“…” Good grief. So the hundreds upon hundreds of bizarre human flesh altars up ahead were just the appetizer. The real main course was waiting back here all along.
[Alert: A Tier 6 anomaly reaction has been detected ahead. Given the host’s current capabilities, confronting a Tier 6 anomaly is a near-certain death sentence. Cherish life and evacuate the area immediately!]
A Tier 6 anomaly?
These flesh altars were clearly the things incubating the monstrous humanoids. But according to the established classifications for anomalies and monstrous humanoids, it should be impossible for one to be “born” at Tier 6.
“Found you…”
“Found you!”
Just then, that ethereal voice emanated from the colossal flesh altar. The sound seemed to carry a strange, bewitching quality, making Shen Ge subconsciously want to walk toward the altar.
Fortunately, Shen Ge was no stranger to this kind of anomalous “hypnosis.” The instant the voice rang out, he immediately deployed his Immovable Anomaly Domain to form a barrier, blocking its advance. Then, his Silent Anomaly Domain unfurled, directly nullifying the hypnotic effect of the voice.
With the sound unable to reach him, Shen Ge’s mind cleared considerably.
“Master, perhaps this is not a newly incubating monstrous humanoid, but rather one in a dormant state. Entering dormancy is a common method used by both anomalies and monstrous humanoids to evade detection and pursuit by higher-tier anomalies,” reported Little Seven, his AI assistant.
Evading higher-tier anomalies?
Shen Ge knew that both anomalies and monstrous humanoids indeed exhibited behaviors to avoid being hunted by higher-tier entities. This was especially true during the “apocalyptic” period when high-tier anomalies roamed everywhere; lower-tier ones would hide within ruins, entering a dormant state.
In the “future” he witnessed on Sakura Island, Shen Ge had seen many dormant anomalies and monstrous humanoids, including that dormant Tier 5 anomaly turtle and a Tier 5 monstrous humanoid beneath the city ruins.
But what Shen Ge couldn’t wrap his head around was this: what was the point of a Tier 6 monstrous humanoid “hibernating” inside the belly of a Tier 6 anomaly?
“Do you think they exist in a symbiotic state, or does the anomaly simply have no idea it’s carrying a massive parasite in its gut?” Shen Ge figured the latter wasn’t impossible. After all, this anomaly’s stomach already contained Tier 4 entities; a Tier 6 wouldn’t be that much more of a stretch.
Little Seven replied, “Analysis suggests a non-symbiotic state. When you entered the anomaly’s stomach, master, the worm-like creatures inside and the monstrous humanoids that subsequently appeared were clearly siphoning anomalous energy from their host. However, the emergence of another Tier 6 entity—a monstrous humanoid—within the anomaly’s own body is highly irregular…”
“If they’re not symbiotic, then this just got a whole lot easier!” Shen Ge extended a Putrid Blood Tendril, using the “Unyielding Grip” property of his Anomaly Glove to latch onto the rim of the gargantuan flesh altar, then hauled himself toward it.
Just before reaching the altar’s opening, he hurled several Anomaly Energy Bombs inside, then swung his momentum to land on a corridor running along the opposite side.
BOOM!
A series of thunderous detonations echoed as a violent anomalous energy reaction erupted within the flesh altar, the energy twisting and distorting the very space around it.
“Gurgle.”
“Gurgle.”
Accompanied by swallowing sounds as loud as drumbeats, the massive flesh altar split open on two sides, revealing a towering figure emerging from within.
It was a fusion of man and spider, bearing a strong resemblance to a certain creature known as Urgot—a humanoid torso atop the lower body of an arachnid.
Yet, even the human-like upper half lacked normal skin; it was covered in a hairy, spidery integument.
From its chest down to its abdomen, molten, lava-like anomalous fluid flowed, looking as if it had burned holes through its torso, or perhaps its belly was a ghastly, gaping maw drooling rivulets of magma-like saliva.
“Master, does this monstrous humanoid seem… familiar to you?” Little Seven suddenly inquired.
In truth, the moment the creature emerged, Shen Ge had recognized it. This gigantic monstrous humanoid bore a strong resemblance to Number 2 Anomaly King he had encountered previously in Bang Nation.
The difference was that Number 2 Anomaly King had then been purely a giant spider, whereas this one had sprouted a human-like upper body.
To confirm his suspicion, Shen Ge opened the Anomaly Eye on his forehead for a look. As expected, he detected a powerful concentration of Primordial Anomaly Cells within the creature!
“An Artificial Anomaly King!” Shen Ge stared at the creature in astonishment. He clearly hadn’t anticipated that this was the same kind of Artificial Anomaly King he had previously seen on Sakura Island and in Bang Nation.
Before Shen Ge could fully recover from his shock, the surrounding fleshy walls began contracting at a visible rate. The Tier 6 anomaly had seemingly detected the foreign entity within itself and was attempting to eliminate it.
The Tier 6 monstrous humanoid, caught off guard after being rudely awakened from its slumber by a few explosive “pop rocks,” found itself instantly targeted by the Tier 6 anomaly upon waking.
The fleshy walls of the Tier 6 anomaly constricted with alarming speed. The Tier 6 monstrous humanoid decided to abandon all pretense of concealment. Like the primordial giant Pangu separating heaven and earth, it braced its upper body against the ceiling and planted its eight massive spider legs against the four surrounding walls, straining every fiber to resist the compression. What began as a pure contest of physical strength gradually escalated into a clash of anomalous energies.
The Tier 6 monstrous humanoid seemed intent on exploiting this opportunity to test whether the “devouring” power inherent in its Primordial Anomaly nature could assimilate the Tier 6 anomaly. The “hairs” on its eight spider legs transformed into a multitude of black, needle-like spikes, piercing the fleshy walls to drain the Tier 6 anomaly’s energy.
Watching the compression of the fleshy walls begin to slow, Shen Ge—who had been content to sit back and watch the tigers fight—had no intention of letting the battle become one-sided. He immediately launched an attack on the Tier 6 monstrous humanoid.
His strategy was simple: assist whichever side was losing. Once both Tier 6 entities were exhausted from their struggle, he would step in and kill two birds with one stone, claiming the rewards from two Tier 6 beings.
A sound plan in theory, but executing it proved considerably more difficult. Although Shen Ge was currently aiding the Tier 6 anomaly against the Tier 6 monstrous humanoid, the anomaly couldn’t differentiate friend from foe. Its only goal was to absorb everything foreign within its gut.
Furthermore, Shen Ge had somewhat underestimated this Tier 6 anomaly. It only appeared to be slowing the contraction of its walls; in reality, the intensity of the anomalous energy it was emitting was steadily climbing.
The monstrous humanoid had initially managed a stalemate, but Shen Ge’s bombardment with several Anomaly Domains and Anomaly Energy Weapons tipped the scales decisively in the anomaly’s favor.
“Master, the ambient anomalous energy density has increased severalfold. At this rate of energy expenditure, the Crimson Mist Battle Armor will deplete its reserves in ten minutes, at most,” Little Seven warned.
Clearly, the scenario Shen Ge had hoped for—both sides suffering critical damage—was becoming increasingly unlikely. He now faced a choice: either remain in this stomach and be absorbed alongside the monstrous humanoid, or distance himself from it, and quickly.
With its high threat rating and massive size, the monstrous humanoid was an easy target once detected by the anomaly. Shen Ge, being a much smaller target, could relocate with relative ease.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Ge reasoned that while anomalies of the same tier generally surpass their monstrous humanoid counterparts in power, this Tier 6 monstrous humanoid was inside the anomaly’s belly. Killing an intestinal parasite wouldn’t be a simple, instantaneous task for the anomaly.
With that in mind, Shen Ge decided on a different approach. While the Tier 6 monstrous humanoid drew the anomaly’s attention, he would locate the Tier 6 anomaly’s heart. Then, just as the monstrous humanoid was on the verge of being overwhelmed, he would destroy the anomaly’s heart. This way, he could at least guarantee securing the reward from one Tier 6 entity.
“Little Seven, leave a Blood Spider here to monitor the monstrous humanoid. While it keeps the anomaly occupied, we’ll search for the anomaly’s heart. If the monstrous humanoid appears about to fall before we find the heart, we’ll double back to secure that kill first. Otherwise, we eliminate the anomaly, then deal with the monstrous humanoid,” Shen Ge instructed.
“Affirmative, master!” Little Seven acknowledged, promptly releasing several Blood Spiders and maneuvering one to crawl onto the monstrous humanoid’s body.
Relying on the mobility afforded by his Anomaly Leather Boots, Shen Ge extracted himself from the battleground of the two colossal entities. Skirting around the dense throng of lower-tier monstrous humanoids outside, he delved deeper into the anomaly’s abdominal region.
……
……
Although Shen Ge’s entry into the dream world this time was technically “semi-voluntary,” he had forgotten to inform anyone before testing his Anomaly Domain. Consequently, he was once again “missing.”
While Shen Ge’s “disappearances” had become a regular occurrence for both the Rong City Branch and Fang Mingyue, his latest vanishing act, right before the upcoming Asia Anomaly Research Symposium, still set off alarm bells for Fang Mingyue.
As had been the case the past few days, Fang Mingyue had finished her work at the Special Policy Department Two and came to “report” to Shen Ge, and also check on her disappointing younger brother.
Today, however, she found her brother, Fang Yaori, snoring soundly in his room, but Shen Ge in the adjacent room was nowhere to be found. None of his communication devices could be reached.
Fang Mingyue suspected Shen Ge had once again been drawn into an anomalous space, though the reason was unclear. For safety’s sake, she first relocated Fang Yaori, then reported the matter to the Rong City Branch.
Deng Yuqi received the news with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. In the less than half a month since Shen Ge had gone to Dajing, he had been reported missing no fewer than four times.
His constant, unpredictable “radio silence” left her with few options.
At that moment, Deng Yuqi was finalizing the roster of attendees from the Rong City Branch for the Asia Anomaly Research Symposium in Dajing. The squad captains from their branch were an exceptionally apathetic bunch. While captains from other branches eagerly sought the opportunity to make a name for themselves across Asia, their Rong City counterparts all scrambled to avoid the assignment.
This forced Deng Yuqi to resort to “conscripting by lottery”—using the most primitive method of drawing lots to determine who would attend the symposium in Dajing.
Of the two nominal General Captains at the Rong City Branch, Shen Ge was already in Dajing, so Lin Yin was certainly required to remain and hold down the fort.
After some deliberation, Deng Yuqi decided to keep Feng Chengxiu as well. Firstly, those two worked well together, and secondly, Feng Chengxiu possessed superior judgment and decision-making skills compared to Lin Yin.
As for the remaining spots… Headquarters had suggested that, in addition to captains, it would be ideal to send a talented researcher to showcase their work at the symposium. Unfortunately, Deng Yuqi had spoken with Li Xiang several times, but the man’s mind was consumed solely by research. He’d rather hole up in his lab developing equipment upgrades for Shen Ge than step outside for some fresh air.
Recalling the message Shen Ge had sent before his latest disappearance, and the list of “acquisitions” from his recent travels, Deng Yuqi knew that Li Xiang’s presence in Dajing would be highly beneficial.
She figured that while she might not be able to “order” Li Xiang to go, perhaps the prospect of examining Shen Ge’s vast collection of monstrous humanoid samples, parasitic anomalies, dream world phenomena, and the like could pique his interest.
With this in mind, Deng Yuqi set aside her current tasks and went personally to the Research Department to have a word with Li Xiang.
The Research Department had undergone significant changes this year. After Li Xiang established the Monstrous Humanoid Research Division, the research facility at the Quanlong Mountain base was managed by his mentor and junior sister, while he took charge of the branch’s Research Department. In essence, the Rong City Branch’s Research Department was firmly under their “family’s” control.
However, since Li Xiang’s greatest passion was tinkering with Shen Ge’s battle armor upgrades and anomalous properties, he paid almost no attention to administrative matters. Consequently, Deng Yuqi had been forced to assign him a Deputy Director skilled in management to handle everything outside of pure research.
Deng Yuqi had initially considered transferring Liu Jiayi for the role, which would have been a lateral promotion of sorts. But even after her injury, Liu Jiayi preferred fieldwork with the Information Department rather than becoming the de facto “number one” of the Research Department.
“Sigh, why is our department filled with such eccentric characters who only do things according to their whims?” Deng Yuqi muttered under her breath as she entered the Research Department.
Li Xiang’s laboratory was located in the innermost section of the department. Deng Yuqi had specially arranged for triple-layer defenses and assigned rotating shifts of Anomaly Countermeasure Agents to ensure his safety.
After changing into a specialized protective suit, Deng Yuqi entered the lab and found Li Xiang and a group of assistants gathered outside a room resembling a containment cell, peering through specialized anomaly-resistant glass at something inside.
Deng Yuqi moved closer for a look. Inside the containment cell was a half-meter-high, sludge-like mass of “flesh,” resembling something like a Grimer or Muk from a cartoon.
“What are you working on here?” Deng Yuqi asked curiously.
Startled by the Director’s unexpected visit, the staff quickly offered greetings.
Li Xiang explained, “This is a fusion product incorporating the monstrous humanoid samples Shen Ge brought back from Bang Nation, Primordial Anomaly Cells, and… ahem… material from the Crimson Mist Battle Armor’s rotten flesh component. Previously, Shen Ge mentioned that during combat, to protect Director Cheng, he attempted to have Little Seven manipulate the Crimson Mist Battle Armor to separate a sub-unit for defense. I thought that was an excellent concept, so I’ve been trying to leverage the Crimson Mist Battle Armor’s fusion capabilities to achieve separation.”
“Simply put, we’re adding more anomalous materials and combining them with Primordial Anomaly Cells to expand the mass of the Crimson Mist Battle Armor. The goal is to allow Shen Ge to wear one full suit in combat while Little Seven controls a secondary suit—or uses it to protect a key individual.”
“Unfortunately, we lack an ‘Anomaly Brain’—what Shen Ge calls the ‘Unforgetting’ property. Without Little Seven’s direct control, this sub-armor cannot maintain a stable form.”
“It’s a shame Shen Ge isn’t in Rong City right now. He could assist me with some calibrations. Perhaps we could even get the sub-armor to function normally when separated from the main Crimson Mist Battle Armor.”
Li Xiang grew more and more animated as he spoke, and his explanations became increasingly technical. Lacking any talent for research, Deng Yuqi’s head was soon spinning. She quickly interjected, “Stop, stop, stop. Let me summarize in one sentence: This sub-unit of the Crimson Mist Battle Armor cannot take form without the main armor’s control. In other words, the plan has failed, correct?”
“No, it merely fails to take form. The project itself has not failed,” Li Xiang countered, launching immediately into another lengthy, jargon-filled explanation of his research.
“…” Deng Yuqi was speechless. What exactly was the difference between “cannot be used” and “failure”?
She was completely out of her depth with this research fanatic. Deciding not to pursue the technical discussion further, she stated the purpose of her visit.
Li Xiang adjusted his glasses and, unsurprisingly, declined her proposal. “Director, the most successful projects presented at the Asia Anomaly Research Symposium have consistently come from our Rong City Branch. In terms of standard-issue equipment for Anomaly Countermeasure Agents, other nations are already lagging far behind us. I find it highly unlikely that the nearly collapsed nations of Sakura and Bang can allocate substantial research funding to continue advanced anomaly research.”
“Rather than waste time at a symposium in Dajing, I’d much prefer to stay in the lab and conduct several more experiments. The last time Shen Ge returned from Bang Nation, he was still complaining that the Crimson Mist Battle Armor lacked even basic underwater functionality.”
“And I’ve already formulated the latest upgrade plan for the Crimson Mist Battle Armor. I’m determined to make it a suit capable of dominating land, sea, and air! I’ll give that guy nothing left to complain about!”
