Chapter 29

When Shen Wang first met Lan, he could tell right away that there was an innate arrogance in him.

Even though he had a gloomy temperament, he looked at people as if he was looking at ghosts, and he liked to wear a sack¹, he didn’t even talk much, and his tone was steady without any ups and downs.

Yet it was precisely the way he casually spoke those terrifying words that revealed his madness.

“Now you’ll go with your older brother.” Lan said to him.

Shen Wang didn’t object. He followed Lan and asked as he walked: “Do you know where Zhou Xiangzhe is?”

Lan didn’t answer, instead continued to flip through the blank pages of the book in his hands.

“Lan.”

“Call me brother.”

Shen Wang shrugged, not particularly opposed to it. “Brother, where is Zhou Xiangzhe?”

Lan sighed and closed the book. “It wasn’t easy for us to find each other, but instead of relying on your brother, you keep asking about other people’s whereabouts in front of me.”

“Your brother is going to be heartbroken.”

“Are you jealous²?”

“Of course, after all, we are brothers. We should have been living together. If it weren’t for the Academy of Sciences, you wouldn’t have…” Lan’s expression became fierce, but he quickly closed his eyes and suppressed his emotions. He took a deep breath, as if he didn’t want to show his cruel side in front of his younger brother.

He said, “I hope we can be closer.”

After hearing Lan’s words, Shen Wang smiled. His smile was light, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes were made more affectionate by this light smile. No matter how you look at it, it seems like he’s extremely close to the person next to him.

Even though they are brothers, there is a huge difference between Shen Wang and Lan.

Shen Wang has lived in the hospital since he was a child, and has seen all kinds of human love stories. This has made Shen Wang grow up to be a person who loves smiling, but his smile never reaches his eyes. His laughter is polite and perfunctory, just a tool for him to deal with people.

Lan is different. He accidentally lost his brother and was locked up in the Academy of Sciences losing his freedom, so his emotions were almost wiped out. He wouldn’t be excited about anyone or anything. The only thing left in him was the strong hatred for the Academy of Sciences.

Perhaps it was only in front of Shen Wang that he would truly smile.

Walking side by side with him, Shen Wang asked, “Where did you throw Zhou Xiangzhe?”

This wasn’t just a casual question from Shen Wang—he truly believed that was what had happened.

As the wanted criminal ranked No. 2 on the wanted list, Lan would never appear in front of Zhou Xiangzhe openly, because Zhou Xiangzhe is an S-level mutant, and it would be a bad thing to confront him before achieving his goal, not to mention that his beloved brother is part of [Polaris], the team led by Zhou Xiangzhe.

If not for his own sake, but for Shen Wang’s sake, Lan would avoid crossing paths with him.

Now that Lan had come out, it meant that he was sure Zhou Xiangzhe won’t be able to meet him for the time being.

Sure enough, Lan answered this question seriously.

He said, “Okay, I locked him up.”

Shen Wang raised his eyebrows slightly, “Locked him up?”

“Mm, although I don’t hold any personal grudge against him, he is still an S-level mutant, which makes him difficult to deal with,” Lan said, flipping open his book again. “You’re here to look for information, and I’m here for the same purpose. It’s a conflict of interests, so it’s just too troublesome.”

“So I locked him up temporarily, so that he won’t ruin my business.”

Lan said lightly, “I want to k*ll the people from the Academy of Sciences before he comes out.”

His tone was so nonchalant that it gave off the feeling of a typical villainous big boss.

Of course, for the Academy of Sciences and the Pollution Control Center, calling him the big villain boss wasn’t far off the mark.

“This is not an important issue, but there is one thing I need you to help me with.”

Lan looked at the book, put his finger on one of the pages and pointed it to Shen Wang, but in Shen Wang’s eyes, it was just a blank sheet of paper.

Lan continued unaware of Shen Wang’s confusion: “Right here, look, it’s information about mom and dad.”

“【The Hidden God Incident】.”

Shen Wang withdrew his eyes from the blank page, it was useless for him to look at it.

But he had never heard of the Hidden God Incident.

The Polaris organization had very high internal clearance, and when Shen Wang first joined, he had looked through some of the documents. Of course, the files he accessed were the highest-level ones he had clearance for.

Although his memory was not as good as Zhou Xiangzhe’s, he was sure that he had never come across this name before.

“This is an incident that has been concealed by the Pollution Control Center for a long time. Going back to more than 20 years ago. Yes, it was the time when our parents disappeared.” Lan tapped the paper on the book gently, “Although my ability is [Prophecy], it’s not something that works at all times. It has its conditions. I need to meet more people in order to uncover more information.”

“It wasn’t until I found you that I was able to gradually see some of the details.”

Shen Wang frowned, “Since it is an incident that has been concealed by the Pollution Control Center for a long time, I can’t find its information, right?”

“But Zhou Xiangzhe definitely knows.” Lan said as a matter of fact: “He has the highest authority and he likely knows far more than you can imagine.”

Shen Wang was even more surprised, “Do you think he’ll tell me?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Lan asked, genuinely puzzled. “You repeatedly ask me about his whereabouts, he’s so important to you. You ask him a question and he doesn’t answer? Little brother, you haven’t been tricked by him, have you?”

Shen Wang: …

 For some reason I feel that Lan’s thinking has deviated in a strange direction.

Given Lan’s [Prophecy] ability, Shen Wang was curious about why he had such a perspective.

Seeing Shen Wang’s expression become strange, Lan calmly retracted his gaze and continued the previous topic as if nothing had happened.

“The [God Hidden Incident] is related to a certain S-level mutant. This S-level mutant cooperated with the Academy of Sciences and jointly carried out an unprecedented action. The impact of this action is still in effect today, but the Pollution Control Center concealed the incident.”

“I only know one thing, that is, this incident caused the demise of almost all S-level mutants 20 years ago and the hiding of all the other S-level pollutants.”

“Zhou Xiangzhe is a new S-level mutant discovered in the past 20 years. He has no predecessors and few peers of the same level, this is why he has become the guardian in Central City and even the whole country.”

“And [God Hidden Incident] isn’t limited to this country, but almost the whole world.”

This is a bit scary.

Something called [God Hidden Incident] happened across the country and even the world. After the incident, the Pollution Control Center hid all the news. This sounds like a conspiracy.

“You can’t see the specific events with your foresight?”

“I can’t see them, because I didn’t meet the person involved in the disappearance incident.” Lan answered him, talking seriously, “So you have to believe that I’m not looking for trouble with the Academy of Sciences because I dislike them, but because I’m looking for the person involved in all of this.”

Haha, I’d be a fool to believe him.

“Do we really have to ask Zhou Xiangzhe?”

“In addition to Zhou Xiangzhe, other two S-level mutants should also know.” Lan answered while turning two more pages, “If you want to ask them, big brother can provide you with their current locations.”

He paused for a moment before adding, “But those two have such high pollution levels that their minds are pretty much destroyed. They’re not as easy to communicate with as Zhou Xiangzhe, and they definitely don’t like you as much as he does.”

Shen Wang: …

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, Zhou Xiangzhe likes me?

He didn’t respond immediately, instead letting out a long sigh, “Alright, after I meet up with him, I’ll try asking.”

Lan nodded with satisfaction, even a hint of pride in his tone. “Good boy, having a younger brother really is different after all.”

They continued walking forward, crossing a corridor into a new exhibition hall. Suddenly, Lan came to an abrupt stop.

His sudden halt seemed as if he had noticed something, and Shen Wang also stopped immediately. As an S-level mutant³ with the ability of Prophecy, it was likely that Lan had sensed danger ahead.

Shen Wang observed his surroundings. This corridor exhibit was no different from the others, except for a grayish painting hanging on the wall directly in front of them. In the painting, there seemed to be the outline of a person, with their hand pressed against the glass frame, as if they were looking through the glass outside.

The outline gave Shen Wang a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

“There’s nothing wrong here.”

Shen Wang turned to look at Lan.

Lan glanced lightly at the painting on the wall, then turned his gaze toward Shen Wang. His tone was calm and without any fluctuation as he spoke.

“Before we move further ahead, there’s one thing I need to confirm with you. Listen carefully.”

“The Pollution Control Center does listen to higher-level mutants under certain circumstances. Your captain is missing, but it doesn’t matter. I’m an S-level mutant, so you’ll listen to me.”

“Do you understand?”

Shen Wang didn’t say anything because he didn’t know how to respond. He just looked at Lan with an incredibly strange expression.

“Don’t worry,” Lan said, “Since I’ve already told you that I’m an S-level mutant, I’ll of course guarantee your safety. I won’t harm you.”

Shen Wang tilted his head slightly. His innocent face looked even more docile because of his confusion.

What kind of strange game is he playing?

/

Zhou Xiangzhe had been stuck in the frame for a long time.

It was extremely uncomfortable standing inside, as the space was so narrow that he couldn’t even crouch. He could barely recognize this as a spatial ability, but he couldn’t break out of this space in the short term.

It might have been Xu Yue, or perhaps someone else, who trapped him inside. Spatial abilities could easily create spatial prisons, making them nearly impossible to defend against.

Fortunately, he had always been able to endure solitude. After years of working in the field, he had become accustomed to all kinds of harsh environments.

Finding a candy in his pocket, Zhou Xiangzhe unwrapped it and put it into his mouth. The sweet fruity flavor filled his nostrils, but his tongue couldn’t taste anything.

Unlike Shen Wang, his sense of taste had mostly disappeared after the incident three years ago. Because of that, he didn’t particularly enjoy eating. Eating something tasteless was a kind of torture.

The candy was actually meant for Shen Wang, something he had prepared for him. He never expected that they would be suddenly separated like this.

Zhou Xiangzhe held the tasteless candy in his mouth and thought: If I had known, I would have given Shen Wang more.

It was a waste for the candy to be here with him.

Was Shen Wang also trapped like he was?

Just as Zhou Xiangzhe thought of that, he suddenly heard footsteps. The person he had been thinking about, Shen Wang, appeared right in front of him.

Before he could feel any joy, Zhou Xiangzhe’s brows furrowed. He stepped forward and pressed his hand against the transparent wall, carefully observing the person standing in front of Shen Wang.

The person had cyan-colored hair, and their pupils were a pale white, a strange and unnatural appearance. However, what stood out more than his looks was the overwhelming, dark aura surrounding him. It was even more eerie than his appearance.

He stood there, exuding an unsettling presence, one that felt more terrifying than an A-level pollutant.

“This isn’t right.” Zhou Xiangzhe stared at him. “He wasn’t part of the team that came on this mission.”

Zhou Xiangzhe had an excellent memory, and he could recognize everyone from the team that had been sent on this operation.

“Pollutant? Mutant? Who?”

Shen Wang seemed puzzled by the sudden pause in the other’s steps, so he observed his surroundings. Soon, he noticed the difference in Zhou Xiangzhe’s frame compared to the others.

Their gazes locked, and Zhou Xiangzhe pressed his hand against the transparent glass, his golden eyes filled with caution.

“Shen Wang,” Zhou Xiangzhe said, “Be careful, this person has something wrong.”

Shen Wang couldn’t hear his voice, but the oddity of the frame still drew his attention. Their eyes met, and Zhou Xiangzhe saw his reflection in Shen Wang’s eyes. It was the usual gray frame, with a shadowy humanoid figure in the center. Who could guess that behind such a frame, there was someone locked up?

“There’s nothing wrong here,” the person ahead suddenly spoke.

Shen Wang turned his head to look at him.

The person’s aura was gloomy, and his tone was harsh, even eerie due to the unnaturally low pitch of his voice.

He said, “But before we go any further, I need to confirm something with you. Listen carefully.”

“The Pollution Control Center does listen to higher-level mutants under certain circumstances. Your captain is missing, but it doesn’t matter. I’m an S-level mutant, so you’ll listen to me.”

Shen Wang looked at him with a somewhat subtle expression but didn’t argue. However, Zhou Xiangzhe felt as though a heavy stone had settled in his heart.

If he’s not lying, this situation is very bad.

There aren’t many S-level mutants. Nationwide, there are only four known S-level mutants, including Zhou Xiangzhe, and two of them belong to the Pollution Control Center. He knows all of them, except for the last one.

“S-level defector with dual abilities: Lan.”

Zhou Xiangzhe murmured softly, his golden eyes carrying a chill.

“Now it makes sense. The destruction of the research lab was definitely Lan’s doing. He destroyed the lab, but some researchers with the data escaped. It’s entirely normal for him to come after the remaining researchers. It’s strange that the Pollution Control Center overlooked this.”

“Humans are indeed smarter than pollutants. Just casually locking a door doesn’t mean locking me up.”

It was as if Lan had heard those words, as he glanced at the frame. His pale eyes showed no joy or sorrow.

He did nothing but said to Shen Wang, “Remember to listen to me.”

Zhou Xiangzhe: …

He slightly squinted his eyes, his right hand instinctively clenching, and a dangerous glint flickered deep in his golden pupils.

“When did you join…” Shen Wang furrowed his brow and asked him.

Lan quickly made a “shh” gesture toward Shen Wang, signaling him to stop talking, and then spoke in a calm tone, “Walls have ears. Don’t speak recklessly.”

He glanced at the gray painting frame on the wall again. “Walls have ears.”

Lan didn’t smile, not even showing any excess emotion, yet somehow, he still exuded a sense of smugness, and the malicious intent within him couldn’t be hidden.

Zhou Xiangzhe slammed his fist against the air wall in front of him. The candy he hadn’t finished tasting seemed to have a bitter taste, a bitterness that sank straight into his heart.

When the Academy confirmed that Lan had awakened the S-level [Prophecy] ability, they boasted: “No secret can be hidden from the mutant with the [Prophecy] ability.” “He’ill be the crownless king, capable of discerning all the flaws of pollutants.”

Now, that has become a bitter irony.

However, what he discerned was not the flaws of pollutants, but the flaws of the Pollution Control Center and the Academy.

Zhou Xiangzhe watched as Lan took Shen Wang away. He stared blankly at their retreating figures. With a snap, the hard candy in his mouth was crushed, shattering into small fragments. The bitterness became even more intense.

At that moment, Zhou Xiangzhe’s mind had only one thought.

‘Shen Wang was taken away.’

‘Shen Wang was tricked by someone strange.’

‘He can’t follow this person!’

‘He’s dangerous.’

A few seconds later, Zhou Xiangzhe reached up to tie his silver hair into a high ponytail. The silver strands hung neatly against his black combat uniform, making him look even sharper.

Because of the action, his sleeves slipped due to gravity, revealing the delicate pollution suppressor on his wrist.

After tying his ponytail, Zhou Xiangzhe slowly removed the pollution suppressors from his fingers and wrists. With a blank expression, he stuffed the beautiful little devices into his pocket. His golden eyes were as cold as ice. If Shen Wang were here, he probably wouldn’t feel that Zhou Xiangzhe was anything like the battle god described in the reports.

Cold, detached, and a Guardian of Central City, so formidable that no one could stand before him without fear. Revered and feared by countless people—this was Zhou Xiangzhe.

Zhou Xiangzhe placed his palm back against the transparent wall. He didn’t need any tests to know that his pollution level had now reached its peak.

This was the result he wanted.

“Lan,” Zhou Xiangzhe said, his voice as cold as his gaze, “Lan, you really want to provoke me.”

…

After leaving the corridor, Lan let out a strange, exasperated sigh, his expression one of frustration and confusion.

“What’s with that look?” Shen Wang asked, furrowing his brows.

“A look of helplessness, realizing that even after taking revenge, things have only gotten more troublesome,” Lan answered calmly. “I’ve learned a valuable lesson: one should never act impulsively.”

“But when it comes to a brother’s claim over his sibling, no one can avoid acting on impulse.”

As he spoke, Lan lowered his head and continued flipping through the book in his hands. “Why must my dear brother leave his family and go to another person’s side?”

Shen Wang found it hard to understand what Lan meant. It sounded like it had something to do with him, yet at the same time, it seemed unrelated.

One could only say that Lan, in a way, was something of a charlatan. His [Prophecy] ability only helped him go further down that path.

“Say something I can actually understand.”

Lan glanced at Shen Wang, his eyes filled with helplessness. He smiled lightly, then looked back at the book in his hands before speaking.

“Then let’s talk about the rules of this exhibition hall,” he said.

“This is the central area of the gallery, the last painting, and also the location of [Hundred Eyes] entity. It’s the final point of the art gallery.”

Shen Wang followed Lan to the end of the corridor, where there was a hallway with a staircase that wound upward, leading to the second floor.

“The art gallery is divided into three floors,” Lan continued. “The first floor is right here. It’s the painting exhibition hall, where anyone can enter and view the artwork. The condition for entry is giving up your own eyes. Those who die inside the paintings will become part of the gallery’s collection. For the remaining people, it’s easy to sneak in, so this is considered the lowest tier.”

“To get to the second floor, it won’t be so simple.”

Lan stepped up the stairs, and Shen Wang followed closely behind.

As they ascended, Lan continued explaining.

“The art gallery operates on a membership system,” Lan continued, his voice casual. “The second floor is the VIP area. In other words, only those who have made contributions are allowed to go up.”

“The way it works here is that only those who can bring more people into the gallery, allowing [Hundred Eyes] to gain more eyes, have the right to access the second floor and become VIPs. Once you become a VIP, you won’t have to wander on the first floor anymore. You avoid death, and you avoid having your eyes stolen to become part of the paintings.”

As they reached the top of the stairs, they arrived at the entrance to the second floor. Two pollutants stood there, arms outstretched, blocking the path.

“Please wait.”

“Only VIPs are allowed to enter here.”

“Please present your VIP card!”

Lan sighed softly, “I knew it would be like this. After all, I’ve seen the development of things through foresight.”

Shen Wang stood beside Lan, “Then did you see the solution?”

“Of course.”

Lan spoke to the two pollutants in a calm tone, reading the words that would normally sound urgent or excited, but his flat delivery made it seem almost amusing.

“We don’t want to die, we want a chance to become members of the VIP area!”

Shen Wang: …

To his surprise, the two contaminants exchanged a glance and then stepped aside, allowing them to pass.

Okay, these are low-level pollutants without brains.

“[Hundred Eyes] is a special pollutant. She has her own set of procedures, which is to delegate the responsibility of pollution to ordinary people.”

Lan stepped into the second floor, “Do you know what it means? It means: she has a group of non-polluted pollution spreaders, you can call them: humans.”

“Humans can enter the high walls freely, and they can help her spread pollution within the high walls. After expressing their desire to enter the second floor, they can enter the second floor once. People who enter the second floor will be marked by [Hundred Eyes] and released. As long as they bring back a certain number of people, they can become VIPs on the second floor.”

“You see, she’s not exactly a bad thing, after all, she’s just like cancer. “

Lan said while flipping through the book, “The researcher from the Academy of Sciences is on the second floor, and your teammate, a woman named Lily, is also there.”

Shen Wang was a little surprised, “She is there?”

“She didn’t contribute anything.” Lan seemed to have seen something interesting, “Her ability [Empathy] made her close to the pollutant body, and she raised the synchronization at the stairs on the second floor. These brainless guards thought it was [Hundred Eyes] herself coming back, so they naturally let her in.”

Shen Wang: …

It was indeed an unexpected operation.

“Finally, the third floor is where the [Hundred Eyes]’s true body resides. The entire floor is her stronghold.”

After speaking, Lan closed the book.

“I’m not very clear about [Hundred Eyes]’s specifics since I haven’t seen her true body, but you can ask your teammates. Once you identify her weaknesses, I can help you deal with it.”

“Remember to eat it thoroughly.”

Shen Wang looked at Lan, and after a few seconds, Shen Wang spoke, “Brother.”

“Hmm?” Lan obviously enjoyed Shen Wang calling him brother as his expression became brighter every time he called him that way.

“Don’t you need pollutants?”

“Me?” Lan stared at Shen Wang, and after a long time, he spoke, “I don’t need pollutants anymore.”

“In the early years at the Academy of Sciences, the experiments were very complicated. I was forced to share a room with multiple pollutants. They never cared whether a child could face such things. Only children who could control pollutants were allowed to stay.”

“As long as the experiments didn’t stop, I would keep facing different pollutants.”

Such an experience unexpectedly alleviated Lan’s symptoms. He disguised the pollutants he swallowed as the ability to eliminate pollutants, and never exposed his innate illness. He actually concealed it.

He ate too much, and the power accumulated in his body until the day he awakened.

A terrifying mutant who was S-class when he awakened.

The Academy of Sciences was delighted and thought they had created the perfect creation. They tested Lan’s abilities and said he would be the first mutant to surpass Zhou Xiangzhe.

But Lan just wanted to leave. He wanted revenge, he wanted the entire Academy to pay for his suffering.

“Once you awaken your abilities, it will no longer be like this,” Lan smiled gently, comforting Shen Wang. “The hunger is just your body craving energy. It’s your abilities wanting to awaken.”

“It’s not a bad thing.”

“One day, you will become a mutant stronger than even me, or Zhou Xiangzhe.”

“Don’t doubt this, because as children of the [Tyrant], we inherently have this potential.”

1. 一身麻袋: Yeah sack… another possible term is ‘burlap clothes’, owo ↩︎
2. Eat vinegar = being jealous ↩︎
3. It says mutant here but remember that Lan and Shen Wang are neither human nor pollutants ↩︎