Chapter 118
Meteorite is creating pollution instances.
No wonder Jiang Shengnan’s instance objective was to find the pollution source—not eliminate or purify it.
No wonder in Jiang Shengnan’s instance, Xiao Hei wasn’t restricted by the rules and could move freely.
No wonder the system had vaguely said the team was generated automatically—and even if the mission was completed, Xiao Hei wouldn’t receive mission rewards.
No wonder in this instance, both Xiao Hei and Pidan showed no signs of being polluted.
No wonder the system was helping Meteorite Biotech…
Those blurry, indistinct clues now cleared like clouds parting to reveal the sun. Everything suddenly made sense.
Yu Zhi stared at Fu Suxi without blinking.
Fu Suxi took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled. The smoke twisted and coiled in the murky moonlight, lingering without dispersing.
Yu Zhi caught the fleeting trace of mockery in his eyes.
That emotion wasn’t directed at him—it was directed at the fact that “instances were being created.”
Meteorite was creating instances.
So what if they knew?
Could they stop Meteorite from continuing to create them?
No.
Could they stop the system from issuing missions?
No.
Fu Suxi had long known the system was helping Meteorite. And then what? There was no “then.”
Whether he alone knew, or both of them knew, the only difference was one more person suffering the headache.
No matter how many people knew—it changed nothing.
The more Yu Zhi thought about it, the heavier his heart sank.
The barrage scrolled faster and faster, almost all urging him to clear the pollution source.
Yu Zhi’s lashes trembled slightly.
One comment mentioned the creation of instances.
Back in Jiang Shengnan’s instance, most viewers hadn’t seemed to know what Meteorite Biotech was really doing.
When did they learn Meteorite was creating instances?
Did the system notify them after he reported Meteorite?
The moment he thought of the system, it was as if a floodgate opened in his mind. His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
The system had always clearly stated: complete the main mission, defend Earth.
But it had never explicitly stated that defending Earth meant eliminating or purifying pollution sources.
Back when the pollution instance announcement was first issued…
The thought surfaced, and the panel automatically displayed the original announcement.
[New Pollution Instance Announcement]
Dear Earth residents, in order to better defend Earth, pollution instances are now fully activated!
- Starting immediately, pollution instances will randomly appear across the globe.
- While a pollution source remains alive, secondary pollutants will continuously emerge. Beware of contamination.
- Completing pollution instances will grant a variety of generous rewards! Please act actively, complete missions, and defend Earth!
From the very beginning, the announcement had only said “complete pollution instances.”
It had never said eliminate or purify pollution sources.
A chill slowly rose from the soles of Yu Zhi’s feet.
The system had planned this long ago.
For ordinary people, completing an instance meant eliminating or purifying the pollution source.
For Meteorite, completing an instance meant creating a pollution source.
Was the system really helping humanity defend Earth?
If it was, did it even know the correct way to defend it?
If it wasn’t—what did it actually want?
In the span of mere minutes, countless thoughts surged through his mind like a raging tide.
Meanwhile, the entire temporary settlement had been swallowed by eyeballs.
They writhed and rotated. The white of one eye pressed against the black pupil of another, merging together, then continuing to grow outward—like an uncontrolled malignant tumor, expanding and spreading endlessly.
If the pollution source didn’t die, the pollutants would never stop.
Yu Zhi steadied himself, forcefully pulling his mind out of the chaotic spiral, and looked at Fu Suxi.
Fu Suxi stood atop a massive eyeball, half a cigarette between his fingers. Noticing Yu Zhi’s gaze, he flicked off the ash.
“You want to save Yan Yang?”
Yu Zhi countered, “Don’t you?”
“You purify it.”
“???”
Yu Zhi wondered if he’d misheard.
What do you mean I purify it?
Even novel protagonists couldn’t pull that off. How was some background character like him supposed to?
Which one of us is the protagonist here?
His mouth twitched. “You can’t do it, and I can?”
Fu Suxi glanced at him, saw the disbelief and exasperation in his clear black eyes, then looked away and crushed the cigarette out.
“There’s another way to end the instance.”
After a pause, he added flatly, “Yu Zhi, I never considered you a teammate.”
The next second, a pair of sunglasses appeared in his hand.
He put them on, turned around. A black longsword materialized in his palm. His tall figure leapt into the air, becoming streaks of afterimages as he charged toward the “red moon.”
Yu Zhi quickly averted his eyes before fully looking at it—and instantly understood.
Fu Suxi was going to eliminate the pollution source.
Not a teammate = no mission reward for him.
Yu Zhi ground his molars.
This mad dog really held grudges.
He checked [My Items]. No glasses, no sunglasses—nothing that could block his vision.
If he couldn’t look directly at the red moon, he couldn’t use Ordinary Kick. Forget getting close—he wouldn’t even be able to approach it.
His brain raced.
Wish Fulfillment and his mouth ability were useless. Only “Null Intent” remained—and it wasn’t guaranteed.
There was no time to carefully plan.
To hell with Fu Suxi!
Yu Zhi cursed him inwardly and blurted, “I won’t be polluted by Yan Yang.”
[Item “Null Intent” failed.]
“I can look directly at Yan Yang.”
[Item “Null Intent” successful.]
He immediately raised his head.
A red moon hung overhead. Its surface was crisscrossed with scarlet veins, and at its center was a bottomless black dot, quietly staring down at him.
Seeing Fu Suxi’s figure blocking part of it, Yu Zhi sneered inwardly and used Ordinary Kick:
[Step on Fu Suxi’s head!]
The next second, he appeared above Fu Suxi.
His toe had just brushed Fu Suxi’s hair when Fu Suxi tilted his head and dodged.
In that split second of pause, Yu Zhi used Ordinary Kick again—flashing directly in front of the red moon.
Yan Yang wasn’t actually that high.
Lower than he’d imagined.
Not an unreachable moon—but like a giant lamp hanging overhead.
As Yu Zhi’s vision filled with red veins, he even felt the thinness of high-altitude air.
[Collect trash?]
[Yes.]
The instant the red moon vanished, the already dim settlement plunged into total darkness.
Yu Zhi’s heart slammed against his ribs. Cold sweat broke out down his back.
He couldn’t see anything—he couldn’t use Ordinary Kick to get back down!
A violent sense of weightlessness struck. His body began plummeting.
Wind roared past his ears. His organs felt like they were flying into his throat.
He took back what he said about Yan Yang not being high.
It was high. Really high.
He opened his mouth to use his ability—but what came out was:
“Ahhh—shit—!”
[Item “Null Intent” failed.]
“…?”
He considered using Wish Fulfillment so he wouldn’t die from the fall.
But before the thought fully formed, he felt something soft beneath his back.
He sank heavily into it.
It was wet and slippery. The sensation spread from his back forward, enveloping his entire body—even smothering his face for a moment.
Then, due to the impact, he bounced up again.
Bounce. Fall. Bounce. Fall.
After three times, Yu Zhi finally realized what had caught him—
Eyeballs.
The eyeballs had caught him.
They were no longer growing.
And the constant feeling of being watched and polluted that had lingered since entering the instance—had vanished.
After storing Yan Yang in [My Trash], the pollution in the area seemed to have stopped.
Yu Zhi quickly opened the system panel.
[Instance Mission: Raise Your Head and Gaze at the Bright Moon]
[Objective: Eliminate or purify the pollution source in the current area. Defend S City!]
[Reward: 5000 Universal Coins; Random Blind Box ×1]
[Failure: Unknown]
The mission wasn’t marked complete.
Yu Zhi’s eyes darkened.
To end the instance, he still had to complete the objective—eliminate or purify the pollution source.
He tried again:
“I can purify Yan Yang.”
[Item failed.]
“Fu Suxi can purify Yan Yang.”
[Item failed.]
“Yan Yang purified himself.”
[Item failed.]
Anything related to pollution or purification failed.
Still unwilling to give up, he tried again:
“I’ve received a hint on how to purify the pollution source.”
[Item failed.]
The livestream viewers saw the repeated failures and grew more excited.
Yu Zhi ignored them.
He opened his ability panel and looked at his collection list—[My Trash].
[Name: Yan Yang]
[Function: A pollution source that wants to be eliminated.]
[Description:
Wanting to die is an attitude!
Wanting to die is open-mindedness!
Wanting to die is seeing through the mortal world!
Wanting to die is turning back to shore!
Wanting to die is Zen-like detachment!
Wanting to die is purity and abstinence!
Wanting to die is cultivation!
Wanting to die is courtesy!
Wanting to die is art!
When I was polluted, I wanted to die!
When I became a pollution source, I wanted to die!
What a beautiful day! Want to die!
If the sky falls, we all die together…]
Yu Zhi stared at the “Function” line for a long moment.
Then he took Yan Yang out of [My Trash] and said slowly:
“Give me one minute of the strongest Wish Fulfillment.”
One minute later, a translucent panel appeared.
[You have completed the instance mission: Raise Your Head and Gaze at the Bright Moon.]
[Reward: 5000 Universal Coins; Random Blind Box ×1.]
