Chapter 35

Chapter 35

As a provincial capital, City P had developed well over the years.

After a week of intense training, Lu Yan’s feet finally touched its soil once more. Perhaps because of the Pollution Disease, the plant life here was unnaturally lush and rampant. Large, showy clusters of flowers were visible everywhere along the streets.

The person from the Prevention and Control Center assigned to receive them was someone Lu Yan actually recognized—the same female official from his emergency landing in City P last time.

She looked even more haggard than before, with dark circles under her eyes so pronounced they were frightening. "We are very grateful that the Special Operations Department has chosen City P as the final exercise site," she said, her voice weary. "Our two A-Class Chosen here have agreed to assist with proctoring. If any anomalies occur, they will enter the examination zone immediately for rescue."

"To be frank," she continued, rubbing her temples, "the abnormal activity in City P over the past fortnight has been excessive. The botanical garden area is completely sealed off, but the number of aberrations in the city continues to rise steadily. While more newly awakened Chosen have appeared, the overall casualty rate among ordinary citizens… has been severe."

Staff members began distributing information packets.

In the brief moment it took to hand them out, the person in charge actually leaned against the wall and fell asleep.

"Apologies," she said, jerking awake. "The recent workload has been extreme. The botanical garden zone is divided into outer and inner perimeters. The outer perimeter is primarily contaminated with a spreading spore virus. Infection by these spores can lead to parasitization. Repeated testing has shown that because the spores are dispersed and their concentration low, this parasitization is ineffective against Chosen with a spiritual power threshold exceeding 100."

"In addition to the infected aberrations we've previously documented—the mushroom-folk, the tree-folk—the majority are actually small birds and insects," she stated gravely. "The mushroom colony covers approximately 120 hectares. Beyond that lies the Orange-level contaminated zone: Luochuan Botanical Garden. Our personnel have marked the garden's boundary with orange fluorescent paint."

"The resolution of the Luochuan situation… is entrusted to you all." With that, she bowed deeply.

A small white flower was pinned to her collar.

Rumor had it her father, husband, and daughter had all awakened as Chosen. They had all perished, one after another, in the efforts to combat City P's Pollution Disease.

Each trainee was outfitted in the Research Institute's specialized protective gear and shouldered a pesticide tank weighing twenty kilograms. The getup made them look more like gardeners than operatives.

The sixty trainees were divided into twenty squads, typically pairing two combat specialists with one from another discipline. Lu Yan's team consisted of familiar faces.

His teammates were Iron Fist and Chen Anzhi. Iron Fist's real name was Zhou Zheng; before his awakening, he'd been an underground black-market boxer.

Chen Anzhi offered a faint smile. "Lu Yan. I didn't expect we'd be teammates this time."

Iron Fist was brimming with competitive zeal. "I'll cover more ground with this pesticide sprayer than you, just wait and see!"

Lu Yan wasn't particularly in the mood to talk.

The June heat was already oppressive, made worse by the stifling, sauna-like confinement of the protective suit. Though the instructors had emphasized repeatedly that the final exercise wasn't graded on results, an incentive points system had still been implemented to boost motivation. Each pollutant killed would yield corresponding points.

Perhaps due to the influence of Luochuan Botanical Garden, the plant life within this contaminated zone was unnaturally prolific. Branches burst from the windows of abandoned buildings, pushed through cracks in the asphalt, and snaked out from sewer grates—a relentless, tangled web of growth.

Because Lu Yan's squad was assessed as relatively capable, their assigned spray zone was deeper in, already a dense forest.

The moment the three of them rappelled from the helicopter, their boots sank into a carpet of mushrooms.

[Let's tour the botanical garden and identify some popular online pollutants today.]

[These white mushrooms underfoot are called Destroying Angels. They sprout everywhere after rain. Pollution Value: 5. You couldn't eat them before contamination either. Now they're basically an extension of a certain pollutant.]

[Of course, since so many people trample over them daily, they won't wake up for now.]

[Honestly, just a quick scan... I highly recommend you quit the Special Operations Department. There's still time.]

"Why?"

[There's more than one Perfect Evolution here.] The system's tone was evasive. [Also. I'm detecting a very unpleasant presence. It should be trapped on that island nation. It shouldn't be able to get out.]

Lu Yan had always been adept at picking up on subtle clues.

He recalled the files on the S-Class pollution case, "Divine Kingdom," he'd seen when first joining the Special Operations Department.

Information on S-Class pollutants was always scarce, but because "Divine Kingdom" had such a wide reach and left survivors across the globe, its dossier was more detailed than some A-Class cases.

Divine Kingdom. The creation of the S-Class pollutant known as the "Sacred Deity."

Since the Pollution Disease first emerged from the sea, it struck some island nations with particular severity. A living nightmare for ordinary people. In this context, some abandoned atheism and began worshipping the "Bliss Cult."

Followers believed the "Sacred Deity" was a god presiding over bliss and eternal life, and that the entire world was merely its dream.

The more people worshipped it, the more powerful it grew. The "Sacred Deity" evolved from a low-level pollutant continuously. By the time that island nation cried out for international help, the Sacred Deity had become the sole object of worship on the entire island.

Countless people died in their sleep, becoming nourishment for the "Sacred Deity." This pollutant killed without a trace and could instantly manifest within any believer. Whether the believer was originally a Chosen or an ordinary person, they would momentarily gain a fraction of the "Sacred Deity's" true power.

To this day, no one had seen the true form of the "Sacred Deity."

Some said it was a mass of chaos hidden deep within the realm of dreams.

In the end, the joint departments could only abandon that island nation.

Of its population of over a million, fewer than ten thousand emerged alive.

……

……

Lu Yan felt a dampness on his face. He touched it—his fingers came away smeared with blood.

Bleeding from all seven orifices. Though the injury wasn't severe, the faint scent of blood began to diffuse through the botanical garden.

Many dormant animals and plants slowly opened their eyes.

In the silent depths of the forest, the sound of insect wings humming began to rise.

[Ah... Who can spy on a deity without paying a price? Contestant No. 66 couldn't, and No. 6 can't either.] The system's voice was flustered and angry. [Damn it. If only your spiritual power threshold were seven or eight thousand higher, I wouldn't have been injured by this wretched thing.]

His condition caught Chen Anzhi's attention.

Chen Anzhi, who had been spraying pesticide, turned around, his expression concerned. "Lu Yan, you're bleeding."

"Talent early warning," Lu Yan said flatly. "Telling me we're heading into danger."

Iron Fist, who had been spraying for a while without seeing a single pollutant, snorted dismissively. "Stop with the mystical nonsense. What danger could there possibly be?"

Lu Yan ignored him. He was long accustomed to the setting where leaving his door automatically triggered a [Hell Difficulty Buff].

He suspected it was because, back in that instance, he'd become that "Luck E" sister, which somehow cursed him with terrible luck now.

He set down the pesticide sprayer and raised his bow.

It wasn't the "Startling Dream" worth thirty thousand contribution points, but it was one of the higher-tier D-Class spiritual weapons from the training grounds—loaned to him by headquarters and due for return.

The arrow's fletching ignited with a wisp of flame as it shot deep into the thicket. A mantis the size of a small child was pierced through and fell from the tree.

The insect had been nearly perfectly camouflaged with its surroundings, the edges of its scythe-like forelimbs pitch black and razor-sharp.

Instantly, Lu Yan's points counter flickered, awarding him 0.2 points. An E-Class pollutant.

A cold sharpness entered Lu Yan's eyes. "Did you really think we could just spray some pesticide and coast until the exercise ended? Did evolution turn your brain into a lump of useless scrap metal too?"

Perhaps Lu Yan didn't even realize he was slipping into the abnormal state that followed overuse of his talent.

He lowered the bow, his fingers trembling slightly.

Zhou Qimeng was weakness. Tang Xian'an was rage. Lin Sinan was excessive self-blame.

[I suggest the host control your emotions. I know that when facing fear, pain, and other negative stimuli, you always seek out 'him'—like a child looking for its mother after a fall. But you're not that person anymore, are you?]

Lu Yan took a deep breath and asked the system, "Haven't seen the head instructor since we got off the helicopter. Where is he?"

[The Tyrant...] the system said. [He's sharpening his blade, preparing to enter the botanical garden and deal with that giant banyan tree.]

*

Tang Xian'an was quietly wiping down Huang Chen. As he lowered his head, a few strands of hair fell across his forehead. The somewhat gentle expression made him look younger.

The trainees had entered the contaminated zone. Overhead, hundreds of pollution detectors buzzed, recording everything. They were coated with a special material that made pollutants perceive them as one of their own.

Tang Xian'an was waiting for the teammate arranged by headquarters.

Ever since the incident thirteen years ago, Tang Xian'an had grown accustomed to working alone. But headquarters insisted the pollutant this time was too massive and had specifically transferred Experimental Subject 07 from the First Research Institute.

07. Spiritual power threshold: 7,900. Talent 42—Karmic Fire. Lesion degree: 73.

Fire-based talents were always particularly effective against plant-form pollutants.

At exactly noon, a fortified vehicle arrived.

It looked more like a prison transport.

Several staff members escorted an abnormally pale young man out of the vehicle.

The young man wore a stark white prison uniform. Half his face was a horrific, charred ruin, the edges of the wound glowing like cooling red magma.

His wrists were bound by special handcuffs, the chain between them long enough not to hinder movement. On his arm, a bold black tattoo stood out: 07.

"Team Leader Tang, hello. I am Ren Xuan, a researcher from the First Research Institute. Senior Engineer." A middle-aged man in a white lab coat approached with 07 in tow. "07 is an exceptionally valuable experimental subject. I am his handler. Please ensure he is returned to us… intact."

As the man spoke, 07's face remained a blank slate, his eyes hollow. He looked like merchandise on display.

Tang Xian'an frowned, a knot of discomfort tightening in his gut.

He knew where the feeling came from.

The way this researcher looked at him… was the same way he looked at 07.

Not as fellow humans. As tools. Perfect, manufactured tools.

"Will his cuffs not be removed?" Tang Xian'an asked.

The researcher answered mechanically. "Just as your muzzle never leaves your face, 07's restraints serve a similar function. His lesion degree is critically high. Removal poses an immediate risk."

"Oh, and the Director said, if you manage to deal with that banyan tree, he hopes you can retrieve the unique material sloughed from its body. It is a crucial component for our next phase of experiments."

Tang Xian'an grunted in acknowledgement, the words going in one ear and out the other.

If killing a pollutant was a difficulty of 9, then harvesting special material from one was a 10. It had to be stripped while the thing was still polluted and alive. Far harder than a clean kill.

You couldn't always get lucky and run into a Perfect Evolution like Longnu.

The researcher droned on with a litany of instructions before finally, reluctantly, departing for the Prevention and Control Center in City P to wait.

Tang Xian'an's gaze settled on 07's scarred face. "What's your name?"

"07."

"I'm not asking for your number."

07 tilted his head, thinking for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he said slowly. "I forgot."

He pointed a finger at his own temple. "The fathers… cut a piece out."