The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 48

“Ha—”

Before Shen Ge could even finish saying “Hello,” Deng Yuqi mercilessly cut him off.

“Wait. Let me… brace myself first.”

In her office, Deng Yuqi held the phone in one hand while massaging her temples with the other. She had been drowsy during her lunch break, but the moment she heard Shen Ge’s voice, she instantly felt “rejuvenated” (read: a headache coming on).

It was like being sound asleep, only for Shen Ge to kick open her office door, leap onto her, grab her by the shoulders, and shake her violently while yelling, “Stop sleeping, dumbass! Time to party!”

“Please don’t tell me you’ve run into another anomaly,” Deng Yuqi said, her voice dripping with existential fatigue.

From the other end of the line came Shen Ge’s wistful sigh: “My parents gave me life, but it’s you, Chief, who truly understands me.”

“What’s the situation?” The moment she got his confirmation, Deng Yuqi’s expression turned serious. She pressed a dedicated line on her desk phone, summoning her assistant to standby.

Shen Ge pondered for a moment before asking, “Chief, what’s the highest-tier anomaly our department’s spectral energy scanner can detect?”

“Tier-2,” Deng Yuqi replied.

Shen Ge frowned. “Only Tier-2?”

“Do we even need a scanner for anything above Tier-2?” she shot back.

Shen Ge thought about it—she had a point. A Tier-1 anomaly was basically a giant shadowy blob, while a Tier-2’s spectral domain could affect an entire street. He hadn’t encountered a Tier-3 yet, but its energy field would undoubtedly be so massive that a scanner would be redundant.

The problem was, “Formless” was a special case. Shen Ge suspected it wasn’t just invisible—its spectral energy might be undetectable too. Otherwise, after scouring its lair, he should’ve found some trace of it.

“I’m in the supermarket on the basement level of Tom’s Mall in the eastern district. No signs of the anomaly yet, but I suspect it might have been here,” Shen Ge reported.

Deng Yuqi’s brows furrowed slightly. “Any other leads?”

“Not at the moment. If I had any, I wouldn’t be asking about the scanner,” Shen Ge admitted honestly.

Deng Yuqi’s voice turned grave. “So this is just a hunch?”

“Yeah. But Chief… do you trust my judgment?” For once, his tone was completely serious.

Though Deng Yuqi had only known Shen Ge for a week, she knew he wouldn’t joke about something like this.

“I do. And when it comes to anomalies, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The Special Tactics Department exists to identify and resolve these threats.”

After a pause, she continued, “I’ll send a few technicians over with detection gear… Do you need backup?”

Hearing her immediate trust, Shen Ge felt a flicker of warmth. After a brief consideration, he replied, “Not yet. If we accidentally trigger its spectral domain, at least you’ll still be free to organize a rescue.”

“…Must you always jinx it?” Deng Yuqi sighed and immediately instructed her assistant to dispatch the team.

Truthfully, she had long suspected Shen Ge possessed some method—or ability—to pinpoint anomalies. Otherwise, how else could he stumble into one every single day?

But as she’d said before, “Everyone has their secrets.” Prying too hard might only push him away. Neither she nor headquarters wanted to risk forcing an elite agent into a corner.

“Trust those you employ, and don’t employ those you distrust.” That was Deng Yuqi’s principle. She had taken the risk of recruiting Shen Ge, and unless he posed a threat to society, she would trust him.

Besides, as she’d pointed out, anomaly incidents were far rarer than regular cases. Most of the time, the department was just on standby.

Since they had nothing better to do—and because she was still uneasy—Deng Yuqi decided to accompany the technicians herself, bringing along Feng Chengxiu, Huo Yu, and a squad to Tom’s Mall.

Shen Ge had hesitated before calling Deng Yuqi. The “Formless” trait was incredibly valuable to him—paired with “Soundless”, it would make for an unbeatable combination.

But the problem was, he couldn’t locate the damn thing.

He’d even tried using “Immobile”’s spectral domain to distort space, but after several attempts, there was no reaction.

If the department’s scanner could identify “Formless”, that would be ideal. According to regulations, he had the right to claim handling privileges for it.

If the department refused to honor that rule… well, whether he’d report future trait anomalies would be debatable.

Worst-case scenario? He’d flip the table.

But just as Deng Yuqi trusted him, Shen Ge trusted her in return—not just because she was his superior, but because of what Huo Yu had told him: During the Spectral Car incident, the chief was so worried about traffic delaying the rescue that she grabbed a shared bike and pedaled like a maniac.

That kind of leader was worth believing in.

…..

While waiting for the team, Shen Ge squatted in the instant noodle aisle, idly reading ingredient lists. “I wonder if collecting every brand here would summon a wish-granting dragon.”

“What are you muttering about?” A familiar voice reached his ears.

Shen Ge turned his head—and was first greeted by a pair of legs so flawless that even Ma Xiaoling would point and declare, “Draw your sword, leg goddess.”

Black stockings—no, wait, probably opaque tights, but who cared? The illusion was enough.

The rest of the ensemble—professional office attire, silver-framed glasses, hair pinned up—completed the picture.

“Oh, it’s you.” Shen Ge tilted his head up slightly, surprised to see Cheng Shengnan.

Adjusting her glasses, Cheng Shengnan took a half-step back. “If I didn’t know you, this angle would be grounds for reporting a peeping tom.”

“Ah, my bad. I just thought these legs looked familiar—got distracted figuring out whose they were.” Shen Ge stood up with a grin.

“…”

Even though you’re telling the truth, why does it sound so wrong?

“What are you doing here?” Shen Ge asked.

Cheng Shengnan replied, “After you left, someone had to take over Mr. Chen’s project. He’s a major client, so I had to handle the revisions personally. Figured I’d stop by Tom’s to pick up some things.”

“Ah.”

“And you?”

“Work stuff.” Shen Ge adopted a deliberately mysterious tone, reaching into his pocket to pull out his ID for a proper Men in Black-style reveal.

But Cheng Shengnan only frowned slightly. She knew about his new job at the Special Tactics Department—which meant…

“I see. How’s the new workplace treating you?” Aware of the need for secrecy, she smoothly changed the subject, asking about his well-being instead.

Shen Ge: ?

You see?

See what? Ask me more! How else am I supposed to flash my badge and deliver a cool one-liner like “The world’s safety rests with me—the secrets of the ‘90s won’t stay hidden”?

Girl, you’re breaking the script here. Can’t you let me have one cool moment?

Just then, Deng Yuqi arrived with her team. The supermarket manager hurried down the escalator, waving at the staff.

“Health and safety inspection today, everyone! Cooperate fully!”

Shen Ge couldn’t help but marvel—

Wow. Our cover identities are… flexible.