Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 455 - 446: The Best Boss

Inside Dragon Roar Valley, nearly every warrior returning with Alama bore some minor injuries.

As for those severely injured, they couldn’t retreat with them, and the rabid Virelis still left behind quite a few soldiers.

Yet in everyone’s eyes, they were brighter than before the departure.

The arrival of the reinforcements somewhat gave these warriors, who thought they were doomed, a glimmer of hope.

Earl Alama’s gaze swept over the strange reinforcement—Puki Masters, it was the first time he saw them in person.

He had observed most of their battle, though there were many puzzling aspects, such as who was controlling those notably stronger Pukis, but overall, he was astonished by the combat capability of this new army.

Suppressing his surprise, he quickly walked towards the man at the forefront of the Puki Master team, who seemed to be the commander.

"Thank you for lending a hand in such a situation, I am Alama Saint Claire." His voice was hoarse due to weakness, yet it still bore authority, "Are you the commander of this team?"

The adjutant instinctively straightened his back, but a slight, hardly noticeable awkwardness flashed across his face as he began, "I’m just..."

Before he could finish, a crisp voice, even carrying a hint of pride, came from within the tallest Heavy Armor Puki behind him: "The commander is me!"

Under the stunned gazes of Alama and Lorenzo, a white hand pushed open a seam at the edge of the Puki’s hard mushroom cap, and then, a head poked out.

Pink long hair cascaded down like a flowing waterfall, from the edge of the mushroom cap almost touching the Puki’s hard belly.

Inanna’s face still bore some mycelium, her emerald eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and a "praise me" look, looking down at her father.

"Old man!" She proclaimed loudly, as if she had just achieved an epic victory, "I’ve come to rescue you!"

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The first to react was Lorenzo nearby: "Niece? You, you, you, you, how did you end up here?"

He then turned his head, trying to say something to Alama, but the latter was no longer in a state to listen.

Alama’s expression shifted from initial seriousness, to shock upon recognizing his daughter, then to confusion after confirmation, and finally, all emotions were replaced by a suppressed fury, like the sea before a storm.

He stared blankly at his daughter, the daughter he thought was still safely in the rear, now appearing on this mountain of corpses and sea of blood, a place that could be annihilated at any time?!

The scene Inanna expected, her father with tears in his eyes and gratefully hugging her legs, did not appear.

"Inanna... how... could... you... be... here?!"

...

Among the crowd, a blood-covered soldier widened his eyes slightly to look at the head Inanna had exposed.

Then he naturally took a few steps back, withdrawing from the crowd, quietly slipping away from the regrouping soldiers, moving towards a corner inside the valley where broken equipment was piled up and temporarily deserted.

Under Virelis’s command, although military discipline was chaotic, she was indeed not the foolishly cowardly Eleanor.

During the skirmish at the valley entrance, although ambushed by Lin Jun’s invisible self-destructive Puki and unable to stop Alama from receiving reinforcements, she still managed to slip a plant amidst the chaos in a very short time.

[Race: Shapeshifter]

[Level: Level 42]

However, what the spy did not know was that a Knight Puki had also slipped away from the team, always trailing behind him.

In the corner’s shadows, the spy vigilantly scanned the surroundings, confirming no one was noticing, he swiftly reached into the inner lining of his tattered military uniform, his fingertips touching a short-range communication device.

A completely transparent yet tenacious mycelium tendril suddenly shot out from behind him, tightly wrapping around his mouth, stifling any possible cries in his throat.

Squish—!

Immediately following, were several muffled sounds of sharp blades penetrating flesh, as a few more sharp-tipped tendrils pierced through his chest.

The Shapeshifter’s body convulsed violently, only able to make muffled "ooo" sounds from his throat, he tried to use his talent to change forms to escape or counterattack, but the fatal injuries had already drained all his strength.

The disguise peeled away like faded oil paint, revealing the gray and lifeless body beneath, collapsing softly on the ground, devoid of vitality.

Several more Puki walked into the corner, gathered around, and when they dispersed, not a trace beyond some bloodstains could be seen.

Now, with only scattered fungal mats in the valley, and the underground network being hurriedly excavated, there’s no need to transport a Shapeshifter’s corpse to make it disappear.

...

On the other side, the heartwarming reunion between Inanna and her father had not ended, just moved indoors from the public eye.

"Do you know where this is? It’s a land of death! A dead end! What are you doing here? Trying to get yourself killed?!" Alama’s voice trembled slightly with repressed anger, veins bulging on his forehead as he glared at his clueless daughter.

"What do you mean trying to get myself killed! I’ve told you, I’m here to save you!" Inanna defiantly tilted her head up, her green eyes filled with stubbornness.

"Save me? When did I ever need you to save me? When did I ever ask you for help?! How dare you... how dare you..." Alama’s chest heaved furiously, the rest of his words squeezed out through clenched teeth, momentarily unable to find the right words to express his shock and anger.

Lorenzo, standing awkwardly between them, had never seen Alama so speechless with rage. He plastered a stiff smile on his face, trying vainly to mediate: "Well... let’s all talk it out, she’s just trying to be filial..."

Alama suddenly turned his head toward Lorenzo, as if grabbing onto a lifeline, clutching his arm with such force that Lorenzo grimaced: "Now! Lorenzo, there’s still time! Take her right now, climb over the valley, and return to Oath City!"

Lorenzo hadn’t even had time to respond before Inanna shouted: "I’m not leaving! I said I’m here to save you, and I mean it! You can’t interfere with my actions!"

After speaking, Inanna angrily stormed off, with two Knight Puki following closely behind her, leaving with synchronized "puki puki" sounds.

Alama yelled at his daughter’s retreating figure but only received the sound of her footsteps gradually fading away in response. It was as if all his strength had been drained, and his tall figure slightly hunched down.

Lorenzo sighed and stepped forward, patting his old friend’s tense shoulder: "Well, okay, let’s calm down first. Given what’s happened, let’s think about how we can ensure our niece’s safety in this hellhole."

...

Inanna, who finally reunited with her father only to be harshly scolded, returned with her heart full of grievances and anger to the area where the Puki Masters were stationed.

The deputy wisely refrained from allowing anyone to disturb her.

Alone in a temporarily arranged corner, as the initial anger gradually subsided, a faint, hidden fear emerged in her heart.

She recalled the previous fierce battle, with a large number of Puki meeting their tragic end and quite a few Puki Masters injured, ultimately retreating into the valley in disarray.

Now, with only a few Puki left, and the formidable Demon Race legion outside, and with her father stubbornly refusing to leave... are they really going to be trapped here to death?

She held a Knight Puki in her arms, as if that was the only way to draw a bit of comfort, tentatively asked in a low voice: "Boss, do you think... we can really save father?"

"Oh, Little Pink, Little Pink," Lin Jun’s distinctive, always slightly lazy and teasing voice echoed in her mind, "you’ve just spent too little time in the Mushroom Garden, do you know what the first rule of the Mushroom Garden is?"

Inanna shook her head blankly, having no idea there was any rule.

"That is, never doubt the boss!" Lin Jun didn’t know any rules either, but if he said so, it would exist from now on, "remember that time at the temporary camp outside Dumb Wind Town when we performed that show?"

"I remember!" Inanna’s eyes lit up.

"Let’s do it again!"

"Yes!" Inanna immediately understood Lin Jun’s plan, nodded heavily, dispelling much of the gloom in her heart, "Boss, you’re the best!"

"After all, it’s to save your father!" Lin Jun’s tone sounded very generous, "but afterward, I might need a ’little favor’ from you; we’ll talk about it then."

"Yes, yes! Okay!"

...

When Alama and Lorenzo, after discussing in the stone room for half the day without coming up with a reliable plan, emerged with tired and heavy expressions, they were taken aback by the scene before them.

They saw a large group of soldiers and Puki Masters gathered together, standing on tiptoe, craning their necks, curiously watching something.

In the open space at the center of the crowd, Inanna, with a look of both embarrassment and determination, held that Knight Puki, performing a dance with a peculiar rhythm and primitive charm as if conducting an ancient ritual of wish-making.

Even more astonishing, on the small patch of fungal mat beneath her feet, Puki forms were emerging at a speed visible to the naked eye!