Chapter 95-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 95 Anomaly

This was a person who looked exactly like her—her clothing style, the way she walked, her subtle little mannerisms were all identical.

Before, she'd only seen photos. This time, watching the video was far more vivid.

They were practically the same person. Zhu Ning felt a momentary sense of something subtle—not fear, exactly, just... uncanny.

Was she trying to tell her something?

The garbage room must have been a death site carefully chosen by the original.

Zhu Ning had been somewhat skeptical before, but now she was almost certain—that message was written by the original for Zhu Ning to see.

The end is nigh? But why tell her this? Even if the apocalypse was coming, the tide of fate rolled on like a wheel—Zhu Ning alone couldn't possibly hold it back.

Zhu Ning searched through the videos Garbo had sent once more. The videos scrolled past her eyes page by page. There were no more—just this one.

It was simply too short. Only thirty seconds.

Garbo sent a message: [Was it useful?]

Zhu Ning: [Yes.]

Garbo sent a dancing emoji: [Wonderful!]

Zhu Ning: [Is there more?]

The material was too scarce. Garbo had searched for a month and only found this much.

Garbo: [The service has concluded!]

Zhu Ning: [...]

Zhu Ning had asked Garbo to find videos, saying she wanted useful ones. So Garbo asked if it was useful, Zhu Ning said yes, and the service was concluded.

This little robot looked all cute and cuddly, but its brain was surprisingly sharp.

This time Zhu Ning cut the nonsense and went straight to the point: [Fifty thousand.]

Garbo: [Understood! Continuing service!]

Money was great. NewCred was the best fuel.

Zhu Ning was willing to spend money on Garbo. Garbo wasn't very efficient—rummaging through the garbage dump was a matter of luck—but what it found was genuinely useful. If it could actually find footage of the original's death, she'd be willing to pay millions.

Zhu Ning was more urgent this time, and Garbo went off to work.

Zhu Ning closed her Sub-Brain. Ever since learning she was an experimental product, she'd taken everything in stride. There were no ripples in her heart.

She pondered for a while. By then, the war movie on TV had reached its ending. This film had been Lin Xiaofeng's choice.

Lin Xiaofeng had been raised with a bit of a people-pleasing personality. When the movie ended and the credits were rolling, the red hat floating beside her hadn't moved at all.

Zhu Ning asked: "Why did you pick this one?"

She wasn't sure whether Lin Xiaofeng actually wanted to watch it or thought Zhu Ning would like it.

Lin Xiaofeng's voice was very soft: "I want to learn."

It took Zhu Ning a moment to understand. Lin Xiaofeng felt very insecure and desperately wanted to prove her value. In reality, it had only been a few days since they'd left the Mechanical Oceanarium.

Although Zhu Ning had entered a Contamination Zone, making her feel like a long time had passed, for Lin Xiaofeng, the upheaval had just happened.

She badly wanted to prove she was useful, just like when she'd been at home, desperately trying to prove her worth to her father.

Actually, influenced by Zhu Yao, Zhu Ning was fine with letting a kid be useless. But Lin Xiaofeng was too special—she needed survival skills of her own in this world.

Zhu Ning had found a lead through Liu Niannian. She might be able to locate Bao Ruiming's consciousness entity soon, but without certainty, Zhu Ning didn't plan to tell Lin Xiaofeng.

Better not to give her hope only to crush it. Until then, she could just be a kid.

Zhu Ning thought for a moment and said: "I'll teach you."

Lin Xiaofeng's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really." Zhu Ning stood up, pushed the coffee table aside to clear a space. She was still in her loungewear, looking nothing like someone about to give lessons. "Get up."

Lin Xiaofeng obediently stood. Zhu Ning said: "Try to attack me."

Attack? Lin Xiaofeng looked at Zhu Ning, unsure how to proceed.

Zhu Ning didn't rush her. In combat, you had to think through your own approach. Taking that first step was crucial.

Zhu Ning watched as the red hat vanished before her eyes. Lin Xiaofeng possessed the ability of transparency—she could make anything touching her body invisible. She wore the red hat so Song Zhizhang and Zhu Ning would know where she was.

The first step in attacking someone was to hide yourself. A perfectly correct approach.

Zhu Ning couldn't see where Lin Xiaofeng was. Under normal circumstances, she could judge by footprints. There was a carpet under the sofa, and Lin Xiaofeng had been standing within its range—no matter how light she was, she'd leave marks on it.

Zhu Ning spotted a faint footprint appear before her. Then the footprint vanished—Lin Xiaofeng had retreated, stepping off the carpet.

Good. She knew the weakness of being a Transparent Person and would actively seek surfaces that wouldn't betray her position.

Children were indeed clever. They didn't need adults to establish rules for them—they'd think and attack on their own initiative.

Once the footprints on the carpet disappeared, Zhu Ning completely lost track of her. Lin Xiaofeng moved with extreme care, making no significant sound.

Zhu Ning didn't move. She stood on the carpet in front of the sofa—as long as Lin Xiaofeng appeared nearby, she'd detect her immediately.

Zhu Ning guessed Lin Xiaofeng would probably attack from behind, since the back was a visual blind spot and wouldn't be noticed by the enemy right away.

And indeed she was right. Zhu Ning sensed something off behind her—a person sprinting at full speed would create a gust of wind.

Zhu Ning turned around and saw a clear footprint suddenly appear on the carpet. This footprint was heavy—not the kind left by someone stepping carefully, but more like someone planting their foot to launch into a jump.

Suddenly, Zhu Ning felt her waist tighten. Two arms like iron clamped around her midsection. Lin Xiaofeng's second ability—superhuman strength.

Once locked on, she could effortlessly snap a person's body in half, just like those Transparent People in the Oceanarium who could break Zhu Ning's arm in one second.

In fact, they could topple a wall in one second too.

Searing pain shot through her waist. The force of the grip was terrifyingly powerful—she felt like her ribs were about to break.

Zhu Ning didn't dodge. She didn't even struggle.

Logically, Lin Xiaofeng's next move should have been to slam her to the ground and then snap her waist.

But after Lin Xiaofeng latched on, there was no next step. The two arms that had been like inescapable steel suddenly relaxed.

Zhu Ning felt Lin Xiaofeng's arms become soft, like a real child's arms. Her head pressed against Zhu Ning's chest, and Zhu Ning could feel her fuzzy hair.

She was hugging her.

Zhu Ning was being hugged by an invisible child. They were so close she could hear the other's breathing and heartbeat.

Zhu Ning: "Why'd you stop?"

"I don't want to attack you." Lin Xiaofeng's voice came out muffled.

Lin Xiaofeng really liked Zhu Ning and didn't want to attack her.

Lin Xiaofeng: "Can't I go attack Uncle Song instead?"

She knew she had to steel herself to attack people. With someone else, she might find it easier.

Zhu Ning: "..."

Did Song Zhizhang know about this?

Zhu Ning laughed. But honestly, Zhu Ning really wasn't a good teacher. Given her relationship with Lin Xiaofeng, she wasn't the right person to teach her either.

For a moment, Zhu Ning had the impulse to hire Pei Shu to come give lessons. Though he was probably expensive. She'd find a time to ask around—how much would it cost to book Pei Shu.

Lin Xiaofeng said softly: "What would happen if I really broke your waist?"

Zhu Ning answered without hesitation: "I don't think you would."

That was why she hadn't dodged. She believed Lin Xiaofeng could control herself. If Song Zhizhang had been present, he'd probably think Zhu Ning was courting death—using herself as a target for someone to practice on.

But Zhu Ning believed that in teamwork, building trust through sparring with teammates was extremely important, just like when she used to compete in team shooting events.

She didn't necessarily need to train Lin Xiaofeng into a killer, but she needed to build coordination between Lin Xiaofeng and herself.

Zhu Ning: "Of course, with anyone else, you snap their neck without mercy."

Lin Xiaofeng obediently agreed, saying very seriously: "Okay."

Zhu Ning patted her head: "Want to go out and play?"

Lin Xiaofeng looked up: "Can I?"

Afraid of being discovered, or rather afraid of her own instability, she'd defaulted to believing she couldn't leave the Dignified Queen shop.

When Zhu Ning was her age, she'd been running wild outside. Back then, aside from training, she'd spent all her time playing outdoors. A kid this age should be out having fun.

The world outside was vast.

...

Vacation over.

This time Zhu Ning had genuinely been resting—spending every day playing with the kid—which made the day before returning to work feel exceptionally painful.

It was raining acid rain on her first day back. Not a heavy downpour, just an endless drizzle.

Office workers hated this kind of rain. An umbrella couldn't fully shield you, and acid rain was bad for the skin. Zhu Ning wore her motorcycle jacket and helmet, and by the time she arrived at the office, the rain still hadn't stopped.

This was her fifth time entering the Federal Sanitation Center, and the feeling was completely different from every previous visit.

The first time was curiosity about starting a new job. The second was for data collection. The third was training. The fourth was the post-Mechanical Oceanarium mission checkup.

The biggest difference this time was that many eyes would be on her inside. Xuan Qing wouldn't give up her suspicions of Zhu Ning so easily.

She'd have to face Xu Meng. During the checkup that day, Zhu Ning could feel Xu Meng watching her the entire time.

Zhu Ning had been playing the cheese for so long—the hunters would come to her eventually.

Zhu Ning walked into the elevator lobby, heading upstairs to report in. Apparently there was an A-Level Contamination Zone today with Contamination Spores to collect. The Demon Hunters had just received the assignment, and the Cleaners needed to go up and change into gear, ready to head to the scene. The moment the Demon Hunters emerged, they'd move in immediately to collect the Contamination Spores.

Zhu Ning's role was a Cleaner. The Mechanical Oceanarium had been an emergency situation—most of her work should be collecting Contamination Spores.

The elevator was about to close when suddenly, a hand reached in—a woman's hand.

"Wait!"

Zhu Ning helped press the button, and the elevator doors slid open.

"Ah, thank you!"

A woman stepped into the elevator. Her style was office-chic—a full suit in smoky purple, loose-fitting, different from Fang Ying's form-fitting style. She gave off an air of casual ease, yet the details looked extremely refined and exquisite. She had a long braid that hung all the way to her waist.

The woman wore some simple, elegant accessories—two rings on her right hand, tiny pearl studs in her ears, and a minimalist metal necklace around her neck.

If Zhu Ning didn't know who she was, she'd think she looked like an office worker, similar to Fang Ying, but without Fang Ying's assistant vibe.

She must have been running to get here. She carried a black umbrella and had gotten caught in the rain, looking a bit disheveled. She didn't press a floor button—just swiped her Employee Wristband.

The elevator doors closed again. The metal doors reflected their silhouettes.

There were only two people in this elevator. The enclosed space made things slightly uncomfortable—you'd instinctively glance at the other person, then feel it was rude, and suppress the urge to look.

Zhu Ning glanced at her instinctively.

She hadn't pressed a floor. The elevator didn't display one either—it must have built-in privacy protection, meaning she was going above the 100th floor. Someone from the upper echelons.

This person was probably the same rank as Xuan Qing.

The woman projected a relaxed atmosphere, yet somehow gave Zhu Ning a faint sense of pressure. There was a fresh smell of cigarette smoke on her—she'd been smoking before coming in.

An ordinary employee rushing to work in the rain wouldn't have time to smoke. She'd probably arrived a bit early, then smoked at the entrance before coming inside.

Probably more than one cigarette. That smell suggested at least three or four. Zhu Ning could picture her smoking at the entrance, cigarette butts scattered on the ground around her.

Had she been waiting for something?

She'd seen Zhu Ning enter the elevator, and only then chose to get in herself. She wanted to share the same space as Zhu Ning.

Had she been waiting specifically for her?

The scrutiny went both ways. Zhu Ning observed her through the metal door's reflection, and the woman was watching her too. She looked up without any attempt to avoid eye contact.

Most people would feel awkward and immediately avert their gaze after making eye contact, but this woman stared straight at her.

"I've heard about you for a while. First time meeting in person, little celebrity." The woman broke the silence. Her tone was casual, her attitude friendly.

Zhu Ning frowned slightly. Thanks to her high-profile behavior, most people at the Sanitation Center knew who she was. Sometimes she could feel people's gazes on her as she walked by. She'd grown used to being watched.

But this woman was different. Just looking through the reflection in the metal door, it felt like she was peering into your soul.

As if you were transparent in her eyes.

An ability?

Before Zhu Ning could speak, the woman continued without any awkwardness: "Ah, your sanity really is very high."

She spoke naturally, but it caught Zhu Ning off guard. What did she mean, high sanity? Could she breach a person's mental defenses?

This had to be some kind of ability, but Zhu Ning couldn't understand how it worked.

And because she couldn't understand how it worked, she couldn't be sure whether she'd revealed any vulnerabilities.

The woman turned and made direct eye contact with Zhu Ning. From start to finish, Zhu Ning hadn't said a word, nor had she shown any surprised expression.

To Huo Wenxi, everyone was an egg. The moment the tiniest crack appeared, Huo Wenxi could pry it open and extract the secrets within.

Such high sanity, with no fluctuations at all. Too calm.

Zhu Ning was indeed as troublesome as Xuan Qing had said.

"Hello, I'm Huo Wenxi." Huo Wenxi extended her hand to Zhu Ning with a smile. "Team leader of the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team."

Zhu Ning had assumed the trouble she'd encounter at the Sanitation Center would come from either Xuan Qing or Xu Meng.

She hadn't expected the first person to seek her out would be from the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team. Was she here to investigate her?

Both Pei Shu and Song Zhizhang had warned her not to get involved with the Abnormal Incident Investigation Team. Zhu Ning herself found them troublesome too, and now she'd run headfirst into their team leader.

Such a young team leader.

It seemed the Ant Nest mission had been fully wrapped up. Zhu Ning had nearly run into her at the Ant Nest before—the meeting had simply been postponed.

Zhu Ning thought back. She hadn't left any evidence at the Ant Nest. Her helmet had been completely shattered, and combined with the flame chamber she and Pei Shu had created, any DNA traces inside should have been destroyed.

As for surveillance, Prometheus would certainly have cleaned that up.

Besides, Zhu Ning didn't think the Ant Nest's environment allowed for a thorough search. If they'd found key evidence, they wouldn't have come specifically to test her.

This meant Huo Wenxi had nothing in her hands—only a suspicion.

Huo Wenxi's ability was probably related to this. She likely possessed some kind of intuition, or an ability to detect anomalies.

It probably wasn't mind-reading. If it were, Zhu Ning would have no way to prevent Huo Wenxi from extracting information regardless, since Huo Wenxi had already extended her hand—for a low-ranking employee like her, refusing to shake would be the abnormal thing to do.

Huo Wenxi could use this intuition to search for leads, like a hound catching the scent of blood, then track down the key evidence. But right now, she definitely didn't have any key evidence.

The logic inside the Sanitation Center was the same as inside a Contamination Zone—do what's normal.

So Zhu Ning took Huo Wenxi's hand and said her first words with complete composure: "Hello, I'm Zhu Ning."

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