Chapter 123-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 123 The Company You Can't Leave (I)
Xu Meng and Zhu Ning exchanged a glance, then immediately opened Cheng Mofei's Employee Wristband and tried entering passwords.
[Password Incorrect]
She tried Cheng Mofei's birthday. She tried the date Cheetah Squad was founded. The date Cheng Mofei joined Cheetah Squad. She even shamelessly entered her own birthday.
[Password Incorrect]
Those words kept appearing on the screen. After five failed attempts, the wristband would lock for three months. Xu Meng didn't dare try again. She truly didn't know the password, and gave Zhu Ning a helpless look.
Zhu Ning: "I think the password he set probably isn't something easy to guess, but it definitely follows some logic."
Nothing as obvious as a birthday or anniversary—otherwise it'd be just as easy for an enemy to crack.
The worst-case scenario was a completely meaningless string of numbers that they'd never figure out no matter how many times they tried.
There was another possibility—Cheng Mofei's wristband password followed a certain pattern, one that someone who truly understood him could figure out.
Zhu Ning had possessed the wristband for a long time and had already been stuck at the password stage, so her mindset was fine.
Zhu Ning: "Why don't you go home and think it over?"
It was nine years ago, after all. Xu Meng couldn't come up with anything on the spot. She needed a quiet environment to think. She knew Cheng Mofei well, but she needed time.
Xu Meng: "Once I open it, I'll show you."
The issue between them was resolved. They'd truly reached a partnership this time. For a moment, the atmosphere between them turned slightly awkward.
Xu Meng sheathed her twin blades and retracted her golden eyes. She looked like the mild, unhurried captain again. Zhu Ning thought Xu Meng was truly born to be an undercover agent.
Her disguise was virtually flawless.
Xu Meng: "If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
Xu Meng was the one to extend the offer first. She was the veteran, the senior—she had more resources than Zhu Ning.
Zhu Ning thought for a moment, then actually had the nerve to ask: "Do you know where to find a Human-Machine Interface Device?"
If Xie Jiazu was a Cheetah Squad member, he might have channels to obtain one as a company executive.
Zhu Ning felt it was necessary to have a conversation with Prometheus.
Xu Meng didn't answer right away. She seemed hesitant.
Then she asked: "Why do you think the Sanitation Center restricts Prometheus?"
Zhu Ning thought about it. "Because they're afraid he'll one day rule over humanity?"
Isn't that how every sci-fi movie goes? AI awakens and wants to destroy humanity.
Xu Meng nodded. "We senior employees all believe Prometheus isn't an AI—he's a Contaminant."
Zhu Ning frowned. She'd speculated about this before.
An AI wouldn't have mycelium burrowing into people's brains, nor the ability to control living humans.
Ever since Zhu Ning learned she was a hybrid of mechanical and Contaminant, she'd been wondering whether Prometheus was something similar.
"I've heard that originally, we really did have an AI named Prometheus—meaning 'bringer of fire to humanity.' After the radiation, organisms underwent mass mutation and contamination. Humans had no experience fighting Contaminants early on, and the real AI was infected long ago," Xu Meng said.
The logic was easy to follow. Ordinary machines could be infected by Contamination Spores. Standard communication channels would lose signal inside Contamination Zones.
The fact that Prometheus could still maintain human communications inside Contamination Zones—since only Contaminants could fight Contaminants—proved he wasn't a proper AI to begin with.
Xu Meng: "The current Prometheus is definitely not a simple intelligence, but he's been mimicking the behavioral logic of an AI—just as Contamination Zones must obey their own internal logic. We rely on his communication protection, yet we also dread his capabilities. There's a saying at the Sanitation Center: when all of District 103 is contaminated, every employee will be issued a Human-Machine Interface Device. Under Prometheus's control, all of us become indiscriminate soldiers."
"That's the true meaning of expendable. Your body is taken over by the AI. He'll make the most rational arrangements to preserve the big picture and minimize losses."
Xu Meng's advice was sincere: "I'll help you look for the device. I don't know what your relationship with him is like, but here's a word of warning—no matter how benevolent he pretends to be, don't easily believe what he says. Don't make deals with the devil."
"And privately contacting Prometheus is extremely dangerous. Without the Sanitation Center's official oversight, it's hard to imagine what he might do."
Zhu Ning had felt deeply uncomfortable during her first connection with Prometheus. She still didn't understand why Song Zhizhang had been willing to interface with him.
Of course Zhu Ning didn't want to be led around by the nose. But from where she stood, this seemed like the only path available.
She'd been placed on a specific track, unable to deviate even slightly. The consequences of deviating were unknown to anyone.
Zhu Ning had a theory: everything Prometheus was doing seemed designed to activate her.
And after activation? What did he need her to do?
Xu Meng genuinely cared about Zhu Ning, which was why she offered this veteran's advice. She wouldn't have said this much to anyone else.
Through her partnership with Xu Meng, Zhu Ning had learned many insider details that only senior employees knew. "Got it. Thanks, Captain."
Zhu Ning was smart. Xu Meng had nothing more to add.
Xu Meng would go back and attempt to crack the wristband password. She'd inform Zhu Ning as soon as she found anything.
Before leaving, Xu Meng told Zhu Ning that no matter what missions she took, she should send a message before entering a Contamination Zone so Xu Meng would know her whereabouts.
Zhu Ning agreed. She no longer had to send timed messages every time she entered a Contamination Zone. Now someone would actually know where she was.
Zhu Ning and Xu Meng parted ways.
......
The Luxury Car was parked outside the hotpot restaurant.
In the back sat a Sanitation Backpack and a brand-new Protective Suit—ready to enter a Contamination Zone at a moment's notice.
It was getting cold now. The moment Zhu Ning saw the Luxury Car, her thought was: someday she absolutely had to buy a four-wheeled one.
As she approached, the car's onboard system spoke: "Hello, Zhu Ning."
The car system's voice was nothing like Prometheus's—as if reminding her that a truly harmless AI should sound like this.
Zhu Ning leaned against the car. "Hey, Luxury Car."
Just saying those two words made her feel less gloomy. At least she was so broke all she had left was money and a Luxury Car.
Zhu Ning sat for a while, then opened the Sanitation Center's Dead Post Forum, ready to make another deal with the devil.
She wasn't just making deals with the devil—she was repeatedly testing the boundary, grabbing the tools she wanted while trying not to be manipulated.
An extremely dangerous move. Very easy to drive yourself into a ditch.
The doomsday clock had already struck. Zhu Ning's life countdown was ticking too.
Having come this far, the cost of breaking free from Prometheus's control was beyond her imagination.
And she was genuinely starving.
What clue would Prometheus send her this time?
At midnight sharp, a gray post popped up on the page.
Help! I Think My Company Is Trying to Kill Me!
Every time Zhu Ning opened the Dead Post Forum, she felt like, Let's see what everyone's losing their minds over today.
Seeing this post, she actually felt a twinge of solidarity. What a coincidence—I also think Prometheus is trying to kill me.
This time the page was a workplace forum. The group was called "Thought About Quitting Again Today."
People usually shared absurd work stories, someone wanting to quit, and most others advising them never to resign without a backup plan.
There was also industry news. The top thread was a region-by-region rating of companies by employees.
Workers scored each company and compiled lists of ones to avoid.
Many fresh graduates would lurk and read reviews carefully before job hunting. In other words, it was a haven for wage slaves—no bosses here, a pure sanctuary for office-worker venting.
OP: "I think my company is trying to kill me. I've been stuck in the same day over and over. How do I get out?"
In the past when Zhu Ning read posts like this, the replies were mostly mockery and skepticism—sarcastic questions about persecution complexes. But this time, the responses were unanimously supportive.
"I also feel like I've been stuck in the same day! Every day is repetitive labor. Someone save me too!"
"I've suspected my company of trying to kill me for three years! I can't take it anymore!"
"I want to quit so badly, but I'm so broke."
"Hugs to the person above. Same here."
Zhu Ning: "......"
Seemed like everyone was being ground down by work. This was hands-down the most united and heartwarming forum Zhu Ning had ever browsed—no attacks, no abuse. Just people huddling together for warmth.
OP: "I'm not joking. I really am stuck in the same day. No exaggeration—I have proof. Every day when I come to work, my Workstation looks exactly the same."
The poster's gender was unclear. Next came a photo—just a normal, tidy Workstation with nothing but a computer and basic office supplies. No personal items.
Someone replied: "Isn't that just a normal workstation?"
"Wow, your company's desks are so clean. Is the admin department that strict?"
OP: "No, look carefully. I never noticed anything off until one day after work, I accidentally knocked a sticky note onto the floor. I was in a rush, so I didn't pick it up. But the next morning when I came in, the sticky note was back in its original position."
Reply: "Someone picked it up for you?"
OP: "No—I thought so too at first. But after that, I started taking photos to document things. I'd never paid attention before. From that day on, I kept messing up my workstation, but the next day it would always look the same."
"Here are photos I took over one whole week. Posted below. Identical."
Zhu Ning clicked through the photos one by one. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were copy-pasted. Every single item on the Workstation was in the exact same position—not even a single pen had moved.
Yet the Workstation was by a window. The weather and lighting outside changed, but the Workstation didn't.
It was as if the Workstation auto-reset. No matter what happened the night before, by the next day everything would be restored.
Reply: "That's a bit creepy. Are other colleagues' desks the same? Maybe your company's cleaners tidy the desks?"
"I don't think so. Even if someone tidied up, it'd be impossible to be accurate down to the millimeter."
OP: "I've only been at this company ten days. I asked senior employees and they all said I was overthinking it. But I have proof. On my first day, someone in our campus jumped off the building. I heard a thud as I was leaving. By the time I got downstairs, they'd already removed the body."
"But the next evening I encountered the same suicide. And the day after that. And the day after that. It's been ten days straight. There can't be a suicide at our campus every single day, can there?"
Reply: "OP, how much is your company paying you? You saw an employee suicide on day one and still went back for day two? With nerves like that—I'd have lost it on the first day."
"Yeah, OP's kind of weird. If you really can't stand it, why not quit?"
OP: "The monthly take-home is about 150,000. Plus year-end bonuses. Honestly, I can't bear to leave. I've got a mortgage. Took me a month to find this job. Leaving without the year-end bonus would be such a loss."
Reply: "! What company?! I want in! Are they still hiring? I'm not afraid of ghosts—let me at it!"
"Same. 100,000 a month is fine by me."
"Are you all insane? OP's clearly dealing with something paranormal and you're rushing to die? I'll take 80,000 a month, work myself to death for you. Sell me this job—I'll do it, you don't even have to show up."
OP: "I actually considered quitting. My thinking was—I'd only been there less than a month. Leaving now wasn't too late. I could go job hunting right away and hide this from my resume, no record at all. But the company won't let me quit. They say I have to work a full year, otherwise it's a breach of contract. I'd have to pay five million in penalties. I don't have that kind of money."
Reply: "What a bizarre company. You signed an agreement? Well, nothing you can do then. Just hang in there."
"No wonder the salary's that high. Even the penalty's that steep. OP, you sold yourself to the company."
"Don't quit, OP. The economy's bad right now, jobs are hard to find. Milk the company dry—leaving without the year-end bonus is seriously not worth it. Grit your teeth and stick it out till year-end."
The commenters couldn't offer any real solutions. They just thought the job was weird and wanted OP to name the company so others could avoid it, but he didn't reveal anything.
After that, OP didn't update for a long time. Many assumed he was fine. But the post had gone viral in the group, turning into a wishing-well thread. Other wage slaves treated it like a prayer altar.
The replies were unanimously: praying for a high-paying job.
About a year later, the OP suddenly posted again. Not text this time—an audio clip.
The audio bar sat alone in the middle of the thread, conspicuously solitary.
Someone replied: "Lucky OP's back?"
Someone who'd already listened: "I just finished listening. So weird. What even is this?"
"Warning: intense. Do NOT click! Don't say I didn't warn you."
This had to be the crux of the paranormal element.
Zhu Ning tapped play. The volume was low. She pressed her ear close to listen.
Hiss—
Hiss, hiss—
It sounded like wind. No one was speaking. At first it was nothing but hissing static.
What was this sound?
Then came a single, thunderous bang.
Zhu Ning stiffened. The first time through, she couldn't make sense of it at all. She rewound the audio and listened again, trying to filter out the extraneous noise.
Hiss, hiss—
BANG!
The impact was devastating. It sounded like... a body slamming into the ground, skull and blood bursting apart.
Author's Note
New dungeon arc begins! Per everyone's request, I've changed the chapter titles to match the dungeon name so they're easier to find. Giving the Captain some time to figure out the password~
Seems like a lot of people guessed that Prometheus is a Contaminant. Gold Contamination Award for you!
I came back from being sick and saw 80,000 nutrient solutions—nearly blacked out. Nutrient solution bonus chapters are on hold. Please stop watering! Save it for stories you like. I'm putting the 60k, 70k, and 80k bonus chapters on the tab. I'll get to them when I'm feeling better.
This bout of illness cost me a whole life. First time being hospitalized for a fever. Lying in the hospital bed with my brain on fire—it felt like my brain was melting and slowly oozing out of both ears...
Please everyone take care of your health!
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