Little Mushroom: Judgment Day

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An Zhe helps him fall asleep again. Language: English Words: 1,108 Chapters: 1/1 Comments: 22 Kudos: 104 Bookmarks: 12 Hits: 536 Until the day humanity falls." In the year 2020, Earth's magnetic poles disappeared and humankind was nearly wiped out by cosmic radiation. Within the span of a hundred years, living creatures began to mutate and devour each other while the remaining humans, numbering in the tens of thousands, struggled bitterly in their man-made bases. In the Abyss, home to the mutated xenogenics, there lived a sentient little mushroom. Because it had been nourished by the blood and flesh of the deceased human An Ze, not only did it take on a similar-looking human form, but a similar name as well: An Zhe. An Zhe is determined to go to the human base to search for his spore, which had been harvested by humans. Once there, however, he faces the omnipresent risk of discovery and certain death as he tries to keep his non-human nature hidden from the Judges, whose responsibility is to inspect for and eliminate xenogenics like himself. And of all the Judges, Colonel Lu Feng is the most perceptive and merciless―as soon as he determines that someone is a xenogenic, he will execute that person on the spot. But An Zhe's mutation goes undetected by Lu Feng's eyes, and so a tale of humans and xenogenics unfolds… i've been wanting to read this since forever, and the moment the desire to read this occurred to me, i immediately grabbed it and looked where it got me—finishing it within a day LMAO Key features: at first cup-shaped, developing lobes that make them look uncannily like human ears. Tan-brown and velvety on the outside, with a wrinkled shiny inner surface. Rubbery, gelatinous flesh. Up to 8cm across. i love u my little mushroom i love u an zhe i love u an zhe’s spore i love you lu feng i love u all the characters who took one look at lu feng & an zhe and immediately went “…bffr you guys love each other just get together already 🙄”

Traditionally used as an insecticide, the cap was broken up and sprinkled into saucers of milk. Fly agaric is now known to contain ibotenic acid, which both attracts and kills flies. It is against this monumental reality of cataclysm that An Zhe’s innocent search for his spore unfolds, and because he’s a literal mushroom, with a rudimentary and somewhat naive understanding of good and evil or of what propels humans to do the things they do, there is very little space for the endless self-justifying impulse of “human interest”. In a little mushroom’s rendering of the world, the ugliness—that is to say, all the details of struggle and survival—is stark and unflinching, with nothing to hide behind. What we are ultimately left with is a haunted and haunting portrait of what we do to one another in our desperate grasping to unmake our undoing.

The quilt, pillow, and bedsheets were all the base's standard issue, with no differences whatsoever from the underground prison's prisoners' bedding" (153). This review is very spoiler filled and very stream of consciousness—i mostly wrote it in my notes app throughout reading. they said that they can’t let the xenogenics get human genes, so humans must be incinerated immediately if they die, but didn’t we see that people who die in the wilderness aren’t incinerated? or are they supposed to incinerate dead bodies and an zhe’s group (and an ze’s group) just ignored the rules? I feel like the whole going out into the wilderness thing seems high-risk, low reward. how are what the mercenaries have found in the wilderness worth this risk? Like many other plants and animals in this bleak future version of Earth, he had mutated—no, it’s more accurate to say he has evolved, As An Zhe can think, show empathy and feel like humans do. In fact, in his human form, he is—genetically speaking—exactly like us. It’s just that the gentle little mushroom has more than one form. And he is that— gentle. And obedient. It’s absurdly cute how acquiescent this little fellow is. It’s likely what disarms everyone around him despite his occasionally strange behavior. He just comes across as too naïve and well-meaning to pose any danger.

An Zhe saw Lu Feng lower his gun and expressionlessly wipe it down while leaning against the wall, seeming not to care about anything. It’s important to know that Judgment Day is set in a dystopian world where nature has been mutated beyond recognitio, and the mutation is highly contagious. Humanity is declining and death is behind every corner. If you’re infected, then you’re turned into a murderous amalgamation of what has infected you. It’s very body horror-esque. I enjoyed this book. The worldbuilding was engaging and well-developed as readers follow the story along with An Zhe. As a protagonist, An Zhe is likeable. He's sweet. It was great to experience him learning more about being human and human society. How his relationship with Lu Feng progresses feels natural and I became invested, because as much as An Zhe learns, there is stuff he still doesn't know, and it's a treat to read! That third meeting between them?! Ohhhh, my god! They keep getting better, too, and the humor hits as well. This book is also fantastic as a lover of dramatic irony. There is so much!!! The wait for the next volume to see how everything (the relationship and the main dilemmas of the plot) gets resolved is going to be hard, though I do like where this volume ended. this is my first time (i think?) that i've read an interspecies romance between an unusually calm, kindhearted simpleton mushroom (he's just a tiny little mushroom !!) which can shapeshift into a human, and an aloof, dreaded judge, the arbriter, who has the blood of a thousand people on his hands. it's actually really intriguing to read from an zhe's pov because of his indifference, his out-of-touch empathy towards his environment, and his slow adaptation to being a human, especially the human feelings foreign to a mushroom like him (the only thing he knows that seems closer to feelings is the instinct for survival of himself and his spore). i also liked the fact that he seemed like a bystander watching the destruction of the earth unfold in front of him, like what dr. ji said. well, given that he's not human after all, he will definitely feel that he's not part of the present and will just go with the flow.In the Abyss, home to the mutated xenogenics, there lived a sentient little mushroom. Because it had been nourished by the blood and flesh of the deceased human An Ze, not only did it take on a similar-looking human form, but a similar name as well: An Zhe.

I love that Lily (who is a 6 year old and is not allowed to go outside) has all the gossip, like the minute lu feng left the room she’s giving all the details on him to an zhe Translation (if i got anything wrong, pls tell me! these terms were translated with my beginner level chinese, google translate, and pleco):

How will he find it, if he can’t get past the human gates because of the “judges”, who stand guard at the gates of human bases, killing the infected and the beings of the elements?