Chapter 150: The Curse’s Price

Letting Father out might create good synergy with Qin Ran, quickly polluting the entire town’s population.

Or maybe Sister could have another snack since she did eat part of Special Pollution Source 041 last time.

But this Qin Ran is different from Special Pollution Incident 041. Even if Sister ate him, digestion might be difficult.

Besides last time Sister only scared the Special Pollution Source, she didn’t eliminate it.

This time Lu Xin wants elimination!

The kind of elimination that guarantees no escape. Work progress must reach 100%!

…

…

Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself…

Facing the constantly shifting Pollution Source, Lu Xin didn’t feel nervous…

…or rather he did, just not intensely!

His mind raced through everything he’d learned about Pollution Sources from the Special Pollution Cleanup Department since meeting Chen Jing. Oddly one sentence stood out with crystal clarity: “When faced with madness, reason is humanity’s sole advantage!”

Chen Jing said that. Lu Xin thought it made a lot of sense.

So while dodging the growing horde of vengeful town residents, he rapidly worked to untangle the logic, searching for the key to this transformation based on past events:

“In the original Special Pollution Incident 041, Cui Wang killed Qin Ran then he became Qin Ran.”

“Or rather he was polluted by Qin Ran and then became Qin Ran.”

“So when I investigated Sifang Transport Company there were two Qin Rans.”

“One worked at Sifang Transport Company. Judging by his dying reaction he was unaware of anything else. He genuinely seemed to believe he was just an ordinary person earning money transporting goods across the Wasteland… You could say he truly thought he was Qin Ran, a simple man from the Wasteland who made his way into the Satellite City…”

“Was this a false memory or part of Qin Ran’s real memories?”

“Meanwhile the other Qin Ran—the real one—was lurking at the bottom of a lake in the Second Satellite City. He systematically polluted people near the shore, instilling in them an intense hatred for Qin Ran…”

“The target of their hatred was the normal Qin Ran at Sifang Transport Company…”

…

“So…”

Lu Xin pondered deeply, the countless fragments of information churning in his brain until it felt ready to explode.

He suddenly missed Han Bing terribly.

If she were here he wouldn’t have to juggle combat and complex analysis simultaneously.

“If being killed by someone turns them into a Pollution Source…”

“And then they can pollute those around them, making them part of themselves… Is that Qin Ran’s ability…?”

“Then why would these polluted individuals seek revenge against Qin Ran?”

Though he missed Han Bing’s analytical support she wasn’t here. Lu Xin had to figure it out alone.

“Why has Qin Ran’s pollution speed increased this time?”

“Why was there almost no interval in between?”

…

An increasing flood of information and questions overwhelmed Lu Xin’s mind, turning it into a chaotic mess pushed to its brink. He barely focused on the fight itself; Sister skillfully helped him evade the townsfolk seeking “revenge.” Aware of the danger she refrained from using lethal force against the residents.

Then just as Lu Xin felt his brain was about to break, Mom suddenly spoke with a gentle smile:

“Why must you assume this is his ability?”

Her eyes shone slightly, looking at Lu Xin with exquisite tenderness: “Why couldn’t it be the price he pays?”

…

Mom’s words instantly illuminated Lu Xin’s mind.

At that moment all the tangled threads of confusion seemed to find a starting point, rapidly becoming clear.

“Right every pollution incident has its logic chain and core key…”

“The complex part of Special Pollution Incident 041 lies in its logic chain…”

“But what if Special Pollution Incident 041 isn’t just one event but two?”

…

Answers flooded Lu Xin’s mind rapidly: “When Qin Ran became a Pollution Source and began polluting others the logic was clear, almost simple. He could consume the minds around him absorbing their spirits into himself.”

“But these polluted individuals hold immense hatred for Qin Ran…”

“They want to kill Qin Ran. This must be the price he pays for polluting others!”

…

Lu Xin’s gaze snapped towards Qin Ran his vision sharpening. He saw the writhing vines resembling a grotesque man-eating tree crowned with humanoid fruits: “So for the Qin Ran who began this pollution the real challenge is eliminating the victims’ hatred and successfully consuming them.”

“Therefore he transferred their hatred towards him onto other targets?”

“And used these targets to accelerate his own growth?”

…

Meanwhile a smile slowly spread across Mom’s face: “It’s a curse…”

Lu Xin felt a bit lighter and nodded: “It really is a curse.”

In Incident 041 Qin Ran redirected the hatred onto Cui Wang. That’s why the polluted sought revenge on “Cui Wang.” Once killed they became part of Qin Ran fueling further pollution. This time I’m the target of that transferred hatred. That’s why these people see me as Qin Ran and hunt me for revenge…

So the core key isn’t actually with “Qin Ran” right now but with me?

…

…

Having found the core key Lu Xin instantly relaxed.

There were still some unanswered questions like why Qin Ran’s pollution speed had increased this time.

Why did Cui Wang take on Qin Ran’s appearance back then but I haven’t?

But finding the key made everything less difficult.

His increased pollution speed might also be related to me.

All the abnormalities are actually related to me.

…

…

To solve this problem the first step is: how did Qin Ran transfer the hatred to me?

Thinking about this question Lu Xin recalled Qin Ran’s gaze just before death.

Those dim eyes that seemed to be smiling.

…

…

“Swish!”

Moving with incredible speed he suddenly kicked off the freshly painted wall of a nearby house. He ran several steps through the air evading the people swarming him before landing beside Mom. Looking at her he offered a slight smile.

Mom smiled back at him reaching into her satchel and pulling out a pair of scissors.

Lu Xin held out his arms straight making it easier for Mom to search his body.

In front of him countless people with crazed expressions waved their “weapons” charging towards him.

But just as these people were about to reach him Mom’s gentle voice came from behind: “Found it!”

Then came a soft “snip” sound.

A sharp pain shot through his back.

But soon small cool hands pressed onto the wound making Lu Xin’s back feel cold alleviating most of the pain.

He looked down and saw something fall at his feet.

It was a piece of skin from his shoulder. While the surface looked normal embedded within the flesh beneath were two hollows a raised bump and a horizontal slit. Even now the hollows and slit writhed contorting into different expressions…

…It was a face that hadn’t fully formed yet!

Judging by the proportion of the eye-like holes the protruding nose and the slit-like mouth it bore a resemblance to Qin Ran.

Qin Ran’s face!

This face had been growing under Lu Xin’s skin without him realizing it.

It must be the presence of this face that made these people mistake him for “Qin Ran” filling them with hatred.

Moreover Lu Xin vaguely guessed that if he didn’t have his “abilities” he might have already transformed into Qin Ran’s likeness.

The instant the face was snipped away everyone charging madly at him collapsed. They fell upon the severed piece of flesh like ravenous beasts scrambling and shoving each other in a desperate frenzy like a pack of hungry ghosts.

But Lu Xin was suddenly forgotten left standing apart from the chaos.

He slowly turned his head towards Qin Ran or rather towards that flesh-and-blood man-eating tree.

“My turn.”