Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 276 - 197: You Jump

Chapter 276: Chapter 197: You Jump

The Taoyuan Emperor passed away in 1762, 263 years ago.

During these two centuries, Wulin Temple underwent several renovations, with changes in feng shui, creating a harsh semi-enclosed environment like a petri dish, allowing rare mutant fungus species to survive for generations.

The beams of Wulin Temple might be the torso of an ancestor of the Fukuyama Family, while those fragments of cedar slats might come from the skin of travelers. When the tendrils touch human skin, they leave a burn mark resembling a ghost claw, and over time, the fungi proliferate rapidly within the body, causing the ’mark’ on the skin to deepen in color.

They are the source of the mountain’s curse.

The Fukuyama Family and the fungi are in a symbiotic relationship, and Fukuyama Toshin was the last of the Fukuyama Family. After his death, the lineage was broken.

Many fungi, sensing threats, produce defensive substances. For example, penicillin produced by mold inhibits the growth of surrounding bacteria to protect its own living space — toxins produced under external stimuli can not only resist other biological invasions but can also adapt to adverse environments to some extent.

In addition, some fungi will change their growth forms, enter dormancy, accelerate reproduction, and other reactions.

Taking the change of growth form as an example, some filamentous fungi slow down the hyphal growth rate when nutrients are insufficient, becoming denser and forming unique structures like sclerotia. Sclerotia have strong resistance and can survive longer periods in harsh environments.

Some single-celled fungi (such as yeast) may, under external pressure, alter their cell forms, such as enlarging or thickening, to enhance environmental tolerance.

If this were featured in "Into Science," it would definitely get three hundred episodes of documentaries starting with the strange tales of mountain villagers, scrutinizing why tourists in Arashiyama frequently disappear, back and forth filming the daily life of Akihito and Nakako, occasionally pointing the camera at Ono Ken’s face to inquire into the matter, and finally two police officers solemnly reveal the truth through science...

Yet in Fushimi Roku and Minamoto Tamako’s eyes, they felt like they had stumbled into a supernatural film set.

The wooden flooring in the corridor twisted and contorted, writhing like brown striped worms; tendrils hung more densely from the ceiling, swaying in mid-air; the thick fog on the first floor rolled and spread to the second floor, quickly engulfing their ankles.

Fushimi Roku swung his knife horizontally, cutting down the tendrils, and the dark green liquid oozed onto the floor. The floorboards started to coil up, and dense footsteps echoed through the hallway. He felt it was not safe to stay, preparing to leave immediately.

Minamoto Tamako hoisted Ono Ken onto her back and was about to carry Mrs. Nakako but realized she couldn’t do it. She threw a pleading look at Fushimi Roku, who cursed his luck inwardly, bent down to pick up Mrs. Nakako in a princess carry, and said coldly, "Let’s be clear, if push comes to shove, we have to leave them behind to save ourselves."

Minamoto Tamako responded with an ’Mm,’ knowing what choices to make.

Each carrying a wounded person, they rushed into the corridor, stepping on the twisting floor, passing through dense tendrils. Minamoto Tamako didn’t know where Fushimi Roku was scrambling to escape but simply followed him.

The tendrils before them wound around like fungal threads, and with someone in his arms, Fushimi Roku found it inconvenient to swing his knife and could only charge through, paving a small path. Fortunately, the tendrils lacked strength and would snap easily, and Minamoto Tamako followed closely behind, panting heavily as she ran.

In a moment, Fushimi Roku had rushed into Akishino Mako’s bedroom, sideways crashing through the doorway, and without pause, dived off the balcony into the storm outside.

With a splash, Fushimi Roku, holding onto Mrs. Nakako, fell into the Water Bell Cave, its depths humming, swiftly surfaced, and dragged Mrs. Nakako to shore. He felt for her pulse, noticing it had weakened further.

Dire situation.

Minamoto Tamako, afraid of heights, stood on the balcony with Ono Ken on her back, hesitating to jump. Seeing this, Fushimi Roku spread his arms wide, shouting up, "Don’t be afraid! I’ll catch you!"

Minamoto Tamako knew this was not the time for hesitation. She took a deep breath, prepared herself mentally, and jumped down gritting her teeth.

Both fell vertically through the air, about to hit the water in Water Bell Cave. In Minamoto Tamako’s astonished gaze, Fushimi Roku suddenly withdrew his arms, and with a splash, they fell into the water, becoming drenched.

Before she could swim up for air, Fushimi Roku leaned over from the shore and quickly pulled them to safety.

"Cough... cough cough... You said you’d catch me!" Minamoto Tamako coughed, lying on the pebble-covered shore.

"If I hadn’t said that, you’d probably still be stalling. I should get praised for my cleverness." Fushimi Roku felt no shame.

He’s not the Arm Strength God; his Strength attribute was just at B level! Catching Minamoto Tamako was manageable, but catching two people was taxing, better to go for a dive for safety.

Minamoto Tamako wasn’t in the mood to blame him, having narrowly escaped death, feeling relieved beyond measure. She wished she could spread her arms, face the thunder, shouting defiantly, like a classic Shawshank pose.

However, she had just lifted her head when her blood ran cold halfway.

The floor of the pavilion split into two, and hosts of tree men emerged from the ground, like ants swarming out of a massive anthill, chilling even Fushimi Roku to the bone.

He could probably escape with Minamoto Tamako, but wasn’t certain about the others.

Thinking this through, Fushimi Roku decided without hesitation; his own life was most important. He prepared to drag Minamoto Tamako away when she suddenly turned, shouting towards the guest room behind the porch, "Fujiwara Section Chief! Fujiwara Section Chief, come help!"

Fujiwara Homare had already heard the commotion outside: the gurgling noises, running about, followed by gunshots. Even if his cerebellum wasn’t fully developed, he should’ve sensed something was wrong.

As Minamoto Tamako leapt down the building, he happened to pull down a cloth, peek outside, saw nothing except darkness. He was starving since he hadn’t had dinner, his chest and back almost sticking together, intending to return to the guest room for a bite of honeydew melon that Ono Ken had previously served... after all, it’s easier to practice on a full stomach!

Yet having only taken a few bites, Wulin Temple went into upheaval, the eerie sights before him turned him into a nervous wreck, thinking it was vengeful spirits coming for him.

Upon hearing Minamoto Tamako’s shout, he hurriedly pulled open the sliding door, intending to group up for survival, or failing that, find a scapegoat to sacrifice.

Fujiwara Homare fixed his gaze on the garden, which resembled a parade of demons with ceaseless shrieks, and with Nakako and Ono Ken lying on the ground, alive or dead, he slammed the sliding door shut again, his mind blank.

Seeing this, Fushimi Roku yelled out accordingly, "If you don’t escape now, you’ll die! Don’t blame me for not warning you; the monsters in the house are even more terrifying!"

Fujiwara Homare thought it was nonsense, knowing hiding indoors must be safer than outside... yet before he had time to respond, the door suddenly exploded, and tendrils surged in with the debris.

"——Help! Help me!!"