This time, Shen Ge returned to Peace Hotel without encountering any obstruction from the spectral space. After having the system scan, the anomalies and monstrous beings wandering within the building were immediately and precisely marked.
In other words, the spectral space had vanished.
“What’s going on?” Shen Ge couldn’t understand why the spectral space had disappeared. Based on previous methods for resolving such spaces, this situation didn’t meet any of the usual conditions.
Could it be those “fragments”?
While pondering this, Shen Ge used the high-speed movement capability of the Crimson Mist Armor to swiftly navigate through the various floors of Peace Hotel, hunting down the lower-tier anomalies and monstrous beings to harvest system points before the headquarters’ anti-anomaly forces launched their assault.
Half an hour later, Shen Ge emerged from Peace Hotel and encountered Fang Mingyue and others who were evacuating the wounded.
“Investigator Shen!” Upon seeing Shen Ge, Fang Mingyue immediately stepped forward to express her gratitude. Hu Tinglan was her best friend, and according to Hu, without Shen Ge going in to pull her out this time, she would certainly have died.
“No need for formalities, it was just a small effort. Has the root cause of this anomalous incident been identified?” Shen Ge glanced at the busy crowd ahead, feeling that this incident had occurred far too suddenly.
Most importantly, as the venue for this Asian Anti-Anomaly Research Conference, Peace Hotel was naturally a high-priority location for headquarters.
If the monstrous beings integrated into the Special Response Department were causing trouble, the higher-ups would never allow the situation to deteriorate, especially since this was the capital!
Moreover, after emerging from the spectral space, Shen Ge noticed that headquarters’ response to this incident was exceptionally swift. Within just a few hours, they had evacuated all residents from the entire block, surrounded Peace Hotel layer upon layer, and even deployed the “trump card” mecha units!
This clearly indicated that headquarters attached great importance to the anomalous incident at Peace Hotel, which contradicted Shen Ge’s initial suspicion that this was a “test” by headquarters.
Fang Mingyue instructed the team members behind her to assist others, then walked to the side with Shen Ge. “Investigator Shen, I believe this incident is unrelated to headquarters. Firstly, regarding timing, due to the events this afternoon, headquarters convened an emergency meeting attended by all three department heads at the captain level, with researchers from each department on standby. Secondly, according to surveillance footage from the scene, the incident occurred suddenly…”
“The incident originated in the hotel’s first-floor restaurant kitchen. The octopuses in the seafood section suddenly mutated, though only to Tier 1. After the anomaly energy detection alarm sounded, the security team immediately went to handle it. Strangely, half an hour after this incident was resolved, massive anomaly energy reactions appeared throughout the entire hotel.”
“Our Second Department was responsible for supporting the Third Department’s operations this time, mainly analyzing the surveillance footage from the hotel before the spectral space appeared. My team reviewed all footage and confirmed that the eleventh floor, where the anomaly energy fluctuations first appeared, had no suspicious personnel entering or exiting within twelve hours, and the entire floor was unoccupied.”
“It was as if the space on the eleventh floor was suddenly torn open, then a large amount of anomaly energy poured into various floors from the corridor, followed by signs of a spectral space.”
The eleventh floor?
Hearing this number made Shen Ge somewhat “sensitive,” because in the dream world’s spire, he had discovered that eerie black room full of eyes also on the eleventh floor!
“Headquarters is also very concerned about this severe anomalous incident and has ordered the First Department to conduct an internal investigation, while the Second and Third Departments investigate the incident itself, thoroughly examining the cause inside and out. To be honest, since the capital’s anomaly disaster, I’ve never seen headquarters act so seriously and efficiently…” Fang Mingyue wasn’t making excuses for headquarters; their swift and decisive handling of the situation this time did largely clear them of suspicion.
Of course, there was another possibility—
This bizarre incident was indeed caused by people at headquarters working in secret. Because of this, they knew how troublesome it would be if the incident spread, so they took swift and decisive measures to suppress it!
But, what was the purpose of all this?
Everything requires a motive, especially since the “importance” of Peace Hotel meant no one would be bored enough to use it as a testing ground.
If the target was Shen Ge, then whether at the research institute earlier or on the way back to the hotel, the monstrous beings had many opportunities to strike, with no need to choose such an important location as Peace Hotel.
“Second Department Head Luo Cheng personally led a team into Peace Hotel for investigation. He is an anti-anomaly captain trained by my grandfather and should be trustworthy. I will notify you immediately once he finds any information,” Fang Mingyue said.
Shen Ge nodded and asked, “Were there many casualties in this anomalous incident?”
Fang Mingyue sighed. “For a typical anomalous incident, the losses… are significant. As the venue for this Asian Anti-Anomaly Research Conference, although Peace Hotel only had one security team stationed inside, headquarters set up the latest anomaly detection facilities at four key locations around the hotel, with four anti-anomaly teams stationed there.”
“After the alarm sounded, the two anti-anomaly teams from the Third Department were the first to enter the hotel for support. However, one team went missing, and the other… was completely wiped out. Their deaths were extremely gruesome; attacked by monstrous beings, they were injected with parasitic anomalies that eroded their consciousness and devoured their brains and internal organs.”
Hearing Fang Mingyue’s description, Shen Ge immediately thought of the parasitized individuals wearing Special Response Department uniforms he encountered in the spectral space. The one who killed them was likely that Tier 4 monstrous being.
“With the incident at Peace Hotel, the area is temporarily sealed off. Investigator Shen, why not come back to the Second Department with me? There are plenty of empty dorm rooms, and if there’s any new information, I can notify you immediately,” Fang Mingyue suggested.
Shen Ge originally had other plans, but considering that the Second Department was the investigation team for this incident, staying closer would make it easier to gather information, so he agreed to Fang Mingyue’s proposal.
After settling in at the Second Department with Fang Mingyue, Shen Ge, as the captain of an anti-anomaly team, naturally had a lot of work to do, which kept her busy all through the night.
Early the next morning, Fang Mingyue, looking exhausted, found Shen Ge. After a night of investigation, the cause of the Peace Hotel anomalous incident remained elusive, as if everything had happened suddenly.
Shen Ge knew this matter couldn’t be rushed. As someone who experienced the entire event, he also felt this incident was too bizarre. Even the system and Little Seven, who had been on high alert since arriving in the capital, hadn’t detected anything—just as Fang Mingyue said, it appeared “suddenly.”
After all, whether it was the mutation of anomalies or the expansion of a spectral space, there was always a “process.” Cases of sudden occurrence were almost non-existent.
Most suspiciously, the spectral space was actually “connected” to the dream world, which made Shen Ge somewhat suspect himself.
Because in the months before he checked into Peace Hotel, the hotel had been as “peaceful” as its name suggested. But on his first night staying there, an incident occurred, making it hard for him not to be suspicious.
Shen Ge asked Fang Mingyue to go rest first. After accompanying her subordinate anti-anomaly investigators to the department to give a statement about the previous night’s events, he took a taxi and left the Second Department.
Originally, according to the schedule, Fang Mingyue would take him to the anti-anomaly investigator training camp for a “tour and guidance” today. But with the Peace Hotel incident, the Special Response Department was swamped, and this matter had to be postponed.
With “official business” delayed, Shen Ge decided to take care of the personal matter that brought him to the capital. He took a car to “Zhonghai,” the residential area designated for Special Response Department family members.
His reason for coming here was simple: to visit his long-unseen “master’s wife,” Jiang Jing, Chen Ke’s wife.
To be precise, Jiang Jing should be considered Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi’s “master,” because she was the one who taught them Bajiquan. However, due to someone’s influence, they were “forced” to become his disciples and respectfully addressed Jiang Jing as “Master’s Wife.”
Fortunately, the “master-disciple relationship” was harmonious, and Jiang Jing didn’t place too much importance on these titles, teaching her husband’s apprentice all the same.
Jiang Jing’s parents were both military personnel. Her mother was considered a “founding member” of the Special Response Department; although much younger than Elder Fang, she was also a veteran who helped establish the department.
Jiang Jing had originally moved to Rong City with Chen Ke due to his transfer. A while ago, she received a call about her mother’s serious illness and returned to the capital to care for her.
Several months had passed since then. Chen Ke, as the head of the Rong City branch’s anti-anomaly training camp, naturally couldn’t frequently return to the capital. Although they spoke on the phone daily, he missed his wife dearly. Shen Ge was coming to the capital for an exchange, so Chen Ke asked him to visit the Jiang family on his behalf and see if there was any help needed.
The Jiang family, being a military family, had elders living in the “Zhonghai District.” As soon as Shen Ge got out of the car and approached the entrance, he was stopped by a fully armed squad of soldiers.
“Sir, I apologize, but entry is not permitted without a pass or prior appointment.” To ensure the safety of the soldiers’ families, security here was even tighter than at the Rong City branch.
Shen Ge was accustomed to using his face as a pass in Rong City and hadn’t considered this issue. He took out his credentials and handed them over. “Hello, I’m an anti-anomaly investigator from Rong City, here to visit family.”
“Zhonghai” had separate access points. Regular residents and family members usually entered through another gate by swiping a card, or via a dedicated vehicle lane. The gate Shen Ge approached was typically for freight, such as delivering vegetables to the cafeteria or furniture to a residence, which was the main reason he was stopped.
The lead soldier glanced at Shen Ge’s credentials, immediately stood at attention, and saluted. “Sir, my apologies for the earlier offense. Please forgive us.”
Shen Ge’s credentials had been upgraded after the Rong City branch system update. Although he had declined the position of chief captain, Deng Yuqi, for the sake of convenience, had stamped them with the chief captain’s seal anyway.
As one of the earliest anti-anomaly investigators to interact with Shen Ge, Lin Yin was well aware of his character and had no issue with having two captains in the same department.
As Deng Yuqi once said, the atmosphere at the Rong City branch was famously good, with virtually no “internal competition” to speak of.
Apart from the two iron-willed warriors, Feng Chengxiu and Yu Tiexiong, few of the other “captains” genuinely wanted the position. Most preferred to be hands-off managers, but the circumstances didn’t allow it.
“No problem, it’s just that the old folks at home didn’t explain the situation clearly. May I enter now?” Shen Ge put away his credentials.
The leading soldier respectfully said, “Does the commander have an appointment code? Or could you please tell us who you are going to see? The Zhonghai area is quite large and the terrain is rather complex. We will arrange a car to take you there.”
Shen Ge’s visit to Jiang Jing wasn’t a secret, so he explained the situation in detail. The soldier immediately arranged for a vehicle to take him into Zhonghai.
Once inside, Shen Ge understood why the soldier described Zhonghai as having “complex terrain.” The residential area was built on a hillside, arranged in rings ascending upward. There were no high-rises; the tallest buildings were only six stories, and these were just the dormitories for the soldiers stationed there.
Further up, the central residential area was where the “family members” lived, covering a large area—about one-fifth the size of Haicheng District.
Following the guide’s directions, Shen Ge found the townhouse area where the Jiang family lived and rang the doorbell of one of the houses.
Soon, a maid around forty years old came to the door. Seeing Shen Ge, she was momentarily taken aback before politely asking, “Sir, who are you looking for?”
“Hello, I’m here to see my master’s wife, Ms. Jiang Jing,” Shen Ge replied politely.
The maid was surprised but quickly composed herself. “Madam is currently tending to the elderly mistress. Sir, please wait a moment. I will go and inform her.”
“Alright.” Shen Ge nodded.
While the maid went upstairs to request her employer, she asked two younger maids to invite Shen Ge into the guest room for tea. Although unsure of the “authenticity” of Shen Ge’s identity, having worked for the Jiang family for decades, she had enough discernment.
First, the fact that Shen Ge could enter and knock on the door meant his identity was certainly not simple. Second, in her decades with the Jiang family, she had heard that the “madam’s” husband had taken on several disciples, but none were in the capital. So, a visit from one wouldn’t be strange.
Of course, whether or not she would ultimately be allowed to see the lady was not a decision she, as a servant, could make; she could only consult with the lady and see what she thought.
Typically, even if important figures came to visit the madam or the elderly mistress, inviting them in for a cup of tea was fine. If they preferred not to meet, they could decline by citing poor health after the tea. Moreover, the elderly mistress was indeed recuperating from an illness.
Shen Ge had just sat down in the living room when the master’s wife came downstairs with the maid. Seeing it was indeed Shen Ge, she was also surprised. “Xiao Shen, what brings you here?”
Shen Ge was slightly taken aback, wondering if Chen Ke hadn’t spoken with his wife on the phone these past few days and hadn’t mentioned his coming to the capital for the exchange.
“The Asian Anti-Anomaly Research Conference is being held in the capital this time. I came early as part of an exchange between the two departments, arriving just yesterday. I wanted to visit you, but there was an incident at the hotel I was staying at.” Shen Ge briefly explained the situation of the past two days to the master’s wife.
Upon hearing this, the master’s wife frowned slightly: “I remember that the Asian Anti-Ghost Research Conference is held at the Ping An Hotel in Dajing. If you were to attend, you would definitely be arranged to stay here… How could something happen here?”
Shen Ge wasn’t surprised by the master’s wife’s reaction. This was also why he found this anomalous incident so strange, though he still had no leads.
Shen Ge chatted with the master’s wife for a while. As it approached noon, the master’s wife instructed the maids to prepare lunch according to Shen Ge’s tastes, then continued talking with him about Chen Ke’s recent months.
As they were talking, they suddenly heard footsteps from the staircase. Both looked up to see an elderly woman with graying hair and a wrinkled face, yet full of energy, being assisted down the stairs by two maids.
“Mom, why did you come down?” The master’s wife quickly went to support the old lady.
The old lady said with great dissatisfaction, “They make me lie in bed all day long. That’s how my older sister died. It would be better to let her go to the yard to practice a couple of sets of boxing.”
“…” Shen Ge remembered that the old lady of the Jiang family was a little younger than Old Master Fang, but she had been wounded on the battlefield and later, during an operation against the supernatural, she had been corrupted by supernatural energy, aging her by decades overnight. Now, she looked like an old woman in her eighties or nineties.
Seeing this old lady’s physique, the idea of her going to the yard to practice a few sets of boxing felt incredibly awkward.
“Huh?”
“Who is this young man?”
The old lady noticed the guest in the living room and looked at Shen Ge curiously. Shen Ge quickly stood up respectfully to introduce himself, but before he could speak, the old lady suddenly looked delighted, pointed her cane at Shen Ge, and laughed. “Ho! Isn’t this the Shen family’s youngster? I remember you—Shen Yao, right? What, finally willing to listen to my advice and come learn Bajiquan from me?”
