The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 47

When Shen Ge woke up in the Special Tactics Department dorm the next day, only two thoughts crossed his mind: first, people from the northeast were insanely good at drinking, and second, baijiu was amazing for sleep.

That said, it was clear the liquor Feng Chengxiu had brought out to “entertain” him wasn’t cheap—after downing that bowl, he didn’t even have a hangover headache the next morning.

Shen Ge showered with the disposable toiletries provided in the room, changed into a clean training uniform, and headed to the operations department’s training ground. There, he saw the entire group from last night’s “welcome party” running laps.

“Hey, Xiao Shen! You’re up! After you passed out from one drink last night, they all accused me of poisoning you,” Feng Chengxiu, leading the pack, called out with a laugh.

Shen Ge: …This Mr. Stallone, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word “glass”? When you say “glass” of baijiu, do you mean a beer glass?

“Sorry, I don’t drink much. My colleagues usually covered for me during client meetings,” Shen Ge replied.

“No worries, you’ll build up a tolerance with practice,” Feng Chengxiu said. The others didn’t mind either, though they still managed to tease Shen Ge about his embarrassingly low alcohol tolerance at least seven, eight, nine, or ten times.

“Isn’t it still before training time?” Shen Ge asked, watching as the group showed no signs of stopping. If they’d already started, he wasn’t about to slack off either.

Feng Chengxiu answered, “Oh, the department head heard we got you wasted yesterday and said we were bullying the new guy. So, ten kilometers before training starts.”

“…Uh.”

Shen Ge felt awkward. After all, in their eyes, that “bowl” from last night barely counted as drinking. Silently, he fell in at the back of the group and started running.

As he jogged and chatted with his teammates, he pulled up his [Log] and [Daily Tasks] to check today’s assignments.

[January 9, 2028. After completing your mission, you brought back the corpse of the Tier-2 Spectral Cat and received a reward. You’ve officially been promoted to Elite Squad Leader and can now form your own exploration team. During non-mission periods, you’re permitted to conduct external reconnaissance and resource gathering.]

[Weekly Mission: In this apocalyptic world overrun by anomalies, your rating has improved. To grow stronger faster, you must adapt to combat against anomalies as soon as possible. Hunt and eliminate one Tier-2 anomaly within a week. Reward: 300 System Points, 3 random F-grade recovery items, 10% free attribute points.]

After his rating upgrade, [Daily Tasks] had become [Weekly Missions], freeing him from daily obligations while offering better rewards.

Shen Ge allocated his daily 1% free attribute points to Spirit, rounding it up to a clean 180%. With 401 System Points, he could pull the gacha four times.

But now wasn’t the time—and based on past experience, four pulls would probably just net him a grocery run and a slight expansion to his under-bed arsenal.

“Better save up for a ten-pull.”

Maybe his luck would turn around then.

…..

After finishing morning training under Feng Chengxiu’s guidance, Shen Ge had two hours of free time post-lunch. He went home to change, then took a taxi to Tom’s Mall.

Since it wasn’t the weekend, the area wasn’t crowded. The distant grassy field was empty, with no dog-walkers in sight. From the moment he stepped out of the car to the mall entrance, no random events triggered.

Just as he was about to walk through the doors, a familiar red flash crossed his vision—

[Warning!]

This time, however, only a single alert appeared.

[Host is about to enter the lair of a Tier-7 anomaly. The area is enveloped by a Spectral Domain. At the host’s current strength, entering will result in certain doom—inescapable, beyond salvation, a hair’s breadth from death, nine chances to die against one to live… Host is advised to value their life and immediately evacuate this Special-Class Contaminated Zone!]

“‘Ten deaths, no survival’ has become ‘nine deaths, one life’—guess I really have gotten stronger.” Shen Ge stepped through the mall doors… then immediately back out.

Sigh.

No reward.

Still, after his rating rose to Tier-1, the system’s “Beginner Protection Mode” had deactivated, finally allowing him to enter the supermarket.

“Hey, it’s you again. A whole week, and you still haven’t decided what to buy? If you’re that torn, just walk around first—it’s not like there’s an entrance fee.”

The security guard at the door recognized Shen Ge as the weirdo who kept pacing in and out last time without actually entering.

“……” You make a compelling point, Uncle Security.

Tom’s Mall was the largest shopping center in the eastern district. The basement level housed a supermarket, the first floor was luxury brands, the second was clothing, and the third was food.

Shen Ge had expected to comb the entire mall for clues, but he hadn’t gone far before reaching the escalator to the basement when the system buzzed again.

[Warning!]

[Host is approaching Tier-7 anomaly—”Formless”. At the host’s current strength, victory is impossible. Cease this suicidal behavior and evacuate the Spectral Domain immediately!]

The anomaly’s in the supermarket!

Pinpointing its location was one thing, but what shocked Shen Ge more was the anomaly’s trait: “Formless”. Taken literally, it meant it had no physical form—but “no form” could mean anything. Was it a slime-like entity, or something truly invisible?

If it were the former, given the four-year discrepancy, anomalies now should at least be Tier-3 or Tier-4. Something like that couldn’t go unnoticed. But if it were the latter…

“Then this is going to be tricky.” Shen Ge stood at the escalator, deep in thought.

Just then, a little girl’s voice piped up behind him: “Mister, are you scared to ride the escalator alone?”

Shen Ge turned to see a young couple with their four- or five-year-old daughter, waiting to pass. He’d been blocking their way.

“Sorry.” He stepped aside.

The man smiled. “No problem.” As the family stepped onto the escalator, the little girl, perched on her father’s shoulder, gave Shen Ge an encouraging wave. “Be brave, mister!”

“Thanks, I will.” Shen Ge chuckled.

Then, shifting his gaze, he looked down toward the supermarket. At this hour—just past 1 p.m.—there weren’t many shoppers.

So far, everything seemed normal.

Shen Ge took the escalator down to the basement and began scanning the area, searching for anything off that might reveal the “Formless” anomaly’s location.

But after a full lap, he found nothing unusual. The system remained silent.

Left with no choice, Shen Ge activated his ultimate skill: “Friendly Inquiry Mode”. With a smile, he began chatting up supermarket aunties, hoping to uncover clues.

Blessed with a face that middle-aged women adored, a silver tongue, and plenty of market haggling experience, Shen Ge could ask endless questions without buying a thing and still leave a good impression.

From the snacks and alcohol sections all the way to the deli counter, he gathered no useful intel—but he did walk away with a hefty bag of free samples.

A balding middle-aged man nearby watched enviously, sighing at the unfairness of a looks-obsessed world.

Shen Ge arrived at his final stop: the seafood section, where the family from the escalator was picking out fish. They settled on a turbot for their daughter.

“Handsome, what’ll it be today?” The seafood attendant, a middle-aged man, greeted him.

“Two crucian carp for soup, please.”

“Coming right up. How about these two?”

“Perfect.”

While the man cleaned the fish, Shen Ge wandered around the seafood displays, making small talk. “Business must be good lately?”

“Local and domestic products sell well, but imports are struggling—especially anything from that island nation. Nobody wants those anymore,” the attendant grumbled.

Shen Ge smirked. “Probably scared that if they cook it, the pot’ll get eaten instead.”

“Hah! Like in that old movie—what was it called? Resident Evil?”

“Exactly.”

“Honestly, those guys must have a death wish. Who dumps that crap into the ocean? Anyway, since nobody’s buying, and the imports spoil fast, the boss just pulled all the dead or dying stock a few days ago.”

“Sold at a discount?” Shen Ge asked.

The attendant shook his head. “Nah, can’t risk the mall’s reputation. Had it all hauled away for disposal—no idea where it went. Here’s your fish.”

“Thanks.” Shen Ge took the bag and circled the area once more, but nothing seemed out of place.

Still, his investigation confirmed one thing: the anomaly hadn’t left Tom’s Mall. Otherwise, the system wouldn’t have warned him upon entry.

Formless.

“Is it really something you can’t see?” Shen Ge recalled that the Special Tactics Department had equipment for detecting spectral energy. He pulled out his phone and dialed Deng Yuqi.