The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 196

“…”

Shen Ge stared silently at the blood-stained scalpel in his hand.

“This…” Cheng Shengnan was also stunned upon seeing the scalpel in Shen Ge’s hand. Clearly, she wasn’t the type for such a tasteless prank.

Shen Ge’s expression darkened thoughtfully for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal and smiled at Cheng Shengnan. “I believe you’re not that bored.”

“You think I’m as bored as you? Forget how dangerous it is to put a knife in your hand while you’re unconscious, just look at the blood on it… Wait, did you hurt yourself?” Cheng Shengnan stepped forward, pulling back the blanket and checking Shen Ge’s body for any wounds.

“It seems we’ve arrived at an inopportune time?” Deng Yuqi’s voice came from the doorway.

Cheng Shengnan had pressed the call button the moment she noticed Shen Ge showing signs of waking. Deng Yuqi, upon receiving the alert, immediately summoned Li Xiang and Jiang Wenpei. They entered the room with Yang Yuxin, who had been guarding outside, only to find Cheng Shengnan practically feeling Shen Ge up.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence filled the room. Cheng Shengnan quickly withdrew her hands, explaining, “Ahem, I was worried he might be injured.”

“Injured?” Deng Yuqi knew Shen Ge had suddenly fallen into an unexplained coma. The medical department had conducted a thorough examination at the time and confirmed he had no external injuries.

Shen Ge raised the scalpel, still dripping with blood. “I woke up holding this bloody scalpel. She was worried it might be my blood.”

“A scalpel?” Deng Yuqi stepped forward, frowning at the scalpel in Shen Ge’s hand. It was highly irregular for a patient to be given a sharp surgical instrument.

Cheng Shengnan clearly wasn’t that bored. Deng Yuqi had made arrangements for the medical department, staffing it only with trusted personnel and implementing regular patrols. Not only was there no chance for a malicious actor to get in, even a fly would have trouble entering.

“If this wasn’t a prank by one of our own, then I’m certain… I brought it out from my dream,” Shen Ge stated, then briefly described the dream he’d experienced.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiang and Jiang Wenpei’s eyes lit up, and they stepped forward excitedly. “Really? You brought something out from a dream?”

“… You two are remarkably in sync. How about we get you a joint Anti-Anomaly mecha?” Shen Ge couldn’t resist teasing them.

As researchers, Li Xiang and Jiang Wenpei were naturally fascinated by events that defied conventional understanding.

However, even after Shen Ge’s explanation, they couldn’t determine the principle behind bringing physical objects out of a dream.

In human understanding, dreams are intangible, false worlds constructed from elements like “memory.” The existence of physical objects within them, let alone bringing them out, was considered impossible.

“Old Li, how’s that ‘brain cuisine’ coming along?” Shen Ge suddenly broke the silence, looking at Li Xiang. He suspected his coma might be related to that “brain.”

Li Xiang replied, “First, it was a normal human brain. Tests confirmed it had been dead for less than 24 hours, but the inside had been hollowed out by those centipedes. The ‘wounds’ on the brain indicate the perpetrator placed insect eggs inside, which then hatched and began consuming the brain. However, this doesn’t align with the growth patterns of ‘centipedes,’ and aside from parasites, few other insects could achieve this.”

“Secondly, neither the brain nor the centipedes showed any trace of Anomalous Energy, not even the invisible kind. This rules out the possibility of the brain and centipedes being Aberrants or Anomalies.”

“Considering these two points, we can’t even speculate on the perpetrator’s motive or goal. Beyond ‘sheer twisted amusement,’ I can’t imagine why anyone would go to the trouble of implanting centipede eggs in a human brain, using some bizarre method to make them hatch and consume the brain, just to create an ’empty brain shell.'”

After a moment of thought, Shen Ge said gravely, “I couldn’t understand it when I first received that brain either. But after this strange dream, I’ve remembered many things… Artificial Anomalies, Aberrants, centipedes… they might all be connected to Rongshan Mental Hospital.”

Deng Yuqi interjected, “When you first joined the department, I had your background thoroughly investigated. The records showed you spent three years at Rongshan Mental Hospital. Finding it suspicious, I used many contacts to dig deeper. Strangely, I couldn’t find anything about your reason for admission or your experiences there.”

“The weirdest part is that after a fire at Rongshan Mental Hospital, all related files vanished overnight, without a trace. So, after you joined, I sent people to investigate the hospital itself, but it was as if it had disappeared along with the fire. No leads whatsoever.”

“Logically, a formal medical institution should have traceable personnel records and background information. Even if the hospital’s internal documents were lost in the fire, there should be archived information available through relevant authorities.”

Shen Ge looked at Deng Yuqi, pondered for a long moment, and finally said, “According to my ‘memory’… I was the one who set that fire.”

He briefly recounted his experiences from that time, but this time, he didn’t resort to the “hypothetical friend” story, instead describing things from his own perspective.

On the way back to the hotel from a trip to Haiya when he was ten, his father suddenly transformed into a “Parasite Host” and swallowed his mother whole. Although Shen Ge managed to jump from the car and escape, he watched helplessly as the vehicle plunged off a cliff into the sea.

Later, Shen Ge reported it to the police, but after days of searching, they couldn’t find the car that had gone over the cliff. His parents were listed as “missing,” and he was sent to live with his uncle.

However, his uncle was only interested in Shen Ge’s parents’ inheritance and wanted to get rid of the burden that was Shen Ge. So, his aunt secretly laced his food with psychiatric drugs and had him committed to a mental hospital.

In Shen Ge’s “memory,” Rongshan Mental Hospital collaborated with a pharmaceutical company, secretly conducting drug trials on patients. Those who resisted faced beatings, abuse, and enough sedatives to count as meals.

At just ten years old, Shen Ge watched daily as patients were tortured to the brink of death. When night fell, the hospital echoed with their screams and moans. That environment was hellish for him, surrounded by demons.

Finally, one day, his mind broke. He started seeing “himself,” became friends with “himself,” and actively volunteered for the drug trials, cooperating fully with the doctors and even beginning to learn their methods and knowledge.

Three years later, Shen Ge, who had become adept at reading people and pleasing the doctors, caught the Director’s eye. He was approved for discharge, had a school arranged for him, and was expected to return to work at the hospital after university.

Shen Ge returned home, spent three months meticulously planning, then invited all the hospital staff to a “Celebration for School Admission” at the mental hospital. He drugged them, tied them up, and set the hospital on fire, burning the staff, the patients, and all the records.

Afterward, Shen Ge returned to his uncle’s house. Knowing how much his aunt and uncle loved his parents’ house, he processed his uncle’s body to prevent decay and odor, then bricked him into a wall. He did the same with his aunt, entombing her in the bathtub.

As for his cousin, who had “loved” him so much he tricked him into taking psychiatric drugs like candy daily, Shen Ge specially bought ten pounds of barbiturates and benzodiazepines, cooked them into a sugary porridge, and fed it to him. Staying true to the “family that stays together” theme, he bricked him into the kitchen stove.

Thanks to the excellent education from the mental hospital, Shen Ge carried out these acts flawlessly. A decade later, when the old house was slated for demolition, the developer, preferring to avoid trouble, hushed the whole thing up.

Cheng Shengnan had heard a version of this story from Shen Ge before, but hearing it again was still “shocking.” For Li Xiang and Jiang Wenpei, hearing about Shen Ge’s past for the first time, their expressions became rather complicated.

Even Deng Yuqi, who had pieced together some “inside information” from Shen Ge’s usual hints, fell silent.

“…”

Bro, you’ve got quite the dark history!

An awkward quiet settled over the room until Cheng Shengnan broke the silence. “You said… the hospital’s torment caused something like a ‘second personality’ to appear. But from my years of knowing you, aside from sometimes having unconventional thought patterns, I’ve never seen any signs of dissociative identity disorder.”

While recounting his past, Shen Ge had already noticed several “inconsistencies,” especially regarding his time at Rongshan Mental Hospital. Those memories were almost completely blurry and didn’t match the experiences in his dream at all. Cheng Shengnan’s question now plunged him into deeper confusion.

According to his “memory,” the torment at Rongshan Mental Hospital caused Shen Ge to develop a “second personality,” with whom he became friends.

Setting aside whether someone with mental illness would be aware of their own split personality, the fact that he “became friends” with it suggested Shen Ge was clearly aware of this “friend’s” existence.

However, unlike the “blurry” memories of the mental hospital, Shen Ge had no impression whatsoever of this “friend.”

It was like being told you watched a movie yesterday, but aside from knowing you watched a movie, you can’t recall the title, plot, actors, or any details. Something was clearly wrong!

Deng Yuqi seemed to have realized something too and said gravely, “I’ve seen your complete file, including your parents’ occupations before you entered the mental hospital, your neighbors, your experiences at several schools after leaving the hospital, and evaluations from teachers and classmates.”

“Your father was a researcher at a state-owned pharmaceutical company. His records are still accessible. Your mother was a cardiac surgery specialist at a hospital.”

“But your father was an only child, with no siblings. Your grandfather passed away early, and he had a brother who went abroad long before your father was born and never made contact again.”

“As for your mother, she did have a half-sister from the same mother. But I could only confirm such a person existed; I couldn’t find any specific information.”

“In other words, there was no ‘aunt and uncle’s family’ for you to brick into walls. The house your father left behind is actually in the East District. That house was considered an ‘East District luxury property’ back in the day. Because the residential density was too high and the population too large, it still hasn’t been demolished. However, since your parents died unexpectedly, the property transfer was never completed.”

“I thought you lived in that downtown apartment just to be closer to work. It seems you didn’t even know about the ‘house’?”

Hearing this, Shen Ge felt something was off. Many details didn’t match what Deng Yuqi was saying. “But I met an old neighbor from back then later on, even visited their home once. We talked about the old house being demolished over dinner that day.”

Deng Yuqi said, “You’re referring to the Tang Jinze family, right? I investigated them as well. Your father was his colleague back then. After the old house was demolished, your father left the state-owned company. He later bought a new house in the East District, but… the next year, you had the accident during your trip to Haiya. After your father resigned, which company he joined and what he did are untraceable.”

“My mother’s surname is Yang, right?” Shen Ge asked, somewhat uncertainly.

Deng Yuqi’s eye twitched, and she said with a subtle expression, “Your memory has deteriorated to the point that you can’t even remember your parents’ names?”

“I was afraid you’d suddenly say my mother’s surname is Ye, with a sister named Ye Jingwen… Wait, a half-sister from the same mother, that’s still possible, right?” Shen Ge immediately thought of the green-robed figure, Ye Jingwen, he encountered in Tuokou City. At the time, due to various mismatched information, he had dismissed the idea that he might be that infant.

But now, realizing his “memory” was problematic, Shen Ge couldn’t distinguish which memories were real and which were “false memories” fabricated after he went to Rongshan Mental Hospital and became mentally ill.

“I’m sorry, I can’t give you a definite answer. After you told me about Ye Jingwen, I searched for a long time but couldn’t find any relevant information. However, I did check the list that Fatty Xin gave you and confirmed that there is no one related to you or your family on it,” Deng Yuqi said definitively.

Li Xiang, who had been listening, gradually formed a clearer picture. “So it seems… Old Shen’s memory has serious issues, likely caused by the three-year experience at Rongshan Mental Hospital leading to mental problems and the creation of ‘false memories.’ While I’m no expert in this field, I’ve heard of several related cases during my university days. For instance, after developing dissociative identity disorder, patients might incorporate the false memories constructed by other personalities as their own.”

Jiang Wenpei added, “Exactly. I once encountered a case where a person developed seven distinct personalities. Although the patient was eventually cured, the false memories constructed by the seven personalities remained, causing the person to frequently experience memory confusion.”

“Theoretically, since Shen Ge only developed one additional personality, he shouldn’t experience such memory confusion. But it appears your real memories might have been overwritten by falsely constructed ones. Perhaps… the real memories were too painful, and you subconsciously chose to forget them.”

Deng Yuqi chimed in, “At least judging from your campus reports during high school and college, without this face, you would be the kind of person who would be lost in a crowd. Whether it’s your personality or your experiences, you’re no different from an ordinary person.”

Cheng Shengnan nodded. “Working together for years, you never exhibited any abnormal behavior. Your conduct was normal, and you got along well with colleagues.”

Li Xiang summarized, “So, it seems Old Shen is experiencing an overlap between his real personality and the false one, causing memory confusion and an inability to distinguish real from false memories. Regardless of how terrifying these ‘memories’ are, recovering the real memories is the best solution. From what I know, revisiting the location associated with the trauma can be very helpful in such cases… So, where is this Rongshan Mental Hospital that disappeared with the fire?”

Shen Ge was completely stunned. The three years at Rongshan Mental Hospital should have been an indelible, deeply etched scar in his life, especially since he himself allegedly set the fire, killed the director and staff, and turned the hospital into ruins.

But now, he couldn’t even remember the exact location of Rongshan Mental Hospital!

Deng Yuqi seemed to have noticed Shen Ge’s confusion, but her own expression also turned grim. Meeting Li Xiang’s gaze, she sighed, “How many mountains can there be in Rong City? It’s on the road from Rong City to Quanlong Mountain, which is now the sealed-off East Ring Lake Park.”

“…”

“…”

Well, well, isn’t this a perfect ‘closed loop’?

Shen Ge had always felt that the motives of both “The Celestial Stems” and “The Twelve Branches” were elusive this time. The situation at East Ring Lake Park was also bizarre, connecting to a “presumed” future distorted space and even producing an Aberrant like Luo Yueying.

Now, with all clues converging, an even more eerie situation emerged: false memories, bizarre experiences, as if everything was orchestrated around Shen Ge.

“It seems… I need to enter the distorted space at East Ring Lake Park again,” Shen Ge said seriously.

Deng Yuqi responded gravely, “No rush. I have a feeling things aren’t that simple. Starting from the appearance of the ‘brain,’ it’s as if an invisible force has been guiding your actions. Especially that person who looks exactly like you. Think about it, if something happens to you after entering the distorted space, couldn’t that Aberrant logically replace you? So, I think since we were unaware before, it’s one thing, but now that we know The Twelve Branches are digging a pit for you, we should carefully reconsider entering East Ring Lake.”

Shen Ge thought it made sense. Besides these issues, he still had some things to confirm. And the ones who could provide answers were the Tang family.

After resting for a day at his dorm under Cheng Shengnan’s care, and following news of his awakening, people from the Special Investigations Department with whom he had good relations, like Feng Chengxiu, Wang Han, and Lin Yin, came to visit him at the dorm. Out of consideration for his “recovery,” none stayed long.

Since Shen Ge’s coma was so sudden and even Li Xiang couldn’t find the cause after extensive investigation, it was announced externally that Shen Ge had contracted a strange illness requiring rest.

Early the next morning, after Cheng Shengnan left for the Logistics Department, Shen Ge sat on the sofa and asked Little Classmate Seven, “Did you detect anything while I was unconscious?”

“Report, Master. After you fell into a coma, I conducted a full body scan. All your physiological functions were normal. It was as if you were simply asleep, with nothing particularly unusual detected. However, during your coma, your brainwave activity fluctuated significantly with your emotions. I eventually detected a moment of ‘brain death,’ but just as I was about to report it, you woke up,” Little Classmate Seven explained.

Shen Ge pondered for a moment. “Brain death? How long did it last?”

“Report, Master. Less than a second, merely an ‘instant.’ By the time I registered it, you had already returned to normal.”

“Was any Anomalous Energy detected during that time?” Shen Ge asked.

Little Classmate Seven replied, “Report, Master. None.”

Shen Ge didn’t press further. According to Little Classmate Seven’s programming, it would proactively report any significant findings. The lack of a report meant nothing noteworthy was detected.

After the “dream” experience, Shen Ge confirmed one thing: his “memory” was indeed problematic, divided into “clear” and “blurry” sections.

Most memories before the age of ten were “clear.” He could recall time spent with his parents, interactions with the Tang family, and his school life.

Memories after age ten showed significant “discrepancies.” Firstly, memories he thought were clear, like the torment at Rongshan Mental Hospital, ‘collaborating’ with the staff, and eventually setting a trap to eliminate them all and burn down the hospital.

But these memories were like watching a movie; you only remember the “synopsis,” but the specific plot and characters are blurry.

Comparing them to the experiences in the “dream,” they didn’t match his memories at all.

After leaving Rongshan Mental Hospital, Shen Ge distinctly remembered returning to his uncle’s house. He had “clear” memories of his aunt and uncle’s despicable attitudes before and after his admission, and of bricking the family of three into the walls.

But this was the most诡异 part, because Deng Yuqi’s investigation revealed he had no “uncle,” no family of three to brick up. The old house from his memories had been demolished when he was nine, after which his father bought the best house in the East District at that time.

Aside from this memory discrepancy, his memories from after graduating, entering society, working, becoming a designer, and joining the same company as Cheng Shengnan were, like his pre-ten memories, “clear” and real.

Shen Ge decided to work “backwards,” aiming first to clarify whether the family he bricked up was a false memory or if there really was a “deceptive family” he had entombed.

With this in mind, Shen Ge activated “Intangibility” right in his dorm, then used the Intangible Anomalous Domain’s “Collapse” ability to pass through the window, leap down, and, utilizing the Red Mist Battle Armor’s capabilities, made his way to the hospital where Tang Jinze worked.

In the office of the “Urology Department Director Tang” on the third floor of the city’s largest private hospital, Tang Jinze was sorting through old files since he had no appointments scheduled for the day.

Just as he finished with one file and looked up, he found a “familiar face” sitting on the patient couch, observing him with interest.

“… Working for a special department really changes a person. You’re practically a secret agent now,” Tang Jinze remarked, looking at Shen Ge with a sigh.

“Small tricks, not worth mentioning,” Shen Ge waved his hand dismissively.

Tang Jinze glanced at Shen Ge, put down his pen, and asked, “Alright, out with it. You never visit without a reason. Last time, you brought me some pill to research, then people from your department took the files, and you vanished for months. Didn’t answer calls, couldn’t find you at home. Always ‘on a business trip.'”

“That part’s true. The two times you came, I happened to be on assignment,” Shen Ge said earnestly.

Tang Jinze raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Where to? These days, even deep mountains shouldn’t have zero signal, right?”

“Oh, once to Da Jing, once to Tuokou City.”

“…” Tang Jinze fell silent. With the ongoing Anomaly outbreaks, he kept up with the news. He was well aware of the major Anomaly disasters in Da Jing and Tuokou.

Remembering Shen Ge’s past comment about “quitting to save the world,” Tang Jinze felt a surreal sense of disbelief. His childhood friend really was saving the world!

“Speaking of which, Li Xiang has mentioned your expertise in pharmacology several times. The internal injury healing medicine couldn’t have been completed without your help. He’s invited you to join the Special Investigations Department multiple times; why did you refuse?” Shen Ge asked curiously.

Tang Jinze sighed. “I’ve actually considered it. But the thought of dealing with ‘classified work,’ being busy for months or even a year or two without returning home, makes me hesitant. While I’m interested in those drugs, it’s just an interest. Not enough for me to dedicate my life to research. I’m not that noble.”

“Honestly, me too. If not for some special circumstances, I’d rather save up ten million and retire. But… my abilities won’t allow it,” Shen Ge said with feigned melancholy.

“… State your business, then get out,” Tang Jinze had no desire to entertain this show-off further.

Shen Ge asked, “Do you remember the old neighborhood we lived in? Dongdu Garden, the one that got demolished. My uncle’s family moved there too.”

Tang Jinze gave Shen Ge a strange look. “Are you so busy you’ve lost your mind? Didn’t we used to live in Dong’an Garden? That’s the old place that got demolished. Later, my family moved to Yin Zilin. Your family… I remember my dad mentioned it was Dongdu Garden. But that place still hasn’t been demolished. The area is huge, population dense. No developer can handle it. They’ve just renovated the exterior walls a few times.”

Just as I thought.

Shen Ge frowned. His “blurry” memories couldn’t withstand scrutiny; examining them closely revealed major discrepancies with reality.

This made him seriously doubt whether the “friend” in his memory truly existed. Perhaps, like other cases of dissociative identity disorder, the “friend’s” memories had merged with his own.

If that were the case, were the memories constructed by this “friend” purely fictional, or based on some actual experiences?

“Did you ever meet my uncle’s family?” Shen Ge asked suddenly.

Tang Jinze tried to recall. “I think I saw them at Uncle and Auntie’s funeral. My dad mentioned it. He originally wanted to adopt you, but your uncle’s family filed the application first. Given the blood relation, their adoption was more straightforward.”

Shen Ge narrowed his eyes. So, the “uncle’s family” did exist. The discrepancy was that the demolished old house was Dong’an Garden, not Dongdu Garden.

It was only then that Shen Ge noticed something诡异: the “blurry” parts of his memory seemed fine if not examined, but upon closer inspection, many holes appeared.

For example, the “memory” of the demolished Dongdu Garden. As a renovation designer, Shen Ge might not know every residential area in Rong City by heart, but he should certainly know whether a major, densely populated, top-tier development like Dongdu Garden in the East District had been demolished or not.

“How could there be such a huge memory discrepancy?” The more Shen Ge investigated his “memories,” the more complex and unimaginable the situation seemed.

“What did you say?” Tang Jinze heard Shen Ge mutter but didn’t catch the words.

“Nothing. Probably just overworked lately. Some things from so long ago aren’t that clear anymore,” Shen Ge said.

“Oh, by the way… how’s your girlfriend? Planning to get married soon? Chosen a venue?” Tang Jinze asked curiously.

“… Since when are you so gossipy?”

“Gossipy? I’m concerned! I’ve always considered myself your sworn father; naturally, I need to look after your affairs!”

“Get lost!” Shen Ge retorted, tossing a black metallic device to Tang Jinze.

Tang Jinze caught it reflexively. “Whoa, a grenade?”

“It’s a Special Investigations Department exclusive communicator. Given my current status, the more contact you have with me, the more danger you’re in. Shengnan has been targeted by Aberrant organizations several times because of me. So, after that, I cut off contact with all of you,” Shen Ge explained.

Tang Jinze sighed. “Ah, I knew being an agent wasn’t easy. So, I can contact you with this? And for safety, I’d better not hang around the Special Investigations Department?”

Shen Ge nodded.

Tang Jinze didn’t say more, simply nodding. “Alright then. Take care of yourself. Don’t forget you’re just an ordinary person. The world isn’t so fragile that it needs one person to save it.”

“Right.”

Shen Ge asked a few more questions about his life before ten, confirming some doubts in his mind. After checking the time, he bid farewell to Tang Jinze, entered the attached examination room in the office, waited for Little Classmate Seven to interfere with the surveillance, activated “Intangibility,” and left.

Tang Jinze merely glanced towards the examination room without even checking. In his view, if Shen Ge could appear silently, he could leave just as silently.

After leaving the hospital, Shen Ge confirmed with Deng Yuqi the address of the house his father had left in Dongdu Garden and went to find it based on the address.

Shen Ge’s memory of Dongdu Garden was “blurry.” Even in his later, clearer memories, he rarely visited that area.

Arriving at his former “home,” he found a thick layer of dust on the security door, as if no one had been back for a long time. There were signs of attempted forced entry on the lock, but the door was shut tight. It was unclear if a thief had succeeded and closed it behind them or failed.

Shen Ge passed through the door into the room. It was pitch dark inside, with a faint smell of dampness and a strange odor. He flipped the light switch, but nothing happened.

Turning on a flashlight, he scanned the room. It was a mess, as if ransacked. Following his “memory,” he went to the kitchen, felt the stove area, and carefully examined it with the flashlight. He confirmed the stove seemed indeed “newly built.”

“Report, Master. Detected skeletal remains within the cement wall. Analysis of the wall composition suggests special treatment was applied, masking the odor of decomposition.”

Hearing this, Shen Ge frowned. According to his “memory,” when he disposed of the family of three, he did use multiple methods to treat the bodies to prevent the smell of decay from alerting neighbors.

Next, Shen Ge checked the bedroom and bathroom. Finding skeletons within the bedroom wall and under the raised “bay window” platform of the bathtub confirmed the existence of the “uncle’s family.” His memory was real, just with discrepancies like the wrong address.

However, what puzzled Shen Ge was why Deng Yuqi, who could even uncover his history at the “vanished” Rongshan Mental Hospital, found no traces of his experiences with the “uncle’s family”?

Shen Ge had Little Classmate Seven excavate the three bodies, run tests on the skeletons, then took the report back to the Special Investigations Department for further investigation.

Two days later, the Information Department, using the report from Little Classmate Seven, identified the “uncle’s family.” Their files showed they had been reported missing over a decade ago, matching the timeline of Shen Ge’s “bricking” memory. However, the files indicated they had not adopted any children, and the “uncle” had no siblings.

With no leads found in “reality,” Shen Ge, after consideration, felt the most direct approach was still to investigate East Ring Lake Park.

Shen Ge didn’t inform Deng Yuqi about his investigation into the “uncle’s family.” While, given his status and “contributions,” she might prioritize the bigger picture and suppress the matter; since the uncovered clues had already “cleared” him, and the “authenticity” of his memories remained unconfirmed, he saw no need to complicate things and make things difficult for Deng Yuqi.

After discussing with Deng Yuqi, she agreed to his plan to re-enter East Ring Lake but suggested forming a team to enter with him, in case he fell “unconscious” again.

Shen Ge ultimately declined. His abilities were better suited for solo operations. Having others along would only restrict him.

Moreover, he didn’t know how long he might be “trapped” in the distorted space this time. Leaving more personnel behind would better ensure the safety of Rong City and the Special Investigations Department.

Shen Ge didn’t want to return from the distorted space only to find The Twelve Branches had attacked their base in his absence.

Unable to persuade him, Deng Yuqi finally agreed to let him enter alone.

Early one morning, after bidding farewell to Cheng Shengnan and the others at the Special Investigations Department, Shen Ge drove to the sealed-off area of East Ring Lake Park.

Upon entering the distorted space within the sealed zone, Shen Ge felt the situation was worse than during his previous visits. Unlike the bright sky outside the sealed area, it felt like dusk here. The dark, heavy clouds seemed to press down, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

There wasn’t a soul in sight in the park. A cold wind occasionally blew across the lake, like someone whispering terrifying Cantonese opera tunes in his ear.

If a woman in purple walked into the lake now, Shen Ge wouldn’t be surprised, given the intensely恐怖 atmosphere.

“System, initiate scan!”

[This area is affected by a special effect and cannot be scanned.]

Shen Ge had Little Classmate Seven pull up the map of East Ring Lake Park before its development, provided by Deng Yuqi, and located the site of Rongshan Mental Hospital.

After the fire at Rongshan Mental Hospital, it took several years to completely clear the ruins. The files mentioned many bizarre incidents during the clearance, including several fatalities.

But developers have deep pockets. As long as the price is right, they’ll clear anything, even a notorious ruin.

After the mental hospital was cleared, the developer tried to build a landmark attraction on the site. However, construction either collapsed or workers committed suicide. After consulting several Feng Shui masters and making numerous changes without success, the developer simply planted vegetation, turning it into a wooded area.

Since the entire East Ring Lake Park was affected by the诡异 “blocking” effect, neither the system nor Little Classmate Seven could scan it. Shen Ge had no choice but to don his full-body combat armor and investigate directly.

As Shen Ge ventured deeper into the forest, the sky, which had been as dim as dusk, gradually darkened, and by the time he reached the central area, it was pitch black.

Shen Ge used his flashlight to explore. Suddenly, he spotted a dilapidated iron gate ahead. As he approached, its outline became clearer.

Above the rusted gate hung a sign, crooked as if about to fall off, with several characters written in red:

“Rongshan Mental Hospital.”

When Shen Ge’s flashlight illuminated the sign and he read the words, he frowned deeply. According to the records, Rongshan Mental Hospital had been razed to the ground. There was no way a “gate” could still be standing.

“Little Classmate Seven, can you detect any Anomalous Energy fluctuations in the vicinity?” Shen Ge asked.

After a two-second delay, Little Classmate Seven replied, “Report, Master. Aside from the Anomalous Space fluctuations, no Anomalous Energy is detected. The situation is the same as outside the woods; everything is interfered with by the Anomalous Space’s power.”

Shen Ge also had the system attempt a scan and received the same “blocked” response.

“Enter high alert status,” Shen Ge instructed Little Classmate Seven, heightening his vigilance as he stepped through the dilapidated iron gate.

However, the moment Shen Ge set foot inside the grounds of Rongshan Mental Hospital, that strange “drowsiness” washed over him again. His body swayed unsteadily, Little Classmate Seven’s calls echoed in his ears, and the world began to spin before his eyes.

In his dazed state, Shen Ge felt as if he had returned to that dream, tightly bound to a hospital bed, being wheeled into the hospital by a group of white coats.

“I’m not sick! Let me go! I’m not sick!”

The voice of his childhood self mingled with Little Classmate Seven’s calls, reverberating in his ears until his head felt ready to split.

Just as the scenery before him spun wildly, Shen Ge saw a “familiar” figure emerge in the courtyard. It was a person identical to him, except for the pair of crimson eyes and a deathly pale face made even more恐怖 by the blood-red gaze.

The Aberrant Shen Ge walked towards him, a ghastly smile spreading across its face, and slowly uttered a few words:

“Found… you.”