On the second day back home, Lu Yan received a message from Zhou Qiming.
"I looked into the abduction case related to Zhao Yuan. It took a while, but I found someone who seemed to be a suspect. He was sentenced to death twenty years ago for smuggling firearms and trafficking women and children. The sentence has been carried out."
"Something doesn't feel right. I revisited the testimonies. The interrogation lasted a week, and the convicted criminal confessed to a lot. The abducted women were all found based on his statements, except for Zhao Yuan. But at that time, she had just been sold to Dragon Maiden Lake."
"Also, I asked the authorities about the address of the original poster. They told me they had no access. When I went to check, the post was deleted, seems like there's something hidden. The detective has sent a report back to headquarters."
"That trafficker was already under mental hypnosis when captured. He has no memory of any of this."
Lu Yan paused for a moment, then asked with conviction, "Lu Cheng?"
"Yes, or rather, you should know his current code, 'The Seer.'"
Lu Yan had read a lot about pollutants on the Apocalypse forum.
The Seer, Class A pollutant. Formerly Experimental Subject 18 of the First Research Institute.
Abilities: Precognition, Beguilement, Hypnosis.
Note: The Institute once summoned Harbingers to execute a capture plan for The Seer. The executor, Class A Harbinger - Gigantism, is currently missing, presumed dead. No traces of The Seer's activities have been found in various polluted zones.
"Where is he now?"
"Are you sure you want to know now? I can help you look, but at the same time, The Seer might notice you. You're the person most familiar with him in this world. You know the consequences, don't you?"
Lu Yan's expression returned to calmness. "You're right."
Lu Yan pulled out a compound bow, the string creating a beautiful arc.
The arrow shot out, the metal tip piercing the bullseye, embedding deep into the wall behind. Luckily, Lu Yan hadn't exerted full force; otherwise, collapsing the wall wouldn't have been impossible.
He changed the subject, "He orchestrated the abduction case and later went to Dragon Maiden Village, hypnotizing the villagers to submerge Zhao Yuan. What was the purpose of all this?"
Everything has a purpose, even if it's a murderer indiscriminately killing on the streets, it's a form of societal revenge, satisfying oneself psychologically.
Especially someone like Lu Cheng, who doesn't act without a motive.
"To create a deity."
"Base behavior is the passport of base people, nobility is the epitaph of the noble. In the gilded sky, the reflections of the dead abound."
"Only suffering can shape great and noble souls. Once these souls fully evolve, even their bodies become exceptionally powerful pollutants. Over decades, he has set up a total of seven such scenarios. What you saw at Dragon Maiden Lake was just one of them."
Dragon Maiden Village.
The Seer clutched his blood-soaked hand, his face's large eye filled with fine red blood vessels.
His wrist had been bitten off by Dragon Maiden.
The Seer could see the future, but this possibility wasn't within his foresight. Or rather, this miracle.
At that moment, all the little Dragon Maidens at the bottom of the lake rushed to their "mother" like swallows returning to their nests, merging into the body of Dragon Maiden.
This monster, like a dying glow, extended its ferocious fangs.
Secondary evolution.
The Seer had forgotten when he last experienced such excruciating pain; his tone was furious, "You could have stopped her. Why did you just stand there watching?"
Shen Qingyang's face maintained a gentle smile, "But if I stopped her, I would also get hurt."
"Don't let emotions cloud your judgment. Didn't you teach me that, teacher?"
Lu Yan took out a pale golden snakefish from the refrigerator.
The golden snakefish had long been dead, but soaking in water, it emitted a distinct aroma.
To an ordinary person, it might smell fishy, but to Lu Yan's olfactory system, it was inexplicably sweet.
The fish had indeed altered him.
"What's this for?" Lu Yan asked.
The system replied dispassionately, "[It's a young kingfisher, similar to the fish eggs you saw. Quite useful. I suggest cooking it rather than eating it raw.]"
"Although its effects might be weaker, it prevents a fight between the two fish inside you. The white one at the front is a big one but quite jealous."
"If it detects a second birth, it might secretly kill it while you're unaware."
"After all, it can get stronger by consuming it."
Pollutants' evolution heavily relies on consuming their kind. Occasionally, in extreme cases, it might rely on other factors like courage, faith, anger, or willpower. However, these cases are more akin to miracles.
Hearing this, Lu Yan put on a pot of water.
High-grade ingredients often call for the simplest cooking methods.
"Will soy sauce and rice wine affect its efficacy?" Lu Yan asked.
The system paused, "[No, but it'll make it tastier.]"
Lu Yan was satisfied.
He gutted the fish, scored its back, marinated it in rice wine. He sprinkled chopped scallions and ginger on its surface. After ten minutes of steaming, he poured some light soy sauce over it.
The fish meat was succulent and sweet, and the thick, pale golden soup it produced was so delicious one would wish to swallow their tongue.
Lu Yan declared it the most delicious fish he had ever eaten.
"A kingfisher isn't just a fish... never mind."
This time, the rejection reaction wasn't severe. At least, there was no fever or vomiting.
Lu Yan felt a bit woozy, as if he'd had too much to drink.
It was probably because he was a Harbinger whose spiritual power threshold was nearing 1000.
Semi-transparent fish scales emerged from his arm. They were much larger than when they first appeared, resembling scales of a well-aged koi.
These scales transitioned from red to a faint gold.
Lu Yan lay on the sofa, spreading his hand toward the ceiling.
"An hour after ingestion, the fish scales mutate. Noticeable confusion and physical discoordination."
"Four hours, scale growth extends to the right hand."
"Six hours, gill-like slits resembling a shark form on the ear side, a total of three."
"Eight hours, teeth alter, forming saw-toothed shark-like shapes... two additional rows of teeth inside the mouth, positioned at the upper and lower ends."
...
"Thirteen hours, the mutation has ended."
Lu Yan's body was covered in a thin layer of sweat as the recording came to a halt. His blurry vision cleared up.
In his ears, the system's congratulatory message rang out: "[Congratulations, host, you've gained Talent 167 - Regeneration.]"
Regeneration, a special talent. As long as the harbinger didn't die, any part of the body could regenerate after being severed.
When combined with combat-oriented talents, it made for a formidable character.
"If you had swallowed that fish whole, you could have gained Talent 29 - Phoenix. It's an advanced version of Regeneration, much like my advanced version of Precognition."
"However, I don't recommend it. It's too risky. Though the first Kingfisher inside you appears docile, even shows no signs of aggression... it's indeed the most potent in evolution among all Kingfishers, and its final form is the most formidable."
Lu Yan took out a detection sheet and measured his physical condition.
Spiritual power threshold: 1450. Degree of mutation: 102.
He swallowed a potent medicine from the Disease Prevention and Control Center, bringing the number down to 10. Another swallow, but the value didn't decrease further.
"How many in total?" Lu Yan asked.
He received an expected answer: "Seven."
The arranged blind date by the organization had failed due to the despot's non-cooperation. Headquarters had to reorganize how Lu Yan would be handled.
Director Li at the Pollution Disease Prevention and Control Center in City K adjusted his tie, awaiting Lu Yan's arrival.
Since Lu Yan's return from Dragon Maiden Village, Director Li had sent invitations, but due to prior engagements, they could only meet officially three days later.
Director Li had heard that Lu Yan liked good-looking men. In his youth, he was considered a handsome man at the center, but now in his forties, busy work had led to some balding, causing him some concern.
The organization believed that Su Fufeng was no longer suitable as Lu Yan's liaison. Therefore, temporarily, Director Li, who had a chance phone encounter with Lu Yan, took over the role.
Unlike Su Fufeng, who only knew Lu Yan as a harbinger, Director Li knew that Lu Yan was a valuable healing-type harbinger. Though still in the growth phase, his potential was limitless.
Being a harbinger, especially a powerful one's liaison, was a promising position. Tang Xunan's former liaison had already risen to a managerial role in the Special Operations Department.
Therefore, Director Li wanted to leave a good impression on Lu Yan as much as possible.
Half an hour later, Lu Yan arrived punctually at the Prevention and Control Center's office.
Director Li greeted him with a broad smile. "Mr. Di Ting, you're here."
Lu Yan nodded. "Just finished a surgery, got caught in some traffic on the way, sorry."
"No worries, actually, there's nothing major about why I called you here today," Director Li said cheerfully, looking somewhat like Maitreya with his slightly balding head. "Due to an oversight, your information was accidentally leaked, fortunately, it wasn't widespread. It's been cleansed from memory by our people."
"To prevent such incidents, the organization has decided to change your information in records, from a special class to an auxiliary class. They also hope you'll undergo talent transplantation surgery at the Research Institute, receiving the 'Swift' talent."
Swift, Talent 679. Ignoring gravity and buoyancy factors, running at extreme speeds across different surfaces.
This was the talent fabricated by headquarters in Lu Yan's falsified dossier.
"In addition, the Special Operations Department headquarters is about to commence a new round of training for newly recruited harbinger skills, a three-month program. Coincidentally, Mr. Zhou Qiming is going to Yanjing to sign a contract. You can go together."
Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. "Talent can be transplanted?"
Director Li wasn't very clear about talent transplantation surgery. He replied vaguely, "I heard it's the latest technology from the First Research Institute. Post-surgery, no contamination, no adverse reactions. The results are impressive. But it can only transplant some less important talents with lower sequence rankings."
Lu Yan wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
In that moment, he heard a cold, disdainful sneer from the system.
Unlock exclusive early access to 100s of Chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
As a cherished member of our Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For just $5, you'll receive:
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public. (You can find all the novels I'm translating HERE.)
- Your name will be prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
If you decide to pledge $10, you'll get all the perks from the $5 tier, plus:
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
And if you're feeling generous with a $20 pledge, you'll unlock all the perks above:
- You get to recommend an abandoned Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
