Chapter 62: Pollution Fissure Research Institute

Chapter 62: Pollution Fissure Research Institute

The snow fell heavier and heavier, thick flakes quickly blanketing people in white almost instantly.

Shen Ji and Kang Xiaodong returned to the research institute, brushing the snow off their clothes and shucking off their isolation suits. The two stood by the window watching the wind and snow outside as the sky grew darker and darker.

"It's so cold," Kang Xiaodong said.

His breath came out in white puffs, his face flushed red from the cold, so he began rubbing his hands briskly over his cheeks.

"Let's get someplace with heat."

"Alright."

Before they left, Shen Ji took one last look through the glass at the small mushrooms hanging on the high wall. The small mushrooms were still sound asleep, completely oblivious to the wind and snow outside. They even swayed in the wind like they were on rocking beds, looking like they were sleeping comfortably—or maybe they hadn't even noticed yet the sudden drop in temperature.

Are the little ones not afraid of the cold anymore?

Still worried about the small mushrooms, Shen Ji headed back to the office with Kang Xiaodong.

The office was unusually crowded, with many people still coming in. Most had been forced to return because the heavy snow had halted their inspection and survey work.

"This snow is really heavy. The forecast didn't say anything about this."

"The weather report being wrong is nothing new. Ever since the apocalypse, the weather changes every day. Who knows what caused it to suddenly snow like this?"

"Are we still doing the inspections?"

"Let's just wait for the snow to stop first."

Kang Xiaodong came over with two cups of hot tea and handed one to Shen Ji.

Shen Ji thanked him and took it, feeling the heat from the tea seep into his fingertips.

"I hope the supply shipment won't run into any trouble," Kang Xiaodong sighed as he sat down beside him.

"We're already out in the middle of nowhere. If the roads get blocked by heavy snow and basic supplies can't get through, we'll be stuck here with no way to call for help."

Shen Ji looked at him. "Didn't we stock up on some supplies?"

"Because the research institute isn't finished yet. This is a new type of pollution fissure, and its effects are still strong. We were planning to reduce its impact before continuing to build the branch." Kang Xiaodong blew on his tea and took a sip; he smacked his lips. "But there aren't many of us here, so things probably won't get too bad."

Shen Ji nodded and took a sip from his own cup.

Just then, *ding*—his phone chimed, followed by several other people's phones ringing out with notifications.

Shen Ji pulled out his phone and opened it. A stranger wanted to add him as a friend.

Who's this?

Before Shen Ji could click to view their profile, his phone chimed again. Then he realized it was probably the group chat.

So he clicked into the group chat and immediately saw an "argument" going on inside.

"Huang Jining: Young man, can you accept my friend request? There's something I'd like to discuss with you. @Shen Ji"

"Cheng Feng: ? Why's this old timer still in the group? Why haven't you kicked him out yet? @Yang Xu"

"Yang Xu: …"

"Cheng Feng: Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Xiao Ji is an employee of our Pollution Harmless Treatment Center."

"Huang Jining: Then you're being presumptuous. Mr. Shen's records are still kept at the Q City Shelter. Based on the timeline, Mr. Shen was originally a doctor at our shelter."

"Cheng Feng: This Xiao Ji is not that Xiao Ji! @Yang Xu, Old Yang, back me up here!"

"Yang Xu: Xiao Ji's identification documents are indeed up to standard. He was hired properly, with no past identity issues."

"Huang Jining: I don't buy that! @Shen Ji, young man, the Q City Shelter has always kept a position open for you. You have to come back for a visit!"

Shen Ji: ...

"Whoa," Kang Xiaodong muttered under his breath next to him. "Three Heroes vs. Lü Bu?"

Shen Ji couldn't help but glance at him. "Where'd you pick *that* up? That doesn't really fit here."

"Really?" Kang Xiaodong scratched his head. "Won't use it that way again."

"Yang Xu: You two, knock it off in the group chat. There are plenty of people watching! Take your argument to private messages."

"Yang Xu removed 'Huang Jining' from the group chat; Yang Xu removed 'Cheng Feng' from the group chat."

After kicking them out, Yang Xu began deleting the messages one by one. Fortunately, not much time had passed and there weren't many messages, so soon the entire chat was filled with nothing but system notices about deleted messages.

Kang Xiaodong looked from Shen Ji to the group chat and back again, and finally chose to continue drinking his tea.

He thought of the saying—being first has its advantages—and he and Brother Shen were partners. He sure wasn't gonna let Brother Shen get snatched away by the shelter!

As he watched the heavy snow outside, Shen Ji yawned.

The yawn made him pause. Why was he feeling sleepy again?

He remembered sleeping for a full day and night, and he had just woken up not long ago. How could he be sleepy again already?

Was the small mushrooms' sleep affecting him too?

*Ding dong*—his phone chimed again.

He opened his phone and saw a message from Li Zhiyan.

"Butterfly Spirit: /image/"

"Butterfly Spirit: I fed it nutrient solution, and it worked hard to grow a second bud."

Shen Ji clicked on the image. Once again, he was met with Li Zhiyan's very… practical, no-frills photography skills. Since the photo was taken from above, the flower appeared short and small. The pale blue flower, beautiful enough to seem unreal, looked like a blurry mess, though the bud beside it was quite clear.

He really gave up on making it look good just to get a clear shot of the bud.

After a moment's thought, Shen Ji walked to the window. He set his teacup down on the windowsill and took a photo of the tea and the windowsill before sending it over.

The steaming hot tea, the cold windowsill, and the howling snow outside created a striking contrast.

Shen Ji nodded to himself, satisfied, and sent the photo to Li Zhiyan.

"Butterfly Spirit: …I seriously need to hire you as my team's personal photographer."

"Shen Ji: Pass."

"Butterfly Spirit: So it's snowing where you are? It's not even the season for snow yet. If I did a little digging, could I figure out where you are based on the snow?"

"Shen Ji: Did you get wings?"

"Butterfly Spirit: ?"

"Butterfly Spirit: Seems like I didn’t get wings. Invisible wings don’t count, I guess."

"Shen Ji: …Invisible wings."

"Shen Ji: I heard the heavy snow will probably block the roads. Unless your invisible wings turn into visible ones and you fly in, remember to have your butterflies haul two boxes of supplies along."

Li Zhiyan imagined it.

A pair of butterfly wings sprouting from his back as he flew, followed by a whole bunch of little blue butterflies carrying supplies behind him, like migratory birds returning home.

Yikes, that’s weird.

"Butterfly Spirit: Although I didn’t get wings, I have a plane. Once the snow stops, I’ll fly over to deliver supplies to you."

"Shen Ji: You know how to fly a plane?"

"Butterfly Spirit: Not really, but no big deal. Someone at the Pollution Prevention Center must know how."

...No wonder people can’t stand him wherever he goes.

Just then, Kang Xiaodong ran over. "Brother Shen, bad news."

Shen Ji looked at him. "What bad news?"

"Professor Yang originally went to mediate, but ended up finding out from others that it’s snowing in many places, not just here."

"Now they’re preparing for a meeting."

Shen Ji picked up the cup from the windowsill and returned to the conference room with Kang Xiaodong.

This was the biggest turnout of people. The snow outside was getting heavier, making work impossible. Even Chen Ting had come over, and members of the reinforcement security team were sitting in the back sipping hot tea.

Yang Xu was his usual self, didn’t seem too worried.

"This snowfall is pretty sudden. With such heavy snow, we can’t get any work done. Everyone should stay in warm places for now and wait for the snow to stop. After it stops, we’ll decide on the next steps."

"Also, this snow might last quite a while. Everyone should be ready for it."

"It’s not just here. From what I’ve heard, the entire north has started getting snow. Temperatures in major cities are dropping. This might be a bad sign."

Everyone exchanged glances. Finally, a middle-aged woman raised her hand. "The entire north is snowing? How large is the area?"

"The area is very large, even covering Central City," Yang Xu said.

This time, everyone’s eyes showed surprise.

Central City wasn’t the so-called capital. It was named Central City because the headquarters of the Pollution Prevention Center was built there. It was the optimal location for rescue operations anywhere, though it was a bit further north and not entirely considered part of the north. Even Central City was snowing.

A bit of anxiety welled up in everyone’s hearts.

Yang Xu announced the meeting adjourned, telling everyone to return to their dormitories and rest, and not to leave the research institute before the snow stopped.

Shen Ji and Kang Xiaodong headed down the hallway. The hallway had no heat and was already very cold. Shen Ji saw several people shivering as they walked; even with all their layers of clothing, they couldn't keep warm. Everyone hurried, wishing they could instantly beam back to their dormitories.

Back in his dorm room, Shen Ji took out his phone from his pocket and realized it was about to die from the cold draining its battery.

After plugging in his phone to charge, Shen Ji opened the chat. Li Zhiyan had sent him a message.

"Butterfly Spirit: Central City is snowing too."

"Butterfly Spirit: Now I can’t fly over. Too many places are snowing; I can’t figure out where you are."

"Butterfly Spirit: /picture/"

The picture showed a light snowfall, dusting the ground in a thin layer. It wasn’t coming down hard, just a light dusting.

Li Zhiyan was squatting on the ground drawing. In the snow, he’d sketched a few silly-looking mushrooms. His finger, resting on one of the mushrooms, was turning blue from the cold.

Just then, Shen Ji’s window was pushed open from the outside. A blast of cold air rushed in, and along with it came a bunch of little mushrooms. They dove headfirst into Shen Ji’s blankets, shivering. Shen Ji walked over, closed the window, and then gave them a pat.

Eep!

The small mushrooms poked their heads out.

Boss, it’s freezing!

They must have been so out of it they forgot they were afraid of the cold.

Shen Ji gave them a gentle squeeze and let them snuggle around in the blankets. He sat down on the nearby armchair and yawned.

I’m beat.

He forced himself to reply to Li Zhiyan.

"Shen Ji: Why is it suddenly snowing everywhere?"

"Butterfly Spirit: The Pollution Prevention Center is investigating. Such widespread extreme snowfall can’t be good. I’ll let you know when there are results."

Shen Ji yawned again. He dropped his phone onto the side table in front of him, leaned back on the sofa, and passed out.

The small mushrooms had had their fill of burrowing. They quietly climbed down from the bed, scampered up onto the sofa, and cuddled up to Shen Ji before lying down. Huddled together, they fell asleep with him.

The system sighed at the scene.

"Clearly, there’s a big bed, but they’d rather squeeze on the sofa with Shen Ji. Such puppies."

"But why is he sleepy again? Has yesterday’s pollution not been fully processed yet?"

"I’ll go investigate."

/

When he woke again, the sky was turning dark. Shen Ji checked the time: 5 p.m., almost dinnertime.

Shen Ji got up from the armchair. The small mushrooms sleeping on him tumbled to the floor with a series of soft thuds. Unbothered, they tangled together and climbed back onto the sofa, curling into a ball.

Walking to the window, Shen Ji saw through the glass that the snowstorm outside hadn’t stopped. The snow had piled up thickly, blanketing everything in white.

"Did I sleep until the next afternoon?"

"No," the system said. "You only slept a few hours. How are you feeling now? Still sleepy?"

Shen Ji nodded. "A bit sleepy."

"Hiss, still sleepy? Then after dinner, you should rest a bit more. But I’ve found out some things. Should I report to you?"

Shen Ji took his coat from the hanger. As he put it on, he said, "Speak."

"Alright."

"Basically, the current situation is very strange. It's not just here; the entire northern region is experiencing extreme snowstorms, including Central City—where the protagonist is."

"Because the snow came suddenly, many northern cities haven't reached their heating period yet, causing many ordinary people to fall ill. With the pollution surge period already underway, the pressure on the shelters has become immense."

"I don’t recall a similar catastrophe in the original work."

This is an apocalyptic novel, but it’s not a natural disaster-type apocalypse. Instead, it’s a supernatural apocalypse caused by pollutants.

Why is the entire northern region suddenly hit by a blizzard?

"Actually, there is one."

Shen Ji pushed open the dormitory door. A few people in the hallway were also preparing to go to the cafeteria for dinner. When they saw Shen Ji, they greeted him.

Because the outside temperature was extremely low, even the heated dormitory felt colder than before. Shen Ji glanced up at the thermometer: the hallway temperature was now 22 degrees, with an environmental pollution level of 11.

"Huh? Over 10?"

"Actually, there’s a very famous example: the Red Mist Incident."

Shen Ji’s footsteps paused for a moment before he continued walking.

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, acting like he was cold, then asked curiously, "Is this blizzard comparable to the Red Mist Incident?"

"Of course not to that extreme extent. After all, the Red Mist Incident was global, while this blizzard is only in the northern part of our country. I’m just using it as an example."

The System said, "Let me think, there should be a second example. Ah, right—the Zero Abyss Great Earthquake."

"The Zero Abyss has a major earthquake every two years. This is also an anomalous disaster caused by pollution, similar to this blizzard."

Anomalous disasters caused by pollution.

"The Pollution Prevention Center is also considering whether the cause of this blizzard is pollution. They’re trying to locate the epicenter of the blizzard because they’ve noticed the snow lessens toward the edges. The blizzard area is like a circle, and since it’s a circle, there must be an epicenter."

Shen Ji nodded and walked out of the stairwell, heading to dinner.

Just then, with a click, all the lights in the hallway went out.

Winter days in the north are already short, with darkness falling by four or five o’clock. Now, with overcast skies and snow, it was completely dark inside.

At that moment, Shen Ji felt something touch his waist. He looked down and saw a round little mushroom with snowflakes on its head.

The icy little mushroom burrowed into Shen Ji’s sleeve and started sobbing hysterically, saying it had frozen solid in its sleep and woke up to find everyone gone.

But after crying, it quietly told Shen Ji:

There’s contamination in the snow.

"What did you say?"

Shen Ji frowned. "There’s contamination in the snow? And a lot of it?"

The little mushroom nodded vigorously.

"Huh? For your little mushroom to say there’s a lot of pollution, just how much pollution are we talking about? Could it be an S-class pollutant?"

Shen Ji turned around and stopped heading to the cafeteria. Instead, he walked all the way to the Pollution Fissure Research Institute. The institute hadn’t lost power, and a few people were inside. Some researchers from the Academy of Sciences were hurriedly rushing out with toolboxes, probably to fix the dormitory’s power outage.

Coincidentally, Kang Xiaodong was in the research institute. He had asked Yang Xu for the previous inspection data, wanting to familiarize himself with the work here before the blizzard stopped.

Just then, he looked up and saw Shen Ji.

Shen Ji was wearing a thick black down jacket—the warm clothing issued by the Pollution Fissure Research Institute after they arrived yesterday. Everyone had one, all the same style.

Because it was jet-black and ugly like a crow, many people refused to wear it. But Shen Ji didn’t mind. Perhaps because he was good-looking, the dark, bulky clothing didn’t make him look frumpy at all. The black accentuated his natural mystique and cool demeanor, making him appear even more tall and handsome.

"Shen-ge?" Kang Xiaodong called out to him.

But Shen Ji didn’t hear him and just walked in a certain direction. Kang Xiaodong looked around, hesitated for a moment, then followed him.

He saw Shen Ji walk all the way to the institute’s main gate. Before Kang Xiaodong could stop him, Shen Ji pulled the door open with one hand and stepped outside.

"Shen-ge?!"

The wind and snow outside were fierce, and the snow had piled up thickly. When Shen Ji stepped into it, the snow reached his calves.

He paid no mind to it and instead made his way up the high wall amidst the storm. The wind whipped against his coat, causing his thick down jacket to flap noisily.

Amidst the endless white, there was only that single spot of black.

Shen Ji stood on the high wall, gazing up at the sky. Snow landed on his glasses, so he took them off.

With his back to the research institute, his dark eyes shifted to silvery-white. The hyphae guarding the high wall awoke from their slumber and began to become agitated under Shen Ji’s will.

The heavy snow continued to fall, and the hyphae began to climb along the pollution in the snow, greedily consuming and absorbing the contamination.

"No wonder you’ve been so drowsy all along," the System finally understood. "Turns out the hyphae outside are subconsciously consuming the pollution attached to the snow, so you’ve started processing it again."

Shen Ji paid no attention to the System’s words, remaining motionless as he stared at the sky.

Soon after, Kang Xiaodong got Yang Xu.

The wind and snow outside were too heavy—they could only vaguely make out Shen Ji’s figure standing on the high wall. Shen Ji didn’t seem to be wearing a protective suit, yet he stood steadfast and unbothered in the blizzard.

"Professor Yang," Kang Xiaodong clutched the door handle. "What is Shen-ge doing? It’s so cold out there!"

"I don’t know either," Yang Xu scratched his head. His forehead wrinkles, already numerous, now bunched together. "Can he hear us?"

"No! I called out to him earlier, and he ignored me!"

"What about the pollution level?"

"Normal," Kang Xiaodong replied. "I checked earlier—Shen-ge isn’t contaminated. He just went outside for some reason."

Yang Xu thought for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Maybe S-class mutants are very perceptive. He might have noticed something we haven’t."

"Whoa! S-class?!" Kang Xiaodong exclaimed in surprise. "Shen-ge is an S-class mutant?"

"That’s what they say, but I’m not sure."

The two continued watching the figure on the high wall. They didn’t dare go out to disturb him, but they also didn’t dare leave Shen Ji alone out there. In the end, they could only stay and watch.

So what was Shen Ji doing now?

He was just thinking of something.

The Zero Abyss Great Earthquake only occurred within the Zero Abyss itself. Although it affected the outside world, the impact was due to pollutants escaping from the earthquake. Therefore, such a severe blizzard here likely meant this was within the domain of some pollutant.

What is the most intolerable thing for pollutant entities?

"Someone invading their territory," the system replied.

The hyphae continuously devoured the pollution falling with the snow, digging in and taking root. A type of pollution entirely different from the blizzard's began blanketing the entire expanse of snow.

Step by step, they were finally discovered.

CRACK! A thunderbolt struck right beside Shen Ji. The flash of lightning shattered a section of the high wall, ripping a fissure through it.

Shen Ji could sense a faint consciousness attempting to reach out to him.

'Who are you?'

'Why are you here?'

'...Go away, mine, no entering!'

Clearly immature and struggling to express itself, the consciousness was driven by nothing but a raw, instinctive fury over its territory being invaded, indicating that this pollutant was newly born and still unable to communicate effectively with humans.

In other words: newly born, still weak, and exceptionally easy to kill!

The moment Shen Ji projected malice, that consciousness immediately stilled. More cautious than the Gardener, driven by the survival instinct of something just born, it vanished in an instant. At the same time, the snow stopped.

In the blink of an eye, the heavy snow ceased falling, and the pollution within the snowflakes rapidly dissipated.

This place had been decisively abandoned by the entity.

...This is way too sensitive.

Shen Ji shook the snow off his head, turned, and descended from the high wall. The hyphae withdrew once again. Only as he came down did he notice Kang Xiaodong and Yang Xu pressed against the door, watching him. When they saw he had noticed them, they began waving frantically at him.

He pulled the door open and stepped back inside the research institute. Shen Ji asked them curiously, "What are you two doing here?"

"I was worried because you went out there," Kang Xiaodong said. "So I dragged Professor Yang along. You okay, Shen?"

"I'm fine," Shen Ji thanked him, then pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He typed out a message to Li Zhiyan and sent it.

/

At the Pollution Prevention Center headquarters, in the conference room, Li Zhiyan was openly playing on his phone, not showing the slightest respect for the person speaking at the podium.

Just as everyone was seething with anger but dared not speak up, Li Zhiyan's phone pinged.

Li Zhiyan exited the half-finished mobile game and clicked directly into the message.

"Excellent Mushroom: Northwest."

Northwest?

What's in the northwest? There's a stretch of desert in the northwest, and within that desert lies a Primordial Rift that, to this day, has shown no signs of activity. Li Zhiyan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Investigate the Northwest Primordial Rift," Li Zhiyan suddenly spoke up. "Have the personnel nearby investigate immediately. Confirm if the origin point of this heavy snow is there."

Everyone in the room was stunned for a moment, then quickly snapped to attention.

"Could a new S-class pollutant have emerged from the Primordial Rift?!"

"Report! We've lost contact with the team over there!"

"Initiate contact through all levels immediately until someone is reached!"

The conference room descended into chaos, with only Li Zhiyan sitting calmly in his seat.

He stared at this message for a very, very long time.

How nice. The little mushroom is reporting to him.

Little Mushroom discovered the birth of a new S-class pollutant, but it didn't leave. Instead, it told Li Zhiyan to prevent greater losses for humanity.

Therefore, Little Mushroom is the best person in the world.

Hmm...

Li Zhiyan thought: Next time we meet, I'll present him with a silk banner.