The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 73

Li Xiang was busy sorting the containers of supernatural energy and didn’t notice Shen Ge’s little maneuver. However, Shen Ge’s act of inhaling from one of the containers was caught on surveillance. Not that he cared—after taking a quick sniff, he made a disgusted face, screwed the lid back on, and placed it back where it belonged.

Then he wandered around the lab, touching this and examining that, looking every bit the curious newcomer. Every now and then, he’d pick up some piece of equipment and ask Li Xiang about it.

In truth, Shen Ge wasn’t as calm as he appeared. His earlier fight with the Hellhound had drained his mental energy, and it still hadn’t fully recovered.

But that single whiff from the supernatural energy container? It drained 5% of the container’s energy—and restored exactly 5% of his mental reserves.

Just as he’d suspected: mental energy was supernatural energy.

He could use supernatural energy to activate his abilities, yet the Special Tactics Division’s equipment couldn’t detect any supernatural energy in his body. That alone spoke volumes.

Soon enough, the surveillance team reported Shen Ge’s strange behavior to Deng Yuqi, and the dutiful director stormed in to reprimand him.

“Shen Ge! Are you insane? Supernatural energy isn’t something humans should mess with! If you’ve got a death wish, just say so, and I’ll—”

“Put me in human trials?” Shen Ge cut in, his face lighting up like he’d just been offered a treat.

Deng Yuqi choked on her next words.

“…”

Li Xiang glanced between Shen Ge and the fuming Deng Yuqi, baffled. “What did I miss?”

“He inhaled from a supernatural energy container,” Deng Yuqi snapped.

Li Xiang just shrugged. “Oh, that’s not a big deal. I’ve tried it before. As long as you don’t make a habit of it, it won’t cause any physical deterioration.”

“…”

Deng Yuqi struggled for a response before finally growling, “You two are forbidden from hanging out together from now on.”

Not like it was the first time she’d said that. Neither of them took it seriously.

By the time Shen Ge wrapped up the Hellhound case and left the Special Tactics Division, it was almost 11 p.m. He headed home, took a shower, and made himself a bowl of instant noodles.

Staring at the towering pile of instant noodle cups in his kitchen, he wondered how long it’d take him to finish them all.

“431 system points… might as well try my luck with a draw.” He booted up his computer, scrolled through a playlist of gacha soundtracks, and finally settled on “Can I?”

“Can I… get something rare?”

[Prize draw in progress!]

[Ding!]

The flashing selection wheel gradually slowed down before finally landing on [Weapons & Equipment].

“Single pull for the win! First try and I already got weapons—today’s my lucky day!”

[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: “PF98 120mm Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher” x1, Rocket Rounds x3.]

Yay! RPG!

“…”

The prize was… something, alright. Still, a good start. Though he wasn’t sure where to store it—under the bed, maybe? One wrong move and he’d wake up with a literal bang.

No stopping now. Time to ride the momentum!

“Three more draws left!”

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—

[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: “HK416” x1, Magazines x3.]

“…My bed’s running out of space!” At this rate, he could open a Los Santos-style arms dealership.

Two more tries.

“Can I get a supernatural weapon this time?”

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—

[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: “Instant Noodles” x1 (box).]

Last attempt!

“System Daddy, love me one more time!”

[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: “Frag Grenades” x3.]

“Damn it, this stingy bastard won’t give me a break!” Shen Ge wanted to yank the system out of his body and beat it senseless. Was it hoarding the good stuff for its dowry or something?

“Ugh, what was I even expecting?” He sighed, spent thirty minutes in front of the mirror rebuilding his shattered morale, and finally shook off the frustration.

After all, this was just business as usual with the system.

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve survived another day in a world overrun by the supernatural. Reward: 1% freely distributable attribute points, 10 system points.]

With today’s bonus, Shen Ge had saved up 10% unallocated points, which he immediately dumped into Mental Energy.

At 210% Mental Energy, he was nearing the reserves of a Tier-2 supernatural entity. No wonder the system had triggered a rating assessment.

[January 21, 2028: The Special Tactics Division begins investigating the woman’s background, uncovering that she bypassed Japan entirely—she’s a member of a mercenary group called “Bloom.” Their target? The Tier-6 supernatural entity sealed in Quanlong Mountain Base. Not long ago, Japan purchased the latest “Supernatural Energy Equipment Blueprints” from the U.S. at a steep price.]

[The Special Tactics Division wants those blueprints—but doesn’t want to pay. So, the mission to infiltrate and steal them falls on you. First, though, you need to figure out: Why has this woman targeted you twice? What do you have that they want?]

“Well, damn. They want the goods but don’t wanna pay, so they’re sending me to rob the enemy? The Division plays dirty, huh?” Reading the log, Shen Ge couldn’t help but think reality was stranger than fiction.

Still, he was curious—since he’d activated the system early, his present should already be diverging from this so-called “future.”

Was this “future” even his? Maybe it was a parallel timeline where the system activated four years later?

Or was there no parallel timeline at all? Maybe the system was just projecting a scenario where it activated in four years, using the [Log] function to simulate it?

Shen Ge rubbed his temples. Every time he dug into the system or supernatural phenomena, it led to more questions. Thinking about it too much just gave him a headache.

“Screw it.” He flopped onto his bed. “Future problems can wait for future me.”

…..

The next morning, Shen Ge arrived early at the Operations Department and found the training field unusually packed. Feng Chengxiu was leading a group, all gathered around a middle-aged man in a wheelchair.

Shen Ge stopped Wang Han, who was jogging laps, and asked, “Old Wang, who’s that? Haven’t seen him before.”

Wang Han paused, stretching as he explained, “Oh, that’s Section Chief Chen. He was at HQ for training when you joined. Our department has four elite agents, and he’s the best of them. The only recorded Tier-4 supernatural incident in the country? He’s the one who resolved it. Pity about his legs, though—had to switch to desk duty after that. Oh, right, he asked about you earlier. Go say hello.”

“Got it.” Shen Ge nodded. His first thought? “So this is the owner of the mobility scooter.”

As Shen Ge approached, Section Chief Chen—who had been speaking with Feng Chengxiu—suddenly stopped mid-conversation. Without turning, he spun his wheelchair to face Shen Ge.

“Morning, everyone. You must be Section Chief Chen—I’m Shen Ge, the new recruit. Heard a lot about you. Pleasure to meet you.” Shen Ge greeted him politely.

Chen’s expression darkened. In one swift motion, he flicked out a telescopic baton—and swung it straight at Shen Ge’s neck.