As the sky started to brighten, a gentle glow spread around. Lu Yan hadn't slept all night, but he appeared quite energetic. Being an evolved species, he only needed four hours of sleep a day now, managing to stay lively throughout. He couldn't help but sigh; if only he had awakened during high school, perhaps his college entrance exam score wouldn't have been a mere 727.
"Ah, both A-level pollutants in the botanical garden have woken up. Noisy," Lu Yan murmured.
The white toxic mushrooms on the ground began turning red, releasing spores in bursts that dispersed into the air. The fine powder could travel far on the wind. These spores had low contamination values for Harbingers, but for regular folks, they were still deadly.
Pulling out his portable pesticide sprayer, Lu Yan aimed and sprayed. The nearby mushrooms withered instantly, revealing skeletal remains partially buried in the soil. This land wouldn't see grass for a long while, but there was no alternative.
Humans feared contamination diseases, unwilling to become mutated beings, sacrificing the natural environment in their efforts to prevent contamination. Yet, from the pollutants' perspective, humans were encroaching on their habitat—an irreconcilable contradiction.
However, while killing these mushrooms, Lu Yan didn't harbor much guilt. He was still human, carrying the burden of others and couldn't afford to slack off or abandon responsibilities.
The system praised him, "The host never forgets the original intention, staying true throughout."
On his way to retrieve the apostates, Lu Yan remained committed to his primary duty of spraying pesticides, even among the current group of trainees. One had a support talent named "Ultrasound," functioning somewhat like a broadcast, transmitting audio beyond normal human hearing range, received by other Harbingers.
This trainee had attempted to seek external help near the contamination area but hadn't received any response yet. It was uncertain what was happening outside. Nonetheless, as the news spread, without Lu Yan's intervention, eight dots on the map dimmed gradually.
By the time he shot down the last believer, Lu Yan had almost exhausted his supply of tranquilizers. He felt he might even taste mint whenever he burped.
With the current batch of students led by Tang Xunan, they might transition from the cohort with the lowest casualty rate to the one with the highest death toll.
He glanced at his watch; it was 9:30 in the morning.
"Great, when that being wakes up, they'll soon realize they've missed the last chance of divine descent."
"Even an S-level pollutant can't always be invulnerable. I love watching them crash and rage in impotence. They think they're gods? Had they taken an extra dose of cefoperazone while drinking, they wouldn't be this intoxicated."
"I thought you wished for humanity's extinction," Lu Yan remarked.
"Our characters complement each other, host," the system replied.
Waiting for the last trace of sweetness to fade from his mouth, Lu Yan asked, "What do we do now?"
"Go to the botanical garden, save people. Your chief instructor is in dire straits, surrounded."
"Don't panic, if he could come out of the divine realm, he'd have done so by now. At most, your contamination levels might rise a bit, nothing major."
"Save people... How?" Lu Yan felt a tinge of shock. "With those pollutants at thousands of contamination levels, even S-level Harbingers are helpless. How can I save them?"
"They entered together. According to the plan, Tang Xunan clears the path, reaching the central area of the garden. Subject 07 releases the fire, destroying the hallucinogenic mushrooms and damaging the roots of the banyan tree. Then, Tang Xunan deals with the banyan tree..."
"But 07 had the fire talent removed by the researchers before he was sent. Due to a part of his brain being excised, he doesn't remember. He thinks he still has it. So, 07 is just a waste with magnetic field interference... not even attractive."
"Most likely, your chief instructor is still in the illusionary realm, grappling with unseen contaminants. So, all you need to do is wake him up."
"Though you say it's easy, I have a feeling it won't be that simple," Lu Yan said.
He was accustomed to his reverse "lucky cat" buff. Some might call it luck, but every time he stepped out, trouble found him.
Others might say it was bad luck, and they would've died long ago. Yet, here he was, still kicking. His spiritual power threshold was close to 2000.
"As long as you wear that human skin paper from the pocket watch, the pollutants in the botanical garden won't attack you. They'll assume you're a rescuer sent from the divine realm. Don't worry; unless you believe in their faith, the paper won't affect you much, except being noticed by the true god."
Lu Yan took out the small piece of human skin from the pocket watch. It was only two inches in size, with the pitch-black tattoo on it seeming to change shape slightly, giving off an eerie vibe.
But he hesitated, not making a move.
System asks: "Do you doubt me? It's good to question, but host, you can always trust me. Eyes deceive you, memories deceive you, I don't."
"I'm not a living being or a deity, I'm just your talent. You can use me like a manual, like an encyclopedia, without worrying about mistakes. Because I am the omniscient truth itself."
"Okay." Lu Yan pasted this piece of human skin onto the back of his left hand.
The kingfisher parasite inside his body seemed scalded; angrily, he punched and kicked it, causing various-sized lumps to form on Lu Yan's hand.
The human skin paper on his hand seemed to come alive, evidently much smarter than the irritable kingfisher. Instead of confronting it head-on, it silently covered the surface of Lu Yan's palm.
It even tried to cover the mouth on Lu Yan's palm with the human skin, but it quickly tore apart.
Soon, the fusion was complete.
Lu Yan instinctively looked up, gazing at the sky mostly obscured by the canopy.
In the void, it seemed as though a deity opened its eyes and glanced at him.
In that moment, Lu Yan's whole body uncontrollably went on alert, fish scales appearing on him.
Fortunately, the feeling of being watched didn't last long.
Lu Yan glanced at his hand; the human skin paper had melded seamlessly with his skin, becoming indistinguishable. The tattoos on it appeared as if they had grown out of his flesh, vibrant and alive.
"Congratulations, host, you've acquired a special spiritual item - 'Elysium Teaching Guide.'"
"This is a pass to enter the Elysium world, not the spiritual realm's 'Pure Land of Elysium'."
"During the 'Divine Realm Operation' years ago, two A-level Harbingers on the East Island followed the instructions of the First Research Institute, self-destructed there, and after death became unconscious pollutants - sea mist. This mist trapped the divine realm, hindering its expansion. It also meant completely abandoning the millions of people still on the island."
"Sacrifice some to save the majority. This has always been the First Research Institute's doctrine."
"With the Elysium Teaching Guide, you can use Talent 99 - Dream Entry. But the success rate decreases with usage. After all, you don't truly possess this talent."
Lu Yan stared at the tattoo for a while. "...Looks like I'll have to buy a pair of gloves."
Previously, the kingfisher would occasionally misbehave, emerging from his palm and forming a mouth. At that time, Lu Yan had considered buying gloves to cover it.
But later, the kingfisher admitted its mistake, assuring him it wouldn't act up, so Lu Yan let it be.
However, this tattoo on his hand seemed permanent. He didn't want people to mistake him for a cultist too soon.
"No problem. If you really don't want it, after it's over, just cut it off. You can even perform skin excision surgery from your right hand directly to your left hand. I trust your skills, Dr. Lu!" The system's tone suddenly sounded encouraging.
Lu Yan: "..."
He felt like he had sacrificed too much to save the world.
The system said that once he applied this human skin, the pollutants in the botanical garden wouldn't attack him.
But since life is precious, before entering the notorious orange pollution zone, Lu Yan tested it with a pollutant.
He found a plant-like creature rooted at the roadside, cutting a shallow wound on his hand with a knife, bright red blood droplets oozing out, glossy and round.
A human face appeared on the tree trunk, the plant creature salivating, yet its branches didn't move closer by even a meter.
Good, it seemed this mark truly worked.
Lu Yan casually smeared the blood droplet on the tree trunk, and the pollutant entered a brief state of stiffness, lasting about a minute.
As per the system, the higher the pollutant's contamination level, the less affected it would be by his blood.
To move more freely, Lu Yan removed the heavy protective suit he wore and the pesticide canister from his back.
Ahead lay the dangerous zone marked by orange signs erected by the staff.
The gate of the Luo River Botanical Garden had collapsed, with withered vines entangling the iron gate, distorting it.
Lu Yan glanced around; these plants seemed freshly dead.
As he ventured in, he felt like he had entered the land of giants. Even the wild grass at the roadside was a person's height. Mushrooms were large enough to shelter from the rain. In the sky, some winged insects moved about, their faces distorted and terrifying after mutation.
The detector indicated the pollution level here: 3900.
Outside the botanical garden, at least several miles away from the huge banyan tree, the pollution level was terrifyingly high.
An ordinary person, even without encountering any pollutants, probably wouldn't last more than three hours here before mutating.
Lu Yan didn't think it was a big issue, but there was still an uncomfortable feeling in the air.
In the darkness, pairs of prying eyes fixed on him, sniffed, then lost interest upon seeing the tattoo on his hand, and left disinterestedly.
If not for this mark of the true lord, he'd probably have been torn apart by the crazed animals and plants as soon as he arrived.
Tang Xunan and 07 must have been here; there were signs of battles scattered around.
Following these traces, Lu Yan advanced, and the detector's readings had triggered the automatic alarm mechanism due to the high pollution levels.
The deeper he went into the botanical garden, the more singular the plant species became. In the end, there was only one type of tree: the Benghalensis.
Originally used for shade, this large banyan tree had become a nightmare for all in City P during the pollution outbreak.
The ground was covered in its aerial roots, resembling nutrient-carrying veins.
The wind gusted in, sounding like the heavy breathing of this tree.
Though he treaded cautiously, Lu Yan still disturbed it.
The ground trembled, these small trees seemed to come to life, wriggling and making way for Lu Yan.
"Light the candles you previously scavenged from Chen Anzhi. Don't be afraid, move forward, stay calm. Act how hypnotized people would; you are what they are. Understand?"
Lu Yan struggled to empty his gaze and walked forward.
The ground became increasingly damp, gradually turning black, emitting an indescribable stench of decay.
Lu Yan had performed surgeries, received patients, and although scenes might get bloody, they were always with living individuals.
He hadn't smelled much of the scent of the dead.
Passing through a forest that suffocated him, Lu Yan finally saw a clear lake.
At the lake's edge, the banyan tree plunged its robust roots into the water, surrounded by a cluster of cute, white mushrooms.
"[Pollutant level A, Banyan Tree. Contamination score: 9400. Due to its recent origin, it currently possesses intelligence equivalent to a 16-year-old human.]"
"[Talents: Life Extraction, Longevity]"
"Mutational tendencies: Gigantism, Tentacle transformation."
"[Pollutant level A, White Mushroom. Contamination score: 8200. Lacks intelligence, coexists with pollutants.]"
"[Talents: Spore eruption, Fungal infection, Hallucination]"
"Mutational tendencies: Highly toxic, Proliferation." - Serialized Document Sharing and Online Reading
"They both share a fear of fire."
The mutation direction of the large banyan tree was quite similar to what Lu Yan had encountered with Shen Qingyang.
Both undergoing gigantism and tentacle transformations. However, Shen Qingyang's talents were "Life Absorption" and "Mimicry."
"Just a word's difference. Over a hundred serial numbers apart."
Extraction needs processing, absorption doesn't. If it wasn't too much trouble for Tang Xunan, the banyan tree might not have needed help from the 'Creator.'
"The dragon scales are too tough, impossible to nibble."
"In truth, the pollutant talent sequences differ somewhat from human talents, but overall, they tend to evolve in similar directions," the system added.
Holding a burning candle, Lu Yan mechanically repeated, "Praise the Creator, blissful and eternal."
The banyan tree's branches parted, revealing a massive human face hidden within. "Why did you take so long?"
Lu Yan: "I was asleep, tired."
The banyan tree was speechless. Out of respect for the elder, it had to pretend nothing had happened.
Its enormously thick trunk writhed, and the figures covering it seemed to come to life, slowly dispersing to the sides, revealing what lay inside.
"Although the mushroom indeed plunged him into a hallucination, the process wasn't smooth. The mushroom sustained severe injuries, reverting completely to white."
"His mutation level is already quite high, but he has yet to break that barrier... I sense an unsettling aura. He's yours now, but remember our deal."
"Wait, why haven't you descended into this vessel yet?" the banyan tree asked.
Lu Yan lifted his gaze toward the person in front.
The usually solemn chief instructor frowned, head lowered. His face still had the muzzle on, occasionally letting out a few heavy gasps, as though deeply trapped in a nightmare.
Tang Xunan's limbs entwined in the banyan tree's deep brown vines, resembling a suffering Jesus.
Lu Yan had once heard that during crucifixion, the nails used for punishment were driven into the criminal's wrists.
Now, two vines pierced Tang Xunan's wrists, leaving two horrifying bloody holes.
Black dragon scales sprouted from the other person's body, covering even the sides of their cheeks.
The dragon wings on their back seemed damaged, hanging weakly.
Since the banyan tree had retrieved Tang Xunan from its stomach, he was covered in its stomach fluid, sticky.
This stomach fluid seemed somewhat corrosive; his usually neat uniform was now tattered from the acid corrosion.
Lu Yan asked the system, "How do I wake him up?"
"[Dream Entry]."
"That's not right," Lu Yan said. "I feel like everything's too coincidental. Even if it's my luck, it seems too convenient. But I can't shake off the feeling that someone is orchestrating all this from behind."
"[Doubt is also a consequence of excessive use of talents, Host.]"
"I still feel it's not right," Lu Yan persisted.
"System: [?]"
Lu Yan stated a fact in a low, expressionless voice: "I'm aroused."
Seeing the chief instructor in such a wretched state made his heart pound.
This wasn't right.
"System: [...Indeed, that's not quite right.]"
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