The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 186

After Shen Ge landed, he looked up at the molten lava-like gap in the giant anomaly’s abdomen. He waited for two minutes but didn’t see the tall figure in the green robe follow him out. It seemed their plan had undoubtedly failed!

Ten minutes earlier, just as Shen Ge was still skeptical about the tall green-robed man’s claims regarding the split between the “Heavenly Stems” and “Earthly Branches” and the credibility of their complete fallout, members of the Twelve Earthly Branches unexpectedly stepped forward, proving his words true.

The interior of this giant anomaly, referred to as “No. 2,” was vastly larger than any of the previous giant anomalies Shen Ge had encountered.

Even the complexity inside the Tier-4 anomaly “Silence” from the Chongqing incident paled in comparison, being less than one-tenth of No. 2’s.

According to the tall green-robed man, this was the result of their deliberate intervention—fusing the abdomen of a deep-sea leviathan anomaly with the flesh and blood of the Progenitor Anomaly.

The “failure” of the new Cherry Blossom Ghost King made the Heavenly Stems realize that even if an artificial Ghost King had the ability to absorb massive amounts of anomalous energy, without increasing its “capacity,” reaching the absorption limit within a few months would render all their efforts futile.

The Heavenly Stems needed more time to research the perfect Freak; a few months were far from enough, with years being the minimum requirement.

This time, the Heavenly Stems went all out, mobilizing all the organization’s resources to the South Korean branch, attempting to use the “serum” from the Gangnam Underground Research Institute to accelerate the cultivation of the new Ghost King, No. 2.

However, the Twelve Earthly Branches intervened midway. Additionally, personality conflicts arose among the “clones” of Doo Yu-seong, with some clones attempting to kill and destroy all “clone eggs” to become the sole individual, thus betraying the Heavenly Stems and collaborating with the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Coupled with the arrival of Shen Ge, this “variable” caused the giant anomaly, which should have remained dormant for much longer to “develop,” to awaken prematurely.

After the giant anomaly’s internal organs fused with the old building, it resembled a massive deep-sea maze. The deeper one went, the more common it was to see rooms flowing with green corrosive liquid.

Little Seven detected that the heart, taken by the short green-robed man, was now deep within the giant anomaly. From the feedback, it seemed still in the short green-robed man’s possession and hadn’t been seized by the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Under normal circumstances, Shen Ge would have undoubtedly chosen to use the “Collapse” of the Intangible Anomalous Domain for rapid movement to reach the depths and find the “heart.”

But now, not only was the tall green-robed man present, raising the risk of exposing his domain ability, but the mere fact that the artificial Ghost King, connected to the Progenitor Anomaly, possessed a “Devour” effect gave Shen Ge a headache.

When Shen Ge learned from the green-robed man that this was Artificial Anomaly No. 2, he finally understood why his anomalous domain had failed earlier.

Because the Progenitor Anomaly also possessed a “Devour” effect. Its rating was higher than his, and its anomalous energy was several times stronger than his mental power.

With the same “Devour” attribute, the higher-rated entity naturally held the advantage, completely devouring the lower-rated one.

So, even if Shen Ge used the Red Mist Battle Armor’s “Energy Storage” and supplemented it with Mental Apples, he still couldn’t compete with the Progenitor Anomaly.

Unless Shen Ge’s rating surpassed that of the new Ghost King No. 2.

Currently, judging by the anomalous energy concentration here, the new Ghost King No. 2 was already a Tier-4 anomaly and was undergoing Tier-5 transmutation. Surpassing it was clearly impossible.

Fortunately, the tall green-robed man possessed a piece of anomalous equipment that could “control” the movement of anomalous energy within the new Ghost King. Using this equipment, the two of them avoided some detours.

But the Twelve Earthly Branches obviously wouldn’t let them reach the depths unimpeded. They released many parasitic-type anomaly mothers along the way, some of which had been assimilated by No. 2, turning into fleshy walls.

The tall green-robed man stood before a fleshy wall, attempting to use the anomalous energy equipment to displace it. Seeing his inefficiency, Shen Ge pulled him aside.

“Let me handle this.” With the Cleaver in hand, Shen Ge swiftly cut gaps into the anomalous energy fleshy wall, which was usually difficult to damage with sharp weapons.

The tall green-robed man was stunned, clearly not expecting Shen Ge to possess such a divine tool!

After the fused fleshy wall of No. 2 and the parasitic anomaly was breached, the room behind was filled with hatched parasitic anomalies—”Spider Scorpions,” “Facehuggers,” and others—a dense, swarming mass that made one’s scalp crawl.

“What do you usually do in such situations?” Shen Ge faced the swarming parasitic anomalies without a hint of panic, calmly turning to look at the tall green-robed man behind him.

“Find another route?” the tall green-robed man tentatively suggested.

He actually had methods to deal with the room full of parasitic anomalies, but those involved large-scale destructive power that might further enrage the giant anomaly.

Fortunately, Shen Ge didn’t rely on him. Raising his arm, the Rotten Flesh Battle Armor’s Anomalous Fire Gauntlet in its red mist form spewed a vast sheet of red anomalous flames, setting the entire room of parasitic anomalies ablaze with crackling sounds.

“…” The tall green-robed man was astounded. This method wasn’t much more “low-key” than his own plan. Mainly, he hadn’t expected Shen Ge to successfully burn these parasitic anomalies to death.

Firstly, while these parasitic anomalies weren’t immune to fire attacks, ordinary flames inflicted minimal damage. Secondly, even if anomalous flames were used, the anomalous energy within them would mitigate part of the damage, making it difficult for even ordinary anomalous flames to harm them.

But Shen Ge’s anomalous red flames were, first of all, “not ordinary.” Amplified by the red mist form’s power boost, their effect was at least three times that of ordinary anomalous flames.

Secondly, Shen Ge had heavily invested in the “Arson” specialty. This was a “combo skill”: he first used the Non-Ignition Anomalous Domain for “Ignition Point Control,” then used the Red Mist Anomalous Fire to scorch them.

“Uh, brother, take it easy. Don’t burn the parasitic anomalies to death only to make it impossible for us to put No. 2 back to sleep,” the tall green-robed man said anxiously.

As the parasitic anomalies in the room were completely incinerated, Shen Ge raised his hand and, through the “Ignition Point Control” of the Non-Ignition Domain, instantly extinguished the room full of anomalous flames.

“Although you and the Twelve Branches possess the Progenitor Anomaly and the Ghost King’s corpse, our Special Operations Department has plenty of good stuff too.” Shen Ge’s deliberately mysterious remarks made it hard not to attribute his miraculous abilities to the Special Operations Department, especially since a rumor was circulating among various national anomaly departments—

Shen Ge became the top anomaly investigator in China because China pooled all its national resources and invested all its anomalous assets into him.

While others might think Shen Ge would be angered by such claims, he actually hoped to cement this narrative, as it better concealed his various characteristic abilities.

After dealing with the minor threats, Shen Ge and the tall green-robed man arrived before a massive “heart” the size of a three-story building, covered in a rock-like surface and overgrown with seaweed.

“Where are they?” Shen Ge asked.

The tall green-robed man had already taken out a claw-like anomalous energy device and was climbing the giant rocky heart. “Inside the heart.”

“Inside?” Shen Ge raised his hand, and the Corrupted Blood Tentacles attached to his arm extended, coiling around the rocky outer layer of the “heart” and pulling him up.

Shen Ge found a gap on the side of the rocky “heart.” Although it was a “crevice,” it was several meters wide, enough for him to squeeze through.

Inside the rocky heart, blood vessels and filaments intertwined everywhere like dense vines in a primordial forest.

At the center was a massive cluster of black anomalous energy mist, accompanied by a throbbing “thump-thump” heartbeat.

About a dozen people stood near the anomalous energy black mist cluster. The leader had three heads and six arms, one hand gripping the short green-robed woman’s neck, lifting her, while the other hands restrained her limbs.

Besides this person, who had unleashed the “Three Heads, Six Arms” characteristic ability, two others behind him, also dressed as captains, maintained human forms. Behind them were fourteen ordinary team members, the “Ke.”

After Shen Ge entered the “heart,” one of the branch captains immediately looked his way. But the tall green-robed man also entered at that moment, appearing directly in front of them.

The tall green-robed man charged in and roared at the Twelve Branches captain holding the short green-robed woman, “Wei Yang, let her go!”

The three-headed, six-armed freak called Wei Yang turned one head toward the tall green-robed man and said mockingly, “Well, if it isn’t Fatty Xin. Did the ‘Heavenly Stems’ only send you this time? Do you think one Heavenly Stem is a match for three of us captains?”

Fatty Xin snorted, “Whether I can win or not, I have to try to find out.”

With that, he threw off his green robe, revealing a body weighing at least three hundred pounds.

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches originally stemmed from ancient Chinese celestial concepts. After historical evolution and simplification, they were collectively called “Stems and Branches.”

The Heavenly Stems are divided into Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui, known as the “Ten Heavenly Stems.”

The Earthly Branches are Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai, also called the “Twelve Earthly Branches.”

After the Haiya Research Institute incident, some researchers and most soldiers who had “voluntarily” undergone anomaly experiments left the organization.

They believed the world was on the brink of disaster, and humanity had only a few decades left to survive. They felt that the regular army was too constrained and ineffective, and that it would be better to break away and take matters into their own hands.

Since about eighty percent of this group were Chinese researchers and soldiers, they named themselves after the ancient Chinese celestial term “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.”

The original purpose of the Stems and Branches was to find a way to “plug” the anomalous energy leak, completely resolve the anomaly issue, and give humanity a “future.”

However, later, as Fatty Xin said, disagreements arose between the leading researchers and soldiers of the “Heavenly Stems” and “Earthly Branches,” leading to a split.

The “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches” thus evolved from all the researchers and soldiers who had broken away from the Haiya Research Institute into two factions whose “combat power” inherited the names.

In other words, the current “Ten Heavenly Stems” and “Twelve Earthly Branches” are all former soldiers from the organization who underwent the Freak program. They abandoned their original names and adopted titles.

Fatty Xin ranked eighth among the “Ten Heavenly Stems,” Crowned with the character “Xin.” Combined with his weight, he was often called Fatty Xin.

But actually, before the organization split, based on combat power, Fatty Xin should have been a member of the Twelve Earthly Branches. However, since several of the stronger freak soldiers ranked ahead of him left, he moved up into the “Ten Heavenly Stems.” And this Wei Yang was precisely one of those who had been stronger than Fatty Xin back then.

The twelve Earthly Branches titles are not ranked according to strength. Initially, their monster forms had significant flaws, and they could usually only maintain them for a few hours after entering combat. Therefore, they were categorized according to time periods, and given names corresponding to the current time.

Later, the Twelve Branches made a breakthrough in Freak research, successfully fusing Progenitor Anomaly cells with high-tier anomaly corpses. Consequently, the branch captains underwent a major reshuffle.

This was why, even though Shen Ge had killed three branch captains during the Beijing anomaly disaster, he encountered people with the “same branch designations” operating during the Cherry Blossom anomaly disaster.

Some were newly inherited branch captains, while others, like Yin Hu, had successfully retained their “titles.”

As the Twelve Branches’ Freak modes became more refined and they successfully developed a second-stage transmutation method, “Yin” successfully transmuted into “Yin Hu,” gaining stronger anomalous abilities. Unfortunately, before he could showcase his power, he was instantly killed by a certain someone.

The Twelve Branches’ “Wei,” after receiving Progenitor Anomaly cells fused with the anomalous black goat, became the current “Wei Yang.”

Fatty Xin hadn’t been a match for him back in the organization. Now that the other had undergone a second transmutation and greatly increased his strength, he felt confident enough to mock him.

Actually, Fatty Xin was guilty, but in such a situation, he couldn’t show weakness in momentum. Once the momentum was lost, it would be a hopeless situation!

After Fatty Xin threw off his green robe, his obese body, similar to the green-robed Ye Jingwen Shen Ge had seen before, was being gnawed on by numerous parasitic anomalies.

The difference was that in Fatty Xin’s body, which was grotesquely mutilated by the parasitic worms, a very long black worm could be seen coiled in his abdomen, constantly laying eggs. These eggs, wriggling towards the gnawed-away parts of his body, were actually “fusing” with Fatty Xin’s flesh and blood, repairing his body!

Thus, Fatty Xin’s body maintained a bizarre balance between “being eaten” and “repairing,” preventing him from losing control like Ye Jingwen had.

“Let her go!” Fatty Xin roared, opening his mouth to spew out a dense swarm of mosquitoes and flies that enveloped his obese body, transforming into a storm of insects that surged toward the Twelve Branches.

Wei Yang didn’t move. One of the branch captains behind him, his face hidden by a black hood, stepped forward to block him. With a “swish,” he pulled off his hood, revealing a face that greatly surprised Shen Ge—

Old Wang!

Or rather, the Twelve Branches’ “Zi.”

After Old Wang pulled off his hood, as his head, bearing the familiar face Shen Ge knew, began to visibly transmute, two more heads rapidly grew on either side of his neck.

Three heads and six arms!

As the Freak characteristic manifested, black clumps continuously fell from the bottom of Old Wang’s black sweatshirt, swarming densely and crawling rapidly toward Fatty Xin.

Those black clumps, the size of fingernails when they fell, quickly grew into one-foot-long standard southern giant rats as they crawled forward—rats that had undergone one transmutation, with ferocious, terrifying faces and bodies covered in hedgehog-like black fur.

Zi Shu, his entire body composed of gathered anomalous rats. Just the hundreds of anomalous rats that had emerged were enough to make one’s scalp crawl!

The collision between the mosquito swarm and the anomalous rats could be described, using common game terminology, as a duel between summoners.

Fatty Xin’s mosquito swarm had the advantage of flight, while the anomalous rats released by Zi Shu possessed high-speed regeneration capabilities, making them almost immune to ordinary physical attacks.

But since the parasitic anomalies Fatty Xin controlled were “mosquitoes,” they naturally possessed some mosquito-like “blood-sucking” ability, and it wasn’t just blood they sucked, but also anomalous energy.

This first clash between the “Heavenly Stem” and the “Earthly Branch” actually ended with Fatty Xin having a slight advantage, pushing back the rat horde.

Meanwhile, Shen Ge, in the corner, noticed that Fatty Xin wasn’t just using the mosquito anomalies to attack the Twelve Branches; he also had some mosquitoes latch onto the “heart” and suck from it.

The new Ghost King No. 2 was created by the “Heavenly Stems,” so they were well aware of its characteristics and abilities.

Although they didn’t know that the progenitor anomaly possessed the absolute ability to “devour,” they were aware that anomalies fused with the progenitor anomaly would possess an active defensive characteristic. Once attacked, the anomalous energy within their bodies would act like an “immune system,” beginning to eliminate the threat.

Although Fatty Xin had “cooperated” with Shen Ge, he wasn’t sure Shen Ge would definitely help. Compared to Shen Ge, he trusted the Progenitor Anomaly’s counterattack more.

After the “heart” was attacked, instantly, the blood filaments and vessels around, like vines, began to squirm, coiling with black anomalous energy mist and launching indiscriminate attacks.

The Twelve Branches also realized something was wrong. Although the other branch captain didn’t move, the remaining “Ke” members immediately protected Wei Yang.

“Fatty Xin, I told you, you alone are no match for us. Surrender and cooperate with us, and we might spare your life!” Wei Yang dodged the anomalous blood vessel attacks and roared at Fatty Xin.

Fatty Xin sneered, “Cooperate with you? Continue manipulating the Korean Anomaly Security Bureau, living a luxurious life behind the scenes? What, all of us who underwent the Freak soldier program are short-lived, so you advocate ‘seizing the day,’ enjoying yourselves before you die?”

“And why not? Continue your so-called illusory ‘Future’ plan, gambling on a future that’s impossible to achieve?” Wei Yang retorted.

Fatty Xin laughed heartily, “A person only lives for a few decades. Now, with a grand goal before you, how do you know it’s impossible without trying?”

“Then die here! You alone aren’t even enough for Zi Shu to eat!” Wei Yang snorted coldly.

At that moment, Shen Ge’s somewhat leisurely voice sounded from the side: “Well, if it isn’t Old Wang? We meet again… How about you old friends catch up, and I’ll catch up with my old friend over here.”

Shen Ge appeared on a rock ledge above and to the right of the “heart” formation. The “heart” itself conveniently obscured his position. Although Zi Shu, who was the most sensitive to the strange energy fluctuations, had detected Shen Ge’s appearance, Xin Pangzi’s timely arrival happened to provide cover for Shen Ge.

Hearing the voice but not seeing the person, many of the Twelve Branches members, old adversaries of Shen Ge, were momentarily stunned.

“Wait, why is he here?” Zi Shu, the rat-infested Old Wang, exclaimed in surprise. Although he wasn’t the original Old Wang, after taking over this “corpse,” he had clashed with Shen Ge several times, escaping twice using teleportation devices.

As the saying goes, third time’s the charm. This time, even if it “startled” the new Ghost King No. 2, Shen Ge didn’t plan to let this troublesome big rat get away.

Wei Yang was also surprised: “Dammit, wasn’t he supposed to be helping the Hanseong Base clear out anomalies? Are they all eating shit over there? Can’t even hold one person back?”

Although, from the Twelve Branches’ perspective, complaining now was somewhat inappropriate, many of the “Ke” members behind Wei Yang were inwardly grumbling.

‘As if you could take him down. Don’t forget, this guy not only took out three branch captains but also the second-stage transmuted Yin Hu and the leader!’
‘The leader is still lying in a regeneration tank, using Progenitor Anomaly cells to repair his body. If you’re so great, go ahead and finish him off!’

At this moment, those among the Twelve Branches who knew of Shen Ge were already considering retreat. Those who didn’t were curious about how capable this organization’s most-wanted fugitive, who gave them so much trouble, really was.

“Fatty Xin, what are you standing around for? Go and save your little secretary!” Shen Ge urged, seeing that Fatty Xin was still in a standoff with Zi Shu.

Fatty Xin knew he stood no chance against three branch captains alone. Now, he could only choose to trust Shen Ge. Gritting his teeth, he transformed back into the mosquito storm and charged toward Wei Yang.

“Trying to leave?” Zi Shu controlled a large number of anomalous rats to form a rat wall, attempting to block Fatty Xin.

Just then, a red figure descended from above. With a “smack,” a giant double-handed Anomalous Bone Hammer smashed into the rat wall. The impact of anomalous energy caused the rat wall to instantly collapse.

“Old Wang, you stole my line.” Shen Ge teased, then kicked off the rocky layer, propelling himself like a cannonball.

After releasing a large number of anomalous rats, Zi Shu’s iconic black sweatshirt hung loosely on him. Seeing Shen Ge charge, he dissipated with a “swish,” turning into a floor full of rats.

Non-Ignition Anomalous Domain!

Shen Ge landed beside Zi Shu’s clothes, stepping on the black sweatshirt. He expanded the Non-Ignition Domain to control the ignition points of the fleeing anomalous rats, then raised the Anomalous Fire Gauntlet and spewed red anomalous flames around!

Whoosh!
Instantly, the rocky heart was engulfed in a sea of fire!

“Holy shit, bro, if you play like this, we won’t be able to restrain No. 2!” Fatty Xin, who had just reached Wei Yang and was struggling with him over the short green-robed woman, noticed the fire in the heart and felt a tightness in his chest.

Shen Ge ignored Fatty Xin’s complaint, focusing on controlling the domain. After “Ignition Point Control,” he ignited all the anomalous rats in his sight, then immediately switched to the Silence Anomalous Domain, trapping himself and Zi Shu inside for a good roasting.

Initially, the “K” members around Shen Ge were shocked to see him setting himself on fire along with the rat, but the shock quickly turned into terror. Because after setting the rat ablaze, Shen Ge continued to wield the strange bone hammer, smashing it against the rock formations like he was playing whack-a-mole, completely ignoring the burning flames!

Actually, Shen Ge wasn’t being reckless, disregarding the bigger picture and potentially awakening No. 2 just to kill Zi Shu. He had noticed that when Fatty Xin used the mosquitoes to bite the “heart,” No. 2 reacted too quickly, seemingly not dormant at all.

Rather than being cautious and restrained, it was better to go all out, eliminate one Zi Shu, and then deal with the remaining two branch captains.

Trapped in Shen Ge’s domain, being roasted and hunted down by Shen Ge—who was using his Non-Ignition characteristic, the Anomalous Bone Hammer, and the Cleaver—Zi Shu found that even with numerous “clones,” he couldn’t escape being killed. He had to gather all the anomalous rats together, transforming into a giant three-headed, six-armed anomalous rat to fight Shen Ge.

And then, Zi Shu realized he had miscalculated.

When he was in countless rat clones, Shen Ge had some trouble killing them. But now that the target was a single entity, the tragedy of Yin Hu was instantly reenacted.

Wei Yang, watching Zi Shu being brutally beaten, gritted his teeth and shouted to the other observing branch captain, “What are you waiting for? Today, either our plan gets ruined by this guy again, or we use that thing to keep both him and Fatty Xin here forever!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the remaining branch captain moved. He tore off his sweatshirt, revealing not a human body underneath but a whole, disgusting, blood-red fleshy tumor.

He didn’t attack Shen Ge or Fatty Xin. Instead, he directly charged at the “heart,” then “splat,” exploded into a paste of flesh and blood that adhered to the heart.

The “heart” gurgled, bubbling with blood. The surrounding blood vessels and filaments seemed to sense danger, frantically attacking all living beings around the heart.

“Not good, he’s trying to control No. 2!” Fatty Xin felt a great sense of foreboding and had to give up his fight with Wei Yang, charging toward the heart.

But before he could get close, the surrounding rocky layers rumbled loudly, visibly contracting and converging toward the heart!
Wei Yang, seeing his companion had executed the final plan using the “Fusion Serum,” realized the short green-robed woman was now useless. With a forceful pull of his five hands, he tore her limb from limb.

Fatty Xin was slammed down from the air by the converging rocky layers of the heart, almost having the black worm knocked out of his belly. Then he saw Wei Yang throw the dismembered pieces of the short green-robed woman at him.

“You bastard! I’ll make you pay with your life!” Fatty Xin charged at Wei Yang, his mosquito swarm body transforming into a giant anomalous maw, biting at the other.

While Fatty Xin fought Wei Yang, the surrounding “Ke” members also attacked, using anomalous energy canisters that spewed anomalous fire or freezing gas to exterminate the mosquitoes.

At that moment, Shen Ge, after having the Corrupted Blood Tentacles’ Anomalous Stomach devour Zi Shu’s heart and burn his body dry, finished off Zi Shu and immediately came to assist.

Fatty Xin was slapped down from the air by Wei Yang’s giant black goat hoof. Shen Ge extended root-like Corrupted Blood Tentacles, trying to catch him.

“No. 2 is already awake. The Twelve Branches are trying to control it, but the ‘Fusion Serum’ they used has major flaws. They can’t complete the fusion in a short time. But once they succeed, the Twelve Branches will effectively control an anomaly capable of destroying the world. At the same time, the underground anomalous energy absorbed by No. 2 will be released, causing more anomaly incidents worldwide!”

“You must stop it!”

With that, Fatty Xin shoved a program card into Shen Ge’s hand and spoke rapidly: “There’s a secret laboratory beneath the prison at the Gangnam Underground Research Institute. That’s where South Korea previously researched the ‘Anomalous Energy Regeneration Serum.’ But when we took control, we conducted research on the No. 1 Ghost King and left behind a serum called ‘X11***808.’ Find it, inject it into No. 2, and it will stop its growth, causing its ‘heart’ to die!”

However, the “heart” had already shrunk from its original size of several hundred square meters to just over a dozen square meters.

Although Wei Yang and the “Ke” members didn’t hear what Fatty Xin was saying to Shen Ge, following the principle of striking while the iron is hot, they tried to finish off both of them.

The entire “heart” was filled with the anomalous fire and freezing gas sprayed by the “Ke” members. While Shen Ge was unaffected, Fatty Xin’s mosquito swarm suffered heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, the “heart” was contracting faster and faster. Shen Ge had no time to think. He immediately activated the Non-Ignition Anomalous Domain on the area beneath his feet—

“I can burn through here. Get ready to jump out with me!” As Shen Ge used Ignition Point Control, he shouted to Fatty Xin.

“It’s too late! I’ll hold them off. You go!” Fatty Xin pushed Shen Ge behind him, shoved the anomalous energy control device into his hand, and then transformed into a mosquito storm that swept through the entire “ventricle.”

Shen Ge had initially thought to burn through the rocky layer and escape, but No. 2’s repair speed in defense mode was several times faster than his burning speed.

Just as Shen Ge was about to be “squeezed” back, he instructed Little Seven to set the Red Mist Battle Armor’s conversion mode to maximum, continuously absorbing anomalous energy, converting it, and combining it with his mental power to form red mental power. He then expanded the Intangible Anomalous Domain to perform “Collapse”!
The powerful red mental power collided with No. 2’s defensive anomalous energy, creating a massive distortion vortex that nearly sucked him in.

Beep.
Beep.

At that moment, the anomalous energy transfer device in Shen Ge’s hand lit up with a green light, actually causing No. 2’s anomalous energy to shift, allowing Shen Ge’s red mental power to gain the upper hand!
Shen Ge’s eyes lit up. With such a treasure, even facing the No. 1 Ghost King fused with the entire Cherry Blossom Island, he wouldn’t have to worry about his mental power being completely devoured. He just needed to use the transfer device to shift the other’s anomalous energy, then use his ability to enter the mist?

But this was clearly not the time to be thinking about such things. Shen Ge directly rushed into the distorted space, and then, using the bizarre domain in conjunction with the supernatural energy transfer device, successfully “squeezed” his way out of the heart.

Looking back, the previously dispersed anomalous energy black mist within No. 2 had gathered around the heart, slowly enveloping it.

Meanwhile, the green corrosive liquid surged in like tidal waves. This No. 2 Ghost King was fused with the corpse of a deep-sea leviathan anomaly, so its abilities leaned toward deep-sea anomalies.

Even more terrifying, as the “heart” contracted, turning the surface into something resembling lava-flow rock, the surrounding green corrosive liquid, influenced by the anomalous energy, gradually changed from green to red, becoming like scorching magma, rapidly rushing toward Shen Ge.

Seeing the magma surging toward him, Shen Ge had no time to think. He immediately used “Ignition Point Control,” burning the surrounding flesh and skin.

After burning cracks, he used “Collapse” to clear a path.

Tearing open the demon king’s abdomen, Shen Ge immediately jumped out without hesitation. Upon landing, he saw a large amount of molten lava gushing from the opening in the demon king’s abdomen, flowing across the streets and instantly melting many tanks and armored vehicles.

An anomaly’s abilities are related to its anomalous energy characteristics. However, before the Twelve Branches’ tumor man fused with the “heart,” there was no “magma.” This sufficiently proved, as Fatty Xin said, that once the fusion was complete, the Twelve Branches would possess an anomaly powerful enough to destroy the world!
Shen Ge extended his Corrupted Blood Tentacles, preparing to swing to the rooftop of a nearby building, then decide whether to find an opportunity to deal with No. 2 or follow Fatty Xin’s instructions and go to the Gangnam Research Institute. Just then, Little Seven alerted him: “Master, detecting an anomalous energy reaction from the Anomalous Sleeping Bag. It’s beneath the collapsed slab at the intersection below you.”

Shen Ge then remembered that earlier, thinking this place was affected by an anomalous domain, creating numerous “illusions,” he had given the highly defensive Anomalous Sleeping Bag to Yoona, telling her to wait in the alley for him.

“Don’t know if she’s dead or not.” Regardless, Shen Ge definitely needed to retrieve the Anomalous Sleeping Bag.

So, following Little Seven’s guidance, he swung down from above, using the Corrupted Blood Tentacles to move the rubble aside and pull out the buried Anomalous Sleeping Bag.

Unzipping it, the person inside, clearly not expecting the bag to be opened from the outside, was initially terrified. But upon seeing Shen Ge in his Red Mist Battle Armor form, she exclaimed joyfully, “Mr. Shen!”

“Stay inside!” Shen Ge zipped the bag back up, then used the Corrupted Blood Tentacles to tie it up and swung into the air.

No sooner had he left than a loud “boom” sounded. No. 2’s giant foot came down, leaving a deep crater where he had just been.

Shen Ge’s high-intensity swinging and flying, carrying an ordinary person, would probably break Yoona’s bones after a few moves.

Keeping her in the Anomalous Sleeping Bag could at least mitigate some of the impact.

For Shen Ge, it was like carrying a bag. His mobility relied mainly on the Corrupted Blood Tentacles and Anomalous Leather Boots, so it didn’t affect him much.

But during combat, he definitely couldn’t分心care about Yoona’s condition. Whether she survived would depend on her luck.

Shen Ge then noticed that as the fusion with the Twelve Branches’ tumor man progressed, the external appearance of Ghost King No. 2 was also gradually changing.

Cracks appeared on its body, from which lava-like liquid flowed.

“Not good, it’s completed its transmutation. It’s already a Tier-5 anomaly!” Shen Ge observed the surge in No. 2’s anomalous energy concentration—it was indeed a Tier-5 anomaly!
And the magma on its body and surroundings was clearly an anomalous domain effect caused by the anomalous energy!
“Gurgle!”

“Gurgle!”

As No. 2 emitted earth-shaking swallowing sounds, magma spewed from its mouth, flooding the streets like a deluge, instantly turning several blocks into a magma hell.

Crack.
Crack.
Crack.

Suddenly, a series of strange cracking sounds caught Shen Ge’s attention. He turned to see No. 2 shedding its skin. Spider legs, hard as rock, extended from within, transforming it in the blink of an eye into a giant rocky spider over a hundred meters tall!
Tier-5!
This was Shen Ge’s second time facing a real Tier-5 anomaly. The first was in Cherry Blossom, where the system rated “Misfortune” as Tier-8, but its actual level was only Tier-5.

And now, another genuine Tier-5 anomaly!
The good news was, it had no characteristics.

The bad news was, it was a product of the Progenitor Anomaly!
Fortunately, South Korean military forces were arriving from various bases for support, diverting No. 2’s attention and buying Shen Ge some time.

Relying on the Anomalous Leather Boots and Corrupted Blood Tentacles, Shen Ge moved at top speed, jumping from one distortion space to another, eventually returning to the parking lot.

After consuming a Mental Apple to fully restore his mental power, Shen Ge wrapped the Anomalous Sleeping Bag tightly with the Corrupted Blood Tentacles and continuously used “Collapse” on the ground.

However, the collapse here had clearly exceeded Shen Ge’s expectations. With no anomalous energy around for the Red Mist Battle Armor to absorb, all the consumption for “Collapse” had to rely solely on mental power expenditure.

Shen Ge suddenly missed the “Infinite Mana” serum. But with a Tier-5 “Quasi-Ghost King” above, even if he had it, he couldn’t waste it on digging.

Bang!
With a loud noise, Shen Ge finally broke through the soil layer, arriving at the Gangnam Underground Research Institute, which he had previously turned into ruins.

“Fatty Xin said the human experiment lab is beneath the prison…” When Shen Ge came before, his main goal was to rescue Lin Yin. After finding her, he didn’t explore further, completely unaware that there was another, more terrifying human experiment lab dozens of meters below.

Shen Ge easily found the prison area where Lin Yin had been held. After consuming another Mental Apple, he used “Collapse” on the ground.

Passing through dozens of meters of rock layer, Shen Ge arrived at a highly sci-fi-looking underground research institute. It was vast, covering seven to eight hundred square meters.

However, because the upper level had collapsed, this place was completely sealed. Some researchers who couldn’t reach the upper level in time were trapped below, cut off from water and food, and eventually starved to death.

Others had tried using Freak samples to turn themselves into Freaks, attempting to survive in the buried ruins, but they failed.

On the rows of experimental tables and equipment in the center lay several dismembered human corpses, their faces mutilated beyond recognition, abdomens cut open, and all internal organs missing.

Shen Ge had no time to examine those corpses, nor did he have the means. While instructing Little Seven to collect data and explore the surroundings, he opened the Anomalous Sleeping Bag to let the barely conscious Yoona get some air.

“Are you alright?” Shen Ge asked, looking at Yoona, whose hair was disheveled and whose face was bruised and swollen beyond recognition, feeling a pang of sympathy.

“I’m okay,” Yoona said, then immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.

“…”

Shen Ge sighed, took out an Internal Injury Healing Pill, and handed it to Yoona: “Take this. Consider it a reward for the information you provided.”

Yoona took the pill without hesitation and swallowed it. Even if it were poison, she had no reason to refuse.

After giving her the pill, Shen Ge scanned the area.

Besides the central experimental tables, Shen Ge noticed coffin-like cultivation tanks lined up in the corner, filled with water.

Bizarrely, each tank contained a “person.”

They showed no visible wounds. Although confined in water tanks without any tubes attached, their chests rose and fell slightly, as if breathing.

“Living people?” Shen Ge approached to observe the “coffins.” Seeing the people inside still breathing, he felt surprised.

“Master, found the serum Fatty Xin mentioned.”

“Grab the serum. Let’s deal with No. 2 first.” Shen Ge was worried that if the Twelve Branches gained full control of No. 2, the situation would become completely passive.

“Master, please wait!” This time, Little Seven didn’t immediately control the Corrupted Blood Tentacles to take Shen Ge away. Instead, it explained the situation here.

According to Little Seven’s analysis of the collected research data, the research being conducted here was on “new-type Freaks” combined with the regeneration drugs from the upper level.

If successful, this research could create the “perfect Freak” Fatty Xin mentioned.

However, all the samples in the research institute had been injected into the “Freaks” in the cultivation tanks. They either had to take a Freak with them or extract samples from their bodies.

But these Freaks would die like “withered hearts” once removed from the tanks. The best method was to find a living person