Chapter 036: “Now, tell me your choice.”

This chapter is translated by Hoenimochi, translation checked by Rin, edited by Bluburry, and proofread by Kris Xian.

[Although I am reluctant to believe this possibility, the worst has happened before.] The System’s voice was much more serious than usual.

[In the past, it was always humans who challenged the Pollutants. Even though it was the weak that defeated the strong, but that was only because they had all the information, and there was always the strength to fight.]

[And this time, it was the Pollutants who came to besiege the humans. Traitors have also appeared amongst mankind.]

[In the beginning, Lu Jiahe appeared in M ​​City and was short-lived. His file was labeled 11. Do you know what that means? It means that before him, there were 10 Pollutants of the same level. Because there is no way to resolve these high-level Pollutants, humans did not dare to carelessly interfere with them. However, due to the frequent occurrence of pollution disease in recent years, mankind has gradually become inferior in this war, and this balance has been broken.]

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[Now, what they want to do is to make the situation collapse a little more thoroughly. This node falls on ‌Tang Xun’an.]

[He is the only S-Class Enlightened that mankind has, and yet may not be. Nonetheless, if the First Research Institute were to release all of the No. 1 to No. 3 experimental subjects, there would be too many uncertainties. At that time, the Enlighteneds would be more like expendables than how they are now. Moreover, after such an incident, will the remaining Enlighteneds in the SpecOps Division really not be bitterly disappointed?]

[Therefore, as long as Tang Xun’an dies, or mutates to become a Pollutant, the goal is achieved.]

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Inside, the only person who seemed a little out of place might be Ren Xuan who came from the First Research Institute.

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Ren Xuan listened without any interest.

When he had first joined the Research Institute, he had also been an ambitious young man with lofty ideals and purposes. Today, he was just a middle-aged man that was apathetic and lacked emotion. The only thing that made him feel a little distressed was the fruit of his 20 years labor— 07.

However, Ms. Chen’s words finally made him a little sentimental.

Ren Xuan left the conference hall, walked to the rooftop, and dialed a phone number. “Teacher, the things we do— are they really right?”

“Child, this is not a question of right or wrong. Think about the human experiments we have conducted over the years, even if it was never for the purpose of torture and murder, are the people who died in our hands countable? Even for Pollutants, their mothers will cry when they see their children are killed. As humans, won’t we feel heartache?”

On the phone, an old voice replied, “But we are still insisting on experiments, why? Because we are walking on the road to truth, even if this road is full of sacrifices, even if this road requires us to pay a lot of costs—

“What is humanity? What we need is divinity.

“That group of outsiders doesn’t understand a thing. Do they even have the right to point fingers at our research? The Third Research Institute is even more traitorous! They have taken away our 50 years of experimental results without reason, and they want to accuse us of unscrupulously experimenting today. Remember, even if everyone says we were wrong, the truth can’t be wrong! Time will give the fairest evaluation.

“In the past, in the development of clinical medicine, did anyone care about how many animals died in order to conduct in vivo experiments?1 Maybe there are some, but have in vivo experiments been abolished? We just turned the target of the experiment to humans. Our ultimate goal is to save more people.”

Ren Xuan took out a tranquilizer from his pocket and slowly lighted it on himself, “Teacher, if this operation fails, I will lose 07 and become a scapegoat, right?”

If Tang Xun’an were to die, the only power that the other sectors of society could rely on would be the few experimental subjects from the First Research Institute.

That way, Ren Xuan’s colleagues could also get more research funding. Some of their controversy-filled studies would no longer be opposed.

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“…This is a necessary sacrifice for the preservation of the First Research Institute.”

Ren Xuan nodded, “I understand, Teacher. I’m on the top floor of the PDC in P City. In the end, whether it’s successful or not, I’ll jump.”

“You’ve worked hard,” the voice replied.

Ren Xuan watched the sun slowly sink; the horizon swallowed the last ray of dawn. He suddenly understood that there was no difference between what he and other people did, it was just that everyone chose a different path.

Ren Xuan had tears in his eyes, “For the future of mankind.”

The voice on the phone repeated, “For our future.”

The bow in Lu Yan’s hand had already shot six arrows in a few minutes.

These arrows were flawless and worked exceptionally well when facing those flying insects.

There were far more insectoids hidden in the woods than just praying mantises. Lu Yan glanced at it roughly, and some mosquitoes had evolved a human face. The shriveled face had a slender mouthpart, and the flapping wings on the back made an annoying buzzing sound.

Judging from the length of this mouthpart, if one got stabbed by this mosquito, one would probably be sucked to death.

And judging from the bulging blood sac in the mosquito’s abdomen, it might have already sucked the first victim.

Whether it was Zhou Zheng or Chen Anzhi, their expressions changed a little.

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Zhou Zheng was good at melee combat, and his whole body could turn into metal, making him invulnerable. But most insects could fly, which led to him feeling suffocated as if he were “unable to reason with a foolish person.”

Chen Anzhi’s ability was even more limited in this case. These Pollutants hadn’t even evolved the ability to think, and thus only had primitive instincts.

Lu Yan raised his hand and shot another arrow.

The arrowhead pierced through the mosquito’s abdomen and nailed it to the tree trunk behind him.

Blood exploded like a water balloon that was crushed.

While picking up the arrow on the ground, Lu Yan said mockingly, “Combat system, heh.”

Zhou Zheng’s face was red, while Chen Anzhi stared thoughtfully at Lu Yan’s hanging hand.

After he pulled the bow many times without proper protection, Lu Yan’s palm was cut, and there was a faint trace of blood seeping out.

He put down the sprayer, took out a bandage from the first aid kit he carried, and wrapped his palm with a frown.

While still in K City, Lu Yan discovered that Pollutants were particularly sensitive to the smell of his blood. Shen Qingyang also specifically said that he “smells different from others.”

Lu Yan didn’t know what was different. However, this was obviously not a good thing.

Later, in the Wall of Resentment, after receiving a gift from the “sister,” Lu Yan was less likely inclined to bleed himself.

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He didn’t know whether the bandaging was useful or not, and he didn’t know what the blood would attract. More importantly, by maintaining such a fighting stance, Lu Yan didn’t know if he would expose his body’s abnormality.

Therefore, acting alone was the most reasonable plan for him.

Lu Yan looked at his two teammates and said, “Let’s move separately, don’t follow me.”

Zhou Zheng frowned, “With the three of us together, the survival rate has increased significantly. Maybe you think you are protecting us now, but after all, I am also Enlightened with a spiritual power threshold of 1,700…”

Nonetheless, Lu Yan didn’t listen. Instead, he picked a path alone and walked forward.

Zhou Zheng shouted, “Hey!—”

He tried to keep up, but soon, an arrow swished right in front of him.

If the arrow had been a little faster, or if he had walked a little faster, the arrow would have struck deep into his knee.

With Lu Yan’s current strength, it would probably not have been a problem to directly shatter his knee.

Zhou Zheng lifted his head and happened to see the expression on Lu Yan’s face.

Indifferent and murderous. Like an assassin’s sharp blade out of its sheath, silent and dangerous.

Zhou Zheng was standing in place, looking at Lu Yan’s fleeting back, and was stunned. “Holy shit, are you for real?”

Chen Anzhi’s face possessed the same gentle smile as always, “Lu Yan has always been very withdrawn, and it’s not your first day knowing him. Forget it, it should be fine. The instructor is still watching from the shadows.”

As his smile rose, many students in different locations in the polluted area, regardless of gender or age, had the same smile on their faces.

It was like they were carved out of the same mold.

The System sighed, [The werewolf is about to jump out from its disguise. In a desperate and utterly isolated situation without help, what your chief instructor took this time, I’m afraid it’s the script of Farewell My Concubine.]2

Lu Yan carried the medicine can and sprayed the pesticide in one area after another.

A few minutes ago, he had called the instructor through the sensor watch, requesting off-field support.

However, the dial was unresponsive.

[In addition to the ability of Karmic Fire, 07 also has a talent called Magnetic Field Interference. It was transplanted recently.]

[Oh, you don’t know 07. But it doesn’t matter, your watch is broken anyway. ]

Lu Yan took a breath in silence, then smashed his watch against the tree trunk.

This watch, which could locate, call for help, and detect pollution, was indeed a masterpiece of the Research Institute; the mass-produced goods were also very sturdy.

The tree trunk was cracked, and yet the watch still worked.

It was just that the owner didn’t have the intention to pick it up.

The System said, [There is no use in getting angry, except that it makes “him” come out faster. You don’t want “him” to come out, and neither do I.]

“I know.” Lu Yan closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

[Well, although the situation is very serious, what makes me a System that can do anything?]

[Little Koi, I have two methods. The first one will allow you to escape alone, but people in P City, and all nearby cities, will surely die. As for how it will develop in the future, it’s too far away, and I can’t see it.]

[The second way, you may die. But if successful, the world will advance in another way.]

[Doesn’t it sound interesting that the “heroic view of history,” which has been denied for countless years, has become a reality at this point. The node of the future direction of the world is indeed, at this moment, in your hands.]

[Now, tell me your choice, Host.]

Translator’s Note

Kris Xian: The “him” they were referring to is extremely interesting.