Downstream in Qujiang.
Bubbles disrupted the calm surface of the water.
After confirming no surveillance, Shen Qingyang's damp head emerged from the water. Several tentacles pulled him ashore, dragging his colossal body slowly onto land.
He still wasn't accustomed to lingering underwater.
However, right after Shen Qingyang emerged from the river, he sensed someone nearby.
His vigilant gaze scanned the surroundings, yet he couldn't spot any sign of life, which made him consider retreating back into the water.
Just as Shen Qingyang contemplated this move, voices finally reached him from behind.
"I've been waiting here for you," a voice, initially elegant and feminine, shifted to a deep, masculine tone. "You're my most outstanding creation in K City."
A man draped in black robes emerged from the shadows, lacking a mouth, his face dominated by a colossal eye.
"Who are you?"
Behind Shen Qingyang, several tentacles slowly writhed, assuming an aggressive stance.
"You can call me the Prophet," he said. "The human world no longer welcomes you. Your information has been transmitted back to the Disease Prevention and Control Center headquarters over the last three hours. As you haven't started harming anyone yet, your priority is lower. But I know 'that person' is on the way. He's in a bad mood, currently in a state of frenzy, might as well deal with you while he's at it. He and Bai Qiu aren't on the same level. Do you want to come with me?"
Shen Qingyang smiled, "I despise the scent you carry."
The Prophet lowered his head, sniffing. It was a strong stench of death, but he had grown accustomed to it.
"I know deep down, you still believe you're part of human society. But those lesser beings are merely species about to be eliminated. The future world will be ours," the Prophet's voice was beguiling. "We are the gods of the new world. I know many things, I can grant you greater power..."
Shen Qingyang had no interest in hearing his lengthy discourse. He turned and headed towards the mountains.
"Wait," the Prophet fell silent for a while before calling out to Shen Qingyang again. "I know what you desire."
The Prophet opened his eyes, his pupils continuously contracting, fixated on Shen Qingyang's gaze.
[Talent - Beguilement].
[Talent - Precognition].
Under the combined effect of these two talents, Shen Qingyang suddenly felt a misplaced sense of trust towards the person before him.
"You've always been grateful to him; he rescued you from the clutches of death. You're an illegitimate child, abandoned by biological parents and abused by foster parents. After middle school, you escaped that mountain village... yes, the same village you're about to head to; you want those people to pay."
"You're not a good person, but he is. He's a stranger to you, paid your medical bills, gave you a job. You only dare to secretly watch him while he's working. You know you're not worthy of him; he seems well-bred, highly educated, good-looking, with numerous admirers, perhaps not even inclined towards the same gender. You don't dare to think, let alone speak."
The Prophet couldn't see much, he didn't even know who that person was, but this information was sufficient.
Shen Qingyang's composure cracked, perhaps even a hint of irritation showed on his face.
No one likes being seen through at a glance.
A smile curled on the face behind the Prophet's head. "Now, can we have a proper conversation?"
"We can. However, you need to understand one thing: I haven't retained much of human emotions," Shen Qingyang regained his calm demeanor, speaking methodically. "He was indeed special to the me of the past human times, but not necessarily now. I trust you won't be foolish enough to use that as leverage."
The Prophet nodded with a smile. "I understand. When I was still human, I had a very obedient son, living in K City. I thought I would always maintain paternal affection for him... never mind, let's not talk about that. Let me see how far the Kingfisher on you has developed."
At these words, Shen Qingyang furrowed his brow in confusion. "What Kingfisher?"
The Prophet was unusually taken aback. "It's not parasitic on you?"
Exhausted, Lu Yan would almost immediately fall asleep upon touching the pillow.
However, because the place he slept was so unfamiliar, he woke several times during the night, constantly suspecting an imminent assassination.
Lu Yan's left palm felt warm, slightly painful, occasionally twitching involuntarily.
The system claimed it was due to his excessive absorption of pollutants.
"Though it's a bit earlier than I anticipated, it has indeed started the second stage of evolution. My counterfeit version is probably furious by now."
Early in the morning, Lu Yan touched his forehead, confirming he had a fever again. His throat was intensely sore, as though it was about to be charred.
He threw on his coat and pushed the door open.
Outside the door, an attendant hurried to catch up, asking, "Dr. Lu, you're up so early... You don't look too well."
Lu Yan replied calmly, "I'm used to my own bed. Had a bit of trouble sleeping."
"What kind of bed do you usually sleep in? We can arrange that. Are you heading to the cafeteria? Let me guide you." The staff's demeanor was warmly attentive.
"Rounds. Where are my patients?" Lu Yan inquired.
His throat felt dry, words coated with the taste of rusted metal.
The staff's face displayed a hint of embarrassment.
A pollutant had slipped away right under their noses, and Bai Qiu was furious about it. He spent three hours scouring the rivers and streets of K City but failed to locate where Shen Qingyang was.
Information about Shen Qingyang had been swiftly transmitted back to headquarters; there might soon be a wanted poster for her at the Disease Prevention and Control Center.
"If you're referring to the patient brought in from the containment facility, their condition worsened overnight, and they escaped from the center. Relevant personnel have already been dispatched to handle it."
Lu Yan, without changing his demeanor, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, alleviating the dryness in his mouth. "I see. When can I go home?"
If it had been his previous condition, Lu Yan wouldn't have minded staying at the Disease Prevention and Control Center. Especially with the occasional sight of soldiers around, it provided a sense of security.
But in his current state, that wouldn't do.
During the fusion with the kingfisher, Lu Yan had briefly lost consciousness. He worried about a sudden coma striking him here.
The staff looked troubled. "Let me check with Director Lin."
Lin Sinan wasn't the current top authority at the center, but he had met Lu Yan before and could be considered an acquaintance. Headquarters was concerned that a sudden change in personnel might unsettle Lu Yan.
The two sat in a semi-open tea house.
The food at the center was decent. However, Lin Sinan found it lacking in taste. With a psychic threshold of only sixteen hundred, frequent combat missions had left his body significantly affected by pollution, making regular food lose its appeal.
Lu Yan queried the system, "I can't discern any signs of pollution on him."
Lin Sinan's gaze was clear and resolute, carrying a distinct military aura, sitting with a straight back.
[Lin Sinan, Captain of the Third Unit, Sixth Team, Special Operations Division. Psychic Threshold: 1600.]
[Enlisted at 22, assisted in handling pollution-related incidents at 23, voluntarily contacted the source of pollution, awakening as a Harbinger that year.]
[Talents: Tracking Shots, Suppressing Fire.]
"Externally, he seems fine, but his body's heavily corroded. Um, I don't really want to look, it's a bit gross. Parasitic fish eggs are cuter than parasitic worm eggs... "
"Psst, let me tell you, if he becomes a pollutant, he'd likely turn into a pile of worm conglomerates. Pale, like rice."
Lu Yan: "..."
Thanks, I've lost my appetite.
"I might have mentioned before, to become a Harbinger, one must first contact the source of pollution. But doing so carries a high probability of death or deformation. Only a very few manage to become Harbingers."
"After years of research, the institute developed a special drug that has some chance of restoring recently polluted individuals to normalcy."
"However, most applicants are prepared to face death. If they don't awaken, the drug is useless, leaving only one path to take."
"Logically, with such a high mortality rate, not many would willingly do this. But soldiers in the Huaxia region seldom back down... That's also why pollution control in Huaxia surpasses that of many foreign nations. The Greater China region boasts the world's strongest Harbingers and even the largest Harbinger formations."
Lu Yan remained silent for a while. Lin Sinan coughed lightly, "Dr. Lu, have you seen the recent news? Do you know what a Harbinger is?"
Lu Yan nodded. "I do."
Lin Sinan: "That makes things easier to explain. In fact, the Harbingers are divided into three categories: Combat, Support, and Special. We've preliminarily assessed your talent as 'Absorption,' falling under the healing subclass within the Special category. Healing talents are exceedingly rare. Headquarters is sending a researcher to observe and document, of course, with your prior consent."
"You've seen the contamination outbreak in City K. In truth, there are numerous similar cases worldwide, each unique..." Lin Sinan paused, retrieving a tablet, and accessed their internal account. "Perhaps you'd be interested in taking a look."
Lu Yan took the tablet. It displayed a forum, the largest section being 'Contamination Disease Case Studies.' Classified by the intensity of the source, these cases ranged from S to F grades.
To Lu Yan's eyes, the contamination outbreak in City K seemed severe, yet it was only classified as 'C.'
"That's because despite its high infectiousness, the mortality rate is low. Also, the contaminants' mutation level is relatively low," Lin Sinan explained.
Each case had its grade. Lu Yan glanced at a couple: there were 2 S-grade cases known so far, code-named 'Cataclysm' and 'Divine Kingdom.'
Note: Currently unsolvable; humans in the vicinity have evacuated. A-level Harbingers 'Muramasa' and 'Polaris' perished while assisting in the evacuation process.
As for A-grade cases, their number increased significantly: 'Slaughterhouse,' 'City of Nightmares,' 'Wall of Resentment,' 'Luochuan Botanical Garden'... scattered, covering both domestic and international locations, numbering several dozen.
Lu Yan randomly opened a case called 'Wall of Resentment.'
[Wall of Resentment]
Introduction: This is an exceedingly narrow alley randomly appearing in the city center of a specific region. Countless undead bones embed the walls. When any lifeform passes, the wall's resentment drags them into obsession, initiating an endless cycle. Successfully exiting means freedom; failure means becoming a part of the wall. No successful cases found yet. Seven Harbingers attempted this mission, all with a 100% fatality rate.
[The following is public task data for the Huaxia region.]
[Appendix: (Audio recording) 'Calling headquarters, this is 'Giant Bear.' This will be my final mission report. My mutation has reached 97, and I've undergone six cycles within the Wall of Resentment. Details and notes I've gathered... Unfortunately, I won't witness this world's return to normalcy. No need to send anyone to rescue me. Please tell my wife I love her.']
Note: Observation indicates continuous expansion of the Wall of Resentment, having consumed over five digits of individuals. X Country researchers suggest that if left unchecked, its length might surpass the Great Wall of China.
This was an entirely unknown side of the world to Lu Yan. He thought he was prepared, yet in the face of such brutal, bloody, and even tragic data, he couldn't contain the shudder in his soul.
A shudder for his own vulnerability and respect for those indomitable souls.
"This world is on the brink," Lin Sinan earnestly emphasized, trying to convey sincerity in both his tone and expression. "We need every ounce of strength. As a healer, you won't need frequent battlefield engagements. We'll do everything to ensure your safety."
He produced a document and placed it in front of Lu Yan. "I hope you'll join the Special Operations Unit."
Lu Yan didn't speak but wore a contemplative expression. This made Lin Sinan somewhat nervous.
After a long while, Lu Yan looked up and asked, "Is there employee status and benefits? Regarding the 996 policy, are overtime fees included?"
Even in such circumstances, the concerns of a working individual remained as straightforward as ever.