The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 193

“What’s going on? We just found the real Luo Yueying, and now the one you brought back from the anomalous space is about to disappear? Did this… affect the future timeline?” Deng Yuqi turned to Shen Ge, her expression grave.

“…Uh, that question is clearly beyond my understanding. Even if the present did affect the future timeline, she shouldn’t just vanish with a ‘poof,’ right? Why is she melting?” Shen Ge countered.

Deng Yuqi thought for a moment, then said seriously, “In the original, unaltered timeline, we wouldn’t have paid any attention to Luo Yueying. So, she would have been attacked by the Twelve Branches today, or at some point, leading to her becoming an Aberrant in the future. But because of you, we learned about Luo Yueying in advance and intervened, preventing her from becoming an Aberrant as per the original timeline. So, her future self is melting?”

Shen Ge was momentarily stunned by this, looking slightly surprised. “I didn’t realize you were so well-versed in temporal theory, Chief.”

Deng Yuqi replied with a deadpan expression, “That’s how it always happens in the movies.”

“?”

Wait, since when did you steal my line?

Just then, Li Xiang’s voice echoed in the corridor: “A interesting hypothesis, Chief, but you’re overlooking a key point. If the past truly affected reality, causing this future entity to cease existing, then she should have completely disappeared as Shen Ge said, leaving no trace. But look, she’s only melting… her body is still in the containment chamber. This suggests it’s unrelated to the past or future, but rather some kind of reaction related to Aberrants.”

Behind Li Xiang was the research team he had assembled to study Aberrants, including his mentor and his so-called “childhood sweetheart” junior sister.

Li Xiang’s mentor appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with graying hair, thick glasses, and a frail, gaunt frame that looked like it could be toppled by a strong wind.

His daughter stood beside him, about 1.6 meters tall, with bright, expressive eyes. Her gaze swept past her father and Li Xiang, locking directly onto Shen Ge’s… wrist.

Noticing the “junior sister’s” stare, Shen Ge subconsciously raised his hand. Her eyes followed it upward. He lowered his hand, and her gaze dropped accordingly. She was clearly fixated on his wristwatch-form armor, practically spelling out “I want to study that” on her face.

Li Xiang had brought experts in Aberrant research, so there was no need for laymen like Deng Yuqi and Shen Ge to continue speculating.

The research team opened the containment chamber door. After the guards and inspectors confirmed it was safe, they entered with their instruments to examine Luo Yueying’s melted “remains.”

“Hello, Mr. Shen. I’m Jiang Wenpei from the research team. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Li Xiang’s junior sister walked up to Shen Ge and politely extended her hand.

Li Xiang introduced her: “My junior sister, an expert in Aberrant research. The plan to separate the ‘Parasitic Anomaly’ from the bodies of the infected was her idea. She’s currently working on extracting the ‘Aberrant Sample’ from Shen Yoona. If successful, we might have a way to save the infected.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Shen Ge shook her hand, genuinely impressed.

If Jiang Wenpei’s research succeeded, it would be like developing a vaccine in a zombie apocalypse. The emergence of such “talent” was a boon for humanity.

After a few pleasantries, Jiang Wenpei’s eyes remained fixed on his left hand. She seemed on the verge of speaking several times, making Shen Ge feel compelled to say: “Uh, this is the control device for the Red Mist Armor, also your senior brother’s invention. If you’re interested, perhaps you could let—”

“Really? Thank you so much! I’m very interested, I just didn’t know how to ask to borrow it for research…” Jiang Wenpei said excitedly.

“…” Actually, I was going to say if you’re interested, perhaps you could ask your senior brother about it?

Li Xiang saw this and sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Junior Sister, please don’t take advantage like that. Red Mist Armor research is classified as Top Secret, not even archived in the system. Besides, Shen Ge didn’t actually agree to let you study it; he was just suggesting you talk to me if you’re interested.”

Jiang Wenpei shot Li Xiang a disdainful look. “Talk to you? I couldn’t even wheedle the design materials for the armor out of you using a honey trap, and you expect me to participate in the research through you?”

“…”

“…”

Li Xiang’s face turned bright red, and the atmosphere became intensely awkward.

“Ahem, I’ll go check on Luo Yueying’s examination.” Deng Yuqi glanced at Jiang Wenpei and Li Xiang, then chose to make a quick exit.

Shen Ge was about to find an excuse to leave as well when Jiang Wenpei said: “The reason I’m interested in researching the Red Mist Armor is that I reviewed the research report Li Xiang submitted to headquarters. It mentioned that the Red Mist Armor’s uniqueness comes from using unique ‘Anomalous Fusion Materials,’ an ‘Anomalous Brain with memory functions,’ and the ‘heart’ of the leader of the Aberrant organization…”

“Have you ever considered that by fusing the Anomalous Brain, the heart, and various Anomalies with regenerative abilities using fusion-type anomalous materials, combined with the most advanced AI system in the country, you’ve essentially created an ‘Aberrant’ or an ‘Artificial Anomaly’ using the technology for anomalous energy equipment?”

Shen Ge and Li Xiang were taken aback, clearly not having considered the Red Mist Armor from this angle before. But strictly speaking, this assessment wasn’t… wrong?

It was then that Li Xiang understood why Jiang Wenpei was so interested in the Red Mist Armor. In her eyes, it was an “Artificial Anomaly,” another form of “Aberrant” that he had created.

In fact, the “Red Mist Armor Type III,” under Little Seven’s control, could already achieve a form independent of the host. Calling it an “Aberrant” wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Li Xiang also realized a critical issue: he had always been focused on enhancing the Red Mist Armor but had overlooked Little Seven’s rapid growth rate.

From “Type I” to “Type III,” the armor’s raw strength might only be equivalent to a Tier 3 Aberrant, but its functionality and “intelligence” were far more troublesome than even a Tier 4 or 5 Aberrant!

If Little Seven truly initiated a “AI Uprising,” the Special Countermeasures Department might face an unprecedented crisis!

Li Xiang considered implementing something like the “Three Laws” in the next Red Mist Armor upgrade to prevent Little Seven from rebelling.

Shen Ge, on the other hand, wasn’t as concerned. At least for now, his relationship with Little Seven was quite harmonious. Setting aside the AI’s core command to protect him, Little Seven had saved his life multiple times.

If asked who in the department Shen Ge could trust with his back without reservation, Little Seven and the armor would take first place, with no one else coming close.

Furthermore, if Little Seven truly became an “Aberrant,” it would mean it could be devoured by the system, so losing control wasn’t a major concern.

“If you want to study the armor, I personally don’t mind,” Shen Ge said. “But ultimately, I’m just the user. Li Xiang is its creator, so you need his final approval.”

If Jiang Wenpei was “trustworthy,” he would actually welcome her researching the Red Mist Armor from an “Aberrant” perspective.

The armor incorporated many elements related to the Primeval Anomalies. Given Jiang Wenpei’s expertise in Aberrant research, she might indeed uncover some information about the Primeval Anomalies.

“Him?” Jiang Wenpei glanced at Li Xiang, her gaze making him uneasy, as if recalling something terrifying.

“Ahem, let’s discuss this later. The most important thing now is to address the issue with the Aberrant inside,” Li Xiang quickly changed the subject.

Jiang Wenpei was about to say something else when she heard her father, Jiang Yanheng, calling for her and Li Xiang to enter the containment chamber.

The research team had made several discoveries regarding the Aberrant Luo Yueying. First, as Li Xiang had suggested, her “melting” was indeed a characteristic of an Aberrant’s anomalous energy depletion.

When Aberrants and Anomalies exhaust their anomalous energy, they exhibit various symptoms. Those with weak regenerative abilities might even be corroded by their own stomach acid, which had fused with anomalous energy.

This kind of “melting” had been observed before in Anomalies contained by the Special Countermeasures Department. Typically, after the Anomaly turned into a pile of flesh, it would slowly absorb intangible anomalous energy from the air until reaching a “mutational” point, then revive.

The current state of the Aberrant Luo Yueying was similar to entering a “dormancy period” after energy depletion, slowly absorbing energy to await revival.

The second discovery was that the human genetic information from the Aberrant Luo Yueying’s body basically matched the files on Luo Yueying retrieved by the branch. If Luo Yueying didn’t have an older or younger sister, this person could be confirmed as the “future” Luo Yueying.

The third discovery was that within the residual debris of the Aberrant Luo Yueying’s body, they found the “Soul Mask” Shen Ge mentioned. Strangely, upon detection, the Soul Mask seemed more like an independent Anomaly. It hadn’t died with the death of the Aberrant Luo Yueying’s physical body.

Professor Jiang proposed a follow-up research plan. Since the Aberrant Luo Yueying’s body was absorbing anomalous energy for repair, the branch could observe her. If she “revived” and retained her memories, or if new Soul Masks could still be extracted from her body, either outcome would be a significant discovery for Aberrant research!

Li Xiang’s idea was even more extreme. He directly suggested using the abilities of regenerative-type Anomalies and injecting regenerative anomalous energy into the residual remains of the Aberrant Luo Yueying’s body to accelerate her “revival” and shorten the research process.

This proposal was immediately vetoed by Professor Jiang. He believed this method of “forcing” an Aberrant was too dangerous. If not controlled properly, it could accelerate its mutation. Then, instead of facing a nearly Tier 2 Aberrant, the branch might have to deal with a Tier 3 Aberrant.

To which Li Xiang simply replied, “It’s fine, we can have Shen Ge keep an eye on it when the time comes,” his words dripping with absolute trust in Shen Ge.

Jiang Wenpei agreed with Li Xiang. Based on the rate at which the Aberrant Luo Yueying’s remains were absorbing anomalous energy, it would take at least a few months, if not years, for a complete revival.

However, research on Aberrants was urgent. Whether dealing with Aberrant organizations or parasitic Anomalies, the sooner they completed Aberrant research, the better equipped the Special Countermeasures Department would be to handle Aberrants, and the more hope humanity would have!

The research team split into two factions due to differing opinions. One faction, led by Professor Jiang, advocated for a cautious research approach. The other, led by Li Xiang and Jiang Wenpei, supported a more aggressive approach, conducting research on both the Aberrant Luo Yueying and the Aberrant Sample, Shen Yoona, simultaneously.

The two sides argued intensely. Deng Yuqi, feeling a headache coming on, waved her hand and ordered them to transfer Shen Yoona to the branch so they could continue their arguments during research.

Shen Ge couldn’t be of much help in this situation, so he found Lin Yin to assist with patrols for the Anti-Anomaly Team, preventing the Aberrant Shen Ge from appearing again.

After arranging matters for the research team, Deng Yuqi found Cheng Shengnan and invited Cheng’s mother over for discussions. The planned trip to Australia, originally scheduled for a week later, had to be postponed due to the events in Rong City.

Cheng’s mother expressed understanding. As Cheng Shengnan had mentioned, she had gradually separated her business from the family in recent years. To put it bluntly, the family being targeted by the “Twelve Branches” wasn’t an immediate crisis for her. On the contrary, if not for Shen Ge’s interest in the Twelve Branches, she wouldn’t even want her future son-in-law to take the risk.

When Shen Ge returned from patrol, Deng Yuqi informed him of the latest arrangements. He had no objections. After all, Rong City was his “home base.” If they couldn’t even secure their own backyard, how could they worry about a place as far away as Australia?

Shen Ge even suspected that the Twelve Branches knew about his plan to go to Australia to target their headquarters. Why else would they cause trouble just before his departure?

Over the next two days, the Rong City branch wasn’t attacked by the Twelve Branches, but the number of anomalous incidents increased significantly— nearly three times more than in December!

The Special Countermeasures Department soldiers were run off their feet. The branch’s containment chambers were packed full, and the research department worked overnight shifts processing anomalous corpses.

Shen Ge found time to visit the Donghuan Lake Park restricted zone twice. The first time, he conducted a thorough search for the Anomaly or Aberrant maintaining the anomalous space. Strangely, even after turning Donghuan Lake upside down, he couldn’t find the relevant target. Instead, he encountered two more Tier 3 Anomalies.

The second time, he had the bodies in the lake salvaged and brought back to the Special Countermeasures Department for research. Deng Yuqi assigned people to investigate the bodies.

They confirmed that some were citizens who had entered after the Donghuan Lake anomalous incident occurred and subsequently lost contact. Others were people from the “future.”

Among the future “Special Countermeasures Department soldiers,” identity checks revealed that half were currently serving at the Quanlong Mountain Base, while the rest were soldiers from the Yuzhou Base.

Shen Ge monitored the [Log] for two days but gained few clues. According to the [Log], the “future” Rong City in it was already completely occupied by the Intangible. The Special Countermeasures Department soldiers from the Rong City branch had already evacuated the citizens, so it was impossible for anyone to “remain behind,” let alone go to Donghuan Lake Park to capture people.

This made Shen Ge wonder: Were the future in the distorted space and the future in the [Log] not the same “future”?

Shen Ge shared his speculation with Deng Yuqi and Li Xiang. They simultaneously thought of the three planets observed by the “Primeval Anomalous Eye,” wondering if there was a connection.

Meanwhile, Li Xiang and the research team finalized the “aggressive research plan”: extract cells and anomalous energy from the Regenerative Rats to accelerate the recovery of the Aberrant Luo Yueying.

Because the Aberrant research team was transferred to the Rong City branch, the Yoona sisters were also brought over from the Quanlong Mountain Base by Deng Yuqi’s orders. Given the importance of the “Aberrant Sample,” the task of fetching them naturally fell to Shen Ge. This was his first time seeing the Yoona sisters since their return from Korea.

Shen Ge hadn’t visited the Quanlong Mountain Base often. His only impression was that with a bit more development, it would resemble Umbrella Corporation’s underground facilities.

The environment in the underground residential area was quite good. Due to her special status, Yoona was assigned a separate area where she lived with Seol.

Although there were guards outside, the base didn’t interfere much with their daily lives and respected their privacy.

According to Deng Yuqi’s promise, regardless of whether the “Aberrant Sample” extraction from Yoona was successful, Seol could apply to leave the base at any time and settle anywhere in China. If Yoona’s experiment succeeded, allowing her to fully revert to a normal human, she could reunite with Seol.

However, Seol was unwilling to leave her sister. Moreover, even if they went elsewhere, they would be under Special Countermeasures Department surveillance to ensure “safety”—a safety that worked both ways. Furthermore, if anything happened to the Yoona sisters, both Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi, who brought them to the country, would be implicated.

The Yoona sisters didn’t want to cause trouble for their benefactor. Though, given Shen Ge’s current status, such matters weren’t really “trouble” anymore.

Shen Ge entered the base, swiping his access card all the way to the residential area. When he entered the area where the Yoona sisters lived, they were already packing after receiving the transfer order.

“Knock, knock.”

Even though the door was open, Shen Ge didn’t just walk in. He stood at the doorway and knocked. Seeing them turn around, he smiled and asked, “Ladies, are you settling in okay in the new place?”

“Mr. Shen!”

“Mr. Shen!”

The Yoona sisters were pleasantly surprised to see Shen Ge. They put down what they were holding and immediately came to the door, bowing deeply to him.

“Mr. Shen, thank you for your help. Otherwise, we would still be in that hell, constantly worried about being treated as goods and given to others,” Yoona said earnestly.

Seol also said, “Mr. Shen, please allow me to apologize for my distrust when we first met. Thank you for saving us. In the future, I…”

“Hold on, hold on. Don’t be like that; it feels like you’re paying respects at a funeral. We helped each other. You assisted me, and I helped you. No great debt of gratitude here,” Shen Ge waved his hand dismissively.

The two still spent over ten minutes expressing their thanks, just as Deng Yuqi had said, almost as if they were treating him like a “benefactor” to be revered.

While Yoona was organizing her things, Shen Ge asked about the progress of the “Aberrant Sample” extraction. She replied, “Compared to the hellish training at the manor, where we could even be killed by ‘comrades’ and lived in constant fear, the peaceful life here is like heaven. Things like blood draws and cooperating with experiments aren’t even painful to us. We are very satisfied with our current lives.”

Yoona wasn’t just being polite to Shen Ge. During training at the manor, the leader demanded they go all out against their opponents, so it was common for “comrades” to be killed by their own side.

Seol chimed in, “The new head of the Aberrant research team, Director Jiang, also said that my sister’s condition is relatively good. The Aberrant cells haven’t started devouring the human cells yet. As long as she doesn’t ingest a large amount of anomalous energy to stimulate the Aberrant cells, my sister won’t be in danger.”

“Even though we can’t fully extract the ‘Aberrant Sample’ yet, as long as we can put the Aberrant cells into a dormant state, even if extraction isn’t possible, it won’t affect my sister’s body in the future.”

The “Director Jiang” Seol mentioned wasn’t Li Xiang’s mentor, Professor Jiang, but his junior sister, Jiang Wenpei. The sisters had gotten along very well with Jiang Wenpei during this time.

Just as the three were talking, a soldier arrived at the door to report: “Report, the vehicles for the transfer are ready.”

“Let’s go.”

Shen Ge and the Yoona sisters followed the soldier to the garage. The transfer vehicles arranged by the Special Countermeasures Department were specially modified—even a rocket launcher wouldn’t penetrate them, let alone ordinary firearms.

However, this was only against humans. If faced with a special-type Anomaly or a Tier 3 or above Aberrant or Anomaly, the safety of those inside couldn’t be guaranteed.

Given the Twelve Branches’ recent operations, Deng Yuqi suspected they either wanted to delay Shen Ge’s trip to Europe or were targeting the “Aberrant Sample.” Otherwise, why would they cause trouble at the Quanlong Mountain Base? So, for safety’s sake, she had Shen Ge personally handle the pickup.

The shortest route from the Quanlong Mountain Base to the Rong City branch was via Rongquan Road, passing by the entrance of Donghuan Lake Park, going straight there.

Deng Yuqi had a feeling this Twelve Branches attack was somehow connected to the “Aberrant Sample,” so she deliberately took a detour, choosing the longer route.

Shen Ge sat in the passenger seat, the Yoona sisters in the back. The driver was an elite soldier from the Quanlong Mountain Base, originally responsible for Professor Jiang’s security. After Professor Jiang transferred, he had also been stationed at the branch for a while.

As the vehicle reached the Quanshan Road section, a fog gradually rolled in. With his experience, Shen Ge could tell this fog was unusual and immediately ordered the system to “scan.”

Soon, the system marked three red dots on the [Map]—two small ones relatively far apart, seemingly in the Quanlong Mountain area, and one large one a few hundred meters ahead, right in the middle of the highway.

“Xiao Zhang, accelerate. Floor it,” Shen Ge said to the driver.

Xiao Zhang was momentarily stunned, but he knew Shen Ge’s experience with Anomalies made him an “authority.” In this situation, he didn’t question it and immediately floored the accelerator.

The Special Countermeasures Department’s specialized containment vehicles, though modified for defense, were still fast. Once the accelerator was floored, the speed quickly shot up to over 100 mph.

Just then, a massive red figure loomed in the dense fog ahead on the road. Braking was already too late. As Xiao Zhang hesitated, Shen Ge added, “Don’t worry about anything else. Just keep the accelerator floored and hit it.”

“Ah? Okay.”

Xiao Zhang subconsciously gulped. He had heard from soldiers at the base who had worked with Shen Ge that operating with him required strong nerves because he never followed the usual script.

“Open the windows and hold on tight,” Shen Ge said to the Yoona sisters over his shoulder, then gave an order to Little Seven.

The sisters obediently opened the windows and gripped the handholds. As the vehicle sped forward, the intermittently visible giant red figure in the fog ahead became clearer.

But now, the vehicle was less than ten meters from the red giant. Even braking was futile. As Xiao Zhang hesitated, he saw dozens of decaying blood tentacles extend from Shen Ge’s body, spreading inside the vehicle. Some stabilized the occupants, while others reached out through the windows.

Xiao Zhang was dumbfounded. For a moment, the thought “Is Investigator Shen an Aberrant?” flashed through his mind. But what shocked him more than Shen Ge was the monster ahead.

It was a creature at least six or seven meters tall, resembling a large dog with chicken feet, a crimson body, and red horns like a demon.

Strangely, while Xiao Zhang was still gripped by fear and shock at the Anomaly, he felt a sudden blur before his eyes. The next second, they were behind the red Anomalous Hound, the vehicle landing and continuing to speed away.

At that moment, a fiery red light descended from the sky in the distance, accurately landing where the red Anomalous Hound had been and exploding!

“This…”

What just happened?

Xiao Zhang’s foot was still on the accelerator, unable to process the shock. There was a giant Anomaly right in front of them a moment ago; how did they suddenly evade the danger?

What was that meteor-like fireball?
And the Anomaly?

“Alright, you can ease off the accelerator and drive normally now,” Shen Ge retracted the decaying blood tentacles. A prompt for killing a Tier 2 Anomaly already echoed in his mind.

[Host successfully eliminated Tier 2 Anomaly. Reward: System Points x100, Random F-grade Recovery Item x1.]

As they were too far from the corpse now, the system didn’t ask if he wanted to “sell” it.

Shen Ge had told Xiao Zhang to maintain high speed, which was only “high speed” in everyone else’s perception. When he got close to the Anomaly, his “Static Anomalous Domain” activated. Under the effect of bullet time, he took control of the armor. He easily used the decaying blood tentacles to latch onto the red Anomalous Hound, performed a graceful flip over it, and casually applied an “Unlucky” debuff on his way out.

Speaking of the negative anomalous energy transferred through “Misfortune,” before using “Misfortune,” Shen Ge had never imagined the concentration of negative anomalous energy gathered on Yoona could be so powerful, Exaggerated to the point of summoning a meteor.

What surprised Shen Ge even more was that after transferring the black aura above Yoona’s head, a new one quickly regenerated.

And at this rate of “recovery,” it would take at most three to five hours to accumulate enough black aura for another meteor summoning.

Shen Ge reached out and patted the nervous Xiao Zhang, comforting him, “Focus on driving. Just a small Anomaly, no need to be so scared.”

Xiao Zhang swallowed hard, thinking, Was I scared of the Anomaly? I was scared by the series of bewildering events!

Of course, as the face of the Special Countermeasures Department, Xiao Zhang didn’t dare ask outright, “Investigator Shen, are you an Aberrant?”

After calming Xiao Zhang, Shen Ge turned to the equally bewildered Yoona sisters in the back seat and asked casually, “Yoona, how has your luck been lately?”

“Ah?” Yoona was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a random question. She had heard that people in China believed in metaphysics, some even checking something called the “Almanac” before going out, but she didn’t expect Shen Ge to believe in it too.

Faced with Shen Ge’s question, even if it was just about “luck”… well, she would answer truthfully.

“…Well, it seems… average? No, if you count things like instant noodles without seasoning packets, water bottles exploding, drinks always being ‘Thank You, Come Again’… then it doesn’t seem great?” Yoona had been staying at the Quanlong Mountain Base without going out, but the base fulfilled any requests she made.

Hearing Yoona’s response, Shen Ge was the one who was stunned this time: “…Uh, from the sound of it, is the Quanlong Mountain Base mistreating you?”

Before Yoona could explain, Xiao Zhang spoke up first: “Investigator Shen, it’s a misunderstanding. The base has a cafeteria. The higher-ups said Miss Shen is an honored guest, so any daily life requests from them should be accommodated by all departments as much as possible. But compared to ordering from the cafeteria, they seem to prefer eating ‘snacks’?”

“They even said… they really liked the instant noodles you gave them before, so we stocked up on a bunch of instant noodles for them to choose from.”

“…” Good grief, are they used to a life of hardship or something?

But that wasn’t the point. The point was, based on these small details, Yoona’s luck really didn’t seem “good.”

“So, have you always had bad luck since childhood, or did it start recently, like… after receiving the ‘Aberrant Sample’?” Shen Ge asked again.

Yoona thought for a moment and replied, “Actually… our luck was probably pretty good before. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have survived the brutal training at the manor. But it’s true that after the Aberrant Sample transplant, our luck worsened, though it’s just been minor issues without any real danger.”

Shen Ge nodded upon hearing this. When he used “Misfortune” on Chou Niu at the temporary camp on the coast of Korea, he noticed that these Aberrants had much more black aura than ordinary people. At the time, he thought it was because Chou Niu and the others were Aberrants, and the power they wielded was also “anomalous energy,” and “Misfortune” affected negative anomalous energy, hence the phenomenon.

But although Yoona had received the “Aberrant Sample” transplant, she wasn’t an Aberrant yet. The anomalous energy level in her body was almost negligible.

If Aberrants had more black aura due to anomalous energy, then Yoona’s black aura shouldn’t be this powerful, and it definitely shouldn’t regenerate immediately after being transferred via “Misfortune.”

Shen Ge felt this might be related to the “Aberrant Sample” and negative anomalous energy. He decided to inform Li Xiang and let the research department deal with the headache.

Regardless of whether they found the cause, Yoona’s condition was a “good thing” for Shen Ge, equivalent to carrying a portable charging pack for using the “Misfortune” trait.

Imagine being able to casually summon a meteor every time he used “Misfortune.” That would mean Shen Ge could instantly eliminate any Anomaly or Aberrant below Tier 4!

Beep.

Just as Shen Ge was deep in thought, his communicator lit up green. Judging by the frequency, it was a call from Deng Yuqi’s dedicated line.

Shen Ge answered the communicator, and Deng Yuqi’s urgent voice came through immediately: “Shen Ge, where are you now?”

“Just passed Quanshan Road.”

“I received a message from the Information Department. They said there was a major explosion on Quanshan Road, and a giant meteor appeared out of thin air in the sky… Do you know what’s going on?”

Shen Ge frowned slightly upon hearing this. Instead of answering directly, he asked, “Wait, you said the meteor appeared out of thin air? It didn’t come from outer space?”

Deng Yuqi said, “After detecting the explosion on Quanshan Road, the Information Department, worried it might be related to you, used satellite reconnaissance and reviewed nearby surveillance footage. They confirmed the meteor suddenly appeared at an altitude of 6,000 meters.”

Suddenly appeared?

Could it be… a distorted space?

Shen Ge thought for a moment and said, “We encountered an Anomaly blocking the road during the transfer, but there was no danger. As for the meteor… well, I’ll explain it to you later. First, send me all the photos related to that meteor, and have the Information Department check the anomalous energy detectors around the meteor’s location to confirm if there’s any distorted space reaction.”

“Okay,” Deng Yuqi agreed.

In her view, since Shen Ge didn’t elaborate further, it meant there were certain details involved. She naturally didn’t doubt him.

Soon, Little Seven informed Shen Ge that he had received the photos and information from Deng Yuqi and projected a screen from the wristwatch.

Shen Ge reviewed a few minutes of surveillance footage and compared photos, confirming that the meteor did indeed “suddenly” appear out of thin air, not entering from outer space.

The Donghuan Lake Park connected to the “future,” the Aberrant Luo Yueying, the meteor “created” from the distorted space via “Misfortune”…

Shen Ge felt these weren’t mere coincidences. Perhaps the world he was in was being pulled towards a connection with the “future” by some force.

“S-s-s-s-s-s Investigator Shen!” Shen Ge was pondering the connection between these events when he heard Xiao Zhang stammering, pointing ahead.

“An Anomaly, Investigator Shen, an Anomaly!”

“So many Anomalies!”

Shen Ge looked at him speechlessly and said, “Straighten out your tongue when you speak. People might think you’re saying I’m the Anomaly.”

Several dozen meters ahead, a few two-meter-tall Tier 1 Anomalous Hounds stood in the middle of the road, barking furiously at the rapidly approaching vehicle.

Then, from the perspective of Xiao Zhang and the others, Shen Ge leaned out of the window, pulled out an anomalous energy rocket launcher from who knows where, and fired a shot at the pack of hounds!

Boom!

The anomalous energy rocket blasted a huge crater in the middle of the road, instantly shredding several hounds. As Xiao Zhang hesitated whether to brake, he found he couldn’t move. By the time he regained his senses, the vehicle had already “leaped” over the explosion site.

“…”

Whew.

Xiao Zhang took a deep breath, inwardly vowing to avoid going on missions with Shen Ge unless absolutely necessary. His heart really couldn’t take it.

Shen Ge, however, acted as if nothing had happened, sitting in the passenger seat and using his communicator to order the Quanlong Mountain Base to send people to retrieve the Anomaly corpses.

During the rest of the transfer, they encountered two more Tier 2 Anomalies and one Tier 3 Anomaly, but Shen Ge resolved the crises effortlessly, further subversion Xiao Zhang’s worldview.

In Xiao Zhang’s eyes, Anomalies had always been terrifying entities, humanity’s greatest enemy leading towards extinction. But today he learned that this “terror” was relative.

For Anomalies, perhaps Shen Ge was the “terror.”

It was at this moment that Xiao Zhang understood the significance of his Chief’s words during the national meeting, when other departments mentioned the high frequency of anomalous incidents and the potential for high-tier events: “It’s fine, we have Investigator Shen.”

If China had a few more Investigators like Shen, why worry about the Anomalous disaster?

Xiao Zhang drove into the branch’s underground garage, still feeling dazed as he got out of the vehicle. It wasn’t until Shen Ge and the Yoona sisters left and someone told him to report to the branch that he finally snapped out of it.

“Xiao Zhang, are you okay? I heard you encountered an Anomaly attack during the transfer? Are you alright, any injuries?” a comrade asked with concern.

Xiao Zhang swallowed, collected himself, then excitedly grabbed his comrade’s shoulders: “Incredible, truly incredible! You have no idea how amazing Investigator Shen is! Let me tell you…”

“…”

Xiao Zhang’s comrade had a subtle expression. Had he just become Investigator Shen’s fanboy after one day apart?

…

…

Shen Ge delivered the Yoona sisters to the research department, handing them over to Cheng Shengnan and Jiang Wenpei. Then he went to the Chief’s office to find Deng Yuqi and explain the “meteor” situation in detail.

Deng Yuqi’s frown deepened as she listened: “You’re saying all these events are connected? That the Twelve Branches are secretly planning to turn Rong City into a ‘node’ connected to the future? What’s their goal?”

“I don’t know their goal, but I do know… there’s a mole in the Special Countermeasures Department, and their rank isn’t low,” Shen Ge said gravely.

Although they had suspected the Special Countermeasures Department might be infiltrated ever since learning about the Twelve Branches’ “replacement ability,” thanks to the efforts of Elder Fang and others at the capital, many Twelve Branches members had been rooted out. If there were still moles, they could only be “ordinary people” who hadn’t undergone the Aberrant project.

As the first country in the world to discover Anomalies, even though the key figures were at the Haiya Research Institute and none returned to the Special Countermeasures Department after the institute’s incident, when the Haiya Research Institute was first established, many “big shots” in China must have supported it from behind the scenes.

This was also why Deng Yuqi was reluctant to file records on the Red Mist Armor and Shen Ge’s “secrets.” Filing meant headquarters could access them, and access meant exposure.

But headquarters was very concerned about Cheng’s mother’s situation and even offered to send people to assist with the Australia matter, thus learning that Shen Ge was handling it.

Furthermore, matters like the Yoona sisters’ “resettlement,” the Aberrant Sample, and the branch restarting Aberrant research—all these issues reported to and filed with headquarters—meant the Twelve Branches could obtain some intelligence, one way or another. It was hard to say there was no connection.

Deng Yuqi couldn’t sever ties with headquarters; she couldn’t bear the label of “traitor.” All she could do was assist headquarters in finding the moles as much as possible.

But the series of events in Rong City these past few days served as another warning: rooting out the Twelve Branches’ moles wouldn’t happen overnight, but Rong City could be plunged into eternal damnation due to one of her decisions.

“Ah, I suddenly find the ‘Heavenly Stems’ group much more likable than the ‘Twelve Branches,'” Shen Ge leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Deng Yuqi massaged her temples and said helplessly, “Isn’t that the truth? Although the ‘Heavenly Stems’ are also creating artificial Anomalies and Aberrants, at least they’re targeting the next civilization. The Twelve Branches are like termites, wreaking havoc on the current one. The most annoying part is, these people hide like rats underground. Apart from passive defense, we really have no way to deal with them effectively.”

Shen Ge pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Chief, have you seen Infernal Affairs?”

“Huh?”