At the hotel rooftop.
The sky was overcast with dark clouds, as if a massive black dome had sealed the city. The air was thick with moisture, heralding an approaching storm.
It had been bright and sunny when Shen Ge and the others arrived for the banquet just over an hour ago. The sudden shift in weather unsettled him—something felt off.
Boom—
A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the dense cloud cover. From a distance, it looked as though a giant eye had opened in the heavens, staring down at the earth.
Standing at the rooftop’s edge, Shen Ge activated his Ghost Eye and surveyed his surroundings. The seemingly ordinary storm clouds were anything but simple—the churning layers within were actually condensed from ghostly energy and black mist. The sensation reminded him of the time he’d scanned a Tier-5 anomaly beneath the pedestrian street restaurant.
Shen Ge doubted the Freak Organization possessed anything like a “Poké Ball.” If they could casually release and recall a Tier-5 or higher anomaly at will, they would have already conquered the world—there’d be no room for the Counter-Ghost Organization to even have a say.
After all, in the Great Xia Dynasty and across the globe, the current assessment of counter-ghost agents still placed solo Tier-3 hunters at captain-level strength. A select few “super captains,” forged through concentrated resources, could barely hold their own against a Tier-4 anomaly.
And that was just holding their own—victory was far from guaranteed.
A Tier-5 anomaly was a “city-destroyer.” Its emergence would require the full mobilization of an entire counter-ghost division just for a chance at victory.
Yes—just a chance.
Though Shen Ge’s track record was undeniably “illustrious,” it couldn’t be used as a benchmark for ordinary agents. After all, there wasn’t a second person on earth capable of taking on a Tier-5 anomaly one-on-one.
So if the Freak Organization truly possessed a method to control Tier-5 anomalies—and could teleport them to designated locations before retrieving them—every counter-ghost agency combined wouldn’t stand a chance.
Precisely because they couldn’t meet those “conditions,” the Freak Organization had to resort to advance preparations: “planting” anomalies at specific sites ahead of time, then finding the right moment to awaken them and execute their plans—whether in the Yuzhou incident, or the ghost disasters in Sakura and the Stick Nation.
But since the Ghost Aircraft Incident, Shen Ge had realized that the Freak Organization’s “progress” far outpaced that of the world’s counter-ghost agencies.
Perhaps due to the “Primordial Anomaly Cells,” the Freak Organization had started from a higher baseline, consistently staying ahead of the curve.
The emergence of new freaks only deepened Shen Ge’s concerns—especially the lack of progress in investigating their teleportation devices. To this day, he still had no idea how they accomplished it.
If they truly perfected the technology to transfer large-scale anomalies, it would spell catastrophe for the world. Even if Shen Ge could handle Tier-5 anomalies, he was just one person—he couldn’t be everywhere at once, playing savior to the entire planet.
The Freak Organization had always been a thorn in Shen Ge’s side—whether due to his tangled history with them, or his hopes for a stable future. As long as they existed, he could never truly rest easy.
But they were like cockroaches in a home: you never knew where they were hiding or how many there were. You’d clear one area, and they’d pop right back up in another.
Sigh. “Dealing with anomalies is way simpler.” Shen Ge averted his gaze. Neither his Ghost Eye nor the system scan had picked up anything unusual, so sticking around would be a waste of time.
The crisis mission had a two-hour time limit. Twenty minutes had already passed, leaving Shen Ge with one hour and forty minutes to find that Tier-5 freak.
“The system indicated a Tier-5 freak skilled in disguise, so it probably doesn’t have much to do with the ghostly energy in the sky.” Before leaving the rooftop, Shen Ge cast one last glance at the heavy clouds. Lightning continued to flash, and the outline of that “eye” grew ever clearer.
Over the past two years, as large-scale ghost disasters erupted worldwide, more and more ghostly energy had surged from beneath the earth. Detecting such energy was no longer unusual.
At that level of intensity, it would have to be a colossal anomaly—not a freak. Besides, Shen Ge had already observed it with his Ghost Eye.
Even if it could evade the system’s scan, it would likely be spotted by the Ghost Eye—after all, that eye belonged to the Primordial Anomaly itself, the very source of ghostly energy.
Back on the floor hosting the banquet, “Cauliflower” and his counter-ghost team stood at attention by the entrance. Spotting Shen Ge’s return, they immediately straightened up and saluted.
“Agent Shen.”
Shen Ge stepped forward and asked, “Anything happen while I was away?”
Cai Hua grabbed his tablet, tapping a few times before replying, “Reporting, Agent Shen: no one entered or exited through this door. At the 3-C exit, a female delegate from a certain country left the venue with her bodyguards—marked as a restroom visit by security.”
“Good work, you all.” Shen Ge gave Cai Hua’s shoulder a pat before heading back into the ballroom.
“It’s my honor!” As a die-hard fan of Shen Ge, Cai Hua felt as thrilled as if he’d received a commendation from a superior.
Shen Ge had drawn quite a bit of attention when he left earlier. Now that he was back, all eyes turned to him once more.
He paid it no mind—but little did he know, in the time he was out, delegates from various nations had already cooked up all sorts of theories in their heads. Some had even drafted elaborate conspiracy plots involving him.
“Back already? No luck? Find any leads?” Deng Yuqi was a little surprised to see him return so quickly.
Shen Ge shook his head. “The target seems to have some ability to mask ghostly energy. I tried every trick I had, but I couldn’t see through its disguise.”
“Similar to the freak from your Ghost Aircraft Report?” Deng Yuqi asked.
Shen Ge nodded. “I suspect the Freak Organization was testing this ability on the ghost aircraft. This is probably an advanced version of that cloaking skill.”
He wasn’t exaggerating or inflating the Freak Organization’s capabilities. The fact that the target could hide so effectively from both the system’s scan and his Ghost Eye’s lock-on meant this was far from simple.
“While you were out, I contacted Mingyue to boost patrols and tighten security. Old Fang also stationed a ghost-energy detection team on standby upstairs…” Deng Yuqi briefly outlined the measures she’d taken after Shen Ge left. Since the enemy excelled at stealth, they’d need to double down on detection.
She’d mobilized every resource at her disposal, sealing the venue tight. If the target made a move, there’d be no escape.
Shen Ge gave a nod of acknowledgment, then noticed the empty seat beside Deng Yuqi. “Where’s Wang Han?”
“He went to the restroom,” Deng Yuqi replied.
Shen Ge furrowed his brow, glancing at the mind-numbing performance on stage. Is that guy using this as an excuse to slack off?
But on second thought, that seemed unlikely. Wang Han knew the Freak Organization was planning to stir up trouble at the banquet. As irresponsible as he could be in everyday matters, as vice-captain, he wouldn’t drop the ball on something this critical.
Shen Ge checked his watch. “Has it been ten minutes?”
“Almost fifteen, actually.” Deng Yuqi hadn’t been paying much attention, but the moment Shen Ge brought it up, alarm bells went off in her head.
“I’ll go check.” Shen Ge stood up again.
Deng Yuqi rose as well. “I’ll come with you.”
The two walked one after the other toward the exit. Earlier, Shen Ge’s departure alone had drawn plenty of stares. Now he was leaving again so soon—and this time, even Branch Chief Deng Yuqi had been “alerted”…
Those familiar with them grew concerned that something was wrong. Those who weren’t started wondering if they were about to make a move against a delegation.
The banquet’s delegates and agents buzzed with speculation, leaving the already dull performances completely ignored.
Fang Mingyue noticed Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi leaving the venue together, so she made an excuse to step out as well. Luo Chenguang, seated at a nearby table, saw what was happening and followed suit.
“Agent Shen?” Cai Hua, stationed at the entrance, was surprised to see Shen Ge back out so soon. When he spotted Deng Yuqi behind him, he quickly snapped to attention and saluted.
“Chief Deng.”
Shen Ge asked, “Can you check for any entry or exit records besides the female delegate and her escort you mentioned earlier?”
Cai Hua immediately looked up his tablet and quickly replied, “At the 3-A exit, two staff members came and went. At 3-B, one delegate left. At 2-A… one counter-ghost agent checked out.”
Shen Ge leaned in to glance at the tablet—and sure enough, Wang Han’s name appeared under the 2-A log. Strict as the access restrictions might seem, they made tracking movements incredibly convenient in case of an emergency.
“Keep guarding this post, stay sharp. If nothing goes wrong, something’s about to go wrong…” Shen Ge said earnestly to Cai Hua.
“…”
Deng Yuqi wanted to retort, What kind of logic is ‘if nothing goes wrong, something’s about to go wrong’? But she knew better than to apply normal reasoning to Shen Ge’s mindset.
Hearing that trouble might be brewing, Cai Hua immediately ordered his team to full alert. He trusted Shen Ge would never joke about something like this.
Just as Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi were heading toward the 2-A exit, Fang Mingyue and Luo Chenguang caught up. The former asked directly, “Agent Shen, has something happened?”
Shen Ge nodded. “This freak has incredible cloaking abilities—it can evade ghost-energy detection devices. You and Luo Chenguang split up: inform Old Fang and the department heads to prepare in advance. There’s a good chance an anomaly incident has already broken out somewhere in the hotel.”
“Understood.” Fang Mingyue responded decisively.
Luo Chenguang muttered, “Since when did I become your subordinate?”
Grumbles aside, he followed Shen Ge’s orders: Fang Mingyue went to notify Old Fang, while he coordinated with the various departments.
Shen Ge and Deng Yuqi reached the 2-A exit and exchanged a few words with the patrol team stationed there. They confirmed that Wang Han had entered the men’s restroom on the left about fifteen minutes ago.
The two approached the restroom and called out a few times, but received no response. Shen Ge activated the system’s scan, then his Ghost Eye.
The system didn’t detect any anomalies or freaks inside the restroom—but his Ghost Eye revealed dense black mist of ghostly energy seeping out from within.
“Let’s go.” Shen Ge was now certain Wang Han was in trouble. He and Deng Yuqi charged into the men’s room—only to find it completely empty.
Deng Yuqi frowned. “According to the patrol, they only saw Wang Han enter, not leave. If he had encountered an anomaly incident, he would’ve used his comms device. That leaves one possibility: there’s an undetectable ghost-space here.”
As she spoke, Shen Ge was already scanning the room with his Ghost Eye. He noticed that the dense ghostly energy was all emanating from the mirror above the sink.
“The mirror?” Shen Ge stepped closer, but nothing seemed off. He tapped on it—it felt ordinary, no different from a normal mirror.
Deng Yuqi asked, “Is there something wrong with the mirror?”
“I can see invisible ghostly energy pouring out of it, and it’s very high-intensity,” Shen Ge replied.
Deng Yuqi pondered. “High-intensity invisible ghostly energy? According to the R&D department’s latest detectors, anything above a 10 can’t remain ‘invisible’… Could the ghost energy here be affected by the freak’s cloaking ability you mentioned?”
Shen Ge had seen it with his own Ghost Eye, so he trusted the information. But more puzzling than why high-intensity energy was invisible was the question: Why wasn’t there any sign of a freak or anomaly, yet the mirror radiated such powerful ghostly energy?
Suddenly, Shen Ge recalled the Dong’an Lake incident—the freak that hid inside mirrors to invade the dream world.
That mirror freak’s ability had come from the Freak Association. And since the target this time was likely “Doctor Chen,” suspected leader of the Freak Association, it wasn’t surprising to see similar powers at play.
“Is there any way to detect a hidden ghost-space here?” Deng Yuqi asked.
Shen Ge thought of the most direct approach: use the collision of his own domain to warp space and pull him into the dream world.
But that hinged on it being the dream world—not some “ghost-space” beyond his understanding.
Still, with his domain active, he’d be protected. Even if the space warped, he’d face no danger.
Shen Ge was intimately familiar with the dream world by now, but that didn’t mean he wanted to drag anyone else along—even if Deng Yuqi was no slouch in combat.
“I have a way. I might get pulled into a ghost-space, but I know the layout well enough to get out quickly. Wait outside the door—no matter what you hear, don’t come in.” Shen Ge said.
Deng Yuqi trusted his judgment and stepped back outside the restroom.
Shen Ge then expanded his domain, keeping it just large enough to cover the restroom. As his domain connected with the mirror, the lights instantly went out, plunging the room into total darkness.
Click!
A soft sound, followed by the crack of shattering glass. In the mirror, a figure appeared—one that looked exactly like Shen Ge, staring back at him with an icy, piercing gaze.
“Oh? Again?”
