Pollutant Disguise Plan (POLLUTANT)
Although Shen Ji immediately recalled the message, he wasn't sure whether Li Zhiyan had seen it or not.
After all, to Shen Ji, the protagonist from the original story was an enemy—a sworn rival!
If Li Zhiyan hadn’t killed Hui in the original story, he wouldn’t have turned into an idiot, nor would he have been outmaneuvered by the Gardener’s contaminated seeds. Holding a grudge was only natural.
Q City was his territory!
A few seconds passed before Li Zhiyan finally replied.
[Troublesome Protagonist: …?]
[He definitely saw it!] The system gloated. [Since things have come to this, let’s seize the chance to scold him. We won’t get another opportunity like this.]
"Escalating conflict is the lowest form of strategy."
Shen Ji adjusted his glasses. "As adults, we shouldn’t escalate conflicts but rather let things settle. After all, we still need Li Zhiyan to locate the Gardener’s plantation so we can plow it into farmland with an excavator."
[So?]
"So we act like nothing happened."
Shen Ji replied with a question mark of his own.
"I refuse to believe he’ll actually ask me why I told him to eat preservatives."
[Troublesome Protagonist: So why did you tell me to eat preservatives?]
Shen Ji: "…"
He forgot—this protagonist wasn’t normal. He was a lunatic.
Well, time for damage control.
[Shen Ji: Mr. Li, I wasn’t telling you to eat preservatives. I was merely pointing out that this substance is similar to preservatives, and consuming it would lead to no good outcome. My wording was just a bit intense—please believe I only have your best interests at heart. As a Containment Facility worker, I’m genuinely concerned about your health.]
[Troublesome Protagonist: Then why did you recall the message?]
[Shen Ji: Because I suddenly realized that when you asked me this question, you weren’t seeking advice but simply sharing. I shouldn’t interfere with your hobbies, so I recalled it.]
[Shen Ji: The director once taught us that medical staff must not excessively intrude into patients’ private lives. The same applies to you.]
With that, the narrative flipped. If Li Zhiyan objected now, it would make him the unreasonable one.
After all, Shen Ji was clearly just worried about his health.
The system was stunned.
With just two messages, Shen Ji had spun it into "concern leading to harsh words," followed by "respect leading to message recall and approval."
Was this the power of a journalist?!
[Troublesome Protagonist: You don’t even need poison to kill people—just open your mouth.]
[Troublesome Protagonist: Most would die from your words alone.]
[Shen Ji: But I’d only poison you, Mr. Li. Can you feel how special you are to me?]
[Troublesome Protagonist: Then I’d die without regrets.]
System: "…?"
When did the tone shift like this?
The bus arrived.
Shen Ji turned off his phone screen, ending the nonsense with Li Zhiyan, and boarded.
Surprisingly, the bus was quite crowded. Medical staff in uniforms occupied seven or eight seats, most bearing the exhaustion of overnight shifts and with dark circles under their eyes. Some had their eyes closed and caught a brief rest. Shen Ji didn’t disturb them and took a seat at the very back instead.
The car started with a slight sway. Shen Ji opened his phone to check if Li Zhiyan had sent any new messages when he noticed the windows beside him were covered in dense fungal filaments.
The mycelium had somehow escaped from his body and was clinging to the glass and spreading outward.
Since transmigrating into this world, Shen Ji had mostly stayed in Q City. Apart from briefly renting a place outside and consuming that Black Rat, he had spent the rest of his time in the Containment Facility. As a result, the mycelium had claimed the Q City Containment Facility as their territory, with most of them gathered there—Q City being an extension of their domain.
Now, this was Shen Ji’s first time visiting another city, and the mycelium observed the unfamiliar surroundings with curiosity.
Huh? Not home?
Eek! Territory expansion!
Wow! Master! New land!
They stretched their fungal tendrils through the gaps in the car window while swaying and dancing in the wind, radiating pure excitement.
The mycelium seemed to think Shen Ji was leading them to conquer new lands and expand their domain.
[I told you—Hui is an overbearing Pollutant. Wherever it goes, it claims as its own. Wherever you step, the mycelium will spread. Now that you’ve come to F City, they naturally assume this is the first step in expanding their territory.]
Shen Ji tried to pull them back from the window gap, but before he could even reach out, they slipped through and jumped out of the car.
Shen Ji: "…"
[Their desire for conquest is quite strong.]
‘Their territory is already huge—an entire Containment Facility plus all of Q City.’
[You underestimate a Pollutant’s territorial instincts. To them, domain and hunger are equally important. Especially when they’ve been following you without a fixed territory—claiming a vast area where they can replenish their contamination at any time gives them a sense of security.]
[In the end, it’s the mushrooms who are good and you who’s bad! You haven’t even found them a place where they can eat their fill!]
Shen Ji: "…"
Seriously? Let these little troublemakers eat until they’re full? How many Containment Facilities would that even take?
[Containment Facilities barely have any contamination. Our real targets should be high-level Pollutants! A single Level A Pollutant is worth several Containment Facilities!]
The Containment Facility had tragically become a unit of measurement.
Not bothering to argue with the system or chase after the runaway mushrooms—since the mycelium shared his senses and he could locate them anytime—Shen Ji checked his phone for the message Li Zhiyan had sent earlier.
[Troublesome Protagonist: You replied so fast. Done with work at the Containment Facility?]
[Shen Ji: Yeah. On my way to the Anti-Contamination Control Center now.]
Li Zhiyan replied almost immediately.
[Troublesome Protagonist: Skip the Anti-Contamination Control Center. Come here instead.]
He sent a location.
Shen Ji opened it and studied the address, only to realize it wasn’t some formal office or a classified military-industrial site—it was a shopping mall. Yes, one of F City’s more well-known commercial centers.
What was he doing there?
Shen Ji voiced the question.
[Troublesome Protagonist: Buying clothes.]
Shen Ji tilted his head, somewhat puzzled.
As if anticipating Shen Ji’s confusion, Li Zhiyan’s explanation came immediately.
[Troublesome Protagonist: Chu Ye and I scouted that bus stop in person. There are a lot of factories and companies nearby, and even late at night, many people are still working overtime. If we hadn’t gotten the route map in advance, there might have been quite a few night-shift workers boarding that bus.]
[Troublesome Protagonist: So Chu Ye and I decided to disguise ourselves as employees who just got off work when the time comes.]
Shen Ji understood now.
Li Zhiyan hadn’t brought any luggage—he didn’t even own a single set of casual clothes that could pass for a corporate outfit!
So he had to rush to buy something on the spot.
[Troublesome Protagonist: You need to buy clothes too.]
[Shen Ji: Why?]
[Troublesome Protagonist: You’re wearing a facility uniform. You don’t have anything that fits the working-class aesthetic either.]
[Shen Ji: …How do you know?]
[Troublesome Protagonist: Your personality dictates that your everyday outfits are simple but not plain. Office workers dress as unpleasantly as possible—you don’t.]
Damn, he saw right through him.
Shen Ji would never dare to dress as horribly as possible for work.
As a journalist, he had to look presentable, and keeping his appearance neat and tidy at all times had become second nature to him.
‘He knows me so well,’ Shen Ji couldn’t help but complain to the system. ‘He even knows I don’t own any hideous clothes.’
[…At this point, we should just kill him.]
‘Why?’
[Do you know what happens to protagonists in novels who inexplicably understand the villain too well?]
The system said with grave seriousness: [It’s terrifying! They all end up together with the villain!]
Shen Ji: …
[To prevent such a future, we should just kill the protagonist now.]
The system viciously listed ten assassination plans and began explaining to Shen Ji which one had the highest chance of success.
Shen Ji: …
Who exactly has the shady side job here??
………
Shen Ji had to transfer buses before finally arriving at the mall. The place was crowded, filled with groups of young men and women shopping together.
The long-lost bustle of normal life almost made Shen Ji believe he’d returned to the modern era.
Then he thought about it more carefully—this era wasn’t entirely bleak everywhere. It was just that Q City, where he’d transmigrated into, was undergoing a major catastrophe. Other cities could still maintain a normal human lifestyle.
Like right now.
As he walked, Shen Ji scanned the crowd for Li Zhiyan.
Finding him wasn’t hard—after all, the guy had that ridiculously eye-catching, non-mainstream white hair. That shock of white stood out no matter where he was.
Sure enough, he soon spotted the white-haired figure sitting on a bench in the distance that was idly scrolling through his phone while waiting.
Unlike his usual appearance, Li Zhiyan had shed his signature security team uniform and was now wearing a long black coat with silver accents.
Tall to begin with, the outfit made him look even more imposing. For convenience, he’d tied his long white hair into a high ponytail.
The waist-length locks draped over the bench like some ethereal, albino spirit.
People passing by couldn’t help but sneak glances at him.
Li Zhiyan, however, seemed long accustomed to the attention. He didn’t even spare a glance at the onlookers, completely at ease.
When you have no shame, you’re invincible.
Shen Ji walked over, still wearing the facility's uniform—all white, with the halo of a "white-robed angel," appearing quite saintly.
"Why are you alone here? Where’s Chu Ye?"
Li Zhiyan looked up at him, unsurprised by Shen Ji’s sudden arrival. "You show up and the first thing you ask about is him?"
Shen Ji replied earnestly, "Mr. Chu was my former patient. Isn’t it normal to ask about him?"
"Normal," Li Zhiyan nodded. "He’s at the Control Center signing documents. They need to temporarily shut down nearby factories and companies before Bus 7739 arrives, plus prepare some things."
"Originally, I was supposed to review the documents with him," Li Zhiyan said, his voice tinged with amusement. "But I snuck out."
Shen Ji: "…"
Well, that was something Li Zhiyan would absolutely do.
Shen Ji sat on the other end of the bench. The fragrance of cologne lingered, and he could still catch a faint whiff of bitter lemon emanating from Li Zhiyan.
He sighed. "Mr. Li’s work ethic is truly something to learn from."
"I hate working the most," Li Zhiyan declared shamelessly. "Slacking off is human nature. People can’t work all the time—they’ll get depressed."
"That’s true," Shen Ji’s tone carried a hint of melancholy, as if the imagined tragedy had already occurred.
"If Mr. Li got depressed, the whole world would mourn for you. Who knows, the global contamination levels might even rise because of it."
Li Zhiyan’s hand, which was scrolling through his phone, twitched. He turned to look at Shen Ji. "That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it?"
"Of course not. Don’t you realize your own fame and importance, Mr. Li? Losing you would be like the world losing its backbone. Everyone would be so grief-stricken they’d get contaminated."
Li Zhiyan: "…"
How do you deal with someone shameless? Play along and make them even more shameless.
It worked perfectly against someone like Li Zhiyan—abstract but still with basic morals.
After a moment of thought, Li Zhiyan finally spoke. "In this day and age, if someone really had depression, it’d probably be treated as a contamination disease, right? Think about it—uncontrollable emotions and hysterical sorrow. Doesn’t that sound just like a contamination disease?"
"Mr. Li’s point is…?"
"If I got depression, I’d most likely be treated as a contamination case. And Dr. Shen, you’re an expert in treating contamination disease. So if I ever develop depression, I’ll leave it all to you."
Li Zhiyan’s blue eyes held a trace of seriousness. "I’ll confidently entrust myself to Dr. Shen."
He then mused, "That way, I’d be your patient too, wouldn’t I?"
Shen Ji was utterly stunned by that statement.
Wait, what? How did the conversation take this turn, making it seem like Li Zhiyan could just waltz into being his patient?
It was like getting jealous of thin air.
‘System,’ Shen Ji couldn’t help complaining internally again, ‘The protagonist is so damn gay.’
‘But Li Zhiyan is the protagonist of a no-romance novel. There’s literally no romantic subplot in this book.’
[We should consider that this is an unfinished novel. Maybe the protagonist just never got to the romance arc before it was axed. What if, in the original outline, he was supposed to have a love interest who just never appeared? Maybe he is gay?]
[No, no! The protagonist and the villain can’t be together!]
Shen Ji: "…"
Just what kind of novels has this system been reading to despise the protagonist so much?
["Transmigrated as the Villain and Had XXX with the Protagonist", "Reincarnated and Ended Up with My Rival", "Still in a Love-Hate Relationship with My Rival Today"...]
Alright, he got it now. No need to list any more novels with questionable titles.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Li Zhiyan asked curiously.
Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan for a moment before finally averting his gaze and speaking, "If Mr. Li were truly depressed, and if I were still by your side, you could come to me for treatment."
His tone was calm, even melodious like a gentle breeze.
There was none of Shen Ji's usual pretense, nor any performance after weighing the pros and cons—this sentence came from his heart.
[...]
Li Zhiyan seemed to find these words amusing, so he laughed.
He didn't believe he would ever suffer from depression, nor did he think Shen Ji would ever leave the Q City facility.
Perhaps he thought the next time Shen Ji left the Q City facility, it would only be because he had successfully recruited him into the security team.
But the system knew what Shen Ji really meant by those words.
Although they still exchanged nonsensical banter with sparks flying in their tones, Shen Ji's attitude toward Li Zhiyan had quietly changed.
If not for the issues with the original story, could they have become friends?
Or perhaps something more?
Seeing Li Zhiyan laugh, Shen Ji also curved his lips slightly.
That smile was faint and carried Shen Ji's characteristic aloofness, giving it a sharp, almost cold edge—like a very slight sneer.
But it couldn't be called unattractive.
When someone who rarely smiles suddenly does, especially when that person is already strikingly handsome... Li Zhiyan actually gasped.
"Tsk," Li Zhiyan reached out and lightly tugged at Shen Ji's collar.
"Smile again."
"Don't push your luck," Shen Ji swatted his hand away.
Watching the two of them resume their mutual jabs, the system grew worried.
Earlier, the system had discussed the issue of leaving with Shen Ji.
Once they achieved their goal and the novel reached its rushed ending, to prevent any mishaps, it would be best for them to stay away from the protagonist and the center of the plot—meaning leaving Q City.
They would have to leave eventually.
They couldn't stay in Q City forever, nor could they keep up this charade with Li Zhiyan indefinitely.
But the little journalist was a good person. Despite complaining about the hassle, he never abandoned a single patient and helped the facility overcome one difficulty after another. He got along well with the protagonist and claimed he couldn't confuse fiction with reality.
Ugh, just thinking about it made even the system want to cry.
At this moment, Shen Ji was unaware of the system's thoughts as he and Li Zhiyan headed out to buy clothes.
After working at the facility for so long, Shen Ji had saved up bonus after bonus, yet hadn't spent a single penny. Watching the numbers pile up, he pondered daily how to spend it—from cameras to excavators, from excavators to top-tier gaming PCs.
In the end, he dismissed them all, simply because none of it would be usable at the facility.
Who would have thought the first money he'd spend shopping would be on clothes?
Finding a set of clothes with a strong "office" vibe in the mall proved difficult, mainly because Shen Ji was so good-looking that even ripped clothes looked like high-end luxury on him. Left with no choice, Shen Ji started trying on suits.
Even when he was alive, Shen Ji rarely wore suits.
A suit is a formal attire that perfectly accentuates one's figure, lending an air of dignity and refinement while amplifying a person's innate demeanor.
It can exude elegance and restraint—or the aura of a formidable boss.
Shen Ji happened to be the latter.
His presence was so icy that donning a suit made him look like some mafia heir. Once, his boss had him wear formal attire for a guest appearance on an entertainment show, only for the guests to clam up in his presence because they were too intimidated to utter a word. After that, he never wore a suit again.
But now, suits were practically the uniform for salespeople, weren’t they?!
After asking a store assistant for a recommendation, Shen Ji took the suit into the fitting room.
He had just slipped on the jacket when he suddenly looked up—only for a cluster of tiny mushrooms to come tumbling down from the ceiling, rolling all over him in excitement.
Master! We’ve claimed new territory for you!
Eep! Ate so many snacks!
Uncharted new land! Love it!
Master, we want more territory! Big territory! Bigger domain!
Before Shen Ji could ask where they’d been, the fitting room door was knocked. The mycelium shot back up to the ceiling in a flash, quicker than startled rabbits.
Li Zhiyan’s voice came from outside. “Still not done?”
Shen Ji glanced at the door, then raised a finger to his lips in a silent shh. The little mushrooms trembled, not daring to so much as peek out.
They still remembered how close they’d come to being discovered by Li Zhiyan.
Eep!
Butterflies are tasty! But Master doesn’t like it!
No touching the big butterfly, but small ones are okay to nibble sometimes.
After huddling on the ceiling for a moment, they finally took Shen Ji’s cue and morphed into a cluster of tiny mushrooms that slipped into his sleeve like a breeze before dissolving seamlessly into his body.
At last, Shen Ji pushed open the fitting room door while adjusting his cuffs as he stepped out.
Years as a journalist had ingrained in him the habit of impeccable grooming—especially in formal wear. Not a single wrinkle was permitted on his suit.
Once satisfied, he was about to check the mirror when he realized Li Zhiyan hadn’t said a word.
So Shen Ji turned to him. “Mr. Li, what do you think?”
Li Zhiyan didn’t answer immediately and instead let out a soft hiss.
Damn. He looks way too good.
Shen Ji had his clothing preferences—he favored warm tones, occasionally white, but black from head to toe was practically unheard of for him. This was the first time Li Zhiyan had seen him in an all-black ensemble.
The icy aura accentuated by the black suit amplified Shen Ji’s presence. Dressed to the nines, he exuded sharpness and his dark eyes devoid of any softness, as if a single glance from him could lay a person bare.
Especially now, with those black-framed glasses—the transparent lenses adding a clinical, detached edge.
That demeanor made him seem dangerously alluring, impossible to resist yet impossible to approach.
So cold. So hot.
“Mr. Li?”
Li Zhiyan clicked his tongue. “I’m not used to it.”
“Not used to what?” Shen Ji adjusted his tie and lapel pin.
“Your presence is too strong.” Li Zhiyan paused, as if realizing how abstract that sounded, then added, “In this day and age, very few people carry the kind of aura you do.”
Shen Ji was intrigued. “What kind of aura? Coldness? A lot of people have told me I seem unapproachable.”
“Not coldness. Presence.”
Li Zhiyan walked up to Shen Ji and reached out to help him with his tie.
"Most people who've survived the apocalypse become numb, but they also grow fearful. Everyone knows how terrifying contamination incidents are and how high the mortality rate is. Horrifying deaths are just... normal."
"But someone like you—completely devoid of fear, even radiating an oppressive aura—I've only ever met two people like that."
"One of them is the Level S Pollutant Rage from the Abyss Zero. The way it looks at people... it's a lot like you."
Hiss... Opening with a comparison to a Level S Pollutant?
[What does the protagonist mean by this?] The system also grew puzzled.
[Why would he compare you to a Level S Pollutant? Has he noticed something?]
Shen Ji had never paid attention to his own gaze, nor had he deliberately observed the differences between himself and the people of this apocalyptic world—let alone tried to change his expression.
Still, Shen Ji wasn't from the original story. As someone from the modern era, it made sense he'd differ from people of this time.
But enough to be compared to Rage?
Shen Ji frowned slightly and chose to divert the topic. "And the other one?"
"Me."
Shen Ji: ...
Li Zhiyan finished adjusting the tie and patted Shen Ji's shoulder with a smile. "You and I are the most alike."
Shen Ji: ...
[...]
Shen Ji complained to the system again, 'The protagonist is so gay. Is he seriously not homosexual?'
[Shen Ji, if you could just realize: the one he's being gay toward right now... is you.]
Shen Ji: ...
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