The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 72

The reason anomalies escalate into disasters lies primarily in their bizarre, unpredictable abilities and their near-indestructible nature.

However, Shen Ge’s ability to see anomalies mid-mutation means the Special Countermeasures Division (SCD) can contain them in advance.

Whether it’s preventing disasters caused by mutation or keeping them contained until they fully mutate—then using them to craft anomalous energy equipment to combat other anomalies—this would be a massive breakthrough in anomaly operations!

Of course, relying on Shen Ge alone to handle global mutations would be like trying to put out a wildfire with a cup of water. But if this method could fully arm the Rong City SCD, the nation’s counter-anomaly capabilities could far surpass those of other countries.

[Sell Tier-1 Anomalous Corpse? Reward: 200 System Points.]

200 System Points—enough for two draws.

Roughly equivalent to two boxes of instant noodles.

The draws could wait. Right now, Shen Ge was more interested in testing whether Li Xiang had the skills to develop new anomalous energy equipment.

And, of course, securing usage rights for the SCD’s Tier-4 anomaly, “Unforgotten.”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ge chose not to sell. Instead, he pulled a plastic bag from his satchel and stuffed the still-mutating black dog corpse inside.

“Get some rest when you get back. At this rate, you won’t even need makeup for Halloween,” he remarked.

“Shen Ge… was Little Charcoal killed by those brats?” Xiao He asked hesitantly.

“Most likely,” Shen Ge replied. “According to SCD researchers, anomalous energy amplifies negative emotions exponentially. Most anomalies start mutating right before death. Even though Little Charcoal was killed cruelly, it still remembered your kindness, so the mutation was slower.”

“…I thought about taking it home, but I work late every day and wouldn’t have time to care for it. If I had… maybe this wouldn’t have happened…” Xiao He bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.

Cheng Shengnan hugged her, murmuring words of comfort.

“Stay with her for a bit? I need to take this back to HQ. It’s still mutating—if we don’t act fast, it might trigger another anomaly incident,” Shen Ge said.

“Got it. Go ahead,” Cheng Shengnan nodded.

Leaving the neighborhood, Shen Ge hailed a cab back to the SCD.

It was almost 10 PM, but the lights in the director’s office were still on. Shen Ge headed straight there and knocked.

“Delivery.”

“Come in.”

Deng Yuqi looked up as Shen Ge entered, raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t today your day off? Since when does someone who’d take seven days off a week show up at HQ voluntarily?”

“Oh, just delivering takeout… and showing off this little treasure.” Shen Ge lifted the plastic bag, now emitting faint wisps of black smoke. Deng Yuqi’s expression darkened instantly.

“You—”

“Fresh, still mutating.” Shen Ge stepped closer, pulling the bag open to proudly display the anomaly inside.

“You! Right now! Take that thing straight to the Tech Division for containment!” Deng Yuqi was on the verge of losing it.

Who in their right mind carried around a mutating anomaly like it was nothing? Did he not care if it finished mutating and decided to take a bite out of him?

“Forget it, I’ll go with you. Move!” She grabbed Shen Ge’s arm and dragged him out, already calling the Tech Division’s night shift to prepare for containment.

One call led to another, and soon, off-duty personnel were being summoned back to handle the anomaly Shen Ge had brought in.

Deng Yuqi massaged her temples, standing beside him. “So… you went to visit an old colleague and ‘happened’ to bring back an anomaly?”

“The girl who was trapped with Director Cheng last time,” Shen Ge briefly explained Xiao He’s situation.

Only then did Deng Yuqi recall that aside from Cheng Shengnan, there had been another victim in that incident. Since her statement hadn’t raised any red flags, the details had slipped her mind.

“She could see the anomaly mid-mutation too?” Deng Yuqi immediately honed in on the key detail.

Shen Ge nodded. “Which makes me think anomalous energy might be the physical manifestation of fear. The dog still remembered Xiao He’s kindness, so the mutation slowed down.”

As Deng Yuqi mulled this over, Li Xiang chimed in: “He’s right. Research supports that. I’ve been compiling reports from branch divisions on anomaly mutations, and ‘fear’ is consistently the trigger for animal mutations.”

“About 103 reports note that animals facing death experience a surge in fear hormones before mutating. Anomalous energy amplifies human negativity, with fear being the dominant emotion. That’s why human test subjects exposed to anomalous energy often die from bile duct spasms—flooding their digestive tracts with dark bile vomit.”

“Death usually comes from suffocation or sudden cardiac arrest—ironically, the ‘easiest’ ways to go. Worse cases involve bodily mutations or being consumed by anomalies. Which is why those human experiments—”

Deng Yuqi shot a glance at Shen Ge, who was listening with keen interest, and cut Li Xiang off. “Enough. I’ve read those reports. No need to repeat them.”

“But I haven’t,” Shen Ge said.

Ignoring him, Deng Yuqi turned back to Li Xiang. “So you also believe anomaly mutations are tied to fear?”

“Based on current data… yes,” Li Xiang confirmed.

“Then what about the hair in my company’s water tank? Wasn’t that the anomaly?” Shen Ge asked.

Li Xiang shook his head. “I analyzed your footage. Don’t forget the tank was full of dead rats. I suspect the hair wasn’t the anomaly—the rats were. So far, we haven’t recorded any non-animal anomalies.”

Shen Ge had already guessed as much but was baiting Li Xiang into revealing more about the experiments.

“Oh? What other animals have been documented?” Shen Ge pressed.

Li Xiang launched into another explanation. Deng Yuqi saw right through Shen Ge’s tactic but let it slide—as long as human experimentation wasn’t brought up.

Soon, the containment plan for the black dog was finalized. Since it was still mutating, it was placed in the underground containment facility for observation.

Its anomalous energy exhibited “mimicry” abilities, with illusions capable of minor attacks. Li Xiang extracted several vials of its energy for research.

Shen Ge followed Li Xiang into the lab where anomalous energy canisters were stored. Picking up a Type-A canister, he toyed with it idly.

“Careful, don’t drop it,” Li Xiang warned before turning back to his work.

Seizing the moment, Shen Ge suddenly raised the canister—and took a deep inhale.