Chapter 67: Abyss Zero

Chapter 67: Abyss Zero

Gao Yuan was not fond of Li Zhiyan.

It wasn't jealousy, nor was it due to incompatibility or any past grievances.

He simply disliked Li Zhiyan.

Gao Yuan thought it probably stemmed from that afternoon.

Back then, his condition wasn't as severe; he could still barely control the poison in his body. His relationship with Li Zhiyan was decent, and they had collaborated a few times, each cooperation going smoothly. Gao Yuan quite admired Li Zhiyan's abilities—as a newly ascended S-Class Mutant, he was indeed powerful enough.

That day, they went to subdue a Class A Pollutant but ended up trapped by it. Li Zhiyan had abysmally low luck and was directionally challenged. After walking in circles three times without finding a way out, they decided to stay put and wait for others to find them.

After waiting like that for the entire afternoon, Li Zhiyan suddenly sighed.

Gao Yuan, who was still kind-hearted back then, asked Li Zhiyan why he was sighing.

Li Zhiyan said, "I suddenly feel hungry and kind of want to eat something."

"I want that nationally famous snack, renowned across all food streets... the explosively spicy iron-grilled squid that no one in the world doesn't love."

After saying this, Li Zhiyan asked him, "Can your tentacles be eaten?"

From that day on, Gao Yuan began to dislike Li Zhiyan.

Of course, he also knew that Li Zhiyan had bizarre eating habits—he wasn't picky at all, he'd eat anything, even poisonous mushrooms. A very peculiar person with very peculiar tastes. But Gao Yuan still couldn't forgive him for wanting to grill his tentacles on an iron plate.

When Li Zhiyan found out, he asked with genuine curiosity, "You even bite into pollutants, aren't you even less picky than I am?"

Is that the same thing?

It's not the same!

Anyway, he disliked Li Zhiyan!

So he particularly enjoyed seeing Li Zhiyan suffer misfortune. Upon hearing that Li Zhiyan had been led on and then dumped, he tried to find out who the person was that led him on and dumped him.

This guy deserves to taste more of love's bitterness.

Thinking of this, Gao Yuan began urging Qin Changye, "Hurry up and calculate."

Qin Changye wanted to cry, but he couldn't cry here. He was afraid that if he broke down emotionally, he'd become contaminated—this was inside a pollution rift, and contamination would be disastrous.

So Qin Changye bottled it up and started his calculations on the ground.

"Shrouded in mist, disasters abound. There might be some difficulties between the Captain and Mr. Shen; it won't be so smooth."

"But the difficulties are temporary. As long as no one lets go, they can still be together."

Gao Yuan's inky-black eyes stared at Qin Changye. "So, will he get dumped again?"

"Probably, maybe, possibly... yes?"

Gao Yuan was instantly relieved. "Hmm, good."

Qin Changye: ...

So you just wanted to hear that!

Satisfied, Gao Yuan went off to kill pollutants again. The earthquake had come too suddenly, the pollution rift had spread too widely, and many pollutants had also fallen to the bottom of the rift. There were really a lot of pollutants in this place. If it weren't for encountering Gao Yuan, Qin Changye would really have to drag the injured soldier with him and hide everywhere.

However, Qin Changye was still a little worried about Li Zhiyan. He remembered that Li Zhiyan and Mr. Shen's relationship had progressed right here.

At the time, he was wondering how Mr. Shen could possibly appear in Abyss Zero. Now thinking about it, it turned out to be the rescue team arriving.

Qin Changye sighed and continued his divination.

"If the Captain and Mr. Shen are going to make progress here, they should meet up. Let me see if they've run into each other yet."

"Huh? Didn't calculate it? Why?"

"Calculate other directions? Calculate what? Why they are together? Of course, it's because the boss fell in love at first sight, and Mr. Shen couldn't stand being pestered..."

Qin Changye paused, looking at the calculated results and fell into deep thought.

"...They come from the same place?"

Qin Changye didn't understand what this meant.

Coming from the same place—did it refer to their birthplace? Or the Pollution Prevention Center? The meaning was too broad.

Just then, Gao Yuan suddenly spat a glob of venom.

"What is this thing? So bitter."

Qin Changye stood up from the ground and walked over to Gao Yuan. He saw several pollutants that had already succumbed to the poison were rotting. The air was filled with a pungent smell, but after the pollutants rotted, they left behind puddles of black sludge, just ordinary sludge spread on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Qin Changye didn't see anything amiss and asked Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan looked at him with dark intensity for a while before speaking. "This thing, is a pollutant."

"What?" Qin Changye squatted down, pointing at the black sludge on the ground. "You mean this?"

Gao Yuan, after all, was an experienced S-Class Mutant. Although not all there mentally now and with poor memory, his brain was still functioning. This weird stuff was inside all pollutants, indicating that this gunk was the pollutant itself.

After staring for a while longer, Gao Yuan asked Qin Changye, "Has any of you seen [Wrath]?"

"There are no observation records of [Wrath]; even the name [Wrath] is just a codename," Qin Changye answered him. "Abyss Zero has periodic earthquakes, but it also undergoes slight changes at certain times. This led the Pollution Prevention Center to judge that there should be an S-class pollutant inside Abyss Zero."

"Its existence affects the earthquake frequency of Abyss Zero."

So, in reality, no one has observed the true existence of "Wrath."

Gao Yuan thought for a moment, then finally pointed at that puddle of black sludge. "[Wrath]."

"S-class formless pollutant."

Qin Changye whipped his head around to look at Gao Yuan.

Formless pollutants, a branch of pollutants, are a rather terrifying type of pollutant. They have no physical form; when spreading pollution, no one might even notice them. The Guard Team also finds them difficult to handle because things without form are the hardest to fight. They must find a way to give this formless pollutant a physical body before they can continue dealing with it.

This significantly increases the drain on manpower and resources, as well as the number of casualties.

Qin Changye immediately started calculating on the spot.

"What kind of pollutant is [Wrath]?"

Gao Yuan looked at him. "I remember you're only A-class. Trying to divine the fate of an S-class above your pay grade? You sure that's a good idea?"

"How could there be no problem?!" Qin Changye began searching for that sliver of truth within fate, golden threads gleamed in his eyes.

Finally, he found the one he was looking for.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Changye grabbed hold of that thread. In the next moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Gao Yuan quietly shifted aside to avoid the splatter.

"Cough, cough." Qin Changye coughed.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve before speaking again.

"Its name is **Wrath**. Uncommunicative, formless, yet omnipresent."

"The shadow is it, the black sludge is it, the eyes are it, the roots are it, the air is it, I am it..."

Qin Changye continued speaking, blood once again overflowing from his mouth. A black substance corroded his fingertips, and he began to show an expression of extreme agony. Realizing something was wrong, Gao Yuan used his long tentacles to fling Qin Changye aside while another tentacle destroyed all his divination tools.

The smell of corrosion spread through the air.

The moment the tools were destroyed, Qin Changye finally stopped speaking. He gasped for breath, looking as if all the spirit had been drained from him.

"This is bad," Gao Yuan said, his dark eyes fixed intently on Qin Changye. "I don’t know how to treat pollution sickness."

"Though I think I was given some pollution inhibitors before coming here."

As he spoke, Gao Yuan began searching his person for the pollution inhibitors.

Qin Changye kept waving his hands. "I’m fine, I’m fine."

"Really?"

"Really!" Qin Changye struggled to sit up.

He absolutely could not let Gao Yuan treat him! Every medicine the Poison King touched would turn into poison!

If he got injected, he would definitely die!

/

Meanwhile, Shen Ji was still following the little butterfly in search of Li Zhiyan.

A blue light shone on Shen Ji, giving him a peculiar sense of tranquility. This tranquility blended with Shen Ji’s innate aloofness, making him even more striking.

Especially since Shen Ji was currently wearing the Pollution Prevention Center’s logistics support uniform. The white uniform bore the center’s emblem, making him stand out like a beacon in the darkness.

The little butterfly was clearly flying in a specific direction. Even if its destination wasn’t Li Zhiyan, it was certainly near him. So Shen Ji followed the butterfly forward, and came across several people along the way.

Most of the missing staff had already fallen unconscious on the spot. But after checking, Shen Ji noticed that they didn't seem to be unconscious from injuries—it was more like they had been forcibly knocked out.

It must have been Li Zhiyan’s doing.

Although Li Zhiyan was eccentric, he wasn’t a reckless person. Whether in the original work or now, he always tried his best to do his job well, with saving more lives as his foundation. So something must have happened down here that made Li Zhiyan put everyone to sleep.

The little butterfly’s wingbeats slowed, and it even hovered motionless for a few seconds. Just as Shen Ji grew puzzled, it changed direction and flew toward another fork in the path.

"What’s over there?" Shen Ji asked curiously.

"There’s no electrical network here, no surveillance, and no pollution detectors, so I have no idea."

Shen Ji continued following the little butterfly forward. Soon, he heard a sound.

It sounded like a scream of agony mixed with a roar of rage.

The closer he got, the louder the sound became. Soon, with the help of the little butterfly and small mushroom, Shen Ji saw the person who was shouting.

He was wearing a guard team uniform, covered in mud stains. Little butterflies fluttered around him, and the man was frantically trying to catch the butterflies around him. Unable to catch any, he let out frustrated, angry hisses.

As if hearing footsteps, the man suddenly turned to look.

His skin was sallow, his eyes bloodshot and red, emitting a strong smell of sulfur and burnt flesh. Shen Ji couldn’t help but frown slightly, covering his nose with one hand.

"Who’s there?!" the man shouted warily.

"Hello, I’m Shen Ji, a support worker from the Pollution Prevention Center here to assist," Shen Ji said. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"How could I be okay?!"

He gave up trying to catch the butterflies in the air and strode directly toward Shen Ji. "What took you so long to get here?!"

"This place is terrifying! I can’t see anything!"

The strong smell was too close. Shen Ji couldn’t help but recoil slightly. The man caught Shen Ji’s subtle reaction and instantly flew into a rage.

Shen Ji calmly observed him amid his breakdown.

Because they were so close, Shen Ji could finally see him clearly in the darkness.

His guard team uniform was torn, caked with blood and mud, but he was still sweating. Most importantly, his ten fingers had melted into a single fused fist, yet he was completely oblivious, still trying to use those hands to grab Shen Ji by the collar.

Of course, he couldn’t grab him, which only made him more distraught and furious.

"Pollution level 103. He's already mutated into a pollutant, but mentally still unaware. No hope for him."

*"He still retains human consciousness. Can extreme methods save him?" "No."*

"He’s only temporarily unaware that he’s become a pollutant, but mental corruption has already taken hold. His current mental state is already compromised. Soon, his consciousness will fade completely, and he’ll turn into a full pollutant."

Shen Ji watched him, taking a calm step back.

"Where are you going? Why aren’t you saving me?!"

The man spread his fingerless arms and charged toward Shen Ji.

But soon, he tripped and fell flat on the ground with a thud.

He struggled, but his body wouldn’t move. His legs were tangled in something, so he began tearing at them. Unable to see anything, he ended up ripping his own skin off, exposing raw flesh to the air.

Shen Ji remembered F City, the last place he visited before leaving the shelter. He had treated a C-class psychic mutant at the F City shelter.

His symptom was skin peeling, flesh exposed to the air.

Fungal mycelium pierced the pollutant’s body. The man didn’t scream—instead, he struggled furiously. The more he struggled, the more his flesh tore open. He roared and cursed incessantly until the pollution could no longer sustain his body.

With a wet, heavy sound, he collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.

"Done." Shen Ji breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out his hand, and the butterfly landed on his fingertip. "Let’s go."

The butterfly spread its wings and continued leading the way.

Just then, Shen Ji suddenly turned to look into the darkness behind him.

For some reason, at that very moment, he felt as if something was hiding in the darkness, watching him.

"Who's there?" The mycelium instantly illuminated the path behind him, countless tendrils spreading across the cracked stone walls.

There was nothing there.

But Shen Ji didn’t think it was a misperception. As a journalist, he was highly perceptive—he was skilled at extracting truth from others’ words and easily detected the concealment in people’s gazes. He was a highly intuitive person.

He was certain something had been watching him just now.

The system paused for a few seconds before speaking up. "No life forms detected."

"No pollution fluctuations, no vital signs, not even a change in the wind."

"However, someone is approaching you from behind right now."

Shen Ji turned around. The person had been about to pat his shoulder but was caught in the act by Shen Ji. So, instead of patting him, they simply pulled him into a hug.

"Shen Ji," Li Zhiyan called his name.

Shen Ji blinked, thought for a moment, then hesitantly returned the hug.

Being so close, Shen Ji caught the scent on Li Zhiyan—an intense, clean fragrance like falling snow, reminiscent of fresh spring air, melting river ice, babbling streams, and little flowers blooming along the riverbank.

It was so fragrant.

Suddenly, Shen Ji realized something was off.

He abruptly broke free from Li Zhiyan’s embrace and looked toward the source of the scent. Caught off guard and not daring to resist, Li Zhiyan was left completely visible.

Pale blue blood had soaked through Li Zhiyan’s jacket, dripping from his fingertips. Each drop that fell transformed into a little butterfly upon hitting the ground.

What he had smelled was the scent of Li Zhiyan’s blood.

"You’re injured?"

"A little, but it’s not serious." Li Zhiyan didn’t seem too concerned; he was even smiling. "I’m really glad you actually came."

Shen Ji sighed. "Your flower bloomed, so of course I had to follow it to find you."

"Enough about that for now. I brought emergency supplies; let me bandage you up first."

Shen Ji pulled Li Zhiyan to the side. He remembered a relatively open corner he'd passed earlier, which seemed safe enough.

Li Zhiyan didn’t resist, letting himself be led by Shen Ji. His eyes were bright as he watched Shen Ji, the light in them even brighter than the little butterflies' glow.

"Was the flower beautiful?" Li Zhiyan asked him.

"Beautiful."

Li Zhiyan nodded contentedly. "Thanks for the compliment."

"I was complimenting the flower, not you."

"Same thing." Li Zhiyan was clearly in a good mood; he even began humming a tune in the darkness. "Complimenting the flower is complimenting me—no difference."

Shen Ji sighed. He pushed Li Zhiyan down onto a rock in the corner. Small mushrooms hung above Li Zhiyan’s head like tiny lanterns emitting a faint glow. Curious, Li Zhiyan reached out to poke one, but the little mushroom instantly dodged his hand.

"Hmph! Big butterfly! Shameless! Annoying! Won’t let you touch!"

Shen Ji took off his jacket and lifted his shirt, revealing a long, deep wound. Pale blue blood oozed from the injury, which showed no signs of healing. Butterflies continuously condensed around the wound, transforming into patches of blue flame.

"Bear with it."

"Huh?"

Shen Ji poured the pollution inhibitor, used for disinfection, directly onto the wound. Li Zhiyan sucked in a sharp breath, instinctively trying to pull his arm back, but Shen Ji held him firmly and didn't let him pull away.

"...Such a rough way to disinfect."

"You’re suited for rough treatment." Shen Ji wrapped a bandage around his injured arm. This bandage was also special, better at suppressing pollution.

Li Zhiyan sighed helplessly. "Actually, it'd be fine to just leave it. It’ll heal on its own; it’s not a big deal."

"Mm." Shen Ji casually packed up the supplies. "Next time, I won’t bother with you."

The system couldn’t help but interject, "Really? You really won’t bother? You won't just take it back and go right back to taking care of him?"

‘...Shut up.’

"Heh, I knew it."

"What happened? How did you get injured?" Shen Ji sat opposite Li Zhiyan, their eyes meeting directly.

Li Zhiyan shook his head. "Wrath isn’t like other pollutants. It’s everywhere, making it hard to guard against. I also had to protect the people who fell down, so I was a bit stretched thin."

"But now that you’re here, I’m sure everything will be fine from now on."

Shen Ji looked at him, his dark eyes showing little emotion.

They even held a hint of coolness.

But Shen Ji had always been like this.

He liked wearing black-framed glasses and warm-colored clothes, all to make himself appear more reliable and serious, to seem worthy of trust. But in reality, Shen Ji’s appearance was that of a sharp-featured, aloof guy—whether he smiled or not, he didn’t give off much warmth.

"Moth Flowers are blue," Shen Ji said. "Is this a new seed you cultivated?"

"No," Li Zhiyan replied. "Moth Flowers have always been blue flames. It’s just that the flowers on the outskirts of Moth Valley aren’t pure enough, so they appear orange."

"I think blue-flamed Moth Flowers are prettier than the orange ones."

But Shen Ji’s point wasn’t about which color of Moth Flower was prettier.

He just wanted to ask why Li Zhiyan had sent him blue Moth Flowers and repeatedly reminded Shen Ji to take a picture for him once they bloomed.

Li Zhiyan had been looking forward to him seeing those flowers.

But Li Zhiyan didn’t straightforwardly tell Shen Ji why he did it, instead deflecting with gentle answers during Shen Ji’s probing.

It seemed like he was struggling over whether to bring something into the open.

Shen Ji thought: As expected of the protagonist. He seems scatterbrained and airheaded, but he’s actually smarter than anyone.

"Seems like now isn’t the right time to discuss this." Shen Ji got up and sat next to Li Zhiyan. "Forget it, since you’re injured, I’ll let it slide."

Li Zhiyan smiled. "Then shall we change the subject?"

"What should we talk about instead?" Shen Ji sighed softly, his tone carrying a hint of complaint.

"The moment I saw you, I couldn't help but want to understand what makes you tick. I even blew off my work."

Li Zhiyan was stunned.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, his fingers twitching faintly. In that moment, a huge impulse washed over him. Suddenly, he felt a deep sadness, mixed with something else, something that made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.

But Shen Ji would probably like it. He had once said he wanted to see Li Zhiyan cry.

Li Zhiyan closed his eyes and leaned against the rock wall, his voice quiet and measured. "The journalism industry isn't easy, is it?"

The journalism industry? Did he mean before the apocalypse?

Shen Ji thought for a moment. "It's manageable. As long as you carefully investigate backgrounds and get a read on the interviewee's personality and history, then..."

"...you won't get beaten up."

Li Zhiyan: ...

So that's all? Just not getting beaten up?

"That sounds brutal," Li Zhiyan remarked, offering, like he always did, "How about switching careers? Come work for me. I'll pay you—no one will beat you up or give you a hard time."

Shen Ji met his gaze, unsure whether he was joking or serious. "What do you even do? What gives you that kind of pull?"

"Is this a legit job? With a contract?"

"We can do a contract. Or not, doesn't matter to me."

"As for what I do..."

Shen Ji wondered: What's he gonna come up with?

Shen Ji wouldn't join the Guard Team, nor did he plan to be part of the Pollution Prevention Center. After this incident, he wasn't planning on sticking around at the Pollution Harmless Treatment Center either. He might go back to being just 'Shen Ji' or find a new identity.

But he probably wouldn't keep hiding it from Li Zhiyan.

Amid Shen Ji's aimless musings, Li Zhiyan finally spoke.

"Adventure teams, extreme sports, social media influencer..." Li Zhiyan said. "Do you want to join my team? How about being in charge of filming?"

Shen Ji was a little thrown.

He felt something felt really off.

It didn't seem like Li Zhiyan was joking.

It felt like Li Zhiyan had actually done this stuff—a career he loved and was willing to devote his life to, the profession that he felt defined him best.

Just like journalism was to Shen Ji.

"So, Shen Ji," Li Zhiyan asked, "Are we... the same?"

"Born before the apocalypse in the 21st century, awakened after the apocalypse amid the pollution uprising, navigating the post-apocalyptic present with a 21st-century mindset."

"I've never met anyone who feels more like a pre-apocalypse person than you."

The air grew still.

TV dramas had nothing on this. Shen Ji had never imagined facing a moment like this—not the exposure of his identity as a pollutant, but a deeper secret.

How did he find out? When did he find out?

...He isn't from the post-apocalypse era?

In that moment, Li Zhiyan chose to tear open his own protective layer, exposing his pain to Shen Ji.

To trade for Shen Ji's secret.