Chapter 142-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 142 Lu Yao
Zhu Ning went downstairs to her own place. Lin Xiaofeng was already asleep. Being a Transparent Person, she was afraid others wouldn't be able to find her, so she wore a sleep cap to bed.
From Zhu Ning's perspective, there was a bump under the blanket and a bunny-shaped sleep cap on the pillow.
Pretty... cute, actually.
They'd spent so little time together. Good thing Song Zhizhang was keeping her company—otherwise Lin Xiaofeng would've been bored out of her mind alone at home.
Zhu Ning leaned against the doorframe, watching Lin Xiaofeng. Honestly, she hadn't fully wrapped her head around everything yet.
Auntie Wei had seen two Zhu Nings.
How exactly did this so-called reboot work?
In most transmigration novels, when someone from another world crosses over, the first priority is usually to impersonate the original owner so the locals don't catch on and brand you a freak.
Zhu Ning still hadn't figured out whether she'd actually transmigrated, but the information left behind in this body was absurdly strange.
Was the survival difficulty really this high for her?
She was supposed to play the role of a mastermind behind the scenes?
Zhu Ning raised her hand, studying her own arm. It had been broken once—bone had pierced through skin. Now a scar remained, like a stitched-up doll.
Beneath her skin was blood, and deeper still, bone. She could confirm there were no wires.
Were there gears and wires inside her brain too?
Zhu Ning had used Metal Manipulation to fight the Red Tentacle. Could she use it to explore herself?
She closed her eyes and tried to sense her own brain. Metal Manipulation flared instantly—every object in the room registered within her perception.
She could feel the air conditioner, the metal desk lamp, the ceiling light.
But she couldn't sense her own brain. Was something shielding it?
Zhu Ning recalled her earlier connection with the Red Tentacle, where she'd seen its memories. Originally, it had been a black cube with an extremely smooth surface.
Zhu Ning had drilled a tiny hole into it with the Dentist's Drill, then stuffed in enough K003 Explosive to level a thirty-story building—and had only managed to crack it open.
Was her own brain's defense that formidable too?
Zhu Ning pulled the gear from the Blank Card. It bore an Alpha symbol. If she was from the same series, they shared the same architecture.
Zhu Ning thought of Chu Ling. Chu Ling had said that as long as her brain was protected, she could purchase other Cybernetic Implants and regenerate.
In theory, Zhu Ning wouldn't die as long as she kept her brain intact. She could even hide herself inside a card.
But what kind of terrifying enemy had the original owner faced—so powerful that Zhu Ning couldn't even keep her brain safe?
Before, Zhu Ning had thought she was working for Prometheus. Now it seemed she was working for herself.
She was her own boss. She needed to think like a real boss.
Zhu Ning gently closed the door to Lin Xiaofeng's room, then opened her Sub-Brain and messaged Liu Niannian: "I need a favor. Let's talk in person."
She needed to keep digging for the truth. There was still information she hadn't uncovered—and the remaining pieces might upend every theory she currently held.
Liu Niannian wasn't near her Sub-Brain. Fifteen minutes later, she replied: "Sure thing, boss!"
Zhu Ning threw on a jacket and slipped out quietly, planning to fill Lin Xiaofeng in tomorrow.
......
A high-end residential complex somewhere in District 103.
The Lu family's main base wasn't here. Liu Niannian had bought a luxury home in this district to support her adventure dreams.
Zhu Ning's information had been registered before, so security let her through without issue.
A supercar was parked downstairs. Pei Shu sat inside. "Hello, Miss Zhu."
Zhu Ning greeted him: "Hey, Mr. Pei."
Pei Shu wasn't her teacher at all, but Zhu Ning had nearly gotten him used to the title.
Pei Shu: "Come wait inside. She can't see you right now."
As expected of a First-Class Citizen's heiress—even meetings required a wait.
Looking closer, the upscale complex seemed different today. Three or four extra flying cars were parked nearby, engines freshly killed. Someone had gotten to Liu Niannian first?
By comparison, the red supercar Pei Shu sat in looked rather unserious. Zhu Ning opened the door and climbed in, only to think she was seeing things.
Zhu Ning: "What are you doing?"
Pei Shu: "Knitting."
Pei Shu was sitting in a sports car, holding black yarn, knitting a sweater.
Zhu Ning could obviously tell it was knitting. She didn't even know where to start. Why was the hot-tempered Pei Shu knitting in his spare time?
Zhu Ning: "No, I mean—is this your hobby?"
Pei Shu: "My therapist says handicrafts are good for mental health."
Zhu Ning: "......"
Zhu Ning hadn't quite understood Pei Shu before, but after her trip outside the wall, she got it now. Beyond the wall was chaos and disorder. If Pei Shu had been living in that kind of environment long-term, the fact that his mind hadn't crumbled was nothing short of miraculous.
Was he still in therapy?
Pei Shu: "So you've finally decided to make a deal with the heiress?"
Zhu Ning had "fallen"—now making deals with capitalists. Next she'd probably end up as a capitalist's lackey.
Zhu Ning: "Yes. I'm bowing to capital."
Pei Shu laughed: "Your timing's off. Give her a moment—her brother's here."
Zhu Ning paused. Liu Niannian's brother was Lu Yao? He'd actually come to District 103 in person. Sure enough, the news was right—he truly doted on his little sister.
With Lu Yao here, Zhu Ning naturally had to take a back seat.
Zhu Ning: "What's he here for? Taking her home?"
Zhu Ning had read too many trashy novels—every wealthy-family drama was the same. The willful heiress would eventually be dragged home by her family.
Pei Shu: "Yes. The Lu family thinks it's not safe here."
Zhu Ning almost laughed at that. Tycoons really were the most perceptive. Like merchants during wartime who fled first, evacuating all their assets ahead of time—including their little princess, Liu Niannian.
Zhu Ning had been unsure before whether District 103 would truly fall. Now she was certain—even the Lu family was running.
Liu Niannian returning to the Divine Kingdom would be much safer for her.
Zhu Ning felt the gulf between herself and First-Class Citizens. They crushed everyone else in every dimension—not just wealth and status, but information.
The rich could learn the news ahead of time. They could plan and protect their interests. The poor died without even knowing what killed them.
Zhu Ning looked up at the residential tower. She still remembered where Liu Niannian's apartment was, and the feeling of looking down from it.
In a sense, that penthouse was practically the Divine Kingdom already. She lived on a floating island, looking down upon District 103.
Gazing at the light from Liu Niannian's home, Zhu Ning said: "I went outside the wall this time."
Pei Shu kept knitting. "How was it?"
Zhu Ning looked away: "How do you think?"
Pei Shu glanced at her: "You're surprisingly calm about it. When did you go?"
Zhu Ning: "About five days ago."
In hindsight, it was rather surreal. It had only been five days, during which she'd entered two Contamination Zones—Desolate Village and the company.
Zhu Ning measured her words while reading Pei Shu's expression: "I encountered some strange things."
Pei Shu's knitting needles didn't pause. "Strange how?"
Zhu Ning couldn't disclose mission details, so she said casually: "Saw something eerie. Been having nightmares since."
Tap—
A knitting needle hit the car door with a dull thud. "What kind of eerie?"
Zhu Ning pretended to think. "I went to a village. The family there worshipped an Idol. After seeing it, I couldn't even remember what it looked like—yet it felt etched into my brain."
The statement was contradictory—she said she didn't know what it looked like, then said it seemed etched in her mind. For Zhu Ning, both were true. She could close her eyes and picture the Idol's silhouette, but as time passed, the details blurred completely.
Pei Shu stiffened slightly. His eyes narrowed, as if something had surfaced in his memory.
Pei Shu: "And then?"
Zhu Ning: "Nothing. I'm just a garbage collector. The rest isn't my problem. I just keep having nightmares."
Zhu Ning was lying through her teeth. Her sleep quality was always excellent—no nightmares at all. But there was a grain of truth: after seeing the Idol, the System in her head had spasmed.
Pei Shu: "Next time you see one, stay away."
Zhu Ning: "Why?"
Pei Shu: "Freeloading off me?"
It was the age of pay-for-knowledge, and every time Zhu Ning ran into Pei Shu she was milking him for free answers.
Zhu Ning: "Yep."
Pei Shu laughed at that. Who admitted to freeloading that readily?
Pei Shu set down the knitting. He lit a cigarette—his Ability was fire-type, so the tip ignited on its own. He took a drag and offered: "Want one?"
Many Demon Hunters smoked and drank to cope with the pressure. Zhu Ning thought of Huo Wenxi—she had to be under enormous stress too.
Zhu Ning refused instinctively: "My profession won't allow it."
Pei Shu: "What, are you an athlete?"
Then, figuring secondhand smoke wasn't great for her either, he stubbed the cigarette out.
He knew Zhu Ning's type—no smoking, no drinking, body always kept at peak condition. He respected that.
Pei Shu was quiet for a beat, then asked: "Do you believe in gods?"
Zhu Ning had only meant to ask casually, yet Pei Shu actually engaged with the topic. The man really would answer anything.
She'd discussed this with Huo Wenxi before. "At most, I'd say there are Contaminants."
"Smart," Pei Shu continued. "What if someone worships a Contaminant as a god?"
Zhu Ning hadn't gotten this far with Huo Wenxi. "Does worshipping actually work?"
Please don't let Pei Shu say that more believers made the thing stronger.
Pei Shu: "You have a sanity stat. Contaminants can drain your sanity. Xenomorphs feed on fear. Demon Hunters enter Contamination Zones to eliminate the so-called resentment of Contamination Sources."
Pei Shu had always been the type to teach through prompts—spare with words. This time, he rattled off a whole string: "Our world is built on the psyche. Wouldn't you say?"
Zhu Ning nodded. Theoretically, yes.
Pei Shu: "What if this thing requires sacrifices?"
Zhu Ning fell silent. A group of humans making sacrifices to a Contaminant? Sacrificing what? Living people?
The idea was absurd to Zhu Ning, but for true believers—what if it was real?
Connecting the dots to Bao Ruiming's stunt at the Mechanical Oceanarium—was the Eternal Pharma Foundation really conducting rituals?
After Pei Shu finished, the car fell silent. He always stopped at just the right point, leaving Zhu Ning space to digest.
After a while, Zhu Ning asked quietly: "What's the most terrifying Contaminant you've ever encountered?"
Pei Shu didn't answer that one. Zhu Ning's previous questions had been precise, but this one was broad—which meant she'd obtained some piece of information she didn't want to reveal, so she was circling around it indirectly.
Pei Shu: "What did you run into this time?"
Zhu Ning had wanted to ask whether a Contaminant could reverse time, but telling Pei Shu that was too risky.
So she simply said: "Just asking."
Pei Shu didn't believe her for a second, but didn't press. "Contaminants? The ones I've seen are probably worse than you imagine."
Pei Shu touched his brow ridge, remembering the past. Contaminants beyond the wall could make you tremble. Standing before them, you'd feel the smallness and fragility of life. A human could be annihilated in the blink of an eye.
Time, space, memory, perception—beyond the wall, primordial-strain Contaminants could strip away everything.
Pei Shu didn't want to revisit those memories.
Zhu Ning was about to ask more when footsteps echoed nearby. Before she could see what was happening, Pei Shu's voice dropped low: "Miss Zhu, put your hood up."
Zhu Ning hesitated, but even without an explanation, she pulled it on.
She was wearing Xu Meng's gothic hoodie. The hood was oversized—once up, it hid most of her face, leaving just her chin exposed.
Pei Shu didn't get out, but he straightened up, using his body to shield Zhu Ning.
He blocked her completely. An outsider could only tell there was someone in the passenger seat—nothing more.
Zhu Ning activated God's Eye View. She saw several men exit the residential tower—bodyguards carrying heavy firearms. Some had clearly undergone body modification. A few of the guards were probably Ability Users.
At the center of their formation walked a man in a black suit—exquisitely tailored. Even Zhu Ning, a self-proclaimed clueless pauper, could tell his shoes alone cost an ordinary person's yearly salary.
The man turned slightly, showing his profile. He bore some resemblance to Liu Niannian. Zhu Ning recognized him—he appeared constantly in ads and magazines.
This was the first time she'd seen him in person. Liu Niannian's biological brother—Lu Yao.
The current head of Creation Technology.
Lu Yao glanced toward Pei Shu's car. Pei Shu gave him a nod. There was no obvious master-servant dynamic between them.
Lu Yao was busy. One glance, and he looked away. He stepped into a flying car. Within two minutes, the entire entourage had withdrawn.
Only after the exhaust trail had vanished did Pei Shu relax, revealing Zhu Ning behind him.
Zhu Ning asked: "What was that about?"
Pei Shu: "I thought it best he didn't see you. It wouldn't be safe for you."
From what Pei Shu knew of Lu Yao, if he saw Zhu Ning, she'd leave an imprint in his mind.
Surviving around people like that—all lower-class citizens were expendable cats and dogs. The safest course was to leave no impression whatsoever.
Best if he never saw you at all.
Pei Shu got out and held the door open. "Miss Zhu, you may go in now."
Author's Note
Zhu Ning doesn't get it either—she's just as confused as you all! You might even be smarter than her, since you know more than she does. Relax, darlings~
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