The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 175

Shen Ge weaved through the black mist of weird energy created by “Misfortune.” Without deploying his No-Exit Domain, he condensed an invisible barrier to block the corrosive mist. Simultaneously, his Motionless Domain was infinitely active, its bullet time effect throwing the area around him into a state of temporal stasis.

With essentially infinite mental energy at his disposal, he recklessly expended the power of his Formless Domain’s “Collapse” and his Non-Ignition Domain’s “Ignition Control.”

Augmented by the red weird flames of his “Crimson Mist Battlesuit,” everywhere Shen Ge passed was engulfed in a blaze of fiery red, determined to smoke “Misfortune” out into the open.

Theoretically, even in its 4th-stage state, “Misfortune’s” weird energy intensity still overpowered Shen Ge’s. But it couldn’t withstand the fact that Shen Ge was essentially running on unlimited fuel.

It was like an ordinary vacuum cleaner running out of power after sucking up a bit of the black mist. But this time, he wasn’t just an unlimited-power vacuum cleaner; he came with a built-in purification system.

Shen Ge’s task was simple: traverse the black mist. The “Crimson Mist Battlesuit” absorbed and converted the weird energy, while his various Domains, sustained by infinite mental energy, neutralized “Misfortune’s” energy. Though “neutralize” wasn’t quite right—it was more like his Domain’s energy was devouring it.

“Little Seven!” Shen Ge called out as he moved through the mist, a bold idea striking him.

Little Seven replied promptly, “I am here, Master.”

“What if I channel my infinite mental energy into the ‘Crimson Mist Battlesuit’? After it converts into ‘Crimson Mist weird Energy,’ I reabsorb it and use that enhanced energy to boost my Domain abilities. Is that feasible?” Shen Ge asked.

“Master, theoretically, it is possible.”

Little Seven, possessing the “Unforgetting” trait, had the world’s most powerful AI computational ability. Instantly analyzing Shen Ge’s situation, it simulated the process using the Rotten Flesh Armor’s ability to absorb mental energy and perform conversion, arriving at the most efficient method!

Shen Ge wasn’t surprised by Little Seven’s “feasible” conclusion. After all, the “LiXiang II Type Crimson Mist Battlesuit” was developed based on the Twelve Branches leader’s “heart.”

From the Green-robed Person’s “explanations,” Shen Ge was almost certain this “heart” was the stolen heart of the Progenitor weird, the very source of Crimson Mist weird Energy conversion.

Crimson Mist weird Energy represented a higher tier of ” weird energy,” while Shen Ge’s mental energy was weird energy. His Domains operated by consuming this energy.

When the Rotten Flesh Armor entered its Crimson Mist state, all its abilities, influenced by the Crimson Mist weird Energy, were enhanced several-fold, even dozens of times!

So, if his mental energy could be converted into “crimson” mental energy, a similar enhancement effect should be achievable!

Shen Ge’s proposed method—using the Progenitor weird “heart” integrated with the Crimson Mist Battlesuit to convert his own mental energy into “Crimson Mist weird Energy”—was absolutely viable!

“In that case… let’s go all out!” Shen Ge had less than six minutes left. Rather than relying on luck to find “Misfortune” in the mist, it was better to risk it all!

Trying to out-luck “Misfortune”? Even with six days or six weeks, finding its true body in this fog would be unlikely.

If he could use Crimson Mist weird Energy to amplify his Domain power, it might just be the breakthrough he needed!

“Understood, Master! Initiating extraction of your mental energy now!” As Little Seven’s words faded, Shen Ge felt the Crimson Mist Battlesuit cling to him like a powerful magnet.

Under normal circumstances, Little Seven would drain his mental energy in less than a second.

But now, under the influence of the “Mental Worm,” his mental energy was infinite. After the “Crimson Mist Battlesuit” absorbed a massive amount, its red glow became blindingly intense!

Shen Ge’s mental energy value was locked at “1111%”. The panel showed it flickering, but the number didn’t change.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Mist Battlesuit’s weird energy skyrocketed, instantly jumping from 999% to 999999…%.

“Master, initiating weird energy conversion now!” Little Seven announced. Immediately, Shen Ge felt the Rotten Flesh Armor visor pressed against his face begin flooding him with vast amounts of weird energy.

This was entirely different from inhaling weird energy from a canister. It felt more like “inflating a balloon”—with a high-pressure air pump.

And Shen Ge was the balloon!

After one second, Shen Ge felt he was about to burst, inflated to the limit by the endlessly agitated Crimson Mist weird Energy. Little Seven urgently warned, “Master, you must immediately reinforce one specific Domain ability. Preferably focus on strengthening a single Domain, not multiple. I fear an uneven distribution of Crimson Mist weird Energy could cause clashing Domains and injure you!”

Back when Shen Ge first acquired the No-Exit Domain, he’d tried using the Formless and No-Exit Domains simultaneously. The energies neutralized each other, leaving only the stronger Domain active. That’s why Shen Ge always switched between Domains rather than activating them all at once.

Channel all the Crimson Mist weird Energy into a single Domain?

Shen Ge didn’t know how much the Crimson Mist energy would alter a Domain. If the area of effect became large enough, Domains like “Collapse,” “Ignition Control,” or “Heart Extraction” that could directly cause damage would be most suitable!

But the problem was, without a locked target, “Ignition Control” might just set the entire Sakura Island ablaze?

While that would be a permanent solution, the island still housed his fellow Anti- weird agents and the Green-robed Person, whose allegiance remained uncertain.

According to the Green-robed Person, she created the giant weird to turn the entire Sakura Island into one, absorbing the Earth’s released weird energy. If things became unmanageable, she planned to sink the entire island into the sea as a final act.

Setting the whole island on fire might be “thorough,” but if it failed to kill the giant weird and instead woke it up, that would be a disastrous turn of events!

Most importantly, even if Crimson Mist weird Energy could amplify Domain power tenfold, could it guarantee igniting the entire Sakura Island?

Next was the Formless Domain’s “Collapse.” Perhaps more reliable than Ignition Control, combined with the major earthquakes “Misfortune” kept triggering, it might orchestrate a real-life “Sinking of Sakura Island.” But if “Misfortune” survived sinking into the ocean and “swam” into the East Sea, that would be like bringing disaster right to their doorstep.

Finally, Shen Ge chose the safest option—

“Motionless Domain.”

In its normal state, Bullet Time affected a radius of five meters. Extending it several dozen times might not seem hugely impactful, but it would significantly increase his efficiency in searching for “Misfortune” within the black mist.

Most importantly—it was “safe.”

Extending the Bullet Time field meant expanding the time-stop area. This wouldn’t just improve the efficiency of devouring “Misfortune’s” weird energy; it would also provide the best defense if the enemy attacked!

Shen Ge retracted all other Traits and Domain abilities, pouring all the explosive Crimson Mist weird Energy within him into expanding the “Motionless Domain”!

Instantly, the entire world seemed to slow down for Shen Ge!

This felt different from previous uses of the Motionless Domain. Before, within the self-centered Domain where he remained unaffected, he could still see the outside world moving normally.

Now, even though the weird black mist limited his vision, he could clearly feel that even “Misfortune’s” weird black mist was affected, as if the entire world had been put on pause!

The “Crimson Mist Battlesuit” now shone with a terrifying red light, like a blazing sun. On one hand, it continuously absorbed mental energy from Shen Ge’s body; on the other, it constantly converted it into Crimson Mist weird Energy, which, under Little Seven’s precise control, flooded back into Shen Ge, expanding the influence of the Motionless Domain!

Perhaps everything was still normal, but relative to Shen Ge, the entire world had entered a time-stop state!

The released Crimson Mist weird Energy from the expanded Motionless Domain swept through the black mist shrouding the city like a tornado. weird energy clashed against weird energy, and the “infinite” Crimson Mist weird Energy achieved an overwhelming victory!

Soon, vast swathes of the weird black mist were devoured by the Crimson Mist-infused Motionless Domain. Finally, in the central area, Shen Ge spotted a pair of crimson eyes, followed by the surrounding black mist gradually coalescing into a spectral figure.

“Finally decided to show yourself!” Shen Ge’s Rotten Flesh boots, in their crimson mist form, crunched on the concrete floor as he mustered all his strength and charged toward “Misfortune.”

The concrete cracked under his feet. Shen Ge shot forward like a cannonball, slamming into “Misfortune.”

“Misfortune” had risked alerting the slumbering giant weird underground by releasing all its weird energy to create the black mist and devour weaker weird. It was on the verge of its fifth-stage metamorphosis. But just as it was about to succeed, it found that for every bit it swallowed, Shen Ge consumed even more.

The threat Shen Ge posed was no less than that of the giant weird below. Even without higher intelligence, “Misfortune” now understood it had to eliminate this natural enemy to complete its metamorphosis.

“Misfortune’s” power lay in its ability to trigger various misfortunes and accidents in its targets. Normally, this would be highly effective against Shen Ge, given his inherent lack of luck. Amplified misfortune would have meant stumbling from one pitfall right into another, just like before…

But now, Shen Ge maintained the Crimson Mist weird Energy-enhanced “Motionless Domain” continuously. The ability to induce time-stop wherever he went perfectly demonstrated the principle: if I’m fast enough, misfortune can’t catch me!

Influenced by “Misfortune’s” weird energy, cracks appeared on the building’s rooftop. But as Shen Ge “passed by,” they spread like lightning in slow motion.

A second later, Shen Ge had already left the area. The rooftop continued to crack and crumble slowly. By the time it collapsed with a thunderous roar, taking several floors down with it, Shen Ge had long since reached “Misfortune.”

“Misfortune” wasn’t particularly large, having grown from five or six meters to about ten. But since it deployed its weird energy, no living being had managed to reach it. They either fell into pits halfway or were buried by collapsing structures.

Shen Ge, however, became the “exception”!

In his eyes, all accidents played out in “slow motion.” Even “Misfortune’s” terrifying swallowing sounds, affected by the Motionless Domain, became drawn-out, sluggish noises.

To Shen Ge, the sound echoing in his ears wasn’t “Misfortune’s” deafening gulps, but the aptly named “Sweet Dreams” — Quicksilver’s theme song.

The ground was collapsing, lightning streaked the sky, buildings crumbled, but what did that matter to Shen Ge, currently enjoying Quicksilver’s happy tune? In his perception, everything was nearly frozen, playing out in extreme slow motion.

The next moment, “Misfortune’s” massive form was ensnared by crimson Rotten Flesh tentacles, swung like a meteor hammer, and smashed through building floors.

Before the surrounding weird black mist could gather for “defense,” a red figure shot through the slowly coalescing mist and slammed into “Misfortune”!

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!

“Misfortune” crashed through floor after floor. As it fell, bullets from the Anti- weird Left Revolver pierced every vital spot from head to toe!

5 minutes.
4 minutes.
3 minutes.
…

Perhaps only the brutally beaten “Misfortune” understood the meaning of “every second feels like a year.” Each second, its body endured devastating blows!

In just a few minutes, “Misfortune” transformed from a majestic, fierce crimson weird into a tattered, ragged mess, riddled with slash marks and bullet holes.

Using the Motionless Domain’s control, Shen Ge relentlessly repeated the motions of hacking with his Pig-Sticking Knife. If not for the knife’s “Unbreakable” trait, the blade would have been dulled long ago.

The weird black mist continued to gather above Shen Ge, but its rate of accumulation couldn’t keep up with his speed. There was no chance it could save its master!

2 minutes.
1 minute.

Under Shen Ge’s relentless assault, “Misfortune” was like fish on a chopping block, utterly at his mercy!

When the “Mental Worm’s” effect ended, the area was no longer under the Motionless Domain’s influence. “Misfortune” had been reduced to a pulpy mass of flesh.

[Host has slain an 8th-stage weird (Trait: Misfortune). The weird corpse can be sold or devoured by the system to extract the “Trait.”]

[ weird (Trait: Misfortune) — Value: 100,000 system points.]

[Devour the weird to extract its Trait.]

A conceptual Trait? No question about it.

Without hesitation, Shen Ge chose “Devour.”

[8th-stage weird (Trait: Misfortune) successfully devoured. Trait “Misfortune” extracted. This Trait will be “fused” into a form more suitable for the Host. Host’s attribute panel has been updated.]

[Misfortune: Activating this Trait consumes 0.5% mental energy per second, absorbing the ‘misfortune’ of surrounding targets, triggering dangers including but not limited to various natural disasters, accidents, and mishaps. Can be activated simultaneously with other Traits.]

“…”

Are you kidding me?

Shen Ge didn’t even want to bother complaining about this ridiculous thing requiring a “0.5%” mental energy drain per second to activate. He just wanted to ask whether this was a “misfortune” or a bad luck collector. Could the collected “misfortune” be converted into energy, or did the user simply have masochistic tendencies?

Anyone with a shred of sanity wouldn’t go around absorbing others’ misfortune, right? Might as well rename it the “Martyrdom Aura”!

Wasn’t this supposed to be a conceptual ability? After the system devoured it, it felt like a joke!

“System, open your eyes and look! Is this what you call ‘fused into a form more suitable for the Host’? Do I have nothing better to do than absorb other people’s misfortune?”

Shen Ge felt a torrent of complain stuck in his throat. If complain could generate energy, he’d probably have an infinite supply again!

Before Shen Ge could finish his mental rant, the system’s notifications continued.

[Crisis Mission 1: You are currently within the Domain created by the 8th-stage weird (Trait: Misfortune). This area, influenced by the 8th-stage weird, is prowled by numerous low-stage weird and is extremely dangerous! Locate the 8th-stage weird “Trait: Misfortune” as quickly as possible and eliminate it.]

[Time Limit: 15 days.]

[Reward: Trait Enhancement Points x3, System Points x5000, Random F-grade Supply Items x10, Random E-grade Supply Items x3, Random D-grade Supply Item x1.]

[Crisis Mission 2 completed. Extract reward?]

“Yes.”

The 10 F-grade supply items yielded: 4 Mental Apples, three Recovery Bandages, two bottles of Internal Injury Recovery Pills, and one Hemostatic Spray.

The 3 E-grade supply items were more “balanced,” giving one “Limb Repair Agent,” one “Bloodsucking Silkworm,” and one “Mental Worm.”

The most satisfying was the “Mental Worm.” Ten minutes of unlimited energy was addictive; trying it once made him feel like joining the “Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect”!

[Congratulations, Host obtained D-grade supply item — “Body Regeneration Substance” x1. Using this substance stimulates self-healing capabilities. If the ‘heart’ and ‘brain’ remain intact, it accelerates physical regeneration.]

“…”

Shen Ge looked at the finger-sized piece of “black rotten flesh” in his hand. Starting from the non-fruit, non-plant “Mental Apple,” to the various “worms,” he felt the supply items were becoming increasingly ” weird-like.”

But now wasn’t the time to study the “Body Regeneration Substance.” Although “Misfortune” was dead, the natural disasters triggered by its weird energy persisted.

Especially since Sakura Island was already earthquake-prone. The major quake had now triggered a tsunami, affecting the entire island. Who knew if it would wake the slumbering giant weird?

Before that, Shen Ge had one more task: utilizing the 3 Trait Enhancement Points from “Crisis Mission 1.”

The first priority was enhancing “Misfortune.” Otherwise, this Trait, which only seemed to absorb others’ misfortune to turn him into a “jinx,” was useless unless he wanted to commit suicide. Even with the Rotten Flesh Armor’s protection, charging around as a walking disaster to affect enemies held no appeal.

[Use Trait Enhancement Point to enhance “Trait: Misfortune”?]

“Yes!”

[Trait “Misfortune” has been upgraded!]

Misfortune: —
Consumes 1%-∞% mental energy. Attach mental energy to a target, temporarily turning them into a misfortune magnet, potentially causing situations including but not limited to natural disasters, accidents, and mishaps!
The more mental energy the Host invests, the longer the target is affected, and the greater the “misfortune” they experience!
——————————

“Now that’s more like it. The correct way to use ‘Misfortune.’ Making only yourself unlucky is just a debuff.” Since confirming the system was an weird, Shen Ge had somewhat grasped the “rules” of devouring Traits.

Each time the system devoured a Trait, it entered a long dormant period, and the Trait’s ability was significantly “weakened.” No doubt the system took the lion’s share, leaving Shen Ge with only a portion. This was why he worried about eventually nurturing a eerie King.

However, the appearance of “Trait Enhancement Points” gradually alleviated this concern. Through these points, the weakened Trait abilities evolved into more diverse and mysterious forms…

Thus, the system’s claim, “fused into a form more suitable for the Host,” wasn’t an empty promise.

One enhancement point gave “Misfortune” a derived ability, but it didn’t awaken a Domain, similar to the initial states of “Formless” and “Motionless.”

“…”

Thinking of this, Shen Ge suddenly wondered if these 3 Trait Enhancement Points from “Crisis Mission 1” were specifically intended for “Misfortune.”

Then again, that sounded exactly like something the system would do!

[Use Trait Enhancement Point to enhance “Trait: Misfortune”?]

“Yes!”

[Trait “Misfortune” has been upgraded!]

[Awakened “Misfortune Domain.”]

“Misfortune Domain (Type I)”: Upon deploying the Domain, create a “Misfortune Domain” with a five-meter radius centered on oneself. Within this Domain, the Host can see black clouds of “misfortune” gathering above targets and can transfer this “misfortune” by consuming mental energy.
For example, if target A has a gathering black cloud of “misfortune,” the Host can use mental energy to transfer that “misfortune” to target B’s head, and can amplify this “misfortune” by consuming additional mental energy.
——————————

Shen Ge knew “Misfortune” was a conceptual ability. But he hadn’t expected that acquiring this Trait would allow him to visualize something as abstract as “luck,” and even transfer it from one person to another using mental energy.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ge decided to use the final Trait Enhancement Point on “Misfortune” as well.

[Trait “Misfortune” has been upgraded!]

[Awakened “Misfortune Domain Type II — ‘Calamity.'”]

[“Calamity”: The Host can expand the “Misfortune Domain” to a radius of 500 meters. Consume 100%-∞% mental energy to create one “calamity” at a designated location, including but not limited to collapses, earthquakes, explosions, and other accidents. The more “misfortune” possessed by lifeforms within this area, the greater the gathered “misfortune energy,” and the more severe the triggered calamity.]

“…”

Well, I’ll be damned! Now I understand what “conceptual divine power” means.

All other Traits and Domain abilities had an “upper limit” for mental energy consumption. But only “Misfortune” was labeled with “∞”. In other words, combined with the “Mental Worm’s” infinite mental energy, he could artificially create a magnitude 10 earthquake, or even volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and other natural disasters!

“Little Seven, scan the vicinity for weird energy, locate weird and aberration!” Shen Ge was eager to test “Misfortune’s” abilities. The system, having devoured “Trackless” and “Misfortune” consecutively, would likely be inactive for a while, preventing use of the [Map]. He had to rely on Little Seven’s scans.

“Report, Master. Detected weird energy fluctuations of a 2nd-stage weird behind the building ahead.” After detecting via the weird energy detector, Little Seven immediately reported to Shen Ge.

Shen Ge rushed towards the area behind the building as directed and indeed found a 2nd-stage weird devouring the parasite controlled by the weird Hand.

This Tier 2 anomaly, which resembled a monstrous dog, was about three meters tall and was devouring several cherry blossom warriors infected by the “Ghost Hand” parasite with its gaping maw.

Sensing the life force emanating from Shen Ge, it greedily turned around.

“Misfortune Domain!”

Shen Ge directly deployed the Misfortune Domain. Instantly, an image similar to the system’s [Map] flashed in his mind.

Not only were weird and aberration with weird energy marked within the Domain, but also some surviving Sakura warriors and Anti- weird agents.

Unlike the system’s scan, Shen Ge only knew a “red dot” was at a certain location, not whether it was an weird, aberration, or human.

He could perceive a “black mist” above these red dots. Some were so small they were almost negligible; others were the size of a baby’s fist; the largest was about the size of a basketball.

These were targets Shen Ge couldn’t “see” directly, only sense their positions. But for the parasite on the street and the 2nd-stage demonic hound not far away, he could clearly see irregular mist clusters above them with his naked eye.

Among them, the demonic hound had the largest cluster, meaning it was about to have a very, very bad day.

“Transfer!”

Shen Ge raised his hand and manipulated the energy. Instantly, all the “black mist clusters” in his visible vicinity converged upon the demonic hound. The cluster above its head, originally slightly larger than a basketball, swelled to the size of a small car!

After gathering the “misfortune,” Shen Ge prepared to use the Misfortune Domain Type II’s special ability, “Calamity.” Suddenly, a tremendous BOOM echoed. The already precarious building behind the demonic hound finally gave way, collapsing and burying the creature completely.

The rubble pile shifted as the demonic hound struggled to free itself. Just as it seemed about to emerge, something—perhaps a ruptured gas line or another cause—triggered an explosion within the ruins, blasting the hound out.

The moment it hit the ground, the pavement collapsed beneath it, plunging it into a sinkhole. Then, a massive “fireball” streaked across the sky with a long tail of flame, plummeting directly into the pit.

It looked like… a falling satellite?

Before the demonic hound could climb out, Sakura support fighter jets flew in, only to collide mid-air by some mishap. The wreckage of the crashing planes fell precisely into the same sinkhole…

“…”

Shen Ge stood frozen in the distance, his hand still half-raised. He had merely transferred the surrounding “misfortune” onto the demonic hound’s head. In the brief five minutes before he could do anything else, the creature had already starred in a very realistic rendition of *2012* right before his eyes.

And just like that, a 2nd-stage demonic hound, exhausted its weird energy through a series of relentless misfortunes, lost its physical defenses, and was ultimately reduced to mincemeat.

While Shen Ge was enjoying the tragicomedy of the demonic hound, the black mist enveloping the city began to dissipate with “Misfortune’s” death.

Next came the cleanup.

“Misfortune” was gone, and the inexplicable disasters and accidents gradually subsided. But the Sakura forces and the Joint Army weren’t aware of this yet, continuing their search and rescue operations within the buildings according to their previous protocols.

Rather than stepping forward to claim credit before the Sakura officials, Shen Ge preferred to keep a low profile. After dealing with “Misfortune,” he didn’t even inform Fang Mingyue and the others. While they were still busy handling the parasite and low-stage weird in the Tokyo Tower area, he returned to Hokuei City.

After emerging from the underground parking lot, Fang Mingyue and Luo Jing tried contacting Shen Ge via comms, only to find him “unreachable.”

Worried, Fang Mingyue, along with Luo Jing, Xiao Cheng, and others, searched the Tokyo Tower vicinity for Shen Ge while assisting Sakura in dealing with low-stage weird and rescuing survivors.

With “Misfortune” eliminated, Takiguchi City was essentially safe. Order was quickly restored under the combined efforts of the Joint Army and Sakura forces.

However, Sakura never seemed to know when to quit. After stabilizing the Tokyo Tower situation, they turned their attention back to Hokuei City.

They still believed “Misfortune’s” true body was beneath Hokuei City. This aligned with the future intelligence Shen Ge had acquired, which placed “Misfortune” 379 meters below Hokuei City.

Since all previous international Anti- weird agents sent to Hokuei City had “disappeared,” Sakura proceeded cautiously. They first sent covert teams to investigate. When these agents and special forces also lost contact, it reinforced their belief that “Misfortune” was indeed below Hokuei City.

Although “Misfortune,” as a rare Trait weird, held significant value, Sakura had paid a heavy price without even glimpsing its true form. Reluctantly, they abandoned plans to capture “Misfortune” and requested assistance from the Joint Army.

Once the Tokyo Tower area was fully secure, the Joint Army command post relocated to a position two kilometers outside Hokuei City.

Just as Watanabe Natsumi, the Sakura commander, Luo Jing, and others were discussing the operation to enter Hokuei City, Shen Ge—who had been “unreachable” for days—secretly contacted Fang Mingyue, instructing her to take a minimal role, essentially “slacking off,” during the Hokuei City operation.

During his disappearance, Shen Ge had done one thing: activated the “Formless + Soundless + Trackless” combo and hidden within the base beneath Hokuei City.

He remained skeptical of the Green-robed Person’s story. Hiding allowed him to observe her movements, find a way to deal with the giant weird, and verify her true intentions.

Several days of observation confirmed a few things. First, the Green-robed Person’s condition was indeed deteriorating. He saw her repeatedly attempt to use the black fluid filling the caverns to repair her body.

When he first saw her, her internal organs were at least protected by weird energy and hadn’t been consumed by the parasitic weird. But now, the parasitic weird had begun devouring her organs.

The parasitic weird nurtured within her body were “mother bodies.” She controlled these mothers to manipulate other weird.

Second, besides the Green-robed Person, Shen Ge encountered her companions within the base, as well as people sent by the Twelve Branches to “negotiate” with her.

Without exception, the Green-robed Person slaughtered them all. They joined the Sakura personnel sent earlier, dissolved into the black fluid, and became nutrients.

Through “eavesdropping” on conversations between the Green-robed Person and her companions, Shen Ge found their story largely matched what she had told him.

The Green-robed Person was nurturing a new eerie King for two reasons: first, to continue the plan proposed by the Haia Research Institute researcher—that absorbing weird energy could delay weird incidents—by creating a new “plug” to attempt to rectify humanity’s past mistakes and address the weird energy emerging from the depths.

Second, to exact revenge on Sakura, she specifically designed the new eerie King to fuse with Sakura Island.

Even if the new eerie King remained dormant, the absorbed weird energy did reduce the frequency of global weird incidents. But the new eerie King was a time bomb planted under Sakura.

The concentrated weird energy made Sakura more prone to weird metamorphosis than other regions. Simultaneously, if the new eerie King showed signs of awakening or reached its absorption limit, the Green-robed Person would activate contingency plans, sinking the entire Sakura Island into the ocean to force the new eerie King back into dormancy.

In other words, regardless of whether the new eerie King’s appearance solved the weird incident problem, Sakura was doomed. It was only a matter of time.

Shen Ge ventured deep underground. Using weird energy detection, he confirmed the slumbering giant weird was currently at the 5th-stage and continuously absorbing the black fluid in the caverns.

That black fluid was both nutrient and sedative for the giant weird. The more it absorbed, the deeper it slept.

But Shen Ge found something strange: the new eerie King, created from the eerie King’s heart, possessed a very unique weird energy. Its interior was like a massive maze.

Using the Formless Domain’s “Collapse,” Shen Ge entered the giant weird’s body, intending to sabotage it, but got lost within the weird mist.

Little Seven, after detection, revealed an astonishing discovery: the eerie King’s weird energy attribute was almost identical to Shen Ge’s mental energy!

Both shared the “Devour” attribute, which was why Shen Ge could use his Domains to “devour” other weird’s energy.

This “Devour” attribute had been decisive in the battle against “Misfortune.”

The new eerie King created by the Green-robed Person possessed weird energy similar to Shen Ge’s mental energy—also of the Devour type. And because its rating was higher than Shen Ge’s, its “Devour” ability was superior, greatly restricting Shen Ge’s movements inside its body.

Deploying a Domain? The weird energy got devoured. Activating a Trait? Mental energy consumption skyrocketed. This explained why he’d been stuck under Hokuei City for days—half the time was spent being “controlled.”

Shen Ge thought of the still-dormant system. His abilities came from the system. The system and the new eerie King shared the same weird energy attribute; there must be a connection.

This puzzled Shen Ge. He initially thought the system was related to the Progenitor weird, suspecting he might be the infant the Green-robed Person mentioned. But later evidence contradicted that.

Trait weird had unique and specific weird energy effects. When Shen Ge concluded the system was an weird, he guessed its Trait was likely “Devour” or something similar.

In the first prompt after slaying the Trait weird “Soundless,” one key line stood out:

[ weird at stage 4 and above possess Traits. Traits are unique. When an weird possessing a certain Trait dies, that Trait transfers to a newly born weird. There is a very small chance a high-stage weird can acquire it. (Note: Traits absorbed by the Host will not reappear.)]

(When a Trait transfers to a newly born weird, the weird will not awaken that Trait until it metamorphoses to stage 4. During stages 1-3, its weird energy may exhibit effects similar to the Trait.)
——————————

It was this prompt, combined with the system’s subsequent strange and weird behavior, that convinced Shen Ge it was an weird with the “Devour” Trait.

The reasoning was simple: The system stated, “Traits are unique. When an weird possessing a certain Trait dies, that Trait transfers to a newly born weird. There is a very small chance a high-stage weird can acquire it.”

Its “Devour” ability essentially “designated” the devoured Trait to transfer to itself.

Furthermore, “Traits absorbed by the Host will not reappear” meant devoured Traits remained within the system and wouldn’t transfer again.

This also explained why the system entered long dormant periods after absorbing Traits—it was digesting them.

Shen Ge previously suspected the system was related to the Progenitor weird because the Green-robed Person mentioned an ” weird” was found inside that infant. The surgery only removed part of it; the majority fused with the infant.

If Shen Ge was that infant, then the mostly fused Progenitor weird was the “system.”

The system was largely fused with Shen Ge, making him the Progenitor weird, and the Progenitor weird was him. Therefore, the Trait abilities, after being “digested” by the system, manifested in Shen Ge.

But if the system was the Progenitor weird with the unique “Devour” Trait, why was there another eerie King with the identical Trait?

If the “uniqueness” of Traits was disproven, then the previous deductions about “system = Progenitor weird” would be invalidated.

If the system wasn’t the Progenitor weird, but part of the ” eerie King,” then the Green-robed Person’s information was also contradicted.

Shen Ge racked his brain but couldn’t figure it out. He felt he had gathered many pieces of intelligence, but they were tangled into a ball of yarn. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find the end to unravel it.

Regardless of the connection between the system and the eerie King, one thing was certain: the new eerie King shared the same Devour ability as the system and was at a higher stage than Shen Ge.

In other words, unless Shen Ge suddenly jumped to stage 6, he could do nothing against the stage 5 new eerie King with its similar Devour ability.

Because Shen Ge’s Traits and Domains relied on mental energy. Any ability he used against the new eerie King would be instantly devoured, turning him into a rechargeable battery constantly powering it up.

Unable to deal with the new eerie King, and after being trapped inside its body for days, Shen Ge emerged just in time to hear about Sakura’s plan to send the Joint Army into Hokuei City.

Remembering that Sakura mistakenly believed “Misfortune” was still beneath Hokuei City, he decided to “go with the mistake.” Once the Joint Army entered, he used “Formless” to hide and secretly manipulated their luck, creating constant troubles for them.

For two days, plagued by various “accidents,” the Joint Army failed to reach even 79 meters underground, let alone 379 meters, and were eventually forced to retreat.

Later, the Green-robed Person completed her “fusion” with the new eerie King, integrating herself into the black fluid, becoming nutrients for the new eerie King.

The entire underground base was affected and completely collapsed. Even if Sakura and the International Anti- weird Organization wanted to continue digging for “Misfortune,” they had to give up.

Finally, the Joint Army’s “rescue” operation in Takiguchi City, which lasted a full month, concluded with the blockade of the Hokuei City area.

Sakura likely hoped that blockade Hokuei City would allow them to gradually regain control, similar to the Tokyo Tower area. However, the frequency of weird incidents there became higher than ever.

But these matters were no longer Shen Ge’s concern. After Hokuei City was blockade, Anti- weird agents from various countries gradually returned home.