[The number of Awakened was never able to keep up with the pollutants, and now even their rate of leveling up can’t match. Fires are breaking out all over the world, but there’s only one bottle of water—how can you save anyone?]

Adam Carter thought it made sense.

Adam Carter waited a while, then brought the water and vegetables from outside into the house, and as usual, turned on the TV.

Although he had stockpiled a lot of supplies, most of them were instant foods. Fresh ingredients still needed to be delivered by others.

At this moment, the TV station was broadcasting the news, which was now the only program residents of K City could receive. The station was severely understaffed, and now there was only a signal at 10:00, 14:00, and 20:00 each day, lasting for one hour.

There was no more sugarcoating; on the screen, the female anchor solemnly introduced the pollution disease.

It was probably the first time the anchor had seen this information, and her voice trembled slightly as she read the news.

“This is the most severe test faced by humanity worldwide since entering the new century.

“K City has now issued a yellow pollution alert.

“The transmission method of this pollution disease is fish egg parasitism, and some of the parasitized individuals are infectious. The parasitic fish eggs mostly survive in tap water, so citizens are advised to pay attention to drinking water safety.”

“According to intelligence, the distortion of the parasitized occurs in three stages. The first stage is characterized by... the distortion cycle lasts from 7 to 50 days. The final formed pollutants are divided into three types: frogmen, fishmen, and algal people, with increasing levels of danger. The distorted have strong aggression and are no longer human. If you encounter a distorted person, please immediately seek shelter. If you find someone in your home beginning to distort, please call the police immediately.

“Although the enemy is extremely powerful, we still cannot give up hope. The relevant departments of K City have never abandoned the rescue of ordinary residents.”

“In addition, if there are citizens who have been contaminated but show no distortion symptoms, you can call the prevention center. In this critical moment of life and death, we need the strength of every person!”

……

……

As censored photos were shown one after another on TV, the last fig leaf covering the pollution disease was torn away, and fear and unease shrouded everyone’s hearts.

Many people, through the TV, realized the seriousness of the problem and went to the shelters, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Some citizens chose to flee overnight, and gunshots rang out until dawn. While social order had not yet collapsed, armed forces were still effective.

On the fifteenth day of the lockdown, for the first time, someone reached the edge of the city.

It was a taxi driver, who, relying on his familiarity with the city, shook off his pursuers. He drove on the highway out of the city, his face full of the relief of having survived a disaster.

The streets were empty, more desolate than ever. The driver turned onto a small road. The road was in poor condition, but it allowed him to get on the highway without passing through a toll station, and then head to another city...

Passing through the Tea Horse Road, he would reach the neighboring M City.

Victory seemed within reach, but the smile on the driver’s lips froze.

At the edge of K City, at some unknown time, a wall several meters high had been erected.

The wall stretched as far as the eye could see, unnaturally smooth, like a giant cage.

Headquarters had indeed sent Awakened reinforcements.

Ryan White, leader of the second group of the Special Operations Department and captain of the first team, [Talent—Barrier], spiritual power threshold 8700.

He sat atop the high city wall, listening to David Harris's report, his brows full of impatience.

“Fighting? There’s no way I’d ever fight in this life. If it weren’t for being afraid of dying, I wouldn’t have awakened this talent. Besides, I’m not physically fit, I’m not one of those combat maniacs... What? I didn’t insult anyone. This earthen wall, at most, I can hold for a week. One week, control all the pollution in the city. Otherwise, headquarters will consider using hot weapons. The kind that goes ‘biu’ and then—boom—mushroom cloud. Got it?”

*

Day 16 of the lockdown.

Ethan Sullivan’s face was already showing obvious distortion features. His eyeballs protruded.

Adam Carter had dissected Kevin Miller; the other’s brain had shrunk badly, only the size of a walnut, all the gyri on the surface gone, the whole thing looking like a piece of smooth foie gras. This kind of brain mutation clearly made the pollutants lose human reason.

Of course, this was also why some pollutants could keep moving even after their brains were blown out. Ridiculous—turns out you don’t need a brain at all.

Ethan Sullivan stopped at Adam Carter’s door.

He pressed the doorbell and asked, “Mr. Carter, are you there?”

A moment later, Adam Carter’s slightly distorted voice came through the intercom: “I’m here.”

“Good, as long as you’re here. This is the last time I’ll be delivering water. The inspectors at the pollution center said I’ll soon enter the second stage of distortion. Although I don’t know exactly where the distortion is happening, I can tell. Everyone’s become very afraid of me.” Ethan Sullivan’s voice was very slow, “Now there’s a shortage of people to do things. If someone had come to replace me sooner, I would have gone to the shelter long ago... Do you know about the shelter? It’s the place where distorted people are treated together.”