Chapter 68: Abyss Zero

Chapter 68: Abyss Zero

The system remained silent, probably too shocked to speak, and began leafing through that original novel again.

Shen Ji felt there was no point in consulting that original novel—it was utterly useless, not even a complete protagonist setup before it was left with a rushed ending.

That damned author of that rushed novel! You’ve brought me to this!

"Adventure team?" Shen Ji asked.

"Sometimes I even called myself an adventurer when I had nothing better to do." Li Zhiyan leaned against Shen Ji, his voice soft and tinged with nostalgia. "Back then, my family had some money. After graduating from university, I didn’t want a regular job and preferred wandering around in the wild. I’ve really been to many places."

"I’ve climbed the highest peaks, descended into the deepest canyons, gone deep-sea diving, done high-altitude gliding, and even got scolded by a forest ranger while backcountry skiing."

His silver-white hair draped over Shen Ji’s arm. Shen Ji looked down and felt as if he could see that vast, snowy mountain.

Though it was wrong—backcountry skiing shouldn’t be done.

If he had died in an avalanche, Shen Ji could have written three public safety advisories.

"What year were you born?" Shen Ji asked him.

"’02."

"Then I’m a year older than you." Shen Ji reached out and held him, making sure he wouldn’t slip. "I was born in ’01."

"You just admitted it?!" the system exclaimed in surprise. "Wait, you just admitted it?!"

'What else could I do?' Shen Ji replied calmly. 'I could tell people from after the apocalypse that I love pre-apocalypse culture, so I know a lot about things from before the apocalypse—since they don’t know and aren’t familiar with it.'

'But if someone from before the apocalypse shows up, my cover would be full of holes.'

'Li Zhiyan must have noticed long ago. He just didn’t bring it up because once he mentioned it, it would prove that he isn’t from after the apocalypse either.'

And that moment was now.

"I guess that makes sense."

The system sighed. "As expected of the protagonist, he’s not ordinary. For all his oddness, his mind is pretty sharp."

So now there was only one question left to solve.

How did Li Zhiyan suddenly appear in this world? In the original novel’s beginning, Li Zhiyan had already joined the Pollution Prevention Center, and there was no plot involving his past. In the Pollution Prevention Center’s records, Li Zhiyan only appeared when he was discovered in Moth Valley three years ago.

Was he, like Shen Ji, dragged here by some so-called system to play the role of the protagonist?

"Impossible!" the system denied immediately. "There’s no other system here besides me, and there’s no such thing as transmigration! He really is the protagonist from the original novel—his plot and personality match perfectly."

"Li Zhiyan is the real deal. To take it a step further, Li Zhiyan is the exact same person from the original novel!"

So...

Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan, who was leaning on his shoulder with his eyes closed as if about to fall asleep.

He was originally the Li Zhiyan from the novel, the protagonist written by the author. It’s just that the author never explained his background, so no one knew he had suddenly arrived in this world.

Right, that’s why he said he was afraid and lonely.

Because he suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar world, Li Zhiyan felt fear, claimed amnesia, and didn’t even dare to tell others his real name.

That’s also why he clashed with the team members in the first chapter of the original novel—because he didn’t understand this world and had no clear concept of pollutants or humans.

He spent three years navigating this unfamiliar apocalyptic world alone, silently hiding for three years.

But how did he get here?

"Li Zhiyan?" Shen Ji called his name, but Li Zhiyan didn’t respond.

Shen Ji turned to look at him and saw that Li Zhiyan was already breathing evenly, asleep on his shoulder.

Ah, he fell asleep.

"He probably didn’t sleep at all during the two days he was out of contact. He’s been dealing with Fury + ensuring the staff who fell into the abyss were safe, so he overused his abilities and became exhausted."

"His butterfly led us here probably because it detected that a staff member had mutated into a pollutant. Li Zhiyan placed butterflies on everyone to ensure they wouldn’t be polluted and to detect and handle any mutations immediately."

"That’s why you met."

After encountering Shen Ji, Li Zhiyan’s nerves were no longer tense. He even relaxed, so he ended up getting drowsy and falling asleep on Shen Ji.

Shen Ji thought silently: We should thank that pollutant. Otherwise, who knows when we would have met.

Ding dong.

Like a drop of water falling into a pool, a crisp sound rang out. Shen Ji looked up.

"What was that sound?"

"Was there a sound?" the system wondered. "I didn’t hear anything, but I think I detected a pollution level."

Shen Ji looked into the dark sky. Small mushrooms crept up along the cracks, illuminating the area, but Shen Ji didn’t see any rain.

Ding dong, ding dong—the sound grew louder.

Soon, Shen Ji caught the scent of wind, mixed with cold snow and a hint of earthy dampness from water falling on soil. The familiar blend of smells made him realize—he turned to look at Li Zhiyan, asleep on his shoulder.

It was the scent coming from Li Zhiyan.

"The pollution level is rising!"

The system was still warning. "300, 468, 750—it’s over 1K!"

Blue butterflies formed in the air, but they weren’t the familiar ones Shen Ji knew. They were burning with blue flames, carrying a sharp pollution and imposing aura. The butterflies surrounded the two like an incredibly sturdy fortress. Shen Ji could see the flames spreading, as if intent on incinerating all pollution around them.

Small mushrooms clung to the cliff wall, curiously watching the butterflies. One even quietly extended a hypha to touch the nearest butterfly.

Blue flames instantly ignited the hypha. The small mushroom panicked, flailing wildly, and finally bit off the flame.

Huh? It’s pretty tasty.

Shen Ji: ...

"I get it now!" the system said. "All pollutants have instinctual awareness. Just like how you get angry when other pollutants enter your territory, besides territorial awareness, there’s also self-defense instinct. Even when resting due to exhaustion, they won’t leave themselves in danger. Pollution spontaneously spreads to form a protective barrier around the host."

"You’ve been deemed safe by Li Zhiyan, so you’re inside the protective barrier too. But, but..."

But why does Li Zhiyan have the same instinctual reactions as a pollutant?

"If I wake him up now, can I stop what’s happening?"

"It's best not to."

The system said, "I found in the original work that Li Zhiyan experienced a similar situation early in the plot. During his exhaustion period after releasing a large amount of pollution, he was attacked by pollutants, and his body spontaneously defended itself, forming a massive dream. He dominated the dream, effortlessly killing the pollutants."

Shen Ji raised an eyebrow slightly. "You mean..."

"To figure out what's really going on with Li Zhiyan, I suggest you go into his dream."

"Maybe then we can uncover what the original author's intended plot setup actually was."

"How do I do that?"

"By sleeping next to him?"

"...That sounds so suggestive."

"It's your mind that's in the gutter!" the system retorted angrily. "Sleeping, just sleeping! Like with the previous Peach Blossom Calamity, once you fall asleep, you can enter the dream. Li Zhiyan trusts you enough to keep you within his safe circle, so he probably won't reject you entering his dream."

Shen Ji sighed softly.

He could feel Li Zhiyan's gentle breathing against his shoulder. This guy was like a clingy person, sticking close to him even in sleep.

"I used to hate people like you the most."

Shen Ji muttered to himself, "With family to fall back on, you could do whatever you wanted, getting into mischief daily, engaging in what you thought were cool but expensive and dangerous activities. People like you always seemed like children."

"But now that I've met you, I'm starting to see things differently."

"Even in a place where you can't rely on family, you're holding your own."

Shen Ji closed his eyes. "Good night."

/

"Wake up, wake up?"

"How did you fall asleep?"

Shen Ji's eyes snapped open, and the next moment, he saw a face magnified right in front of him.

Familiar features and smile, but not the white hair and blue eyes he knew. Instead, it was ordinary black hair and dark eyes, with a neat appearance. He wore a loose windbreaker, yet even so, one could tell he had an excellent physique. Combined with his impressive height, it made him stand out.

"Oh, you're awake." Li Zhiyan smiled at him. "Are you the new photographer?"

Shen Ji didn't answer, but the person behind Li Zhiyan did.

"Yeah, he's a professional I called in last minute." The young man, whose face was unclear, was also wearing the same windbreaker. "He used to be a journalist but recently quit. I called in every favor I could to get him to help out for a few days. Li, you better pay him well."

"Got it, Er Gou."

"My name isn't Er Gou!"

Shen Ji: "..."

"...Tsk, even in a dream, the protagonist can't stop stealing talent, straight from journalist to photographer for their team."

Shen Ji sat up. As he did, he realized he was in a moving car. They were likely on a country road—narrow and rugged, probably long untraveled, as weeds had overgrown the path. Only the car's high performance allowed it to plow through the weeds.

"Shen Ji, born in 2001, a year older than me. Doesn't look it at all. Used to be a journalist?" Li Zhiyan was reviewing his records.

"Wow, with looks like yours, why become a journalist? You could easily be a celebrity."

Shen Ji looked at him. "What's your name?"

Li Zhiyan paused, raising his head. "You're asking for my name?"

"Your real name, not a screen name."

Before he could answer, the person in front spoke for him, "His name is so unusual!"

"Alright, save that for later." Li Zhiyan cut them off and handed Shen Ji a tablet displaying a document. "These are the details on our destination. Take a look first."

Shen Ji glanced at him, then lowered his head to read the document.

The moment he saw it, he frowned slightly.

"Exploration Route Map of 'Butterfly Valley'"

Butterfly Valley?

Shen Ji scrolled down. There were some collected reports and locations, but these reports were quite obscure, none from reputable media. In other words, this place might not be an officially promoted tourist spot.

"This isn't some dangerous place; it's just a small rural valley."

Noticing Shen Ji frowning at the document, Li Zhiyan smiled.

Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. This place has unique terrain and well-preserved ecology, creating an amazing natural event where thousands upon thousands of butterflies emerge here every year around this time." Li Zhiyan thought for a moment. "Though before they emerge, they're just caterpillars."

"Many people dislike caterpillars, but few hate butterflies."

But this name...

"I looked it up," the system chimed in. "The current coordinates of this Butterfly Valley are the location of the Moth Valley in the Apocalypse."

"Li Zhiyan might not have come from another world; he could be a native of this world, just brought forward from pre-Apocalypse to post-Apocalypse for some reason."

Shen Ji agreed with the system's theory.

He continued reading and noticed a dedicated weather check. The forecast for the week listed only cloudy days.

"It might rain," Shen Ji asked. "Will the butterflies still appear if it rains?"

"Not sure, but we'll take our chances." Li Zhiyan leaned back in his seat, still reviewing Shen Ji's records. "It can't be helped. Tomorrow's my birthday, and I want to find a special spot to take some great photos to post on social media and gain some followers."

"Your birthday?" Shen Ji looked at him. "Happy birthday?"

"Thanks." Li Zhiyan placed the document on his chest. "We'll have cake together tonight."

He didn't seem to treat Shen Ji like a stranger at all, naturally inviting him and acting chummy.

"Because the dreamer is Li Zhiyan, this is a memory. But since Li Zhiyan himself knows you and has brought you into his safe circle, he naturally won't reject you in the dream either."

Alright.

Shen Ji continued observing the others in the car. Besides himself and Li Zhiyan, there was only the driver and that 'Er Gou.' The driver was likely also part of their team, wearing the same windbreaker. His driving skills were good, navigating the narrow country road with various turns without much jostling.

"Shen Ji," the system suddenly spoke up. "Keep scrolling. I found something troubling."

Shen Ji refocused and continued reading the unfinished document, soon reaching the section the system mentioned.

That was an article specifically excerpted, rewritten by some obscure small media outlet that had only gotten about a hundred clicks. It was unclear from what obscure corner of the internet Li Zhiyan had dug it up.

Unlike previous reports describing the wonder and beauty of Butterfly Valley, this one focused on the paranormal.

It was a short, poorly-written paranormal story about a man who, after getting drunk, encountered a beautiful woman. He chased after her but fell into a valley, where the beautiful woman suddenly turned into a pile of insects. Terrified, he tried to escape but couldn’t climb out no matter how hard he tried, eventually dying in the valley. By the time he was found, his body was already half-decomposed.

The author claimed that the beautiful woman the man saw was actually a moth. The moth’s wings had patterns that looked like a human face, and under the hazy moonlight, combined with the man’s drunkenness, he mistook it for a beauty.

Therefore, the "butterflies" in Butterfly Valley might actually be moths, so Butterfly Valley should be renamed "Moth Valley."

Li Zhiyan had even written a comment next to the article.

"Poorly written mess, they should fire the author."

"Li Wuyan."

"Li Wuyan?"

Li Zhiyan responded with a yawn, "That's my name, the real one you just asked about."

"When my parents had me, they happened to be watching a TV drama, a martial arts series. They really liked two names—Yang Buhui and Li Mochou. They decided to base my name on those two, ideally one that could work for either gender. In the end, they pieced together 'Wuyan.' Whatever meaning it has, it just sounded badass enough."

Shen Ji: ...

What? So you giving yourself the internet alias "Li Zhiyan" is somehow meaningful?

As he silently mocked inwardly, the vehicle arrived at the location. The four of them got out of the car. A light drizzle had started, and they stood by the valley, looking down into it. But forget butterflies, they didn't see a single caterpillar.

"Is this really the place?" the driver asked Li Zhiyan. "Are you sure you didn’t get the location wrong?"

"No, let's go down into the valley later and take a look." Li Zhiyan wasn't particularly concerned. He crouched by the edge of the valley, looking at the green trees and flowers below. His eyes were bright, like a child seeing their favorite toy.

He really did love plants and nature, both in the past and now.

The light rain fell, and at the bottom of the valley was a narrow stream. The raindrops fell into the creek, flowing down with a gentle, murmuring sound that reached Shen Ji.

"Alright, San Hua, let's start setting up the tent!"

"...Can you not call me San Hua?"

Er Gou gloated, "Serves you right for making fun of me earlier. Now you're stuck with the name San Hua."

"Er Gou, stop it!"

Shen Ji listened to them bicker, simply standing to the side without joining in their tent setup. Instead, he adjusted his phone's camera settings and took a photo of the valley below.

In Li Zhiyan's memory, there were only the three of them. Shen Ji was an extra bug that had jumped into the scene—back then, Shen Ji wasn't here and wasn't part of his life.

He didn't want to interfere too much, even if this was just a dream.

After taking the photo, Shen Ji adjusted the settings. Li Zhiyan, after setting up the tent, ran over to take a look. The moment he saw the picture, his eyes lit up.

"This came out really well!" Li Zhiyan's tone was clearly excited. "It's exactly what I wanted! Perfect!"

Shen Ji turned to look at Li Zhiyan. "Haven't you told me that many times before?"

"Really? But isn't this our first time meeting?"

Shen Ji gave a faint smile but didn't answer.

Seeing that Shen Ji didn't answer, Li Zhiyan didn't dwell on it. He simply stood beside Shen Ji, staring deep into the valley.

"I absolutely love everything in nature. It's just so magical, capable of creating such beautiful things."

"Too bad I'm a terrible photographer, otherwise I'd love to record all the places I've been."

Shen Ji asked casually, "Didn't you study botany or zoology in university? After graduation, you could legally access many protected areas."

"I wanted to, but my family wouldn't allow it." Li Zhiyan didn't mind getting dirty and sat on a rock in the drizzling rain, with just a thin black raincoat thrown on. "They said I could have fun for now, but eventually I have to settle down, find a proper job, get married, have kids..."

Li Zhiyan sighed. "There's no freedom."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I don't know either. I just really want to share these things with you—things I wouldn’t tell anyone else."

"Maybe because you're a stranger?"

Lost in the dream, Li Zhiyan still held lingering feelings for Shen Ji. He wanted to lay everything bare for this other person, to share the secret he had kept hidden for three years with a second soul.

He was eager, yet willing.

"Have you ever tried lying down in a rushing river and letting the current carry you downstream? I tried it once in secret. I was lucky—I didn’t die."

"It’s such a liberating feeling. You don’t have to do anything; the river either carries you to the shore or pulls you under." Li Zhiyan was still looking down into the valley. "After tomorrow, my birthday, I won’t be able to come to places like this anymore."

Shen Ji thought for a moment. "So?"

Li Zhiyan looked at Shen Ji in surprise, feeling utterly wronged. "Don't you feel sorry for me?"

"Why should I feel sorry for you? First, we’re not close—we’re strangers."

"Second, just because they tell you not to come to places like this, does that mean you won’t?" Shen Ji had already figured Li Zhiyan out. "You'd actually listen and behave?"

Li Zhiyan stared into Shen Ji’s eyes and, for some reason, was flooded with pure joy.

It was as if he had met someone who understood him—a kindred spirit he shouldn’t miss in this lifetime. Even though they were strangers, Li Zhiyan wanted to embrace him.

He needed to restrain himself.

So Li Zhiyan pressed down on his own hands, forcing himself to hold back the impulse.

"I’ll start from scratch," Li Zhiyan said. "I’ve saved some money, and I have quite a few followers on my personal account. I can transition into being a content creator. Once I have more followers, I can monetize it."

"I won’t give up the highest mountains, and I won’t miss the deepest valleys. Oh, and I think I’ll change my account name."

"What do you think of 'Li Zhiyan'? It’s just one character different from my real name, but the meaning is completely opposite."

Shen Ji nodded seriously and said, "I know you’ll succeed."

The young man held a camera, his dark eyes filled with a gentle spring-like warmth. He was handsome, with a cool, edgy vibe that made him stand out, but at this moment, he was smiling at him, telling him he would succeed.

Li Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat. His breath caught, and in the mistaken belief that he was having a heart attack, he suddenly realized—

This wasn’t a heart attack. This was falling in love.

Damn it. Falling for a man—his family would break his legs.

But Shen Ji was so good-looking. He wanted to hold him, to kiss him.

I want to take him home, so that after being kicked out, I can painlessly start from scratch.

Lost in his wild thoughts, Er Gou and San Hua, who were organizing things nearby, suddenly called out to Li Zhiyan.

"Da Li, a fog's rolling in!"

"Fog?" Li Zhiyan turned to look at them. "What are you talking about? It's still raining, how could there be fog right now?"

"But it really is foggy."

Following their gestures, Li Zhiyan looked over and saw a faint mist veiling the distant landscape at the edge of the crack in Butterfly Valley.

"It's actually foggy?" Li Zhiyan peered toward the valley. "...Why is that fog..." Li Zhiyan squinted. "...red?"

"Red fog?!"

The system immediately freaked out. "Holy shit! No way! The Red Fog Incident!!"

"Holy shit! Li Zhiyan was actually in Moth Valley when the Red Fog Incident happened?!"