Chapter 5

005

"This frog-man species possesses corrosive saliva. Gastric acid comparable to aqua regia."

"Demonstrates a clear reaction to human flesh, consistent with the aberration patterns of Pollution Disease patients."

"Skin is pliable and waterproof. Weak point located at the abdomen."

"Musculature predominantly composed of fast-twitch fibers. Preliminary assessment suggests high explosive power, poor endurance."

Lu Yan noted each observation methodically in his logbook.

After two days of recovery, his injuries no longer hampered his movement.

The doctor's house had everything. So, a set of surgical scalpels for dissection didn't seem out of place.

This low-level pollutant had lost nearly all human characteristics, its mind gone, leaving only a primal hunger for consumption. It wasn't a person anymore. And it had tried to kill him.

So, while he maintained a professional respect for the cadaver, Lu Yan didn't hold back.

As he fed the frog flesh into the grinder and flushed the slurry down the drain, the system's voice held a note of regret. [The meat of this frog... is actually quite tasty.]

Lu Yan: "I believe there are lines even hunger shouldn't cross."

[...Fine.]

A full day had passed since disposing of the body. Lu Yan had been awake for nearly thirty hours.

He collapsed into sleep, only to be dragged back to consciousness at ten in the morning by a persistent knocking. He'd always been a light sleeper. No helping it.

"Mr. Lu? Are you up?" a voice called from outside.

It was Shen Qingyang from the property management office. He'd worked here for two years.

The previous lock had been corroded. In these times, finding a locksmith was impossible, so Lu Yan had replaced it himself. A digital lock, fingerprint access, no keyhole.

Lu Yan activated the peephole monitor. "What is it?" His voice came through the speaker, slightly metallic.

"Do you know where the resident across from you went?" Shen Qingyang asked. His gaze seemed slightly unfocused. He held a bottle of water, taking a sip every thirty seconds. "He hasn't taken his water ration for two days. We checked the cameras, no sign of him. Just curious."

"I don't know," Lu Yan replied, his tone flat.

"Alright. If you hear anything, message the property group. I've got more deliveries."

Lu Yan watched through the monitor. Shen Qingyang didn't seem to notice he was leaving with a slight, bouncing hop in his step.

On a child, it might look cute.

Lu Yan was silent for a long moment. The number of infected in this city was probably far higher than he'd imagined.

The system sighed, a low hum in his mind. [The evolution rate is accelerating. Normally, progressing from Stage One to Stage Three would take at least a month. City K will spiral out of control faster than predicted.]

After a pause, Lu Yan asked, "What about the Pollution Disease Control Center?"

[The number of Awakened was already insufficient against the pollutants. Now they can't even keep up with the escalation rate. The whole world is on fire, and we only have a cup of water to put it out.]

Lu Yan couldn't argue with that.

He waited a while, then brought the water and vegetable ration from his doorstep inside. He turned on the TV, a daily ritual now.

He had stockpiled supplies, but most were non-perishables. Fresh produce still depended on these deliveries.

The news was on—the only broadcast City K residents could receive now. The station was critically understaffed, transmitting only at 10 AM, 2 PM, and 8 PM for one-hour segments.

There was no more sugar-coating. On screen, a news anchor introduced the Pollution Disease, her voice trembling slightly as she read from the prompter, likely seeing the details for the first time herself.

"This is the most severe challenge humanity has faced since the dawn of the new century.

"City K has now issued a Yellow Pollution Alert.

"The disease spreads via parasitic fish eggs. Carriers may be infectious. These parasitic eggs primarily exist in tap water. Citizens are advised to ensure drinking water safety.

"Intelligence indicates the aberration process in carriers occurs in three stages. Stage One characteristics are... The aberration cycle ranges from 7 to 50 days. Mature pollutants fall into three categories: Frog-Men, Fish-Men, and Algae-Men, with danger levels ascending in that order. Aberrants possess high aggression and are no longer human. If you encounter one, seek immediate cover. If a family member shows signs of aberration, contact the authorities immediately.

"Despite the formidable nature of the threat, we must not abandon hope. The relevant departments in City K have never ceased efforts to aid the civilian population.

"Furthermore, any citizen experiencing infection without aberrant symptoms is urged to call the Control Center hotline. In this critical hour of survival, we need every able individual!"

...

...

As a series of censored photos cycled on screen, the last shred of pretense about the disease was torn away. A chill of dread and unease settled over every viewer.

Many, finally grasping the severity through the broadcast, headed to the containment shelters—willingly or by force.

Others chose to flee. Gunfire echoed through the night until dawn. While social order still held, armed force remained an effective tool.

On the fifteenth day of the lockdown, someone finally reached the city's edge.

A taxi driver, using his intimate knowledge of the streets to shake off pursuit. He sped down the highway leading out of the city, a grin of desperate relief spreading across his face.

The streets were emptier than a ghost town. The driver swerved onto a service road—rougher, but it bypassed the toll gates, a direct route to the highway and other cities...

Past the old tea-horse road lay neighboring City M.

Victory was in sight. But the driver's smile froze, then shattered.

At the border of City K, a wall now stood. Meters high. It stretched into the distance, smooth and featureless, a gargantuan cage.

Headquarters had indeed sent Awakened reinforcements.

Bai Qiushih, Team Leader of Special Operations Unit 2, Squad 1. [Talent - Bastion]. Spiritual Power Threshold: 8700.

He sat perched on the high earthen rampart, listening to Lin Sinan's report, impatience etched into his brow.

"Fight? Not in this lifetime. If I weren't so terrified of dying, I'd never have awakened this talent. My physique is crap, I'm not one of those combat-crazy hounds... What? I'm not talking about him. This dirt wall? I can hold it for a week, max. One week. Get the pollution in the city proper under control. Otherwise, HQ will consider a thermal solution. The kind that goes boom and grows a mushroom cloud. Understood?"

*

Day 16 of the lockdown.

Shen Qingyang's face now showed clear signs of aberration. His eyes bulged forward.

Lu Yan had dissected Zhou Kaiwen. The man's brain had shriveled to the size of a walnut, its surface grooves smoothed away, the texture like fatty foie gras. Such a mutation obviously stripped the pollutant of human reason.

It also explained why some kept moving even after their skulls were pulped. A grim joke—they didn't need brains anymore.

Shen Qingyang stopped outside Lu Yan's door.

He pressed the bell. "Mr. Lu? Are you there?"

A moment later, Lu Yan's voice, distorted by the speaker. "I'm here."

"Good. This... this is my last water delivery. The inspectors from the Control Center said I'm about to enter the second stage of aberration. I can't see the changes myself, but I can tell. Everyone's started to fear me." Shen Qingyang's speech was slow, deliberate. "They're short-handed. If they'd found a replacement sooner, I'd have gone to the shelter already... Do you know about the shelters? Where they take the aberrants for... treatment."

"Some call them 22nd-century concentration camps. No one sent there comes out alive. But what choice is there? I saw the news. Those who lose their minds... only the eating instinct remains. They say a person is made of memories. That thing wouldn't be 'me' anymore. So, I don't mind if this body dies in a shelter."

"Even if I can't see my own changes, I feel them. Doctor Lu... I need to tell you. You smell different from normal people. Delicious. You have to be careful. They've started district testing, but it's chaos outside. Best not to go out. I deleted the footage from that night from the property servers. I'm glad you're okay."

He rambled on, like someone settling final affairs.

"And... thank you, Doctor Lu."

Shen Qingyang was from the countryside, dropped out after middle school. Worked construction until a fall broke his leg. Lu Yan had performed the surgery.

He survived, but with a limp. Couldn't return to that work. Lu Yan had seen the job posting downstairs and pointed him to it.

Shen Qingyang's stomach let out a low, incongruous growl. Hunger.

He still ate normally. But food brought no satiation.

That morning, driven by the gnawing void, he'd secretly sliced a piece of flesh from his own thigh. It hadn't hurt much, surprisingly.

He took one last look at Lu Yan's door. Then turned and left.

Soon, under the watch of Pollution Disease Control Center personnel, he would be taken to a shelter.

From this residential complex, seven people went to the shelters.

City K had far more infected than anyone had guessed. The beds were desperately scarce.

The shelter's living quarters were single rooms, likely converted in a hurry. Cramped, with a thin sheet of metal partitioning the space like a train sleeper car.

Privacy, naturally, was nonexistent. The sound of someone chewing an apple next door came through crystal clear.

Shen Qingyang was used to hardship, though. He could endure it. His real worry was for Doctor Lu, still back in the apartment complex. That first night, sleep wouldn't come.

*

In W City, adjacent to K City.

A figure in a black robe stood in the suburbs, gazing toward the earthen wall encircling K City in the distance.

The massive barrier didn't just seal off the land above; it plunged deep below, cutting off the river's flow.

Specialized agents designed to kill the fish eggs had already been released into the water. In about two days, every pollutant in the river would be thoroughly poisoned.

The robe concealed the figure's gender, shrouding every detail.

"The shelters are the perfect incubators," a voice said. "Only through consumption can better evolution be achieved. Sometimes, I'm truly grateful for those brighter aspects of human nature. At least they built shelters, didn't they?"

The robed figure stood motionless. No one else was around.

Strangely, the voice seemed to emanate from the back of its head.

"I wonder which lucky soul will end up with that King Fish egg... To ensure this incubation, I even had H City destabilize first. Headquarters is stretched too thin to spare any extra attention here."

"Yes, I know. Your son is still in K City. But that's irrelevant, isn't it? And don't tell me you still harbor something as sentimental as paternal love."

"The process will require many sacrifices. But every sacrifice is for the glorious descent of the divine."

A gust of wind caught the edge of the hood, flipping it back.

The front of the head held only a single, vertical eye, bloodshot and lidless. No mouth. On the back, a human face shifted and writhed, features blurring between male and female.

"K City is merely the beginning," the face on the back whispered, its expression feverish before settling into cold calm. "The day will come when this world is covered in the relics of our god!"

It paused.

"And we... we are the creators who will forge it."