The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 118

After receiving Shen Ge’s call, Deng Yuqi immediately dispatched personnel to seal off the residential complex. Since Feng Chengxiu and the others needed to return to headquarters to retrieve equipment, Shen Ge headed to the complex alone.

By the time he arrived, the first responders weren’t from the Special Tactics Division but patrol officers and firefighters who had received reports of an “explosion.”

“Sir, there’s been an explosion in the complex. For safety reasons, no one is allowed inside at the moment,” two officers stopped Shen Ge at the entrance.

Shen Ge handed over his credentials and asked, “What’s the situation inside? Any casualties? Have the residents been evacuated?”

The officers checked his ID, saluted, and quickly briefed him.

Two minutes after Shen Ge received the system alert in the hotpot restaurant, the local police station and fire department had been notified. These officers were among the first to arrive and had immediately assisted firefighters in evacuating residents from the affected building. So far, there were no reported casualties.

“Residents from the lower floors have been evacuated, and we’re currently clearing those above the 20th floor. The most severe damage is on the 19th floor—the explosion’s epicenter—as well as the floors directly above and below. The fire is too intense for firefighters to enter, so we don’t know the casualty situation yet,” one officer explained.

Shen Ge glanced at the blazing building in the distance. “Unit 1804 was never even renovated due to its unlucky number, so no one lives there. The resident of 2004 works out of town and only returns during the New Year. As for 1904, where the explosion happened, the owner isn’t home, so there shouldn’t be any casualties.”

The two officers stared at him in shock, baffled by how he knew so much about the situation despite just arriving. Were Special Tactics agents this omniscient?

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not Sherlock, and I’m certainly not a fortune teller. I’m just the owner of 1904. When I bought the place, I checked the status of the units above and below. I searched half of Rong City before finding a place where buying one floor practically ‘gave’ me two others,” Shen Ge said calmly.

The officers’ expressions grew even more peculiar. They wanted to say, “Dude, your place is on fire. How are you this calm?”

“I’ll take a look inside. The Special Tactics team will arrive soon to take over. Just assist with sealing off the area,” Shen Ge said as he walked into the complex.

Seal off?

The officers were even more confused. With the new laws in place, both military and police were required to fully cooperate with the Special Tactics Division. Even new recruits underwent training on this. They knew that if the Special Tactics Division ordered a lockdown, it meant an anomalous incident was involved.

Before they could ask more questions, Shen Ge had already crossed the police line and headed toward the burning building.

The residential complex had low building density, ample greenery, and relatively wide walkways. Three fire trucks were parked outside, but the fire was on a high floor, making extinguishing efforts difficult.

“How’s the evacuation going? Any injuries?” Shen Ge stopped a firefighter to ask.

The firefighter looked at Shen Ge’s casual attire, puzzled. Just as he was about to ask who he was, Shen Ge flashed his credentials.

The firefighter immediately stood at attention and reported, “The entire building was evacuated five minutes ago, but thirteen units didn’t respond. We’re not sure if no one’s home or if they’re just heavy sleepers.”

“Contact your team and have them fall back. Once the Special Tactics team arrives, we’ll use drones to inspect each unit. Give me a walkie-talkie. After everyone’s down, gather them near the greenbelt. I’ll ‘relocate’ the fire, and your team can handle extinguishing it,” Shen Ge ordered, taking the walkie-talkie.

“…Understood.” The firefighter was dumbfounded. Relocate the fire?

How the hell do you relocate a fire?

In his ten years as a firefighter, he’d never heard of such a thing. But orders were orders, especially from someone several ranks above him.

The firefighter relayed Shen Ge’s commands via walkie-talkie, instructing everyone to retreat and assemble.

Meanwhile, Shen Ge sprinted up to the 19th floor. Though firefighters had attempted to contain the blaze, thick smoke had already filled the stairwell, making it hard to breathe.

With a snap of his fingers, Shen Ge activated his full-body combat armor. He then had Xiao Qi analyze how long the armor’s anomalous energy could withstand the smoke, flames, and heat.

Upon confirming that the energy wouldn’t deplete unless he literally lay down in the fire, Shen Ge confidently stepped into the unit.

The living room was engulfed in flames, the heat unbearable. Without his armor’s protection, Shen Ge would’ve collapsed instantly.

The fire and smoke drastically reduced visibility, but Shen Ge knew the layout by heart—he could’ve navigated it blindfolded.

The bedroom was a disaster. The bed had collapsed through the floor into the unit below, and the entire room was an inferno. Even with the armor, moving was a struggle.

Shen Ge raised his hand and activated “Unyielding Anomalous Domain,” using the spatial distortion to “box in” the flames, creating a sealed area.

But since he couldn’t maintain it for long, he opted for brute force—enveloping everything flammable in one go and teleporting it all out the window.

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!

A rain of fireballs plummeted from the sky. The firefighters below hadn’t expected such a direct approach and scrambled to douse the flames.

With the combustibles removed, only the charred walls remained. Shen Ge’s Anomalous Stomach morphed into a gaping maw, biting into the walls and secreting acidic fluids to smother the fire. The room filled with smoke, but the flames gradually died down.

Shen Ge jumped through the collapsed floor to the unit below. Amid the scorched bed frame, he found a mutilated corpse.

[Sell 2nd-stage anomalous corpse? Reward: 500 system points.]

“Huh?” The system’s prompt confirmed this was the 2nd-stage anomaly obliterated by the trap under his bed.

While the trap—a combination of high-explosive bombs, fragmentation grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades—was devastating, it shouldn’t have outright killed a 2nd-stage anomaly.

Not only was it dead, but it was also in pieces.

More importantly, the system only offered the option to sell the corpse, not absorb it to steal its trait ability.

“System, absorb the corpse and seize its trait,” Shen Ge commanded.

[This corpse cannot be absorbed.]

“Why?”

This was the first time Shen Ge had encountered a trait ability that couldn’t be absorbed.

[This corpse cannot be absorbed.]

“Reason?”

[Cannot absorb non-unique traits.]

“Wait, what’s a non-unique trait? You said traits are inherently unique. Since when do non-unique traits exist?” Shen Ge’s expression darkened. This contradicted the system’s previous explanations.

According to the system, anomalies only awakened traits at the 4th stage or higher. Below that, traits remained “latent” within their bodies.

Moreover, traits were supposed to be unique—when an anomaly with a specific trait died, that trait would transfer to a newly born anomaly, lying dormant until it reached the 4th stage and awakened.

Once the system absorbed a trait, it would never reappear.

[Cannot absorb non-unique traits.]

“You’re the one who said traits are unique. Now you’re saying non-unique traits exist. What’s the difference?” Shen Ge pressed.

As usual, the system fell silent.

Shen Ge was used to this. Compared to Xiao Qi, the system was like Symbian next to Android.

Getting a “yes” or “no” was already a stretch—the system only responded to questions phrased within its limited comprehension.

After several failed attempts to rephrase his questions about “uniqueness” and “traits,” Shen Ge considered selling the corpse and revisiting the issue later.

Then it hit him.

“System, are non-unique traits generated differently from unique ones?”

No response.

“Do non-unique traits not transfer to newly born anomalies upon death?”

[Yes.]

“Anomalies originate from non-human animals. The traits the system can absorb are the unique ones from these anomalies, correct?”

[Yes.]

“Non-unique traits don’t appear in anomalies from non-human animals, so the system can’t absorb them?”

[Yes.]

“I once encountered a 5th-stage anomaly with the ‘Three Heads, Six Arms’ trait. Was that also a non-unique trait?”

[Yes.]

Non-unique was self-explanatory—it meant the trait wasn’t one-of-a-kind.

“Are non-unique traits from mass-produced artificial anomalies?” Shen Ge narrowed his eyes, his expression grim. The system’s answers had led him to this conclusion.

Though the system didn’t confirm, Shen Ge had his suspicions.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Deng Yuqi.

He answered as he climbed back up to the 19th floor through the hole.

“Where are you? We’re outside the 19th floor, but the smoke’s too thick to enter,” Deng Yuqi said.

Shen Ge stepped out into the stairwell.

Deng Yuqi, Lin Yin, Feng Chengxiu, Yu Tiexiong, and elite soldiers from Teams 1 and 2 were all waiting there.

“The intruder’s dead. It’s not Old Wang… but it has his characteristics. Probably has similar abilities. My guess? A product of human experimentation.” Shen Ge chose not to sell the “Two Heads, Four Arms” corpse, opting to let the Special Tactics Division study it instead.

With only one suit of armor, Deng Yuqi and the others couldn’t enter the unit yet. They coordinated with firefighters to finish extinguishing the blaze.

Thanks to Shen Ge’s efforts, putting out the fire became much easier. Meanwhile, he briefed Deng Yuqi on his theories about the corpse, Old Wang’s human experiments, and artificial anomalies.

Once the fire was fully extinguished and the smoke cleared, Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi’s team entered the unit to wait for the forensics team to collect the corpse.

Though the “Two Heads, Four Arms” corpse was blown apart and charred beyond recognition, the forensics team managed to recover the main torso and… three hands.

Deng Yuqi watched the team work, then noticed a scorched rocket launcher in the hole below. Her expression turned odd.

“I’d love to know… did the intruder bring those Gatling guns and rocket launchers, or were they already in your home?”

She recalled how Shen Ge had always joked about Gatling guns, even settling for a “Gatling gun license” at one point. Had he actually gotten his hands on these?

“I think the intruder brought them,” Shen Ge said seriously.

Deng Yuqi deadpanned, “Lin Yin mentioned you rescued her in a South Korean K2 Black Panther main battle tank. She investigated that underground lab—it was for pharmaceutical research. There’s no way the South Koreans would’ve stored a tank there.”

Shen Ge mused, “You know how in movies and novels, protagonists can just whip up nukes? Me making a tank isn’t that far-fetched, right?”

“…” Deng Yuqi stared at him, her expression screaming, “Really?”

Shen Ge nodded solemnly. “I think it’s perfectly reasonable.”

Seeing Shen Ge deflect, Deng Yuqi dropped it. His habit was clear—if he wanted to share something, he’d volunteer it. If he didn’t, no amount of prying would help. Worse, he might spit out a grenade just to make a point.

“Wait, when did you get all this? If I hadn’t stopped you back then, would the investigators from headquarters have ended up like this guy?” Deng Yuqi asked gravely.

Shen Ge waved his hands. “No, no, nothing like that. I didn’t have this stuff back then.”

“So you took it from the Division? But I’d have seen a report if anything went missing.”

Shen Ge grinned. “Actually, I carry an entire armory with me. Whenever I need gear, I just pull it out. That tank? Poof—instant summon.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. I’ve got a pocket dimension too, with a galaxy-class battleship inside. If Earth’s doomed, I’ll just drag the sun out of the Milky Way,” Deng Yuqi said flatly.

Shen Ge sighed. “See? Tell you the truth, and you don’t believe me. Don’t tell you, and you get upset. You officials are so hard to please.”

Deng Yuqi gave up and changed the subject. “Special Tactics agents’ information is strictly confidential. We even modified your pre-employment records. Theoretically, unless someone tailed you here, they shouldn’t have found your old address. And if I recall, you haven’t been back here in a while, right?”

Since returning from South Korea, Shen Ge had either stayed at Cheng Shengnan’s place or the Division dorms. He hadn’t been back here in ages—which puzzled him the most.

“All my valuables are on me. The Division dorms would’ve been a better target. I don’t get why they came here.”

Deng Yuqi speculated, “The Division has 24/7 patrols. After you foiled their plans in South Korea and during the Black Hound incident, they probably investigated you. This was likely just reconnaissance. They didn’t expect your home to be a death trap.” She paused. “Ignoring where you got all that—you just kept it under your bed? Weren’t you afraid of blowing yourself up?”

“This? Pfft. Back at my old place in the suburbs, I booby-trapped miles of wasteland. Too bad it was too far from work. Otherwise, forget one intruder—a whole squad would’ve been wiped out,” Shen Ge bragged.

Deng Yuqi said dryly, “That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Oh. Really?” Shen Ge blinked.

Deng Yuqi gritted her teeth. “You planted this in a residential area. What if civilians got hurt? This explosion took out three floors.”

“Relax, I planned for that. Took me months to find this place. Buy one floor, get two free. The unit below is empty, and the one above is rarely occupied. The bedroom’s layout ensures the blast wouldn’t reach neighboring units. I measured it,” Shen Ge said confidently.

Deng Yuqi was at a loss for words.

“Report!”

The forensics team leader approached. “We’ve recovered the target’s remains. Ready for transport.”

Deng Yuqi nodded. “Team 1 will escort you back. Team 2 stays to assist forensics with—”

“Wait.”

Shen Ge interrupted. “Chief, if this corpse is tied to human experiments, the perpetrators won’t let it go easily. For safety, have everyone stay put. Once forensics is done, we’ll all escort it back.”

The team leader hesitated. “The scene’s heavily damaged. Extracting all trace evidence will take time.”

“Just take the major remains. The small stuff doesn’t matter. The priority is securing that bloody hand,” Shen Ge said.

Deng Yuqi frowned. “You think they’ll ambush the transport?”

“If this corpse holds secrets like artificial anomalies? Absolutely. Remember Li Xiang’s investigation into headquarters’ human experiments? If this is their handiwork, he’d find clues. If I were them, I wouldn’t let this leave,” Shen Ge said.

“Good point.” Deng Yuqi ordered everyone to return to headquarters with the corpse first.

The Special Tactics team followed orders, loading the remains for transport while leaving the police to secure the scene.

The trip from the complex to headquarters took about 30 minutes. Team 1 led the convoy, Team 2 brought up the rear, and Shen Ge and Lin Yin rode in the vehicle transporting the corpse, with Deng Yuqi following in her car.

As they passed through Maruo City’s downtown area, traffic slowed to a crawl.

Having headquarters downtown had its pros and cons. In situations like this, if enemies didn’t care about civilian casualties—or wanted chaos to cover their attack—the Division would be at a severe disadvantage.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[5th-stage anomaly detected (Trait: Three Heads, Six Arms). Host is outmatched. Recommend immediate retreat!]

Here they come!

Shen Ge, lost in thought about “non-unique traits,” suddenly looked up, alert.

Lin Yin noticed. “What’s wrong?”

“His buddies are here. Lin Yin, guard the corpse. I’ll handle this.” Shen Ge snapped his fingers twice, equipping his Anomalous Gloves and Boots.

He flung the door open, grabbed the frame, and leaped onto the sidewalk, startling pedestrians.

Deng Yuqi, seeing Shen Ge bail from the armored vehicle, grabbed her radio. “Shen Ge, what’s happening?”

Shen Ge weaved through the crowd, using the system’s alerts and his ability to see faint anomalous energy to track the intruder.

“Agent Shen says the deceased’s accomplices are here. He’s pursuing them,” Lin Yin relayed over the radio.

Deng Yuqi was about to order Team 1 to assist when Shen Ge cut in:

“I’ve got visual. Engaging now. Chief, you and Lin Yin focus on the corpse. This might be a diversion—I’d feel better with you two guarding it.”

“Be careful,” Deng Yuqi said.

After Shen Ge’s analysis, she understood the corpse’s importance. If the enemy wanted it back this badly, it had to hold critical intel.

She also suspected this wasn’t just carelessness—who expects explosive traps in a city apartment?

The “bloody hand” proved they hadn’t underestimated Shen Ge. They’d sent someone with special abilities, possibly a key operative.

But they’d picked the wrong target.

Deng Yuqi tightened the convoy’s formation. Team 1 cleared the path with sirens, flanked by guards. Team 2 blocked trailing vehicles while coordinating with traffic control for a clear route.

Meanwhile, Shen Ge spotted traces of anomalous energy in the crowd. Following it, he found a figure in a black hoodie—identical to Old Wang’s—holding a black cat wreathed in dark mist.

The person wore a hood and black mask, obscuring their face. Their build didn’t match Old Wang’s.

Noticing Shen Ge, they turned and slipped into a nearby mall.