Rotten God Kingdom

"Actually, I was the one who submitted that report." Luo Xianghe asked doubtfully, "Didn't the commander put the matter on hold?"

Jiang Wang repeated what he had said to the commander.

Luo Xianghe suddenly realized.

He added, "Even if you don't come, I will submit another report and have the commander send someone to deal with the two of them."

"Why?" Jiang Wang asked, puzzled.

Could it be that the Cleanup Bureau has already distributed Han Lin's and others' information to the Cleanup Workers?

But looking at Luo Xianghe's appearance, it doesn't quite look like him.

"That guy named Han Lin is very active. He doesn't seem to be afraid of being attacked by the disease demons or getting monkeypox. He frequently goes in and out of the central area."

Luo Xianghe did not see the Cleanup Bureau's logo on Han Lin's protective suit.

His behavior was very strange, as if he were looking for something in the epidemic area.

"He seems to be looking for something, and he doesn't seem worried about getting infected at all. Whatever he's trying to do, you all need to be careful from now on," Luo Xianghe carefully instructed.

"I understand." Jiang Wang didn't want to disappoint the stranger's kindness.

"I suggest we go back to the command center to resupply; your protective suit is no longer usable."

Looking at the protective suit on Jiang Wang, Luo Xianghe seemed to have already foreseen Jiang Wang's fate.

Those damn germs in the air will cling to Jiang Wang's clothes and seep in through his respiratory tract and every pore on his body. It might only take a few hours for Jiang Wang to become a critically ill patient.

Not far away, Guo Jia and Hu Chengyu had already returned.

Jiang Wang took off his protective suit and took everything out of the side pocket.

"Don't worry, my special ability is specifically designed to deal with germs. I tried it on the edge of the epidemic area and found that I could withstand it."

"At this point in the epicenter of the outbreak, nothing unusual has been detected, and I can still hold on."

Luo Xianghe did not try to dissuade him.

Everyone should be responsible for their own life. He has already tried to dissuade him; all that's left is to trust him.

Every cleaner is reliable, which is the fundamental reason why the Cleanup Bureau holds such a high position in the Sick City.

"Then I wish you a safe journey." Luo Xianghe pointed in a direction that led to the end of the street.

"If you walk another two kilometers or so, I suspect that's the source of the epidemic. Han Lin was there not long ago."

That's the very center of the center; it's only inhabited by the sick, not the living.

Jiang Wang nodded emphatically and led his team in that direction.

"Brother Jiang, are you really alright?" Lu Ang's voice was full of concern.

Jiang Wang is the first person in the city to dare to go to the heart of the epidemic area without taking any protective measures.

"It's alright." Jiang Wang inhales a large number of germs when he breathes, and these germs are quickly burned off by his lung fire.

This feeling is somewhat similar to smoking.

After walking a dozen steps, Luo Xianghe called out from behind, "Han Lin, he's probably not the kind of target you're thinking of. Be careful."

Jiang Wang didn't turn around, but simply raised his hand to indicate that he understood.

……

They walked to the end of the street, which seemed like an invisible dividing line.

From here on, the roar of the sick ghost was no longer heard, and even the sound of the wind seemed to be absorbed by something.

The buildings on both sides of the street have been completely corroded, with layers of gray-green mold covering the walls, making it impossible to see what the buildings originally looked like. Some of the mushrooms have grown to half a person's height, spitting out "spores" in all directions.

The bacterial colonies on the ground grew stronger and stronger, and when you stepped on them, they felt soft and spongy, causing your shoes to sink in almost an inch.

Every few steps they would encounter a sick ghost, which wandered aimlessly, ignoring Jiang Wang and his companions' arrival, neither approaching nor avoiding them.

"They don't seem to react to our presence." Lü Ang's voice was uneasy; this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

"I know." Jiang Wang's gaze remained fixed on the sick ghost closest to them. As soon as it made any unusual move, it would immediately be met with Jiang Wang's firepower.

"I'd rather they pounce on me; it's too quiet here." Hu Chengyu's breathing was noticeably heavier.

This scene surprised Jiang Wang and his companions. They had thought that getting close to this place would inevitably involve fighting and dealing with the sick ghosts one by one, but they didn't expect it to be so smooth.

Mushrooms have started to grow on Lü Ang and his team's protective suits, and Jiang Wang has to stop every now and then to clean the germs off their suits.

Moving forward was extremely difficult.

Fortunately, no further battles occurred along the way.

Jiang Wang's gaze swept across the surrounding street scene, and a familiar image surfaced in his mind.

He suddenly felt that the environment here was somewhat like the wilderness.

Monsters in the wilderness also have "laissies." Jiang Wang once secretly went there to take a look, and the environment there was very strange.

The vegetation seemed alive; different monsters lived under the same tree, coexisting peacefully.

Even the land has undergone some kind of transformation.

Jiang Wang pondered a certain possibility and was suddenly startled.

If the plague engulfs the city of disease, wouldn't a new monster called "Disease Demon" appear in the wilderness?

Is this how all the monsters in the wilderness come about?

Jiang Wang shook his head, quickly suppressing the thoughts in his mind for the time being.

The most important thing now is not to explore the truth of the world.

Jiang Wang heard a long roar, and the sick ghosts within a two-kilometer radius stopped their aimless wandering and walked towards the direction from which the sound came.

Jiang Wang and his teammates exchanged glances and quickly reached a consensus.

Since the disease demon did not attack them, they dared to continue going in.

The sick ghosts stepped on the mushrooms, their movements so quiet they were almost gentle.

They seem to be on a pilgrimage.

The mushrooms around us grew taller and taller, the largest reaching four or five meters, their enormous caps obscuring the gray-red sky.

Suddenly, the sick ghosts all stopped in their tracks.

Jiang Wang immediately became alert and pulled the bolt, preparing to take action.

The sick ghosts watched them quietly, as if urging them to do something.

Jiang Wang felt a chill run down his spine.

Its appearance is so similar to that of the wilderness.

They possess a certain level of intelligence, but instinct drives them to kill. Under the leadership of a highly intelligent "king," they will systematically attack cities.

Lü Ang's lips were also dry.

He came here to fight, and the situation before him was beyond his comprehension.

"Walk."

Jiang Wang pushed aside the mushrooms in front of him and stepped inside.

Lu Ang and the other two reluctantly followed them inside.

……

"Welcome, my dear friends."

Behind the mushrooms was an open space about twenty meters in diameter, where there were no mushrooms, no germs, and not even wind.

At the edge of the open space, there were more than a dozen boxes of mineral water and bags of rice, flour, and canned goods, all neatly stacked.

A pale-faced young man stood in front of Jiang Wang, arms outstretched, a bright smile on his face.

Han Lin.

Jiang Wang had seen his photo.

But in person, he looks thinner than in the photos, with high cheekbones, slightly sunken eyes, wearing a plain gray-white coat, and without a mask on his face, looking as natural as if he were walking on an ordinary street.

Less than two meters behind Han Lin, a thin blanket was laid on a cot, and a human-shaped outline was raised on the blanket.

Her appearance was no longer visible, just like her superpower of invisibility. If Jiang Wang hadn't known something about her and hadn't seen the bulge in her clothes, he would never have guessed that there was someone else here.

Beside Han Yue, a monster covered in pustules squatted there.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's not very nice of you to stare at your friend's sister like that as soon as you walk in," Han Lin said with a smile.

Jiang Wang withdrew his gaze and looked directly at Han Lin.

"We've been looking for you for a long time, or rather, we've been looking for your sister for a long time."

"I know. After all, I've been avoiding you."

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Han Lin lowered his arms, seemingly regretting that his enthusiasm hadn't earned him a warm hug in return.

"What's there to say?" Han Lin spread his hands, his face full of innocence. "Since Sick City doesn't want us to leave, then I'll just have to figure it out myself."

Jiang Wang took a step forward, his eyes growing even more fierce: "What's your plan? I originally thought you intended to blend into the crowd and leave after the plague was resolved, but it turns out that's not the case. What's your plan?"

"I want to negotiate, I want to negotiate with the head of the Cleanup Bureau. He wants me and my sister to leave, and he'll also help her get rid of her illness. I'll take all the sick ghosts from the West District with me." Han Lin finally suppressed his smile a little.

It's negotiation again.

She was exactly like that woman at the garbage dump—same stakes, same tone.

No wonder they lived together in the wilderness.

"There's nothing to discuss." Jiang Wang shook his head. "Although I don't know what methods you used to make these sicklings obey your orders, the Sick City will not be defeated by a plague."

The fact that the sick city has stood in the wilderness for decades illustrates this point.

Those cleaners who died trying to rid themselves of disease can attest to this.

The people of the sick city, clinging to life in this diseased city, can also attest to this.

"The plague in the West End was not an accident, but because of you and your companions. Those who died will not forgive you."

"I don't need their forgiveness, I just want my sister to live, it's that simple." Han Lin's eyes were firm and resolute.

Jiang Wang seemed to see another version of himself.

A more extreme version of myself.

"I will convey your request to you, but you must first resolve my doubts. This is an equal exchange." Jiang Wang stared intently at Han Lin, not daring to look away from him.

Lu Ang and the others focused all their attention on Han Yue and the monster.

"This is exactly what I've been hoping for."

"The first question is, what exactly is Han Yue's illness, and why is the Cleanup Bureau taking it so seriously?" Jiang Wang finally had the chance to ask the question he cared about most.

This problem is not only the root cause of their mission, but also the key to Jiangxin's treatment.

"Wow, such a heavyweight right off the bat?" Han Lin clicked his tongue. Seeing Jiang Wang's expressionless face, he muttered something boring, and then slowly said, "There are two ways to cure diseases. One way is to use medicine to help clear pathogens and specifically kill certain viruses in the body."

The second approach is to boost immunity by increasing the activity of lysozyme, macrophages, T cells, and so on, allowing the body to resolve the issue naturally.

But the immune system operates on its own, meaning that once it becomes overactive, it must be treated to give it a break.

There are many diseases caused by overactivation of the immune system.

For example, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, etc.

"My sister has ankylosing spondylitis, which later mutated into some kind of unknown bacteria. Actually, it's all okay; it's an illness, so it can be treated."

But the city of Sickness has superpowers, and my sister's superpower happens to be related to the immune system.

Her immune cells proliferated uncontrollably, causing varying degrees of inflammation in every part of her body.

Most importantly, her superpower cannot be turned off.

The purpose of the immune system is to eliminate viruses and prevent the human body from getting sick. Guess what the ultimate level of prevention is? Han Lin winked at Jiang Wang.

What is the ultimate level of prevention?

Of course, it's about making sure the virus can't find you.

"Bingo, you guessed right. My sister's body becoming transparent isn't some kind of glass syndrome; it's the highest manifestation of her superpower." Han Lin's face suddenly turned sad. "The virus can't find her, she can't find herself, and I can't find her either."

"Tell me, if a person is without sensation, without consciousness, invisible to everyone, yet perfectly healthy, can she still be considered alive?"

Why did we suddenly start talking about philosophical questions?

Jiang Wang did not answer, and Han Lin continued, "However, this situation is indeed special in the City of Disease. Improving immunity does not mean eliminating disease, which is completely in line with the requirements of the City of Disease."

Boosting immunity can even reduce the risk of residents of a sick city contracting other diseases, and may even reduce the frequency of epidemics.

So they planned to study my sister's abilities, hoping to gain something from her, never intending to cure her illness. That's why I took her and ran away.

Han Lin turned his head and asked Jiang Wang, "Alright, the second question."