Chapter 82: Brief Respite

Chapter 82 A Brief Respite

Explaining why Shen Ji was here was indeed a difficult matter.

Considering an extremely high pollution level had been detected here, with eyewitnesses reporting massive amounts of mushrooms spilling out from the room's window—so many they blotted out the sky—and photos had been taken as evidence.

But now, their S-class Healing-type Mutant, Doctor Xiao Ji, had made a dazzling entrance from within these mushrooms?

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn't normal.

The tiny mushrooms had eaten the small butterflies released by Li Zhiyan and began to turn back, winding themselves around Shen Ji. Shen Ji was already accustomed to having them coil around him, but this was the first time Li Zhiyan had seen the mushrooms climbing and entangling Shen Ji (excluding the gardener's plantation).

Those translucent blue-white mycelium threads slowly wound around Shen Ji's calves, leaving traces on his black trousers, then cinched around his waist, and finally, like a child, perched on his shoulders, sprouting little mushroom caps.

Shen Ji reached out and pressed their heads, and they coiled around his fingers, acting coy, affectionately clinging to his fingertips.

Li Zhiyan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily; he suddenly felt a bit thirsty.

Of course, he kept this to himself.

"Take them back first," Li Zhiyan said. "I'll get you out of here."

Shen Ji glanced at Li Zhiyan, his black eyes carrying a hint of casual indifference. This nonchalance made his entire demeanor appear even more aloof, especially paired with his black-framed glasses, giving him the aura of a noble and mysterious little black cat.

Aww, so cute.

Shen Ji didn't know what Li Zhiyan was thinking, so he still called back all the tiny mushrooms he had spread around.

The tiny mushrooms were inherently one with Shen Ji. Since Shen Ji trusted Li Zhiyan, they wouldn't show much resistance toward him, only operating on instinct to protect their master. When the master called them home, they were obedient little mushrooms and would, of course, listen.

After recalling all the tiny mushrooms, Shen Ji finally said, "Let's go."

Li Zhiyan pointed upward. "We'll go from the rooftop."

"The rooftop?"

"I checked; the other side of the rooftop connects to another unit. We can exit from the other side."

Shen Ji recalled that when he first arrived, he had explored the entire area, including the rooftop. The rooftop did indeed provide access to the other side, so Shen Ji nodded in agreement and turned to walk out the door.

Behind Shen Ji, Li Zhiyan, with his hands in his pockets, quietly sent a message.

It was a retreat order he had prepared earlier, sent exclusively to Jiang Ying.

Stepping onto the rooftop, Li Zhiyan first glanced down to confirm that no one was below.

Jiang Ying had long since led the team away. Although she didn't understand Li Zhiyan's intention, her trust in him meant she didn't ask why and simply withdrew with the team.

After all, Li Zhiyan would never endanger them, right?

"Li Zhiyan had Jiang Ying lead the team away," the system quietly reported to Shen Ji.

Hearing this, Shen Ji glanced at Li Zhiyan. Noticing Shen Ji's look, Li Zhiyan smiled at him, his head of white hair quite striking under the night sky.

"Actually, you didn't need to come up to the rooftop at all. You could have gone downstairs directly, and no one would have noticed you. Tsk tsk, what is he trying to do?"

The system was curious, and Shen Ji was a bit curious too.

Shen Ji pretended to know nothing and prepared to head toward the other unit when Li Zhiyan called out to him.

"Shen Ji, look, the stars are quite beautiful tonight."

Stars?

Shen Ji looked up at the sky.

Having been unconscious the entire day, Shen Ji had woken up late in the evening. Standing on the rooftop, they could see the city lights not far away, and lifting their heads, they could also see countless stars twinkling.

The starry sky was tranquil yet beautiful. No matter what had happened in this world, that starry sky remained unchanged, identical to pre-apocalypse.

"When I feel lonely, I come out to look at the stars," Li Zhiyan said, standing beside him and gazing at the starry sky. "Every time I look at the stars, I feel as if I haven't actually arrived in this apocalypse, as if I'm still in the original world, using my original name, and everything here is just a dream."

Shen Ji didn't lower his head, still looking at the starry sky, though a hint of laughter flickered in his black eyes. "You escape too?"

"This isn't escaping, just occasional self-comfort," Li Zhiyan also laughed.

But to be honest, two people stargazing together always carried a hint of ambiguity. They were two men, two men who held some romantic interest toward each other.

Li Zhiyan couldn't help but look at Shen Ji's profile.

The night, the starry sky, the person he liked by his side—such an ambiguous scene stirred a bit of impulse in him. He wanted to confess his feelings to Shen Ji, wanted to get a clear answer from Shen Ji's lips, wanted to take a step further, wanted to kiss, wanted physical intimacy.

Love was an inexplicable feeling, always breaking out of its shell on quiet nights like this.

So Li Zhiyan averted his gaze, his tone a bit nervous yet filled with emotion. "I really like the stars."

Shen Ji finally withdrew his gaze from the starry sky and looked at him. "So?"

"I really like you too."

Li Zhiyan continued, "In my eyes, you shine as brightly as the stars."

Shen Ji wanted to laugh.

What kind of awkward confession was this? Had Li Zhiyan spent over twenty years just learning online trends? Clearly, he did thoughtful things, but at critical moments, he started acting like a clueless youngster.

Ah, this Big Butterfly is quite innocent.

Has he never been in a relationship before?

Indeed, he hasn't.

In university, Li Zhiyan didn't focus on his studies, instead running around everywhere with his friends. The beauty of nature deeply attracted him. Humans? What were those? Not interested!

He graduated with this *chuunibyou* mindset, not wanting to work, so he started a social media channel. He was still uninterested in humans, continuing to adventure and play around until one day he encountered disaster and finally understood that relationships between people shouldn't be so cold. But by then, it was too late; he had become a 'last remnant' from before the entire apocalypse.

So, Shen Ji deeply attracted him. Never before had Li Zhiyan so clearly understood that he was captivated.

Shen Ji wanted to tease him.

So Shen Ji said, "Why stars and not the moon? Because you only like stars?"

"That's not it," Li Zhiyan sighed, his voice soft as he explained. "The moon is all alone, how lonely. But there are so many stars. I hope you, like the stars, have many friends, with stars all around you, so you'll never be lonely."

Shen Ji was taken aback.

He instinctively turned his head, then breathed out softly.

Not good, he had underestimated him. This person had a natural talent; awkward internet memes were just his disguise. He always had a backup plan, one sentence enough to make Shen Ji's heart pound wildly.

"Shen Ji?" Li Zhiyan called his name, sounding puzzled that he wasn’t responding.

"So, are you a star too?" Shen Ji asked.

Li Zhiyan blinked. "Me?"

"If I am a star, I am searching for friends who are also stars." Shen Ji turned to look at him, their eyes meeting.

Those dark eyes held a sharpness, as if a mysterious black blade had stabbed through Li Zhiyan's heart.

It hurt, yet it felt exhilarating.

"In the end, I found you."

"And only you."

Li Zhiyan felt that he truly was a star—he had turned into one entirely, big and bright, dazzling and bewildered. Shen Ji's words had left him utterly stunned.

Watching Li Zhiyan's rare flustered expression, Shen Ji turned and walked toward the stairwell.

"Let's go," Shen Ji said.

Li Zhiyan pointed to the side. "We need to go down that way."

"Didn't you send Jiang Ying and the others away? Doesn't that mean we can go down either side?"

As Shen Ji entered the stairwell, Li Zhiyan lowered his hand, tilting his head in confusion, his pale blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"How did he know?"

"Did he monitor my phone?"

"...He actually monitored my phone!" Li Zhiyan's eyes lit up again. "If he's willing to monitor my phone, he must be willing to marry me!"

"..."

The system spat disdainfully. "What a terrifying love-struck fool!"

/

After evacuating the scene, Jiang Ying waited for Li Zhiyan to return. The others had been dismissed to rest.

She waited anxiously for a while, wondering if an emergency had occurred, when she finally saw figures in the distance... two figures?

Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan walked over, one after the other.

Jiang Ying asked in confusion, "Mr. Shen, what are you doing here?"

"Good evening," Shen Ji greeted politely. "I arrived in Q City earlier and came to check things out after hearing about the pollution incident."

Li Zhiyan caught up. "Thank you, Doctor Shen, for taking time out of your busy schedule to care about my work!"

Jiang Ying: ...

For some reason, she felt that Li Zhiyan was brimming with pride.

What was he so proud of? That Shen Ji came to visit him?

Oh?

After greeting Jiang Ying, the two continued walking side by side. Jiang Ying watched their backs as they passed under the streetlights and step by step moved into the darkness, clicking her tongue softly.

It seemed the captain's relentless pursuit had paid off—Mr. Shen still couldn't withstand their boss's thick skin.

It was time to ask Qin Changye to pick an auspicious date.

"I've spoken to Li Qing'an about the situation," Li Zhiyan said.

"The Silent Frozen Domain?"

"Yes, Li Qing'an called me and said you left X City," Li Zhiyan replied.

Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan strangely. "Why would Li Qing'an report my itinerary to you?"

"Because we're family! If something happens to you, Li Qing'an has to report it to your family. After careful consideration, she decided I'm your family—isn't that right?!"

Shen Ji inexplicably recalled the system's famous saying.

"Apocalypse novels are full of orphans; it's normal for two orphans to act as each other's fathers."

Shen Ji: ...

The atmosphere instantly vanished.

"Anyway, the Silent Frozen Domain has quieted down for now. Everyone in X City fell unconscious and is receiving treatment in the shelter. Data shows they're breathing and have vital signs, but their thoughts can't be detected. Their sleep state lacks REM cycles, only deep sleep."

"To find a solution, we'll probably need to enter the Silent Frozen Domain, but to find it, we'll have to wait for the next Puppet City to appear."

Shen Ji thought for a moment. "What if Puppet City never appears? Didn't it used to appear once a year a decade ago?"

"But the people of X City didn't disappear, so it doesn't count as the full version of Puppet City," Li Zhiyan replied. "Based on our assessment, the pollutant in the Silent Frozen Domain will either continue targeting the people of X City to complete the Puppet City incident or seek a new Puppet City in the short term."

"I'll go with you when the time comes."

Shen Ji raised an eyebrow. "I haven't even said whether I'm going, and you're already offering to accompany me."

Li Zhiyan said, "If you need me, I'll be there for you."

The Silent Frozen Domain still had to be dealt with.

It held a deep hatred for Shen Ji, and letting it develop further would only make things more troublesome. It was better to handle it while it was still weak.

Even if they couldn't eradicate it completely, they had to beat it into submission until it feared them so much it wouldn't dare provoke them even after multiple resurrections.

Besides, his small mushrooms couldn't have vanished for nothing. Though the blue small mushrooms didn't speak, Shen Ji could still sense their sadness after losing so many companions. They had to stew this S-class pollutant to give the blue small mushrooms a treat.

Shen Ji didn't respond to Li Zhiyan, only giving him a faint glance.

More pressingly, he needed to change out of his clothes immediately.

As a journalist, he really couldn't stand wearing such dirty clothes for long—not only had he passed out on the ground in X City, but he'd also been in a dusty rental room just moments ago.

The shopping malls had long closed for the night, and he didn't want to keep wearing Li Zhiyan's clothes and fuel the rumors further. His only option was the dormitory at the Q City shelter.

He had left in a hurry earlier—it wasn't a move but a fake death—so his clothes were still neatly stored in the wardrobe.

"I'm going back to change," Shen Ji said to Li Zhiyan. "Let's meet again tomorrow daytime."

Li Zhiyan was reluctant to part with him. "Can't I come with you? Logically, we should be working together."

"How about you don't go back? I can ask the security team to make you a couple of uniforms..."

"Shut up."

Li Zhiyan closed his mouth, watching helplessly as Shen Ji turned and walked away.

Alright, alright, Little Ji is still so resistant to the Guard Team, why? Clearly he even went to the shelter.

Though he didn't quite understand, Li Zhiyan didn't give up; next time he would definitely convince Shen Ji to join the guard team!

On the other side, Shen Ji returned to the shelter dormitory.

The shelter dormitory has identity authentication; not just anyone can enter. Shen Ji was locked out, having stayed outside for so long and even faked his death once. He had long lost his dormitory access card.

"And besides, is that access card even still valid?"

"Of course it is. Like I said, your records haven't been purged," the system said. "Step aside, let me use your identity info for authentication."

"You can even do that?"

"I am, after all, an all-capable system!"

The system began connecting to the authentication system, quickly locating Shen Ji's identity information. The next moment, with a click, the dormitory door clicked open, and a voice sounded.

"Welcome home, Shen Ji, Doctor Shen."

Noting that the identity authentication system had been upgraded, Shen Ji found his way to his room from memory. Opening the door, everything inside was exactly as he had left it, even his coat was still hanging on the rack by the entrance, untouched.

He opened the wardrobe to look; there were enough clothes to pick from.

Confirming that none of the clothes had collected dust, Shen Ji grabbed a couple changes of clothes, then turned to shower first.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment he used his identity to authenticate and open the dormitory door, a message was sent through the data network to a specific person's communicator.

He had long ago set Shen Ji's authentication to the highest priority; any use of Shen Ji's authentication info would trigger an alert. Wen Jingyu was woken abruptly from sleep.

He stared at the alert in surprise, double-checking it repeatedly.

"This is Little Ji's authentication info? From the dormitory building?" Wen Jingyu hurriedly began getting dressed. "Little Ji's back?!"

Meanwhile, Zhang Qingli, who had just gotten off work, returned to the dormitory yawning. He had worked another night shift today. As he entered the dormitory area, he stretched with a yawn. When he opened his eyes after yawning, he saw a light on in a room.

This room was next to his. Did someone new move in next door?

Suddenly, Zhang Qingli realized.

Hold on, isn't that Shen Ji's dorm next to his? Wen Jingyu had specifically stated that Shen Ji's room would be reserved for him and wouldn't be assigned to anyone new.

Unless…

Zhang Qingli quickly hurried into the dorm building. Breathlessly, he made his way to his floor and looked at the room next to his.

The door was closed; there was no telling if anyone was there.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Zhang Qingli rang the bell, but no one answered.

Maybe he imagined it?

Just as Zhang Qingli was debating between "ring again" and "just go back to sleep," someone else came running up the stairs. It was Wen Jingyu, in disarray, still in his house slippers, having rushed over.

"Doctor Wen?!"

"I—I got an alert for Little Ji's identity authentication!" Wen Jingyu said urgently. "He's back!"

That confirmed it, Zhang Qingli immediately made up his mind and tried the bell again.

But there was still no sound from inside the room.

Just as Zhang Qingli was about to ring it once more, click—the lock clicked open from inside.

Shen Ji's familiar face appeared before the two.

He must have just taken a shower; his hair was still wet and not dried, and there was dampness on his neck. Without his glasses, his piercing gaze was fully exposed. Shen Ji rubbed his eyes—yes, while showering, he had also washed off his facial disguise.

At this point, disguises were pretty much pointless; everyone knew he was the Shen Ji who had vanished mysteriously from Q City Shelter back then.

"Little Ji!" Wen Jingyu's eyes lit up the moment he saw him. "It really is Little Ji!"

Zhang Qingli also let out a sigh of relief.

He had always heard that Shen Ji wasn't dead; his sister had even called to say she had seen Shen Ji. But until he saw Shen Ji safe and sound with his own eyes, he couldn't relax.

Now, finally seeing him and confirming he was truly unharmed.

It was a huge relief.

Shen Ji smiled at them.

"It's been a while."

It really had been a long time.

/

"They didn't ask why you disappeared."

After Zhang Qingli and Doctor Wen left, the system asked curiously.

"Why?"

"When we pulled the death fake-out, we didn't notify anyone, so most people thought you were actually dead. It wasn't until the protagonist found you that more people realized he was right."

"So that's how it is. At first, they thought I was dead, but later found out I'm still alive."

Shen Ji sat on the sofa flipping through a book from the shelf. "Compared to being dead, being alive is just too good. So there's no need to ask what happened back then—what if it hits a nerve?"

"This is the human art of tact, and how they show concern for others."

"Being human is so hard," the system sighed.

Just then, a chime—Shen Ji opened his phone to a message from Li Zhiyan.

It was a photo of his residence at the Q City Pollution Prevention Center. The small flowerbed that the small mushrooms had torn up had been all fixed up.

"Seeds of the Stars: I'm going to plant flowers."

"Shen Ji: If I remember correctly, it's late autumn now, almost winter."

"Shen Ji: You're going to plant flowers in winter?"

"Seeds of the Stars: Flowers that can't thrive in winter don't deserve a place in my garden!"

Shen Ji: ...

That makes sense. All the flowers Li Zhiyan plants are Contaminated Species, which are much tougher than ordinary plants. A little cold really can't do anything to them.

"Shen Ji: What kind of flowers are you planning to plant?"

"Starry Seed: Some flower seeds that are a bit more contaminated. How about giving them to your small mushroom?"

"Shen Ji: ? Why?"

"Starry Seed: I feel like they don’t like me very much—they keep biting me. That won’t do, so I need to butter them up."

The small mushroom quietly emerged from Shen Ji’s collar, staring curiously at his phone screen.

Butter them up? The small mushroom?

The big butterfly wants to butter up the small mushroom!

Is the big butterfly going to plant flowers to butter up the small mushroom? But the small mushroom doesn’t like flowers—it only likes to eat pollution!

Shen Ji petted them before continuing to type.

"Shen Ji: Don’t you know the small mushroom is one with me? Just like your butterfly."

"Starry Seed: It’s not the same. Your mushroom clearly has a mind of its own, but my butterfly doesn’t. They’re just pollution."

"Shen Ji: That’s not important."

"Shen Ji: What’s important is: as long as I don’t dislike you, the small mushroom won’t dislike you."

Shen Ji noticed that Li Zhiyan’s status kept saying "typing..." before disappearing, only to reappear as "typing..." again shortly after.

But after waiting a full minute, no new message came through from the other side.

As if throwing in the towel, after a full minute and a half, Li Zhiyan sent just a period.

"Starry Seed: ."

Then took it back right away.

Shen Ji couldn’t help laughing.

He exited the chat with Li Zhiyan, deciding to let him cool off alone for a while. To pass the time, he started scrolling through his phone, and that’s when he noticed the Pollution Forum, which he had ignored for a long time.

It seemed he hadn’t opened it since extracting information from the forum before faking his death.

Thinking this, Shen Ji tried to open the app, but it wouldn’t open. A few seconds later, a notification appeared in the center of his phone screen:

"Dear user, the app is currently updating. Please wait until the update is complete to continue using it. The specific update time is unknown, and the new features are unknown."

"An update?" Shen Ji wondered. "This forum actually updates?"

"Not sure. This thing was only mentioned in the author notes in the original work—it never even appeared in the main story. An update?"

"Can a low-level AI update into a high-level AI?"

Shen Ji tsked, staring at the updating message.

"Once the update is finished, we’ll see what it actually updated."