Chapter 20

"Twenty years ago, a massive global pollution event occurred, with pollutants emerging in various places and infecting a large number of people. At the time, leaders of several organizations disagreed on how to deal with these polluters. Led by Wang Hanwen, the then-director of the research institute, and Qiao Yan, the head of the operations department, two factions split, leading to fierce conflict..."

"Wait—" Xiao Shengyun raised his hand to interrupt Ye Ting's long-winded explanation, "What does this have to do with the mission I'm about to carry out?"

"Let me finish. In the end, our director won the argument. Three years later, something happened, and Wang Hanwen was dismissed and disappeared. The current head of the island nation is Wang Hanwen's student. He has always been hostile to our operations department. So for this investigation, you will be infiltrating as a polluter." Ye Ting's expression was serious.

Is it necessary?

You mean a contaminant disguised as an awakened being wants to disguise itself as a contaminant again?

Xiao Shengyun counted on his fingers and realized that he had added another layer to his disguise.

"You can write your own identity and experience; write whatever you want. Several character profiles are provided here." Ye Ting brought up a blank file.

An orphan who lost both parents, a street thug who dropped out of school early, a simp who was dumped eight times, the president of a listed company, a scientist with schizophrenia...

"There's nothing normal here," Xiao Shengyun finally chose the persona of a poor student who worked at a bar to earn tuition fees but ended up being contaminated and was admitted to the prevention and control center.

To make the performance more convincing, Ye Ting even specially arranged for an armored vehicle and two members of the operations team to escort him.

Nanshan Hospital is located in the suburbs of the city, about a 40-minute drive from the city center. However, due to traffic congestion and other factors, this time can be extended to up to two hours.

Legend has it that S City was once attacked by pollutants. At that time, the outer perimeter of the city was the main battlefield, and the human settlement area shrank inward by more than ten kilometers. So today, the outer perimeter of the city is only barren land and building ruins.

Looking around, the place was extremely desolate. Xiao Shengyun was escorted down from the armored vehicle. Perhaps Ye Ting had informed him of the situation beforehand, because the people escorting him put him down and got into the vehicle.

Wait a minute, why are you in such a hurry to get back? The polluter is both a patient and a prisoner, so why did he run away halfway through the escort?

Xiao Shengyun stood frozen in the wind for a few seconds, then walked to the vicinity of the hospital gate. Seeing a white figure swaying near the gatehouse, he approached and asked, "Hello, sir, I'd like to ask you something..."

"You're the boss here."

The door to the gatehouse was kicked open, and a handsome young man emerged, his fashionable gray hair flying in the wind.

"Hello, newcomer. I am the director of this hospital."

This person was only in his early twenties, with fair and handsome features, and dressed in expensive designer clothes.

Li Qianfang sized up Xiao Shengyun, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking like a refined scoundrel.

"Welcome to Nanshan Hospital. You can also call this place 'Island Nation.' They should have told you what this place is. But don't be nervous. Just think of yourself as a patient and focus on your treatment. Anyway, there are no hospitalization fees here," Li Qianfang said with a smile.

This dean is too young. Wang Hanwen defected twenty years ago, and Li Qianfang, as his student, should be at least approaching forty.

"When can I be discharged from the hospital?" Xiao Shengyun asked.

As far as he knows, there is currently no drug that can eradicate the contamination, so being discharged from the hospital is just a fantasy for those who have been contaminated.

In the distance, rows of small windows line the hospital ward, with metal mesh outside to prevent patients from escaping, like cages in the air, trapping birds inside.

"Once your health indicators return to a reasonable range, we hope you maintain a positive attitude during your hospitalization. We will provide you with the best medical care," Li Qianfang comforted her.

After the handover, Li Qianfang led Xiao Shengyun to the ward.

The hospital is not large, with only three main buildings—the outpatient building, the inpatient department, and the emergency department. There is a parking lot in front, and a small plaza behind the outpatient building, planted with many flowers and greenery.

The hospital was surrounded by a sturdy iron fence, outside of which lay undeveloped land; through the gaps in the fence, only a desolate, brownish-yellow expanse could be seen.

This hospital seems to be the only isolated island in this desolate place.

Led by Li Qianfang, Xiao Shengyun first filled out several forms, and then they went to the inpatient department together.

The inpatient department has a unique structure. Generally, there are stairs in the middle of the high-rise buildings, and there are also stairs at the ends of the corridors on both sides.

However, there are only staircases on the left and right, and at the end of the corridor leading to each floor is a heavy iron door.

If this door is not opened, the residents will not be able to go downstairs at all.

"Dean Li, what is the purpose of this iron gate?" Xiao Shengyun asked.

Li Qianfang subconsciously placed his hand on the large bunch of keys at his waist: "This is to prevent some patients from escaping. You know, many patients exhibit abnormal behavior due to mental pollution. For ease of management, this is the only way."

Xiao Shengyun: "Then is my personal safety guaranteed?"

It's unlikely that a mentally ill person would suddenly start attacking people with a knife in broad daylight.

“Of course.” Li Qianfang’s tone was calm and carried a convincing quality: “Most of our hospital’s patients are in stable condition, non-aggressive, and—”

Before the words were finished, a sound came from upstairs.

That was the sound of the iron gate being forcibly broken open.

Panic-filled voices came from upstairs: "It's terrible, Dean Li. Patients 3-6's contamination levels have exceeded the limit, and there's a risk of the situation getting out of control."

Xiao Shengyun followed Li Qianfang and quickly climbed the stairs. At the fourth stairwell, they saw a woman in a red dress squatting down. The woman's hair was disheveled, and the hem of her dress spread out on the ground like a blooming flower.

There were several people in white coats nearby, who looked like doctors and nurses. They all looked terrified, as if the person on the ground was not a slender girl, but some indescribable monster.

The woman stood up, letting out a sharp wail, and seemed to want to go towards the window in the corridor.

A tall doctor tried to stop her, but the woman grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the wall, his penis hitting the hard tiles with a dull thud.

Those around involuntarily took a few steps back upon seeing this, fearing they might be the next unlucky one to be thrown out.

"Dean, what should we do? We've already given her a sedative, but it doesn't seem to be working. Headquarters said we can't use violence against her..." Upon seeing Li Qianfang arrive, the crowd automatically made way for him.

The next second, he saw the woman walk up to the iron gate, bend the half-closed door with a punch, tear a hole with her hand, and her soft body slithered through the hole like a snake.

The door was made of metal and was very thick; those beautiful hands tore open the iron door as easily as tearing open tofu.

There were specks of green on her hands.

Plant-based pollution?

Xiao Shengyun concluded that his mission this time was to investigate the plant pollution incident, and this person might be the key to breakthrough.

Looking around, no one else seemed to dare to step forward.

The patients here are not just patients, and the doctors are certainly not just doctors. These people are mostly awakened individuals or from military backgrounds, but when faced with this woman, they all show fear.

It seems this isn't the first time this woman in the red dress has shown aggression; otherwise, the others wouldn't have hesitated to approach. But if it wasn't the first time, why weren't they restraining her? The hospital's confinement measures shouldn't be this rudimentary. Xiao Shengyun calmly analyzed the situation.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go take care of something first."

Li Qianfang left those words behind and disappeared behind the iron gate.

After a while, the sound of breaking glass came from the depths of the corridor, and the woman's screams gradually subsided.

Xiao Shengyun stood at the top of the stairs, watching the doctors disperse in twos and threes. They seemed to have absolute confidence in the dean's abilities.

It's a pity we don't know what the dean's talent is.

Li Qianfang returned quickly. He wiped his hands with his white clothes, which were stained with blood, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It was just a small accident. Our hospital's patients are usually very well-behaved."

Very well-behaved...

In his words, subduing a powerful polluter is as easy as subduing a kitten.

Xiao Shengyun silently raised the danger level of this dean by several levels.

He followed Li Qianfang to the third floor. The inpatient department has six floors. The first to third floors are generally for patients with mild contamination, the fourth floor is for patients with moderate contamination, and the fifth floor is for patients with severe contamination.

The room was roughly the size of a hotel single room, with a similar layout: a single bed, a small bedside table by the window, and a larger table at the foot of the bed with toiletries and other miscellaneous items on it. A gentle breeze stirred the white curtains, slightly reducing the smell of disinfectant in the air.

“Your health will be checked regularly every morning and evening. If the pollution level is above 300, you may need to take medication regularly. Patients on the first, second, and third floors are not restricted in their personal freedom. If you are bored, you can go for a walk on the lawn behind the hospital. If you feel unwell or need daily necessities, you can call the corresponding numbers. I will send you the numbers and instructions for the different departments.”

"The first to third floors are lightly polluted, and even those lightly polluted areas are like that lady today... restless."

Dean Li's expression remained unchanged: "The patients here are quite special. If you are afraid, it's best not to have close contact with them."

Having likely worked with many patients, his gentle tone made people feel relaxed without even realizing it.

It not only introduced precautions, but also contained a sense of reassurance.

Xiao Shengyun indicated that he understood. As for how to evade the inspection, he couldn't help but recall Ye Ting's words—

"We have people at the hospital. They will take over your examination. There won't be any problems."

So why do they need to plant spies in each other when they are all under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Supernatural Abilities?

Why are there such big conflicts between these two organizations with different positions?

Xiao Shengyun was puzzled; humans were still a bit too complicated for him.

After Li Qianfang left, Xiao Shengyun tidied up the room briefly and changed into the patients' uniform.

Luckily, we found a clue on our first day here.

He went out of his room to visit his neighbors on this floor and gather some useful information.

However, as soon as he stepped out the door, he saw someone who shouldn't be there.