Mist

Chapter 29: Chaos

The rainforest was hot and humid. As if it had just rained, water droplets still hung from the grass and leaves.
But after a few minutes of walking, their hair and body were wet. Ji Yushi’s complexion was cold and pale. Water droplets slid down his hair to his face and neck. His eyes however were still particularly vivid under all the greenery.
Song Qinglan however felt that if Ji Yushi continued like this, he would get sick again.
Reaching towards a plant with thick round leaves, Song Qinglan used his tall height to easily pull off a leaf the size of a water basin, “Here, shield yourself.”

Ji Yushi received it and held it like an umbrella, “Thank you.”
He had nothing against using it but he teased Song Qinglan, “Cap Song is so considerate, I almost thought I was a woman.”

Song Qinglan still needed to hold the gun with his hands, and he was responsible for opening up a path for them, so he didn’t have time to ‘hold an umbrella’. He casually replied, “I didn’t say that.”

They walked into the depths of the rainforest.

The trees here were even bigger, with trunks requiring four or five people to completely encircle. As a result, the gaps between the trees also increased. Many smaller plants grew on these trees and fruits hung from it. They looked round and alluring, like dragonfruit, but no one dared to rashly give it a try.
The further they went, the larger the plantation in the rainforest became. It eventually became even larger than what they could picture.

They passed a huge colony of fungi.
Light blue, red, white and yellow. All sorts of huge mushrooms grew in the rainforest like individual small houses.

Ji Yushi stood under the cover of a mushroom and observed, “These mushrooms should not be of the same species. The largest mushroom I have ever seen is the Porcini which can grow up to 50cm in diameter or the Armillaria fungus which can spread underneath for a distance of up to 2000 acres. Fungus grows on the roots of trees and would continue to secrete enzymes to break down the roots but despite so many mushroom here growing to this size, the trees growth doesn’t seem to be affected…..”

“I didn’t expect you to even know about mushrooms.” Song Qinglan asked, “Advisor Ji, is there anything you don’t know?”

Please read this from kk translates

The long journey was too boring. The two continued to move forward.

Ji Yushi said, “I actually saw it in the museum.”
Song Qinglan asked, “There is a museum specifically about mushrooms?”
“It’s just one of the popular science exhibitions.” Ji Yushi said, “I was only five at the time and found it interesting.”

People with hyperthymesia rarely found something they remembered very interesting. This was Song Qinglan’s first time in a long time hearing Ji Yushi mention a relaxing memory.

Song Qinglan turned and asked, “You could remember everything from such a young age?”
“No, this illness wasn’t from birth.” Ji Yushi told him, “I only suddenly found that I could remember everything that has happened one day a long time later. Including all the experiences I have had and all the details, I could remember it very clearly and I was unable to forget it.”

Not from birth?
Song Qinglan guessed that something must have happened during that time.
Ji Yushi no longer continued talking about this and the two were not familiar enough to have conversations like this, so the topic ended here.

They walked past a huge group of fungi.
They then passed a small stream and finally found something by the stream.

Some tools and packages where scattered there and there was also a rusty kettle. It looked like someone had stayed here.
Ji Yushi opened those packages and saw that there were also some daily necessities inside, including mouldy batteries and a water damaged communicator, all of which could no longer be used. Ji Yushi also found a compass inside. In their era, these things all belonged to a time a dozen or so years in the past. The compass however appeared to be in good condition. The N/S English letters on the dial were still clear but it was a pity that the pointer spun around aimlessly so it was completely useless.