ICUGW Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Changes

Zhu Ning opened the system panel and re-examined her information. She noticed that it showed a lot more data than before.

[Name: Zhu Ning

Age: 19

Education: Bachelor of Mechanics

Status: Fifth-class citizen

Talent: Danger Premonition

Mutation direction: Unknown

Degree of Alienation: Unknown

Physical strength: Not enhanced

Mental value: 100 (normal people's value is 20)

Health: 20 (normal person's health is 70)

Luck value: 1 (normal people's value is 50)

Purification value: 545 (can be exchanged to increase other points, every 100 purification value can increase health by 1)

The purification value and luck value were newly activated.

Looking at her one digit luck value, Zhu Ning had a moment of clarity.

No wonder she encountered a once a decade contaminated area rating error. No wonder she experienced three low probability events consecutively. So it was because of this!

She then glanced at the purification points that could be exchanged for rewards or added to other points.

She could exchange 500 purification points for an increase of 5 points in her health value.

It is worth noting that her health value seems to be a bit low.

'Why is her health below average? No, not even below. It's dangerously low...'

Zhu Ning shook her head and continued looking.

She also obtained a primary talent: danger premonition. Li Nianchuan had asked her before if she has this ability. She didn't have it then, but she has it now. Though, she's not really sure how it works.

She had no idea what the degree of alienation and mutation direction were, so she just ignored it.

Zhu Ning concluded that the item she received as a reward, the rotten fish head, was more practical. Before, Zhu Ning could only be mentally polluted by contaminants, but with the fish head, she can now contaminate others. Oh, not only others, but she can also mentally pollute contaminants, making things even messier.

It can even increase her speed for escaping after making trouble.

It would consume her health points though.

Looking at her below average health value, Zhu Ning decided that she probably couldn't withstand using such item.

The other reward, K003 explosives, could blow up buildings. Zhu Ning felt like she doesn't need this kind of bomb yet. Although it has great destructive power and she won't be injured by the explosion, others could still be harmed by it. She has to make sure that there's no colleagues around her when using the explosives.

The reward items were nice, but it’s useless if she can’t use it. She doesn't really have any use for it. Maybe in the future, but definitely not right now.

Can't the system give her some props suitable for a newbie? If you give an advanced weapon to a newbie like her who can't even use it, then what was the point?

'Wait...'

Zhu Ning suddenly had a realization.

The item rewards had such high requirements for usage that Zhu Ning has to save up purification points and increase her health value before she can use them. Could this damn system be forcing her to upgrade?

Zhu Ning: “…”

Did the system see through her lazy nature and decided it had enough?

She worked so hard to complete the side quest, but it only attributed 1% of the main task of world purification.

Zhu Ning's intuition was correct. This was an impossible job. If she wanted to complete this mission, she would have to devote her entire life to it.

But she seemed to have figured out some clues about the purification process.

If she wants to complete the main mission from the system, she would have to keep entering the contaminated areas and contain the contaminated spores...

Crack!

The platform she was standing on was beginning to show signs of rotting, and the surroundings were slowly changing back to the appearance of a sewer.

The contaminated area collapsed as soon as the pollution core, the contaminant, was eliminated.

Zhu Ning sighed deeply and watched the floating contaminated spores in front of her.

Article 5 of the Cleaner's Work Rules: Containing contaminated spores is the first priority.

Zhu Ning took out a straw-like prop from her backpack, cleaned it, and began to "pick cotton" very carefully.

Ding—

[Purification value +1]

The purification value kept increasing the more spores Zhu Ning collected.

This is not "picking cotton" at all, this is her road to becoming wealthy!

Li Nianchuan got off the train in a hurry. It had collapsed and turned rotten that even the helmet couldn't filter out the smell. He held his breath and looked for Zhu Ning.

When he saw Zhu Ning, he found her ... seriously sweeping garbage.

Her work suit was covered with scratches from the fish man, and her helmet was cracked. Even so, Zhu Ning was moving and collecting the contaminated spores carefully.

Li Nianchuan was stunned. What kind of corporate slave is this? She experienced so much in one day and still didn't forget to work. If she likes working so much, why don't she just go and work herself to death!

"You..." Li Nianchuan couldn't believe that such a person exists. "Are you working?"

Zhu Ning didn't even raise her head: "What else?"

“It’s not necessary to work so hard, right?” Li Nianchuan really didn’t have that kind of diligence.

What he had just seen in the contaminated area was enough to give him nightmares for a month. He doesn't have the mental capacity to immediately start working right after running around and fighting monsters.

Zhu Ning sighed, "It's all extra pay."

The system kept reminding her that her purification value was increasing. It was hard not to be tempted to keep working.

Li Nianchuan: "..."

So what Zhu Ning said on the underground track was true? Was all she did just so she could have extra pay?

"Hello? Li Nianchuan?" A crackling static sound came from the helmet.

After the fish man died, the mental pollution disappeared and communication was finally restored.

Li Nianchuan almost cried when he heard Xu Meng's voice, "Captain!"

Xu Meng's voice sounded anxious, "Are you okay? Where's Zhu Ning?"

Zhu Ning was collecting the contaminated spores and answered, "I'm here."

Xu Meng breathed a sigh of relief. It was a miracle that the two cleaners were still alive after being trapped in the contaminated area.

Xu Meng: "The technical department's rating was wrong. You have mistakenly entered a Class D contaminated area."

'So it was really Class D...' Li Nianchuan thought. His earlier estimation was correct.

Xu Meng: "The contaminated area has opened. Wait for me, and I'll be there in a few minutes. The witchers are on the way too and will start the rescue as soon as they arrive."

Class D contaminated area is not too difficult for the witchers.

Li Nianchuan said cautiously: "Actually...I don't think we need the witchers anymore..."

"Why?" Xu Meng wondered. The sound of wind could be heard from the other side of the channel; Xu Meng was probably running towards them.

Li Nianchuan took a quick look around and confirmed everything was dead. There were only corpses of monsters and contaminated spores left.

He and Zhu Ning did all of this. Without any assistance from the witchers, two garbage cleaners eliminated a Class D contaminated area!

Li Nianchuan declared proudly: "We, cleaners, don't need the witchers to rescue us."

Xu Meng: “?”

'Hey, I don't think now's the time to hold grudges...'

Xu Meng asked carefully: "You're not mentally polluted, are you?"

This was the most reasonable guess. He suspects that Li Nianchuan went crazy in the contaminated area.

Li Nianchuan said arrogantly: "Let the company send another cleaning team instead. We need more hands to help clean up."

Xu Meng: “?”

…

After Li Nianchuan hung up the phone, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

He felt like he had just survived a disaster; his work suit was soaked with sweat. "I don't think I can go anymore." He sat down with a thud.

His mental value was low, and he was mildly mentally polluted earlier on. 

He explained to Zhu Ning that mentally polluted people should stay away from contaminated areas to avoid their condition from getting worse. But now, Li Nianchuan was sitting surrounded by contaminated spores, and his mind was currently exhausted; he was highly susceptible of being seriously mentally polluted.

"Get away from me." Zhu Ning glanced at Li Nianchuan and decided to stay away from this soon to be crazy person.

"No!" Li Nianchuan leaned against Zhu Ning. He found that Zhu Ning was more reliable than any witcher. "I won't leave you."

Zhu Ning: “…”

'He’s really starting to lose it.'

 Zhu Ning wasn’t too worried about Li Nianchuan's mental state. The witcher rescue team were on their way anyway, so Zhu Ning focused on collecting and containing the spores. 

After a few minutes of ignoring Li Nianchuan, Zhu Ning couldn't stand it any more and knocked his hand away.

 Li Nianchuan raised his arm again.

Now that there was no danger, he wanted to do something bold—he wanted to take off his helmet!

Zhu Ning pressed down Li Nianchuan's hand again to stop him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I can't breathe." said Li Nianchuan.

If he takes off his helmet, it won't be mental pollution he'll be experiencing, he would directly be contaminated. 

Zhu Ning: "We're not allowed to take our helmets off while on the scene."

Li Nianchuan mumbled "oh", and put down his hands in disappointment. He then slowly inched closer to Zhu Ning, hugged his knees, and leaned on her legs. 

Like a dog.

‘Hallucinations? If I'm remembering it correctly, this should be a sign of moderate mental pollution.’ 

Zhu Ning recalled what Xu Meng had said about their ex-colleague who thought that he was a two-headed pink lotus after being polluted. She looked at Li Nianchuan and couldn't help but feel a little curious about  Li Nianchuan’s hallucinations. 

Zhu Ning asked hesitantly: "Do you remember who you are?"

Li Nianchuan buried his head in his knees and said, "I am my sister's dog."

(The sister he’s referring to here is Zhu Ning)

Zhu Ning: “…”

Young man, did you know you just exposed yourself?

…

Area 103 Cleaning Center

When Zhu Ning first came here, the center looked like a storm passed by because of how messy it was. Now, it was so chaotic that it looked like a war just broke out.

Lu Qiqin is the director of the Technical Department. Right now, this director is shouting in anger. "What do you mean there was a miscalculation! How could there be a miscalculation!"

This situation was very strange. The cleaning center’s data calculation had never been wrong. The only mistake made was eighty years ago, and it was caused by a certain someone.

"Do you know how much trouble our department will get into because of this is?!"

"In that contaminated area, there were only two logistics responsible for cleaning and containing spores! They have no weapons, no experience, and no equipment! Do you think they have any chances of survival? Do you think they're gonna survive!?”

"... They're just garbage collectors…" an employee muttered.

The lives of cleaners were cheap; the value of ten cleaners would not be able to amount to even one witcher. If the witchers arrive at the scene and they failed the rescue, it wouldn't even matter.

"Your ancestors are the garbage collectors! Your family are garbage collectors! YOU'RE the garbage collector!" Lu Qiqin sneered: "If the contaminated area cannot be controlled and the contaminated spores spread, do you know how many people in Area 103 will die?"

"If you can't even do your job, then scram!”

The technician in charge of monitoring kept his head down and didn't dare to utter a word.

"The witchers are already rushing to the scene." Someone whispered.

"What's the point of rushing over!" Lu Qiqin cursed, "It's already been fifteen minutes. What are they gonna rescue? Dead people?!”

Lu Qiqin casually threw a cup over. 

The time flow in the contaminated area was different from the outside. Only fifteen minutes had passed here, but who knows how many days might have passed inside.

"Um..." The technician raised his hand weakly, "The pollution concentration rate seems to be dropping."

The pollution concentration rate on the screen has gradually dropped from the initial peak of 90%.

88%

80% 

71%...

Lu Qiqin frowned. He pushed the technician aside, and walked to the pollution rate machine. He stared at the screen showing the decreasing pollution rate on the area.

"Where are the witchers?" Lu Qiqin asked.

Fang Ying, who had been watching the show outside with her arms folded, interrupted: "It will take another seventeen minutes for the witchers to arrive at the scene."

The witchers haven't arrived yet, but the contaminated area was already being purified.

"Report!" A subordinate said, "We have contacted Xu Meng, the leader of the three-man cleaning team, and confirmed that all three members are alive."

Lu Qiqin asked solemnly: "Who were the people that got swept inside the pollution source area?"

Fang Ying handed him a panel. "Two cleaners."

Lu Qiqin took the panel and frowned when he saw the information.

The panel displayed the data of two people. One of the two cleaners was a man named Li Nianchuan. All of his data were mediocre; the only note worthy thing about this man was his mental value– it was unbelievably low. If he stayed in a heavily contaminated area for an hour, his mind might just give up on him.

 Lu Qiqin looked at the other cleaner’s data and frowned even harder.

The only information shown was one line.

[Name: Zhu Ning]

"A rookie?" Lu Qiqin asked.

Only new employees in the probation period will not have any data collected.

Fang Ying: "Yes, I just completed the entry procedures for her today."

As a newcomer who had just been hired and was still in the probation period, Zhu Ning had not had time to undergo any data collection. 

The mission assigned to her today was just to familiarize her on the cleaning process. She just needed to show up, take today's salary, go home, and wait for the cleaning center’s follow up.

The changes in the contaminated area couldn't be done by the old employee, Li Nianchuan, so the only variable left was the rookie, Zhu Ning!

Who would have known that this new employee not only does the job of a garbage collector, but she can also do the jobs of witchers!

Without any weapons, support, and knowledge, she not only survived, but also seemed to have purified the area.

Fortunately, Lu Qiqin was not the head of the witchers department. Otherwise, he would have been slapped in the face twice by these two cleaners.

Fang Ying: "To be honest, I'm also confused."

When Fang Ying received the news, she was shocked like Lu Qiqin. 

She personally handled the entry procedures for Zhu Ning. Fang Ying didn't know anything about Zhu Ning, and could only judge the new employee based on personal experience. Through her judgement, she concluded that Zhu Ning was very brave.

Being bold is a good thing; it proves that she’s suitable for this job.

But no one expected that a series of "accidents" would follow, and Zhu Ning was in every one of them. 

The only reasonable explanation left was that Zhu Ning was chosen by "it".

Fang Ying turned her attention back to Lu Quqin, "Xuan Qing wants to see you."

Xuan Qing was the head of the Operations Department. He manages the witchers in Area 103. 

“The head of the cleaning department, Xie Jaizu, also wants to see you." 

These three people: Lu Quqin, Xuan Qing, and Xie Jaizu, plus Fang Ying, who is the center's secretary, are the bigshots in the company. 

Lu Qiqin frowned. 

Things were about to get messy.

---

"Your ancestors are the garbage collectors! Your family are garbage collectors! YOU'RE the garbage collector!" - This is kind of like a Chinese joke equivalent to 'your mom' jokes.

Example: "Your mom is ugly! Your family is ugly! YOU'RE ugly!"

The translator has something to say:

I ran out of stockpiled chapters...I might update again when I translated more chapters~

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