The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 8

The next morning, Shen Ge followed the exercise plan he’d set the day before, waking up two hours earlier than usual. After breakfast, he jogged from his apartment complex all the way to his company in the Eastern District.

Well, “jogged” was a generous term—it was more like a run-walk hybrid, with most of the time spent walking. But that was to be expected after years of neglecting fitness. You couldn’t undo a sedentary lifestyle with just one early morning.

Ever since learning from the system that supernatural entities would soon invade this world, Shen Ge’s mind had been consumed by thoughts of the system and the impending horrors.

Yesterday’s haul had been decent, especially scoring a trait weapon. The only downside was that he couldn’t carry it around with him.

“Tch. Lousy system, can’t even give me an inventory space!” he grumbled as he arrived at the office building.

[Host, in a world overrun by the supernatural, you remain true to your goals—rising early to train and even daring to traverse a Zone contaminated by a Tier-7 entity. Reward: 50 system points, +1% Agility, +3% Constitution.]

“Just like the system said, attributes below the baseline can still be improved through exercise.” A glance at his stats confirmed it. At this rate, a couple of weeks of consistency would get him close to normal human standards.

Shen Ge reached the office nearly fifteen minutes earlier than usual. Only the receptionist and a few overachieving “work martyrs” had clocked in so far.

“Morning, Shen Ge! You’re here early,” the receptionist greeted with a smile as he walked in.

“Morning,” he replied.

“Had breakfast yet? I’ve got extra bread and milk if you want some,” she offered, holding out a carton and a pack of sliced bread.

“Already ate, thanks.” Shen Ge waved her off and headed into the work area, exchanging nods with the early birds already at their desks.

The moment he sat down, the door to the general manager’s office swung open. A woman in a professional pantsuit, her hair pinned up and silver-framed glasses perched on her nose, stepped out.

“Shen Ge, my office. The client sent new revisions for yesterday’s proposal.”

Her name was Cheng Shengnan. Twenty-six years old, rumored to be some kind of prodigy—she’d skipped multiple grades and graduated college at eighteen. Instead of pursuing further studies, she’d dived straight into the design industry, making a name for herself in just three years. Now she was the head of the company’s Rong City branch.

Shen Ge’s impressions of her boiled down to: “genuine workaholic,” “no-nonsense boss,” and, objectively, “attractive” and “great legs.”

Maybe it was because of the “Shengnan” (胜楠—”surpassing men”) in her name, but Cheng Shengnan had a noticeable aversion to male employees. She kept her distance and held them to absurdly high standards.

Shen Ge had clashed with her a few times over it. Fortunately, his skills were solid enough that he’d won those battles, forcing her to dial back the attitude.

Right now, he had two design drafts awaiting her final approval, so they’d been interacting more frequently.

By the time Shen Ge entered her office, Cheng Shengnan was already back at her computer, typing away while scribbling notes on a document.

“Sit. The updated specs from Client Chen are in front of you. He said you discussed it yesterday after the site visit. Thoughts?”

Despite their past friction, Shen Ge knew Cheng Shengnan only cared about work. She didn’t hold grudges over professional disagreements, so their relationship had stabilized.

“The location meets his requirements, but the construction adjustments will be tricky since the second floor’s already underway,” Shen Ge answered honestly.

Cheng Shengnan adjusted her glasses. “Not an issue. I’ll have the budget recalculated. Client Chen spends freely—money can fix the logistics. He’s offering you an extra 5% on top of the original fee once revisions are done. Congrats. This project could buy you a few months of leisure.”

Shen Ge raised an eyebrow. “So the company can lighten my workload for a while?”

Cheng Shengnan paused, as if genuinely considering it, then shook her head. “Unlikely. Too many regular clients request you by name.”

“…” Then why even bring it up?

Just as Shen Ge grabbed the revised documents to leave, Cheng Shengnan added, “Oh, one more thing. My assistant isn’t in yet—could you ask reception to call maintenance? The restroom on this floor has a foul odor.”

“Sure.” Shen Ge nodded, dropping the files at his desk before relaying the request.

The receptionist checked the maintenance number while complaining, “So Manager Cheng noticed it too? I went in this morning and the stench was unbearable—like rotting meat. I could smell it from the doorway, but Old Zhang claimed he couldn’t.”

“Rotting smell?”

“Yeah, like spoiled meat. I thought it was a dead rat and forced myself to check, but found nothing.”

“Brave of you, going in alone when you’re terrified of rats,” Shen Ge teased, remembering her phobia.

She grimaced. “When nature calls, you answer.”

They chatted a bit longer, Shen Ge casually steering the conversation back to the restroom’s mystery stench.

A day ago, he might’ve agreed with her assumption—a dead rodent hidden somewhere. But now, after encountering the system and learning of the supernatural, his mind immediately jumped to darker possibilities.

Shen Ge loitered outside the restrooms. The men’s and women’s doors faced each other. The receptionist had said the stench was detectable from the entrance.

Standing between the two doors, he pulled out his phone, pretending to check messages while subtly sniffing the air.

Nothing.

“Xiao He smelled it from outside, but Old Zhang didn’t.” Shen Ge stared at his screen, thinking. The only commonality between him and Old Zhang was…

They were both men.

“I can’t smell it. Old Zhang can’t either.”

Did that mean only women could detect it?

He slipped his phone back into his pocket, then “accidentally” dropped his employee badge—right in front of the women’s restroom door.

As he bent to pick it up, the door opened, and Xiao Li from sales stepped out.

“Shen Ge?”

Acting natural, he grabbed the badge and rinsed it under the sink, glancing at her. “You look pale. Feeling okay?”

“The restroom reeks. Like something died in there. How can you not smell it?” Xiao Li grimaced.

Shen Ge chuckled. “Lucky me—I’ve got a stuffy nose today.”

“Ugh. I can’t take it. I’m out.” She hurried off, leaving Shen Ge staring at the restroom door, his expression darkening.

He was almost certain now—something supernatural was inside.

But then…

Why hadn’t the system warned him?