The scene was incredibly moving.
Zhou Qiming stopped playing his cards, tears streaming down as he took out his phone to capture the moment, determined to incorporate this scene into the game he was designing.
His company was currently working on two games: one a mobile game relying on in-game purchases, and the other a high-budget 3A game titled "Global Evolution." Zhou had initially envisioned using the game as a means to raise awareness about the escalating pollution crisis. However, as the truth came to light, the authorities gradually loosened their grip on disseminating information about pollution-related illnesses, causing the game's development to teeter on the brink of cancellation.
Everyone present was in tears, except for Lu Yan and Tang Xunan.
Lu Yan briefly contemplated if shedding a tear or two might be appropriate, but upon glimpsing Tang Xunan's composed expression, he abandoned the pretense. Tang Xunan's hand rested on the hilt of his blade, his slender fingers rhythmically tapping against the scabbard.
His duty was to eradicate pollutants. Countless pollutants had met their end by his hands, the dusty air perpetually tainted with blood. Logically, he shouldn't have any hesitations. Tang Xunan had encountered and personally dispatched numerous high-level pollutants; more than anyone else, he understood that the higher the creature's rank, the more intact their consciousness remained.
But in his eyes, the conflict between humans and pollutants seemed irreconcilable.
It was a destined struggle of survival, an inevitable clash where only one side could emerge alive.
However, initiating action now worried him about Zhao Cheng's ability to cope.
Father and daughter wept for a long time before gradually calming down.
Zhao Cheng gently touched her arm, feeling the uneven scars, his heart aching spasmodically. "Good girl, Daddy will take you home."
The dragon maiden's serpentine tail lingered in the water. Upon hearing these words, she shook her head slightly, her face filled with sorrow.
The dragon maiden opened her mouth, emitting some plaintive cries.
"She cannot leave. There's no way; there are still hundreds of babies in the lake. If the dragon maiden leaves, these little ones will swim upstream like sturgeons, reaching various water bodies. Though their pollution levels aren't high, pollutants can evolve."
"Moreover, having spent more than a decade together, she's not entirely devoid of feelings toward these little creatures."
Lu Yan glanced at her and said, "She can't go with you… She, she's here with children. Many of them. She can't go back."
For a moment, Zhao Cheng fell silent. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Then I'll move here!"
Tang Xunan almost instinctively rejected the proposal: "No. Allowing an ordinary person to stay near a strong pollution source is no different from sending them to their death."
The dragon maiden suddenly became agitated. Her tail thrashed the water's surface, creating splashes.
"She wants to discuss something with you all and hopes to have Zhao Cheng leave."
Subsequently, Lu Yan signaled to Chen Shier nearby, then kindly addressed Zhao Cheng, "Old sir, please don't worry. Take a rest in the car, and we'll talk to your daughter."
Reluctant to leave, Zhao Cheng was overpowered by Chen Shier's strength, and the dragon maiden soothingly patted his hand. Thus, Zhao Cheng returned to the vehicle.
Inside the car, he firmly grasped Chen Shier's hand and whispered, "I can't see, but be honest with me. Has Yuanyuan turned into one of those… monsters?"
Zhao Cheng had heard news and seen volunteers from the Disease Prevention and Control Center in the community nursing home. Although he hadn't witnessed it personally, he had heard about it.
Chen Shier was in a quandary, unsure whether to disclose the truth. He stuttered for a moment.
A seasoned individual like Zhao Cheng, who had wandered across the country for more than a decade searching for his daughter, had seen all sorts of people. He immediately confirmed that his suspicion was correct.
Zhao Cheng felt the urge to cry, yet his clouded gaze swiftly regained determination. "It doesn't matter. She'll always be my daughter."
By the lakeside, Tang Xunan negotiated with the dragon maiden while Lu Yan acted as the intermediary. Zhou Qiming and the detective recognized Tang Xunan, suddenly feeling too intimidated to even breathe, standing obediently to the side.
Dragon Maiden: "Ah, ah, ah, uh, ah—ah."
Lu Yan began to translate: "She said she wouldn't leave Dragon Maiden Lake and wants to live with Zhao Cheng. She can suppress her instincts and spare the villagers of Dragon Maiden Village."
Tang Xunan's gaze swept across Dragon Maiden's face, then settled on Lu Yan. "I believe her intentions now are genuine, but I don't believe she can truly do it."
There's a certain bloodline suppression between high-level pollutants and low-level ones. In this regard, Dragon Maiden understood the trust the little maidens had in her.
But Dragon Maiden never expected to feel this instinctive fear in a human.
With some intellect and memory, Dragon Maiden knew that if she didn't give a satisfactory answer, Tang Xunan would mercilessly kill her.
Tang Xunan didn't want to gamble, so he'd rather bear some blame and snuff out the risks early.
Dragon Maiden emitted a few brief chirps again.
"She says she can cut off the gills used for breathing, forcing herself to stay in water, unable to breathe the oxygen in the air. She's also willing to remove the thing inside her belly."
"When Zhao Yuan was thrown into the lake, she was already pregnant. Not far along, catalyzed by Lu Cheng, what's inside her belly is the true 'dragon seed,' also a significant portion of her pollution value."
This time, Tang Xunan didn't dwell long. "Alright. But I'll have satellites monitor this place. If there's any activity, the Prevention and Control Center will inform the Special Operations Unit immediately."
There won't be room for a second negotiation.
Tang Xunan thought for a moment and added, "The men in the village have reached the third stage of distortion, no possibility of turning back to normal. I allow you to use moderate means to resolve it."
His statement wasn't entirely accurate. In the third stage of distortion, as long as they haven't become pollutants, they can still be cured. But Tang Xunan felt these people weren't worth saving.
In his earpiece, the liaison suddenly fell silent.
The liaison's duty was to relay messages and calm emotions. Usually, they didn't interfere with the decisions of the Harbingers unless their mental state was truly abnormal and their actions outrageous.
Although having such a high-level pollutant in the mountainous region of Abuling Province made the local city hall uneasy, since it was Tang Xunan's judgment, they were willing to trust this choice.
Dragon Maiden's face relaxed into a relieved smile.
The gills she used to breathe on land extended on either side of her ears like fish fins. When cut, they bled profusely, looking painful.
Then, Dragon Maiden submerged into the water. There were a few low, hoarse roars from the lake bottom, quickly staining the water a deep blood-red.
Moments later, she reached out and placed the stillborn fetus taken from her abdomen on the shore.
On the detection chart, Dragon Maiden's pollution value plummeted straight from seven thousand to three thousand six.
It was a faint golden, semi-transparent snake.
But with two small protrusions on its head resembling dragon horns.
This little snake hadn't completely died. It had already hatched quite intact, its scales gleaming gold. Occasionally, its tail would twitch and struggle.
Almost as soon as he saw it, Lu Yan felt an untimely hunger pang in his stomach. The kingfisher inside him was exhilarated, like a person who had walked through the desert for three days suddenly spotting a water source.
Lu Yan really wanted it, but he didn't move because there was a stranger nearby he couldn't beat.
From a distance, Zhou Qiming looked over and sighed, "Is this something stripped from pollutants? It's my first time seeing it."
Though their function was unclear, all these items stripped from pollutants were without exception good stuff.
In the current natural world, pollutants were indisputably the top hunters, but this wasn't absolute.
"There are things on pollutants that humans can use. Tang Xunan's pair of dragon wings were stripped from other pollutants. The kingfisher you've merged with is one, too."
Tang Xunan said, "Logically, it should be handed over to the research institute. But since this area was explored by your team first and the pollutants were voluntarily surrendered, the remaining three aren't particularly members of the Special Action Department. You handle it yourselves."
Even though he said "you," Tang Xunan's gaze was fixed on Lu Yan.
"Girls shouldn't come to such dangerous places in the future. And if they do, at least inform someone beforehand," Tang Xunan couldn't help adding.
In his eyes, Lu Yan was really weak. But for some reason, he always encountered some very powerful pollutants. A normal person would've died a thousand times over by now; it was incredibly dangerous.
As Tang Xunan spoke, his gaze briefly drifted, feeling like he had forgotten something.
But whatever he forgot probably wasn't important; otherwise, it wouldn't have been influenced by Zhou Qiming's talent.
So, Tang Xunan spread his wings behind him. "I'll go first."
Lu Yan: "..."
A person with wings could go wherever they wanted; it was really convenient.
In just a few seconds, the man disappeared, leaving Lu Yan and the others behind to clean up the mess.
Lu Yan asked the system, "Why did he have a muzzle?"
"Tang Xunan's talent, when overused, leads to rage. He once bit his own comrade to death. Later, headquarters arranged a muzzle for him. But honestly, for him, it's completely useless."
"Rather than a physical restraint, it's more like a mental shackle."
"This muzzle isn't meant to make you feel safe; it's to give Tang Xunan a sense of security. To make him believe he's under restraint and control, preventing him from completely turning into a pollutant."
"Interested in being his tamer? I can teach you."
Lu Yan found the system's words weird and kind of twisted.
When Tang Xunan returned home, his dog had been waiting for a while.
He lived in Yanjing, alone. A solitary courtyard with no one around for miles. A few miles ahead was the First Research Institute.
Tang Xunan had a German Shepherd.
It was a very special Animal Adept with the talent to speak human language.
It was a gift from the Disease Prevention and Control Center for his sixtieth birthday and had been with Tang Xunan for over forty years now.
"Old Tang," the German Shepherd wagged its tail, "You're finally back. Spring is coming; when will you take me to the pet matchmaking market?"
Tang Xunan lit a cigarette and smoked it with incredible precision through the iron bars. "Let someone else take you; I don't want to move."
The dog picked up a blanket and lay down at his feet. "I called Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang said you came back and didn't see me; you went to meet some new teammates. How's it going?"
Tang Xunan thought for a moment and replied, "Too weak, not suitable as a teammate yet."
If Lu Yan were to go on a mission with them, he might end up collecting Lu Yan's corpse if he wasn't careful.
Though he thought his current teammates were a bunch of hangers-on, at least they had significant psychic thresholds.
"I thought you'd refuse," the dog's eyes showed a very human-like smile. "But surprisingly, your words still leave room. Seems like you quite like him."
Tang Xunan's gaze drifted for a moment.
The dog rested its head on his knee, not saying anything more. Tang Xunan reached out and scratched its fur on the neck.
Humans really got lonely easily.
Dogs actually understood that very well.
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