Chapter 21: Containment Department

Chapter 21: Containment Department

When Pei Shu arrived at the hotpot restaurant, it was already four in the morning.

They had brought a professional team of demon hunters and received a report from the Cleaning Center’s technical department before arriving: Hao Zaile Hotpot Restaurant was classified as a C-level contaminated area, activated just that night.

Before they came, they had prepared to retrieve Liu Niannian's body, knowing that an ordinary person who spent over two hours in a contaminated area might have been assimilated into a pollutant.

If she had indeed become a pollutant, the demon hunters couldn’t simply kill her on the spot; they would need to take her back to the lab through more complicated means.

They had made thorough preparations, with three plans accounting for various possibilities, but the scene far exceeded their expectations.

Liu Niannian sat alone on the steps of the hotpot restaurant, covered in bloodstains on her white cat protective suit.

The young miss rested her chin in her hand, deep in thought.

The security team leader, Pei Shu, was uncertain about the situation. "Young Miss?"

Liu Niannian didn’t respond.

Pei Shu didn’t dare let his guard down and gave a signal. The security team entered the area to search. Eight minutes later, someone reported, "The interior is clean. No surviving pollutants or residual spores were found."

While the absence of pollutants could be understood, the lack of spores and rotting flesh was puzzling. Someone not only flattened this contaminated area but also purified it?

In his understanding, this task required a professional team of exorcists and a professional cleaning crew.

Had someone from the Cleaning Center come here already?

But Pei Shu confirmed that his team was the first to arrive.

The one who truly purified the hotpot restaurant had left. Who was he? Why did he rescue Liu Niannian first without contacting the Lu family?

Pei Shu asked, "No one else?"

"No, the entire street has been searched. Only Young Miss was found."

Pei Shu wasn’t foolish; there was no way Liu Niannian did this alone. He stood respectfully beside her and asked, "Shall we go home?"

Anything can be discussed once they get home. Staying outside too long after tonight’s commotion was unsafe. Once they returned, they could ask her properly.

Liu Niannian rested her chin on her hand. "Do you think I’ve been pursuing the wrong path in life?"

Pei Shu: “?”

Was his idle and useless young miss starting to reflect on her life?

Liu Niannian: "Could it be that I’ve always had some untapped talent?"

Pei Shu: “??”

Typically, self-absorbed rich kids believe they’re highly capable and have a skewed perception of the world. Liu Niannian had always wanted to be a demon hunter, but Pei Shu knew she had no real talent.

She went out using Liu Niannian’s fake name, wanting to see what a real contaminated area looked like after learning that a gardener in their household had been mentally polluted at the hotpot restaurant.

To Pei Shu, this was a reckless act. Was she now thinking she had a talent for being a demon hunter after surviving one visit to a contaminated area?

Thinking she was about to boast again, Pei Shu prepared to humor her and patiently asked, "What kind of talent?"

"Tell me," Liu Niannian looked at her hands, "is there any possibility that I’m really good at something, but I don’t know what it is?"

Zhu Ning said she had a great talent for sweeping garbage, praising her speed and service. She even wanted to hire her again if given the chance.

It was the first time someone expressed a desire to hire her for a job. This sent her into a contemplative state, even reconsidering her dreams.

Liu Niannian muttered to herself, "Could it be that I’m actually really good at sweeping garbage?"

Pei Shu: “???”

Sweeping garbage? He never imagined associating garbage sweeping with the young miss. This must be the result of mental pollution.

...

Zhu Ning’s backpack was heavy.

After collecting all the spores within the area, she gained 1,060 purification points.

She also collected 1,060 spores and a pile of rotting flesh. The storage tools in her cleaning backpack could condense a cubic meter of rotting flesh into a cubic centimeter.

Zhu Ning’s cleaning backpack was full. But she faced a problem: how to handle a backpack full of rotting flesh and spores, which were definitely not obtained through official channels?

Should she bury them somewhere? What if it contaminated the land?

Zhu Ning felt like a criminal with a stash of weapons, unsure of what to do. Then she used a rather foolish method—searching online.

On the forum, she posted: "How should I dispose of unidentified spores?"

Surprisingly, this method worked. A detailed post immediately appeared, explaining that she needed to go to a branch of the Cleaning Center—the Spore Containment Department.

These containment departments were scattered throughout the city, disguised as various shops, to collect spores from civilians. If someone collected spores, they could exchange them.

The post was smart, automatically showing the nearest containment department based on her location.

Zhu Ning’s location showed the nearest containment department: Queen’s Shop.

Zhu Ning: “…”

What? The shop owner wearing purple autumn clothes was part of the containment department?

No wonder he was so kind to give directions and acted so convincingly!

Zhu Ning, a dog from a world of zombies, was experiencing her first visit to a host club and immediately found herself overwhelmed by the enthusiastic atmosphere inside.

A row of muscular men stood ready for selection. When she entered, the purple sweater shop owner was absent, so an introducer greeted her instead.

"Don't you like them? Too straightforward?" the introducer asked. "We have other options: business elites, soft beauties, innocent younger brothers, and simple, honest types."

Zhu Ning: "……"

The variety was impressive; no wonder they were professionals.

Zhu Ning had just come from a contaminated zone, where she had been dealing with disgusting pig-faced creatures. Now, stepping into the host club, she felt both bewildered and clear-headed.

Seeing that Zhu Ning was still unsatisfied, the introducer thought she must have high standards. "If you don't like any of these, we can customize one for you."

Zhu Ning, curious: "Customize?"

"There are fresh blanks—no memories, no past. You can input any preferences. If there are issues, our shop offers warranty services. However, if you want a custom face, that's extra and comes with copyright fees."

In the wasteland, technology had advanced to the point where blanks were like blank canvases, allowing customers to paint whatever they desired. This was objectification taken to its extreme, even extending to human beings themselves.

The custom faces referred to purchasing the likeness of celebrities who sold their appearances to production companies.

They could be mass-produced, fulfilling fans' fantasies. Every face sold meant additional copyright revenue.

In the wasteland, not only music and films but also faces could be bought and sold.

Many celebrities, after gaining fame, sold the rights to their faces and lived off the royalties without needing to perform anymore.

The introducer smiled warmly. "Customization starts at 50 million new coins."

Zhu Ning: "……"

No man was worth spending money on, thank you, virtual or otherwise.

"My dear, you really came out?" Zhu Ning suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned to see the shop owner descending the stairs.

The shop owner spoke in an exaggerated manner. Zhu Ning had dealt with him once before and was now used to his style. Inside, she remained calm, thinking, _Enough with the act._

Zhu Ning: "That……"

Could he help her?

"This is my guest," the shop owner said, leaning against the wall with a calm smile. "Darling, this way."

Called "darling," Zhu Ning: "……"

She didn't know which leg to move first.

Song Zhizhang led her into a room with a Barbie pink door labeled "Warm Room." Inside, it was surprisingly formal, decorated in pure white, with a large desk and operational machinery behind it.

The shop owner indeed ran a host club during the day and handled contaminated spores at night. He was skilled and versatile.

"Please sit," the shop owner gestured to a chair opposite him as he sat down in a black swivel chair.

His demeanor had changed, the air of worldliness fading, replaced by a professional aura.

The shop owner cleared his throat. "Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Song Zhizhang."

It was hard to believe such a refined and unique name belonged to someone with such eclectic fashion sense.

Zhu Ning paused but then revealed her real name: "Zhu Ning."

Since they would likely interact again, and Song Zhizhang worked for the Containment Department, connected to the Cleaning Center's internal network, it was pointless to hide her identity.

"No need to worry," Song Zhizhang said. "I only deal with spores, nothing else."

Zhu Ning felt relieved.

Song Zhizhang watched her with interest. After removing her helmet, Zhu Ning stood tall, over 175 centimeters. Despite her height, she did not look intimidating. Her features were sharp, her face small, and her appearance more heroic than fierce.

She was the type that was popular—versatile and appealing, fitting the current trend in customized looks. She had hastily tied her hair back, and the helmet had left it messy. She seemed young, perhaps fresh out of school.

But Zhu Ning had cleared a C-level contaminated zone, and if his information was correct, this was her second time entering such a zone.

That contaminated zone had existed for 30 years, and Song Zhizhang, as its longtime neighbor, knew it well. Someone who survived entering a contaminated zone was extraordinary.

Song Zhizhang: "This is the first time I've seen someone do it alone."

Zhu Ning raised an eyebrow. Was this a compliment?

Song Zhizhang explained: "Usually, there are at least two people—a demon hunter and a cleaner, sometimes a demon hunter with three cleaners."

As the contamination levels increased, more support staff were needed; one person couldn't handle it all.

Zhu Ning realized she needed to address this issue eventually.

"Where are your contaminated spores?" Song Zhizhang asked, getting down to business.

Zhu Ning handed over the contained spores and the cube of decayed flesh. Song Zhizhang placed them into the machine behind him, which was semi-transparent and scanned them with red light.

"Contaminated spores: 1060; contaminated flesh: 300 cubes," Song Zhizhang read from the machine.

"Our calculations match those of the Cleaning Center. For C-level zones, each spore is worth 700 new coins, and each cube of flesh is worth 500 new coins."

"Eliminated 39 pollutants, cleared a C-level contaminated zone."

"Spores: 742,000 new coins; flesh: 150,000 new coins; pollutants: 1,170,000 new coins; clearing the zone: 1,000,000 new coins."

With each number Song Zhizhang reported, Zhu Ning's joy grew.

"A total of 3,062,000 new coins." Song Zhizhang gave the final price. "No teammates, so there's no need to split the money."

Three million! Zhu Ning earned three million on her second mission!

Song Zhizhang: "After deducting the 1 million for containment and disposal of contamination, you're left with 2,062,000 new coins."

Zhu Ning: "???"

Are you robbing me?

Song Zhizhang explained: "Non-official channels are more expensive. I'm not making extra money off you."

Handling contaminated spores is a specialized skill monopolized by the Cleaning Center. There are no other companies doing it. The cost is high, and so are the prices.

Zhu Ning used to work officially for the Cleaning Center and never had to worry about how to contain and dispose of contaminated spores.

Zhu Ning asked: "Aren't you from the Cleaning Center?"

"Yes, and no." Song Zhizhang: "It's hard to explain, but you'll understand gradually."

It sounds like they were once a department of the Cleaning Center, later suppressed and moved underground. Only "appropriate" people can see the tomb posts to prevent chaos.

The contaminated areas in the tomb posts are all old districts that the Cleaning Center doesn't manage. Resources are limited, and as long as there's no outbreak of contamination, the Cleaning Center won't interfere. There are countless Revisited Hot Pot restaurants scattered across the edges of the Federation.

Zhu Ning thought for a moment. There must be an underground organization.

They provide full sets of standard weapons and equipment, professional uniforms, and more advanced smart helmets. They post tomb messages, attracting people to purify contaminated areas, and have dedicated institutions for containing contaminated spores, forming a very complete industrial chain.

Such a large organization and structure must have someone orchestrating it behind the scenes.

Only one person could achieve this and access the resources and information of the entire Cleaning Center.

Zhu Ning thought of someone and asked: "Your boss is...?"

"As you guessed," Song Zhizhang looked at her steadily. "The one who chose both you and me."

Prometheus, it really is him. What does an AI want with this?