New Chapter

[Yes, you can call me a system. Perhaps in your mind, only a system can scientifically explain me.]

[I know what you're thinking, you haven't fallen ill. I am your talent, or should I say, your ability?]

[After coming into contact with a pollution source, those who get polluted are called pollutants; those who remain unpolluted and awaken a talent are called the chosen ones. This concept will be accepted by people in a few months. The truth can't be hidden for long... What kind of world do you think you live in? In fact, you've already met a chosen one, clever... Lin Siran. By the way, you are one too.]

[Although you're a bit weak. But you have me. I am a very powerful talent, you've truly gained a lot.]

[It's not that you possess me; it's that I chose you.]

...

Lu Yan opened his eyes. He turned on the TV and switched to the news channel.

The report still centered around the quarantined city of H.

"The mutants have been dealt with. Please rest assured, everyone. This pollution disease is not contagious," the reporter smiled sweetly in front of the camera.

The viewers wouldn't know that she was in her city's studio, not in heavily polluted H city.

In 2121, the world still seemed peaceful and prosperous.

He drew back the curtains and looked coldly downstairs. Commuters were squeezing onto buses, university students were cursing their early classes, and everything seemed unchanged.

If it weren't for the surgery yesterday, Lu Yan would also believe that the future held no changes.

He had buried the fish egg in a flowerpot.

As he did so, the system's annoying notifications buzzed in his ear.

[Although it's just a low-level pollutant, as the egg of the parasitic kingfish, it has special functions.]

[Maybe you've played "Shark Evolution"? The hatched kingfish can devour other parasitic fish eggs.]

[Is it really possible that in 2121, doctors still think traditional medical methods are effective against pollution diseases?]

As Lu Yan put down the shovel, his phone rang abruptly.

He was startled and answered the call.

"Dr. Lu, help me..." Dr. Li's hoarse voice came through the phone.

Dr. Li, Li Rui, was the doctor who had performed surgery with him yesterday.

"I don't know who else to turn to, I'm afraid to go to the hospital."

It was winter. K city, being coastal and at a lower latitude, wasn't cold.

Under his thick coat, Li Rui's arm was scratched with bloody marks, his nails filled with flesh, looking like a scene of self-mutilation. Yet, he was oblivious, continuing to scratch his skin with overly sharp nails.

Embedded in the skin of Li Rui's arm were numerous semi-transparent fish eggs, like small blisters, eerily red under the blood.

He sat on a park bench, wearing a hat, a coat, a down jacket, and a windbreaker, yet the cold still pierced from his limbs to his soul. The parasitic eggs were frantically sapping the host's heat to survive.

Probably due to his overly nervous expression, the elderly people exercising in the park kept their distance.

"What happened?" Lu Yan asked.

Li Rui lowered his voice, "These things have grown on my arm..."

Yesterday, they had performed surgery together.

Lu Yan quickly realized what Li Rui was referring to.

He frowned, "You should contact the Pollution Control Center."

Six years ago, when pollution first broke out abroad, the world experienced a brief period of panic. It was later confirmed by experts to be a new century infectious disease, termed pollution disease.

This led to the establishment of Pollution Disease Control Centers worldwide.

Li Rui shook his head frantically, "When I was in university, I interned at the pollution center in A city. Those people are treated collectively. They use high temperatures to kill them... I don't want to die! Save me, Dr. Lu! We performed surgery together yesterday. You heard what that officer said, just cut out those fish eggs and everything will be fine."

Saving lives is a doctor's duty. Li Rui had never met anyone who embodied this responsibility and belief more than Lu Yan.

That's why he sought out Lu Yan.

Before Lu Yan could respond, there was a knock on the long-unvisited door.

"Lu Yan, I'm in Qu..."

"Hold on, I'll call you back."

Lu Yan hung up the phone and activated the smart peephole. The visitor's face appeared on the display screen.

There were two people, one of whom was Lin Siran from yesterday.

Today, Lin Siran was dressed in casual clothes: sneakers, jeans, a light white T-shirt, and a dark work jacket, looking like a county high school heartthrob visiting a big city for the first time.

Lin Siran spoke into the peephole, "Hello, Dr. Lu. I'm Lin Siran. We've met before. Due to the infection risk from yesterday's surgery, I've brought a colleague to check on you. Please rest assured, we are legitimate staff."

Lin Siran fumbled around on himself before finding his ID in his colleague's pocket.

"K City Pollution Disease Control Center," it read, with his photo and the official seal. His position was "Inspector."

Lu Yan opened the door and handed over shoe covers.

Lin Siran entered, discreetly surveying the room.

It looked like a show flat, devoid of any signs of life. The semi-open kitchen was spotless, with no traces of use.

Moreover, Lin Siran noticed something interesting.

Lu Yan seemed to use a bow. There was a target on the living room wall, riddled with holes.

The inspector opened a briefcase and sat at the dining table, speaking softly, "The check requires a blood sample. Dr. Lu, is that alright?"

His rectangular briefcase was placed slightly askew.

Lu Yan controlled his urge to straighten it and silently extended his arm.

The blood sample was quickly collected and placed into a strange rectangular device.

Minutes later, the inspector said, "You haven't contracted the pollution disease. If you experience any symptoms like fever or discomfort, please contact our Pollution Disease Control Center anytime. We'll provide appropriate assistance."

Lu Yan stared into his eyes, asking, "Is pollution disease really just an infectious disease?"

"Of course, pollution disease is an infectious disease. It's a new type of genetic mutation. It is highly contagious, having caused thousands of deaths abroad a few years ago. However, thanks to the relentless efforts of scientists worldwide, this disease has been controlled, and cases now only appear in small areas. There's no need to worry too much."

In Lu Yan's mind, the system scoffed disdainfully, [That's only because the pollutants encountered so far are low-level. A C-level pollutant can destroy a city, and countless lives were lost in the initial outbreak. But weakness is humanity's original sin.]

[By the way, you'd better send that person away quickly if you don't want to be captured and taken to a research institute.]

Sensing the awkward silence, Lu Yan asked, "Thank you for the explanation. Is there anything else?"

"...No. Have a good day."

"Thank you."

Moments later, the two staff members from the Pollution Disease Control Center left Lu Yan's home.

Lin Siran spoke first, "Obsessive-compulsive disorder is the most common clinical manifestation of a cleanliness disorder. The living environment is normal, with no sources of pollution."

Inspector: "Lu Yan, his father was one of the first batch of pollution disease patients ten years ago, imprisoned for fraud, with multiple instances of domestic violence. His mother committed suicide by jumping off a building when he was six."

"Lu Yan was long imprisoned and abused by his father, rescued at twelve. Diagnosed with photophobia, claustrophobia, and dissociative identity disorder. The split personality is antisocial and highly aggressive."

"At sixteen, Lu Yan was cured and discharged. That same year, his father became a pollutant and was detained in a research institute, numbered 18."

"In 2117, pollutant 18 escaped from the institute. It was the only A-level pollutant escape incident. Although 18's mutation was in the brain, leading researchers to conclude that advanced pollutants could possess intelligence on par with humans."

Lin Siran: "Yes, so the research institute monitored Lu Yan for a long time, expecting 18 might contact him."

"You know my talent, Lin. I sensed danger from him." The inspector said seriously. He was an auxiliary chosen one, capable of detecting danger to some extent.

"The test results are out, spiritual power threshold 0, mutation degree 0. An ordinary person. I thought he might become a chosen one." Lin Siran took out a military-grade tranquilizer and lit a cigarette for himself, "Let's go. There's another place to check."

According to the Academy of Sciences, beings with a mutation degree between 0 and 100 are still considered human. The chosen ones are those who suffer pollution, possess talents, but have a mutation degree below 100. The strength of a chosen one is determined by their spiritual power threshold.

A mutation degree over 100 means one is no longer human, becoming pollutants like those animals, plants, and even inorganic materials.

Lu Yan was a 0.

Li Rui was still waiting for Lu Yan's call.

Sitting on the park bench, he grew colder. The world before his eyes faded, turning gray.

The weather became increasingly humid, and fog began to spread.

High fever blurred Li Rui's consciousness.

Until he vaguely felt someone approaching, startling him to look up.

There were two people nearby, strangers.

His intuition told him they were after him.

He'd be taken to the control center, like the grotesque patients he saw years ago, disappearing into a high-temperature incinerator!

Without hesitation, Li Rui bolted from the bench and ran.

His frantic run drew odd looks from many park-goers.

"Don't let him get away," the inspector warned, chasing after Li Rui with Lin Siran.

Lin Siran's heart pounded with worry. The inspection center's detector had detected abnormal spiritual power fluctuations nearby. They had to prevent Li Rui from infecting others.

However, as chosen ones with relatively low mutation degrees, their physical fitness and speed were not superior to ordinary people.

Just then, Li Rui collided with someone.

Lin Siran saw Lu Yan, dressed in black, standing at the park entrance.

Lu Yan had anticipated Li Rui would come to him eventually.

Perhaps when he left the hospital yesterday, he had unknowingly chosen this path.

The kingfish egg buried in the flowerpot wouldn't be his only encounter with pollution sources.

In the open space of the park, white fog gradually enveloped everything.

The system's voice emerged in his mind, [It's not too late to turn back, host.]

"I want to be a doctor," Lu Yan said softly.

The system fell silent.

Li Rui's body, wracked with a high fever, fell to the ground as Lu Yan caught him.

On his arm, the semi-transparent fish eggs cracked, and tiny creatures resembling tadpoles burrowed into his skin.

Within moments, Li Rui's body went cold.

The system promptly notified him, [Detected a dangerous creature nearby. Activating talent.]

His spiritual power threshold was insufficient to awaken his talent under normal circumstances.

However, when faced with real danger, he, like many chosen ones, experienced a transformation.

A transparent barrier shimmered around him, exuding a warm aura. All hostile creatures kept a safe distance from him, repelled by an unseen force.

His talent had awoken: Repulsion.

With Li Rui's body growing colder and colder, the repulsive barrier shielded him from further harm.

[Congratulations, host. You've awakened a powerful talent. Your spiritual power threshold is now 150.]

Lin Siran and the inspector finally caught up, panting heavily.

"Dr. Lu, please stay calm. We need to take Li Rui to the center for treatment," Lin Siran urged.

Lu Yan looked up, his eyes filled with determination. "He's my colleague. I'll handle this."

Lin Siran sensed the newfound strength in Lu Yan and understood. Lu Yan was now one of the chosen ones.

As the fog dissipated and the sun broke through, the park seemed to return to normal.

But for Lu Yan, this was just the beginning of a new, tumultuous chapter in his life.