Chapter 90

Chapter 90

The supernaturals were stunned, taken completely by surprise by the scene.

The rescue team members were even more speechless, unable to describe the shock in their hearts.

That was an S-class pollutant—getting tossed around like that?

Knowing how resilient S-class pollutants were, Lin Juan didn't hold back, and the tentacle was truly in pain.

It curled up pathetically into a ball, not leaving even a tiny tip of its tentacle exposed, resembling an enormous, solid sphere.

Once they were out, Sheng Tianzong gave Director Liu a concise report of everything that happened from the moment they entered the domain to their exit.

His brief account brought immense shock, and the supernaturals who overheard were floored.

Every development was beyond their expectations.

Upon hearing Sheng Tianzong say that Mr. Lu Yanzhou was missing, Director Liu’s expression hardened.

In this battle, Lin Juan had played a decisive role. No matter how they looked at it, they wouldn't let Mr. Lin down and would do everything possible to find Mr. Lin's spouse, Mr. Lu.

"Mr. Lin, how do you plan to deal with this pollutant?"

The tentacle, though it had sealed itself off, still paid attention to the movements outside and pricked up its ears.

A tiny tip of the tentacle extended from the sphere.

Lin Juan pretended not to see it and feigned hesitation: "Such a big one, it would be difficult to care for, right?"

The tentacle twisted frantically. If it could speak, it would surely shout: I'm easy to keep! I can find my own food, hunt, and even...

Director Liu was about to speak when he saw Lin Juan signaling him with his eyes. He swallowed his words and echoed, "Yes, after all, it's a pollutant; it's not easy to keep."

The tentacle grew even more anxious, afraid of being abandoned. After being beaten, it didn't dare to scheme anymore, let alone attempt to trap Lin Juan in its domain.

It wasn't that it didn't want to, but it didn't dare—it couldn't defeat its human.

Wuwu.

With only instincts left, the pollutant's thinking was simple. It felt anxious but didn't know how to express it, so it could only squirm around in place.

This terrified the supernaturals who had been alert to its movements.

"Otherwise..." Lin Juan mused, "find a suitable place and release it there?"

No!

The tentacle let out a silent scream.

It didn't want to be sent away!

Why couldn't it stay?!

Was it because it was too weak?!

It would grow stronger!!!

The inaudible sound brought intense pollution. The supernaturals covered their ears, resisting the inexplicable screams.

As if sensing something, the tentacle ball suddenly moved.

At the same time, the pollution detector emitted a piercing alarm.

"Trouble! The pollution level is rising again!"

"A group of pollutants suddenly appeared from the west. Based on the data, there are at least ten A-class pollutants!"

"South side as well!"

"East side..."

One piece of bad news followed another, and the tentacle suddenly charged out.

These pollutants were all targeting the S-class pollutant here. A living S-class pollutant naturally deterred lower-level pollutants; conversely, once they sensed the S-class pollutant was weak and an opportunity had arisen, lower-level pollutants would swarm forward like sharks smelling blood.

S-class pollutants also held a strong attraction for lower-level pollutants.

They would lure lower-level pollutants to come, either to become their food or to become food themselves.

Even knowing it was a near-suicidal mission, lower-level pollutants couldn't resist the temptation. It was ingrained in their genes—a craving for power.

The energy signature emitted by the near-death S-class anomaly "Sacred Snake Mountain" had lured hidden pollutants to swarm in.

"Alert!"

"Team One, prepare!"

The armed forces, ready for a tough battle, stood ready for action.

But the tentacle acted before them.

In the blink of an eye, the slowly writhing tentacle ball vanished.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the converging pollutants encountered a terrifying reaper.

If the tentacle had a detector on it, one would see its pollution level rising sharply.

The tentacle grew larger and larger. Wherever it went, pollutants were ensnared and devoured. It was a literal hell exclusive to pollutants.

"The pollution level has dropped!"

By the time the human forces arrived, nothing was left except for bizarre bloodstains all over the ground.

The tentacle was gone.

Until news came from Rongcheng that the rescue team had saved many civilians, including an unconscious Lu Yanzhou.

Lin Juan sat on a specialized helicopter, hurrying back.

The unconscious Lu Yanzhou was sent to a hospital specialized in treating pollution-related illnesses. By the time Lin Juan arrived, Zhuang Yufeng had already treated him.

"How is he?" Lin Juan asked as he got off the helicopter, ignoring all else and heading straight for the ward.

"Everyone rescued from the affected area must be quarantined. Only after ensuring their contamination levels are within normal range and there are no lasting complications will their families be notified for visitation."

Lu Yanzhou's hospital room was empty.

Zhuang Yufeng approached. Knowing Lin Juan was anxious, he volunteered an explanation: "Mr. Lu's contamination levels have stabilized. After one more night of observation, if there are no abnormalities, he can be moved from the special ward."

After changing into a protective suit, Lin Juan entered the special ward.

The man lay on the hospital bed as if asleep, breathing steadily.

Lin Juan walked to the bedside, and as the attending physician, Zhuang Yufeng followed him in.

"Has he shown any abnormal changes?"

Lin Juan was asking whether Lu Yanzhou had shown any signs of being contaminated.

Zhuang Yufeng replied, "After finding Mr. Lu, we conducted a detailed examination immediately. Initially, his contamination was very high, but fortunately, it steadily decreased after treatment. As of now, it has fallen below the safety line."

"Where did you find him?" Lin Juan sat on the sofa, deep in thought.

Had his guess been wrong? Was the tentacle not transformed from Lu Yanzhou? Then where did the tentacle go?

"In the mountain's interior. Most of the other victims were also rescued there. When we found Mr. Lu, he was already unconscious, with some bloodstains and minor abrasions, but nothing serious."

Whether considering Lu Yanzhou's own status or his relationship as Lin Juan's spouse, the Paranormal Special Affairs Office placed great importance on him. Upon finding him, they thoroughly searched the surrounding area but found nothing unusual.

"I understand. Thank you."

"Don't mention it, Mr. Lin. It is we who should be thanking you." Zhuang Yufeng couldn’t describe the emotions he felt the moment the S-class contamination alert was lifted.

In the lifetime he had experienced, no encounter with an S-class pollutant had ever ended so easily.

In a future without Lin Juan, humanity paid a heavy price every time they battled anomalies.

Compared to the outcomes of his past life, the casualties from this S-class contamination incident were almost negligible.

Zhuang Yufeng had never imagined that one day, humanity could handle a disaster caused by an S-class pollutant so effortlessly.

Having lived through that past life, Zhuang Yufeng was even more grateful for Lin Juan's presence.

Sensing Zhuang Yufeng’s excited gaze, Lin Juan was puzzled. "Dr. Zhuang?"

"Feel free to stay with Mr. Lu for now, Mr. Lin. If you need anything, just press the call button. I’ll leave you two alone."

The aftermath was handled by the Paranormal Special Affairs Office, so Lin Juan didn’t need to worry. Since Lu Yanzhou hadn’t woken up, Lin Juan stayed at the hospital to keep him company.

During this time, Lin Juan called Old Mr. Lu to report that they were safe.

Seeing his grandson unconscious once again, Old Mr. Lu couldn’t help but recall the period when his younger son had fallen into a coma for unknown reasons. Choking back tears, he said, "It’s good that he’s safe. It’s good that he’s safe."

"Please don't worry," Lin Juan reassured him. "Dr. Zhuang said Yanzhou’s pollution values have dropped below the safety line. He should be fine once he wakes up."

Lu Mingxuan, who had participated in the rescue mission, visited the hospital to check on his uncle whenever he had a break from his busy schedule.

He was maturing at a visible rate.

Transforming from a somewhat naive youth into a responsible man.

With contamination levels lowered and the surrounding pollutants devoured by the tentacle, Rongcheng and its surrounding areas became an absolute safe zone.

Once it was confirmed that contamination had fallen below the safety line, the evacuated residents were instructed to return home in batches.

A major disaster had been resolved without a trace.

Everything was moving in a positive direction, except for the tentacle, which had disappeared without a trace.

No one knew where the tentacle that had devoured the S-class Anomaly "Sacred Snake Mountain" had gone. After consuming all the pollutants that had emerged in the area around Rongcheng, it never appeared again.

Some senior officials wanted to question Lin Juan, but they were blocked by Director Liu’s people.

After this incident, Lin Juan’s power once again exceeded everyone’s expectations. Many senior officials believed it was unnecessary to risk displeasing him over uncertain matters.

Compared to unpredictable pollutants, Lin Juan, a genuine human, was the one they needed to win over.

Some countries internationally activated several sleeper agents to uncover what had happened in China and how they had so easily resolved a super-Class A contamination disaster, but they came up empty-handed.

China, however, took the opportunity to purge internal elements.

Director Liu was the one who informed Lin Juan of all this.

Lu Yanzhou still hadn’t woken up.

His physical signs were stable, but he remained unconscious.

While other survivors from the same batch had regained consciousness and been discharged, Lu Yanzhou remained unchanged.

After some consideration, Lin Juan took him back to the Lu Manor in the capital.

The public explanation was that a familiar environment might stimulate Lu Yanzhou to wake up.

The real reason was that one night, Lin Juan was awakened by a feeling of constraint. In the dim moonlight, he saw a translucent, deep purple tentacle wrapped around him.

As if startled by his movement, the tentacle disappeared in an instant.

Lin Juan didn’t know what had happened to Lu Yanzhou, why he had turned into a tentacle, or how he had transformed back into a human.

He only knew that Lu Yanzhou was the person he had committed to, and that would not change, whether he was a human or a monster.

As for what to do if he became a pollutant and became uncontrollable?

Simple.

Lin Juan thought to himself, I know exactly how to handle that.

After that one incident, Lin Juan never found anything unusual about Lu Yanzhou again.

According to various examination results, Lu Yanzhou was just a perfectly ordinary human, with no abnormalities whatsoever.

But how then to explain the translucent tentacle that appeared in the middle of the night?

Could he have confused a dream with reality?

Lin Juan stopped wasting energy on things he couldn’t figure out.

Back in the capital, Lin Juan returned to his usual quiet life. Aside from occasionally going to the Paranormal Special Affairs Office to train ability users, he spent most of his time at home, waiting for Lu Yanzhou to wake up.

No one noticed that, centered around the Lu Manor, an invisible aura of deterrence spread outward. Even while unconscious, the S-class pollutant was instinctively creating a safe and comfortable nest for its partner.

Lin Juan, residing deep within the creature’s den, remained completely unaware.