Chapter 293: The Burden of Contamination

The Red Moon hung high above, and the atmosphere had grown tense, with every sound seeming far away.

“Then you…”

After a pause, Gao Ting hesitantly spoke up, admitting she couldn’t quite follow Lu Xin’s words.

Lu Xin looked stern as he propped his glasses with his index finger and flipped through his small notebook. “I can now confirm that you’ve been contaminated. But it’s a type I’ve never encountered before… In fact, you’ve contaminated yourself, and that’s why you’re showing these symptoms.”

He spoke with utmost seriousness.

Gao Ting had indeed begun to show contamination symptoms. Previously, when battling the Brain Monster, she managed to largely counter its influence—even as a thought was forced into her mind, her body obeyed entirely different commands…

It was an eerie, warped condition.

And the reason for it was her contamination.

The problem was that this contamination came from within.

“Wait…”

After a moment of stunned silence, Gao Ting finally asked, “Are you serious?”

Lu Xin nodded solemnly.

A wry smile played on Gao Ting’s lips as she asked, “How much did Old Zhou and his nephew pay you to help me?”

“Room, board—and fuel…”

Lu Xin replied, “Then they agreed to split half of the scavenging money with me.”

Gao Ting blinked in surprise before adding with a bitter smile, “Do you know they barely made about 1,800 yuan on this run?”

Lu Xin responded, “Not too bad—back in the company, I only earned around a thousand a month.”

“This…”

Gao Ting fell silent, her expression growing complex. After a moment she whispered, “Thank you, but what’s wrong with me isn’t something you can fix. I can tell you’re no ordinary guy, yet this isn’t something anyone should meddle with. I don’t want the brothers to know, nor do I want this jeopardizing our convoy’s livelihood, after all…”

She slowly shook her head and added, “It’s all been my own choice.”

As she spoke, her face betrayed a hint of unease—even though she had no other words. Out in the wasteland, she had seen too many hotheaded youths rise up against injustice only to end up badly…

The wasteland was no place for heroes.

“You’re not.”

Lu Xin met her flinching eyes and said, “If it had been your choice, you wouldn’t have ended up with this affliction.”

“Then what’s the difference?”

After a moment’s silence, Gao Ting murmured, “These things are inherently ambiguous, and no one can really control them…”

“I’ve come across plenty of inexplicable situations, but your case is something I can clearly explain.”

Lu Xin looked earnestly at Gao Ting and said, “I understand what you’ve said, done, and feared, but I must insist—this isn’t right. His methods are wrong, and your resigned attitude is equally misguided, so I will…”

Perhaps sensing his seriousness, Gao Ting suddenly felt a twinge of worry.

She feared that Lu Xin might really go through with it—after all, if another young man drew his blade in anger, it could cost him dearly.

Yet she had witnessed such horror before, so…

Before she could dissuade him, she heard him declare determinedly, “I’ll report him for you!”

…

The Boss, clearly taken aback, interjected, “Report him?”

With earnest conviction, Lu Xin said, “Yes!”

The Boss burst into laughter, remarking, “If reporting someone could fix everything, there’d be no problems in the world!”

Her mood lightened; she assumed he was just joking.

“But reporting is still part of the rules, you know…”

Noticing the Boss’s look, Lu Xin replied gravely, “Of course, if reporting fails to fix things…”

Then he trailed off with a laugh.

The Boss’s smile faded as she realized the young man wasn’t joking.

He appeared genuinely intent on reporting him…

Although, deep down, she thought it might have been less jarring if he had simply said he was going to take down that monster instead.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

After a long pause, she sighed softly, “No matter what, thank you for your good intentions.”

She lingered outside the tent for a moment before quietly departing. Just before stepping into the firelight, she vigorously wiped her eyes.

When the firelight touched her face, it revealed a calm, resolute expression.

……

“I told you I’d help her—why aren’t you reacting?”

Lu Xin mumbled as he watched Gao Ting leave, letting out a gentle sigh.

He was filled with a tinge of melancholy.

He only hoped that once the one bullying her was reported, she could let go of her inner turmoil and start taking better care of herself.

After all, when they charged toward that Brain Monster together, she looked absolutely stunning.

He shook his head, returning to scribbling notes and sketches in his little notebook.

He pondered ways to cut down on operating costs.

Since this was a private commission, there was no way to get it reimbursed through the Special Cleaning Department, but maybe he could work some loopholes with Han Bing to claim a little.

Perhaps even the cost for reloading the Robotic Dog could be settled with the Special Cleaning Department…

It wasn’t about wanting to waste money—it was just that the dog had an inherently wasteful nature…

The design of the Robotic Dog was flawed; it couldn’t accurately detect a target’s life signs.

Therefore, to avoid scenes where a downed opponent feigns death only to spring up and land a final blow on the hero, the R&D Department at the Special Cleaning Department crafted a program that, once a target was locked on, would immediately expend all its ammo.

In other words, the Robotic Dog was single-use before any reloading.

……

A soft breeze brushed by, and the Red Moon’s light cascading from above took on an even more mysterious glow.

Sensing something, Lu Xin turned around and found Mom waiting.

She was dressed in a white formal dress richly patterned with red motifs, reminiscent of roses.

Although such a dress might seem ostentatious on others, on her it exuded elegance and poise.

A wide-brimmed hat sat atop her head, concealing much of her face and leaving only her vivid red lips visible.

“Want to take a walk?”

Mom smiled and, holding her small satchel in her left hand, reached out to Lu Xin.

“Alright!”

Lu Xin nodded, grasped Mom’s hand, and stood up.

He walked with Mom toward White Tower Town, the two of them side by side under the Red Moon over the wasteland.

Because they needed a quick rest, the convoy had set up camp no more than ten li from White Tower Town. From a hilltop, they could see an abandoned city bathed in Red Moon light—the thin nighttime mist revealing towering buildings and scattered structures.

“Take a look at this.”

Mom retrieved a thick file from her small satchel.

Lu Xin noticed that the file was stained with blood.

He took it in without a word. In the moonlight, a white label on the file bore the stamp “Top Secret,” alongside neatly printed block letters: “God’s Body Cultivation Program—Third Stage Launch Project III.”

Lu Xin quietly noted the title, then opened the file to scan its contents.

It was packed with intricate formulas and images detailing neural structures.

Unable to make sense of it, Lu Xin held it and curiously asked, “What is this?”

“I picked it up while shopping around in this city,” Mom replied with a smile.

“Perhaps it has something to do with what you encountered today,” she added.

“So Mom was just out shopping?”

Lu Xin squinted and smiled, then asked, “What exactly was that thing today?”

“They were something alluring, yet completely out of place.”

Mom’s face softened into a gentle smile as she said, “I never thought anyone could go so far—it shows they’re extremely bold and quite competent. And if they’ve already begun crafting something related to the Third Stage, it means they’ve taken a huge leap in their research…”

“Third Stage?”

Lu Xin fell silent, reflecting, as it seemed this Third Stage ought to be something powerful.

Yet the creature encountered today didn’t seem all that terrifying.

Mom, as if reading his mind, smiled at him and asked, “What do you think that thing was?”

Lu Xin replied, “A monster.”

After a pause, he added, “A real monster.”

The first impression that the Brain Monster left him was its palpable, physical presence.

Though he’d faced many Mental Monsters before, very few were corporeal.

Moreover, the Brain-like Monster seemed capable of influencing even the mad—instilling in them a semblance of thought and will.

At close range, it could affect ordinary people, even himself.

Its influence was far more potent than that of ordinary contamination.

After all, it affected him for a full five seconds.

But such intense contamination power, if used solely to influence madmen…

……

“Perhaps it wasn’t about influencing madmen.”

Mom, seemingly reading his mind, smiled and said, “Rather, it’s about creating madmen, isn’t it?”

Lu Xin paused, images of those madmen flashing through his mind. They were robust—unlike the emaciated creatures of the wasteland that withered from hunger.

They all wore a distinctive, sturdy blue jumpsuit.

Their bodies appeared far stronger than those of typical madmen—more like monsters than merely lunatics.

They showed a distinct fear of bullets.

So, if these madmen all evolved from ordinary people…

His lips pressed into a thin line.

……

“So, what do you plan to do about it?”

Mom looked at Lu Xin, her smile exuding grace.

“Of course, we’ll find them,” she said.

Lu Xin replied softly, “Such immoral acts must be strictly scrutinized.”

“That’s good.”

Mom smiled and nodded, “But now that this has come to light, I’m going to check on my old friends—I need to know how far they’ve advanced in their research on that power. So, all matters concerning Central City are in your hands.”

“Are you heading out?”

Lu Xin paused, glancing up at Mom, his eyes reflecting countless emotions.

Even the shadow at his feet seemed to shift subtly.

“Just a trip—only a few days.”

Mom cast a playful glance at his shadow, then said, “You’re all grown up—yet you still can’t live without me?”

“Once you’re up to speed, or if you run into trouble, I’ll be back,” he assured.

…

Mom gently lifted her hand to caress Lu Xin’s face as she smiled, “While I’m away, you must take care of Dad and your sister. Now that you’re grown, not many can push you around. But when it comes to matters involving the Third Stage or those thirteen types of Mental Entities mentioned by folks from Qinggang, be extra careful…”

“Be careful…”

Lu Xin hesitated slightly and asked, “Careful about what?”

Mom’s smile turned teasing and her eyes sparkled as she said:

“Of course, you must control your temper—don’t let things go too far…”