The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 130

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!

Shen Ge stood on the neck of the Elephant Anomaly, gripping the iron chain reins, steering the colossal creature with earth-shaking steps as it marched toward the sports field.

With each step the Elephant Anomaly took, the ground trembled. The gathered Parasitized instantly turned into pools of blood.

Just like that, Shen Ge maneuvered the Elephant Anomaly back and forth across the field twice, instantly trampling the Parasitized and other anomalies that Deng Yuqi and the others had gathered there into paste.

[Host assisted in killing a Tier 1 Anomaly. Reward: 10 System Points!]
[Host assisted in killing a Tier 2 Anomaly. Reward: 50 System Points.]
…

Over a dozen system notifications chimed in a row. Unfortunately, the total points added up to a mere three to five hundred, less than what Shen Ge would get for personally taking down a single anomaly himself.

While these anomalies posed no real threat to him, leaving meant the chains would be uncontrolled, and the Tier 3 anomaly would go completely berserk. Playing it safe, Shen Ge decided to hold out until the Red Anomaly Crystal’s energy was depleted.

While others might arrive riding clouds of radiant light to save the day, Shen Ge, this show-off, rode in on a Tier 3 anomaly. The kicker? He held the reins with one hand and a megaphone with the other, singing off-key. For a moment, aside from Fang Mingyue, his die-hard fan, even the “acquaintances” who had come out of the teaching building to see what the noise was about found it hard to keep a straight face.

“Xiao Qi, who is that?” Old Man Fang couldn’t help but ask.

Deng Yuqi had originally been heading to the broadcast room, which was the same direction Old Man Fang and the others were evacuating. Now that Shen Ge had arrived to save the day, she naturally didn’t need to go to the broadcast room anymore.

Deng Yuqi wore an expression that clearly said, “I really don’t want to know him,” as she replied, “That is… Investigator Shen from our Rong City Branch.”

“So, this is the Investigator Shen who has saved Mingyue multiple times. He is indeed… unique,” Old Man Fang remarked, his tone filled with appreciation for Shen Ge.

“……” Seeing Old Man Fang’s reaction, Deng Yuqi’s expression turned strange. Just what kind of spell did Shen Ge have on the Fang family?

Old Man Fang pondered, “Investigator Shen can actually control a Tier 3 anomaly? Is this due to the latest Anomaly Energy equipment developed by your Rong City branch, or… a new technology?”

Deng Yuqi’s expression froze, and she frowned slightly. “This… Old Man Fang, you must have heard we have another talented researcher in our department. Director Li is highly capable. With the frequent anomaly incidents these past few months—the number in Rong City alone has surpassed several dozen times the total from the past few years—research materials have become more plentiful. My days are quite busy, so the research in the department is handled by Investigator Shen and Director Li. Perhaps they’ve developed some new equipment!”

Deng Yuqi’s words were impeccably delivered, attributing this miraculous ability to the Rong City Special Strategies Department researchers as Old Man Fang had suggested. Her real aim, however, was to cover for Shen Ge.

Shen Ge had too many secrets. Just the various related reports and… the transfer orders from above already filled an entire drawer in her desk. Delving too deep into some questions benefited no one.

“I see. But even with such technology, it wouldn’t be possible without a daring and brave executor like Investigator Shen. It’s a relief to us old folks to see a talent like Investigator Shen emerge in our Special Strategies Department,” Old Man Fang said with emotion.

Deng Yuqi laughed, “Old Man Fang, please don’t praise him. He can’t handle praise at all. Who knows what kind of trouble he might stir up next.”

“Is that so? Mingyue’s report mentioned that the Parasitized are extremely sensitive to sound. Using noise to attract monsters was also Investigator Shen’s idea. His method of controlling anomalies, disregarding face to deliberately sing off-key and attract them—he doesn’t sweat the small stuff. It’s the mark of a true leader!” Old Man Fang said earnestly.

The corner of Deng Yuqi’s eye twitched. Her expression turned peculiar again, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond to Old Man Fang.

…Let’s just consider the possibility, however remote, that he isn’t deliberately singing off-key but is actually just tone-deaf?

Before she could say anything, Shen Ge had another episode.

“All kinds of emptiness, cold, cold, cold, blowing, blowing dreams in the wind! The heart of the past, fiery hot, has today turned to ice! In my memory, the pain returns, just because emptiness toys with me again, you are like the north wind, blowing away my dreams, let everything go with the wind!” Shen Ge, clearly unaware that Deng Yuqi was complaining about his lack of musical skill behind his back, was still passionately singing off-key into the megaphone, luring the surrounding Parasitized and anomalies over to be stomped flat.

“……”
“……”
“……”

Deng Yuqi couldn’t help but raise her hand to her forehead. Feng Chengxiu and the others, too embarrassed to keep watching, retreated back into the teaching building. Old Man Fang looked on with admiration, while Fang Mingyue, excited, rushed over to join the group.

Noticing Deng Yuqi and the others in the distance, Shen Ge shouted through the megaphone, “Hey, Director! Here to inspect the work in person?”

“……” What if I just don’t want to answer?

“Director, I got a gift for you!” Shen Ge was too far away to notice the look of disdain on Deng Yuqi’s face. But disdain aside, a gift was still a gift.

Shen Ge controlled the Elephant Anomaly to walk towards Deng Yuqi’s group. Then, donning his Anomaly Glove, he bent down, grabbed a lump of something, and threw it directly down from the back of the thirty-meter-tall giant anomaly.

Splat.

The unidentified “lump” hit the ground, instantly becoming a bloody, mangled mess.

Although Deng Yuqi didn’t know what Shen Ge was up to now, she knew whatever he “threw” couldn’t be ordinary.

The group immediately moved toward where Shen Ge had thrown the object. To their surprise, it was a “human pig”—limbs gone, eyes gouged out, nose and ears sliced off. But the blood-soaked black hoodie and the character “You” on the hood made this person’s identity clear.

Deng Yuqi reached out to check “You’s” breathing and pressed on his throat. She was surprised to find that, despite his condition, he was still clinging to life.

“This is ‘You’, a core member of the Twelve Branches. Secure him immediately,” Deng Yuqi ordered the accompanying soldiers.

Once they had “You” under control, Shen Ge had mostly cleared the Parasitized and anomalies from the sports field. Calculating the time, he could probably control the Elephant Anomaly for a few more dozen minutes at most.

But he couldn’t be sure the time “You” had given was accurate. After some thought, Shen Ge decided to deal with the Elephant Anomaly ahead of time. He used the megaphone to briefly explain the situation to Deng Yuqi and the others, asking them to prepare to assist.

Hearing that the Tier 3 anomaly was about to go out of control, Deng Yuqi and the others quickly prepared for battle. Three Anomaly Investigators stepped forward, while the remaining soldiers provided support from a distance.

Seeing Deng Yuqi’s team was ready, Shen Ge clad himself in the full-body armor, pulled the Red Anomaly Crystal from the Elephant Anomaly’s nape, and stuffed a high-explosive bomb along with his remaining explosives into the bloody hole.

The moment the Red Anomaly Crystal was removed, the Elephant Anomaly let out its world-shaking swallowing sound, roaring as it threw its head back and struggled, trying to throw the unwanted rider off its back.

Seizing the moment, Shen Ge, holding the Red Anomaly Crystal in one hand, took out the Black Bone Dagger with the other and stabbed it into the Elephant Anomaly’s body. Using the dagger to cut through the anomaly’s hide for resistance, he attempted to slide down from its back.

Just then, the stone pillar tentacles on the Elephant Anomaly’s back made cracking sounds, once again transforming into hard-shelled anomalies resembling stone pillars, like beetles, converging toward Shen Ge.

Bang!
Bang!
Bang!

The supporting soldiers in the distance immediately opened fire on the small anomalies on the Elephant Anomaly’s back, trying to draw them away from Shen Ge.

Shen Ge had no time to deal with them either. He picked his moment and jumped into the greenery belt, rolling to dissipate the force. Clutching the Red Anomaly Crystal, he ran towards Deng Yuqi’s position.

Deng Yuqi, Fang Mingyue, and Old Man Fang had already moved forward to meet him. Old Man Fang, despite being in his seventies, led the charge beneath the Elephant Anomaly, wielding a Zhanmadao (horse-chopping saber).

This Zhanmadao was crafted from the tooth and bone of a Tier 2 anomaly, fused with various Earth’s hardest materials and processed multiple times by the headquarters’ tech department. It was exceptionally sharp.

One slash cut through the Anomaly Energy black mist enveloping the outer skin; another slash left a deep gash, spurting black blood.

Old Man Fang sidestepped the spraying black blood, his blade striking the same spot repeatedly, trying to sever the Elephant Anomaly’s Achilles tendon.

Meanwhile, with support from the distant soldiers, more and more beetle anomalies jumped down from the Elephant Anomaly’s back, attempting to charge at them.

Deng Yuqi and Fang Mingyue guarded their path, clearly not letting them break through. A sweep of Fang Mingyue’s Anomaly Bone Staff transformed it into a bone cage, trapping two beetle anomalies.

Deng Yuqi was more direct—punch after punch, each aimed at the head. Bājí Bēng (Eight Extremes Shattering) was inherently a fierce and violent technique. Paired with the strength-enhancing mechanical armguard, its power was astounding.

This mechanical armguard was the latest combat equipment developed by the Rong City tech department researchers. Driven by Anomaly Energy and made with a special steel skeleton, it could enhance the user’s strength beyond human limits to a certain degree.

After handing the Red Anomaly Crystal to a soldier for safekeeping, Shen Ge returned to the battlefield. He first used the Anomaly Eye’s “Unseeable” ability to blind the Elephant Anomaly, then went to “cooperate” with Old Man Fang.

One chopped, the other applied black anomaly fire to the wounds.

After crippling the Elephant Anomaly’s powerful hind legs, applying the dual debuffs of “crippled + blinded,” those beetle anomalies no longer posed a threat.

[Host, majestic and mighty, divinely brave and peerless, collaborated with teammates to kill a Tier 3 Anomaly. Reward: 100 System Points, Random F-grade Supply x1.]
[Sell Tier 3 Anomaly corpse? Price: 1500 System Points.]

“No.”

Shen Ge retracted the full-body armor and walked over to greet Deng Yuqi, his tone teasing. “Director, were you worried I’d bite the dust and came specifically to support me?”

“Nothing much worth celebrating has happened at the department lately, so I thought I’d come see if you’d kicked the bucket. If you had, we could throw you a grand funeral, since you’re one of ours,” Deng Yuqi said with a sardonic smile.

“If it’s a grand affair, please seat me at the kids’ table.”
“I’ll definitely put your photo on that table.”
Shen Ge raised an eyebrow. “Not bad, Director. Your wit’s improving.”
“Where, where. It’s just the effect of bad company,” Deng Yuqi laughed.

Despite the banter, they didn’t neglect business. They arranged for elite soldiers to detect the anomaly, confirm its death, seal it with a special device, and then call for backup.

“Speaking of which, Director, you came personally. What about Rong City?” Shen Ge asked.
Deng Yuqi replied, “You have a good eye. Those two newcomers are capable. In the week you’ve been gone, they jointly handled two Tier 1 anomaly incidents. With Section Chief Chen and Lin Yin keeping an eye on things, the branch should be fine. Besides, inspired by your home’s… setup, I prepared a little ‘gift’ for anyone visiting the place where ‘Xū’s’ remains are stored. I almost hope they show up early.”
“You’ve become corrupted,” Shen Ge said with a look of disdain.
Deng Yuqi scolded expressionlessly, “Piss off!”

As they talked, they returned with Fang Mingyue and Old Man Fang to the teaching building where Feng Chengxiu and the others were. Looking at the “human pig” on the ground and the Red Anomaly Crystal, Deng Yuqi asked, “Care to explain? What’s the situation?”

Shen Ge briefly explained how “Yǒu” controlled the Elephant Anomaly and how he played the oriole catching the cicada. He continued, “This Red Anomaly Crystal control set is made from the remains of a Tier 3 anomaly. According to them, a control set made from materials of a certain tier can briefly control an anomaly of that tier. But the higher the anomaly’s tier, the lower the chance of control, and the shorter the control duration.”

“I took ‘Xū’s’ remains from the Rong City branch. They did consider retrieving them, but they didn’t send a numbered core member, just some ‘Kè’ level agents. I killed the one they sent when he made a move. I rigged his body with explosives. When he returned, he not only blew up a transfer point but also killed two ‘Kè’ level members, disrupting their plans.”

“Unfortunately, there were two transfer points. Besides the one I blew up, another was set up in Cuihu Wetland Park. Besides the Red Anomaly Crystal control set, I also found a pistol on him that fires anomaly bullets capable of instantly killing Tier 1 anomalies, and a teleporter.”

“I originally considered using this teleporter to check out ‘Cuihu Wetland Park’ directly, but I was worried that after losing contact with ‘You,’ they might be on alert. Teleporting right into a trap would be a huge loss. Plus, I needed to control the Elephant Anomaly, so I shelved that idea for now. Anyone want to give it a try?”

Deng Yuqi rolled her eyes at Shen Ge, about to tease, when she noticed Fang Mingyue picking up the red anomaly bullet Shen Ge had placed on the table, her expression grave.

“Wait, Investigator Shen, you said this Anomaly-Killing Gun was taken from ‘You’?” Fang Mingyue asked.
Shen Ge nodded. “Yes. You’re going to say… you’ve seen similar Anomaly Energy equipment, or perhaps blueprints, at the headquarters research institute, right?”

Fang Mingyue looked at Shen Ge in surprise, her expression seeming to say, “As expected of Investigator Shen, you even know what I’m thinking.”
Shen Ge shrugged helplessly and looked at Deng Yuqi. “Director, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
“…Bad news first,” Deng Yuqi said, rarely seeing Shen Ge so serious. A sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
Shen Ge said, “Before this year, the frequency of anomaly incidents wasn’t high. Anomaly corpses became rare research materials. So, not just our country, but developed nations aware of anomalies secretly established research institutes related to them. The Twelve Branches used this as an entry point, planting a large number of spies into these institutes in various countries. Some even infiltrated the upper echelons.”
“The good news is you know who the spies are?” Deng Yuqi asked hopefully.
Shen Ge shook his head. “No. The good news is that certain ‘numbered’ members of the Twelve Branches have risen to high levels in the political circles of other countries. In some small countries, they might even ‘call the shots.’ Unfortunately, they use single-point contact. Many don’t know each other’s identities. Our country is slightly better off. While the Special Strategies Department has been infiltrated, it seems it’s not the command structure, but the research institute.”

“So, they got their hands on some technology from the headquarters, incidentally caused some ‘lab accidents,’ and secretly transferred some anomaly materials and Anomaly Energy equipment. This Anomaly-Killing Gun is one piece from that batch of equipment stolen during the chaos.”

Deng Yuqi’s expression turned subtly complex. “This counts as good news?”
“It doesn’t? I always thought headquarters was pretty useless. I thought they were completely infiltrated. Turns out it’s only a small part,” Shen Ge stated bluntly.
“……”
“……”

Deng Yuqi: Bro… There are two capital city Anomaly Investigators here, one is a founding ‘elder’ of the headquarters. If you won’t do it for the monk’s sake, do it for the Buddha’s! At least save some face for them!

Fang Mingyue stood up straight, giving Shen Ge a respectful salute. She said seriously, “Investigator Shen’s criticism is justified. Over the years, headquarters, being in a constant state of standby, became complacent, obsolete, and foolish, causing the combat effectiveness of various departments to be exposed when facing tough battles. I will firmly remember Investigator Shen’s teachings, starting with myself, fundamentally changing the headquarters. I will definitely not let Investigator Shen down.”

Deng Yuqi: Down what? He’s obviously just mouthing off and taking a dig at the headquarters. There’s no deeper meaning!

Before Deng Yuqi could make complaints, Old Man Fang also nodded, saying seriously, “Xiao Shen’s words are indeed thought-provoking. Headquarters’ inaction over the years is indeed a significant problem. Anomalies are existences modern science cannot explain. Their emergence should have been taken seriously. Headquarters’ stagnation all these years is itself a form of ‘negligence.’ After we return, we old bones will definitely conduct a thorough overhaul!”

Then, Shen Ge’s gaze shifted between Old Man Fang and Deng Yuqi, finally settling on Old Man Fang. He asked with a serious expression, “Old Man Fang, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Xiao Shen, speak freely,” Old Man Fang replied equally seriously.
Shen Ge asked, “When was the headquarters established?”
Old Man Fang was taken aback. He thought Shen Ge’s question would involve some secret, never expecting it to be so… simple.
“The headquarters was established ten years ago, when the first anomaly incident occurred in the capital.”
Shen Ge narrowed his eyes and looked at Deng Yuqi. “Director, I remember you told me before that the first anomaly incident in the capital was ten years ago. Six years ago, the first incident occurred in Rong City. The Rong City branch was established the following year. The year after that, you were transferred to Rong City as director. Up until this year, a total of 4 incidents occurred. And starting this year, the rate of deterioration is faster than you imagined, right?”

Deng Yuqi nodded. “Correct. Previously, an anomaly incident occurred on average only once a year. In recent years, a total of nineteen incidents have occurred nationwide. The frequency of anomalies is increasing faster and faster. And that’s just our country. The situation in other countries is worse.”

Shen Ge said gravely, “According to this year’s research reports from various departments on anomalies, the birth of anomalies stems from ‘abuse’ and ‘death.’ But… this is only the ‘anomalization’ of animals. The ‘Anomaly Energy’ that causes this anomalization does not originate from within the animals themselves.”

“What do you mean?” Old Man Fang asked urgently.
In recent years, with the high occurrence of anomaly incidents, the Special Strategies Department had been trying to solve the root cause of anomalization but had made no progress.
Not just China, but other countries had also conducted plenty of research on the “anomalization” of animals, even resorting to various abuses and cruel killings.
But unfortunately, abused and killed animals didn’t necessarily anomalize. Severely abused animals weren’t necessarily more likely to anomalize than those killed normally.
Sometimes, an animal killed directly with a knife or gun would anomalize immediately, while those tortured beyond recognition showed no reaction.
Whether Anomaly Energy initially exists within animals is unknown. Where Anomaly Energy comes from is also untraceable.

“Actually, before the anomaly incident ten years ago, before the headquarters was established, there already existed a research organization in our country focused on anomalies. The ‘leader’ of the Twelve Branches was a researcher from that organization. But according to ‘Yǒu,’ the ‘leader’ wasn’t high-ranking in that organization back then and didn’t have access to all its information.”

“According to the ‘leader,’ there were no anomaly incidents in the world at that time. The first ‘anomaly’ was discovered inside a person’s body. Initially, they thought it was a ‘tumor,’ but research revealed it wasn’t that simple.”

“Through researching this ‘first anomaly,’ they discovered the existence of Anomaly Energy. Tracing the Anomaly Energy deep underground, they found another anomaly—a strange creature, one never before seen in human cognition, possessing endless Anomaly Energy. They called it the ‘Anomaly Progenitor,’ or perhaps… the ‘Anomaly King.'”

“Later, during research, a researcher’s mistake caused the Anomaly King to ‘die.’ The research team proceeded to dissect and study it. But from that moment on, anomaly incidents began appearing worldwide. To deal with them, the institute accelerated its research, leading to a major accident. The institute’s secret was exposed. Other countries discovered this secret and demanded our country open up the research.”

“Our country, upholding the principle of combating world crises together, partially opened the research to the five permanent UN members. But someone attempted to steal the Anomaly King’s corpse. The new research institute was attacked, and the Anomaly King’s corpse went missing.”

“According to that ‘leader’s’ account to the Twelve Branches, Anomaly Energy was originally buried deep in the earth’s core. That ‘Anomaly King’ was the ‘cork’ blocking this surge of anomalous energy, constantly absorbing the Anomaly Energy welling up from below. Now, humans have recklessly pulled out the cork, and Anomaly Energy has gone completely out of control.”

“And Anomaly Energy can only be absorbed by non-human creatures. It seems more like a punishment from Earth towards humanity for recklessly damaging the environment.”

“Currently, the country with the highest anomaly incident rate and most severe anomaly disasters is Japan. What happened there over a decade ago, I believe everyone is very clear about.”

“As for whether there’s a connection there, I wouldn’t know.”

After listening to Shen Ge, everyone’s expressions turned grim. Deng Yuqi glanced at the “human pig” locked in a cage not far away.
“Did he tell you all this?” Deng Yuqi asked.
Shen Ge nodded. “How much is true and how much is false is for you to verify later, Director. I went through a lot of trouble to get him to talk.”
Deng Yuqi looked at the mechanical device paired with the Red Anomaly Crystal on the table, still stained with blood. She immediately understood that Shen Ge’s “get him to talk” was very much on the physical level.
Although the methods were somewhat cruel, these people wouldn’t hesitate to create an anomaly disaster in the capital to achieve their goals. They deserved worse than death.
Dealing with extraordinary people naturally required extraordinary means.

Old Man Fang pondered, “Back then, higher-ups sent people to find us and asked us to establish the Special Strategies Department to deal with anomalies. This happened after the first anomaly incident. But thinking back now, it seemed the higher-ups were prepared. Some research materials were quite detailed. It’s possible there were other research institutes before the Special Strategies Department was established.”
“Perhaps… this research organization still exists,” Fang Mingyue said.
Deng Yuqi nodded in agreement. “Very likely. After all, we haven’t seen any research reports on the ‘Anomaly King’ so far. Maybe this research organization still exists, just gone from public to covert, secretly researching the Anomaly King’s corpse.”

She paused, then continued, “But that’s for later. It involves too many things and won’t be simple to investigate. The most important thing now is to resolve the capital’s anomaly disaster first. We can investigate the rest slowly later. By the way, Shen Ge, you said the Twelve Branches’ goal wasn’t to seize ‘Xū’s’ remains. Then what was it?”

Shen Ge said, “The hidden research reports from headquarters. What they want isn’t the reports themselves, but the humanoid anomaly corpse found in the deep sea. They believe it might be the corpse of the ‘Anomaly King.’ Obtaining this corpse would allow a breakthrough in merging humans with anomalies. Because the ability to ‘fuse’ with anomalies they use now was brought out by the ‘leader’ from that research organization back then.”

“They’ve already sent people to the headquarters research institute. ‘Yǒu’s’ mission was to control the Tier 3 anomaly to prevent headquarters investigators from entering, causing as much trouble as possible.”

Old Man Fang frowned. “But I’ve been at headquarters for so many years and never heard about any humanoid anomaly corpse found in the sea?”
“Perhaps it was discovered in the two years since you retired, Grandpa,” Fang Mingyue said.
Deng Yuqi said, “Wait, that’s not right. As far as I know, the human experimentation project initiated by headquarters back then found its method through research on this type of humanoid anomaly corpse. Old Man Fang, back then you… Ah! So that’s it! No wonder during that disaster outbreak, Old Man Fang was conveniently on a mission to another country’s anomaly research department. It seems someone was conducting secret research behind your back as director. Old Man Fang, do you remember the situation back then?”

Old Man Fang said gravely, “Back then, headquarters developed a new type of Anomaly Energy detection device and sent me to communicate with the US side about it. The trip was for 3 days. Shortly after I left, I heard there was an experimental accident at the research institute, an anomaly outbreak. I only knew it was related to some human experimentation project, but that was the first I’d heard of it. I took responsibility and stepped down from the director position.”

Deng Yuqi narrowed her eyes. “It seems if we follow this lead, we might be able to unearth the Twelve Branches’ hidden pieces ahead of time.”
Old Man Fang said, “Regardless, now that we know the Twelve Branches’ goal, we can’t let them succeed in stealing that humanoid anomaly corpse.”
“Old Man Fang, don’t worry. That corpse isn’t stored at the headquarters. The headquarters only has the experimental plan from back then that briefly mentions it. However, we do need to hurry to the headquarters,” Deng Yuqi said.

Then, Deng Yuqi suggested that she and Feng Chengxiu’s team take “Yǒu” to the command post. The elite soldiers brought by Fang Mingyue would be responsible for evacuating survivors.
Shen Ge, Fang Mingyue, and Old Man Fang would go to the headquarters to stop the Twelve Branches’ plan. But Shen Ge immediately vetoed this proposal.

Shen Ge’s idea was that he could use his Anomaly Leather Boots for rapid movement, going to the headquarters first to contain the Twelve Branches. Old Man Fang and Fang Mingyue would go to other battle zones to gather Anomaly Investigators and advance toward the headquarters.
Deng Yuqi saw that Shen Ge wanted to operate alone. Following his lead, she persuaded the worried Old Man Fang and Fang Mingyue, agreeing to proceed with Shen Ge’s plan of “splitting up.”

After Deng Yuqi and the others left, Shen Ge, who was heading to the Fifth Battle Zone, “turned back,” creating noise mimicking survivors in the teaching building to lure away the soldiers left to guard the Elephant Anomaly’s corpse. Then, using “Unseen,” he approached.

[Sell Tier 3 Anomaly corpse? Price: 1500 System Points.]
“Yes!”

As Shen Ge confirmed, the system unceremoniously took the Tier 3 anomaly’s corpse.
Although 1500 points wasn’t much compared to Shen Ge’s current point acquisition ability, he wasn’t sure if there were still Twelve Branches operatives in the locked-down zone. He’d rather completely destroy the anomaly corpse than leave it for the Twelve Branches.
Of course, with the system’s “sell” function, he didn’t have to destroy the corpse and waste it.

With the Elephant Anomaly dealt with, Shen Ge continued toward the Fifth Battle Zone. Not long after entering, he discovered this area also had an overlapping anomaly space.
According to his portable anomaly space detector, the complexity far exceeded the quadruple anomaly space in Haicheng District, reaching eight layers!

With 20 hours remaining before foreign anomaly organizations were scheduled to enter, Shen Ge arrived at the headquarters location.
Ahead, a dense fog lingered.
Affected by the overlapping anomaly space, the headquarters complex building looked decades abandoned. The surrounding environment resembled a post-apocalyptic scene, making anyone walking in the fog feel an eerie, chilling dread.

As Shen Ge stepped into the seemingly on the verge of collapse complex building, the system, quiet for a day, suddenly “sprang to life.”

[Warning!]
[Host is about to enter the activity range of a Tier 6 Anomaly “Trait: Four Heads, Eight Arms.” This area is covered by an Anomaly Domain. Entering with the host’s current strength will certainly result in: life hanging by a thread, beyond help, doomed, in peril, facing certain death, ten out of ten deaths… Please value your life and immediately leave the Special Grade Contaminated Zone!]

Four Heads, Eight Arms? Seriously? Would Tier 7 be Five Heads, Ten Arms? System, you’re so good at naming things!
Tier 10 would be the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, right?

Wait, this “Two Heads, Four Arms” was the Twelve Branches’ “Kè,” “Three Heads, Six Arms” was their “numbered core members.” This “Four Heads, Eight Arms”… could it be that leader who knows so many secrets?