Chapter 28: Treatment Plan

Chapter 28: Treatment Plan

The sanctuary always has members of the Academy of Sciences stationed there, responsible for regularly inspecting and maintaining the contamination detectors.

This time, the person who came to repair it was also one of them.

After examining the scrapped contamination detector, he stood scratching his head, puzzled. "How'd it break? I just checked it this morning."

"How did Doctor Shen notice something was wrong?"

Shen Ji took out his contamination log and deadpanned, "When I reached this point in the sequential records, I found the screen black and couldn't restart it."

The other person suddenly understood. "Indeed, Mr. Shen is the caretaker assigned to this patient, so of course you’d check the contamination detector."

"Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll replace it with a new contamination detector. I need to take this back to find out the reason for the malfunction."

Shen Ji nodded in thanks.

The Academy technician worked quickly and soon replaced it with a new detection device. Shen Ji restarted the device, and the green screen displayed the contamination level inside the isolation room: 0.

"0?" The person let out a hiss. "Is this contamination detector broken too?"

He began fiddling with and inspecting the detector, finally scratching his chin, baffled. "It’s not broken. Everything is working properly."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and went stock-still for a moment before turning to look at Shen Ji.

At the same time, the contamination detector, operating normally, blared an alarm—identical to Chen Guo's.

"Detection complete—isolation room environmental contamination level: 0, patient’s body contamination level: 0, no signs of contamination diffusion, no physical contamination characteristics, demonstrates rational cognition, no mental abnormalities."

"Warning: A natural person has entered the sanctuary. Please alert nearby medical staff immediately!"

The screwdriver in the person’s hand clattered to the floor.

"I—I witnessed an infected patient be cured?!" He looked at Shen Ji excitedly. "Mr. Shen, he’s recovered, right?!"

Shen Ji nodded. "It seems so. I’m gonna find Dr. Wen and the others to confirm. Thank you for repairing the contamination detector."

"No problem, no problem. This is my job."

He put his tools back into his toolkit and then peered curiously at the person in the isolation room. "Recovered. I’m really happy for him."

In a place like the sanctuary, whether medical staff or members of other roles, everyone knows that once contaminated patients enter, it’s hard for them to leave. So, whenever a patient recovers, everyone is genuinely happy for them, even if they are strangers.

The original work described the sanctuary as a pressure cooker, the most heartless place.

Shen Ji didn’t think so.

He believed the sanctuary was the most humane institution in this novel.

/

Shen Ji walked sipping a cup of coffee. As he reached the check-in/check-out desk for the patient ward, Zhang Qingli happened to come out.

"Drinking coffee at this hour?" Zhang Qingli glanced at his watch. "8 p.m.?"

"Just reminiscing," Shen Ji swallowed his coffee. "Back in the day, I often drank coffee at this time to survive. The proposals were killing me."

Zhang Qingli didn’t understand, but he nodded. "Oh, so you had it rough back then."

"By the way, your patient Chu Ye has recovered and is about to leave the sanctuary. Li Zhiyan came to get him. He’s already in the waiting room of Ward I."

Shen Ji almost spit out his coffee.

"Who did you say is picking him up?"

"Li Zhiyan, our S-Class Mutant Mr. Li from Q City." Zhang Qingli pulled a tissue from his white coat pocket and handed it to him. "Today is the day the security team delivers the Gravedigger's body. Mr. Li came along as the guarantor and is taking the opportunity to pick him up."

"He said he can sign Chu Ye’s discharge notice. Remember to go handle the paperwork."

The system remarked dryly, "Apocalypse novels are full of orphans. It’s pretty normal for two orphans to play dad for each other."

Talk about a dark joke.

After finishing the coffee in his cup, Shen Ji left it in the breakroom and took the elevator down to Ward I. Sure enough, he saw Li Zhiyan in the waiting area.

Although Shen Ji always called him the white-haired weirdo, Li Zhiyan’s looks were actually quite striking.

Unlike Shen Ji, who deliberately downplayed his own handsome features, Li Zhiyan couldn’t even if he tried—after all, he had white hair and blue eyes. This combination would classify him as a *bishōnen* in anime, but in real life, it came off as eerie and attention-grabbing.

Yes, Li Zhiyan was exactly that kind of eerie and attention-grabbing man.

Especially when he was holding a pot of flowers.

The flowers were just about to bloom, half-opened blue buds that made you want to fiddle with the petals and help them fully blossom.

'Why is he holding a pot of flowers?'

"I'm not sure... but Li Zhiyan’s Pollution Talent is Mimic Butterfly. He’s deeply influenced by it and has developed a fondness for all kinds of flowers, plants, and soil. Maybe he carries it around simply because he likes it."

'He carries a pot of soil and flowers around just because he likes it??'

Li Zhiyan noticed Shen Ji, so he stood up with the flowerpot in his arms. "Mr. Shen, we meet again."

"Mr. Li." Shen Ji nodded.

He took out Chu Ye’s discharge documents and handed them to Li Zhiyan.

"This is Chu Ye’s discharge application. Our Director has already signed it. Once you sign, I’ll take you to pick up Chu Ye."

Li Zhiyan placed the flowerpot on the bench, took the pen and paper from Shen Ji, signed, then picked the flowerpot back up, cradling it like something precious.

Following the procedure, Shen Ji verified the signature and noticed, to his surprise, that Li Zhiyan had exceptionally good handwriting.

His writing was bold and flowing, with long vertical strokes that didn’t look messy but rather conveyed a sense of freedom. Shen Ji glanced at the writing, then at Li Zhiyan.

'They say the handwriting is the mirror of the soul, but I really don’t think this looks like something the protagonist could write.'

"Alright, alright. He is the protagonist after all—it’s normal for him to have some special advantages."

Leading Li Zhiyan into Ward I, they arrived at Chu Ye’s isolation room. The moment Chu Ye saw Li Zhiyan, he knew he was here to pick him up. Shen Ji followed protocol and gave Chu Ye one final check, confirming all his vitals were normal before opening the isolation room door.

Shen Ji said gently, "Congratulations, Mr. Chu. You’ve recovered and can leave the containment facility to resume a normal life."

"Thank you, thank you." Chu Ye was thrilled. "I really appreciate everything, Doctor Shen."

He turned excitedly to Li Zhiyan, about to share his happiness, but was stunned by the flowerpot in his arms.

His smile froze, and he pointed at the flowerpot, asking Li Zhiyan, "What’s this?"

"A thank-you gift for Doctor Shen." Li Zhiyan said seriously. "After all, he’s been taking care of you for so long. As your friend, I should show my appreciation properly. But I couldn’t think of what to give, so I finally decided to offer my treasure. Doctor Shen, this is for you."

Shen Ji: "..."

Chu Ye: "..."

Out of nowhere, someone shoved a flowerpot into his arms.

"This flower is a special variety. Even if Doctor Shen doesn't know how to care for flowers, it won't die. Its blooms are very beautiful and fragrant," Li Zhiyan explained.

The system tsked in amazement. "A flower carrying pollution—truly a special variety indeed."

Shen Ji: "..."

He often felt exasperated by the protagonist’s train of thought, but every time, Li Zhiyan would come up with an even more bizarre line of thinking, making Shen Ji realize that his distress had been premature—the real trouble was still ahead!

"Sorry, sorry!" Chu Ye quickly took the flowerpot from Shen Ji's arms and began apologizing frantically. "Please don’t feel offended, Doctor Shen! He’s just like this—he doesn’t mean anything by it!"

Then he shoved the flowerpot back into Li Zhiyan’s arms. "You keeping contaminated plants yourself is one thing, but how could you give one to someone else?!"

"Even if it’s just the lowest-grade pollution, below E-grade, it’s still not allowed!"

Li Zhiyan seemed baffled. "But this flower is very beautiful. Why can’t I keep it?"

"No!" Chu Ye pushed Li Zhiyan out of Ward I, still apologizing and smiling apologetically to Shen Ji as he pressed the elevator button.

He looked utterly pitiful.

"Everyone who becomes friends with Li Zhiyan ends up having it rough."

Shen Ji stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But that flower really is quite beautiful—blue buds and green leaves. It’s autumn now, yet it’s thriving so well."

"It might be nice to keep it."

"And it would be even more perfect if we could put Li Zhiyan’s butterfly specimen in there too."

"...What exactly is the difference between your thought process and the protagonist’s? You’re both just as weird!"

On the other side, inside the elevator, Chu Ye finally let out a sigh of relief.

He turned to look at Li Zhiyan, who’d embarrassed him—that White Hair was still straightening his flowerpot, as if the earlier pushing had harmed his precious plant.

"Li Zhiyan," Chu Ye said, "Aren’t you really attached to these flowers? How could you bear to give one away?"

Li Zhiyan calmly fiddled with the leaves. "When you poach someone, you have to sweeten the deal."

Poach someone? Offer benefits?

Chu Ye stared at the flowerpot, lost in thought. Was this really offering benefits, not handing someone a disaster?

Then, as if finally processing it, he asked doubtfully, "You give flowers when poaching someone?"

Giving flowers is a tradition. Before the apocalypse, people often gave fresh cut flowers to express emotions. But after the apocalypse, no one grows cut flowers anymore. With no supply, naturally, no one gives flowers. But now, Li Zhiyan has brought back the custom by giving a doctor a live potted flower.

Not giving it to a patient, but to a doctor.

Chu Ye couldn’t help but wonder if Li Zhiyan had other intentions.

Since joining the Pollution Prevention Center, thanks to his powerful abilities, Li Zhiyan has had nonstop attention from admirers. Of course, some lost interest after experiencing his eccentric personality firsthand, but most considered it an endearing trait.

Yet Li Zhiyan remained as clueless as a brick, keeping his distance from everyone without the slightest intention of getting involved romantically with any woman.

Because of this, Chu Ye often thought he was asexual, or had mutated to the point of having a weak stomach!

Only now did he realize: he wasn't having a weak stomach, he just liked men!

What kind of recruiting someone involves giving flowers? He never gave Zhou Ye flowers when he tried to recruit him! Don’t cats like cat grass more?!

"Bro." Chu Ye patted Li Zhiyan's shoulder. "Pursue love boldly, with courage! You need to take the initiative."

Li Zhiyan looked at him strangely. "Where is your head at?"

"Weren't you going to give flowers?" Chu Ye pressed the elevator button again, and as the doors opened, he pushed Li Zhiyan out. "Go on, give them!"

Li Zhiyan: ...

Shen Ji, who was standing by the elevator doors: ...

Chu Ye flashed Shen Ji a bright smile, then quickly closed the elevator doors.

Yeah, right! Open the damn elevator doors! I need to clock out!

Cursing internally, Shen Ji's face remained impassive, showing no emotional fluctuation. He very calmly pressed the button for another elevator.

It wasn't like there was only one elevator.

"Thank you so much this time, really, to your shelter. Chu Ye's contamination issue has been going on for quite a while, and it's been troubling him until now." Li Zhiyan, holding the flowerpot, chatted with Shen Ji with great interest. "Are you sure you don't want to accept this pot of flowers? It's the best one in my yard."

Shen Ji looked at his flowers. "It hasn't even bloomed yet? How do you know it's the best one, Mr. Li?"

"Simple."

Li Zhiyan said very proudly, "Recently, only this one has bloomed; the others haven't even produced buds yet!"

Shen Ji: ...

"...I actually think the protagonist seems more human like this than in the original story."

'System, we can't mistake absurdity for humanity. That's unfair to normal people.'

"But don't you really like this pot of flowers? The protagonist came to deliver it a second time; hurry up and take it!"

'How can I accept something from the protagonist? I'm an upright journalist, a principled villain! It's unavoidable to get involved with the protagonist, but how can I be bribed by him?!'

Shen Ji took the flowers.

"..."

'I'm just claiming my compensation for emotional damages.'

Li Zhiyan looked quite satisfied. "I knew it. Mr. Shen would definitely appreciate my taste. How beautiful these flowers are."

Shen Ji held the flowers and directly reached out to poke the pale blue bud.

Because it was a Contaminated Species, the flower was as beautiful as a special effect. The translucent blue petals revealed pale yellow stamens inside, emitting a subtle fragrance. The leaves were emerald green, as if painted with a layer of pigment. This was indeed the most beautiful flower Shen Ji had seen in all his years.

Li Zhiyan stood opposite him, watching Shen Ji, his pale blue eyes full of appreciation.

A beauty paired with a beautiful flower—quite perfect.

His fingers itched; his photography dreams stirred again. He wanted to take pictures.

With a ding, the elevator arrived, and both Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan stepped inside.

In the confined space of the elevator, the faint, subtle floral scent became more noticeable, and Li Zhiyan’s presence felt much more noticeable.

Shen Ji glanced over at Li Zhiyan, his gaze one of scrutiny and observation, as if trying to figure out the differences between this real-life protagonist and the one from the original story.

Humans are visual creatures, naturally drawn to beautiful things—even when those things come with a pretty abstract mental state.

As long as he kept his mouth shut, he was a delicate little pretty thing.

As the protagonist, he really was quite good-looking.

Li Zhiyan noticed his gaze and met Shen Ji’s eyes. Those pretty blue eyes curved slightly, as if he were entirely accustomed to being the center of attention, taking in the stares of others.

"Mr. Shen," Li Zhiyan said, "have you ever considered changing careers?"

"For example, coming to work with me?"

Shen Ji was silent for three seconds before replying, "Are you deliberately using wording that’s easy to misinterpret, Mr. Li?"

"Not at all, this is just how I usually speak."

"You don’t find it amusing to use ambiguous words, wait for others to misunderstand, and then watch their expressions when they realize their mistake and confront you?"

Li Zhiyan said enthusiastically, "It’s a very entertaining game."

"Mr. Li’s personality is kinda childlike."

"I thought you’d call me crazy."

Shen Ji: …

He was far too self-aware—it was hard to handle.

"I have no plans to change careers," Shen Ji pulled the conversation back. "The shelter is a good place; I enjoy working there very much."

"Being too passionate about work isn’t a good thing. I hate overtime the most."

Li Zhiyan said regretfully. "If you join the security team, I could pull some strings to approve long vacations for you."

Now that was tempting!

The system yelled: "Don’t be corrupted by the capitalist’s sweet talk! Think of our mission! Think of Shen Ji's ending in the original!"

"Though it’s tempting, I’ll have to decline. I can’t abandon the patients here."

Li Zhiyan laughed—whether it was because he couldn’t hold back upon hearing that insincere reply was unclear.

But this was exactly what Li Zhiyan liked about Shen Ji.

His eyes were like those of a wolf pup, though in truth, he was a real wolf. He simply disguised himself quietly, putting on a tie and glasses, pretending to be a proper sheep rather than a wolf.

It had been a long, long time since Li Zhiyan had met someone so full of life.

Ding—the elevator doors opened, and Shen Ji stepped out, holding the flowerpot.

"If you ever want time off, you can come to me," Li Zhiyan suddenly said just as Shen Ji was leaving the elevator.

Shen Ji paused and turned back to look at him.

"I'll send an assistance request to the shelter, specifically designating you for the task. That way, you can get some time off."

It was a peculiar feeling. Shen Ji figured it was probably because he had never encountered someone so utterly unorthodox, which made him somewhat curious about Li Zhiyan.

Shen Ji said, "We'll get caught, won't we?"

"Even if we are, I'm the one who'll get in trouble, not you," Li Zhiyan waved at Shen Ji. "See ya."

The elevator doors closed and ascended, cutting off all sound.

A few seconds later, the corner of Shen Ji's mouth quirked up in a very slight smile. He was already good-looking, but this smile made him strikingly beautiful, retracting all the sharpness and coldness softened by his black-framed glasses. He looked both exquisite and dashingly handsome, every bit the aloof, handsome man.

"System, he's quite interesting, isn't he?"

"How boring could a protagonist be? An interesting protagonist is an eternal truth."

Shen Ji carried the flower back to his dorm and placed it on the windowsill.

The hyphae quietly gathered from all directions, peeking out with their mushroom caps to curiously observe the flower. Some of the hyphae, taking advantage of Shen Ji's inattention, wrapped around the stem, intertwining with the vibrant blue blossoms.

"Don't eat that," Shen Ji said. "It's for looking at, not eating. It's not safe; you'll get sick."

"...Yeah, no kidding! You're discussing food safety issues with a contaminant from the Filth."

"It’s such a beautiful flower; what a waste it would be to eat it."

Shen Ji reached out and poked the petals again. Finally, he picked up his phone and took a picture of the potted plant.

Unlike Li Zhiyan, who was a half-hearted amateur with only a dream of photography, Shen Ji, as a journalist, had properly trained in photography and shooting. Before transmigrating, he had been diligently working, and even now, he could rattle off filter values and shooting techniques without hesitation.

After taking the photo, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Now this is a proper, presentable photo. Whatever Li Zhiyan took was just garbage."

He sent the freshly taken photo to Li Zhiyan, then tossed his phone onto the bed and continued playing with the flower. After all, it was a Contaminated Species and wouldn’t break easily.

/

The special vehicle drove away from the shelter. Li Zhiyan and Chu Ye were in the back seat. Li Zhiyan let out a shallow yawn, feeling like he could doze off right then and there.

"Don’t sleep!" Chu Ye shook him. "Tell me what happened between you two! How did it go when you were alone? Did he agree? I see you gave him the flower but didn’t bring him along? Did it fall through?!"

Li Zhiyan swatted his hand away. "He’s doing well at the shelter, of course it’s not easy to poach him. I need to keep trying."

Chu Ye held his hand, annoyed. "With your emotional intelligence, trying is useless. Listen to me: just keep showing up around him. Wait until he gets used to you being around, then slowly win him over!"

"...That actually makes sense," Li Zhiyan nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Now it was Chu Ye’s turn to be stunned.

Huh? Since when did Li Zhiyan become so obedient? He never listens, even if it makes me furious!

Has he changed?

So Chu Ye asked doubtfully, "Are you really going to listen to me this time?"

Li Zhiyan yawned again. "No."

"I was just humoring you. Quit bugging me, I want to sleep."

Chu Ye: "...He knew it!"

The car wasn't moving fast, and the road to the shelter was well-paved. Li Zhiyan leaned back in his seat, drowsy, when suddenly—*ding dong*—his phone chimed with a notification for a new message.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he glanced at the sender and was surprised to see it was from Shen Ji.

Ever since adding Shen Ji's contact info, Shen Ji had never seriously engaged with him. Li Zhiyan could clearly sense that Shen Ji didn’t want anything to do with him—so much so that he couldn’t even be bothered to keep up basic courtesy. Li Zhiyan wasn’t stupid; how could he not notice the distance in Shen Ji’s eyes when he looked at him?

He had no idea what he’d done to offend the guy.

Li Zhiyan opened the message, and the next second, he shot upright, all sleepiness gone, startling Chu Ye beside him.

Chu Ye leaned over to look at his phone.

It was a photo—the very flowers Li Zhiyan had given Shen Ji. Even though it was nighttime and the flowers were lit by incandescent lighting rather than natural sunlight, Shen Ji had captured them looking both proud and exquisite. The darkness at the edges contrasted sharply with the blue and white colors of the flowers themselves. Anyone who saw it would instinctively marvel at its beauty.

"This is really well taken," Chu Ye said, also surprised. "Wait, are the flowers actually this pretty? How come I didn’t notice before?"

Li Zhiyan couldn’t tear his eyes away, reluctant to close the image. Finally, he long-pressed to save the photo, then opened it again to admire it over and over.

After staring at it for a while, Li Zhiyan suddenly declared, "I’ve decided to go with your plan."

Chu Ye looked at him strangely. "What plan?"

"Increasing my presence, taking it step by step!" Li Zhiyan hugged his phone tightly, his blue eyes filled with admiration. "His photography skills are amazing. Looking at this photo, I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to my dream of photography."

"Do you think he’d teach me photography?"

Chu Ye: ...

So in the end, it was the photography dream that convinced you? You’re making a move for the sake of your photography dream?

What happened to you having your eye on a perfect Healingtype mutant?

I shouldn’t have worried about you in the first place!