I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Royal Dragon Bay, Villa No. 13.

Three o'clock in the morning.

Jiang Li gently carried the sleeping Jiang Xiaoyu upstairs to the second floor and placed her on the pink bed, carefully tucking her in.

Seeing her younger sister sleeping peacefully, Jiang Li finally felt relieved.

"This girl has really good sleep quality; she didn't wake up even when the car crashed so loudly."

He shook his head, closed the door, and turned to go downstairs.

In the living room, Big Yellow was lying on the expensive Persian rug, its two front paws pressing on the black heart it had snatched from the crow, playing happily.

"Smack! Smack!"

This "Heart of Depravity" (C+ level pollution source) is extremely active, like a balloon that's been filled with air. When Dahuang presses it, it bounces and makes a strange sound like a baby crying.

"Wow—wow—"

The sound was shrill and piercing, carrying a mental pollution that drove people crazy with their sanity.

But to Jiang Li...

"Big Yellow! Be gentle! What kind of crappy toy is this? It sounds like a screaming chicken, it's awful!"

Jiang Li kicked the heart-shaped device in disgust. "Why is this thing leaking water? Look, it's made the carpet all dirty!"

Not only was the heart beating, but black viscous fluid was also seeping from the blood vessels on its surface, dripping onto the carpet and instantly corroding small, smoking holes.

That is the Abyssal Filth, a highly toxic substance that can pollute water sources and render the land barren.

"Woof?" (Master, this thing seems to be broken; it's oozing pus.)

Big Yellow loosened its claws, took a step back, and disgustedly shook the black mud off its claws.

As a dog that loves cleanliness (actually, it's afraid of being scolded by Jiang Li), it doesn't want to get its paws dirty.

"I think so too. This pig's heart was definitely injected with water, or rather, dirty water."

Jiang Li frowned, went to the kitchen, took a stainless steel basin, used tongs to pick up the heart, and threw it into the basin.

"Sizzle—"

The heart hit the bottom of the pelvis, making a sizzling sound like meat being fried.

"Why is this thing still moving? Isn't it completely dead yet?"

Jiang Li stared at the heart still pounding wildly in the basin and fell into deep thought.

"This activity is amazing! It's been outside the body for so long... Could it be because too much preservative was added?"

He carried the basin and went into the basement.

"Let's freeze it overnight and see if it's edible tomorrow. If it's spoiled, throw it away; don't let it make the dog sick."

Jiang Li placed the basin next to the "nuclear power plant" (the core of the lightning element).

"Sizzle sizzle—"

A powerful electromagnetic field instantly enveloped this corrupt heart.

The once arrogant and corrupting heart withered instantly under the suppression of the thunderous power. It trembled and curled up into a ball, the black water no longer daring to flow, and its cries turned into weak whimpers.

"That's right, behave yourself."

Jiang Li clapped his hands, closed the basement door, and went upstairs to sleep.

however.

What he didn't know was that although the heart was suppressed, the unique "beacon" vibrations it emitted had not completely disappeared.

This fluctuation, like a lighthouse in the night, penetrated the basement walls, pierced the soil, and spread throughout the city's extensive sewer network, reaching the underground of the entire Jianghai City.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

A strange fog enveloped the entire city of Jianghai.

This fog wasn't like the usual moist and refreshing sea fog; instead, it carried a musty and fishy smell, like an old, uncleaned rag.

Residents were surprised to find a layer of green mold growing on the corners of their walls, floors, and even on clothes left outside when they woke up.

Not only that, but strange gurgling sounds came from the sewer, and the water flowing from the tap became murky and had a rusty smell.

The hospital was overcrowded, and many people were experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and auditory hallucinations.

Emergency meeting room, Jianghai City Bureau of Abnormalities.

The bureau chief stared at the city's surveillance map on the large screen, his face ashen.

On the map, red alert points are densely packed, covering almost half of the city.

"What happened? The city's pollution index jumped by 300% overnight?!"

The bureau chief slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Could this be... a prelude to an outbreak in the Class B restricted area?!"

Su Qingge sat at the lower end of the table, her expression equally solemn.

She was holding a recent test report in her hand.

"Director, the technical department has just confirmed the source."

Su Qingge pointed to a red dot on the map, "All the pollution fluctuations seem to be pointing in one direction... Yulong Bay Villa District."

"Royal Dragon Bay?"

The bureau chief was taken aback. "Isn't that an affluent area? How could there be a source of pollution there?"

Su Qingge paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Director, do you remember that mysterious powerful figure codenamed 'The Chef'?"

"You mean... Jiang Li?"

The bureau chief gasped. "You mean, he was the one who caused this commotion?"

"Very likely."

Su Qingge smiled wryly, "As far as I know, last night he dealt with a Class C strange [Ghost Bus] in the northern suburbs and also killed a deacon of the Cult of Gods. According to his habits... he probably took his spoils home."

The entire room fell silent.

You took it home?

Bringing the source of pollution home? As a souvenir?!

"Quick! Su Qingge, go and check immediately!" the bureau chief urged. "If it was that guy who caused this commotion, we absolutely mustn't act rashly! If we anger him, the consequences will be far more serious than an outbreak in a Class B restricted area!"

"yes!"

……

Royal Dragon Bay, Villa No. 13.

Jiang Li got up very early, awakened by a strange smell.

"What's that smell? Did the sewer explode?"

He rubbed his eyes and pushed open the window.

All I could see outside the window was a vast expanse of white fog, and on the lawn in the yard, brightly colored mushrooms with eyeballs growing out of them had appeared.

"Holy crap! This mushroom... looks poisonous."

Jiang Li frowned. "This weather is so humid, mushrooms are growing overnight?"

He went downstairs to the living room and found Big Yellow barking incessantly at the basement door.

"Woof! Woof woof!" (Master! That thing down there is leaking! The whole house smells like it!)

Jiang Li went over and saw that black water was seeping out from the crack in the basement door.

"Holy crap! It really leaked?!"

Jiang Li was shocked. "My renovations! My floors! How much will it cost to repair this?!"

He rushed into the basement.

The heart, which had been placed in the stainless steel basin, had now swelled to more than twice its original size, resembling an over-fermented dough, and was continuously oozing out a black, muddy liquid.

The liquid flowed onto the ground and was even slightly wriggling, as if it were alive.

On the surface of the heart, a crack had appeared, and tiny, maggot-like tentacles could be vaguely seen probing inside.

"this……"

Jiang Li covered her nose, looking disgusted. "This pig's heart spoiled way too quickly! It's already infested with worms after just one night?"

"This black water...could it have dissolved?"

He picked up the fire tongs and clamped the heart.

"Pfft!"

The surface of the heart ruptured, spewing out a stream of black poisonous gas.

"Cough cough! This smell is even stronger than canned herring!"

Jiang Li's eyes were watering from the smell. "No, no, this stuff is no good, it's rotten! Da Huang can't eat it either, it'll definitely give him parvovirus."

He made a quick decision and walked out, clutching his heart.

"I need to find a place to throw it away; I can't throw it in the trash can at home, it smells too bad."

Jiang Li walked out of the villa, wondering where to throw it.

"Ding-dong—"

Just then, the doorbell rang outside the yard.

Su Qingge stood at the door fully armed, wearing a protective suit (to resist contamination) and a gas mask.

"Mr. Jiang! Are you alright? I detected the pollution level in your home..."

Before he could finish speaking, the door opened.

Jiang Li covered his nose with one hand and used fire tongs to hold the terrifying heart that was still dripping black water and emitting black smoke as he walked out.

"Hey, Miss Su? What are you doing dressed like that? Playing Resident Evil?"

Su Qingge: "..."

Looking at the [Heart of Corruption - Hatched State] on the fire tongs, radiating overwhelming evil energy enough to drive the entire city mad, she felt as if she could stop breathing.

"This...this is..."

"Ugh, don't even mention it."

Jiang Li looked annoyed. "I forgot to freeze the pig heart I picked up yesterday. It went bad after being in the refrigerator overnight. Look, it's covered in maggots! I was just about to throw it away."

Maggots?

Su Qingge took a closer look.

Those so-called "maggots" are clearly hatching Abyssal larvae! Each one can burrow into a person's brain and turn them into a puppet!

"Throw...throw where?" Su Qingge asked, trembling.

"I don't know, is this wet waste, dry waste, or hazardous waste?"

Jiang Li was a little conflicted. "Should we just throw it down the drain and flush it away?"

"No! Please don't!"

Su Qingge was terrified.

If this were thrown into the sewers, the entire water supply system of Jianghai City would be ruined! Everyone in the city would mutate!

"Mr. Jiang, this... let me handle this! I'll take care of it for you!"

Su Qingge quickly took out a specially made lead box (for sealing and containing objects), opened the lid, and handed it over.

"You...you can just put it here. I'm also a...garbage sorting volunteer."

"I'm so sorry."

Jiang Li was a little embarrassed, "This stinky thing..."

"It's okay! I don't mind! Really!" Su Qingge's eyes were sincere.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you. Miss Su is so kind-hearted, she even helps her neighbors take out the trash."

Jiang Li threw her heart into the lead box.

"Clatter!"

Su Qingge quickly put the lid on, sealed it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

We finally managed to save Jianghai City.

However, at that moment...

"Boom—!!!"

The ground outside the villa suddenly began to shake violently.

Not far away, manhole covers shot up one by one, spewing out black water columns.

An aura ten times more terrifying than before surged out from the depths of the ground.

"What happened? Was it an earthquake?"

Jiang Li steadied himself and looked outside.

From the gushing sewer openings, one after another, blood-red monsters, covered in mud and resembling human figures but without skin, crawled out.

[Flesh and Blood Puppet] (Rank C)!

Behind these puppets, a gigantic monster, as large as a truck and stitched together from countless sewer filth and corpse parts, slowly crawled out from underground.

【Stitched Giant Corpse - Plague Lord】(Rank B-)!

It was attracted by the aura of the "Heart of Corruption," or perhaps it was sent by the mastermind behind it all to steal the "holy relic."

"roar--!!!"

The stitched-up giant corpse let out a roar, and the pustules on its body burst, spraying out a green poisonous mist.

The surrounding green belt withered instantly.

"Hand over...the sacred relic..."

Its cloudy eyes were fixed on the lead box in Su Qingge's hand.

Su Qingge's face turned deathly pale.

"Rank B?! And it's a Plague type! This is troublesome!"

She was just about to call for backup.

But then she saw Jiang Li beside her had already rolled up his sleeves, and the expression on his face changed from surprise to... anger.

Extreme anger.

"Damn it! Is this ever going to end?!"

Jiang Li pointed at the giant, stitched-together corpse covered in garbage bags and rotten vegetable leaves and cursed loudly.

"How is this property management company managing things? They don't even bother fixing the clogged drains, and now they're spraying garbage out! Look at the mess they've made of the road! It's covered in poop and pee!"

In his eyes, this was not a monster at all, but a huge pile of old garbage that had been flushed out of the sewer and had come to life!

"This is serious environmental pollution! This is urinating and defecating indiscriminately!"

Jiang Li can't stand dirt and disorder (especially in front of his own house).

"Big Yellow! Grab your tools! Come with me to unclog the sewers!"

"Woof!" (Yes, sir! Clean up the trash!)

Big Yellow dragged a high-pressure water gun (Jiang Li used it for washing cars) out of the yard.

Jiang Li took the water gun, connected it to the tap in the yard, and turned on the switch.

"Sizzle—!!!"

A powerful jet of water shot out.

"Go take a bath!"

Jiang Li then proceeded to splatter wildly at the arrogant, stitched-together giant corpse.

This water is no ordinary water.

It is "holy water" that has been blessed by Villa No. 13's "Thunder Domain" and flows through the water pipe engraved with the "Star Clan" rune!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The water jets hitting the stitched-up giant corpse were like sulfuric acid being poured onto a foam board.

The bodies, composed of corpses and filth, rapidly dissolved and disintegrated under the wash of the "holy water," emitting plumes of black smoke.

"Awooo—!!!"

The stitched-up giant corpse let out a piercing scream.

It doesn't understand.

Why is the water gun in this human's hand more powerful than a high-level holy light spell?!

The plague and poisonous mist on its body were directly purified upon contact with this water!

"Still yelling? I think you're not clean enough!"

Jiang Li increased the water pressure and pounded into the giant corpse's head (made of several dead heads stitched together).

"Get down!"

The enormous impact sent the several-ton monster staggering backward, until it slipped and fell back into the massive sewer opening that had been breached.

"Glug glug..."

The monster was washed away, carried along the city's drainage system all the way to the sewage treatment plant.

As for the smaller flesh puppets, they were all swallowed up by Big Yellow like snacks.

"call……"

Jiang Li turned off the water gun, looked at the clean road surface, and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right, protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility."

He turned his head and looked at Su Qingge, who was still in a daze.

"Ms. Su, look, this is the consequence of the property management's inaction. We need to file a joint complaint later. This sewer absolutely needs to be thoroughly dredged; it's so clogged."

Su Qingge: "..."

She looked at the lead box containing the Class B pollution source in her hand, and then at the man who had just single-handedly defeated the Class B boss with a water gun.

She suddenly felt that the world's style... seemed to have completely collapsed in front of Jiang Li.

"Okay...okay, I'll...go and complain."

Su Qingge nodded mechanically.

She decided to report to the bureau chief as soon as she got back:

[It is recommended that Villa No. 13 in Yulong Bay be designated as an "Absolutely Safe Zone," and that Mr. Jiang Li be appointed as "Jianghai City Honorary Environmental Ambassador" and "Top-Class Sewer Cleaner." Reason: His sewer-cleaning skills...are truly god-like.]

……

Just as Jiang Li was busy "cleaning up".

Deep in the sewers on the other side of the city.

The enormous eye reappeared, filled with shock and rage.

"Failed...failed again?!"

"My Plague Lord... he was washed away by the water?!"

"That man...could he be the embodiment of the water element?"

His eyes gleamed with a crazed light.

"Since the hard approach isn't working... let's try the soft approach."

"I heard... he's recruiting crew members?"

"Very well... then let him see just how terrifying the 'undercover agents' of the Abyss are..."

As his eyes slowly sank into the water, a sinister plan quietly took shape in the darkness.