Chapter 162-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 162 Applying Medicine
The meeting was on Floor 240—yet another level Zhu Ning had never visited. The entire floor was decorated in pure white, without so much as a seam on the walls. Fang Ying escorted her there and left.
The representative from headquarters was a man in a pristine white suit. Zhu Ning's first impression was that he looked like a white sculpture come to life—immaculate from a distance, with pale gold hair, his entire being blending into the sunlit backdrop.
As expected of someone from the Divine Kingdom—everything about him screamed "divine."
It was a peculiar meeting room containing only two artistically sculpted chairs—like two twisted hands frozen mid-air.
After Zhu Ning entered, the man extended a hand with a smile. "Hello. My name is Xie Zhen."
Zhu Ning shook his hand, and they each took a seat.
Xie Zhen exuded a remarkably pleasant aura, yet carried a subtle sense of distance—as though he'd drawn a clear line, making you instinctively feel you weren't the same kind of person.
A normal person would subconsciously keep their distance, feeling an instinctive deference. But Zhu Ning felt nothing of the sort. One look at his pristine white outfit and all she wanted was to get it dirty.
Xie Zhen wore a faint smile. He held no documents, yet was clearly well-versed in every detail of Zhu Ning's file.
Xie Zhen: "Ms. Zhu, headquarters has had its eye on you for quite some time. You are truly exceptional—outstanding performance across multiple missions."
Zhu Ning was quite well-known at the Sanitation Center. Her track record was dazzlingly impressive.
Zhu Ning found the pitch familiar. Xie Zhen continued: "Your Sanity Value has surpassed S+. After thorough evaluation, you've been approved for the First District's Talent Recruitment Program. We'd like to extend you an offer. Should you accept, you'll become a Free Citizen of the First District."
Free Citizen? Sounded like a fancy label for "expendable."
Zhu Ning's Sub-Brain lit up. An invitation had arrived in her inbox—Xie Zhen had issued an "acceptance letter" on the spot.
Zhu Ning: "Even though I'm a Defective?"
She recalled Fang Ying saying she'd been turned away by the First Military District precisely because of her Defective status.
"It was a deliberated decision," Xie Zhen said. "We weighed everything."
Before, Zhu Ning's Sanity Value hadn't been high enough to justify lowering their standards. Once it reached a certain threshold, they had no choice but to reconsider.
Zhu Ning: "I could live in the First District?"
"Yes, you'd be free to live in the First District." Xie Zhen explained: "The First District has a Talent Recruitment Program that considers exceptionally outstanding individuals—typically people who've made significant contributions in their field, or those with extraordinary talent. Many people dream of being recruited."
Because the First District was the safest place in the world. The only upward path for ordinary people was to make themselves visible to First-Class Citizens—to prove their usefulness.
It was rather ironic when you thought about it. Zhu Ning had fought her entire life, finally caught the attention of those above, and her reward was... a job offer.
Xie Zhen studied Zhu Ning with an intent gaze. Song Zhizhang had a similar habit when looking at people, but his never felt this uncomfortable.
When Song Zhizhang looked at you, he made you feel like you were an important person. When Xie Zhen looked at you, he made you feel like you were an important object.
"Of course, you'd be the first Defective ever recruited through the Talent Program," Xie Zhen said. "Given your special circumstances, we'll arrange a full medical examination after you enter the First District. A professional medical team will oversee your health."
Entering the First District might even solve her problem of having less than a year to live.
If this were the Zhu Ning who'd just been reborn, she might have agreed on the spot.
Xie Zhen: "Naturally, we hope you'll consider us over the First Military District. We can offer greater safety."
From his wording, the First Military District was also interested in Zhu Ning. She might be receiving two offers—somewhat like two prestigious universities fighting over a top exam scorer.
Zhu Ning asked, "Safe how?"
Xie Zhen tapped his Sub-Brain, projecting a holographic display—a real-time map of the entire human Survivor Base network.
Most people had little understanding of the overall Survivor Base layout. For strategic reasons, the Federation rarely published maps of other regions. If you were an ordinary resident of District 103, you'd basically only ever see your own area. You'd never leave the walls, and what other regions looked like was irrelevant to you.
So when Xie Zhen unfurled the complete map, it was like opening a window onto an entirely new world.
Zhu Ning already knew the Survivor Base network was structured like a honeycomb, each base a hexagonal cell. But in her imagination, the bases had been clustered close together. In reality, the gaps between them were far greater than she'd expected.
The map of every Survivor Base spread out before her, though many areas in between were grayed out.
Xie Zhen volunteered an explanation: "Those are contaminated lands."
This was Zhu Ning's first time seeing the real-time map. It displayed total Contamination Levels for each region. Once contaminated, humans evacuated the base, and on the map it turned solid gray.
The still-active bases were rendered in sky blue—scattered like dying embers across the landscape.
The most prominent was the First District, five times the size of District 103. The entire base was suspended in midair—no pillars beneath it. It floated.
Below the First District hung yet another layer of floating islands, like a planetary ring.
Xie Zhen zoomed in. "The upper level is the First District. Below it is the First Military District—the central hub of the Federation's armed forces. Its primary mission is to protect the First District."
They shielded the First-Class Citizens from contamination with the full might of their military.
Xie Zhen then tapped the upper First District layer and zoomed into a particular building. "Sanitation Center headquarters is here."
The First District had its own Sanitation Center building—also a skyscraper.
Zhu Ning understood. The First Military District formed the outer perimeter, while the Sanitation Center headquarters sat on the upper floating island.
In other words, even if the apocalypse came, there was still an entire layer of soldiers standing between them and annihilation. Truly the safest place in the world.
Zhu Ning gave a silent nod. She'd barely spoken since entering the room, making it difficult for Xie Zhen to read her attitude.
Xie Zhen had extended Talent Recruitment invitations to others before. They could never contain their excitement—as if they'd won the lottery.
But Zhu Ning showed nothing. She remained perfectly composed, as though Xie Zhen hadn't just handed her a ticket to the Divine Kingdom.
Xie Zhen asked, "What do you think?"
Zhu Ning replied absently, "Let me think about it."
Think about it? Xie Zhen hadn't expected that answer. Zhu Ning didn't want to enter the First District?
His entire professional career felt challenged. She didn't care about the invitation at all.
Why?
Xie Zhen: "May I ask the reason?"
Zhu Ning: "I should at least comparison-shop, shouldn't I?"
Xie Zhen was momentarily at a loss. She wanted to hear what the First Military District had to offer?
Assuming it was a money issue, Xie Zhen said: "You needn't worry about compensation. It would easily be ten times your current salary."
Headquarters had deep pockets. No salary was too high.
Zhu Ning still said nothing. She'd learned her haggling technique from the Wavy-Hair Boss—never let them see what you're thinking.
Sure enough, Xie Zhen upped the ante: "If you have any requirements at all, feel free to name them. What I can accommodate, I will. What I can't, I'll escalate for approval."
Zhu Ning sensed Xie Zhen's urgency. He seemed very eager to get her into headquarters.
Why? Did he genuinely consider her a talent?
Or had he discovered something and was making a preemptive play?
Zhu Ning said sure, she'd think it over.
Zhu Ning was impervious to persuasion. Xie Zhen had said everything he could. Their meeting ended there, and Xie Zhen personally stood to open the door for her.
"Ms. Zhu, a small welcome gift."
Xie Zhen handed her a slim black velvet box—one final sweetener. "Headquarters' doors are always open to you. The invitation is valid for life. You're welcome anytime."
After bidding Xie Zhen farewell, Zhu Ning boarded the Flying Car Huo Wenxi had arranged for her. Huo Wenxi was attentive to Zhu Ning's safety and had assigned a personal escort.
On the road, Zhu Ning finally opened the velvet box Xie Zhen had given her. Inside lay a gold-embossed Chip, glinting in the sunlight—iridescent and lustrous, like a treasured jewel.
A pass to the Divine Kingdom.
Not yet activated. This was Zhu Ning's identity card. Once activated, it would likely grant her all manner of functions and clearances.
No hidden trackers. A clean Chip.
Whenever Zhu Ning wished, she could walk right in. Permanently valid. A ticket to Noah's Ark.
Regardless of whether District 103 would be destroyed or whether the world was heading toward its end.
Zhu Ning could become one of the lucky few.
The same special channel once opened for Bao Ruiming had now opened for Zhu Ning. She might even enjoy the same privileges—commanding a dozen investigators to go find some useless barnacle for her.
A brand-new path lay before Zhu Ning. But she had zero interest in being the Divine Kingdom's lapdog. She snapped the box shut.
Ten minutes later, she received another call. A woman who identified herself as Zeng Yu, the liaison for the First Military District.
Unable to come in person due to logistical reasons, she could only communicate remotely. They offered equally generous terms, welcoming Zhu Ning to consider them.
Their conditions were also lavish—high salary, excellent benefits—and they hoped Zhu Ning would serve the Federation.
They even said something rather amusing: "For the future of humanity."
Zhu Ning dismissed the call with barely concealed disinterest. Now two invitation letters sat in her inbox.
Zhu Ning felt irritated. She shut off her Sub-Brain, completely unwilling to listen to any more sales pitches.
Suddenly, her Sub-Brain buzzed. Assuming it was yet another pitch from some First District institution, her first instinct was to swipe it away. Then she caught sight of the notification.
She had few contacts on her Sub-Brain—just a handful of people. The message was from Lynx.
Lynx had sent a location pin.
Zhu Ning let out a breath of relief. Finally, some good news. Lynx was alive, which meant Xu Meng was probably fine too.
[Could you bring us some supplies?]
A shopping list followed. Zhu Ning frowned—all common medical supplies like healing agents. It meant their situation was dire: no access to hospitals, no medicine, not even food.
Bad. Very bad.
Zhu Ning told the driver to turn around. The Dignified Queen Club would have to wait.
...
Sanitation Center, Floor 240.
After Zhu Ning left, Xie Zhen stood alone in the meeting room, speaking to someone through his Employee Wristband.
"Yes, I've met her," Xie Zhen said. "Just as the rumors suggested—doesn't play by the rules."
"The message has been delivered, but she didn't seem interested."
Xie Zhen was reporting to his superior. He stood on the 240th floor, gazing down. The masses below looked like ants to him.
Xie Zhen: "The item has been handed over."
...
Wall-Edge Slums.
The address Lynx sent was extremely remote—so remote Zhu Ning almost thought she was leaving District 103. The location was right near the wall.
Most people considered the wall area unsafe and prone to contamination, so the entire zone had been abandoned.
With her thirty-meter God's Eye View, Zhu Ning confirmed no one was tailing her. Carrying the Medical Kit and supply provisions, she got out and wound through alley after alley before finding a derelict apartment building.
The place was eerie. Like conducting an illegal transaction, Zhu Ning climbed to the third floor and knocked on a rust-covered door.
A full minute passed before someone opened it. The instant the door cracked, a pungent stench of blood hit her. It was Big Orange. Big Orange had lost a leg—the lower half of her right leg was just gone, wrapped in bandages already soaked crimson.
Zhu Ning froze in the doorway. She'd expected injuries, but nothing this severe. What on earth had they run into?
Big Orange immediately waved her inside. Missing a leg, she hopped along on the other. Noticing Zhu Ning's stunned expression, she said: "Get in here."
Zhu Ning moved to support her. "Be careful."
"Thanks." Big Orange hopped along with Zhu Ning's support, much more stable now. Seeing how pale Zhu Ning looked—as if Big Orange had given her a scare—she grinned. "The one that broke was a mechanical leg. What's with that face?"
Both of Big Orange's legs were mechanical, connected to her real flesh and bone. When one snapped, the pain made her want to murder someone.
Zhu Ning helped Big Orange to the sofa. The fact that it was a mechanical leg meant the enemy had been aiming to sever a real one.
Zhu Ning felt uneasy—like someone had trespassed on her territory. "Need help?"
Big Orange's left arm was also injured, wrapped in bandages. She was trying to open the Medical Kit one-handed. "Don't bother with me. Go help them—I'm the least hurt."
Only then did Zhu Ning take in the full extent of the damage. This was clearly no proper Safe House—no food, no water, no medical supplies.
The entire room was coated in dust. Furniture was draped in white sheets. The only cleared space was a room reserved for Xu Meng.
Xu Meng herself wasn't injured, but she was completely unconscious.
Lynx was badly wounded. His white T-shirt was caked in dark-red blood, though his wounds were crusted over with a layer of frost, acting as a coagulant.
Zhu Ning asked, "How's the Captain?"
Lynx: "Severe brain damage."
Zhu Ning had been riding Huo Wenxi's coattails all along and hadn't given follow-up treatment a second thought. Xu Meng needed proper medical care.
Zhu Ning walked to Xu Meng's bedside. Xu Meng's lips were drained of color, her black hair splayed across the pillow, making her look devastatingly frail. Zhu Ning had never seen Xu Meng this weak.
Lynx watched Zhu Ning from the side. Zhu Ning stood wordlessly in the shadows, lost in thought.
Lynx wasn't one for words or comfort. What he managed sounded dry and blunt: "She's fine. Give her some time."
Brain injuries relied on Sanity Value and personal willpower to pull through. Xu Meng was strong in both regards.
Zhu Ning gave a muffled acknowledgment.
Zhu Ning had brought medical supplies. Lynx reached for a Sanity Healing Agent from the kit, intending to inject Xu Meng. Zhu Ning held out her hand. "Let me."
Lynx was a casualty himself. Zhu Ning was the only healthy one here—she was better suited to handle patient care.
Lynx didn't refuse. He handed the agent to Zhu Ning.
Following the instructions, Zhu Ning administered the Sanity Healing Agent along with brain-damage medication—some of it prescribed by Dr. Fu. The Sanitation Center's pharmaceuticals were more effective than anything available outside.
Xu Meng remained unconscious, docile as could be while Zhu Ning tended to her. Xu Meng had once taken good care of Zhu Ning; now Zhu Ning returned the favor without complaint.
After the injections, Zhu Ning checked Xu Meng's body thoroughly. Confirming no external wounds, she pulled the blanket over her.
Xu Meng was drenched in cold sweat, her back soaked through—a side effect of the brain damage. Zhu Ning had experienced the same thing after her own episode.
This was an abandoned building. Conditions were miserable—dust everywhere, the blanket smelling of mildew. But beggars couldn't be choosers. Xu Meng needed warmth.
Zhu Ning was tucking the blanket around her, about to slip Xu Meng's hands under the covers, when she stopped.
Something glinted on Xu Meng's left wrist—Cheng Mofei's Employee Wristband. After Zhu Ning had given it to her, Xu Meng wore it everywhere, like a lucky charm.
Xu Meng was still thinking about Cheng Mofei, even now. Inside the Church in the Consciousness Cloud, everyone would have been confronted with their deepest fear.
What was Xu Meng most afraid of? Being unable to avenge Cheng Mofei?
Zhu Ning silently tucked Xu Meng's hands under the blanket, placed a hand-warming device beside her, and carefully smoothed the edges of the covers. She watched Xu Meng for a while.
Xu Meng lay asleep, the blanket rising and falling gently with each breath.
Zhu Ning didn't know many people in this world. Xu Meng was probably the one who'd been kindest to her. For a few minutes, Zhu Ning did nothing at all—just watched Xu Meng breathe.
Turns out just watching someone breathe could bring such peace of mind.
After five minutes, Zhu Ning stopped this childish behavior and quietly closed the door behind her.
Big Orange was already eating the provisions Zhu Ning had brought. Her injured leg was freshly bandaged, the floor littered with blood-soaked gauze. Big Orange eating dinner amid this scene produced a viscerally gory tableau.
They'd been fugitives for nine years since leaving the Sanitation Center—outlaws living like sewer rats the entire time.
They were long used to it.
Zhu Ning wondered: if the apocalypse didn't arrive in nine days, when could the Cheetah Squad finally live in the open?
Big Orange finished wrapping her arm, chomped on a fried chicken leg, and gave Zhu Ning a thumbs-up. "Delicious."
Zhu Ning couldn't help but laugh at Big Orange's indomitable spirit. Making the best of the worst—no wonder the supply list had included a fried chicken leg from a specific famous chain in District 103.
Big Orange must have insisted Lynx add it. She'd assumed Zhu Ning wouldn't bother, but here Zhu Ning was, having actually brought it despite the time crunch.
Zhu Ning asked, "Anything else you want to eat?"
Big Orange: "Li's Soup Dumplings in the underground mall downtown."
Zhu Ning: "I'll bring them next time. Just send me whatever you're craving."
Big Orange looked at Zhu Ning with undisguised admiration. From this day forward, Zhu Ning was her ride-or-die.
Zhu Ning asked, "Have you been in touch with Liu Niannian?"
Big Orange spoke through a mouthful of chicken, words garbled: "Nope. She's definitely not as bad off as us."
Big Orange now knew Liu Niannian's true identity. Getting skinned alive was one thing, but the consequences were worlds apart for a commoner versus a First-Class Citizen.
Big Orange asked, "Did you get the intel you were after?"
The operation had cost them dearly. Only Xu Meng and Zhu Ning had gone in. Xu Meng was unconscious, so neither Lynx nor Big Orange knew the outcome.
Zhu Ning paused for a beat, then said, "We did."
She was actually fuzzy on the specifics of what she'd obtained, but "nine days" was certainly critical intelligence, and Huo Wenxi was very satisfied with the results.
Zhu Ning kept her uncertainty inside. Outwardly, she projected nothing but certainty.
Big Orange relaxed when she saw how calm Zhu Ning looked. She waggled her broken leg at Zhu Ning. "Then it wasn't for nothing."
Zhu Ning: "Of course not."
Zhu Ning still felt uneasy and kept wanting to check Big Orange's wound. "You're really okay?"
Big Orange shoveled food, visibly annoyed. "You're like my mom."
Zhu Ning: "..."
She'd gladly be Big Orange's actual mom if it meant she could rein in this unruly child. "Where's Lynx?"
She had some questions for him.
Big Orange jerked her chin toward a bathroom.
The battered bathroom door hung half-open. Zhu Ning cleared her throat: "Need help?"
Hearing no refusal, she took that as consent and pushed the door open. He was shirtless, his T-shirt draped to one side—apparently in the middle of treating his own wounds.
The sink was full of blood, littered with stained gauze and used healing agent syringes.
Zhu Ning's gaze drifted involuntarily to his abdomen. She'd guessed right—Lynx was in incredible shape. His abdominal muscles looked like they'd been sculpted with meticulous care, his Adonis lines cutting sharply downward before disappearing from view.
With frost and blood clinging to his lower abdomen, there was a certain battle-damaged beauty to it.
She had to admit—even in a moment this heavy, the sight of those Adonis lines lifted her spirits slightly.
Lynx's wound was a through-and-through, running from his lower abdomen around to his lower back—similar to the injury Zhu Ning had suffered before, but worse. Nearly impossible to treat alone.
Zhu Ning naturally took the medication from Lynx's hand. She poured antiseptic solution over the wound, which began to slowly close under the healing agent's effect.
She traced the contours of his musculature as she cleaned the wound, her movements careful and precise. Lynx—whether from discomfort or something else—had every muscle in his body instinctively taut.
His build wasn't exaggerated—just a lean layer of muscle. But his physique carried an implicit threat, every ridge capable of killing at any moment, now held in extreme restraint—as though carefully retracting his claws.
Lynx was completely silent throughout.
Most people like him didn't enjoy others touching their wounds. But Lynx didn't resist Zhu Ning.
The only sound in the cramped bathroom was the soft rustle of her applying medicine. Zhu Ning broke the silence: "What exactly happened?"
She wanted to know what they'd faced while she was gone.
Lynx reported as if giving a mission debrief: "A Rotten Corpse swarm plus three Ability Users. One of them dressed like a magician—could manipulate wind blades."
The wind had condensed into invisible blades—unseen, untouchable. A brutally efficient assassination method. That was how Big Orange had been injured.
Zhu Ning frowned. "Any range limit?"
Lynx: "Couldn't pinpoint it exactly. Definitely within twenty meters."
Twenty meters was a conservative estimate. A formidable opponent. Zhu Ning had debriefed with Huo Wenxi—Bao Ruiming had sent many assassins to the Huo estate. Six of Huo Wenxi's guard team had died.
The team sent to kill Zhu Ning was weaker than the one sent after Xu Meng—at least the Ability Users hadn't even had time to show themselves. Probably because in Bao Ruiming's mind, the Cheetah Squad members were harder to deal with than a lone metal-type user.
Zhu Ning could understand Bao Ruiming wanting her dead. But why was he so desperate to kill Xu Meng? Because she'd been the Cheetah Squad's captain?
Did the Cheetah Squad possess some secret? Or did Bao Ruiming believe they did?
Lynx: "Thank god for the Captain."
At the most critical moment, Xu Meng had shadow-shifted all three of them out. That was how Zhu Ning herself had been extracted from the ruins before.
But Xu Meng had overused her ability on top of existing brain damage. Now she was completely unconscious.
Zhu Ning finished cleaning the wound and was wrapping bandages. "What about the other two?"
Lynx noted that Zhu Ning's emotional state was remarkably stable. Hearing about injured teammates didn't send her spiraling. Her first instinct was to ask about the remaining Ability Users—just like their post-mission debriefs and tactical reviews from the old days.
Except Lynx had never done tactical analysis with an outsider before.
"The second one was a fighter. Looked like a clown. Extremely flexible, explosive power, specializing in close combat."
Zhu Ning listened in silence. A clown, a wind-blade magician, and a Rotten Corpse swarm. The corpse swarm was likely controlled by some manipulation-type ability behind the scenes.
Xu Meng's combat ability had been diminished by her brain damage. Big Orange wasn't a combat-type to begin with. Lynx had shouldered everything alone.
No wonder he could solo S-class contamination zones. Lynx's combat ability was formidable. If he hadn't needed to cover Xu Meng and Big Orange's retreat, the outcome might have gone either way.
Lynx: "The third one had a tracking ability. Precise down to coordinates. They found us twice."
Last night had been brutal. They'd changed locations twice and been tracked both times—with pinpoint accuracy.
They couldn't even flee properly.
Zhu Ning: "No cooldown?"
If usable at will, that tracker would be incredibly dangerous.
Zhu Ning really did think like a combat operative—every question hit the mark. Lynx answered: "There's a cooldown, or a daily usage limit. Third time, he didn't follow. I saw him collapse with my own eyes."
It was precisely because the tracking didn't continue that they were still alive.
"They seem to have given up for now," Lynx said. "Just to be safe, we're relocating every three hours."
The most valuable intelligence Lynx had gathered: Bao Ruiming's tracking dog couldn't use its ability constantly. There was a cooldown, which bought them windows to escape.
This location wasn't very safe either.
Zhu Ning silently committed each of these individuals' traits to memory. Next time she encountered them, she'd recognize them on sight.
In this round against Bao Ruiming, the outcome appeared to be Zhu Ning's victory—Bao Ruiming was dead, after all.
But by any careful accounting, her losses were staggering: the fallen Grey Eagle Squad members, the wounded Cheetah Squad, all the dead on that list.
Zhu Ning said nothing. She remembered every single one.
That had always been her nature. She wouldn't go berserk seeking revenge. On the surface, she appeared perfectly calm. But don't let her find an opening—because the moment she did, she would strike.
Round after round, Zhu Ning wrapped Lynx in bandages. White gauze met blood and was quickly stained red.
Zhu Ning asked, "Are you an ice-type Ability User?"
She'd been asking about last night's battle the whole time. This was the first question about Lynx himself.
Zhu Ning could feel the cold radiating from him. Deep in his wounds, frost had crystallized. Of the three, Lynx was the most severely injured—a dozen-plus wounds of varying sizes across his body.
One had struck an internal organ. The worst was near his heart. But because the ice had sealed it, he appeared to be the most mobile of the group.
Zhu Ning knew his apparent normalcy was all held together by his ability.
Lynx gave a quiet mm.
As expected. Ice suited her impression of Lynx perfectly—it fit him.
Zhu Ning had encountered Pei Shu, a fire-type. Now she'd met Lynx, an ice-type.
"It suits you." Zhu Ning tied a knot at his waist.
Lynx watched her hands. The forearm braced against the sink tensed. Damp black hair fell over his eyes, hiding whatever he was thinking.
"Thanks," he said.
Author's Note:
Two-in-one chapter today—the bonus update for hitting 80k Nutrient Solution! Before the Lunar New Year arrives, I've mustered up and cleared all my debts. From now on, I stand tall and proud!
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