Prepared with their improvised protection, Ren and Lin continued advancing through the tunnel. The density of mushrooms increased exponentially, until they were practically walking on a pulsating golden carpet.
The air grew denser, charged with invisible spores that danced around them, recognizing, evaluating, but allowing them passage thanks to their disguise.
♢♢♢♢
Outside the tunnel...
The searchers had deployed in a perimeter around the strange clearing of golden mushrooms, their confusion evident in the glances they exchanged. None dared approach too close to those pulsating structures that seemed to breathe collectively.
"What the hell is this?" murmured a tracker. "There shouldn't be anything like this in this forest."
"The commander will want a detailed report of this anomaly when we mention it," responded another, his eyes never leaving the mushrooms. "But finding the fugitives has priority... After that, we can take samples."
