Chapter 101

Chapter 101

When Lu Yan regained consciousness, a wave of pain washed over him. His entire body felt as if it had been crushed by a giant truck, his bones ground to dust.

But worse than the pain was the dizziness, the strange ache behind his eyes, and the thick, coppery taste of blood filling his mouth.

"System," he rasped.

[I'm here, sweetie. Mama's here. Kiss the boo-boo, make it go away.]

"Him?"

The system knew who he meant. After a moment's consideration, it replied, [Got a virus. Forced shutdown.]

Lu Yan hadn't been unconscious for long. From the moment he'd been nailed to the cross to now, only about thirty seconds had passed.

His current state felt like a final, desperate surge of vitality. The agony was so overwhelming it short-circuited his ability to think.

[Darling, do you like your new tongue piercing?]

Lu Yan tentatively pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Sure enough, he felt the cold shape of metal—likely the same cross-shaped nail he’d pulled from Uriel’s mouth. Given the state of this basement, the chances of it having been sterilized were precisely zero.

The system delivered the final blow with clinical detachment. [Correct. It was not cleaned. I hear there’s a type of jade called a ‘mouth-piece jade,’ often carved into a cicada. Some believe wearing it can bring resurrection. A mouth-piece cross should have a similar effect, no?]

Lu Yan’s vision swam. He gagged, fingers scrambling to pry the foreign object from his tongue as a wave of nausea hit him.

He dragged himself out of the filthy water and onto the relatively clean surface of the production table—what had once been Jennifer’s makeshift crib for her unborn child.

Finally, the cross came free. Lu Yan stuffed it into his pocket, his fingers brushing against something else already there.

Something round.

[That’s your eyeball. Surprise!]

Lu Yan touched his own face, confirming both eyes were still in their sockets. A flicker of horror dawned. "Then what’s in my eye now?"

[A gift from your little brother. Freshly harvested. Also unwashed.]

"…"

Lu Yan felt darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision. This wasn't just his fastidiousness revolting. The fact that his body hadn't completely broken down after serving as a vessel for a "god" was testament to his exceptional physical resilience.

The system frantically mimicked pressing his philtrum in his mind. [Don't pass out!! Sweetheart, we have one final step!! Toss the eyeball—best to feed it to the King Fish. Then stick the cross into your good son's tongue.]

Feeding the eyeball to the fish was primarily for clean-up. If he passed out now and was later taken to a hospital, someone finding a human eyeball in his pocket would be… difficult to explain. For now, it was crucial that no one connected Lu Yan to the Blood Moon incident.

Driving the cross into the King Fish’s tongue was to begin erasing its autonomous consciousness. Lu Yan had already seen what a mature King Fish looked like.

Summoning the last of his strength, Lu Yan followed the system’s instructions. The only thing that pricked his conscience was how obedient his "good son" was. It opened its mouth without protest, offering no resistance even as the cross pierced the root of its tongue. Perhaps the arrival of its "little brother" had utterly crushed its will to fight.

Lu Yan could feel his consciousness fraying. A deep, bone-chilling cold seeped into his limbs, and the pain throbbed violently at his temples.

Just as he was about to slip away, he jolted upright with a final, desperate thought. "Michael."

[Alive.]

"Yan…"

[Also alive. Is now really the time to check on your pond, my treasure?]

Reassured, Lu Yan let the darkness take him. Regeneration consumed vast amounts of energy, and there was none left to sustain consciousness.

*

The sudden, global spike in contamination levels forced emergency meetings in Pollution Disease Prevention Centers across the world.

From Zone 1 to Zone 7, directors of various complexions and hair colors gathered on screens, their faces etched with deep concern.

"Zero-hour time zone, 05:32. Abnormal global contamination value rise confirmed. 'Blood Moon phenomena' observed from the equator to both poles."

"Average contamination value increase: 8.7 points. Zone 3 recorded the highest spike. Overall value peaked at 15.7. Total duration of the anomaly: 14 minutes, 21 seconds."

"Due to the rise, Pollution Disease cases have increased significantly worldwide… The proportion of geographical disasters and abnormal weather events among these cases has risen. Direct and indirect economic losses exceed one hundred billion."

"05:46, the Blood Moon vanished. Contamination values have receded to a slightly elevated baseline. It is currently unknown if this anomaly was man-made."

The Secretary-General’s words had barely faded before an objection rang out. "Impossible. I refuse to believe any entity could achieve this. We have detected 19 confirmed S-Class pollutants to date—7 terrestrial, 12 marine. Historical data suggests no existing pollutant could cause a synchronized global increase."

"What concerns me more," countered another voice, "is whether this was a singular event or a prelude to accelerated evolution. Should the latter phases of the 'Ember Project' be deployed ahead of schedule?"

The Ember Project was a resolution passed by vote across all zones years ago. The name "Ember" held two meanings: first, the stolen fire of Prometheus—not just a spark, but hope itself; second, the hope that the flame of human civilization would endure.

If it were to be extinguished, let it be a blazing inferno, not a whisper snuffed out in the dark.

The Project's initial goal was pollution control and source eradication. The latter phases were a desperate Plan B: the construction of underground survivor shelters. This goal would be far easier to achieve with the assistance of an Awakener possessing the "World" talent. Unfortunately, no such individual had been found globally.

For the sake of Plan B, researchers worldwide had sacrificed their youth and hairlines, engineering countless modifications to animals and plants to ensure humanity wouldn't starve in a future of total contamination.

Over the past two decades, engineers from each zone had also selected sites based on economic scale, population, and contamination zones. Currently, 173 potential shelter construction sites existed across the seven zones. Construction could begin at a moment's notice.

But this also symbolized one inevitable truth: humanity was preparing to abandon the land, the sky, the oceans, even the cosmos, to retreat into the earth.

This wasn't victory. It was waiting for death.

Once shelter construction began, the global focus of Pollution Disease prevention would inevitably shift—from active eradication to passive resistance. It would render the active sacrifices of countless individuals a bitter joke.

This was the true, monumental tide that would decide the fate of all mankind.

Thus, when the topic was broached, everyone present fell into a heavy, unanimous silence.

Director Wang from Zone 1 spoke with grave authority. "The focus of this meeting remains Pollution Disease prevention. Whether to accelerate the latter phases of the Ember Project is not on today's agenda."

The emergency virtual meeting lasted a full hour.

As per protocol, Director Wang patched into Tang Xun’an’s comms channel.

According to the original agreement, Awakeners did not participate in decision-making but possessed equivalent rights to information.

Through the earpiece, Director Wang could hear the roar of wind.

When Tang Xun’an flew at full speed, he could reach three times the speed of sound, far surpassing conventional aircraft. Therefore, during emergencies, he preferred to travel alone.

Director Wang reported the meeting's conclusions. As he finished, he casually mentioned the potential acceleration of the Ember Project's later phases.

No response came through the comms. Director Wang knew this was due to the overwhelming wind noise during high-speed flight, making voice feedback nearly impossible. Tang Xun’an would respond upon reaching his destination.

The Director continued processing documents as he waited.

Finally, after a long interval, Tang Xun’an’s voice came through, clear and firm.

"I disagree," he said.

He had no voting power. This was merely his personal stance, a simple, fundamental rejection of that outcome.

Tang Xun’an retracted the draconic wings from his back. His pollution index had dropped significantly recently; the agonizing physiological spasms caused by the Dragon Bone had been absent for some time.

He tightened his grip on the yellow dust in his hand. "The reason I've held on this long is the hope that in the future, humanity will still be able to see the ocean and the sky."

Director Wang was silent for a long moment. "Understood. We will give your opinion serious consideration."

*

A cautious voice came through Tang Xun’an’s earpiece from the liaison officer. "Captain Tang. According to our readings, the epicenter of the pollution source is near the contaminated zone, Crohman Manor…"

Earlier, Lu Yan had mentioned going on a mission.

Tang Xun’an had specifically asked the liaison officer what mission he’d accepted.

Lu Yan hadn't chosen to remain anonymous when taking the assignment, so the officer quickly provided the details.

It was the B-Class mission at Crohman Manor. His fellow Awakeners were Michael and Yan Bei.

By any measure, this was a top-tier team. Both Michael and Yan Bei were highly capable combatants, and Michael’s inherent Holy Light made a B-Class mission more than manageable.

Tang Xun’an had worked with Michael before. He trusted his skill and believed him fully capable of handling a B-Class Pollution Disease case.

He rarely interfered with Lu Yan’s decisions.

Tang Xun’an understood clearly that Lu Yan hated to be constrained.

He was older than Lu Yan, and if one had to define it, he was also Lu Yan’s superior. Their social standing was not equal.

Therefore, maintaining respect and distance was paramount.

Besides, a flower sheltered in a greenhouse could never truly grow.

The moment the detection data pinpointed the source in Zone 3, a thread of tension snapped taut in Tang Xun’an’s heart.

He tried contacting Lu Yan. No response.

Tang Xun’an always preferred to prepare for the worst.

Tang Xian’an wasn’t surprised by the liaison’s report. The anger that surged through him was directed inward, a white-hot fury he couldn’t control.

When he reached the forest surrounding Cromer Manor, the other Awakeners were still trying to figure out how to get in.

They’d already made three attempts.

Each time they entered the woods from a different angle, they’d become lost in the black mist, only to find themselves back at the starting point.

The special rules of this place dictated that the path through the fog to the manor deep within the forest only opened on the night of the full moon each month.

The last full moon had been yesterday.

Raphael let out a long sigh. “Tang. I didn’t expect you to come. Michael mentioned he’d taken that Cromer Manor exploration mission from the forum. I can’t reach him now.”

“Honestly, I don’t think the pollutant here could cause a synchronized global spike,” Raphael continued. “But the peak readings did originate from this location…”

Before he could finish, the sky around them seemed to plunge into instant darkness.

Tang Xian’an drove the yellow dust in his hand into the earth. A translucent, white halo rippled out from him, spreading in a perfect circle.

It took Raphael a moment to recognize it—Tang Xian’an’s other gift. Time.

In the span of a few minutes, this patch of land cycled through dozens of alternations between day and night, until finally, a full moon hung in the sky.

The black mist shrouding the forest thinned considerably in an instant.

Raphael stared, stunned. “It’s been years… you seem even stronger than last time. Just where are your limits?”

He received no answer. Tang Xian’an was already moving, vanishing into the forest.

*

The first floor. Nothing. The blond angel remained nailed to the cross. The nerve-like webs sprawled across the floor, the eyeballs of all sizes now completely withered.

The second floor. Nothing. Tang Xian’an saw the paintings in the hallway. They depicted the death scenes of three individuals, dated just one day prior.

The third floor. Nothing. But he found Yan Bei.

“Lu Yan should be underground,” Yan Bei said, his body still in a plant-like state, tangled with woody roots that made movement impossible. “I gave him a flower. I can feel it—my little flower is down there.”

Tang Xian’an’s reply was curt. “Thanks.”

From the first floor to the third, his detector registered residual pollution values, but the readings weren’t high. None breached 300.

It took him three minutes to breach the door to the basement.

The underground chamber had no branching paths. The water was infested with disgusting parasitic fish, but they were irrelevant. He simply followed the current upstream.

Finally, he saw the person he was looking for.

Lu Yan lay beside the corpse of a massive monster, still and quiet, as if asleep.

The mutant was dead, a dagger still buried in its belly. Its death pose was grotesque, its head thrown back in a final, defiant snarl.

Michael’s white feathers were stained crimson with blood, half his body submerged in the filthy water. If not for the faint, shallow rise and fall of his wings, he would have looked like just another corpse.

Tang Xian’an walked to Lu Yan’s side.

Lu Yan was covered in blood, so much that it was impossible to tell where the worst of the damage was. But his heart was still beating. A pulse still fluttered at his wrist.

Tang Xian’an’s knees nearly buckled. He doubled over, drawing in ragged, heaving breaths—the gasps of a man who had just narrowly escaped oblivion.

In truth, Lu Yan had woken on a conscious level the moment he sensed Tang Xian’an’s arrival.

He just didn’t want to move. Every inch of him screamed in protest.

So he kept up the act, feigning sleep, until he felt something warm and wet drip onto his face.

It took him a moment to realize what it was.

Tears.