GETOP CH3

Lu Yan dialed Li Rui’s number.

No answer. Later, the other party’s phone ran out of battery and automatically shut down.

On WeChat, the messages he sent also went unanswered.

Although Lu Yan and Dr. Li worked at the same hospital, their relationship wasn’t close enough to exchange home addresses.

Not long after Lin Sinan left, the compensation fee for the previous surgery was transferred directly into his card. After taxes, it was in the low six figures.

Having worked at the hospital for so many years, it was Lu Yan’s first time receiving such a generous bonus.

Because he didn’t need to go to work for the time being, he didn’t go to the hospital.

Generally speaking, after earning a huge sum of money, people usually treat themselves by going shopping.

He thought for a moment, then went to the convenience store downstairs and cleared out all their water and instant noodles.

In the convenience store, the old man watching the door was listening to the radio, shaking his head to the rhythm.

“Today at 10 AM, our city’s police discovered a fugitive on the run at Qujiang Park. The fugitive attempted to take a hostage and was shot dead on the spot.”

Lu Yan recalled the last sentence Li Rui had said on the phone earlier today.

At that time, he was in a hurry to answer the door and hung up before listening to the end. The other party had said he was at a place starting with the “Qu” sound.

Looking at it now, it was Qujiang Park.

Lu Yan lowered his head and searched for related news. Unfortunately, not a single media outlet could provide the suspect’s information. It was likely a press release handed down from above, as all the news articles were written identically.

Finally, he only found a blurry aerial photo. A person wearing a black windbreaker was lying on the ground.

Lu Yan had seen Li Rui wear that windbreaker; he had said it was a Canada Goose gifted by his girlfriend.

Dr. Li liked it very much and had shown it off in the department for several days.

Unease gradually expanded in the bottom of Lu Yan’s heart.

He drove to a nearby large shopping mall and went on a crazy shopping spree.

The mall seemingly didn’t expect a customer who shopped at the supermarket as if buying wholesale from a warehouse, and directly arranged for a truck to deliver the items Lu Yan bought back to his home.

Food, medicine, mineral water, portable gas stoves…

The things he bought fully crammed two guest rooms.

It was a good thing Lu Yan lived alone; otherwise, they really wouldn’t have fit.

“Brother, what are you buying so much for? This could last you for years.” The delivery guy helping to carry the items was very puzzled.

Lu Yan wasn’t someone who liked to explain, so he just replied, “I’m a WeChat reseller.”

The delivery guy: “…”

Hard to understand.

In the evening, Lu Yan turned on the TV as usual, listening to the evening news while preparing to cook.

“The pollution source in City H has been brought under control. The state of emergency will soon be lifted, and traffic will resume…”

As she spoke, the female anchor’s expression changed: “We now interrupt this broadcast for breaking news.”

“An unidentified pollution disease has appeared in our city, and all activities are suspended. Citizens are requested to voluntarily isolate at home and not go out. City K is temporarily locked down to the outside!”

Just like Lu Yan, the millions of people living in City K also received the same news.

City K fell into a state of panic, shrouded by a dark cloud.

In the homeowners’ group chat, notification sounds rang out incessantly.

“What’s the situation? Pollution disease?”

“How come there was no sign at all, this is too sudden!”

“I still have a business trip tomorrow!”

To the vast majority of people, the pollution disease was just a plague that happened abroad.

At first, everyone was still a bit terrified. After all, no one wanted to turn into a monster. But in the past two or three years, with reports of the pollution disease every day, people gradually realized that this disease wasn’t completely incurable. This actually reduced their fear.

It’s just that they never expected that one day, the pollution would happen right beside them.

In the residential community group, property management came out to make a statement: “Homeowners, please rest assured. We have already received the notice. Although you cannot go out, property management will continue to serve you. If there are daily necessities you need to purchase, you can make a list and hand it to us. We will definitely overcome this difficulty together!”

Meanwhile, in Lu Yan’s colleagues’ group chat, a bunch of doctors were also endlessly discussing this pollution disease.

“The pollution disease is not part of the traditional medical system. Will we doctors be drafted?”

“Sigh, I have a patient who is about to have tumor resection surgery. Now they can’t go out or go to the hospital. What should we do?”

“Why do even doctors have to isolate at home?!”

Although the pollution disease was often reported, and some doctors were curious about it.

But… it was only because of their profession that they knew a little more than ordinary people.

At the very least, the treatment of the pollution disease no longer belonged to the medical domain.

This world-subverting pollution disease was still perceived by most people as just a somewhat troublesome infectious disease, much like the flu or HIV. In the beginning, the research institutes thought so too.

Everyone optimistically believed that humanity would conquer the pollution disease just as they had conquered smallpox.

Only Lu Yan, looking at the messages on the screen, had a heavy expression. He remembered the fish eggs he saw during yesterday’s surgery.

Lin Sinan had said there would be no secondary pollution, but Li Rui had begun to mutate.

In the morning, he had called Director Hu. The director told him that he was already on a plane back to his hometown.

The director did not show any symptoms of being polluted.

During the surgery, only Li Rui had come into contact with the pierced fish eggs.

This lockdown was exceptionally strict.

The next morning, Lu Yan stood by the window, looking outside as usual. His bedroom window directly faced the community gate, offering a clear view.

An armed military vehicle parked at the main gate, and then several officers holding guns stepped out.

Who knows how many personnel were transferred from various bases to City K to handle this sudden emergency.

Not only was the community’s main gate sealed tight, but even the building unit doors were locked. Every day, they would only be opened briefly during grocery deliveries.

Many residents were panic-stricken, but there was nothing they could do.

On the second night of the lockdown, Lu Yan was sleeping when he suddenly heard a gunshot in the distance.

The electric scooters parked in the community wailed their alarms.

Lu Yan got up, carefully opened a crack in the curtains, and looked out the window.

A moment later, he saw a familiar square metal box being carried out of the community.

The patient initially brought to the hospital had used the exact same metal pod.

In the morning, the homeowners’ group inevitably brought up this matter.

The property management immediately came out to explain: “I asked about it. Last night, a thief tried to break into a house. Then the soldiers guarding the gate fired a warning shot in a moment of desperation. It’s fine. The thief has already been sent to the police station.”

Lu Yan took one glance and put down his phone.

He prepared to wash an apple for breakfast to calm his nerves.

Just as Lu Yan’s hand touched the faucet, the System finally piped up.

[I advise you had best not use tap water today.]

[Did you know? In their unparasitized state, these disgusting parasitic fish eggs are transparent.]

Lu Yan withdrew his hand, feeling that eating the apple directly without washing it didn’t seem entirely out of the question either.

He watched the news and ate the apple, listening to the System’s detailed introduction in his ears.

[In the first stage of mutation, the fish eggs will burrow into your stomach, hatch, and then undergo massive asexual reproduction in the stomach. This stage can last for 2 weeks.]

[In the second stage, the fish eggs will follow the bloodstream, stopping in areas with more fat to absorb nutrients, and gradually emerge on the skin.]

[In the third stage, the fish eggs will completely cover every part of your body. At this point, you will become the lowest level of Pollutant! Usually, they hatch into murlocs.] The System’s voice was inexplicably delighted.

[This is the life of the despised parasitic fish egg.]

Lu Yan unlocked his phone and sent a message in all his group chats and forums, urging everyone to hoard mineral water.

Then, in passing, he searched for the phone number of City K’s Pollution Disease Prevention and Control Center.

He felt he should at least fulfill his obligation to warn them.

[If I were you, I wouldn’t make that call,] the System suddenly spoke.

[Host, an Awakened might not necessarily be sent to the research institute, but you definitely will be, because you are Lu Cheng’s son and possess me as a talent. Missing out on Lu Cheng back then has made the research institute regret it to this day. Moreover, the research institute’s study of pollution goes much deeper than you think. I advise you to stop worrying for nothing.]

[Of course, you don’t have to believe me. After all, I am only a system. But compared to… I am more willing to stay by your side. After all, you are quite good-looking.] The System stopped itself mid-sentence.

In the past, no matter how the System talked to itself, Lu Yan wouldn’t respond.

But this time, he unprecedentedly asked: “What happens if I’m sent to the research institute?”

The System gave a couple of weird laughs: [Perhaps, death would be the best outcome. However, as a precious experimental specimen, it’s impossible for you to die easily.]

Lu Yan didn’t really want to die, let alone be vivisected alive, so he temporarily abandoned the idea of calling the Pollution Disease Prevention and Control Center.

Anxiety made him wipe the floor with a rag over and over again.

Even though his home was already spotless, without even a speck of dust under the bed.

Facts proved that the relevant departments’ response was still quite swift.

In the afternoon, Lu Yan saw the rich second-generation guy next door open his window and swear angrily on his balcony: “Fuck! Why is the water cut off?!”

The property management group exploded.

This water stoppage was completely unexpected, and no one had received any prior notice. More importantly, the entire City K, and even several neighboring cities, had their tap water shut off at the same time.

Water is cheap, and sometimes you don’t think much of it. But when you don’t have it, it’s truly fatal.

The property management probably didn’t expect the water to be cut off either, and kept comforting the homeowners in the group.

Ever since the lockdown began, the TV in Lu Yan’s house hadn’t been turned off.

On the local news channel, the anchor said: “This afternoon, due to improper operation by water treatment plant workers, a large amount of cyanide was added to the clean water reservoir. Cyanide is a highly toxic chemical substance. To ensure the safety of residents’ water supply, our city has implemented an emergency water shutdown. The city hall will arrange for the military to distribute purified water at regular intervals. Citizens are requested to stay calm and remain patient.”

To comply with the city hall’s lockdown policy, the news anchors were all broadcasting live from their homes.

Ordinary people were still being kept in the dark.

Lu Yan thought about it. Actually, it was a very simple logic. Everyone knew this was the pollution disease, but they had never been clear on just how terrifying this disease could be.

And fearing death is human nature.

If they knew the truth, the superficial peace would be instantly shattered. Many people would use any means necessary to leave City K, and if even one of them carried a parasitic fish egg, the disaster would spread to the entire world.

A runaway train is approaching. On one side of the tracks is one person, and on the other is a group of people. How would you choose?

The System chuckled lowly.

[Your thoughts are correct, but not entirely. Perhaps you should understand a concept called the Pollution Value… or, SAN Value?]

[The more fearful you are, the easier it is to be polluted. If the media started broadcasting the true state of the world, believe me, in less than a month, the whole world would fall.]

[Of course, it’s not far off now.]

“You look like you’re really looking forward to the destruction of the world.”

Like some evil villain.

[There is evidence suggesting that evolution often occurs in sudden leaps. New species form rapidly in a short period of time, and then remain relatively stable for a long time into the future.]*

I just can’t wait… to see you become a god.