After the Global Evolution, I Stand at the Top of the Food Chain - Chapter 26

This chapter is translated by BigDivineBear, translation checked by Kensi, edited by Cia, and proofread by Kris Xian.

This scene was extremely touching. 

Zhou Qiming stopped playing cards and took out his phone while crying to take a picture. He expressed that he wanted to add this plot to the game he was making.

His company was currently working on two games, one being a pay-to-win mobile game and the other a triple-A1 masterpiece called “Global Evolution.”

Zhou Qiming originally made this game because he felt deeply moved by the progressively worsening circumstances due to the pollution. He wanted to do something to let the public know more about the pollution diseases. As a result, because the paper couldn’t contain the fire,2 the government gradually loosened the restrictions on the propaganda of pollution diseases, and the game was currently on the verge of being launched.

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Everyone present at the scene cried, except for Lu Yan and Tang Xun’an.

Lu Yan had originally wondered if he ought to squeeze out a tear or two, but when he turned around, Tang Xun’an’s expression was even calmer than his own, so he promptly stopped pretending.

Tang Xun’an rested his hand on his Tang blade and tapped the scabbard with his slender middle finger.

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Mbl qyvbla yde eywtbvla nakle qsa y zsdt vkxl clqsal tayewyzzu nyzxkdt esod.

Hbys Ubldt vswnble bkp eywtbvla’p yax, bl qlzv vbl xsvvzle pnyap sd kv, yde bkp blyav vbasccle kd rykd, “Qsse tkaz, Pye okzz vyjl usw bsxl.”

Mbl Paytsd Yykeld’p vykz oyp pvkzz kd vbl oyvla. Ebld pbl blyae vblpl osaep, pbl pbssj bla blye pzktbvzu, bla qynl qwzz sq psaaso.

The Dragon Maiden opened her mouth, letting out some whining noises. 

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[She can’t leave. There’s no other way, there are still hundreds of infants in the lake. If the Dragon Maiden leaves, those little dragon girls will follow the river flow like a sturgeon and swim to various waters. Although the pollution values of the little dragon girls were not that high, Pollutants will also evolve.]

[What’s more, after being together for more than ten years, she isn’t completely emotionless towards these little monsters.]

Lu Yan glanced at her and said, “She can’t go back with you… She… she has children here. There are many of them, she can’t go back.”

Zhao Cheng was silent for a while, gritted his teeth, and said, “Then I’ll move here!”

Tang Xun’an rejected the proposal immediately, “No.”

Letting an ordinary person stay near to such a strong source of pollution was no different from sending him to his death.

At this time, the Dragon Maiden screamed hurriedly. Her snake tail slapped the water, splashing it everywhere.

[She wants to discuss something with you. She hopes you could send Zhao Cheng away.]

Therefore, Lu Yan gave a meaningful look at Chen Shi’er and then said to Zhao Cheng kindly, “Don’t worry, Sir. Go back to the car and take a break. We are going to talk to your daughter for a bit.”

Zhao Cheng didn’t really want to leave, but Chen Shi’er was exceedingly strong, and the Dragon Maiden patted the back of his hand comfortingly. Only then did Zhao Cheng return to the car.

When he reached the car, he grabbed Chen Shi’er’s hand and said in a low voice, “I can’t see, so tell me honestly. Has Yuanyuan become that kind of… monster?”

Zhao Cheng had heard the news. In the community nursing home, there were also volunteers from the PDC who came to popularize science.

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The X City where he was located was still safe. Although he had never seen it, he had heard of it.

Chen Shi’er felt somewhat awkward, not knowing whether to tell him the truth or not. He stalled for a while.

Zhao Cheng was an old man, and he had been traveling for more than ten years to find his daughter. There was no type of person he hadn’t encountered, so he was immediately sure that his guess was correct.

Zhao Cheng wanted to cry again, but his cloudy eyes quickly became resolute, “It’s okay. She will always be my daughter.”

By the lake, Tang Xun’an negotiated with the Dragon Maiden with Lu Yan acting as the interpreter. Zhou Qiming and Detective recognized Tang Xun’an, which made them not even dare to breathe, they simply stood obediently on the side.

Dragon Maiden, “Ahhh, uh, ah-ah.”

Lu Yan began to translate, “She said she wouldn’t leave the Dragon Maiden Lake, and she wants to live with Zhao Cheng. She can restrain her instincts and spare the villagers of the Dragon Maiden Village.”

Tang Xun’an’s eyes swept across the Dragon Maiden’s face and then fell on Lu Yan, “I believe its wishes this time are true, but I don’t believe it can really be done.”

High-level Pollutants had certain bloodline suppressions toward low-level Pollutants. The Dragon Maiden had some experience with this, considering the dependent attitude of the little dragon girls.

Nonetheless, the Dragon Maiden never thought that she would feel this instinctive fear from a human being.

She had a certain degree of wisdom and memory, the Dragon Maiden somehow knew well that if she didn’t give a satisfactory answer, she would be killed mercilessly by Tang Xun’an.

Tang Xun’an was reluctant to gamble. He would rather bear some infamy and stifle the risks in the cradle.

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The Dragon Maiden made some short tweeting sounds again.

“She said she can cut off her gills that she uses for breathing above water, so in this way she can only stay in the water and not be able to breathe the oxygen in the air. She is also willing to cut out the thing in her stomach.”

[When Zhao Yuan threw herself into the lake, she was already pregnant. Not much time has passed yet since Lu Cheng’s catalysis made the thing in her stomach the real “dragon seed,” it is also the source of the majority of her pollution value.]

This time, Tang Xun’an didn’t contemplate for too long, “Okay. But I will let satellites monitor this place at all times. If there are any abnormal changes, the PDC will immediately notify the SpecOps Division.”

There would be no room for a second negotiation by then.

Tang Xun’an thought for a while, then added, “Those men in the village have already reached the third stage of distortion, so there is no possibility of them becoming normal again. I permit you to use some non-extreme means to gently resolve it.”

His words were not rigorous. In the third stage of distortion, as long as they hadn’t become a Pollutant, it could still be cured.

However, Tang Xun’an felt that these people were not worth saving.

In his earpiece, the liaison officer suddenly stopped talking.

The role of the liaison was to deliver messages and soothe emotions. Under normal circumstances, they did not interfere with the choice of the Enlightened, unless the Enlightened’s mental state had become abnormal or they behaved outrageously.

Although there was such a high-level Pollutant in the mountainous area of Fuling Province, the local city hall was inevitably a little uneasy, but since it was Tang Xun’an’s judgment, they were willing to believe this choice.

A relieved smile appeared on the Dragon Maiden’s face.

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The gills she used to breathe on land were on the side of her ears, like fins. When it was pulled out, two long lines of blood burst out.

It was painful to look at.

Afterwards, the Dragon Maiden dived into the bottom of the water. A few hoarse roars came from the bottom of the lake, where soon, a rich blood color spread.

Moments later, she stretched out a hand and placed the stillborn baby on the shore.

On the sensor watch, the pollution value of the Dragon Maiden plummeted from 7, 000 to 3, 600.

It was a pale golden, translucent snake.

However, there were two small bumps on the top of its head, which looked like dragon horns.

This little snake was not completely dead yet, but it had completely hatched with the scales on its golden body. Occasionally, the snake’s tail would swing and struggle.

From the moment he saw it, Lu Yan felt an untimely hunger in his stomach. The Kingfish in his body was extremely excited, it was like someone who had been walking in the desert for three days and suddenly saw a water source.

Lu Yan wanted it very much, but he couldn’t move yet, because there was a stranger whom he still couldn’t beat standing beside him.

Zhou Qiming glanced at it from a distance and sighed, “So this is a special item stripped from a Pollutant? It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

Although its function was unknown, these special items were all good things without exception.

In the current natural world, Pollutants were the undisputed top hunters, but this kind of thing was not absolute.

[There are indeed things on Pollutants that can be used by humans. Tang Xun’an’s pair of dragon wings was also stripped from another Pollutant. The Kingfish you fused with is one too.]

Tang Xun’an, “Logically, it should be given to the Research Institute, but this area was discovered and explored by you first, and the Pollutant handed it over voluntarily. Since the remaining three people are not members of the SpecOps Division, you can handle this among yourselves.”

Although he said “yourselves,” Tang Xun’an was looking only at Lu Yan.

“You girls shouldn’t come to such a dangerous place in the future. Even if you want to go, you should report it first.” Tang Xun’an couldn’t help but add.

In his eyes, Lu Yan was really too weak. But for some unknown reason, he always encountered some exceedingly powerful Pollutants. Normal people would have died thousands of times already, which was really dangerous.

As he talked, Tang Xun’an’s eyes were lost for a moment, and he felt as if he had forgotten something.

But since he forgot about it then it shouldn’t have been that important, otherwise, it wouldn’t be affected by Zhou Qiming’s talent.

Hence, Tang Xun’an spread out the wings on his back, “I’ll leave first.”

Lu Yan, “…”

It was really convenient for people with wings to go wherever they wanted.

In just a few seconds, the man disappeared, leaving only Lu Yan and the others to deal with the aftermath.

Lu Yan asked the system, “Why does he wear a muzzle?”

[The price of Tang Xun’an overusing his ability is rage which has made him kill his comrades in arms before. Later, the Headquarters arranged a dog muzzle for him. To be honest, this thing is completely useless against him.]

[It is more like a spiritual shackle than physical restraint.]

[This muzzle isn’t used to make you feel safe but to make Tang Xun’an feel safe. It makes him believe that he is under restraint and in control, and will not completely degenerate into a Pollutant.]

[Are you interested in being his master? I can teach you.]

Lu Yan felt that the System’s words were extremely strange and perverse.

When Tang Xun’an returned home, the dog he had been raising had already been waiting for a long time.

His home was in Yanjing, and he lived alone. In a separate courtyard, no one was around within ten miles. A few miles ahead was the First Research Institute.

Tang Xun’an was raising a German Shepherd.

It was a special animal that was an Enlightened, its innate ability was to speak human words.

This was the 60th birthday gift specially given to him by the PDC. So far, he had accompanied Tang Xun’an for more than 40 years.

“Old Tang.” The German Shepherd wagged his tail, “You’re finally back. Spring is almost here, when will you take me to the pet blind date market?”

Tang Xun’an lit a cigarette and smoked it accurately through the iron frame, “Let someone else take you there, I don’t want to move.”

The German Shepherd took a blanket and laid at his feet, “I called Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang said that you didn’t go to see me when you came back because you went to see some new teammate. How was it?”

Tang Xun’an thought for a while and replied, “Too weak, not yet suitable to be a teammate.”

If they wanted to bring Lu Yan on a mission, they would end up having to collect his body if they didn’t pay close enough attention to him.

Although he felt that his current teammates were also a group of burdens, their spiritual power threshold was still several thousands.

“I thought you would directly refuse.” There was a very human smile in the German Shepherd’s eyes, “But I didn’t expect there to be room for negotiation in your words. It seems that you like him a lot.”

Tang Xun’an’s eyes wandered for a moment.

The German Shepherd put his head on his lap and did not continue speaking. Tang Xun’an stretched out his hand and scratched the fur on its neck.

Humans get lonely really easily.

Doggy understands. 

Translator’s Note: