The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 143

Hearing that familiar background music, Cheng Shengnan felt a mix of complex emotions. On one hand, Shen Ge had finally arrived, giving her an instant sense of security and relief from the fear of how to survive. It was as if his presence alone guaranteed that she and Deng Yuqi would be rescued. She didn’t know why, but just knowing Shen Ge was here filled her with the confidence that they would make it out alive.

On the other hand, Shen Ge’s immediate tendency to stir up trouble reminded her of the previous large-scale supernatural incidents. Was he always like this? Putting it nicely, he was confident and self-assured; putting it bluntly, he was reckless.

During the more than sixty days trapped in this supernatural space, Cheng Shengnan had witnessed Deng Yuqi battling supernatural entities. In her view, Deng Yuqi’s ability to confront a Tier 2 supernatural entity head-on with nothing but ordinary physical strength was proof of her exceptional skill. Even so, Deng Yuqi only dared to take on isolated supernatural beings.

Shen Ge, however, had no such reservations. As soon as he arrived, he exploited the weakness of the infected and supernatural entities—their sensitivity to sound—and lured all the nearby monsters over.

Watching the sidewalks and green spaces fill with the infected, Cheng Shengnan and Deng Yuqi were at a loss. Should they help? In their current state, staying out of the way was the best they could do. Should they just wait? The sheer number of infected, mixed with Tier 1 and Tier 2 supernatural entities, was terrifying to behold.

“…Shen Ge should be able to handle this,” Cheng Shengnan murmured, unsure whether she was comforting Deng Yuqi or herself.

“Probably…,” Deng Yuqi replied. She had never been able to keep up with Shen Ge’s thought process and had no idea what he was planning.

But Shen Ge’s goal was simple: to eliminate the low-tier supernatural entities as quickly as possible and find the two of them.

Bang!

While Cheng Shengnan and Deng Yuqi were still trying to figure out Shen Ge’s intentions, the second-floor window of a nearby villa shattered. Shen Ge, clad in full-body combat armor, leaped out.

Whoosh—

Black supernatural flames erupted from the armor on his arms, instantly igniting a large group of infected below and creating a sea of fire.

Shen Ge then descended into the inferno, wielding a butcher’s knife and switching to a “lawnmower” mode of combat.

Bang!
Bang!
Bang!

Strangely, the infected Shen Ge killed didn’t just die. After their heads were severed, their bodies exploded as if under a corpse explosion spell, releasing parasitic supernatural entities that resembled a cross between spiders and scorpions—eight legs, with a stinger-like appendage at the end of their tails.

The severed heads, meanwhile, transformed into flying parasitic supernatural entities.

These parasitic entities were about half a foot long and moved quickly, especially the flying ones, which were even faster than Shen Ge’s slashes. They were highly sensitive to living beings, and the moment they erupted from the infected, they immediately swarmed toward Shen Ge.

But Shen Ge wasn’t their only target. Deng Yuqi and Cheng Shengnan, watching from the second floor of the villa, also became targets.

“Not good!” Deng Yuqi exclaimed, seeing the flying parasitic entities heading their way. She quickly pulled Cheng Shengnan into the room, shut the balcony sliding door, closed the curtains, and pushed a wardrobe and bookcase against the French windows.

The sound of shattering glass confirmed that Deng Yuqi’s decision was right. The flying parasitic entities were not only fast but also strong, smashing through the glass and knocking over the bookcase in just a few strikes.

“To the third floor!” Deng Yuqi yelled to Cheng Shengnan. Then, grabbing the fallen bookcase, she lifted it with surprising strength and swung it like a flyswatter at the incoming parasitic entities.

Bang!

The wooden bookcase, unable to withstand the force, splintered. Though it didn’t kill the supernatural entities, it bought Cheng Shengnan enough time to escape the room.

“Hey!”

Just as Deng Yuqi was debating whether to flee or fight, a dark figure leaped into the room from outside. A sweep of supernatural flames instantly set the parasitic entities ablaze.

“Shengnan went upstairs!” Deng Yuqi said immediately upon seeing Shen Ge.

“I’ll hold them off. You go up too. I’ll join you shortly!” Shen Ge used supernatural flames with one hand and his supernatural stomach to devour with the other, quickly eliminating most of the flying parasitic entities.

“Alright, be careful.” Deng Yuqi knew Shen Ge didn’t need her help, but Cheng Shengnan, unarmed and vulnerable, did.

After Deng Yuqi left, Shen Ge fought his way back out through the window. Now that he knew the two women were here, he could focus on dealing with the supernatural entities.

Thirty minutes later, after clearing the supernatural entities and infected around the villa, Shen Ge went upstairs to turn off the music player, returned to the villa, and found the two women.

“Yo!” Shen Ge retracted his full-body armor and greeted them.

But when he got a clear look at their condition, his expression turned odd. “It’s only been a day since I last saw you two. How did you end up in such a sorry state?”

“A day?” Deng Yuqi rushed forward, grabbed Shen Ge by the neck, and shook him vigorously. “Do you have any idea we’ve been trapped here for over sixty days? Do you know how we’ve been surviving all this time? Do you?”

“…”

While exploring the neighboring villa, Shen Ge had seen the dust-covered furniture and rotting food, which had already given him an idea. But hearing Deng Yuqi confirm they’d been trapped for over sixty days still surprised him.

“Enough talk. Hurry up and magic us some instant noodles. We’re starving!” Deng Yuqi released him and demanded.

“No problem!” Shen Ge agreed readily. After all, he’d just earned thousands of system points from this round, bringing his total to over 4,000. With 40 draws, it would be downright ridiculous if he couldn’t get even one pack of instant noodles… Then again, given the system’s contrary nature, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“You can… materialize instant noodles?” Cheng Shengnan asked, puzzled. Though she rarely ate instant noodles normally, right now, they sounded like a gourmet feast to her.

“Theoretically, yes. But we’d better find a more spacious spot.” Shen Ge thought it’d be safer to go downstairs to avoid summoning any strange items, like a tank…

The surrounding infected and low-tier supernatural entities had been cleared, so there was no fear of attracting more monsters.

Once in the open area, Shen Ge started with a ten-draw.

“System, draw!”

As soon as he spoke, the lottery wheel appeared in his vision. He noticed that after the system upgraded to Tier 3, the draw probabilities had changed again.

【Daily Supplies (30%)】
【Weapons & Equipment (25%)】
【Consumables (20%)】
【Free Attribute Points (20%)】
【Vehicles (4%)】
【？？？ (1%)】
【PS: Higher ratings will unlock more categories.】

The probability for daily supplies had dropped by 20%, while weapons, consumables, and free attribute points had increased. Under normal circumstances, this would be good news. But now…

“Please don’t tell me I jinxed it…” Shen Ge wasn’t sure if 40 draws would yield any instant noodles.

Regardless, he proceeded with the ten-draw.

Ding ding ding ding ding—

【Congratulations, Host, for drawing “Free Attribute Points (4%)”.】
【Congratulations, Host, for drawing the weapon “Type 95 Assault Rifle x1, Magazines x10”.】
【…“Free Attribute Points (3%)”.】
【…“High-Explosive Grenades x5”.】
【…“Molotov Cocktails x20”.】
【…“Free Attribute Points (3%)”.】
【…“Free Attribute Points (2%)”.】
【…“Telescopic Batons (Expandable) x3”.】
【…“Flashbangs x3”.】
【…“Fragmentation Grenades x5”.】

As streaks of white light flashed, items materialized out of thin air before the three of them, startling Cheng Shengnan, who was unaware of the system’s existence. Her first thought wasn’t about some “Supernatural Creature Elimination System” but whether Li Xiang had created something new using the Twelve Branches’ transmission device.

Deng Yuqi looked at the weapons and equipment, her eye twitching. “…So, where are the instant noodles?”

“…”

This was bad.

Shen Ge knew the system would never make things easy for him.

“Don’t panic, I still have 30 draws left!”

The second ten-draw also yielded no instant noodles, but aside from weapons and equipment, there were three boxes of “Wahengheng” milk and biscuits, which could at least help the two women fill their stomachs.

The third ten-draw produced some daily supplies like down jackets, followed by a large flash of white light that made Deng Yuqi and Cheng Shengnan step back abruptly. With a loud thud, a “******” attack helicopter appeared before them.

“…”
“…”
“…”

An awkward silence fell.

Deng Yuqi stepped forward to inspect it and said solemnly, “This helicopter is a model still in service in our country. Based on the serial number, it should be from the Quanlong Mountain base. It seems our previous guess was correct. The system’s ‘draws’ likely require both ‘discarded’ and ‘proximity’ conditions.”

“A helicopter? But right now, I just want instant noodles…” Shen Ge sighed helplessly. The system’s draws never went as he hoped.

“How many draws do you have left?” Deng Yuqi asked.

“Ten,” Shen Ge replied.

“Well, whatever. At least we have three boxes of milk,” Deng Yuqi said with a sigh.

After the system upgraded to Tier 3, not only had the draw probabilities changed, but the quantity of items drawn had also increased. Previously, the maximum free attribute points drawn were “3%”, but now “4%” was possible. After thirty draws, Shen Ge had accumulated 43% in free attribute points, a significant increase from before.

Instant noodles!
Instant noodles!
Instant noodles!

Shen Ge chanted “instant noodles” ten times in his mind, then hummed the jingle from a certain instant noodle commercial, hoping for a miracle with single draws.

A pistol.
A rocket launcher.
An armored vehicle.

Just as Shen Ge began to worry that he might empty the entire inventory of the Quanlong Mountain base, a flash of white light finally brought three boxes of instant noodles into view.

【Congratulations, Host, for drawing daily supplies “Black Elephant Instant Noodles x3 (boxes)”.】

Cheng Shengnan and Deng Yuqi had never imagined that seeing three boxes of instant noodles would feel like winning the lottery. Even better, the remaining draws yielded more instant noodles and six “18L” buckets of purified water.

Deng Yuqi and Cheng Shengnan eagerly rummaged through the villa for pots, pans, and bowls, then set up a stove and asked Shen Ge to help light a fire to boil water and cook the noodles.

“Instant noodles are meant to be soaked. The essence is in the ‘soaking’, you know? Boiled noodles don’t taste as good as soaked ones,” Shen Ge, now acting as the fire-starter, couldn’t help but complain.

Deng Yuqi glared at him. “Shut up. If you’d been two days later, Shengnan and I would’ve started considering eating supernatural creature meat.”

“…Actually, supernatural creature meat is edible. It’s even better than regular meat. I saw some pet pigs and dogs among the supernatural creatures earlier. Want me to grill some for you?” Shen Ge offered.

“No, thank you!” both women refused almost in unison. Regardless of whether that meat could still be considered dog meat, the idea of eating mutated supernatural creature meat was too much for them. If they had been willing to consider it, they wouldn’t have gone hungry for two days. Clearly, they hadn’t reached that level of desperation yet.

As they ate, Deng Yuqi asked about the situation outside, and Shen Ge gave them a rough overview.

Deng Yuqi frowned upon hearing this. “It seems your earlier premonition was right. Their goals were far more complex than just raiding the research department. They probably planted moles in the branch during that attack.”

Shen Ge added, “I didn’t expect the Twelve Branches to be able to devour others’ heads and ‘transplant’ them onto their own, effectively disguising themselves. With that ability, infiltrating headquarters would be easy.”

“Wait.” Cheng Shengnan put down her bowl, recalling her interactions with “Xiao Li” over the past two days. “If what you say is true, and Xiao Li was replaced during the Twelve Branches’ last operation, how did she remember the work I assigned her and perform without any issues?”

Shen Ge pondered. “So it’s not just about devour heads and growing an identical face. I suspect they also devour the brain, allowing them to read the deceased’s memories and make disguising themselves easier.”

Deng Yuqi rubbed her temples. “If that’s true, it’s not good news. It means once they infiltrate, rooting out the moles will be extremely difficult.”

Shen Ge nodded. “Exactly. For now, the only way to identify them is through the ‘red pustules’ on their necks, but it’s uncertain if they can hide those or will be able to in the future. Currently, they probably can’t, otherwise Liu Zongrui and Xiao Li wouldn’t have been exposed.”

“Regardless, the branch needs to upgrade its defense measures further. Personnel inspections will have to be stricter from now on,” Deng Yuqi said.

Shen Ge continued, “Based on what I’ve seen, the Twelve Branches seem to be planning or testing something. The incidents in Yuzhou, the supernatural disaster in Dajing, and now the one in Rongshi—each time they strike, they create large-scale supernatural disasters and introduce ‘new abilities’… It feels like they’re evolving, just like supernatural entities, becoming more supernatural themselves.”

Deng Yuqi fell silent for a long time. This was something she had been investigating as well. She always felt the Twelve Branches’ goals were more than just causing chaos or coveting the Special Response Department’s resources. After all, if they could devour brains and assume identities so easily, why go to all this trouble?

So Shen Ge’s speculation might be close to the truth: the Twelve Branches were experimenting with something, some ability they hadn’t fully mastered yet. They needed large quantities humans as test subjects, and a single research facility couldn’t meet their demands. Thus, they turned Yuzhou, Dajing, and Rongshi into “testing grounds,” releasing supernatural entities and parasites for their experiments.

Throughout history, humans have grown smarter and stronger for survival—or better survival—with power and wealth being the ultimate pursuits. Leaving aside the Twelve Branches’ terrifying combat abilities, their infiltration capability alone would allow them to easily replace those in power.

Deng Yuqi was reminded of the joke she made when she first met Shen Ge about the Special Response Department’s “First Commandment”: There are no ghosts in this world. This was a reference to the movie First Commandment, where deceased humans turned into malicious spirits that could possess living bodies and take over their lives. In the movie, many spirits possessed high-ranking officials to enjoy their power.

If the Twelve Branches could read memories and assume the forms of those they devoured, weren’t they essentially like the malicious spirits in the movie? If their goal was merely power and wealth, they could simply replace those in power and enjoy the benefits. There was no need to create supernatural disasters and push the world toward apocalypse.

So, unless the Twelve Branches’ “possession” ability had significant weaknesses or flaws, Shen Ge reasoned, they must be after something else.

“What do you think they’re after?” Deng Yuqi asked after hearing Shen Ge’s analysis.

Shen Ge thought for a moment. “Based on my decade of experience reading web novels, the villains in apocalyptic stories usually pull these stunts to turn mutated humans into ‘new humans’ and become the rulers of this new race, holding absolute power.”

“…You should read fewer novels,” Deng Yuqi finally said after a long pause.

Cheng Shengnan added solemnly, “I think that speculation isn’t entirely far-fetched. Given the Twelve Branches’ abilities, they are indeed better suited to coexist with supernatural entities. Throughout history, survival of the fittest has been the rule. Most creatures that have survived to this day have evolved continuously, with only a few exceptions. Perhaps in the eyes of the Twelve Branches, they are the ‘evolved’ new humans.”

“But they haven’t achieved perfect fusion with supernatural entities either. They’re still using the corpse of the primordial supernatural entity to create artificial supernatural entities and then fuse with them. Honestly, they remind me of the flesh monsters from that human experiment accident years ago… Wait!” Deng Yuqi suddenly paused, as if she had realized something. “The ‘red pustules’… No wonder they looked so familiar. In the failed human experiments at headquarters back then, the test subjects eventually burst, consumed by the supernatural entities inside them, and turned into flesh monsters. So the red pustules on the Twelve Branches’ necks are miniature versions of those flesh monsters!”