Chapter 486: Tides of Decay

Lu Xin carefully reviewed the Sea Country’s pollution investigation report and realized how grave the situation really was.

No wonder even someone like Professor Bai was so tense.

Faced with such severe, and seemingly unsolvable pollution, perhaps only the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan could resolve it?

Lu Xin decided to put his trust in Qinggang and in Professor Bai’s judgment…

After all, when it came to these matters, the researchers were far more professional than he.

He was merely a security guard.

……

……

“Security is all about ensuring that the first phase of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan experiment goes uninterrupted.”

Han Bing had handed Lu Xin the documents for the first phase of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan ahead of schedule—today’s top secret in Qinggang. Ordinary people would be executed for even a glimpse, but as the top security force for the project, this secret was never meant to be hidden from Lu Xin.

Thus, even before the plan started, Lu Xin was well aware of its details.

“One Mental Overlord and four supporting personnel?”

After a careful review, Lu Xin had a rough understanding of the plan.

The first phase experiment of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan already gave a glimpse of the entire project’s blueprint.

For the experiment, Doll, experiment director Professor Bai, the peripheral protection force from the City Defense Department, Chen Jing leading mid-level protection, and Lu Xin himself responsible for core security, would all head to the experimental base—converted from a massive ocean-going vessel—with four signal towers set up around it as stabilizers.

At that time, Doll would be at the center, the core of the cleanup operations.

Additionally, four Ability Users would be selected as support personnel.

“Have these four candidates been confirmed?”

After reviewing the documents, Lu Xin curiously asked Han Bing.

“The selection process is already underway,”

Han Bing explained with a smile, “A reliable group of Ability Users has been chosen from the Main City and five Satellite Cities and undergone training. You’ve seen some of them before, but only those who are stable Second Stage Ability Users can support Doll during the first phase experiment of the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan.”

“By then, they will all have the keys to the four signal towers, playing a crucial role in the experiment.”

Han Bing continued with a smile, “For an experiment like this, the expert team led by Professor Bai has already taken every detail into account. We just need to ensure that the experiment proceeds as planned.”

Lu Xin was momentarily taken aback, “Then what about my role?”

Han Bing couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that.

Ever since their last meeting, she had grown increasingly lively in Lu Xin’s presence, laughing as she said:

“How do you prove that a place or project is safe?”

“By having security do nothing at all…”

“So what we hope for is that when the time comes, Mr. Single Soldier won’t have to do anything…”

“……”

Lu Xin sighed; Han Bing made a lot of sense.

It seemed that among all the jobs, security was the one where showing off was least required.

Although grumbled lightly, the Special Cleaning Department clearly attached great importance to the matter.

Within just two days, they had produced detailed and meticulous plans—down to every last detail. As the protector of the experiment’s core, Lu Xin’s sole directive was simple: “Guard Doll…”

“Tch tch…”

Lu Xin couldn’t help but marvel at the situation.

If things continued like this, he could even apply to be the captain of Doll’s nanny team.

He had heard their benefits were quite generous.

By the following afternoon, a list arrived: the four supporting Ability Users had been selected.

They were: Drunkard, Watchdog, Luohan, and Godly Woman.

Lu Xin was somewhat surprised at the absence of Gecko and checked with Han Bing.

Han Bing replied with a helpless tone, “Everyone had high hopes for Mr. Gecko. Despite his slick tongue, his mission success rate was high and he was reliable. But this time, he failed. We even tried to coax him into a Second Stage enhancement, but he refused. In the end, he was reassigned to another project…”

Lu Xin nodded silently. Was this yet another victory for the Special Cleaning Department in its internal power struggles with Gecko?

He also learned why the others were not selected: either deemed unstable after evaluation for the Second Stage or too young—in the case of the little bear, who everyone agreed should go back to school.

…They could at least catch the final exams on time.

……

By the next evening, Lu Xin boarded a helicopter headed for the experimental base.

The base wasn’t far from Qinggang—about 200 kilometers away, near an ocean coastline.

Sea Country wasn’t originally located here. It was Professor Bai who transported them here to facilitate the experiment.

After all, Sea Country’s strength lay in its assembly of huge vessels pieced together for mobility.

Lu Xin had heard many legends of Sea Country before, but when he saw that floating nation—a network of seven enormous modified ships and over a hundred small vessels intertwined like a tiny island on the sea—he was awestruck.

“So this is Sea Country…”

Han Bing explained softly, “The original Sea Country was much larger, with more ships and tens of thousands of people living on the sea. They even established a few small islands as footholds. But after Qinggang took over, they transferred the healthy women, children, and elderly to the temporary No.6 Satellite City Camp for quarantine.”

“Plus, the severe pollution in Sea Country caused massive deaths and led to the abandonment of many useless ships.”

“So now, what we see is a much smaller Sea Country than before.”

“The survivors now number only a little over a hundred thousand…”

“……”

Lu Xin listened intently and observed carefully.

He had already known from the documents about the severe pollution, but witnessing the condition of the ship-dwellers firsthand was jarring. This was not just serious pollution—it was a scene of devastation.

A hundred thousand people may sound like a small number, but in reality, it was vast.

Lu Xin quickly grasped the enormity of it all.

……

……

As the helicopter drew nearer, he could see countless figures on the ships, like ants scurrying about.

Most of these were robust men who had spent their lives at sea. Their skin was darkened by the sun, and their clothing was simple—often just wrapped around their vital parts. All around were shattered alcohol bottles, fishing nets, and more.

The ships themselves were large, rusty, dilapidated, and grimy, yet remarkably sturdy.

Men on the decks lounged lazily, their expressions blank as they slumped like pieces of wood.

Under the glaring sun, they made no effort to seek shade, as if they had lost all awareness of their surroundings.

Among them were even several corpses, carelessly discarded like tattered sacks.

Overhead, seabirds circled and occasionally landed to peck at the rotting flesh on the corpses. Gaping, ghastly wounds were starkly exposed in the sunlight, the congealed, sticky blood pooling around them. Yet those nearby seemed so accustomed to this macabre sight that they barely bothered to shoo them away.

Fortunately, it was still winter, so the decay wasn’t too severe—otherwise, an epidemic might have already broken out.

Lu Xin watched in grim astonishment, “Why are there so many corpses?”

Han Bing shook her head quietly, “They died of starvation.”

Lu Xin was taken aback.

Han Bing explained, “The polluted Sea Country has rendered its people increasingly lethargic, depressed, and numb. All they long for now is the euphoric burst of a song, having lost interest in everything else. They don’t even bother to fish or grab food when it’s right there. As this cycle continues, more and more die of starvation…”

“Just a week ago, we cleared a batch of corpses for them.”

“What you, Mr. Single Soldier, are seeing now are those who starved to death over the past week.”

“……”

Lu Xin found the situation almost incomprehensible.

But soon, a scene unfolded that clarified everything.

“Bone-thin…”

As the helicopter was about to land, from several Qinggang vessels, four or five helicopters took off, weaving over Sea Country. One after another, sealed plastic bags were dropped like raindrops.

A closer look revealed food inside—bread, ham, small bottles of Pure Water, and more.

The supplies landed on the decks and roofs, with some even dropping beside the sea-bound men or into their laps. Yet, they remained listless. After a long while, a few began to pick up the food, tearing open the packages and mechanically swallowing the contents without any sign of satisfaction.

Though their bodies were emaciated, they showed little interest in the food, discarding it after just a few bites.

Some, suffering from dehydration with cracked, parched lips, exhibited the same disinterest toward the Pure Water at hand.

Their eyes were vacant, as if their souls were long gone.

……

……

Lu Xin fell into a quiet silence.

At last, he understood the true severity of Sea Country’s pollution.

It was a dying nation, already succumbing to decay.