Chapter 2
The pitch-black room was devoid of any light. Human eyes would take a long time to adjust to such darkness, and even then, discerning the room’s layout would be impossible.
Shi Xu hated the dark, yet forced himself to adapt. He wanted to break free from the shackles of memory, to avoid distractions during future battles caused by recalling unpleasant experiences.
Since the war’s end, he had tried countless times, but each attempt ended in failure.
Shi Xu had never experienced deep sleep. Shortly after drowsiness set in, he would sense a familiar presence approaching.
In the darkness, an unknown entity would envelop him. Its body, unlike a human’s, lacked limbs. Countless vine-like appendages would bind his arms and legs, restricting his movements.
The pollutant seemed to understand human language, repeating a few words in his ear—the only words it seemed to have learned—
[Mine… Mine…]
Many espers still didn’t know what lay beyond the rifts. Shi Xu had been there twice. It was a dark abyss where one couldn’t see their own hand. Losing a light source meant losing one’s way, becoming susceptible to the pollutants’ allure and losing oneself.
Both times, Shi Xu had been entangled by the same pollutant.
The pollutant clung to him, frantically, exposing its limited vocabulary and terrifying possessiveness.
It seemed to consider him its property, wanting to keep him by its side forever.
Everyone believed Shi Xu could easily kill pollutants, even sealing an SSS-class pollutant effortlessly. But no one knew that he had twice been lost in the pollutant’s embrace, nearly succumbing to the rift.
Had he failed, no one would remember him. He would have been just another casualty, receiving posthumous recognition, quickly forgotten.
At 2:47 am, Shi Xu awoke.
Years of training allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness instantly.
Winter was approaching, and the room was unheated. The late-night temperature was low, yet Shi Xu was drenched in sweat. He pulled open his pajama collar, exposing a large portion of his chest.
In the darkness, a small, glowing white light emanated from his left shoulder.
Shi Xu stared at the light, unblinking, for a long moment. He grabbed the dagger from under his pillow and, expressionless, stabbed his left shoulder. Like previous times, the tip met resistance, as if striking hard metal. His fragile skin was protected by an invisible, impenetrable shell.
A sarcastic smile touched his lips.
He was being protected by a pollutant.
…
Covered in sweat, Shi Xu felt uncomfortable. He grabbed fresh clothes and entered the bathroom.
The sound of running water didn’t mask the noise from outside. His bedroom was on the second floor. Something was climbing the wall, clinging to the window, lightly tapping the glass.
Shi Xu closed his eyes, listening intently. The sound vanished, as if it were merely his imagination.
He didn’t linger in the bathroom. The moment he opened the door, the sound returned.
He immediately walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window on the left, pulling back the heavy black curtains. Moonlight instantly illuminated half the room.
There were no towering trees or tall buildings outside, offering a clear view. The potted plants on the balcony swayed in the night breeze. Nothing else was there.
Shi Xu opened the window, letting the cold wind wash over him. Once his body cooled down, he returned to his bedroom.
The room plunged back into darkness.
This time, Shi Xu slept soundly until morning.
Shi Xu lived a monotonous life, like a robot strictly following its programming.
He woke at 6:30 am, worked out for an hour in the gym, showered and ate breakfast in half an hour, and left the house at 8:10 am, arriving at the Anomaly Management Bureau at 8:20 am.
As captain, arriving early was expected, though he didn’t understand why the captain had to set an example by arriving ten minutes earlier than his subordinates.
But since his father demanded it, he complied.
Breakfast was toast bought from the bakery the previous night, two fried eggs, a few lettuce leaves, and a glass of milk.
To save time, he skipped heating the toast and milk.
Shi Xu left two minutes earlier than usual. Recently, a guest had appeared outside his villa. For a week now, the little black cat had been waiting by his gate at this time.
Today was no different.
The little black cat was curled up by a pillar. At the sound of the opening door, it immediately stood up. As Shi Xu emerged, it rubbed against his legs, mewing softly.
Shi Xu tossed the cat a can of food. The cat meowed several more times, its black tail wrapping around his ankle affectionately. Only after these displays of affection did it lower its head to eat.
Shi Xu petted the cat for two minutes, then, on time, left without a backward glance, heading towards the Anomaly Management Bureau.
As Shi Xu’s footsteps faded into the distance, the little black cat, still engrossed in its food, was suddenly enveloped by a shadow. It looked up in confusion, bits of meat falling from its whiskers.
“Meow—”
Shi Xu didn’t have training today, but from the moment he stepped into the bureau, he had no time to rest.
After half a month of peace, the Variant army had returned. Two-thirds of the bureau’s personnel were deployed. As captain, Shi Xu not only had to command but also provide support. After a busy day, eliminating the last Variant in the West District, it was exactly clock-out time.
Shi Xu straightened his combat uniform, addressing his assistant, “I’m going home.”
The assistant looked troubled. “Captain, a new type of Variant has appeared in the X District…”
Shi Xu’s brow furrowed slightly, quickly smoothing out before anyone noticed. He asked calmly, “Isn’t Lin Quan in charge of the X District?”
Lin Quan, a vice-captain of the Anomaly Management Bureau, was equal in strength to the other two vice-captains but the most rebellious of the three.
He was among the first wave of awakened espers. Before Shi Xu’s appointment, he had been a strong candidate for captain. After being passed over, he constantly antagonized Shi Xu.
When it came to official matters, Shi Xu didn’t think Lin Quan would deliberately cause trouble. It was just a new type of Variant; he didn’t believe Lin Quan couldn’t handle it.
The assistant said, “These Variants are very tricky. Even Vice-Captain Lin is at a loss.”
If only Qi Yu were present, Shi Xu would have scoffed and called Lin Quan useless.
He had to maintain his gentle and amiable image in front of others. He had been targeted by Lin Quan numerous times, always ignoring the provocations. However, as Qi Yu said, he was vengeful at heart. If he found someone’s weakness, he wouldn’t hesitate to exploit it.
It had been 2 minutes and 3 seconds past his clock-out time. Another day of overtime.
Couldn’t even handle this and still dreamed of being captain?
Suppressing his impatience, Shi Xu headed towards the X District.
Stray animals were ideal hosts for pollutants. Therefore, most Variants originated from them.
The X District was an old part of the city. The filthy sewers housed a colony of rats. Parasitized by pollutants, they mutated, using the stench to mask their scent, lurking for a week before emerging at noon today, attacking stray cats and dogs. After consuming and merging with them, they possessed the agility of cats, the sharp teeth of dogs, and the viruses of rats.
Lin Quan had initially thought it was a simple mission, bringing seven team members. They battled the Variants for half an hour, resulting in three members being bitten. To prevent the spread of pollution and viruses, the injured were immediately sent for treatment.
Reinforcements arrived, but faced with over a hundred rat Variants, even more personnel wouldn’t be enough.
Their only consolation was the successful evacuation of residents from the area, preventing further harm.
Lin Quan hid atop a tall building. The prolonged battle had nearly drained his strength. His breathing was ragged, but he had to maintain composure in front of his team.
“Vice-Captain, Captain Shi is here to support us!” A team member exclaimed with delight, his words laced with admiration for Shi Xu.
The name Shi Xu was synonymous with hope. The previously demoralized team members’ eyes lit up.
Lin Quan’s lips twitched. He couldn’t hold back any longer, exhaling heavily, his dark eyes filled with resentment.
Shi Xu!
Just an ordinary human without abilities. What made him better than Lin Quan?
A bullet whizzed past, narrowly grazing Lin Quan’s cheek before embedding itself in the wall behind him, piercing the forehead of a mutated rat hiding in a crevice.
Green liquid splattered, covering half of Lin Quan’s face. The stench instantly filled the air.
The initially excited team members froze, staring at the equally stunned Lin Quan.
A helicopter hovered above the building. Shi Xu descended from the sky, landing steadily on the rooftop.
The cold wind blew his hair from his forehead, revealing his sharp, defined features. The setting sun cast an orange-red glow in his light-colored eyes, revealing icy killing intent. His usually gentle voice was now cold, “Still stunned? Do you want to die?”
Lin Quan shuddered, momentarily feeling that the killing intent wasn’t directed at the Variant horde behind him, but at him.
Before he could confirm this thought, Shi Xu had already rallied his subordinates into action.
Lin Quan looked down at the headless rat at his feet. The breath he had just released hitched in his throat, threatening to choke him.
He had been careless. If Shi Xu hadn’t intervened, he might have been bitten.
Injury wasn’t the issue; the advanced medical team would heal him. Loss of face, however, was a grave matter.
Unwilling to be outdone, Lin Quan gritted his teeth, summoning his remaining strength to join the battle.
Then, Shi Xu’s overly solicitous voice echoed beside him—
“Vice-Captain Lin, if you’re tired, go rest. You’ve been fighting for three hours!”
“Vice-Captain Lin, it seems you’re really exhausted. Your aim is off. Go rest, don’t push yourself. I’m here!”
“Vice-Captain Lin, it’s alright if you’re not here. I’ll do your part too!”
“Vice-Captain Lin…”
“Captain Shi is so kind! I wish he’d care about me too!”
“I envy Vice-Captain Lin!”
“Ahhh, Captain Shi is so amazing! I want to join his team!”
Lin Quan, ignoring the stench of green liquid staining his shoes, crushed a mutated rat’s head underfoot. He felt no satisfaction, only growing frustration.
That bastard, putting on such a kind act!!!
At 6:44 pm, the overtime work ended.
Shi Xu removed his soiled white combat uniform, tossing it to his waiting assistant.
Twenty minutes earlier, Lin Quan, completely exhausted, had retreated to the safe zone, silently observing the battle.
As Shi Xu walked towards him, he tensed, warily watching him.
After over an hour of fighting, the young man showed no signs of fatigue, his demeanor as refined and gentle as before. He looked at Lin Quan, eyes crinkling slightly, lips parting to utter the words Lin Quan loathed most, “Good work, Vice-Captain Lin.”
Lin Quan almost choked.
The four words he hated most in his life were “Vice-Captain Lin”!
[Qi Yu: I almost feel sorry for Lin Quan. A few more words from you and he’ll probably die of anger on the spot! What do you gain from angering him?]
Qi Yu always found a way to learn about things immediately. Shi Xu was used to it and didn’t bother asking how he knew about this from miles away.
[Shi Xu: If no one hinders my progress, I can get off work on time.]
[Qi Yu: I knew it! Well, what can you do? You’re the captain. More work for the capable! [evil grin.gif]]
[Shi Xu: Capable? Are you sure it’s not ‘workhorse’?]
[Qi Yu: Hahaha…]
While chatting with Qi Yu, Shi Xu reached his residential area. Before nearing his house, he detected an unusual scent.
“Meow—”
A cat meowed from the bushes nearby. It was the familiar voice of the little black cat that frequented his villa, but different.
Shi Xu stopped. A black tail emerged from the bushes, followed by another meow and a black cat.
Shi Xu immediately knew this wasn’t the cat he knew. It was twice the size, its black fur coated in a transparent, gelatinous substance. Several translucent tentacles wriggled beneath its belly.
The moment the pollutant saw Shi Xu, its golden eyes lit up. It rushed towards him, letting out exaggerated meows.
The transparent tentacles hanging from its belly glowed a warm yellow under the ground lights, swaying with its movements, snapping the taut string in Shi Xu’s mind.
Just as the pollutant’s paws were about to reach his pants leg, Shi Xu sidestepped, causing it to sprawl on the ground. As it flipped over, a dagger plunged into the ground beside its head, the sharp blade glinting menacingly. The light in Shi Xu’s eyes was colder than the blade.
The pollutant opened its mouth wide, trembling, “Meow…”
