Chapter 70: Abyss Zero

Chapter 70 The Zero Abyss

The Pollution Prevention Center stated that Li Zhiyan was the most ideal S-Class Mutant.

Whether in terms of ability or control over his Pollution Talent, he far surpassed that of ordinary mutants. He could be considered the strongest S-Class in the world.

Only Li Zhiyan knew that he was not actually an S-Class Mutant at all.

Though he couldn't be called a pollutant, he definitely couldn't be considered human either.

He was a monster.

Even the butterfly that killed Er Gou and San Hua became his means of integrating into this world, becoming his power, allowing him to avoid being expelled by humans once his pollution level was discovered.

The S-Class Talent "Mimic Butterfly" had only one use for Li Zhiyan: to hide the pollution on him, making him appear human.

Thus, he became the butterfly, the murderer.

Li Zhiyan processed and accepted it. Life was never easy; encountering this misfortune was just his bad luck, and knowing someone like him was Er Gou and San Hua's bad luck. All three of them were unlucky.

But then, like a twist in a movie, he met Shen Ji.

Shen Ji often unconsciously used vocabulary from before the apocalypse. Of course, society had been shattered by the apocalypse, but not to the extent that everything was lost. It was just that the younger generation knew nothing about the world from thirty years ago. Yet Shen Ji, who looked to be in his early twenties, casually spoke of the past.

When he looked at Li Zhiyan, his black eyes were full of vitality, devoid of respect or envy. He simply glanced at him, then dismissively averted his gaze.

He possessed a very proud heart but habitually masked it with humility. Despite his stern appearance, he presented himself as gentle and composed.

The innate freedom he possessed deeply attracted Li Zhiyan's attention.

Li Zhiyan couldn't help but be drawn to him, to that sense of "pre-apocalypse" freedom he carried.

After realizing this, Li Zhiyan understood that he had never truly let go. For three years, he thought he had accepted everything, but in reality, he had never stopped searching.

He wanted to find companions like himself, other outliers, someone who could understand him.

Was Shen Ji that person? Was he? He seemed like it; perhaps he really was.

Should he bring it up? Should he ask him? What if he wasn't?

But the loneliness that had been stirred up could no longer be suppressed. He wanted to find someone he could confide in.

Yet Shen Ji always rejected him.

Perhaps because of his status, perhaps because of his standpoint, or perhaps simply because he didn't like him enough to keep him at a distance.

Li Zhiyan always tried to reach out to him, but each time, Shen Ji would effortlessly brush him off. A laugh was always in his eyes, not disgust, but merely a desire to keep his distance.

Distance—it was so difficult.

And now, the person who had always rejected him, finally reached out to him.

He said, "You still have me."

Li Zhiyan's mind went blank, but his body moved before his brain could react.

He tightly embraced the person who had reached out to him, feeling his warmth and inhaling his scent.

He had finally grasped something that belonged to him.

Raindrops began to fall, one by one. A droplet landed on Li Zhiyan's forehead, so he opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. He saw the dark night and strings of red lanterns on the cliff walls.

Looking closer, those lanterns were actually glowing, small mushrooms.

Li Zhiyan felt a bit cold, so he instinctively shifted closer to the heat source beside him. Then he paused, turned his head, and looked at the person he was leaning against.

Shen Ji sat there, watching him, allowing him to lean.

Li Zhiyan slowly lifted his head from Shen Ji's shoulder, but his hand, however, remained shamelessly wrapped around Shen Ji's wrist, refusing to let go.

"It's raining," Shen Ji said. "Do you want me to keep the rain off you?"

Li Zhiyan looked disdainfully at the rain. After a long while, he lowered his head and sighed softly. "It doesn't matter anymore. As long as you're here with me."

Someone who loved adventure and excitement could never truly hate the rain. He often had to brave the rain to go to various places; encountering unexpected rain was a common occurrence.

"It's just that every time it rains, I remember that Er Gou and San Hua are still in that place," Li Zhiyan said very quietly. "Afterward, I went back once to look for them. It was also a rainy day. I searched the entire fissure but couldn't find their remains."

"Then I remembered—this fire can burn away all pollution. The moment they were contaminated, they became fuel for the butterfly."

Li Zhiyan said, "So from that day on, I've hated the rain."

"I had it a little better than you," Shen Ji said, looking up at the falling raindrops. "I wasn't with friends. I was stabbed by a criminal."

Li Zhiyan looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Journalism is a tough gig. You just run into unreasonable people," Shen Ji said, turning to Li Zhiyan. "A medical dispute, a TV report. I was planning to quit and find another job after finishing this report, but I didn't expect to die before even getting started—stabbed by one of the people involved in the medical dispute."

"When I woke up, I was here."

Li Zhiyan sighed. "...So you were downplaying it before."

"Not only would you get beaten up, but you could also get stabbed. You really should quit and work with me."

"With your talents, I'll definitely pay you a high salary!"

"No."

"Huh? Why?"

"I've got savings. I'll take a year off before considering a new job."

"Then I'll hold a spot for you in advance. When you're rested and run out of money, be sure to contact me. I'll keep a position open for you, guaranteed so you can start immediately once you're ready."

"That's really nice of you."

"Of course."

They talked about everything, discussing the world before the apocalypse as if they had never "died" or fallen into a polluted fissure. They were still the journalist about to resign and the social media influencer starting from scratch. They even began discussing their plans, imagining what kind of people they would become in the future.

They didn't summarize the events of the dream again. It was like a gust of wind; they were just people the wind had blown past, understanding each other without needing to retell it.

"I wish we had known each other before," Li Zhiyan said.

Shen Ji understood what he meant. "Before" referred to the pre-apocalypse days.

"Pretty unlikely, unless you appeared in one of my reports," Shen Ji said casually. "I would only report something like: 'Man Dies in Extreme Sports Mishap; Experts Question Reckless Trend.'"

Li Zhiyan: ...

"How did I die again in Shen Ji's reporting?"

Li Zhiyan tsked, grumbling indignantly, "If it means getting a report from Reporter Shen, even dying would be worth it."

Shen Ji: ...

This guy is as shameless as ever.

/

Meanwhile, on the other side—unlike the two S-Class Mutants who were left undisturbed—Qin Changye and Gao Yuan were having a hell of a time.

Tentacles viciously tore apart the pollutant in front of him, ripping it to shreds that were quickly dissolved by toxins. But killing one pollutant didn't make a dent when faced with a dense horde of them.

"The earthquake was too sudden; almost all the pollutants in the vicinity fell into the fissure!"

Qin Changye led the retreat while shouting, "Low-level pollutants can only gain energy by consuming humans or other low-level pollutants, but the pollution fissure is an exception. It provides energy to all pollutants, so the low-level ones that fell in were forcibly evolved!"

"Mr. Gao, you have to hold on!"

Gao Yuan bit down on a pollutant, his eyes pitch-black and filled with ferocity, even tinged with red.

Hearing Qin Changye's voice, Gao Yuan slowly turned to look at him, his eyes glowing in the dark like a beast's.

"Go," Gao Yuan said. "Get the survivors out of here."

"Alright!"

Qin Changye yelled to the surviving staff behind him—those they had rounded up along the way.

There were fewer than expected, but most were still in their right minds. Those who had already mutated into pollutants had been executed by Gao Yuan.

"Everyone, follow me!"

The staff understood the stakes; even if slightly contaminated, they knew now was not the time for recklessness. They fell in behind Qin Changye without hesitation.

As he moved, Qin Changye was running the numbers.

If he were alone, he could simply hole up somewhere safe and wait for his teammates to find him. But now he had to lead so many people to safety.

Although Gao Yuan was an S-Class Mutant, his toxins didn’t discriminate between friend and foe, and could easily cause friendly fire. Moreover, Gao Yuan had been an S-Class Mutant for too long and often lost control. When he did, the toxins he released could poison an entire city, which was why the Pollution Prevention Center would never risk deploying him for missions.

This time, they were desperate enough to send him.

Sticking close to him was a huge risk.

"This way!" Qin Changye turned in a direction.

After running a few steps, Qin Changye suddenly clamped a hand over his temples, letting out a pained grunt and nearly collapsing.

"Mr. Qin?!" Someone beside him tried to steady him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Let's keep moving forward." Qin Changye shook his head, pulled himself together, and continued leading the group.

Mutants who were contaminated should avoid using their Talent lightly, as their Talent was itself a form of pollution. The more they used it, the deeper the contamination would become.

But Qin Changye couldn’t afford to care about that now.

He was a mutant from Special Operations Team Six, one of Li Zhiyan's men, and it was his responsibility to safely lead these people out of here.

With a loud crash, a massive octopus tentacle slammed down, its toxic spray instantly corroding the rocks on the cliff wall and emitting a pungent odor.

Gao Yuan's toxins had begun to spread.

"Keep running!" Qin Changye shouted to everyone around him. "Don't stop!"

The ragged group continued forward, the smell of toxins lingering behind them, accompanied by the incessant screams of pollutants.

This was even more terrifying than falling into a bottomless abyss.

They could only cover their ears and make a run for it, praying their luck would hold and they could survive this calamity.

On the other side, Li Zhiyan and Shen Ji simultaneously picked up on the disturbance.

They stood up from the rocks, the hyphae twitching eagerly, and the butterflies in the air getting restless.

"What's that smell?" Shen Ji lifted his fingers to his nose. "Something fishy?"

"Yeah, kinda fishy, and familiar." Li Zhiyan tried to recall the scent.

A few seconds later, it came to him. "Squid?"

"What squid?"

"Gao Yuan! The blue-ringed octopus! I like to call him squid!"

Shen Ji: ...

No wonder he dislikes you—you actually call the mighty blue-ringed octopus "squid."

"Let's go. He might be in trouble."

Li Zhiyan rushed forward through the rain, little butterflies fluttering around him. Shen Ji followed, the hyphae happily clinging to the cliff walls, occasionally twitching as if tempted to snatch a little butterfly.

But the master and the big butterfly were so close—would stealing a little butterfly be inappropriate?

Aww, master is good, we’ll behave!

We won’t eat the little butterflies for now!

"I came with Gao Yuan for the rescue, but we got separated after falling into the pollution fissure."

"The Pollution Prevention Center shouldn’t have sent him." Li Zhiyan said to Shen Ji as they ran. "By the Center's standards, Gao Yuan is already a mutant who has lost control of himself. He’s increasingly resembling a pollutant, occasionally going berserk and posing a significant threat. So, he’s usually kept confined in a specific location."

"Though they call it 'placement,' it’s pretty much just imprisonment."

Shen Ji frowned slightly. "Will he turn into a pollutant?"

"Probably not. Humans and pollutants are different down to their core, especially S-Class ones. Mutants generally don’t become S-Class pollutants, but once he loses it completely, there’s not much difference between him and a pollutant."

"So, are you sure you don’t want to join me?"

Li Zhiyan suddenly changed the subject. "You're missing so much basic apocalypse knowledge, and you're not claiming amnesia like I am. Someone's gonna figure you out."

"If you’re with me, I can cover for you."

"No, thanks."

Li Zhiyan sighed.

Finally, past his sigh, they saw figures approaching.

Qin Changye, along with a dozen staff members, was stumbling forward in a panic, with thick toxic gas spreading behind them.

The moment they spotted Li Zhiyan and Shen Ji, Qin Changye was on the verge of tears. He coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, and his legs gave way beneath him.

Shen Ji caught him, while Li Zhiyan pushed through the crowd to their rear.

"Everyone, get down!"

In the next instant, countless butterflies blocked the toxic gas in the air. With a whoosh, blue flames ignited and burned the gas, shooting straight up into the sky. The intense heat made everyone present break into a sweat. They panted heavily, their eyes still reflecting the look of people who'd just cheated death—only Qin Changye continued coughing up blood incessantly.

Shen Ji patted his back gently as the system dutifully reported his condition.

"Qin Changye, A-level Mutant, pollution level 38. He has been slightly contaminated. After exposure, instead of counteracting it, he continuously used his Talent, causing the pollution to spread rapidly, accelerating the increase in his pollution level."

Shen Ji took hold of his arm and noticed his fingers had stiffened.

His ten fingers were pressed tightly together, difficult to stretch open. The surface was rough with granules, his skin already reddened and cracked, as if it would shatter into a spiderweb pattern the next second and then fall off piece by piece.

Shen Ji quickly retrieved a pollution inhibitor from the supplies he carried. While preparing the injection, hyphae crept quietly along his fingers. He bared Qin Changye's arm and injected the entire dose of the pollution inhibitor into it. The hyphae entered along with the medication, eagerly devouring the pollution inside.

Qin Changye coughed again, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. The next moment, he felt his hand could move again.

Though it was still somewhat difficult, it was indeed movable.

He looked at Shen Ji in astonishment, his eyes filled with admiration and reverence.

So impressive, so impressive...

"If you're contaminated, you shouldn’t use your Talent. Aren’t you from the guard team? How could you not know such basic common sense?" Shen Ji lectured him sternly.

Qin Changye gazed at Shen Ji with sparkling eyes as he scolded him.

Boss, this is good! This is impressive!

I support you! Hurry and recruit him into the team!

With a roar, another explosion erupted behind them. Shen Ji stopped lecturing the junior team member and turned to look toward Li Zhiyan.

Blue flames continued to burn fiercely, and within the flames, Gao Yuan's ghostly figure could faintly be seen. He swung his tentacles repeatedly in the fire, each strike flinging out the gruesome corpse of a pollutant. The moment they hit the ground, the corpses began to rot and were promptly incinerated by Li Zhiyan.

This intermittent burning lasted half an hour before the pollutants were completely incinerated.

Gao Yuan sat on the ground, clearly exhausted. The tentacles behind his waist hung limp, as if completely drained.

Li Zhiyan walked over and looked at him. "Squid?"

"Long time no see."

Gao Yuan shot him a glance. "Don’t push your luck. If you mention squid again, I’ll find a way to poison you."

"Seems like you haven’t lost control yet." Li Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief.

Gao Yuan: ...

So this was your way of testing whether I’d lost control?

I’ll definitely find a chance to put a sack over your head and beat you up someday!

Pulling Gao Yuan up from the ground, they returned to the group behind them. Gao Yuan was about to bring up Qin Changye’s contamination, but a quick glance showed that everyone in the group was in pretty good condition.

Already treated?

So fast to take effect?

He looked at Shen Ji in surprise, only to see him talking to Li Zhiyan, explaining the contamination status of these people.

And this isn’t a Healingtype mutant??

Gao Yuan crouched in a corner, his eyes full of disdain.

These two love to deceive people. A pair of troublemakers.

Just then, the sound of wind came from above them. Artificial light shone into the fissure, and everyone present instinctively looked up. The next moment, they saw a helicopter in the sky.

Jiang Ying waved at them, though her protective goggles made her appear somewhat out of place.

"Found you at last!" Jiang Ying shouted. "I’m lowering the ladder now. Hurry up and get in!"

In pollution incidents, the Pollution Prevention Center rarely dispatched helicopters for rescue because most contaminated areas exhibited spatial distortions. If a helicopter encountered trouble mid-air, the fatality rate would be 100%. Ground vehicles, though slower, were safer.

But the Zero Abyss was already riddled with fissures, leaving no path for vehicles to enter.

A rope ladder was lowered. Li Zhiyan let the survivors go up first, followed by Qin Changye, and then the three of them.

The helicopter was equipped with staff who immediately conducted physical examinations as the survivors boarded. Those present then noticed that these people showed no issues—not even basic pollution levels. They stared blankly at the detected values, then turned their eyes to Shen Ji, the last to board.

Understood.

So they had already been treated.

"Finally found you," Jiang Ying sighed in relief. "The Pollution Prevention Center was so anxious it felt like a dynasty change was imminent."

Li Zhiyan asked curiously, "Who’s planning to take over?"

Jiang Ying: ...

"It’s not about who takes over. It’s that the dispatched S-Class Mutants keep going missing one after another."

Gao Yuan remarked gloomily, "I support a dynasty change."

"Who would you support?"

"Whoever you support, I’ll support their opponent."

Qin Changye, still clutching his chest, joined in mischievously, even though he hadn’t finished spitting out the blood in his mouth.

"Let me calculate who the ultimate winner will be!"

Jiang Ying: ...

I told you, it’s not about who takes over!

Shen Ji patted Jiang Ying’s shoulder comfortingly. "Don’t mind them. They’ve just used their Talents, so their minds aren’t quite right."

Li Zhiyan looked up and met Shen Ji’s eyes.

Shen Ji gave him a faint smile, his dark eyes glinting with a hint of mischievous delight at having spoken ill of him right to his face. His appearance and demeanor made it all the more striking.

Li Zhiyan lowered his head but couldn’t help recalling the Shen Ji from his dreams.

That Shen Ji, holding a camera to take photos of him, dressed in the guard uniform, was completely unadorned—just pure, raw handsomeness. The sharpness in his eyes forged the most captivating aspect of his persona.

So damn good-looking.

Is he really not allowed to wear the guard uniform? He looks so good in uniform, and his figure is so great too.

If only he could tuck some small mushrooms in his hair while wearing the uniform, just like when we saw him in the plantation before.

After a moment's thought, Li Zhiyan directly stood up, stepped right past Jiang Ying and Gao Yuan beside him, and sat right next to Shen Ji. Under everyone's bewildered gazes, he took out his phone, aimed it upward, and opened the camera app.

"Let's take a photo," Li Zhiyan proposed very naturally. "We don't have any photos together!"

Shen Ji looked at him strangely. "I don't have photos with anyone else, either."

"We’re different!"

Li Zhiyan switched to the front camera, admiring his and Shen Ji’s faces with satisfaction, then subtly scooted closer to Shen Ji. "Let’s take one."

Seeing Li Zhiyan’s enthusiasm, Shen Ji raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t refuse.

He casually adjusted the angle of Li Zhiyan’s phone and adjusted some settings. After confirming the angle and parameters were just right, Shen Ji pressed the shutter. With a click, a perfect photo was taken.

Shen Ji watched as Li Zhiyan admired the photo several times, set it as his phone wallpaper, and then sent it to Shen Ji in their chat.

Only after finishing all this did Shen Ji realize how quiet it had gotten around them. He looked ahead and saw a dozen-plus pairs of eyes staring right at them.

"You two know each other?" Jiang Ying was the first to speak.

"Was the 'love ’em and leave ’em' story fake?" This was from Qin Changye.

Gao Yuan didn’t say anything, just let out a soft "Heh," loaded with sarcasm.

Shen Ji: …

Crap, his reputation!

Shen Ji quickly stood up to leave, but Li Zhiyan pulled him back, yanking him so he fell right on top of him.

"Even if you love ’em and leave ’em, it’s fine. Who made me like you? No matter how many times you do it to me, I’ll forgive you!" Li Zhiyan announced in an overly theatrical voice. "I proclaim that I’ll only be infatuated with you in this lifetime!"

Shen Ji: …

What kind of cringey online confession anthology is this?

The system quietly sighed at the mess unfolding.

"Gay! They're all gay! So many gays here!"

"Author who rushed the ending, are you seeing this? Your protagonist and antagonist are getting together. When are you coming back to rewrite that awful ending?"

In this entire world, only the system is still diligently focused on its mission.