Chapter 92: Prophecy Book Event

Chapter 92 The Prophecy Book Incident

"We have different interpretations regarding the definition of death."

Shen Ji: …

He hesitated for a moment, "Are you cosplaying Moss?"

"Read the room!" the system complained, "This makes it sound cooler!"

So you really think you still have any dignity left.

Shen Ji sat up from the bed, catching a faint scent of flowers. The room had its curtains drawn, blocking out the sunlight and leaving it dim as if it were dusk. On the nearby dining table, an ice-blue flower was placed in a water glass. This flower was somewhat different from the one Li Zhiyan had given him before.

If the flower Li Zhiyan had given him still somewhat resembled a flower, this one looked like a snowflake blown up to size.

Sharp and crystalline like ice crystals.

Li Zhiyan got disturbed by his movement, frowning and burying his face deeper into the blankets. Shen Ji noticed he had tied up his white hair into a long ponytail that draped down the pillow. Uncomfortable lying flat, Li Zhiyan had been sleeping on his side the entire time.

Shen Ji tugged the blankets higher for him before speaking, "So what do you mean? The definition of death?"

"Just the definition of death."

"For humans, getting contaminated and becoming a pollutant is equivalent to death—it's a person who dies and then becomes a monster. But in my view, is that really death? Although the transformation is horrifying, turning humans into another species, there's no process of dying, so it doesn't count as death."

Shen Ji mused, "So in your opinion, am I dead or not?"

"Of course not!" the system emphasized, "I bound to you before you drew your last breath."

Shen Ji recalled what happened in his dream, "But in the dream, I saw my own surgery and the Crimson Mist Incident. A normal dream wouldn’t be that clear, right?"

"Maybe these are the memories of the Defilement, just like before. You’re seeing the Defilement’s past."

"The Defilement got stabbed too?"

The system went quiet, hesitating for a few seconds before replying, "I don’t know about that. The original novel didn’t cover the Defilement’s past."

"In the entire plot, the Defilement just suddenly appeared as the final villain, and then the story rushed to a sloppy ending. You know that."

Shen Ji didn’t ask the system further, but a little voice inside him kept insisting: he and the Defilement were the same person.

Only if he and the Defilement were the same person would they be so similar.

The same handwriting, the same past. Although the Crimson Mist Incident in the dream didn’t exist in his memories, it felt unexpectedly real. Whether it was the phone screen or the contacts he dialed, everything matched his memories.

So, like Li Zhiyan, he must've suddenly jumped from before the apocalypse to after it. But unlike Li Zhiyan, who had no knowledge of this world, he had read a strange book and carried a so-called book-transmigration system, mistakenly believing this was the world of a book?

Weird.

Just as he was lost in thought, the hand resting at his side was grasped.

Shen Ji looked down and saw Li Zhiyan blinking sleepily up at him.

"It’s still so early," Li Zhiyan said. "Aren’t you tired?"

"Adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day. Not getting enough sleep will make you age prematurely."

Shen Ji said, exasperated, "Are you the human here, or am I? We don’t even need to sleep."

Li Zhiyan closed his eyes, refusing to get up like a puppy. He kept holding onto Shen Ji’s wrist, not letting go, on the verge of whining.

So Shen Ji lay back down, his head nestled against Li Zhiyan’s, staying very close. With just a slight movement of his hand, he could touch Li Zhiyan’s chest.

Although he was a mage, Li Zhiyan had a great build. His toned, hard muscles and six-pack were outlined by his undershirt.

After shifting around a few times until he felt comfortable, Shen Ji finally spoke, "Li Zhiyan, how did you become the protagonist?"

"Protagonist? Was I the protagonist in that book you read?" Li Zhiyan’s voice was muzzy. "Sounds obnoxious. No privacy at all."

"I’m going to call the police."

Shen Ji: …

Most people would feel pretty pleased with themselves upon hearing they were the protagonist, but Li Zhiyan’s first reaction was "invasion of privacy." This guy’s wiring was different from normal people’s. Asking him was the same as not asking at all.

"I’m the villain."

"Really?" Li Zhiyan replied, eyes still closed. "What did the villain do?"

Shen Ji thought carefully before answering, "Nothing."

"If he did nothing, how can he be called a villain?" Li Zhiyan snorted. "Let me tell you what a villain should do. First, capture the protagonist, then put them through brutal training, make them regret their life choices and turn over a new leaf. If you can’t corrupt them, just love 'em and leave 'em."

"Just like what you did to me."

"Are you even ashamed?" Shen Ji jabbed him with an elbow. "We've even met? And you're talking about loving 'em and leaving 'em?"

"If we didn’t know each other, why are we sleeping together?"

Shen Ji immediately tried to get up, but Li Zhiyan quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

Just like that, Shen Ji fell back into Li Zhiyan’s embrace. Li Zhiyan hissed in pain, the jab woke him up properly.

Li Zhiyan opened his eyes and saw Shen Ji lying on top of him.

This time, Shen Ji seemed different. The buttons of his undershirt were all done up. Though slightly disheveled, he overall looked neat and tidy. He wasn’t wearing glasses, but his black eyes could reflect a person’s image. There was no extreme coldness in his gaze, just an unfriendly look that gave him a chilly, detached air.

It was Shen Ji.

Shen Ji tried to get up again, but Li Zhiyan held him tighter.

"Li Zhiyan," Shen Ji called his name.

"I’m here." Li Zhiyan held his hand, bringing it to his lips and gently kissing Shen Ji’s fingers.

The moment his fingers were kissed, Shen Ji stilled for a heartbeat before feeling an intimacy that went straight to the bone.

He was sleeping in the same bed as his crush. The blankets carried the mixed scents of both of them. The other person held his hand and kissed it gently, filled with leashed tenderness that seeped into the marrow.

Before Shen Ji could react, a sharp pain shot through his fingertip.

Li Zhiyan had actually bitten his finger.

"You…"

"This is getting you back." Li Zhiyan pointed to his own wrist and said to Shen Ji, "You bit me here before. Now I’m just biting your finger."

Shen Ji looked at Li Zhiyan’s wrist. Aside from some faint tooth marks, there was no wound. He stared at Li Zhiyan strangely, as if wondering when he had bitten him.

The next moment, a memory came flooding back.

He suddenly recalled himself kissing Li Zhiyan in public—or rather, being forced into a kiss by Li Zhiyan. Because he found it troublesome, he pushed Li Zhiyan away and then bit his hand.

Shen Ji: …

What? Huh?!

"I've been waiting for this moment!" The system crowed, delighted. "Crash and burn, hahaha!"

‘That wasn’t me. That absolutely wasn’t me!’

Shen Ji declared that the system couldn’t fool him. ‘As long as I have no memory of it, it wasn’t me.’

"But now you remember, so it was you!"

Shen Ji: …

Seeing that Shen Ji had fallen silent, Li Zhiyan immediately got right up in his face.

He tilted his head and said, "We’ve already kissed, and you’ve already bitten me. Aren’t you going to make it official?"

"Perfectly solidifying the 'love ’em and leave ’em' reputation!"

Shen Ji sighed helplessly. "Between adults, there’s no need to draw such clear lines."

"So you are just love ’em and leave ’em-ing me."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Shen Ji waved his hand. "I was wrong. I love ’em and leave ’em. I’m a scumbag. I should write an exposé on myself and be nailed to the pillar of shame."

After saying this, Shen Ji’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

He gazed at Li Zhiyan. "So, to correct my mistake, Mr. Li, would you be willing to become my boyfriend?"

"This time, it’s official."

Li Zhiyan’s eyes lit up, and he hugged Shen Ji tightly.

"Of course I’m willing!"

"Huh?" The system sounded confused. "Is this how things were supposed to go?"

"Shouldn’t you be so overwhelmed with shame that you distance yourself from the protagonist? Then, after a series of misunderstandings, you part ways, only to meet again years later and realize how much you’ve missed?!"

Shen Ji: …

‘What kind of trashy novels have you been reading again?’

‘We’re mutually attracted and perfectly in sync. When we encounter issues like this, we only grow closer, not apart.’

‘Besides, do I look like someone who’d be ashamed of something like this?’

"…"

"Dammit, I forgot you’re just pretending to be proper."

/

"The Silent Frost Domain still hasn’t been located. It seems to be hiding. Only traces left behind from your burning remain."

Li Qingan was on the phone with Li Zhiyan discussing work.

Li Zhiyan listened to her. "Mhm."

"I’m asking if you know where the main body of the Silent Frost Domain is?"

"No idea," Li Zhiyan said without a hint of guilt. "But you know what? Shen Ji confessed to me. I’m no longer the pitiful victim of love ’em and leave ’em."

Li Qingan: …

She tried desperately to steer the conversation back on track. "Okay, congratulations. But, because we can’t locate the main body of the Silent Frost Domain, we could be in for a world of trouble in the future…"

"Anyway, the Silent Frost Domain won’t reappear for another eight to ten years. If it does show up, let the Pollution Prevention Center deal with it a decade from now. By the way, do you want to hear how Shen Ji confessed to me?"

Li Qingan: …

She hung up in frustration and immediately called the Pollution Prevention Center to file a complaint, demanding that they take action against Li Zhiyan right away.

She did not want to hear about Li Zhiyan’s love story!

The Pollution Prevention Center fell silent as they looked at the tenth complaint call they’d received that day. Then, noticing that Li Zhiyan’s rejected calls had already reached fifteen, they felt somewhat relieved.

After all, they had long been blacklisted by Li Zhiyan.

Li Zhiyan happily ended the call and turned to look at Shen Ji in the living room. Shen Ji was sitting on the sofa reading a book, his black-framed glasses back on, restoring that restrained and proper aura around him. It gave him an air that just begged to be ruffled.

Of course, Li Zhiyan didn’t dare say that out loud.

He sat down beside Shen Ji.

"By the way, about the Prophecy Book Event you asked me to look into—I asked Gao Yuan about it last night."

Shen Ji glanced at Li Zhiyan, his dark eyes carrying a hint of indifference. "The Prophecy Book Event I asked you to investigate?"

Li Zhiyan also noticed that Shen Ji’s memory of the past few days wasn’t very clear—in fact, it was almost nonexistent. But whenever Li Zhiyan brought something up, Shen Ji would remember, as if those memories were veiled behind a layer of gauze. Only when the gauze was lifted would the memories return to his mind.

Only that thin veil separated reporter Shen Ji from the pollutant.

"It was a contamination incident that appeared even before the Red Mist Event. Specifically, a strange novel appeared on some people’s phones, and its contents prophesied the Red Mist Event and all subsequent contamination incidents."

"That incident did happen, but due to poor management in the early stages of the Red Mist Event and the spread of too many contaminations, it was largely ignored after all the contaminated victims died."

Shen Ji listened to this and thought it over for a moment. "Why did I ask you to look into this contamination incident back then?"

"At the time, you said: 'You were contaminated even before the Red Mist Event.'"

Shen Ji nodded.

‘System.’

"The Prophecy Book Event occurred in the early stages of the Red Mist Event. By now, the Pollution Prevention Center doesn’t have much information on it. What the protagonist said is essentially all that’s known. I know you’re wondering if this Prophecy Book might be related to the unfinished novel."

"However, the Prophecy Book Event only foretold the Red Mist Event and some contamination incidents, while the unfinished novel takes place thirty years after the Red Mist Event—which is the current storyline."

"The timelines don’t match up."

‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unrelated.’ Shen Ji calmly continued reading his book. ‘I have to say: you’re not very trustworthy right now.’

‘Who knows if you’re the system or a pollutant?’

"Compared to the unfinished novel as we understand it, the Prophecy Book Event is more likely related to the Temporal Thicket."

Shen Ji turned a page. "Time Forest?"

"To this day, there has been no observer of the Time Forest, and even its existence remains a mystery. No one knows who informed the world of the Time Forest's existence, and no one has truly entered the Time Forest. However, the Prophecy Book Event is suspected to be related to the Time Forest."

Prophecy—this is an incredibly miraculous Pollution Talent. If it truly exists, it could even be called the true First Talent.

This is different from Qin Changye's fortune-telling. Qin Changye can only see some obscure hints and determine a person's fate through divination, but prophecy can truly see the entire development of events. Its game-breaking potential is unimaginable.

"When the Pollution Prevention Center was first established, they did consider researching the Prophecy Book Event," Li Zhiyan said.

"But because the victims of the Prophecy Book all died, they failed before they even began."

If they had truly mastered the Prophecy Book, humanity wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties over these thirty years, only stabilizing order now.

Shen Ji leaned back on the sofa and looked at him. "So, if I was truly contaminated with the Prophecy Book, then I am the only survivor?"

"Hard to say," Li Zhiyan replied. "You don't have the ability of prophecy, just a bunch of small mushrooms."

"Normally, contaminated individuals should take on the characteristics of the pollutant. Even if there are differences, it shouldn't go from being a book to being a mushroom."

The black, white, and blue small mushrooms, as if hearing their names, peeked out from under the sofa.

They stared at Shen Ji and Li Zhiyan, as if trying to determine if they were being called.

Seeing that no one was calling them, they obediently retreated back under the sofa.

Just then, the doorbell rang. The person outside seemed hesitant, but after a long pause, they finally knocked.

Shen Ji got up and opened the door, immediately seeing the Shelter Director of X City.

He cautiously glanced into the room, wearing an expression as if he were afraid of interrupting something intimate.

After confirming that both people in the room were fully dressed and no one was disheveled, he spoke, "Sorry to disturb you, Doctor Shen."

"No disturbance," Shen Ji said. "What's the matter?"

"Wu Chi is showing new symptoms," the Director said quickly. "It's embarrassing. As pollution doctors, we've never seen such a condition. I had no choice but to come and bother you."

Shen Ji nodded and looked back at Li Zhiyan sitting on the sofa.

"I need to go to work."

"Understood," Li Zhiyan said, reaching out to pick up the flowers on the dining table. "I'll wait for you at home."

Watching Shen Ji and the Director leave, Li Zhiyan leaned back on the sofa alone, looking at the flowers in his hand.

"Good at his job, takes care of home, and can support me," he muttered to himself.

"Really hit the jackpot."

"I'll quit my job tomorrow and let Shen Ji support me for life."

"Are you jealous? Jealousy won't help. Doctor Xiao Ji is mine alone."

/

After waking up, Wu Chi began experiencing frequent headaches, so severe that he couldn't sleep.

During treatment, the pollution doctors gave him painkillers, but even those couldn't alleviate his headache.

Shen Ji arrived at Wu Chi's isolation room. He looked even weaker than before, with heavy dark circles under his eyes. He had fallen asleep due to sleeping pills, but even in his sleep, he was frowning from the pain.

Entering the isolation room, Shen Ji stood before him, observing Wu Chi's condition.

There was still a faint smell of pollution on him, but it wasn't strong, indicating it wasn't the cause of his headache.

Shen Ji had the small mushrooms turn into mycelium and wander through his body. When they came out, the small mushrooms whimpered, indicating there was no food to eat inside.

The pollution from the "Diary" in his body was almost gone.

Logically, such intense headaches shouldn't occur.

"Ah," a voice in his head suddenly realized something. "Could he be leveling up?"

"Leveling up?"

"Yes! Mutants often exhibit unusual states when awakening, including a refractory period. But there are no examples of high-level pollutants or mutants leveling up. So, in their view, only low-level mutants and pollutants can level up."

"S-Level mutants and pollutants are S-Level from birth. There isn't a single example of anyone leveling up to S-Level."

"But I leveled up to S-Level, which means high-level pollutants can level up."

"In other words: high-level mutants can also level up."

Shen Ji looked at Wu Chi.

"What does he need now?"

"You cleared the Diary's pollution from him, which is why he can enter the leveling-up state so quickly."

"Right now, he just needs a bit of pollution to maintain the surrounding pollution concentration. Don't think that just because mutants are still human, they don't need a bit of pollution during awakening."

Shen Ji released a small amount of pollution from his body. The surrounding pollution detectors immediately went off. Shen Ji ignored it and turned to leave the isolation room.

Soon, members of the security team and the Academy of Sciences arrived, alarmed by the alarm.

Shen Ji quickly said, "Everything is fine here."

"Fine?" a colleague from the Academy of Sciences asked, puzzled. "But Doctor Shen, the environmental pollution level here is 103!"

"So everyone needs to leave quickly and stay away. But I assure you, nothing will happen here."

Those present exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt, but in the end, they chose to believe him.

Who were they facing? He was an S-Level Healingtype mutant. When it came to contaminated patients, they just needed to trust him. Since he said it was fine, it should be fine.

So they chose to leave, but they didn't completely ignore the situation. Everyone went to the monitoring room.

Yesterday, the Academy of Sciences staff had worked overtime to replace the damaged monitoring equipment, and now it was already proving useful.

When they arrived at the monitoring room, they found the Director and some pollution doctors already there, all closely watching everything on the monitors.

On the screen, Shen Ji stood in front of the isolation room, watching Wu Chi inside. He didn't do anything, just repeatedly muted the alarm.

So the alarm stopped sounding, but the pollution detector still displayed the detected pollution values.

"234, 418—500."

Someone frowned as they watched the pollution level soar. "These readings are on par with a high-level pollutant's presence. Could it be that Wu Chi..."

"Mr. Shen is still here. If he says it's fine, we need to trust him," the Director scolded the person.

Even as he said this, his heart was in his mouth, and his hands trembled.

It was just too dangerous. With such a high pollution level, if no intervention was made, it might cause the conditions of the nearby contaminated patients to worsen continuously.

If a Class A Pollutant truly appeared, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But Shen Ji did nothing.

He stood perfectly still, even lazily tilting his head with his hands tucked into his coat pockets. Dressed in the shelter's uniform, his eyes behind black-rimmed glasses held a hint of indifference. His posture and expression told everyone that he wasn’t the least bit nervous—in fact, he seemed to think this was a normal progression.

The Shelter Director couldn’t help but recall the legends surrounding Shen Ji.

It was said that he was first discovered as a Healing-Type Mutant at the Q City Shelter, where he was responsible for treating a mother-daughter pair.

One day, the daughter’s pollution level suddenly surged, reaching Phase IV contamination at one point, yet he told everyone present not to worry.

Just as everyone was frantic with worry, the girl’s pollution level dropped, and she eventually awakened as a C-Level psychic mutant.

...Could it be?

No, no—Wu Chi was an A-Level Mutant. The entire Pollution Prevention Center had only four S-Class Mutants. Aside from those four, A-Level Mutants were the top tier. How could an A-Level Mutant advance to S-Class?

Even as he thought this, the Director grew even more nervous.

“Pollution level 1209—it’s too high!”

The escaping pollution triggered alarms from detectors further away. Shen Ji couldn’t be bothered to handle them from such a distance and let them blare.

He simply kept his gaze fixed on Wu Chi inside the isolation room.

“His talent threshold is also rising. He’s about to cross that line.”

“Just 27 more, 13, 7, 1... Done!”

The moment the system’s voice fell, the surrounding pollution vanished instantly. All the pollution alarms fell silent, and the sudden dead silence in the shelter was so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Wu Chi slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Shen Ji standing before him.

“D-Doctor Shen...?”

“Congratulations,” Shen Ji said, looking at him. “You’ve broken free from the shackles of memory and emotion. Congratulations on successfully ascending to S-Class.”

Wu Chi was stunned, and everyone monitoring remotely was equally shocked.

“Wait—what did Doctor Shen just say?!”

“S-Class Mutant? Did he say S-Class?!”

“Wu Chi is now an S-Class Mutant?!”

The Director of X City Shelter couldn't hold back any longer. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he kept wiping them away.

In the brief time since Shen Ji's discovery, they had welcomed another S-Class Mutant.

Was this the miracle brought by Doctor Shen?