Pollutant Disguise Plan (POLLUTANT)
"An hour ago, a guard spotted the Undertaker. It was hanging upside down from a seventh-floor window, with its face covered with a black cloth—two holes cut out where the eyes should be, staring directly at him."
Zhou Ye sat in the passenger seat and rapidly relayed the latest intel.
"At the same time, a Harbinger Bird was spotted in the city center. The large black bird spoke human words as it recited several names, then vanished. A few witnesses managed to record it on video."
He spoke quickly, and the car sped just as fast.
In their haste, Zhou Ye hadn’t fastened his seatbelt. So, when the vehicle took a sharp turn, he nearly smashed headfirst through the windshield.
Quickly securing himself, Zhou Ye pulled up the witnesses’ footage and played it on the car’s screen.
The video captured the shaky voice of the person filming, and their fingers trembling. It was clear they realized they were recording the Harbinger Bird—their breathing was ragged, their terror palpable.
On screen, the black bird perched on a traffic light pole, and was preening its feathers. Its sharp beak was lined with teeth, and its red, slit-pupiled eyes locked onto the filmer.
Suddenly, it shrieked—a sound eerily reminiscent of a child and a woman weeping.
Amid the unsettling noise, the filmer visibly faltered. The footage shook violently as they, too, began to sob.
The Harbinger Crow screeched out several names. After finishing, it fixed its gaze on the filmer for a long moment before uttering one final name. The filmer clearly broke down as the device was thrown to the ground, and the bird vanished from the edge of the frame.
Li Zhiyan watched the entire video from the backseat.
"The last name was theirs?"
"Correct." Zhou Ye nodded, shutting off the video. "Not just them—the names of those who spotted the Undertaker earlier were also listed. The guards immediately tried tracking down everyone named by the Harbinger Crow, but...it was already too late."
For some reason, the videos of the Harbinger Crow and the Undertaker had leaked online and were spreading like wildfire. Within an hour, they had infected the entire East District like a virus.
Everyone who watched the footage began feeling uneasy, and was convinced that they were being watched from the shadows. Some even spotted the Undertaker hanging upside down outside their windows.
And panic spread rapidly.
"Level C Pollutants have learned to use human tools to spread corruption." Li Zhiyan replayed the video. "Was the network cut off?"
"It was, but it didn’t help. The video kept spreading. As long as there’s a signal—even just a phone call—people hear strange noises on the other end. Soon, the same sounds start appearing around them."
"Like an electronic ghost."
The car screeched to a halt, flinging Zhou Ye forward before the seatbelt yanked him back. He and Li Zhiyan quickly exited the vehicle.
The guards had already locked down the entire East District. Armed soldiers stood ready and vigilantly monitoring every sector for changes.
The familiar, rotten stench emanated from the city. Li Zhiyan covered his nose and mouth with his hand, though the odor wasn't something one could smell—it was an uncontrollable sensation.
Zhou Ye stood beside him. "Captain, what should we do?"
"You lead the team for rescue operations. Eliminate all threats except the Undertaker's main body." Li Zhiyan shielded his nose as he looked ahead. "We need to minimize the number of contaminated patients as much as possible."
"Understood." Zhou Ye rolled his shoulders. "Then let's start by clearing out the other people that have already turned Pollutants."
"Move out!"
……
Shortly after the petition was signed, the facility sounded the alarm.
Having stayed at the facility for so many days, Shen Ji had become familiar with the basic alerts.
Yellow lights that accompanied by a distinct warning tone were emergency mobilization orders that were sent to everyone's phones.
A level C Pollutant had appeared in the city and required the facility's assistance for on-site emergency treatment.
[Guard members are heading to the East District in large numbers. The facility's mobilization order is also for the East District. No mistake—it's definitely the Undertaker.]
[Not good. Li Zhiyan is heading to the East District. We need to capture the Undertaker before he does!]
The East District was extremely dangerous.
After much deliberation, the facility dispatched two vehicles, one of which carried Shen Ji. Rumor had it the facility had sent all staff who had signed the petition, though that amounted to very few.
Shen Ji boarded the vehicle and, while searching for a seat, spotted a familiar face. Zhang Qingli wore a brown jacket with a book spread open on his knees as he muttered softly to himself while reading.
Had he signed too?
Shen Ji took the seat beside him and managed to catch what he was muttering.
Even at a low volume, the crude and irritable cursing was impossible to ignore.
As if sensing someone sitting next to him, Zhang Qingli paused his muttering for a few seconds. He turned his head, and when he saw Shen Ji, surprise flickered in his eyes.
"You signed?" Zhang Qingli sounded puzzled. "Why would a temp like you go to such a dangerous place?"
"Mutants can get contaminated too!"
Instead of making up an excuse, Shen Ji countered, "Then why did you sign? Aren't you only a D-class? D-claaa Mutants shouldn't go to such dangerous places.”
"What's wrong with D-class? D-class is still strong! I signed because I think my abilities can make a difference!"
Zhang Qingli nearly stood up to argue, but the vehicle started moving, so the sudden acceleration pressed him back into his seat before he could rise.
Shen Ji watched him for a few seconds before speaking. His usual indifferent tone carried an unexpected hint of melancholy.
"Actually, I'm the same as you."
"I signed because I want to make a difference too."
Zhang Qingli froze.
After a moment, he silently reopened his book, though his ears turned noticeably red—whether from embarrassment or something else was unclear.
[He's going to lie awake tonight feeling guilty. Host, you're such a menace!]
'How so? I was just answering his question honestly. I signed up to do something—it's not a lie.'
[You are doing something, alright. Just not the kind of "something" he's imagining, right?]
Shen Ji clicked his tongue internally, then pulled out a glasses cloth from his pocket and began cleaning his spectacles, as if trying to distract himself from nervousness.
Perhaps to ease the awkwardness, Zhang Qingli glanced at him again.
"The Pollutant that erupted in the East District this time is the Undertaker."
"Its contamination is highly random, so be careful... though being careful won't help much. If you're unlucky enough to be targeted by the Undertaker, you'll immediately be marked with a contamination symbol."
"But given your luck in surviving this long, you should be fine."
Zhang Qingli continued grumbling as he spoke, "How did the Undertaker appear in Q City? Weren't they supposed to be extinct in urban areas? Damn it! It should just be killed and then killed, then be turned into a specimen and killed!"
"The Anti-Contamination Control Center has special regulations for handling Pollutants; they can't be preserved as specimens," Shen Ji kindly reminded him. "Given the nature of Pollutants, even specimens would likely carry contamination."
"That's exactly what's frustrating!" Zhang Qingli's veins bulged on his forehead. "Without being able to thoroughly dissect and study the Pollutant itself, it's nearly impossible to eradicate contamination diseases!"
[Damn, so dedicated he wants to dissect a Pollutant to study contamination diseases?]
[What a shame. Even in death, Pollutants remain small contamination-emitting machines and continuously spreading contamination like organisms dispersing seeds to reproduce.]
Amid Zhang Qingli's restless and anxious words, the vehicle arrived in East District half an hour later.
The weather was terrible today.
Dark clouds hung low in the sky, as if within arm's reach.
Despite it being noon, the sky was as dark as dusk.
A biting cold wind blew relentlessly that sharp as a blade, stinging people's faces.
Contrary to Shen Ji's expectations—of ordinary people crying for help, hoping to be evacuated as soon as possible—the entire city was eerily silent and lifeless as a ghost town.
The vehicle entered the East District and split into two completely different directions.
From a modern perspective, rescue efforts would prioritize severely affected areas to save as many lives as possible.
But this was the apocalypse and a terrifying world of contamination.
So, in the event of a C-level or higher contamination disaster, the facilities and security teams would first rescue areas with lower contamination levels, aiming to save as many low-contamination or uncontaminated individuals as possible before turning to the severely affected high-contamination victims.
This wasn't a disregard for life but an effort to protect more lives on a larger scale.
The vehicle stopped, and Shen Ji's group disembarked at their rescue destination: a sprawling school district.
From kindergarten to high school, this area had an extensive school street.
The surrounding neighborhoods were filled with families who had moved there for their children's education, making it densely populated with a high proportion of children and elderly.
Due to its low contamination level, it was chosen as the primary rescue target.
"Doctors, spread out and follow us to evacuate the crowd," a security team leader said politely while gesturing for them to proceed. "If you encounter any victims showing signs of contamination, we'll rely on you."
Before dispersing, Zhang Qingli gave Shen Ji an uneasy look. Finally, he frowned, told Shen Ji to be careful, and then turned to leave.
[He seems pretty worried about you.]
‘Maybe he just finds me unsettling—like a sixth sense telling him something bad will happen to me,’ Shen Ji replied inwardly.
He followed three security team members toward the school, where teachers and high school students were trapped in their dormitories.
As he walked, Shen Ji couldn't help but muse, ‘This feels like being on a battlefield.’
Every confrontation with Pollutants is a battle—one that claims many lives and exacts unbearable costs. Yet without resistance, humanity would lose everything, leaving them no choice but to fight.
[I actually considered becoming a war correspondent once, but my supervisor disagreed, so it never happened.]
[To the great war correspondent Shen Ji, I offer my deepest respect. But for now, could we focus on finding the Undertaker?]
Shen Ji sighed helplessly, as if lamenting the system's impatience.
He adjusted his glasses and glanced at the three security team members ahead that were meticulously scanning for contamination levels.
"What should I do?"
[Level S Pollutant Hui possesses the most unique contamination in the world—terrifying absorption capabilities and overwhelming reproductive power. Its mushrooms can spread anywhere, devouring all life and contamination, leaving only a carpet of mycelium behind... Though we don’t need to go that far.]
[The mycelium is your eyes. Wherever it reaches, you are present. You will oversee your domain, missing not even a single blade of grass.]
[And right now, you can do it.]
Shen Ji slowly closed his eyes, attuning himself to the air and searching for the tiny beings that had merged with him. He issued commands, directing them to expand and invade.
Delicate white mycelium bloomed beneath his feet, spreading thinly across the ground and rapidly outward. The security team members jolted upright—their detectors had just registered a terrifying spike in contamination levels, a fleeting surge before returning to normal.
"Report! Detected extreme contamination—level 1563! Duration: 0.3 seconds!”
They relayed the alert to their superiors. And it wasn’t just them—teams across different zones had all picked up the same brief but horrifying reading.
Cold sweat broke out on their backs at the implications of that number, yet none noticed the fine white mycelium now carpeting the ground.
Like spider silk, it stretched from Shen Ji’s feet to scaling buildings and trees, while unfurling umbrella-like caps to absorb contamination from the air.
"All personnel, hold position and assess the situation before proceeding!" came the order from above.
In such a critical moment, no one dared act recklessly. They switched to more precise instruments, desperate to trace the source of that fleeting terror.
[You accidentally leaked a bit of contamination, and they detected it.] the system reminded Shen Ji.
"Sorry, still getting the hang of it," he replied dismissively.
He leaned quietly against the wall while gazing up at the sky.
Dark clouds obscured the sun, but they couldn’t stop the mushrooms from growing.
Around his wrist coiled tiny, living tendrils that constantly reporting the areas of intense contamination while also greedily begging their master to let them devour everything in sight.
No one noticed but his right eye had already turned transparent like colored glass, sharp as shattered porcelain, and exuding a faint aura of terror.
Anyone who saw it would know at a glance… this was no ordinary man.
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