Chapter 104

104

As per routine, whenever Lu Yan visited a Pollution Disease Control Center, he would undergo a physical assessment.

[I advise against taking the spiritual power threshold test. Yours is rising too quickly. While it likely wouldn't trigger any major action, it would inevitably raise some eyebrows. The aberration rate and psychological evaluations, however, are fine.]

Lu Yan himself preferred to avoid undue attention. Ever since realizing his spiritual power was increasing at a rate far beyond the ordinary, he had largely stopped using the phone-linked scanner to check his stats. The app required an internet connection, which left him feeling distinctly uneasy.

"Data?"

[Updating your profile now.]

[Host: Lu Yan. Codename: Clairaudience. Spiritual Power Threshold: 7,500. Aberration Rate: 33.1%.]

[You possess strong survival capabilities, proficient in the use of ranged weapons such as firearms and bows, skilled in close-quarters combat. Low heat tolerance. Exhibits remarkable regenerative abilities. Mental state is stable, granting immunity to most psychic attacks. Aberration rate increases slowly. Can respire underwater, possesses dual human/piscine forms, with hands showing a high degree of mutation. A rare Awakener within the human faction capable of defeating higher-level threats.]

[Abilities: Omniscience, Psychic Reformation, Devour, Delirium, Regeneration]

[Aberration Vector: Unknown.]

Lu Yan was genuinely surprised. "That much of an increase?"

Previous jumps had been in the tens or hundreds. A leap of over two thousand felt like receiving a year-end bonus six months early.

[Two high-level pollutants. One mature King Fish. You earned it.]

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan pulled out his phone and found Zhou Qiming's contact.

Lu Yan: What's your spiritual power threshold again?

Zhou Qiming: 7300. Why?

Zhou Qiming hadn't joined the Special Operations Department. While he assisted K City's Control Center, he was, overall, rather laid-back. His threshold had only risen a few hundred points since first meeting Lu Yan.

Lu Yan: 🙂

Zhou Qiming had previously been ranked exactly 100th on the Awakener forum leaderboard.

Knowing roughly where he now stood among humanity put Lu Yan in a very good mood.

On the other end, Zhou Qiming's mood was also surging.

He screenshotted the chat, blurred the details, and posted it to his social feed: My dream zero smiled at me—does he like me?!

Although the key info was obscured, the profile picture was faintly visible—a little orange stray cat from the garden of K City First Hospital.

Chen Twelve: Boss, self-awareness is a virtue.

Detective: Since when are you a one??

……

Amidst the stream of congratulatory and teasing comments, one reply stood out.

Tang Xun'an: ?

*

One of the most important tasks for this visit to the Control Center was writing the mission report.

While he wasn't required to confess like a prisoner, the report's detail would undoubtedly affect his annual evaluation. Not that Lu Yan particularly cared.

His aberration rate was still so low he didn't even need the Center's specialized medication. It gave him a certain… backbone.

This time, the observer for his debrief was Xiao Bing from the Third Research Institute.

"So, in the end, you lost consciousness and are unaware of what transpired. Is that correct?"

Lu Yan nodded. "By the time I woke up, I was already back in the country."

Tang Xun'an had personally retrieved him from the Third District. After Michael fell unconscious, he too had been severely wounded and blacked out. He genuinely knew nothing. He had no idea what "Little Brother" had actually done, so it wasn't even a lie.

Xiao Bing diligently noted the key information on his record sheet. "Thank you for the intelligence, Lord."

As he left, the rabbit tail behind him swayed from side to side—round, fluffy, and quite cute.

The system sneered. [All just little tricks from the Control Center.]

Originally, based on the mission parameters, Lu Yan and the two others combined would have only received 70,000 contribution points. However, due to the unexpected difficulty spike, after deliberation between the Hunters' Guild and the Control Center, the reward was changed to 70,000 points each, plus a 30,000-point voucher for spirit-energy weapons.

After receiving his pay, unable to resist temptation, Lu Yan—accompanied by a staff member—opened the latest equipment procurement interface.

Currently ranked first on the list was a weapon he had used before.

A-Class Spirit-Energy Artifact: Hellfire.

Description: Once the sidearm of Uriel, head of the Third District Control Center. Hellfire possesses a potent burning effect against biochemical-type pollutants, significantly impairing their mobility. Testing estimates effectiveness against pollutants with pollution values between 0 and 15,000. If not for the Third District Headquarters' substantial outstanding debts and the current lack of a suitable wielder for this short blade, it likely would not have been put up for auction.

Starting bid: 200,000 contribution points.

Auction: Next month.

A glance at his account balance forced Lu Yan to feign disinterest once more and scroll past.

The system grumbled. [That price is clearly meant to fleece the Special Ops departments from other districts and certain organizations. Where would an ordinary Awakener get that kind of money?]

In the staff member's earpiece, data came from the psychological analyst—"Fifteen seconds on page one, seven on page four. Roughly two seconds on other pages. The spirit-energy weapons on those two pages are both bladed. Lu Yan wants to buy a knife. A-Class artifacts range from 200,000 to 2 million points. His account holds only 142,000. He can't afford top-tier, but he can apply for a custom order."

Thus, the understanding staff member smiled. "Mr. Lu, as a senior Special Operations Department employee, you are eligible to apply for a custom weapon. First-time applications enjoy a 20% discount."

Custom weapons were a benefit for Special Ops staff. Labor was free; only material costs applied. Non-members who wanted one not only faced a queue but also exorbitant fees.

Tang Xun'an's "Yellow Dust," Michael's "Holy Sword," and Uriel's "Hellfire" were all custom products.

After an Awakener filled out their requirements, the form would be forwarded to the appropriate Research Institute. Production time was around six months.

Lu Yan thought for a moment. "How is it priced?"

High-grade materials were expensive. A subsidy was generous enough; expecting it to be completely free was unrealistic. Besides, everyone wanted the best materials—the problem wasn't scarcity, but inequality.

"Headquarters only charges the base cost, and you receive the 20% discount on that. If you're interested, I can explain the process."

Guided by the staff member, Lu Yan completed the form. Under "Weapon Type," he selected "bow."

This was purely a personal preference.

The staff member informed him that once the application was approved, a dedicated researcher would contact him.

Ultimately, following the system's guidance, Lu Yan purchased a pistol with a magazine capacity of 1,000 rounds. The magazine possessed minor spatial-folding properties; aside from being somewhat heavy, it didn't take up much space.

In the marketplace, defensive gear was far more expensive than weapons.

Due to the limited number of high-level pollutants hunted, the protection offered by many armors couldn't even compare to the fish scales Lu Yan grew himself.

[Aberration is the best defense. Because high-level pollutant materials are limited, same-tier materials are prioritized for weapons. Yet armor prices remain sky-high. Many who scramble to buy it aren't even Awakeners… Headquarters just turns a blind eye.]

After all, why not make money when you can?

By the time he left Control Center headquarters, it was already afternoon. Lu Yan carried a file folder with him.

As a senior employee, he could access far more detailed materials than what was available on the forums. He had specifically requested a copy of the global Pollution Disease case report.

Mainly to look up information on the Divine Kingdom.

Unfortunately, as the Divine Kingdom had been sealed for nearly forty years, the records on file were all badly outdated.

The system tsked. [If anyone followed this intel into the Divine Kingdom, they'd die without knowing how.]

[You've already experienced the most difficult aspect of the Holy One to deal with: hijacking the brain into a psychic space and eroding individual consciousness through cycles of reincarnation.]

[But if that were all, the Holy One's Divine Kingdom wouldn't be classified as an S-Class pollution case. There are over a dozen S-Class pollutants worldwide, but so far, only three S-Class polluted zones.]

[The Divine Kingdom occupies an island chain, now under blockade. Yet humans still live inside. Society there is divided into two classes: the "Devas," who are pollutants; and the "Vassals," ordinary humans bred as livestock for the pollutants. Decades of indoctrination have forged a rigid social system. Both Vassals and Devas worship the Holy One as the sole Father.]

[The Holy One resides in the "Central Divine Court," protected by countless Devas.]

[Pollutants rarely possess intelligence, but the Holy One implants fragments of its own mind into them. This grants them cognitive abilities, allowing them to assist in ruling the entire kingdom.]

[Due to its unique physiology, the Holy One does not consume human flesh but requires a constant supply of human souls as sustenance. This is why it keeps human herds. Pollutants do not produce the white souls it needs. It calls the souls of its human followers "Holy Spirits," storing them within its temple as a food reserve.]

Lu Yan's brow furrowed. "The people inside… they don't resist?"

If a person is told from birth that he is a slave, an inferior being. If he has never seen what a normal human society looks like, never understood how humans are meant to live... could a human raised in such an environment truly know how to rebel?

Erase their written language, shackle their thoughts, grind down their fighting spirit, rewrite their history. If the entire world were to fall, the mortal realm and the Divine Kingdom wouldn't be so different.

In truth, within the Divine Kingdom, a tiny, fragile resistance still struggles on. The oldest among them is nearly a hundred. In the past, he was a Celestial Awakener of the same caliber as Tang Xian'an, once considered a hope for humanity's future.

The reason the Holy Deity hasn't eradicated them yet is because such souls are especially delectable. Recently, the quality of the Devoted's souls has been declining, a fact that greatly displeases the Holy Deity. To restore its strength, it intends to end this half-century-long game of cat and mouse.

Lu Yan pulled out his phone and opened the Celestial Awakening forum app, navigating to the mission board.

On the first page, the "Divine Kingdom Operation" sat squarely at the top.

Mission: Divine Kingdom Operation

Description: Forty-five years ago, headquarters paid an extremely steep price to seal the Divine Kingdom offshore. However, its ruler has never given up its desire to return to the mainland and claim more believers. As the sea fog gradually dissipates, the day will inevitably come when the Church of Bliss resurfaces. We aim to strangle this threat in its cradle.

Mission Data:

1. The sea fog confining the Divine Kingdom originates from two A-Class Celestial Awakeners, "Muramasa" and "Hokuto Itto," who paid with their lives to create the Mirage Sea Fog.

2. During the first Divine Kingdom Operation, 21 Celestial Awakeners assisted with the blockade. They failed to evacuate in time and remain missing.

3. The Holy Deity is an S-Class pollutant, skilled in mental domination. Celestial Awakeners with unstable mental states are strongly advised against accepting this mission.

(Remaining data unlocked upon mission acceptance.)

Objective: Eliminate the Holy Deity.

Issued By: Pollution Disease Prevention and Control Center Headquarters

Reward: 20,000,000 Contribution Points (May be substituted for equivalent items. Negotiable.)

Lu Yan skimmed the details and selected "Accept Anonymously."

The forum system immediately flashed a warning: [Detected [Anonymous User] possesses Senior Celestial Awakener clearance, eligible to accept mission. However, this mission carries extreme danger. Accept? Yes/No]

Even when he'd accepted that B-Class mission before, there hadn't been a pop-up like this.

It really must be a nightmare.

His gaze flicked down. He selected "Yes."

On the Divine Kingdom Operation page, the volunteer count, stagnant at zero for what felt like an eternity, abruptly jumped to one.

The Celestial Awakening forum's general discussion board exploded.

[Which bigshot accepted the Divine Kingdom Op?! Holy shit???]

OP: Holy shit, middle of the afternoon, just looking for some easy jobs to earn med money. Accidentally clicked into the Divine Kingdom Op page and saw the volunteer count go from 0 to 1!!!

1L: Just checked. It's real??

2L: Blind guess: The Tyrant.

3L: Can't be. The Tyrant's mental state is notoriously unstable!

4L: Bai Ze?

5L: Bai Ze's combat rating is trash. Can't fight.

6L: Maybe someone clicked wrong...?

7L: No way. High-level missions have confirmations! And you can't accept them without the clearance. Plus, each Awakener can only have one active mission at a time. Unless they never plan to take another one...

8L: Hello, bigshot. Bigshot, are you reading the forum? Bigshot, do you need a leg ornament?

Lu Yan glanced at the frenzy, uninterested, and closed his phone. He leaned back, resting his eyes, and pondered what to make for dinner. And whether he should tell Tang Xian'an.

Something told him... this mission probably wasn't one to bring him along for.