Chapter 10-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 10 Choice
For some, entering the observation room meant constant paranoia, terrified of being watched. For Zhu Ning, it felt more like a luxury sanatorium.
The next day, she slept until four in the afternoon. To her surprise, the buffet was still open despite how late she was. The cafeteria was nearly empty—no one else eating, no one fighting her for food.
Zhu Ning circled the buffet twice with her little tray, sampling everything like she hadn't eaten in eight hundred years. NutriStim was cheaper and more efficient; many ordinary people no longer ate real food for nutrition. The Sanitation Center truly spared no expense. She carried her tray out, looking for a comfy seat, and immediately spotted Fang Ying.
The woman wore a sharp light-blue business suit, arms full of files, looking incredibly capable. Fang Ying flashed a perfect eight-tooth smile upon seeing Zhu Ning. "Hello, Zhu Ning."
Zhu Ning fell silent, inexplicably feeling like a student caught slacking by the homeroom teacher.
"Eat, eat. I just want to chat." Fang Ying gestured for her to sit first.
Zhu Ning sat with her tray. Fang Ying took the opposite seat and smiled warmly. Zhu Ning bit into her bread, unnerved by the stare. "Um, if you have something to say, just say it?"
Could she stop looking at her like a terminal patient? So kind, yet so terrifying.
"Here's the thing," Fang Ying opened her folder and slid out several documents. "Your data collection report is ready."
Zhu Ning mumbled an acknowledgment through a mouthful of food.
Fang Ying: "Do you want to read it yourself?"
The weird feeling intensified. Did Fang Ying see her as someone on death's doorstep? Like she had an incurable disease and Fang Ying was here to deliver the death sentence.
Zhu Ning: "You tell me."
Fang Ying cleared her throat lightly. "Your sanity is outstanding—over 1200. That's S-Rank."
Zhu Ning hummed. The Center's sanity metric clearly wasn't the same unit as her Interface. Her Interface capped at 100; the Center measured in thousands. She had no frame of reference and asked, "What about Li Nianchuan?"
She needed a baseline.
Fang Ying: "Originally 306, but after yesterday's contaminated zone, it rose. Around 400 now."
Sanity could increase?
Fang Ying explained, "Repeated exposure to Sources of Contamination raises sanity to varying degrees."
Zhu Ning understood—it was like building courage. Scare yourself enough, and you toughen up.
Fang Ying continued, "Your value is extremely rare. You're currently the only S-Rank in District 103."
Zhu Ning frowned. Not good news.
By her survival philosophy, those who stood out too much died young.
Fang Ying pulled out Zhu Ning's physical report with an apologetic look. "But your physical data isn't great."
As suspected—Fang Ying really was pronouncing a death sentence. She placed the report in front of Zhu Ning. "Without significant intervention, you might not have more than a year."
Zhu Ning kept eating, head down. "Oh."
She thought it was something serious.
Fang Ying: "...?"
Why didn't Zhu Ning react normally?
Like last time, half of Fang Ying's prepared lines went unused whenever they talked. The comfort she'd had on the tip of her tongue got stuck. Honestly, it was a little frustrating.
Fang Ying: "It's a shame. That's just how fifth-class citizens are."
Zhu Ning only vaguely knew the citizen hierarchy—original host hadn't left clear memories. "How does the ranking work?"
Fang Ying: "..."
Only now did she realize how shockingly spotty Zhu Ning's general knowledge was.
"After the apocalypse, radiation caused widespread biological contamination and mutation. We lost 80% of habitable land. The Federation built Survivor Bases protected by high walls against external contaminants. Early on, resources were scarce, so citizens were screened and divided into five classes based on usefulness to the Federation."
"First-class citizens are Naturals—we preserve their genes. Second-class are Synthetics, gene-programmed specialists. Third-class are Replicants, mass-produced from premium genes but with short lifespans—forty years on average. Fourth-class are Androids with self-awareness."
Fang Ying: "Fifth-class citizens are Defectives from the above categories—severe genetic flaws discovered during screening. Treatment is prohibitively expensive, so most live in District 103's garbage district."
Ah. That explained it.
District 103 was the Federation's garbage processing hub. Its "natives" were almost all Defectives.
Defectives could undergo genetic modification with medical resources, but the cost was astronomical. Most simply waited to die.
There were conspiracy theories that manufacturers deliberately produced Defectives—forcing them to buy drugs or modifications and ongoing maintenance, funneling money upward. But it was never proven.
Fang Ying had worried that reporting Zhu Ning's sanity would attract trouble. But after including her physical data and fifth-class status, the First Military District stayed silent.
Zhu Ning was promising, but as a Defective, she couldn't enter the military—minimum requirement was third-class.
On the flip side, a Defective with such high sanity was inexplicable.
Fang Ying: "...You're not upset?"
Zhu Ning: "It's fine."
She already knew her health was low—plain as day on the Interface.
Plus, when she first transmigrated, she'd skimmed the original host's info. Original host was a Defective, but back then Zhu Ning was too busy being a salted fish to care.
Killing the Fishman last time activated the Interface's stats, confirming she didn't have long.
But "dying soon" had degrees. In her previous life amid zombies, she never knew if she'd see tomorrow's sun.
Now she had a year—that meant room to maneuver. Room meant no need to panic. She'd just added 5 points yesterday.
By comparison, another question bothered her more.
Original host died so strangely—why go alone to the garbage house in acid rain? Why wake up with a stomach wound and a jagged metal shard?
Who wanted her dead? Who was she supposed to meet?
Logical guess: Original host knew she was a Defective with little time left and desperately sought salvation, believing the meeting would save her.
Instead, they killed her. But now Fang Ying said she was S-Rank sanity—was that the reason she had to die?
And what was this System in her head? In this high-tech world, did anyone else have one? Divine cheat code? Or man-made?
Zhu Ning zoned out.
Fang Ying, unaware of her thoughts, pulled out another contract. "I reported everything truthfully. I thought the First Military District would come for you, but they haven't responded. So you remain with District 103 Sanitation Center."
Zhu Ning chewed her steak as Fang Ying continued, "But after I reported your status, many internal departments started fighting over you."
"Fighting over me?" Zhu Ning asked.
"Yes," Fang Ying said. "Your helmet recorded everything. Footage of you killing the Source of Contamination is circulating internally."
Zhu Ning: "..."
That's embarrassing.
"Now both Combat and Sanitation want you. Combat is the Demon Hunters; Sanitation is Cleaners." Fang Ying smiled—this was good news for Zhu Ning.
She pushed two contracts forward. "You can choose which department to join."
Two job offers at once? Monster-slaying Demon Hunter or garbage-sweeping Cleaner?
As an assistant, Fang Ying knew the ins and outs. "From my perspective, Demon Hunters pay more and give access to more GeneBoost. Our medical department sells them cheaper than outside—you could get injections here."
Given Zhu Ning's condition, survival required multiple avenues. GeneBoost injections were one.
If she truly wanted to live, she could even abandon her flesh, upload her consciousness to the Cloud, and operate in a prosthetic body—but the annual server fees were astronomical.
Stop paying, and the consciousness died. Cloud upload was for the rich.
Whether to comfort Zhu Ning or not, Fang Ying suddenly added, "There's actually a sixth-class citizen."
"Sixth-class?" Zhu Ning thought she was already at the bottom—there was lower?
Fang Ying: "Deeper contact with contaminants increases chances of awakening or mutation."
Awakening? Mutation? Suddenly metaphysical?
But it matched her Interface's Mutation Path and Degree of Mutation.
Fang Ying: "Sixth-class citizens are partially fused with contaminants. They can wield contaminant abilities—or rather, they are sane contaminants themselves."
Sixth-class were powerful but lowest status. They could lose rationality at any moment and become full contaminants. Registered sixth-class were monitored: either join the Center and use abilities legally, or live under constant surveillance to prevent chaos.
Zhu Ning asked, "High probability?"
Fang Ying: "Depends. One in ten thousand is already burning incense for luck."
Zhu Ning: "..."
Lottery odds.
Fang Ying said seriously, "You might mutate."
Higher sanity meant higher mutation likelihood—higher chance of retaining rationality after contamination. Zhu Ning's body was weak, but with her sanity, her future was unpredictable.
Though the First Military District passed, everyone in 103 believed Zhu Ning would carve a unique path.
Fang Ying: "Many in our Center are sixth-class. You'll have chances to meet them."
Zhu Ning nodded thoughtfully.
Fang Ying: "I've said my piece. Data collection is complete—you can leave anytime. Go home and think about which department to join."
She handed Zhu Ning a file bag and a box. "Your Employee Wristband and onboarding guide are inside. Follow the steps; someone will collect the signed contract later."
Fang Ying stood casually. "Your bonus and contaminant kill rewards have been approved. Check your account."
Zhu Ning opened her Sub-Brain. The latest pay stub popped up:
[Federal Sanitation Center Payroll: Base salary 5,000 NewCred deposited]
[Contained 145 Contamination Spores, D-Rank mission, 500 NewCred each → 72,500 NewCred deposited]
[Killed 26 contaminants, neutralized one D-Rank zone → 20,000 NewCred per contaminant, 500,000 for zone. Two participants; Cleaner Zhu Ning and Cleaner Li Nianchuan each receive 510,000 NewCred]
[Team completed above-rank mission → Center bonus 50,000 NewCred]
[Mission danger due to data center error → high-risk compensation 50,000 NewCred]
[Data collection counted as attendance → 15,000 NewCred]
[Total payout: 702,500 NewCred]
[Current balance: 703,200 NewCred]
! Overnight, she'd become rich.
Zhu Ning counted the zeros—over 700,000 NewCred.
A day ago, she had 700 NewCred total, couldn't even pay rent. One nap later, her balance had multiplied a thousandfold.
The only question: Sanitation or Combat? High pay or even higher pay? Pure Versailles problem.
The money nearly went to her head, but she retained a shred of reason. Before signing anything official, she had one crucial question.
Fang Ying was already gathering her files to leave when Zhu Ning asked, "Can I ask you something?"
She'd wondered for ages.
In all their talks, Zhu Ning usually listened passively, asking only the occasional question. Fang Ying kept her polite smile as Zhu Ning asked, "How exactly did I get this job?"
She remembered applying—the position had been pushed to her by the site.
Their first meeting, Fang Ying barely interviewed without real screening—just two questions, then "internship."
The whole process felt off.
First, the pay was insane—she'd experienced it.
Second, obvious confidentiality around contaminant contact.
If anyone could apply and take a "day tour" of a contaminated zone without vetting, the department would've collapsed long ago.
Yet online searches yielded almost nothing about the Center—outsiders thought it was just garbage processing.
Zhu Ning felt someone—or something—had "chosen" this offer for her.
Also, her very first day, a zone rating error. Fang Ying never explained, but Zhu Ning sensed such errors were rare.
Such low-probability coincidence? Too deliberate.
Fang Ying paused mid-step, nearly out of the cafeteria. Tall and slender, her shadow stretched long. She stood at the border of light and shade—half in darkness, half in sun. She was silent for a moment.
Zhu Ning thought she'd asked something fatal. Was she about to be silenced?
Fang Ying tucked a strand of hair behind her ear; her sea-blue earring glinted.
After a beat, she answered, "Big Data selected you."
Zhu Ning: "Big Data?"
Her old world had it too—pre-zombie apocalypse, it pushed ads, stimulated spending, or worst, price-gouged regulars.
How advanced was wasteland Big Data? Her imagination failed her.
Fang Ying smiled faintly. "It's called Prometheus. It processes Center data and handles all recruitment."
Zhu Ning said nothing.
"Every employee at District 103 Sanitation Center," Fang Ying looked straight at her, "was screened by it. Including you and me."
I noticed it might cause confusion, so I revised the description of sanity values. The System Interface caps sanity at 100, while the Sanitation Center uses a different unit of measurement. Just like the health value shown on the System Interface doesn't directly equal Zhu Ning's actual lifespan~
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