The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 56
“Shen Ge, Captain Feng and Team 1 have entered the 13th-floor zone. The six octopuses have been divided into six sealed packages, each carried by a separate soldier,” Deng Yuqi’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie.
The decision to seal the octopuses was Shen Ge’s specific request. If The Invisible truly fed on its own kind, leaving them exposed would undoubtedly draw its attention.
At this point, they still didn’t know The Invisible’s combat capabilities beyond its spatial manipulation. With only two anomaly-energy-equipped items in the entire branch—both currently on Shen Ge—it was safer to keep ordinary soldiers out of direct confrontation.
Of course, even if The Invisible could be taken down with firearms like the previous rat and cat anomalies, Shen Ge had no intention of letting anyone else steal the kill.
The combination of Silent and Invisible traits was a prize he had to claim.
Team 1 consisted of a full squad, plus Feng Chengxiu—ten people in total.
Shen Ge wasn’t surprised Feng Chengxiu had been chosen for this. With his physique, the man could probably do one-handed pull-ups on a railing as easily as drinking water. He didn’t need anomaly gloves for protection.
What did surprise Shen Ge was that Deng Yuqi had sent the entire Team 1 into the anomaly space despite knowing about the collapsing-floor hazard.
These were elite soldiers—the best of the best in the Special Measures Department. Losing even one would be a significant blow.
But as a subordinate, Shen Ge had already reported the situation faithfully. Deng Yuqi’s decisions were her own to make.
Strangely, even after two or three minutes, no Team 1 members appeared—neither above nor below. Yet Feng Chengxiu and the others kept reporting over the radio that they were still climbing.
Since Shen Ge had emphasized the spatial collapse rules, Feng Chengxiu’s team had been moving upward nonstop.
All ten had entered. Unfortunately, not a single pair had ended up in the same space.
It wasn’t unusual that they hadn’t crossed paths while ascending, but given Team 1’s marching speed, the fact that none of them had reached the top floor after several minutes was concerning.
Three minutes.
Five.
Ten.
During this time, Feng Chengxiu had encountered one soldier, and two others had paired up—but none had found Shen Ge. Later, two soldiers experienced stairwell collapses but managed to escape unharmed. They also confirmed Shen Ge’s theory: rooms remained unaffected during floor collapses.
From the updates over the walkie-talkie, Shen Ge realized the anomaly space was far more complex—and volatile—than he’d imagined. Waiting any longer wasn’t an option.
“Director Cheng, didn’t you spend two months in Hawaii on business last year? Did you learn to shoot?” Shen Ge drew his pistol and gave a quick demonstration.
Cheng Shengnan frowned. “What does Hawaii have to do with learning to shoot?”
“If elementary school kids can learn to pilot planes and boats there, you didn’t even pick up shooting? It’s simple—watch.” He demonstrated again, explaining key points, common beginner mistakes, and—most importantly—how to handle recoil.
Cheng Shengnan was sharp. After Shen Ge’s tutorial, she test-fired twice downstairs, mimicking his form almost perfectly. His verdict? Aside from terrible aim, no flaws.
Shen Ge had her tuck the pistol into her pocket. When he gave the signal, she was to empty the magazine at whatever he indicated—no hesitation.
Cheng Shengnan was stunned at how “professional” Shen Ge had become in just two days. Though unsure why he was teaching her to shoot, she nodded and secured the weapon as instructed.
Next, Shen Ge motioned for her to follow him into the hallway.
[WARNING!]
The system alerted him again as he approached the anomaly. Wielding the freezing device, Shen Ge sprayed a path from the stairwell into the corridor. The moment they turned the corner, they spotted trapped residents in both apartments.
The left unit held a family of five—three generations.
The right had two young women.
As Shen Ge and Cheng Shengnan stepped into the elevator lobby, the younger man in the left apartment noticed Shen Ge’s uniform and began frantically waving and shouting. Unfortunately, this floor was still sound-blocked.
Shen Ge signaled for him to stay down, then swept the freezing device across the lobby, hunting for traces of The Invisible.
Just then, the women in the right apartment spotted him too. After yelling futilely, they mustered their courage, found the door, and flung it open.
“Help us! Please!”
“Get back inside! It’s dangerous out here!” Shen Ge shouted.
The short-haired woman glared at Cheng Shengnan. “You saved her! Why not us?”
“Just—” Shen Ge cut off as two soldiers emerged from the left stairwell.
After Shen Ge reported leaving the stairs, Team 1 had begun entering hallways to search for him and assess survivor numbers.
“Captain Shen.”
“Captain Shen.”
As an elite investigator, Shen Ge outranked even Feng Chengxiu. With Deng Yuqi absent, he was effectively in command.
“Do you have the packages?” Shen Ge asked.
One soldier immediately produced an insulated bag. “Here!”
“Give it to me, then get these two back inside!” Shen Ge ordered.
“Yes, sir!”
Knowing rooms were safe during collapses, the soldiers moved to secure the women—hauling survivors around would only slow them down.
“Why should we go back?”
“Aren’t you cops? You’re supposed to save people!”
“Yeah! Get us out!”
“Or we’ll expose you for leaving us to die!”
“That’s right! Why does she get special treatment?” The women’s shrill accusations painted a stark contrast to Cheng Shengnan’s quiet compliance.
Shen Ge eyed them, grinning coldly. “Why? Because you’re ugly. My badge number’s ***9320. Report me if you live. Oh, and I’ve got a psychiatric exemption. Now—option one: shut up and get inside. Option two: I knock you out and drag you in.”
“You dare?”
“We’ll ruin you!” They whipped out phones, filming the confrontation.
“Take them to the left unit,” Shen Ge ordered, pointing.
The soldiers each grabbed a woman, but one wrenched free and smashed her phone against a soldier’s visor.
“Don’t touch me! This’ll go viral!”
Shen Ge was about to intervene when he noticed the right apartment’s position beginning to rotate.
“Shit, collapse incoming! Move!” He bolted for the stairwell, Cheng Shengnan right behind.
The soldiers tried hauling the women toward the apartment, but the short-haired one broke loose and sprinted for the opposite stairs.
“Leave her! Get inside now!” Shen Ge yelled from the stairwell entrance.
Too late.
With a scream, the woman plummeted. The soldier chasing her lunged, grabbing her arms—only for the floor beneath him to shatter. Both vanished into the void.
“INSIDE! GO!” Shen Ge snarled at the remaining soldier before dragging Cheng Shengnan into the stairwell.
Goddammit. Why are there always idiots in disaster movies?