Lu Yan felt that, compared to the pollutants in the distance, there was something more pressing at the moment.
"It's nothing, don't tease me." He said seriously.
The non-existent system clenched its fist: [Calling you a princess, how is that teasing? It's love, pure love!]
The moon overhead indeed had a faint red hue. Whether in the East or the West, a red moon was always associated with ominous events.
Annoying flies buzzed ahead, leading the way.
On the path to the manor, the road kept narrowing, and thorns on both sides grew thicker, with deep black spines. Small animals occasionally darted through, making rustling sounds.
Lu Yan's clothes were made of special leather from the Eighth Research Institute, taken from the hide of a polluted yellow ox. Even the thorns on plant stems couldn't pierce it, but now, it was cut into strands by black thorns.
To avoid getting scratched, Lu Yan had scales growing around his legs, golden and slightly reflective.
Curious, Yan Bei used the small tentacles on his head to scratch: "Lu Yan, are you a fish?"
He scratched in a way that made Lu Yan ticklish.
The system was amazed: [So, so stimulating!]
Lu Yan:?
System: [I'm talking about the pollutants in the distance, don't overthink it.]
Lu Yan: "Enough, when I return home, I'll contact the Third Research Institute for talent transplantation surgery."
[...]
[Kroman Manor has been a gathering place for the Truth Society since the 16th century. Each generation's owners have been burned at the stake. Typically, the wife remains childless for many years, and the husband doesn't divorce. Most likely, it's the man's issue. This polluted couple, who became pollutants, followed the same fate. Businessmen reluctant to let their oceanic companies die out join the Truth Society to perpetuate their inferior genes. Guided by the truth, he obtained something special.]
[In short, the wife became pregnant. However, she also began to mutate, and the businessman had to find a place to hide her. So, he chose the haunted Kroman Manor and invited his Truth Society friends, including the doctor, to await the birth of the child.]
[In the second year of pregnancy, the wife had fully mutated into a pollutant. Unfortunately, she was just a low-level pollutant without emotions. She was confined in the basement of the manor, awaiting the birth of the child.]
[All the maids knew that the lady of the manor had gone insane. Delivering meals to her paid well, but it was also dangerous.]
[These maids, many of them were Filipino or girls from certain coastal provinces. Driven by family to earn money in the Europa continent, they had no relatives here, couldn't speak Western languages. If they died, no one would care, making them suitable for the lady's dinner.]
[My poor girls, poor sacrifices.]
[If nothing unexpected happens, this fetus could have been born, but unfortunately, something did happen...]
The system lowered its voice: [This boss in the instance has three parts. I think you've guessed it: the doctor, the businessman, and the wife. Your task is to make the wife give birth to the "eyes." Then erase the autonomous consciousness of the eyes, so we can get a beautiful pair, my treasure.]
"This seems different from the information provided in the documents."
The system sneered: [If it's entirely the same, what do you need me for?]
Lu Yan began to pray that the pollution level in this area wouldn't exceed the documented six thousand seven, or it would be challenging to handle.
He glanced at his phone signal, unsurprisingly showing "No Service."
[Reminding won't help; it's not a technical issue.]
After passing through the forest, they faced a pitch-black lake. On the central island stood a Gothic-style castle with crosses hanging from its spires.
Michael pondered, saying, "There are too many crosses on it."
The silver spear coughed, "Gentlemen, there's no path from the lake to the castle. I'll go check if there's a boat."
Michael interrupted him, "No need for that."
He slung the heavy sword behind him, spreading his pure white wings with a hint of golden feathers at the base.
Michael opened his arms, gesturing for Lu Yan and Yan Bei to come closer, "I've had specific training. Carrying up to three hundred kilograms in flight is no problem; I'll take you there."
Lu Yan frowned, "Do we have to be carried? Can't we use another method?"
Before, at the mermaid club, he was carried by Yang Tianxin, then at the research institute, carried by 01; the experience was terrible.
Michael hesitated, "Carrying is an option, but it's better not to mention it on social media. I have many followers, and they might come to scold you."
That's thinking too much, Michael.
Lu Yan lifted Yan Bei, who looked at him in confusion, and a white flower bloomed on his head.
He was much heavier than Lu Yan imagined.
[After all, he's a tree, not a person.]
Michael carried Lu Yan and flew from the ground.
With both of them weighing over 300 kilograms, he flew unsteadily, as if he could fall from the sky at any moment.
The system choked: [Your first high-altitude flight, and you didn't give the dog-dragon the chance! ?]
Lu Yan asked expressionlessly, "Should I jump down to save face? Remember to erect a memorial for me next year."
After saying that, he looked down at the lake below.
The lake was pitch-black, with disgusting pustules floating on the surface and many small whirlpools.
These whirlpools kept spinning in the muddy swamp, like eyes full of malice, dizzying if stared at for too long.
Not far from the lake shore, an old hunter took off his hat and waved at them.
Because the water below was too dirty, Lu Yan couldn't help but hold Michael a bit tighter, accidentally pulling out a golden feather.
Taking advantage of Michael's unawareness, Lu Yan discreetly stuffed the feather back.
Michael glanced at him, struggling, "Since you pulled it off, you can keep it. Burning this feather can trigger the talent of Holy Light temporarily, repelling pollutants of a level weaker than Michael."
[Limited to pollutants weaker than Michael.]
From this, it was evident that Michael was indeed a well-rounded support-type warrior, no wonder he was confident in leading newcomers through instances.
The manor gate was dilapidated, with iron bars entwined with thorns.
A sign at the entrance read: Private Manor, Keep Out.
Approaching, they discovered that each cross on the manor had a person nailed to it. These people had been dead for a long time, and only skeletons remained after exposure to wind and sun.
Michael drew the red sword from his back, cutting the already weak chains.
The lock sounded like it was burning, emitting a slight sizzle. The thorns entwined on it were cut in half, and the oozing liquid was as red as blood.
[Thorns twisted by resentment, wild plants polluted afterward, pollution
value 1500. Renewable, after refining, can become a primary material for fishing nets.]
[Where they grow, often many people died unjustly.]
Michael took out a detector; by now, the pollution value around them had risen to 3500.
He turned and instructed, "I'll lead the way; follow closely, don't get lost."
Still concerned, Michael pulled out a few more golden feathers and gave one to Lu Yan and Yan Bei each.
Yan Bei thanked him quietly, then thought for a moment and secretly used a small knife to cut his own arm.
Transparent blood flowed out, resembling mineral water.
Six white flowers bloomed on his head.
Yan Bei plucked them and gave five to Lu Yan, reluctantly giving one to Michael.
"This can be eaten," he explained in a low voice.
Lu Yan hadn't done anything yet and already received three feathers and five flowers.
[As a reward, you can give them the golden scales. After all, you're a koi.]
Lu Yan felt that, even as a koi, based on his past experiences, he was probably a koi with debuffs.
So, he didn't attempt such a suicidal act.
Today's moonlight seemed exceptionally bright.
In the long-neglected garden, the fountain had dried up, revealing some marble carvings at the bottom. Lu Yan swept his eyes, finding patterns not of traditional roses or honeysuckle leaves, but tentacles covered in lumps.
Because it was a relief sculpture, at first glance, it seemed like octopus tentacles lying at the bottom of the garden.
[The businessman engaged in ocean shipping, with some ancient ocean worship. Influenced by the Truth Society, he believed in an unnamed old god. This old god had an indescribable appearance, but the most common form was tentacles.]
[Luckily, he didn't live to see Shen Qingyang become a pollutant. Otherwise, seeing it, he might have gone crazy with joy.]
Michael pushed open the castle gate.
The ancient castle was pitch black inside, and upon entering, they found themselves in a church-like square, bathed in the soft moonlight streaming through the stained glass windows of the dome. The distant cries of a baby, coupled with the eeriness of the surroundings, created a palpable atmosphere reminiscent of a horror movie.
Equipped with night vision, Lu Yan could discern more details. In the center of the hall loomed a massive crucifix, bearing the body of an excessively tall figure, estimated to be at least 3 meters in height.
Chains dangled from the ceiling, binding the limbs of the body, and two long, sharp steel nails pierced through its eye sockets. The wings behind the body, once vibrant crimson, now hung limply. Its feet had transformed into root-like structures, resembling tree roots, extending all the way down to the ground.
The desiccated body shed tears of blood.
[Clearly, this is a highly distorted Harbinger. The one by your side, Michael, should be more familiar with him...]
[Though the three bosses in the castle have different motives, their attitude towards outsiders is consistent.]
Michael, after scanning the room, lamented, "Is this for real? In the 22nd century, and they don't even have electric lights? Even live-action murder mystery games have moved beyond this." With that, he pulled out his phone and activated a powerful flashlight.
As the light fell upon the figure hanging on the crucifix, Michael gasped, recoiling in shock. He spread his wings and ascended swiftly.
Trembling, Michael tentatively placed his fingers beneath the nose of the crucified figure. No breath.
Although they had anticipated it, Michael couldn't help but tightly grip the enormous sword in his hand, murmuring, "Uriel."
In ancient religious myths, there were four Archangels by God's side: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. While the veracity of such myths remained uncertain, in the current world, there indeed were four such Harbingers.
They had awakened during the early stages of the contamination pandemic, growing angelic wings in response to similar events. For decades, they had used their mortal bodies to shield the world from harm.
The names of the four Archangels were nearly as renowned abroad as Tang Xunan was domestically.
"Uriel was my comrade, missing for twenty-six years. When he disappeared, his spiritual power threshold was 6100. Headquarters searched for a long time without any leads. Investigating past emails, we discovered that he had been privately investigating the Truth Society..."
"The Truth Society was a religious sect popular in the peninsula in the last century, with a focus on mysticism. At that time, the Blissful Sect and the Truth Society, one in the East and the other in the West, attracted many followers. Now, both are considered cults. The former's leader is the infamous S-class pollutant, True God. However, the head of the Truth Society, seemingly a Harbinger, goes by the codename Yahweh, claiming to be God."
Michael's gaze fell to Uriel's abdomen, where an exquisitely crafted dagger, adorned with roses and lilies, was inserted. This was Uriel's dagger, an A-class spiritual weapon named Hellfire.
"Uriel took his own life. Sensing that his contamination level was about to surpass the limit, he chose suicide... But someone hung his body here." Michael's expression grew colder. "The weapon wasn't taken. Uriel's spiritual weapon, Hellfire, has a corrosive effect on pollutants, making it effective against conscious high-level pollutants."
He pulled out the dagger, returning to the ground. His gaze shifted between Lu Yan and Yan Bei before handing the blade to Lu Yan.
"Take it. Return it after we leave."
[Hellfire, A-class spiritual weapon.]
[Congratulations, you briefly possess the strongest dagger in human history. It has indeed been bathed in the blood of gods, possessing caustic and corrosive properties against all pollutants, excluding mental types. If not for Uriel, the child in the wife's belly could have been born 26 years ago.]
[Isn't it cool? Now, give it a try. The first floor of the castle belongs to the businessman, the second and third floors to the doctor, and the basement is the wife's delivery room.]
[Now, the businessman has been released.]
The moonlight seemed to vanish from the sky, leaving the room in complete darkness.
Yan Bei's hair clung tightly to Lu Yan's arm.
Michael, frowning, sequentially lit the wall lamps.
Lu Yan whispered, "My talent alert just went off."
Almost the next moment, the floor split open, forming a crevice nearly a meter wide. A semi-transparent slime oozed out, resembling a partially developed egg. The egg white was covered in blood vessels, and within the yolk hung numerous round eyeballs.
Lu Yan took out his bow and arrow, letting loose a shot.
The silver arrowhead struck the eyeball, bursting into a spray of blood.
[Don't stare at those eyes. Looking directly at them will accelerate the rate of contamination and mutation.]
[This is evidently not the entire body of the businessman. The slime continues to pour out, quickly spreading on the ground like waves, surging towards them.]
[Businessman, pollution level 6100. Mutation direction: Slimification.]
[I refuse to admit it's still human. I think its mutation direction is transforming into a pollutant slime.]
[In those thousands of eyes, one is its core. This slime is its gastric fluid, possessing strong corrosive and polluting properties. If only you could fly, it would be so much better.]
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