.

But for some reason, when the word "supernatural creature" came to his mind, he thought of the mushroom.

A mushroom whose whole body is full of mysteries, waiting for him to solve.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. Let's check the other characteristics of these two edamame beans again to see if we can find any clues."

"I'm going to the monitoring room now to take a look. Maybe I can make some discoveries."

Without suspecting the "murderer" on an edamame, after giving such an order, Xu Xuelin left the laboratory and came to the central monitoring station of the research institute.

After making himself a cup of coffee, he pulled up all the surveillance videos from yesterday's laboratory and carefully observed them frame by frame.

It is an arduous task to compare a whole day's surveillance video frame by frame.

Facing an empty laboratory with only glass jars standing quietly, Xu Xuelin opened his eyes wide and did not dare to let go of any detail.

Maintaining the same posture for a long time made his body a little stiff. Sitting in front of the computer, he seemed to be solidified into a wax statue.

But he didn't know that he was not alone at this time.

On his collar, there is a white mycelium that is no different from the fiber of clothing.

Under the bright blue light emitted by the computer screen, the body of the hyphae rises and falls with the breathing of the "host", but does not make any movement to drill in, but just stands on the collar.

When human eyes watch the surveillance videos of the past, they are also "watching" everything that is happening in front of them.

But it cannot "understand".

About three hours later, the surveillance screen was still the same. Except for the numbers displayed in the upper right corner, there was no change from before.

As if a breeze blows by, the mycelium pulls the body away from the clothes and flies away lightly.

It drifted all the way back to the laboratory where the main body was, and it firmly attached its body to the umbrella cover, and just melted back.

At this moment, the information seems to be connected.

The white and smooth umbrella cover of the mushroom swayed slightly in an invisible manner.

In the next few hours, it no longer produced mycelium and spores, nor did it continue any movement. It just lay quietly in the glass tank.

Its performance at this moment may be because it knows that humans have discovered its actions, so it has restrained itself.

Or maybe...it's some kind of "thinking"!

It seemed that the answer was obtained. About ten minutes later, a mutation that could not be detected by the naked eye occurred in the mushroom.

Under the smooth and thick umbrella canopy, slender hairy hyphae are intertwined and overlapped.

They divide, they grow, they connect!

If someone could cut open the cap of this mushroom at this moment, they would be shocked to find that the hyphae in its body have actually built a structure similar to the neural network in the human brain at this moment!

Subtle bioelectricity travels through this neural network.

"Zi...Zi..." one after another, causing all the hyphae to tremble.

As if the nebula particles attracted each other and collapsed when the planet was born, the caps of the mushrooms trembled slightly.

At a certain moment, this neural network was connected!

Spores floating in the air in the research laboratory.

Drill into the glass jar and attach to the spores on the research objects.

Covered with a thin layer of wet sand, the spores lie quietly in the petri dish.

Spores that penetrate through the skin of the neck and flow along with the blood in human blood vessels.

Even the spores that remained on the surface, regrowing mycelium, and the huge mushroom body, all converged into one consciousness at this moment.
Chapter completed!