Chapter 82

Just then, Luo Li’s tent flap was pulled open.

The boy, freshly bandaged, stepped out from inside. His cheeks were a little flushed, and he clutched a first-aid kit in his hands.

Meanwhile, the King Snake lounging by the lake suddenly plunged back into the water, hiding its entire serpentine tail from view.

Soi froze for a moment.

This thing…

Was it embarrassed?

Luo Li hadn’t noticed the King Snake at all. He shuffled over to Soi’s side, hesitantly thrusting the first-aid kit into his hands.

“Thanks for saving me back there.”

The dark-skinned young man set his gun aside and accepted the kit.

“No problem. It was the least I could do.”

Luo Li edged a little closer, as if he had something more to say. Soi gazed out at the now-calm lake surface and turned to him. “How about we talk somewhere else? It’s too windy here.”

Luo Li nodded eagerly. He followed Soi to the center of the camp and sat down across from him.

“Kroya just told me that if we want to get back inside the Wall, we’ll need to distract the Patrol Team on guard duty.”

“Yeah. But don’t worry about it. We’ve got people on the inside who’ll open a back door for us.”

Luo Li hesitated. “But I…”

He wasn’t one of the poachers, but he wasn’t exactly a law-abiding citizen either.

If the Patrol Team found out what line of work he was in, that would spell big trouble.

“I want you to take him back inside the Wall,” Kroya said as he walked over. “What do you think, Soi?”

Soi felt a flicker of surprise, but he quickly pieced together the reason.

If the whole group tried to return inside the Wall at once, it would raise suspicions, so they had to slip in by batches.

And as a high-profile criminal, he would draw the most scrutiny from the Patrol Team.

The best plan was for him to escort Luo Li back to base while Kroya and the others handled the Patrol Team.

Soi crossed his arms with a grin.

“Got it. I’ll see that he gets back safely.”

Kroya nodded and went off to pack the gear they’d need for tomorrow.

Soi rubbed his temple with a headache, letting out a wry chuckle.

Judging by the King Snake’s aroused state from earlier, it was bound to follow them the whole way and force itself on Luo Li.

He might have gotten lucky and beaten the creature once, but next time? Human genes were far too fragile against a mutated dangerous species.

This journey back was going to be perilous.

Luo Li seemed to read his mind and looked a bit sheepish, though he was reluctant to admit he was just a useless deadweight.

He could only duck his head, mumbling softly in a mix of reluctance and guilt. “D-do you think I’m a burden? That dragging me along is too much trouble?”

“Trouble? Nah…” Soi narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

As he spoke, the piercing in his tongue gleamed with an eerie light, and the scorpion tattoos covering his body seemed to writhe like living things.

Luo Li, who had just mustered the courage to get closer, hastily retreated two steps.

His small hands flailed about uncertainly as he waved them frantically. “N-no, not at all—I swear I’m not scared—”

Then his hand was gently caught.

Soi lifted Luo Li’s pale, soft hand and bowed his head like a knight performing a ritual salute. In a low chuckle, he murmured, “Fair enough. Nothing to be afraid of.”

“It would be my honor to serve you, Princess Highness.”

…

The next day, the poachers split into two groups and set off toward the Wall.

Unlike the journey out, they now had to pass through the bottom level of the sinkhole and take a secret passage back to base.

Luo Li waited by the vehicle, curiously surveying the sinkhole’s depths.

The lower levels plunged into unfathomable darkness, where countless waterfalls converged into a massive, abyssal pool.

The collapse here was far more severe than in the middle or upper layers, and miasma swirled thickly, making the whole scene look incredibly hazardous.

Whispers rippled through the group nearby.

“I hear the collapses are still happening down there. A team went in a few days ago and never came back.”

“Wonder if the Marshal’s squad will make it back safe.”

“They say the pollution down below is brutal. Once it gets in you, you’re as good as dead.”

“That’s why the Marshal’s hunting for the pollution source. Rumor has it only the source can absorb the pollution. Without it, everyone who’s been tainted is done for.”

The atmosphere grew heavy, and Luo Li felt it keenly.

Sweat beaded in his palms.

Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind him. “Excuse me, mind making way?”

Luo Li turned and saw a figure swathed head to toe in bandages. Only one eye remained normal; the skin around the socket had rotted away, exposing raw, pulpy flesh.

Luo Li jumped in fright and stumbled aside to clear a path.

This person was…

“Whoa, another one polluted.”

Murmurs rose from behind. “Doesn’t look like he’s got long.”

So this was what pollution did?

Luo Li had always been sheltered before. Confronting the post-apocalyptic brutality head-on for the first time, his heart hammered wildly, and his blood felt like it was turning to ice.

At that moment, Soi arrived and led him onto the cable car.

“Once we reach the deep layer, we’ll stay overnight in a containment shelter.”

“You’re not with the poacher crew, so we need to give you a believable cover to get inside.”

Soi hung a tag around Luo Li’s neck. Luo Li glanced down: D-Level Pollution Patient, Mild Symptoms.

Pollution triggered genetic mutations in anyone infected—the only difference was the severity.

Fortunately, low-level pollution rarely spread person-to-person, mostly through bodily fluids.

That kept low-level cases from being outright banned from travel, though people still shunned them.

“So, is there a cure for this pollution?”

“Low levels can be treated with injections. Higher levels… only the pollution source can absorb it.”

Through these past days, Luo Li had gleaned some basics about the pollution source.

It was an extraordinarily dangerous organism dwelling beneath the deep pool at the sinkhole’s bottom. The King Snake and other dangerous species were drawn to it obsessively.

It could spread pollution—or absorb it. In short, it could save lives or end them.

“Stick close to me once we’re there. No wandering off.”

The cable car doors slid open, revealing the deep layer of the sinkhole.

The deeper one went, the more unstable the rock faces became, so sturdy load-bearing walls had been erected everywhere visible to prevent collapses.

Containment shelters dotted the area, offering rest or refuge to travelers.

Soi chose Shelter No. 4 for them—decent conditions, but pricey.

“Hello, sorry about this, but the room you booked is unavailable due to unforeseen issues. Can we move you to another floor?”

The bionic person at reception handed over a new keycard.

Luo Li eyed their original room. This floor showed no signs of renovation or damage—why the change?

“Well, one of our clients had special needs and paid double to book out the entire floor.”

What kind of big shot?

This was a containment shelter, not a luxury resort.

The surroundings were sheer rock walls. Sure, there was a little stream, but it was pitch-black. What view?

Soi shrugged it off. “You want to switch? If not, I can outbid them.”

Luo Li thought for a second. “Better switch. No point provoking some arrogant bully.”

They took a room on another floor. After settling their things, they headed out just in time for dinner.

But as they reached the ground floor, a squad of Patrol Team soldiers in full gear appeared, rifles at the ready, blocking the crowd.

…This was bad.

Why were they here?!

Luo Li’s heart pounded in panic. Soi was still upstairs—should he head back?

Before he could turn, soldiers sealed off his retreat.

“Don’t move. Inspection!”

The sudden checks baffled everyone.

Luo Li overheard murmurs. “Probably some bigwig showed up and they’re screening for high-level polluters.”

The soldiers wielded strange devices, drawing blood from each person to test pollution levels.

Sweat slicked Luo Li’s palms. He wasn’t polluted at all, but that fake tag around his neck would give him away.

If they caught on, he was finished.

A line had already formed outside the testing room. Luo Li scanned for a gap to slip away.

But before he could, a soldier grabbed his wrist.

“Looking sneaky. What’re you up to?”

The soldier shoved him onto a chair. A mishmash of colorful testing gear sat on the table—looked like a shoddy operation.

Luo Li froze in the seat, hearing the soldier bark, “Arm out.”

Pale-faced, the boy looked utterly spooked. His long lashes trembled in disarray, his lips bitten white, guilt practically etched on his features.

The soldier grew impatient. “Extend your arm.”

Luo Li’s mind raced. At last, he stammered timidly, “I-I get faint at the sight of blood.”

He bobbed his head stiffly. “Whenever I see blood, I pass out. Takes forever to come to.”

Given how terrified he looked, it seemed to back up his claim.

“Then don’t look. Just close your eyes.”

Luo Li stared at the sharp needle on the blood-drawing device. “I-I, I have a phobia of needles. I just can’t handle getting pricked.”

“So you’re saying you can’t get tested, right?”

Luo Li let out a weak hum.

The soldier nearly laughed in frustration. “Are you messing with me?”

“But I really haven’t been badly polluted. Look, I’m perfectly fine.”

Luo Li softened his tone like he was pleading, begging, “Can’t you just skip checking me? Please?”

“That’s not up to you, kid. Do you know who’s staying in this Containment Shelter right now? We can’t afford a single mistake.”

Luo Li racked his brains for a long moment. “Is it… the Marshal?”

The most powerful person at the bottom of the Sinkhole—besides the Marshal, he couldn’t think of anyone else.

The soldier was speechless. “The Marshal has his own quarters. Why would he stay in the Containment Shelter? Besides, he’s immune to Pollution anyway. He doesn’t need to worry about it.”

“Well, if even the Marshal doesn’t need all this hassle to test everyone, then how are the rest of you more important than him? Are you abusing your… um, abusing your authority?”

Luo Li stumbled over his words, struggling to string together a barely logical argument, but his calves were already trembling nonstop, and his eyes were welling up with a thin rim of red from sheer fear.

He fought back his terror and tried to sound calm. “I think some people are just overly particular, all delicate and pampered…”

“Oh? Who’s overly particular?”

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind him. The moment Luo Li heard it, he froze solid.

He lifted his head bit by bit, meeting those sharp, light-brown eyes.

Dressed in flashy opulence, handsome and arrogant, radiating overwhelming presence.

Saibansi’s face showed no expression as he walked over step by step.

“No blood draw? Fine.”

“Saliva, semen, or another bodily fluid test. Pick one.”