Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Lu Yan was scheduled to return on October 31st.

Headquarters had dispatched a private jet for his transport.

On the day the plane arrived, fireworks exploded over the small island. In broad daylight, plumes of colored smoke enveloped most of the landmass, and confetti like flakes of gold foil drifted down from the sky.

It looked like a festival.

The stationed personnel, having worked here for so long, were witnessing this for the first time and were utterly bewildered. "What's going on? Signal flares?"

An older, more experienced staff member smacked the speaker on the back of the head. "What did they teach you in training? When has the Prevention and Control Center ever set off fireworks in the middle of the day?"

"...When a visiting Awakener successfully completes a high-level mission and is about to return home in glory," the junior employee recited by rote, then paused, his expression shifting to surprise. "What?! What mission? Who completed it? On our island?"

But he quickly put it together.

This base had been built specifically to monitor Changjia Island's data. Recently, the Awakener forums had been flooded with discussion threads about the Divine Kingdom operation.

Lu Yan looked at the red carpet rolled out at his feet, momentarily unsure what expression to wear.

The base director spoke up. "Mr. Lu, this is a private jet specially approved by Headquarters. From now on, wherever you are, this plane will be. The pilot previously served at the White Eagle Air Force Base, has thirteen years of fighter jet experience, and obtained his commercial pilot's license after retiring. His skills are excellent, you can rest assured. If you wish to pilot it yourself, you may attempt to do so after obtaining the proper license."

The sturdy, well-built captain saluted Lu Yan, then turned and entered the cockpit.

Lu Yan took two steps forward, then suddenly turned back, a questioning look in his eyes directed at Tang Xian'an behind him.

Tang Xian'an offered him a smile. "Go on. This is your honor. I still need to survey the area around Changjia later."

The system chimed in. [He's lying to you. At 10 AM, Tang Xian'an received a notification. Traces of Shen Qingyang have appeared in the West Sea region. Bai Qiushi happened to be on a mission and managed to implant a tracker into the little octopus's body.]

[Tang Xian'an is preparing to join the encirclement operation. Headquarters didn't tell you because they're concerned about your past connection with Shen Qingyang.]

When a member of the Special Operations Department had a former acquaintance become a pollutant, they typically weren't notified in advance, partly for their own protection.

Lu Yan didn't try to stop Tang Xian'an. Mainly because if he couldn't explain things clearly, Shen Qingyang might easily end up as "Old Yang next door."

That wouldn't be a problem solvable with just a couple of kisses.

"Come back soon, then."

He walked up the boarding stairs. The passenger jet was a small private model. Beyond the standard luxuries, a large bathtub, perfectly suited for a soak, sat before the small round windows. It seemed someone at Headquarters had done their homework on his preferences.

As the plane started its engines, Lu Yan sat on the sofa and turned on the wireless TV in front of him.

It was playing the day's news.

Lu Yan glanced at it. The anchor was explaining the events of the two Divine Kingdom operations to the general public. It wasn't a documentary; the concise news script contained only cold statistics of the dead.

Civilians. Awakeners. Shattered, collapsed bridges. Desolate city centers. The anchor's narration was devoid of personal color, but paired with the recorded footage, it couldn't help but feel tragic. Many people were probably just thankful the Divine Kingdom hadn't been born on the land they called home.

In this operation, the individual identities of Special Operations Department members had been blurred.

The system explained. [Primarily to avoid drawing the attention, or retaliation, of high-level pollutants. Members with too high a profile are easily targeted during missions. But that's old history from decades ago, back before Pollution Disease was even publicly known.]

It was public knowledge now. Panic still existed, but humanity didn't seem fragile enough to collapse because of it.

"What if some Awakeners are particularly fond of fame?" Lu Yan asked.

[Are you talking about Michael?]

Lu Yan thought of the internet cable Headquarters had run for him and fell into a brief silence.

The flight from the sea to City K took about seven hours.

Lu Yan opened his phone, wanting to see if the twenty million had been deposited.

Unexpectedly, the first thing that popped up was a system notification.

[NOTICE] (The following ranking is in no particular order) Congratulations to Alpha, Fierce Tiger, White Wolf (Deceased), (Anonymous) for completing the S-Class mission: Divine Kingdom Operation. Relevant data has been updated.

Lu Yan logged into his account and submitted a request to the administrator in the backend: he wanted the Fifth Research Institute to build him a submarine.

The administrator replied swiftly: Understood, Lord Clairaudient. We will forward your request to the Fifth Research Institute. A relevant researcher will contact you for further details.

Administrator: May I ask why you require a submarine?

Clairaudient: Too much money. Can't spend it all.

Administrator: …

*

Although his identity wasn't exposed, Lu Yan's entire return journey was indeed treated with national treasure-level care.

He arrived in City K at night.

Director Li glanced at the pot keeping the brown sugar eggs warm, his expression deeply concerned. "Are you sure Mr. Lu will like this?"

"Don't worry, we did our research," a staff member asserted confidently. "Back when Mr. Lu was in high school, he went to the East Gate cafeteria every morning for brown sugar eggs. These eggs are from the meat-egg chickens sent by the Seventh Research Institute. The chickens are a bit ugly—three eyes, eight wings—but the taste is undeniable. They only lay one egg a week. Previously, all were prioritized for hatching."

Thus, when Lu Yan disembarked from the plane, Director Li approached with a beaming smile, holding a thermal container. "Lu Yan, Lu Yan. You've worked hard. Been gone so long, are you hungry? I made some sweet soup eggs at home. Have a taste?"

Lu Yan took it. "Thank you."

The brown sugar had been simmered over a low flame, melting into the water with a texture like flowing sand. It was very sweet.

"Oh, by the way, the researchers from the Third Institute sent a message. Your bow is basically finished. They can send the prototype over first for you to test, see if there are any improvements needed."

"Alright."

Director Li looked at him eagerly. "Lu Yan, could you find time for a psychological evaluation and update your file?"

This was what he most wanted to say, and what Headquarters was worried about.

Lu Yan spent two hours completing the psychological evaluation and updating some personal information.

Talent 14 was written into his file. His spiritual power threshold and pollution index were measured with more specialized equipment.

Spiritual Power Threshold: 8134.3. Pollution Index: 42.1.

"You're already A-Class! You're truly amazing, sir," Researcher Xiao Bing's eyes practically sparkled. "And the stability of your mental state is the highest among Awakeners of your level. Solid as an equilateral triangle."

Xiao Bing made a note in the file folder. "Your pollution index isn't high either, though we're already developing a targeted treatment for you. You can take it with you on your next mission."

Xiao Bing was originally a researcher at the Third Institute.

After having his rabbit tail pulled by Lu Yan, he successfully landed a new job: becoming an outposted researcher, primarily responsible for updating and recording Lu Yan's file.

Xiao Bing was quite pleased. This counted as a business trip on public funds, with a daily allowance of 200. That came out to 6000 more per month than his previous salary! At this rate, after working for another 62 years, he could afford a house in City A.

Sixty-two years was a long time, but he was an Awakener, with a much longer lifespan than a normal person. He should still get to live in it for sixty years before he died.

Lu Yan: "Thank you."

Hugging the file, Xiao Bing asked somewhat shyly, "Sir, why aren't you pinching my tail today?"

As he said this, Xiao Bing's cheeks flushed a cute pink.

Knowing Lu Yan was returning today, Xiao Bing had specially gone to a pet store to buy fur volumizer and begged his senior brother to spray it on his tail several times. Now the fur on his tail was white, soft, and had an excellent feel.

Lu Yan thought for a moment. "My boyfriend has a keen sense of smell."

It couldn't be helped.

Xiao Bing's expression froze for a second, then he straightened up formally. "Understood, Comrade Lu Yan."

*

6 AM. Lu Yan finally returned to his long-absent home.

The door had a fingerprint lock. Having been unoccupied for nearly two months, a thin layer of dust covered everything.

Lu Yan removed the dust covers from the furniture, then started sweeping and mopping, tidying up the bed in the process.

The system snorted. [Hah. So what if you earned two hundred billion on one mission? Still have to clean yourself. And no one to warm your bed.]

Perhaps because of Pollution Disease, the weather was growing increasingly extreme. City K was turning cold earlier than previous years. It was only November, but the temperature had already dropped to single digits.

Lu Yan cleaned until 8 AM.

At 8:30, just as he had lain down, ready to sleep, the doorbell rang.

He opened his eyes, walked to the door, and was surprised to find the screen of the peephole camera was black.

The system said, [It's burnt out. The visitor is 07. When he transforms into a small bird, he's indistinguishable from an ordinary one. Plus, his Signal Interference talent is more useful than imagined. So he wasn't detected along the way.]

[Quite pitiful, 07. 01 doesn't share his ideals, and human society can't accept him either. He's like General Li, forced to remain among the Xiongnu.]

Lu Yan was surprised. "What's he doing here?"

[Delivering a letter.]

"Are pollutants into letter-writing these days?"

Even so, Lu Yan opened the door.

07 looked up at him, holding a box in his hands.

His complexion was even paler than when he was a test subject, tinged with a faint aura of death. "Doctor Lu."

His voice was thin, weak.

[He hasn’t fed in too long. It won’t kill a pollutant, but it leaves them frail.]

Lu Yan considered for a moment, then pulled the door open a little wider. “Why are you here? Do you want to come in?”

07’s voice was barely a whisper. “No. I have to leave soon. I snuck out. 01 doesn’t know.”

“I came to warn you. If, in the next few days, Headquarters—or anyone else—tries to send you on a mission to X City, don’t go.”

“I hope they won’t. You just finished an S-Class mission. They shouldn’t assign you another one so quickly. Doctor, whatever you hear, find a way to refuse. I hope… you can be a little selfish.”

“If you absolutely have to go… remember to open this package first…”

07 started to hand him the box he was holding, but quickly withdrew it, placing it on the floor instead.

Though it didn’t show on the surface, his body burned like magma inside.

Pain and struggle twisted across 07’s face. “My time is running out. I don’t know if I’ll see you again. If we meet next time… remember to treat me like a stranger.”

The man before him dissolved into a small red bird that flapped its wings and flew away.

Where he had stood, the wall bore a scorched, blackened mark, as if seared by flame.

“What’s happening to 07?” Lu Yan asked.

[An emperor who’s secured his throne often grows suspicious of the very ministers who helped him win it. Liu Bang killed Han Xin. Zhao Kuangyin removed his generals’ power with a cup of wine. 01 doesn’t like dissenting voices in the Hound base either. Especially when 07, a pollutant, shows too much affinity for humans.]

[He won’t kill him. He’ll just remake 07 into something more to his liking.]

“And X City?”

[After the Divine Kingdom operation, Headquarters attempted to negotiate with 01. They wanted 09 back. The price was a promise never to actively attack the Hound base. The exchange was set for X City. The butcher shop owner, Lu Zhi, has Talent 10: Soul Contract. The one sent to sign on behalf of Headquarters was Test Subject 03, the Pope.]

The system let out a cold laugh. [But Headquarters guessed wrong about one thing. The Hounds never intended to make that deal with humanity.]

[Headquarters is no different. As long as the Gu Master lives, the Pope cannot truly die. And upon death, a Soul Contract becomes void.]

[In short, it’s a setup. Both sides think they’ll be the victor.]

[The only problem is… they’ve underestimated Lu Zhi. They think she’s harmless.]

[The contract has been swapped.]

*

07 flew back to the base. He’d been gone three days, waiting just to catch Lu Yan.

As expected, 01 was probably still in X City, preparing for the exchange with the Prevention and Control Center.

The moment 07 returned, dogs of all sizes surrounded him, barking and wagging their tails.

These were the pollutants modified by Gong Weibin and 01.

They had the bodies of dogs, faces eerily close to human, and terrifying bite force, reflexes, strength, and speed.

These “Hounds” were absolutely loyal to their master, born as pollutants with contamination values nearing 4000. Their potential for growth was immense.

Their master was 01. 07 was, at best, a half-master.

Gong Weibin, who also bore a dog’s head, was chained by the entrance. He watched his creations with empty eyes, occasionally breaking into a mindless giggle.

He’d tried to escape once. 01 had broken three of his legs. The will to resist was gone.

Gong Weibin now hovered on the edge of madness.

He’d developed better Hound genetics. If he couldn’t prove his usefulness, 01 would have killed him long ago.

07 finished feeding the yapping, hungry dogs and returned to his room.

Weakness meant he needed more rest now.

But not long after Zong Yan closed his eyes, the door swung open.

A locked door was no barrier to 01, though out of respect, he rarely did this.

Jolted awake by the noise, Zong Yan sat up.

Gu Zheng sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to ruffle his pale red hair. “Where have you been these past few days?”

“Just wandering,” Zong Yan replied.

Gu Zheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. “But as I recall, your home isn’t in City K. Does ‘just wandering’ take you that far?”

The hand in his hair tightened, the pressure turning painful.

07 pressed his lips together, his gaze fixed on a corner of the room, silent.

“Everything I do is for our home…” Gu Zheng said slowly. “Not just you. 03, 04, all the way to 09—except for that traitor, 10. They are my family. You are too. I thought even if you didn’t understand, you wouldn’t betray me.”

Gu Zheng’s grip on Zong Yan’s hair tightened.

“This time, I went to the famous slaughterhouse. Secured the freshest dog food. I was happy. I wanted to come back and share it with you.”

Gu Zheng tilted his head, a deceptively kind smile on his face. “The cook has prepared a meal. It’s in the dining hall. Will you eat?”

Zong Yan shrank back half a step. He didn’t answer the question. “It hurts.”

Gu Zheng didn’t let go. “Will you eat?”

“…”

His silence was answer enough.

A red light flickered in Gu Zheng’s eyes. In one swift motion, he shoved Zong Yan face-down onto the bed.

“Gu Zheng?!” Zong Yan struggled.

Gu Zheng pulled a syringe from his pocket, pinning 07’s face against the mattress, exposing only the slender back of his neck.

Pale and delicate.

He plunged the needle into the thin skin of 07’s neck, injecting a crimson fluid.

One of Gong Weibin’s developments. An injectable canine gene serum.

The liquid was red because it contained Gu Zheng’s blood.

This way, once all autonomous thought was gone, 07 could become his “Hound.”

This was the third injection.

Gu Zheng pinned both of Zong Yan’s wrists with one hand, his entire body immobilized against the bed.

A faint spark flickered in Zong Yan’s palm, then died.

The injection was agony, but his frail body offered no resistance.

Tears of pure physiological distress slid from the corners of his eyes. Gu Zheng finished the injection and released him.

Zong Yan’s body went limp, sliding off the bed to kneel on the floor. He trembled uncontrollably, like a patient in the throes of rabies.

“Gu… Gu Zheng… please… don’t…”

Zong Yan coughed, the sound wracked with pain.

01 looked down at Zong Yan, his expression blank, as if seeing a ghost of his own past.

But in his heart, he felt no pity.

“You need to be obedient, 07,” he said, his voice cold.