181 Another Self (End)
◎It's snowing in Area 103◎
Inside the red house.
Zhu Ning's whole body was cold, and Li Xin's body was covering her.
She maintained the same posture for a long time, as if she had lost the concept of time in an instant. Time passed and she had been lying here for tens of thousands of years.
Li Xin's body lost all warmth and decomposed into rotten flesh like a melted wax figure, which softly covered Zhu Ning.
The spider silk in the corridor melted, the Spider-Men in the walls melted and rotted, and the contaminated area they had constructed completely collapsed.
Blood-red contaminated spores precipitated and instantly swept across the entire interior of the red house.
The contaminated spores were reflected in Zhu Ning's pupils, as if he was looking at a blood-red starry sky.
When Zhu Ning's pupils dilated, something was flowing out from the back of her neck. The alien species usually attached to her spine, wrapping around every bone of hers.
The alien feeds on fear, and it smells fear.
It attaches itself to the host in order to eat better, but if the host is dying one day, it will definitely be the first to eat Zhu Ning.
Fear, it sensed fear in Zhu Ning.
Black mucus flowed inside the protective helmet and condensed into a ball. It opened its mouth wide, ready to swallow it in one gulp.
Sudden--
Without warning, it met a pair of eyes. Zhu Ning's eyes were clearly black and white, and his pupils refocused.
Her dark eyes rolled around and she looked at the alien opposite her expressionlessly.
It was such a simple action, just a roll of the eyeballs, but a silent threat spread.
The black slime exploded with sharp black thorns all over its body, like a hedgehog with its fur standing up, and took action immediately before Zhu Ning could react.
It flew down Zhu Ning's face and into the back of his neck, then coiled around his spine, motionless as if dead.
call--
Zhu Ning took a deep breath, as if it was the first time she had lived for hundreds of years. She ignored the black mucus that was slipping away and just focused on breathing.
Her heart was pounding, and she took a moment to calm herself.
bite--
She heard a mechanical sound, very crisp and abrupt.
But in contrast, her tense brain began to relax, like a clenched fist slowly opening. For the first time, she felt so clearly that the pollutants in her brain were wriggling.
It extends long tentacles that retract softly at the edge of the brain.
The system prompt brought Zhu Ning back to reality. Her system was working to fight against the unreasonable fear.
[Congratulations on completing the side quest: Another Self, purification level 100%]
[Reward settlement in progress...]
[Congratulations on receiving the basic reward, your spirit value has been restored to 100]
[Congratulations on receiving a purification value reward of 5000. The current purification value has accumulated to 5000.]
[Congratulations on receiving the Ant Spider Reward: Ant Spider Silk]
[Reward Description: B-level contaminated item. Sharp spider silk can cut through hard objects. More concealed than ordinary weapons, it is difficult for the enemy to detect and is the most effective assassination weapon. Please note that using this item once will consume 20 health points.]
[Congratulations on obtaining the primary talent: Mimicry. This talent is a primary talent. Level 1 mimicry can imitate the user's appearance, making the user mistakenly think they are of the same kind, achieving a realistic effect. Level 2 mimicry can imitate the opponent's abilities. Please note that mimicry is not copying, and this talent is not 100% safe. Using the talent will consume 80 health points.]
The system announcement stopped.
Zhu Ning felt the sounds entering her ears and then disappearing lightly.
She looked at the polluted spores floating above her and felt no satisfaction at all when she heard about the system's reward. Now that she knew the truth, it was difficult for her to ignore the huge amount of pollutants under her feet.
The human instinct is not to resist at all, but to escape, to escape immediately.
But where could he go? No matter which direction Zhu Ning ran, he could not escape the range of the pollutants.
There is no pure land in the world anymore.
The wasteland world is more desperate than she imagined, and the struggle between humans and pollutants is a meaningless struggle.
How could this thing be purified? It was impossible given its size. Even if all the superpowers in the world were gathered together, how would they even begin to fight such a massive monster?
Zhu Ning even understood the choice of the first-class citizens in an instant. They gave up resistance and only lived on a suspended island, surviving on that piece of artificial land.
It's like covering one's ears and stealing a bell. Theoretically, even first-class citizens are just waiting to die in the kingdom of God.
Zhu Ning knew the truth, but he felt completely lost in a sense of nothingness and powerlessness.
For the first time she realized that there was no point, no point at all.
The so-called purification of the world is like a pie in the sky that can never be achieved. Zhu Ning's idea has always been correct. It is the carrot dangling in front of her.
It makes her run around in circles, always chasing an impossible goal.
Zhu Ning was confused. Standing in front of her was an insurmountable mountain, just like knowing in advance that an asteroid was about to hit the earth.
It is difficult for people to make any effective response. Most people would just want to give up and let it go.
What can Zhu Ning do?
If Huo Wenxi knew the truth, maybe even she would give up and immediately withdraw from Area 103. As a child of a noble family, Huo Wenxi still has a way out.
She could return to God's kingdom, or take over the family business and join the cleaning center investigation team in another area.
Zhu Ning had no way out. As a small person, why should he worry about anything?
To put it bluntly, what does this world have to do with her? Even if it's another path arranged by herself, does Zhu Ning have to go on it?
She didn't have a heroic complex. Couldn't she resist fighting when she saw someone she couldn't defeat? Zhu Yao said she could lie down when she wanted to.
Can I go back and tell Huo Wenxi the news I got, and then completely withdraw from it?
Thinking of this, Zhu Ning moved. She stood up and the rotten flesh flowed from her body like cement.
Zhu Ning was silent for a moment, then took the first action and took out the cleaning tools from the cleaning backpack.
She is not a hero, just a garbage collector. Her job is to contain the contaminated spores and to see things through to the end.
She took out the cleaning tool and gently touched the contaminated spores with one end of the straw, and the spores were immediately absorbed at the bottom.
This behavior is like picking cotton, and to Zhu Ning now it actually seems to have a healing effect.
Faced with an overly large proposition, any small action at hand can make people feel a little more at ease and find a sense of reality and the meaning of existence.
Human beings are truly meaningful animals and must find a support, even if this support is illusory.
The purpose of containing the contaminated spores is to prevent the contamination from spreading and infecting other innocent residents.
Given the current dire situation, this action doesn't make much sense. What if the contaminated spores are spread out?
On the day of doomsday, the entire region will be infected.
But Zhu Ning had to find something to do, otherwise she would go crazy.
The contaminated spores fell into the containment device one by one. At first, her thoughts were complicated, but later her mind became empty. There was no other thought in her mind except containment.
Theoretically, a Class B contaminated area should be contained by two people. The containment capacity is a bit too large for one person. Zhu Ning does not feel that the work is heavy. She seems to have obsessive-compulsive disorder and will not let go of any contaminated spores in any corner.
I don’t know how long it took, but the sky began to brighten and a ray of light appeared on the horizon. This light was set off by the white snow and was a little brighter than usual.
Zhu Ning stopped moving. As far as she could see, there was no contaminated spore left. She cleaned the place.
During the sheltering process, Zhu Ning had to walk through the entire interior of the red house. She had recalled her memories of the red house, and this action could be considered as revisiting the old place.
She walked into the mechanical mother's room. The whole room was old and broken, and it made a creaking sound when people stepped on it.
She was just flipping through it casually. This was her professional habit. She would look for clues wherever she went.
She found a contract among a pile of yellowed papers. It was the contract that Lao Yang and Liu Sheng entrusted her to the mechanical mother.
The custody contract was a little bit insect-eaten, the surface was yellowed, and it seemed like it would break if touched lightly.
Zhu Ning saw two names at his final resting place: Liu Sheng and Yang Shuhua.
Zhu Ning's fingertips gently stroked it, as if he could touch the person of that year through these few short words.
Zhu Ning woke up for the first time in the wasteland world, not in the hive, but in the garbage mountain in Area 103. She was buried underground by countless garbage and could not move.
There is metal garbage all around, and in the distance comes the roar of machines and rustling sounds, indicating that humans are working on the garbage mountain.
It was too noisy. For Zhu Ning, who had just woken up, her brain seemed to be exploding. The system made a crackling sound, mixed with the sound of electricity.
It says Congratulations on successful activation.
Zhu Ning was so confused that she didn't listen carefully. Wasn't she fighting zombies? Why was she here?
She was very weak at that time, her eyelids were heavy and she couldn't open her eyes.
It was extremely difficult to breathe and she would soon suffocate to death below.
"Don't move, listen." An old lady's voice came.
"What, you..." another man was speaking.
Zhu Ning later found out that these were Lao Yang and Liu Sheng, who were scavengers on the garbage mountain.
They were just one meter above Zhu Ning, and the straight-line distance on the ground was so close, but now they seemed extremely far away.
Zhu Ning knew that this was her only chance to survive. She tried desperately to make some noise and struggled hard, but she was stuck by the garbage below.
She felt like she was poured into a concrete pillar, unable to move at all. The only part that could move was her heart.
My heart was beating so fast and so urgently, as if it was desperately trying to tell the outside world that I was alive.
Don't give up on me.
Lao Yang and Liu Sheng heard her heartbeat, "There really is someone! Dig quickly!"
That was the most beautiful voice Zhu Ning had ever heard. Someone wanted to save her.
They were afraid of damaging Zhu Ning or causing a secondary collapse, so they didn't even dare to use tools and dug with their bare hands.
Below, the light in front of Zhu Ning's eyes became brighter and brighter. Zhu Ning stretched out a hand with great effort and finally held Lao Yang's hand.
The first person Zhu Ning met in this world was an old lady named Lao Yang. She hugged Zhu Ning in her arms and wrapped her tightly with her coat.
Liu Sheng was very excited and yelled like a madman.
He only shouted two words: live, live, live, live, live!
I have never had any good luck in my life, and that day was the only time I was blessed by God.
The thing Liu Sheng was most proud of in his life was digging a living person out of a garbage mountain, but it was like a dream, because dreams will end, and people will have to face reality sooner or later.
They brought Zhu Ning back to the public housing. The house was very dilapidated and next to a garbage mountain, and three people had to squeeze into the 30-square-meter house.
Unable to pay the heating bill, the whole winter was extremely cold. They could not afford to buy chewable food and could only feed Zhu Ning nutritional supplements.
At that time, Zhu Ning lacked energy and strength and was unable to move. He couldn't even stand up without drinking nutritional supplements.
There is a huge gap between imagination and reality.
Lao Yang sent Zhu Ning for genetic screening. The results came out quickly, indicating that he was a defective product and was expected to die at the age of 20.
Come to think of it, otherwise it wouldn't have been thrown into the garbage dump.
People are so poor that they would mistakenly think that a stone they picked up is a treasure. Now it is clearly told that Zhu Ning is not a treasure, she is just a defective product.
Liu Sheng sat dejectedly in a chair, "I told you we can't afford it."
"If it were an ordinary person, it would be fine," Liu Sheng said through gritted teeth, "She wouldn't be able to survive with us."
The more Liu Sheng spoke, the more he wanted to cry. He felt so useless and so incompetent. But he had to say it so that he could cut off Lao Yang's unrealistic fantasies.
"I have ten years left," Liu Sheng said, "and you have three years left."
The combined lifespan of both of them was not as long as that of a first-class citizen, so they were unable to raise Zhu Ning.
Even if Zhu Ning grew up, so what? He would only live to be twenty years old.
Lao Yang sat in the chair in silence, she didn't know what to say.
Two people who are unable to protect themselves cannot protect a child.
Zhu Ning was very weak at the time. After she woke up, she pretended to be mute, fearing that she would reveal her identity if she spoke.
Zhu Ning could only touch Lao Yang's hand, which was full of wrinkles, and she wanted to comfort her.
Old Yang shuddered when she touched him. The child's hand was very soft, and it felt like a feather covering him.
Old Yang obviously liked Zhu Ning the most, but at this time she couldn't look Zhu Ning in the eye. When Zhu Ning tried to touch her, she turned her head away.
Old Yang took a deep breath and said after a long while, "Send her away."
Zhu Ning's back of the hand was cold. She felt Lao Yang's tears falling on the back of her hand. It was obviously cold, but she felt it was very hot.
Send her to where she should go. There is a foster care institution in the federal government, and the nearest one is the Red House. There is no source for the defective products in the garbage mountain, and only the Red House can accept garbage of unknown origin in the landfill.
It was a cold day and it was snowing in Area 103.
Lao Yang held Zhu Ning's hand, and they visited the red house late at night. The red wooden house looked very conspicuous from a distance.
But there is a dead air here, without any sign of childish life, like a red grave.
The door of the red house opened, revealing a mechanical mother inside. The mechanical mother is the administrator of this type of foster care institution.
The mechanical mother in the red house was wearing a worn blue apron and the skin on her face was a little loose. Liu Sheng was talking to her.
Once handed over to the Red House, they must abide by the rules, disappear from Zhu Ning's world, and never visit him again.
They just need to sign on the spot.
The last step was to hand Zhu Ning over, but at this time Lao Yang refused to let go.
Liu Sheng lowered his voice: "Old Yang, let go."
Old Yang held Zhu Ning's hand tightly, not moving, as if he hadn't heard Liu Sheng yell, "Let go!"
Old Yang still didn't move, so Liu Sheng could only yell at her, "Mom! Let go!"
When Old Yang heard Liu Sheng calling her mother, she blinked. When she was stunned, Liu Sheng had already pulled Zhu Ning's hand away.
Old Yang felt a little aggrieved. She knew she shouldn't take advantage of her age to act unreasonably, but she just felt aggrieved.
Old Yang's lips were trembling as she tried to argue for herself. She leaned over to Liu Sheng's ear and said, "Let's go to another place. This one is not right."
Liu Sheng thought she was annoying, but Lao Yang continued, "Really, there's something wrong with this family. Listen to me."
She kept saying this over and over again, but she couldn't tell what was wrong.
Liu Sheng had already signed it and handed the custody contract to Lao Yang. "Please sign it, okay? I beg you."
Old Yang kept shaking her head and she didn't want to sign.
She wanted to escape and didn't understand why she had to be forced to make a choice. She had never gotten anything except a little girl.
What she wants is not the stars in the sky, what she wants is a piece of trash thrown away by others. Why can't she have what others don't want?
She dug Zhu Ning out. According to the rules of the garbage mountain, whoever dug it out owned it, so Zhu Ning belonged to her.
This is hers, no one can take it away.
Liu Sheng knew that Lao Yang was stubborn and capricious. It was clearly her decision, but now she regretted it.
Lao Yang wanted to escape, and she wanted to hold Zhu Ning's hand again and take Zhu Ning away immediately.
Suddenly, Lao Yang felt her waist tighten. She lowered her head and saw the top of a little girl's head.
Zhu Ning put his arm around her waist.
"Thank you." The little girl's voice came. She didn't say anything complicated, just two words, thank you.
Zhu Ning was very grateful to her. She was grateful for digging her out of the garbage mountain, for feeding her nutrients, and for staying by her bedside and reading her bedtime fairy tales that adults didn't need to hear.
Thank you for holding me close in the cold slums.
Thank her for not wanting to leave.
Old Yang burst into tears. She wanted to say something but couldn't. In the end, she hugged Zhu Ning tightly. That was their last hug.
Old Yang signed his name on the contract - Yang Shuhua.
Zhu Ning stroked the names of Lao Yang and Liu Sheng, and his eyes felt a little sore when he recalled that memory.
She looked away, just like Lao Yang didn't want to look into Zhu Ning's eyes. Zhu Ning looked out the window. The snow covered Area 103, and it was a sea of white as far as the eye could see.
The helmet blocked her vision, so she took off the damaged helmet. Her vision became wider, and the reflection of the snow was a little dazzling.
Zhu Ning narrowed her eyes subconsciously, remembering Li Xin's last words to her, "It's snowing."
It's snowing in District 103.
The author has something to say:
It is currently known that Zhu Ning existed in the wasteland world a long time ago
Currently unknown: It is impossible to prove whether the zombie world really exists
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2023-01-31 20:39:03 and 2023-02-01 21:01:41~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the shallow water bomb: Yueshui Xinmo 1;
Thanks to the little angels who threw rocket launchers: Avada Pit Big Melon, Taotao 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Jungle Potion Chicken Soup, Happy Little Hamster, Mu Jin-O-, and Avada Pit Big Melon 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Qiluo Kira 89 bottles; He Ye 83 bottles; Yi Yang Bu Yi 60 bottles; Lu1goner 54 bottles; Sybil, Wannian Zhuzhudang, Zhijin 50 bottles; Dang Pulinlinlin 45 bottles; Mint Yaya 42 bottles; Sweet 35 bottles; O 33 bottles; Faceless 32 bottles; Mo Qian Zhui Feng 31 bottles; Oh Oh, September Clothes, Da Da Da La 30 bottles; Be Diaqi's Dog 26 bottles; Mai Qiu Shi Liu 25 bottles; Yuan Ji, Fortunately, Cheung·, Looking at the Sky at the Bottom of the Pit, Get Rich Suddenly, Sa, Whistling, Readers Who Love to Complain, Zhang Yixing's Waist Pendant 20 bottles; Be Happy Today Too 19 bottles; Escape from Eden 16 bottles; A Rabbit, The Alien Next Door, Have I Lost Weight Today? No, Sea Salt Cheese Milk Cap 15 bottles; Chenchen Ah, Bubble Pill 14 bottles; Tao Ye, -Wu Xing 13 bottles; Ci Ling 12 bottles; He Shalang, Sui Le Mei, Si Kong Jian Xi, Jungle Potion Chicken Soup, Lu Chen's Wife, Gu Man, Spearhead Viper, Rong Rong Yue, San San Satellite Star, Lucky European Emperor, Sword Rain An Xiaoyue, Tutu Night 10 bottles; Seven Jin, Jin Fan 7 bottles; Water Green Sky Blue 6 bottles; Aiyin Si Dun, Sheep Peach, Xiaobai Doesn't Want to be the Waiter, Meimei Xiao Cai (Crazy Urging Update Version, Seven Jin Seven Jin 5 bottles; Kiss Baby Fried Pear Cake, It's a Heavy Rain, Rhapsody 3 bottles; 27957283, Mountain Roast Duck 2 bottles; Don't Knock, -LorManari, Lemon Pomelo, Moon, Ali who Makes Tea in the Listening Rain Tower, Lord Manman, Xiao Juan 621, Outrageous, 56121006, Aya, Honest and Dumb is Just Doing It, Scallion is Also Special Meow ＠(￣-, Only Open for a Moment, Silence, Half Snow, Black Cat, Little Thief, Starving Ghost Who Can't Find the Text, 32525186 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
