Chapter 81: Brief Respite

Chapter 81: A Brief Respite

Q City, the battlefield that ended in utter tragedy in the original story's finale.

First, the Class A Pollutant Chen Guo broke out within the shelter, causing severe casualties among the medical staff and infected patients at Q City Shelter. When Chen Guo was eliminated by Li Zhiyan, she revealed the existence of the S-class pollutant Hui. Consequently, within a very short time, Q City was once again eroded by high-level pollution. By the end, it had completely become a dead city.

In the story's conclusion, Li Zhiyan stood amidst the ruins, his eyes devoid of sorrow or joy, with no one there to celebrate his victory, as if it were a silent play.

It was in this strange atmosphere that the book came to an abrupt, unsatisfactory end.

But now, since none of these events had occurred, Q City had not suffered the ravages of dual high-level pollutants. After the pollution was promptly contained, the entire city's restrictions were lifted.

The experimental treatment developed at Q City Shelter proved highly successful, leading other shelters to begin applying for research on pollutant remains under safe conditions. To this end, the Pollution Harmless Treatment Center was considering collaboration plans to jointly reduce risks and obtain better experimental data.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

No new tenant had moved into that small rented room.

Firstly, because the landlord had mutated into a pollutant and died—with no one left, how could the room be rented out? Secondly, because Shen Ji's lease had not yet expired.

Back then, Hui had rented the place for a full year. Not long after moving in, the shelter's pollution leak incident occurred, and afterward, Shen Ji joined the shelter and began living in the dormitory.

Since then, Shen Ji had never returned.

Pushing open the room door, dust flew everywhere, carrying a faint musty smell.

Without heating, the room was quite cold, and the air was rather damp.

The little mushrooms fell from Shen Ji's wrist onto the floor and began climbing around their familiar home. In no time, they had spread across the entire ceiling. Shen Ji looked up and saw clusters of white and blue small mushrooms hanging upside down like strands of tiny fairy lights.

The familiar territory made them feel at ease, and they began to relax.

"Finally, they've relaxed."

The system remarked, "With their earlier demeanor, I thought they were planning to trip over a dozen people to prevent anyone from getting close to you."

"Because they love me," Shen Ji said.

Hearing this, the small mushrooms on the ceiling also joined in.

Yes!

We really love our master!

No one can get past us to harm our master!

Heh! Small mushrooms attack!

"...Do you know what you look like right now?"

"You seem like a young, single father raising a child, with a strong sense of being a husband-type, living together in loving dependence with your little one."

Shen Ji: ...

Stop, he was getting goosebumps all over.

Letting the small mushrooms play on their own, Shen Ji began looking through the room.

He had lived here for such a short time—only when he first crossed over, he had anxiously paced around the room. Now, returning, he started a more thorough search.

In the end, Shen Ji indeed found a notebook in the cabinet compartment next to the mirror. A pen was tucked inside the notebook, and there was also a book he’d half-finished placed there. Shen Ji took out the notebook and the book, intending to dust the bed off and sit down.

The small mushrooms noticed his intention and instantly leaped onto the bed, jumping around and stirring all the dust into the air.

Shen Ji, now covered in dust: ...

Forget it, forget it. The child was trying to help; shouldn’t scold them.

So Shen Ji still smiled and praised the small mushrooms, prompting even more of them to jump down and occupy the entire bed, leaving Shen Ji with no place to sit.

He had no choice but to sit on that rickety chair.

Shen Ji first opened the book. It was the "Important Pollution Situation Handling Manual" issued by the shelter to every staff member. It contained methods for dealing with pollution incidents, how ordinary people could avoid pollution, and how to self-rescue if unfortunately contaminated.

Hui seemed to quite like this manual, as evident from the clear signs of being read often.

So Shen Ji also flipped through the manual and, after reading it, realized it was quite interesting.

The person who compiled this manual was talented. Although it had a formal title, the content was not obscure or difficult to understand. It was even written vividly, working lots of knowledge into stories, making it accessible not only to adults but also to children.

From Shen Ji's professional perspective: he really wanted to find this person and hire them away to be his copywriter.

Unfortunately, there were no journalist jobs now, and no need for copywriting plans anymore.

Putting down the manual, Shen Ji opened the notebook. Starting from page one, he indeed found many interesting things.

"Li Zhiyan → S-Class Mutant → appeared three years ago, unknown background → has a pollution aura about him."

The notebook was full of photos and reports of Li Zhiyan. Not only that, but Hui had also noted oddities, with red pen marks filling all the gaps.

Every word Li Zhiyan said that didn't belong in this time period was recorded, and all his abnormalities were collected.

Shen Ji believed: if this notebook were to leak and be seen by the leadership of the Pollution Prevention Center, they would immediately realize that Li Zhiyan was not a normal person but more like a pollutant.

Just like that, Shen Ji turned to the last page, which still had a photo of Li Zhiyan in uniform, likely taken directly from the Pollution Prevention Center's website.

...He even knew how to use the internet.

In any case, Hui had written a puzzling word on this photo.

"One of us?"

The moment Shen Ji saw this word, a headache hit him.

He pressed his temples, his vision going dark.

He heard the system calling out to him, its mechanical voice wavering with panic, sounding somewhat comical.

The small mushrooms also quickly rushed over from the ceiling and the bed, gathering around him protectively.

Shen Ji wanted to say he was fine, but he slowly lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself still sitting in the room.

The room was clean and dust-free, as if it were regularly cleaned. There was an ordinary two-person couch, and he was sitting on one side. Shen Ji, as if realizing something, turned to look next to him. Sitting beside him was the familiar figure he had been seeing so often lately.

Hui.

It seemed the S-class pollutant's pollution effect hadn't fully faded. Had he been dragged into another memory?

Before Shen Ji could wonder more, Hui slowly turned his head and locked eyes with him.

Shen Ji was momentarily stunned.

Hui's pupils were black, a pitch-black like that of a human, but upon closer inspection, one could detect a hint of paleness within those dark eyes. His expression was cold, his gaze devoid of tenderness—it was the appearance Shen Ji should have originally had.

"This is the inherited ability I acquired after killing an S-class pollutant."

Hui spoke up, "I left it in this notebook for myself to see."

Shen Ji wasn't one to waste time, and clearly, Hui was also a pollutant who disliked wasting time, so he got straight to the point.

"I have no memory of my time as a human, or rather, my memories begin after I became an A-class pollutant."

Hui stood up from the sofa, facing Shen Ji, his tone calm. "Having memories isn't necessarily a good thing; gaining rationality was only the beginning of my confusion. I began to ponder how I came to be."

"After becoming an S-class pollutant, I realized one thing: all S-class pollutants are born from the original pollution rift. They are beings without a past, but I'm different from them. I don't come from the pollution rift, nor am I something born from it."

"I must have been human originally, so I decided to try and recover my memories from when I was human."

Shen Ji met his gaze, seeing a faint curiosity in Hui's eyes. When he left this memory, he hadn't seen anyone here; he was merely acting as if addressing someone.

He gazed curiously into empty space.

"Have I found you?"

"The me who was human."

Shen Ji didn't speak.

He thought: I don't know.

I don't know if I am you, or if I'm just a passerby who transmigrated into the book, accidentally took over your body, and started following the plot to avoid a bad ending.

But if I am you, then what about that original novel? What about the system?

Shen Ji had actually speculated before about the relationship between himself and Hui.

After all, he and Hui were sometimes far too similar.

Yet his memories told him: he is Shen Ji, a journalist who was stabbed twice by a medical dispute perpetrator during a report on medical disputes, failed resuscitation, and was brought into this novel with a bad ending by the system.

How could he possibly be the pollutant Hui from this novel?

As he wondered, the memory before him gradually dissipated, as if having said its final words, Hui didn't continue.

He really was a pollutant who disliked wasting time.

/

Opening his eyes again, Shen Ji saw mushrooms covering the walls and countless little blue butterflies fluttering around him.

Shen Ji sat up from the floor. The small mushrooms sensed Shen Ji waking, but this time they didn't burrow into his arms to cry; instead, they remained vigilant and motionless.

"You're finally awake!"

"System?"

"You've been unconscious for a full day and night!" the System said anxiously. "This time I couldn't hack in; I couldn't wake you up. The small mushrooms all erupted, entangling the whole residential building. Because they were so frantic, they didn't hide themselves. The Q City Pollution Prevention Center detected the issue and reported it; Li Zhiyan is here."

"The small mushrooms wouldn't let Li Zhiyan in, so Li Zhiyan used butterflies to temporarily cover for you while evacuating all the residents nearby."

Shen Ji sighed softly.

He looked at the small mushrooms around him, then reached out and picked one up.

"Alright, I'm fine."

The small mushrooms didn't believe him; they whimpered.

Last time, Master said the same thing! And then he fainted even in our own territory!

Liar! Hate it! Master is bad!

No, no one is allowed to bully Master!

Shen Ji sighed. "Alright then, will you let Li Zhiyan in?"

The small mushrooms shook their heads frantically.

Big butterfly bad! Big butterfly likes to eat small mushrooms! No way we're letting him in!

"Before the big butterfly eats the small mushrooms, we'll eat the big butterfly first, so it's fine," Shen Ji coaxed them like children. "Really, it's fine. If he bullies me, I'll definitely knock him out and cook him for you to eat!"

The small mushrooms hesitated.

Though still worried about Master, what does big butterfly taste like?

Little butterflies are delicious; would big butterfly be even tastier?

Hmm, they'll keep a close watch on the big butterfly. If he makes any suspicious moves, they'll definitely eat him right away, eat him!

Meanwhile, Jiang Ying and Li Zhiyan were still standing downstairs.

Jiang Ying looked puzzled at the pollution fluctuations. "What kind of pollution is this? Why did it suddenly erupt with such massive pollution levels, only to vanish quickly? It's undetectable now."

Li Zhiyan shot her a glance.

*Thinking: If I told you what it is, would you be so scared you'd drop your laptop?*

The highly revered S-class Healing-type mutant, the celebrated Doctor Xiao Ji, is an S-class pollutant.

Seeing that Li Zhiyan didn't answer, Jiang Ying didn't mind much. Her captain was just like that—annoying, knowing nothing when asked, and slacking off more efficiently than working.

Li Zhiyan looked at a photo on his phone, one taken by the Q City Pollution Prevention Center when they detected the anomaly.

In the photo, small blue-and-white mushrooms grew on the outer layer of the residential building. They burst out from the windows, their plump, large caps directly blocking out the sunlight. Yet even so, they appeared cute and harmless, even more beautiful than the peach tree of the Peach Blossom Calamity.

If it weren't for the terrifying pollution levels, Q City probably wouldn't have reported it.

Just then, Li Zhiyan felt something odd. He reached out his hand and saw a segment of a white small mushroom wrapped around his wrist at some point.

The small mushroom peeked out at him, and upon confirming it had been noticed, it waved inward.

Meaning: Big butterfly, you get in here!

Li Zhiyan raised an eyebrow slightly and poked the small mushroom's cap.

The small mushroom wasn't having any of it and chomped down on his finger.

Back in the Peach Blossom Calamity's dream, Li Zhiyan had once captured small mushrooms. To escape, they had similarly chomped down on his finger.

"Jiang Ying, stay here and keep watch. I'm going in to take a look."

"Ah?" Jiang Ying looked with a puzzled look at Li Zhiyan's retreating figure. "Didn't you say earlier that you couldn't get in? You tried three times and got turned away each time. How come you can go in now?"

She didn't understand, but Jiang Ying didn't plan to understand either.

Li Zhiyan was just that kind of person—no one could ever figure out his thought process.

Even if he got turned away a fourth time, Jiang Ying wouldn't be surprised.

But this time, Li Zhiyan wasn't repelled by the small mushrooms. He stepped onto the stairs, and as he went up, he had a vague impression of this place. After thinking carefully, he remembered that he had once investigated here with Zhou Ye during his previous work in Q City—back then, it was to check out someone who had been reported.

Huh, so they had been this close before?

Walking up the old steps, the motion-activated light in the stairwell was completely blocked by the small mushrooms. Fortunately, the mushrooms' bodies were transparent, and the light shone through them into the hallway, making it brighter than before.

Climbing all the way up, Li Zhiyan pushed open the door in front of him and finally saw Shen Ji sitting on the sofa.

As if hearing the footsteps, Shen Ji turned to look at him. The moment their eyes met, Li Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief.

He was fine.

"I'm fine," Shen Ji said to him. "Thanks."

Li Zhiyan walked over. The surrounding small mushrooms watched him warily, but Li Zhiyan paid no mind. He released a bunch of little butterflies for the small mushrooms to chase and play with. The moment their attention was diverted, he slipped over to sit next to Shen Ji.

Small mushrooms: ??!!

Damn cunning big butterfly!

They angrily caught two butterflies and started nibbling on the little butterflies.

"So what happened?" Li Zhiyan asked Shen Ji. "Lost control?"

"Not lost control, just affected by a previous pollutant." Shen Ji decided to directly pin the blame on the pollutant from the Silent Cold Domain.

He pressed his temples and let out a soft sigh.

Though usually a resilient, serious, and energetic person, he now looked tired, with a hint of loneliness in his eyes, making him even more noticeable than before.

Who could bear to blame him?!

Certainly not Li Zhiyan.

Li Zhiyan averted his gaze to prevent himself from getting further absorbed, then began to ponder what Shen Ji had said earlier.

"Silent Cold Domain?"

"It's an S-class pollutant. I was previously dragged into the depths of my memories by its pollution and saw a lot of unpleasant things. I thought I'd leave for a while to calm down before returning, but I didn't expect to be affected again." Shen Ji reached out and picked up a small mushroom. "They got scared and activated self-defense mode."

Li Zhiyan was a bit puzzled.

Though he had only known Shen Ji for a short time, he believed Shen Ji was strong. His strength wasn't due to direct Talent but rather an ability to consume all pollution. All pollution, in some form, was food for Shen Ji. Even if it affected him, it was only temporary.

Because, in the end, it would all be devoured by the small mushrooms.

Why was he still affected after so long this time?

But then Li Zhiyan noticed what Shen Ji was wearing.

He was still wearing the jacket Li Zhiyan had mistakenly taken. There was some dust on it, and it seemed he hadn't had time to change or tidy up. Given Shen Ji's self-control, he would never wear dirty clothes. As a journalist, he placed great importance on his appearance.

So, he must have left in a hurry—so hurried that he didn't even change his clothes.

Li Zhiyan sighed softly and leaned back against the sofa.

"You're still wearing my clothes."

Shen Ji looked at him, then down at his own clothes. "...So?"

"No 'so,' I just want to wear your jacket too. It's hanging in my closet, and I thought, isn't that an invitation?"

"But unfortunately, I couldn't fit into it. It's a bit small."

Shen Ji: ...

What kind of invitation?!

"If I remember correctly, the jacket I left at your place was a temporary uniform from the shelter, right?"

Shen Ji frowned. "You plan to be seen publicly in a shelter uniform?"

"One person wearing another's clothes is ambiguous, but two people wearing each other's clothes and showing off is called flaunting."

Li Zhiyan stated confidently, "How about I go ask Dr. Huang to order a uniform in my size? Then I'll put your name tag on it."

Shen Ji: ...

He said deadpan, "Welcome, Mr. Li, to the shelter."

Li Zhiyan looked at Shen Ji's expression and could clearly tell he wasn't in high spirits. Not even the teasing had stirred much emotion in him.

So Li Zhiyan thought again.

"Lately, I've been thinking about the generation gap."

Shen Ji looked at him. "Between you and who?"

"A friend. You know, in terms of actual age, I have a generation gap with these people. I'm 30 years older than them." Li Zhiyan said, "Do you think two people with such a big age difference can become close?"

Shen Ji thought for a moment. "I've hosted emotional mediation programs. A gap of over 50 years is where problems start."

"But there are plenty of cross-generational friendships."

Li Zhiyan hesitated. "...Then I'll think of a way."

Shen Ji: ...?

"Tomorrow, I'll go adjust my age. I'll change it to 36. Fifty years is impossible to achieve in a short time, but adjusting my age is achievable."

As he spoke, Li Zhiyan nodded in satisfaction. "Now there's no age gap."

Shen Ji had no idea what Li Zhiyan was talking about.

After a moment of thought, he just said one word.

"...The Consort Returns to the Palace?"

Li Zhiyan: ...

"...Wow, I didn't even think of that meme."

Shen Ji: ...

So cringe.

The two of them locked eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly just cracked up.

They didn’t know what they were laughing at or why they were laughing, but they just suddenly felt like laughing.

After they finished laughing, Li Zhiyan asked brightly, "So, feeling a bit better now?"

Shen Ji heaved a sigh. "A little."

"I don’t know what you saw in the depths of your memories, but it probably wasn’t anything good. I thought about it—if I were dragged into that, I’d probably just keep seeing the scenes of Er Gou and San Hua’s deaths over and over. That would definitely really bring you down."

"If you’re tired, you should rest. We even have two-day weekends in the 21st century."

Shen Ji clicked his tongue. "Sorry, but I hardly ever get weekends off."

Li Zhiyan was shocked. "Really?"

"Breaking news doesn’t avoid weekends," Shen Ji said helplessly. "Working overtime is just standard. Otherwise, why do you think I want to switch careers?"

And so, they fell into their usual back-and-forth.

Li Zhiyan jumped at the chance to invite him, "Join my team, and I’ll approve a long vacation for you! Let’s slack off and go on a trip!"

"Rejected."

"Why? I can really abuse my power to give you time off!"

Shen Ji stood up, and declared with conviction, "Leaving work until the last minute and then rushing to meet deadlines is terrible behavior!"

"We have to complete our work according to plan!"

Li Zhiyan: ...

Do you even believe that yourself when you say it?

"...I suddenly understand why you think the protagonist is such a good person."

The system sighed, "He really knows how to read a room."

"But why did your mood sour so much?"

'Because I realized there were some things I couldn’t understand, but now I've figured it out.'

"What?" the system asked curiously.

'After this story reaches its true ending, can I return to modern times and continue being Shen Ji the journalist?'

"Of course not. You’re dead. Dead people can’t come back to life."

'Exactly.'

Shen Ji smiled.

No matter the truth, he couldn’t return to his original world. The moment he died, he became the S-Class pollutant, *Hui*. *Hui*'s past was his past, and his future was *Hui*'s future.

Things that were already inseparable—what was the point in dwelling on them?

Of course, if there was more to discover later, he’d be happy to learn about it. As long as his capacity to handle things was strong enough, he could accept anything.

After all, he still had Li Zhiyan backing him up.

Isn't that right?

"I need to find a way to sneak you out," Li Zhiyan said behind him.

Shen Ji turned to look at him.

"How about posing as a new member of the Guard Team? You’re already wearing the uniform, so it saves us the hassle of disguising you."

Shen Ji: ...

Better not count on this guy.