Chapter 94: Prophecy Book Event

Chapter 94: Prophecy Book Event

The Pollution Forum restarted, and suddenly the entire Pollution Prevention Center was buzzing about it.

No one can say for sure when this Pollution Forum first appeared. Anyway, by the time the Pollution Prevention Center noticed it, it had already become popular. Moreover, the forum can't be downloaded—it picks its own users and randomly appears on some people’s phones.

No one knew the criteria for selection either.

Some insiders at the Pollution Prevention Center also had the forum, including Li Zhiyan, who was a forum member. Chu Ye used to be one too, but after he was cured, the forum mysteriously disappeared from his phone.

It's not like no one tried to investigate the Pollution Forum, but since they couldn’t find the forum's source, and the posts helped with categorizing types of pollutants—plus, the forum didn’t pollute anyone—the Pollution Prevention Center turned a blind eye and let it be.

No one expected it to deliver such a big "gift" today.

It was the complete list of S-class pollutants and mutants.

Even neutralized ones like the Gardener and the Diary were included, marked with an asterisk to indicate "temporarily deceased."

But at the same time, a new question came up.

Why wasn’t Shen Ji on this list? Wasn’t he an S-class Healing-type mutant?

"Huang Jining: Maybe this is a danger list. Doctor Xiao Ji, as an S-class Healing-type mutant, isn’t dangerous, so he wasn’t included."

"Cheng Feng: But then, the Pollution Forum itself is on the list, ranked eighth. Does that mean the forum itself is dangerous?"

"Yang Xu: I agree. The forum is strange—it can even identify S-class pollutants we haven’t discovered in thirty years."

Yes, more than Shen Ji not being on the list, they were more concerned about the No. 1 and No. 2 entries on the list—two pollutants they had never detected before.

The *** in the Time Forest, and the Filth, whose location was unknown.

"Gao Yuan: The name 'Filth' sounds like it was given by a human, but there’s no pollutant named 'Filth' in our database, right?"

"Gao Yuan: The name sounds spooky."

After saying this, Gao Yuan turned his head and suddenly sneezed, looked around strangely, and rubbed his nose with a tentacle.

"What’s wrong?" Gao Yuan rubbed his tentacles together. "It felt like something was watching me all of a sudden."

"Li Qingan: Assuming this ranking is accurate, the top three most dangerous are all pollutants. Only Li Zhiyan ranks fourth. I always thought Li Zhiyan was the top mutant—he can handle most pollutants. I didn’t expect him to only rank fourth."

"Yang Xu: That’s because we haven’t observed the first and second entries. In our system, the strongest S-class pollutant is Wrath. Li Zhiyan can fight Wrath, so naturally, he’s the strongest."

"Li Qingan: @Li Zhiyan, what do you think?"

"Li Qingan: …Where’s Li Zhiyan?"

"Cheng Feng: I kicked him out this morning."

"Li Qingan: ?"

"Gao Yuan: Why don't we add Doctor Shen too? It’s a waste not to include him with his abilities."

"Huang Jining added 'Li Zhiyan' and 'Shen Ji' to the group chat."

At that moment, Shen Ji was still browsing the forum. A notification about joining a new group chat appeared on his phone, but he ignored it.

He scrolled through the forum, trying to find more information about the Time Forest.

"System, don’t you think the way this forum exists is a lot like the Prophecy Book?"

"Huh? How?"

"It mysteriously appears on someone’s phone out of nowhere. The Prophecy Book Event was also about a novel suddenly appearing on phones, right?"

Shen Ji looked at the posts. "Exactly the same format."

"Really!" the system exclaimed. "The Prophecy Book Event also randomly selected certain groups of people. The pollution pattern is identical!"

"Moreover, I suspect the Pollution Forum doesn't know everything. Its understanding of pollutants is limited."

"For example, it knows about the Time Forest and that there’s a pollutant there, but it doesn’t know who that pollutant is. It knows about the existence of Filth but doesn’t know where Filth is now. Its judgment of Li Zhiyan is also strange—it didn’t even classify him as a mutant or a pollutant."

"What do you mean?"

"What if it’s like us, only familiar with the 'original work'?"

"…"

If that were the case, aside from the Time Forest, it would know about Filth’s existence and that Li Zhiyan had issues in the original background. But due to the original work’s rushed ending and the current plot changes, it doesn’t know where Filth is now or what Li Zhiyan’s past is.

The 'original work' is the 'Prophecy Book.'

The system asked curiously, "Are all reporters this good at solving puzzles?"

"Of course, we have to learn how to solve puzzles. We have to find the truth amidst countless lies. Sometimes I even consider going to police academy to become a cop, but then I think better of it. I’m only good at observing people, not detective work."

Shen Ji tapped on the words "Time Forest."

"I have a feeling it holds the answer to everything."

"That’s good," the system said. "Our goal is to find the Time Forest. Maybe we can find clues from this forum."

Shen Ji nodded, exited the forum, and finally had time to open the group chat he had just joined.

As soon as he opened it, he saw 99+ unread messages.

Puzzled, he clicked in and immediately saw everyone arguing.

"Cheng Feng: Li Zhiyan, I’m not here to listen to your love story!"

Shen Ji: …?

"Li Zhiyan: Why not? Let me tell you: Shen Ji and I are already engaged. From now on, I’m his 'inner person.' Do you know what that means? It means I have the right to decide his future. As long as I discuss it with Shen Ji, he won’t join the Pollution Harmless Treatment Center."

"Huang Jining: But we’re discussing the issue of two unknown S-class pollutants right now?"

"Li Zhiyan: What’s there to discuss? If they haven’t appeared in over thirty years, it means they’re not interested in humans. If they haven’t shown up in thirty years, they won’t show up in another thirty."

"Li Zhiyan: We should be discussing my wedding with Shen Ji instead. All of you need to prepare gifts!"

"Li Qingan: Hahaha, Li Zhiyan, you’re really something."

"Gao Yuan: What’s so funny?"

"Li Zhiyan: Little squid, which tentacle are you using to type? Send me a picture."

"Gao Yuan: ? Are you crazy? I’m going to post your apology voice message in the group files!"

"Li Qingan: Hahaha, this is hilarious too!"

"Yang Xu: I mean, can we get back on topic? Weren't we discussing the Pollution Forum? Besides, in this entire group, only you, Li Zhiyan, can access the detailed updates on the forum, right?"

"Li Zhiyan: Oh, Shen Ji is here too. We're truly a perfect match!"

Shen Ji silently clicked on the group chat homepage, hesitating over the "Exit Group Chat" option.

Should he leave?

It's a bit embarrassing.

As a journalist, how could he be so embarrassed?

In the end, he didn't leave the group but chose to block it instead—a perfect way out.

"Does kidding yourself make it less embarrassing?"

"Avoidance is a choice in life. When faced with embarrassing situations, choosing to avoid them is completely normal."

"Moreover, by muting the group, I can claim I didn't see anything, rather than admit I saw it and left because I couldn't handle it. What a great excuse."

"..."

"Then how do you plan to explain not being on the list?"

"Explain? No need for explanations."

Shen Ji said calmly, "As long as I act confused and tell them I know nothing, the rest is up to the Pollution Prevention Center."

"It's up to the Pollution Prevention Center to decide whether to suspect me because of the Pollution Forum or to suspect the Pollution Forum because of me—a pollution doctor who has saved countless Contaminated patients."

With such an unbalanced comparison, even a child would know which side to choose.

Yet despite this, Li Zhiyan remained vigilant. Instead of discussing the two undiscovered pollutants, he repeatedly emphasized that he was going to marry Shen Ji and that everyone must come bearing gifts.

He was hinting: Li Zhiyan and Shen Ji are tightly bound, so the Pollution Prevention Center should weigh their actions carefully.

If handled poorly, they could lose more than just Shen Ji, an S-class Healing-type mutant.

Just then, a small white jade-like mushroom fell from the ceiling. It puffed and panted as it climbed onto Shen Ji's shoulder, leaning close to his ear to mimic humans and whisper to him.

Master, Master!

There seems to be a strange little snack in the snack stash!

We’ve never eaten such a snack before.

Does Master want to go check it out?

Shen Ji looked at the small mushroom on his shoulder. "The containment facility? Those people contaminated by the diary?"

The small mushroom nodded vigorously.

Shen Ji stroked its cap and praised it a few times. As the small mushroom bobbed happily, he stood up and headed to the containment facility. The small mushroom quickly transformed into hyphae and wrapped around Shen Ji's ankle.

Shen Ji looked down at the small mushroom, which even poked out a head, as if Shen Ji were wearing an ornamental anklet.

It looked quite nice.

Already accustomed to being wrapped by the small mushroom, Shen Ji didn’t mind where the hyphae clung.

...Of course, some particularly sensitive spots were off-limits.

As soon as he entered the containment facility, someone greeted him.

"Doctor Xiao Ji?" A pollution doctor wearing the containment facility's white uniform looked at him curiously. "Haven't you just left not long ago? Why are you back?"

"There was something I wasn’t sure about. After leaving, it didn't sit right with me, so I came back to confirm," Shen Ji explained.

The pollution doctor’s eyes filled with emotion. "So that’s how it is. Doctor Xiao Ji, you’re truly conscientious."

"This is part of my job. I wouldn’t call it dedication. I don’t want to work either, but our work is to protect the patients' well-being. If there’s an issue, it’s better to come back and check."

The pollution doctor’s eyes grew even more admiring.

Being a doctor is a profession, and not all pollution doctors have strong ethics. But Doctor Xiao Ji possesses that kind of character.

Only someone like him could become an S-class Healing-type mutant!

"Another one fooled by you," the system tsk-ed twice. "How did you develop this ability to make things up so effortlessly?"

'What do you mean, make things up?'

Shen Ji retorted, 'He wanted to hear such things, so I said what he wanted to hear. That’s a mutually beneficial arrangement!'

After exchanging words with the system, Shen Ji entered the containment facility.

The small mushroom led the way, and Shen Ji followed it into the elevator. The elevator went straight to the third floor, which was the Stage II patient area of City X’s containment facility.

The moment he reached that spot, Shen Ji detected a faint odor.

It smelled like aged paper or water-logged bamboo, but it wasn’t pleasant—it was tinged with rot.

Shen Ji frowned slightly, cupping his nose with one hand, certain it was the smell of pollution.

But strangely, the scent was wavering, not very obvious, as if it had drifted in from somewhere else.

The small mushroom poked its head out, and countless little mushrooms began babbling to Shen Ji.

A new little snack suddenly appeared!

But when we tried to eat it, we couldn’t get a bite of it.

The little snack suddenly disappeared!

The small mushrooms protested indignantly: That wretched little snack! How dare it trick the great small mushrooms!

"Where is this pollution aura coming from?" Shen Ji frowned.

"Huh? There’s pollution?"

The system sounded puzzled. "My sensors haven’t detected any pollution level."

"There’s something you can’t detect?"

"This system is all-capable. How could I not detect it?" The system declared defiantly, "I don’t believe it! Pollution, I’ll root you out!"

After a ten-minute struggle, the system finally detected the pollution.

"A pollution source unrelated to the diary residue has been detected, with a pollution level of 3, very slight."

"Tests show the pollution emanating from him is not emitted by himself but through the device he's holding. The communicator he carries is emitting slight pollution. I hacked it to check and found an upgraded version of the Pollution Forum in his phone."

Shen Ji subtly raised an eyebrow. "The Pollution Forum is emitting pollution?"

"Yes, but the pollution is too slight for the pollution detector to detect. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed either."

Shen Ji looked up at the small mushroom, who instantly understood his meaning and began leading him forward.

They all stopped in the area where the strange little snacks had appeared.

The moment Shen Ji walked over, he caught a whiff of that scent.

The system also began deep scanning and data mining.

"Pollution level 2, Pollution Forum in the phone, user level C. He is a Class-C Mutant."

"Pollution level 5, user level D. He is a Phase I contaminated patient."

"Pollution level 3, user level E. Her Pollution Forum shows no signs of activation—it just appeared."

After checking everyone present, Shen Ji finally left the ward. While waiting for the elevator, he pulled out his phone to look at the Pollution Forum on the screen.

As he looked, he brought the phone to his nose and sniffed lightly.

No smell, at least no pollution smell.

"How did I download this forum back then?" Shen Ji asked the system.

"I don't know. At the time, I was still trying to convince you that you had transmigrated into a book. You were running around everywhere, and suddenly one day you told me you'd found a forum discussing pollutants."

Shen Ji thought back; it seemed that was indeed the case.

Back then, he didn't believe at all that he had transmigrated into a book—it sounded too far-fetched, too much like a scam.

Ding, the elevator door opened. Shen Ji looked up and saw a familiar face.

Li Zhiyan stood before him, holding a potted plant.

This scene inexplicably reminded Shen Ji of the past, when he was still working at the Q City Containment Facility and he and Li Zhiyan were in the "villain and protagonist absolutely cannot be together!" phase.

He had cured Chu Ye, and Li Zhiyan had come to give him a thank-you gift, also holding a potted plant.

Back then, Li Zhiyan was still somewhat reserved, at least not smiling involuntarily upon seeing him the way he does now.

"Found you!" Li Zhiyan said.

Shen Ji looked at the flowerpot in his arms. "What's this?"

"Pollution flowers from the Pollution Fissure Research Institute. I was there earlier to handle this." Li Zhiyan handed the flowerpot to Shen Ji. "The Pollution Prevention Center wanted the Academy of Sciences to study whether these flowers have any special effects, so I picked the prettiest one and kept it."

"It'll look great on my balcony."

Shen Ji took the flowerpot and looked down at the flowers. They were crystal clear, the same variety as the crystal flower in the cup in the dorm.

But this one was clearly prettier. He could already picture everyone working while Li Zhiyan carefully selected the flowers.

Li Zhiyan's interests have always been so consistent; even now, he loved the flowers, plants, and trees of nature, just like back in the modern era, running up the mountain while taking pictures of the flowers and plants.

Shen Ji sniffed the flower—it smelled of ice and snow, a very fresh scent, similar to the pollution from the diary.

"Does it smell good?" Li Zhiyan asked, sighing regretfully before Shen Ji could answer. "Though it looks beautiful, the smell isn't ideal. It smells a bit cold."

Right, Li Zhiyan could also smell pollution.

"Li Zhiyan, come with me."

He pulled Li Zhiyan into the contaminated ward. Li Zhiyan looked puzzled but didn't resist, following Shen Ji into the ward.

Once they reached the spot, Shen Ji pointed to one of the contaminated patients and asked Li Zhiyan, "Can you smell different pollution scents?"

"Smell?" Li Zhiyan shook his head. "No."

Li Zhiyan couldn't smell it either.

As Shen Ji was thinking, Li Zhiyan pressed his face against Shen Ji's shoulder, sniffing lightly at the scent on him.

Though he couldn't smell anything from this contaminated patient, he inexplicably felt that the pollution aura on Shen Ji had grown slightly stronger.

As the most concealed S-class pollutant, Shen Ji hardly emitted any pollution aura. Li Zhiyan relied entirely on the mimicry of the Mimic Butterfly to conceal his own pollution, while Shen Ji needed no cover at all. Only occasionally could Li Zhiyan catch a whiff of pollution from Shen Ji.

Most of the time, that happened when Shen Ji was emotionally unsettled, and the small mushroom, influenced by him, would release pollution.

But today, Shen Ji wasn't emotionally unsettled, and the small mushroom wasn't by his side, yet he was emitting a very faint pollution scent.

Shen Ji felt Li Zhiyan's hair brush against his hand, so he turned to look at him. By now, Li Zhiyan was very close to him, only a breath apart, as if they were about to press together the next second.

"What are you doing?" Shen Ji asked him.

"Your scent," Li Zhiyan said without restraint. Once discovered, he leaned even closer, his nose brushing against Shen Ji's cheek with excessive intimacy and warmth. "It's a bit stronger than before."

"Really?"

Before Li Zhiyan could answer, a cough came from nearby.

A young doctor holding a file folder stood at the end of the hallway, his ears red, not daring to look their way.

Only then did Shen Ji realize how ambiguous their posture must seem.

In public, holding a flowerpot, sniffing someone else's scent.

Who wouldn't say, "These young couples sure know how to play."

"Ahem," the pollution doctor's voice was quieter than a mosquito's. "S-sorry to interrupt."

He didn't really want to interrupt them, but this was a contaminated ward, and they were blocking the path. He was in a hurry to deliver documents to the archives.

After speaking, the pollution doctor scurried past them with the files. The elevator door slid shut, hiding the young doctor's flushed face.

Shen Ji glanced at Li Zhiyan.

Li Zhiyan immediately raised his hands, whispering, "Not my fault. I really just noticed the pollution scent on you had gotten stronger."

"...I wanted to confirm it, so I sniffed a bit longer."

Shen Ji said helplessly, "Let's go, back to the dorm first."

They returned to the elevator and waited. As they stood there, Shen Ji said, "The Pollution Prevention Center should really figure out and make a proper list of people who have access to the Pollution Forum."

Li Zhiyan looked at him. "Did something happen?"

"Not exactly. I detected strange pollution on several contaminated patients—extremely low pollution levels, almost undetectable by pollution detectors. But every one of them is a user of the Pollution Forum."

Li Zhiyan looked at Shen Ji, his pale blue eyes holding a deep reflection of Shen Ji.

Li Zhiyan was actually curious: How did Shen Ji know they were users of the Pollution Forum?

None of the contaminated patients here were allowed to carry communication devices. Even the pollution doctors throughout the containment center weren’t permitted to have personal phones—they used designated communicators instead, all to prevent the spread of pollution through mobile devices. So without access to phones, how did Shen Ji discover they were all members of the Pollution Forum?

Does Filth not only devour pollution but also identify its source?

That’s impressive. No wonder it's ranked second among S-class pollutants.

"My ranking is lower than yours," Li Zhiyan suddenly said.

Shen Ji turned to look at him. "What?"

"That ranking. I’m two places below you," Li Zhiyan said in a mysterious tone. "So next time we’re on a mission together, I’m hiding behind you. You’re stronger—you have to protect me."

Shen Ji gave him a once-over. "Just for that?"

"I’ve never been protected before," Li Zhiyan said with a smile. "In the past, I was always the one at the front, the first to try things. Even in the apocalypse, I’m still the one protecting others. So I want to try what it feels like to be protected."

"Boyfriend, you absolutely have to keep me safe."

Shen Ji laughed softly, his gaze gentle as he looked at Li Zhiyan. "Of course I’ll protect you."

It was also because of Li Zhiyan that Shen Ji absolutely could not allow his identity to be exposed.

If Shen Ji were exposed, Li Zhiyan would be exposed along with him—like pulling up a radish only to bring the mud with it.

Bound so closely together now, neither could survive alone.