Nathan Thompson glanced back at the still-convulsing fishman on the ground, then at the open train car. Gritting his teeth, he followed in Nancy Clark's footsteps and walked inside.

Cleaner Employee Code, Rule Four: Do not get separated from your teammates.

·

Nathan Thompson regretted it the moment he boarded the train.

There were some writhing black substances inside the car, floating in the air—visible, but untouchable.

There weren’t many people on the last train of Line 1; only a few scattered office workers, all sitting far apart. But as soon as they saw Nathan Thompson, the passengers in different cars all turned their heads in unison.

They were all pollutants.

They came in various forms: some had fish fins growing by their ears, some had human faces covered in fish scales. In the car where Nathan Thompson boarded, there was a flopping fish in the middle of the empty space.

Nathan Thompson was already mentally contaminated, and now his scalp tingled even more. He finally spotted Nancy Clark inside the car.

Nancy Clark was sitting on the left side of the car, wearing a black full-face helmet and the distinctive cleaner uniform. As soon as Nathan Thompson entered, the door slammed shut with a bang.

He had no choice but to sit next to Nancy Clark.

Rumble—the train set off, though he had no idea where it was headed.

Nancy Clark turned to look out the window, silently counting. “I didn’t see Megan Carter,” Nancy Clark said.

Outside, it was pitch black. The subway was moving much faster than a person could walk. They had been in the sewers, only two kilometers away from Megan Carter.

Now two kilometers had passed, but she still hadn’t seen Megan Carter.

Since boarding, Nathan Thompson's nose hurt more and more. He said, “The polluted area’s space-time is independent. Look at the clock.”

Inside Nancy Clark’s helmet, the clock had stopped since they entered. The polluted area had its own flow of time—so this was what a polluted area was like.

Nancy Clark asked, “How do you enter a polluted area?”

Nathan Thompson: “Demon hunters look for ways in. Whether you find one is a matter of luck. You don’t necessarily have to enter to eliminate the source of pollution; you can suppress it directly with heavy weapons.”

If it’s confirmed there are no living people inside the polluted area and the situation is tricky, you can choose to flatten the area directly.

Sure enough, once technology advances far enough, if you can solve it with firearms, you don’t bother with anything else. The subway rumbled along; Nancy Clark felt it was even faster than the flying cars she’d ridden before.

【Dear passengers, Lily Garden Station】 Suddenly, the station announcement blared inside the subway.

Nancy Clark tensed up for a moment. No passengers got off; ever since Nancy Clark and the others boarded, the passengers had been staring at them.

Nancy Clark nervously watched the door, one hand on her gun. She really didn’t want to use it unless necessary.

When the door opened, a passenger boarded. The door closed again, and the subway continued.

As soon as Nancy Clark saw the new passenger, she frowned. Nathan Thompson almost cursed out loud.

It was the fishman they had killed!

The fishman was carrying a briefcase, his body riddled with wounds—it was no exaggeration to say he was full of holes. He’d nearly been beaten to a pulp by Nancy Clark and Nathan Thompson. Dragging his mangled left leg, the fishman slowly moved his body forward.

Then, with his one intact arm, he grabbed a handrail and stood right in front of Nancy Clark and Nathan Thompson.

He didn’t move.

Neither Nancy Clark nor Nathan Thompson said a word. The two rookies instinctively raised their guns, aiming straight at the fishman, afraid he’d suddenly attack. They’d seen how fast the fishman could move—at least twice as fast as a human.

If the fishman made any move, they’d shoot immediately. But five minutes passed, and the fishman didn’t budge, like a statue.

Nancy Clark and the fishman stared at each other for a while. The fishman’s body was like a sieve—you could even see through him to the other side.

Nathan Thompson whispered, “Why is he standing here with us? There are plenty of empty seats.”

The car was so empty, and it wasn’t rush hour. Why did he have to stand right in front of them?

Nathan Thompson’s words didn’t get the fishman’s attention. He really seemed like just another passenger, standing there.

“Is he here for revenge?” Nathan Thompson asked.

Nancy Clark: “I don’t know. I was just wondering what would’ve happened if you’d stayed on the platform.”

Nathan Thompson’s scalp tingled. He’d followed Nancy Clark onto the train because he’d rather die than stay on the platform with the convulsing fishman corpse.

Nathan Thompson: “I’d rather die.”

Nancy Clark found the whole thing strange. People caught in a polluted area could choose to board the train or wait on the platform.

Nancy Clark knew that if you boarded, you’d be watched by the “people” on the train. But what would happen to those who stayed on the platform?

“We’re about to reach the next station,” Nancy Clark said.

This time, Nancy Clark watched carefully. An orange-yellow light in the car suddenly lit up, followed by the station announcement: 【Dear passengers, Sunflower Kindergarten Station.】

The second stop.

Still, no one got off. Thirty seconds later, another passenger boarded.

Nathan Thompson’s hair stood on end, his nose bleeding—it was another fishman!

Just like the previous fishman, with wounds in the exact same places, the fish head smashed in, the curve of the lifted scales identical, even the behavior was the same.