Pollutant Disguise Plan (POLLUTANT)
After that day, Li Zhiyan and Shen Ji (whose identity remained unconfirmed) seemed to have reached a delicate equilibrium.
While waiting for their departure to F City, Li Zhiyan occasionally released butterflies in the Containment Facility to observe the hidden mycelium. The mycelium, in turn, would stealthily nibble on a few of his butterflies when he wasn’t looking. Yet, the two coexisted in an oddly harmonious silence.
Neither escalated the situation—it was almost disturbingly amicable.
The system couldn’t help but comment: [...Even the author wouldn’t have imagined mushrooms and butterflies becoming mute friends.]
That remark earned it several days of Shen Ji’s sarcastic jabs.
This continued until the day of their scheduled departure.
Shen Ji was packing in his dorm—business trips required preparation, and since this was a medical support mission in coordination with the security team, he needed to wear the facility’s support uniform.
As he removed his jacket and white dress shirt, baring his upper body, he caught a strange scent.
"What is this smell?"
He lifted his arm and sniffed. A peculiar, icy fragrance emanated from his skin—clean and crisp, like winter snow or spring leaves.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but now, as he changed clothes, the scent grew stronger.
[It’s the smell of contamination.]
"Contamination?" Shen Ji pointed at the little mushrooms rolling around on the bed. "Theirs?"
[Yes and no. The little mushrooms have strong concealment properties—they don’t emit any scent. But if they consume large amounts of a specific contamination, they might release traces of another type of contamination.]
[But lately, the mycelium don't seem to have consumed any strange contamination, so why are they suddenly emitting the scent of other contamination?]
"You forgot?" Shen Ji said. "They ate Li Zhiyan's butterflies."
[That makes it even stranger,] the system wondered. [Li Zhiyan is a Mutant, and Mutants contamination is controllable. Logically, there shouldn't be any contamination-like scent. Why would Li Zhiyan's butterflies resemble Pollutants?]
Shen Ji raised an eyebrow slightly.
The system's remark made Shen Ji realize something.
Even now, Shen Ji still considers himself human, so despite being a Pollutant, he doesn't attack humans. The mycelium, born from him, carry some of his subconscious tendencies and thus don't actively harm people either—so far, they haven't even glanced at other Mutants.
Yet they voluntarily ate Li Zhiyan's butterflies and found them delicious.
"Is there something off about the protagonist? Any special settings?"
[That's unclear. It could be anything—protagonists having special settings is normal, and authors leaving things unexplained due to rushed endings is also normal.]
[But Li Zhiyan does have secrets. The original novel mentioned he hid certain things.]
[Still, compared to that... how do we hide the scent of Li Zhiyan's contamination on us from him?]
"That's simple."
Shen Ji pulled open a drawer and took out a bottle of cologne before spritzing it over his chest.
With a soft hiss, the bitter citrus scent instantly masked the faint, chilly breeze-like odor.
"Why do you think humans invented perfume? To cover up body odors, of course."
[...]
[Wait—when did you buy cologne? Why do you keep it in your dorm drawer?]
"Journalists stock all sorts of random things. I just bought some out of habit when I got here."
Shen Ji took off his jacket and changed into the Containment Facility's support uniform—white and slightly loose for ease of movement. After putting it on, he clipped the facility's badge to his chest and sprayed himself with more cologne.
He was worried that Li Zhiyan's dog-like nose might detect the scent even through the perfume.
The original novel never specified how sharp Li Zhiyan's sense of smell was, only describing him as a human contamination detector. But from their actual interactions, Shen Ji was certain Li Zhiyan was far more troublesome than portrayed—beneath his abstract behavior lay intelligence far more formidable than expected.
Like deducing the mycelium's hiding spots from where his butterflies died.
After packing a few things, Shen Ji set off.
At the meeting point, Li Zhiyan was sitting on a bench and scrolling through his phone while yawning. Apart from him, Chu Ye hadn't arrived yet.
Shen Ji checked the time—less than half an hour until departure.
He walked over and stood opposite Li Zhian. "You're here early, Mr. Li."
Li Zhiyan looked up at him.
Though it was late autumn, the sun had already risen. Shen Ji stood blocking the light, backlit so Li Zhiyan could clearly see his features. The sunlight bathed him, making his white containment uniform seem to glow.
"Dr. Shen is also early."
"Arriving ahead of time is just courtesy," Shen Ji said before sitting beside Li Zhian. "Did you come early out of courtesy too, Mr. Li?"
"No. I have no courtesy.”
Shen Ji: "..."
How shameless of him to say that.
Li Zhiyan spoke casually, "I set the alarm too early. After being woken up, I had nothing to do, so I came ahead of time."
"No luggage needed?"
"Nope." Li Zhiyan snapped his fingers at Shen Ji. With a click, a small blue butterfly materialized in the air. "Butterflies are self-cleaning."
Li Zhiyan proudly added, "See my hair? It's this long, but I never have to wash it!"
Shen Ji: "…"
He had only heard of cats and dogs grooming themselves.
"But what's that smell on you?" Li Zhiyan frowned and leaned in closer. Shen Ji could feel Li Zhiyan's breath against his neck—not warm, but like a gentle breeze, soft and slightly cool.
"Did you drink lemon water?"
Shen Ji retrieved a bottle of perfume from his bag and spritzed it directly onto Li Zhiyan's white hair. With a soft puff, Li Zhiyan instinctively recoiled, then caught the same scent lingering in the air—identical to the one on Shen Ji.
Realization dawned on him. "Perfume?"
"You don’t seem like the type to wear perfume."
"Oh? Then what type do I seem like?" Shen Ji asked.
His posture was proper and his gaze steady. The facility uniform lent him an air of refinement and integrity, while the black-framed glasses accentuated his scholarly demeanor, complementing his strikingly handsome features. Shen Ji was the kind of person whose appearance naturally inspired trust, his calm and composed aura making him stand out.
And yet, this very same reliable figure—trusted by parents and children alike—had spritzed on perfume today.
Hiss. Even more alluring now.
"You’ve never worn it before," Li Zhiyan remarked.
"That’s because the facility has grooming standards." Shen Ji sighed. "Do you know how long this bottle has been gathering dust?"
Li Zhiyan nodded with an expression that said, ‘I get it.’ "Rough life."
He tugged a strand of his hair to sniff the freshly applied scent. Apparently pleased, he extended another lock toward Shen Ji.
"Hit this side too."
Shen Ji didn’t refuse. He gave the strands a light spritz, releasing a faintly bitter lemon fragrance with a crisp freshness. Shen Ji leaned in to take a whiff as well.
The proximity made it easy for Li Zhiyan to catch Shen Ji’s scent—beyond the citrusy perfume, there was an odd, cool fragrance, as if emanating from within him. His nose was sharp; even masked by the perfume, he was certain he wasn’t mistaken.
And strangely, that scent felt familiar.
Instinctively, Li Zhiyan leaned closer—until their foreheads bumped.
Shen Ji was the first to pull back and put a full body’s distance between them as his dark eyes brimming with disdain.
This socially oblivious butterfly.
Just then, a clatter—something hit the floor and rolled twice.
Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan turned simultaneously.
Chu Ye was crouched and attempting to stealthily retrieve the fallen item. His guilty figure froze under their gazes. With an awkward chuckle, he straightened up.
"So, uh," Chu Ye said, "carry on?"
"Pretend I’m not here."
They kept staring.
"Alright, alright." Chu Ye picked up the dropped item. "Anyway, since everyone’s here, let’s get going."
As the accompanying medical support staff, Shen Ji still needed to sign one final application. While Shen Ji was signing, Chu Ye discreetly elbowed Li Zhiyan.
Chu Ye's face was brimming with curiosity.
“What’s going on with you two?”
Last time, Chu Ye had learned from Li Zhiyan that he “preferred blue over red”—figuratively speaking. As Li Zhiyan’s friend, he naturally wanted to help, so he went to Zhou Ye and Jiang Ying to gather more information.
Soon, he also found out that Li Zhiyan was trying to recruit Shen Ji into the security team—and doing so in a very hypocritical way.
Despite having the privilege to handpick team members, he insisted on getting Shen Ji’s personal agreement.
And then there was that line—“I think he values his freedom.”
So damn irritating.
“I saw it all—you two sniffing each other like dogs.”
Li Zhiyan shot him an exasperated look. “Why does everything sound so weird when you say it?”
“But you were sniffing each other, weren’t you?”
“Yes, but only because Shen Ji was wearing cologne. I was just checking the scent, not making out with him.”
Chu Ye shrugged. He was just stating facts.
“My relationship with Dr. Shen isn’t as dirty as you think.”
“Then what is this pure, wholesome relationship of yours?”
Li Zhiyan thought for a moment before nodding in conclusion. “Rather than love, what I feel for Dr. Shen is admiration. Do you understand admiration? It’s higher than love—and higher than you, my friend.”
Chu Ye: “…”
Damn, that stings even more.
……
After arriving in F City, Shen Ji parted ways with Li Zhiyan and Chu Ye. The two of them had to visit the F City Anti-Contamination Control Center for an investigation, while Shen Ji’s assignment was at the F City Containment Facility.
The facility had even sent a car to pick him up.
The driver was also in the standard containment uniform—a familiar sight as it was identical to the one in Q City except for the badge.
That sense of familiarity put Shen Ji at ease.
When they finally arrived at the F City Containment Facility, the déjà vu was overwhelming.
[Every regional Containment Facility is practically carbon-copied.] The system remarked. [It’s exactly the same as the one in Q City.]
At the entrance, an elderly woman with silver hair and glasses greeted him.
Though her hair was completely white, it was neatly kept. Like Li Zhiyan, she had a habit of looking people in the eye—but unlike him, her gaze was warm and gentle. Meeting her eyes didn’t feel intrusive, only comforting, as if she were a kind and nurturing presence.
“Hello,” the woman smiled at Shen Ji. “I’m Bai Xuyue, Director of the F City Containment Facility.”
Her voice was calm and unhurried, and carried a soothing steadiness.
Shen Ji was surprised but quickly extended his hand. “Director Bai, I’m Shen Ji.”
“I know who you are,” Bai Xuyue said warmly. “Old Wen called me earlier today. He told me his prized student was coming to assist us and asked me to take good care of you.”
“No, I’m just an ordinary staff member.”
“No need for modesty.” Bai Xuyue patted Shen Ji’s shoulder. “Let’s skip the formalities and get to work. I’ll take you to meet the patient.”
Shen Ji nodded. “Understood.”
The elevator descended all the way to B13 before stopping. As they stepped out, Shen Ji checked the sign—this was Zone IV.
Zone IV had the fewest patients in the entire facility. According to Anti-Contamination Control Center regulations, once a patient reaches contamination Stage IV, if their condition could not be stabilized, they would be signed over for disposal at the Contaminant Disposal Center—to prevent them from mutating into full-fledged Pollutants and causing greater harm.
Few patients remained in Ward IV—you could count them on one hand.
They continued inward, and at the very end of the isolation chambers, Shen Ji finally saw the patient he was assigned to treat.
The man had been unconscious for who knew how long. He lay on the ground with his eyes closed and his entire body covered in dried, cracked mud. Through the fissures, Shen Ji could glimpse patches of raw, red flesh beneath—skin so fragile it seemed ready to crumble at the slightest touch.
Shen Ji glanced at the contamination level: 83.
High enough to qualify for the Contaminant Disposal Center.
"His name is Bai Yangshu—F City’s only Sensory-type Mutant, C-class. He’s also my son." Bai Xuyue gazed at the figure inside with worry. "Dr. Shen, since you were able to cure Mr. Chu, you can heal him too, right?"
"Whether for F City or for me... we can’t afford to lose him."
Shen Ji met Bai Xuyue’s eyes. After a pause, he finally spoke. "I’ll do my best."
Bai Xuyue nodded in relief. "Thank you, Dr. Shen."
She unlocked the isolation chamber. The moment the door opened, contamination surged outward—so thick that Bai Xuyue instinctively frowned.
The two hurried inside and quickly locked the door behind them.
"This is why we isolated him in the deepest chamber. He’s begun emitting contamination. At this stage, conventional treatment is useless—he should be sent to the Contaminant Disposal Center. But neither I nor the Anti-Contamination Control Center wanted to give up yet."
"Sensory-type Mutants are far too rare."
Shen Ji rolled up his sleeves, fastening the cuffs with clinical precision before crouching down and placing a hand on the patient.
"Can you tell me what happened when he was contaminated?"
"Actually... it was the Level S Pollutant [Rage]."
Shen Ji looked up sharply. "Rage?!"
"That’s right." Bai Xuyue sighed.
[Rage], a Level S Pollutant, lurked within one of the four forbidden contamination zones—[Abyss Zero].
It was the most powerful Pollutant recorded in human archives.
Unlike the cruelty of [The Gardener], Rage was utterly deranged. Like clockwork, it triggered minor quakes every three months and major ones every two years—akin to a catastrophic menstrual cycle.
Humanity has long been plagued by this.
Just as animals instinctively flee before earthquakes, each tremor sent low-level Pollutants into frenzied outbreaks. And in a world where humans occupied Earth’s last habitable zones, every outbreak meant devastation for ordinary people.
So, after one particularly violent quake—and half a month of relentless overtime—the exasperated captain of the guard dubbed it [Rage].
"Bai Yangshu was part of the team dispatched to suppress the last minor quake in Abyss Zero. During the operation, one of their squad members went missing. As the only Sensory-type Mutant, he chose to search alone. Soon after, the team received his location signal—only to find him and his teammate unconscious on the ground."
Their bodies had been encased in mud. When the squad tried to wash it away, they recoiled in horror—the sludge peeled off with chunks of their skin.
They had been contaminated.
Despite having just been contaminated, the contamination level had already reached 61, entering Stage III of contamination.
Shen Ji asked, "What about his teammates?"
"They didn't make it. They've already passed away."
Shen Ji offered an apology before continuing Bai Yangshu's treatment.
Mycelium threads slithered from Shen Ji's palm into Bai Yangshu's body. Upon entering this new territory, they curiously glanced around before quickly spreading throughout the man's entire system. Through them, Shen Ji confirmed the extent of the contamination.
It was dire—no less severe than Chu Ye's condition back then.
At that time, a seed of contamination had been planted in Chu Ye's body, but the Gardener hadn't intended for him to die, so there had been some restraint. Bai Yangshu, however, had no such mercy.
His internal organs had already turned into soil and charred black as if tossed into molten lava. The mycelium circled the scorched contamination again and again before cautiously taking a small bite from the edges.
Eek! So hot!
The mushrooms were practically burning to death!
Even Shen Ji felt as though flames were licking at his fingertips, the searing pain making him frown slightly as he adjusted his hand's position.
Despite the heat, the mycelium refused to give up. To them, the nature of the contamination didn’t matter—they would greedily devour it all, whether it was hot, cold, spicy, or bitter. Perhaps only the Siberian deep freeze could slightly curb their appetite.
Nearby, Bai Xuyue watched Shen Ji's treatment intently, trying to memorize every step. But Shen Ji merely kept his hand on the patient's chest with his gaze fixed on him. He didn’t speak a word or make any unnecessary movements.
Bai Xuyue’s heart pounded with anxiety.
When the Anti-Contamination Control Center had found Chu Ye, Bai Xuyue had been overjoyed—yet she hadn’t dared to relax until they explicitly informed her: Chu Ye has agreed to bring a doctor who can treat his contamination disease.
A doctor stationed at Q City’s Containment Facility—most likely a Healing-type Mutant.
She had proactively called Wen Jingyu, and though she could hear the concern and importance he placed on this young man, she could also sense his trust in him.
Yet Bai Xuyue remained tense.
Could the patient actually be treated? If so, when would there be any visible improvement? When would he wake up?
She desperately wanted to ask these questions, but Wen Jingyu had warned her—this was a special doctor operating under a concealed identity. His status couldn’t be exposed, so none of these inquiries could be voiced.
After ten minutes, Shen Ji exhaled and stood up.
"His condition is critical. We can’t rush this. Let’s stop here for today—I’ll return tomorrow."
"Of course, of course!" Bai Xuyue replied. "Any progress at all is more than I could ever ask for."
As the Director of F City’s Containment Facility, Bai Xuyue knew exactly how difficult this contamination was to handle. In fact, the mere fact that Shen Ji hadn’t outright declared it untreatable already moved her deeply.
After all, she had long prepared herself for the worst—having to personally send her son to his end.
After arranging a temporary access pass for Shen Ji and seeing him out of the Containment Facility, Bai Xuyue finally returned to Zone IV.
The man in the isolation room remained unchanged with his eyes shut without even the slightest movement beneath the lids. If not for his faint breathing, Bai Xuyue might have believed he was already dead—that what lay there was nothing more than a corpse.
After staring for what felt like an eternity, Bai Xuyue let out a soft sigh and turned to leave.
Just then, a loud ding-dong echoed as the communicator on her wrist suddenly blared an alarm.
"Warning! Contamination levels in Isolation Room G-13-30 have decreased!"
"Warning! Contamination levels have dropped by 3 points. Requesting the attending doctor to investigate immediately!"
"Warning! Contamination levels decreasing!"
Bai Xuyue froze for a moment before whipping her head around.
Sure enough, the contamination readings beside her had dropped by 3 points in just a short span of time.
She couldn’t help but take off her glasses to rub her eyes before checking again.
"The contamination levels dropped?! How is that possible…?"
"Even the top-tier healers from the Containment Headquarters don’t show results this fast!"
Her eyes widened in shock.
It took her a moment to process before she murmured in realization, "...A high-level Healer-type Mutant."
"B-class? Or… A-class?"
Bai Xuyue's eyes welled up with hot tears as her heart finally settled back into place.
"...Old Wen is so damn lucky to stumble upon such a good thing."
……….
Access to the Containment Facility was strictly regulated. During this period, Shen Ji needed frequent entry and exit to treat the contaminated individual, so the F City Containment Facility issued him a temporary pass.
[The person contaminated by Rage might be a bit problematic.]
Shen Ji looked up. "What's the issue?"
At the moment, he was sitting at a bus stop and waiting for the shuttle bus to the Anti-Contamination Control Center. Since it was still afternoon—not yet the facility’s closing time—there was no one else around waiting for the bus.
[Remember what I mentioned before? F City experienced a terrifying contamination outbreak, causing widespread casualties. I suspect the white poplar tree is part of that contamination.]
[Rage’s contamination is even more stubborn than Gardener’s. The Gardener doesn’t contaminate humans directly—it merges them with contaminated seeds. As long as the human lives, the seed grows. But Rage mutates humans at an alarming speed, with a 90% efficiency rate. Some even distort into Pollutants the moment they approach the Abyss Zero zone.]
[If a C-class Mutant distorts into a Pollutant, it’ll be at least Level B.]
Shen Ji thought for a moment. "But in the original story, Li Zhiyan wasn’t even in F City at this time, right?"
[Of course not. The protagonist was still handling the aftermath in Q City back then. After all, the Level A Pollutant Chen Guo had just wreaked havoc there—Q City casualties were no less than F City.]
[We also accelerated the outbreak of the Gardener’s contaminated seed. According to the original plot, that seed would’ve stayed dormant until after Li Zhiyan dealt with Chen Guo and Hui. By then, Q City would’ve been in ruins, and Li Zhiyan—having overused his abilities—would’ve turned into an idiot. There’s no guarantee he could’ve handled it in time.]
Shen Ji pictured the scenario, and his temper flared instantly.
Damn that shameless Gardener, daring to reap the rewards after his death!
[Don’t get mad. That’s the original plot—it didn’t actually happen.]
"Doesn’t matter." Shen Ji adjusted his glasses, his dark eyes icy. "Even if it didn’t happen, it’s still going on the record."
[...]
Tsk, this petty little reporter.
Ding.
Shen Ji’s phone chimed.
He pulled it out and saw a message from Li Zhiyan.
Opening it revealed a familiar photo and a familiar tone—Li Zhiyan’s signature brand of exasperating well-wishes.
[Troublesome Protagonist: Pretty mushroom. Not sure how it tastes.]
Shen Ji stared at the garishly colorful mushroom in the photo, deep in thought. He scrutinized it again, confirming it was taken at an ornamental plant shop. He’d bet anything that thing was dyed.
[Shen Ji: That thing’s obviously dyed. You might as well eat preservatives—at least those won’t kill you.]
[Shen Ji withdrew a message.]
[Shen Ji: It must be delicious! Mr. Li, you absolutely have to try it!]
Li Zhian: "..."
Li Zhian stared at his phone in bewilderment for several seconds, then glanced at the brightly colored mushroom beside him. After a moment, he stood up and paced a few steps.
Still couldn’t figure it out.
"Who pissed him off?" Li Zhiyan muttered, baffled. "Why’s he so mad?"
"Why tell me to eat preservatives? Did I do something?"
"Wait—" Li Zhiyan’s expression shifted to disbelief. "Normal people know you can’t eat preservatives, right?"
Translator:
That's right Mr. Li hahaha
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