Contamination Prelude

Chapter 18

Shen Wang pulled out his phone and searched for the SSS-class Contaminant [Tyrant].

He found nothing. That didn't mean the Contaminant didn't exist — Shen Wang just didn't have the clearance.

He stared at the large [TOP SECRET FILE] label on the screen and fell into thought.

“I only found out after my talent awakened — I can see the future.” Lan said, “I was investigating the past while dealing with the Science Academy, and I looked for information about you along the way. But I was locked up in the Science Academy for so long, and I'm on The High Wall's blacklist, so I didn't know your name.”

“But I still found you.” Lan smiled. “That's really good.”

Shen Wang looked at Lan. After a long pause, he finally spoke. ‘Will I also have two talents?’

‘Of course,’ Lan nodded, his tone cold enough to chip ice, showing just how much he loathed it. ‘The Science Academy is a bunch of idiots. They thought my talent came from their modifications, not knowing this is what makes us special. We were born with two talents.’

‘One day, you'll awaken your second talent too.’

Shen Wang wasn't excited about that. He was a laid-back person; having a talent was nice, but not having one was fine too. He could just steal from other Contaminants anyway.

He was more curious about something else.

‘You didn't find Mom and Dad?’

‘No. I went back to our old home, and I've searched the entire Zero Contamination Zone. There's no sign of Mom and Dad there,’ Lan shook his head, but he didn't sound worried. ‘But I don't think anything bad happened to them. They're probably just trapped somewhere and can't get away.’

He lowered his head, a dark glint in his eyes.

‘If I didn't hate the Science Academy so much, I might have stayed to search for clues.’

‘But I couldn't. That place is just too disgusting. I couldn't stand being there a second longer.’

That was entirely understandable — he was a victim of the Science Academy. Earlier, Shen Wang had been relieved he'd never been discovered by the Academy. Now, suddenly he had a new older brother, and that brother had been captured by the Academy, experimented on for ten years, and was now taking furious revenge after growing powerful.

That made perfect sense. No one could say he was wrong.

Shen Wang was already starting to believe. He sat on the sofa and thought for a moment. ‘I have one more question.’

Lan nodded, indicating he should ask.

‘Is there any way to ease this illness?’ Shen Wang was referring to his ‘Genetic Disease’. ‘I need to control the onset periods. I can't have it suddenly flare up when I'm out on a mission with others.’

‘Oh.’ Lan was silent for a moment. ‘I wouldn't actually advise delaying it, because it's a sign of your growth. The faster it comes, the faster your abilities are growing. Once you've eaten enough, it will stall, and you'll enter the next stage of advancement.’

‘But sometimes, it happens as a stress response.’

Lan said, ‘When you encounter a high-level Contaminant and judge that it poses no threat to you, your body will spontaneously enter a feeding state.’

‘You need to watch out for that.’

Shen Wang thought about how likely that was, and eventually decided it wasn't. After all, who would ever assume a high-level Contaminant was harmless?

Just then, with a ding, Shen Wang's communicator buzzed.

He pulled out his phone and saw a notification from Polaris.

[The Science Academy has sent an emergency request for assistance. A rescue mission outside the city is needed. All members are to assemble at the Anti-Contamination Center at 8 a.m. tomorrow.]

‘Emergency rescue request from the Science Academy?’

Shen Wang instinctively turned to look at Lan beside him.

‘So they still had the strength to cry for help.’ Lan's eyes were positively venomous. ‘Looks like I was too merciful.’

Shen Wang: ...

Hah. Polaris had sent him a message to prepare for an out-of-city rescue mission, and the culprit behind that very mission was sitting right next to him.

At that moment, Shen Wang gained a deeper appreciation of the spy game he was playing.

/

The next day, Shen Wang arrived at the Anti-Contamination Center early in the morning as instructed.

Lan had left the day before. After talking with Shen Wang, he said he suddenly felt grounded. He was very happy and wanted to stay with Shen Wang longer, but he had his own things to do.

He needed to search for their missing parents, continue striking at the Science Academy, and find the truth of that year. As long as Shen Wang existed, none of it was meaningless anymore.

Such pure sincerity was a bit hard for Shen Wang to adjust to.

After he saw him off, Shen Wang quietly acted as if nothing had happened.

Before heading out, he finally wore the dispatch team's combat uniform properly for the first time. The black clothing made him look tall and straight, and the uniform lent him an air of steadiness.

But the moment he smiled, that solemnity vanished, and he became that harmless, easygoing person again.

At the door of the Anti-Contamination Center, Zhou Xiangzhe leaned against the wall, head lowered, white strands of hair falling over his shoulders. People around glanced at him nervously again and again, but no one dared make a sound.

Shen Wang spotted him as he walked past.

The instant he saw Zhou Xiangzhe, Shen Wang felt a brief twinge of guilt. After all, he'd just tricked him at Qianzhen Residential Area, and then after coming out, he'd discovered his own brother was the cause of the Science Academy's distress call.

Of course, it wasn't real regret — this so-called guilt barely made him pause for a split second.

But unexpectedly, that momentary pause caught Zhou Xiangzhe's attention. He opened his eyes and said, ‘You're here.’

‘Good morning, Captain Zhou,’ Shen Wang could only offer a polite surface greeting.

‘Perfect timing. I have something for you.’

Zhou Xiangzhe slipped his hand into his pocket, took out a small box, and gestured for Shen Wang to hold out his hand. Under Shen Wang's puzzled gaze, Zhou Xiangzhe placed the item in his palm.

Shen Wang looked at the little box quizzically. ‘A new weapon?’

‘No.’ Zhou Xiangzhe looked into Shen Wang's eyes. ‘You don't like the Suppressor, but I think you'll like this. Go on, open it.’

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow. Since Zhou Xiangzhe put it that way, he didn't stand on ceremony. He opened it and was surprised to find a brand-new pair of earphones. The design was a bit odd but finely made — seemed custom.

Zhou Xiangzhe pointed at his own ear, indicating he should put them on.

‘I copied every song I could find onto them, including ones Polaris got during previous expeditions,’ Zhou Xiangzhe said calmly. ‘But these earphones are also the team's intercom communicator. I added that function for you separately — don't let anyone else find out.’

Shen Wang looked up in surprise.

The music playing in his ears was soft and gentle, a woman's voice lilting. They were indeed songs Shen Wang had never heard before, belonging to a shining corner of the old era. Even just listening, you could imagine how people in those pre-apocalypse days lived in peace and prosperity.

He remembered Zhou Xiangzhe mentioning he had music tapes at home, but he never expected Zhou Xiangzhe would actually give them to him like this.

Zhou Xiangzhe was a good person!

‘Thanks, I really like them,’ Shen Wang thanked him genuinely.

Zhou Xiangzhe's expression softened, as if he'd let out a relieved breath.

He said, ‘I'm glad you like them.’

Zhou Xiangzhe really didn't have many friends — Ming Guang was the exception. He didn't know how to get along with people, so he just quietly did nice things for them. That's what he did as a kid, and it's all he knew how to do as an adult.

He remembered Shen Wang liked listening to music, so he'd kept instinctively collecting these things. After so many years of gathering, he'd sometimes wonder if Shen Wang would actually like them.

Now that he'd finally given this gift, Shen Wang loved it.

And he finally felt at ease.

Shen Wang had no idea about Zhou Xiangzhe's complicated feelings. He just smiled while listening to the music and invited Zhou Xiangzhe to head inside together.

After receiving a gift he truly liked, he didn't mind being a little gentler with the giver.

Soon it was eight o'clock, and all members of Polaris were in place.

The Science Academy had sent three emergency distress signals in total, at three different locations around the laboratory. Each one claimed to be carrying important data from this experiment.

Everyone knew that was the key to survival — whether true or false, that's what they'd say. Everyone present knew that, but unfortunately they didn't have time to figure out which was real. The Science Academy also demanded they retrieve the crucial experimental data.

In the end, Polaris had to split into three teams and head to three different locations to search for survivors.

This time, Shen Wang was assigned with Zhou Xiangzhe, along with a female team member named ‘Baihe.’ The three of them, together with the Anti-Contamination Center's support, headed to the most dangerous location of this rescue: the lair of the Grade A Contaminant, [Hundred Eyes].

That was the last known location of the researcher most likely to be carrying the critical data.

/

Outside the wall was familiar territory for Shen Wang. After all, he'd roamed outside for three years, so he was skilled at identifying Contaminant lairs.

Like a place that was instantly recognizable as off.

Amid the surrounding broken walls and ruins stood a gallery, as intact and dazzling as an art cathedral. Green ivy climbed the building, tender yellow flowers bloomed out of season, and early morning dewdrops hung on the leaves — brimming with life.

This was nothing like the atmosphere the apocalypse should have.

Combat personnel quickly set up equipment around it, various detection lights blinking on. No one was in a joking mood. They stared at the building as if staring at some terrifying monster.

After adjusting all the data and confirming everything, the detection staff nodded to Zhou Xiangzhe.

‘Alright,’ Zhou Xiangzhe secured his Contamination Suppressor. ‘Combat team, enter.’

The interior wasn't much different from the outside. A long corridor was clean and spotless, pure white walls covered with paintings. Each painting had its own light above it, all switched on, the incandescent glow hitting the glass frames with a cold touch.

What made it uncomfortable: every single painting was a human self-portrait. The men and women in the self-portraits were painted in warm, vivid colors, but they were riddled with clusters of eyes.

Eyes filled the eye sockets, eyes inside the mouths, eyes even in the temples. Who knew if the skin beneath the clothes was covered in eyes too.

‘So many eyes,’ Shen Wang frowned at the paintings. ‘Aberration Contamination?’

‘It's said that the A27 Contaminant, [Hundred Eyes], was a painter before becoming a Contaminant,’ a female voice sounded beside Shen Wang. He turned and saw Baihe.

Baihe wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was very gentle — the kind whose looks grew on you.

She nodded at Shen Wang and continued, ‘She was a very successful painter, from a prestigious family, with a famous teacher. Young and highly reputed, one of her paintings could sell for an astronomical price. But at the height of her success, a car accident took her eyes.’

‘The most precious things for a painter are the hand holding the brush and the eyes to see the world.’

‘After that, she went mad. She stayed mad until the apocalypse arrived. After she was contaminated, her lost eyes grew back, and she grew many, many more.’

Shen Wang asked a question, ‘Then how was she observed? An ordinary person would have a hard time surviving after spotting a Grade A Contaminant.’

‘You're right,’ Baihe sighed helplessly. ‘Hundred Eyes was observed by several dispatch team members. One of them sent a message to the Anti-Contamination Center during observation.’

She pressed the communicator on her ear, and the next moment a strange male voice echoed in Shen Wang's ear.

This was the message that dispatch team member sent back just before his death.

‘I am Hu Ying, a member of the Half-Dream Dispatch Team, C-class Mutant. Our team observed a strange location on the way back. Inside, electric lights and paintings are hanging, all covered in eyes. We judge this to be the lair of an unknown Contaminant.’

'To get a handle on the situation, the captain took us inside, but right after we entered, our teammate immediately underwent Aberration and turned into a shapeless Aberrant covered in eyes.'

‘The captain immediately realized this place was beyond our capability, but when we tried to leave, we couldn't find the door.’

‘They became paintings, paintings full of eyes!’

‘The captain grew so many, many eyes! I saw myself reflected in the captain's eyes, and I had so many eyes too, and those eyes were all laughing...’

‘Grade A! The paintings are signed [Hundred Eyes]!’

The voice cut off abruptly. Shen Wang looked again at the paintings before him, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease and disgust.

Baihe murmured softly, ‘I wonder how many of these paintings were once humans who became contaminated.’