Hundred Eyes had never encountered an opponent.

She was an A-level pollutant, a talentless being who relied on others to maintain her dignity. She hid behind many people, whether it was Hundred Eyes No. 1, Hundred Eyes No. 2, or those she had thrown out to spread pollution—they were all her tools. She sat comfortably in the gallery she had created, fantasizing about her own stories.

No one had discovered her, and no one could defeat her.

So she grew increasingly arrogant, even setting her sights on an S-level mutant.

“Asking someone what they are—how rude,” Shen Wang said as he withdrew his hand from the wall. “Didn’t you already say it? I’m human.”

“No human looks like you,” Hundred Eyes said coldly, staring at Shen Wang. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“Even if you’re a pollutant, you’re nothing more than a low-level one. You, who can’t resist pollution, have no value for survival. Just become part of my artwork!”

As Hundred Eyes spoke, more and more word-like traces floated by. A blank sheet of paper rose from the ground and floated in front of Shen Wang.

“I want your eyes, your life, and your identity¹.”

Colors began to seep onto the paper like water being absorbed, blending chaotically together as if ink had been splashed across it.

Hundred Eyes’s purple eyes remained fixed on the paper.

She had a terrible premonition, one that had appeared the moment Shen Wang changed. She even felt a sense of panic, forcing herself to keep staring at the paper.

Yet, despite this, her long-dead heart seemed to beat as if alive, the sound so loud she could hardly control it.

The last time she had felt such fear was when Hundred Eyes No. 1 had turned into a pollutant and attacked her.

No, it’s fine. It has to be fine. He’s just a low-level mutant, just a slightly strange low-level mutant.

She comforted herself.

With a pfft, her eyes widened slightly.

A hole tore open in the center of the white paper, and thorns quickly shredded the paper, lunging forward. Hundred Eyes dissipated into the air, and the thorns, having missed their target, retreated dejectedly to Shen Wang’s side.

‘The prey ran away!’

‘It vanished in an instant!’

‘We need to eat it.’

‘Hungry, want to bite!’

Shen Wang gently patted the thorns’ tendrils, his red eyes turning to the long table ahead. Sure enough, Hundred Eyes reappeared on the table, her gaze icy as she stared at him.

“Impossible,” Hundred Eyes nearly screamed. “Why aren’t you affected by the pollution?!”

“Impossible! Even an S-level mutant wouldn’t remain unaffected by pollution!”

“What are you?!”

“A monster!”

“I told you, you’re really rude. A monster calling someone else a monster,” Shen Wang said as thorns emerged from beneath Hundred Eyes’s feet.

Hundred Eyes vanished again, reappearing beneath three paintings.

She began to hesitate, wanting to flee.

But Shen Wang was blocking the door, the thorns tangled together to completely seal it off. Shen Wang smiled at her, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes seemingly overflowing with tenderness. If not for his white hair and red eyes, one might think he was a truly gentle person.

“How could this be…” Hundred Eyes murmured.

The thorns lunged again, and Hundred Eyes shifted positions once more.

She couldn’t let these thorns touch her, as she had already foreseen the consequences.

When they appeared, they had devoured the blood-red traces in the hallway. They were greedy, wanting to consume everything around them. Hundred Eyes was an A-level pollutant, but not one with powerful offensive abilities. Her pollution talent only allowed her to quietly consume many ordinary people.

Once her pollution was rendered ineffective, she had few other options.

In the past, she could have controlled a large number of connected pollutants to attack Shen Wang, but now, to prevent the two S-level mutants downstairs from reaching the third floor, almost all of the connected pollutants had been stationed at the stairwell to ensure Shen Wang’s disguise remained intact.

But now, this had become her worst move.

“You’re quite good at dodging,” Shen Wang said expressionlessly. “Do you think this will help you escape?”

The thorns expanded instantly. Hundred Eyes hadn’t expected them to grow so quickly. She was nearly cornered, the small room filled with thorns, leaving her no place to stand.

“Such exaggerated reproductive ability—you’re an A-level!” Hundred Eyes stared at Shen Wang in horror. “You’re an A-level mutant?!”

Shen Wang smiled, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze. “Wrong.”

“I’m just an ordinary C-level mutant.”

Hundred Eyes: …?!

Stop lying!

If he were one level below her, she might have tried to fight back. But upon learning Shen Wang was an A-level, she realized she had underestimated him.

Her face turned pale as the thorns reached her ankles.

Just as the thorns were about to climb onto her body, she suddenly threw a painting at Shen Wang. The painting tore open in midair, and in an instant, Shen Wang found himself seemingly transported into another space.

He saw Lily—this should have been the real Lily, who had died.

A woman in combat gear stood in a sealed room, her cold, sharp eyes scanning her surroundings. Every wall seemed to be a mirror, reflecting her figure.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Lily spoke.

“I didn’t expect you to be able to turn other people’s lives into your paintings. That makes you my natural nemesis as a pollutant, because your empathy allows you to instantly take over my life.”

The reflection in the mirror grinned at Lily. It wasn’t Lily’s shadow but Hundred Eyes, disguised as Lily’s reflection.

“You want to steal my life, pretend to be me, and deceive my teammates and my captain. You think this way, you can ensure we never return.”

“You can’t do it. No one will believe you. No one will be fooled by you. Even if you steal my identity, you’ll never be me.”

Lily pulled the safety pin and aimed her gun at the mirror in front of her. “The people of [Polaris] will never give up hope.”

The bullet shattered the mirror, and at the same time, a spear shot out from the broken glass, piercing Lily’s body in an instant. Lily coughed up blood but still trembled as she fired the next shot.

Shen Wang turned sharply, and the thorns shot out, catching the spear that had been aimed at his back.

The spear fell to the ground with a crisp clang.

Shen Wang clicked his tongue.

“Using a teammate’s death recording to distract me, then taking a cheap shot from behind. Truly a despicable pollutant.”

The thorns tore through the painting in front of him, devouring it as they went. By the time Shen Wang emerged, Hundred Eyes had already fled.

She was far too cunning. She had stayed hidden in this gallery for so long, only appearing before Shen Wang when she had no other choice. And the moment she realized she couldn’t handle him, she turned and ran without hesitation.

Shen Wang thought: Perhaps her gallery isn’t constantly moving around the world just to collect different eyes. Maybe she relocates as soon as she senses she’s about to be discovered.

A cowardly, insecure, yet arrogant psychological manipulator—always suspicious.

…

Just as Shen Wang had guessed, Hundred Eyes’s constant relocation of her gallery was indeed due to her lack of security. She would move her gallery to entirely different locations, fleeing immediately whenever she found herself at a disadvantage.

While Shen Wang was trapped in the painting, she had already escaped to the stairwell on the third floor.

She thought: It’s fine. As long as I can escape, I’ll be okay.

As long as she survived, she would remain an A-level pollutant. She could reopen her gallery somewhere far, far away from here.

She had so many paintings, so many identities she could assume, becoming one victim after another.

But just as she stepped onto the stairs, her footsteps suddenly halted. Her body froze in place as a terrifying wave of pollution surged up from below, filling her with dread from the depths of her soul.

All the connected pollutants she had stationed at the third-floor stairwell had been wiped out. The terrifying pollution felt like a poison seeping into her very being, making her tremble uncontrollably.

Footsteps echoed—someone was coming up the stairs.

Hundred Eyes didn’t dare move. She stood there, shaking, before quickly disguising herself.

A pitch-black combat uniform covered her body, and she once again took on the guise of Lily.

The moment she finished her hasty disguise, Zhou Xiangzhe turned the corner of the stairs and locked eyes with her.

Zhou Xiangzhe’s eyes were devoid of any warmth. The black sclera and golden irises made him appear eerily unnatural. Thick, oppressive pollution corroded everything around him. Hundred Eyes felt her skin burning, as if her entire body was rotting.

Hundred Eyes forced a smile, trying to make herself look more like Lily.

“Captain,” she called out, “I’ve finally found you.”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked up at her. He didn’t say a word, only placing his hand behind his back.

“Captain, it’s good that you’re here. Shen Wang, he…”

Bang. A bullet pierced through Hundred Eyes’s abdomen.

Hundred Eyes’s eyes widened, and she let out a shrill, agonized scream.

Zhou Xiangzhe stared at her with icy eyes, mercilessly pulling the trigger again. Two more bullets tore through her body.

“Why… why?! Captain! It’s me! I’m Lily!”

“I know my team members,” Zhou Xiangzhe said, his gaze unwavering. “You’re not Lily.”

Hundred Eyes screamed, crawling desperately upward. “No, I am Lily! I really am! Captain, don’t you remember? When we first came here…”

Bang. Zhou Xiangzhe fired another shot.

“You’re not.”

Finally, Hundred Eyes realized that deceiving Zhou Xiangzhe was impossible. She had been able to fool Shen Wang only because Shen Wang didn’t know Lily. To Shen Wang, Lily was just a stranger. But Zhou Xiangzhe was different. He was Lily’s captain, someone who had fought alongside her for years.

He wouldn’t be fooled by Hundred Eyes.

The pollution from [Deer God] was far more potent than that of an A-level pollutant. The corrosive contamination ravaged her body, and from the bullet wounds, eyes began to fall out like crumbling debris.

When Zhou Xiangzhe saw her, he immediately realized something was wrong with Lily. He was also worried about Shen Wang, but the only threat to Shen Wang right now was Hundred Eyes in front of him.

As long as he killed Hundred Eyes, he could focus on finding Shen Wang.

Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, the bullet struck a transparent barrier. The barrier blocked his pollution, and Hundred Eyes seized the opportunity to stagger back to the third floor.

Zhou Xiangzhe coldly turned his gaze to the side.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Lan stood nearby, flipping through his book without even looking up. “Nothing much.”

“I just think you’re really annoying. Since you’ve come here to provoke me, it’d be a shame if I didn’t make things difficult for you.”

Lan thought: This should be enough.

Hundred Eyes was already severely injured, on the brink of death after Zhou Xiangzhe’s attack. His younger brother was on the third floor, and dealing with a dying A-level pollutant would be simple.

All he needed to do was stall Zhou Xiangzhe here and buy enough time for his brother.

He really was the perfect older brother.

/

Hundred Eyes leaned against the wall, staggering forward step by step.

She couldn’t go to the second floor—the stairwell was blocked by two S-level mutants. Zhou Xiangzhe didn’t believe her, and continuing downward would only lead to her death.

She had no choice but to return to the third floor.

The third floor was vast. As long as she avoided Shen Wang carefully, as long as she wasn’t discovered…

Hundred Eyes’s calculating expression froze as she saw the walls covered in thorns.

Blood-red thorns climbed along the walls of the corridor, blooming with vivid flowers. The moment Hundred Eyes appeared, all the thorns bristled, their spikes rising as they stared hungrily at her. Hundred Eyes had long been marked as their prey.

Shen Wang stood in the center of the corridor, looking at her with mocking red eyes.

“Did you enjoy your little trip outside?”

Hundred Eyes wanted to retreat, but behind her was the stairwell to the third floor, and below it were Zhou Xiangzhe and Lan.

She was trapped, with death waiting both ahead and behind.

Her face turned pale as she stared at Shen Wang.

“Cough, cough…” She coughed violently from panic, but what came out wasn’t saliva or blood—it was half-corroded eyes.

The pollution from [Deer God] was terrifyingly potent, carrying an overwhelming sense of exclusion. As the embodiment of faith, it could forcibly expel the pollution of other pollutants, turning them into its own believers.

Hundred Eyes was undergoing this process.

She clutched her throat, coughing up shattered eyes. Her purple pupils were gradually speckled with gold, the golden threads growing denser over time.

“No, no!” she cried weakly. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die meaninglessly like them!”

Unfortunately, Shen Wang was never one to sympathize with others.

The thorny tendrils perched on Shen Wang’s shoulders, drooling over the dying A-level pollutant.

‘Delicious prey!’

‘It’s even seasoned! Like that tasty human from before!’

‘Can we eat it now?’

‘Master, we’re hungry! Let’s eat!’

Shen Wang smiled faintly. “Of course.”

The thorns surged forward like a tidal wave, and Shen Wang finally enjoyed his first meal since entering the gallery.

The food filled Shen Wang’s empty stomach, and he couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh.

All the discomfort from his illness was soothed, and his body returned to its normal state. An A-level pollutant was enough to keep him stable for a long, long time.

After finishing his meal, Shen Wang retracted the thorns.

Now back in his human form, he gazed at his palm.

“[Portrait in Paint],” Shen Wang murmured. “A new ability… I’ll have to test how to use it later.”

“For now, let’s get out of here.”

…

Confronting Zhou Xiangzhe wasn’t part of Lan’s original plan. He had come here solely for the results of the Science Academy’s experiment.

Now that his goal was achieved, and his younger brother had finished his meal, it was time to leave.

Of course, he knew this because he had foreseen it. He had timed it perfectly—just enough to avoid Zhou Xiangzhe’s detection while covering for Shen Wang.

“I just remembered I have something to do. No time to waste here with you,” Lan said, flipping through his book. “Well then, see you next time.”

“No, actually, let’s not meet again.”

Lan added, “I really don’t want to see you.”

So, in Zhou Xiangzhe’s eyes, the traitor Lan had suddenly blocked him like a lunatic, only to declare he had something to do and run off.

His logic was incomprehensible.

But Zhou Xiangzhe didn’t have time to chase him. Hundred Eyes and Shen Wang were both on the third floor, and he still needed to check on Lily’s condition.

Zhou Xiangzhe quickly ascended the stairs. As he climbed, the black in his sclera faded. Though still affected by pollution, he no longer looked as grotesque as before. When he reached the third floor, he frowned slightly.

The third floor was far too clean.

The dark, heavy corridor was completely empty, exuding a cold, hollow atmosphere. Zhou Xiangzhe couldn’t sense any trace of Hundred Eyes’s pollution, as if there were no pollutants on the third floor at all. He looked around, walking forward to search for Shen Wang and Hundred Eyes.

After taking a few steps, he saw Shen Wang standing at the far end of the corridor.

Zhou Xiangzhe walked over to Shen Wang and looked in the direction he was staring. In a small room, Lily laid quietly, her eyes cloudy yet calm.

At the sight of her body, Zhou Xiangzhe let out a soft sigh. The worst-case scenario he had anticipated had become reality.

“I never got the chance to know her,” Shen Wang said. “Now I never will.”

“What a shame.”

Zhou Xiangzhe walked over to Lily, kneeling down on one knee. He reached out and gently closed her eyes.

“This is how it is in the dispatch team,” he said. “Even in [Polaris], everyone faces danger and death.”

“What about you? Are you okay?”

Shen Wang shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. Hundred Eyes’s pollution had no effect on me.”

“It seems your ability really is more like [Pollution Immunity],” Zhou Xiangzhe said, looking at him. “That’s a good thing.”

Zhou Xiangzhe took out the pollution suppressors he had stuffed into his pocket earlier and began putting them back on his hands one by one. The pollution was once again suppressed within his body. Only after he had finished did he pick up Lily’s lifeless body.

Shen Wang wasn’t affected by the pollution emanating from him, but Lily’s corpse would be corroded. That’s why he had to put the suppressors back on.

“Let’s go,” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “The mission has failed. The experimental data has been destroyed.”

“The A-level pollutant [Hundred Eyes]’s main body and domain have been identified. [Hundred Eyes] was severely injured and has gone missing. The gallery can be cleared.”

“[Polaris]’s losses this time: one member, named Lily, an A-level mutant.”

“The remaining personnel will return to Central City.”

Not just the third floor of the gallery, but the first and second floors were also eerily empty, as if Hundred Eyes had fled with all her assets. Only Shen Wang knew she hadn’t run away—she was already dead.

As they walked, Zhou Xiangzhe observed their surroundings, his golden eyes filled with caution.

Exiting the first floor, they were met with a long gallery. Only transparent frames remained, and the floor was wet from the sprinklers that had activated when they entered. Walking further, they finally saw the bright sunlight.

The staff waiting outside the gallery were momentarily stunned before someone shouted, “Someone’s coming out!”

“It’s [Polaris]! It’s Captain Zhou and his team!”

“As expected of [Polaris]!”

“It’s confirmed—there’s no pollution left in the gallery! [Hundred Eyes] has been eliminated!”

Zhou Xiangzhe walked out carrying Lily’s body, and medical staff immediately rushed over with a stretcher. Zhou Xiangzhe glanced at them before gently placing Lily on the stretcher.

She looked peaceful, as if she were merely asleep, if not for the spear piercing her chest.

Zhou Xiangzhe closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Compile a list of all casualties,” he said. “Don’t miss a single one.”

“Yes, sir!”

/

Ming Guang arrived quickly. As the deputy captain of [Polaris], he was like a mother hen, deeply involved with every member of the team and sharing strong bonds with them all.

When he saw Lily’s body, his face twisted in pain, his eyes filled with grief.

He closed his eyes, as if trying to hide or hold back tears.

After a dozen seconds, he opened his eyes again and began berating Zhou Xiangzhe. “Didn’t I tell you not to remove your pollution suppressors?!”

“Do you not realize your current condition?!”

Zhou Xiangzhe sat on a chair, listening to him scold. “I’m fine now.”

“Fine now, but what about later?!” Ming Guang’s expression was pained. “Do you really want me to have to collect your corpse? Can’t you value your life a little more?”

Hearing this, Shen Wang turned to look at Ming Guang, then at Zhou Xiangzhe.

It was only then that Ming Guang seemed to realize there was someone else present.

But he couldn’t care less. Shen Wang was someone Zhou Xiangzhe deeply cared about, and if Shen Wang could persuade him, perhaps Zhou Xiangzhe would be more cautious.

“Your pollution levels have long exceeded the limit. Wearing suppressors is to control the effects on your body and prevent mutation,” Ming Guang said. “Continuing to use your abilities will only accelerate your pollution. Your body can’t handle it anymore.”

“If you keep this up, you’ll die!”

Zhou Xiangzhe nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’ll remember.”

“You know nothing! You’re just brushing me off!”

Ming Guang couldn’t control him, so he slammed his fist on the table in frustration. “Starting tomorrow, you’re going into isolation in the S-District until your pollution levels drop below 80!”

“Shen Wang, I’ll take you home.”

Before leaving, Zhou Xiangzhe reminded Shen Wang to go to the Pollution Defense Center to have his abilities and level re-evaluated. Ming Guang wore a twisted expression, as if he wanted to hit Zhou Xiangzhe but knew he couldn’t. He drove Shen Wang home at breakneck speed, the car hitting over 100 km/h. When they arrived, Ming Guang apologized solemnly to Shen Wang, saying he had to go back and continue lecturing someone who clearly needed it.

Watching the car speed off, Shen Wang stood still for a moment before turning and heading into his temporary home.

As soon as he opened the door, he heard music playing. The familiar figure was still sitting on the couch, reading a book—though Shen Wang couldn’t tell what it was this time.

Shen Wang closed the door. “Can you tell fortunes?”

Lan turned to look at him. “Huh?”

“Fortunes,” Shen Wang repeated. “Can you tell me someone’s fortune?”

Lan thought for a moment, then turned away without answering.

“Bro,” Shen Wang called.

“Do you really want to know that badly?” Lan’s tone carried a hint of disdain, as if he wasn’t keen on the idea.

But this was his dear younger brother asking, his adorable brother who wanted to know.

“Fine.”

He leaned back on the couch, holding the book up like a child, his black hood draped over the backrest.

“You’ve known each other for a long time. You used to live in the same house and were friends back then.”

“He’s only a year older than you.”

“He recognized you long before you realized it.”

1. 我要你的眼睛，要你的人生，也要你的身份 : this phrase reflects a very Chinese literary trope of 夺舍 which refers to stealing someone’s body, identity, or essence ↩︎

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TLS: I realized maybe Ming Guang’s name should be written like this and not Mingguang lmao I’ll change it in other chapters too.