Chapter 44: The Bizarre Oceanarium (Part One)

Chapter 44: The Bizarre Oceanarium (Part One)

Xu Meng had previously told Zhu Ning that she had been saving money because the effects of the gene serum she had injected were not satisfactory. Therefore, she was preparing to take the path of uploading her consciousness.

This path required a massive annual server support fee, and Zhu Ning had checked—she would need at least ten million new coins per year.

If payment stopped, the servers would cease operations, locking or even destroying the uploaded consciousness.

Thus, how long you could survive in the cloud depended entirely on whether someone continued to pay for your upkeep.

One thing was certain: Xu Meng needed money. Was Xu Meng attending the foundation's lecture to gain their support?

Zhu Ning had never considered this possibility. Xu Meng was clearly Yongsheng Pharmaceutical's target user.

Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan were the first team Zhu Ning encountered when she arrived in this world. They had trained together for several days, and they even had a team-building barbecue the day before yesterday.

They seemed perfectly normal. Zhu Ning could vividly recall Xu Meng patiently guiding her during training, like an older sister.

Generally, Zhu Ning didn't like to think ill of people. She remembered how Xu Meng took her on her first mission and taught her diligently how to contain contaminated spores.

Wait a moment.

When they were in the underground waterways, Li Nianchuan said he needed some fresh air, which seemed to be a natural reaction to mental contamination.

But at that time, Xu Meng gave her a look, signaling Zhu Ning to watch over Li Nianchuan.

Because of that look, Zhu Ning followed Li Nianchuan into the depths of the underground waterways, inadvertently entering the D-class contamination zone.

If it weren't for Xu Meng, Zhu Ning wouldn't have encountered the fish people.

Afterward, Xu Meng claimed she tried to catch up but got stuck outside the contamination zone.

However, Zhu Ning never saw where Xu Meng actually was that day.

Upon closer reflection, Zhu Ning noticed many unnatural things about Xu Meng.

She openly shared her intention to upload her consciousness to the cloud and kindly provided Zhu Ning with information on gene serums.

Despite being a cleaner, Xu Meng passed the training exams faster than Zhu Ning. Although Zhu Ning had a glitch in her combat class, Xu Meng's speed was impressive, and Zhu Ning later reviewed her scores.

Her shooting and combat skills were all top-notch, and her overall abilities far exceeded those of a cleaner, resembling more of a demon hunter. It was unclear why she was part of a cleaner squad.

Another point: Xu Meng lacked personality.

Recalling Xu Meng, she was a dedicated captain, emotionally stable, and patient, but beyond that, Zhu Ning hardly knew anything distinctive about her.

The crowd began to move, and Xu Meng followed them toward the side door. Without hesitation, Zhu Ning immediately followed her.

The corridor was already crowded, and once the crowd started moving, Zhu Ning struggled like a fish swimming upstream. She decided to vault over the backrests of chairs.

"What are you doing?" someone yelled. "Can't you watch where you're going?"

Zhu Ning quickly weaved through the crowd. "Sorry, please let me through."

Xu Meng wore a wide-brimmed sun hat, and the brim covered her face, leaving Zhu Ning only able to see her profile.

She seemed to glance in this direction.

Ten meters.

Only ten meters separated them.

Suddenly, a woman carrying a child appeared in front of Zhu Ning. When she looked up again, Xu Meng was gone.

Zhu Ning emerged from the crowd and finally reached the side door Xu Meng had left through. Outside, the crowd was bustling, and Xu Meng had vanished into the sea of people. The woman who had bumped into her was also nowhere to be seen.

She was certain she hadn't made a mistake; that was definitely Xu Meng, and she should still be nearby.

Zhu Ning activated her employee bracelet, which could sound an alarm in emergency situations.

She opened Xu Meng's message window, which remained on the screen. With one press, the alarm would sound.

In the next second, a loud boom echoed.

The sound was so loud it felt like an earthquake, as if something massive had collapsed, followed by screams from nearby.

Zhu Ning froze.

"What happened? What's going on?" someone asked. "Is there trouble?"

"Was it an earthquake or an explosion?"

"Why is there no internet?"

"Can you make calls?"

Someone suggested, "Call the security bureau."

As these words were spoken, darkness spread outwards, and the street lights flickered off one by one, plunging the entire street into darkness.

People began to panic and run in confusion. Some were searching for their loved ones, others trying to call, and some using their secondary brains to access the internet to understand the situation.

Given that Yongsheng Pharmaceutical hosted the foundation event here, and then this happened, it was hard not to suspect something.

Zhu Ning glanced at the message window, where Xu Meng's avatar was still blinking. She gritted her teeth and turned off the bracelet; something had happened nearby.

Zhu Ning had been injected with gene-enhancing agents, making her senses much sharper. She could immediately tell something was amiss.

She quickly ran toward the southeast direction. Indeed, as she got closer, the chaos intensified, two streets away.

The site of the incident was a large venue, and for a moment, she couldn't recognize where she was.

A section of an arena, the size of a stadium, had collapsed, and people were screaming and running out. Some in the crowd were injured, their faces covered in blood.

Zhu Ning stopped one of them and asked, "What's happening up ahead?"

The person, busy fleeing for their life, said, "Run! There's a monster up ahead!"

A monster? Before Zhu Ning could react, the person had already run off.

More panicked crowds rushed past her, and not a single person could explain what was happening.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*—

Zhu Ning's employee bracelet suddenly lit up, and she received a message from Fang Ying.

"Emergency B-level mission. All members of Cleaning Team A70265, please assemble at the Mechanical Oceanarium in 20 minutes."

An emergency B-level mission? This was the first time Zhu Ning had received a B-level mission.

This was also her first official task from the Cleaning Center since dealing with the fishman.

But... the Mechanical Oceanarium?

With a loud crash, a massive sign suddenly fell down, like a boulder tumbling from a mountain.

The sign read: Mechanical Oceanarium.

What a coincidence?

The location of the Yongsheng Pharmaceutical Foundation event was just two streets away, and there was a B-level contaminated area here? And Xu Meng had also appeared here before?

Just as she arrived at the foundation, the oceanarium immediately had an accident?

The wailing sirens sounded.

People from the Public Security Bureau arrived first to help evacuate the crowd. Five minutes later, black flying cars began landing, and Zhu Ning could see the Cleaning Center logo on them.

Caution tape was set up, and the entrance to the oceanarium was sealed by the Cleaning Center personnel, who were helping to evacuate and settle the victims.

This was a very unfamiliar experience for Zhu Ning. Her first official task had been in the remote underground sewers, but this time it was in the bustling city center.

Did ordinary people know about the existence of contaminants? Zhu Ning had specifically asked about this before.

Fang Ying's answer was that they knew and didn't know.

This vague response made sense. Since the radiation, large-scale mutations had occurred among plants, animals, and humans.

Some called those who exhibited mutations "mutants," or officially, "ability users."

The authorities never publicly acknowledged the existence of the Cleaning Center, but in the post-apocalyptic era, mutations could happen anytime, anywhere.

It could be humans, animals, plants, or even a brick.

For example, one day you might wake up to find your faucet has mutated. This was entirely possible, and civilians had become very accepting of any anomalies.

A vehicle from the Cleaning Center stopped, and Zhu Ning saw a demon hunter getting out. She was about to approach.

"What's your business?" The supervisor stopped her. "This area is sealed off. No unauthorized personnel allowed."

Zhu Ning showed her employee bracelet and pulled up her pass. "I'm a cleaner from the Cleaning Center."

The supervisor checked her ID badge, opened the caution tape, and let her through.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Zhu Ning was taken aback. If the supervisor hadn't said that, she wouldn't have reacted much, but hearing it made her feel differently.

For the first time, Zhu Ning felt that her job had a special significance. Whether demon hunters or cleaners, entering contaminated areas always carried risks, and Cleaning Center employees were respected by the Public Security Bureau.

She saw a familiar face—Fang Ying was directing operations on-site. Still dressed as an office worker, she looked out of place.

Fang Ying was surprised to see Zhu Ning. They hadn't seen each other since Zhu Ning was assigned to employee training, and now seeing Fang Ying again was complex.

Zhu Ning glanced at Fang Ying's earlobe; she was still wearing the sea-blue earrings today.

Fang Ying asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

The message had only been sent five minutes ago, yet Zhu Ning was already on-site.

Zhu Ning remained composed. "I was having dinner nearby."

Fang Ying said, "Get into the car and change into your uniform. It's a B-level mission. I'll brief you on the details later."

Next to Fang Ying was a black car. Zhu Ning jumped in. Indeed, emergency missions came with ample resources.

Inside the car were cleaner uniforms, cleaning backpacks, and a row of standard weapons.

Zhu Ning was now well-practiced. She swiftly changed into the cleaner uniform, getting faster each time, finishing in ten minutes.

After changing, Zhu Ning met Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng.

Xu Meng was dressed differently than when Zhu Ning had last seen her, without her sun hat and sunglasses. She wore a white shirt and black pants, her usual attire.

They seemed to have come together.

Xu Meng is that fast? Was she nearby earlier, deliberately delaying to avoid suspicion?

Li Nianchuan saw Zhu Ning and greeted her: "You're quick."

"Just happened to be around," Zhu Ning asked: "Did you come together?"

Li Nianchuan: "We met at the subway exit."

Li Nianchuan thought Zhu Ning was making small talk, so he didn't elaborate. They had received an urgent mission, leaving little time for pleasantries. After their brief exchange, Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng got into the car to change clothes. Xu Meng acted naturally throughout.

If Zhu Ning hadn't been certain she saw Xu Meng at the Foundation site, she might have thought she was dreaming.

Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan have been colleagues for a long time; she should have been able to predict Li Nianchuan's movements. A hovercar isn't as fast as the subway, and the fastest way for Li Nianchuan to get from his home to the Mechanical Museum would be via the subway.

Xu Meng must have found a place to change clothes, then walked to the subway exit to stage an "accidental encounter" with Li Nianchuan, making him her alibi.

Should she ask her?

But questioning Xu Meng would mean explaining why Zhu Ning was at the Foundation, a question she couldn't answer.

Zhu Ning still couldn't comprehend how all these coincidences had occurred.

In the B-level contaminated area, she needed to put aside her issues with Xu Meng. Too many distractions could lead to an early death; she needed to prioritize.

Zhu Ning had never participated in a B-level mission, let alone one of this scale.

The staff moving around wore full-body orange protective suits; they were the real support crew, responsible for evacuations, scene assessments, and logistics.

In short, they handled all the miscellaneous tasks that the cleaners and demon hunters wouldn't do.

They nodded at Zhu Ning when they saw her in her black cleaner protective suit.

Zhu Ning walked past the cordon; the situation was mostly under control, but she still saw blood.

Five bodies lay at the entrance of the aquarium, with someone collecting them. The floor was covered in blood.

Zhu Ning could see the eyes of one of the corpses; they were wide open, as if the person had seen something terrifying before dying.

Something had pierced through his chest, and a creature resembling a mechanical tentacle was writhing inside, its tail partially exposed.

Someone in a full orange protective suit fired two shots at the corpse.

Bang! Bang!

After the two shots, the mechanical tentacle exploded into a mass of flesh, completely still.

A white sheet was placed over the body, blocking Zhu Ning's view.

What was that just now?

Is this what they call a large-scale urban contamination?