The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 50

Just as Cheng Shengnan was still puzzling over her missing octopus, her phone rang. She pulled it out and saw Shen Ge’s name on the screen.

Shen Ge’s team had come up empty at the little girl’s house, so Deng Yuqi immediately contacted the intelligence division to track down all customers who had been at Tom’s Supermarket during that timeframe.

Before the detection team’s sweep, neither Shen Ge nor Deng Yuqi had expected the supernatural entity to simply leave. Especially Shen Ge—hadn’t the system called this place a Tier-7 entity’s lair? It had been sitting here untouched for over a week since he activated the system, so why flee today of all days?

Based on Shen Ge’s deduction, the entity had left sometime between his arrival at the supermarket’s basement level and Deng Yuqi’s team showing up. And since Deng Yuqi had immediately evacuated the few staff and customers once the energy traces were detected, the investigation’s scope was narrowed considerably.

“Hello, Shen Ge?” Cheng Shengnan answered.

Shen Ge cut straight to the point. “Did you buy anything from the seafood section at Tom’s Supermarket?”

“I bought an octopus, but it’s gone now. The vendor cleaned it and bagged it for me, but when I got home, all that was left was an empty bag,” Cheng Shengnan replied.

“Where are you now?” Shen Ge’s brow furrowed. A cleaned octopus vanishing—was it lost on the way, or had she hit the supernatural jackpot?

“Just got home.”

“Get out onto the street immediately—preferably somewhere open. What’s your address?” Shen Ge pressed.

“Got it.” Cheng Shengnan quickly walked out of the kitchen, grabbed her handbag from the table, and headed for the front door while reciting her address to Shen Ge.

Knowing Shen Ge was now part of the Special Response Department and investigating a supernatural incident at Tom’s Supermarket, Cheng Shengnan guessed she’d probably “won the lottery.” Without hesitation, she chose to cooperate.

As Shen Ge relayed Cheng Shengnan’s address to Deng Yuqi, he couldn’t help but appreciate how easy it was to talk to smart people. In situations like this, Cheng Shengnan wouldn’t waste time asking, Why the street? Why do you need my address?—nor would she stubbornly refuse to move until given a full explanation.

“Shen Ge!” Suddenly, Cheng Shengnan’s voice turned urgent over the phone. “My front door… it’s gone! The entire door has disappeared, and where it should be, there’s now some kind of invisible wall. I can’t get out!”

“Step back—stay away from where the door was. Don’t do anything rash. Keep the line open, and if you notice anything else unusual, tell me immediately. We’re on our way,” Shen Ge instructed.

“Understood.”

After briefing Deng Yuqi, Shen Ge confirmed that the “vanishing door” meant the entity was definitely at Cheng Shengnan’s place. The team immediately set out by car.

En route, Cheng Shengnan updated him: “Shen Ge, now the entire wall around where the door was has disappeared. I can even see my neighbor in the hallway—he can see me too. He seems to be in the same situation and is gesturing at me, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.”

“If you have his contact info, text or call him and tell him to stay put. And try not to go near the vanished areas,” Shen Ge replied.

“Will do.”

Shen Ge kept the line open, relaying precautions while trusting that Cheng Shengnan—a woman sharp enough to run a company branch—wouldn’t do anything reckless.

Meanwhile, Deng Yuqi issued orders to various departments. With the entity’s presence confirmed, they shifted into full supernatural combat readiness.

…..

Cheng Shengnan’s apartment was in the city center, closer to the Special Response Department. Since it wasn’t rush hour, their teams arrived ahead of Shen Ge’s group.

By the time Shen Ge got there, the combat division had already cordoned off the area under the 2nd Team leader’s direction, evacuating residents and securing the scene.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered on the street, some even filming the upscale residential complex with their phones.

Shen Ge looked up and realized—the entire midsection to the top floor of the central high-rise had vanished, as though turned transparent.

“The supernatural space has fully formed—at least a Tier-2 entity. Huo Yu, lock down the complex and relocate civilians to a safe perimeter. Li Xiang, get tech to block external signals—emergency lines only. Logistics and PR, scrub any footage civilians took and draft a statement calling this a drill.” Deng Yuqi rattled off commands as they approached the complex gates.

“Copy that!”

“On it!”

At the entrance, a Special Response Department armored vehicle stood parked. Deng Yuqi motioned for Shen Ge to follow her inside, then shut the door behind them.

“Right now, the branch only has two elite investigators—you and me. So we’re leading this operation. This tactical gear is made from specialized materials, same as the suit you were issued. Fire-resistant and stab-proof. The vest isn’t just bulletproof—it also absorbs blast impacts and collision damage.” As she spoke, Deng Yuqi stripped off her blazer and shirt, changing into a black combat suit.

“Why are you staring? Gear up. Battlefield conditions don’t leave room for modesty—you’re not waiting for me to finish so you can change outside, are you?”

If Deng Yuqi wasn’t making a fuss, neither would Shen Ge. Besides, they were only swapping outer layers, not stripping naked.

After a brief pause, Shen Ge quickly suited up.

Once dressed, Deng Yuqi pulled out a black case and opened it, revealing the pair of black energy gloves. “As agreed, these are yours to wield now.”

She slid the case toward Shen Ge, then retrieved two “freezing devices” and a fist-sized black canister from a compartment.

“Freezing devices—you’ve seen these. Against a Tier-1 entity, each 5% to 10% burst of coolant can immobilize the target for 1-3 seconds.”

“This black canister is an Energy Canister, crafted from a Tier-1 entity’s remains. It’s used to recharge expendable energy-based equipment like the freezing devices.”

“Open this connector, plug it into the port on the side of the device, and hit the switch to recharge.”

Deng Yuqi’s voice turned grim. “This was my oversight. Your equipment training was scheduled two days from now, but I underestimated your daily supernatural encounters. We should’ve prepped you sooner.”

Following Deng Yuqi’s instructions, Shen Ge secured the freezing device to the back of his combat suit, making it resemble a jetpack.

Both sides had quick-release buckles—if the device ruptured, a single press would detach it to prevent self-inflicted frostbite.

Shen Ge picked up the soda-can-sized canister. “How much can this little thing recharge?”

Deng Yuqi explained, “Don’t let its size fool you. Since it’s made from a Tier-1 entity’s remains, its energy capacity actually exceeds a full freezing device’s charge.”

“We use a Tier-1 entity’s total energy output as the baseline. A standard Tier-1 entity yields exactly one canister’s worth, with only a 1%-3% margin of error. Whether it’s the supernatural rat or the cat you encountered, despite their size differences, their energy output is roughly one canister each.”

“That’s why HQ classifies entities without a supernatural space as Tier-1. Their combat capabilities may vary, but their energy levels don’t.”

“A Tier-2 entity’s energy is over twice that of a Tier-1—enough for two and a half canisters, ranging between 231% to 278%. Tier-3 entities have a much wider spread—the weakest can fill six canisters, so at least 600%.”

“As for anything higher… our branch hasn’t encountered a Tier-4 yet.”

As Deng Yuqi explained, she noticed Shen Ge staring intently at the canister, lost in thought. She frowned. “Hey, it’s pretty straightforward. You’re usually sharp—don’t tell me you didn’t follow that?”