When Lu Yan regained consciousness, he felt pain all over his body, as if he had been run over by a giant truck, with even his bones crushed to bits. However, the dizziness was more significant, and his eyes felt strangely sore, with a heavy taste of blood in his mouth.
He called out, "System."
[Here, darling. Mom is here, the pain will fly away.]
"What about him?"
The system knew whom Lu Yan was referring to. After a moment of thought, it replied, "[Infected, forced shutdown.]"
Lu Yan hadn't slept for too long. From being nailed to the cross to regaining consciousness, only half a minute had passed. His current condition seemed like a last gasp, as the intense pain prevented him from even thinking.
The system asked, "[Darling, do you like the new tongue stud?]"
Lu Yan lightly bit down with his teeth and indeed felt something metallic, resembling the cross that had been pulled out of Ulysses's mouth earlier. Considering the conditions in the basement, it didn't seem like a place where disinfectant could clean it.
The system ruthlessly added, "[Yes, not cleaned. I heard there's a type of jade called 'mouth-held jade' that's made in the shape of cicadas. Some believe wearing it can bring resurrection. Using a cross in the mouth should have a similar effect, right?]"
Lu Yan's vision darkened as he struggled to get up from the dirty water. He reached the relatively clean delivery table, originally prepared by Jennifer for her soon-to-be-born child. The crucifix that had been nailed finally came off, and Lu Yan pocketed it, feeling something extra in his pocket.
Round.
"[It's your eyeball. Surprised?]"
Lu Yan touched it, confirming that his eyeball was still intact, then asked in slight shock, "What about the one in my eye?"
"[From little brother. Freshly plucked, not washed.]"
Lu Yan: "..."
Feeling like he was about to faint, Lu Yan, not due to his cleanliness obsession but as a vessel recently inhabited by a "god," struggled to climb up from the dirty water. He reached the somewhat clean production table, originally set up as a crib by Jennifer for her unborn child.
The crucifix was finally taken down, and Lu Yan put it in his pocket, feeling something extra in there—round.
"[That's your eyeball. Surprised?]"
Lu Yan touched it, confirming his eyeball was still there, and asked with a bit of shock, "What about the one in my eye?"
"[From little brother. Freshly plucked, not washed.]"
Lu Yan: "..."
Lu Yan felt like he was about to faint, but it had nothing to do with his cleanliness obsession. As a vessel that had just accepted a "god," still intact and not broken, it was proof of his excellent physical condition.
The system, in Lu Yan's mind, relentlessly pinched his philtrum: "[Don't faint!! Darling, we're only one step away!! Quickly throw away the eyeball, preferably to feed the kingfisher. Then, insert the crucifix into the big brother's tongue.]"
Feeding the eyeball to the kingfisher was mainly for convenience in cleaning up afterward. Otherwise, if he fainted and was later discovered at the hospital with an eyeball in his pocket, it wouldn't end well.
At least for now, others couldn't link Lu Yan to this Blood Moon event.
Inserting the crucifix into the big brother's tongue was to preliminarily erase the kingfisher's autonomy. Lu Yan had already seen what a mature kingfisher looked like.
Struggling to hold his breath, Lu Yan completed the system's instructions. The only thing that made him feel a bit guilty was that the big brother, who was asked to open his mouth, was very obedient. Even when the crucifix pierced his tongue root, there was no sign of resistance.
Or perhaps, the arrival of "little brother" completely extinguished its determination to resist.
Lu Yan could feel his consciousness dispersing, his limbs turning cold, and the pain making his temples throb.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he suddenly sat up in a near-death shock: "Michael."
"[Alive.]"
"Yan..."
"[Also alive. Is it time to inspect our fish pond now? My darling.]"
Lu Yan reassuringly fainted. Regeneration consumed a lot of energy, not enough to keep him conscious.
---
Due to the sudden increase in pollution levels, pollution disease prevention and control centers worldwide had to convene an emergency meeting. Representatives from Zone 1 to Zone 7, with different hair colors and skin tones, gathered with evident concern.
"At 5:32 AM UTC, global pollution levels rose abnormally, resulting in 'Blood Moon Phenomenon' from the equator to polar regions. According to measurements, the average pollution level increased by 8.7 points, with the largest increase in Zone 3, reaching an overall value of 15.7. This pollution spike lasted for 14 minutes and 21 seconds."
"Due to the rise in pollution levels, pollution cases worldwide have significantly increased. Among them, geographical disasters and abnormal weather events account for a higher percentage in pollution cases. Direct and indirect economic losses have exceeded one trillion."
"At 5:46 AM, the Blood Moon disappeared, and pollution levels returned to normal, slightly elevated levels. It's unclear whether this anomaly was caused by human activities."
As the Secretary-General finished speaking, someone immediately voiced, "It can't be human-made. I don't believe anyone can achieve this. We have detected 19 cases of S-level pollutants, 7 on land and 12 in the ocean. According to past data, there's no possibility of synchronously increasing global pollution levels."
"What I care more about is whether this is a random occurrence or the prelude to accelerated evolution. Should the 'Fire Seed Project' enter the second phase earlier?"
The Fire Seed Project was a decision passed by votes from various zones years ago. Named "Fire Seed," it had a dual meaning: stolen flames from Prometheus, symbolizing hope; and the hope that the flame of human civilization could continue.
Even if it disappeared, it should be a grand disappearance rather than silently fading away.
The initial goal of the Fire Seed Project was to control pollution and address its sources. The later goal resembled a forced Plan B, establishing underground survivor bases. With the assistance of a talented "World" Harbinger, the objective might be better achieved. Unfortunately, there was no record of such an individual found globally.
For Plan B, researchers worldwide had contributed their youth and hair, conducting numerous animal and plant modifications to ensure that, in the event of a full-scale pollution outbreak, humanity would not run out of things to eat.
In the last 20 years, engineers from different regions had considered economic size, population, pollution zones, and other factors, completing 173 potential survivor base construction sites across the seven zones. As soon as the order was given, construction could begin.
However, this inevitably symbolized one thing – humanity was about to abandon land, sky, ocean, and even space, retreating into the depths of the Earth.
This wasn't a victory; it might be waiting for death.
Once the survivor bases began construction, the global focus on pollution disease prevention and control would inevitably shift. From proactive prevention
, it would become passive and negative resistance, possibly turning the past sacrifices into a joke.
This was a true trend that could determine the future course of humanity.
Therefore, when this topic was brought up, everyone in the room involuntarily fell into silence.
Minister Wang from Zone 1 solemnly said, "The focus of this meeting is still on pollution disease prevention and control. The early deployment of the second phase of the Fire Seed Project is not the subject of this meeting."
The emergency online meeting lasted for a full hour.
As per the usual protocol, Minister Wang connected with Tang Xunan's earpiece.
According to the initial agreement, Harbingers didn't participate in decision-making but had the same level of knowledge.
Minister Wang could hear the sharp wind in the earpiece. When Tang Xunan flew at full speed, he could reach three times the speed of sound, far exceeding regular aircraft. Therefore, in urgent situations, he preferred to travel alone.
Minister Wang reported the meeting's results, and at the end, casually mentioned the later deployment of the Fire Seed Project.
There was no response from the earpiece. Minister Wang knew it was because, in motion, the wind noise was too loud, making it challenging to transmit sound back.
So, Tang Xunan would give a response only after reaching his destination.
While dealing with documents, Minister Wang waited for the other party to land.
After a long time, Tang Xunan's voice finally came through the phone.
"I disagree," he said.
He didn't have decision-making power, merely representing himself, and simply couldn't accept this outcome.
Tang Xunan folded his dragon wings behind him. Recently, his degree of mutation had decreased a lot, and it had been a while since he had spasms due to dragon bones.
He gripped the yellow dust in his hand. "I've persisted until now because I hope that in the future, humanity can still see the sea and the sky."
Minister Wang remained silent for a long time before saying, "Understood. We will carefully consider your opinion."
In Tang Xunan's earpiece, the cautious voice of the liaison officer came through, "Team Tang, according to the detection, the pollution source center is in the contaminated area near Kroman Manor."
Previously, Lu Yan had mentioned going on a mission. Tang Xunan specifically inquired with the liaison officer about the mission Lu Yan took. Lu Yan hadn't chosen to remain anonymous when accepting the task, so the liaison officer quickly provided the details.
Lu Yan had taken on a B-level mission at Kroman Manor, accompanied by the Harbingers Michael and Qiongshu. From any perspective, this was a team from the current T1 tier. Both Michael and Yanbei had formidable combat abilities; Michael even had innate holy light, making him more than capable of handling a B-level mission.
Tang Xunan had collaborated with Michael before and trusted his skills, believing he could handle the B-level pollution case. Tang Xunan rarely interfered with Lu Yan's decisions. He knew that Lu Yan disliked being restrained. Despite being older and technically Lu Yan's superior, their social status wasn't exactly equal. Therefore, maintaining respect and distance was crucial, especially when delicate flowers in a greenhouse rarely experienced genuine growth.
Upon detecting that the pollution source originated from the third zone, strings in Tang Xunan's mind tightened. He tried to contact Lu Yan, but there was no response. Tang Xunan always preferred to prepare for the worst. Upon hearing the liaison officer's words, he wasn't surprised but struggled to control his anger—anger towards himself.
When Tang Xunan arrived at the outskirts of Kroman Manor's forest, the Harbingers were still figuring out how to enter. They had attempted three times, getting trapped in black mist each time and returning to the starting point. Due to special rules, only on the night of the full moon each month could they pass through the mist and reach the manor deep within the forest. The last full moon night was yesterday.
Raphael sighed, "Tang, didn't expect you to be here too. Michael told me earlier that he took a forum task to explore Kroman Manor, but I can't reach him now."
"I don't believe that the pollutants from Kroman Manor can cause a synchronous global rise in pollution levels," Raphael said. "But the peak of pollution values does come from here."
Before he finished speaking, the sky around them suddenly darkened. Tang Xunan's yellow dust penetrated the ground in front of him, creating a semi-transparent white halo that expanded in a circle.
Raphael, after a moment of realization, identified it as Tang Xunan's another talent: time. In a few minutes, this area completed dozens of day and night cycles until a full moon appeared in the sky, dissipating a significant amount of the black mist enveloping the forest.
Raphael was astonished, "Many years have passed, and you seem stronger than our last encounter. Where are your limits?"
Unfortunately, he didn't get an answer, as Tang Xunan had already entered the forest.
*
On the first level, nothing. The angel with brown hair still hung on the cross, surrounded by a network-like neural structure, and various-sized eyeballs had completely shrunk.
On the second level, nothing. Tang Xunan saw paintings on the corridor, depicting the deaths of three people, with the signature dated a day ago.
On the third level, nothing. But Tang Xunan found Yanbei.
"Lu Yan, he should be underground," he said. "I gave him a flower, and I can feel my little flower underground."
He was still in the plant state, covered in tree roots, making it difficult to move. Tang Xunan replied, "Thank you."
From the first level to the third level, pollution residue was detected on the meter, but overall, it was not high, not even reaching 300. Tang Xunan spent three minutes opening the basement door.
There were no other branching paths in the entire basement, and there were some nauseating parasitic fish in the water, but it didn't affect progress. Just following the water source was enough.
He finally saw the person he was looking for. Lu Yan lay beside a giant monster's corpse, quiet as if asleep. The monster was already dead, with a dagger stuck in its belly. Its grimace showed defiance.
Michael's white feathers were stained red with blood, half of his body submerged in water. If not for his wings gently moving, he would appear lifeless.
Tang Xunan approached Lu Yan. Lu Yan was covered in blood, making it hard to discern the severity of his injuries, but fortunately, there was still a heartbeat and pulse.
Tang Xunan bent over, breathing heavily as if he had survived a disaster. In reality, Lu Yan had awakened from a conscious level when he sensed Tang Xunan's arrival. However, he didn't feel like moving, considering his entire body was in pain.
While pretending to sleep, he felt warm liquid dropping on his face. After a moment, he realized what it was—tears.
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