Chapter 18 – The Father of Pollution
“I am your father, Guo Pengyi.”
“I am your father, and also the manager of this apartment building. Do you remember?”
In the sunlight, Yu Zhi’s clean-cut features appeared even more gentle. His voice, clear and persuasive, held a hint of suppressed emotion.
Lu Liming, observing this scene, was utterly bewildered. When Yu Zhi first declared himself Guo Qiang’s father, Lu Liming thought it was some kind of bizarre insult. The second time, he assumed it was a lie. But by the third repetition, doubt began to creep in. Could Brother Yu actually be telling the truth?
Was Brother Yu really Guo Qiang’s father? His demeanor, his tone—it was all so convincing, like a long-lost father reunited with his amnesiac son! Lu Liming stared at Yu Zhi, then at Guo Qiang, unable to find any resemblance between the two.
Suddenly, it hit him. Another one of Brother Yu’s identities! Lu Liming’s jaw dropped. No wonder Brother Yu had moved into this building. No wonder he was so calm in the face of the pollution source. No wonder he knew it had fled to the rooftop.
Everything suddenly made sense. Brother Yu was… the father of the pollution source!
Lu Liming wasn’t the only one affected by Yu Zhi’s words. Guo Qiang, his mental state already fragile, was thrown into further turmoil. The images in his mind flickered more intensely as Yu Zhi repeated the phrase “I am your father.”
Father… Guo Pengyi… Manager…
Guo Qiang blinked, fragments of memory surfacing. He came from a single-parent family. His father was named Guo Pengyi. And his father was the manager of this building.
His eyes focused on Yu Zhi, standing in the sunlight. A breeze carried that pleasant scent towards him again—a fragrant, almost delicious smell. It drew him in, yet at the same time, a feeling of apprehension, of warning, held him back.
The person before him evoked a conflicting desire—to approach and to flee. Close, escape, close, escape… It was a strangely familiar sensation.
Guo Qiang’s expression twisted in a mixture of struggle and unease.
Yu Zhi, observing these subtle shifts, knew his words were having an effect. He pressed on. “You said you wanted to end everything, but also said you didn’t want to be too far from me. Son, don’t you remember me?”
Guo Qiang looked up, his eyes filled with confusion. Blurry memories flashed through his mind like lightning strikes. He strained to grasp them, but they remained elusive, fragmented.
He was sick, sometimes losing control. He couldn’t get too close to his old man, but he didn’t want to be too far away either.
Lost in this internal struggle, he barely registered Yu Zhi’s gradual approach.
“Guo Qiang,” Yu Zhi said softly, “I’m your old man.”
As the distance between them shrank, the conflicting desires within Guo Qiang intensified, pulling him in opposite directions.
He looked at Yu Zhi in confusion, mumbling, “You are… old man.”
Yu Zhi’s smile widened. “That’s right, I’m your old man.”
He walked up to Guo Qiang, stopping just short of touching him. He looked down at Guo Qiang’s naked body, taking in the changes. Guo Qiang’s skin, once pale and thin, was now smooth and white, his body sculpted with firm muscles. He was covered in a layer of transparent mucus. The two antennae on his head, instead of standing erect, hung down like strands of hair.
Guo Qiang’s appearance was no longer that of a cockroach or a cockroach-man. He seemed to be a perfect hybrid of human and insect. The thought made Yu Zhi frown imperceptibly.
He pulled two boxes of medicine from his backpack and handed them to Guo Qiang. “Is there a lot you can’t remember? You didn’t take your medicine today.”
Guo Qiang looked at the familiar medicine boxes and reached out instinctively. “Medicine…”
“You’ll be fine after taking the medicine,” Yu Zhi reassured him.
Guo Qiang took the boxes but simply held them, making no move to open them.
Yu Zhi paused, then said, “Oh right, that’s your Uncle Lu.” He gestured towards Lu Liming, who still stood frozen in a daze.
“He even held you when you were little,” Yu Zhi added.
Lu Liming stammered, “Bro-Brother Yu, your son is already… already so big…”
“Don’t just stand there,” Yu Zhi said. “Call him uncle.”
Guo Qiang slowly said, “Uncle… Lu?”
In the next instant, Yu Zhi whipped out his knife and slashed at Guo Qiang’s neck.
“Ka—”
The sound of the blade striking flesh was followed by stunned silence.
Lu Liming gaped. Guo Qiang stared in disbelief. And Yu Zhi himself was momentarily dumbfounded.
He looked at Guo Qiang’s neck in disbelief. The blow, delivered with all his strength, had only caused a minor skin injury. It barely broke the skin, not even drawing blood.
“Old man?” Guo Qiang turned his head, confusion clouding his features.
Yu Zhi raised the knife again, striking at Guo Qiang’s neck. This time, Guo Qiang dodged, and the blade landed on his shoulder.
This time, the wound was deep. Red and yellow blood oozed from the gash, releasing a faint, sickly stench.
Guo Qiang tilted his head, his eyes fixed on Yu Zhi. “Old man, why… why did you…”
Yu Zhi’s expression remained unchanged. “Son, beating is caring, scolding is love. Dad is just showing affection to you.”
He lunged again. Before the blade could connect, Guo Qiang leaped backward, clearing several meters in a single bound.
His head throbbed. As he looked at Yu Zhi’s young, clean-cut face, another image flickered in his mind—a scruffy, middle-aged man smiling and calling him “son.”
The middle-aged man called him to eat, took him to the hospital, and reassured him that it was okay to be sick, that he would get better with treatment.
The man’s face grew clearer, merging with the fragmented memories swirling in Guo Qiang’s mind.
He clutched his head, his expression contorted in pain. “You… you’re not my old man…”
“I am,” Yu Zhi said calmly. “You’ll be fine after taking the medicine.”
Guo Qiang was clearly unstable, so Yu Zhi didn’t dare approach carelessly. Maintaining a safe distance, he compared the wounds on Guo Qiang’s neck and shoulder.
The skin around the shoulder wound was white, while the skin on his neck had a faint yellow tint. In the sunlight, Yu Zhi could see the yellow area gradually spreading.
His eyelid twitched. Cockroaches are white after molting, then their body color gradually deepens, turning into black-brown adults. Guo Qiang had just molted; this was his most vulnerable time.
“Lu Liming!” Yu Zhi shouted. “Slash his white skin!”
Lu Liming hesitated. “Is it okay to say that in front of him?”
“It’s fine,” Yu Zhi said. “He probably can’t understand.”
As if to contradict him, Guo Qiang roared, “You. Are. Not. Old. Man! You lied to me!”
He stood up, his anger radiating outwards. His body was a grotesque fusion of human and cockroach. His torso was human, with two thick legs, but below that were two more insect-like limbs, each muscular and powerful.
He towered over them, nearly two meters tall, an imposing figure that exuded an overwhelming pressure.
Yu Zhi stared up at him, his eyes widening. Fuck! Could a pollution source grow this large?
In a flash, Guo Qiang charged.
Yu Zhi turned and ran. Guo Qiang might not have understood his conversation with Lu Liming, but that didn’t stop him from attacking.
There were a few stainless steel clothes racks scattered across the rooftop, remnants of the manager’s attempt to provide drying space for the residents. Someone’s quilt was still draped over one, casting a long shadow.
Spotting the shadow, Yu Zhi abruptly dodged to the left.
“Bang—”
Guo Qiang’s foot smashed through the stainless steel rack, sending shards of metal flying. He didn’t hesitate, continuing his pursuit of Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi ran, his lungs burning. Guo Qiang was too fast. He could barely keep ahead, let alone find an opportunity to counterattack.
“Brother Yu! Watch out!” Lu Liming yelled from a distance.
The stench of Guo Qiang’s blood filled the air behind him, sending a chill down Yu Zhi’s spine. He gritted his teeth, deciding to take a risk.
He spun around.
In the next moment, Guo Qiang had him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He seemed about to snap Yu Zhi’s neck then hesitated, his gaze fixed on Yu Zhi’s face.
He had seen this face before, he was sure of it.
Guo Qiang slowly lowered his head, studying Yu Zhi’s face with a confused expression. “You’re not old man, you are…”
“You are…”
The barrage in Yu Zhi’s live stream scrolled frantically:
[User “Strongest King” looks forward to your death.]
[User “Not an Insect Cigar” praises the perfection of the pollution source.]
[User “Gaze of the Dark Eye” awaits your miserable death.]
[User “Rebirth in a Different Universe” thinks your position with the pollution source is indecent.]
“You are…”
Yu Zhi’s face was turning red, his vision blurring as Guo Qiang choked him. He struggled, raising his hand towards Guo Qiang’s face.
The fragrant scent emanating from Yu Zhi’s hand reached Guo Qiang’s nostrils, momentarily disorienting him. He instinctively opened his mouth, intending to bite down on the approaching finger.
A black gun barrel was shoved between his teeth.
“Bang!”
Yu Zhi fired, his expression cold and resolute. Guo Qiang’s head exploded in a shower of blood and gore.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Yu Zhi said, his voice flat. “I’m your father.”
So cool, brother, I am a fan!!!