The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 172

Previously, to quickly deal with “Trace-less,” Shen Ge had sent “requests for assistance” to Deng Yuqi, Luo Jing, and Fang Mingyue when the weird released its concealing fog.

Fang Mingyue, who was closest and on standby, provided immediate support. However, Deng Yuqi and Luo Jing were unaware of this situation.

After resolving “Trace-less,” Shen Ge became focused on researching the Trait and enhancing it, forgetting about the “requests for assistance” he had sent to Deng Yuqi and Luo Jing.

Therefore, from the time he fought “Trace-less” until he left by helicopter, Deng Yuqi was still pressuring Sakura to immediately dispatch weird Energy Dispersal Grenades for support.

Luo Jing was also tirelessly communicating with Watanabe Natsumi, demanding the immediate dispatch of helicopters carrying weird Energy Dispersal Grenades to the Kawashina ward.

Adding to this, Fang Mingyue had “commandeered” and “stolen” a helicopter. Sakura, tracking its location, found it appearing in the Kawashina ward.

This led Sakura to suspect that the Celestial Dynasty was up to something in the Kawashina ward. On one hand, they sent troops into the area under the guise of “support.” On the other hand, they privately conspired with the International Anti- weird Organization, dispatching anti- weird investigators to probe the Celestial Dynasty’s true intentions.

However, by this time, Shen Ge and Fang Mingyue had already left in the armed helicopter. To test the effect of “Trace-less,” Shen Ge occasionally enveloped the helicopter in a cloud of weird Energy fog.

On Sakura’s satellite monitors, the marked armed helicopter would appear and disappear intermittently. When it reappeared on radar, it had already left the Kawashina ward.

Sakura immediately felt “duped” and urgently ordered their anti- weird investigators and soldiers to withdraw. But it was clearly too late.

Especially for the International Anti- weird Organization troops and investigators who had entered the Kawashina ward. While Shen Ge wasn’t there, countless starfish Parasitic-type weird were.

A fierce battle ensued between the two sides. But bullets and supplies were limited, while the parasitic starfish weird seemed endless.

The International Anti- weird Organization had no choice but to “request assistance” from Sakura. After confirming no weird Space interference in the Kawashina ward, Sakura dispatched numerous fighter jets for saturation bombing. Instead of clearing the area, this “cleansing” gave birth to a giant boss!

These parasitic starfish could not only parasitize living soldiers but also dead human corpses. Most terrifyingly, they could rapidly grow by consuming the corpses of their own kind.

After the bombing run, even more soldiers were parasitized by the starfish weird. Moreover, a Tier 3 giant starfish, dozens of meters tall, appeared.

Thus, a simple “misunderstanding” stemming from Shen Ge’s unintentional actions inexplicably transformed into a Celestial Dynasty “conspiracy” to “take revenge” on Sakura during the eerie Disaster.

Unaware of the events unfolding in the Kawashina ward after his departure, Shen Ge had Fang Mingyue rendezvous with the Joint Force when they passed Tokyo Tower.

On one hand, she was to “monitor” Watanabe Natsumi and the Joint Force’s movements, preventing them from going to Tojō City to steal his target. On the other hand, she was to provide cover for him.

After Fang Mingyue and the pilot disembarked, they watched as Shen Ge skillfully piloted the armed helicopter, “floating” off towards Tojō City. Their admiration for Shen Ge deepened yet again.

“Investigator Shen is truly remarkable, capable of anything, soaring through the skies and traversing the land.” Fang Mingyue considered obtaining a few pilot licenses upon returning to China to avoid holding Shen Ge back.

Back at the Joint Force’s temporary command post, Luo Jing, who had been puzzled by Fang Mingyue’s “sudden disappearance” and now her “sudden return,” quickly pulled her aside to inquire.

Fang Mingyue didn’t go into great detail with Luo Jing, only mentioning that Shen Ge had assigned her a task. Remembering the message Shen Ge had sent her, Luo Jing immediately formed her own hypothesis.

During their conversation, Watanabe Natsumi also kept a close watch on them.

The team of soldiers previously tailing Fang Mingyue had been dispatched by Watanabe Natsumi. They confirmed Fang Mingyue had been to the Kawashina ward and was suspected of being the one who commandeered the pilot.

But Fang Mingyue wasn’t worried. Neither Watanabe Natsumi nor the Kawashina Self-Defense Force base had concrete evidence proving she was the one who stole the armed helicopter.

“Report!”

A Joint Force scout entered the command room: “Commander Watanabe, we’ve received a survivor distress signal from a general building in East District 3. Preliminary estimates suggest at least a hundred survivors are trapped.”

Watanabe Natsumi frowned upon hearing this. “East District 3? I recall a giant weird died there during the earlier chaotic weird battle.”

“That’s correct. However, the weird that defeated it was disrupted while feeding on the corpse. The two weird are now fighting in an area about a kilometer from the general building,” the scout replied.

Watanabe Natsumi asked again, “Any detected weird Space reactions?”

“None.”

This shocked not only Watanabe Natsumi but all the anti- weird investigators in the command post.

In recent days, during battles against weird, Parasitized, and Mutants, the Joint Force repeatedly faced crises, largely due to the mysterious and unpredictable weird Spaces.

Strangely, however, no weird Spaces had been encountered since this morning’s operations. It was as if the weird Spaces had vanished overnight.

But why they disappeared was less important than the fact that it was beneficial to the current situation. Moreover, as Sakura soldiers, they couldn’t ignore survivors in their own country.

Watanabe Natsumi immediately checked the list of anti- weird investigators currently on “standby” within the Joint Force: 6 from the International Anti- weird Organization, 5 from the Celestial Dynasty, 2 from Korea… totaling 17 investigators on standby.

Normally, Watanabe Natsumi would form mixed teams with investigators from various countries. But considering the events in the Kawashina ward and Sakura’s suspicions about the Celestial Dynasty’s “conspiracy,” she decided to assign this mission to the Celestial Dynasty team, dispatching a combat squad for “assistance.”

Luo Jing had also received the latest news from Deng Yuqi: Sakura was using the events in the Kawashina ward to falsely accuse the Celestial Dynasty. Therefore, when Watanabe Natsumi approached her to discuss the mission, Luo Jing not only didn’t refuse but even accepted the operation without consulting the “team leader,” Xiao Cheng.

The reason was simple. Deng Yuqi judged that Shen Ge must be engaged in something extremely important. Since Sakura was focusing on the Celestial Dynasty, let them keep their eyes on the support team, drawing fire away from Shen Ge.

When the support team reached East District 3, the battle between the two giant weird in the distance had already reduced large areas to rubble. It was estimated they would reach the building soon, leaving the support team with limited time.

Xiao Cheng and Luo Jing analyzed the weird movement speed. They had at most one to two hours. However, many Parasitized roamed near the building, and the building itself was suspected to harbor weird and Mutants. Rescuing the survivors inside wouldn’t be easy.

Xiao Cheng suggested splitting the team: he and Brother Li would lead a group to lure away the surrounding Parasitized, while Luo Jing and the others took the opportunity to enter the building and rescue the survivors.

Luo Jing felt luring the Parasitized posed risks. They were extremely sensitive to sound; creating a large disturbance to lure them could trap the team. Given Sakura’s current state, it was unlikely they could provide support if the team exhausted their resources.

At that moment, Fang Mingyue whispered to Luo Jing, “Investigator Shen gave me a few weird Energy Grenades. They can create specific sounds in a short time to lure away the Parasitized.”

“They have something like that?” Luo Jing was somewhat surprised.

Fang Mingyue said, “They are weird Energy weapons secretly developed by the Rong City branch. They’re still in the testing phase. Why not try them now? That way, we don’t need to split the team.”

“Alright, let’s do that.” Luo Jing nodded. After discussing with Xiao Cheng, they decided to have Fang Mingyue throw the weird Energy Grenades near the small woods to the left of the street.

After Fang Mingyue threw the grenades as instructed by Shen Ge, the two grenades, upon hitting the ground, rapidly grew green branches and leaves, with a bulbous purple pistil forming at the top.

Then, the pistil slowly opened, like a man-eating flower, revealing a flesh-and-blood-like maw.

As the flesh-and-blood man-eating flowers created by the weird Energy Grenades appeared, a peculiar noise immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding Parasitized.

The team then watched as the man-eating flowers initially ate the Parasitized, their stalks soon bulging like a fat man’s belly, continuously pulsating.

After feeding, the man-eating flowers entered a dormant state, subsequently becoming food for the Parasitized, who swarmed over to devour them.

This miraculous weird Energy Props successfully bought the support team time to enter the general building, but it also attracted the attention of Watanabe Natsumi, who was secretly tailing the team.

Her face darkened when she saw the flesh-and-blood man-eating flowers. Just two months ago, she had seen similar research at the Kawakō Research Institute.

This was clearly Sakura’s research. How did it end up in the hands of the Celestial Dynasty’s anti- weird investigators?

Watanabe Natsumi immediately reported this situation to the Sakura base and dispatched additional support to closely monitor Luo Jing’s rescue team.

After successfully entering the general building, they found a significant number of Mutants and Parasitized inside. Even guns with silencers could attract their attention.

Therefore, combat had to be handled by anti- weird investigators like Xiao Cheng and Fang Mingyue who used weird Energy equipment, and they needed to be quick to avoid alerting the Mutants outside.

The general building was 30 stories high. Xiao Cheng divided the team into three squads, each responsible for ten floors.

Fang Mingyue and Luo Jing formed one squad, taking six combat members to rescue people from floors 21 to 30.

From floors 28 to 30, Fang Mingyue found two groups of survivors, totaling seven people. She had the Sakura soldiers protect the survivors in the stairwell while she and Luo Jing continued searching floor by floor. By the time they reached the 23rd floor, the number of survivors had increased from 7 to 19.

Outside the 22nd floor, Luo Jing prepared to continue the previous procedure and search for survivors, but Fang Mingyue stopped her.

“Sister Luo, wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

Fang Mingyue frowned slightly, took out her weird Energy detector, and performed a scan. Although it didn’t detect any weird Energy reaction, she faintly heard very subtle swallowing sounds in the long corridor.

Everyone held their breath, even slowing their breathing. Sure enough, they could faintly hear the characteristic “gurgle, gurgle” swallowing sounds of weird.

While there had been Parasitized on the upper floors, they hadn’t encountered a single weird until now. The combat power of weird was far superior to Parasitized, requiring extra caution.

Luo Jing and Fang Mingyue took the lead, followed by two Sakura soldiers. The four entered the pitch-black corridor, cautiously advancing with flashlights.

The corridor was utterly dark, seeing nothing. The flashlight beams swept around, and the weird Energy detector still showed no reaction, as if everything was normal. Yet, as they went deeper, the “gurgle, gurgle” swallowing sounds became more pronounced.

The eerie corridor was terrifyingly quiet, silent, and oppressive, making it hard to breathe, as if their heartbeats had slowed.

“Gurgle.”
“Gurgle.”

Fang Mingyue confirmed the sound’s source again, stopped, and used hand signals to direct the other three.

After the four took their positions as directed by Fang Mingyue, Luo Jing, leaning against the wall beside the door, drew a black dagger sheathed in leather. When unsheathed, a faint, visible black weird Energy could be seen coiling around the blade.

Luo Jing pressed the dagger against the door lock. The metal lock, upon contact with the black weird Energy, gradually turned red and actually melted!

After melting the lock, Luo Jing slowly pushed the door open. The “gurgle, gurgle” swallowing sounds inside became more distinct in the silent space.

Luo Jing went first, Fang Mingyue followed closely, while the two Sakura soldiers waited at the door as instructed.

The two women slowed their pace as they approached the bedroom. The closer they got to the room emitting the strange sounds, the more subtle noises they could hear.

Like the sound of tearing flesh and the noise of chewing.

The room was pitch black. Luo Jing and Fang Mingyue both held flashlights and slowly moved upwards from the ground, on the one hand to prevent them from hitting the furniture in the room and making noise, and on the other hand to prevent the strange people from reacting to the light source.

They also remained alert to their surroundings, wary of a sudden attack from the Mutant in the impenetrable darkness.

Under the flashlight beams, they saw two figures, one large and one small, crouched on a bed with a patterned sheet, devouring a woman’s corpse.

Most of the corpse had been eaten by them. The adult man was holding a pile of internal organs and feasting on them, while another boy, who was only six or seven years old, had his entire head stuck into the corpse’s stomach, making disgusting and terrifying gnawing sounds.

Although Luo Jing had killed many parasites, his stomach still churned when he saw his own kind eating the corpses of the same kind at such close range.

Fang Mingyue, having experienced several eerie Disasters and “cultivated” by someone using movies like The Walking Dead and Braindead as mealtime entertainment, didn’t even change her expression at this scene.

Now confirmed that this floor only had Parasitized on the verge of mutation, rather than weird or Mutants, made things much simpler. They just needed to eliminate them and then search room by room for survivors.

Luo Jing signaled to Fang Mingyue that she would handle the adult Parasitized on the left, while Fang Mingyue took the smaller one on the right.

Having cooperated multiple times, they had developed tacit agreement. They advanced simultaneously, each grabbing their target by the nape, pressing down, and stabbing several times in the back with their Black Bone Daggers.

The weakness of Parasitized and Mutants lay in the “heart,” not the head. According to the Special Response Division’s latest report, as long as the Parasitized hadn’t fully mutated—meaning their heads hadn’t burst open to grow fleshy weird petals—the location of the “heart” remained unchanged.

Since the heads of these two Parasitized, large and small, appeared normal, they evidently hadn’t begun mutating, making them relatively easy to deal with.

After dealing with the Parasitized, as Luo Jing and Fang Mingyue were about to leave, Fang Mingyue faintly heard a very soft sound.

She stopped Luo Jing, swept her flashlight towards the wardrobe in the bedroom, signaled, and then, covered by Luo Jing, approached to investigate.

Opening the wardrobe and shining the light inside, they found a little girl, about seven or eight years old, crouched in the corner, tears streaming down her face, desperately covering her mouth.

“Are you okay? We’re here to rescue you.” Seeing it was a survivor, Fang Mingyue comforted the girl in Sakura language, urging her to come out.

Seeing Fang Mingyue’s combat uniform, the girl slowly reached out. After emerging from the wardrobe and seeing the corpses on the bed, she couldn’t help but hug Fang Mingyue’s leg, sobbing.

“Are they… your family?” Fang Mingyue asked.

The girl nodded: “They… they are my, my dad, mom… and little brother. They… sobs.”

Fang Mingyue and Luo Jing exchanged glances, sensing something amiss. Why were three out of the four family members parasitized, while the little girl remained unharmed?

Upon questioning, the girl said they had eaten “mushrooms” found in the neighbor’s house, and afterward, they started acting strangely.

In the middle of the night, her parents were fighting, and the little girl was so scared that she hid in the closet. She wanted to call her brother to hide in with her, but before she could open her mouth, she saw her brother holding his mother’s legs and biting them until they were bloody.

“Mushrooms? Food found next door? You didn’t eat any, right?” Fang Mingyue asked again.

The girl nodded, explaining, “They were mushrooms growing on the neighbor’s ceiling. A very, very big red mushroom. I was scared, so I didn’t eat it.”

Fang Mingyue and Luo Jing thought the “mushroom” might be an weird, though no plant mutations had been reported yet. They decided to check it out.

After exiting the room, Fang Mingyue had one soldier take the girl to the stairwell and then return to continue searching for survivors.

Since the girl was young and badly frightened, she couldn’t clearly explain which “neighbor” she meant.

Fang Mingyue and Luo Jing first searched the house next to the girl’s. They found no “mushroom,” but they did find a fat man hiding in the bathroom.

Hearing they were looking for “mushrooms,” the fat man said he had also been to that room while searching for food. But it wasn’t a mushroom; it was a strange, flesh-like thing. Even if it were a mushroom, it was a meat mushroom.

The fat man was somewhat incoherent. Seeing they didn’t understand, he proactively led them to the room with the mushroom.

After pushing open the door and entering the living room, Fang Mingyue and the others finally understood what the fat man meant. The entire living room was like a chest cavity, with a beating “heart” growing on the ceiling in the center.

Countless “blood vessels” extended from the heart, connecting to various parts of the ceiling.

In the very center of the living room hung a large red heart, at least three meters long, still “thumping” rhythmically.

“See, this is the meat mushroom I mentioned. Don’t be fooled by these black things looking like rocks; I tried with a knife before, inside it’s meat.” The fat man, instead of being frightened by this weird scene, was bragging about his past bravery.

Fang Mingyue frowned and asked, “You didn’t eat any of this, did you?”

“Of course I did. Tasted great.” The fat man grinned, but his smile seemed sinister, giving an uncomfortable feeling.

As he spoke, the fat man pulled out a large fruit knife from behind his back, cut a piece from the black meat hanging near the heart, and immediately stuffed it into his mouth, emitting a disgusting, horrible chewing sound.

The fat man, his mouth bloody, turned to look at Fang Mingyue and the others at the door, a ferocious smile spreading across his face. “Tastes wonderful. Want to try some?”

“Hehe.”

“Officer, want some? There’s more than enough; it grows back soon after eating. I’ve been eating it for days, surviving on this stuff.”

“Really, it’s delicious.”

“Have a taste.”

After eating one piece of black meat, seemingly unsatisfied, the fat man cut another piece and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously. Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth, staining his shirt red.

Luo Jing and Fang Mingyue exchanged glances. The former was about to take out the fat man to prevent him from mutating and causing more trouble, but Fang Mingyue signaled her with her eyes to wait.

Then, Fang Mingyue asked gently, “How long have you been eating this meat? Have you felt any discomfort during this time?”

“None at all. I was just hungry, looking for food… been eating for days. Look, I’m perfectly fine.” The fat man patted his large belly while eating.

Gurgle.
Gurgle.

When the fat man patted his belly, it sounded like patting a water balloon, emitting a weird gurgling sound.

According to the little girl, her parents and brother ate the “mushroom” here yesterday and mutated shortly after. Yet this fat man had been eating for several days.

It seemed the fat man wasn’t immune to mutation but was experiencing a delayed transformation for some reason.

“You’re not eating?”

“Eat it!”

Seeing their indifference, the fat man cut a piece of the rotten meat and approached them. At that moment, Fang Mingyue acted decisively. Her Black Bone Dagger swished across his neck.

Fang Mingyue’s Black Bone Dagger was about twenty centimeters long, incredibly sharp. She felt it slice into the fat man’s neck for over ten centimeters.

AAfter a bloody cut was made on the fat man’s neck, only a small amount of black blood flowed down his neck, but he continued to move forward with the rotten meat in his hands, his expression distorted and hideous, as if nothing had happened.

Without wasting words, Fang Mingyue immediately used a Bone Whip, looping it around the fat man’s neck, executed a shoulder throw, and slammed him to the ground.

Then, she stepped on his chest, tightened the Bone Whip, and activated its weird Energy, causing barbs to sprout. With a splat, black blood sprayed as she severed his head completely.

To everyone’s surprise, even headless, the fat man’s hands continued to offer the rotten meat to Fang Mingyue, as if ingrained in muscle memory.

As Luo Jing stepped forward, Fang Mingyue flicked her wrist, and a Bone Katana slid from her sleeve. With a thud, she sliced open the fat man’s abdomen.

This Bone Katana was previously looted by Shen Ge. Unlike the two “borrowed” weird Energy pieces of equipment, this was his gratitude for Fang Mingyue’s “support” with the weird Energy Dispersal Grenades.

Fang Mingyue initially hesitated to use a katana, but Shen Ge suggested she could have the research department modify it into a Tang sword back home, which she found agreeable.

At this moment, dark blood gushed out of the fat man’s cut open stomach, and then a black mass flew out of his stomach and stuck to the beating heart with a “pop”

Quickly, the black, viscous substance was absorbed by the heart, and black, vein-like patterns emerged on the red heart’s surface.

“Be careful!” Fang Mingyue’s weird Energy detector showed a strong reaction. She immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat and evacuate with the survivors from the stairwell.

Thump.
Thump.

The heart beat faster and faster, its color darkening from red. Then, it split open from within, shedding a pool of black, indescribable matter.

Fang Mingyue could now see what seemed to be a human head at the center of the black flowing substance. It rapidly grew hair from being bald, and the next second, it developed the exact same head and face as the deceased fat man.

Its body was still composed of black, blood-like flowing strands, slowly coalescing into arms, a torso, and hands.

But Fang Mingyue obviously wouldn’t let this Mutant form unimpeded. Her Bone Katana swished through the air several times, instantly dismembering the Mutant’s body.

As the black flowing substance began to gather again, Luo Jing immediately pinned it to the ground with her scorching weird Energy dagger.

The high temperature of the scorching paradoxical dagger seemed to be the natural enemy of these fluid bodies, quickly evaporating them.

After jointly eliminating the new type of Mutant birthed by the “heart,” they immediately reported the new Mutant to headquarters.

The rescue team continued evacuating survivors from the building. Meanwhile, Shen Ge, far away in Tojō City, received Fang Mingyue’s report on the new Mutant.

While piloting the armed helicopter over Tojō City, affected by “Misfortune’s” Domain, he had the misfortune of being struck by a collapsing building. He jumped into Tojō City just before the helicopter crashed.

Knowing from the future timeline report that “Misfortune’s” weird Energy was located 379 meters underground in Tojō City, Shen Ge used “Collapse” to descend.

He expected significant weird Energy consumption, but similar to the situation in Takiguchi City, there was an underground “base.”

However, it wasn’t a research base but a “shelter” built by Sakura for its leaders and wealthy elites, equipped with all sorts of apocalyptic survival gear.

At 200 meters underground, there was a “cultivation base” – a greenhouse growing easily cultivable vegetables and fruits, and raising animals and fish.

But this level seemed severely damaged. No animals were visible in the cages or pools, and the plants in the greenhouse were destroyed.

According to Sakura, the initial problems in Takiguchi City started in Tojō City, making it the most severely affected area in the entire city.

Based on future intelligence, neither the Twelve Branches, the International Anti- weird Organization, nor Sakura initially knew about the situation beneath Tojō City.

Therefore, Shen Ge suspected the issue originated on this cultivation level. The researchers working for the wealthy might have sought a permanent solution to the food problem, turning their attention to weird.

For instance, the previously encountered “inexhaustible” eerie Pork. weird meat wasn’t much different from normal animal meat. If one could overlook its disgusting appearance, raising a self-healing animal could indeed permanently solve food concerns.

Perhaps problems during research led to the weird going out of control, triggering a series of incidents and disasters.

However, Shen Ge had no interest in helping Sakura investigate the cause of the eerie Disaster. He only wanted to find “Misfortune” quickly and acquire this Trait, which potentially could battle the deep-sea giant weird in the future.

Since the System, after devouring “Trace-less,” was currently inactive, Shen Ge lacked scanning ability. He could only rely on Little Seven for weird Energy detection and continue descending towards the 379-meter depth.

Reaching over 300 meters down, there was a natural underground cavern. Judging by the development from the “base” above, it seemed they intended to connect this cavern to the base.

But currently, the huge cavern was covered in a thick layer of black sludge. Stalactites, rock walls, protruding conical stones – black flowing substance slowly moved through the cavern.

On the rock walls, ground, and stones, people of various ethnicities were “bound” by the black flowing substance, tied up against the surfaces.

In the flowing black sludge on the ground, one could see swallowed clothing, firearms, and strange weird Energy equipment.

From these items, it was clear these people were likely the International anti- weird investigators, Sakura combat troops, etc., who had come to investigate earlier.

Just then, Shen Ge received the photos and information sent by Fang Mingyue. Comparing them to the monster hatched from the fat man’s belly, he realized these were probably the same type of “Mutant.”

Shen Ge was clad in full-body Rotten Flesh Armor, but he still didn’t recklessly step on the black sludge. Instead, he used invisible barriers condensed from his Unmanifested Domain as “stepping stones” to avoid direct contact.

Observing one of the corpses closely, he saw the black sludge had sliced open their abdomens and was worming its way inside.

Some corpses’ bellies were swollen like large balloons; others had burst open, revealing a whole, still-beating red heart inside.

The situation in the cavern resembled the “heart” and flowing substance Mutant Fang Mingyue discovered. But Shen Ge felt something was off.

If the intelligence from the future held, the International Anti- weird Organization was the biggest “nest” for the Twelve Branches, possibly even fully infiltrated by them.

That would explain how they could provide the deep-sea humanoid weird corpse captured by the Celestial Dynasty to Sakura’s Takiguchi City underground research base for human experimentation.

Furthermore, all current human experimentation, Parasitized, and Mutant research pointed towards the Twelve Branches. But the appearance of Mutants here contradicted Shen Ge’s previous deductions.

In other words, if this was “Misfortune’s” lair, Mutants shouldn’t appear, as Mutants were creations of humans (the Twelve Branches), not weird derivatives.

“Little Seven, analyze the weird Energy here. See if you can identify differences.” Shen Ge reasoned that if “Misfortune” was here, its weird Energy should differ from that creating the Mutants.

“Report, Master. Multiple different weird Energy signatures detected in the cavern. The strongest originates from the black fluid substance, followed by the parasitic insect weird within the fluid,” Little Seven replied.

Parasitic insect weird within the fluid?

Shen Ge immediately controlled a barrier to approach the black fluid on the cavern floor. As he neared, the fluid, like insects, tried to crawl onto the invisible barrier.

Shen Ge condensed another invisible barrier nearby, stepped onto it without dispelling the first one. The black fluid “crawled” up the edges.

Then, Shen Ge saw a black centipede, at least a foot long, crawl out of the fluid, moving around on the invisible barrier searching for a target.

“It’s eerie Centipedes!” Shen Ge immediately recalled the cavern full of eerie Centipede eggshells in the Takiguchi City underground research base.

He thought burning down the Takiguchi City underground research base had resolved it, but the situation was far more complex.

“No wonder Tojō City and Tokyo Tower are the most severely affected areas in the Takiguchi City eerie Disaster. It’s all related to these eerie Centipedes.”

“So, I was wrong from the start. This isn’t ‘Misfortune’s’ location, but the lair of that deep-sea giant weird created by Sakura, the one devour Sakura Island?”

As a Celestial Dynasty citizen, Shen Ge naturally possessed the finest Celestial Dynasty tradition –

“Since I’m already here, can’t leave empty-handed.” Shen Ge had planned to find that deep-sea giant weird after dealing with “Misfortune,” as its Flesh Maw could allow “time travel” to four years in the future.

Shen Ge even intended to create a two-way portal, arming the warriors from his world with weird Energy equipment to face the future eerie Disaster.

“How can I force its main body out?” Shen Ge looked around, recalling Fang Mingyue’s report mentioning these black fluid substances parasitizing humans, seemingly drawing nutrients to supply the “heart.”

“So, there should be a ‘heart’ hidden here too?” Thinking this, Shen Ge decided on the simplest and most direct method.

When in doubt, solve it with fire!

Shen Ge ate a Mental Apple, condensed invisible barriers at several different locations in the cavern, and used the Rotten Flesh Armor’s mobility to move around.

As he went, he threw Molotov cocktails, soon filling the entire cavern.

Both the black fluid substance and the eerie Centipedes hiding within seemed highly afraid of fire. Setting it ablaze immediately drove out hordes of eerie Centipedes.

From one-foot-long to several meters long, they writhed in the churning black fluid, making Shen Ge unconsciously raise his stepping points a few meters higher.

He feared nothing, could even sit down for tea with a fierce ghost, but centipedes genuinely repulsed him. Coupled with the dense swarm, goosebumps covered his body.

As the black fluid gradually dried up from the fire, more and more eerie Centipedes emerged from the inferno. Shen Ge even smelled a charred odor mixed with rot as many centipedes curled up, burned.

Just then, with a “rumbling” sound of earth churning, a large mound bulged from the ground ahead. A large eerie Centipede emerged from below.

Standing in the mouth of this giant eerie Centipede swarm collective, at least over ten meters long, was a figure wearing a green cloak.

This eerie Centipede seemed like his mount, under his control, even specially placing him in its mouth for protection.

Though also hooded, this person’s attire differed completely from the Twelve Branches’ black hooded sweatshirts. It was a full green cloak wrapped around his body. Strangest of all, under the hood, there was no face, only a red glow.

Shen Ge immediately recalled Luo Jing mentioning, after her rescue, seeing a green-cloaked figure suspected to be a Twelve Branches member.

After the giant group of strange centipedes locked onto Shen Ge’s position, they quickly rushed towards him. The cloaked man raised his hand, and dozens or even hundreds of centipedes emerged from the ground, rising like a tide and rushing towards him.

Shen Ge’s Rotten Flesh Armor immediately switched to “Red Mist Form.” He raised a hand, spewing large clouds of red eerie Fire, far more intense than the Molotov cocktails, instantly incinerating the approaching eerie Centipedes into charcoal.

A crimson tongue extended from the giant eerie Centipede swarm’s mouth, lifting the green-cloaked figure out and placing him about ten meters above the ground facing Shen Ge.

The green-cloaked figure stared motionlessly at Shen Ge, as if assessing him.

Shen Ge wasn’t anxious. He preferred facing enemies who confronted him directly over those who played hide-and-seek.

Besides, if he couldn’t win, activating “Intangible + Soundless + Trace-less” simultaneously would make even the heavens unable to catch him, Shen Ge.

Seeing the other party remain silent, Shen Ge took the initiative: “Twelve Branches? I have some history with your leader, the Spider Spirit, and several cadres. We’re old acquaintances. No need for secrecy. Let’s find a place to sit and chat properly, how about it?”

“…” The other party didn’t respond, still silently watching Shen Ge.

“Look, we’re both men. Staring so intently isn’t appropriate, is it?” Shen Ge, in full-body armor, hid his expression, but his tone conveyed helplessness.

The green-cloaked figure remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a hoarse yet discernibly mature female voice, “I am not a man.”

“Oh, so you’re a woman.”

“…”

Clearly, the other party wasn’t interested in Shen Ge’s nonsense.

The green-cloaked figure paused, then asked, “…I know you. You defeated the Twelve Branches leader in Daijing, took two of his heads. Besides that, you eliminated three Twelve Branches cadres. Not bad achievements, but still lacking to deal with me.”

“Tch. Anyone can talk big. Controlling a Tier 4 weird doesn’t make you invincible. How about finding an open space for a spar? And using such a disdainful tone to belittle your comrades, do they know? Won’t the leader kick you out?” Shen Ge provoked.

The other party didn’t take the bait, her tone still calm: “Twelve Branches? A bunch of small-time clowns. They aren’t worthy of being my comrades.”

“Oh? You’re not with them?”

“Not exactly.”

“Not exactly? So, are you or aren’t you?”

“Our goals might align.”

Shen Ge feigned understanding, nodding. “Oh—so what are your goals?”

The green-cloaked figure stared at Shen Ge for a moment, raised a hand, and a group of eerie Centipedes rolled up a charred human corpse, lifting it. “Do you know what these are?”

“Mutants?”

“No, they are the key to humanity’s survival.”

“Oh? How so?”

Shen Ge expected her to ignore his question, but the green-cloaked figure said, “In the future, only they can survive the destruction.”

“What do you mean?”

“Want to know? I admire your abilities. If you’re willing to join us, I wouldn’t mind showing you the truth of the world!” the green-cloaked figure said solemnly.