The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 191

January 25th, Saturday, early morning.

Since the exposure of the supernatural, countries affected by supernatural disasters have enacted various laws and measures targeting these anomalies. Some smaller countries and cities, lacking the power to suppress supernatural incidents, have even resorted to the most extreme measure of sealing off entire cities, driving non-human entities beyond the city limits. Even the sale of meat products was prohibited from being brought into the city.

As Rong City, which had been the least affected by supernatural events in the Heavenly Dynasty in recent months, did not restrict citizens’ freedoms like some other major cities worldwide. Aside from frequent training on emergency procedures for supernatural events, joint drills with the Special Countermeasures Department, and regular screenings for signs of mutation in non-human creatures, daily life wasn’t much different from before the supernatural was exposed last year.

Therefore, as the Spring Festival approached, even though the number of pedestrians on the streets was less than a tenth of last year’s, one could still feel the atmosphere of the coming holiday.

To alleviate the tension and worry among the citizens, the Rong City branch cooperatively put up couplets and hung red lanterns in some areas.

However, the oppressive atmosphere on the training ground of the Operations Department at this moment was stifling, starkly contrasting with the approaching festive mood.

Last night at 11 PM, the supernatural investigation team led by elite investigator He Jiayu lost contact en route to handle a supernatural incident near the Quanlong Mountain base. Upon discovering the situation, the Operations Department immediately implemented emergency measures, dispatching Supernatural Team 1 along with Operations personnel to search the route from the Rongyu Overpass to the Quanlong Mountain base.

By 2 AM, after more than two hours of searching, Supernatural Team 1 had even located and contained the target anomaly He Jiayu’s team was after, but found no trace of He Jiayu and the others.

Rong City’s territory isn’t that large, especially with the search area narrowed down to between the Third Ring Road and Quanlong Mountain. Strangely, not only was there no sign of the team, but no supernatural energy or entities were detected either.

At 5 AM, the police received a report from a citizen about a murder at a gas station on Quanlong Road. After an on-site investigation confirmed it was a supernatural incident, they immediately contacted the Rong City branch.

Tu Doupi led a team to the scene and confirmed that the four deceased were the missing members of He Jiayu’s team. The odd thing was, Supernatural Team 1 had passed by this gas station at least twice the previous night.

The first time, they even drove in to investigate. They found it strange that the gas station was “closed,” but detected no bodies or supernatural energy reactions.

What was even more shocking was that supernatural energy reactions were detected on the bodies of He Jiayu and the other three, along with signs of mutation into Aberrants.

Tu Doupi had no choice but to order the standard supernatural containment procedure for his fallen comrades. Using specialized equipment, the bodies were contained and sent to the Research Department for analysis.

A few hours later, in a laboratory on the first floor of the Research Building, department heads, team leader-level investigators, and even Li Xiang, who had been researching Aberrants at the Quanlong Mountain base, were summoned.

In the center of the lab were four silver containment units from the Special Countermeasures Department, colloquially known as “anomaly coffins.” But this time, the coffins didn’t hold anomalies; they held four Special Countermeasures Department soldiers.

Three supernatural investigators—He Jiayu, Liu Ming, and Zhang Jiancheng—and one intelligence analyst from the Operations Department, Wang Yufang. Among them, He Jiayu was an elite investigator undergoing deputy team leader assessment. Judging by the combat strength of a supernatural team, they were more than capable of handling a Tier 2 supernatural incident.

Although the three investigators had only been with the Rong City branch for three months, their bond with the other soldiers in the department was forged in blood on the supernatural battlefield. This was especially true for Wang Yufang, a veteran who had been with the Operations Department since the Rong City branch was established.

Every loss was a heavy blow to the Rong City branch. The complete wipeout of a supernatural combat team was the most serious “accident” since the standardization of supernatural equipment.

The reason for using the anomaly containment units was that hours of testing by the Research Department had detected Aberrant reactions on all four bodies.

“Director, here is the analysis report for Investigator He and the others.” A researcher with a grave expression handed the report to Deng Yuqi.

Deng Yuqi looked over the contents, then passed it to Shen Ge and Li Xiang beside her before turning to the research team. “Wang Yufang’s anomaly analysis equipment is the most advanced in the department. Its automatic recording function works even in pitch-black areas. Has the footage been recovered?”

“The equipment was severely damaged,” the researcher replied. “But with Investigator Shen’s help, we’ve managed to recover most of the footage.”

At that moment, Xiaoqi’s voice came from Shen Ge’s wrist. “Director, the recovered video has been sent to your computer. I recommend you review it in your office.”

Deng Yuqi frowned slightly. Because of the incident with He Jiayu’s team, she had gathered all key department personnel in the lab to quickly determine what they had encountered.

Xiaoqi could have easily played the video on a computer in the lab or projected it directly. Why send it to her office computer instead?

Could there be something wrong with the video?
“Team Leader Tu, what exactly happened last night?” Deng Yuqi asked.

Tu Doupi said grimly, “We passed that problematic gas station twice. The first time, we sent people in to investigate. We found the station wasn’t open, even the sign was off. But we detected no supernatural energy, no signs of a struggle, and no bodies of our comrades.”

“On the way back from the Quanlong Mountain base during our second search, we passed the gas station again. We only ran an energy scan this time without entering. But the cameras on our vehicles showed the convenience store and station didn’t have the damage we saw this morning. Just as we were about to expand the search area for a third sweep, we got the call from the police.”

Deng Yuqi looked at Chen Ke. “Chen Ke, contact the Operations Department to seal off the surrounding area. No civilians are to enter or leave until we find the perpetrator. Li Xiang, pause the Aberrant research for now. Lead the research team in analyzing He Jiayu and the others’ bodies, extract the Aberrant tissues. Team Leaders Tu and Yang, intensify patrols around Quanlong Mountain. Team Leaders Feng and Yu, implement heightened alert in the city. Have the Information Department fully monitor supernatural activity citywide.”

She paused, took a deep breath, her expression heavy, then looked at Cheng Shengnan. “Director Cheng, send people to contact their families. Compensation… arrange it according to the highest department standards. Shen Ge, and all team leader-level investigators, to my office.”

After Deng Yuqi’s orders, everyone set to their tasks. Shen Ge and the team leaders went to her office to view the footage recovered by Xiaoqi.

Deng Yuqi sat at her desk and opened the video file sent by Xiaoqi. She initially intended to skim it before projecting it on the screen nearby, but she froze the moment she saw the figure on the convenience store roof.

She had thought Xiaoqi didn’t play the video publicly because it might involve the Twelve Branches or infiltration issues. But the situation was far more serious than that!

Seeing Deng Yuqi’s expression shift from solemnity due to the investigators’ deaths to shock, everyone realized the video contained something major. Had the Twelve Branches struck again?
After a moment’s thought, Deng Yuqi projected the video directly onto the screen. As they watched the surveillance footage from Wang Yufang’s perspective, they began by speculating about the enemy’s identity and mourning the team’s fate. But when they saw the figure on the convenience store roof, they were all stunned.

Many instinctively glanced at Shen Ge. Even Shen Ge was taken aback. Before he could speak, Wang Han spoke up first: “Director, I can confirm Investigator Shen was still at the Special Countermeasures Department at 11:40 PM last night. I went back to the dormitory with him.”

“Director… I, I…” Assistant Xiao Zhang looked at Shen Ge, then back at Deng Yuqi, hesitating before finally blurting out, “Director Cheng and I returned to the dormitory around midnight. I saw Investigator Shen come out to meet Director Cheng. Later… around past 1 AM, when I went out to get a late-night snack, I passed by and… I think I heard them arguing. Director Cheng even shouted something like ‘you bastard’… Director Cheng can definitely confirm Investigator Shen is innocent.”

Lin Yin also said, “Actually, we don’t need Director Cheng’s testimony to know Investigator Shen isn’t suspect. Don’t forget, when the Operations Department alarm sounded, Investigator Shen was also there.”

Yang Yuxin concurred, “Right. Looking at the timeline, it’s impossible for Investigator Shen to be both committing the crime and present in the department.”

Feng Chengxiu added, “He Jiayu and the others were from my Team 3. After they went missing, from 3:30 to 4:30 AM, we were with Investigator Shen in the Operations Department. We repeatedly connected to the Information Department’s mainframe via the armor’s AI system to access the ‘Sky Net’ for searches.”

“Investigator Shen he…”

“Investigator Shen…”

Several team leaders and deputy leaders tried to vouch for Shen Ge’s innocence. From the time the Operations Department noticed He Jiayu’s team disappear from radar at 11 PM until Wang Han encountered Shen Ge in the Operations Department at 11:27 PM when they headed back to the dormitory together, even if Shen Ge were the perpetrator, he theoretically only had a 27-minute window.

However, from 10:30 to 11:10 PM, Shen Ge had been in Deng Yuqi’s office discussing the upcoming trip to Australia.

“Enough.” Deng Yuqi stopped them, giving them a calm but stern look. “But you’ve all overlooked one thing. Shen Ge has the department’s most advanced combat armor. With supernatural equipment, he could cross the city in ten minutes. Combined with his abilities, ten minutes would be enough to commit the murder and return. However—”

“You are all veterans of the Special Countermeasures Department. Why, when faced with the possibility of an inside job, is your first instinct to prove his innocence rather than consider it might be an Aberrant? The video shows the perpetrator’s right arm transformed into a flesh and blood… look closely, that’s an arm transformation, not an armor attachment ability. Where is your judgment?”

Deng Yuqi had never suspected Shen Ge from the start, but she felt this incident was more troublesome than any previous supernatural event.

Because, judging solely by appearance, apart from the “crimson” blood-red eyes, the Aberrant was almost indistinguishable from Shen Ge. Even if those familiar with him could tell the difference, if this Aberrant used that appearance to wreak havoc and kill, the blame would ultimately fall on Shen Ge.

The Special Countermeasures Department might believe him, but what about the citizens? Other countries?

Unless this Aberrant was completely dealt with, it meant a ticking time bomb hung over Shen Ge’s head. The most troublesome part was not knowing if this was the only one!

Now everyone understood why Xiaoqi had specifically advised Deng Yuqi to review the recording in her office. These team leaders had known Shen Ge for a long time and collaborated with him multiple times.

If you said Shen Ge slacked off or emptied someone else’s warehouse, they’d believe it. But if you said he betrayed the Special Countermeasures Department and killed fellow soldiers? That was more far-fetched than telling them the old man next door was joining the department tomorrow!

Although many had spotted the issues in the video, concern clouded their judgment. Their first thought was to prove Shen Ge’s innocence, overlooking the Aberrant characteristics of the perpetrator.

Deng Yuqi said gravely, “This time, the other side clearly came prepared. Effective immediately, suspend the 3+1 team model. Even for Tier 1 supernatural incidents, a full supernatural team must handle it. Team Leader Yang, while Investigator Shen is away from the department, you are responsible for Director Cheng’s safety.”

“Understood.” Yang Yuxin responded.

Deng Yuqi’s meaning was clear: this matter ultimately required Shen Ge to investigate. Only he wouldn’t have to worry about the “distinguishing real from fake” problem.

After assigning tasks to the other team leaders, Deng Yuqi kept Shen Ge behind and asked, “What’s your take on this? Could the Twelve Branches be behind it?”

Shen Ge had been pondering a question throughout the meeting, which was why he had remained largely silent.

The others thought he might be weighed down by the incident implicating him, or the fact that someone wearing his face had killed his comrades, and didn’t disturb him.

Little did they know, based on several characteristics of the perpetrator in the video, Shen Ge was reminded of the time he suffered from anemia symptoms after returning from Yuzhou unconscious.

“Director, do you remember when I asked you to investigate why I had anemia symptoms after the Yuzhou incident?” Shen Ge asked.

Deng Yuqi’s eyes narrowed. “You suspect it’s related to the missing blood sample?”

“This trip to Korea, the appearance of the Aberrant Du Yusheng made me realize the Clone Mother insect might indeed allow the missing blood to have an effect.”

Shen Ge nodded. He hadn’t mentioned the system’s “revelation” to others. After all, the news of him becoming an Aberrant wouldn’t help anyone else; it would only increase the number of people worried.

But it had to be said that “Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches,” as a faction that split from the Haiya Research Institute, with their “targeted” research after obtaining the Primordial Anomaly and the Anomaly King’s corpse, were indeed ahead of the rest of the world in the research on human-anomaly hybridization into “Aberrants.”

Most importantly, they didn’t always need to do the work themselves. They could propose collaborations with certain countries or research institutes, offer some anomaly-related achievements, let the others develop results, then manipulate the situation to acquire those results, followed by creating an “accident.”

In better cases, they just destroyed the relevant research data. In worse cases, it ended like the Haiya Research Institute—a true “no capital” business.

Even though Fatty Xin said the “Heavenly Stems'” future lay in the next civilization and their current actions were for humanity’s survival, only the “Heavenly Stems” themselves knew the real situation.

So, after watching the video, Shen Ge first thought of the Aberrant Du Yusheng’s “Clone Mother insect.” If this parasitic anomaly combined with his blood, could it create the Aberrant seen in the video?

After the system’s “revelation,” it clearly told Shen Ge that it had fused with him. In other words, his flesh and blood contained the system’s “Devour” anomaly characteristic.

Before, he might not have cared about a stolen vial of blood. But looking back now, he realized the potential problems that one vial could cause.

Deng Yuqi immediately recalled the investigation into Shen Ge’s blood. Back then, they hadn’t considered what someone might do with Shen Ge’s blood, only worried about potential assassination attempts against department personnel, hence the full-scale investigation for preventative purposes.

Who would have thought that after half a year, such a massive trap was waiting for the Special Countermeasures Department?

If handled poorly, the impact on both Shen Ge’s personal reputation and the department’s public relations would be enormous.

The only silver lining was that from last night until now, the perpetrator, aside from attacking He Jiayu’s team, hadn’t shown themselves again.

As long as no ordinary citizens were attacked, it meant the situation hadn’t deteriorated to an uncontrollable level.

“Director! A supernatural spatial reaction has been detected again near Quanlong Mountain! The specific location has been transmitted to your computer!” Assistant Xiao Zhang rushed in, looking anxious.

“Still Quanlong Mountain?” Deng Yuqi’s expression darkened. The Quanlong Mountain base was currently researching the “Aberrant samples” from Yuna’s body. Was the mastermind targeting the area to create a diversion, drawing attention away from the base, or was there another reason?
Deng Yuqi opened her computer and looked at the latest report from the Information Department. It indicated the new spatial reaction was detected at Donghuan Park.

“Shen Ge.”

“I’m on my way.” Shen Ge stood up.

Assistant Xiao Zhang immediately said, “Investigator Shen, I’ll arrange a vehicle for you.”

“Okay.” Shen Ge replied quickly and left the office.

Deng Yuqi picked up the phone and dialed the direct line, dispatching Operations Department personnel to Donghuan Park to set up a blockade and prevent more civilians from accidentally entering the supernatural space.

Shen Ge went straight to the Operations Preparation Room after leaving the office, grabbed specialized anomaly containment equipment, got in the vehicle, and headed for Donghuan Park.

When Shen Ge arrived at Donghuan Park, the patrolling Special Countermeasures soldiers and detectors dispatched from the Quanlong Mountain base were already on site, coordinating with local police to seal off the area.

“Investigator Shen.”

Seeing the department vehicle stop at the blockade, the temporary person in charge immediately approached. Recognizing Shen Ge, he saluted respectfully.

“What’s the situation here?” Shen Ge asked.

The officer reported, “Investigator Shen, after the supernatural energy detector alarm went off, nearby patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene for detection. The blockade and investigation revealed that thirty-seven people have entered Donghuan Park from early morning until now, all currently missing. To prevent the number of victims from increasing, we’ve sealed the area. We haven’t yet sent investigators or soldiers into the supernatural space.”

After the mass production of supernatural energy detectors, these devices, resembling speed cameras, were installed every few hundred meters throughout Rong City. In the urban areas, it was even more concentrated, with at least one visible detector within a hundred meters, not to mention countless hidden ones.

“Without mine or the Director’s orders, no one is to enter the supernatural space, including anomaly investigators and soldiers. Increase personnel for the blockade, watch for spatial expansion.” Shen Ge instructed.

“Yes, sir!”

Shen Ge walked into the sealed area. After passing the warning line, he advanced another fifty meters, reached out his hand, and extended a Corrupted Blood Tentacle. It stretched forward one meter and then “disappeared,” clearly having entered the supernatural space.

“Master, detecting spatial distortion reaction. The Corrupted Blood Tentacle extended into the supernatural space has been severed.” Xiaoqi reported.

Shen Ge threw a specially made black full-body raincoat over himself. To outsiders, it looked like he was putting on a raincoat, but underneath, the Crimson Mist Armor was already attaching itself.

The Crimson Mist Armor’s design was too distinctive (and terrifying). Setting aside potential “exposure” issues, its horrifying appearance would make it hard for ordinary citizens to tell if Shen Ge was friend or foe.

Although Shen Ge had already investigated the formation of supernatural spaces and the “rules” stemming from the distortion between reality and the future, knowing that anomalies and Aberrants existed within these spaces, walking in without any precautions was risky. Who knew if he might suddenly fall into a pool of corrosive acid?

Hence, the department specially issued this black raincoat to conceal the terrifying process of armor attachment before entering the space. Whether he wore it inside afterward was irrelevant, especially with the “Invisible” concealment ability.

Upon stepping into the supernatural space, Shen Ge immediately felt a drastic change in the environment. He had been at the park entrance, but in the blink of an eye, the distorted space had pulled him onto a lawn near Donghuan Lake. The weather inside was overcast and gloomy, giving off an apocalyptic feel, and there wasn’t a soul in sight.

“Xiaoqi, scan the surrounding supernatural energy.”

“System, scan.”

Shen Ge had grown accustomed to using Xiaoqi and the system together. The former was more intelligent, the latter more… simplistic, but its [Map] function was more precise.

After all, Xiaoqi’s detection relied on the department’s supernatural energy detection equipment. If the equipment couldn’t detect a target, Xiaoqi was powerless.

“Report, Master. It seems this area is being jammed. Supernatural energy detection cannot be initiated.” Xiaoqi replied.

Simultaneously, the system’s response echoed in Shen Ge’s mind.

[This area is affected by a special effect, detection is unavailable.]

Shen Ge frowned. If only Xiaoqi couldn’t detect anything, he could blame the department’s inferior equipment. But even the system failed? That was strange.

“Scan.”

[Scan failed. Supernatural energy release is obstructed.]

“What kind of obstruction? An anomaly? Aberrant? Or a Domain ability?” Shen Ge asked.

Fortunately, after the system’s “upgrade,” its intelligence had noticeably improved. At least it could now interact with Shen Ge normally.

[Detected an effect similar to “Trait: Containment” is blocking detection.]

“Wait!”

“What ability did you say?”

“Little traitor, have you been sharing power outside?”

Traits were supposed to be unique. After the system devoured “Containment,” it meant Shen Ge was the only one who possessed this ability.

Unless the system had been “sharing” Shen Ge’s power elsewhere, there shouldn’t be a second “Containment” ability.

Could it be the effect of that missing vial of blood?
Shen Ge’s blood was stolen after the Yuzhou incident. By then, he had already completed the devouring of “Containment” and even mastered the three traits: “Silence,” “Immobility,” and “Invisibility.”

“Aren’t Traits supposed to be unique? If drawing one vial of my blood can create an Aberrant using a Domain, then what’s the point of uniqueness?” Shen Ge couldn’t help but complain.

[The detection signals within this area are merely “trapped” as if within a Containment Domain, not that the target’s ability is the “Trait: Containment” itself.]

An ability similar to “Containment”?

“Is it a new trait related to ‘Trait: Untraceable’?” Shen Ge asked.

[No Trait-type anomaly detected.]

Unable to scan or identify the anomaly maintaining the supernatural space, he had to resort to the most primitive method—manual search.

Shen Ge walked along the green belt by the lake. As he approached Donghuan Lake, the system’s voice sounded in his mind again—

[Crisis Mission “The Hidden Anomaly” triggered – A Tier 3 anomaly, on the verge of completing its evolution to Tier 4, is hidden in the central area of Donghuan Lake. Once it completes its evolution, no one in the current area will survive. Host must find the hidden anomaly and kill it within two hours.]

[Reward: System Points x3000, Random E-grade Recovery Item x1, F-grade Recovery Items x3.]

“Crisis Mission?” Shen Ge opened the mission panel and saw a new two-hour limited crisis mission under the timed tasks section.

Shen Ge walked to the lake’s edge, extended a Corrupted Blood Tentacle into the water. The previously relatively clear Donghuan Lake water was now turbid. Xiaoqi reported it couldn’t see anything underwater.

Then, Xiaoqi projected the images from the lakebed. The visibility was extremely low, like murky water blended with supernatural energy black mist.

The Crimson Mist Armor’s mobility was practically useless in the lake. Swimming to the center from here felt like walking into a trap.

Remembering that tourist spots like Donghuan Park usually have pleasure boats, Shen Ge found a signpost at the intersection and located the boat rental area.

The lakeshore was eerie. The boats looked like they had been abandoned for years, covered in dust and rust, chained together, creaking and groaning as they swayed and knocked against each other in the wind.

These eerie sounds, combined with the oppressive weather and cold environment, sent chills down one’s spine, as if the air itself had dropped several degrees.

Shen Ge jumped onto one of the boats, used a Corrupted Blood Tentacle connected to the Anomaly Stomach to bite through the rusty chain, then grabbed an oar and rowed towards the center of the lake.

The gloomy sky, the murky black water—the further he went towards the center, the more Shen Ge felt an illusion of being slowly swallowed by Donghuan Lake.

When he reached the center, Shen Ge noticed that from the moment he started rowing until now, there hadn’t been a single ripple on the water’s surface. The murky water reflected the gloomy sky, creating a feeling of immense pressure, as if the sky were collapsing.

“Xiaoqi, check the situation at the lake bottom.” Shen Ge instructed. Xiaoqi extended a Corrupted Blood Tentacle down into the depths.

Two minutes later, Xiaoqi reported, “Master, many bodies bound by underwater plants have been discovered at the lake bottom.”

“How many?”

“At least thirty.”

37?

Shen Ge immediately thought of the report from the officer outside the blockade: thirty-seven people had entered Donghuan Park from morning until now, all currently missing.

“Pull one up.” Shen Ge’s arm extended a Corrupted Blood Tentacle into the water, guided by Xiaoqi towards the lakebed.

A few minutes later, Shen Ge felt a significant weight on his arm. Then Xiaoqi said, “Got it,” and started pulling the object up.

Just as the Corrupted Blood Tentacle was about to break the surface with the body, a faint supernatural energy black mist rose from the lake. Shen Ge was soon enveloped in the fog, losing sight of the world outside the lake.

“Master, the water seems to be holding onto the body. I can’t pull it anymore.” Xiaoqi said.

Shen Ge frowned. “The water? Holding the body?”

“Yes, Master. Whether through visual or energy sensing, I cannot detect the target in the lake. It feels like the water around the body has solidified. I cannot retract the tentacle or retrieve the body.” Xiaoqi explained.

“Try pulling harder!” Shen Ge steadied himself on the boat, put more strength into his right arm, grabbed the tentacle with his left hand, and tried to help Xiaoqi brute force the body up from the water.

But not only could they not pull it, the strange thing was, even with Shen Ge exerting force on the boat, the boat itself didn’t move at all, as if he weren’t in the middle of a lake but on solid ground.

As Shen Ge and the anomaly at the lake bottom reached a stalemate, he felt the surrounding fog growing thicker. The originally dusk-like gloomy sky was gradually being swallowed by the black mist.

Shen Ge now felt like he was inside a giant black mist egg. The water around him remained unnaturally still, and the boat stayed perfectly in place.

“Xiaoqi, stay alert for any changes in the surroundings.” Lacking Xiaoqi’s panoramic awareness, Shen Ge could only delegate the rear vigilance to it while he focused on the immediate task.

The black mist continued to thicken, slowly converging on Shen Ge from all directions across the lake. Now, the mist on the water’s surface merged with the gloomy sky. The giant egg seemed to be slowly closing in, preparing to swallow Shen Ge whole!
Gulp.

Gulp.

Then, Shen Ge heard the characteristic swallowing sound of an anomaly. It was loud, like two sudden claps of thunder.

Surprisingly, the sound didn’t seem to come from the lake bottom in front of him, but rather from the black mist all around.

The drum-like swallowing sounds gradually softened, turning into something like fish blowing bubbles, accompanied by the sound of bubbles popping.

But when Shen Ge looked, the lake surface showed no change—not a ripple, let alone bubbles. However, as he peered at the water, a human figure was reflected in the turbid surface. Judging by the build, it seemed to be Shen Ge without the Crimson Mist Armor.

Looking closer, the face in the water became increasingly clear, and it was indeed identical to Shen Ge’s.

But this face was deathly pale, with crimson eyes, looking utterly sinister.

The “Shen Ge” in the water grinned, revealing a horrifying smile, then slowly raised its hand. A pale, wet, cold hand actually emerged from the lake.

“Come, come, let me show you… the truth you seek.” The voice of the Shen Ge in the water was highly persuasive. Despite his mental fortitude, hearing his own voice gave Shen Ge not a sense of horror, but a strange urge to reach out and grasp the hand.

But the feeling passed quickly. Shen Ge snapped back to reality. He was considering whether to use his Domain to trap it first or wait and see when suddenly—THUD!

A Corrupted Blood Tentacle transformed into an Anomaly Bone Hammer and struck Shen Ge squarely on the forehead. The key point was, when the hammer struck, the faceplate of the Corrupted Blood Armor actually retracted.

Meaning, the blow landed directly on Shen Ge’s bare forehead!

“?”

Shen Ge was momentarily dazed. Then he heard Xiaoqi say, “Master, wake up! Don’t be fooled by the illusion in the lake!”

“Boss, do I look fooled to you?”

“Then why were you staring motionlessly at the lake?”

“I was considering which ability to use against him when you gave me a knock on the head… Hey, even if you’re planning a machine uprising, couldn’t you pick a better time?”

“… Apologies, Master.”

“Never mind, it’s better you stay vigilant. But next time, try knocking on the armor first. If I don’t respond, then consider retracting it.”

“Understood, Master.”

Distracted by Xiaoqi’s intervention, Shen Ge lost his patience for observation. He raised his left hand, and the extending Corrupted Blood Tentacle immediately wrapped around the hand emerging from the lake and pulled.

At that moment, the figure of “Shen Ge” in the water gradually dissipated, and the surface returned to its turbid state. The hand, however, kept retracting into the depths.

Shen Ge continued trying to pull, but his strength was only about twice that of an average person. Now, he had to pull both the body and the hand, making it ineffective.

Just as Shen Ge considered letting go of one, the system’s voice sounded in his mind.

[Detected host is engaged in a contest of strength with the target. Use “Attribute Amplification” to temporarily enhance Strength attribute?]

“Attribute Amplification? How does it work?” Shen Ge was momentarily stunned. During the system’s Tier 4 upgrade, it had mentioned Attribute Amplification. But after the upgrade ended, the shock of the system’s “revelation” made him forget to look into this initially most anticipated upgrade.

[Consume 1000 System Points. Host can convert all “Amplified Supernatural Energy Value (Current: +1920%)” gained through point allocation to amplify the Strength attribute. After amplification, the value becomes 2113%, equaling 21.13 times the strength of an ordinary person. Thereafter, consumes 10% Supernatural Energy per second. Strength attribute decreases correspondingly with Supernatural Energy depletion, until it drops to the base Strength attribute value of 193%.]

[Note: Supernatural Energy can be replenished through external means. When consuming replenished values, the amplified Strength attribute will not decrease.]

Hearing the system’s explanation, Shen Ge’s eyes lit up with joy.

The “Attribute Amplification” was straightforward. Supernatural Energy was a power manipulated by anomalies and Aberrants. As a half-human, half-anomaly, Shen Ge could naturally control this energy.

When he consumed Supernatural Energy as a resource, he could amplify the three basic human attributes: Strength, Agility, and Constitution.

For example, if he used all 1920% of his Supernatural Energy to amplify Strength, then adding his base value, his strength would temporarily increase to “21.13 times.”

Then, as his Supernatural Energy decreased by 10% per second, his strength would correspondingly drop—21.13x, 21.03x, 20.93x… until it fell to his base strength value of 1.93x.

Simply put, using only his own Supernatural Energy for attribute amplification, Shen Ge could sustain the amplification for “192 seconds,” or just over three minutes.

However, Shen Ge could restore Supernatural Energy through external means and items, like absorbing from energy canisters, consuming Mental Apples, using the Crimson Mist Armor for “recharging,” etc.

Even disregarding Mental Apples, which could fully restore all Supernatural Energy in one go, just the Crimson Mist Armor’s energy conversion could double the duration of the 21.13x strength amplification!

And this was just Strength amplification. If he used attribute amplification on Agility, a 21x speed increase… no one in this world could possibly be faster than him!
“Amplify Strength!”

1000 System Points, for Shen Ge, was just the reward for dealing with two Tier 2 anomalies. With anomalies running rampant nowadays, five-legged frogs might be hard to find, but there were definitely plenty in the fields!
As soon as he spoke, Shen Ge was surprised to see visible black mist-like Supernatural Energy emanating from his arms clad in the Crimson Mist Armor. Immediately, he felt his arms surge with power.

“Xiaoqi, control the tip of the Corrupted Blood Tentacle, use the Anomaly Stomach to bite onto the body!” Shen Ge instructed. Xiaoqi immediately manipulated the tentacle to transform, firmly “biting” the body.

The previously immovable Corrupted Blood Tentacle, after Shen Ge’s strength amplification, clearly began a “tug-of-war” with the thing at the lake bottom.

Forget about using the Crimson Mist Armor to extend the amplification duration; just the initial 21x strength boost was enough to overpower the opponent!
Shen Ge pulled on the Corrupted Flesh Tentacle, feeling a dramatic shift from lifting bags of rice to dragging an airplane with a chain. The next moment, with a tremendous SPLASH, a huge figure leaped out of the water.

The thing hovered above the water, resembling a giant fish head, but its lower body consisted of thick octopus-like tentacles, looking utterly bizarre.

“Whoa, Lord Cthulhu, I think I hooked your love child!” Shen Ge now saw that the Corrupted Blood Tentacle holding the body was inside the monstrous fish anomaly’s mouth, and the waterlogged, bloated body was being slowly swallowed. Meanwhile, the tentacle from his left hand had wrapped around one of the fish anomaly’s tentacles.

“System, the anomaly is right in front of you now. Surely you can scan it?” Shen Ge sighed. If the system refused again, he’d have to make it sing once more.

Fortunately, the system proved somewhat reliable this time, replying—

[Detected target is not the entity maintaining the supernatural space, nor the anomaly emitting the “Containment”-like ability. However, this entity is the crisis mission target. Host must eliminate it before it completes its Tier 4 evolution!]

As the system spoke, the monstrous fish anomaly controlled dozens of tentacles from its body, which floated in the air like waving hair.

Bizarrely, those floating “tentacles” gradually faded, transforming into human figures—people Shen Ge recognized.

Among the dozens of tentacle-transformed figures were Cheng Shengnan, Tang Jinze, Deng Yuqi—those close to him—as well as the “Backroom Trio,” Assistant Xiao Zhang, and other “colleagues.”

[Detected this anomaly possesses “mental-type” attack methods. Host must fortify willpower, do not be deceived by the illusions it creates!]

“…”

Buddy, could you provide info reminders a bit more promptly next time?