Chapter 50: The Bizarre Aquarium (Part 7)

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The lobby of the Clean Center.
Behind the large screen, Xuan Qing said, “Her protective suit is damaged.”
It was a blunt statement, cold and merciless, devoid of any emotion, as if she didn’t care whether Zhu Ning had been contaminated or not.
Everyone saw the damage to Zhu Ning’s protective suit.
Lu Qiqin said, “It seems she hasn’t been contaminated.”
Under normal circumstances, if hunters or cleaners are infected, they become new sources of contamination, turning into pollutants.
Those with high mental energy can even become powerful contamination zones.
With a mental energy level of 1200, if she were contaminated, the resulting contamination zone might exceed a B-level.
At that point, their technical department would detect a peak value, and Zhu Ning would become their new enemy—more terrifying than the mechanical jellyfish or the mermaid.
Lu Qiqin clicked his tongue twice. “This mission isn’t simple.”
His words carried an unspoken meaning—of course it wasn’t simple. Any mission that happened to occur near the Everlife Pharmaceutical Foundation couldn’t be easy.
Although it was only rated as a B-level contamination zone, it was a chaotic mix, extremely troublesome.
Many were taking advantage of the murky waters to scheme and stir up trouble.
Zhu Ning hadn’t just stepped into a B-level contamination zone; she had walked straight into Xuan Qing’s trap.
The real trouble would come in the mechanical jellyfish pavilion that lay ahead.
Lu Qiqin tilted his head and glanced at Xuan Qing, the silver-haired, capable woman who had shown little expression from beginning to end.
Lu Qiqin roughly guessed what Xuan Qing intended.
She wanted to see if Zhu Ning would use any extra abilities, like psychic powers, when pushed to the brink of life and death.
...
“Your protective suit is torn?”
Xu Meng immediately noticed the many patches on Zhu Ning’s body when she first saw her.
One on the left thigh, one on the back shoulder, two on the lower back.
One tear might be understandable, but so many? She was probably already contaminated.
Zhu Ning didn’t quite understand everyone's attitude toward her and silently stepped back half a pace. “Maybe you should keep your distance?”
Li Nianchuan, who had just relaxed, only furrowed his brows and didn’t comment. “No need, just focus on the work and get out early.”
Xu Meng’s initial surprise faded as she saw Zhu Ning patch up the tears. “Work first, then head to the medical department.”
Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan had a conditioned reflex: upon seeing contamination spores, their first reaction was to bring out containment tools.
They were really going to work.
“...” Zhu Ning asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll get infected?”
Xu Meng replied, “You don’t look like it.”
Except for Zhu Ning, the rest were veteran employees who had seen what infection looked like.
Getting infected by contamination spores led to uncertain outcomes—some became pollutants, others awakened psychic abilities.
Xu Meng paused and said, “We face the possibility of colleagues getting infected every moment. Don’t make too much of it.”
Though it wasn’t written in the employee code, this was the survival guide for cleaners.
Don’t be overly alarmed. Whether or not someone is infected shouldn’t weigh heavily on your mind, because the problems others face today might be yours tomorrow.
Veteran Clean Center employees always treated infection casually.
No wonder in the sewers, when Zhu Ning suspected Li Nianchuan was infected, he told her to calm down.
It was a different world from Zhu Ning’s. She thought, in her zombie world, if someone was suspected of being infected, the principle was to kill rather than take chances.

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Xu Meng said, “If you mutate into a contamination source, none of us will get away.”
Zhu Ning: “...?”
Huh?
Experienced Chu Ling chimed in, “The consequences of a high-mental-energy person becoming a contamination source are hard to predict. With your mental energy level, if you become one, this place could turn into an S-level contamination zone. Then it won’t be just us three—it might require a hunter squad to come in to handle it. When they arrive, we’re probably done for.”
Zhu Ning: “...”
The three of them only showed initial tension, then became indifferent.
Because it was pointless—if infected, all three would surely die.
If not infected, they couldn’t just shoot her on the spot.
They could only let Zhu Ning be for the time being.
Was this a death-defying attitude as they worked alongside Zhu Ning?
Xu Meng said, “Let’s get to work.”
Xu Meng and Li Nianchuan were already in work mode; only Zhu Ning was still lingering.
“Okay,” Zhu Ning replied, taking containment tools from her cleaning pack.
Chu Ling watched nearby. She used to only fight monsters on missions and thought cleaners simply swept up trash.
She never paid attention to what happened afterward.
This was her first close look at a cleaner team in action.
Chu Ling asked, “How long will your containment take?”
Xu Meng glanced around. “With a three-person team, if we’re fast, under half an hour.”
Previously in D-level contamination zones, cleaner teams could take their time.
But the real contamination source in the aquarium hadn’t been purified yet; they had to hurry and not delay progress.
Every extra minute in a contamination zone added danger.
Since they were only containing contamination spores and not clearing carcasses, twenty minutes should suffice.
Chu Ling found it interesting and asked, “Need a hand?”
Thanks to recent Clean Center employee training, she had taken cleaner courses but never practiced in a real contamination zone.
Chu Ling asked, and Li Nianchuan instinctively wanted to refuse—Chu Ling had already caused enough trouble protecting them. No need for extra help.
Zhu Ning never shied away; as soon as Chu Ling finished speaking, she shoved her own tools into Chu Ling’s arms. “I was waiting for you to say that.”
Chu Ling: “...”
No pleasantries at all.
Cleaners carry multiple containment tools; Zhu Ning gave one to Chu Ling and kept one herself.
Chu Ling tried her hand at containment. It was actually quite fun at first, though repetitive work was boring.
Containing spores required great patience. Hunters fought with heavy weapons, so such meticulous work felt uncomfortable.
After a few minutes, Chu Ling realized she wasn’t cut out for cleaning.
She used to think anyone could be a cleaner.
Now it really seemed tough.
Chu Ling glanced at Zhu Ning, who switched into work mode with remarkable speed—rare talent capable of both hunting monsters and cleaning.
Chu Ling asked, “How did you purify the mermaid pavilion?”
Zhu Ning roughly explained, recounting what happened plainly.
The calmer she was, the more unsettled Li Nianchuan became, gasping intermittently.

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“You almost got caught and used for breeding?” Li Nianchuan asked.
Zhu Ning: “If I hadn’t purified the contamination zone, you’d have been caught too.”
Li Nianchuan’s situation happened simultaneously—strands of hair were already wrapping around him.
Li Nianchuan: “...”
He was a man; how could he breed?
Xu Meng kept frowning nearby, clearly displeased. No wonder Zhu Ning’s suit was torn and she was covered in injuries.
Xu Meng: “How are your wounds?”
Zhu Ning: “I used healing agents; it’s nothing serious.”
Aside from possible infection, she looked very healthy. Prometheus scans showed no issues.
Chu Ling, being a hunter, had a more professional opinion. Zhu Ning’s approach was similar to what she would do—using a flashlight.
But Zhu Ning’s tactic of flashing a strong light briefly, then immediately turning it off to exploit the victim’s momentary disorientation—that was clever.
It reminded Chu Ling of their prior combat class when Zhu Ning kicked her in the back of the knee.
Zhu Ning sometimes gambled with her life; even risking being sliced by hair strands to kill the mermaid.
Such terrifying mental strength.
Chu Ling put herself in Zhu Ning’s shoes—she was confident she could kill a mermaid too, but might not do it so smoothly.
Chu Ling: “The mermaid pavilion should be a clue.”
Great minds think alike. Zhu Ning: “I think so too.”
Double contamination sources don’t form easily. If one contamination source says east and the other west, they might fight internally.
Mermaids have “mental energy,” which conditions them to become contamination sources.
Both the mechanical jellyfish and the mermaid pavilion housed creatures displayed at the aquarium—artificial creations made from scratch.
Their reasons for becoming contamination sources might be similar.
Zhu Ning recalled the bizarre shows at the mermaid pavilion. “I guess the curator is the problem. Can ordinary people freely modify creatures?”
Zhu Ning was new to the wasteland world and unfamiliar with its laws. Few creatures in the aquarium were normal, and she didn’t know if it was legal.
Chu Ling: “Normally, you need higher approval. Ordinary citizens are strictly forbidden from conducting biological modification experiments. Without professional knowledge, it’s easy to create pollutants. If someone is caught modifying creatures without permission, they face life imprisonment.”
Zhu Ning nodded. Chu Ling added, “Usually, aquarium creatures have permits.”
Some creatures are harmless and allowed for public display, but the paperwork is complicated and hard to obtain without connections.
“Are these things properly registered?” Zhu Ning asked.
The answer came not from Chu Ling but from Prometheus: [Registration complete.]
Prometheus could connect to external networks.
Zhu Ning had grown accustomed to Prometheus’s presence and asked, “Do you have information on the curator?”
Prometheus quickly found the curator’s details, integrating information from official websites, interviews, social media, and public opinions.
It took Prometheus just ten seconds to compile and synchronize the data to everyone.
The curator’s name was Bao Ruiming, a first-class citizen and natural person, a student at the First Military District University.
From every angle, he was a social elite who had loved marine life since childhood. Many media reported on his deeds.
After the nuclear fallout, human civilization was devastated, and many marine species became extinct.
Bao Ruiming didn’t join a major corporation after graduating to serve the financial elite. Instead, he dedicated himself to marine animal protection. He had amassed many valuable biological records and even donated some marine animals to research institutions for further study.
Initially, the mechanical aquarium was very small, little more than a circus.
Under his leadership, it gradually rose to prominence.