Chapter 45: Terrifying Botanical Garden

Chapter 45 The Terrifying Botanical Garden

The moment Shen Ji released the small mushrooms, he never intended to take them back.

After all, these were a group of small mushrooms with a slight sense of self-awareness.

Especially since these small mushrooms were both hungry and had just missed their chance at a meal — two big ones they couldn't get their hands on.

If he didn't let them out to eat something soon, they'd probably raise hell.

So Shen Ji drilled into them: they must eat while avoiding Li Zhiyan, don’t make a sound while eating, leave no crumbs or evidence to avoid being discovered, and finally, while eating, remember to look for a way out.

When it came to finding a path, relying on the small mushrooms was better than relying on Li Zhiyan.

The small mushrooms strutted proudly, assuring their master that they were one hundred percent confident!

They wouldn't be any worse than the big butterfly!

So Li Zhiyan looked around, scanning the area for a while before asking Shen Ji, "Don't you think something feels off?"

Shen Ji looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"It's just... I keep feeling like there's something around?" Li Zhiyan snapped his fingers, and a few little butterflies appeared in the air. The little butterflies fluttered around, trying to locate the source of this strange feeling.

Then Li Zhiyan felt the weird feeling intensify.

Shen Ji, watching the hyphae drool over the butterflies: ...

Just how delicious were Li Zhiyan's butterflies? To still be craving them at a time like this?

"Really? Probably just your imagination," Shen Ji said. "Or maybe there are other doppelgängers?"

Li Zhiyan looked around subtly. "Compared to doppelgängers, it feels more like something strange is lurking. I'm very sensitive to pollution; I usually don't misjudge these things."

Shen Ji mentally tutted.

'…He's really so sensitive.'

"This is the protagonist's strength. No matter what kind of apocalypse novel it is, the protagonist is always the most sensitive and the easiest to detect pollution. This is the most basic cheat skill."

'The most basic cheat skill? Then what's the most special cheat skill?'

"Some apocalypse novels set the protagonist's true identity as the villain, but he has a way to disguise himself as human."

Shen Ji gasped. 'Are you talking about me?'

"Now that you mention it, we've already become protagonists in this regard. Not bad, not bad!"

Right at that moment, Li Zhiyan noticed one of his little butterflies was missing.

He silently counted the number of little butterflies, checked their positions, and finally walked over to where the little butterfly had disappeared.

But no matter how he looked, there was nothing strange in these places.

Instead, looking at the gardener's plants made him feel physically disgusted.

He really, really hated the gardener and his twisted plants.

"Forget it." Li Zhiyan put away his little butterflies, refusing to feed whatever was out there.

"After we deal with the gardener, whatever's hiding will come out eventually."

Shen Ji looked at the small mushrooms happily munching on a captured little butterfly, then turned to Li Zhiyan.

"Mr. Li's pollution talent seems more like pollution itself."

Li Zhiyan looked at Shen Ji, his pale blue eyes reflecting Shen Ji's figure. "Are you saying I'm more like a pollutant?"

"Not what I meant." Shen Ji shook his head. "It's just that your pollution is very intense. Even your hair and eyes are very different from ordinary people. Sometimes looking at Mr. Li feels like watching a cosplay."

"That's an ancient term." Li Zhiyan sounded surprised. "You actually know about cosplay."

Shen Ji: ...

Crap. Too focused on trying to express the word "shamate" indirectly, forgot that no one plays cosplay in the apocalypse anymore.

The System added insult to injury, "Actually, the term 'shamate' doesn't exist anymore either."

"You're a generation apart from apocalypse folks."

Shen Ji was angry but tried to save face. 'But Li Zhiyan understood; he knows the word cosplay.'

"Oh right." The System wondered. "Based on his age, he was born after the apocalypse. How would he know that term?"

"I heard it from patients," Shen Ji said very calmly.

He was, after all, a medic at the shelter. With so many patients, it was normal for one or two to know ancient terms, right?

"S-Class Mutants all have high pollution levels, not just me."

Li Zhiyan explained: "Everyone else is like this too. Probably because we were almost pollutants ourselves—just a hair's breadth away from crossing that line. One step over, and we'd become pollutants."

"Then it's fortunate Mr. Li didn't cross over," Shen Ji said. "Otherwise, we would be enemies."

"...A pollutant saying to a mutant: 'If you become a pollutant, we'll be enemies.' Aren't you ashamed to say that?"

'Why should I be ashamed? Right now, I am a mutant, not a pollutant,' Shen Ji retorted confidently.

Li Zhiyan gazed at Shen Ji, then nodded after a few seconds. "True. It really is great that I didn't become enemies with Doctor Shen."

"Besides, I still have Doctor Shen with me. Even if I did cross over, Doctor Shen would come save me, right?"

Shen Ji was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded reluctantly. "Of course."

"Then to save me in time, would Doctor Shen like to join my squad?"

Shen Ji: ...

He still hasn't given up.

Shen Ji turned and walked away.

Li Zhiyan smiled as he watched Shen Ji's retreating figure. He hummed a tune and followed, seeming to be in a good mood.

The hyphae were watching the drama, munching on candy beans in the air as snacks while observing their master argue with the big butterfly. It wasn't until Shen Ji left that they reluctantly began to move around.

Time to work, time to work!

Aww! Can't keep eating; gotta find the way out now!

Following the hyphae's lead, Shen Ji moved forward without the slightest hesitation. Li Zhiyan walked beside him without comment, simply following wherever Shen Ji went, not seeming worried at all.

"Mr. Li doesn't seem worried about Mr. Chu at all."

"Why would I be? He's still alive," Li Zhiyan nodded.

"Actually, I've been curious—how do you know for sure that he's alive?"

Li Zhiyan fished around in his pocket for a moment before eventually pulling out a strange object. It was very small, only about two finger joints long, and was currently operating, displaying some odd signals.

"Ah, a life detector."

The system stated, "According to the data, aside from significant emotional fluctuations, his vital signs are very stable."

"Although I let him go on risky missions, I don’t just do nothing," Li Zhiyan explained. "This is a device I commissioned from the Academy of Sciences. It works even in contaminated zones."

Shen Ji looked at the detector for a bit, then looked at Li Zhiyan. "Does Chu Ye know you put this on him?"

Li Zhiyan looked confused. "Why should he know?"

Shen Ji: …

"Relax, I didn't put one on you."

*System, do I look like I’m worried about that?*

"Don’t worry, I didn’t put one on you."

"...Mr. Li sounds pretty proud of himself saying that."

Shen Ji sighed helplessly. "Next time, don’t say things like that to me. I might just tell Chu Ye."

"Worst case, he yells at me a little. And I’d get to know whether he’s dead or alive. Still worth it."

Li Zhiyan wasn't bothered. "If you want to see me get scolded, go ahead and tell him."

The way he said it—if Shen Ji actually told him, wouldn’t it seem like he really wanted to see Li Zhiyan get yelled at?

Shen Ji let the subject drop and continued walking forward. Just then, the hyphae relayed a thread of nervousness.

He paused, and Li Zhiyan stopped alongside him.

"What’s wrong?"

Shen Ji didn’t answer, instead looking around.

At that moment, footsteps echoed from the vine-choked doppelganger woods. The steps were light and slow, but there were so many people that the gentle sounds merged into a dull roar.

Countless figures emerged before them.

There were men and women, old and young, all staring at them with a strange look in their eyes.

"Ordinary people?"

"Doppelgängers," Li Zhiyan replied.

They stepped out from the vines, one by one, surrounding the two. Each pair of eyes was a dead gray, seeming lifeless like zombies.

Just as the tension escalated, one person suddenly knelt.

After that first person knelt, countless others followed suit.

They began crying out loudly.

"Are you from the guard team?"

"Please save us! Get us out of here!"

"I’ve been stuck here for who knows how long. I want to go home—my child is still there!"

"I can’t take it anymore."

Shen Ji lifted an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Li Zhiyan. He noticed that Li Zhiyan’s expression remained unchanged, looking at them with a completely ordinary expression as he watched the kneeling crowd.

Seemingly noticing Shen Ji’s look, Li Zhiyan met his eyes, his gaze reassuring.

"Found it—'The Z City Doppelgänger Incident.'"

"Rather than an ordinary pollution incident, the Doppelgänger Incident had one very peculiar characteristic: every doppelganger was convinced it was the real person. From flesh and blood to memories, they were identical to the originals. They possessed human emotions and desires and genuinely wanted to live."

"The Pollution Prevention Center had a hard time dealing with these doppelgangers because they were born from pollution, yet in every other way, they were normal humans."

"Three days later, all doppelgangers and originals in Z City vanished. Thus, the Doppelgänger Pollution Incident came to an end."

Shen Ji looked at the backs of their necks, exposed as they knelt. Each one bore a segment of brambles.

They were indeed doppelgangers.

Shen Ji finally understood why the hyphae had been uneasy.

Although they were pollutants, the hyphae only fed on pollutants and the pollution in the air. Suddenly encountering a crowd of 'normal humans,' the hyphae felt uneasy but didn’t dare eat them.

Master doesn’t eat people, so they don’t eat people either!

Just then, Li Zhiyan looked toward the deep within the vines behind the crowd. Shen Ji followed his gaze and saw a person in a Pollution Prevention Center uniform watching them from within.

A few seconds later, the person nodded to Li Zhiyan.

"Who is that?"

"Can’t remember the name, but I’ve seen that face before. Probably one of Chu Ye’s team members."

"A doppelganger?"

"Seems like it. Too bad Chu Ye isn't here. He'd probably cry if he were."

"It's probably better that he's not. Seeing a living team member only to have to clean them up in the end—wouldn't that be cruel?"

Li Zhiyan and Shen Ji looked at each other, and finally Li Zhiyan nodded. "Yeah."

Yet, Li Zhiyan was actually a little surprised.

He had a very good impression of Shen Ji. Although Shen Ji was two-faced, he had done plenty of good deeds—whether working overtime at the shelter to treat contaminated patients or other actions. Even though Li Zhiyan could sense that some of his words were exaggerated, he had never thought Shen Ji was a cold person.

But now, his first words were about 'cleaning up these doppelgangers.'

Extremely domineering, extremely ruthless, extremely correct.

Li Zhiyan was even more pleased.

You gotta know when to be soft and when to be tough.

Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan continued outward, avoiding the people kneeling on the ground and begging for their help. Perhaps because they’d been disappointed too many times, these people didn’t do anything extreme; they just stayed where they were, crying, or returned to that forest.

The hyphae also bypassed these people and continued feeding on the pollution, finally reaching the outermost edge.

The hyphae quickly pointed the way for Shen Ji.

Seriously, the hyphae were way more reliable than Li Zhiyan.

They walked out of that doppelgänger forest, and just then, a voice called out from behind them.

"Mr. Li," a male voice asked, "Has the captain come along too?"

Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan turned around and saw the man was still standing in the bushes. He didn’t come out, just peering out from the bushes as he asked.

He was the only doppelgänger in the group who had followed them to the edge.

"What do you think?" Li Zhiyan asked him.

"He must have come. Our captain is sentimental and would never give up on himself." The man sighed. "But with Mr. Li here this time, he should be able to return safely."

"I'm guessing this gentleman is also a very powerful mutant."

He was referring to Shen Ji.

Li Zhiyan nodded. "Yes, he’s Doctor Shen. He cured your captain’s pollution sickness."

The man froze. Then he jerked his head up, his eyes full of astonishment.

As doppelgängers created from those who had come with Chu Ye but were left behind, they understood better than anyone what kind of pollution sickness Chu Ye had. It was the Gardener’s Contaminated Seed, the most difficult infection to eradicate in this world.

And it was cured?!

A Healingtype mutant? What rank? A-rank or S-rank?!

There's an S-rank Healingtype mutant at the Pollution Prevention Center?!

"The captain must be in the crystal forest over there! That’s where the central tree of the Crystal Tree is. The Gardener has always wanted to turn him into the heart of the Crystal Tree!"

He suddenly perked up, his eyes filled with excitement. "Hurry over there! The captain is still alive, but he’s in danger. If this gentleman is here, he’ll definitely be fine!"

Li Zhiyan nodded. A few seconds later, Li Zhiyan spoke up, as if he'd just remembered something.

"Lu Zizheng?"

The man was stunned into silence by Li Zhiyan’s words and nodded after a few seconds. "It’s me. I didn’t expect Mr. Li to still remember my name."

"Actually, I don’t really remember, but Chu Ye mentioned it so many times that it stuck."

The man fell silent, lowering his head. "Mr. Li, I remember your Talent can burn away all contamination, right?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Burn this place down."

"Everyone here—though you can’t really call us people—we’re just byproducts of contamination. Living is more painful than dying for us."

The Terrifying Botanical Garden isn’t a good place. The Gardener got stuck with such a title because of his extreme cruelty.

Lu Zizheng clearly understood that he was just a doppelgänger. The real Lu Zizheng had long since died, providing the nutrients for this doppelgänger to grow. But he had inherited Lu Zizheng’s memories and emotions, becoming something more human than a human.

He couldn’t leave this jungle. Relying on mental links to search for companions, he could only listen to their wails.

They were turned into all sorts of strange plants by the Gardener, each fused with plants while still alive, doomed to a conscious death.

Helpless.

Li Zhiyan thought for a moment. "Let Chu Ye make the decision."

Lu Zizheng sharply raised his head. "Mr. Li, no!"

"The captain definitely wouldn’t have the heart. He’s always been..."

"But he has the right to know." Li Zhiyan spread his hands. "You’re his team member, not mine. Technically, he's responsible for you, not me. So I have to let him decide. Wait here. I’ll bring him over later."

"Doctor Shen, let’s go."

Li Zhiyan just ignored Lu Zizheng’s objections and turned to leave.

Shen Ji watched Li Zhiyan leave from behind and whispered to Lu Zizheng, "He’s actually quite annoying, right?"

"Shen Ji, I heard that."

"I didn’t say anything."

Shen Ji slipped his hands into the pockets of his dark blue work uniform and turned to follow Li Zhiyan.

He stood beside Li Zhiyan, walking with him in the direction Lu Zizheng had pointed out.

Shen Ji actually understood what Li Zhiyan meant.

Yes, he damn well understood what Li Zhiyan was thinking.

This guy was thinking, *But Chu Ye would want to know.*

Even if they had to destroy this doppelgänger area later, even if they knew Chu Ye would be both thrilled and heartbroken to see the doppelgängers, even if the doppelgängers were, at best, just shadows of the teammates Chu Ye had lost.

Even so, Chu Ye would definitely want to see him.

/

The Gardener’s botanical garden was huge, extremely large. The garden was filled with all sorts of chaotic plants, and the plants were generally very tall, blocking out the sky.

Just then, Li Zhiyan suddenly looked up at the sky.

Shen Ji followed his gaze, and a drop of water splashed the corner of his eye.

He wiped it away, then reached out his hand as water droplets fell into his palm.

"Is it raining?"

Li Zhiyan’s expression twisted in disgust.

He still hated rain so much.

'Huh, could it be that the Gardener figured out on his own that Li Zhiyan, this butterfly, hates rain?'

"Completely wrong. This isn’t rain; it’s an automatic irrigation system," the system said gleefully. "Did you forget? This is a botanical garden. Of course, it needs regular watering. Doesn’t the lawn next to your residential area get irrigated regularly?"

"My dislike for the Gardener has reached a new level."

Li Zhiyan had long since tossed his hat aside and certainly wouldn’t carry a raincoat in a Pollution Zone. With the water pouring down, he had nowhere to hide. Droplets landed on his white hair, soaking it until it clung together in wet clumps.

His face soured.

Shen Ji sighed, took off his dark blue work jacket, and draped it over his head from behind as Li Zhiyan searched for shelter.

Li Zhiyan blinked and turned to look at Shen Ji.

"Keep it. At least it’ll block some rain."

Li Zhiyan stared at Shen Ji for a long moment. After a moment, he tilted his head under the jacket and asked, "What about you?"

"I’m not like you."

Shen Ji stood in the rain and shrugged. "I don’t hate the rain. Getting drenched doesn’t bother me."

Of course, mushrooms thrive in warm, damp places and the rain. Every time it rained, the little mushrooms would climb out along Shen Ji’s windowsill, dancing joyfully in the rain like children at the edge of his dorm window. Now was no exception—he could even see the little mushrooms dancing joyfully in the rain.

There was even contamination falling with the rain!

Bonus!

Li Zhiyan gripped the jacket, watching Shen Ji in the rain.

Now, Shen Ji was only wearing a white shirt. The rain fell on him, soaking through the white fabric, making it cling tightly to his skin and accentuating his frame.

He didn’t seem bothered, just gestured for them to keep moving.

So Li Zhiyan, with the jacket over his head, continued forward with Shen Ji, though his gaze kept straying toward Shen Ji.

It wasn’t his fault, Li Zhiyan thought. Who could resist someone that captivating?

A man who loved dressing sharp, practically suit-and-tie, who buttoned his collar all the way up, whose cuffs were always neatly fastened—a straight-laced, meticulous man through and through.

Now, he’d taken off his jacket and was walking in the rain wearing only a white shirt.

The water drenched him completely, wrinkling his clothes everywhere, making his hair cling together wetly.

Transforming his usual prim demeanor into a kind of unexpected ease.

The shift was so stark, it made you wanna snap a picture to remember it.

Li Zhiyan smiled. "Looking at Doctor Shen, I guess I don’t hate the rain so much after all."

"Really?" Shen Ji glanced at him. "Then give me back my jacket."

Li Zhiyan yanked the jacket off his head, but three seconds later, he quickly put it back on.

He sighed helplessly. "It seems I still can’t overcome my fear of water. Sorry, but I can’t return your jacket."

Shen Ji rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, tucking them up his forearms to keep them from soaking his hands.

"Mr. Li, is it really because of the butterfly that you’re so afraid of water?"

"Yeah, my butterflies can’t handle the rain. If their wings get wet, they’re done for." Li Zhiyan nodded. "But actually, even before I became a butterfly, I didn’t really like the rain."

"Because after it rains, the roads get treacherous. It’s easy for accidents to happen."

Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan. "You mean during rescues?"

In the early days of the apocalypse, the Pollution Prevention Center was indeed very busy. They had to rescue survivors from all sorts of places. China is vast with varied terrain, with every kind of terrain imaginable—some missions even required hiking through mountains and fording rivers. In those conditions, a rainstorm would make things much worse.

Li Zhiyan didn’t answer, just smiled and said, "It seems Doctor Shen is the opposite of me. You really like the rain."

Shen Ji looked puzzled. "How can you tell?"

"Because Doctor Shen is very clean, impeccably neat every day. To some neat freaks, rain is the dirtiest thing—it carries dust and bacteria. Even getting a corner of your clothes wet would send them running for a shower. But Mr. Shen can stand in the rain completely unfazed."

"Only someone who really likes the rain would do that."

Shen Ji muttered under his breath. 'System, he really gets me.'

'He even knows I’m very clean and that only someone who especially likes the rain would stand in it like this.'

"..."

"I’ve told you this before—the hero and the villain don’t end up together."

"It’s only because there’s no way to avoid it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t like being out in the rain either," Shen Ji retorted. "Alright, let’s not talk about the rain anymore. Let’s hurry. Maybe there’s shelter up ahead."

Li Zhiyan watched Shen Ji’s back, a slight smile touching his lips.

But the way he stood in the rain—it was so liberated.

He was different from everyone else in this apocalypse.

Everyone was rushing around for themselves or others. Survival came first; dreams and hobbies had become distant memories in this era.

But when Shen Ji stood in the rain, Li Zhiyan could clearly feel it: he was enjoying this rain.

So good. So good.