After leaving the firearms training room, Shen Ge familiarized himself with the Operations Department under Deng Yuqi’s guidance. Next, she took him to the Technology Department. As they passed the research lab, they saw Li Xiang and several other technicians gathered around a transparent glass panel, manipulating mechanical arms resembling octopus tentacles to perform intricate research tasks.
The lab was specially reinforced to withstand earthquakes and explosions, equipped with multiple air purification and filtration systems to prevent the leakage of anomalous energy or viruses while studying the corpses of supernatural entities—known as “anomalies.”
To Shen Ge, the scene looked strikingly similar to the moment in Avengers: Endgame where Tony Stark used machinery to embed gems into the Infinity Gauntlet. Curious, he leaned in and asked, “Are those tentacles the same model as Iron Man’s?”
“Tentacles? How uncult— Oh, it’s you! Finished your onboarding? Welcome to the Special Anomaly Response Division. By the way, last time you mentioned that the muscle tissue of those rat anomalies moved like worms, fusing together to heal wounds, right? Well, under 1500x magnification, I found that those ‘worms’ are actually clusters of smaller ‘maggots.’ Their constant wriggling makes the whole mass look like it’s squirming.”
Li Xiang had initially been annoyed at the interruption, but the moment he saw it was Shen Ge, his attitude shifted instantly. After a quick “Welcome aboard,” he immediately launched into research talk—truly the department’s top “mad scientist.”
Shen Ge replied, “Today, the Director gave me a basic rundown on anomalies and their energy. Since the ‘healing’ effect is tied to the rat anomaly’s energy, I was wondering if we could develop a ‘healing drug’ or something like a bandage that uses that energy to accelerate wound recovery in other living beings.”
“I actually tested that idea yesterday. Check this out—these are leeches infused with processed anomaly energy.” Li Xiang walked over to a workstation, opened a storage unit, and retrieved a small glass jar containing two thumb-sized white leeches.
“I experimented on lab mice. Whether ingested or applied directly to a wound, the anomaly energy accelerated healing. Ingestion worked noticeably faster than topical application. But we still need extensive testing to confirm whether the energy causes mutations or adverse effects in humans.”
Shen Ge pinched the jar between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the light to observe the squirming leeches. “So anomaly energy can heal wounds rapidly. It really is fascinating stuff. If you run out of test subjects, I could always volunteer—slice myself open and see how it works.”
“No way. Division regulations strictly prohibit human testing until we confirm anomaly energy is safe,” Li Xiang said, though he sounded just as disappointed as Shen Ge.When the two turned around, they found Deng Yuqi and the other staff had backed away by at least three meters, their faces a mix of disgust, shock, confusion, and other expressions usually reserved for lunatics.
Deng Yuqi’s expression was stern as she said firmly, “Li Xiang, if I’m ever critically injured, just let me die. Do not shove those things into my mouth. Also—notify Logistics to draft a new rule: you and Shen Ge are not allowed to collaborate without supervision.”
“…”
And just like that, a reluctant Shen Ge was dragged out of the lab by the scruff of his neck by a thoroughly unamused Deng Yuqi.
She was genuinely worried these two might actually attempt human experimentation with anomaly energy—one was bold enough to suggest it, the other reckless enough to try.
However, the largest and most devastating anomaly incident in the country’s history had been triggered by early human trials in the “Anomaly-Enhanced Soldier Program.”
That said, human mutation from anomaly energy wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
Years of research had shown that the human body strongly resists anomaly energy, much like how unneeded gases are expelled from the lungs. But if a person absorbed large quantities of highly concentrated anomaly energy through artificial means, it could amplify bodily functions and negative emotions to uncontrollable levels, causing rapid physical mutations—not unlike the G-Virus in Resident Evil.
Anomaly energy wasn’t as instantly corruptive as the T-Virus or G-Virus, though. There were “safe thresholds” for concentration and exposure.
Higher-tier anomalies produced more concentrated energy.
Testing had shown that if a normal person inhaled air containing Tier-1 anomaly energy daily, it would take about 30 days for mutations to manifest. The higher the energy tier, the faster the mutations occurred. However, if exposure stopped after a few days, the body would gradually expel the energy.
This proved that affecting humans required prolonged, high-volume, and high-concentration exposure. Since anomaly energy was a gaseous substance, dilution in the air usually prevented dangerous accumulation.
Still, these findings were based on currently observed anomaly tiers. No one knew if Tier-4, Tier-5, or even higher anomalies might emerge in the future—or whether their energy could spread as rapidly as a fictional virus.
After Deng Yuqi’s explanation, Shen Ge fell into thought before suddenly asking, “Director, if the human body rejects anomaly energy but anomaly corpses can store it… could we transplant anomaly cells, organs, or limbs into humans to control that energy? Like the ‘mutants’ in fiction?”
“…”
At that moment, Deng Yuqi’s resolve to keep Shen Ge and Li Xiang apart grew even stronger.
“Drop that idea right now. Do you think nobody’s tried it? Headquarters once attempted it with a volunteer soldier, only for him to be consumed by the anomaly, turning into a mass of flesh-monsters. That incident remains the only recorded Tier-4 anomaly event—it destroyed an entire research facility. The area is still under lockdown, and we lost multiple anomaly-tech devices and hundreds of personnel. After that, human experimentation was banned outright.”
Hearing this, Shen Ge frowned, recalling the missing security guard—Old Wang—whom the system had identified as a Tier-5 anomaly, “Three Heads, Six Arms.”
If human mutation required such extreme conditions and always led to loss of control, how had Old Wang become an anomaly? And where was he now?
As Deng Yuqi shared these classified details, she led Shen Ge through the Technology Department’s equipment lab, anomaly-energy testing room, and finally the underground containment zone for anomalies.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Host’s recklessness knows no bounds—daring to infiltrate an anomaly stronghold alone! High-tier anomaly domains saturate this area, their colliding energies distorting space. At the Host’s current strength, entering guarantees certain doom—no hope of survival, no chance of escape, utter peril beyond redemption… Host must value life and evacuate this high-contamination zone immediately! Warning! Warning! Warning!]
Then, Deng Yuqi watched as Shen Ge repeatedly stepped in and out of the basement entrance.
“…What’s wrong with you? Is the floor too hot to stand on?” she finally snapped.
[Host’s brilliance and courage shine unrivaled! Facing the anomaly stronghold head-on, fearless and unstoppable, charging forward where none dare tread, moving through the heart of danger as if invincible—three strides in, three strides out! Reward: 100 System Points!] x3
300 System Points acquired!
Shen Ge scratched his head sheepishly. “First time being around so many anomalies. Just a little nervous.”
Deng Yuqi: …Nervous?
Should I dig up the footage of you chasing that rat anomaly through the market with a metal cage to remind you what “nervous” looks like?
“Well? Are we going in or not? You were the one who insisted on seeing the containment area.”
“We’re going.”
The underground anomaly containment facility was far larger than Shen Ge had imagined. Of the hundreds of specially sealed chambers, only the first few housed captured anomalies.
But what shocked him most was that the very first cell contained a system-confirmed Tier-4 “Trait”-class anomaly!
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