Shen Ge’s trip to headquarters appeared to be for “Abnormal Communications” and attending this year’s Asian Abnormal Research Conference, but in reality, it was to investigate the Freak Association.
Although headquarters was unaware of his true purpose, the fact that members of the Freak Association had acted in Rong City, followed immediately by Shen Ge’s application to come to the capital, made it obvious he was here for the Freak Association.
Therefore, even if Shen Ge now proposed to “visit” the research institute, headquarters wouldn’t readily agree. Instead, they instructed Fang Mingyue to submit the application through proper channels.
The approval came through around 4 p.m. With nothing else to do at the hotel, Shen Ge had Fang Mingyue drive him to the research institute where the two researchers were located.
This institute was newly built after the capital’s major abnormal disaster. Headquarters had learned its lesson this time, splitting the department into three branches. This was the location of the Capital Special Countermeasures Third Division.
Fang Mingyue drove Shen Ge through the main gate, only to see three anti-abnormal armored vehicles escorting a prisoner transport van parked in front of a building. Several “familiar faces” were being escorted out like criminals.
These were Kaede Hananako, Du Mingwu, and Tang Laoya, who had been on the same flight as Shen Ge. However, Shen Ge found it strange that all three were being detained together.
Aside from the flight’s chief security officer, Li Jianjun, these three were the ones who had “cooperated” with Shen Ge on the plane, or rather, followed his instructions. Combined with the fact that the person overseeing their transport was Song Zhengjun, with whom Shen Ge had a minor history, it was hard not to suspect Song was deliberately causing trouble. Perhaps he wanted to find evidence against Shen Ge from these three to pin the disappearance of the abnormal plane’s characteristics on him.
While it was true that Shen Ge was responsible for the disappearance of the plane’s abnormal traits, neither Song Zhengjun nor headquarters were capable enough to detect the system’s existence. Unless… the Freak Association had uncovered some clues years ago.
“Wait!” Shen Ge called out to the escort team and walked with Fang Mingyue towards where Song Zhengjun and his team were standing.
“If it isn’t the great ‘Number One Abnormal Investigator of China,’ Investigator Shen. Instead of resting at the hotel after your flight, what brings you here?” Song Zhengjun said with a sarcastic tone.
Shen Ge replied calmly, “If I remember correctly, these individuals were mentioned in my oral report as passengers who cooperated during the abnormal incident, helping to save survivors… Headquarters not giving them commendations is one thing, but putting them in handcuffs? What, can’t find someone to blame for the airport incident, so you’re just arresting people at random?”
Song Zhengjun snorted coldly, glancing at Shen Ge. “Investigator Shen, I admit you have some skill, but this is my jurisdiction. How to handle the survivors and investigate the aftermath of the abnormal plane is up to me. What, are you trying to interfere with the Third Division’s affairs?”
Hearing this, Du Mingwu anxiously interjected, “Mr. Shen, on the plane, I reported everything truthfully about that batch of research materials. But they’re saying the cause of this abnormal incident is our company’s seafood products. Those were specially supplied to headquarters as per the branch’s requirements for material production. How can they blame me when something goes wrong?”
“Shut up! Who gave you permission to speak?” Song Zhengjun glared at Du Mingwu, his tone threatening.
Tang Laoya, who had been hesitant, mustered his courage and said, “Mr. Shen, this guy wants to pin this abnormal incident on the Rong City Branch. During the interrogation, he kept asking indirect questions about what you did and even tried to lead us…”
Before Tang Laoya could finish, two soldiers covered his mouth.
Shen Ge tsked disapprovingly. “So this is how headquarters operates? Not even allowing people to speak the truth? No wonder you have so few stars on your shoulder—all you’re capable of is these dirty tricks of framing and shifting blame. Tsk tsk tsk, headquarters really needs a good cleanup.”
“What did you say!” Song Zhengjun roared angrily.
Shen Ge gave Song Zhengjun a cold look. At that moment, his eyes turned icy, and Song Zhengjun felt the surrounding environment change subtly, as if the entire world had been enveloped by an eerie space in an instant.
Song Zhengjun vaguely sensed Shen Ge approaching him, a cold smile on his face as he pressed a black dagger against his throat.
Then Shen Ge stepped back. Song Zhengjun felt like everything had just been an illusion, but the lingering chill and sting on his neck proved it was all too real.
Song Zhengjun raised a hand to touch his throat, his fingertips coming away wet. Looking down, he saw his hand covered in blood, a shocking gash visible on his neck.
“You!” Song Zhengjun was stunned, staring at Shen Ge in disbelief. Judging from the shocked and fearful reactions of those around him, no one had seen Shen Ge move, including fellow captain-level investigator Fang Mingyue.
Shen Ge asked with an unchanged expression, “Me, what?”
Fang Mingyue had also sensed something amiss in that instant—it felt like being in an abnormal space. But the eerie sensation came and went quickly. By the time she regained her senses, she saw Song Zhengjun’s bloody neck and hand. There was no doubt it was Shen Ge’s doing.
But… when did he move? And how?
Fang Mingyue had always been aware of the gap between herself and Shen Ge, constantly striving to catch up to his Back view. She thought months of hard training would at least let her keep pace, only to realize she couldn’t even see his taillights anymore!
But now wasn’t the time for admiration. Even though she was on Shen Ge’s side, she couldn’t let him clash with Song Zhengjun here.
Song Zhengjun, despite being thoroughly unlikeable, was one of the most favored and heavily nurtured members of the Song family in his generation, which had fostered his arrogant and overconfident personality.
Of course, Fang Mingyue didn’t know that Song Zhengjun’s trouble-making with Shen Ge was intentionally instigated by certain people’s “prompting.”
“Investigator Shen, this is the Third Division’s territory. Openly killing him here… wouldn’t be good either,” Fang Mingyue said tentatively.
Her words sounded like mediation, but to Song Zhengjun’s ears, they carried a different implication—as if openly killing him wasn’t okay, but covertly dealing with him was fine?
Given how Shen Ge had acted without anyone noticing, if he really wanted to deal with Song Zhengjun secretly, it would be effortless!
At this thought, Song Zhengjun couldn’t help but shiver. Shen Ge’s indifferent smile seemed like the mockery of a vengeful spirit to him.
Shen Ge said calmly, “Even if these three need interrogation, it’s not your place to do it. Investigator Fang, contact your team and have them send people to take over.”
“Yes, Investigator Shen.” At this moment, Fang Mingyue acted like Shen Ge’s “subordinate,” agreeing to his order without hesitation.
Shen Ge inwardly sighed. The effort he’d put into rescuing this paramecium during the previous few abnormal disasters hadn’t been in vain, it seemed.
Song Zhengjun, infuriated, said, “Fang Mingyue! You’re from the Second Division. You have no right to interfere with matters under the Third Division’s jurisdiction. Think carefully before you agree!”
Fang Mingyue replied calmly, “First, Investigator Shen resolved the abnormal plane incident. As the primary responder to the abnormal event, according to regulations, he can designate an anti-abnormal team for follow-up work. The reason he didn’t inquire further after the airport was because he trusted headquarters’ handling. Little did he expect to encounter a petty person like you abusing public power for personal revenge!”
“Second, what do you mean ‘no right’? When dealing with abnormal events, the three divisions have always worked together. Are you trying to sow discord among them with such words?”
“Song Zhengjun, I think you’re the one who needs to think before you speak!”
Song Zhengjun clearly hadn’t expected Fang Mingyue, a captain from headquarters, to so firmly stand behind an “outsider” and support him.
After all, although headquarters was divided into three divisions, the operational principle was indeed as Fang Mingyue said: as long as it was related to an abnormal event, unless it was a special assignment from above, the three divisions would inevitably collaborate.
This abnormal plane incident was originally handled by the First Division. It was only after the airport conflict that Song Zhengjun, holding a grudge against Shen Ge, wanted to find evidence of Shen Ge “violating protocols” from the survivors to use as grounds for headquarters to discipline him.
But Song Zhengjun had clearly underestimated the complexity of the situation. First, Shen Ge’s status and capabilities meant that even if headquarters knew he had manipulated things, any punishment would be minor at most.
Secondly, the purpose above is to use the attack on Shen Ge to shake Deng Yuqi’s foundation. This is a contest between the behind-the-scenes commanders. No matter how much they fight, they will not destroy Shen Ge, this perfect “pawn of combat power”.
Song Zhengjun gritted his teeth, glanced at Du Mingwu and Tang Laoya, and said to Shen Ge, “You can take those two, but not this woman! She’s Japanese. We’ve found she was once a Japanese anti-abnormal soldier. We suspect her entry is for espionage activities…”
“Did I ask for your opinion?” Shen Ge asked coldly.
Song Zhengjun, swept by Shen Ge’s icy gaze, was constantly reminded by the wound on his neck of the consequences of opposing Shen Ge.
He swallowed the words he’d intended to say, gritted his teeth, and was about to order his subordinates to forcibly escort the three into the building. He was betting that Shen Ge would only dare injure him, not kill him.
But the next second, that eerie situation occurred again. By the time those around regained their senses, they saw Kaede Hananako, Du Mingwu, and Tang Laoya thrown behind Fang Mingyue.
“You!” Song Zhengjun exclaimed angrily.
Just as Shen Ge was about to seize the opportunity to punish Song Zhengjun further, an unexpected change occurred. Du Mingwu, whom Shen Ge had thrown behind Fang Mingyue, suddenly lunged violently at Shen Ge.
Shen Ge was facing Song Zhengjun at this moment and was clearly unaware of the incident behind him. However, he was not alone. His companion, Xiao Qi, was attached to him, constantly monitoring the surrounding movements. Sensing Du Mingwu’s attack, Xiao Qi immediately warned Shen Ge and activated the Red Mist Armor for defense.
Du Mingwu’s face suddenly turned pale and twisted. His stomach burst open with a “pop,” and over a dozen octopus tentacles, each as thick as a baby’s arm, shot out, wrapping towards Shen Ge.
However, several Rotten Blood Tentacles extended from Shen Ge’s back as well. Though fewer in number than the octopus tentacles, their quality and strength were clearly superior.
Meanwhile, upon hearing Xiao Qi’s warning, Shen Ge had already reactivated his Immovable Domain. Affected by bullet time, the putrid tentacles easily subdued Du Mingwu, then with a swift throw, he slammed into Song Zhengjun and the other soldiers with a “bang.”
When Song Zhengjun saw Du Mingwu suddenly transform into a freak and attack Shen Ge, his initial shock instantly turned to delight. He even forgot that if something happened to Shen Ge here, both the Rong City Branch and headquarters might hold him accountable, and if Shen Ge died, whether he would be next…
All he wanted now was for this guy who had humiliated him several times to die a gruesome death. Even if the attacker was a freak, as long as it killed Shen Ge, he’d be willing to become a freak himself!
“Investigator Shen, be careful!” Fang Mingyue instinctively called out to Shen Ge when she saw Du Mingwu lunging. But by the time she registered what happened, she only heard a “thud” as Du Mingwu was slammed to the ground.
Shen Ge retracted the Rotten Blood Tentacles. Affected by bullet time, those around didn’t even see the tentacles clearly, only catching glimpses of red light flashing on Shen Ge’s body before Du Mingwu was taken down.
Kaede Hananako’s eyes lit up. She knew Shen Ge was strong, but hadn’t expected him to be this powerful. After all, on the plane when Shen Ge handled the abnormal, she had hardly seen him act.
Now she realized that even if she had followed Shen Ge closely on the plane, she would have been like the others here, completely unaware of how Shen Ge moved or how he achieved an “instant kill” against the freak!
Shen Ge paid no attention to the shocked crowd, his gaze fixed intently on Du Mingwu, whom he had thrown to the ground. Prior to this, he hadn’t detected any abnormal energy response from Du Mingwu, and neither the system nor Little Seven had given any warning. Yet now he had suddenly transformed!
Shen Ge couldn’t help but think of the abnormal plane. Regardless of the combat capabilities of this new type of freak, just the “anti-abnormal energy detection” aspect meant the new research by the freak organization targeting him was highly successful!
It was a pity Li Xiang wasn’t here. Otherwise, Shen Ge would definitely find a way to bring this Du Mingwu, who had “given birth” to an octopus freak from his stomach, back for Li Xiang to study, trying to uncover the “principle” behind these freaks’ ability to hide abnormal energy.
After Shen Ge retracted the Rotten Blood Tentacles, the octopus tentacles emerging from Du Mingwu’s stomach were no longer restrained. They surged out like rapidly growing vines, some wrapping around his body, others spreading outward, transforming Du Mingwu’s body into an “octopus” body. Countless slender tentacles twisted together, forming longer, thicker tentacles.
“Abnormal energy intensity between Tier 3 and Tier 4…” Shen Ge frowned slightly. Whether Du Mingwu was a hidden freak or the freak organization behind the plane incident had implanted a parasitic abnormal inside him, the fact that Tier 3+ abnormal energy could evade detection was something to be wary of!
Song Zhengjun had always commanded from the rear during several abnormal incidents. Even when he saw abnormals, they were contained. He had never experienced such a scene and was momentarily scared witless, his legs weakening.
But before Song Zhengjun could order his subordinates to protect him and retreat, he saw Shen Ge already holding a butcher’s knife. Then, accompanied by flashes of red light on his body and a series of “thwack, thwack, thwack” sounds of flesh being chopped, the terrifying giant octopus was instantly minced into paste by Shen Ge!
Song Zhengjun was terrified. This was even more frightening than when Shen Ge had suddenly attacked him and slit his throat earlier. Especially after Shen Ge minced the giant octopus into paste, he turned and glanced at Song Zhengjun.
That look seemed to say the meat under the knife wasn’t the freak octopus, but Song Zhengjun himself!
“No, don’t kill me! I, I, I didn’t mean to target you, yes, yes, let’s go, let’s go, let the Anti-Deception Department handle this!” Song Zhengjun was so frightened by Shen Ge that he fled in panic.
Once he left, his subordinates naturally had no reason to stay. Besides, with a terrifying freak octopus suddenly appearing, the soldiers had long wanted to get out of there.
In the blink of an eye, in front of a pile of minced meat and a corpse, only Shen Ge remained, holding a butcher’s knife, along with a starry-eyed fangirl (Fang Mingyue), a stunned Kaede Hananako, and a shivering Tang Laoya.
