Vests: hiding their identity – take off means in this case reveal the true identity

The figure composed of butterflies was still forcefully smashing the glass, and with each strike, the world trembled.

Zhou Xiangzhe wasn’t afraid. After all, he was an S-level mutant, and even if this was a dream, it didn’t matter. Moreover… he was starting to doubt whether this was truly a dream.

The person he had previously thought to be an illusion led him out of the shattered containment room. The hand holding him was warm, and the comforting heat transferred over made him unconsciously tighten his grip.

An illusion with warmth?

The butterflies dispersed and formed a new figure, this one even more robust than before. It fiercely smashed the glass again, and with a crack, the sound of shattering glass seemed to echo.

Shen Wang clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that this thing really couldn’t handle provocation. He had taunted it to chase them into the painting, and it actually forced its way in.

“So clingy.”

Zhou Xiangzhe deliberately didn’t let go of Shen Wang’s hand, standing hand in hand amidst the ruins, watching the butterfly figure smash the wall.

“Why is it being blocked?”

Shen Wang glanced at Zhou Xiangzhe, “Huh?”

“Isn’t this the dream it created? As the master of the dream, it should logically be able to enter any part of it.”

Zhou Xiangzhe pondered, “But there’s a barrier here stopping it.”

How to explain this? After all, this wasn’t some dream barrier but the glass frame of the painting.

Thinking of a reason was too troublesome, so Shen Wang simply replied, “I don’t know.”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked at Shen Wang, his golden eyes devoid of emotion, and calmly changed the subject.

“The A-level pollutant [Illusory Butterfly], its original form was likely a vegetative patient named An Heng from a hospice near the orphanage. The hospice and the orphanage were established around the same time, and he was transferred to the hospital shortly after its founding.”

Shen Wang looked at Zhou Xiangzhe strangely, “How do you know all this?”

“Through some technical means.”

“Technical means?” Shen Wang suddenly understood, “By ‘technical means,’ you mean you reviewed all the victims’ profiles before coming in, memorized them, and matched them up?”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked back at him, “Yes.”

Well, people with good memories can do as they please.

Shen Wang shrugged, signaling him to continue.

“An Heng was a survivor of the apocalypse. He hadn’t encountered any pollution incidents, but when he moved to Central City, he was attacked by a pollutant and struck in the back of the head. Although he didn’t die after being rushed to the hospital, he ended in a vegetative state.”

“After becoming vegetative, his family couldn’t afford the medical expenses and abandoned him at the hospital. Since his condition wasn’t related to pollution, the hospital couldn’t apply for funding, and with beds in short supply, they eventually sent him to the hospice I mentioned earlier.”

A hospice, as the name suggests, is a place where people on the verge of death are sent.

It served its function from the old era, striving to provide warmth to those nearing the end of their lives and further preventing the dead from becoming polluted.

However, An Heng never died. He laid on that hospital bed for two to three years. The hospital’s rudimentary equipment showed that although he couldn’t wake up, his mind was active, and it didn’t seem like he was dreaming. But the meager subsidies weren’t enough to provide him with more medical support.

Later, the pollution source erupted, and both the orphanage and the unnamed hospice were completely swallowed.

“Why are you so sure it’s him?”

“Because he was the only vegetative patient in the hospital.”

Many pollutants’ contamination paths are related to their human experiences. The Pollution Control Center calls this “mental determination of mutation direction.” 

Therefore, [Illusory Butterfly] must be related to sleep and dreams. Among all the victims, the only one connected to these was the vegetative patient who couldn’t wake up.

Shen Wang nodded, “So, his real body is in the hospice?”

“I went to check. It’s not in the hospice,” Zhou Xiangzhe shook his head. “That’s why I think his body is in the dream.”

What he said earlier was indeed an excuse. Zhou Xiangzhe hadn’t thought things through much. He only thought he might find the pollutant’s body in the dream, so he entered.

This was Zhou Xiangzhe’s flaw. He had always struggled to care about himself. He was used to and accustomed to many things, just as many people said: Zhou Xiangzhe is an S-level mutant, nothing bad will happen to him. He believed it too, thinking that as an S-level mutant, things wouldn’t get too bad.

“Has no one ever told you that you’re too reckless?”

Shen Wang pulled Zhou Xiangzhe along as they walked, chatting as they went.

“Ming Guang often scolds me” Zhou Xiangzhe casually revealed the ‘conflicts’ within [Polaris]. “He’s the only one, besides Little Fifteen, who thinks that what I do is wrong.”

Shen Wang thought: Yeah, Ming Guang, the deputy captain, has practically become the team’s mother hen.

He has to scold the captain for his occasional recklessness, manage the members of three teams, and after all these years, he hasn’t gone bald—truly inheriting the great hair gene. In the past, he would’ve been the envy of many.

He even created the team’s only hard rule to restrain Zhou Xiangzhe: [Ensure your own safety during missions.]

Yet, even this hasn’t curbed Zhou Xiangzhe’s self-sacrificial tendencies.

Who knows how many times Ming Guang has been driven to the brink of fainting by him.

At that moment, a loud noise came from afar—the sound of glass shattering. Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe instinctively turned to look.

After a few seconds, Shen Wang said, “Let’s go.”

“Aren’t we going to deal with it?”

“No,” Shen Wang replied calmly. “Let it shatter. After all, as you said, this is just a dream.”

Zhou Xiangzhe glanced back at the blocked butterfly figure, then turned and followed Shen Wang.

Meanwhile, with a crack, the butterflies finally shattered the glass. The humanoid figure they formed split into a maniacal grin, its twisted face terrifying. They quickly lunged toward Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe, only to slam into a second layer of glass.

In an instant, the butterflies scattered, falling messily to the ground. When they reformed, their features were distorted with rage.

A flash of purple crossed Shen Wang’s eyes as he gave the butterflies a sly smile.

Who said a picture frame could only have one layer of glass? Even those who play with resin can layer it three times!

Finally exiting the containment center and no longer seeing the butterflies smashing the glass, Shen Wang sighed in relief, only to realize he didn’t recognize the surroundings.

This was normal. After all, this was a painting based on Zhou Xiangzhe’s memories, depicting the most important places and scenes from his life. Aside from his childhood in the orphanage, Zhou Xiangzhe and Shen Wang’s upbringings were polar opposites.

One spent years in a hospital, the other grew up in the Pollution Control Center.

Shen Wang had witnessed countless human dramas and the fickleness of relationships in the hospital, which led him to develop a personality that was often smiling but emotionally detached. He knew how much emotions could hurt and rarely gave his heart away.

Zhou Xiangzhe, on the other hand, had traveled every inch of the country, always witnessing the tragedies caused by pollution. His growth was a gradual sealing of his heart, becoming increasingly silent and cold. This wasn’t what he wanted, but the environment forced him to be this way.

Even now, Zhou Xiangzhe was Central City’s strongest protector, while Shen Wang was… well, a semi-pollutant playing espionage games.

So, Shen Wang hadn’t experienced what Zhou Xiangzhe had, nor could he truly delve into his past.

“What is this place?”

“A counseling room,” Zhou Xiangzhe suddenly spoke.

Zhou Xiangzhe was indeed familiar with this place. He led Shen Wang to a corner and through a door.

The walls were painted white, but there were many potted plants. A large bookshelf stood against one wall, filled with medical books. A desk was neatly arranged with stacks of documents that looked like medical records, though not in the way Shen Wang was used to seeing. Overall, the place felt like a hospital but not quite.

Shen Wang turned to him, “Counseling?”

“Rather than counseling from the old era, it’s more like a necessary step for mutants who developed mental abnormalities” Zhou Xiangzhe looked around. “This is a counseling room I often visited.”

“You went to counseling?”

“Mutants with pollution levels over 50 must go,” Zhou Xiangzhe replied. “But after absorbing [Deer God], I stopped going. Whenever there’s an issue now, I just go straight to the S District for isolation.”

Shen Wang knew about this place.

Mutants, in a way, were also polluted humans. They didn’t become pollutants nor spread pollution, but pollution could still affect their minds. Once their pollution level exceeded 50, they would develop mental abnormalities. That’s why the Pollution Control Center established counseling rooms specifically for mutants with pollution levels between 50 and 70.

Mutants in this pollution range had to report once a month, not just to vent their emotions but also to understand the direction of their mental mutations.

It was also to gather data for S District treatments.

He was just surprised that a mutant of Zhou Xiangzhe’s level also had to report to counseling.

Shen Wang walked to the innermost desk and picked up the top medical record, flipping it open. He was surprised to see Zhou Xiangzhe’s name on it—this was Zhou Xiangzhe’s file.

Zhou Xiangzhe noticed his expression and walked over, also seeing his own data.

“This is from three years ago,” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “It’s quite different from now.”

“Three years ago?” Shen Wang flipped to the next page and saw the contents.

[First examination: Zhou Xiangzhe, S-level mutant, pollution level: 58%, no signs of mental abnormalities.]

The second and third pages had the same content—the same pollution level and no mental abnormalities.

In fact, Zhou Xiangzhe was the only mutant Shen Wang had ever seen with a high pollution level but no mental abnormalities.

Normally, most mutants would develop mental abnormalities once their pollution level exceeded 50, with some even going mad as soon as they hit 50. This irreversible mental issue was unavoidable even for S-level mutants. But surprisingly, Zhou Xiangzhe had never shown the slightest sign of mental abnormalities.

Whether it was 58% three years ago or over 80% now, Zhou Xiangzhe remained as rational and clear-minded as ever.

He was truly special.

Shen Wang continued flipping through the file, this time quickly, only stopping to read when he saw different assessments.

He kept flipping until the tenth page, where he finally saw a different comment.

[Tenth examination: Zhou Xiangzhe, S-level mutant, pollution level: 58%, no signs of mental abnormalities.]

[Zhou Xiangzhe’s data is highly unusual. It is recommended that the S District conduct a detailed examination. Whether it’s hidden mental abnormalities or a complete lack of, this case holds significant research value.]

[Request for individual study.]

“Did you go?” Shen Wang asked Zhou Xiangzhe.

Zhou Xiangzhe looked at the comment, then after a few seconds, said, “Flip to the next page.”

“Next page?”

Shen Wang flipped the file, and then he saw new, different data.

[Eleventh examination: Zhou Xiangzhe, S-level mutant, pollution level: 65%, no signs of mental abnormalities.]

[Pollution level has increased sharply. Not suitable as research subject. Request withdrawn.]

“Why did your pollution level suddenly spike?”

“Because…” Zhou Xiangzhe paused, then continued, “I finally found news of you at that time.”

Shen Wang looked at him in surprise.

Zhou Xiangzhe had been searching for Little Fifteen for a long time, but due to the chaotic population movements during the apocalypse, it was impossible to accurately track someone’s whereabouts. Plus, Little Fifteen’s illness meant he moved between various hospitals, making it even harder to find him. It was then that Zhou Xiangzhe finally found the last place Little Fifteen had been seen: a hospital destroyed by a pollutant attack.

For Zhou Xiangzhe, this was a devastating blow.

He had searched for Little Fifteen for so many years, his longing seeping into his very bones like an incurable poison.

Finally finding a lead, only to discover that the person he was looking for had disappeared in a pollutant attack and was officially declared dead in the records, was something Zhou Xiangzhe struggled to accept. The deep depression caused his pollution level to rise rapidly, spiking to 65% in just a few days.

Although he still showed no signs of mental abnormalities, the counseling room no longer dared to send him to the S District for examination.

The bond between people is truly mysterious.

When Shen Wang left, he didn’t know Zhou Xiangzhe was Little Seven, nor did he know Zhou Xiangzhe was looking for him. His illness was too unique, and the treatment methods too unconventional. If he stayed in Central City, he would eventually be discovered by the Pollution Control Center, and like Lan, he’d end up in the Academy of Sciences. Shen Wang had a clear vision of the future and knew what choice was best for him.

So, he left Central City and went beyond the walls, hunting pollutants while exploring the secrets of his body.

His reunion with Zhou Xiangzhe was a coincidence.

If it hadn’t been for the B-level pollutant [Plum Rain] luring him to Central City during his illness, and if he hadn’t coincidentally run into Zhou Xiangzhe at the Containment Center, they might never have met again, given the intensity of [Polaris]’s missions.

But they did meet, proving their bond wasn’t severed.

Shen Wang flipped another page of the file in his hands. The strong smell of ink made him frown. The next page was covered in ink stains, which were spreading visibly, quickly consuming the entire file. Shen Wang put it down a bit too slowly, and his fingers were stained with ink.

He frowned slightly, “What’s this?”

“Anything can happen in a dream,” Zhou Xiangzhe, on the other hand, was calm. He even took Shen Wang’s hand and pulled out a wet wipe from his pocket to clean the ink off Shen Wang’s fingers.

Shen Wang watched curiously as Zhou Xiangzhe, who had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, meticulously wiped away the ink. The wet wipe was warm, likely from being kept close to Zhou Xiangzhe’s body. After wiping, it left a damp mark, which Zhou Xiangzhe still found unsatisfactory. He pulled out another wet wipe to clean it again.

“Let me ask you something.”

Shen Wang didn’t pull his hand back, letting Zhou Xiangzhe clean it, though his eyes held a hint of curiosity.

“You’re so afraid of dirtying yourself. Could you even be in a relationship?”

“How do you feel about kissing or sleeping with a lover?”

Zhou Xiangzhe’s hand paused, clearly never having expected such a question.

He did have a bit of a cleanliness obsession, but not to this extent.

“It depends on who,” Zhou Xiangzhe answered after some serious thought. “If it’s you, I don’t mind.”

Now it was Shen Wang’s turn to be speechless.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve already bitten me,” Zhou Xiangzhe said casually. “Human blood is dirtier than normal bodily fluids, and I didn’t even mind you biting me.”

Shen Wang: …?

He couldn’t help but laugh. “So your standard for a lover is whether you’d allow them to bite you?”

“It’s the standard for you,” Zhou Xiangzhe sighed. “Only you like to bite people for no reason.”

This sounded quite ambiguous.

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow, wondering what state Zhou Xiangzhe was in now. Was he still treating him as an illusion, saying whatever came to mind, whether appropriate or not?

But to be honest, Shen Wang knew Zhou Xiangzhe was very smart. He had a photographic memory, a clear mind, and could often spot clues. The reason he didn’t bring up many things wasn’t because he hadn’t noticed them, but because he chose not to pursue them. It was precisely because of this that he could remain so stable as Central City’s strongest mutant.

So, was this ambiguous remark really meant for him?

Shen Wang pulled his hand back and looked into Zhou Xiangzhe’s eyes as he spoke.

“Why haven’t I bitten anyone else for no reason?”

“And no one else would let you bite them without reporting you to the S District,” Zhou Xiangzhe sighed. “Don’t do it anymore. It’s really easy to get reported.”

The mental issues of mutants were becoming increasingly severe. There had been several cases in Central City where high-pollution-level mutants went mad and attacked ordinary people. Some mutants even fled Central City to avoid being sent to the S District, hiding just outside the walls and causing quite a bit of trouble.

As a result, the Pollution Control Center had to tighten its management of high-pollution-level mutants.

Shen Wang’s habit of biting people at random would definitely get him reported, and he’d likely have to make rounds through the S District, the containment center, and the mental health prevention center.

“Didn’t I already say it? If I want to bite someone, I’ll let you know in advance,” Shen Wang still didn’t seem to care.

He even added mischievously, “Thank you, Captain.”

Zhou Xiangzhe: …

He sighed and chose not to continue the topic, turning to throw the used wet wipes into the trash can.

The trash can was right next to the window. After throwing away the trash, Zhou Xiangzhe casually pulled open the curtains. He looked outside, his gaze eventually settling on a particular spot.

Shen Wang walked over. “What are you looking at?”

Zhou Xiangzhe frowned slightly, a flicker of emotion passing through his golden eyes. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then quickly climbed out the window.

Left behind, Shen Wang watched as Zhou Xiangzhe landed on the ground and ran toward the spot he had been looking at.

“Where are you going?”

Shen Wang looked up at the spot Zhou Xiangzhe had been staring at. His eyes widened slightly because he saw a familiar building. It wasn’t the orphanage, nor was it the hospice where the Illusory Butterfly’s body might be. It was a place Shen Wang knew intimately.

The hospital that had been destroyed by a C-level pollutant!

Shen Wang immediately climbed out the window and chased after Zhou Xiangzhe.

The hospital was very close, only a few hundred meters away. Shen Wang rushed through the hospital entrance. Since this was a painting based on Zhou Xiangzhe’s memories, and Zhou Xiangzhe wasn’t a pollutant, there wouldn’t be anything else inside. The entire hospital was empty.

“Zhou Xiangzhe!” Shen Wang called his name.

No one answered, but there was a faint trace of pollution coming from nearby.

Shen Wang was very sensitive to pollutants. He could clearly sense that someone’s pollution level was rising in that direction.

He turned and walked toward it. The closer he got, the more he could hear faint screams.

When he finally walked out of the corridor, Shen Wang found Zhou Xiangzhe.

At that moment, Zhou Xiangzhe was gripping a pollutant with one hand, his fingers covered in black, viscous liquid. The pollutant in his grasp let out a piercing scream. Its entire body was corroding, and not just the pollutant—the entire building was trembling and fading, unable to withstand the intense pollution.

“Zhou Xiangzhe!” Shen Wang ran over and grabbed Zhou Xiangzhe’s hand. The pollution suppressor on his finger was gone.

“What are you doing?”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked at Shen Wang and blinked. “I’m fine.”

“Where’s the pollution suppressor?”

“…In my pocket.”

Shen Wang quickly pulled the pollution suppressor from Zhou Xiangzhe’s pocket and put it back on his finger. The corrosion around them finally stopped, but the pollutant Zhou Xiangzhe had been gripping was now so corroded that its form was barely recognizable.

Zhou Xiangzhe remained calm, adjusting the ring on his finger to a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing position.

Shen Wang was almost amused. “Do you know this is a dream?”

“I know.” Zhou Xiangzhe said, finishing with the ring. He looked up and met Shen Wang’s gaze. “But I can’t help it. Even in a dream, I want to do what I want to do.”

“When I found out Little Fifteen had disappeared, I kept wondering why I was too late. If I had been here at the time, could I have stopped this pollutant?”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked down at the now-formless pollutant beneath his feet. “I can only realize that in a dream.”

At that moment, Shen Wang suddenly realized: He might mean more to Zhou Xiangzhe than he had thought.

In the dream, Zhou Xiangzhe hadn’t entered the orphanage. When the director told him to leave, he turned and walked away. He didn’t care about the people gossiping in the Containment Center; it was just background noise. But the pollutant in the hospital—he had to kill it, even if it meant using the ability that he shouldn’t use, even if he knew it was just a dream.

“The deputy captain told me to keep an eye on you,” Shen Wang finally said. “If you use your abilities and end up in the S District again, he’ll make me write a self-criticism.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Zhou Xiangzhe shook his head. “As long as I’m here, no one can make you write a self-criticism.”

“You’re so careless about yourself.”

“I’ll try to change.”

Zhou Xiangzhe grabbed Shen Wang’s hand. His movements were very gentle, as if afraid of waking something up. His cool voice carried a hint of hesitation.

He had never been this nervous before, nor had he ever wanted an answer more than he did now.

“The pollution hasn’t affected you, so you’re not a dream nor an illusion, right?”

“Shen Wang, is it really you?”