The Filter: The Tickle Monster

The Death World, the main urban area of Steam City.

A figure shrouded in a black trench coat was hidden in a narrow dead-end alley.

Shen Hui looked at the damp and filthy ground with disgust, and every now and then some strange-looking rats would dart past from the corner.

This time, Shen Hui transformed into a being in the Death World.

He then stepped out into the alleyway that was emitting light, and Shen Hui's concealed form instantly transformed into a middle-aged man dressed in a formal suit, wearing a hat, and carrying a cane.

This kind of attire is not uncommon in the Death World, but it's not uncommon either; most people dressed like this are from the middle class.

After emerging from the filthy dead end, Shen Hui found himself in a magnificent steel city.

The city is surrounded by towering Gothic buildings, with churches with spires appearing every so often, and strangely shaped statues and murals scattered throughout.

Huge Magic Energy crystals, shining like dazzling gems, were embedded in the exterior walls of some buildings, connected to numerous pipes and gears that were constantly in operation.

Pedestrians hurried along the street, busy with their own affairs. Of course, there were also believers who stopped on the street, holding leaflets and explaining their church doctrines to passersby.

Magic Energy- powered mechanical vehicles also shuttle through the streets.

With the continuous advancement of technology and Magic Energy utilization in the Steam City, the main city's impact on the Great Ruin has been significantly reduced.

Most people attribute this to advancements in technology and Magic Energy, but Shen Hui knows it's simply because there are more churches built here for religious worship.

It could also be said that the course of human civilization's development in the Death World has subtly influenced the initial world order.

However, some things can never be changed...

"The Light Potion has been distributed! Everyone hurry and collect yours!"

Someone on the street shouted, and most of the pedestrians, who were busy with their own things, reacted as if they were sharks smelling blood.

They immediately dropped everything they were doing and headed towards one place.

Shen Hui followed, having transformed himself into the Death World Death World observe its changes.

Following the flow of people, Shen Hui quickly arrived at the place where they were gathered.

The city guards and Foundation personnel were at the entrance of a building, and everyone who had gathered was rushing towards them.

There were also some hunched-over, strangely shaped humans huddled nearby.

"Line up one by one to register, and exchange the medicine we gave you before."

The city guards were maintaining order, while the Foundation members were shouting and taking out an unidentified, orange-yellow, semi-fluid substance in a glass bottle from a box behind them.

The first person in line immediately pulled out an identical glass bottle from his pocket. The contents were also a semi-fluid substance, but instead of being orange, they were a filthy blackish-gray.

After registering, I handed the glass bottle to a Foundation member, thanked them profusely, and left.

The people in line behind them also took out their own gray-black bottles and exchanged them for the orange-yellow bottles with the Foundation members.

Shen Hui pushed his way forward and, before the city guards could reprimand him, pulled out an identification card belonging to a high-ranking internal staff member from his pocket.

Upon seeing this, the other person's impatience immediately turned into respect and humility.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

Shen Hui didn't waste words with these people and directly snatched a bottle of orange substance from the Foundation members' hands.

The moment he made contact, Shen Hui immediately felt a surge of excitement and his mood brightened.

Walking to the side, Shen Hui shook the glass bottle in his hand and stared at it.

"This stuff... is a substance extracted from SCP-999, the Tickle Monster..."

In the short time that Shen Hui was talking to himself, the people who had been hunched over and huddled around Shen Hui had all gathered around him.

They stared intently at Shen Hui, or more precisely, at the orange-yellow substance extracted from the Tickle Monster in Shen Hui's hand.

Shen Hui immediately understood. These people... were all corrupted, that is, they had contracted Dark Erosion Syndrome, and they were all severely infected.

As their civilization developed and Magic Energy was used, the Unspeakable pollution became more and more apparent.

Dark Erosion Syndrome is no longer a rare and strange disease, but has become an epidemic.

This is undoubtedly a huge blow to their society and humanity.

The previously captured the Tickle Monster can effectively cure Dark Erosion Syndrome.

Shen Hui had predicted this before, and to his surprise, they actually extracted a substance from the Tickle Monster that could cure Dark Erosion Syndrome through their research.

However, not everyone can receive the medicine to cure Dark Erosion Syndrome; at least, most people at the bottom of society are not eligible.

Shen Hui toyed with the glass bottle in his hand, then casually tossed it to one of the people standing nearby.

The other person grabbed it in a panic, and before they could even thank them, they immediately pried open the bottle. People around them immediately crowded around, scrambling for the unclaimed potion.

But the other person had already poured it into their mouth, and their entire being regained consciousness at a visible speed, even though the deformities in their body were irreversible.

However, it can effectively suppress distortion in other areas.

Five seconds after drinking it, the person coughed violently and immediately put their mouth to the bottle opening, coughing the dark gray semi-fluid substance into the glass bottle.

The dark gray potion had been contaminated by the corruption of darkness.

The fact that contaminated medicine needs to be exchanged for fresh medicine indicates that it is recyclable.

And what do you do with it after recycling...?

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being focused on the commotion, he vanished suddenly without anyone noticing.

The next instant, Shen Hui appeared in the shelter at the Foundation's headquarters.

This place is much livelier than before.

People dressed in Foundation uniforms pushed carts filled with bottles of dark gray medicine toward the containment chamber for the Tickle Monster.

Shen Hui was like air at this moment; no one noticed him.

As Shen Hui slowly walked towards the room where the Tickle Monster was housed, a series of "squeak squeak squeak" sounds reached his ears.

The Tickle Monster was imprisoned, and below it was a water tank connected to many glass containers.

Bottles of contaminated, dark gray potion were poured onto the Tickle Monster's head, merging directly into its body before turning into an orange-yellow semi-fluid that flowed out from below.

The Tickle Monster is now like a relentless filter, frantically absorbing the power from the Unspeakable mutation.