Chapter 195-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World
Chapter 195 Eternal Pharma Foundation (I)
Zhu Ning hadn't left the house since watching the Initial Instance's last will. This was her first time stepping outside—and only now did she realize how chaotic things had become.
Flying cars hovered in midair. The elevated highway was severely gridlocked, with multiple traffic accidents. People had gotten out of their vehicles, cursing. The route to the port was completely blocked.
Billboards displayed red banners: "District 103 has entered wartime status. Please evacuate in an orderly manner."
Every roadside billboard had been commandeered, looping the "Public Contamination Emergency Shelter Protocol."
Before Zhuang Lin's flying car could start, a beggar suddenly rushed over. A brick slammed against the vehicle with a bang as the man roared, trying to smash his way inside.
The car was covered in dents. Once airborne, it wobbled unsteadily.
Zhu Ning looked out the window. On the nearby highway she spotted a woman clutching a baby, begging someone to take the child away.
The cold snap had turned the woman's and baby's faces a purplish red.
Zhu Ning had seen similar scenes in the zombie world. The eve of every apocalypse looked remarkably the same.
Ordinary people were the ones who'd truly suffer next. Zhu Ning at least possessed some survival skills for extreme environments. That baby had no ability to protect itself.
A weight pressed on Zhu Ning's chest. She looked away and asked: "What happened to Huo Wenxi?"
Zhuang Lin: "Team Leader's been arrested."
Before Zhu Ning could respond, he added reassuringly: "Don't worry about her. She'll outlive us all."
Huo Wenxi wasn't the same type as Zhu Ning. People like her had their own way of surviving.
Zhu Ning asked: "What about the Sanitation Center?"
"Chaos," Zhuang Lin said. "Worse than you'd think. It's on the verge of becoming uncontrollable. All rules are about to collapse."
Various factions within the Sanitation Center were vying for power. Xuan Qing controlled the Demon Hunter squads. Headquarters was rapidly losing control over the District 103 branch.
But the more chaotic things became, the safer Huo Wenxi actually was—it meant no one had the bandwidth to deal with her.
"The Center has entered wartime status. All weapons and Human-Machine Interface Devices have been locked down."
Zhu Ning understood. Distributing weapons during this level of chaos would only result in everyone killing each other.
And if someone contacted Prometheus during all this, becoming the AI's puppet would be even more catastrophic.
"Internally, the Center has split into two factions. Most people aren't optimistic about finding the contamination source. A significant number favor brute-force demolition."
That was typical Demon Hunter mentality—their standard approach to work leaned toward brute force.
To them, if the contamination source was identified incorrectly, District 103 would be wiped out entirely. The whole concept was too abstract—what if they got it wrong?
Heavy weapons demolition, on the other hand, was tangible and concrete.
Zhu Ning: "Didn't Huo Wenxi say the current weapons stockpile wasn't sufficient?"
Zhuang Lin: "The Center's isn't. But District 103 has a natural advantage—the Garbage Dump has Incinerators."
Zhu Ning froze. At that moment, the flying car was in midair. From any angle in District 103, you could see a corner of the Garbage Dump—where a massive decommissioned mechanical titan sat.
Even in its seated position, the mech towered like a building, blotting out the sky. The Incinerator was burning, belching black smoke.
Zhu Ning remembered it was a retired city-defense mech.
If all the mechs in the Garbage Dump stood up, it would be an army.
Zhu Ning could imagine the scene—colossal mechanical giants striding through the human city, destroying every building in their path.
"Who would control them?" Zhu Ning asked the critical question. Deploying weapons of that scale required an operator.
Zhuang Lin: "Prometheus."
Of course it was him. The Initial Instance had told Zhu Ning not to trust Prometheus. She still hadn't privately communicated with him.
Her instinct told her that handing control to Prometheus at this juncture was dangerous.
Zhu Ning: "If the brute-force approach fails, would it accelerate the collapse?"
"Absolutely," Zhuang Lin said without hesitation. "Which is why we need to be faster than them."
Zhu Ning understood now. The Sanitation Center was split into two camps: the demolition faction and the contamination-source-elimination faction.
Both approaches had drawbacks. Zhu Ning needed to solve this before they could deploy the city-defense mechs.
Traffic conditions were complex. Zhuang Lin had to constantly dodge oncoming vehicles. "Team Leader arranged everything before going in. Your teammates have all been vetted by her. Including you, that's five people."
Huo Wenxi could determine who was trustworthy and best suited to partner with Zhu Ning at a time like this.
Zhu Ning: "Has her ability recovered?"
"Good news: Team Leader's recovered. Stronger than before, even. Bad news—" Zhuang Lin: "Team Leader has undergone Mutation."
Mutation?
Zhu Ning was momentarily stunned by the word. What did that mean?
The Initial Zhu Ning had said the key to her breakthrough lay in Devour and Mutation.
Zhuang Lin: "Yesterday, after leaving your place, her injured eye mutated. She..."
Even recalling it now made Zhuang Lin feel that tremor again. He'd once stared directly into that demon eye.
Zhuang Lin gave a straightforward account of what he'd witnessed—no personal feelings added, so as not to cloud Zhu Ning's judgment.
Zhu Ning frowned throughout. So Huo Wenxi's right eye was a swirling crimson vortex?
Zhu Ning: "Wait—can you first explain what Mutation actually is?"
Zhuang Lin was surprised Zhu Ning didn't know. He explained: "Using Team Leader Huo as an example—before awakening her ability, she was a First-Class Citizen."
He drove and explained simultaneously: "After awakening her talent, she became a Sixth-Class Citizen, required to register to prevent threats to public safety. You follow so far?"
Zhu Ning nodded.
Zhuang Lin: "Sixth-Class Citizens have always been treated as contaminants who've maintained their sanity. They can pass most screenings without being detected as non-human."
If a Sixth-Class Citizen wanted to hide their identity, they absolutely could. That's why when Xuan Qing had tried to get the research department to test whether Zhu Ning was a metal-type ability user, they'd been unable to get any reading.
Zhu Ning had always felt Sixth-Class Citizens and Non-Natural Humans were quite similar.
Zhuang Lin: "Mutation is when a Sixth-Class Citizen can no longer maintain sanity, or infection spreads—essentially, they develop somatic symptoms."
Like depression—starting with low mood, then at moderate or severe stages, manifesting as physical symptoms: headaches, back pain, stomach pain.
The contamination equivalent of Mutation meant growing tentacles, sprouting another eye. In plain terms, Huo Wenxi had been infected—and visibly looked like a monster.
Zhu Ning asked: "Is she okay?"
Zhuang Lin clenched his jaw. Zhu Ning needed good news to boost morale, but he couldn't provide any.
Huo Wenxi had instructed Zhuang Lin to tell Zhu Ning everything honestly. They were comrades—they had to understand each other completely.
Zhuang Lin: "Theoretically, in this situation she should be immediately admitted into a medical program with anti-contamination specialists consulted. She's probably one step away from complete collapse."
Huo Wenxi had been wearing her eyepatch. Nobody knew she'd already undergone Mutation when she gave the public address. She'd maintained absolute composure on camera from start to finish.
And now she was receiving no treatment whatsoever—locked in the Sanitation Center's basement.
The situation was even worse—she was isolated and without support, her most trusted Zhuang Lin reassigned elsewhere by her own order.
Zhu Ning's fist tightened on her knee. Zhuang Lin: "Nobody knows what comes next. It's extremely precarious."
Mutation was rare to begin with. Huo Wenxi hadn't told Zhuang Lin how she felt, so he could only speculate.
He'd seen Huo Wenxi's right eye. It seemed like... that eye was a separate living entity, merely residing in Huo Wenxi's body—one that would eventually consume its host entirely.
Zhu Ning could only think positively. The Initial Instance had told her to activate Mutation—did that mean developing somatic infection?
How would she get infected?
Zhuang Lin brought the flying car down. They'd arrived at the Eternal Pharma Foundation's entrance. Since everyone was trying to flee, there were surprisingly few people in the vicinity.
Zhu Ning knew they'd reached the destination. She should get out—but Zhuang Lin kept the doors sealed.
"Miss Zhu," Zhuang Lin didn't open the door. "Team Leader asked me to pass along a message. You're about to enter a contamination zone. Once inside, it'll be like entering another world—a few hours will feel like a lifetime. But no matter what you see in there, remember our alliance."
As Zhuang Lin delivered the message, it was as though Huo Wenxi herself were in the back seat, telling Zhu Ning directly.
Huo Wenxi's job was to hold the line against all external pressures. Zhu Ning's job was to find the truth.
Zhu Ning had to find clues about the Contamination Source.
With a click, Zhuang Lin unlocked the vehicle. Zhu Ning put on her helmet, and they both stepped out.
The Eternal Pharma Foundation's event venue was actually a hotel.
This was Zhu Ning's second time here. Last time it had been bustling—while watching the presentation, someone had slipped her a flyer asking if she wanted to participate in an Eternal Pharma experiment.
In just two months, the entrance had become this desolate—as though the place hadn't been open for business in ages.
In broad daylight, the building somehow looked eerie.
Police tape cordoned off the entrance. Four vehicles were parked nearby, with several personnel outside—the technical department had just finished surveying.
These were probably the few people Huo Wenxi could still mobilize.
"Assistant Zhuang." The technician didn't question Zhu Ning's presence. "When we arrived, a contamination zone had already formed inside."
Zhuang Lin asked: "Contamination density?"
"270%," the technician said. "S-Level Contamination Zone. If it breaks 290%, it becomes S+."
They were professional technicians—far more accurate than Zhu Ning's helmet readings.
S-Level. Comparable to the inescapable company incident. If the entire building was a contamination zone, that density level was about normal.
Due to the recent chaos and the surrounding commercial district, most civilians had already evacuated voluntarily. No crowd dispersal was needed.
Zhuang Lin: "When did the contamination zone form?"
The technician: "My estimate is early this morning. Nearby surveillance shows contamination density suddenly appeared at two AM today, then climbed steadily. But everything's been so chaotic—after the tech department filed the report, nobody came to investigate."
The Sanitation Center was practically paralyzed right now, barely functional. If they hadn't come, it might have gone undiscovered.
Zhuang Lin and Zhu Ning simultaneously sensed something was off. This location had been deliberately "triggered"—it was clearly a trap.
But on the other hand, the fact that someone had gone to such lengths to conceal it likely meant there really were clues inside.
Zhuang Lin didn't dwell on it. He turned to Zhu Ning. "Before briefing you on the specifics, let me introduce your teammates."
Zhu Ning had already noticed three people in Demon Hunter Protective Suits. One of them had a very familiar build—180 centimeters tall, quite conspicuous.
"Hey!" Chu Ling waved at Zhu Ning.
Standing beside Chu Ling was Cao Wei. He said stiffly: "Long time no see."
They were the only two survivors of Grey Eagle Squad. Grey Eagle had already lost three teammates.
At a time like this, the only people willing to team up with the "demon" Zhu Ning were Grey Eagle Squad.
To Chu Ling's right stood a somewhat thin man. With his helmet on, Zhu Ning couldn't identify him.
He introduced himself: "Hello?"
It was Dr. Fu—the one who'd always treated Zhu Ning and once commented that her skull had nice bone structure.
Zhu Ning recalled this doctor was a bit "eccentric," and kind of timid. He was from the medical department—wouldn't entering an S-Level Contamination Zone get him killed?
Zhuang Lin: "You need a specialist who understands contaminants."
There might be bizarre biological traces inside. Without a specialist, they could miss critical clues.
Personnel were short. Dr. Fu was the only doctor willing to participate in this operation.
Dr. Fu looked extremely nervous—probably never experienced anything on this scale before.
Zhu Ning greeted them. She was naturally sociable and got along well with Chu Ling. They were mid-conversation when a figure suddenly appeared in the distance, silent as a shadow—like a nimble black cat.
Zhu Ning didn't need an introduction to recognize her. She was somewhat surprised—but also not really.
Xu Meng had arrived.
Xu Meng would never pass up any opportunity to investigate Eternal Pharma. She'd been at the Foundation attending the lecture last time—only to be pulled away by the Mechanical Oceanarium incident.
Fate had come full circle. Zhu Ning and Xu Meng had missed each other then. Now they had a chance to make up for it.
Author's Note
Sharing a small anecdote from today: Last week I got a mole removed. The doctor told me not to wash my face or hair. After a week, my face felt heavier and heavier. Today I could finally wash it. When I touched my face, it didn't feel like my own familiar skin anymore—more like touching a wax figure. A bizarre oily film had formed on top. It felt like if the water were just a little hotter, my features would melt and collapse into a puddle of wax...
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