The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 183

Park Chang-ho was momentarily stunned by the question. He didn’t understand why the top Special Investigator from China, whom he was meeting for the first time, would focus on such a… bizarre detail?

But since he was asked directly, and considering their respective positions, ignoring it wasn’t an option. He forced a smile and said, “Well… a few days ago, during an anti-anomaly operation, I almost had my neck bitten off by one. Took a few stitches…”

As he spoke, Park Chang-ho pulled down his scarf, revealing a horrifying wound running from his jaw to his collarbone, still held together by surgical threads, not yet removed.

However, after Shen Ge spoke, his gaze shifted to the others. Even when Yoona translated for him, he didn’t respond, as if his earlier question had been merely casual, something he hadn’t really cared about and never expected Park Chang-ho to answer.

Park Chang-ho didn’t seem to mind, pulling his scarf up to cover the wound, and tentatively asked, “Detective Shen, did the Seoul base explain the situation at the Gangnam shopping mall to you?”

Shen Ge replied, “They gave me a general overview. You can go over it again.”

Before arriving, the Secretary-General had provided Shen Ge with a file on the Gangnam Mall, and Kwon Sang-il had explained the situation here.

During Shen Ge’s previous raid on the underground research facility beneath the Gangnam Mall to rescue Lin Yin, he didn’t have the Bloodskin Backpack that utilized distorted space for storage. So, he only had Little Seven record the research data before setting the facility on fire on his way out. Combined with the destruction caused by tanks and bombs, the research facility ultimately collapsed.

The primary focus of the Gangnam Mall underground lab had been various types of Anomaly Energy recovery serums. The collapse crushed many experimental instruments, releasing various “modified” Anomaly Energies, which caused mutations in the subterranean organisms.

Therefore, after the Asian Anomaly Research Conference, the area around the Gangnam Mall became a restricted zone. The Hanseong Base periodically dispatched Special Investigators to clear out the anomalies, preventing an outbreak into a full-scale Anomaly Disaster.

But just before the appearance of the Freak, Do Woo-seong, during a clearing operation, Kwon Sang-hwa’s team was attacked by Freaks in the underground levels of the mall.

Only Kwon Sang-hwa managed to escape alive. After he reported the situation to headquarters, a support team was sent down to the underground lab but lost contact after encountering an Anomaly Space.

This Anomaly Space only covered the area of the underground research facility. Over two months, it showed no signs of expanding.

Later, with the emergence of the Freak Do Woo-seong, the Korean side could only continue sealing off the Gangnam Mall underground and focus on dealing with him.

After last night’s incident at the Hanseong Base, the Korean Anomaly Response Bureau, which had initially placed “high hopes” on Shen Ge, felt strongly that there was something off about him, though they couldn’t pinpoint what. They certainly couldn’t afford to keep someone they’d paid for just “on display” without using him. So, after discussions between Kwon Sang-il and the department head, they decided to hand the mess of the Gangnam Mall over to Shen Ge.

The current state of the Gangnam Mall was inextricably linked to the Freaks. Since Shen Ge was here to help them solve the Freak problem, handing it to him seemed logical.

Whether this particular Freak was Do Woo-seong or not was irrelevant; the Bureau could spin the narrative however they wanted.

However, the Korean Anomaly Response Bureau clearly hadn’t anticipated that Shen Ge was already looking for opportunities to hunt Freaks. Their move essentially delivered a pillow to someone just getting sleepy.

Park Chang-ho had been a member of the previous clearing operations at the Gangnam Mall, so he recounted the situation from the perspective of a Special Investigator.

Yoona continued her dutiful translation. Shen Ge didn’t reveal that he understood Korean, figuring that an extra layer of “communication issues” would save him a lot of trouble.

After Park Chang-ho finished his overview, he introduced the four team members.

He was the deputy leader of the previous clearing operations and was now leading the team assisting Shen Ge. He specialized in Anomaly Energy detection and targeted demolition.

The two younger Investigators, Kang Dong-wook and Kwon Chan-woo, were both “rookies” with less than a year of experience. However, the former was a top performer among the new recruits, despite being a bit mouthy.

The latter came from the Kwon family, a Korean military family with generations of soldiers. Most of the younger generation had now become Special Investigators.

The female Investigator, Kim Soo-jeong, had three years of experience, placing her in the more “senior” category. Most importantly, she possessed four Anomaly Energy artifacts, making her the “wealthiest” of the four.

Listening to Park Chang-ho’s somewhat boastful introduction of Kim Soo-jeong, Shen Ge felt like pointing out that the standard-issue three-piece set for Chinese Special Investigators had already been upgraded to an eight-piece set. Four artifacts wouldn’t even qualify someone as a regular Investigator in the Special Affairs Department back home; at best, they’d be considered a “trainee.”

Thinking he might still extract some useful information from them later, Shen Ge decided to spare Park Chang-ho the embarrassment and kept his thoughts to himself.

Then, the group passed through the cordon and entered the Gangnam Mall.

“This place had its power cut during the first lockdown. To reach the underground parking, we can only use the safe exit in Zone C that wasn’t affected by the collapse to get to the lower levels.” Having participated in several clearing operations, Park Chang-ho was familiar with the upper floors.

Shen Ge had Yoona convey that Park Chang-ho should take command until they encountered any anomalies.

So, Park Chang-ho led the way according to the previous clearing routes, heading downwards towards the security office in the underground parking lot, planning to find a way into the underground research facility from there.

After the Daegyeong Anomaly Disaster, Shen Ge, along with Li Xiang, had conducted research on anomalies above Tier 2, trying to verify his hypotheses about Anomaly Spaces.

Through multiple experiments, Shen Ge had found a solution to the “random teleportation” issue within Anomaly Spaces.

The “principle” of an Anomaly Space lay in distorting space, connecting Shen Ge’s world to the apocalyptic future world through the Anomaly Energy emitted by anomalies, creating a subspace within a certain area.

Therefore, within this space, various strange phenomena occurred under the influence of the anomaly’s energy. Sometimes, if the emitted energy was too powerful, the Anomaly Space could even become “twisted” inside the belly of a giant anomaly.

This situation occurred more frequently with “fusion-type” Anomaly Energies, like those of Freaks such as Yoo Jong-seo’s, and anomalies.

Upon entering the Gangnam Mall, Shen Ge had Little Seven run scans of the surroundings. No Anomaly Energy fluctuations were detected for the time being.

As the six of them followed Park Chang-ho’s directions down the emergency stairs to the underground parking lot, they were surprised to find the air unusually cold and thick with a strong putrid smell. Any Investigator who had faced anomalies before would be very familiar with this odor.

“Be careful. This area has the highest probability of anomaly encounters. Most of the fights during my clearing operations happened in the parking lot,” Park Chang-ho warned, cautiously monitoring his Anomaly Energy detector and urging everyone to stay alert.

Just then, the corrupted flesh earpiece in Shen Ge’s ear buzzed with Little Seven’s voice: “Master, Anomaly Energy reaction detected 20 meters ahead near the crushed red car. Initial scans suggest it might be an Anomaly Space. There are also anomaly signatures behind the box trucks on the left and right. Energy levels indicate they shouldn’t exceed Tier 2.”

Hearing Little Seven’s alert, Shen Ge continued walking as if he hadn’t noticed anything. As they reached the entrance where the box trucks were parked, Park Chang-ho suddenly shouted nervously:

“Watch out, Anomaly Energy reaction!”

Given how sensitive anomalies and Freaks were to sound, it was unclear whether his warning was for the Investigators present or the anomalies lurking in the corners.

As soon as he spoke, the group heard a “gurgle, gurgle” swallowing sound coming from both sides.

The anomaly on the left looked like several anomalies “kneaded” together into a composite creature: octopus tentacles and head, lizard body, canine limbs. Most bizarrely, besides the octopus head on top, there was a smaller, infant-like humanoid body growing underneath.

It wasn’t huge, roughly three meters tall.

Judging by its Anomaly Energy, it should be a Tier 2 anomaly.

Behind the car on the right was another anomaly shrouded in black mist, resembling a cross between a dog and a rhinoceros, currently gnawing on the corpse of a Tier 1 anomaly.

“Two Tier 2 anomalies so close together, and they aren’t fighting?” Shen Ge stood in the center of the passage, curiously observing the two creatures.

“Are they just too cute to attack?”

The one on the right was busy eating its own kind. Having something to eat might explain why it wasn’t attacking the one on the left, but why wasn’t the left one seizing the opportunity to strike?

Park Chang-ho saw Shen Ge standing calmly in the middle of the road and saying something, but he didn’t understand Chinese. He could only ask Yoona, who was following behind, “What did he say?”

After Yoona translated Shen Ge’s words, the expressions of Park Chang-ho and the other three turned strange. They had thought Shen Ge was issuing a warning or a command upon seeing the anomalies, never expecting it to be a casual remark?

Kang Dong-wook immediately muttered under his breath, criticizing Shen Ge for tarnishing the reputation of China’s top Special Investigator by failing to grasp the severity of the situation.

Two Tier 2 anomalies appearing simultaneously wasn’t necessarily a lethal threat to the group, but it certainly promised a tough fight.

Instead of deciding whether to fight or retreat, he was wondering why they weren’t fighting each other?

Could Investigator Shen be any more bizarre?

Hearing Kang Dong-wook’s muttered complaint, Park Chang-ho frowned imperceptibly. He felt Shen Ge’s comment wasn’t just offhand but actually pointed out a key issue.

Anomalies accelerated their energy growth by consuming their own kind. Therefore, for anomalies, their kin were essential nutrients, while humans were merely tasty snacks.

Anomalies only refrained from attacking each other under two circumstances: First, when they were in the process of mutating, their internal energy already meeting the requirements for the change. They needed to expend this energy to complete the mutation.

Consuming more of their kind during this period would become a “burden,” so anomalies in this phase would seek out humans to help “digestion.”

The second circumstance stemmed from an anomaly’s “instinct.” When facing a significant threat, anomalies would instinctively prioritize eliminating the threat before turning on each other.

This was why, during battles between human forces and anomalies, only a small number of anomalies would take the opportunity to consume their kin amidst the chaos, while the majority would focus their attacks on humans first.

However, this “instinct” primarily applied to humans. Among themselves, anomalies only engaged in “free-for-alls”; they didn’t team up against other anomalies.

Currently, the anomaly on the right was consuming a fellow anomaly’s corpse, suggesting its energy hadn’t yet reached the level required for mutation, ruling out the first possibility.

And since Shen Ge’s group had just arrived, with no prior signs of combat between anomalies and human forces, the second scenario also seemed unlikely.

So, one anomaly eating while the other just watched like a live stream clearly didn’t add up.

Shen Ge stood his ground, calmly observing the two anomalies. Park Chang-ho watched him from behind, while the others grew increasingly tense.

Just then, they saw Shen Ge move. He reached into his pants pocket, his movements casual, as if fishing for keys or a lighter.

A moment later, he pulled out a green “G4 grenade.”

It looked like an ordinary grenade, not the tumor-like form of an Anomaly Energy grenade, making Park Chang-ho curious about what Shen Ge intended to do with this green pineapple.

Then, they saw Shen Ge pull the pin and toss it towards the fused anomaly on the left.

Thud!

Well, it should have been a “boom,” but Shen Ge’s casual throw, combined with the G4 grenade’s negligible damage to a Tier 2 anomaly, created the impression of a troublemaker teasing an adult with a party popper, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

This guy really didn’t know how to let things lie!

Kang Dong-wook and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats. If they weren’t afraid of drawing the anomalies’ attention by shouting, they would have cursed out loud.

Strangely, after being hit, the fused anomaly showed no reaction except from the red, lumpy, infant-like part. The rest remained unmoved.

The “infant,” however, roared angrily at Shen Ge upon being hit, its mouth opening to reveal the common lamprey-like ring of teeth.

“Come on, open wide, say ‘ahh’…” Shen Ge walked to within a few meters of the fused anomaly, squatting down and taunting it.

As the fused anomaly let out another furious roar, Shen Ge tossed another black object into its mouth. This time, it wasn’t a regular grenade but an Anomaly Energy grenade.

Squelch—

A sound of tearing flesh echoed as the newly modified version of the Japanese Anomaly Energy grenade, improved by the Chinese Special Affairs Department, exploded inside the anomaly’s mouth. Thorny, fleshy stems burst forth from the “infant’s” mouth, prying it open as if a giant bloody flower petal was forcing its way out.

Even as the “infant” was nearly bursting from the grenade, its main body remained rooted to the spot, showing no intention of attacking Shen Ge.

“So stubborn?” Shen Ge mused. Just then, a change occurred behind him. The anomaly dog that had been eating its kin, having finished most of the corpse and hearing the commotion, arched its back and lunged fiercely at Shen Ge.

Kang Dong-wook and the others dared not make a sound, fearing the dog might change direction and attack them instead. But Yoona shouted a warning to Shen Ge.

“Investigator Shen, be careful!”

Shen Ge didn’t turn around, still squatting and teasing the fused anomaly. As the anomaly dog lunged through the air, closing to within two meters behind him, the scene made the others consider fleeing.

Thwip!
Thwip!
Thwip!

Suddenly, several corrupted blood tentacles shot out from Shen Ge’s back. Some wrapped around the anomaly dog, while others transformed into sharp blades, piercing its head and body.

Gurgle.

The anomaly dog let out a mournful cry before being dismembered mid-air by the corrupted blood tentacles controlled by Little Seven.

A Tier 2 anomaly, eliminated in an instant!

Park Chang-ho subconsciously swallowed hard. Now he finally understood why the Anomaly Response Bureau had “invited” Shen Ge to handle the Gangnam Mall underground. With his strength, he might actually be able to resolve the situation here completely!

Kang Dong-wook, seeing how easily Shen Ge had dispatched a Tier 2 anomaly without even moving, felt a twinge of resentment but had to admit the gap between their abilities was vast. Still, he muttered under his breath, “Tch, it’s just that his Anomaly Energy artifacts are powerful! Who knows if China’s top Special Investigator is just a title built up by pooling the entire country’s resources?”

It was just a Tier 2 anomaly; Kang Dong-wook had killed them before, just not as effortlessly as Shen Ge.

Park Chang-ho warned, “Kang Dong-wook, remember what I said before we entered? Control your mouth. Don’t cause an international incident.”

Then, he shot a warning glance at Yoona and said sternly, “You were only assigned to be Investigator Shen’s translator. Remember your place. You know what should and shouldn’t be said!”

Yoona didn’t respond. Park Chang-ho was about to say more when Kim Soo-jeong pointed ahead in surprise. “He’s going to deal with the other anomaly now.”

Everyone looked forward. After dealing with the anomaly dog, Shen Ge stood up and approached the fused anomaly. This time, however, he didn’t use the corrupted blood tentacles or any “Anomaly Energy artifacts.” Instead, he personally stepped forward with his butcher’s cleaver and dismembered the fused anomaly piece by piece. He looked like a bloody butcher, sending chills down their spines.

After dealing with the two anomalies, Shen Ge took the opportunity to have Little Seven extract data from the fused anomaly. He collected important organs like the brain, heart, and the red “infant” into his Bloodskin Backpack, leaving behind a pile of minced meat.

Preliminary scans by Little Seven immediately revealed something strange: this fused anomaly seemed to genuinely be “four different anomalies in the process of merging.” That explained the four distinct characteristics and the sense of “incongruity.”

Shen Ge wasn’t sure if this was man-made or a result of spontaneous mutation, but he had more pressing matters at hand. He could only store the corpses for later research.

“What are you all standing around for? Let’s go. There can’t be only these two anomalies here, right?” Shen Ge’s tone carried a hint of disappointment, which gave Park Chang-ho and the others a strange feeling.

Their previous clearing operations in the Gangnam Mall underground, where they faced death with grim determination, now seemed almost laughable in comparison.

Shen Ge wasn’t here to handle an anomaly incident; his relaxed demeanor made it seem like a casual outing, giving off strong “max-level player revisiting low-level area for materials” vibes.

After Yoona translated Shen Ge’s words, she quickly caught up to him, moving closer to quietly translate what Park Chang-ho and the others had said earlier.

At that moment, Shen Ge suddenly stopped. Yoona thought he was going to “warn” Park Chang-ho and the others, but instead, he said, “Stop here. There’s an Anomaly Space reaction ahead. Take one more step, and you’ll be affected by the Anomaly Space, randomly teleported to another area inside.”

Yoona was momentarily stunned, then translated Shen Ge’s words as instructed. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the fundamental difference between the men of the two countries.

Kang Dong-wook, upon seeing Shen Ge’s display of power, could only mutter criticisms behind his back. But Shen Ge, hearing these slanders, didn’t pay them any mind and instead kindly warned them about the Anomaly Space ahead.

That was true magnanimity!

Upon hearing this, Park Chang-ho nervously operated his Anomaly Energy detector, puzzled. “That can’t be right. Previously, the Anomaly Space was detected on B3. And after months of observation, there were no signs of it expanding. How could it appear on B2 now?”

Kang Dong-wook snorted softly. “I didn’t see him do anything. He doesn’t even have an Anomaly Energy detector. Can he really tell there’s an Anomaly Space just by looking? Does he think killing two Tier 2 anomalies makes him the world’s top Special Investigator?”

Park Chang-ho saw the paranormal energy fluctuations displayed on the paranormal energy detector and indeed detected fluctuations from a paranormal dimension. He immediately stopped Kang Dong-wook, who was about to go forward to investigate: “Wait, there really is a paranormal dimension!”

“Really?” Kang Dong-wook was taken aback. He might not trust Shen Ge, but he had to trust Park Chang-ho.

Shen Ge acted as if he hadn’t heard their doubts and said calmly, “Stand within about two meters of me. I have an Anomaly Energy artifact that prevents the effects of Anomaly Spaces and avoids random teleportation.”

“China has actually developed such a miraculous Anomaly Energy artifact?” Park Chang-ho was utterly astonished. If such a thing truly existed, wouldn’t it solve the most troublesome problem of Anomaly Spaces?

Shen Ge said nonchalantly, “Oh, only I have it. After all… I, the top Special Investigator of China, was also built up by pooling the nation’s resources. So, it’s only reasonable for me to have such good stuff, right?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone fell silent upon hearing Yoona’s vivid translation, unsure how to respond.

If Shen Ge was joking, he said it with a completely straight face. If he wasn’t, he was actually admitting that the nation’s power was used to create a single Special Investigator?

If this got out, it wouldn’t just be Shen Ge losing face; China itself would be labeled with terms like “all show and no substance,” “caring only about appearances, not practical results,” and so on.

Once everyone gathered closer, Shen Ge expanded his Unburning Anomaly Domain to “cover” them. The domain moved with him, so as long as they stayed close, they wouldn’t hit the invisible barrier.

Shen Ge intentionally limited the visible range to about two meters around himself, though he actually expanded it to ten meters to avoid any issues.

“Keep up. If you stray beyond two meters and the artifact’s influence, and get lost in the Anomaly Space, don’t blame me for not warning you.” With that, Shen Ge took the lead and stepped into the Anomaly Space.

Yoona stayed close by his side. Park Chang-ho and Kim Soo-jeong followed immediately. Seeing Kwon Chan-woo also follow, Kang Dong-wook didn’t dare hesitate any longer and entered the Anomaly Space as well.

In the next moment, everyone was shocked to find the surroundings had completely transformed. They had indeed entered the Anomaly Space and were affected by the “random teleportation,” sent to another area within it.

But this time was different. Although they were “teleported,” they weren’t separated. They remained gathered around Shen Ge.

Only Shen Ge knew that the Anomaly Space wasn’t true “teleportation.” It was more like a “new area,” a subspace created by the distortion and merging of two different spaces.

Depending on the “degree of distortion” in the new area, individuals entering would experience different levels of spatial twisting, which was the reason for the “random teleportation” effect.

However, when Shen Ge used his “Unburning Anomaly Domain” to bundle everyone together, the entire domain acted as a single entity. Thus, they didn’t end up in different areas.

“This… this is truly amazing. Investigator Shen, forgive my impudence, but could you let me take a look at this incredible Anomaly Energy artifact?” Park Chang-ho asked curiously.

Shen Ge replied, “Sorry, no. It’s a state secret.”

“Ah…”

Kang Dong-wook, standing nearby, couldn’t hold back. “With anomalies running rampant and the world in peril, all of humanity should unite to fight them together. China, as a major power, should take the lead. How can you hide such groundbreaking research that could solve the fundamental problem of Anomaly Spaces? It’s all just for show!”

Park Chang-ho was still thinking of ways to get Shen Ge to “share” the artifact and failed to stop Kang Dong-wook in time. He could only shoot a warning look at Yoona.

Yoona ignored Park Chang-ho’s “threat” completely, standing behind Shen Ge and quietly translating Kang Dong-wook’s words.

Faced with Kang Dong-wook’s sarcasm, Shen Ge gave him a cold glance. The icy stare reminded Kang Dong-wook of Shen Ge dismembering the anomaly with his cleaver, sending a shiver down his spine.

“If you have the energy to question everything, why not focus on finding the anomaly creating this Anomaly Space? Don’t forget, you’re here to assist me, not on a guided tour.”

After Yoona’s translation, Kang Dong-wook gritted his teeth and said, “Since you can so easily detect the Anomaly Space’s expansion, finding a single anomaly should be simple for you, right?”

“I thought Team Leader Park introduced you as the most outstanding rookie among Korean Special Investigators, so I wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself. Turns out you really are just here for the tour. Well, considering the decent service your country provided—packaged K-pop idol services, offering women and money—since I’ve taken the payment, I’ll put in some extra effort and resolve this situation thoroughly for you.”

“But remember, the ‘payment’ for hiring me only covers dealing with anomalies and Freaks. It doesn’t include babysitting. If you can’t be of any help, you’re just a burden to me. If something happens, don’t expect me to save you.”

After hearing Yoona’s translation, which even mimicked Shen Ge’s disdainful tone, Kang Dong-wook said through gritted teeth, “Don’t worry, I’d rather die than beg for your help.”

Shen Ge ignored Kang Dong-wook and reached into his pants pocket again, pulling out a tumor-like Anomaly Energy grenade.

Kang Dong-wook remembered how Shen Ge had similarly “insulted” the fused anomaly with an energy grenade earlier. Although he’d finished it off with his cleaver, he’d also pulled that out of his pocket.

The Anomaly Energy grenade wasn’t huge, about the size of an average man’s fist, but even one would create a noticeable bulge. Yet Shen Ge had pulled out two.

What kind of pocket was this? A pocket dimension?

Shen Ge tossed the Anomaly Energy grenade onto an empty spot ahead. With a series of sickening squelch, squelch, squelch sounds, the tumor grew into a fleshy, man-eating flower emitting sounds to attract Freaks.

The others hadn’t expected Shen Ge’s method to be so… direct. They immediately drew their Anomaly Energy artifacts, ready for a big fight.

A minute passed. The movements of the flesh-eating flower grew weaker, but no Freaks or anomalies were drawn to it.

However, just because Park Chang-ho and the others didn’t notice anything didn’t mean Shen Ge hadn’t. Little Seven detected Anomaly Energy fluctuations near the flesh-eating flower.

Shen Ge remained perfectly still, but he had quietly expanded his “Unburning Anomaly Domain,” which didn’t affect the environment and covered a large area, to probe the space.

The Anomaly Domain interacted with the Anomaly Space, instantly creating a distorted zone that tore the swaying flesh-eating flower to shreds.

The sudden change startled everyone, and they instinctively stepped back. They saw Shen Ge hadn’t moved, yet the space ahead seemed to be slowly torn apart by an immense force.

Park Chang-ho gasped in shock. In less than a year, China’s progress in Anomaly Energy artifacts had advanced so rapidly!

First, an artifact that allowed a group of Special Investigators to resist the “random teleportation” of Anomaly Spaces, and now an Anomaly Energy bomb that could tear the Anomaly Space itself!

China’s research into anomalies was truly terrifying!

Now, as the space ahead was torn open, it revealed an area completely different from the underground parking lot—it looked like a massive, deep shaft.

Horrifyingly, the shaft was densely packed with thousands upon thousands of decaying corpses. As the space tore open, an overwhelming, nauseating stench of decay assaulted them.

Even more bizarrely, there seemed to be a powerful upward suction force from above, continuously pulling the piled-up corpses upwards.

“What… what is that inside!” Kim Soo-jeong screamed in terror.

Although everyone present was an experienced Special Investigator, no stranger to Anomaly Spaces and the bizarre sights within, the scene of thousands of decaying human corpses “flying” upwards was still immensely shocking.

Shen Ge stepped towards the torn space. Yoona’s heart pounded with fear, but she gritted her teeth and followed him in.

Park Chang-ho and Kim Soo-jeong exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes. The former quickly called out to Shen Ge, “Investigator Shen, we haven’t scouted the Anomaly Space ahead! It’s too dangerous to enter recklessly!”

“Then stay outside,” Shen Ge replied without looking back.

Park Chang-ho suddenly realized a serious problem: this clearing operation was already exceeding his expectations, and staying away from Shen Ge might be even more dangerous.

Thinking this, Park Chang-ho clenched his teeth. “Let’s go, follow him.”

“Follow him? Are you sure?” Kang Dong-wook couldn’t take it anymore. With thousands of corpses flying upwards inside, weren’t they afraid of being sucked up too?

But the next moment, he saw that Shen Ge and Yoona weren’t affected by the upward suction at all, walking steadily towards the pile of corpses.

Beneath the mountain of corpses, there seemed to be a rusted iron door.

By now, Park Chang-ho and the other two had already followed Shen Ge in. No matter how much Kang Dong-wook boasted, he didn’t dare split up from the group at a time like this.

It was hard enough for Special Investigators to stay together in an Anomaly Space. “Splitting up” could very literally mean being split apart.

After Shen Ge reached the rusted iron door, he swung his arm, and a massive two-handed bone hammer appeared in his hand. He then began smashing it against the door.

Boom!
Boom!

Each impact produced a deafening sound that echoed through the eerie, deep shaft.

Watching Shen Ge break down the door, Kim Soo-jeong, standing behind him, asked Park Chang-ho quietly, “Team Leader, doesn’t this deep shaft look like a throat, with the anomaly constantly swallowing human corpses?”

“You mean we’re inside the anomaly’s stomach?” Park Chang-ho exclaimed.

Kim Soo-jeong said uncertainly, “I haven’t encountered this myself, but in the intelligence shared by the International Anomaly Organization, reports from China mentioned multiple cases of Anomaly Spaces teleporting people into the bellies of anomalies, and cases of anomalies, Freaks, and buildings merging.”

Kwon Chan-woo added, “Investigator Shen is from China, so he must be more familiar with these cases. Maybe he’s trying a method to escape?”

Indeed, Shen Ge wasn’t just familiar with those cases; he was often the one involved. When he saw this strange shaft, his first thought was also of an anomaly feeding.

With walls on all sides, he couldn’t just jump up and see where the corpses were being sucked to at the unseen top.

But there was this peculiar rusted iron door right in front of him. Adhering to the fine tradition of “since we’re already here,” he felt compelled to break it open and see what was inside, no matter how strange it seemed.

BOOM!

With a final loud crash, the iron door was smashed open by Shen Ge, revealing a pitch-black space inside, impossible to see into.

Shen Ge pulled a flashlight from his pocket, shining its beam into the darkness. Strangely, the light seemed to “vanish” upon touching the darkness inside the doorway, as if blocked by some anomalous force.

Park Chang-ho and the others were amazed by this bizarre sight, but it wasn’t the first time Shen Ge had seen something like this. When he and Fang Mingyue were trapped inside an anomaly’s belly before, light sources had also failed to work in the dark space.

Following his usual habit, Shen Ge would have activated his “Invisible + Silent” dual state and felt his way inside to explore.

But this time, a thought suddenly struck him—the story of the spear and the shield.

The anomalous dark world behind the door could block all light sources.

Then.

What about the eternal flame of the Anomaly Energy lighter, “Inextinguishable”?

Thinking this, Shen Ge put away the flashlight and pulled out the “Inextinguishable” Anomaly Energy lighter. He lit it and reached his hand into the space beyond the door.

Witnessing Shen Ge’s bizarre action, even the usually steady Kwon Chan-woo couldn’t help but mutter, “Even the flashlight beam couldn’t penetrate. A lighter… is he serious?”

Park Chang-ho didn’t know what to say either. He felt like every move Shen Ge made seemed like a joke, yet each time, it produced unexpected results.

The “light source” was blocked, but when Shen Ge held the lit “Inextinguishable” lighter into the dark space beyond the door, the flame didn’t go out. Instead, it illuminated a small area around it.

Shen Ge stepped into the pitch-black world, and Yoona hesitated for a moment before quickly stepping forward and grabbing a corner of Shen Ge’s clothes to prevent herself from getting lost in the dark space.

Originally, according to Shen Ge’s plan, bringing Yoona along was primarily for the subsequent task of locating the “Red Flower Stamen” base. He hadn’t expected the Response Bureau to assign work early and insist he bring this “translator” to facilitate communication with other Special Investigators.

Before leaving, the Secretary-General had even taken the opportunity to “pressure” Yoona, instructing her to use this chance to uncover Shen Ge’s secrets. Shen Ge, deciding to play along for authenticity, brought her without objection.

What surprised him, though, was that the situation in the Gangnam Mall underground research facility seemed more complicated than he had imagined.

He was now certain that the changes here were linked to the “Twelve Branches.”

Shen Ge walked slowly through the dark space, carefully listening to the sounds around him. He appeared calm, but in reality, his attention was highly focused. Furthermore, with the constant monitoring by his companion, Xiao Qi, he would know immediately if anything containing supernatural energy approached him.

“Keep up! Whether we resolve this anomaly incident or find a way out, we must get the news about the Anomaly Space’s deterioration back to headquarters!” Park Chang-ho had tried contacting headquarters via his communicator after entering the Anomaly Space but found the signal was jammed.

Shen Ge had already demonstrated his strength as China’s top Special Investigator. All they could do now was trust this man who had survived every Anomaly Disaster he’d encountered. They also needed to prove they weren’t just “tourists” and burdens to secure cooperation with Shen Ge.

Park Chang-ho knew full well that there was little actual “friendship” between Korea and China. If they couldn’t be useful, they might very well be abandoned by Shen Ge in a dangerous situation.

Park Chang-ho and the others had no means to “see” in the dark space, so they could only rely on the moving “flame” ahead to gauge Shen Ge’s position.

As they walked, he began to feel something was wrong. The “flame” continued moving forward, but the sound of footsteps around him had changed subtly.

It seemed… there was an extra set of footsteps?

“Investigator Shen, something’s wrong here!” Park Chang-ho called out to Shen Ge.

However, “Shen Ge” didn’t stop, and the “flame” kept moving forward.

Western horror films often featured a group of foolhardy college students entering a scenic lakeside forest or a historic town, only to end up with just one survivor.

That kind of horror was merely about the level of gore!

Chinese-style horror, however, involved entering a sinister, terrifying area where four people go in, but five come out…

And now, Park Chang-ho was experiencing this kind of horror firsthand. It wasn’t just the oppressive atmosphere affecting his senses; it was a torture of the mind!
“Kim Soo-jeong! Kang Dong-wook! Kwon Chan-woo!” Park Chang-ho called out the names of the other Investigators. The footsteps were right beside him, but no one answered.

Even more terrifying was that when he walked, five sets of footsteps echoed. When he stopped, the footsteps ceased.

The silence and darkness alone were enough to depress his spirit, let alone these ever-present footsteps surrounding him.

Park Chang-ho grew more frightened with each step, his courage fading. Finally, fear overwhelmed his reason, and he began slashing wildly with his Anomaly Energy knife.

“Die! Die! Die!” But after hacking for a while, he felt no resistance, as if he were madly slashing at the air.

Just then, Park Chang-ho felt a cold sensation on his neck. He instinctively reached up and touched some icy liquid.

He brought it to his nose and smelled it—the pungent scent of blood.

Then, a piercing pain shot through his neck, as if something was trying to force its way out from inside!

The moment this thought emerged, a pale, white hand reached out from Park Chang-ho’s throat and grabbed his face!
“Ah—”