Ordinary methods couldn’t wake Zhou Xiangzhe because he had been dragged into a dream by the pollutant.

Apart from mutants with [Pollution Immunity], everyone could be affected by pollution. Even S-level mutants—they were just harder to pollute, not immune to it.

“Wake up, Zhou Xiangzhe,” Shen Wang called his name. “You’re not really going to drown in your dream, are you?”

But Zhou Xiangzhe couldn’t hear him. Shen Wang didn’t even know what kind of dream he was having.

Simply calling out to him like this was useless.

“There must be a way to wake him up.”

Shen Wang sat beside Zhou Xiangzhe, thinking.

Just then, Zhou Xiangzhe’s body tilted and leaned against him, his head resting gently on Shen Wang’s shoulder. His warm breath brushed against Shen Wang’s neck. Shen Wang turned to look at him, and two small blood thorns emerged from his neck, hesitantly hovering around Zhou Xiangzhe, carefully pulling him closer to Shen Wang.

They seemed unsure whether their master wanted to eat him or keep him close as a decoration.

Shen Wang poked the two blood thorns that had popped out on their own. “Go back. I don’t need you right now.”

The thorns nuzzled Shen Wang’s finger before retreating into his collar.

At that moment, countless butterflies flew past the stairwell, gathering together to form a humanoid figure in front of Shen Wang. Its shape twisted and distorted with the movement of the butterflies, like a formless ghost.

“He won’t wake up,” the butterfly figure said in a strange voice.

“He’ll die in the dream.”

“You can’t wake him. No one can wake up from my nightmare.”

Shen Wang stared at the butterfly figure, his dark eyes filled with coldness. He reached out and pulled Zhou Xiangzhe closer.

“Don’t be too confident. You’re just an A-level. He’s an S-level mutant.”

“So what if he’s S-level? This is a dream, not reality,” the butterfly figure dispersed into countless butterflies, swirling around Shen Wang.

“In reality, he’s an S-level mutant, but I’ve only pulled him into a dream. In the dream, he’s no longer S-level.”

Shen Wang sneered. “If you could handle him, you wouldn’t have come after me.”

It was strange that the Illusory Butterfly had attacked Shen Wang in the first place. Shen Wang wasn’t having an episode right now, and even if he were, it wouldn’t attract an A-level pollutant. Yet, it had broken the unspoken rules to chase him into the orphanage. It was clear it had ulterior motives.

Shen Wang judged that it couldn’t handle Zhou Xiangzhe and wanted to take a hostage to threaten him. Coincidentally, Shen Wang was the very hostage Zhou Xiangzhe cared about the most.

“You’re that confident in him?!”

“No,” Shen Wang smiled. “I’m confident in myself.”

Waiting for Zhou Xiangzhe to wake up while exposed under the Illusory Butterfly’s watch was troublesome and dangerous. So, Shen Wang had another idea.

Shen Wang’s hair began to grow longer, an elegant lavender hue dyeing his hair and eyes. His pupils turned into vertical slits, like those of a beast. Shen Wang gently closed his eyes, but strange patterns appeared in front of him, resembling blinking eyes.

The Illusory Butterfly seemed to freeze in shock, the butterflies in the air unable to maintain their form.

“What?!”

The Illusory Butterfly almost screamed. “What are you?!”

Blood Thorns were eerily beautiful, with thorns and flowers resembling roses. But the Hundred Eyes were purely grotesque—just one look was enough to know this wasn’t something a human could possess.

Shen Wang smiled, his eyes growing even more sinister.

“I can’t turn you, an A-level pollutant, into a painting. After all, we’re on the same level. But I can easily stuff myself and an unresisting him into a painting.”

“If you’re so capable, come find us in the painting.”

/

The painting was filled with the same darkness, so dark that Shen Wang wondered if he had entered the wrong place.

But soon, Shen Wang remembered: the Hundred Eyes’ [Portrait in Paint] turned a person’s past into a painting. The theme of the painting was the thing the person cared about most deeply. For example, the Hundred Eyes No. 1’s desire for an eye hospital, or the Hundred Eyes No. 2’s mother, forever trapped in a cage.

When entering, Shen Wang had instinctively chosen Zhou Xiangzhe, thinking that as an S-level mutant, a painting based on him wouldn’t be easily broken by the Illusory Butterfly. As an S-level mutant, Zhou Xiangzhe was also unlikely to be harmed.

So, was this Zhou Xiangzhe’s inner world?

The surroundings were pitch black, but a light shone in the distance. The light was dim, barely the size of a bean in the darkness. But this wasn’t the S-level pollution source—it was a painting. As the nominal owner of the painting, Shen Wang knew this was the place he was looking for.

He walked over and saw Zhou Xiangzhe, dressed in black combat gear, his silver hair tied up, looking neat and efficient.

Opposite Zhou Xiangzhe was a place Shen Wang was more familiar with—the orphanage standing in the darkness.

At the entrance were not just Zhou Xiangzhe, but many familiar faces: the orphanage director, teachers, and children.

“Can I really not go in?” Zhou Xiangzhe asked them.

“No,” the director said. “Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in the orphanage.”

“Leave quickly. You’re not welcome here.”

“Sir, don’t make this difficult for us. Please leave.”

“Big brother, don’t come in! There’s a big tiger here! It’ll bite you!”

Zhou Xiangzhe stood silently, watching them. He didn’t ask again, nor did he turn and leave immediately.

So the people of the orphanage stood at the entrance, keeping him out. They refused to step back, they would rather stand at the door and drive Zhou Xiangzhe away than let him take even a step in.

“Go, leave this place,” the director finally said.

“This isn’t where you belong. Turn back now and go where you should be.”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked at the director for a long time before finally saying, “Alright.”

He knew he wouldn’t be able to enter today, and he understood why the people in the orphanage wouldn’t let him in. So, just like back then, he turned and walked away from the orphanage under the director’s instructions.

Shen Wang took one last look at the orphanage. The children were waving at Zhou Xiangzhe, and the teachers were watching his retreating figure.

They were all seeing him off.

So, what Zhou Xiangzhe cared about most was not being able to enter the orphanage even when he finally returned?

Shen Wang followed Zhou Xiangzhe. Zhou Xiangzhe didn’t speak, and his expression didn’t change. He was as silent as ever, his golden eyes showing no emotion, as if he were always like this.

But how could a person have no emotions? Especially in his own painting.

Zhou Xiangzhe stopped and turned to look in Shen Wang’s direction, his golden eyes reflecting Shen Wang’s figure.

“An illusion?” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “Illusions are appearing more frequently than before.”

As expected of him. Even in a painting, he could maintain his rationality and make the right judgment. This was the Guardian of Central City.

“How long will this dream last?” Zhou Xiangzhe asked. “Or is it a chain dream?”

He even knew he was dreaming…

Shen Wang asked curiously, “Since you know you’re dreaming, do you want to wake up?”

“Not yet,” Zhou Xiangzhe shook his head slightly. “The Illusory Butterfly uses dreams as a medium for pollution. The leaves on that tree are all the people it has polluted. But its true form isn’t in its lair. Since we can’t find it in reality, we have to enter the dream.”

Shen Wang let out a slow breath.

Great. He went voluntarily into danger again. Of course, an S-level mutant wouldn’t be so easily trapped.

Shen Wang was both annoyed and helpless because this was exactly the kind of thing Zhou Xiangzhe would do.

So Shen Wang said irritably, “You say I’m an illusion. Why would you dream of me?”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked at him strangely, then after a long time, he looked away without answering.

“Why won’t you answer?”

Zhou Xiangzhe thought for a moment. “You’re different from the previous illusions. You’re more like him.”

Of course, because he was the real one.

“What? The previous versions of me didn’t seem like me?”

Zhou Xiangzhe didn’t reject the question. Instead, he thought carefully before answering. “Maybe they’ve been monsters for too long, so they’ve confused the concepts of monsters and humans. Even in illusions, they carry the stench of monsters. It’s hard not to notice.”

Shen Wang: “…”

Who said Zhou Xiangzhe was silent and bad with words? Wasn’t he quite good at being sarcastic?

Seeing Shen Wang’s speechless expression, Zhou Xiangzhe sighed softly. He turned and continued walking, not reacting when Shen Wang, whom he thought was an illusion, followed him.

But as soon as he took a step, Zhou Xiangzhe’s foot slipped, and he fell. However, thanks to his extensive combat experience, he quickly stabilized himself, landing on one knee with perfect poise and grace.

Very cool, very handsome.

Then Zhou Xiangzhe noticed something was wrong.

His wrists and ankles were bound with specially made chains, completely restricting his movements. Every lift of his hand or step he took was accompanied by the clinking of metal chains, creating an oddly subtle atmosphere. He tugged at the chains on his wrists, his golden eyes filled with confusion.

Shen Wang clicked his tongue. “You look like you’re in a bad situation.”

Zhou Xiangzhe retorted, “It’s the thing making me dream that’s in a bad situation.”

No, it wasn’t. This wasn’t just his dream—it was also his painting. The fact that such a scene could appear only meant that this memory was deeply ingrained in him.

But soon, Shen Wang noticed something unusual.

The surroundings were familiar, and the familiarity came from the fact that Shen Wang had been here before.

Shen Wang suddenly realized: this might be the containment center.

“Is this when I first left the orphanage?” Zhou Xiangzhe also realized. He stood up and looked outside. Beyond the transparent glass walls were small compartments, each holding a person, some normal, some already mutated.

Every survivor of a pollution incident had to be observed in the containment center, especially Zhou Xiangzhe, who had survived an S-level pollution source.

The chains binding him were the containment center’s way of controlling him, in case he suddenly mutated into a pollutant.

Three people in protective suits and masks walked over. They stood in front of the glass wall, talking and taking notes.

Shen Wang stood beside Zhou Xiangzhe and heard them speaking.

“Is this the child who survived the S-level pollution source?”

“He’s so young. How pitiful.”

“Don’t pity him. Don’t you know? He’s already awakened his ability. He’s an A-level mutant. Awakening as an A-level right away—the Pollution Control Center is going crazy, saying he’s definitely the next S-level.”

“I heard it was his director who pushed him out of the pollution in the end. When this child grows up, he’ll definitely inherit his director’s will and become a self-sacrificing hero.”

“Really? Then the director did a great thing. To save an S-level in one go—what a bargain.”

Shen Wang suddenly realized why Zhou Xiangzhe was so deeply affected by this scene.

Little Seven was an emotional person. Though he seemed cold now, he was sensitive at heart. So, it was hard for him to accept these people’s words.

The director hadn’t saved him because he was an S-level mutant. He had only been able to escape the pollution source because he was an S-level mutant. The director hadn’t chosen who to save—he had simply thrown every child near the window out, hoping they would all survive.

When the cause and effect were deliberately reversed, even something beautiful became jarring.

“You’re quite sensitive, remembering one sentence for so many years.”

Zhou Xiangzhe didn’t mind Shen Wang’s comment. He sat down on the only available bed, still shackled.

As he fiddled with the chains on his wrists, he calmly retorted, “It’s not that I’m sensitive. It’s that I have a good memory. I haven’t forgotten those two sentences all these years.”

“If I really held a grudge, I wouldn’t still be in Central City.”

True. Given Zhou Xiangzhe’s background, he must have heard such things often.

Although his personal information is hidden from the general public, the middle and upper levels of the Pollution Control Center know that he survived an “S-level pollution source” and is a special case from the Galaxy Orphanage. Even the Academy of Sciences conducted new experimental tests because of him.

Such a background inevitably invites gossip.

‘You should be a good person and repay your director.’ ‘The director saved the hero of our Central City, so he is also a hero!’ ‘He is dead, but he still lives on in another person.’

Some words may sound reasonable at first, but upon reflection, they seem off.

Shen Wang leaned against the glass wall, watching Zhou Xiangzhe dismantle the chains on his hands.

He worked quickly, almost unnaturally so, as if he had already made many assumptions and conducted countless experiments, allowing him to swiftly solve the problem when it came to practice.

The more Shen Wang watched, the more something felt wrong. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became.

Zhou Xiangzhe finished removing the chains from his body and prepared to stand up. But just as he was about to rise, the chains he had just removed instantly locked back into place, even tighter than before, directly shackling him to the bed. Zhou Xiangzhe blinked, though he didn’t show much surprise, he was far from calm.

“What…?”

“Let me ask you a question,” Shen Wang walked over.

As the nominal owner of this scene, Shen Wang pressed down on Zhou Xiangzhe’s raised hand, pinning him in the gap between the bed and the wall.

“Zhou Xiangzhe.”

Shen Wang asked, “Did your ‘self-sacrificial’ noble quality start from here?”

Shen Wang’s black eyes carried a hint of anger, but this anger wasn’t entirely out of rage. There was also a trace of indescribable bitterness.

He had always known that Little Seven was a good child. In the orphanage, he was the most even-tempered person. He never got angry and was always helping others. Everyone liked him, but everyone also grew accustomed to taking from him. It wasn’t until he became friends with Shen Wang that the children who used to take from Little Seven were scolded away by Little Fifteen.

So, Shen Wang had always believed that Zhou Xiangzhe became the way he was now because of his inherent nature, he was simply that kind and virtuous.

But now, Shen Wang suddenly realized: how much of his ‘self-sacrifice’ was truly his own will, and how much was influenced by the rumors he heard, wanting to repay the director who saved him?

Zhou Xiangzhe looked back at Shen Wang, his golden eyes reflecting Shen Wang’s face.

He was slightly dazed, as if the illusion before him wasn’t an illusion at all, but the real Shen Wang. And Shen Wang already knew that he was actually Little Seven, all grown up.

“You really resemble him,” Zhou Xiangzhe wanted to reach out, but the chains were too tight, preventing him from moving.

So he stopped trying.

Shen Wang frowned, his voice low and tinged with frustration, “Zhou Xiangzhe!”

Even now, he still thinks I’m an illusion.

“I heard you. Let me go first,” Zhou Xiangzhe temporarily didn’t consider why an illusion could restrain him here. After all, this was a dream, and anything could happen in a dream.

“Answer the question first.”

“No,” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “You’re mistaken. I wouldn’t do this for the director.”

The director pushed Little Seven out of the orphanage not to send him to his death for someone else. The director only cared about the children. He wanted his children to live safely, whether it was Little Seven or Little Fifteen, he hoped they could all have a bright future.

So the director refused to let them return to the orphanage and pointed them toward the path home.

Zhou Xiangzhe knew this, so everything he did had nothing to do with the director.

“You’re worried about me. I’m glad.”

Even though Zhou Xiangzhe knew he was dreaming, and the person before him wasn’t his Little Fifteen, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it really was Little Fifteen standing in front of him.

Shen Wang was angry, and Zhou Xiangzhe could sense his unease.

Confirming that Zhou Xiangzhe wasn’t lying, Shen Wang gently released his hand, his black eyes still reflecting Zhou Xiangzhe’s figure.

He said, “I hate ‘self-sacrificial’ people.”

“Especially when Zhou Xiangzhe is a ‘self-sacrificial’ person.”

Zhou Xiangzhe met his gaze, and after a few seconds, he spoke, “I also hate that Zhou Xiangzhe is a ‘self-sacrificial’ person.”

“But he’s already used to it. This habit is hard to break.”

There were things he didn’t want to say to others, and he especially didn’t dare say them to Shen Wang. But now, it seemed he could say them, because the person before him wasn’t Shen Wang but an illusion, a figment of his dream that, in the end, was just him talking to himself.

Shen Wang sighed and slowly stood up. As he did, the chains on Zhou Xiangzhe disappeared.

It was as if the chains were there solely to force Zhou Xiangzhe to say those words.

Zhou Xiangzhe was still wearing his neat combat uniform. He sat up on the bed and looked at Shen Wang beside him.

“Little Fifteen often told me: don’t always do things that harm yourself. There are too few people who can truly appreciate kindness, especially in times like these. Soon, everyone will take sacrifices for granted, and gratitude will disappear.”

“So I know very well that this isn’t right, at least not in Little Fifteen’s eyes.”

Zhou Xiangzhe might not care much about himself, but he cared about Shen Wang’s thoughts. If something was wrong in Shen Wang’s eyes, Zhou Xiangzhe wouldn’t want to do it, because what if Shen Wang ended up hating him?

“Then why do you still do it!”

Shen Wang scolded him, “Coming into a dream so casually in a place like this—aren’t you worried something might happen to your body? There’s more than one pollutant in an S-level pollution source.”

“Hmm, it’s probably fine,” Zhou Xiangzhe replied calmly. “My body contains an S-level pollutant. It wouldn’t dare touch me.”

“Excuses. You’re just making up reasons to brush me off. You didn’t think about any of this when you came in.”

Zhou Xiangzhe got off the bed and walked up to Shen Wang, his golden eyes meeting Shen Wang’s.

As always, his expression was mostly neutral, but there was a hint of sadness in him.

“Will you hate me for this?” Zhou Xiangzhe asked.

“Yes.”

Shen Wang had always preferred clear, definitive answers. He disliked ambiguity. Why obscure your intentions when you can express them clearly?

“I don’t like worrying about others, Zhou Xiangzhe. Don’t keep pushing my limits.”

“But I’m an S-level mutant.”

“That has nothing to do with you being an S-level mutant.”

Zhou Xiangzhe thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. “You’re right. After all, I also worry about whether Shen Wang might get hurt.”

“Everyone says he’s a [Pollution Immunity] mutant, so it’s fine for him to enter dangerous places, but I still worry. Conversely, everyone says I’m an S-level mutant, so I can handle any problem, but Little Fifteen still cares about whether I might get hurt.”

Shen Wang watched as Zhou Xiangzhe came to this conclusion and, for some reason, seemed a bit happier than before.

So, whether it’s Little Seven or Zhou Xiangzhe, they’re both easy to please.

Deep down, he’s still that Little Seven who would wait at the orphanage gate for Little Fifteen to return. As long as Little Fifteen is with him, he’s happy.

This somehow made the atmosphere lose its tension. After all, they were still inside the painting, and outside, an A-level pollutant was watching them intently.

Speak of the devil, just as the thought crossed his mind, the glass of the containment room suddenly shattered with a loud bang, shards scattering everywhere.

Zhou Xiangzhe instinctively shielded Shen Wang, his golden eyes looking ahead.

At the front of the containment center stood a transparent, winding glass wall hundreds of meters long. Outside, butterflies were continuously crashing into the glass, their fragile bodies slamming against the hard barrier, over and over. Soon, the dead butterflies piled up into a small mountain.

“Using butterflies as the prototype?” Zhou Xiangzhe frowned slightly. “I thought there would be new illusions.”

Shen Wang stood behind Zhou Xiangzhe. His pupils flashed with a hint of purple, and the glass quietly thickened. The butterflies grew even more frenzied, throwing themselves at the glass, but they couldn’t break through.

Realizing that this approach was useless, the butterflies gathered together, forming a humanoid figure.

The humanoid figure clenched its fist and slammed it into the glass with a loud bang, shaking the entire world.

“Let’s go,” Shen Wang grabbed Zhou Xiangzhe’s hand and pulled him to run to the side. “There’s no point in being involved with it.”

Zhou Xiangzhe looked strangely at Shen Wang, who was pulling him along, then glanced back at the butterflies still pounding on the glass.

Belatedly, he realized a strange question.

If the illusionary butterfly that trapped him in the dream and created illusions was over there, desperately trying to break through an invisible glass wall, seemingly on the verge of going mad…

Then…

Who was the person pulling him along right now?