âThese dried mushrooms donât look... very delicious.â Rozanne looks at the bag of dried mushrooms in my hand seriously for a few seconds before replying hesitantly.Itâs obvious that sheâs a little embarrassed to say that the mushroom looks dry and blackâit causes alarms to go off, and it can hardly whet up an appetite. After all, Iâd offered it out of kind intentions.
Hehe... I take this opportunity to change the topic.
âWhatâs your drink called?â
Rozanne immediately turns around and picks up the beverage bottle on the table. She says with a smile, âThis is it! The design looks cool, right?â
The beverage bottle has a streamlined design with a footprint theme. The name is:
âReporter.â
Thatâs different from mine... I politely compliment, âLooks good.â
Rozanne twists the cap that has been opened a long time ago as if sheâs preparing to take a sip.
I instinctively want to stop her, but after opening my mouth, I realize that I donât have a reason.
Furthermore, a third of the Reporter beverage is gone. This means that Rozanne has already drank it. Thereâs no point in stopping her now.
Gulp... Rozanne lowers the bottle and twists the cap back on.
âIt doesnât taste bad. Try it.â
âOkay, okay,â I say perfunctorily.
Rozanne doesnât urge me any further. Instead, she points at the remaining beverage bottles in the plastic bag.
âYou can also switch bottles.â
âNo need, thereâs no need,â I reply without hesitation.
Either way, I donât intend to drink it. It doesnât matter if I switch it or not.
After two seconds of deliberation, I look at Rozanne and probe, âHow do you feel after drinking it? Any special sensations?â
âSpecial sensations? Do you think this is a drug? Erm, itâs moderately sweet and refreshing. The fragrance will definitely be better after chilling it.â Rozanne says, a little pissed.
She doesnât look like sheâs lying... This means that she probably didnât obtain superpowers from the Reporter beverage... I subconsciously survey my surroundings and realize that my fellow colleagues have more or less drunk some of Rozanneâs beverages, but none of them show any signs of abnormality.
They donât even appear dazed or confused.
Could it be that only the Assassin beverage I picked last time has a special effect? I wonder if thatâs considered being lucky or not... I quickly control my doubts and wave the Instigator beverage in my hand.
âIâll need to get down to work.â
âGo ahead. Donât let me stop you.â Rozanne waves her hand casually.
Returning to my seat, I sit down. I look at the Instigator beverage in front of me and fall into deep thought.
After about twenty seconds, I use my large mug meant for drinking water. This is something I prepare for taking pleasant gulps of water. I open the cap of the Instigator beverage and pour the liquid inside.
Although I donât plan on drinking this beverage, Iâm curious about what the liquid inside looks like, and whether it contains some special powers.
Splash. I pour all of the Instigator beverage into my mug.
Thatâs too little, isnât it? That definitely isnât 500 milliliters! I canât help but look down on this beverageâs manufacturer.
My mug isnât small, but it usually canât hold the entirety of a 550-ml bottle of mineral water.
In other words, while there appeared to be quite a bit of âInstigatorâ in it, the manufacturer had actually cut corners!
Hmm, itâs dark blue. Itâs clear, and itâs quite enticing... I carefully observe the liquid in the mug and gather some preliminary information.
Other than that, the drink is no different from anything else, at least not on the surface.
After some thought, I decide to throw something into the mug to see if there will be any changes.
What do I throw? I look around when I suddenly get a bout of inspiration.
Those dried mushrooms!
Anyway, this isnât something I plan on eating, so I can use it for experiments.
I really am a genius!
Without any hesitation, I tear open the packaging and throw the black dried mushrooms into the dark blue liquid, watching them stretch out and expand slightly.
There arenât any changes. Iâm starting to think that Iâm overthinking matters.
Suddenly, messages come from my workâs chat group. I start to get busy.
About fifteen minutes later, I finish my work and raise my head, preparing to stretch my neck.
Suddenly, I see a mushroom!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
A white and tender mushroom with red star dots all over it!
...Where did this mushroom come from? I glance over and discover that itâs growing in my mug.
Itâs about the size of a palm. Its skin, noâits surface is so tender and supple. On the cap, there are mushrooms of the same breed, just like its hands and feet.
What the hell is this? Iâm confused.
At that moment, the mushroom sways and the cap moves upwards as though it has lifted its head.
The two slightly larger red stars that look like eyes meet my gaze.
Just like that, I look at it, and it seems to be looking at me.
A few seconds later, the mushroom reaches out its many âhands,â and using the edge of the mug as leverage, it jumps out.
In the next second, it jumps to the floor and wildly runs towards the office door.
F*ck... Iâm still confused.
At the same time, I discover a problem: All of the Instigator beverage in the mug is gone.
Almost subconsciously, I stand up and chase after the mushroom.
I suspect that itâs a product from the fusion of the Instigator beverage and the dried mushrooms!
I have to resolve this accident I caused, as soon as possible!
The mushroom is âshortâ and extremely fast. It passes through the office without being obstructed, and wasnât even discovered. On the other hand, Iâm stopped by my colleagues several times and have no choice but to slow down.
So, although the mushroomâs footsteps are obviously smaller than mine, it still escapes from the company.
I-it charged into the company next door!
I subconsciously follow.
At this moment, the security guard next door stops me.
âWhat are you here for?â the tall and strong security guard asks.
My mind races as I come up with an excuse:
âIâm here for Vice President Wu.â
âVice President Wu?â The security officer doesnât believe me. âIâll ask the front desk.â
While heâs walking to the front desk, I approach the door and gaze inside.
Iâm shocked by what Iâm seeing.
The employees of the company next door are either wearing black hooded robes or wearing strange costumes. Theyâre dancing with something similar to an âEmployeesâ Dance for Business.â
A cosplay convention? A masquerade ball? Itâs only nine in the morning... Iâm confused again, forgetting to sneak inside.
âWhatâs your boss doing?â I ask when the security guard returns.
Itâs so strange!
The security officer shakes his head.
âI donât know either.
âIâm just a worker.â
Tsk, the moment I hear that, itâs obvious that heâs trying to draw a clear line between him and them... I press, âIs your boss inside too?â
âYes, that one over there who isnât wearing anything,â the security guard replies nonchalantly.
I focus my gaze, and the corner of my mouth twitches involuntarily.
Pervert!