By helping the Qi Family Gang remember who they were, Nan Yue would absorb as much pollution as possible, allowing the spirits of the Qi Family Gang to find peace and at least escape being trapped in this world created by resentment.
As for the monster in the deep pool...
That wasn't something that could be settled once and for all.
Now that the King’s Coin had wounded it and Nan Yue had absorbed the resentment it had consumed over all these years, it would take quite some time for it to regain the scale it had when it killed the Qi Family Gang.
As long as no unfortunate soul stumbled upon this place and woke it up, it should remain dormant for a very long time.
Jiang Haoyu pulled the red button from his pocket, standing ready.
He had brought many of these, and everyone had several on them.
He was worried about being too fragile; if he died in the pollution world, the others could still carry out the mission.
They had all come here with a sense of resolve.
Nan Yue took one last deep look at the white figures of the Qi Family Gang, and in the next second, black mist enveloped them.
Jiang Siyan's white mist had seeped into her body before Nan Yue made her move, surrounding her like warm water.
Having been with Nan Yue for so long, the group realized that her absorption speed was much faster than when she first started.
The range was also worlds apart; now, the entire rainforest looked as if it were being swallowed by a massive beast, with the black mist blotting out the sun and obscuring almost everything.
That oppressive aura felt almost physical, tightly gripping the throats of the others.
This was the first time Chi Yu and the others had seen Nan Yue's ability.
Although they had heard Fu Xi Ming mention it before, seeing it with their own eyes was a completely different shock.
This simply wasn't a power a human should possess.
Jiang Haoyu was nearly suffocating, the screaming fear in his heart making him want to turn and run, but he gritted his teeth and clutched the button tightly, waiting for the right moment.
The others surrounded Jiang Haoyu, trying to shield him from the threat of Nan Yue's power as much as possible.
Jiang Haoyu's eyes were bloodshot as he watched the pollution indicator without blinking.
“54... 52... 50...”
When the needle shifted slightly, the button was pressed firmly.
Pfft.
They didn't see anything, but they could feel something bursting open, rising into the air and disappearing into the light and shadows.
Whether it was psychological or not, they felt their breathing become easier.
“It... it worked!!”
Jiang Haoyu was in disbelief as the pollution indicator in his hand slowly dropped, finally stopping at 28%.
“This... this must be because that thing in the deep pool is still there. Once we leave this pollution world, it should be 0 pollution.”
Jiang Haoyu was so excited he felt like crying.
For so many years, countless people had been curious about what lay outside the city states, and countless people had sacrificed themselves for it.
Some had seen the truth outside the city states, while others lived their entire lives inside a shell.
But now, they had become the first—the very first to establish a zero-pollution space outside the city states.
Jiang Haoyu was one of those who knew the truth, so he knew that what they were doing wasn't just about finding hope and more space.
What they were doing was far more important.
They were truly creating their own world.
The pollution world and the city states were all created by the Federation; everything else was chaos, where no one existed.
But now, they had broken free from the Federation's world, stepped off the path provided by the Federation, and onto a path of their own.
With no operating system and no monitoring from the Federation, this was the first pure land.
Shen Nian and the others had once reached this stage, but their goal back then was exploration, not pioneering.
At this moment, Jiang Haoyu was suddenly thrilled to be witnessing this; his abilities were average, and he had come prepared to die on this journey.
But seeing this moment made even death feel worth it.
“Hey, stop crying.”
Zhu Xi Ning's voice was a bit cold and harsh, but Jiang Haoyu felt she was comforting him.
“Get ready to head out.”
The black mist had thinned, revealing Nan Yue standing inside.
She looked a bit pale, but otherwise fine.
Though her figure swayed slightly, she was quickly supported by Jiang Siyan and Gu Xiangkai.
“Let's go.”
Nan Yue digested the surging pollution in her body, letting Jiang Siyan pick her up and carry her out.
“Old Jiang, do you want me to carry her?”
Jiang Siyan's bridal carry was perfect and steady, but since Jiang Siyan had also just used his ability, Gu Xiangkai was worried about his condition.
“No need.”
“Your way of carrying people is too rough.”
Gu Xiangkai followed behind, scratching his head; carrying someone on his shoulder was just more convenient.
The rainforest was now empty, but the sounds of insects and birds that had disappeared were starting to return.
Walking in the middle of the group, Jiang Haoyu felt that this place wasn't scary at all anymore.
He looked back; there were no more spirits trapped here.
That was good.
The rainforest dissipated, and they returned to where they were before.
Nan Yue touched the leather armrest of the jeep again.
The pitch-black darkness they were originally in had now turned into a vast, empty white.
The pollution concentration here was exactly as Jiang Haoyu had said: 0.
This was how the world was meant to be, its original state, waiting for them to decorate it.
“How long is this corridor?”
Jiang Haoyu operated the machine. “If we don't consider height expansion and focus purely on length, it can reach up to 27 kilometers.”
Nan Yue nodded. “The height only needs to be enough for us and the researchers behind us to pass. What we need to do is connect the two city states as quickly as possible.”
“Do we have a general idea of where the other city states are?”
Nan Yue was worried they would end up wandering around like headless flies.
Just as Jiang Haoyu was about to answer, Fu Xi Ming's voice came through Nan Yue's earpiece.
“Nan Yue?”
Fu Xi Ming had been wearing her headset the entire time, handling work in her office with intense focus while keeping an eye on their situation at all times.
Six days had passed since they entered the city state, and there had been nothing but static in her headset, making it impossible to contact them.
Fu Xi Ming didn't even dare to take off her headset when she slept.
Countless times in her dreams, she would return to the moment Shen Nian last contacted them.
At that time, Fu Xi Ming was busy dealing with matters concerning the Sharp Blade and hadn't been able to return immediately, so she never heard Shen Nian's final words.
Because of that, for a long time, Fu Xi Ming didn't believe it.
She didn't believe that Shen Nian had given up in the end, even telling them not to explore further.
So this time, she absolutely could not miss it again.
No matter what the outcome was for Nan Yue and the others, she would stand guard until the very last moment.
This wasn't just out of curiosity for the truth, but also out of respect for those who held the torches high.
So when Fu Xi Ming heard what sounded like a voice in her headset, she was instantly jolted awake from her light sleep.
“Nan Yue?”
“Fu Xi Ming, we've established the first zero-pollution corridor.”
Fu Xi Ming was stunned, and then a massive torrent of emotions enveloped her.
Surprise, excitement, thrill, regret, and a hint of sadness—she was caught off guard by her own feelings.
Rate on N.U.
