Chapter 92-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 92 Thinking
Zhu Ning's appetite far exceeded Lin Xiaofeng's. She ate nearly three days' worth of Lin Xiaofeng's food before the hunger subsided even slightly.
But she still wasn't full. She was desperate to eat something... real.
Zhu Ning frowned at this thought, completely unable to understand why she had such an intense appetite and destructive urge.
Was this the consequence of her "mutation"?
Did what she just experienced count as mutation, or had it activated the System? The System Interface hadn't changed at all—the mutation column was still empty. It seemed Song Zhizhang was right: their team needed a doctor or researcher, someone who could at least explain Zhu Ning's current condition.
But then she thought of Pei Shu's words—why obsess over categorizing yourself?
What she was didn't matter. She'd already accepted being an experimental product. As long as it worked, that was enough.
Zhu Ning tried opening the System Interface. Perfectly smooth, no resistance whatsoever. The System wasn't broken.
Before, Zhu Ning had always treated this thing as her tool. Then it would dutifully remain a tool. As for the thing at the back of her neck—at first, she could still hear faint rustling sounds.
Rustle, rustle—
It was as if the Xenomorph had attached itself to her. That bat-like black shadow that had hung upside down from the ceiling was now merging with Zhu Ning. Black slime filled the gaps between her bones, embracing her in some eerie posture.
"Quiet."
Under Zhu Ning's suppression, it seemed to actually understand. It stopped making sounds.
The black slime didn't overflow. As long as Zhu Ning was stable, they were stable. If Zhu Ning collapsed, they collapsed.
She and these monsters had already merged into one, inseparable.
Zhu Ning was learning to coexist with the new additions to her body while also restraining her hunger. The difference between humans and beasts was that humans could overcome instinctive urges.
Zhu Ning breathed deeply, forcing herself not to become a slave to the slime. It took a long time before she calmed down.
Lin Xiaofeng was taken to bed by Song Zhizhang. He still had to deal with the shop's problems afterward. Whatever else there was could wait until tomorrow morning.
Zhu Ning was alone in the bedroom.
She began to think.
Before, when she needed to think, she'd used the walls of the Hive, writing and drawing on them. Now—whether it was the System activating or her awakening to her innate talent as a computer—she wasn't sure.
All Zhu Ning had to do was close her eyes, and key points would automatically take shape in her mind.
Like a three-dimensional mind map, naturally stored in her brain.
She placed a red dot in her mind and pinned it down like a thumbtack.
First, the most important question: she might not be the only human with an installed System. Zhu Ning was from a batch over a decade ago, and she was a scrapped Defective.
So—were there successful experimental products?
Ones that weren't shipped to the garbage dump but actually succeeded?
If this technology could truly be mass-produced—Systems implanted into human brains as naturally as installing chips—then they could create an army. Zhu Ning didn't want their progress to be going that smoothly, but she had to prepare for the worst.
The enemy's ranks might contain another her—or rather, hundreds of her.
They knew Zhu Ning was still alive. They would either come to recruit her or choose to destroy her—truly destroying failed experimental waste.
Zhu Ning had never been in contact with these people, but her instincts told her they were absolutely enemies.
Second question: Cheng Mofei's Employee Wristband. Zhu Ning drew a second red dot in her mind.
She had a rough idea of what Cheng Mofei had been investigating back then. If it were just an ordinary investigation—say, looking into Eternal Pharma's business interests, or experimental abuse.
Or seeking justice for people like the hotpot restaurant owner.
Given the Federation's partnership with Eternal Pharma, none of that could shake Eternal Pharma in the slightest.
Even if Cheng Mofei submitted those materials, he probably wouldn't have gotten any response.
These matters were the foundation of the Federation's existence. Nobody would be foolish enough to try destabilizing the current social order.
The investigation report Cheng Mofei preserved at the cost of his life likely contained information about experimental subjects related to Zhu Ning—this series of experiments. Cheng Mofei must have obtained the most critical data.
Moreover, Cheng Mofei had entered Experimental Subject 777. That building was in District 103, while Eternal Pharma's experimental bases were spread across the entire Federation.
According to their publicity, the largest experimental base was in District 85.
Cheng Mofei belonged to the District 103 Sanitation Center and was hunted down and killed inside Experimental Subject 777 in District 103. This proved at least one thing.
The location he was investigating at the time was in District 103. Otherwise, his superiors wouldn't have sent him on that mission.
So District 103 had an Eternal Pharma branch or laboratory related to Zhu Ning's batch of experimental products.
Following this line of thought, she arrived at the third matter.
Third red dot. The day the Mechanical Oceanarium exploded and Transparent People appeared, with Lin Xiaofeng as the trigger, drawing everyone's attention.
Zhu Ning had previously speculated that this move was meant to divert attention from something far more important—something worth sacrificing the entire Mechanical Oceanarium for.
What was it?
And why had Xu Meng appeared at the Eternal Dream Foundation event that day? If the Mechanical Oceanarium incident hadn't happened, Xu Meng wouldn't have been urgently recalled.
What had she been planning to do that day?
Fourth red dot. The fourth matter.
Prometheus—an artificial intelligence powerful enough to manipulate human nerves, yet restricted at every turn, unable to communicate directly with people.
Zhu Ning had been lured into traps by it multiple times, barely surviving on the edge each time. Right now, she very much wanted to blow up its mainframe.
But what was it actually doing?
Trying to make Zhu Ning realize she was an experimental product? Fine, she knew now. Then what?
It provided Zhu Ning with fire support. The Dignified Queen must have also been offering her assistance with its tacit approval.
The dead post missions it arranged were virtually without wasted effort—each time, Zhu Ning could find critical clues within them. And the most bizarre part was that it seemed to know what Zhu Ning would obtain from the Contamination Zones, because each ability could be used in the next mission.
It knew Zhu Ning had a System in her brain. But how did it know she would successfully purify each zone? How did it know what rewards the System would give?
Was this also big data algorithms? But the System seemed to be a Contaminant. Big data algorithms could only calculate things with patterns. Could a Contaminant-like System really be calculated?
Zhu Ning had previously felt it had predicted her life. But how could its predictions be this precise?
What was its relationship with the System?
Was it here to help her, or to send her to an early grave?
Now she had four red anchor points in her mind, like four thumbtacks pinned to a whiteboard, connected by red threads.
Beneath the red dots were dense notes recording the corresponding events.
It looked complex, but Zhu Ning had a feeling the truth was already within reach. She was just one step away—one key clue, and she could reverse-engineer the entire sequence of events.
She could learn the truth behind her own death.
Besides Garbo's unreliable video search.
There were several potential breakthroughs. First, find Cheng Mofei's superior and obtain the password to unlock the Employee Wristband.
Second, find a way to contact Prometheus directly.
Third, Xu Meng. But Zhu Ning felt that asking Xu Meng directly was impossible—she wouldn't talk, and might even kill her instead. Going forward, Zhu Ning needed to pay closer attention to this mysterious captain.
And then there was the enigmatic Lynx. He probably knew something too.
Zhu Ning opened the Dead Post Enthusiasts Community forum. The moment she opened it, a notification popped up: [Congratulations to Cosmic Cutie for successfully purifying the Dental Clinic]
This time Zhu Ning couldn't even be bothered to check the forum discussions, because an unread message was flashing at the top. Sure enough, it was from Lynx.
Lynx: [You went to the Ant Nest?]
Zhu Ning raised an eyebrow: [What about it?]
Don't tell me he was going to say something inside had been snatched by Zhu Ning again.
Lynx replied quickly: [You're in danger.]
Zhu Ning: [Oh.]
She'd always been in danger. She'd never been safe. From the very beginning, she'd been chased by multiple factions. Surviving this long was already lucky. Could you say something actually useful?
Lynx: [...]
He probably hadn't expected this kind of response. Zhu Ning replied with a single "oh," yet even through the screen, you could feel her couldn't-care-less energy.
Dangerous? Whatever. Let it all burn.
Zhu Ning had a NutriStim stick in her mouth. It didn't actually relieve her hunger—it was purely psychological comfort. She realized she seemed to have evolved.
She was becoming more and more like a supercomputer.
For instance, she no longer needed to type manually. She seemed to be able to link with her Sub-Brain—just by thinking, text would automatically appear on screen.
Was this the perk of being a computer?
This time Zhu Ning said: [Have you thought it over?]
Zhu Ning yawned. She had plenty of leads to follow up on. She decided that whichever one came to her first, she'd pursue that one.
Back then, Lynx had said he wanted to cooperate with Zhu Ning. She had proposed one condition: Lynx could have the Employee Wristband, but Zhu Ning wanted to see its contents.
Meaning she didn't care who ultimately kept the wristband. She wanted to share the information.
It was a tall order, which was why Lynx hadn't agreed.
In the rundown rental apartment, the Sub-Brain's glow illuminated the man's face. He wore a hood, the lower half of his face covered by a metal mask. Lynx took a long time before responding to this message.
Zhu Ning's appetite was too big. This time she'd entered the Ant Nest again. He didn't know what she went in for, but based on his experience, she would definitely attract Eternal Pharma's attention.
Lynx was considering whether to try intercepting her on-site during her next mission.
If negotiation failed, there was always the violent option.
"You can't even handle a little girl?"
Lynx wasn't the only one in the rundown apartment. A chair sat in the shadows, and on it sat a woman. Her elbow rested on the armrest, chin propped up with leisurely composure. Her narrowed eyes gleamed with a yellow light, looking dangerous in the darkness. Her movements were light and silent, like a cat.
Lynx frowned. "Could you at least announce yourself next time?"
He was somewhat displeased. This person always appeared out of nowhere without so much as a greeting.
Lynx had tried negotiating with this Cutie. He thought his offer was very tempting: I can help you escape Eternal Pharma's pursuit and give you a safe identity.
Just like what they'd done for Huang Yaruo.
But this Cutie didn't seem interested. Compared to her own safety, she was more interested in the contents of the Employee Wristband.
This proved she was absolutely not an outsider. An ordinary person who stumbled into Experimental Subject 777 wouldn't be this interested in an Employee Wristband.
And Zhu Ning had probably already seen part of the data.
"I think I know who she is," said the woman in the darkness.
People who could access dead posts could basically be identified as insiders. More than half were Federal Sanitation Center employees. She was internal personnel and knew more than he did.
This Cosmic Cutie's behavior was very peculiar. There shouldn't be many people matching her profile.
A flying car passed outside the rental apartment, briefly illuminating the dim interior. The headlights lit up the dark corners.
The woman sitting in the chair looked perfectly ordinary—so ordinary that she'd vanish into a crowd without anyone noticing. Her greatest trait was having no traits. Nobody would care what she was doing.
Xu Meng stood up from the chair.
Lynx: "Something's off about her."
Experimental Subject 777 plus the Ant Nest—it looked like this person was doing the same thing they were.
Xu Meng said nothing.
Lynx: "Not going to kill her?"
Xu Meng: "No need."
Lynx: "Leave it to you, then?"
Xu Meng nodded. Compared to Lynx, Xu Meng was better at gauging the right approach—whether to kill Zhu Ning or do something else would be Xu Meng's call.
They had previously considered sending Lynx into Experimental Subject 777, but at the time they didn't know if Cheng Mofei had been killed by 777. If even Cheng Mofei died in there, Lynx probably couldn't make it out alive either.
They had too few people at their disposal. Rather than risk sacrificing a valuable asset, it was better to let that data stay where it belonged.
Inside Experimental Subject 777, it was like being locked in a third-party safe—still more reassuring than falling into enemy hands.
But they hadn't expected Experimental Subject 777 to be destroyed, or that someone would find Cheng Mofei's wristband.
All their plans were thrown into disarray.
Xu Meng needed to meet Zhu Ning. She meant a real meeting.
Xu Meng walked to the window and peered through the gap in the curtains, observing below. It was a professional habit—she never let her guard down for a second.
Xu Meng: "I got pulled away last time. Did you find it?"
That incident had been too sudden. Xu Meng was supposed to be on leave and most likely wouldn't encounter any missions. But right near the Eternal Dream Foundation event venue, the Mechanical Oceanarium had a sudden contamination outbreak.
Emergency B-level mission. Xu Meng was required to wear her Employee Wristband at all times. The Federal Sanitation Center would dispatch nearby employees based on the incident's location.
Xu Meng had no choice but to leave. If she didn't, she would arouse the Sanitation Center's suspicion.
She had hesitated briefly before choosing to maintain her Cleaner identity.
What surprised her was that she wasn't the only one at the scene that day. There was also a very familiar subordinate—Zhu Ning.
Why had Zhu Ning appeared at the Eternal Dream Foundation event?
She had thought about it for a long time without figuring it out. Which faction did Zhu Ning belong to? She seemed to have no affiliation—like a lone wolf.
That Cosmic Cutie on the dead post forum—when she first appeared, Xu Meng had already suspected it might be Zhu Ning.
If Xu Meng's operating principle was "don't attract attention," then Zhu Ning's operating principle was "I'm the queen of the mountain, come bow before me."
Way too high-profile.
Xu Meng didn't particularly appreciate this approach. Zhu Ning attracted attention and fire too easily. But now Xu Meng was reconsidering. For someone with formidable strength, a high-profile approach was actually very efficient.
They could easily obtain the leads they wanted, because every faction's eyes would be fixed on her.
She was like an irresistible piece of cheese, always attracting the mice who were interested in her.
Like Xu Meng right now.
Lynx: "They moved the stuff."
That day, Lynx hadn't dared follow too closely. He could enter S-class Contamination Zones, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be detected. There were perception-type Ability Users over there—get too close and he'd be found.
Xu Meng: "Destination?"
Lynx: "Entered Highway 3. Disappeared near the dense forest."
The Foundation wasn't Lynx's assignment. When Xu Meng's situation suddenly changed, Lynx had no choice but to rush over.
Lynx had ultimately tracked down one address. They'd need to replan from here.
Xu Meng acknowledged with a hum. Communication between her and Lynx couldn't leave any electronic traces—too easy to track. They could only meet using the most primitive methods.
And with the Sanitation Center's surveillance on her, Xu Meng could rarely come in a timely manner.
Very inefficient.
This time Xu Meng had been out too long. Staying any longer might raise suspicion.
Xu Meng absolutely did not want to face Yue Kaiyuan's interrogation.
Even more annoying than Yue Kaiyuan was the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team—something Xu Meng wanted even less to provoke.
A layer of black mist settled over Xu Meng's face, covering her features entirely. It was more effective than any helmet as a disguise.
This was a deserted alley. Before climbing out the window, Xu Meng said: "You should change locations. It's no longer safe here."
Lynx had been thinking the same. His previous Safe House had been near the Eternal Dream Foundation. This time it was in the slums. He changed residences once a week, and five days had already passed—it was time to move again.
He had lived a rootless life for all these years, like a rat scurrying between burrows.
Xu Meng was the cat that came looking for him.
"Black Cat," Lynx called out as Xu Meng pushed open the window. "Be careful."
People who walked their path were all in extreme danger, easily getting themselves caught up in it.
Cheng Mofei's fate was their fate.
Xu Meng didn't respond. She flipped out the window, and just before landing, like a true black cat, her silhouette became an afterimage. A few leaps later, she had vanished completely.
Comments
Post a Comment