Pollutant Disguise Plan (POLLUTANT)
Liu Chuanyang and the driver were retrieved by the isolation unit and would soon be transported back to the containment facility.
As for the rest, after administering contamination inhibitors, they decided to continue working.
The most dangerous element—the Pollutant known as the Undertaker—had already been found dead, and no other major threats remained in the area. Staying posed no risk, especially since S-class Mutant Li Zhiyan would be temporarily stationed there.
There was no reason to leave now.
Shen Ji was assigned to the nearby zone. With no active Pollutants left, the security team could easily handle the remaining contaminated patients. As such, they allocated this safe area to Shen Ji—still a newcomer—as a gesture of consideration.
However, this zone had its protagonist.
After testing the contamination levels of the last contaminated patient and administering inhibitors of varying concentrations, Shen Ji had to wait for the security team to bring in the next batch. Seizing the opportunity, he openly slacked off.
He turned his gaze toward Li Zhian, who stood before the Undertaker’s corpse.
The man studied the body for a while, then yawned—once, twice—before pulling out his phone and scrolling through it without a care.
Such dedication to work.
"Being the protagonist feels amazing. Even slacking off feels so bold."
[It's him being the protagonist that's amazing. The entire story doesn't have a single scene where he faces pressure—pure wish-fulfillment. Though there were some hints of potential pressure, the author left it unfinished before any real tension could build.]
"Based on my experience as a writer, the source of his pressure might lie in his background."
[You call yourself a writer?]
"Hey, that’s rude. Don’t journalists write interview drafts?"
Shen Ji lowered his head to check how much contamination inhibitor he had left. Before he could finish counting, a voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"There are unexpectedly many patients this time. You might have to work overtime later."
Shen Ji jerked his head up, locking eyes with Li Zhiyan.
The distance was so close that Shen Ji could clearly see the pale blue of Li Zhiyan’s irises—and notice that his eyes weren’t just unusually colored. There were also faint, fragmented patterns, like the wings of a butterfly.
"What?" Li Zhiyan asked. "Did I scare you?"
"No," Shen Ji replied politely.
But internally, he was already complaining to the system.
‘Does he walk without making a sound? Did he teleport here? How did he suddenly spawn next to me?’
[The protagonist shouldn’t be able to fly. I did a full-text search—there’s no scene where the protagonist suddenly takes off. No need to worry about him flying away.]
Shen Ji: "..."
"Work is so boring. I want to sleep," Li Zhiyan yawned. "By the way, I asked around earlier. The facility staff said you went in this direction. Did you see anything strange?"
[So this is an interrogation.]
Shen Ji put on an act of deep recollection, pretending to think for a few seconds before answering.
"I did come this way, but the neighborhood wasn’t like this back then. I saw a Pollutant near the security booth and left because I didn’t think I could handle it."
He pointed at the security booth not far away. "At the time, I saw the Pollutant holding a corpse through the window."
Li Zhiyan nodded. "Right. There was indeed a Pollutant corpse and a human corpse near the security booth. Probably a low-level Pollutant attacking a human."
"Still, for you to get this close to the Undertaker’s contamination zone without being affected… Your talent level must be pretty high."
[...True. Only C-class or higher can resist the Undertaker’s contamination. Of course, Hui wouldn’t be affected by a mere Level C Pollutant. To others, it just looks like your talent level is high enough to completely resist it.]
Shen Ji remained calm.
He sighed helplessly. "I don’t know. I’ve awakened my talent, but I still have no idea what it is."
"That’s actually why I signed up to come here—to see if my talent can do more."
Li Zhiyan stared at Shen Ji.
Just as Shen Ji started wondering if the protagonist had seen through him, Li Zhiyan nodded seriously.
His tone was full of satisfaction. "Perfect answer. Absolutely flawless."
"So fitting. How could there be someone who meets my standards so perfectly?"
Shen Ji: "..."
‘System, is the protagonist mentally ill? What does he mean by that?’
[...I don’t know.]
So, Shen Ji simply watched as Li Zhiyan turned away contentedly, then continued guarding the Undertaker's corpse while playing on his phone and dozing off.
Utterly baffling!
Shen Ji clicked his tongue inwardly before withdrawing his gaze to continue organizing the contamination suppressors at hand.
Love the job you do—now Shen Ji was no longer a truth-seeking journalist, but a frontline medical volunteer, as revered as a war correspondent.
This was work worth doing well; who knows, he might even get officially enrolled with guaranteed meals?
Soon, medical teams dispatched to different areas began returning one after another. Except for a few severely contaminated zones, most patients elsewhere weren't in critical condition, largely at Stage I or II, with few reaching Stage III, making treatment relatively straightforward.
After checking in with the others, Shen Ji rejoined the group just in time to see Zhang Qingli approach Li Zhiyan for a chat.
"Little Zhang's got guts," Dr. Cheng remarked admiringly. "Even daring to approach Captain Li like that."
Shen Ji turned to him. "Is he that intimidating?"
"Not intimidating, but respect is a solemn thing—it can stifle one's natural desire to express," Dr. Cheng said with a smile. "Everyone here holds Mr. Li in the highest esteem. After all, he's the true authority and guardian of Q City's Anti-Contamination Control Center."
"Someone like you, Xiao Ji, who remains completely unfazed around him, is quite the rarity."
Alright then, Protagonist halo in full effect. Pity this was a no-romance novel—Li Zhiyan would remain single till the very end.
After a brief exchange, Zhang Qingli soon returned beaming.
He excitedly shared his triumph with the group. "Mr. Li approved our request to dissect the Undertaker's corpse!"
This even startled Cheng Gu. "Seriously?! A Class C Pollutant 's body?!"
"Yes! Mr. Li told me personally—once the operation concludes, the body will be sent to the containment facility. It's ours now!"
"But our requests to study Pollutant corpses have always been denied because even dead, they remain infectious," another voiced concern. "We'd have settled for a Class D Pollutant, but this is Class C."
"No problem! Mr. Li confirmed this corpse is completely inert!" Zhang Qingli grew even more animated. "Due to special circumstances, its body's been hollowed out—all contamination drained—making it perfect for dissection!"
At this, the entire group visibly relaxed, faces lighting up as they began debating who'd take lead and assistant roles during the procedure.
Shen Ji: "..."
These terrifying doctors.
[You're worse than them—you ate the Pollutant down to its shell.]
'That's different. I am Pollutant —of course I'd consume Pollutant,' Shen Ji retorted righteously.
[Given how highly they regard you, you might even get to observe. Also—heads up, something's coming.]
Shen Ji sidestepped and kicked down a suddenly charging figure.
The man didn't cry out in pain when he hit the ground, merely lifting his head to fix Shen Ji with a gaze dense with resentment.
Two security team members arrived to pin the man down. "Stop running! Get to the containment facility for treatment like everyone else!"
"I won't go!" the man shrieked. "My wife was sent to the facility and died under their so-called treatment! No one ever comes out of those facilities alive! You're just shoving all the patients in there to be systematically killed!"
After his outburst, he glared venomously at Shen Ji. "Executioner! You doctors are nothing but accomplices to murder!"
The facility staff exchanged uneasy glances. Some wanted to argue but couldn't—the facility's abysmally low cure rate was indeed their most glaring failure.
'Was he trying to attack me just now?' Shen Ji noticed something else entirely. 'Why target me specifically?'
[Maybe you look non-threatening?... Wait no, why you of all people? Just spectacularly unlucky?]
The two security officers looked thoroughly embarrassed as they hastily apologized to the medical staff before forcibly dragging the patient away. But before they'd moved even a meter, the contamination alarm on the patient's body suddenly blared.
"Warning! Contamination levels increased by 34%! Warning! Patient entering Stage IV contamination!"
Everyone froze momentarily—just long enough for the patient to violently wrench free and lunge at Shen Ji, who happened to be closest.
Before anyone could react, the patient let out a pained howl.
The next instant, he found himself pinned beneath Shen Ji's foot.
With clinical detachment, Shen Ji kept him immobilized while inserting a contamination monitor into the exposed nape of his neck for blood analysis, then administered a contamination suppressant.
The crowd fell silent...
The security team quickly restrained the individual. After dragging the person away, the remaining officer sighed in admiration, "Impressive. You subdued a rampaging contaminated patient just like that."
"How about transferring to our security team?"
Shen Ji lowered his eyes slightly, his tone humble. "I only did what I could."
'System, a government position is within reach!'
[Sometimes, I find your two-faced contrast oddly endearing.]
'Don’t you think being part of the security team makes me seem less like a Pollutant than being stuck in the containment facility?’
[...You’re not wrong.]
"What’s this? What’s this? Xiao Ji is the backbone of our containment facility! You can’t just poach him like that!" Dr. Cheng stepped forward, waving his hand dismissively. "We finally got our hands on someone like him—don’t even think about taking him away!"
"Haha, just joking. In any case, we really appreciate the containment facility’s support this time."
"We’ll arrange transport to send everyone back soon."
Dr. Cheng snorted. "That’s more like it."
[Your government position is gone.]
A faint smile tugged at Shen Ji’s lips and amusement flickering in his eyes. After all, the idea of a government position had been a joke to begin with.
But in reality, Dr. Cheng was overjoyed.
A true elite!
He could treat contamination inside the facility and take down contaminated patients barehanded outside! For such a talent to choose their Q City—what a blessing for them!
He truly hoped this one would stay in Q City for a long, long time.
That way, the old-timers like them, who spent year after year, month after month, day after day in the containment facility, might finally have something to look forward to.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
Advanced chapters are now available up to chapter 105 (End of Main Text) on my Ko-fi page!
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•