Nathan Thompson wanted to step forward and argue, but Megan Carter grabbed his arm and only let go after the group of armored soldiers had passed.

Megan Carter was already used to it, but Nathan Thompson was clearly upset: "Why did you pull me back?"

The three of them wore helmets, and their communication was shared. Nancy Clark asked, "Who are they?"

"Demon Hunters, specialized in killing contaminants." As expected of the captain, Megan Carter's voice was much calmer.

Nathan Thompson clicked his tongue. "With all this advanced technology, such good weapons, and combat packs for guidance, anyone could do it."

In the era of advanced technology, humans relied even more on tech. With artificial intelligence and high-powered weapons, soldiers were basically just chess pieces.

Nancy Clark asked curiously, "Why didn't you become a Demon Hunter?"

Nathan Thompson sighed, "My mental level isn't high enough—too easy to get contaminated."

Nancy Clark made a sound of understanding. So there were requirements: those with high enough mental levels went to the front lines to fight monsters, while those who didn't just cleaned up the mess in the back.

Nathan Thompson seemed a little embarrassed. "But we're still the ones containing the contaminants. Without us, they'd be screwed too."

Nancy Clark casually agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, we're the best."

Nathan Thompson caught the sarcasm in her tone. "Do you want to be a Demon Hunter too?"

Most people thought Demon Hunters were cool and that cleaning up was lowly and boring.

Nancy Clark refused immediately, "Nope."

What a joke—she'd fought zombies her whole life; she was here to take it easy.

Nathan Thompson: "..."

Nancy Clark's answer was way too straightforward.

Nathan Thompson patted Nancy Clark's shoulder. "Good colleague. There aren't many cleaners left with your sense of professional honor."

Nancy Clark: "Of course. I knew at a glance this was the job for me."

High pay, easy work, no danger—the dream job.

"Alright," Megan Carter said, "let's get to work. Nathan Thompson, give the report."

Nathan Thompson immediately put away his playful attitude and recited the data: "E-level mission, contaminated area of 2,500 cubic meters, contamination level minimum 30%, maximum 55%, sixteen contaminants, all deceased."

Nancy Clark listened to the string of numbers but didn't really get it. This stuff was hard to explain. Megan Carter said, "You'll understand once you go down and experience it."

First time's unfamiliar, second time's better—by the third, Nancy Clark would have these numbers down pat.

"Nancy Clark goes first," Megan Carter ordered. "I heard from Evelyn Grant that you're pretty brave, so this is a good chance for you to get familiar with the scene."

Nathan Thompson remembered that Nancy Clark was a girl and suddenly put on a bit of gentlemanly air. "How about I go? She's still a newbie."

Nancy Clark: "No need, I'm good."

No need to be polite over something this minor. There should have been a manhole cover ahead, but after the Demon Hunters came, there was now a big hole.

A rope hung nearby, specially set up for the cleaning crew. Nancy Clark grabbed the rope and leapt down like a fish, descending into the deep underground.

Nancy Clark unfastened the rope, which made a slight sound—Nathan Thompson and Megan Carter must have come down too. The helmet had night vision; Nancy Clark scanned the scene, then froze.

She'd mentally prepared for this, watched videos, listened to veterans' advice, and had seen a lot herself—even let her imagination run wild.

But in reality, she'd still underestimated it. Her imagination was still too conservative.

Chapter 3: The Merman

The helmet was very smart, with an auto-lock function. In the pitch-black sewer, it highlighted sixteen contaminants, none of which looked remotely human anymore.

The helmet had a filter, so Nancy Clark couldn't smell anything, but it was obvious this place should reek. Broken, rotten flesh was scattered on the ground—not scary, as Nancy Clark was used to seeing monster corpses.

What was scary was what was on the corpses.

Droplets of blood oozed from the bodies, then floated in the air. The blood droplets came in all shapes—some stayed as drops, others had mutated, looking like clawing bacteria.

The blood drops continued to float upward, drifting like jellyfish, glowing red.

Standing among them, Nancy Clark felt like she'd stepped into some ancient, mysterious cave. From a certain aesthetic perspective, there was even a bizarre beauty to it.

Nancy Clark carefully recalled what the training videos said: once a contaminant was killed and its vital signs disappeared, the contamination spores didn't die—they would seek a new host.

The host could be a human, plant, animal, or even, in some cases, the spores could attach to inanimate objects—like walls, tiles, or certain robots.

Evelyn Grant said robots short-circuited because contamination spores could infect machines, even invade networks. So these blood drops must be contamination spores.

Contamination spores couldn't be destroyed—only contained.

That's why cleaners were needed. The training video only showed a single spore; now, the whole space was filled with them. Nancy Clark was deeply shocked.

There was a rustling sound—Megan Carter and Nathan Thompson had landed too.

Megan Carter: "You didn't even throw up."

Nancy Clark still hadn't thrown up. Most people's first reaction to this was physical nausea; she was the first rookie Megan Carter had seen who didn't.

Nancy Clark: "..."

Should she pretend to gag? Not throwing up was one thing, but this stuff really was pretty disgusting.