Chapter 72: Containment Shelter Headquarters

Chapter 72: Pollution Prevention Center Headquarters

Rescue operations at Abyss Zero were still in full swing, with Qin Changye, now recovered, also participating in the efforts.

Using his fortune-telling, he located Zhou Ye's position and dug him out from the soil.

Wildcat crouched on the ground, coughed up a bunch of dirt, chugged a liter of water, and then began lamenting how his expensive hair and beauty treatments had gone to waste.

Li Zhiyan disdainfully told him not to go around saying he was a member of the Special Operations Team.

Gao Yuan, who had just returned from a suppression op, crouched nearby drinking water. While Zhou Ye drank one liter, Gao Yuan downed two.

As he drank, he was happily counting how long he'd stayed conscious.

A full day without losing control—Shen Ji was simply amazing.

Just then, his wristband lit up. Gao Yuan tsked, set down the half-finished water, and answered the call on his wristband.

A moment later, an old man appeared on the screen. Those familiar would recognize him as Huang Jining, the Director of the Pollution Prevention Center Headquarters and the only remaining B-level Healingtype mutant.

Once the call connected, neither side spoke.

A few seconds later, Huang Jining nodded. "It seems you haven’t lost control. Doctor Xiao Ji really has his own methods."

Gao Yuan responded, "He said the current location isn’t suitable for in-depth treatment. I’ll need to go to the Pollution Prevention Center Headquarters for further care."

"As long as it can be treated, anything is possible." Huang Jining mused. "The old Director was right—as long as we wait, any miracle can happen."

Gao Yuan and Huang Jining were mutants of the same generation. They were partners for a while in their early years and remained good friends.

However, Healingtype mutants were far more stable than offensive-type mutants. Thirty years later, Huang Jining had successfully advanced from a C-level to a B-level Healingtype mutant and become the Director of the Pollution Prevention Center Headquarters. In contrast, Gao Yuan, once an S-level Mutant, had begun to lose control, deteriorating to the point where he was almost indistinguishable from a pollutant.

This time, it was Huang Jining who pushed through opposition to send Gao Yuan to Abyss Zero to partner with Shen Ji.

He had analyzed that although Shen Ji did not admit to being an S-level Healingtype mutant—even falsely claiming ignorance of his own Talent and rank—he rarely stood idly by when those around him needed help.

This was someone who, on the surface, avoided involvement but in reality did everything and helped in every way.

Especially after Huang Jining contacted Q City’s Pollution Prevention Center, he learned that Shen Ji had received unanimous praise. They said the young man was quiet but action-oriented, having saved countless patients without fanfare.

They didn’t know why Shen Ji had suddenly left, initially thinking he had been recalled by headquarters.

Later, when they learned headquarters had never issued any "Special Doctor Plan," they concluded Shen Ji must have had his own reasons.

Their trust in Shen Ji was evident even in their tone.

Now, it seemed everyone was right—Shen Ji was indeed a capable and genuinely kind young man.

"I can’t make it over. Since you’re thinking clearly now, remember to help me poach him." Huang Jining instructed Gao Yuan. "An S-level Healingtype mutant belongs in the Pollution Prevention Center. You must put in a good word for us!"

Gao Yuan recalled the rumors of Li Zhiyan’s reckless abandonment and the complicated history between the two.

He said with slight disdain, "You’ll have to discuss that with Li Zhiyan first. That guy with the eating disorder doesn’t seem willing to let him go?"

"What?!" Huang Jining was furious. "Isn’t one S-level Mutant enough for their Special Operations Team? They want two?!"

"Absolutely not!"

"I’m calling the Pollution Prevention Center right now!"

Initially, no one knew exactly what Shen Ji was capable of. But now, it appeared Shen Ji could even stabilize Gao Yuan’s outbursts. What did that mean? It meant Shen Ji was capable of handling all pollution-related illnesses. Gao Yuan was already the most difficult patient in the world to treat.

At this point, why bother with pride? Hurry up and recruit him!

Watching the figure on the wristband disappear as the call ended, Gao Yuan’s dark eyes shifted from the device to the side.

Not far away, Li Zhiyan was chatting with Shen Ji—though "chatting" wasn’t entirely accurate, as Li Zhiyan did most of the talking while Shen Ji listened.

The dynamic between the lively and the quiet was oddly striking.

"I picked a lot of wildflowers," Li Zhiyan boasted to Shen Ji. "Although most of them are chrysanthemums, they’re not polluted or poisonous."

"Let’s have petal hotpot together!"

The onlookers secretly watching: ...

No wonder you were recklessly abandoned, Li Zhiyan!

Inviting someone you’re interested in to eat petal hotpot? And even emphasizing that it’s not polluted or poisonous?

Shen Ji was speechless. "Do you only eat poisonous mushrooms and toxic petals?"

"You’re not eating?" Li Zhiyan asked, puzzled. "I specifically chose flowers with pollution."

Shen Ji refused. "I’m not eating. You can have it yourself."

It was the small mushroom that ate pollution—what did that have to do with him, Shen Ji?

He was human. He wouldn’t eat polluted petals.

"Xiao Ji, self-deception is a bad habit."

Ignoring Shen Ji’s refusal, Li Zhiyan pulled him along. For the sake of eating, Li Zhiyan was unusually diligent and no longer yawned. Shen Ji waited where he was, and soon enough, he saw a bubbling tomato hotpot filled with golden chrysanthemums.

...He really was eating chrysanthemums.

Li Zhiyan picked up a chrysanthemum with his chopsticks, tentatively took a bite, and after confirming it was edible, continued eating with satisfaction.

Shen Ji glanced at him, watching him eat happily, and finally ladled himself a bowl of tomato soup.

A sip indeed felt warm.

"What happened to not eating?"

"Didn’t eat it—just drinking soup doesn’t count as eating."

Halfway through the meal, Li Zhiyan pulled a card from his pocket and placed it on the table opposite Shen Ji.

Shen Ji looked at the card. It was white and resembled the universal keycards used in official organization dormitories.

"This is the keycard to my home." Sure enough, Li Zhiyan said, "I expect the Pollution Prevention Center will soon recall you and Squid. When that happens, you can stay at my place."

"Because of Gao Yuan’s illness?"

"It’s not just Gao Yuan’s illness—it’s the Pollution Prevention Center’s longstanding worry." Li Zhiyan ate another chrysanthemum. "The higher the level of a mutant, the shorter their lifespan. Over the past thirty years, there have been more than three S-level mutants, but almost all of them died young due to excessive pollution. Only three remain, and Gao Yuan is the only one who has lasted thirty years."

"Even if he’s been in a half-awake state until now, at least he’s still alive."

"Now that they know you can control his condition, the Pollution Prevention Center is probably setting off fireworks in celebration."

Li Zhiyan often argued with the higher-ups of the Pollution Prevention Center, even cursing them out when he got really angry, but he never let emotions cloud his judgment on big issues.

Of course, he wanted to stash Shen Ji away, but Shen Ji was just too outstanding—there was no way to keep him hidden.

Ah, well, being so exceptional that you're irreplaceable is another form of self-protection.

Shen Ji picked up the room key on the table. It simply bore Li Zhiyan's name, and the familiar handwriting told him it was signed by Li Zhiyan himself.

Does a key need a signature?

"Force of habit," Li Zhiyan answered, as if sensing his confusion. "Earlier, when I was adventuring, I used to lose things all the time, and they were never found. I read some superstition online that said if you sign your name on your belongings to let them know who their owner is, they’re less likely to get lost."

"Not sure if it’s just a placebo effect, but after I started signing things, I did lose fewer items. So even now, I habitually sign my name on my things."

His signature had changed from Li Wuyan to Li Zhiyan, and at first, he'd sometimes still sign wrong. Luckily, "Wu" was simple and easy to correct to "Zhi."

Shen Ji glanced at the key card in his hand, then at Li Zhiyan.

"The Pollution Prevention Center will arrange a dorm for me."

At that, Li Zhiyan looked at him. "Don't you want to stay at my place?"

"Why would I stay at your place?"

"My home has lots of flowers," Li Zhiyan began selling him on the benefits of staying with him. "And plenty of nice decorations too. I’ve collected quite a few things over the past three years..."

Li Zhiyan met Shen Ji’s gaze and could easily see the teasing glint in his dark eyes.

He understood everything—he was just doing it on purpose.

Li Zhiyan clicked his tongue.

"Fine," Li Zhiyan leaned back in his chair. "I’ll be blunt: I just want you to sleep at my place."

"I want to be tied to you. You said you’d take me with you—you can’t abandon me now."

Shen Ji feigned confusion. "Do I even know you? Why would I sleep at a stranger’s house? Talk like that again and I'm calling the police."

"Go ahead. At most, you’ll just get through to my phone."

"I’ll hire a hacker to block all your contacts except mine."

Li Zhiyan rambled on, "Then you’ll have no choice but to call only me."

"As if," the system retorted huffily. "No hacker can block your number without getting past me!"

"Shen Ji, reject him hard! Put him in his place!"

Shen Ji mentally clicked his tongue.

Why couldn’t the system understand? People’s hearts have biases, and his had long been leaning toward the protagonist.

Right now, he was just teasing Li Zhiyan, not deliberately bullying him.

"...You... I... He, whatever."

Sure enough, right after Li Zhiyan finished his barely edible petal hotpot, the order from the Pollution Prevention Center came down.

The Pollution Prevention Center wanted to hand the Zero Abyss over to Li Zhiyan to handle. Gao Yuan would return to the center for continued isolation, and Shen Ji would be responsible for Gao Yuan’s treatment. Of course, they offered Shen Ji a long list of conditions and didn’t even pressure him to join a department, afraid he might turn around and run off.

How precious was an S-class Healing-type mutant? He’d even run off right in front of Li Zhiyan, and Li Zhiyan had barely managed to catch him.

What else could they do?

They could only try to tempt him covertly.

After boarding the helicopter back to the Pollution Prevention Center with Gao Yuan, Shen Ji sat in the back. After fastening his seatbelt, he glanced out the window and saw Li Zhiyan watching him from not far away.

Those pale blue eyes held no regret or longing—he was just calmly observing the helicopter, as if locking eyes with Shen Ji through the aircraft.

After a moment, Shen Ji looked around. "Does anyone have a pen?"

"A pen?" The staff glanced at each other, and finally, the record-keeping worker pulled seven or eight black pens from his pocket.

Everyone: ...

So it was you who quietly swiped all our pens!

Anyway, Shen Ji picked one from the bunch. Just as the helicopter took off, everyone braced for the sudden weightlessness, but Shen Ji paid it no mind. He reached out and poked the seat in front of him.

On the unnoticed seat, a plump little mushroom popped its head out. It curiously emerged and nuzzled Shen Ji’s hand, wondering why its owner had called it.

Shen Ji removed the pen cap and wrote two characters on the mushroom’s cap.

After writing, Shen Ji took out his phone, snapped a photo of the little mushroom, and managed to send it out just before losing signal.

The little mushroom, puzzled, returned to its cluster with the characters on its cap.

What did the owner write?

No idea.

They’re characters, characters! Are they tasty?

Can’t eat them, waaah.

Owner, write on me too! Write on me too!

Shen Ji returned the pen to a colleague nearby and soothingly patted the little mushroom’s head, completing all this unnoticed.

On the other end, Li Zhiyan watched the helicopter fly out of sight. He sighed and was about to leave when his phone chimed.

The spotty signal had finally delivered the photo after the helicopter flew away.

Li Zhiyan opened Shen Ji’s chat and saw a beautiful, translucent little mushroom shimmering with color. On its cap, two characters were written in black ink:

"Shen Ji."

Li Zhiyan froze.

Is he hinting at something?

Shen Ji’s handwriting really is nice—as expected of a top student, as expected of a journalist!

Such a pretty little mushroom with "Shen Ji" written on it. Why couldn’t it have my name? I want it, I want it!

Li Zhiyan suddenly crouched down. "When will I get to add my name to it?!"

Zhou Ye jumped in surprise. "What? Boss, what name are you trying to add that won’t go through?"

Li Zhiyan gave a deadpan stare at Zhou Ye, "The marriage certificate with Shen Ji."

Zhou Ye: ...

Shit, my bad, that one really can't be added.

/

The plane safely flew back to the Pollution Prevention Center, and the moment it landed, a crowd rushed over.

First, they yanked Gao Yuan from behind the protective shield, shoved him into a mobile isolation chamber, and ran a battery of tests. After the results came out, they nodded in satisfaction, then turned their eager eyes to Shen Ji as he disembarked.

Shen Ji, who was immediately surrounded like he was a giant panda the moment he walked out: ...

Speaking of which, are giant pandas even still around? Are they still considered national treasures?

"Giant pandas still exist, but whether they're national treasures is debatable. During the human heteromorphosis, plants and animals also underwent minor mutations. I mean, it's still a bear and can easily tear down enclosures."

So, as an S-Class Mutant, does he get to pet a giant panda?

"Whoa, you wanna pet a giant panda?!"

'But S-Class Mutants are the real "giant pandas." Is it wrong for one "giant panda" to pet another?'

"Alright, fine, it’s not wrong. Go for it."

"Doctor Xiao Ji, finally meeting you in person." Huang Jining popped up out of nowhere. He was still wearing a white coat, his hair messy as if he’d rushed out. He was smiling so widely his eyes disappeared as he grabbed Shen Ji’s hand. "I’ve been wanting to talk to you forever, but that geezer Cheng Feng always blocked me."

"As both Healingtype mutants, we must have a lot to discuss."

Shen Ji thought for a moment and asked, "If I’m taking on Gao Yuan’s treatment, will I get any perks?"

Huang Jining faltered, then smiled again.

He has demands?

That’s great! As long as he has demands, they can meet them. Meeting his demands means they can keep him.

"Of course," Huang Jining nodded eagerly. "What's Doctor Xiao Ji after?"

Power? Money? A house? Or a partner?

The last one might be a bit difficult, but the others are no problem! They’d even hand you the keys to headquarters if needed! If Shen Ji was willing, they’d put him on the front page every damn year for promotion!

Under everyone's eager eyes, Shen Ji spoke.

"Can I pet a panda?"

Huang Jining: ...???

He couldn’t help but twitch, then frowned and said, "Well, that should be possible. I’ll go talk to the Pollution Prevention Center right now."

"...Why does this request sound so familiar?"

So Huang Jining dashed off to call the Pollution Prevention Center.

Shen Ji was escorted by the others to the car heading to the shelter headquarters. In the car, Shen Ji turned on his phone, and the good reception allowed him to see the message from Li Zhiyan the moment he opened it.

Li Zhiyan had sent a sad-faced emoji under the picture he’d posted.

Ignoring the fake-pitiful emoji, Shen Ji changed the subject.

"Shen Ji: Have you ever petted a panda?"

"Butterfly Spirit: Pandas! Yes! Black and white! Soft! Alive! You can ask the Pollution Prevention Center—they have pandas you can pet."

"Butterfly Spirit: But it seems like nobody but me has wanted to pet a panda. You’re the second."

No wonder Huang thought the request sounded familiar—turns out Li Zhiyan had already petted a giant panda.

Maybe the guy’s reason for joining the guard team was to pet a giant panda.

Shen Ji mused, satisfied: Their thought processes are exactly the same.

The system quipped: "...Equally abstract?"

Anyway, after Huang Jining told Shen Ji that he could pet a giant panda but needed the Pollution Prevention Center to get things ready first, Shen Ji headed first to the shelter headquarters.

The difference between the headquarters and the branch wasn’t major—just that the building was larger, there were more specialized rooms, and the doctors and patients inside were of a higher level. In fact, most of the Contaminated patients at the headquarters were Stage II at minimum, with no upper limit.

As they walked, Huang Jining gave him the rundown on the facilities of the shelter, then said, "We’ve prepared a temporary room for Doctor Xiao Ji. If you’re tired, you can crash there for a bit."

"Nah," Shen Ji said. "Li Zhiyan gave me the keys to his place."

Huang Jining: ...

Damn that Li Zhiyan!

At the same time, Gao Yuan returned to the isolation room where he’d always been kept.

Because his outbursts were frequent and unpredictable, he spent most of his time in that isolation room. He hadn’t left the shelter in a long time, and this trip to Zero Abyss was like a field trip.

Gao Yuan sat on a chair and yawned, thinking: When will the treatment start?

The sooner he's treated, the sooner he can get out of this shithole.

He rested his chin in his hands, and as he moved, his sleeves slid down, exposing the blue rings on his arms.

The blue rings were glowing slightly, a fluorescent, vivid blue that clearly indicated deadly toxicity. Gao Yuan pressed one of the blue rings, and his fingertips turned blue as well.

...Wait? His fingertips turned blue?

Gao Yuan stared blankly at the blue on his fingertips. He tentatively touched it again, and the blue ring came off like powder onto his hand.

Huh? What? Ah?

Was that supposed to happen?

"...Guess so."

Gao Yuan suddenly remembered something. "I remember, in the beginning, I could control my own toxin."

"Back then, I didn’t have to bite people, because I could release toxins from my body," he muttered to himself. "It was probably a powder like this."

Suddenly, he frowned and clutched his temples. A splitting headache made him almost scream.

It was as if something was trying to sever his neural connections, but something else was fighting it. The two sides were fighting, turning his brain to soup. With every jolt, he wanted to writhe on the floor in agony.

God, it hurts!

His awareness flickered in and out. The tentacles at the base of his spine frantically slammed against the isolation room’s window, while ooze and blue powder filled the air like it was pollen season.

In his last shred of consciousness, Gao Yuan slammed his tentacle against the alarm. Instantly, alarms blared out, and red warning lights flashed frantically.

At that moment, Shen Ji and Huang Jining were still discussing Gao Yuan’s treatment when they unexpectedly heard the alarm.

Surprise flashed in Huang Jining’s eyes as he quickly headed forward. Just around the corner was Gao Yuan’s isolation room. But as soon as he turned, he saw several people fleeing from inside, panic clear in their eyes.

"What happened?" Huang Jining asked.

"Gao Yuan has gone berserk!" answered one doctor, one temple of his glasses broken. "The isolation room is smashed! Toxins are leaking out! It’s turned into a gas chamber!"

"Gas chamber?!" Huang Jining exclaimed in shock.

He rushed to the monitoring room. On the screens, countless tentacles clung to the walls of the isolation room, and faint purple toxic gas seeping out. Gao Yuan was still struggling unconsciously, causing the gas to spread even more intensely.

Shen Ji watched the monitor, frowned slightly.

'What’s going on?'

"The pollution is fighting back. You only left a small amount of hyphae in his body to maintain Gao Yuan’s sanity, and they’ve consumed some of the pollution, extending his periods of lucidity."

"Now they’ve sensed something wrong and are trying to completely expel the hyphae from Gao Yuan’s body. So, in a familiar environment, the pollution is striking back."

Shen Ji turned and stepped out of the monitoring room. He remembered the layout of the shelter—from the moment he entered, he had gotten the layout down and every location. He quickly confirmed that the overall layout of the headquarters was similar to that of the branch, allowing him to easily find his way through each area.

Soon enough, Huang Jining saw Shen Ji appear on the monitor.

Huang Jining was stunned. He turned to look behind him, then back at the monitor.

Huh? When did he leave?!

Shen Ji entered the isolation room. Up close, he got a look at the out-of-control giant octopus—its suckers clung to the transparent glass in a seriously creepy way. At the center of the dense mass of tentacles was Gao Yuan, who had worn himself out struggling.

Shen Ji tapped on the glass. "Gao Yuan?"

He called his name.

Gao Yuan still didn’t respond.

"Squid."

A vein twitched on Gao Yuan’s forehead, but his eyes remained shut.

Shen Ji checked what he had on him. Not all the supplies from the earlier support mission had been used up—he still had one pollution inhibitor and a multi-function knife.

The pollution inhibitor wouldn’t do much good, but the knife could come in handy.

So, Shen Ji opened the isolation room door with the knife. The moment he stepped inside, the hyphae quickly covered the entire room.

They fixed their menacing gaze at the giant octopus before them.

Meanwhile, Huang Jining, still in the monitoring room, saw the camera feed suddenly blur. Puzzled, he tapped the screen, confirming it wasn’t a display issue.

A fog-like stuff obscured the entire camera lens. He could only vaguely make out the figures of Shen Ji and Gao Yuan.

"Directly confronting a rampaging S-Class Mutant?" Huang Jining was both alarmed and concerned. "Is this really okay?"

"I’d better get over there and see."