Chapter 3: The Fishman

The helmet was highly advanced, equipped with a locking function. In the pitch-black sewer, it outlined sixteen pollutants, which barely resembled any humanoid form.

The helmet had a filtration system; Zhu Ning couldn’t smell any foul odor, though it was obvious the place should reek of blood and decay. Broken rotten flesh was scattered across the floor, nothing particularly terrifying—Zhu Ning had long been accustomed to monster corpses.

What was truly horrifying were the things on the bodies.

Droplets of blood oozed from the corpses, then floated in midair. These droplets varied in shape—some maintained the form of water droplets, while others had mutated, resembling snarling bacteria.

The blood droplets continued to drift upwards, moving like jellyfish, emitting a flickering red glow.

Standing amidst them, Zhu Ning felt as if he had stepped into some ancient, mysterious cave. In a strange aesthetic sense, there was an eerie beauty to it.

Zhu Ning recalled the training video carefully: once pollutants were killed and their vital signs disappeared, the pollutant spores did not die; instead, they sought new hosts.

Hosts could be humans, plants, animals, and some spores could even attach to lifeless objects—walls, tiles, or certain robots.

Fang Ying had explained that robots short-circuit because pollutant spores could infect machines and even invade networks. It seemed these blood droplets were indeed pollutant spores.

Pollutant spores could not be eradicated, only contained.

This was why cleaners were needed for sanitation. The training video showed only a single spore; now, they faced an entire space filled with them. Zhu Ning was deeply shocked.

Rustling sounds signaled Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan landing beside him.

“You didn’t throw up,” Xu Meng remarked.

Zhu Ning still hadn’t vomited. Most people’s first reaction to this sight was physiological nausea. He was the first newbie she had ever seen who didn’t throw up.

Zhu Ning was speechless.

Should he have pretended to vomit first? Not vomiting was one thing, but this stuff was truly disgusting.

“Tch,” Li Nianchuan frowned upon arrival. “Water-based pollutants are troublesome.”

“What’s wrong with water-based?” Zhu Ning asked.

Xu Meng explained, “High moisture content makes the spores more active.”

Indeed, the blood droplets Zhu Ning saw floated faster than those in the training video.

Suddenly, a heavy clang sounded as a metal plate sealed the entrance above, plunging the area into complete darkness. They had blocked off the entrance.

“Don’t be afraid,” Xu Meng said. “It’s standard procedure. They’re worried the spores might leak out. The entrance will automatically reopen once we finish.”

That made sense, but being trapped in an enclosed sewer still felt unsettling. Zhu Ning rubbed his neck.

“This is an E-level mission, not very difficult,” Xu Meng said. “The pollution concentration is low; we’ll finish quickly.”

The spores floated at a limited speed; the pollutants had only recently died and couldn’t spread rapidly.

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