After my rebirth, I had only encountered this system three times.

The first time was when it issued the main quest, and then it went quiet, not bothering to prod me into action while I was just lying there like a useless fish.

The second time was when I unintentionally triggered the last train of Metro Line One.

And the third time was now, during the reward calculation.

I studied my panel again, noticing it was filled with more data than before.

Name: Nina Chase

Age: 19

Education: Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering

Status: Fifth-Class Citizen

Talent: Danger Sense (elementary)

Mutation Direction: Unknown

Mutation Level: Unknown

Physical Strength: Not Enhanced

Mental Value: 100 (Average: 20)

Health Value: 20 (Average: 70)

Luck Value: 1 (Average: 50)

Purification Points: 545 (Can be exchanged to increase other stats; every 500 points can add 5 to Health)

The Purification Points and Luck Value were newly activated, and with a Luck Value of just 1, it made sense why I had encountered such bad luck with the contamination zone ratings.

Purification Points could be exchanged for rewards or added to other stats, with an exchange rate of 10:1.

At 500 points, I could increase my Health by 5.

Notably, my Health seemed alarmingly low at just 20.

I had gained a elementary-level talent, Danger Sense, which Daniel had mentioned before. I had no idea how it would work.

But what were Mutation Level and Direction? I had no clue.

The Rotting Fish Head sounded more useful; before, I could only be contaminated, but now I could contaminate others.

Could I really apply mental contamination to a contaminated being? It seemed absurd, like adding filth to filth.

I could use it to boost my speed while escaping, but it would cost Health. My Health wasn’t high enough to endure that.

As for the explosives, they could demolish buildings, but I wasn’t facing tasks on that scale yet.

Moreover, the destructive power of those things had limited scenarios for use. I needed to ensure they wouldn’t harm my teammates.

Reflecting on the situation, I wondered if I had received the rewards at all. Sure, I got something, but could I use it? It felt almost pointless.

The rewards sounded great, but if I couldn’t use them, what was the point?

Why not give me some beginner-friendly items? Starting me off with high-level gear was overwhelming.

Wait a minute…

What if the high-level items meant I had to scramble to gather Purification Points and Health to use them?

Was this dog of a system forcing me to level up?

I sighed.

So it sees through my lazy nature, huh?

And here I was, struggling to complete the main quest, Purify Your Home, with only a progress of 1%.

My instincts were spot on; this was a pie-in-the-sky scenario. To complete this mission, I’d have to devote my entire life to it.

But I seemed to have grasped a hint of the purification process. To finish this main quest, I’d need to keep entering contamination zones and contain more spores.

As the platform began to decay, the surroundings gradually revealed the sewer's true appearance, the contamination zone crumbling with the death of the contaminated beings.

I took a deep breath, staring at the swirling spores for a full minute in silence.

Cleaner’s Code of Conduct, Rule 5: Containing contamination spores is the top priority.

I pulled out a vaccum cleaner-like device from my cleaning backpack.

Then, without hesitation, I began "picking cotton."

Ding—Purification Points +1

Each spore I contained increased my Purification Points.

This wasn’t just “picking cotton”; I was building up my Health!

Daniel rushed down from the train, the entire last train stinking of decay. The first thing he did was to look for me.

And there I was, diligently… cleaning up the trash.

I was a mess, my suit marked with the remnants of the monster’s grip, my helmet cracked.

But still, I moved steadily, one spore at a time.

Daniel stared, dumbfounded, probably thinking what kind of workaholic I was.

Fighting monsters and picking up trash, like a true cleanup geek!

“You—” Daniel couldn’t help but ask, “are you working?”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

I looked up. “What else would I be doing?”

“Not like this, right?” Daniel couldn’t wrap his head around it. What he had seen in the contamination zone had been enough to give him nightmares for a month.

"I didn’t have the mental fortitude to just flip the switch and get back to work right after fighting off monsters."

I sighed. “It’s all about the commission.”

My HUD kept pinging with every spore I contained, hard not to be tempted.

Daniel was speechless.

“Hey? Daniel?” A crackling sound filled my helmet. With the fish-headed monster dead, the mental contamination had dissipated, and communications were restored.

Daniel nearly cried when he heard Emma’s voice. “Captain!”

Emma sounded urgent. “Are you okay? Where’s Nina?”

“Still alive,” I replied, still focused on collecting spores.

Emma sighed in relief. It was a miracle that two cleaners could survive in a contamination zone.

Emma said, “The technical center rated the area incorrectly. You both accidentally entered a Class D contamination zone.”

"So it really was Class D", Daniel said, "I hadn’t miscalculated after all."

Emma continued, “The contamination zone is already cracking. I’ll head over to you shortly. Stay put and don’t move. The Hunters are already on their way, and they’ll start the rescue as soon as they land.”

Class D contamination zones weren't too challenging for the Hunters.

Daniel cautiously said, “Actually… the Hunters don’t need to come.”

“Why not?” Emma asked, puzzled. I ssemed she was still dealing with the wind noise in her comms, meaning she was en route.

Daniel surveyed the area. Corpses of contaminated beings and spores were everywhere, confirming there were no living contaminants left.

This contamination zone was remarkably clean.

And it was all thanks to him and Nina!

Not a single Hunter needed to intervene; just two cleaners had wiped out a Class D contamination zone!

“I’m proud of us. Cleaners don’t need the Hunters to rescue us,” Daniel declared.

Emma’s response was a confused, “Huh? Is this a good time for a temper tantrum?"

Daniel replied, "no need here, really."

“Uh…” Emma hesitated, “Are you feeling okay?”

That was the most reasonable question; she suspected Daniel had lost his mind.

Daniel boasted, “Just send another cleaning team. We might be overwhelmed with work here.”

Emma: ?

…

After Daniel hung up, he let out a long breath, sweat soaking his uniform.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him, collapsing onto the ground with a thud.

He had a sense of fatigue after narrowly escaping death, “I think I’m done for.”

His mental value was low. Initially affected by mental contamination, and now surrounded by spores, he had become more seriously contaminated the moment he relaxed.

“Get away from me,” I said, casting him a glance.

If he was contaminated, he needed to keep his distance.

“No!” Daniel insisted, inching closer to me, realizing I was more reliable than the Hunters.

“I’m not leaving your side.”

Great, now he was losing it.

The Hunters would arrive soon; I wasn’t too worried about Daniel’s mental state.

I focused on collecting the spores, trying to ignore Daniel as he made things difficult for himself.

I watched as Daniel suddenly raised both hands.

I quickly slapped them down.

Daniel raised his arms again; now that there was no danger, he was about to do something bold—take off his helmet!

“Hey?” I pressed down on his helmet to stop him. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t breathe,” Daniel said.

Taking off his helmet would expose him to infection. I said, “No helmet removal, got it?”

Daniel murmured a soft “okay,” looking disappointed as he lowered his hands.

Then, right in front of me, he curled up and hugged his knees, nestling at her feet.

Like a tail-wagging puppy.

Was this moderate mental contamination?

I remembered Emma saying that a colleague thought he was a pink double-headed lotus after being contaminated.

I was curious what Daniel thought he was.

Tentatively, I asked, “Who are you?”

Daniel buried his head in his knees, looking shy, “I’m Queen Nina’s little puppy.”

Kid, your preference seemed pretty...avant-garde...

...

103 District Cleaning Center.

It had looked chaotic, like the trading floor of some stock exchange.

Now, it was a mess, as if a battle had just taken place.

Minister of the Technical Department, Lucas Quinn, was furious. “Rating error! How could this happen?!”

“Do you have any idea what a massive headache this is?!”

“Inside, there are no Hunters—just two cleaners handling logistics, no weapons, no experience. Do you think they can survive this?”

“…They’re just cleaners…”

Cleaners were considered expendable; ten cleaners were worth less than one Hunter.

If the Hunters arrived and couldn’t execute a rescue, they might even sacrifice two cleaners' lives for the sake of the mission.

From a certain perspective, that wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

“Damn it!” Lucas scoffed. “With the contamination zone out of control and the spores spreading, do you know how many people in District 103 could die?”

“Do you even want to do this job? If not, get the hell out!”

The technician responsible for monitoring kept his head down, afraid to speak.

“The Hunters are on their way,” someone whispered.

“What good is that going to do?” Lucas shouted. “Fifteen minutes have already passed; we’ve missed the best time to rescue them!”

He smashed a cup in frustration.

Time flowed differently in the contamination zone. While it had only been fifteen minutes outside, inside, it could have felt like days.

“That—” the technician hesitantly raised a hand, “the contamination level seems to be dropping.”

From the initial maximum of 90, the levels were gradually decreasing.

88, 80, 71…

Lucas frowned, pushing past the technician to examine the machine himself, quickly typing on the keyboard.

Yes, the numbers were really dropping.

“Where are the Hunters?” Lucas asked.

Emily, who had been watching from the doorway, chimed in, “They just set out. It’ll take them another seventeen minutes to reach the designated area.”

The Hunters weren’t even on site, and the contamination zone was already being purified?

“Report!” A subordinate announced, “We’ve contacted the leader of the three-person cleaning team, Emma. All three are alive.”

Lucas coldly asked, “Who’s in there?”

Emily held out a panel. “Two cleaners.”

Lucas took the panel and glanced at it, frowning deeply.

The information showed two names. Daniel’s data was utterly ordinary, especially his Mental Value—so low that he was at risk of brain death after spending an hour in a heavily contaminated zone.

His skills showed no standout qualities; otherwise, he’d have been placed in the Hunters’ team instead of being a cleaner.

The other name was even more bare—just “Nina Chase”.

“A newbie?” Lucas asked.

Only trial period newcomers would lack any data collection.

Emily responded, “Yes, I just processed her onboarding today.”

Today’s task for Nina should have been learning how to clean.

Instead, she had stepped in to handle a situation that even the Hunters would face.

This was becoming strange; the Cleaning Center had never had a data error in over eighty years. The last time it happened was due to a specific individual.

And now, with Nina on her first day, the data had failed, causing her to inadvertently enter a Class D contamination zone.

Without any weapons or backup knowledge.

Not only had she survived, but she also managed to purify the area.

If Lucas weren’t the Hunters’ leader, he would have been furious at the embarrassment these two cleaners caused today.

Emma said, “Rachel wants to see you.”

Rachel Tildman, the head of the Operations Department, managed the Hunters in District 103.

While the departments interacted closely, they also maintained some distance.

“And Zachary Riddle from the Cleaning Department,” Emily added.

With these three and Emily, who was the center assistant coordinating the entire operation despite her assistant position…

Lucas frowned.

It seemed that the Cleaning Center was about to undergo a big change.