Pollutant Disguise Plan (POLLUTANT)
Chu Ye's past wasn't elaborated on much in the original novel.
After all, he was just a supporting male character—a friend and frequent collaborator of Li Zhiyan's, but never part of his team. So his role had always been limited.
Especially after Chu Ye was contaminated, he was forced to withdraw from the front lines.
Searching for doctors who could treat his contamination disease further cut off his channels of cooperation with the protagonist. He only made a brief appearance at the novel's end as he hastily pulled out the trapped Li Zhiyan before sending him away, then smiling as he returned to that mysterious contamination zone—never to appear again.
The author never explained how he found that place or how he rescued Li Zhiyan.
Readers simply assumed it was the author’s mercy and just disregard the logic to let Chu Ye fulfill himself at the last moment, and be buried in the place he wished to exist.
Shen Ji and Li Zhian followed him, soon spotting Chu Ye staring at a wooden sign.
Carved on the sign were a few words:
[Botanical Garden]
The three characters were crooked and uneven, like a child’s first attempt at writing and carrying a hint of childish charm.
"I remember now," Chu Ye murmured as he gazed at the sign. "I came here with them once."
"That day, we were on a mission to clear a low-level contamination zone. Now that I think about it, that so-called low-level zone must have been the contaminated seed the Gardener was cultivating." His voice was hoarse. "We failed to eliminate the seed, so when the Gardener reclaimed it, we were dragged here along with it."
He clenched his fist until his nails dug into his palm with a dull, throbbing pain.
"There’s no mistake."
Chu Ye said, "They must all be here."
[I think I know why Chu Ye ended up in the Botanical Garden in the end.] The system suddenly spoke up.
Shen Ji watched Chu Ye’s back, then tilted his head slightly. ‘Why?’
[Judging by the timeline, the protagonist was trapped here for some strange reason. Li Zhiyan spent a day or two searching for a way out. The original novel followed the protagonist’s perspective, so the plot during this period was entirely focused on this Botanical Garden, not at the reality.]
‘What are you implying?’
[Chu Ye’s contamination must have erupted.] The system said. [Like other contaminated seeds, once the contamination erupts, the seed grows, and then the Gardener reclaims it to the plantation. That’s how Chu Ye suddenly appeared in the Botanical Garden.]
Shen Ji: "…"
He frowned slightly.
This hellish explanation left him unsettled.
But no matter how he thought about it, the system’s reasoning was the most logical.
Li Zhiyan was pushed out of this place by Chu Ye. The moment he returned to the real world, he had his first encounter with the contamination, triggering the final battle—before the story abruptly ended with a thud.
Heh.
Li Zhiyan took off the cap that came with his work uniform, letting his hair fall loose.
"Then, do you remember what happened afterward? Where did they go?"
Chu Ye thought for a moment. "I remember we went this way."
As a high-ranking member of the Anti-Contamination Control Center, Chu Ye understood the moment he saw the sign that he had accidentally entered the territory of a Level S Pollutant—the Gardener’s [Horror Botanical Garden]. His adjutant was an A-class Mutant, but neither of them believed they could handle a Level S Pollutant. Yet turning back would be a waste. They had been pulled into the Botanical Garden with no way out.
So they all moved forward with the mindset of at least gathering some clues.
Following his memory, Chu Ye led the way.
They passed the wooden fence and soon reached an unsettling patch of glowing light.
It was a strange grove of trees.
Straight trees were planted at regular intervals, their crystal-like forms refracting light.
Shen Ji observed them carefully nearby.
"When we came here at night, the time difference from the real world couldn't have been significant. So the light that lets us see our surroundings—could it be coming from these things?"
Li Zhiyan studied them. "There's a strange smell."
"What?"
"The smell of decay."
Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan with a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if astonished that Li Zhiyan could detect a scent others couldn't.
Chu Ye was still lost in his memories as fragments kept flickering in and out, and relentlessly gnawing at his nerves.
He remembered how they, too, had once encountered this bizarre forest.
As seasoned employees of the Control Center, they all knew something was off. Yet, despite deliberately taking a detour, the next moment they looked up, they found themselves standing right in the middle of that forest.
The eerie glow from the crystal trees would sear their eyes, leaving them disoriented.
Yes—this was where Chu Ye had lost his teammates.
Alone, he had stumbled out of the crystal forest. Realizing his team was missing, he turned back to search, but the labyrinthine paths were too convoluted. No matter how many methods he tried, he couldn’t find them. In the end, he had no choice but to leave alone.
"They all disappeared inside there," he murmured as his memories sharpened.
The Crystal Forest, also known as the Phantom Grove, was the most common type of tree within the plantation. Just as ordinary botanical gardens would mass-plant cheap flora, nearly every victim who entered the plantation had seen these trees.
They formed dense groves along the plantation’s outskirts and shimmering like crystals. Each tree was once a person who had wandered into the garden. After the Gardener—uncertain of what plant to synthesize them into—simply stuffed them into the forest then they became ordinary crystal trees.
Chu Ye stared at the endless expanse of crystal trees, his dark eyes trembling.
Which one of these trees was his missing teammate?
"Chu Ye." Li Zhiyan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "Control your emotions. If you grieve too deeply, you’ll get contaminated."
"I know!" Chu Ye squeezed his eyes shut. "I’m trying."
Li Zhiyan sighed. "If you can’t hold back, it’s fine. Didn’t we bring Dr. Shen along?"
"Even if you get contaminated, he’ll save you."
Chu Ye turned to look at him. Shen Ji stood beside Li Zhiyan, meeting his gaze with a reassuring nod, his dark eyes filled with quiet comfort.
He didn’t speak, but his expression and demeanor told Chu Ye one thing—he and Li Zhiyan were of the same mind.
Had Shen Ji not come, Chu Ye would’ve had to suppress his emotions in this S-class contamination zone. He couldn’t afford sorrow or rage; he needed to sever his feelings to navigate the area safely.
But now that Shen Ji was here—this legendary doctor who specialized in contamination-related disease—he could treat even S-class contamination.
"Maybe you should give him a shot in advance," Li Zhiyan suggested with another sigh. "Shen Ji, did you bring any contamination inhibitors?"
"Li Zhiyan!" Chu Ye snapped. "Are you just saying that because you want to see me get jabbed?!"
Li Zhiyan shrugged.
Chu Ye chuckled at the gesture and turned to walk toward them. But before he could take two steps, the scenery before him abruptly shifted—countless crystal trees surrounded him.
He froze.
His gaze darted around.
A dense thicket of trees encircled him, their leaves rustling as if stirred by an unseen wind and their crystalline chimes ringing softly.
"Li Zhiyan?" Chu Ye called out. "Dr. Shen?!"
No one answered.
Only the whispering leaves replied.
Chu Ye retreated step by step, his eyes filled with caution.
"...Since when?"
Since when had he fallen into this illusion and entered this forest? Was it when Li Zhiyan spoke, or before Li Zhiyan spoke?
Could the Li Zhiyan who spoke just now have been an illusion all along?
As he pondered this, a strange laughter suddenly echoed through the woods.
The voice was neither distinctly male nor female, carrying both the hoarseness of age and the cries of a child. Countless different voices merged together—some speaking fast, others slow—making it exhausting for Chu Ye to even discern the words.
Who? The Gardener?
"My center tree has returned."
The voice brimmed with delight. "The most suitable heartwood for the crystal tree! I thought you'd been eaten by Journalist!"
"Journalist didn't eat you? And even sent you back?"
"Hmm? The seed is gone? Well, I knew he wasn't that kind-hearted. But no matter, we'll just plant another seed. You'll still be the perfect center tree."
Chu Ye raised his gun.
Unable to see the Pollutant, he could only fire bullets toward the source of the voice.
The bullets ricocheted off the crystal tree without leaving a single mark.
A B-level Mutant stood no chance against a Level S Pollutant.
…….
'So the original story was actually terrible to a certain degree.'
Meanwhile, Shen Ji was still discussing Chu Ye's contamination outbreak with the system.
'In the original work, Pollutant Hui caused a contamination breach at the facility, triggering a catastrophe—though we now know the occupational exposure incident was actually caused by another Pollutant.'
'Level A Pollutant "Chen Guo" incident erupted in Q City. While Li Zhiyan was trapped in the plantation, Chu Ye's contamination erupted and he was reclaimed by the plantation. After returning to reality, Li Zhiyan first fought Hui, and there's still the hidden Peach Blossom Calamity contamination incident waiting to emerge.'
[Yikes, now that you mention it, that hack author really piled on the disasters for the protagonist near the ending. The guy probably didn't even have time to breathe.]
'After the Peach Blossom Calamity incident, Li Zhiyan would finally realize the truth. He'd have to return to the plantation to eliminate the root cause, while also collecting Chu Ye's remains.'
The system fell silent.
Since arriving in this world, Shen Ji has altered many plot points and prevented numerous casualties. Now, reviewing everything, they realized: the original story was truly a tragic tale.
As the protagonist, Li Zhiyan had been just one step away from losing everything.
Shen Ji looked up, wanting to see Li Zhiyan's expression, but the moment he raised his head, he found himself standing in a forest.
The trees had crystalline shapes. He froze momentarily before looking around in confusion.
He was alone—Chu Ye and Li Zhiyan had disappeared without him noticing.
Or rather: he was the one who had vanished.
"What?" Shen Ji finally spoke aloud instead of communicating mentally with the system. "When did I change locations?"
[Ah!]
The system suddenly realized, [The Crystal Forest, also called the Phantom Grove. The Anti-Contamination Control Center named it that because its glow can disturb minds, causing people to get lost or develop mental disorders. But in reality, this forest truly has phantom properties—it creates illusions that are hard to distinguish.]
[Be careful. What you see and hear may not be real.]
Shen Ji clicked his tongue in annoyance, his eyes filled with irritation.
"Seeing and hearing may not always be truthful, but what about feelings? Surely those are real."
[Hmm?]
"Full force advance." Shen Ji spread his arms as fungal threads began spreading from beneath his feet.
They'd been barely restrained all this time. Ever since entering the plantation, they'd been itching to expand. Compared to the Containment Facility or just F City, those contamination sources were mere snacks—here, the sheer volume of contamination was like a royal feast!
Pity that giant butterfly had been around earlier keeping them in check.
But now! Their master had released them!
The excited little mushrooms circled around Shen Ji and climbed all over the nearby crystal trees as they voraciously devoured the contamination coating them.
Today they would eat their fill!
[...It's an all-out mushroom assault!]
[Though this is actually a brilliant method. By sharing senses with the mushrooms, you can follow their scouted paths and never get lost again.]
Shen Ji closed his eyes and deliberately ignored the voice in his ears.
The tall young man stood motionless as tiny mushroom buds sprouted across his forehead. Pale pink fungi peeked out near his eyebrows, while others pushed through his dark blue work uniform at the waist, creating an indescribably alluring sight.
Even dressed in soiled work clothes, he remained the most striking presence.
Shen Ji focused on the thoughts transmitted by his mushrooms, only to find their little minds filled with nothing but 'Delicious! So tasty!'
With a soft sigh, he began walking forward with eyes still closed.
The mushrooms' vision became his vision. Their sensations became his sensations.
The fungal threads expanded wildly, their reproduction speed terrifying. Each bite they took produced a capful of spores that sprouted into new mushrooms upon landing that also rapidly consumed this Phantom Grove.
Not far away, Chu Ye hung impaled on the tallest crystal tree, a crystalline branch piercing diagonally through his heart.
Yet Chu Ye wasn't dead.
Mutants weren't so fragile, and the contamination was sustaining his life force—leaving him fully conscious to endure the agony.
That unseen, bizarre voice kept chattering endlessly, every sentence fixated on its perfect plants.
...The Gardener.
"Hmm?" Suddenly, the strange voice's tone shifted.
In the next instant, an overwhelming wave of contamination exploded outward.
The contamination was so dense it made Chu Ye vomit blood while still pinned to the tree. Crimson splashed down in great quantities, only to be completely absorbed by the crystal tree beneath him. Dizziness and splitting headaches assaulted Chu Ye.
Just as he teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, he heard the Gardener's furious shriek.
"Journalist!"
"Why is he in my plantation?! When did he arrive?! What's he doing in my territory?!"
"He's trying to take over my land! No no no no!"
"The plantation is MINE!"
The Gardener departed abruptly, taking with it the contamination that had been lacerating Chu Ye's body and the ceaseless murmuring in his ears.
Finally able to breathe freely again, Chu Ye gasped desperately—each inhalation sending stabbing pains through his chest.
The seed penetrating his heart was attempting to take root in his body and he could actually feel the roots squirming as they slowly tore through his flesh and devoured his marrow.
The pain was unbearable, worse even than when Shen Ji had treated him that day.
In this state, how could he possibly find the missing team members?
Amidst the excruciating pain, Chu Ye's vision blurred as he closed his eyes. The agony scrambled his thoughts, and the blood loss made it impossible to maintain even basic logical reasoning.
His mind was filled with nothing but: "It hurts so much," "I'm dying," "Li Zhiyan, where the hell have you run off to?" and "I have to find them."
"Captain."
Chu Ye's eyes snapped open.
A familiar voice echoed in his ears—no, it was more like it had been transmitted directly into his mind.
"...Zi Zheng."
Lu Zizheng, an A-class Mutant with the innate ability [Psychic Link]. He was Chu Ye's deputy and also the team member who had gone missing in this crystal forest.
"Zi Zheng, Lu Zizheng!"
Chu Ye gritted his teeth against the pain as he shouted his name. "Are you still alive? Where are you? Answer me!"
"Captain, by the time you hear this, I'll already be gone. These are my last words for you." The familiar voice spoke again.
Chu Ye froze.
"This isn't the end yet."
"You are the heart of the crystal tree. The tree you're in is the central tree of this entire crystal forest. The Gardener intends to assimilate you with this tree to gain control over the entire forest. But that also means—if you can overpower this tree, the entire crystal forest will fall under your command. This is your only way out."
"Remember, you can't give up. You can't be buried here with us."
"Escape. You have to escape!"
The voice faded, then returned three seconds later and kept repeating the same words like a broken record stumbling through its playback.
Chu Ye lowered his head, his gaze hollow as the voice reverberated endlessly in his mind.
Every single word was forcing him to live.
……
[Chu Ye has reunited with his team members.] The system suddenly spoke up.
Shen Ji's eyes snapped open, surprise lacing his voice. "Aren't Chu Ye's teammates all dead?"
The system smoothly corrected itself. [Chu Ye has reunited with his teammates' ghosts.]
Shen Ji: "..."
Thank goodness the system wasn't a real person. With a mouth like that, if it were human, it would've been beaten up at least eight hundred times by now.
[Chu Ye probably doesn’t need to worry. Even though he’s the lowest-ranked among you three, he’s also the Gardener’s most prized contamination incubator. The Gardener won’t let him die so easily.]
[And his ghost teammates are trying to save him.]
"System, your mouth is the most poisonous of all."
Shen Ji sighed. "How do you manage to stab someone three times in just two sentences?"
[...?]
"Good thing you're not human."
[...?]
[Then let me give you another 'inhuman' update—the Gardener’s contamination is coming.]
Shen Ji turned his head to the side.
His pupils had turned a vast, empty white, with faint threads drifting within them.
The mycelium, sensing the intense contaminate, buzzed with excitement but remained cautious.
Pollutants were greedy creatures. They would fixate on their prey relentlessly, even if they knew it wouldn’t be an easy catch.
A Level S Pollutant—they had never tasted such high-grade prey before!
Eek! So exciting!
The wind blew, rustling the leaves of the crystal trees.
The crisp clinking sounds filled the air, unnatural and deliberate, and carrying an overwhelming sense of dissonance.
The thick stench of contamination was creeping closer.
High-level Pollutants often took humanoid forms.
The more high-level the Pollutant, the more human-like it became. If not for their inherent contamination aura, most people wouldn’t even recognize high-level Pollutants for what they were.
This included the Level S Pollutant Gardener.
It had a pair of green eyes, the color of lush spring mountains. Within its pupils was the silhouette of a tree, and its hair extended into emerald vines that even bloomed with flowers.
It resembled a tree spirit that had gained sentience. It was perched atop a tree and locking gazes with Shen Ji from afar.
"Journalist." His eyes didn't blink. "We finally met."
Shen Ji extended his hand as fungal filaments coiled around his wrist, forming a pinkish-white bracelet with an arc shape.
Apart from his pale eyes and the aura of contamination surrounding him, he appeared as peaceful as an ordinary human.
Black is a profound color, carrying a sense of mystery and silence, but white is the complete opposite—when it appears in human eyes, it's far too sharp.
Shen Ji looked up at the Gardener, the lenses of his glasses masking the sharpness in his gaze.
"Yes, we've finally met, Gardener."
"But I didn't want this meeting." The Gardener stared into his eyes. "As fellow Level S Pollutants, we shouldn't be in conflict. It would only benefit the humans."
Shen Ji didn't respond, merely watching it with cold indifference in his eyes.
Only after a long pause did the Gardener narrow its eyes slightly. "It seems you're unwilling to leave."
"Why?"
"I already compensated you for the first seed that accidentally entered your territory. Though I wanted to retrieve the second seed, you destroyed it in the end. Since neither of them ever took root in your domain, why come here to cause trouble?"
"Neither of us gained anything."
"But I got angry." Shen Ji's eyes held mockery. "Did you really think destroying the seeds would make me let it go?"
The Gardener remained silent.
Every Pollutant had territorial instincts—an unbreakable boundary ingrained in their very bones.
The Gardener understood exactly what Shen Ji meant. It had known this outcome was inevitable the moment it insisted on nurturing those seeds.
It had only wanted to test Journalist's strength, to see if it could brazenly take something for itself.
Now, it had bitten off more than it could chew.
They stood in silent confrontation, the surroundings eerily calm—but only because one side hadn't yet struck.
Just then, a small blue butterfly suddenly appeared in the air.
The butterfly positioned itself protectively in front of Shen Ji, with wings spread wide.
Shen Ji froze before taking a step back as his eyes reverted to black and the contamination aura around him rapidly faded.
[Huh?]
Even the system was surprised. [The protagonist is here? Since when?]
The Gardener blinked in confusion.
The contamination that had been emanating from Journalist was gone—now, he seemed like a normal human. Yes, exactly like those utterly ordinary humans who carried not a trace of contamination.
Why?
Before the Gardener could figure it out, it abruptly leaped to another tree with its green eyes flashing with wild intensity.
"Who's there?"
More blue butterflies appeared and surrounded Shen Ji while others surged toward the Gardener in the air.
The Gardener swiped at them, shattering butterflies, but more took their place. Soon, the entire crystal forest was filled with fluttering wings.
"You didn't get lost?!" The Gardener finally realized. "Why didn't Phantom Grove work on you?!"
"Of course it didn't."
Li Zhian appeared before Shen Ji without warning, his silver-white hair glowing faintly. The butterfly patterns in his blue pupils grew more pronounced.
"Haven't you heard? Butterflies are the true masters of illusions. You thought you could trap me in one?"
"And you dared to bully the little doctor I brought here?"
Li Zhiyan's voice was icy and his eyes filled with disdain. "Bad taste is one thing, but such poor character too."
"Your plantation deserves to be plowed under and replanted entirely with chrysanthemums."
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