Chapter 48: Terrifying Botanical Garden

Chapter 48: The Terrifying Botanical Garden

"Turn left ahead, your little mushrooms are waiting for you there."

Shen Ji climbed up the slope and let out a sigh. Finally made it.

As a journalist, Shen Ji had decent stamina—after all, he often ran around doing field interviews. After becoming a pollutant in this world, he hardly felt tired at all. But the Gardener's botanical garden was absurdly huge, bigger than any ecological base in the real world, spanning entire mountains.

Yes, entire mountains.

"Now I understand why the Gardener scatters Contaminated Seeds everywhere every day," Shen Ji remarked. "With a place this big, it must need a lot of plants to fill it up."

"Xiao Ji, you sound like such a villain saying that."

Shen Ji ignored it.

After crossing the mountain, Shen Ji finally met up with the little mushrooms.

They were buried in the dry leaves nearby, and as soon as they heard Shen Ji approaching, they popped their mushroom heads out. Shen Ji quietly crouched down, and the small mushroom heads transformed into countless hyphae, wrapping around him.

Ying ying, Master is here!

We missed you!

They coiled around Shen Ji's body, burrowing into his clothes and rubbing against him like little children who had been separated from their mother.

Shen Ji tapped them helplessly. "So, what's the situation now?"

The hyphae quickly poked their heads out from Shen Ji's collar and began chattering excitedly.

That big green cake is so mean!

It's searching for the hyphae, and if it can't find any, it burns the plants!

We're hiding from it!

Speak of the devil, the hyphae suddenly warned Shen Ji to hide quickly.

Without question, Shen Ji found a patch of grass to hide in, lowering his pollution aura to a minimum, almost blending in with the surrounding plants. This was his polluted nature's most powerful concealment ability.

Soon enough, Shen Ji saw who the hyphae were hiding from.

The Gardener jumped down from the mountain, its eyes now a vicious blood-red, its expression contorted and terrifying, even more horrifying than ghosts in horror movies.

"Where? Where?!" it screamed madly. "I'll kill you all!"

The Gardener snapped a branch from the end of its hair, rubbed it, and—poof—the branch instantly ignited. It then threw the burning branch into a nearby pile of dry grass, and with another poof, flames began to spread.

The small mushrooms hiding in the grass instantly scattered and fled in all directions. The bolder ones even rushed over to gnaw at the branch before escaping.

The Gardener tried to catch them, but there were simply too many hyphae. As they ran, they scattered spores, and soon the ground was covered with scrambling hyphae.

"Ahhh!!" the Gardener screamed like a madman. "Get out, all of you, get out!"

It began rounding up all the hyphae in the area, eliminating them one by one. But what it didn't know was that in other patches of grass, countless small mushrooms were quietly watching.

Shen Ji listened as the small mushrooms continuously reported to him.

See, see? So mean!

Ying, so scary, it must love eating mushrooms!

Mushroom-eating bad guy!

Shen Ji: …

"It has been three hours since the hyphae invaded this place. In these three hours, the S-class Pollutant Gardener has attempted to destroy the hyphae 69 times, and the hyphae have successfully escaped 70 times. It is frantically clearing the hyphae from its territory, but the speed of its cleanup is much slower than the hyphae's reproduction rate."

"Why one more escape?"

"Because I counted you as one, all hail the Mushroom King!"

Shen Ji: …

Just then, another clump of hyphae was burned out, frantically fleeing while scattering spores even deeper. The leaves on the Gardener's body bristled, and three or four leaves detached, instantly transforming into four clones of itself. The clones quickly chased after the escaping hyphae.

The Gardener furiously burned more dry grass and dug through hyphae for a while longer, then continued its frantic search.

It seemed that even without Shen Ji, it was capable of plowing its own botanical garden.

At that moment, the hyphae on Shen Ji's wrist quietly tugged on his pinky finger, pointing in a certain direction.

Shen Ji looked down at it.

Something over there?

He took one last look at the Gardener furiously digging up the ground, then followed the hyphae, silently slipping away from the area and heading in a certain direction.

After following the hyphae over a small hill, Shen Ji finally saw what they wanted him to see.

It was a bottomless canyon.

Could it be called a canyon? Or perhaps an abyss? A fissure?

At the edge of the fissure, several creatures that looked like the Gardener patrolled the area, each with an expression of extreme anxiety on its face. They constantly glanced back at the abyss behind them, afraid the hyphae would invade it. Of course, this was also the only area the hyphae hadn't yet reached.

The Gardener was guarding this place far too vigilantly.

"Pollution fissure."

After analysis, the system said, "This is a very large pollution fissure."

Shen Ji naturally knew what a pollution fissure was. In the original work, pollution fissures were extremely important.

Pollution fissures were rifts that formed spontaneously after the Red Mist incident, continuously releasing pollution. This pollution was the reason many cities inexplicably saw the emergence of pollutants, which was why every city's Pollution Prevention Center had to control the pollution fissures.

Even when the Q City pollution leak incident occurred, the Pollution Prevention Center first suspected that the pollution fissure was the problem.

In the end, they had to confirm the stability of the pollution fissure and issue a public announcement to inform the citizens.

It was also the live broadcast that Shen Ji had seen the day before Q City was put under lockdown.

"I remember in the original work's setting, the closer you are to a pollution fissure, the stronger a pollutant's abilities become, and the more likely it is for high-level pollutants to emerge."

Shen Ji recalled the original content. "Did the Gardener directly occupy a pollution fissure as its territory?"

"Very likely, and I even suspect that every S-class pollutant's territory contains a pollution rift," the system said. "Oh, wait, except for you."

"A pitiful Mushroom King, without territory—Hui, aren't you going to find yourself a place to set up camp?"

Shen Ji clicked his tongue. "Listen to you. No matter how many times you call me Mushroom King or Hui, it doesn’t change one fact."

"What fact?"

"I’m human. Humans are social creatures; I need social interaction."

"Telling me to occupy some remote wilderness and settle down—are you deliberately trying to make me depressed?"

"...I’m being framed!"

Cutting off the banter with the system, Shen Ji stared at the massive pollution rift. The hyphae on his fingers were itching to move, they were practically drooling over it.

"So, can we claim it for ourselves?"

"Well, that seems unlikely," the system replied hesitantly. "You have no fixed abode or territory. Pollution rifts are grounded and can’t be moved. Even if you seize it now, you’ll lose it eventually."

"Doesn’t matter," Shen Ji said dismissively.

"Since we’re here, let the small mushrooms eat their fill first."

Without needing Shen Ji to pinpoint locations, the drooling hyphae surrounding him had already reported the positions of the 'gardeners.' Shen Ji simply had to take a detour. Soon, under the gaze of countless eyes, he successfully reached the edge of the rift.

Standing there, Shen Ji could feel the pollution aura emanating from within.

It was remarkably pure and intense pollution. An ordinary person would likely mutate into a pollutant the moment they stepped foot here.

Even low-level pollutants couldn’t even get close to this place.

"What now?" Shen Ji crouched down, staring into the abyss of the rift, but all he could see was endless darkness.

"Try calling all your hyphae over to cover this pollution rift together."

The system explained, "You might not have been able to do it before, but now you should be capable. You’re getting more used to your pollutant body, and for an S-class pollutant, this is a very ordinary ability."

"Feel them, then devour them."

Though the words were abstract, Shen Ji inexplicably understood.

He sensed the pollution aura around him and began drawing on the pollution within his body.

No longer hiding the pollution, he released it entirely. No more disguises, only a return to his original form.

No longer entrusting the small mushrooms to manage it, he took it all back.

Shen Ji opened his eyes, his pale pupils dancing with silver threads. Small mushrooms sprouted from the ends of his hair, which grew longer and longer until it touched the ground. The hyphae crawled along his hair, weaving together and finally rooting themselves in the soil.

Hyphae from every corner of the plantation all emerged from the soil. After a brief pause, they swiftly swarmed in this direction.

What kind of numbers were there? No one could say for sure, because anyone who witnessed it would describe it as a sea of white swallowing the whole mountain.

They flowed, converging on one spot.

In the distance, the gardener’s eyes shot wide open, its pupils contracting like a startled cat.

It was stunned by the sheer amount of pollution, and after the shock came pure rage.

"Reporter?!"

"That’s my territory!"

Just as the gardener was about to charge back, a butterfly suddenly appeared before it. The gardener remembered this thing and quickly retreated, so its branches wouldn’t get burned again.

It turned back with a snarling face.

In the dimly lit plantation, Li Zhiyan’s blue pupils seemed to glow. He stood there, surrounded by glowing blue butterflies.

"I told you already," Li Zhiyan said expressionlessly. "His name isn’t Reporter."

"Stop getting it wrong."

"The protagonist and the gardener are in a standoff."

/

Shen Ji didn’t ask any questions; he just stared at the pollution rift before him.

The hyphae gathered here, carrying vast amounts of pollution as they expanded inch by inch, eating into the pollution rift. Wherever they corroded, they staked their claim, not just devouring but also leaving their mark. The more marks they left, the more restless the surroundings became.

"Having its territory marked by another pollutant is driving the gardener insane with rage, but the protagonist won’t let it leave."

"The hero’s holding his own—let’s take this chance to keep chowing down!"

The sensation of feeding felt good—surprisingly so. Shen Ji even understood why the hyphae were always feasting.

It wasn’t just about fullness. With the growth of pollution came a sense of security and intense satisfaction. Shen Ji felt his abilities growing stronger, countless ideas racing through his head. Though he didn’t know why, each one seemed to pump him up.

What should he do?

What should I try next?

After devouring the pollution in this rift, what else could he eat? The gardener? Right, there was still an S-class pollutant to consume.

Devour everything!

"Shen Ji?" the system called out to him.

"Your condition seems off?" the system asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

Endless pollution poured into Shen Ji’s body. His silver left eye gradually turned blood-red, and a fierce, savage aura emanated from him, even more intense than the pollution before.

This reminded the system of the pollutant Hui from the original story.

Hui, an S-class pollutant, born cruel and cold. It was the pollutant representing "Gluttony," though its name wasn’t "Gluttony" but "Hui." It was a pollutant as difficult to cleanse as stubborn stain because, no matter how weak it became, it could slowly eat its way back to S-class.

Hui possessed the author-given 'rationality.' If the gardener’s intellect was equivalent to a middle schooler’s, Hui’s thought processes were those of a fully mature adult.

Thus, only Hui could conceive of 'hiding among humans.'

"Hey? Shen Ji?!"

Shen Ji slowly reached out, testing how far he could lean his entire body into the pollution rift.

Just then, someone suddenly grabbed Shen Ji’s hand.

Shen Ji turned and locked eyes with him.

Li Zhiyan pulled him back, "We can't go any further in."

"...Li Zhiyan?"

"This is a Primordial Rift. The pollution it produces is extremely volatile. Taking in too much will affect you."

Shen Ji did not resist. He watched Li Zhiyan, allowing him to pull himself out of the rift's range. Blue butterflies illuminated the path like tiny lanterns. Li Zhiyan dragged him completely out of the influence of the pollution rift.

"The original work hasn't covered pollution rifts yet," the system interjected. "What is a Primordial Rift?"

Li Zhiyan couldn't hear the system, but he explained anyway.

"After the Red Mist incident, pollution rifts began to appear in the world. So far, five Primordial Rifts have been confirmed. Each of the four major pollution forbidden zones has one, and the last one is in the polluted area of the Great Northwest. That place is a desert; no one dared to enter it anyway."

"The pollution essence from Primordial Rifts is extremely intense and unique. It is the source of pollution and can also affect pollution."

Li Zhiyan looked at Shen Ji helplessly. "Are you really from this time period?"

"Whether it's pollution or humans, you're clueless about the basics?"

"This is the first time I've seen such a reckless feeding method."

Shen Ji didn't answer. He just stared at Li Zhiyan.

This person... looked delicious. Even more delicious than that pollution rift.

Shen Ji had always been someone who acted on his impulses. Catching Li Zhiyan off guard, he pushed him down. For some reason, Li Zhiyan didn't resist and allowed himself to be pinned.

Li Zhiyan's azure eyes held confusion.

Shen Ji placed his hand on Li Zhiyan's neck—a precarious position.

He finally spoke.

"I should..." Shen Ji said in a hoarse voice, "eliminate you."

"...?!"

Li Zhiyan was stunned.

This side of Shen Ji was a bit strange.

Hyphae covered Li Zhiyan's legs. He could feel those chill tendrils coiling around his body. Shen Ji was dangerously close; his black hair hung over Li Zhiyan's face, its feel identical to the hyphae.

Those red and silver heterochromatic eyes, when they met his, carried a terrifying aura.

It was only then that Li Zhiyan truly realized: the person before him, Shen Ji, seemed to genuinely be a Contaminant—and an extremely powerful one at that.

Li Zhiyan reached out and grabbed his hair. The pulling sensation made Shen Ji flinch slightly.

He seemed to particularly dislike having his hair pulled.

Seeing Shen Ji's disgusted expression, Li Zhiyan finally laughed.

"What an honor."

Li Zhiyan said, "But shouldn't we handle another matter first?"

Shen Ji looked up. To his left, the Gardener's figure glimmered faintly. But in an instant, the hyphae lashed upward, leaving a white trail. The next moment, the Gardener was impaled. The hyphae consumed it soundlessly.

Li Zhiyan couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

Even though it was just an avatar of the Gardener, to dispatch it so simply and quickly...

What kind of ferocious little mushroom is this?!

After dealing with the nuisance, Shen Ji bent down to feed. But before he could open his mouth, Li Zhiyan pinned him and yanked him into a hold.

So Shen Ji bit nothing but air.

"Hey!" Shen Ji wriggled free from his arms. "Food shouldn't fight back."

"Is it polite to arbitrarily decide someone is food?" Li Zhiyan wasn't scared at all. "I can't restrain the Gardener for long. You almost ripped its rift open; it must despise you utterly now."

Shen Ji hissed in annoyance.

"Isn't this thing finders keepers?"

"..."

Li Zhiyan: ...

How was he supposed to save this little mushroom who had become somewhat addled after eating pollution?

Or had our dear reporter Shen Ji's wits been polluted by the little mushroom's IQ after the hyphae retreated?

"Shen Ji," the system called him. "Are you thinking clearly right now? You're not actually an idiot now, are you?"

'You're the idiot,' Shen Ji retorted instinctively.

After rebutting, he sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to process his thoughts. His thoughts slowly returned, including his identity and what he was currently doing.

Alright, the pollution in the pollution rift really wasn't that easy to digest.

It made him thoroughly muddled.

Shen Ji got to his feet. It was only after standing that he realized his hair had grown excessively long. He gave it a pull, and it cascaded down with a whisper, turning into hyphae. The hyphae quickly burrowed into the soil and vanished from sight.

"Amazing!" Li Zhiyan said enviously. "Your hair can make a getaway!"

Shen Ji: ...

"You have no idea how difficult it is to maintain long hair."

Li Zhiyan began to complain. "Even though it doesn't need washing, it tangles itself. Every time I deal with tangles, I feel like shearing it all off."

Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan with disdain. Seeing that look, Li Zhiyan knew he had regained his senses.

It was far too fast.

Massively devouring the violent pollution from the pollution rift caused some loss of control in behavior, but he could return to normal in a short time.

This was a form of Contaminant Li Zhiyan had never seen before. He couldn't match Shen Ji to any pollution he knew of.

S-class, devours pollution, can control his own pollution so it doesn't infect humans, has sufficiently mature intelligence, and doesn't display abnormal states.

Such a special case, and he actually encountered it.

His luck was just too good.

At that very moment, amidst the rain of butterflies, the Gardener finally broke through.

It was a complete mess, covered in scorch marks everywhere, even its hair had been singed into a frizzy mess from the extreme heat, and all the branches on its back had been baked dry.

With no time to care about its condition, the Gardener plunged into the contamination rift, its head still covered in butterfly wings.

The disturbance was too great; Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan instinctively turned to look.

The Gardener could sense its clones, stationed around the contamination rift, dying one by one. The various plants it had cultivated were also being uprooted and destroyed root and stem, with broken roots scattered everywhere.

Seeing its botanical garden now torn to shreds and thrown into chaos, the Gardener’s face grew increasingly twisted and terrifying.

"Reporter!"

With the Gardener’s fury, thick black mist continuously billowed out from the contamination rift, swallowing the Gardener whole. The mist formed a massive human face in the air, instantly spreading outward in an instant.

"You shameless bastards!"

The Gardener cursed loudly: "Two against one! You have no fighting etiquette!"

"You're not welcome in my garden!"

Li Zhiyan looked amused. "Why can’t it be two against one? It's efficient. Are you just upset because you don’t have a partner?"

"So you have no friends."

"What's martial virtue anyway? Can you eat it?"

Gardener: ...

Shen Ji closed his eyes. 'That's so shameless.'

'How did someone this shameless even become the protagonist?'

"...Why reason with a contaminant? Humanity has managed to hold its ground against contaminants despite all disadvantages by overwhelming them with numbers. There are many contaminants, but even more humans. Plus, humans can invent weapons that counter contamination, which is what ensures our survival."

"Being a little shameless fits the values of this era."

"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 contaminant born from this contamination rift."

Li Zhiyan explained calmly, "Every contamination rift spawns contaminants, including the five original rifts. Normally, the location of an original rift becomes the territory and domain of the contaminant. Born from the contamination rift, they naturally merge with it seamlessly."

"So what you did earlier... can roughly be imagined as competing with the Gardener for its mother."

Shen Ji: ...

Better not to explain.

"More than that, I’m worried about how we’re going to stage our deaths."

The system said worriedly, "Now the Gardener is here, the protagonist is here too. Our goal was to devour the Gardener and fake our deaths in front of the protagonist. Can we still manage that?"

'I believe in your abilities, all-powerful system. You can definitely find a perfect way to stage our deaths!'

"Otherwise, why don’t you just marry into their side? Since both of you are shameless, you might as well form a marriage alliance."

Shen Ji: ...

'System, if you had a physical form, I’d definitely smack you.'