Chapter 139-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 139 Overlap
Zhu Ning felt like she'd been at Song Zhizhang's place too long—watching electronic male strippers in the hallway every time she came home had warped her a little.
After the meal, Lynx carried the plates to the kitchen to wash. Zhu Ning had just added him as a private contact.
Zhu Ning and Xu Meng chatted on the sofa. Lynx could hear their conversation from the kitchen. Only now did he operate his Sub-Brain and accept Zhu Ning's friend request.
Lynx thought for a moment, then set Zhu Ning's nickname to: Caracal.
On the living room sofa, Zhu Ning made herself completely at home, sitting down and digging into fruit. Lynx had even cut a fruit platter—little bunny-shaped pieces.
Had Xu Meng and Cheng Mofei raised Lynx using some kind of perfect-husband manual?
Xu Meng said: "Once he gets more familiar with you, he'll talk a bit more."
Zhu Ning popped a bunny-shaped apple slice into her mouth. "I think he's fine just like this."
The strong, silent type was the way to go. Men were more attractive when they kept their mouths shut. Too much talking just got annoying.
Xu Meng had absolutely no idea what young people were into these days.
Zhu Ning opened her Sub-Brain and first checked the news. One headline reported the collapse at Hengsheng Mechanical Park, with no contamination overflow.
Xu Meng had done a clean job with the aftermath.
Zhu Ning logged into the Dead Post Enthusiasts Community. The moment she entered, the screen was full of fireworks. An internal announcement:
[Hengsheng Mechanical Company has been purified by Cosmic Cutie]
[Congratulations to Cosmic Cutie for reaching Level 9 user]
Zhu Ning hadn't taken enough missions, and her points were still short. She was still some distance from Lynx's Level 11.
Below was a flood of flattery: "Who even is Cosmic Cutie? I don't remember her taking many missions, and she's already Level 9?"
"No idea. Stop asking—I'm scared of getting silenced."
"Who cares about Lynx? Someday our girl Cutie will reach the top!"
"I'm different though—I was there yesterday collecting spores. Thanks to the big shot for clearing the way."
When Demon Hunters flattened a Contamination Zone, the Cleaners called it "breaking ground." With Demon Hunters clearing the path up front, Cleaners could follow behind and "pick the cotton."
The entire industrial park had collapsed. Fearing spore overflow, Xu Meng had called in seven Cleaner squads in one go.
Though there were many people, each person's share was still substantial. Everyone who participated yesterday had made a nice profit.
Zhu Ning stared at the screen full of "big shots" and felt a bit frustrated. Even this big shot wanted in on the cotton-picking. The thought made her ache all over again.
Ding—
Zhu Ning received a message. She opened it to find a transfer from Black Cat.
Transfer amount: eight million.
Zhu Ning looked up. Xu Meng was sitting on the sofa, one hand operating her Sub-Brain. The glow from the device lit her expressionless face.
Xu Meng: "That's yours."
Seeing the delighted look on Zhu Ning's face, Xu Meng was a bit exasperated. "Do you even know how the Dead Post works? Before a Demon Hunter goes in, you need to arrange Cleaners for cleanup in advance. When you form a party, you can choose hire mode or teammate mode. Hire mode means you distribute the payment. Teammate mode splits everything evenly among all members."
So that was how it worked.
Xu Meng: "It was urgent yesterday, so I picked teammate mode. Otherwise, I couldn't have rounded up that many people for cleanup on short notice. Eight million is your share."
Xu Meng noticed Zhu Ning still hadn't said anything. "Think it's too little?"
Wild Dead Post squads made their money selling Contamination Spores. The pay was inherently lower than the Sanitation Center's salary. With this many people on the job, the split wasn't exactly a fortune.
Zhu Ning: "No."
She actually liked this model. Some Demon Hunters at the Sanitation Center looked down on Cleaners, but in truth the job was no less important than a Demon Hunter's.
Zhu Ning knew this firsthand because she'd been a Cleaner herself. It was genuinely difficult work—poor cleanup could cause secondary contamination.
Zhu Ning opened her mouth. Xu Meng could tell what she was about to say, and decided nothing good would come out. "Stop. Whatever you're about to say, swallow it."
Zhu Ning silently swallowed her praise for Xu Meng.
Xu Meng continued: "If you want to go after Bao Ruiming, you'll need to upload your consciousness through a terminal. You'll need to get a port opened on your body for the connection."
Xu Meng gestured at her own neck. "Are you going to find a doctor yourself, or do you want me to recommend one?"
Zhu Ning's face scrunched up. She didn't want to think about it. Even the bunny apple slices didn't taste as good now.
Xu Meng sent Zhu Ning a link to a doctor and continued: "You'll also need to find yourself a guardian."
Zhu Ning: "A guardian?"
The digital world was completely uncharted territory for Zhu Ning.
Xu Meng had considered uploading her consciousness before, so she knew a lot about this. She gave Zhu Ning a crash course: "Things are complicated online. If a person's consciousness gets lost in there, your mind will collapse too. It'll be extremely troublesome. A guardian needs to ensure your physical safety and make the most appropriate decisions while you're unconscious."
"If you can't find a guardian, I won't help you upload." Xu Meng cut Zhu Ning off before she could speak: "And just so we're clear—I can't be your guardian."
Zhu Ning fell into thought. This was way more complicated than she'd imagined.
A guardian of this caliber meant Zhu Ning had to pick someone she'd trust with her life.
Xu Meng understood the crux of the matter. "Take your time thinking it over. There's no rush."
Zhu Ning spent the entire afternoon at Xu Meng's place. Being there felt like visiting an older sister's home—you didn't have to think about anything, and someone would take care of everything for you.
When Zhu Ning left, Xu Meng tossed her a key. "Come whenever you want. No need to ask."
Zhu Ning held the key, feeling as though she'd gained another home.
Traditional keys were rare in this world. Zhu Ning had only used one back when she lived at The Hive. Nowadays, passcode locks and iris locks were everywhere.
The moment she got the key, Zhu Ning figured Xu Meng's apartment must be in an old neighborhood.
She stepped outside and was proven right. Barely anyone lived in this complex—almost everyone had moved out.
It wasn't that there was any metal contamination here. The neighborhood was just too close to the recycling station. Anyone with even a shred of standards didn't want to live nearby.
Right outside the door, the massive Garbage Dump was visible. A giant mechanical arm was at work, scooping up a wad of trash and depositing it in another area.
In this world, much of the garbage was human-shaped—scrapped robots, scrapped Synthetics. So that iron claw was clutching several human arms.
It looked less like a Garbage Dump and more like a cemetery of the new age.
The Garbage Dump was enormous. Both the Sanitation Center and The Hive were nearby. Zhu Ning stared at the mountain of garbage, lost in thought.
Was that where she'd come from?
She had no memory of her past, yet looking at the garbage mountain somehow felt familiar—like she was gazing at her hometown.
How strange. The original owner should have had her own social circle, yet no one had ever come looking for Zhu Ning.
It was as if she'd been deliberately set to blank.
The Luxury Car was still near Hengsheng Mechanical Park from the day before. Zhu Ning activated autopilot. The car said estimated arrival was fifteen minutes.
During those fifteen minutes, Zhu Ning chose to walk slowly. The car would track her latest position to find her.
She'd been in this world for a while now, passing the Garbage Dump every day on her way to work—but this was the first time she'd walked in.
The Garbage Dump and the outside seemed like two different worlds. No overwhelming advertisements here, not much of a tech feel. Many people still lived the most primitive lives.
Some lived in houses made of garbage—shanties reminiscent of the slums from Zhu Ning's era.
Winters in District 103 were long, and summers were brief.
Temperatures had dropped. Many people's doors wouldn't shut tight, and cold wind blew in through the cracks.
Zhu Ning walked past house after house. Had Wang Qinqian used to live here?
Zhu Ning seemed to see a bespectacled girl running past her, hurrying to catch the first Sub-rail. She was one of the few graduate students from the Garbage Dump.
Many of the elderly knew her. Every time she passed, they'd call out, "Off to work, graduate girl?"
Wang Qinqian had been trying so hard to live. But she hadn't survived.
She couldn't go on anymore.
At the thought, Zhu Ning clenched her fist.
The Luxury Car signaled it was nearby. Zhu Ning seemed captivated by this place. She told the car to enter standby mode and continued deeper into the slum.
A makeshift corrugated-metal shack had a sign: "Free Winter Supplies."
Zhu Ning thought of Wang Qinqian and her forty-centimeter range of warmth. She pushed aside the curtain and walked in. It was extremely simple inside—just a few rows of shelves, with people queuing to pick up supplies.
They were pre-packaged care kits containing self-heating blankets that didn't need electricity, insulated sleeping bags, and various heating equipment.
Anyone in need could also pick up down jackets and other winter clothing.
The person in charge was a young woman in a yellow down jacket. Seeing Zhu Ning, she flashed a bright smile. "Here to pick up supplies?"
Zhu Ning smiled back: "Just looking."
The woman looked Zhu Ning up and down. She was wearing a black hoodie with a logo from an underground rock band that had been around twenty years ago.
She couldn't remember the band's name, only that they had a song whose lyrics were basically about destroying the world.
Zhu Ning had her hair in a high ponytail, wearing a rock band tee, not very old. When she smiled, she looked a bit sweet; when she didn't, she looked pretty cool—like a bassist from a local underground band out for a stroll.
She didn't look like someone with money.
But the woman never missed an opportunity. Even a donation of one or two hundred would do. "If you're interested, I'd love to tell you about our charity program."
Zhu Ning didn't refuse outright. The woman sensed a prospect and continued: "My name is Mu Linlin. Just call me Xiao Mu. Let me tell you about our public welfare project."
Mu Linlin launched into a pitch: "The Spark Project was founded forty years ago by a Fifth-Class Citizen. Our donations go entirely toward supporting the underprivileged. You can track exactly where every cent you donate goes—no need to worry about corporate corruption."
It sounded completely different from the Eternal Pharma Foundation—like a legitimate charity.
"We also make honorary badges and things. You can collect them." Mu Linlin often wore her jaw out like this for a few hundred NewCred.
Zhu Ning thought of Wang Qinqian. "How do I donate?"
Mu Linlin's eyes lit up. Today really had brought a live one. Judging by Zhu Ning's outfit, she probably couldn't donate much—but Mu Linlin was excited nonetheless. "Just scan the code, enter your info, and I'll handle the rest."
Zhu Ning scanned the code with her Sub-Brain. Mu Linlin looked down at her tablet and swiped a couple of times—each swipe slower than the last.
Mu Linlin wasn't sure. "Um, miss—you're already a member?"
A member?
"Let me see." Zhu Ning took the tablet. She really did have an account here. The earliest donation dated back six years ago.
At that age, Zhu Ning should have still been a student.
Over the past six years, she'd come to donate periodically. Somehow she'd started making serious money—the amounts kept growing, with the largest single donation reaching one million.
A person living in society inevitably leaves traces. No matter how thoroughly you clean up, something remains. Zhu Ning had found the original owner's past.
Where had the original owner gotten the money? She couldn't even pay rent before.
Prize money from underground shooting matches? Or had she been collecting Contamination Spores even back then? Was she a freelance Demon Hunter?
"Miss?" Mu Linlin asked.
Zhu Ning: "Can I see any other information?"
Mu Linlin hesitated. Her gaze toward Zhu Ning turned strange—was this identity theft?
Zhu Ning didn't bother explaining. She chose a simpler, more direct approach—she hacked the tablet and searched for every scrap of data.
But there was nothing.
The original owner only donated. She declined every honorary badge, never left a home address. Beyond basic information, there was nothing.
"Miss?" Mu Linlin watched Zhu Ning grow increasingly odd. She tried to take her tablet back, but Zhu Ning was gripping it so tightly she couldn't pull it free. Mu Linlin was about to call for help. "Miss?"
Zhu Ning let go. Mu Linlin nearly toppled over from the momentum.
Zhu Ning said: "I just need to transfer the money in, right?"
Mu Linlin took a deep breath and tried to continue the process. "Right, the last step is payment."
Zhu Ning said nothing more. She tapped a few things on her Sub-Brain, then turned and left.
Mu Linlin thought Zhu Ning was really weird. Then—ding—the tablet chimed.
[10,000,000 received.]
Mu Linlin's eyes went wide. She checked again and again, counting the zeros multiple times, convinced she'd read it wrong.
Ten million NewCred?
Whether or not Zhu Ning had stolen someone's identity, the money was real.
Good heavens—she'd just encountered an actual rich person.
......
Zhu Ning walked out. The Luxury Car was parked right at the door.
The influx of information was a lot to process. Just now, she'd once again completed a kind of echo with the original owner.
Their ways of handling things were identical. They would make the same choices. The resemblance was unsettling.
Zhu Ning's lower abdomen was wrapped in bandages. It was nearly healed today.
She'd looked at her wound on the way out. Her abdomen had been injured twice now. The last time was when she'd first awakened—there'd been a rusted iron plate in her belly.
Now the two puncture wounds overlapped and intertwined, already impossible to tell apart.
After this mission, Zhu Ning had gained a lot of information.
She was thinking: if the System had always been in her head, then the original owner must have had the System too. Zhu Ning had only possessed it for less than two months. Though Prometheus had been force-feeding her growth, the rate of her progress was absurdly fast.
As if she were racing against the clock.
The original owner was an Eternal Pharma experimental subject. Assuming she was from the same series as the Contamination Source inside Hengsheng Mechanical Company—the so-called Alpha Series.
If the original owner had it from childhood, her level of System development had to be far beyond Zhu Ning's.
After this upgrade, both of Zhu Ning's beginner talents had been promoted. One of them was Danger Sense.
Despite its name, Danger Sense was more like a death preview—it only activated when it determined you were about to die.
As Zhu Ning grew stronger, the chances of triggering the death preview actually decreased.
After this upgrade, her death preview had expanded to two minutes. If her System became powerful enough, could the preview's window extend even further?
Like half an hour? An hour?
Even more extreme—given enough health, seeing your own death scene a year into the future might not be impossible.
The original owner had walked into the Garbage Dump. If she truly had the System, it would have warned her of danger. Yet she'd still died.
Zhu Ning could picture it with her eyes closed—the video Garbo had found. The original owner in a black trench coat, walking into the Garbage Dump in acid rain. She'd deliberately glanced in this direction, as if she already knew there was a working camera here.
The video Garbo provided showed no one else entering. She was alone.
Had the original owner... committed suicide?
Zhu Ning frowned at the thought. Had the original owner known what was coming?
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