Prologue: Prelude to Doomsday.

The Jin Family ability users made to retreat, but Yan Pei seized one of them by the hand, his gaze dark. "Where are you going?"

"I waited so long for you. Where are you going?"

Startled, the ability user looked back. Yan Pei's bloodshot eyes were full of obsession, and black spots covered his neck-symptoms of contamination entering his body.

"Where are you going, abandoning a Polluted who can awaken large numbers of B-rank and A-rank ability users?" Yan Pei said sinisterly. "Don't you want A-rank awakened anymore?"

The ability user cursed furiously.

Bullshit!

How could an A-rank Polluted possibly be used for trials?

Did he have a death wish?!

Yan had lost his mind, actually believing the trial ground's A-rank and B-rank awakened were thanks to this vicious mushroom man! Utterly absurd!

Come to think of it, hadn't the mushroom man the Jin Family sent over been C-rank?

A question surfaced in the ability user's mind, but his hands did not slow. He activated his ability without hesitation. Spikes suddenly sprouted from his wrist and drove hard into Yan Pei's palm, sending blood gushing out. Yet Yan Pei refused to let go, feeling no pain, only obsession.

The scent of blood spread. The mushroom man in the cage stirred, accidentally crushing a stone.

Its featureless face turned toward the humans. In an instant, its mycelium erupted uncontrollably. Countless strands thrust through the iron cage and hung in the air, moving without wind. Terrified by the sight and drenched in sweat, the Jin Family ability user Yan Pei had grabbed dared not delay. He dragged Yan Pei along as he fled.

Several strands of mycelium tore through the air after them. The ability user dodged in horror, but the strands merely brushed past him toward Yan Pei, wrapping Yan Pei in a cocoon. Before long, the mycelium parted. When Yan Pei emerged again, he was no longer human in form. He had gone from a B-rank ability user to a B-rank Polluted.

The ability the mushroom man had never displayed at the Jin Family now revealed itself-conversion.

It could turn mentally unstable humans into Polluted!

The newly Polluted Yan Pei immediately attacked the Jin Family ability user, catching him off guard and smashing one of his arms with a boulder. The other Jin Family ability user quickly took in the situation: a newly converted B-rank Polluted and an A-rank Polluted.

Without much hesitation, he turned and ran.

The truck sped away, its accelerator floored. Amid the engine's roar came his companion's screams. The truck did not stop. It went even faster.

Inside the iron cage, the mushroom man stood up. The cage restraining it fell apart like toy blocks, and its body grew a little taller.

Pain.

Its body hurt so much.

The mushroom man let out squeaking murmurs.

Missed...

What did it miss? It had somewhat forgotten. Bewildered, it looked toward the human city.

It gave a shrill screech and staggered down the abandoned road toward the city. Every few steps, its body swelled a little larger.

Buzz, buzz.

No one heard the faint sound. The dead Jin Family ability user lay in the grass. On his wrist, the bracelet, so red it was almost black, trembled as though it would shatter the next second.

Chapter 24: Prologue: Prelude to Doomsday.

"Waitress, go see what's in the kitchen. Make something, anything."

The little restaurant's owner sat with her legs crossed, ordering the waitress around. She glanced at the time and said, "It's almost noon."

The restaurant was deserted. Seeing no hope of making a sale today, the owner decided to take care of lunch for herself and the waitress first.

She had paid for this waitress but gotten no use out of her. The owner figured she could at least order her to make their staff meal. Yet the waitress's expression remained calm. At those words, she turned her eyes toward the owner and stared at her quietly, showing no intention of moving her feet.

The owner: "..."

She muttered a curse and went into the kitchen herself. Before long, the sound of the stove being lit came from inside, and an aroma drifted out.

The owner's cooking looked and smelled wonderful but tasted atrocious. Ye Jiang had more or less gotten used to it and ate without difficulty. The owner stared resentfully at this grand lady, her resentment almost overpowering the food's fragrance.

Neither was picky, and each wielded her chopsticks faster than the other. As they fought fiercely over the meat, a noise came from the entrance. Both looked over at once—a Polluted with a fish head was lingering outside the restaurant.

Not a customer.

They paused for only a second. A second later, both turned back and resumed their war at the table.

"Phew."

Having eaten and drunk her fill, the owner put down her chopsticks, her face settling into sated laziness. Ye Jiang unhurriedly poured herself a cup of cheap tea to wash down the unbearably salty taste in her mouth.

Outside, the fish-headed man's brain was as tiny as a sesame seed. Every time it raised a foot to enter, it forgot where it was going the very next second and began marching in place outside. Step, step, step. The rhythm was rather hypnotic.

The owner's eyelids drooped, and she yawned. Before it could lull her to sleep, she went to deal with the fish-headed man.

She returned listlessly. "Aren't there a few too many Polluted today?"

Ye Jiang looked up at her. "You're asking me?"

Seeing her like this, the owner momentarily seemed to see the late fish-headed man. Her mouth twitched, and she waved a hand. "Pretend I didn't say anything."

Ye Jiang: "Oh."

The owner glared at her.

"Excuse me..."

A female student stood hesitantly at the entrance. "Are you open?"

Ye Jiang and the owner shot their gazes toward her. An actual customer?

It had been so long since they had seen one!

The student jumped and turned to leave. The owner hurriedly called out, "We're open, we're open. Come in and sit down."

Ye Jiang wiped down a nearby table, signaling for the student to sit there. The student entered nervously and sat down, feeling there was something a little... about this place. But since she was already here, she ordered anyway.

The owner went into the kitchen to cook. Ye Jiang poured the customer a cup of tea. The student stared at her, and Ye Jiang asked, "What are you looking at?"

A little embarrassed, the student said, "I heard this place was really popular and the food was delicious. They said it was hard to get a table at mealtimes, but..."

But this place did not look very popular.

Out of kindness, the student left that unsaid.

"That was before," Ye Jiang said.

"What happened?"

"Now the chef has

changed." Ye Jiang made no attempt to conceal anything, delivering her assessment in a flat voice. "The food tastes awful."

"...Is that so?"

"Mm."

"Pfft!" The student laughed. "You're funny, saying everything like that. Aren't you afraid I'll leave after hearing it?"

Ye Jiang: "..."

Would that happen?

The student smiled. "I quite like it here. Bring me the menu. I'll order a few more dishes and invite my friends."

Ye Jiang: "...Oh."

She realized she did not understand humans very well.

The quiet little restaurant suddenly landed a big order. A dozen or so students pushed tables together and gathered around, eating, laughing, and complaining.

"It really does taste awful!"

"Why is this so bitter?"

"What a waste of such good presentation, haha!"

The owner: "..."

Ye Jiang: "..."

Apparently, humans were diverse.

The little restaurant was full and lively. At the same time, the City A Ability Control Bureau was in chaos, with operations groups heading out one after another.

"Polluted in the south of the city. C-rank."

"Polluted in the east. B-rank, two of them!"

"West side..."

It should have been a joyous day. Blood Moon Day had just passed, and the trial grounds had yielded abundant results. Everyone at the bureau had gone to see the genius awakened returning from the trial grounds. Yet before the excitement had lasted long, reports of Polluted began arriving one after another.

"Why are there so many Polluted?" An Ability Control Bureau member preparing to depart on an assignment complained to his colleague. "They're all over the city. If the numbers weren't wrong, I'd think another A-rank Polluted had appeared and triggered a Polluted 'pilgrimage.'"

"You're overthinking it. There aren't that many A-rank Polluted. You think they grow like cabbages?" his colleague said. "Hurry up. The one we're dealing with is B-rank. Who knows what madness it'll get up to if we're late? If the losses get too big, the finance department will come crying to us again!"

"I'm just running my mouth. I'm not moving slowly. Almost ready!"

Operations group members headed out one after another. The Ability Control Bureau grew busy.

Inside a reception room at the Ability Control Bureau.

Qin Daichuan stopped typing and looked up at the thirteen students across from him. His fingers curled slightly as he asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

The thirteen students were the twelve B-rank awakened and the A-rank awakened Ming Xia who had returned from Trial Ground 165, hailed as geniuses.

The other awakened had already been sent for special training. Only they had been led into this room to meet the leader of Operations Group One.

Qin Daichuan wanted to learn the secret behind the awakenings at Trial Ground 165. The thirteen students had already told him about the C-rank Polluted. This matched the information Qin Daichuan had received beforehand: Trial Room A at Trial Ground 165 had used an injured, docile C-rank Polluted.

There seemingly was already a conclusion: the C-rank mushroom man had caused the miraculous awakenings. But Qin Daichuan wanted to be a little more thorough.

The thirteen exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

They had already said everything they could think of.

Ming Xia, sitting in the corner, suddenly spoke. "The assistant teacher's hands in Trial Room A felt very soothing."

Qin Daichuan raised his eyes.

Ming Xia met his gaze without flinching or looking away.

"Ah, right! Teacher Turbot's hands felt incredibly soothing!"

Only then did the B-rank awakened remember this, and they began talking over one another, their voices carrying a hint of fond recollection.

"Her hands were cool. When she touched me, all the discomfort disappeared!"

Qin Daichuan caught one word-discomfort.

His eyes darkened slightly. "You felt discomfort during the trials?"

Their earlier excitement vanished. At his question, the awakened lowered their heads in shame. One student mumbled, "About a week into the trials, entering the trial room felt a little uncomfortable. That was how it was for me..."

"Me too."

"Same here."