Chapter 36

36/The Seventh Stream

[Though I am reluctant to believe this possibility, the worst-case scenario has still occurred.] The system's voice was significantly more serious than usual, [In the past, it was always humans challenging the contaminants. Though they were weak overcoming the strong, because they had complete intelligence, they always had the power to fight.]

[But this time, it is the contaminants encircling and suppressing humans. And traitors have emerged among humanity.]

[Back then, when Lu Jiahe appeared in M City, he was a fleeting phenomenon. The file gave him the number 11. Do you know what that means? It means there were 10 contaminants of his level before him. Because these high-level contaminants couldn't be dealt with, both sides always kept to themselves without interfering. But in recent years, as pollution diseases have occurred frequently, humans have gradually fallen into a disadvantage in battles, and this balance has been broken.]

[Now, what they want to do is to make the situation collapse even more thoroughly. This critical point has fallen on Tang Xun'an.]

[He is currently humanity's only S-class Revelator, or maybe not. But if we let the First Research Institute release Experimental Subjects 1 through 3, there would be far too many uncertainties. By then, Revelators would become even more like expendable resources than they are now. And after such an incident, would the remaining Revelators in the Special Operations Department really not be disheartened?]

[Therefore, as long as Tang Xun'an dies or becomes a contaminated entity, the objective would be considered achieved.]

[It's a rather ironic thing—humanity remains internally divided and fragmented, each acting on its own. Yet the contaminants have taken the first step toward unity.]

......

......

City P. Pollution Disease Control Center.

Staff members gathered together, waiting for the results. They were also prepared to provide support at any moment.

Perhaps sensing the overly serious atmosphere, the person in charge, Ms. Chen, was the first to smile: "Don't all look so somber. We must believe in the Special Operations Department, and we must believe in Captain Tang."

"Yes, as long as the botanical garden is dealt with, the remaining small contaminated zones in City P won't be a concern. By the end of the year, it can also be reported as a potential survival base option. From the beginning of the contamination until now, this shadow has loomed over City P for decades... I really envy those who are ignorant."

Ms. Chen looked out the window. The sun was setting, casting a pale golden light on the white flower pinned to her chest.

She said, "Letting others live in ignorant bliss, never having to live under the fear of pollution diseases—isn't that also the purpose of our struggle up to this point?"

Her words brought expressions of happiness and tranquility to the faces of the staff present.

Among them, the only one who seemed somewhat out of place was perhaps Ren Xuan, who had come from the First Research Institute.

Ren Xuan found it all rather tedious.

When he first joined the institute, he was also an ambitious young man, with lofty ideals and goals. Now, he was merely an emotionally detached and deficient middle-aged man. The only thing that still pained him somewhat was his twenty-year legacy—Subject 07.

But Ms. Chen's words did stir a bit of melancholy in him.

Ren Xuan left the conference hall, walked to the rooftop, and dialed a number: "Teacher, what we're doing... is it really right?"

"My child, this isn't a question of right or wrong. Think about all these years, the human experiments we've conducted—even if they were never intended for torture and killing, haven't we caused enough deaths with our own hands? Even contaminants shed tears when mothers see their children killed. We are human—wouldn't we feel heartache?"

An aged voice answered over the phone: "But we still persist with the experiments. Why? Because we walk the path of truth, even if this path is filled with sacrifice. Even if this road demands a heavy price from us—"

"What is humanity? What we need is divinity."

"Those outsiders understand nothing. How dare they point fingers at our research? The Third Research Institute is even worse—traitors! They took away fifty years of our accumulated wisdom without reason and now criticize our current experiments. Remember, even if everyone says we are wrong, truth is never wrong! Time will deliver the fairest judgment."

"In the past, for the development of clinical medicine, how many animals died for vivisection experiments—did anyone care? Perhaps some did, but were vivisection experiments abolished because of it? We merely changed the subjects of our experiments to humanoid beings. Our ultimate goal is to save more people."

Ren Xuan took a tranquilizer from his pocket and slowly lit it for himself: "Teacher, if this operation fails, I will lose Subject 07 and become the scapegoat, won't I?"

If Tang Xun'an died, the only forces the rest of society could rely on would be the few experimental subjects from the First Research Institute.

Ren Xuan's colleagues would also secure more research funding. Some of their controversial research would no longer face opposition.

"...This is a necessary sacrifice to preserve the First Research Institute."

Ren Xuan nodded: "I understand, Teacher. I'm currently on the rooftop of the Pollution Disease Control Center in City P. In the end, whether successful or not, I will jump."

"You've worked hard," the voice replied.

Ren Xuan watched as the sun slowly sank, the horizon swallowing the last glimmer of light. He suddenly understood that there was no difference between what he and others did—they had merely chosen different paths.

Tears welled in Ren Xuan's eyes: "For the future of humanity."

The voice on the phone repeated: "For our future."

*

In the span of a few minutes, Lu Yan had already fired six arrows from the bow in his hand.

These arrows never missed their mark and proved especially effective against the flying insect-like creatures.

The insect-human hybrids hidden in the woods were far more than just mantises. With a quick scan, Lu Yan saw that some mosquitoes had evolved human-like faces—their withered faces bearing long,[?][?] piercing mouthparts, while the buzzing of their beating wings was annoyingly persistent.

Judging by the length of their mouthparts, being punctured by one of these mosquitoes would likely drain a person to death.

And from the swollen blood sac on this mosquito's abdomen, there might already have been a first victim.

Whether it was Zhou Zheng or Chen Anzhi, both of their expressions changed slightly.

Zhou Zheng excelled in close combat, his entire body capable of turning metallic, impervious to blades and bullets. But most insects could fly, which left him with a somewhat stifled feeling of "a scholar meeting soldiers—reason falls on deaf ears."

Chen Anzhi's innate abilities were even more limited in such a situation. These contaminants hadn't even evolved the capacity for thought, retaining only primitive instincts.

Lu Yan raised his hand and fired another arrow.

The arrowhead pierced through the mosquito's abdomen, firmly embedding itself into the tree trunk behind it.

Blood exploded like a squeezed water balloon.

While picking up arrows from the ground, Lu Yan remarked sarcastically: "Combat specialists, huh."

Zhou Zheng's face flushed red, while Chen Anzhi stared thoughtfully at Lu Yan's lowered hand.

Repeatedly drawing the bow without proper protection had caused the lines on Lu Yan's palm to split, with traces of blood seeping through.

He set down the sprayer, took out a bandage from the first-aid kit he carried, and frowned as he bandaged his hand.

Back in City K, Lu Yan had already noticed that contaminants were particularly sensitive to the scent of his blood. Shen Qingyang had also specifically mentioned that he "smelled different from others."

Lu Yan didn't know what was different about it. But it clearly wasn't a good thing.

Later, within the Wall of Resentment, after receiving the "gift" from "Little Sister," Lu Yan found himself in fewer dangerous situations that would cause him to bleed.

He didn't know if bandaging would help, nor what kind of attention the blood might attract. More importantly, maintaining this combat stance continuously left him unsure whether it would reveal the abnormalities of his body.

Thus, operating alone was the most reasonable plan for him.

Lu Yan looked at his two teammates and said, "Let's split up and act separately. Don't follow me."

Zhou Zheng frowned: "The survival rate is significantly higher when the three of us are together. You might think you're protecting us now, but I am, after all, a Revelator with a spiritual threshold of 1700..."

But Lu Yan didn't listen. Instead, he chose a path and walked ahead alone.

Zhou Zheng: "Hey!—"

He wanted to follow, but soon, an arrow whizzed and landed right in front of him.

If the arrow had been a little faster, or if he had walked a little quicker, the arrow would have deeply pierced his knee.

With Lu Yan's current strength, shattering his knee probably wouldn't be an issue either.

Zhou Zheng looked up just in time to see the expression on Lu Yan's face.

Cold and filled with killing intent. Like an assassin's blade unsheathed—silent and dangerous.

Zhou Zheng stood rooted to the spot, watching Lu Yan's fleeting back, dumbfounded: "Damn, is he for real?"

Chen Anzhi wore his usual gentle smile: "Lu Yan has always been aloof—it's not like it's your first day knowing him. Let it go, it should be fine. The instructor is still watching from the shadows anyway."

As his smile spread, many trainees of different genders and ages, distributed across various locations in the contaminated zone, also wore identical smiles on their faces.

As if carved from the same mold.

The system sighed: [The werewolf is about to make a bold move. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, your head instructor this time might just be playing the tragic hero's script.]

Lu Yan carried the pesticide tank on his back, spraying the pesticide section by section.

A few minutes earlier, he had already called for instructor support via the detection watch, requesting off-site assistance.

But the watch dial showed no response.

[Besides the Innate Ability 'Karmic Fire,' Subject 07 possesses another Innate Ability called 'Magnetic Field Interference.' It was transplanted recently.]

Lu Yan took a slow, deliberate breath. Then he slammed the detector watch against a tree trunk.

A testament to the Research Institute's "masterful craftsmanship," even the mass-produced models were built to last. The trunk splintered. The watch kept working.

He didn't bother picking it up.

Anger is useless, the system chimed in, its tone flat. It only brings 'him' closer to the surface. You don't want that. Neither do I.

"I know." Lu Yan closed his eyes, forcing the storm inside him to still.

Fine. The situation is critical. But who am I? The all-powerful system.

Little Koi. I have two paths for you. The first gets you out alive. Alone. But everyone in P City, and every city near it, will die. What comes after that... is too far for even me to see.

The second path... you might die. But if you succeed, the world forks onto a different branch.

Interesting, isn't it? The "Great Man Theory" of history, mocked for generations, becomes reality at this precise moment. The pivot point of the future world... truly, right now, rests in your hands.

So. Tell me your choice, host.