Chapter 84-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 84 Creation Technology

The Abnormal Incident Investigation Team was the most mysterious department in the entire Sanitation Center. Many employees had never even seen them despite working there for years, and new employees had basically never heard of them.

Under normal circumstances, there was no need to interact with them at all. But there was also a saying—if you ever encountered the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team, you were in deep trouble.

They operated independently from all other departments, investigating and handling all abnormal situations.

After the Technology Department detected anomalous data and reported it to Lu Qiqin, the matter wasn't handed to the Combat Department but to the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team. Led by them, two Cleaner squads and two Demon Hunter squads were dispatched to The Ant Nest.

The Abnormal Incident Investigation Team's protective suits were pure white, symbolizing supreme purity. They were absolutely neutral and did not participate in any factional struggles within the Sanitation Center.

They investigated all abnormal phenomena. Some were tasks passively sent to their department, while others were leads they actively discovered and followed up on.

The entire team had only fifteen official members in total. They strictly controlled their membership, preferring to be short-staffed rather than lower their standards. When short on people, they would urgently borrow personnel from other departments.

The team leader was named Huo Wenxi. She was very young, only 25 this year, the youngest department head in the entire Sanitation Center.

At this moment, she wore a full set of white protective gear. With her at the lead, two Demon Hunter squads stood behind her.

If Zhu Ning had been at the scene, she would have been very surprised. Many Demon Hunters were extremely arrogant. Cleaners had to wait for Demon Hunters to go first when they crossed paths. Yet now, Demon Hunters were obediently standing behind Huo Wenxi.

No one dared to move until she spoke. Demon Hunters had to unconditionally obey the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team's commands.

Before entering The Ant Nest, they had already received a technician's report on the way. The video transmitted back indicated there were unidentified creatures inside The Ant Nest.

Also transmitted was the technician's death report. The technician who had detected the Xenomorph had made eye contact with the unidentified creature and developed abnormal symptoms. Even rushing there at top speed would take at least ten minutes. In those ten minutes, the technician had already died despite resuscitation efforts.

The technician's death had been extremely fast. The preliminary assessment was that The Ant Nest's Psychic Contamination could spread through electronic transmission.

The Technology Department was generally the safest. In ten years, there had never been a technician death. This time they had broken their zero-fatality record. The technician was still undergoing autopsy, and the detailed report would come later.

The Technology Department activated Prometheus's defense network, intercepting all potential Psychic Contamination to prevent further casualties.

Prometheus, as the first reporter, unsurprisingly participated in this mission. Human-machine interface devices were attached to the Demon Hunters' temples. Their internal networks were interconnected. Prometheus controlled an Android body. Its eyes were unfocused, lacking human pupil structure—instead, they were pure white with only a ring of blue light. That was Prometheus's "spokesperson."

"Why are there Xenomorphs in The Ant Nest?" Huo Wenxi asked. Her temples did not have a flickering blue halo. She was the mission commander. Her primary function was decision-making. Under no circumstances could Prometheus make decisions for her.

Many Demon Hunters hadn't seen them before, but the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team knew of the Xenomorphs' existence. They absolutely should not appear inside the walls.

[Suspected high-concentration metal contamination. Environment resembling outside-the-wall conditions has emerged.]

Huo Wenxi frowned. The situation was more troublesome than she had thought. Some areas could be purified and humans could continue living there, but some areas could not be thoroughly purified. When encountering areas that couldn't be purified, they could only be forced to evacuate.

Huo Wenxi: "Initiate A-Level Program. Activate the barrier. Don't let anything inside escape."

The Abnormal Incident Investigation Team held the highest authority. Activating the A-Level Program only required Huo Wenxi's verbal command.

Huo Wenxi issued her second order. "There are Xenomorphs inside the walls. The suspected attack method is their gaze. Anyone whose eyes are seen may experience sudden respiratory arrest. Be careful not to look directly at them. Everyone, move in!"

...

Zhu Ning had ditched Pei Shu.

But the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team had already entered the scene. There was no way Zhu Ning could go back to retrieve him. Thinking about how Pei Shu had survived outside the walls before, he must have exceptional abilities to be working for a plutocrat.

Without Zhu Ning and Liu Niannian—two amateurs—interfering at the scene, Pei Shu might actually have an easier time escaping.

Besides, Liu Niannian didn't seem concerned about Pei Shu's whereabouts at all. They probably had a special way of communicating. Pei Shu was Liu Niannian's teacher, not hers. Zhu Ning didn't need to worry about him.

She followed the original plan and took Liu Niannian home. She had expected Liu Niannian to live in some kind of palace or estate, but the address Liu Niannian gave was a high-end residential area.

Having just come from The Ant Nest, Zhu Ning deeply felt the gap between slums and luxury neighborhoods.

This was definitely not Liu Niannian's family home. It was probably an apartment for the young lady to stay in temporarily. One elevator per unit design, with extremely strong privacy. If you wanted, you could go from entering the complex to arriving home without seeing a single person.

Moreover, Zhu Ning had been feeling someone watching her ever since she left The Ant Nest. Chu Qing had once said he would observe Zhu Ning. She felt that pervert might really be watching.

Even if she personally didn't care, she truly couldn't stop Eternal Pharma's prying eyes. At most, she could only cover her own face to avoid being photographed head-on.

Once Zhu Ning entered Liu Niannian's home, all the stalking gazes disappeared.

They were very wary of this place, as if one monster had encountered another behemoth. They understood each other's strength and knew some boundaries couldn't be easily crossed.

Liu Niannian commanded extreme respect from Eternal Pharma. They didn't even dare make any offensive moves. Her family's social status was probably even more transcendent than Zhu Ning had imagined.

Liu Niannian's home was a large flat-floor apartment. In this world where every inch of land was precious, the enormous area alone demonstrated her family's power.

Zhu Ning had originally planned to drop her off and leave, but somehow ended up following Liu Niannian upstairs, marveling the whole way like someone who had never seen the world.

So this was where a plutocrat's young lady lived? As long as Liu Niannian had the inclination, waking up on a ten-meter-wide bed wasn't out of the question?

There was an Android housekeeper at home. She wasn't covered in synthetic skin but was bare-framed. Yet her entire body was full of a sense of technology and a kind of light, powerful grace, as if this housekeeper could not only handle household chores but also leap across rooftops and vault over walls.

She should be able to protect Liu Niannian. After all, Pei Shu couldn't follow the young lady twenty-four hours a day. There had to be a domestic housekeeper at home.

The Android housekeeper greeted Liu Niannian first, then smiled upon seeing Zhu Ning. "Hello, miss."

Zhu Ning felt a bit uneasy. "Hello?"

Liu Niannian's home had a certain old-world aristocratic hierarchy to it. The housekeeper's attitude gave Zhu Ning the illusion that she, too, was a distinguished young lady.

The housekeeper guided them to sit on the sofa. The living room had an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking District 103. The first time Zhu Ning saw District 103 from the air, she had found it breathtaking. But whether she was riding a flying car or driving herself on the Sky Highway, she could only linger at that vantage point briefly.

Because the Sky Highway had an end. Ordinary people couldn't stay in the clouds forever.

But this kind of view was effortless for Liu Niannian. It was simply her everyday perspective of the world. This was what she saw every day when she woke up.

Oh, the evils of capitalism. Although Zhu Ning didn't really want to sigh about it, this was the phrase that came to mind at this moment.

After returning home, Liu Niannian let out a breath of relief. Having been through a contaminated area and Xenomorphs, seeing her familiar home again made a person instinctively relax, as if finally returning to a safe nest.

Liu Niannian sat right next to Zhu Ning. After sitting down, she thought for a moment, then removed her protective helmet right in front of Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning had taken her helmet off long ago. Liu Niannian had already seen Zhu Ning's face and felt it was only polite to let the other person see hers as well.

Zhu Ning had been dealing with Liu Niannian for quite a while but had actually never seen what this young lady looked like. Today was the first time.

Liu Niannian's appearance was easy to summarize—she was beautiful.

If, in this era where beauty was commonplace, you were to rank levels of beauty, then Liu Niannian was the pinnacle. Fair skin, black and silky hair. Her eyes were the most beautiful part—her irises were a warm brown, appearing especially bright under the light, her gaze gentle yet resolute.

Even though her protective suit was covered in stains, you could easily bestow the title of "goddess" upon her. It was as if someone like her didn't need any luxurious jewelry to match—she herself was the most brilliant thing. Nothing could strip away her radiance.

Zhu Ning was a bit of a looks enthusiast and stared at Liu Niannian's face for quite a while.

She felt her impression of Liu Niannian had been somewhat off. She had always thought of her as an unreliable young lady. Now, looking at her, she was indeed a young lady—but not the kind of clueless one Zhu Ning had imagined. Zhu Ning guessed this image of hers would be very popular in upper-class circles.

Media must have published her photos before, but Zhu Ning had been fighting for her life in contaminated zones ever since waking up in the junkyard. She had never systematically learned about things and didn't recognize her at all.

Liu Niannian handed her helmet to the Android housekeeper, then looked deeply at Zhu Ning. Liu Niannian was so beautiful, her striking features creating such a strong visual impact, that Zhu Ning was still a bit dazed. When Liu Niannian looked at her, you felt like she had something very important to tell you.

The moment Liu Niannian opened her mouth: "Boss, are you okay?"

Zhu Ning: "..."

Still an unreliable young lady after all. Zhu Ning had always just casually accepted Liu Niannian calling her "boss." But now, having seen Liu Niannian's family background and appearance, this "boss" inexplicably made her feel incredibly inflated.

I, Long Ao Ning, the young lady's boss!

Zhu Ning's inner world was in turmoil, but her face remained perfectly calm. She insisted on keeping up the act: "I'm fine."

Liu Niannian looked at Zhu Ning suspiciously. "But your head is covered in blood."

Zhu Ning currently looked very much like a savage from a primitive tribe, the blood on her face serving as her battle totem.

Zhu Ning: "..."

Great. She couldn't keep up the act at all.

The Android housekeeper very thoughtfully handed Zhu Ning a wet towel. Zhu Ning had originally wanted to casually wipe in front of a mirror, but the moment she moved, she realized it was very painful. There was a gash on her head.

The Android housekeeper took over. She very carefully wiped the blood from Zhu Ning's face, then disinfected with alcohol, and finally applied a high-efficiency healing patch.

The housekeeper then brought out two Mega Sanity Healers and handed one to each of them. Zhu Ning specifically looked—the medicine in Liu Niannian's home didn't bear Eternal Pharma's name. Instead, it had a very strange logo.

The logo was somewhat abstract. She couldn't recognize it at the moment and only felt it looked a bit familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

Zhu Ning took a sip of the Sanity Healer and discovered that Sanity Healers came in different grades. What Prometheus had given her should have been upper-mid tier. The Sanity Healer prescribed by the Sanitation Center's Medical Department was about the same as Prometheus's.

But this stuff was truly different from what she had drunk before. The taste was cleaner, the effect more potent—almost taking effect immediately.

Zhu Ning: "What is this?"

Liu Niannian: "Household medicine."

Zhu Ning: "..."

She absolutely did not want to ask the price.

Zhu Ning: "Is Pei Shu really okay?"

Liu Niannian: "If he died, I'd receive a notification. No notification means he's fine."

Zhu Ning: "..."

If Pei Shu died, Liu Niannian would receive his death notification? What kind of selling your life to a plutocrat was this—completely sold off?

Liu Niannian extended her hand to Zhu Ning. "I'd like to get to know you properly."

Liu Niannian had escaped behind Zhu Ning twice now. She really wanted to become friends with Zhu Ning—true friends.

Zhu Ning loved making friends, and Liu Niannian was very much to her liking.

Zhu Ning extended her hand. "I'm Zhu Ning, a Cleaner at the Sanitation Center."

Liu Niannian had already known Zhu Ning's real name.

Zhu Ning paused, remembering the self-introduction protocol in this world, and said very openly, "Fifth-class citizen. Defective."

Liu Niannian wasn't surprised when she heard Zhu Ning say she was a Cleaner. She had known Zhu Ning was a Cleaner from their first meeting. But hearing that Zhu Ning was a fifth-class citizen still surprised her. Zhu Ning was so powerful—she even had special abilities—yet she was only a Defective?

Liu Niannian didn't discriminate against Defectives. In fact, in her social circle, she had never even come into contact with a real Defective. She was just a bit shocked.

Was Zhu Ning truly a Defective, or was she using this identity as a disguise?

Liu Niannian always felt that Zhu Ning possessed other, more mysterious identities that she hadn't intended to reveal.

Liu Niannian suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "I'm a Natural."

Zhu Ning didn't feel much hearing this. Liu Niannian was indeed a first-class citizen. But this was her first time being in close contact with a first-class citizen.

The legendary aristocracy. The chosen ones. The Wasteland was a pyramid structure, and Liu Niannian was one of those standing at the very top.

She and Chu Qing were of the same kind, classified in the camp of creators. Judging from Liu Niannian's appearance, her genes were equally exceptional.

Liu Niannian was a purely natural human. Humanity had created the five citizen classes precisely to protect the natural genes of people like her.

Fortunately, Liu Niannian wasn't as detestable as Chu Qing. Probably because she had been well-protected by her family, there was an innocence about her.

Inside the contaminated zone, there had been no barriers between them. But in this expensive apartment, sitting side by side on the same sofa, they couldn't help but face the differences between them.

Zhu Ning came from the Zombie World and didn't care much about class distinctions. Besides, she had been a Natural her whole life and always felt she was no different from Liu Niannian. She asked, "What's your name?"

Liu Niannian: "My real name is Lu Yuan. Liu is my mother's surname. My nickname is Niannian. I prefer people to call me Liu Niannian."

Lu Yuan—indeed a young lady's name.

But wait—surnamed Lu? There were only so many plutocrat families in the Federation. Zhu Ning quickly searched her memory. Because she had read related materials before, the connection came easily.

Creation Technology. Their controlling shareholder was named Lu Yao.

"Creation Technology provides Consciousness Cloud Upload services."

"The body has been brought back. It's a Cybernetic Implant body. Bao Ruiming uploaded his consciousness." Fang Ying's words echoed in Zhu Ning's ears.

Zhu Ning finally remembered where she had seen the symbol on the medicine bottle. Or rather, she hadn't paid deliberate attention to it. She might not have cared at all. But when she rode public flying cars, when she waited at traffic lights on the roadside, when she absentmindedly looked up on the Sub-rail—she was passively absorbing this world's information.

She frequently saw Creation Technology's advertisements and news. That advertisement that stuck around like a persistent plaster.

Big corporations' news and advertisements permeated ordinary people's lives, making you think you hadn't paid attention, but you had never actually ignored them.

They were everywhere, every moment of every day.

Zhu Ning had once looked into the Consciousness Cloud Upload service. Xu Meng had also wanted to take that route.

She had seen Lu Yao's face on financial news—a young, handsome visage, the real-life version of a domineering CEO.

Now that face overlapped with Liu Niannian before her. The resemblance between their brows and eyes was striking. They were probably biological siblings.

Zhu Ning frowned. Liu Niannian was Creation Technology's young lady?

Zhu Ning suddenly felt a chill down her spine—completely different from the terror of entering a contaminated zone. She had an eerie feeling of her life being arranged by someone.

Because the things in contaminated zones were other people's problems. No matter how terrifying, they would pass. But now, the terror had descended upon herself.

An invisible hand was manipulating her, with extreme precision.

The very first dead post mission Zhu Ning had accepted was entering Hao Zailai Hotpot Restaurant. She had known early on that entering the hotpot restaurant was to rescue Liu Niannian. The System mission had said so too. At the time, she had always assumed Liu Niannian's role was to provide information about Eternal Pharma.

But at this moment, she finally understood how naive her previous thinking had been. The true meaning behind Prometheus sending her into the hotpot restaurant was to have her use this connection to get close to the Lu family behind Liu Niannian—more precisely, to reach the doorstep of Creation Technology.

Big data algorithms could import every person's personality traits and adjust event parameters to predict each person's life.

There was a saying that big data understands you far better than you understand yourself. Artificial intelligence can predict a person's life outcome.

He had to ensure that Zhu Ning walked the correct path at every step.

He had practically... predicted her life.

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