The mercenary babbled a string of words—pleading, threatening, or perhaps both.

Shen Ge frowned, raised his hand, and sent the black bone dagger flying. It grazed the mercenary’s face before embedding itself in the ground beside him. “If you don’t find a way to make me understand what you’re saying, the next one won’t miss,” he said coldly.

The mercenary continued jabbering, waving his hands in panic.

“Guess he really doesn’t speak Chinese,” Shen Ge muttered. Given how these men had appeared here undetected, the Twelve Branches were likely involved. Not wanting to waste time on small fry, he couldn’t be bothered to translate. With a swift kick to the mercenary’s face—smack—the man’s mouth twisted grotesquely before he slumped unconscious.

Shen Ge then searched the mercenaries but found no aberration-energy equipment. Disappointed, he picked up a couple of guns, grabbed some grenades, and hauled the mercenary’s body toward the blockade line.

“Zhang Wei!” Shen Ge called as he approached.

Hearing his name, Zhang Wei rushed over with his team. “Sir, what are your orders?”

Shen Ge tossed the mercenary at their feet. “This is the guy who shot Fang Tan. According to Fang, these mercs appeared out of nowhere inside the blockade. I took care of the rest—this one’s the only survivor. Take him in for interrogation. Might get some leads.”

Zhang Wei and his men were stunned.

How long has Shen Ge been in the blockade? Less than an hour? Not only did he wipe out a squad of heavily armed mercenaries, but he also brought back a live one?

Is this the power of an elite aberration investigator?

This is terrifying!

“Understood, sir!” Zhang Wei quickly ordered his men to cuff the unconscious mercenary and haul him to the temporary command post outside the blockade.

Shen Ge’s gaze shifted to the tanks in the distance. “Those tanks—”

Zhang Wei followed his line of sight. “Type 99 main battle tanks, deployed from the Great Jing base for support. Originally, ten were assigned to each blockade line, but the second and fourth zones had more critical situations, so most were diverted. Only these two remain here.”

“What if I took one?” Shen Ge asked.

Zhang Wei replied, “Under the latest Aberration Combat Directives, you have the authority to requisition any combat resources within the operational zone. If you need one, I can arrange a driver and crew—”

“Never mind, just asking.” Shen Ge had briefly considered taking a tank but quickly dismissed the idea. The streets inside the blockade were cluttered with abandoned cars and collapsed buildings—a tank would only hinder mobility. Plus, it’d make him a glaring target.

The blockade zone was shrouded in thick fog, visibility extremely low.

“Where exactly is the Great Jing Special Countermeasures Department?” Shen Ge asked.

Zhang Wei pulled out a map and pointed to a red circle. “Sir, the red mark is the department’s location—also the hardest-hit area.”

“Got it.” Shen Ge nodded and was about to grab a vehicle when a deafening, drum-like gulp echoed through the air.

Then, a massive black toad, nearly five meters tall, oozing with pustules and half-melted into a viscous, tar-like substance, leaped out from the street.

Boom!

Boom!

Each jump sent violent tremors through the ground.

Judging by its aberration energy, it was close to Tier 2. The bubbling black pustules on its back suggested it was undergoing a second mutation.

“Aberration!”

“Alert!”

The soldiers at the blockade sprang into action. The two tanks and several artillery pieces swiveled their barrels toward the giant toad.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A volley of shells struck the toad dead-on.

But the moment the explosions erupted, the pustules on the toad’s body burst, splattering black liquid like sulfuric acid across the ground, sizzling and bubbling.

As the pustules ruptured, dense black mist rapidly expanded, swallowing the flames from the explosions like an invisible maw.

Zhang Wei, as the zone’s commander, immediately ordered another barrage, but with each explosion, more corrosive black sludge pooled across the ground.

“Cease fire!” Shen Ge recognized this as a special-class aberration. Its ability wasn’t regeneration—it was those black sludges that seemed to neutralize the artillery.

As the acting highest-ranking officer, Shen Ge’s order was instantly obeyed. Zhang Wei had the troops fall back beyond the blockade line.

Shen Ge was about to step forward and use his Aberrant Stomach to subdue the toad when Fang Mingyue, hearing the commotion, limped out of a vehicle with a nurse’s support.

“Oh, you didn’t go to the hospital? Perfect. Lend me your Bone Rod,” Shen Ge said, spotting a more reliable solution.

Without hesitation, Fang Mingyue pulled the rod from her back and tossed it to him.

Catching it, Shen Ge activated his Bone Boots and leaped toward the toad in a series of bounds. The soldiers gaped at his superhuman agility.

Before they could recover from their shock, Shen Ge swung the Bone Rod, its tip morphing into a massive skeletal cage that ensnared the toad.

He then jumped onto the cage, drew his black bone dagger, and—stab, stab—pierced both of the toad’s eyes.

The creature thrashed wildly, rattling the cage against the ground with thunderous clangs, but the bone structure was tougher than steel. It held firm.

Using his Glove of Holding, Shen Ge anchored himself to the rod’s handle, riding the toad’s convulsions like a rodeo. The dagger flashed, stabbing and slicing as he adjusted the cage’s size to avoid the splattering black sludge.

In under ten minutes, the toad was dead.

[Host successfully eliminated Tier 1 aberration. Reward: 50 system points.]

[Sell Tier 1 aberration corpse? Price: 200 system points.]

“Decline.”

Aberrations were everywhere in the blockade. Two hundred points weren’t worth it—especially since the Twelve Branches had abilities similar to “White Light Flash.”

Retracting the Bone Rod, Shen Ge tossed it back to Fang Mingyue and addressed the soldiers: “This toad was only Tier 1, and its ability wasn’t regeneration, but stay alert for revival. Secure the body ASAP. I’m heading to HQ.”

“Investigator Shen, I’m coming with you!” Fang Mingyue’s pale face was etched with determination.

“You can barely stand, let alone fight. Don’t throw your life away. Stay at the hospital. I’ve got this.” Shen Ge strode to the car that had brought him, dismissed the driver, and took the wheel.

“Little Seven, drive to Great Jing Special Countermeasures Department.”

“Understood, Master.” The fleshy tendrils from Shen Ge’s wristwatch slithered to the steering wheel and pedals, and the car sped into the blockade zone.

Watching the black sedan vanish into the fog, Fang Mingyue bit her lip. I’m still too weak… I can’t even keep up with his shadow.

“Sister Fang, he’s… he’s amazing!” The nurse, now familiar with Fang Mingyue, had only heard stories of Shen Ge’s prowess. Seeing it firsthand left her awestruck.

The two nurses, interns from a Haicheng District hospital, had been rescued by Fang Mingyue. Inspired by her courage, they’d joined the rescue team.

They’d witnessed Fang Mingyue’s battles, the sacrifices of soldiers—victories hard-won against aberrations.

But that man had effortlessly annihilated a monstrous toad.

At that moment, everyone—nurses, soldiers—recalled Fang Mingyue’s words: “With him here, Great Jing has hope.”

It wasn’t empty encouragement. It was fact.

Shen Ge’s display of power ignited a surge of morale. Victory suddenly felt within reach.

Meanwhile, the object of their admiration, humming a tune, drove into the fog…

And got lost.

Normally, Little Seven’s memory function could navigate even zero-visibility fog using road data, intersections, and turns.

But Great Jing’s streets had one defining trait: congestion. Abandoned vehicles choked every lane. Little Seven had to weave through sidewalks and shops, detouring so much they ended up farther from HQ.

Soon, overlapping aberration spaces appeared in the mist.

Shen Ge wasn’t surprised. Half the aberrations that had escaped HQ possessed aberration spaces, and the Twelve Branches had “cultivated” even more.

After days of larger aberrations consuming smaller ones, who knew how many new spaces had spawned? Overlapping was inevitable.

Most critically, as they neared the looming skyscraper flickering in the fog, the system alerted him:

[Warning!]

[Host entering highly contaminated zone dominated by Tier 4 aberration (Trait: “Non-Flammable”). Numerous low-tier aberrations roam this area, hunting living prey!]

[Multiple aberrations have detected host via acute sense of smell. Host is marked! Prioritize survival—retreat immediately!]

Shen Ge had planned to lure out the Twelve Branches in Haicheng District before hitting HQ for points.

Instead, he’d stumbled upon an unexpected prize: a Trait aberration. It’d been ages since he’d encountered one—no way he’d pass this up.

“Little Seven, drive straight into the lobby.”

With a crash, the car plowed through the revolving doors.

Shen Ge stepped out, scanning the area. “Seriously? That noise and not a single aberration shows up?”

“Hey!”

“Anybody alive here?”

He shouted a few times.

Anyone witnessing this would’ve been floored. In aberration-infested zones, survivors moved like ghosts, terrified of drawing attention.

Shen Ge wanted to attract aberrations—and the Twelve Branches. High-profile chaos was the quickest way to flip the script from hunted to hunter.

Once they revealed themselves, his “Invisible + Silent” combo would turn the tables. With his assassination skills, the Twelve Branches wouldn’t stand a chance.

After circling the lobby, Shen Ge checked the elevators and stairwell. The elevators were dead—otherwise, he’d have taken one (since protagonists always meet aberrations in elevators).

The building directory listed it as a mixed-use skyscraper: offices on floors 1-15, hotels on 16-36. Elevators required keycards for specific floors, and stairwell doors locked from the inside for privacy.

Common in big cities.

With no clue where “Non-Flammable” lurked, Shen Ge resorted to the oldest, dumbest method: floor-by-floor sweep.

Floors 1-8 yielded nothing. Breaking into every room would take forever—this skyscraper was massive. Even doubling the 50-hour deadline wouldn’t be enough.

Besides the “Save Great Jing” main quest, Deng Yuqi had assigned him a hidden side mission:

Visit the Great Jing Deep Research Institute, use Little Seven’s memory to recover data from the scorched mainframe, and retrieve the sealed human experiment reports.

According to Li Xiang, verifying the Twelve Branches’ connection to the old HQ experiments required those reports.

Though Li Xiang had sworn off human experimentation—even offering to let other researchers monitor his work—Deng Yuqi had initially refused.

Then Chief Chen intervened, revealing that the experiments had suspicious gaps. Rumor was, HQ had discovered a “humanoid aberration” in the deep sea a decade before the “first recorded aberration incident.” The experiments stemmed from that specimen.

Its location was buried in the reports. Find them, and the Twelve Branches’ secrets might unravel.

After deliberation, Deng Yuqi had greenlit the side mission.

Under international aberration accords, Great Jing had ~50 hours to resolve its crisis before foreign “rescue” teams arrived.

“Rescue” was a thin disguise. Countless organizations would swarm HQ, and extracting the reports under their noses would be near impossible.

Shen Ge wasn’t worried about foreign teams—in fact, he welcomed more aberration-gear-wearing spies. As the saying goes, “If we lack guns or cannons, the enemy will provide.” Looting gear was a fast track to wealth.

Still, letting foreign operatives run amok on home soil left a bad taste. Better to grab the reports first, then tackle the crisis.

If time ran out and “allies” showed up, well… the sincere ones could stay. The troublemakers? They’d join the aberrations in the grave.

Points and loot—two birds, one stone.

[Warning! Aberrations have detected host via acute sense of smell. Host is marked! Prioritize survival—retreat immediately!]

Before the system’s alert, Shen Ge had heard thuds from above while on lower floors.

Following the noise, he found two aberrations locked in combat: a crab and a shrimp.

Is the 12th floor a seafood buffet?

Both were trying to devour each other. The crab had lost half its body; the shrimp’s abdomen was hollowed out.

Already crippled, they posed little challenge. Shen Ge made quick work of them.

[+50 points x2. Sold corpses: +400 points.]

Two floors up, his flashlight revealed basketball-sized black footprints on the stairs.

Charred and reeking, they pulsed faintly with aberration energy.

“‘Non-Flammable’… judging by the name, it shouldn’t burn. But these prints look like they’re from something scorched.”

“Twin aberrations? ‘Non-Flammable’ and ‘Flammable’?”

If so, he’d hit the jackpot. As a pyromaniac at heart, “Non-Flammable” was already god-tier. Adding “Flammable”?

Perfection.

Not even the entire Twelve Branches could pry this Trait from him now.

“The prints lead to the 15th floor.” The door there had been smashed open, its metal panels melted.

“Flammable” was likely inside.

Following the trail, Shen Ge entered the 15th floor. The dark hallway was lined with hotel rooms, some doors ajar. Dim light filtered through the foggy windows.

He swept his flashlight but didn’t enter—nothing seemed amiss, and the system stayed silent.

Then, faint rustling came from a room ahead. Someone—or something—was rummaging.

Shen Ge approached and shone his light inside.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

Two startled cries. A small figure was quickly pulled into a hug by a larger one, a hand clamping over its mouth.

A girl, about twelve, shielding a boy of six or seven.

“I’m human. Not a monster. No need to fear.” Shen Ge angled the light at himself.

Seeing his uniform, the girl brightened. “A policeman! You’re here to save us!”

Shen Ge scanned the room. “Just you two? Where are your parents?”

The girl released the boy. “We were visiting Great Jing when the alarms went off. They told us to stay inside. Then we saw monsters outside, and the fog came. After days without food, Dad took us out to search. We found others on the 27th-floor restaurant, but… the food ran out.”

“Dad left us with Mom and went to find more. He never came back. Others went too—same. Mom gave us her share, then… she got sick.”

“A waitress said there might be medicine on the 20th floor. No one would help, so I went alone. My brother followed. We made it to the 20th but couldn’t open the door. Then a monster—a huge crab—chased us here.”

“Hungry?” Shen Ge asked.

She nodded.

He handed her two ration bars and a water bottle—his only provisions. Not that it mattered; unlike Dongyu Village, Haicheng had plenty of stores. He could restock anytime.

“Thank you, sir.” The girl gave one bar to her brother, then offered the other back. “You should eat too.”

“I’ve got more.” Shen Ge patted his pockets (which were actually stuffed with grenades).

The girl hesitated. “Can I save this for Mom?”

“Sure.” He nodded. “How long have you been here?”

“Almost a day.”

“Twenty hours in this hallway, searching rooms with just a flashlight?”

She nodded. “The crab couldn’t fit through doors. We stayed near these rooms.”

“See any other monsters besides the crab and shrimp?”

She shook her head.

Did “Flammable” leave?

“Come on. I’ll take you to your mom.”

“But… the crab—”

“Don’t worry. I dismantled it and the shrimp.”

The girl gasped. “You… you beat them? How?”

The boy’s eyes sparkled. “Mister, are you Ultraman?”

“Something like that.” Shen Ge ruffled their heads and led them upstairs, detouring to the 20th floor for medicine and snacks.

[Warning! Tier 1 aberration detected above! Host is marked! Prepare for combat!]

A gulping sound echoed. Shen Ge’s flashlight revealed a two-meter-tall crimson shrimp.

“Seafood buffet again?”

The siblings clamped hands over their mouths.

“Stay here.” Shen Ge gave them a spare flashlight and bounded up the stairs.

With a shield conjured from his Aberrant Armor, he blocked the shrimp’s pincers, then cleaved its neck open with his cleaver. Green goo and innards splattered.

In seconds, the shrimp was diced.

[+50 points. Sold corpse: +200.]

“Wow! You’re amazing!”

“Like Captain America!” the girl exclaimed.

The boy disagreed. “No! I saw black stuff move on his arm—it’s Venom!”

“Venom-Captain America?”

“Venom-Spider-Man!”

Shen Ge’s eyebrow twitched. These kids watch too many movies.

As they climbed, he asked their names.

“I’m Hu Meimei.”

“I’m Hu Tutu!”

“Let me guess… Dad’s Hu Yingjun, Mom’s Zhang Xiaoli?”

“No, Dad’s Hu Hengshuai, Mom’s Li Meili.”

…Close enough.

At the 27th floor, the door was locked. A faint light glowed beyond.

“Police! Anyone alive in there?” Shen Ge called.

(The “police” identity was more relatable to civilians than “Special Countermeasures.” Most had never heard of the latter.)

Gasps and murmurs erupted inside.

“It’s the police!”

“We’re saved!”

The door opened, revealing a crowd of fifty-plus survivors—mostly women, many injured. The few men were in worse shape, one missing an arm, another a leg.

Clearly, they’d taken turns venturing out for supplies, paying the price.

The hotel manager explained: Originally 200-300 people had sheltered here, surviving on restaurant stock. When that ran out, some braved the streets, never returning. Others came back reporting more monsters outside. Now, only these remained.

Two days ago, Hu Meimei’s mother had fallen ill with fever. Hearing that medicine was on the 20th floor but no one would fetch it, the girl had sneaked out.

Shen Ge handed the medicine to the manager, then distributed snacks he’d grabbed from the 20th floor.

The manager rationed the meager supplies. Some complained; others were grateful.

Shen Ge pondered their safety. Taking them along was impossible—higher-tier aberrations’ spaces would slaughter the group. Escorting them to the blockade was equally unfeasible—too far, too slow.

He’d only helped because he liked the siblings and was hunting “Non-Flammable” anyway.

“Officer, can you get us out?” a middle-aged woman asked.

Shen Ge countered, “The streets are crawling with monsters. You’d be safer here than following me. Even if I led, would you dare go?”

“Then can you bring us more food?”

Before Shen Ge could answer, a wounded man barked, “Wang Shufang, shut your mouth! This officer already risked his life for us. How dare you ask for more? You’re scared of monsters—is his life worthless?”

The woman shrank back as others chimed in:

“Thank you, young man. Without this food, I’d have starved.”

“Have you eaten? Here, take my share—you need strength to save others.”

Shen Ge waved them off. “I ate before entering. Stay put—I’ll report your location. Help will come soon.”

Some urged him to stay, but most understood he was part of a search-and-rescue operation. His presence alone reignited their hope.

After reassuring them, Shen Ge left. Though some questioned why he wouldn’t protect them, most wished him luck.

At the stairwell, he decided to spend some free attribute points. Maybe leave the survivors a few guns—or if he rolled a tank, block the door with it.

“System, 10x draw!”

The lottery wheel appeared.

He had 7,603 points saved (having avoided rolling tanks at HQ to avoid awkward explanations).

[Categories:]

* Daily Supplies (50%)

* Weapons (20%)

* Consumables (15%)

* Free Attributes (10%)

* Vehicles (4%)

* ??? (1%)

Higher ratings unlock more categories.

“Draw!” Humming “Miracle再现” (the Ultraman theme), Shen Ge prayed for attributes and Trait gear.

Ding-ding-ding—

[+2% free attributes x5]

[+UMP9 SMG +5 mags]

[+Molotov cocktails x20]

[+Instant noodles x2 boxes]

[+UZI +5 mags]

[+Type 95 rifle +5 mags]

Ten draws netted 10% in attributes—putting him closer to Tier 3!

“Lucky start! Maybe I’ll get a Trait this time!”

Just one Trait, then I’ll stop.

“10x draw!”

Five more batches later, his free attributes hit 83%, alongside a mountain of explosives and guns.

No vehicles. No Traits.

Allocating the points to Spirit, he reached 407%—just 197% shy of Tier 3’s 600% threshold.

[Shen Ge]

* Rating: Tier 2

* Attributes:

* Strength 143%

* Agility 134%

* Constitution 129%

* Spirit 407%

* Traits:

* “Silent”

* “Immobile”

* “Invisible”

* “Nonexit”

* Abilities:

* “Invisible Aberration Domain (Type I)”

* “Nonexit Aberration Domain (Type I)”

* Gear:

* “Li Xiang Armor I (Little Seven)”

* Cleaver (Trait: Unbreakable)

* Aberrant Eye (Trait: Unseeable)

* Bone Gauntlet (Aberrant Flame)

* Points: 1,603

“Sixty draws! Not one Trait, not even a vehicle? System, have you no shame? Even gacha games fake pity pulls!”

Shen Ge’s liver ached.

The stairwell was now an armory. Never say “I’ll stop after X.”

“Got carried away…” He pocketed the useful explosives and Molotovs, then returned to the survivors.

Their jaws dropped when he led them to the 28th-floor haul.

“Long story. HQ thought I was setting up a forward base and airdropped supplies. Hold out here—help’s coming.”

Hu Tutu raised a hand. “Uncle Venom, but in games, airdrops land on rooftops. Why’s this on the 28th floor?”

“Details don’t matter. Tutu, protect your sister, okay?”

“Okay!”

Thanks to Shen Ge’s gacha spree, the survivors now had supplies and guns.

Not a total waste—he’d inform HQ to treat this as a resupply point for rescue teams.

After a crash course on firearms, Shen Ge continued upward.

The rooftop finally triggered a system alert:

[Warning!]

[Tier 4 aberration (Trait: “Non-Flammable”) ahead! Host’s current rating is insufficient—DO NOT ENGAGE!]

Not even a “one-in-nine survival chance”?

Calling this “suicidal” is an insult.

Shen Ge ignored it and stepped onto the roof.

Three aberrations awaited: one massive, two smaller, all wreathed in black mist.

The largest resembled a five-meter-tall dog with bat wings and tentacles sprouting from its head. The smaller ones were two meters tall.

Their heads glowed like solidified lava—grotesque yet oddly cute.

Gulp.

Gulp.

All three turned toward him.

“‘Non-Flammable,’ huh? Let’s test that.” Shen Ge pulled out a Molotov.