Chapter 63: Pollution Fissure Research Institute

Chapter 63 Pollution Fissure Research Institute

The Pollution Prevention Center announced the birth of a new S-class pollutant.

The primal pollution fissure in the Great Northwest was concealed, and all surrounding areas of the pollution fissure went dark. The missing personnel included the branch of the Pollution Fissure Research Institute, the stationed guard squad, and all support staff.

This area was officially designated as the fifth major pollution exclusion zone, renamed the "Silent Frozen Domain." The S-class pollutant remains unnamed and is temporarily referred to as the unknown S-class pollutant.

After the news arrived, Professor Yang's face fell. He locked himself in his office and was on the phone nonstop.

Yang Xu is the person in charge of the pollution fissure containment facility. The primitive fissure in the Great Northwest is extremely important, so their organization's elite personnel were sent there, including students Yang Xu held in high regard. Yet, with the birth of the S-class pollutant, all of them lost contact.

The snowflakes near the research institute began to fall slowly again after stopping for half an hour. The snowflakes still carried pollution, and the widespread nature of the pollution made it impossible to isolate any specific area individually.

The authorities could only turn a blind eye, resentfully feeling the hyphae gnawing at the edges of the polluted area.

Shen Ji and Kang Xiaodong changed into sealed isolation suits and braved the falling snow to walk into the accumulated snow outside.

They collected snowflakes from the ground, climbed the high wall to collect snowflakes from there, and recorded the pollution data of the pollution fissure.

This was the regional monitoring required by the Pollution Prevention Center.

Because it had snowed all night, some of the staff working busily in the snow mutated that very night, with a pollution level as high as 79—just one step away from becoming corpses and being sent to the Pollution Harmless Treatment Center. So, the Pollution Prevention Center urgently contacted the Academy of Sciences, trying every means possible to test the snow for pollution.

After several tests showed a pollution level of only 0, the Academy of Sciences and the containment facility brought out their secret weapon: a special reagent capable of detecting the true pollution level.

After using the reagent, they finally obtained the actual pollution reading in the snow.

136.

An astronomical number, so exaggerated that the higher-ups at the Pollution Prevention Center nearly had a heart attack upon hearing it.

The Pollution Prevention Center immediately issued a high-level lockdown for the affected areas. Ordinary citizens were ordered to shelter in place and warned not to come into contact with the snowflakes outside. All three major bureaus were mobilized, with guard teams and containment facility doctors wearing protective suits to distribute isolation reagents and equipment together, vowing to weather this blizzard.

Meanwhile, the snow around Shen Ji and the others was particularly heavy, roads were severely blocked, and with snow still falling outside, they had not yet received the equipment allocated by the Pollution Prevention Center.

They could only measure the pollution level using ordinary methods.

Kang Xiaodong took off his protective visor and let out a heavy sigh.

"The pollution level in the snow is 0. Without special equipment, this pollution level is undetectable."

"Mm." Shen Ji took off his protective suit. "So, is the pollution incident that happened here related to this snow?"

Kang Xiaodong was stunned. He looked at Shen Ji blankly. "Huh?"

"That one..." Shen Ji opened his hands and made a pinching gesture.

Kang Xiaodong instantly understood. "The one you killed with your morning grumpiness, Brother Shen!"

Shen Ji: ...

Forget it. In their eyes, that's just how it is.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way." Kang Xiaodong nodded. "Doctor Chen said he couldn't detect the pollution level of these contaminated patients, even though he knew very well something was wrong with them. In the end, he asked for your help, Brother Shen."

"Moreover, this incident happened before the S-class pollutant outbreak, and it shares the same characteristic as these snowflakes—both have undetectable pollution levels..."

"So, it's very likely they were precursor reactions triggered by the outbreak of this primal fissure." A voice sounded beside them.

The two turned to look and saw Chen Ting standing next to them in a white coat.

"Doctor Chen."

"Did you know?" Doctor Chen began explaining to them. "Just like how countless animals sense low frequencies before an earthquake, or how the air feels heavy with moisture before heavy rain, various abnormal reactions also occur before a pollution fissure outbreak."

"I estimate it's not just here. Many surrounding areas have shown similar signs of pollution, but even if discovered, everyone would assume it's an ordinary pollution incident."

"Afterward, I contacted colleagues in other regions and found that one-fifth of the research institutes and containment facilities had detected similar pollution, but none reported it."

For example, their Pollution Fissure Research Institute, even after discovering contaminated patients with undetectable pollution levels, attributed it to the pollution fissure due to their proximity. They only focused on quickly finding other possible contaminated patients among the crowd, never imagining it was connected to the birth of this S-class pollutant.

But there was no helping it. Who would have thought the Great Northwest, which had never produced pollutants before, would actually give birth to a new S-class pollutant at this time.

"Pollution incidents have always been like this." Kang Xiaodong sighed. "Back when Abyss Zero had its first major earthquake, the Pollution Prevention Center also failed to react in time. Who could have predicted Abyss Zero would suddenly quake? That earthquake buried who knows how many people. It was only afterward that we summarized the patterns of major earthquakes and slowly began to respond."

"Next time, we'll know that the occurrence of such pollution incidents means snow is about to fall again."

Chen Ting laughed and patted his shoulder. "I didn't expect you to be so relaxed about it."

"I have to be relaxed. Originally, I was selected by lottery to go to the pollution fissure in the Northwest." Kang Xiaodong quickly shuddered and hunched his shoulders. "Right before departure, Instructor Cheng suddenly told me the location had changed, and I was to follow Brother Shen here."

"...If I had still gone there as originally planned—"

If he had really gone, he would have lost contact along with everyone else there.

Kang Xiaodong didn't think he could withstand the pollution of an S-class pollutant.

He felt a bit of lingering fear but also considered himself lucky.

If Shen Ji hadn't needed to avoid Li Zhiyan, and if Cheng Feng hadn't needed to quickly place Shen Ji at the Pollution Fissure Research Institute, changing Kang Xiaodong's internship location...

He still had to thank his Brother Shen!

Shen Ji collated the data files in his hand and handed them to Kang Xiaodong, then turned to look at Chen Ting.

"So, you came here to give us a science lesson?"

"Of course not." Chen Ting quickly schooled his features. He looked at Shen Ji with a serious face. "Mr. Shen, I need to discuss something with you. Can you come with me alone?"

Kang Xiaodong looked at one, then the other. After a moment, he stood up. "Then I'll go deliver the files to Professor Yang."

Shen Ji nodded. He and Chen Ting walked toward the medical facility together.

The heating in the corridor was still poor. The heavy snow and low temperatures outside made the corridor unusually cold, and not a single person was in sight.

They soon arrived at Chen Ting's small medical facility. The specially built sunroom felt particularly gloomy without sunlight outside, and stepping inside didn't feel much warmer. Chen Ting opened the innermost office door, and only after he and Shen Ji entered the office did they feel any warmth.

Chen Ting poured Shen Ji a cup of hot tea.

"I won't beat around the bush." Chen Ting sat opposite Shen Ji. "Mr. Shen, I have some very bad news to discuss with you."

Shen Ji found it strange. He looked at Chen Ting. "Bad news? Why not discuss it with Professor Yang?"

"Because telling Professor Yang would be useless. Both you and I are pollution doctors, so I wondered if I could find a breakthrough from your perspective."

Shen Ji took a sip of tea, then said, "First, tell me what's going on."

Chen Ting heaved a heavy sigh.

He frowned and said, "The contamination is spreading."

"This heavy snow hasn't stopped falling. The contamination in the snow is accumulating, and the pollution level in our research institute is steadily rising. Plus, with the roads blocked by the snow, supplies can't get through, and I'm running low on medication..."

Chen Ting paused for a few seconds.

Then he closed his eyes. "Everyone in the research institute is teetering on the brink of contamination."

Shen Ji set his teacup down on the table.

Without needing to ask, the system was already summarizing the current situation.

"The average environmental pollution level in the research institute is 33 and still steadily increasing. The average pollution level among staff is 12. Since all staff members in the research institute are mutants, they haven't reached the contamination threshold yet. But living in a high-pollution environment without restraint will soon cause them to develop signs of contamination."

"Actually, it's not just this Pollution Fissure Research Institute. Pollution incidents caused by the blizzard have been occurring in various regions outside. But you guys are unlucky—the roads are blocked by the snow."

"Without supplies replenished, it's going to be harder to endure here than outside."

Shen Ji thought for a moment. "Environmental contamination issues are likely to recur even if controlled. The isolation rooms in the containment facilities are, to some extent, meant to prevent patients from contacting the polluted external environment."

"Exactly, but at the very least, we need to ride out this snowstorm." Chen Ting anxiously rubbed his temples.

Shen Ji watched Chen Ting, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He noticed a very small snowflake on Chen Ting's hair, gradually melting into water and dampening the skin behind his ear.

But Chen Ting hadn't stepped outside the research institute at all, so there shouldn't be any snow on him.

'System,' Shen Ji called out inwardly.

"Running scan." A few seconds later, the system provided an answer. "Chen Ting, B-level mutant, pollution level 28, has reached Stage I contamination."

Shen Ji looked at Chen Ting. "Are you having headaches?"

"Huh?" Chen Ting turned to Shen Ji. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Maybe my body hasn't adjusted to the rapid temperature drop. I've had a bit of a headache since yesterday, and with all the overthinking, it feels worse today. Maybe I'm coming down with something."

Shen Ji pulled open a drawer, rummaging through it but came up empty.

Chen Ting watched his actions curiously. Seeing him finish searching one drawer and move to another, Chen Ting finally asked, puzzled, "Mr. Shen, what are you looking for?"

"Pollution inhibitor."

"That would be in the pharmacy next door." Chen Ting pointed to the side.

Shen Ji thanked Chen Ting and then casually got up to go to the pharmacy next door to find the pollution inhibitor.

Chen Ting was even more baffled. He stared blankly as Shen Ji retrieved the pollution inhibitor from the isolation pharmacy. Shen Ji returned with the inhibitor, opened the packaging in front of Chen Ting, then grabbed his hand and, before Chen Ting could react, jabbed the needle into his arm.

Chen Ting: ?!

The entire dose of pollution inhibitor was injected into Chen Ting's arm. Even after the needle was withdrawn, Chen Ting was too stunned to react.

It wasn't until Shen Ji tossed the used syringe into the medical waste bin nearby that Chen Ting jumped out of his seat.

"Holy shit!" he yelped, clutching the spot. "That hurts! Dude, you're supposed to inject people, not stab pigs!"

Shen Ji spread his hands. "I'm not a real doctor, just a regular staffer. Is it any wonder I suck at injections?"

"Even so..." Chen Ting suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute? Mr. Shen, why did you inject me with a pollution inhibitor?"

"Yeah," Shen Ji said, meeting his gaze. "Why do you think?"

Chen Ting, clutching his arm, slowly sat back down in the chair. His eyes were wide open, but he was staring into space.

As a pollution doctor, Chen Ting had already deduced the answer from Shen Ji's actions and the questions he had asked.

He was infected, enough that Shen Ji had determined he needed a pollution inhibitor injection.

After a long silence, Chen Ting spoke, his voice trembling. "What stage?"

"Don't worry, it's just Stage I."

Chen Ting breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Whew, good. It's not irreversible. Mutants can recover on their own. Stage I just means I need to be more careful."

"So you need to take care. Stop worrying about all this."

Shen Ji said to him, "Get some rest."

With that, he turned and prepared to leave the small medical clinic.

"Mr. Shen? Do you have a solution?"

"What can I do?" Shen Ji shrugged helplessly. "This is an S-class pollutant issue. As long as the snow doesn't stop, this issue can't be resolved."

Moreover, even if Shen Ji used mycelium to protect the entire research institute from pollution, it would be way too obvious.

This Pollution Fissure Research Institute is very close to the "Silent Frozen Domain," arguably one of the hardest hit. Maintaining a state where no one is contaminated while lacking supplies is not realistic.

So he couldn't just do that.

Chen Ting watched Shen Ji leave, but for some reason, he got the feeling Shen Ji was planning something.

He verbally claimed to be powerless, but those black eyes were full of 'I'll handle this.'

Pushing open the door of the medical clinic, the wind whipped his black coat open. Shen Ji was still wearing that thick black down jacket. It suddenly occurred to Chen Ting that, so far, Shen Ji hadn't once complained about being cold.

His hands were pale and cold. When he injected the pollution inhibitor, Chen Ting could feel the chill in his fingertips. Yet he said nothing. He just stuck around, handling all his tasks diligently, never refusing when others asked for help.

Chen Ting suddenly understood why so many people tried to keep him, whether it was the Q City Containment Facility or Li Zhiyan.

Because he really was just that decent a guy.

No matter where he was stationed, Chen Ting believed he would undoubtedly be the most responsible person there.

That's why everyone fought to get him to stay.

/

"Let me give you a heads-up," the system spoke up. "You might get caught, you know."

Having been with Shen Ji for so long, it had come to understand what kind of person he was.

He talked a big game, loved to act like the villain to show how terrifying he was, but in reality, he was just a good person. At the same time, he was a serious risk-taker. The word 'give up' didn't seem to exist in his dictionary, so he'd always push his luck and try anyway.

This time was no exception.

"Get Li Zhiyan to cover for me."

"We *are* the bad guys. Li Zhiyan's the hero."

"So what if he's the protagonist? He's on my side now."

Shen Ji pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Li Zhiyan. After sending it, he tucked the phone back and once again exited the research institute. The snow outside had lightened slightly compared to before, but it was still coming down incessantly.

There was no telling how long this snow would last.

Since just making this institute look uncontaminated was too obvious, then he'd make the entire snowfall zone uncontaminated. That way, no one would notice anything unusual.

"...Now that's genius."

"Enough sarcasm. Just help."

"Got it." The system snapped to attention. "Monitor shielding complete. All staff locations confirmed. Clear to advance."

Shen Ji scaled the high wall and leaped directly into the fissure of the pollution rift.

"Pollution detector shielding complete."

"High wall isolation confirmed."

"But, let me remind you one last time—the high wall isn’t enough to contain your pollution. Even with an additional layer from the Pollution Rift Research Institute’s own pollution isolator, it would be difficult. After all, you’re an S-class pollutant. The moment you stop controlling it, the pollution will affect everyone around you."

"The hyphae will help." Shen Ji stretched out his hand. "And I only need to attack."

As soon as he finished speaking, the small mushrooms sleeping on his bunk in the dormitory suddenly perked up their caps. They slipped through the gaps in the window, and the hyphae rapidly multiplied, a massive number of hyphae completely enveloping the entire Pollution Rift Research Institute and the dormitory.

Kang Xiaodong, after turning in the documents, was about to look for Shen Ji when his heart suddenly lurched. An intense palpitation seized him.

He couldn’t help but turn to look out the window. Though the window appeared unchanged, he felt an inexplicable dread, as if something terrifying was squirming outside.

It was an utterly horrifying sensation. He felt like he might lose his mind any second and start screaming hysterically.

With immense effort, Kang Xiaodong forced himself to turn away. He shut his eyes tightly, covered his ears, and stumbled into the adjacent room, gasping for breath, his whole body shaking as he tried to hold himself together.

So scary, so terrifying.

What was out there? What exactly was out there?!

At the same time, intense pollution emanated from Shen Ji. His hair instantly lengthened, the ink-black ends transforming into transparent hyphae that plunged deep into the pollution rift beneath his feet.

The hyphae followed the pollution, spreading bit by bit, advancing toward the source.

They voraciously devoured the surrounding pollution like insatiable taotie, each bite akin to tearing. After consuming the pollution in one area, they immediately moved to the next, greedily trying to make another S-class pollutant their next meal.

The falling snow hesitated for a moment. Finally, the entity on the other side erupted in rage, trying to expel this insatiable beast of desire.

However, Hui (Corruption) was a pollutant born earlier than it. In terms of power, it was no match for Hui.

After several rounds of confrontation in the air, the entity on the other side finally conceded that it had no hope of victory in its current state.

'What do you want?!' it demanded.

'Stop eating me!'

"Go back." Shen Ji gazed coldly at the sky. "This isn’t your territory. It’s mine."

'I was born here!'

"So what?" Shen Ji replied expressionlessly. "If the snow continues, I’ll come find you. I’m also very interested in your pollution zone."

The other end fell silent. Shen Ji could sense its chaotic emotions, and a few seconds later, that presence withdrew.

The sky began to clear, sunlight breaking through the clouds and casting a glow on Shen Ji’s hair, as if he were edged in light.

It had gotten scared. It stopped releasing pollution outward, instead focusing on preserving the polluted territory around itself.

Li Zhiyan stood on the street, looking up at the sky. Snowflakes landed on his White Hair, quickly melting into water. He clutched his phone, the lit screen displaying a message.

"Zhuo Yuegu: I’m going to gauge its nerve."

He remained standing there until the snow stopped, until his phone began ringing incessantly with countless people reporting updates.

Li Zhiyan finally smiled.

"It seems the entity on the other side is quite timid, scared off even by a small mushroom."

He blocked all the callers and cheerfully headed to the only shop that made silk banners.

He was going to give Shen Ji a silk banner!

/

Chen Ting and Kang Xiaodong sat side by side, waiting to receive injections of pollution inhibitor.

It wasn’t just the two of them; several others were also lined up ahead, waiting for their shots.

"How are you feeling now?" Even while contaminated, Chen Ting maintained his duty as a pollution doctor, asking the patient seated beside him.

Kang Xiaodong glanced listlessly at Chen Ting before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "...Nauseous."

Kang Xiaodong had been found by Shen Ji after fainting in the research institute’s restroom. The unheated restroom was as cold as an ice cellar, and he had nearly frozen to death inside. After regaining consciousness, he showed clear signs of mental pollution, persistently claiming there was a monster outside.

In fact, it wasn’t just Kang Xiaodong; others in the research institute also experienced similar mental pollution, each pointing out the window and saying something terrifying was outside.

After questioning them one by one, Chen Ting realized this group consisted of high-level mutants.

It was strange—high-level mutants were actually more susceptible to contamination.

But in any case, since Chen Ting himself was also contaminated, the situation had to be handed over to Shen Ji, the only one who might have once been a pollution doctor.

...And then everyone recovered crazy fast. Kang Xiaodong even regained consciousness the very next day.

And he still claims he isn’t a Healing-type mutant!

After the people ahead had received their inhibitor injections and left, the two finally stepped forward. Shen Ji administered Kang Xiaodong’s injection, while Chen Ting injected himself.

"How are you feeling?" Shen Ji asked gently. "Do you still find the outside terrifying?"

"Much better." Kang Xiaodong slumped over the table, still looking drained. "But, Brother Shen, even though I’m not scared now, I still feel like there must have been something terrifying outside at the time. It wasn’t just a mental pollution issue—there really was something out there."

Shen Ji: ...

Being perceived as something terrifying was quite a novel experience.

Mainly, he hadn’t expected Kang Xiaodong to notice the strangeness outside while he was releasing pollution, let alone stare out for so long.

"But still, thank you, Brother Shen. Thank you for saving me."

Shen Ji: ...

"He’s even thanking us," the system remarked with a sigh. "He has no idea you’re the actual culprit."

"Indeed, the range of pollution release was still too close, and your pollution is so aggressive that even a single glance can trigger a state of mental pollution."

"It's entirely normal for anything to happen under the influence of mental pollution. If you felt there was something terrifying outside, it might have been the terrifying *pollution aura* you sensed. This doesn’t mean you were wrong, but it doesn’t mean you were right either." After injecting himself with the pollution inhibitor, Chen Ting couldn’t help cutting in.

"Of course, the fact that you can now recognize your emotional state at the time was abnormal is already a sign of improvement."

Kang Xiaodong shot him a disdainful look. "Dr. Chen, you’re affected yourself."

"That’s because I’ve been worrying too much. Emotions can also influence pollution."

"Don’t you agree, Mr. Shen?"

Shen Ji didn’t even glance their way, scrolling absently on his phone. When he heard the question, he just lazily grunted noncommittally.

"So you see, Mr. Shen, you really should become a pollution doctor. The cure rate among everyone is so high! In all my years as a doctor, I’ve never seen such a high cure rate!"

"What are you talking about? Brother Shen is with our Pollution Harmless Treatment Center. He’s being groomed to lead!"

Shen Ji glanced at them briefly before turning his attention back to his phone.

A few seconds later, he typed out a message.

"Shen Ji—Can a commendation banner get me a pay bump?"

"Butterfly Spirit—You mean, me making rounds with the commendation banner around your workplace a few times, making sure all your leaders see it, and then handing it to you with a big show, right?"

"Shen Ji—...You're full of jokes, huh?"

"Butterfly Spirit—If that’s what you want."

"Shen Ji—I don’t."

"Shen Ji—Take your commendation banner, go downstairs, and chuck it in the dumpster yourself."

"Butterfly Spirit—..."

"Butterfly Spirit—How about you give me a commendation banner instead? Parade it around the Pollution Prevention Center with a big show, make sure all my leaders see it, and then hand it to me personally. Yeah right, I like that process!"

"Butterfly Spirit—I’ll have the shop re-embroider the banner with my name right now!"

"Shen Ji—..."

...He'd been beaten.

That's Li Zhiyan for you.