Chapter 204-I Clean Up Garbage in a Wasteland World

Chapter 204 Eternal Pharma Foundation (X)

Zhu Ning felt her legs sinking deeper and deeper. Pressure came from all directions, consuming her.

The three of them were like rabbits trapped in quicksand—mired too deep to pull free.

No wonder the Cockroach-Humans had stopped attacking once they saw them go outside the wall. Turns out there was something bigger out here!

"Attack!" Zhu Ning gritted her teeth and immediately fired downward.

Without hot weapons they were dead. The bullets seemed to hit flesh—no sharp bangs, just swallowed on impact.

Xu Meng was already in motion. She drew two narrow-backed long blades. In this situation, bladed weapons were actually more effective than firearms.

Xu Meng's body went semi-Shadow Form—like a puddle of liquid, reducing the compression to a minimum.

Zhu Ning only saw a flash of cold steel before her. The restraints around her feet vanished—but new tendrils immediately wound back up.

Xu Meng could only buy moments of relief.

And the movement clearly aggravated the contaminant. The entire building's exterior shook like an earthquake. Wave-like patterns rippled across the wall surface—and Zhu Ning was a pitiful ant riding the crest.

She'd experienced this once already. This time was far more violent. The suit's suction couldn't maintain full adhesion—she nearly got thrown off entirely.

Suddenly, her vision went dark. She sensed a figure rapidly sliding downward.

Zhu Ning was at least trained for combat. Dr. Fu was just unlucky. Under the wall's violent undulation, he'd long lost his grip—like food being swallowed into a massive creature's throat, sliding helplessly downward.

Dr. Fu felt crushing compression from all sides. He couldn't find up from down—only knew he was falling.

Slap—

Suddenly, a tremendous force seized his hand. As his body slid past Zhu Ning, she didn't dodge—she grabbed his hand and held him with a death grip.

Dr. Fu felt most of his body being crushed. His chest was being compressed by immense force—soon to be ground apart.

A terrifying pull dragged him downward. Compared to it, Zhu Ning's strength was insignificant.

"Let go," Dr. Fu said.

Zhu Ning wanted to roll her eyes. What kind of drama-hero dialogue was this—dangling off a cliff saying "let go, don't worry about me, save yourself."

Zhu Ning couldn't overcome that downward force. Her left hand held Dr. Fu while Black Slime seeped from the gaps in her protective suit, wrapping around Dr. Fu like vines, binding him tight.

Secure—but if he fell now, they'd both die together.

Zhu Ning summoned the Black Slime, wanting it to devour this place.

But the Black Slime absolutely refused, broadcasting one clear attitude: Thanks but no thanks.

Zhu Ning: "..."

Picky eater?

Dr. Fu's weight dragged Zhu Ning down three meters. Her arm nearly dislocated. She clenched her jaw—right hand gripping the wall.

They were now at the second floor. Going further down was impossible. Going back was equally blocked. Zhu Ning opened her system panel.

System prompt: [Use Corrosive Potion?]

[Yes.]

Where her right hand pressed, a section suddenly caved in. The Corrosive Potion worked—just slowly.

System prompt: [Use Dentist's Drill?]

[Yes.]

Using the system panel only required thought, not speech—but under this compression, even her thoughts felt fractured. She barely managed.

The Dentist's Drill spun rapidly in the corroded depression. Living up to its reputation as the hardest material, it quickly bored a small hole.

Breakthrough—Zhu Ning clearly felt it pierce through the wall. The Drill momentarily loosened.

But this evidently hurt something badly. The surrounding Ootheca began writhing violently—about to hatch right here and now.

Infant heads pushed outward from the pods. Wet teeth gaped open.

Zhu Ning felt like a prison escapee—guards right outside the door—and she'd only just scratched a thumb-sized hole with a tiny spoon.

She tried to activate 3D Defense Space, but the button was grayed out: insufficient room to deploy.

She was being crushed. Below, Dr. Fu had gone silent. She couldn't spare the attention.

Zhu Ning didn't use Pigman's Guillotine—single-use only, and too low-level. If even the Drill was barely effective, one blade strike would probably just leave a scratch on the surface.

No metal detected. The Drill expired quickly. She needed to use it again.

But in that gap, her palm suddenly darkened. A pool of shadow was flowing.

Xu Meng had gone full Shadow Form—like a mass of flowing black mochi, squeezing through the tiny opening.

The thumb-sized hole Zhu Ning had drilled became Xu Meng's passage. Zhu Ning had forgotten—just give her a crack and she could get through.

What a wonderful ability.

Zhu Ning gritted her teeth and used the Dentist's Drill again, simultaneously pulling downward—trying to widen the hole and let Xu Meng pass faster.

Xu Meng didn't disappoint—she'd already cleared the outer wall.

Zhu Ning's body was being dragged downward. Without the Drill holding her in place, she'd have been gone already.

The wall's undulations intensified. New Cockroach-Humans were indeed hatching from the Ootheca—unlike the large black ones, these newborns were pure white, almost translucent.

The Black Slime on Zhu Ning's body shifted, perching atop her helmet. As Cockroach-Humans scurried toward her—

At the critical moment, the picky brat stopped being picky and assumed an attack stance.

Xu Meng's shadow grew fainter—she was nearly through. Zhu Ning's vision was going dark. Consciousness wavering.

Her brain buzzed. The system crackled with static. If she lost consciousness, Passive Combat would activate.

Once Passive Combat engaged, there was a high probability she'd use bombs. That would kill everyone except Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning's eyelashes were leaden. Her lids drooping. Then suddenly—something cold touched her right hand.

Something wrapped around her suit. The suit's tactile relay transmitted the sensation. Cold—but familiar.

Xu Meng's shadow.

The cool shadow enveloped her hand. Zhu Ning instinctively closed her eyes, feeling that sensation—three dimensions becoming two. Her entire being flattening into shadow.

Zhu Ning dragged Dr. Fu with her. Before the Cockroach-Humans could attack—everything went black.

Cough, cough, cough—

Zhu Ning couldn't help coughing. At the last moment, she could suddenly breathe deeply again.

The suit's auto-oxygen flooded her with fresh air. She felt reborn.

Zhu Ning wiped her helmet. The suit was coated in petroleum-like Black Slime.

Xu Meng wasn't any better off. She leaned on her knees, gasping—probably overextended her ability.

Zhu Ning's first instinct was to check the wall. They'd made it inside the second floor—now in the second-floor corridor. A thumb-sized hole in the hotel wall. That's where they'd come through.

God knows what they'd just experienced.

Beside her, Dr. Fu was motionless. Zhu Ning had no energy left—she could only nudge him with her foot. "Dead?"

No response. Zhu Ning's heart lurched. Was he actually dead?

Xu Meng: "He's alive. Suit indicator's green."

The suit had life-monitoring functions. Death would trigger a red alert.

Zhu Ning wanted to exhale with relief—but the situation wouldn't allow it. She quickly heard rustling sounds. The ninth-floor Cockroach-Humans were surging downward.

Zhu Ning stood: "Grab him and move!"

Xu Meng wasted no words. She hauled Dr. Fu up. His eyes were half-lidded—barely conscious, legs useless.

Xu Meng dragged Dr. Fu by force. The Cockroach-Humans were too fast. This contamination zone had entered attack mode earlier than others.

She heard countless footsteps.

Their destination was underground. Zhu Ning and Xu Meng sprinted—but Cockroach-Humans had already arrived, spreading across the ceiling, blocking out the lights. The entire corridor darkened.

Countless black shapes descended. If regular Cockroach-Humans rated one star on the horror scale, flying ones rated five.

A suffocating wave of pressure bore down.

Bang bang bang!

Zhu Ning fired. Her aim was excellent—one shot, one headshot. But shooting cockroaches individually was hopelessly inefficient.

Like being swarmed by zombies with only a pistol—you'd still be eaten. And Cockroach-Humans could still move after losing their heads.

"GO!" Zhu Ning gritted her teeth and tossed a small bomb.

She had to control the force. Nothing too heavy—or they'd all be buried.

Xu Meng clenched her jaw. Hauling Dr. Fu felt like dragging a sandbag. She didn't look back—only heard explosions behind her.

Xu Meng's movements held rare hesitation. Her ability could still carry one person. Dr. Fu was useless. If Xu Meng had to choose, she'd choose Zhu Ning.

"GO!" Zhu Ning shouted while running.

Zhu Ning's voice came from right behind her. Xu Meng remembered that Zhu Ning was squad leader this time. She knew that on a mission, you obeyed the captain unconditionally.

Because it was Zhu Ning's order—even if what lay ahead was a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, she'd press forward.

They'd reached the emergency stairwell. They'd come this way originally.

But they'd been too reckless. A solid stone wall had been blocking the stairs before—Zhu Ning had blasted through it to go up.

Now she understood: that wall existed to contain the Cockroach-Humans. To keep them from spreading.

But Zhu Ning had already destroyed her own defense. She couldn't build another barrier in time.

Xu Meng leaped past the stairwell. She was semi-Shadow Form now—for the first time in her life, running down stairs felt like tumbling.

Xu Meng gasped for breath. Looking back at Zhu Ning—covered in monster slime, left side of her suit damaged—she looked utterly ragged. Cockroach-Humans pursued her, the nearest only half a meter away.

Zhu Ning had activated Putrid Fish Head's maximum acceleration—but fish couldn't outrun cockroaches. Even at top speed, she was being overtaken.

Zhu Ning vaulted through the hole in the stone wall—the same hole she'd blasted open. How effortless the blasting had been; how much she regretted it now.

Xu Meng watched with her heart in her throat.

Zhu Ning's body cleared the wall. A dozen Cockroach-Humans followed.

This defensive line couldn't hold them. Xu Meng couldn't run either. She set Dr. Fu down, preparing to fight alongside Zhu Ning.

One of her blades flew out, driving deep into the skull of the nearest Cockroach-Human.

Not enough. Killing a scattered few wasn't enough. The main force was still coming.

The Cockroach-Human horde was about to pour through the opening. Time decelerated. Too many—when they massed together they formed a single organism, a massive hand reaching for Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning was too close to them. In that instant—

What Xu Meng noticed first was actually the sound. A sharp hiss—

Like a high-speed blade passing through bodies. Through many bodies. Then came the pattering—chunks of flesh dropping to the floor.

Xu Meng hadn't processed it yet. Cold sweat pressed down, dampening her eyelashes. The sting when it seeped into her eyes.

She looked toward the stairwell again. At the junction between the first and second floors—where a stone wall once had a breach—threads now stretched across it.

Spider silk.

Zhu Ning had strung spider silk across the stairwell. Originally transparent—only visible now that blood had wetted the strands. Blood dripped steadily down the threads.

She'd constructed a new defensive line.

Cockroach-Humans had momentum. Unable to retreat, they could only charge forward—and were sliced into countless pieces.

Wall and spider silk joined seamlessly, forming a highly efficient cockroach-shredding machine.

For a moment the hotel was filled with the sounds of extermination.

Zhu Ning had only constructed the silk as she charged through the stairwell. A few Cockroach-Humans had made it through intact before the web was complete.

Zhu Ning was spent. She couldn't even lift a finger to fight back.

Xu Meng immediately opened fire. Chambered rounds, fired—repeating the motion again and again, killing every Cockroach-Human one by one. Not a single one reached Zhu Ning.

Three minutes later, silence returned. Every straggler had been dealt with by Xu Meng.

The remaining Cockroach-Humans hovered eagerly at the opening, pressed against its edges, baring teeth.

Zhu Ning finally relaxed. She felt like her bones were about to fall apart. She slid down the wall without a care, sitting amid the mountain of cockroach corpses behind her.

Terrifying.

Zhu Ning wasn't afraid of cockroaches. But a pile of these things was visually horrific.

Zhu Ning wiped her helmet. The wiper activated—cleaning cycle initiated.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think these were your trophies." Xu Meng's voice reached her.

Zhu Ning glanced back. The scene was genuinely absurd. If someone took a photo, she'd earn a new title: Professional Exterminator.

"Found my side hustle," Zhu Ning said.

Assuming this godforsaken world didn't end, she could open a pest control company after retirement.

Xu Meng stood before Zhu Ning. She offered no reaction to the joke.

They'd disabled screen-sharing. No cameras recording. Helmet visors had privacy film—the outside couldn't see in.

So despite standing face to face, they couldn't see each other's expressions.

Inside her helmet, Xu Meng was deathly pale. Overusing her ability had left her drenched in cold sweat. But she stood ramrod straight—externally betraying nothing.

Xu Meng asked: "You can use spider-type abilities?"

Zhu Ning: "Just got it. Took a side job while you were unconscious."

She'd even messaged Xu Meng about it—but Xu Meng hadn't replied in time.

At the mention of this, Xu Meng went briefly silent. Her demeanor slightly off.

Zhu Ning had wanted to use spider silk from the moment she saw the Cockroach-Humans. But she needed to construct an enclosed space—impossible if surrounded on all sides.

The stairwell corner had been ideal. Half the wall still stood—she'd only needed enough silk to seal the breach.

"You let me go first, back there." Xu Meng said suddenly.

Zhu Ning thought for a moment before realizing what she meant. When Zhu Ning had drilled the hole open, Xu Meng had been the first one through.

Zhu Ning: "So?"

As she spoke, the Black Slime on her body crawled over her shoulder wound.

Xu Meng asked: "Weren't you afraid I wouldn't come back for you?"

It had been extremely dangerous. Zhu Ning let Xu Meng go first without ever considering that Xu Meng might abandon her.

Zhu Ning found Xu Meng truly strange lately. "What's there to be afraid of?"

Probably just exhaustion. The thought had literally never crossed her mind.

Xu Meng fell quiet. Zhu Ning's absolute trust made her uncomfortable. Zhu Ning was the type who, once she trusted someone, would trust them to the end—even with doubts, she'd trust to the end.

That's why they coordinated so well. Whoever could get out first, got out first—because the one who escaped would always find a way back for the other.

Unspoken understanding.

Xu Meng said nothing more. An odd silence settled between them.

Zhu Ning wanted to ask what was wrong—but Xu Meng wouldn't volunteer it, and she wouldn't push. Adults were entitled to their secrets.

"Blegh—" Dr. Fu finally rolled over. Violent gasping came from his direction.

He immediately injected himself with two doses of MegaHeal. Every bone felt pulverized.

Waking in a daze, he only saw Zhu Ning sitting and Xu Meng standing opposite her. He had no idea what they'd been doing.

But his attention was quickly drawn elsewhere. A Cockroach-Human corpse lay right beside him. The stairwell was worse—bodies piled like a garbage heap, still sliding downward.

Now Dr. Fu didn't even want to vomit anymore. He just wanted to die immediately.

"Don't you dare faint." Dr. Fu didn't know where to look. Zhu Ning told him: "I went through hell to drag you out."

"Th-th-thank—" Dr. Fu stammered.

"Save it." Zhu Ning stood.

Xu Meng: "Your wound?"

Zhu Ning was injured. She shouldn't rush back into combat.

Moving made her shoulder sting. But at least Xu Meng—whatever secret she was keeping—still cared about her.

Zhu Ning: "Not safe here. Let's move, then talk. I bet they'll reproduce any second."

She eyed the corpses on the ground. Some Cockroach-Humans that had broken through the line—their abdomens were writhing. Hatching was imminent.

This contamination zone was absolutely the worst Zhu Ning had ever encountered. Bar none.

Reproduction was too powerful. Completely impossible to defend against. The first floor would be overrun soon too.

Zhu Ning was right. All three had witnessed the breeding firsthand. They immediately headed for the hotel lobby.

The hotel's front doors were sealed shut. Through the glass, contamination-zone colors swirled outside. They'd entered through here originally. If they opened the doors now, they'd probably see a mass of cockroach eggs.

They'd split up in this lobby. Where had the other squad gone?

The lobby was still empty. The clocks that had shown 4 before now showed 12.

"Think it's midnight or noon?" Zhu Ning asked.

They'd completely lost track of time. Day or night—impossible to tell.

Dr. Fu: "We've been in here eight hours?" He'd thought two at most.

Xu Meng didn't join their conversation. She was hunting for clues. She pushed open a door behind the reception desk. Staff-only doors behind hotel counters were typically break rooms—but in this hotel, who knew.

Behind it was a deep, dark corridor leading somewhere unknown.

Xu Meng said: "They went this way."

Zhu Ning followed her gaze. Footprints on the ground. The hotel was covered in dust, making the prints clearly visible.

Dr. Fu crouched for a closer look. "One set is large—male foot. Probably Cao Wei."

Zhu Ning: "You can tell?"

Dr. Fu: "Medical training makes you observe more."

Zhu Ning's brain worked like a computer. She could compare what she saw against her memory of Cao Wei. It matched.

"This one's Chu Ling," Dr. Fu added.

Zhu Ning was curious: "How can you tell?"

Dr. Fu gestured: "This print is narrow but long. Chu Ling is 185 centimeters—big feet. Women's feet are naturally narrower."

Zhu Ning nodded, then pointed at another set. "Whose footprint is that?"

The print Zhu Ning indicated looked about a size 34. Like a woman's foot. Right beside Chu Ling's prints.

Dr. Fu didn't answer. All three felt a chill run down their spines. A third person had been following them.

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