Pollutant Disguise Plan (POLLUTANT)
[Turn left ahead. Your little mushrooms are waiting for you there.]
Shen Ji climbed up the slope and exhaled.
Finally made it.
As a journalist, Shen Ji had decent stamina—after all, he was used to fieldwork. And after transmigrating into this world as a Pollutant, he didn’t tire easily. But the Gardener’s botanical garden was absurdly vast, spanning entire mountains—far larger than any ecological reserve in the real world.
Yes, entire mountains.
"Now I get why the Gardener keeps scattering contaminated seeds everywhere," Shen Ji mused. "With a place this big, it needs a lot of plants to fill it."
[Xiao Ji, you sound like such a villain right now.]
Shen Ji ignored it.
After crossing the mountain, he finally reunited with his little mushrooms.
They were buried in the dried leaves nearby, but the moment they sensed Shen Ji’s approach, their tiny caps popped up.
Shen Ji crouched down quietly, and the mushrooms dissolved into countless fungal threads before wrapping around him eagerly.
Nyaa, Master’s here!
Missed Master so much!
They coiled around him, slipping under his clothes and nuzzling against him like children who’d been separated from their mother.
Shen Ji poked them helplessly. "So, what’s the situation now?"
The fungal threads quickly poked their heads out from his collar and began chattering in excitement.
That big green cake is so mean!
It’s digging around for us, and when it can’t find us, it burns the plants!
We're hiding from it!
Speak of the devil—the mycelium suddenly warned Shen Ji to take cover immediately.
Without question, Shen Ji nestled into a patch of grass while suppressing his contamination aura to the minimum until he became nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding vegetation.
This was Hui's most powerful concealment ability.
Soon enough, Shen Ji saw who the mycelium were avoiding.
The Gardener leaped down from the mountain with its eyes now a vicious blood-red and its expression so ferocious and terrifying it surpassed even the ghouls from horror movies.
"Where? Where?!" it screamed madly. "I'll kill you all!"
Snapping a branch from its hair, the Gardener struck it—whoosh—instantly igniting the wood before hurling the flaming branch into a withered haystack nearby. With another whoosh, flames began devouring the dry grass.
The little mushrooms hiding in the haystack instantly scattered in all directions, with the bolder ones even stopping to gnaw at the branch before fleeing.
The Gardener tried to capture them, but the sheer number of mycelium proved overwhelming. As they fled, they scattered spores everywhere, soon covering the ground with scurrying fungal threads.
"Ahhh!!" The Gardener shrieked insanely. "Get out! All of you, get out!"
It began gathering all the mycelium in sight, and destroying them one by one. Unbeknownst to it, countless little mushrooms watched secretly from other grass patches.
Shen Ji listened as the mushrooms continuously reported to him.
Look, look! So vicious!
Eek, so scary! It must love eating mushrooms!
Mushroom-eating villain!
Shen Ji: “...”
[Three hours have passed since the mycelium invaded this area. During this time, Gardener attempted to exterminate the mycelium 69 times, while the mycelium successfully escaped 70 times. It's frantically clearing its territory of fungal threads, yet its eradication pace can't keep up with their reproduction speed.]
'Why one more escape?'
[Because I counted you once too, oh Mushroom King!]
Shen Ji: “...”
Just then, another wisp of mycelium got burned out and fleeing wildly while scattering spores deeper into the terrain. Leaves exploded from the Gardener's body—three or four flying off and instantly transforming into four identical clones that chased after the escaping fungal threads.
After raging on the spot a while longer, the Gardener resumed burning dry grass and uprooting the mycelium.
It seemed Shen Ji wasn't even needed—the botanical garden was practically plowing itself.
Just then, the mycelium on Shen Ji's wrist subtly tugged at his pinky finger, stretching toward a particular direction.
Shen Ji looked down at it.
Something over there?
After one last glance at the violently tilling Gardener, he followed the mycelium's silent guidance, slipping away toward an unknown destination.
After climbing over a small hill with the mycelium, Shen Ji finally saw what they wanted him to see.
A bottomless chasm.
Could it even be called a chasm? Or was it an abyss? A rift?
At the edge of the rift, several Gardener-like figures patrolled restlessly.
Each one wore an expression of sheer agitation with their eyes constantly darting back toward the abyss, as if terrified the mycelium would encroach upon it. This, of course, was the only area the mycelium hadn’t yet reached.
The Gardeners were guarding this place far too vigilantly.
[Contamination Rift.]
The system analyzed before speaking: [This is an extremely large contamination rift.]
Shen Ji naturally knew what a contamination rift was—it played a crucial role in the original story.
Contamination rifts were fissures that spontaneously formed and continuously spewed Pollutants after the Red Mist Incident. These Pollutants were the reason many cities inexplicably became infested with tainted entities, which was why every city’s Anti-Contamination Control Center prioritized controlling the rifts.
In fact, when the Q City contamination leak occurred, the Anti-Contamination Control Center’s first suspicion was that a contamination rift had malfunctioned.
They even had to issue a public announcement after confirming the rift’s stability afterward.
The same announcement Shen Ji had seen during the live broadcast the day before Q City’s lockdown.
“I remember the original setting stated that the closer you are to a contamination rift, the stronger the Pollutants become, and the more likely high-level Pollutants are to emerge.”
Shen Ji recalled the details. “So the gardener just… took over a contamination rift as its territory?”
[Very likely. In fact, I suspect that every Level S Pollutant’s domain has a contamination rift.] The system paused. [Ah, no—except you.]
[A poor, territory-less Mushroom King. Hui, aren’t you going to claim a domain for yourself?]
Shen Ji clicked his tongue. “Listen to you. No matter how many times you call me Mushroom King or ‘Hui,’ it won’t change one fact.”
[What fact?]
“I’m human. Humans are social creatures—I need interaction.”
“You want me to squat in some desolate wilderness and call it my territory? Are you trying to give me depression on purpose?”
[…I’ve been wronged!]
Done bickering with the system, Shen Ji turned his attention back to the massive contamination rift. The mycelium on his fingers twitched eagerly as they were practically salivating.
“So… can we take it for ourselves?”
[That… seems unlikely.] The system hesitated. [You’re nomadic and without a fixed territory. Contamination rifts are rooted in the earth—they can’t be moved. Even if you seize it now, you’ll lose it eventually.]
“Doesn’t matter.” Shen Ji wasn’t concerned.
“Since we’re here, let the little mushrooms feast first.”
Without needing Shen Ji to pinpoint the locations, the drooling mycelium surrounding him had already reported the positions of the 'Gardeners' and Shen Ji just simply needed to detour from another path. Soon, under the surveillance of countless eyes, he successfully reached the edge of the fissure.
Standing there, Shen Ji could feel the contamination seeping out from within.
It was an extraordinarily pure and intense contamination. An ordinary person would likely mutate into a Pollutant the moment they stepped foot here.
Even low-level Pollutants weren’t worthy of reaching this place.
"What now?" Shen Ji crouched down as he peered into the abyss of the fissure. All he could see was endless darkness.
[Try summoning all your mycelium here to cover this contamination rift.]
The system said: [Before, you might not have been able to, but now you should be capable. You’re growing more accustomed to your Pollutant body, and for a Level S Pollutant, this is just a very ordinary ability.]
[Feel them, then devour them.]
Though the words were abstract, Shen Ji somehow understood them perfectly.
He attuned himself to the surrounding contamination and began channeling the contamination within his body.
No longer hiding it, but releasing it all.
No longer disguising, but returning to his true nature.
No longer letting the little mushrooms hold onto it for him, but reclaiming everything.
Shen Ji opened his eyes—his pale irises now threaded with silver filaments.
Tiny mushrooms sprouted from the ends of his hair, which lengthened strand by strand until it touched the ground. The mycelium crawled along his hair, anchoring itself into the earth.
From every corner of the plantation, mycelium emerged from the soil. After a brief pause, they surged toward him in a swift, unstoppable tide.
What kind of numbers were there? No one could say for certain, because anyone who witnessed it would only describe it as: a white expanse that blanketed the entire mountain.
They flowed as they converged toward a single point.
In the distance, Gardener’s eyes snapped wide open, its pupils contracting like a startled cat.
It was stunned by the sheer magnitude of contamination, and after the shock came boundless fury.
"Journalist?!"
"That’s my territory!"
Just as Gardener was about to rush back, a butterfly abruptly appeared before it.
Gardener remembered this creature and swiftly retreated, narrowly avoiding having its branches scorched again.
It turned back with a snarl.
In the dim light of the greenhouse, Li Zhiyan’s blue eyes seemed to glow. He stood there while being surrounded by luminous blue butterflies.
"I already told you," Li Zhiyan said flatly. "His name isn’t Journalist."
"Stop getting it wrong."
…….
[The protagonist and the Gardener have clashed.]
Shen Ji didn’t ask for details. He simply stared at the contamination rift before him.
The mycelium gathered, carrying vast amounts of contamination as they expanded inch by inch into the fissure. Wherever they encroached, they claimed it as their own—not just consuming, but marking it as theirs. The more marks they left, the more the surroundings grew restless.
[With its territory being marked by another Pollutant, the Gardener is furious, but the protagonist won’t let it leave.]
[The protagonist is doing great—let’s keep eating while we can!]
The sensation of feeding was unexpectedly pleasant. Shen Ji even began to understand why the mycelium spent all their time eating and drinking.
It wasn't just about satiety. Along with the contamination came a sense of security and an overwhelming satisfaction. Shen Ji felt his abilities escalate further as countless thoughts flood his mind. Though he didn't understand why, each one seemed to invigorate him.
What should he do?
What would be best?
After devouring the contamination from this rift, what else could he eat? The Gardener? Right, there was still a Level S Pollutant to consume.
Eat them all!
[Shen Ji?] The system called out to him.
[Your condition seems off?] The system hesitantly inquired, [Are you alright?]
Endless contamination surged into Shen Ji's body. The silver in his left eye gradually gave way to crimson, and a ferocious aura emanated from him—even more intense than the previous contamination.
This couldn't help but remind the system of the original novel's Pollutant, Hui.
Hui, a Level S Pollutant, was inherently cruel and indifferent. It represented [Gluttony], yet its name wasn't [Gluttony] but [Hui]. It was a Pollutant as difficult to eradicate as residual filth, for no matter how weak it became, it could slowly devour its way back to Level S.
Hui means filth or dirt in English.
Hui possessed what the author deemed 'rationality.' If the Gardener's intellect was equivalent to a middle schooler's, Hui's thought process was that of a fully mature adult.
Thus, only Hui could conceive of 'hiding among humans.'
[Hey? Shen Ji?!]
Shen Ji slowly extended his hand, testing the waters as he prepared to plunge his entire body into the contamination rift.
Just then, someone suddenly grabbed his hand.
Shen Ji turned and locked eyes with him.
Li Zhiyan pulled him back while saying, "You can't go any further inside."
"...Li Zhiyan?"
"This is an Initial Rift. The contamination it generates is extremely violent. Consuming too much will affect you."
Shen Ji didn't resist. He stared at Li Zhiyan, allowing himself to be pulled out of the rift's range. Blue butterflies, like tiny lanterns, illuminated the path ahead as Li Zhiyan dragged him completely out of the contamination rift's influence.
[The original novel hasn't covered contamination rifts yet,] the system interjected. [What's an Initial Rift?]
Li Zhiyan couldn't hear the system, yet he answered the unspoken question.
"After the Red Mist Incident, contamination rifts began appearing worldwide. So far, five initial rifts have been confirmed—one in each of the four major contamination exclusion zones, and the last in the contamination region of the northwest, a desolate wasteland no one dares enter."
"The contamination from Initial Rifts is exceptionally intense and unique. It's the source of contamination and can also influence it."
Li Zhiyan looked at Shen Ji helplessly. "Are you really from this era?"
"Whether it's contamination or humanity, you seem to lack basic common sense about these things."
"I've never seen anyone consume it so recklessly."
Shen Ji didn't respond. He simply stared at Li Zhiyan.
This person... looked delicious. Perhaps even more so than the contamination rift.
Shen Ji had always been someone who acted on impulse. Without warning, he pushed Li Zhiyan down. For some reason, Li Zhiyan didn't resist, allowing Shen Ji to pin him.
Li Zhiyan's pale blue eyes were filled with confusion.
Shen Ji wrapped his hand around Li Zhiyan's neck—a dangerously vulnerable spot.
Finally, he spoke.
"I should..." Shen Ji said in a hoarse voice, "silence you permanently."
[...?!!]
Li Zhiyan froze for a moment.
This version of Shen Ji was a bit strange.
The mycelium had covered Li Zhiyan’s legs, and he could feel those slightly cool tendrils tangling around his body. Shen Ji was far too close—those black strands of hair draped over his face, their texture identical to the mycelium.
Those eyes, a mix of red and silver, locked onto his with an overwhelming aura of terror.
Only then did Li Zhiyan truly realize: the person before him, Shen Ji, was indeed a Pollutant—an incredibly powerful one at that.
Li Zhiyan reached out and grabbed his hair. The tug made Shen Ji frown slightly.
He seemed to really hate having his hair pulled.
Seeing that annoyed expression on Shen Ji’s face, Li Zhiyan finally smirked.
“What an honor.”
Li Zhiyan said, “But shouldn’t we deal with something else first?”
Shen Ji lifted his head, glancing to the left where the figure of the Gardener flickered in and out of sight. In an instant, the mycelium surged upward, slicing through the air like a white streak before piercing through the Gardener. Then the tendrils devoured it without a sound.
Li Zhiyan couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.
Even if it was just a fragment of the Gardener, to dispose of it so effortlessly and swiftly—
What kind of monstrous little mushroom was this?!
Having dealt with the nuisance, Shen Ji leaned down to eat, but before he could take a bite, Li Zhiyan pressed against him and forcibly pulled him into an embrace.
Shen Ji’s teeth snapped shut on empty air.
“Hey!” Shen Ji struggled free. “Ingredients aren’t supposed to resist.”
“Isn’t it a bit rude to unilaterally declare someone an ingredient?” Li Zhiyan wasn’t the least bit afraid. “I can’t hold the Gardener off for long. You’ve practically torn open its contamination rift—it must despise you by now.”
Shen Ji hissed.
“Isn’t this thing ‘finders keepers’?”
[...]
Li Zhiyan: “...”
How was he supposed to save this slightly dumb little mushroom after it gorged itself on Pollutant?
Or had his dear journalist Shen Ji been infected by the mushroom’s IQ after the mycelium retreated?
[Shen Ji.] The system called out to him. [Are you thinking clearly right now? You’re not actually stupid, are you?]
‘You’re the stupid one.’ Shen Ji instinctively retorted.
After his rebuttal, he sat on the ground and closed his eyes before slowly sorting through his emotions. His thoughts gradually returned, including his identity and what he was currently doing.
Alright, the contamination from the rift wasn’t exactly easy to digest.
It had practically scrambled his brain.
Shen Ji stood up—only then realizing his hair had grown extremely long. He gave it a tug, and it cascaded to the ground, transforming back into mycelium. The tendrils quickly burrowed into the soil, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
“Amazing!” Li Zhiyan was envious. “Your hair can run away!”
Shen Ji: “...”
“You have no idea how hard it is to manage long hair.”
Li Zhiyan began to complain. “Sure, it doesn’t need washing, but it gets tangled. Every time I deal with knots, I just want to shave it all off.”
Shen Ji shot him a disdainful look, and from that expression alone, Li Zhiyan knew he was back to normal.
It had happened so quickly.
Devouring large amounts of the frenzied contamination from the rift had caused some loss of control in his actions, but he could still return to normal within a short time.
This was a form of Pollutant Li Zhiyan had never seen before—he couldn't match Shen Ji to any known Pollutant in his knowledge.
A Level S Pollutant that devours contamination, capable of controlling its own contamination without infecting humans and possessing mature intelligence without exhibiting abnormal behavior.
Such a unique case, and he'd actually encountered it.
What incredible luck.
Just then, amidst the flurry of butterfly rain, the Gardener finally burst out.
Its body was a complete mess as it was covered in burn marks and its hair even frizzed into an afro from the extreme heat. The branches behind it had all been charred dry.
With no time to care for its injuries, the Gardener charged into the contamination rift with its body still covered in butterfly wings.
The commotion was too massive—Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan instinctively turned to look.
The Gardener could sense its planted clones around the rift dying one by one, and its carefully cultivated plants being uprooted and destroyed from below, severed roots scattered everywhere.
Seeing its once-tidy botanical garden now in complete disarray, the Gardener's expression grew increasingly twisted with fury.
"Journalist!"
Fueled by its rage, thick black mist began seeping from the contamination rift that eventually enveloping the Gardener entirely. The mist coalesced into a massive human face in the air before instantly dispersing outward.
"Shameless bastards!"
The Gardener cursed loudly, "Two against one! You have no martial honor!"
"My garden isn't welcome to you!"
Li Zhiyan's expression turned odd. "Why can't it be two against one? It's efficient and saves time. Are you just upset because you don’t have anyone to team up with?"
"So you have no friends, huh."
"What even is 'martial honor'? Is it edible?"
Gardener: "..."
Shen Ji closed his eyes.
Too shameless.
‘How did someone this shameless even become the protagonist?’
[...Why bother reasoning with Pollutants? Humanity has managed to hold its own against Pollutants despite all disadvantages purely through numbers. There are many Pollutants, but even more humans—plus, humans can invent weapons to counter contamination. That's how we've secured our survival.]
[Being appropriately shameless aligns with this era's values.]
"Why has the Gardener merged with the contamination from the rift?" Shen Ji asked Li Zhiyan. "It's different from my previous state."
"Because it's a Pollutant born from this rift," Li Zhiyan explained calmly. "Every contamination rift gives rise to Pollutants, including the five original rifts. Normally, the original rifts serve as the Pollutants’ territory. Since they're born from the rift, they naturally resonate with it."
"So what you did earlier... can be roughly imagined as stealing the Gardener's 'mother’."
Shen Ji: "..."
I'd have preferred no explanation at all.
[More importantly, I'm worried about how we're going to fake our deaths.]
The system fretted. [The Gardener is here, the protagonist is here—our goal was to devour the Gardener and fake our deaths in front of the protagonist. Can we still pull that off?]
‘I believe in your abilities, all-powerful system! You’ll definitely find the perfect escape route!’
[Why don’t you just marry him instead? You’re both shameless enough—might as well form an alliance through marriage.]
Shen Ji: "..."
System, if you had a physical form, I’d smack you right now.
Translator:
Yeah, why don't you just marry him early? Instead of later. Anyway, your relationship's ending is the same, it's just advanced (≧▽≦)
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