Chapter 141-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 141 The Agent
"He asked me to tell you something." In that instant, Prometheus and Song Zhizhang merged—they became one person. "I don't know the full truth. I'm only your agent."
Agent?
Zhu Ning released Song Zhizhang. Her mind was in a bit of a muddle.
Prometheus wasn't some puppeteer behind the curtain at all—he was merely "Zhu Ning's" agent.
Assuming a reboot was real, rebooting meant wiping all memories and data. So someone else had to perform the activation—and the one capable of that was Prometheus, grafted onto an artificial intelligence.
Every mission Prometheus had guided Zhu Ning through had left behind clues. The Fishman in the sewers had activated Zhu Ning, yielding the key message: "The end is nigh, we are all but ants."
The man-eating hotpot restaurant had pointed toward Eternal Pharma and introduced her to Liu Niannian. As the heiress of Creation Technology, Liu Niannian now owed her a favor.
The murderous house had led to a confrontation with Chu Qing, the discovery of Cheng Mofei's Employee Wristband, and an indirect connection with Xu Meng.
The Black Dental Clinic had yielded an Eternal Pharma researcher's notebook—and the Xenomorph had latched onto her there.
Hengsheng Mechanical Company was another clue. The discarded experimental subject's brain—labeled as part of the Alpha Series Experiment—had contained a Red Tentacle capable of rebooting Wang Qinqian.
It was the discarded experimental subject that had been making Wang Qinqian jump from the building again and again. That was the true answer to the Hengsheng Mechanical Company mystery.
It also gave Zhu Ning a serial number, confirmed the existence of the Alpha project, and raised the suspicion that she might be part of the same series.
Every single step had been meticulously planned. Not one was wasted. At every turn, Zhu Ning had gained something to her advantage. It was practically custom-tailored.
How did Prometheus know what each Contamination Zone contained? How did he know what rewards she'd receive?
Was it because Zhu Ning had already "been through" all of this once—like playing a game and clearing every level?
Through Danger Sense, she could preview each dungeon's monster traits ahead of time. She also knew the hidden treasures tucked inside each level.
Through some means, she could reboot and try again, plotting the most advantageous path. All this information had been gathered by her in the first place. She'd entered a hundred Contamination Zones and selected the cream of the crop.
To ensure her rebooted self stayed on track, she'd contacted Prometheus.
Nothing was better suited for support work than big data.
Big data could predict your future. Zhu Ning possessed Danger Sense's death previews. Given enough information from Zhu Ning, they really could model someone's behavioral trajectory.
All this time, Zhu Ning had believed Prometheus was the mastermind—an omniscient, omnipotent god who coldly pushed her forward without caring whether she lived or died.
Zhu Ning was just a pawn toyed with in the palm of his hand.
And now the final boss turned out to be herself?
Zhu Ning recalled those moments of "echo" with the original owner. During the interrogation, when Yue Kaiyuan had laid out Zhu Ning's history, she'd felt as though another version of herself was watching.
In the footage Garbo had found, the original owner had deliberately turned to look at the camera.
The original owner had been making eye contact with her.
Having already accepted that she was an experimental subject, accepting that she could reboot wasn't much harder. If you've already come to terms with being a computer, it's only natural that a computer can be reformatted.
If this was truly the case, she still had several questions:
1. Was her rebooted self the same person as before?
2. How did the reboot work? Did dying trigger a restart? Were there conditions? Limits? What if this was the last chance?
3. How many reboots had there been?
4. Why reboot? How had previous versions failed?
5. Was it time that was being rebooted, or Zhu Ning herself? If it was time, had Auntie Wei seen two Zhu Nings?
Zhu Ning asked these questions directly.
Prometheus couldn't respond to Zhu Ning directly, so the one answering was Song Zhizhang. "He says he doesn't know."
If Zhu Ning could reboot—like a computer formatting itself and running a fresh program—others genuinely wouldn't know the full picture. Only the original owner would.
Prometheus had said it: he was merely Zhu Ning's agent.
Everything he knew had been told to him by Zhu Ning.
The blue ring on Song Zhizhang's temple flickered, then he spoke again: "You two made a deal."
Zhu Ning pressed: "What were the terms?"
Song Zhizhang was like a translator. He paused before answering: "He says that doesn't conform to the agreed activation protocol."
Zhu Ning had once struck some kind of "contract" with Prometheus. She asked: "What's next on the agenda?"
Song Zhizhang: "Also not part of the protocol."
Zhu Ning: "......"
She wanted to curse. She couldn't get a single answer?
She'd once asked Prometheus why he wouldn't just tell her the answers directly. His response had been: "I cannot think on behalf of humans."
Likewise, the activation had to let Zhu Ning think for herself. If all the information could be dumped in at once, Prometheus could have simply had Song Zhizhang tell her everything right after she woke up.
Wiping all memories was meant to force her down a different path.
Zhu Ning looked at Song Zhizhang's temple. The blue ring still flickered—that was Prometheus. To this day, Zhu Ning didn't know what he truly was.
She didn't fully trust Prometheus, because she had no idea what deal the original owner had struck with him. Without her memories, if Prometheus pulled a fast one at the end, she'd have nowhere to cry.
This thing could directly manipulate a person's nerves, after all.
Great—so now she'd been duped by a tag team of herself and an AI. Weren't they worried she'd go off-script and just quit?
But she wouldn't. Zhu Ning was already on this path. She'd had no way out for a long time.
Reorganizing the information—she didn't know exactly what had happened, but from the limited clues the original owner had left behind:
A second apocalypse was approaching. Zhu Ning had chosen to reboot in order to stop it.
She'd encountered an enemy she couldn't defeat.
The good news was that the sooner she knew, the sooner she could prepare. Like playing a game she couldn't beat, so she'd wiped her save and started over.
Did she now have the advantage? Could she set things up in advance?
The bad news: she had zero relevant memories and couldn't begin to comprehend what this so-called second apocalypse was.
She didn't even know where the final boss was. How was she supposed to fight?
She didn't even know if the Zombie World existed, let alone which generation of product she was.
Previously, Zhu Ning had been distinguishing between herself and the "original owner." Now there was no need.
She'd made a deal with Prometheus, and Song Zhizhang was the bonus that came with it. The one thing Zhu Ning knew for certain was that she had been guiding herself all along.
Zhu Ning asked no more questions. The blue ring on Song Zhizhang's temple went dark. Song Zhizhang: "He's offline."
Prometheus was as cold as ever. He still had a lot of explaining to do.
Zhu Ning said nothing.
Unless she got her own Human-Machine Interface Device, this method of communication was far too inefficient.
She needed to "meet" Prometheus face to face.
Song Zhizhang had guessed Zhu Ning might one day force a conversation with Prometheus through him. He just hadn't expected it so soon.
In the darkness, Song Zhizhang couldn't read Zhu Ning's expression. He was straining to sense her emotions.
Zhu Ning had been pinning him against the door. Now she reached out a hand toward him.
Click—
Zhu Ning flipped the light switch by the door. Light flooded the living room. Song Zhizhang instinctively squinted.
"Want to talk?" Zhu Ning asked.
Song Zhizhang knew what she wanted to discuss. If he were in her shoes, this was exactly when he'd be vetting whether someone was trustworthy. Lin Xiaofeng was still asleep downstairs.
Song Zhizhang handed her a glass of ice water. Sometimes cold water helped clear the head.
Zhu Ning didn't refuse. She accepted whatever drink Song Zhizhang offered her.
Song Zhizhang's place had a bar counter. Zhu Ning sat at it now, with Song Zhizhang standing across from her. It felt like they'd barely known each other—back then, Song Zhizhang had also handed her a drink.
It was cold now. Song Zhizhang's loungewear was fleece-lined. In black, he looked oddly innocent.
Song Zhizhang thought for a moment, then removed the Human-Machine Interface Device. Prometheus was no longer present. Like disarming at a peace talk, he was showing Zhu Ning his trust.
The blue ring's surface had filaments retracting from it—and there was even blood.
Song Zhizhang had just said that forcing it out could cause brain damage. It seemed that wasn't a bluff.
Before, whenever Zhu Ning and Song Zhizhang talked, Zhu Ning asked the questions. Song Zhizhang rarely volunteered information.
Before Zhu Ning could speak, Song Zhizhang took the initiative: "Let me start."
Song Zhizhang had never tried telling anyone about his past. He paused before beginning: "I retired from District Two and came to District 103. This place is a garbage-processing hub. The way things are done here is different from other districts—nobody asks about your background. In plain terms, it's got more of a frontier vibe. It can't compare to District Two's prosperity, but I quite like it here."
Song Zhizhang was telling his own story. The day he arrived, District 103 was blanketed in snow. A colossal garbage mountain dominated the cityscape, mechanical arms working around the clock.
On that snowy night, Song Zhizhang walked aimlessly through the streets in a black coat. He drifted down a decaying street and spotted the Dignified Queen shop's sign—neon lights flickering, a "For Transfer" poster hanging above.
It had once been a Contamination Zone. Song Zhizhang happened to pass by and, out of professional habit, cleared and purified it. It was supposed to be a casual act—but then he'd stayed.
Zhu Ning really didn't know how to use the Dead Post. The Dead Post Forum actually offered many career paths beyond Cleaners and Demon Hunters—there were support departments too.
With enough capital, you could open a Contamination Spore containment shop. Many retired Demon Hunters ran civilian containment operations.
Back then, Song Zhizhang had stood in the spore-filled Dignified Queen shop, surrounded by the stench of decay and blood.
He'd found his purpose in District 103. He opened a containment shop.
Who'd have thought—coming all the way from District Two to District 103, he was still dealing with Contaminants. Once you got into this line of work, it was hard to get out.
Song Zhizhang hired Cleaners to contain the scene, then had the storefront renovated.
A containment operation worked best when paired with underground industry. He restored the Dignified Queen sign and opened for business. A Demon Hunter's income was more than enough to run a shop, and he'd gained employees of his own.
Song Zhizhang: "About two months ago, I received a package. No sender, just a black box. Inside was a Human-Machine Interface Device."
Song Zhizhang had been a Demon Hunter. He knew exactly what it was. Prometheus had provided him end-of-life care once.
At the time, Song Zhizhang had been on the verge of death. But the end-of-life care hadn't worked. Out of his entire Demon Hunter squad, only Song Zhizhang had survived—and only he had drifted to District 103.
Song Zhizhang: "Prometheus contacted me. He said he needed a favor."
Song Zhizhang watched Zhu Ning's expression as he spoke. Her long lashes had lowered, hiding her eyes from view.
She probably didn't care about his past at all.
Song Zhizhang continued: "I was surprised he'd have a spare Human-Machine Interface Device. He told me District 103 was going to fall."
Song Zhizhang had joined the plan without knowing the full picture. "He said a woman would come by before long, and to help her where I could."
So on the day Zhu Ning went to contain the hotpot restaurant, Song Zhizhang was waiting outside. Sure enough, a black motorcycle pulled up—and off it jumped a woman in a Cleaner's black Protective Suit.
"I'm looking for a hotpot restaurant," Zhu Ning had said.
"Hotpot?" Song Zhizhang could still remember his own line that day. "Hao Zailai?"
Song Zhizhang had put on quite a performance, pointing Zhu Ning toward the Contamination Zone. Later, she'd come back to trade Contamination Spores.
The second time Zhu Ning came to exchange spores, she'd overused her sanity and fallen asleep in Song Zhizhang's office. He'd watched her for a long time before finally reaching over and draping a blanket across her shoulders.
In the grand blueprint Prometheus had painted, Zhu Ning was the linchpin. She would become humanity's savior.
Song Zhizhang had thought it was just a favor. He'd been a Demon Hunter, was now a shop owner—he'd casually helped plenty of people.
But this was the strangest favor he'd ever done. Zhu Ning added him on comms. When her sanity dipped, she came to find him. When Chu Qing was watching her, she came to find him. When she needed to settle Lin Xiaofeng, she came to find him.
She trusted him inexplicably. She'd rented a room and actually moved in.
Eventually, Zhu Ning entrusted Lin Xiaofeng to Song Zhizhang. He couldn't help growing closer to her.
The latter half had gradually slipped beyond Prometheus's control. The first part of their relationship belonged to Song Zhizhang and Prometheus. The rest was between him and Zhu Ning.
Prometheus was activating Zhu Ning. Song Zhizhang's role was a support line—providing help whenever she needed it.
Regarding Zhu Ning's true identity and what Prometheus had said today, Song Zhizhang had never had concrete evidence. He'd only pieced together a rough picture from fragments.
Song Zhizhang: "I truly mean you no harm."
He said it again. Once finished, he didn't know what else to add—he felt he'd explained everything that needed explaining.
If Zhu Ning was angry, that would make sense. If she moved out today, he'd understand—though he might never see Lin Xiaofeng again.
Zhu Ning looked up. She said nothing, only watched him in silence.
Her gaze drifted to Song Zhizhang's high collar. The black loungewear covered him completely. His story still had hidden parts.
Like the real reason he'd come to District 103—and what Zhu Ning's room had been used for before.
Zhu Ning figured those hidden parts probably had nothing to do with her. "You've got a lot of secrets."
Song Zhizhang knew Zhu Ning well enough to recognize that as a joke. He smiled: "Secrets are what make a man charming."
That was a bit shameless. Yet Zhu Ning, surprisingly, didn't push back.
Zhu Ning nodded. "Fair point."
Her response actually made Song Zhizhang uneasy. "You're not angry?"
Zhu Ning: "You've been helping me all along. What's there to be angry about?"
Hearing Song Zhizhang's story had put her mind at ease. At least now she knew who her landlord was. It proved she hadn't misjudged him.
Zhu Ning gestured at her own neck. "Does it hurt? I wasn't going off on you—it was at Prometheus."
Song Zhizhang knew. He shook his head. "Doesn't hurt."
Zhu Ning gave an "oh." Song Zhizhang was really the type who made you want to bully him. She worried that being around him too much would bring out her mean side. "Alright, I'm going to sleep. You should rest early too."
Xu Meng had told her to rest. Entering Contamination Zones too frequently could drive you insane. She needed some time alone to process everything.
Zhu Ning stood up. "Oh—I already sent you the rent."
Zhu Ning was renting Song Zhizhang's room. She needed to pay the second month's rent.
Song Zhizhang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't find a reason to keep her. Zhu Ning closed the door behind her, leaving Song Zhizhang alone at the bar counter. His Sub-Brain blinked—rent received.
Song Zhizhang didn't look at his Sub-Brain. He just stared at the closed door. Zhu Ning was already gone.
Author's Note
It's totally fine if you don't follow everything. All you need to know is that Zhu Ning has been guiding herself forward, rather than being controlled by Prometheus. Get that one point, and the rest will be explained later.
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