The Harbingers in the Special Operations Department, do they really not feel disheartened?
Therefore, as long as Tang Xunan dies or mutates into a Pollutant, it counts as achieving the goal.
It's quite funny, within humanity, there's constant turmoil and everyone acts independently. Yet, the Pollutants, they've united first.
...
...
In City P. Contamination Disease Prevention Center.
The staff gathered, awaiting results, ready to provide support at any moment.
Maybe sensing the seriousness, Ms. Chen, the lead, chuckled first: "Don't all look so serious. We have to trust the Special Operations Department and Tang's team."
"Yeah, once we solve the botanical garden, the remaining small pollution zones in City P won't be a big deal. By year-end, it could be considered as a survival base option for reporting. From pollution's onset till now, this shadow has loomed over City P for decades... I envy those ignorant folks," someone remarked.
Ms. Chen looked out the window, the setting sun casting a faint golden glow on the white flowers at her chest.
She said, "Let others remain ignorant and happy, never having to live under the fear of contamination disease. Isn't this the meaning of our struggle so far?"
Her words brought happy and content smiles to the staff present.
The only one feeling out of place might be Ren Xuan, who had come from the First Research Institute.
Ren Xuan found it rather boring. Once, he was an ambitious young man with lofty ideals and purposes upon joining the institute. Now, he was just an emotionally detached, absent middle-aged man. The only thing that pained him was his twenty years' work - 07.
But Ms. Chen's words did stir some melancholy in him.
Ren Xuan left the meeting hall, went to the rooftop, and made a call, "Teacher, are we really doing the right thing?"
"Child, it's not about right or wrong. Think about all these years, the human experiments we've conducted. Even if not aimed at killing, haven't many died at our hands? Even the Pollutants, mothers weep when they see their children being killed. We're humans, won't we feel pain?"
A weary voice answered over the phone, "But we persist in experiments. Why? Because we tread the path of truth, even if it's filled with sacrifices. Even if this road demands a heavy price—"
"What is humanity? We need divinity."
"Those outsiders, knowing nothing. They dare to meddle in our research? The Third Research Institute, they're traitors! They've taken away fifty years of our intellectual achievement for no reason, yet now they dare to criticize our current experiments. Remember, even if everyone says we're wrong, the truth won't be wrong! Time will render the fairest judgment."
"In the past, in the advancement of clinical medicine, how many animals died for live experiments? Did anyone care? Perhaps some did, but were live experiments abolished because of it? We've just transformed our experiment subjects into humanoid creatures. Our ultimate goal is to save more people."
Ren Xuan took out a sedative from his pocket, slowly injected himself, "Teacher, if this mission fails, will I lose 07 and become the scapegoat?"
If Tang Xunan died, the only force the various sectors of society could rely on would be the No. 07 experimental subject from the First Research Institute.
Ren Xuan's colleagues would gain more research funds. Their controversial research wouldn't face opposition anymore.
"...It's a necessary sacrifice to safeguard the First Research Institute."
Ren Xuan nodded, "I understand, Teacher. I'm on the rooftop of the Contamination Disease Prevention Center in City P. Regardless of success or failure, I'll jump."
"You've worked hard," the voice replied.
Ren Xuan watched the sunset slowly sink, the horizon swallowing the last glimpse of dawn. Suddenly, he understood that what he and others did had no difference. They just chose different paths.
Tears welled in Ren Xuan's eyes, "For the future of humanity."
The voice on the phone repeated, "For our future."
In Lu Yan's hands, the bow had shot six arrows within a few minutes.
These arrows were precise, especially effective against flying insects.
In the forest, aside from mantises, there were humanoid creatures. Lu Yan scanned roughly; some mosquitoes had evolved human faces with a long, sinister proboscis on their withered faces, their buzzing wings behind them.
Judging by the length of that proboscis, being stung by this mosquito would likely be fatal.
And judging by the bulging blood sac on the mosquito's abdomen, there might already be a victim.
Both Zhou Zheng and Chen Anzhi looked visibly uneasy.
Zhou Zheng excelled in close combat, his whole body could turn metallic, impervious to blades and spears. But most insects could fly, leaving him somewhat frustrated with a feeling of "a scholar encountering soldiers, unable to argue."
Chen Anzhi's abilities were quite limited in this scenario. These pollutants didn't even evolve cognitive abilities, only retaining their primal instincts.
Lu Yan raised his hand and shot another arrow. The arrowhead pierced through a mosquito's abdomen, firmly lodging into the tree trunk behind it. Blood splattered like a burst water balloon.
As Lu Yan picked up the fallen arrow, he mockingly remarked, "Combat type, huh."
Zhou Zheng's face flushed, while Chen Anzhi, in contemplation, stared at Lu Yan's injured hand. Multiple times drawing the bow without proper protection, the palm of Lu Yan's hand split, faint traces of blood seeping through. He put down the sprayer, took out a bandage from his emergency kit, and frowned while wrapping his wound.
While still in K City, Lu Yan had noticed that pollutants had an unusually keen sense for his blood's scent. Shen Qingyang had even mentioned it once, saying he "smelled different from others."
Lu Yan didn't know what made him different. But it was evidently not a good thing.
Later, within the Wall of Resentment, with the "gift" from "Sister," Lu Yan was less prone to situations that caused him to bleed.
He didn't know if bandaging would help or what his blood might attract. More importantly, by maintaining this combat stance, Lu Yan wasn't sure if he'd expose his body's abnormalities.
Therefore, solo action seemed the most rational choice for him.
Lu Yan glanced at his two teammates and said, "Let's split up. Don't follow me."
Zhou Zheng frowned, "The three of us together increase our survival chances. Perhaps you feel you're protecting us, but I'm also a Harbinger with a threshold of 1700..."
But Lu Yan didn't listen. He chose a path and walked ahead alone.
Zhou Zheng called out, "Hey!" However, swiftly, an arrow "swooshed" right ahead of him. Whether the arrow was faster or he was, it would pierce deep into his knee. With Lu Yan's strength, shattering his kneecap wouldn't be an issue.
Zhou Zheng looked up and caught a glimpse of the cold, murderous intent on Lu Yan's face. It was like the unsheathing of an assassin's deadly blade—silent yet dangerous.
Zhou Zheng stood frozen, staring at Lu Yan's fleeting figure in disbelief, "Seriously playing for keeps?"
Chen Anzhi wore her usual gentle smile, "Lu Yan has always been aloof. It's not like today's the first day you've known him. Let it be, everything should be fine. The instructor is watching from the shadows."
As she smiled, many students dispersed across the contaminated area, regardless of gender or age, all mirrored the same smile. It was as if they were carved from the same mold.
The system sighed, "[The werewolves are about to leap. Surrounded on all sides, this time, your instructor's play seems to be 'Farewell My Concubine.']"
Lu Yan, carrying a canister of medicine, sprayed the pesticide bit by bit.
A few minutes ago, he had called for support outside the field using his watch. But the watch remained unresponsive.
"[Besides the talent of Inferno, 07 also has another talent, Magnetic Field Disturbance. It was implanted recently.]"
"[Oh, you don't know 07. Doesn't matter, your watches are all broken anyway.]"
Lu Yan, silent, took a breath and then fiercely smashed the watch against the tree trunk. This watch, capable of locating, calling for help, and detecting contamination, was a product of the institute's ingenuity, durable even in mass production.
The trunk cracked, but its owner showed no intention of picking it up.
The system remarked, "[Anger serves no purpose. It only hastens 'his' emergence. You don't want 'him' to emerge, and neither do I.]"
"I know." Lu Yan closed his eyes, trying hard to calm his emotions.
"[Well, even though the situation is dire, I am an all-powerful system after all.]"
"Little Koi, I have two methods. The first allows you to escape alone, but P City, and probably all nearby cities, will definitely perish. As for the aftermath, it's too far ahead for me to see."
"The second method, you might die. But if successful, the world will take a different turn."
"Doesn't it sound intriguing? The 'heroic view of history,' denied for countless years, turning into reality at this juncture. The future's direction is, indeed, in your hands right now."
"Now, tell me your choice. Host."
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