Chapter 79: Silent Frost Domain

Chapter 79: The Silent Frozen Wasteland

Li Zhiyan boarded the last return flight. As the plane took off, his phone pinged.

It was a message from Li Qingan—a photo.

The Silent Frozen Wasteland still had no signal recovery; only their temporary base could guarantee limited communication. This message must have been sent by Li Qingan from who-knows-how-long ago, only now successfully delivered to his phone.

Li Zhiyan opened the image. The helicopter’s signal was poor; the picture took over a minute to load.

Then Li Zhiyan was met with a full-screen image of Shen Ji’s perfect profile.

*So handsome.*

His profile was illuminated by the snow’s glow, gleaming with a soft white light. Shen Ji’s dark eyes seemed infused with sunlight, crystal clear, not to mention his pale, thin lips and sharp, intense gaze.

Kissing him must feel amazing.

And he’s a journalist—doesn’t he get scouted by talent agents from his own company during interviews?

What? You say entertainment companies and TV stations are different?

Well, too bad. Li Zhiyan never had a proper job; after college, he spent all his time adventuring. He knows nothing about these things.

Finally, Li Zhiyan’s gaze settled on the clothes Shen Ji was wearing—it was indeed his jacket. It was the standard guard uniform; Li Zhiyan had several sets hanging in his closet. Most importantly, the chest of this jacket still had his nameplate attached.

Seeing the words "Li Zhiyan" made him even more satisfied.

He saved the photo to his phone and couldn’t resist pinning it to the top. He opened the previously saved photo—a small mushroom with Shen Ji’s name on it.

After looking it over again and again for a while, he was utterly pleased.

He audaciously thought: The small mushroom is Shen Ji’s, but Shen Ji is mine!

Shen Ji is even wearing a jacket with my nameplate—isn’t that declaring ownership?

Beside him, Jiang Ying, who was organizing data, looked at Li Zhiyan and asked curiously, “Boss, what are you looking at?”

“Looking for a suitable proposal location.”

Jiang Ying: …

Her dear captain was never shy about saying whatever came to mind.

Li Zhiyan turned off his phone. “Do you know any romantic places? But I feel like journalists might be more practical and not into romance?”

“Would he love me enough to appreciate my romantic side?”

Jiang Ying stared at Li Zhiyan in silence.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Boss, are you… romantic?” Jiang Ying thought carefully. “Are you confusing romance with comedy?”

Li Zhiyan: …

Who said that! Damn it! He’s very romantic!

He once climbed a mountain at night, stargazing from the peak, thinking that if he ever found love, he’d confess under the starry sky; he went winter fishing in the far north, pulling in fish while imagining giving his catch to his beloved; he even cultivated a garden of rare flowers, picking out the best, freshest ones to give!

Isn’t that romantic?!

Li Zhiyan really wanted to retort, but he felt arguing might make things worse, so he held back.

He believed: Shen Ji would definitely appreciate his romance!

So he changed the subject. “Can you look something up now?”

Jiang Ying glanced out the window at the sky. “Boss, we’re in the air right now.”

“No internet.”

“Look it up when you have internet.” Li Zhiyan said. “Help me search for Puppet City.”

Jiang Ying gave an OK gesture, indicating she understood.

The helicopter flew back to the Pollution Prevention Center. Li Zhiyan didn’t even bother greeting the higher-ups and went straight home, leaving those who came to pick him up waiting in vain.

Compared to catching up with those old folks, Li Zhiyan was more interested to go home and see if Shen Ji had left anything for him.

Pushing the door open, Li Zhiyan looked inside.

His home was almost exactly as he left it, virtually unchanged. The only difference was two additional books on the sofa, opened with bookmarks inserted, as if someone had been reading them and marked the place to continue later.

This thought made Li Zhiyan particularly pleased.

He continued looking around the house. When he opened the refrigerator door, he confirmed Shen Ji must have watered the flowers before leaving—their leaves glistened with dewdrops, and they were blooming even better than before he left. Li Zhiyan could almost picture Shen Ji standing there, watering the flowers in the fridge.

Finally, he discovered new photos on the memo board. Some were newly taken by Shen Ji, others were older ones, all neatly arranged by him.

His own "Coach, I want to learn photography" note had been removed, replaced by Shen Ji’s handwriting.

As a top student, Shen Ji indeed had excellent penmanship. Unlike Li Zhiyan’s free-flowing style, Shen Ji’s writing was more structured and rule-abiding—sharp yet dignified, with the straight lines and precision of exam-oriented education. It was handwriting that could impress but never stray from correctness.

“Go to the cafeteria to eat.”

“Urging me to eat as soon as I get back.” Li Zhiyan sighed, resting his head against the memo board. “If I were still human, I’d be thrilled to have someone remind me to eat.”

“But now…”

Even as he complained, Li Zhiyan still went.

He entered the cafeteria of the Pollution Prevention Center, found a seat, and was pondering how much cafeteria food to get when a chef rushed over from the kitchen.

“Captain Li, you’re here!” the chef exclaimed. “Sit right there, don’t move! No need to get food yourself—I’ll bring it over in a bit!”

Li Zhiyan was puzzled. “What?”

“Doctor Shen instructed us before he left to have everything ready for you!”

With that, the chef hurried back to finish preparing. Ever since they heard Li Zhiyan was returning from Zero Abyss, they’d taken the squid out to thaw. It was perfectly thawed now, so time to get cooking!

Iron plate squid?! Don’t underestimate their culinary skills!

Fifteen minutes later, Li Zhiyan stared silently at the iron plate squid in front of him.

It was hard to describe what he was feeling.

In the three years since the apocalypse began, he had been an S-Class Mutant at the Pollution Prevention Center. He could have anything he wanted, oppose anyone he chose, but no one had ever paid attention to the little things he casually mentioned.

He had seen the photos Shen Ji took for him. At the time, he had expressed envy, never expecting Shen Ji would actually leave him a new portion.

So *this* is what it feels like to be remembered.

"Doctor Shen is truly incredible. He cured Captain Gao, and as a thank-you, Captain Gao had a friend send over all this seafood," the chef continued recounting the events to Li Zhiyan. "Doctor Shen specifically asked for this from them, saying you liked it and wanted to set some aside for you."

"Before Doctor Shen left, he came to remind me again."

"Thank you," Li Zhiyan said, unable to hold back a smile.

"Ah, no need to thank me. I'd feel better if you ate here more often. It worries me how little you eat each time."

The kitchen was still busy, so the chef hurried back to continue cooking.

Li Zhiyan picked up a piece of grilled squid with his chopsticks. As he bit into it, the familiar flavor flooded his mouth, instantly transporting him back to that summer before the apocalypse—when he, Er Gou, and San Hua had climbed a high mountain for a nighttime picnic barbecue. The video they recorded had garnered over 100,000 views, as if countless friends were celebrating and laughing along with them.

Are all journalists this good at understanding people’s hearts?

Ding dong—Li Zhiyan’s phone chimed.

He took another bite of squid and opened his phone. The message was from Jiang Ying.

She had sent over all the information she could find about Puppet City in one go.

Li Zhiyan read as he ate. After going through all the materials, he fell silent for a few seconds.

The youth who saved Puppet City? No pollution incidents occurred in Puppet City for ten years afterward, with only pollutant corpses found at most?

...This description—could it really not be Shen Ji?

Li Zhiyan mused.

"So... ten years ago?"

But in Li Zhiyan’s judgment, Shen Ji should have made a quick transition from before the apocalypse to after, which is why he wasn’t familiar with the post-apocalyptic world and still used pre-apocalyptic language habits. How could there be observation records from ten years ago? Yet the description of Puppet City matched Shen Ji perfectly. Only Shen Ji’s gluttonous small mushrooms could keep pollution incidents so low.

"What’s going on here?"

Li Zhiyan took another bite of grilled squid. The familiar aroma stirred something within him—perhaps more than just nostalgia.

He worried, "Ten years ago... wouldn’t that mean a generation gap?"

"Never mind, he’s just too good. Even if he’s an old man, I’ll accept it!"

/

"Li Zhiyan has returned to the Pollution Prevention Center," the system suddenly said. "You were right—Li Zhiyan really did return earlier than you."

Shen Ji looked up. "Did he go to eat?"

"...Grilled squid?"

"Yes, I specifically saved some for him."

"He must have eaten. The cafeteria cameras didn’t catch him. Damn, why are there so few cameras in the cafeteria?"

Hearing that Li Zhiyan had gone to the cafeteria to eat, Shen Ji stopped worrying. He was currently looking for his small mushrooms.

According to legend, the blue small mushroom was left behind by the filth in X City. The small mushroom obediently stayed there for ten years, occasionally snacking on pollutants that emerged around X City, which meant the city saw no significant pollution incidents for a decade—until the original fissure erupted again.

Shen Ji opened his hand, and the blue small mushroom rolled around in his palm.

"Can you sense where they are?" Shen Ji asked.

The small mushrooms were all missing. They were little creatures centered around eating—incredibly gluttonous—but they were also very obedient. They had followed the filth’s orders and stayed here for ten years. Why would they suddenly disappear?

Soon, Shen Ji sensed a faint consciousness from the blue small mushroom.

It said: Small mushrooms, hiding.

The master of the Siberian cold storage is very fierce! It remembers the small mushrooms.

After discovering the small mushrooms, it started seeking revenge.

So everyone quietly hid in various places to avoid being found by the cold storage master. The fierce cold storage master has been searching for the small mushrooms.

Master, help the small mushrooms!

"Revenge?"

"If a newly born S-class pollutant still retains memories of its death, it would indeed seek revenge—just like how, after its rebirth, it chose X City as Puppet City again."

"Hiss, that makes sense. Now I understand why, during the previous pollution outbreak, it chose to flee immediately upon sensing your consciousness."

Yes, this wasn’t the first time Shen Ji had clashed with the pollutants of the Silent Cold Domain.

Back then, when the Silent Cold Domain erupted, it brought heavy snow to the entire northern region. Shen Ji was working at a pollution fissure research institute at the time. After encountering Shen Ji, it quickly retreated, putting up almost no resistance.

Looking back now, aside from its newborn fragility, it was likely also driven by fear of Shen Ji’s pollution aura.

"Take me to find the other small mushrooms."

The blue mushroom transformed into hyphae and began crawling outward. Shen Ji followed the hyphae as they moved. Suddenly, the hyphae stopped, hesitated for a moment, and then changed direction.

Shen Ji didn’t question or stop them; he simply followed. Soon, the hyphae led him to a library.

A library?

Master! There are small mushrooms here!

Shen Ji entered the library. The librarian sat at the entrance, eyes wide open, staring blankly in one direction without moving. The library was filled with people, many with open books covered in a thin layer of dust. Half-empty water bottles sat beside their hands.

Shen Ji passed through the reading area and continued forward. The blue hyphae kept spreading until they climbed onto a bookshelf.

Approaching the shelf, the blue hyphae clung to a book. Shen Ji reached out and pulled it out—it was a reference book.

The title read: "Journalist Training Manual."

"What kind of amateur book is this?" Shen Ji instinctively opened it.

He was someone who loved reading and had many reference books at home. Even for a book that seemed unprofessional just from the title, he couldn’t help but flip through it.

After all, in the post-apocalyptic world, books that still carried the title of "journalist" were rare.

As he opened the book, segments of hyphae emerged from the pages. They curiously looked at the person flipping through the book, and upon sensing a familiar aura, they swarmed into Shen Ji’s wrist, coiling around it and whimpering.

Master! You’ve finally come!

Shen Ji spent a long time comforting them.

Then he asked, "Why were you hiding in a book?"

"Because, because this is my master's book."

"My book?"

The next second, Shen Ji realized—this was Hui's book?

Shen Ji subtly continued flipping through the pages, and soon, he came across a line of notes in black ink.

That line of text was strikingly conspicuous, so much so that Shen Ji couldn't ignore it. It was a handwriting he knew down to his bones, the handwriting he had developed over more than a decade of exam-oriented education. Even with a hint of immaturity, it unmistakably bore Shen Ji's own mark.

"My memory is incomplete; I am different from them."

This was written by Hui.

Shen Ji closed the book and continued on his way out, taking the book with him.

"Where else can we find small mushrooms?"

So the small mushrooms diligently set off again, guiding Shen Ji to find new ones.

While on the move, Shen Ji spoke up.

"System," he asked, "is it possible that I didn't transmigrate into a book?"

"Huh?" The system sounded puzzled. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I've discovered that Hui not only looks like me, but his handwriting is also very similar to mine. Appearance could be a coincidence, but the handwriting being identical is unlikely."

Appearance is innate; perhaps it could align with Shen Ji's when the book was generated. But a person's handwriting is a mark formed over years of practice—it's rare for two people to have identical handwriting, especially since some have unique quirks in their writing.

If those quirks matched too, it would be truly miraculous.

"So you finally admit you are Hui?"

"I'm just suggesting a possibility." Shen Ji watched the blue small mushroom leading the way ahead. "Of course, I don’t want to become Hui."

"Why?" the system asked curiously. "Isn't powerful abilities a good thing?"

"Isn't a stable world better? Why would I trade that for powerful abilities in an apocalypse where people are dying everywhere?"

Shen Ji said, "With my abilities, I could thrive in modern society—much more comfortably than now."

"Fair point."

And there was another practical issue.

Hui is an S-class pollutant. All S-class pollutants originate from primal rifts, though Hui's source still hasn't been found.

But if Hui is an S-class pollutant born from a primal rift, then he couldn’t possibly be the journalist Shen Ji.

Shen Ji could be Hui, but Hui cannot be Shen Ji.

Just then, a person approached from the end of the road, and Shen Ji stopped.

It was the one he had knocked out, Wu Chi.

Wu Chi walked over, his eyes still filled with fear. "C-Captain Li, what are you doing here?"

"I'm inspecting the pollution situation in X City," Shen Ji said gently. "Captain Wu, why aren’t you resting at the Pollution Prevention Center? Your current condition isn’t suitable for going out."

"I... I just remembered something and felt I had to tell you."

Shen Ji nodded. "What is it?"

"Ten years ago, that young man who arrived wasn’t actually a mutant—he was a pollutant."

Wu Chi said, "But everyone was already affected by the pollution, so no one realized he was a pollutant."

"His purpose wasn’t to save anyone; he was merely targeting the pollutant in the Silent Desert."

"Warning!" the system alerted Shen Ji. "His pollution level is 474, exceeding the normal range. He has been completely affected by mental pollution."

Shen Ji stood still, not moving a muscle. His black eyes reflected Wu Chi's figure, and he didn’t even breathe, remaining perfectly calm.

"Continue."

Wu Chi stared fixedly at Shen Ji, his eyes blooming with a flower-like red that slowly spread. The pollution aura began to spread.

In the end, he couldn’t withstand the trauma of repeatedly witnessing his wife and child die before his eyes and chose to seek peace deep within his soul.

"We are both pollutants, so why is he regarded as a god by humans? All S-class pollutants are species superior to humans. Clearly, we are the same kind, yet he betrayed us and chose to side with humans. To this day, he still stands with them."

Shen Ji gazed into his eyes. "What is your name?"

"I have no name," it said. "I won’t let humans name me. I despise human names, and I despise you."

"Do you really like the name given by humans that much?"

Shen Ji took a step forward, and it instinctively stepped back.

The fear of being killed still lingered in its mind. As a pollutant that governs memories, it remembered them all the more vividly.

When it first emerged, it only subconsciously wanted to avoid Shen Ji. But soon, as the pollution grew stronger, it recalled the events of ten years ago.

The puppet city it had chosen, the sudden arrival of other pollutants.

While all S-class pollutants had their own territories and never left them, he was different.

He came from somewhere unknown, bringing his small mushrooms to invade its puppet city. He spread mushrooms throughout the entire city, thwarting its attempt to devour the puppet city, then chased it to the primal rift, ripped it apart, and took over the entire rift.

A greedy, despicable invader!

It was a dodder! A parasite! A vile, abominable pollutant!

"I will take revenge on you, I will!"

Shen Ji paid no attention to its words and simply asked, "Where are the small mushrooms I left here?"

"Them? They... what can pollution creations without their owner do?"

It laughed wildly. "Of course, they were killed!"

Mycelium instantly wrapped around Wu Chi's legs. Shen Ji's pupils turned pale, and he grabbed Wu Chi by the throat.

"You’re going to kill me? Hurry, hurry!" Unexpectedly, it grew even more excited. "I want to see you kill someone! Don’t you refuse to kill? Everyone here is still alive, including the owner of this body. Kill him now!"

"You’re a pollutant! How can a pollutant not kill people!"

Shen Ji stared into its eyes, and the mycelium plunged into Wu Chi's body.

"Do you really think I have no way to get rid of you?"

"So what?!" it shrieked. "Even if you force me out, it's useless! He has already chosen death! He chose it himself!"

Blue hyphae spread rapidly beneath Shen Ji's feet, swiftly covering the entire City X like spring weeds. All unconscious people were buried by the hyphae; even as they crawled all over their bodies, no one reacted. The hyphae smothered and devoured them.

"A little mushroom on its own can't do much," Shen Ji said. "But now the master's here."

A massive wave of pollution burst out, and the hyphae expanded rapidly, devouring the pollution around them, leaving no corner untouched.

They were like a swarm of starving locusts, gnawing on anything they could get.

The pollution level across the entire city plummeted. Once again, Shen Ji had wrested City X back from its grasp.

"I can absolutely kill you again."

'Wu Chi's' pupils contracted sharply, his eyes bloodshot, brimming with resentment and deep-seated fear.

"Shen Ji!" the system warned. "Pollution level 3780! Something is coming!"

'Wu Chi' grabbed his wrist. Amidst the countless hyphae screaming, "Don't touch my master!", Shen Ji was weightless for a moment.

The next moment, he found his hand empty, and the 'Wu Chi' he had been holding had vanished.

Surrounding him was pitch blackness. Dim streetlights cast a faint glow on the wet ground—it must have rained just minutes ago, leaving puddles everywhere. The murky yellow light reflected off the wet pavement in a blurry white smear, unclear and indistinct.

The small mushrooms were gone too.

"System?" Shen Ji called out, but there was no response.

This had happened before. The last time was within the nightmare of the Peach Blossom Calamity. The system wasn't programmed for dreams, so it hadn't entered the dream with him.

So, is this the depths of consciousness?

The depths of consciousness?

Someone grabbed Shen Ji's shoulder from behind, forcing him to turn around. In the next instant, a dagger stabbed into his abdomen.

The face of his assailant was twisted with malice—a face Shen Ji could never forget.

"I'll kill you! You're in cahoots with that quack doctor! If it weren't for you, I would've gotten my money long ago!"

"The TV station doesn't care about ordinary people! You deserve to die! You deserve to die!"

The knife was pulled out and thrust in again, rivulets of crimson blood streaming into the puddles.

"Die!"

...So it was that guy—the one who stabbed him twice in the middle of the night to stop the TV station from running the story on the medical mess.