[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2285847,4472,"Chapter 11: 11 Plague and True Aroma (Combined)","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>11 Plague and True Aroma (Combined)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it had seemingly made a True Aroma declaration, as a demon with principles, Black Goat actually kept its word and immediately fell silent on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what price Li Ang offered, it stubbornly refused to make a sound, even closing its eyes, embodying complete intransigence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Concerned about the hospital’s condition and with the Bandage Woman having changed her mind and agreed to help, Li Ang, seeing he could not persuade this troublesome goat, simply ignored it and headed straight toward the hospital with the Bandage Woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, for some reason unknown nearby, though night had already fallen, people kept rushing past on the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of these passersby wore strange masks resembling giant crow beaks, gathering in small groups and carrying prone individuals face-down on two metal stretchers or sedan chairs, hurrying forward in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, though these people appeared frantic, whenever they encountered Li Ang and the Bandage Woman at intersections or narrow alleys, they hurriedly stepped aside, gesturing repeatedly for them to go first—as if they wished to avoid any contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too eager to confirm his sister’s condition, Li Ang had no energy to focus on these mysterious passersby; he merely glanced at their soul states, confirmed no abnormalities, and prepared to hurry past—only to be stopped by the Bandage Woman’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After solemnly studying the strange figures for a moment, the Bandage Woman opened her suitcase, bent down to rummage, pulled out a mask nearly identical in design, and placed it over her face. Then, in a muffled voice, she instructed Li Ang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay right here. Do not approach them under any circumstances until I return!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Are these people dangerous?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meeting the Bandage Woman’s gaze through the mask’s glass lenses, Li Ang saw that this cautious “senior” held deep apprehension toward the strange figures—and immediately grew alert himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following her instructions, he remained in place, gripping the goat head tightly in his arms, focusing entirely on observing the souls of those figures, ready to alert the Bandage Woman at the first sign of anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to Li Ang’s surprise, though the strange figures’ souls were unstable—filled with anxiety and agitation—they carried no hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief exchange with the Bandage Woman, they even produced a fresh mask and pressed it into her hand, pointing toward him—as if… they wanted him to wear one too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, when the Bandage Woman returned, she shoved the mask into Li Ang’s hands and urged him with grave seriousness:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s happened. Put this on immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her expression so grave, Li Ang did not dare delay. He quickly followed her instructions, pulling the entire mask—sewn onto the black hood—over his head. The dim world before him plunged into utter darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang then realized the leather crow-beak mask was fully sealed, entirely black with no trace of other color—even the two small lenses over the eyes had been painted black. Only a central, pupil-shaped lens allowed faint glimmers of external light to seep through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been daytime, it might have been tolerable—but now, it was like wearing thick sunglasses; his vision was severely obstructed, even the path beneath his feet was barely visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t see—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Ang could finish, the Bandage Woman slapped the mask’s beak section hard. The mask, which had previously left a gap between it and his face, snapped tightly against his skin—and the tiny pupil lens pressed directly against his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Startled, Li Ang instinctively tried to close his eyes—but found his eyelids held open by the lenses. A few drops of pale yellow, icy oil squeezed from the lens’s corner, instantly coating his eyeballs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The patterns on the Bandage Woman’s suitcase, the seams of the floor tiles, the textures of buildings along the street—all of it was forcibly gilded with an eerie, thin yellow hue…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait! I can see now?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a Night Crow Mask used by the Epidemic Prevention Bureau to guard against plague. Even in pitch darkness without streetlights, you can see the path. Remember: do not look outward with your own eyes. Press your pupils firmly against the pupil lens and learn to observe through it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, wear the mask properly. Breathe through the beak—it contains herbs, spices, and specially formulated smelling salts that prevent infection by most plagues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she explained the mask’s use, the Bandage Woman spoke rapidly to Li Ang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just asked the Epidemic Prevention Bureau people. Last week’s heavy rain caused the sewage river to swell. The drainage dam built by the Public Works Department collapsed the same day, connecting the sewage river’s tributary to the capital’s drinking water supply.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone might have been manageable—but the water company, to cut costs, skipped the mandated twelve purification steps. After pumping water from the river, they only filtered out debris and silt, gave it a crude disinfection to remove odor, then directly pumped it into the municipal pipes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people being carried are those who drank the contaminated water. Primary symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal cramps, then dehydration and unconsciousness. Those who touched their vomit have begun showing similar symptoms. Around five hundred people have already been affected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Epidemic Prevention Bureau suspects an outbreak. They’re transporting symptomatic patients en masse to Red Brick Road Hospital, hoping to contain the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Red Brick Road Hospital? Isn’t that where Anna is?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are they fucking insane?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to believe such absurdity, Li Ang burst out angrily:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the Central Hospital? The Royal First Hospital? Even if those are full, the churches on Church Street or the hospital at Mase University would work!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those hospitals each have over a thousand beds. Red Brick Road Hospital has only one or two hundred—and they’re always full. Sometimes people are even lying in the hallways. Why are they sending patients here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because of location.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if accustomed to such things, the Bandage Woman spoke calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Central Hospital is surrounded by wealthy districts. The Royal First Hospital is near the noble quarter. Church Street is where clergy live. Mase University is home to the kingdom’s future elite. The Epidemic Prevention Bureau would never send patients there. Red Brick Street Hospital in the Old Quarter is the only logical choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the water pipes that failed are only in the Old Quarter. The New Quarter’s water company draws from upstream and was unaffected by the sewage tributary. The Old Quarter’s problem must be solved by the Old Quarter itself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because they pay five times the water fee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money! Money! Money! In the end—it’s always fucking money!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop thinking about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ang’s mood turning volatile, the Bandage Woman quickly urged:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if those hospitals agreed to take patients, the people of the Old Quarter couldn’t afford their fees.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the Public Works Department and the water company?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang gritted his teeth:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Public Works Department’s dam collapsed in one rainstorm. The water company violated regulations. According to kingdom law, they should bear responsibility… damn it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Bandage Woman could answer, Li Ang stopped himself—he realized how stupid the question was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the case of the alchemical factory’s gas leak that gave Anna lung disease, the Public Works Department still found excuses to avoid compensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the water company that cut corners? They paid out dividends, sold off equipment, declared massive losses from poor management, and simply shut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the meager remaining assets would likely be seized first by upstream\u002Fdownstream partners and shareholders as compensation for breach and losses—leaving the victims with less than a drop from a bucket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling as if a burning coal smoldered in his chest, Li Ang clenched his teeth, about to speak—when the Bandage Woman gently tugged his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on. We’ve blocked them long enough. Don’t delay their work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pointing toward the corner where the “crow people” passed, she whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their job is to treat patients and prevent widespread plague. Ours is to eliminate anomalies and protect the ordinary world from corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I’m right, the rogue infected you discovered is tied to this. If these people keep moving forward, they may be in danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if you hate this, if you want to help them—then let’s move now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a deep breath of the pungent incense inside the beak, Li Ang lowered his head and followed the Bandage Woman, jogging toward Red Brick Road Hospital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just then, the goat head, silent for so long, stirred suddenly—its horns gently nudging his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh! Don’t speak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ang about to ask a question, Black Goat hurriedly warned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You listen. I ask questions—you don’t answer. Just look at your soul. I’ll know whether you agree or not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the Bandage Woman’s back, Li Ang instantly understood: this self-proclaimed demon wanted to make a secret deal with him—without the Clearance Bureau noticing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this a demon’s temptation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Li Ang stiffened, instinctively wanting to report the demon to the Bandage Woman—to alert her and her Clearance Bureau to this troublemaking fiend—yet…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax. I won’t ask you for anything. You don’t have to do anything for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ang’s soul—brilliantly bright yet beneath it, churning with a torrent of black flame—Black Goat grinned cheerfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once I find a suitable target, I’ll teach you how to guide human malice, incite them to kill each other. Interested?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t you just say you’d never teach me anything again, even if you were sent back to a Welsh sheep pen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was then. This is now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing the doubt in Li Ang’s soul, Black Goat grinned shamelessly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just tell me—you want to learn or not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ang frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course I want to learn. No cost? Why refuse? But… a demon would be this generous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Generosity? Impossible. Never. When a demon offers help without demanding anything…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha. It only proves it wants more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Li Ang—his eyes brimming with caution yet still silent, not reporting him to Emma (the Bandage Woman)—Black Goat’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My instincts are flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This boy is, at best, a “good person”—even more moral than most. But perhaps he’s too naive, or perhaps the world is too dark—or both. His soul carries immense, unspoken burdens. Such a person is born to fall into the Abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pressing against Li Ang’s chest as he ran, enduring the demon’s revulsion toward his morality and goodness, Black Goat inhaled deeply the boundless rage hidden beneath the light—and the utter madness that wished to destroy everything and rebuild from ashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding a blade, the will to kill arises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can barely restrain yourself now only because you’re weak. When you gain enough power, will you still endure your soul being scorching with rage?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep going, boy! I’ll help you well! I’ll eliminate the trash you hate, harvest the souls of the wicked, even fulfill your absurd dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when you believe you’ve achieved your ideal, basking in triumph and happiness—only to find everything has returned to its original state, the world’s color unchanged, even worse…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Abyss welcomes you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough… Could you ask for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the glass door of the intensive care ward, the girl on the bed glanced at the corridor lined with numerous patients, then nervously tugged at the nurse’s sleeve beside her, her face filled with worry as she asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has my brother come back? And what’s happened outside? Why are so many people lying in the corridor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… maybe we shouldn’t go out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the growing number of patients outside, now nearly piling up to the door of the intensive care ward, the handsome young nurse said fearfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So many patients at once—either a mass poisoning, or some acute infectious disease. If it’s the former, it’s manageable; if it’s the latter…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s the latter, it’s already too late.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing outside the ward and seeing a pool of vomit already seeping to the doorway, the older middle-aged nurse sighed and shook her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If patients are being placed right at the intensive care door, our hospital must already be at its limit. If this is truly an infectious disease, even staying inside here won’t save us—we may already be infected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case… since we can’t avoid it anyway, why not open the door and let them in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the patients lying on the cold tiles, convulsing uncontrollably, some clutching their stomachs and screaming in agony, Anna bit her pale lips and said with visible distress:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s only one bed here, but there’s also a row of sofas, and the floor is carpeted—it’s still better than lying on stone tiles… Can we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course we can!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After glancing at Anna in surprise, the older nurse’s eyes softened with warmth, and she smiled gently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is your ward. As long as you’re willing, it’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, she called to the young nurse, whose face had turned pale, and opened the door of the intensive care ward. She then bent down, intending to help a nearby patient inside—but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the boy, small in frame yet as heavy as if welded to the floor, both nurses simultaneously widened their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though both were female nurses, lifting heavy objects was unavoidable in hospital work, and neither lacked strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were a strong man, their inability to lift him would be understandable—but this was clearly a child barely over ten years old. How… could this be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the boy cried out in pain, the two nurses realized in utter horror that their earlier sensation wasn’t an illusion—this thin, small boy was truly welded to the floor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the boy’s arm already sunken into the floor tiles, the young nurse sat down abruptly on the ground, her lips trembling as she tried to speak—when suddenly the older nurse’s expression changed drastically. She grabbed the young nurse and yanked her violently back into the ward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rip!” “Ahh!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of fabric tearing and a woman’s scream rang out together. The young nurse clutched her blood-drenched right hand and collapsed onto the ward’s carpet with a cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where she had just sat, beside a shred of white nurse’s uniform, lay a patch of bloody, fleshless skin—its shape unmistakably matching the size of her palm, clearly torn right from her palm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the patients in the corridor, who had begun sinking slowly into the hospital’s floor tiles at some unknown moment, the older nurse—who had just saved her colleague—felt her legs go weak. She collapsed onto the carpet with a thud, her eyes wide with terror as she whispered to herself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What… what is happening?”\u003C\u002Fp>",2448,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3bad2231a019d781c75b20b42550ae28b4ee62efa3c6c14751650bbc840c74da","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-12","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-10",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]