In the neighboring province of Lu Yan lies Fuling Province, an economically developed coastal region.
As the caravan wound its way up the mountain, Zhou Qiming heaved dryly into an empty plastic bag, "This is even more remote than the impoverished villages in Bashu. Are we really in Fuling Province?"
He was on the verge of being sick from the jolts. Thankfully, having not eaten, there wasn't much to bring up.
It had been a seven-hour drive from K City. Five hours ago, a message from Su Fufeng popped up, detecting his departure from K City, asking what business he had outside the province.
Lu Yan had replied: "Sightseeing."
He hadn't considered turning off his GPS; just in case something happened, Lu Yan relied on the Disease Prevention and Control Center, hoping they'd intervene given his healing abilities.
As they ascended, a visible layer of white mist surrounded them, and the temperature notably dropped. Abandoned villages lined the route, remnants of former prosperity now faintly visible.
The air grew damper, making every breath feel moist.
Lu Yan oddly enjoyed this sensation; returning here felt like coming home. Since symbiotically linking with Wang Yu, rainy days held a peculiar charm for him.
Zhou Qiming suspected it was the local water that impregnated him, hence the choice of a camper this time—a two-story one equipped for cooking, even boasting a sofa and TV.
Luckily, despite the rugged mountain road, it wasn't narrow, sparing them worries of overturning.
In the front, Chen Shier angrily slammed his phone, "Damn it. No signal! I was in the middle of a ranked match!"
According to Zhou Qiming, confident in his strength due to detecting low pollution levels, he'd ventured here alone previously. After fruitless searching for the source of pollution and unexpectedly getting pregnant, fear drove him to flee overnight.
As for why he'd taken what seemed like a harmless task, Zhou Qiming stuttered for a while, eventually being mercilessly exposed by Chen Shier: "He got into an argument on the forum. You know that hot topic about the lack of precise division in pollution zones? Some anonymous user claimed certain zones, though only white, couldn't be handled by B-class Harbingers."
"Then the boss, unbelieving, challenged him in private. Finally, the other party dropped the Dragon Maiden Lake address," the detective disclosed.
The one driving, the detective, Zhou Qiming's secretary, seemed composed but primarily functioned as support, gifted in stealth and counter-surveillance. Rumor had it he was a former corporate spy, his combat ability only at a 0.5 compared to Lu Yan.
Zhou Qiming felt a weight on his chest, "I think I must have been cursed. I haven't been on the forum for centuries, and the moment I log in, I see such a messed-up thread, and just because I'm a B-class and have so much time to kill."
Due to the extended drive, Lu Yan cooked a meal in the camper: stewed lamb and scrambled eggs with scallions. The lamb, flown in from the serene grasslands, emitted an inviting aroma. The others devoured it as if they hadn't eaten in days.
Chen Shier teared up, "It's so delicious! My taste buds have dulled; it's been seven or eight years since I've tasted salt. Having this meal, I could die content!"
The detective advised against such terrifying final thoughts.
At four in the afternoon, the camper finally reached the entrance of Dragon Maiden Village.
The terrain here was unique—nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains, isolated and tranquil. At its heart lay a serene and crystal-clear lake, shimmering under the sunlight, a picturesque sight.
The houses in the village were brick, two or three stories tall. Several Mercedes-Benz cars parked along the road indicated that the villagers weren't entirely without economic means.
There wasn't a soul in sight except for occasional dog barks; it felt like a deserted village. Lu Yan's senses were acute; he felt eyes watching them through the windows—odd men of varying ages.
Chen Shier pulled out an instrument and began scanning.
The Pollution Level: 30.
Even newly mutated ordinary frogmen have a pollution level of 100. That figure is low enough to not raise much concern.
"I encountered the same situation last time," Zhou Qiming stepped out of the car, taking in the fresh air. "People here seem reluctant to venture out due to pregnancies. Plus, paper currency doesn't circulate; they're extremely exclusive. I had to tweak a few villagers' memories using my talent just to find a place to stay."
Zhou Qiming was a unique Talent User.
His ability, ranked 39th, was named "Virtual World."
In Zhou Qiming's mind, the real world resembled a large-scale RPG game, with everyone around him being game characters, including himself.
His talent allowed him to add settings within the capabilities of these game characters.
Success depended on the complexity of the task.
For instance, adding the setting "Zhou Qiming is a villager here" to all villagers' minds was relatively simple.
However, setting "Zhou Qiming cannot die" even if his mutation levels skyrocketed beyond contamination was impossible.
In Zhou Qiming's world, Lu Yan was somewhat peculiar.
Take Chen Shier, for example, with the title "Monk - Chen Shier," and the label "Shaolin Temple descendant" above his name. This setup allowed Zhou Qiming to glean some information even when meeting strangers for the first time.
Lu Yan's title, however, was "Cannibalistic Flower Doctor," which puzzled him.
Zhou Qiming was used to hardship, but the living conditions in Dragon Maiden Village were appalling. The humidity and low latitude attracted all sorts of creepy crawlies, both shelled and shell-less. That's why he insisted on having a camper van.
Lu Yan asked directly, "Where's the source of pollution?"
The system chuckled: [At the lake bottom. But I don't advise going there directly; wander around the village first. I'll provide you with some guidance.]
Lu Yan felt the system's unreliability was precisely here—it spoke like a riddle-master.
No doubt, it harbored no ill intentions toward Lu Yan and could even offer essential assistance.
However, Lu Yan had a vague sense that even if he died, the system would find another host.
It might be a hassle, but he wasn't the system's only option.
Similar to how Lu Jiahe was chosen by "something" through the Wall of Resentment.
When Lu Yan suggested exploring, Zhou Qiming unwaveringly chose to accompany him.
The village wasn't large; it wouldn't take more than twenty minutes to walk from end to end. Beyond lay Dragon Maiden Lake.
Lu Yan noticed something peculiar in every household's courtyard—a well. Not an ordinary one; many rusty chains hung from the wells, straight down into the depths.
These were called "Emperor Yu's Dragon-Locking Wells."
He stepped into an overgrown, semi-open courtyard, examining it carefully.
The well had its construction date engraved: September 1st, 2101.
"These wells, in legends, were built to suppress flooding dragons," Lu Yan remarked. "With modern water and electricity convenience, few construct wells, especially ones to lock dragons. It's not for drinking; it's definitely to suppress something."
"The talk of ghosts and gods is purely absurd. I believe this signifies that something changed due to pollution or an anomaly here twenty years ago," Zhou Qiming nodded in agreement.
At that moment, a door that had remained tightly shut cracked open slightly, revealing a middle-aged man with dark complexion peering at them. He asked coldly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?!"
Lu Yan presented the identification from the Pollution Control and Prevention Center: "I'm from the Pollution Control and Prevention Center. We received a report of an infectious pollutant outbreak here. Hence, we've come to investigate."
His calm and assured tone inexplicably instilled a sense of trust.
The middle-aged man's expression remained alert: "No need! Hurry and leave! This is for your own good."
Zhou Qiming had to add a setting in his mind: "Zhou Qiming is my son, back from vacation with classmates to play."
The middle-aged man's eyes briefly clouded, then in the next moment, he angrily flung the door open and slapped Zhou Qiming: "Didn't I tell you not to come back! Why did you come back! You unfilial child, are you trying to anger me!"
Zhou Qiming: "..." He felt an urge to slap back, but doing so might disrupt his cover, requiring him to use his ability again, which was troublesome. So he held back.
The middle-aged man was named Wang Jianjun. His belly was unusually swollen, resembling a balloon on the verge of bursting. Dark-blue veins sprawled across his purplish belly, through which no organs or bones were visible; it was filled with amniotic fluid, containing not a fetus but a three or four-year-old child.
This child's physique appeared incongruous, more akin to a water monkey than a human.
"Dad," Zhou Qiming asked in frustration, "what's up with your belly? It's getting bigger."
Wang Jianjun glanced at the lock on Dragon Maiden Lake: "Don't mention it, come inside."
His son, who hadn't visited for years, had finally returned, albeit against his words, yet Wang Jianjun was ultimately happy. He brought out a bottle of 1982 Feitian Maotai, peeled some peanuts as snacks, and turned on the dim light.
"The village chief said it's all retribution…" After a few drinks, an abnormal flush appeared on Wang Jianjun's face, tears streaming, "Back then, to make money, we worshipped the Dragon Maiden, but after making money, we weren't focused, forgot about the Dragon Maiden. This is retribution. Those who left the village to make money never returned, they all died. The whole family died. I wanted you to study outside, coming back was a last resort, why did you still come!"
"Uncle, what's worshipping the Dragon Maiden?" Lu Yan keenly caught onto the crucial words.
Wang Jianjun wiped his tears: "The village of Dragon Maiden was always poor and isolated. Twenty years ago, a Feng Shui master passed by, claiming our land was prosperous but remained poor due to Yu the Great locking the Dragon Maiden under the lake. She held a grudge. Sacrificing livestock every year would bring prosperity."
"After everyone worshipped her and left the mountains, they became wealthy in months. I moved out with your mother, and you were born outside. In five years, everyone in the village left and became rich. But from ten years ago, people in the village began dying every year, all from drowning… that's when some realized something was wrong. The village chief said the Dragon Maiden sent dreams, saying we didn't keep our word. Those left returned to Dragon Maiden Village."
"At first, everyone laughed it off. But within two years, all those who returned were pregnant. Isn't that strange? Some tried to seek medical help but encountered ghostly obstacles. They drove for three days but couldn't leave!"
"Later, someone said, every time they tried to leave, they'd end up back at Dragon Maiden Lake, where a bunch of women laughed in the water."
When talking about this, his face turned ashen and grim, as if witnessing immense terror.
Zhou Qiming furrowed his brows.
As a Harbinger, he wholly disbelieved in spirits. Most likely, any unscientific occurrences were due to pollutants.
But ordinary people were oblivious. With no signal here and under constant stress, sanity was a luxury.
Zhou Qiming whispered to Lu Yan, "I think that so-called Dragon Maiden is likely a source of pollution."
Lu Yan seemed to comprehend, but he was more curious now.
"Are only males getting pregnant?" Lu Yan looked around the room; there were no signs of any female items, even the shoes at the door were all men's. "What about Auntie?"
Ever since entering this village, Lu Yan hadn't seen any women. Even the barking dogs on the roadside were male.
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