Chapter 52-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 52 The Bizarre Aquarium-9

Mechanical Aquarium, Safe Zone.

The Safe Zone accommodated over six hundred people. During the first hour, people were still shouting for help, but by the second hour, they had given up resisting.

Inside the venue, a giant display screen had been automatically activated since entry, looping emergency safety instructions.

Gentle and polite staff members were on screen guiding people on how to relax and maintain a good mood before the rescue team arrived. They couldn't do it at all; everyone felt the video was spouting nonsense. Some people were hiding in corners, weeping secretly.

The Sub-Brains were disconnected from the network. People were writing their wills or recording final videos on their Sub-Brains. Suppressed sobbing could be heard intermittently; the entire Safe Zone was lifeless.

A little boy hugged his knees, curling himself into a corner. He had been separated from his parents. When the accident occurred at the aquarium, he hadn't even reacted before being pushed by the crowd into the Safe Zone shelter. He had long lost track of where his parents were.

New disputes arose within the crowd. Some wanted to open the doors to check outside, arguing that they couldn't just sit there waiting to die. Others insisted that the shelter doors must remain closed, fearing that if a single contaminant got in, the entire army of survivors would be wiped out; they had to wait for rescue.

The little boy shrank his body. No one was there to protect him; he had to protect himself.

Suddenly, his vision darkened slightly. Someone was standing in front of him.

The little boy looked up. It was an old man with graying hair, wearing a blue suit and a red bow tie. He exuded a scholarly air, looking very much like a retired university professor.

"Is anyone sitting here?" the old man asked.

The little boy shook his head. The old man sat down beside him. There were too many people in the venue; everyone was sitting on the floor, making it very crowded.

After sitting for a while, the old man suddenly asked, "Do you know about jellyfish?"

"Huh?" The little boy was trembling all over. It took him a moment to react to the sentence before he whispered, "I came just to see the Mechanical Jellyfish."

But he hadn't succeeded. Just after they checked their tickets and entered, people started running out, shouting as they ran that the inside had collapsed.

The old man smiled and said, "Jellyfish are very beautiful creatures."

He took out his Sub-Brain. Although there was no internet connection, he had many pictures of jellyfish saved on it.

"This is the Fireworks Jellyfish," the old man said.

The Sub-Brain had saved moving images. The Fireworks Jellyfish was in the deep sea; its tentacles swayed gently as it swam, as brilliant as fireworks.

"This is the Egg Yolk Jellyfish."

In another picture, a pale yellow jellyfish was swimming; it looked very cute.

Jellyfish possess a strange attraction. Set against the deep sea, they are so beautiful they look like alien creatures. Watching them for a long time can make one feel inner peace and tranquility.

The little boy gradually forgot the disaster outside. It was as if this wasn't an aquarium, but the deep sea, and he wasn't a trapped child, but a fish swimming freely.

"This is a Mechanical Jellyfish." The old man switched photos. The Mechanical Jellyfish was even more beautiful. They combined the luster of metal with the agility of jellyfish, the refracted light filled with the beauty of technology.

The old man's voice was very stable, never hurried or slow, as if he had come specifically to comfort the little boy. "Jellyfish have no respiratory organs or circulatory system, only primitive digestive organs."

The little boy's eyes went wide; he didn't understand that sentence.

A child didn't need to understand. A creature having only a digestive system is common in nature, but analogizing it to a human is a terrifying thing. It was just like the current Federation creating a type of synthetic human that had no other organs—only a mouth, a stomach, and excretory organs.

This setting would cause it to constantly want to eat. It would never let go upon seeing food and would destroy all people and things. It was originally developed to be a weapon.

"Jellyfish have their own symbiotic partners," the old man said. "Just like the rhino and the oxpecker."

Oxpecker? He understood that sentence. He had seen it in textbooks. The oxpecker eats the parasites on the rhino's back and can also warn the nearsighted rhino when danger approaches, allowing it to escape quickly.

Do jellyfish have their own symbiotic partners too? He had never heard of that before.

"Its common name is the Little Shepherd Fish. Its body length is no more than 7 centimeters, about the size of your hand." The old man gestured with his hand.

The little boy was captivated, completely forgetting the adults' arguments. He stared unblinkingly at his own hand. A fish that small?

"Did you know jellyfish are poisonous?"

He nodded vigorously this time. Jellyfish are poisonous; some even release electricity to paralyze prey. Jellyfish are a creature that looks beautiful but is very dangerous.

"The Little Shepherd Fish can cleverly avoid the jellyfish's tentacles. If it encounters a natural predator, the Little Shepherd Fish hides among the jellyfish's tentacles, using it as a shelter, just like you are hiding here now."

Shelter? He carefully looked up at his surroundings. Assuming he was the Little Shepherd Fish, then was this shelter a giant jellyfish? He imagined the ceiling twisting and changing, gradually turning into a jellyfish, with himself shrouded under the umbrella, the walls becoming the jellyfish's tentacles.

"The Little Shepherd Fish lures big fish, and the big fish become the jellyfish's prey. After the jellyfish eats the prey, the Little Shepherd Fish can eat the remaining food." The old man looked at the moving image of the Mechanical Jellyfish again, his gaze very gentle, like looking at a child.

"Then..." the little boy asked, "Do Mechanical Jellyfish also have their own Little Shepherd Fish?"

Mechanical Jellyfish are man-made; they are completely different from ordinary natural jellyfish.

"They do," the old man said. "The aquarium's setup is very rigorous, aiming to restore their original ecological environment. Their Little Shepherd Fish are even more powerful, and terrifying."

The little boy: "Why can't I see them?"

He leaned in close to the Sub-Brain to look carefully. In that picture, aside from the Mechanical Jellyfish, there was nothing else. Where were the Little Shepherd Fish?

Mechanical Jellyfish were very popular; there were many videos and photos on the internet. He had never heard that there were symbiotic partners inside the glass walls. If there were, they would have been discovered long ago. He guessed the old man made it up to coax him.

The little boy thought the old man was a bit neurotic. Looking closely, he felt the old man's brow and eyes were somewhat familiar, but unfortunately, he couldn't recall where he had seen him.

The little boy was just about to speak when suddenly—Bang! A loud noise came from outside.

It was truly too loud. Everyone in the shelter heard it. The people who were originally arguing shut their mouths immediately, as if someone had suddenly strangled them.

The little boy instinctively shrank behind the old man, only revealing a pair of eyes. They nervously watched the direction of the main door. Something was moving behind the door; something was approaching the shelter.

A contaminant? Had a contaminant already found the shelter?

If a contaminant got in, what should they do? To a contaminant, the shelter was simply like a granary!

...

Sizzle—

A sharp sound of electric current cut through the public channel. The noise almost pierced people's eardrums. Prometheus activated noise filtering; the static ended along with the loud bang, and immediately after, there was no sound from that side at all.

Zhu Ning: "How is the Grey Eagle Squad doing?"

Prometheus: [Under attack by unidentified organisms. Currently in chaos.]

It must have been a surprise attack. The enemy was transparent; the humans couldn't find where the enemy was.

Before Zhu Ning could speak, Chu Ling could no longer hold back. She was desperate to go to the Mechanical Jellyfish Pavilion to rendezvous with her teammates. They were her teammates; of course, she was anxious.

"Chu Ling!" Zhu Ning shouted loudly. "Wait! Don't move!"

Chu Ling was a bit impatient all over, but she still stopped in her tracks. "What are you doing?"

Time was urgent. Zhu Ning's brain spun fast. Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with a good solution immediately, so she could only share the information she had obtained first.

"Don't panic yet," Zhu Ning was about to blurt it out, then thought of something and immediately said, "Prometheus, activate the helmet Privacy System."

[Privacy System activated.]

Next to her, Li Nianchuan was stunned. They were wearing helmets; they could make sound when speaking. After activating the Privacy System, people outside couldn't hear their voices. The four of them formed an Encrypted Channel.

Zhu Ning: "There is an unknown transparent creature outside."

Li Nianchuan asked, "Is that why you kept feeling someone was watching you?"

"Yes," Zhu Ning said. "I suspect the glass walls were pushed over by them. If that's the case, they definitely possess an ability: super strength."

After Zhu Ning finished speaking, no one spoke for a moment.

There was a creature that the human naked eye couldn't see at all, quietly lurking in every corner of the aquarium. And it wasn't an ordinary creature; it possessed immense power, enough to push down ton-class glass walls.

The Transparent People might not have thermal weapons, but once grabbed, one's neck would be easily snapped. Without knowing the situation, they couldn't move blindly because they didn't know where the opponent was.

Perhaps... there was one right here in the Curator's office.

There could be a person hiding in the corner of the Curator's office, quietly observing them, watching them search for clues and analyze the scene, then choosing the opportune moment to attack.

Zhu Ning didn't know exactly what Tang Ke's side had encountered, but in this situation, moving blindly would only give the enemy an opportunity.

Chu Ling asked, "How many?"

"I don't know," Zhu Ning paused. She had wanted to say some good news to soothe everyone's emotions, but she couldn't say it. She had to clarify the status quo. "I suspect it's a clan, at least fifteen or twenty."

This was just her guess. There could be more, hundreds or thousands.

Zhu Ning: "The trouble Tang Ke is facing is obviously worse than ours. They have Mechanical Jellyfish over there. When I came in, I saw a corpse with mechanical tentacles crawling out of its chest."

Chu Ling chimed in: "Jellyfish thirst for water. After leaving the water source, they will prioritize parasitizing humans. Perhaps blood is more fragrant to jellyfish, more like a type of food. The tentacles will extend from the heart, pierce into the aorta, and climb all the way up until they have sucked enough moisture."

Li Nianchuan gasped. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Zhu Ning's face looked even worse hearing this. "I don't know how many characteristics of jellyfish the Mechanical Jellyfish have retained. Jellyfish release electricity to paralyze enemies, and some are poisonous. Now you say Mechanical Jellyfish will parasitize and suck blood; Tang Ke and the others are in danger."

The situation downstairs in the Mechanical Jellyfish Pavilion far exceeded their imagination. Tang Ke's side had two types of enemies; they had to guard against the Mechanical Jellyfish remaining in the water at all times, as well as the unknown transparent creatures.

Zhu Ning: "Think clearly before going to support, otherwise we'll only add to the chaos."

One might still detect clues when it's quiet, but after entering a chaotic battle, it's even harder to distinguish friend from foe among those around you.

Zhu Ning asked, "Prometheus, has the White Pigeon Squad succeeded in the rescue?"

[Approaching the Safe Zone. Just arrived at the door. Should need another ten minutes.]

Ten minutes. That meant they couldn't blow up the venue before then.

They had to prioritize ensuring the civilians could leave the aquarium. They had to buy time for the White Pigeon Squad. The Grey Eagle Squad probably thought the same, which was why Tang Ke and the others were still resisting.

There was still a Contamination Source in the Mechanical Jellyfish Pavilion that hadn't been purified yet.

Zhu Ning asked, "Has the message been transmitted? We request permission to use explosive weapons at the appropriate time."

Now they couldn't care less about the research value of marine life. Once the Transparent People escaped, they would hide in every corner of District 103.

Prometheus: [Cleaner Zhu Ning's analysis report uploaded. Explosion usage request uploaded.]

[I have applied to cancel the Monitoring State and requested to enter Command State. Currently no response. Friendly reminder: there is a certain time delay in communication between the polluted area and the outside world.]

Depending on the situation, receiving signals from the outside might have information delays. Time flowed differently within polluted areas; information delay was something even Prometheus couldn't handle.

While waiting for a response, they could only figure out a way themselves. The situation was what it was; they had to accept it even if they didn't want to.

Chu Ling exhaled deeply, finally calming down. "Let's lean against each other."

With the premise of Transparent People, exposing one's back felt unsafe. Huddling together for warmth could increase survival rates; at least you could be sure who was behind you.

No one objected. The four of them leaned together, back to back, looking in four different directions respectively.

Transparent People were only transparent, but they were essentially biological creatures. Creatures walking on the ground easily left flaws, such as leaving ripples in puddles or bloody footprints after stepping over corpses.

The four of them stared into the void, terrified of a sudden attack by unknown creatures catching them off guard. So far, no one had attacked.

Zhu Ning: "Think of a way. Weapons should be able to solve it. The only problems are transparency and super strength."

Actually, as long as the transparency issue was solved and the enemy could be seen, the Demon Hunters could break out using weapons.

Xu Meng: "Transparent People should reflect light when entering water."

Glass and water surfaces had similar effects.

Chu Ling: "The angles are too hard to find."

This situation tested eyesight too much; it was hard to say if there would be refraction.

Li Nianchuan: "They should be visible in colored water."

For example, if the pool was dyed red, a transparent person in red water would show an outline.

Chu Ling: "Does the aquarium have coloring agents?"

Li Nianchuan fell silent. He wasn't familiar with aquariums and didn't know what chemical materials the life support systems needed, or even where these things would be used. Moreover, for such a large aquarium, the quantity of coloring agents required was beyond imagination.

Zhu Ning: "There is ink available, but not much. Efficiency isn't high."

They could splash colored water to reveal the Transparent People, but where to splash was the problem.

Li Nianchuan: "Is the helmet's infrared thermal imaging function usable?"

Prometheus: [Not recommended. Technological products cannot accurately capture contaminants.]

Pollutants were something only humans could grope and touch; robots could do very little. Pollutants didn't show up on infrared thermal imaging. In Prometheus's view, no unknown creatures were detected at all.

Li Nianchuan felt somewhat defeated. Chu Ling sighed, "Demon Hunter equipment includes Marking Rounds."

Marking Rounds had no lethality. They would burst the moment the bullet was ejected and explode. The dye would adhere to the prey. They were generally used to mark prey or the scene, but the blast range of one bullet was only one meter.

It sounded like the most useful plan. The Grey Eagle Squad downstairs should be using this method as well.

Zhu Ning asked, "How many do you have on you?"

Chu Ling: "Twenty rounds."

Marking Rounds were not necessities. They rarely used this stuff during missions. If it weren't mandatory to carry, many people would forget to bring them.

A bit few, Zhu Ning thought. The characteristics of Marking Rounds determined that usage efficiency wouldn't be high. With twenty bullets fired, it was hard to say how many would be marked.

And they had to coordinate. For example, Chu Ling would fire a Marking Round in the direction suspected of having a Transparent Man, and Zhu Ning would fire the moment the Transparent Man was revealed, ensuring a headshot. Only then would there be a chance of winning.

Zhu Ning: "Worth a try."

She and Chu Ling combined could absolutely do it. They had pretty good tacit understanding. She just didn't know what to do after the twenty bullets were used up.

Zhu Ning pondered for a moment. System Talents and props—there was nothing she could use in this situation. Now it was a case of Zhu Ning not being afraid of exposure and wanting to use them, but having no Talent available to use.

There was another problem: what about Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan?

In this level of combat, ordinary Cleaners didn't possess the ability to fight back. Xu Meng might be hiding some strength, but Zhu Ning knew exactly what Li Nianchuan was like.

If they considered taking care of the two, they would be constrained, and Zhu Ning and Chu Ling's movements would definitely be slowed down. But leaving them behind would certainly lead to their deaths.

Zhu Ning was just about to ask if the White Pigeon Squad was far from here. If not far, they could entrust them to the White Pigeon Squad, so Li Nianchuan and Xu Meng could leave the polluted area with the civilians.

Before Zhu Ning could start speaking, Xu Meng suddenly said, "Fire Extinguishers."

"Huh?"

Xu Meng: "Federation regulations state that public venues must guarantee one Fire Extinguisher every hundred meters."

They had seen them when they came in; there was one right in the Curator's office. Fire Extinguishers weren't hard to find; it was easy to use local materials. The sprayed dry powder could reveal the outlines of Transparent People. It was a more economical, practical, and effective method.

Zhu Ning glanced at Xu Meng. Since everyone was wearing helmets, she couldn't see Xu Meng's expression.

Ever since meeting her at the Eternal Pharma event, Zhu Ning had always felt a bit of a barrier towards her, afraid she belonged to a hostile faction.

Now Zhu Ning temporarily let down her guard. Xu Meng had always maintained the same image in her mind: didn't talk as much as Li Nianchuan, but was responsible and steady.

Zhu Ning: "Okay."

She had inexplicably become the captain of this four-person team. They instinctively obeyed Zhu Ning's upcoming commands.

"All four move together. Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan are responsible for revealing the Transparent People; use any method available. Chu Ling and I are responsible for the kill." Zhu Ning asked, "Any problems?"

"No."

Even Li Nianchuan had no problem. Although he had no skills, he didn't want to drag others down at a time like this.

It would take seven minutes at the fastest to get from the Curator's office to the Mechanical Jellyfish Pavilion. Zhu Ning had to ensure everyone arrived safely in seven minutes.

Before moving, Zhu Ning asked Prometheus one sentence via her separate channel: "If you took over our bodies, what would you do?"

Prometheus: [Similar to your approach.]

No need to think. Artificial intelligence computes very fast. When Zhu Ning proposed the existence of Transparent People, it had already calculated the solution with the highest success probability.

In Prometheus's eyes, controlling them was like controlling eight game characters simultaneously; perhaps the coordination would be higher and errors fewer.

Zhu Ning: "Why didn't you tell me the answer directly?"

Prometheus could know the answer instantly but kept silent.

Prometheus: [I cannot think on behalf of humans.]

Thinking—once the most important characteristic of humans, distinguishing them from other lower animals—lies in the fact that humans can think independently. The emergence of artificial intelligence should not deprive humans of their ability to think.

Zhu Ning fell silent. She accepted this explanation.

Humans had already conceded too much in the face of contaminants and artificial intelligence. Humans dependent on technology would lose their perception of danger; their thinking ability would degenerate, and their ability to resist would degenerate.

They had to take their final position using their own brains.

Zhu Ning took a deep breath. "Sync our news to the Grey Eagle Squad. Tell them we are about to head to the Mechanical Jellyfish Pavilion for emergency support."

She pushed open the Curator's office door. The corridor was empty, not a single person.

But there seemed to be many people in the corridor. Invisible enemies gathered densely, waiting to devour their prey at any time and place.

---

Author's Note: I edited the passage about the oxpecker. The one that picks teeth is the Egyptian Plover (crocodile bird); the oxpecker eats parasites on the back. I got them mixed up when writing. Thanks to readers for the correction.

1. Jellyfish have no respiratory organs or circulatory system, only primitive digestive organs, so captured food is immediately digested and absorbed in the coelenteron.

2. Jellyfish have their own symbiotic partners. It is a type of driftfish nicknamed the Little Shepherd Fish, with a body length no more than 7 centimeters. It can swim freely among the jellyfish's tentacles without any fear. When a big fish swims by, the Little Shepherd Fish swims into the tentacles under the giant umbrella, using it as a safe shelter, utilizing the jellyfish's stinging cells to cleverly avoid attacks from natural predators. — From an Encyclopedia.

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