Chapter 23: Level One User

[System Alert: Please do not overexert your Mental Value, as it will cause brain damage.]

At the same time, Zhu Ning felt a sharp, piercing pain in her temples, as if a needle had been driven into them. It took her a full minute of standing still to recover.

A minute later, the black spots in her vision faded, though she still felt dizzy and lightheaded. She cleaned the blood from her nose and stuffed two cotton balls into her nostrils.

The cotton balls were soaked through almost instantly. She had to replace them fifteen times before the bleeding subsided. Her current symptoms were somewhat similar to the mental pollution trauma Li Nianchuan suffered; if she kept pushing herself like this, she would end up hospitalized alongside him.

People were walking past in the hallway. "What on earth happened? Are there Awakened ones in our building?"

Another replied, "Are you stupid? Would an Awakened one live in a place like this? They could live in luxury just by selling their blood."

"But District 103 doesn't have earthquakes."

"Probably an abnormal energy fluctuation. Be careful lately."

The two continued talking as they walked away.

Zhu Ning: "..."

She stared at a distorted wall in her apartment, dumbfounded. She couldn't tell Mother Wei; once discovered, she would be liable for damages to the entire Hive—two thousand households—which would bankrupt her instantly.

Zhu Ning simply pinched her own wall into a crumpled shape. It looked quite nice—an art piece. This is art, she kept trying to brainwash herself.

Yeah, that’s good. It looks pleasing now.

However, the aftershocks of her headache lingered, making her brain feel like it was buzzing. Her thoughts were sluggish. She wouldn't be left a fool after this, would she?

After a moment’s thought, she messaged Song Zhizhang: "What should I do for a headache?"

Zhu Ning and Song Zhizhang both did dirty work; reaching out to him should be safe, as they were "colleagues" in a sense.

Song Zhizhang must have been free, as his response was lightning fast.

"Baby, what happened? Mental pollution? Overexerted your Mental Value?" Before Zhu Ning could answer, he continued on his own, "Never mind, don't answer. You’re all brain-damaged anyway."

"If you can afford the hospital, go. But I’m warning you, the hospital is expensive. If you don’t get treated at the Cleaning Center’s medical department and go to an outside facility, it costs about 10 million New Credits to recover."

Zhu Ning: "..."

She had been about to type out how much money she had, but she silently deleted it. Are you kidding me?

Who was the healthcare system in this wasteland built for? Are poor people just expected to drop dead?

Zhu Ning: "It’s not severe. I can endure it."

Song Zhizhang: "..."

There’s no need to be that tough.

"If it’s not critical, take some medicine first. You should have received a kit. Check your suitcase; there’s a guide inside."

Following his advice, Zhu Ning rummaged through her suitcase. There was a medical kit inside. Previously, she had only recognized the potent healing agent, but now she saw several other vials. There was one labeled "Mental Restorative Agent," though the box didn't bear the logo of Eternal Life Pharmaceuticals.

Instead, it was engraved with a strange symbol: a snake coiled around a flame.

It was the first time Zhu Ning noticed it. Looking closer, she saw the tiny symbol on many items inside the box. Could this be the totem of some cult created by Prometheus?

Zhu Ning opened a vial and drank the Mental Restorative Agent, feeling much better.

Song Zhizhang, true to his service-industry roots, was quite thoughtful: "Rest for two days after taking the medicine. If your constitution is good, you’ll recover in three or four days. If things don’t feel right, see a doctor immediately. If you can still hold on, I suggest you get treated at the Cleaning Center."

"I'll teach you: next time you go on a mission, pretend to be polluted. You can get hospitalized in the medical department for free."

Zhu Ning, with the vial still in her mouth: "?"

***

Why? Do you often use this method to mooch free healthcare?

Song Zhizhang sighed on the other end, "I can’t afford it either."

Zhu Ning understood. Song Zhizhang’s public identity was that of a nightclub owner, a supposedly lucrative industry. He also made a decent amount from his private work with the Containment Department, yet even he didn't dare visit a private hospital.

"I have a colleague with a tattoo on his arm: 'Kind stranger, if you see me passed out, please do not send me to the hospital. Leave me be, thanks.'"

Song Zhizhang said earnestly, "If you need to, you should get one too, so you don't end up in the hospital and have no money to leave."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Thanks, she was seriously considering it.

A very practical survival skill for the wasteland, now firmly memorized: in the last second before passing out, shout as loud as you can: "Don't take me to the hospital, I'd rather die!"

After finishing the mental restorative agent, Zhu Ning’s mind felt much clearer. She had a high Mental Value and could afford to push herself, but not indefinitely. Metal manipulation should be used with caution, she thought.

She opened another mental restorative agent and casually logged into the Cleaning Center forum. As soon as she clicked in, fireworks filled the screen: *Congratulations on completing the Hot Pot Restaurant containment mission!*

The information was a bit delayed. Immediately after, a gray envelope popped up in the center of the page, different from the previous interface.

Opening the gray envelope led to a different forum, with a minimalist black-and-white design titled: *Grave Post Enthusiasts Exchange Center.*

Zhu Ning: "..."

It sounded like some edgy teenage hobby forum. Zhu Ning had become a brand new "edgy" user.

[Please enter your username]

Zhu Ning thought for a moment and typed: *Universe's Number One Sweetie.*

After registration, an "Lv1" appeared next to her ID.

Did that mean Level 1 user? You didn't have to choose between being a Demon Hunter or a Cleaner here; you could take missions from both sides if you wanted. However, most people stated on their profile whether they were a Cleaner or a Demon Hunter, as expertise mattered.

Since the registration, a "Form a Team" button had appeared, meaning she could invite others to enter polluted areas.

In a way, the ecosystem here was very similar to a bounty hunter organization. Zhu Ning began browsing the new forum.

News of Zhu Ning purifying the hot pot restaurant was synchronized to the forum's homepage, a site-wide announcement: [The man-eating hot pot restaurant has been purified by new user: Universe's Number One Sweetie.]

Zhu Ning felt a jolt at the words "new user." She wondered how many new employees had been hired recently and if her identity would be exposed.

But on second thought, "new user" in this context probably meant someone who had just received their first "grave post," not someone who had just joined the Cleaning Center. Still, the reactions were quite intense.

"A new user? A new user takes on a C-level pollution zone right off the bat? Are rookies this tough now?"

"My first mission was E-level."

"Who is it? A Cleaner or a Demon Hunter?"

"We don't doxx people here. Don't ask."

"This 'Sweetie' has a promising future. I want to invite her to a team."

"She might not even look at you."

Not bad. The forum's internal atmosphere was decent; people didn't like exposing others' identities, as you never knew when you might be the one exposed.

Taking on grave posts was inherently unsafe; once your identity was leaked, your life was in danger. The hot pot restaurant was a C-level pollution zone, so there wasn't much discussion about it before they moved on to talking about the real big shots.

It was said that a user had single-handedly cleared an S-level pollution zone today. The ID was "Lynx," User Level 11.

There was a lot of discussion, but no one even knew if Lynx was male or female. They only knew Lynx was a Demon Hunter who usually only took A-level or higher missions.

Lynx had cleared the S-level zone but had hired two Cleaner teams to cooperate—meaning Lynx only did the clearing, leaving the containment of polluted spores to the Cleaners.

That was normal, though. Most Demon Hunters didn't want to do the dirty work of cleaning up trash. Many people sent team invites below, but the cold, aloof Lynx ignored them all.

Zhu Ning watched the big shot’s performance for a while before closing the forum page. Fang Ying had granted her a seven-day leave. She had spent one day doing private work, and the remaining six were spent lying around at home.

After the hot pot restaurant, Zhu Ning didn't want to move at all. She couldn't be bothered to think about secrets of her origin, the truth behind her death, or whatever Eternal Life Pharmaceuticals was.

Zhu Ning was tired. She would just lie down for a while—lie completely flat.

...

Six days later, Zhu Ning received a notification from Fang Ying to attend training at the center. It happened to be the day Li Nianchuan was discharged, so Xu Meng and Zhu Ning went to the medical department to pick him up.

Mostly, Zhu Ning wanted to scout the medical department, so she could mooch off the resources as Song Zhizhang had suggested.

The medical inpatient department was on the 70th floor.

Zhu Ning entered the Cleaning Center again, but the feeling was different from the first time. Not long ago, she was a nervous newcomer finding the building fascinating.

Now, she felt strangely familiar with it. Even though she had only been here once, it felt as if she had been working here for three or five years.

As expected, working drains the human soul.

She was even more miserable; she was working two jobs.

As soon as Zhu Ning walked through the door, she felt many eyes on her, followed by whispers. Zhu Ning didn't have many acquaintances at the Cleaning Center, so she didn't know what they were looking at and walked in nonchalantly.

Xu Meng was waiting in the lobby. She spotted Zhu Ning from afar. Zhu Ning wasn't wearing her uniform, but casual clothes: a gray T-shirt, black jeans, and her hair tied in a high ponytail. She was holding a bouquet of flaming red roses.

Zhu Ning had long legs; from a distance, it looked like her legs started from her waist. It was the same person, and her outfit wasn't particularly flashy, but perhaps it wasn't just Xu Meng's imagination—Zhu Ning seemed to have changed a lot. She stood out immensely in the crowd.

It wasn't because of her looks—in an era where beauty could be mass-produced, it wasn't worth much—but because of her temperament. The sense of stillness about her was stronger.

She was like... someone who had been through great storms, not like a 19-year-old girl.

Xu Meng asked, "Are you holding flowers to propose to Li Nianchuan?"

"..." Zhu Ning: "He told me to bring him a discharge gift."

Xu Meng made an "ah" sound, completely out of touch with what young people were doing these days.

They waited at the entrance of the medical department, and soon they saw Li Nianchuan walk out, his face numb and vacant.

Zhu Ning whispered to Xu Meng, "Why is he making that expression? Is the mental pollution not cured yet?"

Zhu Ning was actually quite curious about how mental pollution was treated. Did one become like a normal person after recovery?

Xu Meng: "I don't think so. I checked his discharge report; it says he's recovered."

When Li Nianchuan reached them, Zhu Ning shoved the roses into his arms. "Although I can't give you wings of fire, I brought you a bouquet of fiery flowers."

Li Nianchuan: "..."

It would have been better if Zhu Ning hadn't spoken; the moment she did, Li Nianchuan wanted to die. He had just regained his Mental Value today and had looked at his chat history, as well as the behavioral videos the doctors had taken of him.

When he saw that the video of him and Zhu Ning purifying the D-level pollution zone had been posted on the forum, he had been proud. *Prestige! I’ve never had this kind of prestige in my life!*

But when he saw himself on the forum acting like a "good boy" waiting for his big sister, and saw the video had over 100,000 views, he wanted to bash his head against a wall, or get polluted again. The Li family simply couldn't afford to lose this much face.