Chapter 75

Compared to the upper floors in S City, this place is located at the foot of the mountain, where the temperature is lower, and a cool breeze slips in through the slightly open windows.

Some strange noises came from afar, probably from hunters.

Xiao Shengyun and Zhou Zhi huddled together, each wrapped in the quilt that had been split in two. Xiao Shengyun was very sober. He blinked his dry eyes and looked at Zhou Zhi's face in the moonlight.

At times like these, people tend to ponder philosophical questions, such as where we come from and where we go. Xiao Shengyun considers himself half a human being, and his intellectual level is far above that of ordinary pollutants. Thus, on such a night, he also inexplicably feels a sense of melancholy.

For some reason, he inexplicably thought of that wasteland from his memory.

In the other world, there is no moon; the sky is always dark and murky, pressing down so heavily that every living being under the dome can hardly breathe.

At that time, he seemed to be an unidentified creature, with humans around him, and the two often camped by the stream.

He was on that human's shoulder or in his arms.

Occasionally, something would attack at night, and that "guardian" would stay by his side.

"Dean Zhou, are you asleep?" Xiao Shengyun asked, his eyes open in the darkness.

"No,"

Perhaps because his nerves were still tense after two battles, or perhaps because this was not a safe place to stay, Zhou Zhi felt very clear-headed.

He was used to working at the research institute and didn't feel anything.

Zhou Zhi ultimately did not drink the nutrient solution. He had not eaten anything for almost forty-eight hours, and the emptiness in his stomach and the discomfort in his body came over him at the same time.

Another thing that worries him is that there are no antagonists for sale here, and the contamination on his body is likely to continue to increase, eventually turning him into the people in the fighting arena.

It is extremely difficult for humans to survive in this city of monsters. However, he has learned to be patient.

"I want to ask how you used to deal with pollutants. Are humans really capable of raising them?"

Xiao Shengyun realized he had underestimated humanity. Admittedly, he had been arrogant in the past. A wolf living among sheep is not separated by barriers, but by steps.

He stayed by Zhou Zhi's side only because of the Source Core; once this human died, he could regain all his power.

But the fact that humans were raising polluters shocked his understanding for the first time.

"Are you worried? If you are ever exposed, the research institute will open its doors to you."

Zhou Zhi said humorously.

“In the past, the contaminants used as experimental materials were very weak. They were usually first injected with reagents to weaken them, and then placed in a sealed box made of steel. Without a food source, the contaminants would begin to enter a weakening period after seven days. The longer the sealed period, the more source matter was lost from the contaminants.”

This is a direct threat!

For the first time, Xiao Shengyun felt out of place in the world. His thoughts and perceptions had become completely human, including that damned pity.

"Actually, after returning from the Otherworld, I was kept in the research institute. At that time, my teacher..."

Amidst the casual, intermittent conversation, Xiao Shengyun drifted off to sleep.

Zhou Zhi looked at the profile of the person beside him with a complex expression; the fair face was enough to bewitch anyone.

The two were awakened by the knocking on the door.

Xiao Shengyun got up and opened the door; the floor manager was standing outside.

"Is there something you need?" he asked.

"There will be a prayer meeting at the church at noon today, and all new citizens must attend." The woman's voice remained gentle.

A prayer meeting?

This is yet another new term.

"What is the prayer meeting for? Do we need to prepare anything?" Xiao Shengyun asked.

"unnecessary."

He closed the door. Zhou Zhi had just finished dressing. He hadn't had time to cut his hair in a while, and the long ends were messily hanging down the back of his neck.

Compared to ordinary humans, Zhou Zhi had extraordinary energy. Even after two battles and only sleeping for two or three hours, his eyes were still bright and alert.

When the two finished getting ready and came downstairs, the bus stop was already packed with people.

All they need to do is follow behind these people.

To Xiao Shengyun's surprise, the church they went to this time was not the one from the first day, but another one.

Or rather, the place we went to this time was the church that was marked on the bus stop sign.

The church is also a beautifully decorated castle, but compared to the one on the hilltop, this one looks rather shabby.

The leader this time was the same divine messenger who had received them last time.

Everyone assumed that the so-called prayer was simply listening to God's messengers recite some hymns, or that everyone would recite them together. Just as the crowd was whispering among themselves, the white curtain was lowered from the middle.

It's 2051 now, and theology has evolved with the times; prayer has become watching PowerPoint presentations.

They didn't appear to be praying; they seemed to be attending a meeting.

When the first scene appeared, Xiao Shengyun and Zhou Zhi were both stunned. The building that appeared was very familiar to both of them—Nanshan Hospital.

The filming date was the day the mother tree broke through the soil. While all the personnel from the Operations Department went to the Shengtian Building, another battle was taking place at Nanshan Hospital.

The mother tree scattered countless seeds into the sky, causing a significant increase in air pollution concentration. Like a catalyst, all those affected by the pollution at Nanshan Hospital developed deformities and mental pollution.

All the doors and windows were broken open, and the patients who were originally quiet instantly became ferocious and terrifying.

The scenery in the distance becomes distorted and blurry because a barrier is slowly rising at the edge of Nanshan Hospital.

Amidst the ear-piercing wailing, Li Qianfang and all the medical staff gathered in the open space in front of the building, along with some other people whose clothes bore the insignia of the Supervision Department.

What followed was a two-way massacre.

Patients who had become infected rushed towards the contaminants like doctors trying to save them, while humanity's artillery fire was also directed at the contaminants.

The sounds of fighting echoed continuously in the sacred church.

Xiao Shengyun could only deduce from some vague fragments that some of the pollutants were from patients he had cared for, each of whom struggled and begged to survive.

By the time the mother tree appeared, the special antagonist had been successfully developed.

This does not mean that humanity has achieved a complete victory; it has merely added some weight to the equation.

The world seems to be terminally ill. Everything is just like in the picture: pollutants, deformed people, and guardians fighting each other.

Limbs and blood were scattered everywhere.

He forced humanity to kill its own kind, and forced innocent people to die in bewilderment.

Why are we born, and why do we die, or rather, why are we born into this world?

The hospital was stained red, and the barriers outside the hospital turned this area into a cage. In a corner of a shot, Xiao Shengyun saw Li Qianfang.

If it weren't for that white hair, he would hardly recognize this person. Due to overuse of his talent, Li Qianfang seemed to have coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood. His face and trench coat were stained with liquid. Several Awakened from the Surveillance Department were protecting him.

The camera zooms out, and everyone becomes blurry and tiny, only the person's straight spine can be seen.

"See this? This is our future!"

"Contaminated, killed."

"We can only find a way out for ourselves."

"This city is our answer. If there is no place for us to live in this world, then we will create our own."

"This prayer is not to God, but to myself."

"Pray for courage to burn like a flame."

It will not be extinguished when it is battered by wind and rain.

Longing for wisdom to flow like a stream,

We bypassed the stubborn rocks and reefs ahead.

We will build cities on barren land.

We will cry out in a world of despair.

..."

The messenger no longer presents a lofty god, but rather the struggles of survival and confusion that everyone must confront.

It started as one person.

Two people.

Most people seemed to be infected by the chanting of prayers, which gradually filled the church.

As Xiao Shengyun watched and listened to all of this, he felt as if he had become one with them.

Like duckweed adrift on the water, the deep-seated confusion seemed to resound all at once.

The prayer ended, but the gathering did not end there. The messenger of God said that there would be a banquet afterwards, and a sumptuous feast would be served.

Speaking of food, Xiao Shengyun glanced at Zhou Zhi and suddenly realized that this person had not eaten human food since he came here.

This is not a good sign, as it means that it is gradually turning into a pollutant.

“You seem to have believed what that charlatan said.” The banquet took place in the evening, and the two of them came out of the church to breathe in the fresh air.

“Logically speaking, you should be the one worrying about these things,” Xiao Shengyun retorted, denying it.

He had never seen any other expression on Zhou Zhi's face. This man was like the deep sea; no matter how big the storm, it would eventually turn into calm water.

On the contrary, it is I, as a non-human, who occasionally suffer from gains and losses.

"How do you know we ever questioned any of this?" When he first encountered the pollutants, he questioned the world, but after questioning, he ultimately became the most steadfast rebel.

The banquet began, and the two returned to the church.

Clean tableware was laid out on the long table, but there was no food.

What to eat when there is no food?

Xiao Shengyun thought of the delicious food he had seen at the hotel last time, and then of the dark, mushy nutrient solution. What would be served this time?

The guests didn't have to wait long before the dinner was served.

The food in this peculiar city is also quite strange.

Xiao Shengyun frowned as he looked at the young man who was bound hand and foot.