The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 136

Deer Lake Water City.

An upscale residential community built around an artificial lake. Stand-alone villas sit at the lake’s center, with boat transfers for travel and dedicated car service upon reaching shore.

If you asked where the most wealthy people in Rong City were, Deer Lake Water City’s villa district would take second place to none. You could swing a stick and hit several “richest individuals.”

Besides the local wealthy, out-of-town magnates also loved buying property here. Whether they lived there or not was irrelevant; owning a place here was a status symbol.

Thus, the prime villa at the heart of the lake had seen its price skyrocket to ten digits at its peak. Even though prices had recently “cooled down,” the cheapest one still cost a cool two hundred million.

The Zhang Group was considered wealthy in Rong City, but not to the extent of casually spending hundreds of millions on a house for fun, let alone without the necessary “qualifications.”

Zhang Yaozu, the second son of the Zhang Group, was once a prominent figure in Rong City. But after recently being swindled out of five million and having his humiliating moment livestreamed by a foolish lackey, he became a laughingstock among the city’s upper crust.

Adopting a self-destructive attitude, Zhang Yaozu embezzled a large sum from the company to splurge, trying to save face in front of his so-called friends. It all came to light a few days ago, and his parents kicked him out.

Left with only a few hundred thousand, Zhang Yaozu had no choice but to seek refuge with Liu Zongrui, the number one heir in Rong City, scion of the wealthy Liu family.

Liu Zongrui, wearing a bathrobe and holding the recently popular actress who had risen to fame through a hit drama, emerged from the bedroom. He glanced at Zhang Yaozu, who sat gloomily in the living room, smirked, picked up two glasses, and sat on the sofa opposite him, sliding one glass across.

Zhang Yaozu caught the glass and looked at Liu Zongrui gratefully. “Brother Liu, I… sigh.”

“Why sigh? Do you think Uncle Zhang will keep you out forever? Stay here for a few days until they cool down,” Liu Zongrui said, tapping the table. The actress beside him quickly stood up to pour drinks for both of them.

Zhang Yaozu gulped down several mouthfuls of alcohol and sighed. “You know how my family is, Brother Liu. My parents only care about my older brother. I embezzled a few million, and they kicked me out.”

“You too. Was it worth embezzling company funds for just a few million?” Liu Zongrui said disdainfully.

Zhang Yaozu had no retort. A few million was just a couple of days’ pocket money for Liu Zongrui, but for him, it was several months’ worth.

Seeing Zhang Yaozu drown his sorrows in alcohol, Liu Zongrui, remembering that Zhang was a competent lackey who had often done his dirty work, stood up and walked toward the bedroom. “Some new ‘toys’ just arrived. Pretty interesting… Let me change, and I’ll take you to see.”

“New toys?” Zhang Yaozu was puzzled.

Liu Zongrui stood at the bedroom door, glanced back at Zhang Yaozu, and asked with a smile, “Eeries. Ever played with them?”

Since the Great Capital Eerie Disaster, eerie incidents had been fully exposed to the public. Major cities worldwide were under “lockdown,” though China had managed the situation best. First-tier cities like Rong City were the first to reopen, and citizens’ lives gradually returned to normal.

A month ago, while driving home, Zhang Yaozu saw a residential area cordoned off, gunfire echoing from within, giving him the illusion of living in a certain city of freedom.

Although news related to eeries was scarce, with some effort, one could find videos online posted by those who had experienced such events. Zhang Yaozu had come across a few himself.

But these terrifying things… could they be played with?
Liu Zongrui and the actress went into the bedroom to change clothes. The sound of rustling was soon accompanied by other noises, making Zhang Yaozu, waiting outside, even more depressed.

After nearly half an hour, Liu Zongrui emerged with the flushed actress. He called Zhang Yaozu to the garage, picked a car, and left the lake island via the North Bridge.

In the car, the actress busied herself with makeup while Liu Zongrui and Zhang Yaozu made small talk. As they crossed the bridge, a splash caught Zhang Yaozu’s attention.

He looked out the window at the lake’s surface. Under the bridge lights, a dark shadow seemed to flash and disappear in the blink of an eye.

On the shore stood a person in a black hoodie, the hood up, features indistinguishable. Their attire didn’t suggest wealth, and Zhang Yaozu wondered how they had gotten in.

Before Zhang Yaozu could ask, his vision blurred, and the person by the lake was gone.

“Maybe I’ve been overthinking these past few days and haven’t rested well?” Zhang Yaozu rubbed his forehead, leaned back in his seat, and looked at Liu Zongrui sitting opposite.

“Brother Liu, do you know about the Special Response Department?” Zhang Yaozu asked.

Liu Zongrui replied, “With so many eerie incidents lately, isn’t that the department specially dealing with them? Why do you ask?”

Instead of answering directly, Zhang Yaozu asked another question. “Do you know anyone from the local branch here in Rong City?”

“Yes, I went with my dad last time he had dinner with some of the branch leaders.”

“The person who swindled me out of five million was from the Special Response Department.”

“Oh? What’s his name?”

“I didn’t get a good look. I just remember a blue police ID. He was quite young… looked decent but abused his power to con me.” Zhang Yaozu described the swindler’s appearance.

Liu Zongrui raised an eyebrow. “Want the money back?”

“Of course! It’s five million!” Zhang Yaozu said earnestly.

“Five million isn’t that much.”

“…” Zhang Yaozu almost blurted out, “Then give me five million,” but afraid of offending Liu Zongrui, he kept quiet.

After teasing him a bit, Liu Zongrui said, “I’ll ask around later. If it’s just an ordinary officer, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thanks, Brother Liu.”

“We’re brothers, no need for formalities.”

Zhang Yaozu thought to himself that once he found that bastard, not only would he get his money back, but he’d also make him crawl between his legs and humiliate him thoroughly.

…

The car stopped by the Fu River. Zhang Yaozu followed Liu Zongrui out and glanced at the familiar “Azure Blue Club” in the distance, thinking Liu was heading to their “usual spot.”

“This way.” Unexpectedly, Liu Zongrui, arm around the woman, called him back. Instead of entering through the main door, they went around to a side entrance guarded by several security personnel.

Liu Zongrui swiped a black membership card at the access control. The three were led inside by security into an elevator.

Zhang Yaozu was startled by the numbers on the elevator panel: only -1, -2, -3, and -4.

Having been around, Zhang Yaozu had visited such places in Haicheng and the Great Capital. The lower you went, the more illicit the activities. But he never knew Rong City had a place like this.

At -4, the elevator doors opened. Guided, they walked down a passageway until they stopped before a three-meter-high, five-meter-wide metal door.

A security guard swiped a card. With a hiss of pneumatics, the metal door slowly slid open, unleashing a blast of deafening music.

Strobing lights, a dancing crowd, packed seating.

On the central stage stood a massive iron cage. Four women wearing little more than strings danced provocatively around a pole.

The arousing atmosphere and visuals reminded Zhang Yaozu of the time he and Liu Zongrui went to a CHorse show.

The three proceeded to Liu Zongrui’s reserved VIP room. Inside were several young masters Zhang Yaozu had met before, all prominent figures from various places.

Having met a few through Liu Zongrui before, they greeted him as he entered.

“Yo, Young Master Liu, finally here!”

“You’re almost late for the show.”

“Who’s this?”

“Brother Liu’s friend?”

“Seen him before?”

Zhang Yaozu quickly stepped forward to introduce himself. His current situation was awkward, and he relied on Liu Zongrui for support these days, making him come across as a “lackey.”

After they sat down, someone pressed the call button on the table. Soon, a manager brought in over a dozen hostesses of various types and “specialties” for Liu Zongrui and Zhang Yaozu to choose from.

Though he had brought one, Liu Zongrui still picked two more—one busty, one long-legged—keeping the original on his lap, embracing left and right.

Zhang Yaozu also chose two. Burying himself in their warmth helped him temporarily forget his recent frustrations.

Then, the music gradually softened. A well-dressed host took the stage, made some polite remarks, and had staff lead a thoroughbred horse onto the stage, locking it in the iron cage.

The pole dancers also entered the cage.

The host was quite the speaker, whipping up the crowd’s excitement with a few words.

Though Zhang Yaozu found it somewhat perverse, having been to Thailand and seen worse, he found it barely acceptable.

When the host felt the atmosphere was sufficiently charged, he spoke into his walkie-talkie. Several staff entered the cage, securing the horse to the cage with chains.

Shortly after, two people in protective suits brought a caged monkey into the large central cage and injected some drug into the horse.

The music grew softer, the noisy venue gradually quieting down. The customers held their breath, watching the stage.

Black smoke gradually rose from the horse and monkey. Their cries intertwined, evoking an inexplicable sense of dread.

Within minutes, both the horse and monkey were visibly mutating, their sizes doubling, becoming ferocious and terrifying.

The central cage seemed made of some special material, its bars as thick as arms. The monkey savagely shaking the bars during its mutation, scared the surrounding customers into screaming and fleeing, but the bars held firm.

“Gulp.”

“Gulp.”

After completing their mutation, the two eeries let out deafening swallowing sounds, frightening the customers into backing away, not daring to breathe loudly.

This was Zhang Yaozu’s first time seeing eeries “up close.” Clearly not as calm as Liu Zongrui and the others, he unconsciously tightened his grip, making the hostess in his arms whimper in pain.

Zhang Yaozu looked at the nearly three-meter-tall eerie horse and the gorilla-like monkey, swallowed hard, suppressed his fear, and asked Liu Zongrui with forced composure, “Brother Liu, these… these are eeries? I heard they feed on humans. Isn’t this dangerous?”

Liu Zongrui laughed. “Relax, that cage is made of special material. I think it’s called an eerie, eerie energy cage? I’ve seen bigger eeries before, trapped inside just like pets. Don’t be nervous; think of it as visiting a zoo.”

Clearly, this was no zoo.

On stage, the host had staff bring up a large wheel divided into over a dozen sections, each labeled with different content.

Things like “Black Beast,” “Nocturnal Avian Sick Beast,” “Depth Charge,” “Rose Sashimi,” “Russian Roulette,” “Fighting,” etc.

After riling up the crowd again, the host started an auction for the game rights. The highest bidder would come on stage to spin the wheel.

After choosing the “game,” the bidder could participate personally or select some hostesses or hosts to complete the challenge.

The first game right was won by a customer for six hundred thousand. He spun the wheel, which landed on “Black Beast.”

Naturally, he wouldn’t choose to go himself. The host then offered half the bid money to select a “hostess.”

The hostesses, hosts, and dancers here were all “trained” and knew the rules of each game. Immediately, one of the earlier pole dancers accepted the money.

Her legs trembled as she approached the cage, let alone entering it. But earning three hundred thousand in just over ten minutes was quick money. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Gritting her teeth, before the countdown ended, she squeezed through the bars into the cage.

Once inside, the host pressed a remote. The large screen displayed a betting interface. Customers could place bets via buttons on which eerie the dancer would choose and whether she would succeed in this “game,” with different odds for each option.

If the dancer succeeded, besides the three hundred thousand, she would also get a one percent cut from the bets placed.

“Choose the horse!”

“Choose the horse!”

“Monkey!”

“Choose the monkey!”

Amid the crowd’s urging, the dancer hesitated but finally chose the more tightly bound eerie horse. The eerie monkey was only in a smaller cage, its limbs unbound. She feared it would tear her apart if she got too close.

Amid the cheers, the dancer slowly approached the eerie horse, supporting herself and beginning to dance. But before she could make another move, her eyes rolled white, and blood immediately poured from her mouth, nose, and eyes—all seven orifices bleeding!

The eerie horse transformed into over a dozen black eerie energy tentacles that pierced her body. Then, its jaws split open, revealing a bloody maw that swallowed half her body in one bite.

Screams instantly spread through the venue, and chaos erupted. The host tried his best to calm everyone, but many first-timers had never seen such a bloody and terrifying scene and immediately wanted to leave. Order was only gradually restored under the control of security.

In the VIP room, Zhang Yaozu was so frightened he stood up from the sofa. But seeing Liu Zongrui and the others unmoved, even watching with relish, he quickly suppressed his fear, pretended to be interested, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window with an arm around each hostess, as if wanting a closer look.

Zhang Yaozu wasn’t a stranger to kinky games with women, but even he, a self-proclaimed pervert found this perverse. It showed just how depraved the games here were.

Just two months of lockdown had apparently turned these once somewhat normal “rich people” into complete madmen.

Human order was quietly crumbling.

After order was restored by security, the host again used his silver tongue to whip up emotions for a new round.

“An unfortunate start tonight! The first game ended in failure. According to the rules here, these three hundred thousand will be added to the next round’s prize pool!”

“Now begins the auction for the second game!”

“Starting bid, two hundred thousand!”

The dancer’s gruesome death only made the crowd more excited. They had endless money but lacked “thrills” in life.

Watching the fervent crowd, Zhang Yaozu returned to his seat and asked Liu Zongrui, “Brother Liu, when did this place open?”

“Just this month,” Liu Zongrui replied.

Zhang Yaozu swallowed nervously and asked, “This… it’s a human life, just gone. Aren’t they afraid of trouble?”

Liu Zongrui sneered. “Do you know how many people have ‘disappeared’ in our Rong City these past two months? The emergence of eeries is like announcing the world’s impending doom. Here, besides the rich, there are the powerful. Enjoy yourself before the world ends. Besides, you can’t even imagine the profits here in one night. Not just Rong City; this exists nationwide, worldwide.”

“Who’s so powerful to open such places worldwide in just two months?” Zhang Yaozu asked, amazed.

“This organization is very mysterious, using a black number ’12’ as its emblem. You can’t get a membership card without a referral,” Liu Zongrui said, taking out the black membership card he’d used earlier. It indeed had a special imprint of the number 12 in the center.

“Won’t this be exposed? And doesn’t the Special Response Department explicitly prohibit keeping eeries?” Zhang Yaozu asked again.

Liu Zongrui looked at Zhang Yaozu as if he were an idiot. “How do you know the force behind this isn’t the people from ’12’ themselves?”

Zhang Yaozu thought it made sense. Chicken shows were so perverse but still thrived in Thailand. As long as the profits were “big enough” and enough powerful people were involved, exposure wasn’t an issue. Besides, with the apocalypse, order had already begun to collapse. Who would care about exposure?

As they talked, the second game was auctioned off. A group of men and women entered the cage with the eeries to play “Depth Charge.”

The bidder was frightened by the monkey’s terrifying swallowing sounds, letting a hostess easily take the over five hundred thousand.

Two games, one loss, one win. The crowd’s enthusiasm was completely ignited, and the games became increasingly perverse.

Liu Zongrui found it very stimulating, his emotions stirred. He grabbed the woman feeding him fruit by the hair and pushed her down. “I’m fired up; help me cool down.”

“Young Master Liu, add some sugar?” the woman asked seductively.

“Of course,” Liu Zongrui said with a raised eyebrow.

…

Tu Doubi drove Shen Ge to Shiyan Bridge. Lin Yin led a team封锁 (cordoned off) a bar by the river, waiting for Shen Ge outside.

“Investigator Shen.”

“Investigator Shen.”

As Shen Ge got out of the car, Lin Yin approached with her apprentice, Yang Yuxin.

Shen Ge glanced at the busy combat and detection teams around and asked, “An eerie space was detected near here?”

Eerie spaces were special abilities of Tier 2 eeries, usually covering a large area. It was unlikely only one bar would be cordoned off.

Most importantly, Shen Ge knew Lin Yin’s strength. With her combat power and eerie energy equipment, handling a Tier 2 eerie shouldn’t be a problem.

His presence suggested an incident involving a Tier 2 or higher eerie. But the surrounding situation didn’t seem like a Tier 3 eerie incident.

“Come in and see for yourself,” Lin Yin said, leading Shen Ge into the bar.

The bar was small, about ten square meters, a common riverside pub.

Inside, it was dimly lit. Tables and chairs were overturned, bottles shattered everywhere. Under the lights, the crimson liquid could be wine or blood.

On the counter, sofa—everywhere—were chewed-up, ragged corpses. Some organs were stuck to the walls, resembling a “Saw” movie set.

Lin Yin said, “Over the past month, disappearances in Rong City have exceeded triple digits, mainly young men and women. Investigating, I found these people had all been to Shiyan Bridge. I had Yang Yuxin stake out the area. Today, during shift change, I saw people dressed similarly to the Twelve Branches on the bridge. I chased them here. Right after entering the bar door, it felt like entering an eerie space.”

“It’s only a ten-square-meter bar, but I was trapped for nearly three hours. Exiting the door brought me back to the entrance; exiting the window brought me back to the window… exactly like an eerie space. Normal methods couldn’t get me out.”

“I tried dismantling the place. Even after smashing everything, re-entering through the door or window restored it to its original state. Until three hours ago, Yang Yuxin used an eerie space disruption device to locate me. But strangely… there was no eerie sustaining the space. Once she entered, it turned into this.”

“I feel like this eerie space can be controlled. I enter, it traps me. It turns off the eerie space, and I can leave.”

After hearing Lin Yin’s account, Shen Ge frowned. This ability didn’t sound like an eerie space but an “eerie domain.”

A controllable eerie domain with special abilities.

Could it be… the leader of the Twelve Branches?

“Investigator Shen, Investigator Lin.” Zhao Hu from the first combat team ran into the bar. “I found a suspicious person by the river. He seemed to be watching us. I tried to apprehend him, but he ran into the Azure Blue Club over there. His attire looked like their security staff.”

“Lin Yin, Xiao Yang, stay here with the team. Wait for the detection team to collect samples before deciding next steps. Xiao Tu, Zhang Hu, come with me to check it out,” Shen Ge said.

Lin Yin’s stature wasn’t suited for club investigations, so Shen Ge had her continue the investigation here while he and Tu Doubi went to look.

As they approached the Azure Blue Club, Shen Ge received a system prompt.

[Eeries detected ahead. Level 1-2. Host’s current strength is sufficient to handle! Stay alert when facing eeries; don’t capsize in a ditch!]

“…”

Since advancing to Tier 3, the system no longer constantly told him to run away, with warnings like “nine deaths, ten certain deaths.” At least in the past two months, for Tier 2 eerie incidents, the system had adopted a “go on, fight” attitude, merely reminding him “not to capsize in a ditch.” It showed that advancing to Tier 3 was a significant leap compared to Tier 2.

Then again, the power gap between Tier 2 and Tier 3 eeries was vast. Tier 2 could cause street-level destruction at most, but Tier 3 could destroy an entire city.

Like when Shen Ge caused trouble at the Han City base and released a Tier 3 eerie. If the Asian Eerie Research Association hadn’t been convening in Han City with quick support, that Tier 3 Han River specialty fish could have flattened the base!

Shen Ge had Tu Doubi wait while he walked around the streets, using the system’s judgment to pinpoint the eerie’s location.

[The host enters and exits areas where Tier 2 eeries gather as if they were nothing, much like a high-level boss showing off in a beginner village. Reward: 10 system points.]

“…”

This “praise” didn’t sound quite right.
Shen Ge swallowed his retort. According to the system’s prompt, the eerie gathering point wasn’t the “Azure Blue Club” but a dark alley nearby.

“Zhang Hu, Xiao Tu, check inside the Azure Blue Club. See if you can find that suspicious security guard. I’ll check the back,” Shen Ge said.

Though Shen Ge’s official title was still “Elite Eerie Investigator,” his status and authority within the department were second only to Deng Yuqi. For eerie combat operations in Rong City, he had absolute command.

Thus, after assigning tasks to Zhang Hu and Tu Doubi, they raised no objections and simply carried out their orders.

Following the system’s prompt, Shen Ge entered the dark alley. Turning a corner, he found a dead end. Before the “back door” of the Azure Blue Club stood six “security personnel” in neat suits, wearing earpieces and holding walkie-talkies.

“…”

Ridiculous.

Putting on such a show late at night, were they afraid no one would know something was wrong here?

Shen Ge complained inwardly and walked straight toward the “back door,” unsurprisingly stopped by the men.

“Sorry, sir. This is a members-only club. You need a membership card to enter.”

Shen Ge said, “Alright, then I’ll get one. Where’s the registration window?”

“Sorry, sir. You need a referral to get a card here,” the security guard said expressionlessly.

Shen Ge couldn’t help but quip, “How much is the membership fee? 200? Setting a threshold fee makes it a membership. Not sure if you’re stupid or the people getting cards are.”

“Sir, please don’t cause trouble, or I’ll call the police,” the security captain said coldly.

Shen Ge smiled, took out a police ID from his pocket, and said, “Call the police? Perfect, I am one. I suspect a suspect has entered the club. Please cooperate with the investigation and take me inside.”

Besides this police ID, Shen Ge had several other credentials in his pocket. As an investigator for the Special Response Department, he might lack other things, but “IDs” were always plentiful.

Many places that “judged by appearance” allowed eerie investigators to present different levels of credentials as needed.

Now that eerie incidents were exposed, Shen Ge could directly show his Special Response Department ID, implying they knew something might be wrong here. Most importantly, aside from the system’s “reminder,” there were no signs of an eerie incident here.

The security guard checked Shen Ge’s ID, nodded, and said, “In that case, Officer Shen, please follow me. I’ll take you to see the person in charge here.”

“Okay.” Shen Ge followed the security guard through the back door, walking over ten meters to the elevator lobby.

Entering the elevator, Shen Ge glanced at the buttons: from “-2” to “6.” -1 and -2 were labeled parking, “6” was the office area.

The security guard pressed the button for the sixth floor. They went to meet the person in charge, but when the elevator doors opened, two “acquaintances” stood there.

Tu Doubi and Zhang Hu.

The two had quickly attracted attention upon entering Azure Blue. After some conversation, they showed their IDs, stated their purpose, and were also brought to the sixth floor.

Shen Ge felt something was off. After a few words with Tu Doubi and Zhang Hu, telling them to continue their work, he prepared to return the way he came.

But as soon as he entered the elevator, the security guard who brought him up followed.

“Officer Shen, I’ll see you out.”

Shen Ge smiled. “Your business must be good, right? Even someone like me here to investigate gets the full escort service. Really attentive.”

“It’s our duty.”

“I don’t plan to leave. I want to check the underground parking.”

“Okay, -1 or -2?”

“-2.”

“Okay.”

The security guard accompanied Shen Ge to -2. Shen Ge looked at him and said, “I’ll look around here. You can go attend to your duties.”

“Okay.” The security guard nodded and walked away promptly.

Shen Ge wandered the underground parking, finding it no different from a regular one aside from the numerous cameras.

After some thought, he decided to check -1. But as he reached the elevator lobby and pressed the button, the doors opened to reveal the security guard already inside waiting.

Shen Ge narrowed his eyes, then put on a smile. “So courteous, waiting again. Then to -1, please. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The security guard pressed the button for him.

Another round yielded nothing. Returning to the elevator, the security guard was indeed waiting again. Shen Ge had him escort him out.

Leaving the alley, Shen Ge waved goodbye with a smile like a “regular,” saying he’d definitely spend next time.

Leaving the alley, Shen Ge wandered the surrounding streets, then entered a hotpot restaurant, went to the restroom, activated “Invisible,” and walked out, returning to Azure Blue’s back door.

The security guard constantly watching the “elevator” proved it was suspicious.

Shen Ge walked to the elevator and directly used “Collapse” to enter it. Using “Invisible” to observe, he found nothing different from before.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ge put on the eerie glove “No Release” and used “Collapse” directly in the elevator. As he fell, the glove tightly gripped the steel cable.

Looking down, Shen Ge immediately noticed something wrong. For just two underground parking levels, “-1” and “-2,” the elevator shaft was unusually deep.

With that, Shen Ge used the eerie glove to descend to the very bottom. Using “Collapse” again, he slipped unnoticed from the elevator shaft to the -4 floor.

Exiting the elevator lobby, Shen Ge found a team of security guards at the door ahead. These guards were equipped not only with stun guns and batons but also pistols.

Firearms were prohibited in the country. These “guards” having guns was clearly problematic.

Shen Ge activated “Silent” and swaggered past the crowd. Using “Collapse,” he passed through a door, walked down a dim passageway for dozens of meters, and reached a metal bulkhead door.

On both sides, the security guards’ equipment was even more “sophisticated.”

“My goodness, have I stumbled into Umbrella Corp?” Shen Ge walked straight through the metal door. The moment he passed, frantic noise mixed with intense music exploded in his ears.

Hearing the music and shouts, Shen Ge initially thought it was an ordinary hip bar, disco, or dance hall. But when his gaze fell on the iron cage at the center of the stage and the creatures inside, his expression darkened.

Two severed bodies were in the cage, meaning at least two lives had been lost here.

Yet the people around showed no fear or panic. Instead, they were immersed in “excitement,” unrestrainedly venting their emotions.

This was only two months after eerie incidents were exposed, and with the Special Response Department still in control. If they couldn’t suppress it, and the world headed toward apocalypse, one could only imagine how human society would collapse!

Shen Ge had thought the crumbling order in apocalyptic novels was just authors exaggerating, but the scene before him proved reality was more absurd than fiction!
After watching one “game,” Shen Ge understood the situation here. He took photos as evidence, messaged Deng Yuqi, and told her to order an immediate lockdown of Azure Blue.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Are you satisfied with tonight’s show? We only hold ’12’ games per night. This is the third from last. Please seize the opportunity, don’t miss this thrill that elevates your body and mind!”

“The prize pool has accumulated 6.8 million, not including betting rewards. Hostesses and hosts wanting to earn money, seize the chance too!”

“Now begins the auction for the tenth game!”

“Starting bid, one million!”

Amid the fervent roars and cheers, the tenth game was finally won by an obese middle-aged man for three million.

He went on stage to spin the wheel, which landed on “Fighting.”

The host immediately explained the rules: “For this game, we will provide specialized eerie energy equipment to deal with eeries. The participant can choose to release any eerie’s restraints. If you can defeat the eerie in the cage, you claim the prize!”

“Now, place your bets!”

The host pressed a button. The large screen displayed new odds. People in seating and VIP rooms began betting. The ratio for “success” to “failure” instantly became 99…99:1. Clearly, everyone thought no one here could kill an eerie, even with eerie energy equipment.

“Betting closed. Sir, will you participate personally or give this money-making chance to someone else?” the host asked.

“Hahaha! Of course, give it to someone else. A few million? I don’t care!” the fat man laughed. Rather than entering himself, he preferred watching someone risk their life for money.

It was like ancient arenas where nobles watched slaves fight beasts—far more thrilling than TV.

“Sir gives up this rare money-making chance. Is anyone willing to step up? Defeat the eerie, claim 6.8 million, plus a cut of twenty million from the bets!” The host quickly calculated the cut from “success” bets, trying to stimulate potential participants with money.

Then, a staff member in protective suit brought a tray holding a meter-long “Bone Spear.”

After presenting the eerie energy equipment, the large screen displayed combat footage of the “Eerie Bone Spear.”

In the video, a man in a black hoodie fought a nearly two-meter-long eerie black leopard in close combat with the bone spear.

Finally, the bone spear pierced the leopard’s head, “nailing” it to the wall.

“Our provided eerie energy equipment guarantees a hundred percent kill rate against eeries. Of course, the prerequisite is surviving the eerie’s attack!” the host said teasingly.

This provoked laughter from the crowd. But even with video proof the bone spear could kill eeries, no one dared step forward.

“No one wants to earn easy money? Then let me try.” Shen Ge’s voice rang out from below.

Shen Ge, hands in pockets, smiling, as calm as if on a stroll, stepped onto a sofa, jumped onto a table, walked along the seating platform, and reached the stage.

“Sir, may I ask your name?” the host asked politely, clearly not expecting someone without a membership card.

Shen Ge smiled. “I never change my name; I sit without changing my surname. I am Zhao Xiaolong from Shijiazhuang.”

“Mr. Zhao, pleased to meet you. How confident are you about this game?” the host asked, following routine pre-game hype.

“One hundred percent,” Shen Ge said confidently.

Booing instantly filled the venue.

The host didn’t expect this ordinary-looking man to be so confident. He laughed. “Hahaha, Mr. Zhao is very confident! Which eerie will you challenge?”

“Both. One isn’t enough,” Shen Ge said.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell. Those with short tempers started cursing.

These were eeries. Even before mutation, dealing with a thoroughbred horse and a monkey was challenging for modern humans.

“Hey, handsome, can you tone down the act?”

“Yeah, showing off is one thing, but this is overkill!”

“One against two eeries? You might as well commit suicide!”

“I think he plans to use the bone spear for a self-stabbing performance!”

“Hahaha!”

“…”

Shen Ge walked to the staff holding the bone spear, picked it up, and swung it a few times, whooshing through the air.

“Alright, release them,” Shen Ge said calmly, entering the cage and standing between the two eeries.

The host confirmed repeatedly, “Mr. Zhao, you really want to fight both eeries simultaneously?”

“Hurry up, I’m pressed for time. Any slower…” people will be coming down.

The host spoke into his walkie-talkie. A group of fully armed staff surrounded the stage. If Shen Ge was killed, they would restrain the eeries again.

“Ready!”

“Begin!”

Click!
Click!
Click!
With the host’s shout, metal clasps unlocked. The two restrained eeries broke free from their eerie energy chains.

“Gulp.”

“Gulp.”

Even without consciousness or anger from being bound, the two eeries wouldn’t pass up the meal before them.

After emitting deafening swallows, the eerie horse and monkey pounced on Shen Ge from left and right.

Many in the audience screamed, sweating for Shen Ge. Some covered their eyes, expecting him to be torn apart and devoured any second.

Thud!
Thud!
The bone spear pierced the eerie horse’s head first. Then, Shen Ge reversed his grip, “nailing” the horse’s head to the ground.

The eerie monkey closed in. Shen Ge raised his hand, his right arm transforming into a black, decaying tentacle that wrapped around the monkey and slammed it to the ground.

Then, Shen Ge flipped his hand, producing a gleaming butcher knife. A few slashes decapitated the monkey, then he finished off the horse.

[Host successfully killed Tier 1 eerie. Reward: 50 system points!]

[Host successfully killed Tier 1 eerie. Reward: 50 system points!]

The venue fell into dead silence, even breathing audible.

By the tenth game, only two had survived the previous nine rounds, with over a dozen dead. Besides the two severed bodies in the cage, the rest were swallowed whole, leaving no remains.

Everyone present knew how terrifying these eeries were… But just now, this man easily dealt with two terrifying eeries with just a kitchen knife!

…Who was this guy?
This was even more eerie than the eeries themselves!

As everyone was stunned, in the VIP room, Zhang Yaozu stared incredulously at the man on stage. After a long pause, he pointed at Shen Ge and exclaimed urgently, “It’s him! Brother Liu, it’s him! He’s the officer from the Special Response Department who swindled me out of five million!”

“What?” Liu Zongrui stood up in surprise, accidentally throwing off the hostess serving him.

The next second, Liu Zongrui collapsed onto the sofa in pain.

Damn, too excited, almost got bitten off.

But how could he not be shocked? Someone from the Special Response Department had “infiltrated” here. Didn’t that mean this place was exposed?